It's Nesting Time!
Happy Fall Everyone!
I've been on a serious bender removing items from rooms. If you follow me on Instagram (@kempjane), and I sincerely hope you do, you'll have watched my Instagram Stories where I pulled a full carload of bits and bobs from my house, originally earmarked a year ago for a garage sale that never happened, and dropped them off at Goodwill and our local recycling center.
I'll be honest in admitting donating this stuff was tough - mainly because I have a knack for finding great things. At one point while in Goodwill, I watched the employees process a few of my items and begin placing them on their shelves. And for a nano second, I wanted my stuff back. It stung! But instead of giving into my urge, I turned around and walked to my car. And guess what. In that brief time it took to get from the store to my car, I completely forgot what exactly had caused me so much pain! And that's the thing. The brain will play tricks on you! When I pulled up in front of my house and filmed my final thoughts video, I felt elated! Like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I'm telling you this because I want you to all know that the struggle to declutter is real and it affects us all. Even me.
Now that fall is here I am focusing my attention on the spaces inside my house. Emphasis on space. I find myself wanting less and less in my rooms. I've removed decorative objects with wild abandon. I removed the unattached back cushions from my couch to make it deeper and more comfortable for a tall person like me. I'm also reassessing a few pieces of furniture, particularly my huge pine Pottery Barn chest style coffee table, and the queen sleigh bed in my bedroom. Both were bought off of Craig's list many, many years ago, and have filled our needs well. But given that my son no longer has toys and games to stow away, I no longer need extra storage in my living room. And then there's my bedroom, which is small. I'd rather have a bed with a headboard that can be pushed flat against the wall and add a few inches of clear space at the foot.
Ready for the cold weather!
The other thing I have started doing is cozying up the house in anticipation of colder weather. Once again, if you follow my Instagram stories, you'll know that I went pillow and throw shopping at Home Goods last week. I keep a slightly cold house in the winter (66 to 68 degrees during the day, and no heat on while we're sleeping). But I also want to feel cozy. So I always have fuzzy socks, soft pillows and throws in the living room and bedrooms. The new pillows replaced what can only be described as a ragtag, disparate group of pillows that I'd collected here and there over the years with zero thought. None of our new pillows and throws were expensive, but they were bought to look good as a group - and I am absolutely thrilled with the results!
I've got a few more decluttering ideas up my sleeve for the future and will definitely share them with you all! As always, if you're not following me on Instagram, you're missing out! Particularly when I tackle projects with my assistant Madeline. Head over to my page and click the Clean & Kemp link to see us take a carload of stuff to the dump. Lucy and Ethel have nothin' on us!
xoxo
Jane
