Minimal Movements

I had been working out on clearing clutter and becoming more simplified in my life 

This is what progress I have made so far

The kitchen was getting over run with plastic containers

Now they are BPA free but I would eventually like to go to all glass 

and have less stored in them daily.

I tend to over cook

This is when I took them out of the cupboard

Going through the lids

One I got rid of, donating them

Forgot to take a before picture but this is it afterwards 

Much neater take my word for it. 

Upper dish cabinet

After 

A few items of clothing 

These are the items I am letting people go through to see what they want

More......

 More... except the gray tubs those are Dallas & Sara's

 And the last of this past weeks so far.

I enjoyed having all these little extras at one time but now they are just clutter to store and take up space

I don't need them anymore so I will let others use them

Feels good to clear out. 

There is so much more to do.

 Sometimes this is tough to get rid of things you might need but gotta be ruthless.

Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Time To Clear Out

For the last couple months I have been wanting to get rid of things. 

Yes the minimalist urge to have less clutter.

It hit me again when Dallas & Sara asked to move in. I started looking at things differently.

Seeing that the house has gotten some clutter built up, not terrible but making me uncomfortable. 

I am going to be working on getting rid of things that I no longer use.

I was reading this blog post on Minimalist Mom

"what if I get rid of something I may need again?"

I love that she says"From experience you will come across things that you may need to buy or borrow again but it isn't as bad or stressful as you think it will be" 

This has helped me to decide on getting rid of more things that I know longer use or need. 

So here I go. 

I will take pictures as I go and keep the blog posted.

Simplifying for Fall Day 4Th Day

Today is all about the cleaning out of the Bedroom & Bathrooms. Since I have cleaned out and de-cluttered a while ago things have pretty much stayed the way they were.

However 2 weeks ago I  did a major clean up in Faith and Gabby's bedroom. 

Now brace yourself this is not a pretty sight

This is the before:

 Closet floor

Other side of the  closet 

I spent a full day working on this scary mess

This is now: 

I didn't take pictures of the closet but believe me they are so much more organized and clean.

Even though it took a good portion of my day I was so happy to get it cleaned up and ready for the school year.

 Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Simplify For Fall Day 3 Toys & School Supplies

Boy do I feel lame I have no toys at this time to de-clutter. This will come when I show you the girls room on tomorrows post. The toys that I keep for the grand kiddos have already been gone through a while back. 

School supplies hmmm...... well I have some notebooks that I bought for the girls for school when they went on sale this year. They really needed a lot of the composition notebooks I had over 12 of then and now only 2 left. Plus the two younger girls love to write stories when we are traveling or they are just relaxing so I am guessing that is where some of them went. Time to stock up again.

 Then I keep a box of extra pencils, erasers, pens, staples and other such desk supplies in a clear box with a lid in the garage on a shelf with our extra paper. 

As you can see there aren't very many supplies due to the girls already taking most of it with them to school or in their backpacks. The container WAS the larger size but it looked super sad when I took the picture so I switched it over. So now I know that when I see items on sale that are depleted I can stock up on them. That is the great thing about this Fall Challenge. 

Hope you are doing well on your challenge. Please let me know! 

Hugs, Bobbi Jo

  

Simplifying For Fall Challenge Day 2 Kitchen & Meal Plan

As you can see on Day 2 of the Simplifying For Fall  challenge we are working on our Kitchen & Meal Plan. 

My kitchen has pretty much stayed the same since I worked on it a couple months ago. There was however one area that got a little out of control and that would be the small pantry in the kitchen.
This is the before

 This is the after

The shelves starting at top are:
#10 Food storage items I use maybe once a week,
2Nd shelf oatmeal, Nutella, crakers for snacks or baking, coco powders for baking
3Rd shelf is spaghetti squash, onions, bananas, popcorn, bread & buns
4Th shelf is some baking items, my herbal teas and cereal
5Th shelf is the #10 cans of food storage that are used more frequently.
I just included that because I am always curious or nosy of what people have in there pantries.


 This is my cool door organizer(shoe holder) that holds smaller containers of things that are used frequently.
This way I can store my extra stock of items in another place but have these items easily on hand.
Coco had shared this idea with me when they lived down here in the valley. I have one in both of my pantries.

