Last week, I helped a friend move a bunch of stuff out of her storage unit. Interestingly, I had helped her family move out of their apartment more than a year ago and most of the items in storage came from that move. Most of the items in the unit had not been gone through in over a year. We hauled everything out of there. Some of the items were delivered to family members, and several boxes were brought back to her current apartment. But about half of the items in her unit w

What’s the first thing you do when you move into a new house? Do you set up the beds? Do you line the cabinets with shelf paper? Do you make a list of the rooms you want to paint? Do you immediately go out and buy a new welcome mat? Well, I do all these things, usually within the first week, but the very first thing my family brings into a home is a new toaster. Why? Because it means we can immediately make toast by which we can “toast” to our new home. It’s an immediate way

Ah, spring is in the air. Can you feel it? Bright sunlight flooding through the windows, warm breezes, a plethora of pollen (ah-choo!) and a general sense of ease as the days grow longer. It’s sneaky, this shoulder season between winter and summer. Here in the PNW we can reach a high of 70 one day and 50 the next, and don’t even mention those rain showers that spring up out of nowhere. It’s a good idea to keep an extra layer around for contingencies, but it’s perfectly reason

It’s been a wild few weeks, hasn’t it? I’m amazed at how so many of us have been able to turn on a dime to change our entire routines. Homeschooling kids? Yep. Kids home from college and studying too? Husband ditching the commute and working from home? The new normal. We are blessed, I know to be able to move forward in relative normalcy. Today we are healthy, Roland’s job is secure, and we have each other. I love being with my family and we are finding new ways to work toget

Ohhh, this is a tough one and it hits very close to home for me. I have always been sentimental about stuff and things. I was a collector of dolls, model horses and other tchotchkes as a child. Does anyone remember the dolls with the giant dresses and made-up faces with fancy hair and hats? I had three of those and added another two when a friend gifted them to me when she moved. They filled the tops of my dresser and crowded my windowsills. I eventually gave those giant doll

Did you participate in the One-Hour Family-Time Declutter yesterday? How did it go for you? I did participate, although I decided not to press my son into action as he both cleaned his room and did his laundry. I considered that participation without my notion of a time limit. Listen, you do what works, right? I was very successful in my own one-hour blitz. I put on a podcast and started in the kitchen. Out went the things that I didn’t use, random cookbooks, well-intentioned

At the time of writing this, it’s a holiday. Kids are out of school and so many folks have the day off. If you aren’t road-tripping or skiing, what are you doing? It’s a great day to round up your family members for a One-Hour, Family-Time Declutter session. How does it work? Let me tell you. Gather up your supplies: a few bags or boxes for donation-worthy items, a black garbage bag for any obvious garbage (you may need multiples), a timer. Call your peeps around you for a fa

So, my husband and I had a date night last night. Long gone are the days of wine and roses, late night movies and romantic walks through the city. Sometimes we pull off something more fun, but many times now we share a plate of nachos at our favorite cantina and then zip across town to Costco for our big monthly shop. Last night was special because it included a trip to Home Depot to purchase a new thermocouple for our gas fireplace. At least we hold hands while walking down

How’s it going out there? Are you gaining a little decluttering momentum? Today I want to offer up a few ways to trick yourself into getting some cleaning or decluttering done, even when you lack the motivation. We’ve all been there, sitting on the couch, casting about for any excuse not to clean and declutter. The internet is endlessly entertaining or maybe you really want to finish that book you’ve been reading. How do you divert your own attention and get things done aroun