Simplify Sunday (#1)

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. (Hans Hofmann, German painter/art instructor)

I have chosen "Simplify" as my motto for the year 2010. The more I look around my house and engage in introspection on my life, my work, and my relationships with God and others, I realize more and more that I have a lot of de-cluttering to do. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.

"Simplify Sundays" will be a way for me to reflect on what I've accomplished toward this goal during the previous week. I hope it will be an almost-weekly feature and that, by the end of 2010, the "necessary" in my life will have the ability to speak more clearly.

I'm starting with the physical clutter in our house. I think that my mind will be better able to refocus internally when my eyes aren't constantly seeing things entirely unorganized around me. And also because maybe, just maybe, the external clutter is "easier" to deal with than the internal...

So, today, while the girls "slept in" until 8:15a, I started with our bathroom. I had a vase that had been sitting on the corner of the tub, empty, for 5 years. Its only purpose, these days, is to give Macie something to attempt to pull over and break into millions of little ceramic pieces while she's in the bath. Same purpose as the splash-proof CD player that I bought, pre-kids, to play music in the shower. It stopped working long ago; for some reason, I held onto it. Both are now gone.

I also purged several items from under my sink. You know, where you stash toiletries that you think you might someday use. But you never do. Seriously, how many ponytail holders and little bottles of hotel lotion do I really need?!?

Bathroom done (except for under Dale's sink - he'll have to do that himself!). The changes were so minimal that they aren't worthy of before/after shots. But the peace of mind that will come tomorrow night when there will be absolutely NO CHANCE of Macie pulling the vase into the tub is enough for me...

On to the "junk" cabinet in the kitchen. Most people have a junk drawer. We have one of those, too. But we also have a junk cabinet for those things that don't fit in the drawer! And also for cookbooks and some cooking contraptions that we don't use very often (think once-a-year when we make magic bars for Dale's customers). Not to mention the girls' teeth brushing supplies and Ivie's conglomeration of hair bows/ties/bands/clips.

Purged are several of the coffee cups, since we don't drink coffee nor have regular guests that do. Also gone are all koozies in excess of the 4 that I could fit in the flour sifter. The cookbooks are organized (though this probably won't result in me using them any more often, particularly since I'm trying out "e-mealz" for the next 3 months). The hair stuff is confined to containers instead of sprawling across the entire cabinet.

Ahhhhh, much better. I'm especially proud of the two bottom shelves, which are the ones we use most often. Now let's see if we can keep it this way...