So other than some regular cleaning up in the kitchen this was the only area that scared me. he he
The rest of my day has been working on Menu Planning I am still working on this today. It is Wednesday yes and it is taking me forever. You may ask why and so I will tell you. I am figuring out how I can cut the grocery bill down to $100 or below for the next couple of weeks. This past week was done on $120.
I am currently reading this book

It has so many wonderful ideas and I am taking notes so it is taking me a little longer to get through this book than it normally would.
So my challenge for this coming week, I go shopping on Thursday normally is to spend less than $100 this includes everything including paper products, toiletries and food. We will see how I do. We do have a bit of supplies built up so I think this is a big advantage.
 Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Simplifying For Fall Day 1 Kick Off

 As you can see on the above picture Simplifying For Fall Day one KICK OFF. Being that I was awaken a half hour before I actually had to get up my kick off day started out ahead of schedule. 

I was able to take kiddos to school (my turn this week in the car pool) then go to Wal-Mart & Fry's to get the needed groceries for this weeks menu and drop a book at the library all before 7:10 this morning. 

I came home started some wash, did other house chores, ate breakfast and started in on the laundry room.

Today's Simplifying starts off with Clothes and Laundry Room

 I apologize for how yellow the pictures are. I think this is due to my laundry room being a bright sunshine yellow and very little lighting in there. 

I must first explain that a little bit of remodeling is going on here. It started when i saw on another blog that the lady got her washer & dryer stacked. I didn't now you could do this with these washers. So  I showed Alan the pictures and made such a fuss about it . He started to do some thinking, then asking me questions. Well it was much later like a couple months that he said we could do it sometime.

I don't remember other than it was after my Birthday that he did get it done. He pulled out a shelf that was built there and patched it. It still has yet to be sanded and textured. 

This is my laundry room before

Not terrible but messy. 

Other side is my book shelf with cook books, dish towels, clothes, flour sack towels, Sham-wows, dirty kitchen linens basket, cookbook binders. 

The drawers that go under the washer and dryer that were on them when we had them side by side are in the garage. Alan is going to make a shelf that will go on the left had side of the washer and dryer with a rod to hang clothes on (this will hopefully save me some ironing.) and the drawers will come back in and be put on the ground underneath. So the boxes to the left are full of our items from those 2 HUGE drawers and on the top of those are rags .

This is the box with dog grooming  shampoo, conditioner, brushes, leashes and decorative scares. 

Also put in the extra items until the drawers come back in. 

Washing items, stain remover and special detergent for Hubs hunting clothing

 Extra items 

And now the After 

And the other side after 

 Now don't worry I did find the homes where all of those other things that were in here belonged. I am thinking that this is much better (at least until my drawers come back in! ).

Now for the second part of today's challenge

CLOTHING

Some people might find this odd but I don't have a dresser.

Instead I keep my socks and unmentionables in these containers.

 The clothing is folded and organized to keep them neat.

The rest of my clothing is hung up. It goes my shorts (more like capris but my legs aren't too long so they are longer), camis for under shirts, t-shirts for everyday, nicer shirts, cover ups, dresses, skirts, then lingerie. I had cleaned my close out a few months ago so there really wasn't much to go through here. 

Above my clothes are my boxes with my shoes in them. To the left you see the distilled water that is for the Netti Pot. Just for those curious minds out there. 

This wasn't too bad of a challenge today. 

I hope if you are joining in you will share with me your successes or the link were I can check them out. 

Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Simplifying For Fall Challenge

I am joining in on the Simplifying For Fall Challenge how about you? What you haven't read about it? Well head on over to Home Your Way. Sweet MANDI explains what will be going on. 

I will be posting before and after pictures (no matter how embarrassing it is for me.) 

My goal is to become minimalist and enjoy life like never before. 

Hope you will join me on this journey! 

Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Book Review "Living With Less: An Unexpected Key to Happpiness"

I have been privileged to read and review the advance book "Living With Less: An Unexpected Key To Happiness'" 

 The book can be purchased through For the Kindle Amazon 
Or for the paperback version Amazon

If you want more information on the book check out the blog: Becoming Minimalist 

 As you know if you have been reading my blog I started my minimalist journey back in April. One of the biggest things that help me to get motivated besides my sweet daughter, Coco, was a blog called Becoming Minimalist . Reading this blog inspired me to reach where I am right now and answer some of the questions of how to clear out things, the feelings that come with getting rid of clutter and the amazing journey of becoming a minimalist. 

 When I got chosen to read this book I was ecstatic to have this opportunity. I enjoy the writing of Joshua Becker. The heart felt words and things he shares are uplifting and reassuring that  I am heading in the right direction of being a minimalist. 

Living With Less: An Unexpected Key to Happiness 

The book is geared to the teenage or young adult audience but even though I am up in the years I enjoyed it very much.

Joshua Becker has served as a youth pastor for 14 years.

This is a religious book that hits straight to the heart.

The writing is simple yet straight to the point of what consumerism does to a person. So for this reason I feel it is a great read for all of us. Who doesn't need help controlling the impulse to spend money on things that are not needed or just one more thing to take care of. 

As I am reading the book I find the writing so entertaining. There are things that made me giggle, really ponder about the questions that he asks.

One of the paragraphs that made me think a little deeper about where I live and what I have is the following:

We are called to give financially to the church

and we are called to lay up treasures in

heaven, true. But in the exact same breath,

Jesus warns us not to hoard treasures here

on earth—unless two-story homes filled with

overflowing closets and garages don’t count

as stockpiles. Personally, I’m not sure what

else we’d call them.

I love that he references the scriptures to get the message across.

 One of the quotes that I loved is this:  

We can

choose to follow our selfish desires brought

on by sin and the Evil One and encouraged

by this world. Or we can choose God. We can

choose to follow Christ. We can choose his will

for our life and his plan for our actions.

In sharing his own story of why he became a minimal list makes you want to go start getting rid of all the clutter and have a more fulfilling life. When we have less stuff we can live more! 

Another quote that I love is: 

"The more stuff you own,

the more your stuff owns you."

This is so true. Just think of all the time you spend taking care of things or storing things that you don't need or use.

"Living With Less:An Unexpected Key To Happiness" is an easy read. Very enjoyable, uplifting and motivating.

 I would say a great read for anyone wanting to simplify their lives and find true happiness.

I would recommend this to all to pick up and get started on a new life with minimalism. You won't be sorry you picked up this book.

If you want a further review on the book "Living With Less: An Unexpected Key To Happiness" please go to Becoming Minimalist  blog.

I would like to thank Joshua Becker for this opportunity to read this fantastic book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book I am so pumped to do more clearing out of clutter.

Hugs, Bobbi Jo   (off to clear out the clutter)

Take My Clutter Away

So it is Friday and it has been a long week of a lot of waiting. I am not a patient person and my family can verify that fact. 

This morning I got tired of looking at the mess our garage that I have made due to the minimalism journey I am on. 

This is the back of my van. These boxes are full of books that I am taking to 

Half Price books to sell.  I still have some more shelves I need to go through in the house but I have always loved books and so this is a big step for me to let go of these.

I went into my closet this morning and saw this box that has been under my clothes for a while. Obviously due to the embedded ring on the carpet to the left of it.

Anyway I was reading an article on a blog yesterday about getting rid of clothes that you are hanging on to for "SOMEDAY". You know that some day when you wear that size again, some day when that comes back in style again." Well I got rid of my someday things today 

 This is the bag of the "someday" things that I got rid of. 

Feels so good to empty out a container that you don't have to look at to remind you of that "fantasy you ". 

More talk about the "Fantasy You"

I had read a blog post (I wish I could remember what blog it was to give credit where credit is do) that was talking about letting go of the fantasy you. The post spoke to me so clearly that I thought the writer was talking to me directly. You know the you that you thought you would be! Still confused let me clarify. One Fantasy Me was the great chef. So I bought all these amazing cooking gadgets, pans and tools to cook with. Yes I have to admit I am a good cook but I don't use have the stuff I bought or have.

