Carebear And Co.

Simplicity. It seems so simple. And yet, looking around my house I think that mess and "more than you need"  must be simpler. But not really.
I must get this under control. We have a small house (just over 1,000 square feet for 6 people) and way too much stuff. There is barely enough room for us amidst all our "stuff". I don't know that a bigger house would make it that much better though because we have a tendency to collect-and hold onto-junk. It's kind of like those animals/fish that grow to fit the size of their environment. If you are not careful you will have a bigger house just as cluttered as you did the smaller one. I love the William Morris project philosophy! Love it. I can imagine my house with clean lines and no clutter...I just can't seem to get past imagining it. I try to do one room at a time and before I can finish the second room or space the first one looks awful again. There is so much in my home that I don't know to be useful OR believe to be beautiful.
Also, it always seems that these things cost money. And when you're tight on that....sometimes even the littlest thing will set you back (say a $900 trip to the dentist for mama? That's "little" right? Let me tell you, if I was going to break the "no charging anything. ever. on the credit card" rule it would not have been for a crown for my tooth. It would be for something much more funner (yes, that was intentional horrible grammar) like a house project. I have so much I want to try. So much that I want to get rid of and replace with simpler things. Things that are kinder to my eyes. More traditional. Buying for your home is such a learning curve thing-at least it has been for me. We have so many things that we thought we would love...and we don't. They either don't function the way we thought they would or they don't look as beautiful as we thought they would. Or both.
 
    ::we do NOT like swivel chairs. Not.
    ::cheap(er)  appliances are just that.
    ::don't buy something just because it's a good deal. buy it because you wanted it in the first place.
    ::go with classic, simple colors. especially if you can't afford to redecorate/replace every 6 months.
    ::books. they can be borrowed from the library. don't buy them. (well, ok, the rare one is ok)
    ::think ahead. how will you feel about it in 5 months? will it hold up/clean up well?
    ::toys. kids don't really play with them so much as hoard them. then it's hard to clean out!
    ::if you have something in mind, don't settle. keep looking.
    ::bunk beds stink. any bed where a kid (like a big kid) can't straighten their own bed? stinks.
    ::

I really want my house home to feel less chaotic. I know, some would think that is laughable since I have 4 children-2 of which are pretty young. I think the first step is to start creating a space that feels less cluttered and chaotic so that's my goal. We have a renovation to finish in the living room, some beds to build for the girls' room:





I love these beds. And see all that storage underneath? Wow. I. Want. That. That means less furniture (dresser) in the room.
And a major cleanout. Of every room. Including the school room. And the bookshelves in the school room. Ruthlessness is needed.
Oh, and I have a dining room table/chairs/bench that look very cluttery. When you look into my eating area of the kitchen you see so many legs (chair legs that is). I think that this:

would suit us so well. See how clean the lines are without losing space and seating?