Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life by Gail Blanke

A few days ago I checked out from the library the book "Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life" by Gail Blanke. I had read a review on this book on one of my favorite blogs http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/ and decided to check it out myself. I read through it very quickly...like one evening and part of the next morning. I did enjoy parts of it but it was not what I was expecting at all. I had thought that it would be all about organizational tips, how to clear clutter, making quick decisions on what to keep or throw out etc. But there ended up being a lot of focus on clearing out mind and thought clutter as well which really wasn't up my alley. I did enjoy the chapters that took place going from room to room and how she justified her "getting rid of" choices. She also had a lot of advice and resources on where and how to get rid of certain items. Her requirements for the 50 things are that they have to be 50 different items. So if you clear out 25 old books and 5 pairs of shoes you have 2 on your list as "books" and "shoes", not 30 items. She also allowed "mind clutter" to be added as items which I thought was awkward. I understand how keeping "things" can be linked to emotional feelings but it seems like she went a little over the top on this issue. But I did appreciate her advice that we need to get rid of the things in our home that make us feel weighted down, drab, overwhelmed, bring back bad memories etc.
I have been trying to go through our home room by room just clearing out unnecessary stuff. I have been doing it for many different reasons. The main reason was that I have just been feeling like a slave to "stuff". As a stay at home mom sometimes it feels like my day is just filled with constantly moving stuff from one place to another. One of my goals is to drastically eliminate a lot of our unnecessary "stuff" so that it will be easier for me to efficiently manage our home. I place pretty high expectations on myself as far as what constitutes clean and it can be a little overwhelming at times.
I have also recently made the decision to eliminate a lot of my own clothes. I never really had a lot of clothes by the average american woman's standard but I definitely did by a third world viewpoint. I didn't like how I thought too much about what to wear or this or that so I decided to purge my closet. I have decided to simplify to a very modest wardrobe. I have one pair of dark jeans, two jeans skirts, 3 longer flowing skirts and two dresses. Then I have a handful of decent shirts that can be worn with any of my skirts, about 5 nice sweaters for winter and a few jackets and cardigans. I also kept some comfy clothes like my favorite t shirts and sleep pants. It all takes up a small corner in our walk in closet. It's not bare bones but it's not excessive either. I like not having as many choices and it makes getting dressed much less of an activity. I can still shop but I make myself get rid of something old to replace the new. I just feel better about my choice to not make clothing such a big deal. Keeping things simple and modest makes shopping much more easy and do able for me.
"For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" - 1 Samuel 16:7

Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones

Since the weather has been at record breaking lows this week it was the perfect time to dive into a book.  I read "Save the Date" by Jenny B. Jones which was provided to me free by Thomas Nelson through the www.booksneeze.com program in exchange for my honest review.  This book has a modern day setting that takes high society and merges it with the hard working middle class and the needy.  Lucy is a hard working young single woman who dedicates her whole being into running her home for needy girls who have aged out of the foster care system.  Alex is a wealthy self centered retired football player who has his eyes on running for Congress and he will do whatever it takes to get there.  Drama ensues when they realize they both need each other to get what they want and they strike up a very unconventional deal.  Their worlds collide and they both learn about themselves as they spend more time in each other's social class. It is a fast paced romantic novel that is an easy read.  It took me a few chapters to get into the story but once I did I flew right through it.  It wasn't a bad read but it definitely wasn't one of those books that consumes you and sticks with you.  It was light and easy like a good beach book.  I did notice several typos throughout the book.  And this might sound strange but the one thing that bothered my eye when I was reading (because I am a speed reader) was that there were no double spaces after a period before the next sentence.  So the sentences basically looked like they all ran together and it was hard to keep a reading pace. Overall, it was a heartfelt story and a decent read. I have a few friends that I think will enjoy reading it as well.