The Fantasy You fitness buff: the weights, the yoga mat, the gabillion DVD's, the treadmill that collects dust in the garage or you hang clothes from.

 Or the Fashion Diva Fantasy You: Great clothing that is form fitting, shoes & purses to match each outfit, along with the costume jewelry to got with each outfit. 

How do I know about these ones? Well guess what they were the Fantasy Me but NO MORE!!!

I am who I am and I am loving being simple and getting clutter free. Mentally, physically, and even Spiritually.

It is feel great and I still have so much to do.

 I then loaded things into the back seat of the car

 closer look of what was on the floor board

I had already packed up stuff in the trunk of the car. 

I should have taken a picture of all the stuff in the garage before I took it out but once I got started I didn't want to stop the flow of energy on putting it in. 

 Gabby and I then drove to Goodwill and dropped off the items for some other people to buy, use and hopefully love.

So much more I want to go through but I must get other things done in my life but there will be more. 

 If you are inspired or have something you want to share I would love to hear from you.

 Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Food Declutter

Minimalism has been on my mind a lot lately. Not only because I talk with Coco about it , not because I read about it, but because I am seeing a difference in not having some of the clutter that I did 3 weeks ago. 

Now my garage looks like I am the biggest hoarder in the world. (I will post a picture before I start donating things just for you). 

I have so far 6 fruit boxes full of books that I am taking to Half Price Books to sell and many more on the way. 

I have been busy with work and life in general but this has been the main thing that is on my mind. 

Not only am I thinking of physical clutter but also mental clutter and my bodies physical clutter.

So after this thought what do you think it is time to do but DE-CLUTTER and minimize what I can do when I can do it !  

Boring food containers

Well there is a closet that is under our stairs that Kyle first claimed to be his room when he saw our house for the first time because it reminded him of Harry Potter.
Before we moved in Alan had shelves put in to each of the closets for me for extra storage. I love our house but never has had enough storage until this amazing minimizing. I truly think that sometime in the near future there will be more than enough storage space in our beautiful home.
Boring food containers NO MORE!
Avery company has labels in all shapes and sized you can print on your computer.
 I just love these. Sorry the picture is so dark. But you can see the labels have made it easy to spot what I want in the closet.

 A little pretty touch for the laundry room

 Pretty laundry soap container . Much prettier than that ugly bucket you see to the left of it.
Makes me smile when I see it.

When I started labeling things this past week my kiddos were getting a little concerned that I was going to start labeling them. 

 After a lot of discussions with Coco and reading on blogs of all the different additives in food to give it a longer shelf life. It has really started to gross me out. Plus with trying to clear out the physical body clutter I don't want all this garbage going into my body or my families.
I am steering towards a whole foods eating way.
After a couple days of working on clearing out the 4 closets that were used as pantries this is what I have so far.
Picture #1

Closer view of picture #1

Picture #3

All of this is stored in Dallas's old room for right now. 

I was going to donate this to our church but when I told Dallas and Sara about it they said they would take it all. Being newlyweds with tight finances I can understand this. So glad it will go to a home that needs it. 

Someday I will get them on the healthier band wagon too. But for now I need to work on those that live in the same house as me. 

This is the closet under the stairs. Still has some work to be done but this is a slow process at times.

As you will notice I do have a good bit of food storage. I have been the canning specialist in the past 4 words I have lived in so I try to practice what I preach. he he  

 Pantry in the kitchen. True not all the canned items are gone. As I said this is a very slow process I need to ease the family into.

 Hallway closet. 

 Another dark picture (sorry) this is the closet in Dallas's room The hanging area is in front of all these cans.

This is more of our food storage. I am done clearing this area I just need to dust up a little bit more. 

 This is the top part to the above mentioned closet. These are our sleeping bags and Dallas's emergency back pack. I haven't gone through these yet but it is certainly on my list.

I don't like the sleeping bags out with the rest of the camping items due to spider or bug factor. Personally it creeps me out! 

So this is where I am at so far. I will try to remember to take pictures are blog a little more frequently to keep you up to date.

 Feels good to get rid of stuff! 

 Hugs, Bobbi Jo