As our daily lives seem to be becoming more and more hectic, with so much to do and to take care of, I’ve been seriously considering becoming a minimalist. I’m inspired by photos of folks who can fit their entire belongings in just a small part of one room, although stacked up, and others who say that practicing minimalism leaves them free to enjoy the more important things and to enjoy life. I can probably get my husband on board–at least on the surface. There is the fact that he has these huge ancient speakers and an old Apple Newton … Continue reading →

Creating a simple, organized and calm kitchen may be easier than you think. The kitchen is the heart of the home, and having a place of peace where you can gather with your friends and family to create warm filling meals can change the whole atmosphere of your home. If dread walking into your kitchen now because of the pile of dishes, the stack of mail, the sticky countertops, then know that it doesn’t need to be this way. It all starts with simplifying your kitchen in a number of ways that turns it from just a utility room into … Continue reading →

Years ago, when I was single and working full time in an office, I had a smiley face collection. It started out innocently enough, with a poster of various smiley faces that I hung in my cubical to brighten things up and lighten the mood of the office. It was all downhill from there. Once that poster went up, people started giving me things with smiley faces for my desk. I had a smiley face mug, a paper weight that dripped red and blue liquid over smiley face wheels like a water mill, a smiley face pillow, a smiley face … Continue reading →

I’ve always loved magazines with their glossy photos of the perfect living room or birthday cake or beach vacation splashed across the cover. They are filled with helpful advice from how to save money at the grocery store to how not to marry the wrong guy. My love of magazines started way back when I was a little girl tagging along with my father when he went to the newsstand in Brooklyn to pick up the paper. Sometimes the evening edition wouldn’t be in, and we had to wait for a few minutes until it arrived. I spent those minutes … Continue reading →

Lately I have been exploring the idea of owning less–really owning less, cutting down our possessions by up to 70 percent, I can see how having less stuff in our lives would give us less stress. There is less to maintain, less to clean, less to spend money on, less to worry about. Then I try to look at reality. For example, this week, my so needs water shoes for a class trip and my daughter needs a gray shirt for a show she is in at school. Two more possessions that need to come in to the house. The … Continue reading →