Happy midsummer eve…

It’s midsummer eve bonfire night in my neighbourhood. Every year we have a bonfire around June 23.

We have a a big bonfire and a band.

This time of year the days are just about the longest we have, and since the bonfire really is for the kids they tend to light the fire around 7 pm even though it’s not dark yet (don’t’ really get dark until after midnight).

It’s fun, listening to the kids having fun, laughter, screams, kids running around and a whole lot of sound from the music they are playing 😉

Just wanted to share some pictures of the bonfire this year!

HAPPY MIDSUMMER EVE, everyone 🙂

Thriftiness getting in the way of decluttering?

I’m having a hard time…

Being that I have decided to only buy necessities this year, I’m trying to use up stuff I already have in my house.

As an example, let talk about… say…. toiletries!

I have all sorts of creams, hair products, facial stuff, make-up and so on. And it makes perfect sense to use up the items I have before I buy new!

Now, anybody that knows me, knows that, I have the shortest hair ever (by choice). I’d be hard pressed to use up one bottle of shampoo a year. I don’t really use hair products much. And I think I have a bottle of hairspray I’d be lucky to use up within the next 10 years.

If I manage to slap on some moisturiser in the morning, I’ve been good. Never mind facial cleanser, night cream, eye cream and other stuff.

I never really use make-up. If you see me dolled up in make-up even once a year, that’s a stretch 😉

But, and that’s the kicker, being a girl and all 😉 I do like pretty make-up and cool bottles of creams that smell nice, and my hairdresser always manage to convince me I need some products 😉

I have gotten really good the last couple years, only buying the creams/shampoo I actually use. BUT I still have cabinets full of things given to me, and items bought and not used up (or ever used). I’m not kidding you, when I tell you, that I use so little of everything, that it’s going to take years to use it all up.

So what’s the problem you might ask!

Well the challenge is that, while it makes perfect sense to use up the stuff, I really, and I mean really want to declutter my place, I just want the “crap” out of here!

In a way I’m letting my “thriftiness” get in the way of my decluttering . There are times I just want to let a “tornado” (yes, that would be me) loose and get the stuff out of my house.

But then my sensible (or we could argue, not so sensible) mind takes over.
“I should use this up, it makes perfect sense, since I’m not really buying much this year”
“I should give this away or sell this stuff, rather than recycle/toss is”
“I need to put it away, so that my sister, mother, friend, neighbour…(please feel free to add any others..) gets a look at it, before I give to charity/recycle/toss”

All these arguments makes perfect sense – but they are getting in my way of getting the stuff out of here, and achieving the uncluttered space I’m working hard to get to. And it’s starting to frustrate the heck out of me.

Well, why don’t you just “toss” it all?

I don’t know, it’s what I want to do, but is feels sacrilegious to just “toss” things that are worth something to other people, and that might even generate some money for me. But right now holding on to stuff, just so that I can give it away, to family or friends, or make half a dollar on it, are starting to become a hassle, that just seem to stop me cold in my progress.

So what is a girl to do?

When I sat down to write today, I wasn’t really planing on writing this. I suppose this post took a turn of its own;-) It seems my frustration is bigger that I realised. But, while writing this, I’ve come to realise what I need to do, to get a little closer, to achieving my goal of a somewhat more decluttered space.

I will keep stuff that I know I will manage to use up within a year.
Just take the toiletries mentioned above, I will keep hair products that I actually will use, but that darn hairspray is going. I’ll keep items I use, but (even if its a gift) I will get rid of things that I don’t see I will ever really get around to using or even start using within a year.

I will, when I declutter, ask friends and family if they want it (when it makes sense to ask) but, I won’t hold on to it longer than a few days, before they go out-the-door.

I will try to sell stuff that has enough value to make sense to sell (furniture or expensive items), everything else I won’t stress with. I understand that I might be able to make a buck or two, and total by the time this is all said and done I might have lost out on a 100-200 dollars or so, but that’s OK! I’d rather not having all the frustration and stress. And I think my bank account will survive 😉

But I will no longer, let the “rules” above get in my way. I’d rather just; not ask, not sell, not give away, if that makes my declutter process less frustrating and easier.

There is such a thing as, peace of mind, and right now, I think a decluttered space takes precedence over trying to be so darn “sensible”!

What about you?
How do you handle the balance between being sensible and “thrifty” and the need for a less cluttered space? I would love any advice you might have, on finding a good balance.

There is Spring in my step!

We are having some really pretty days here this Easter, the sun is out, and I can’t help but hang out in my yard 🙂

Walking around this morning I suddenly glimpsed a tiny, tiny bit of red out of the corner of my eye, and it stopped me cold.

Could it be? No really.. could it be my first Ladybug of the year?

I stopped and took a closer look, and there – hidden in the middle of some dead leaves still hanging on my “blood birch” – was the first Ladybug I had seen this year. I don’t know what it is, but for some reason that first Ladybug in my yard each year, put’s a smile in my heart. It’s almost like that – for that tiny moment – all is well in the world.

Maybe it’s because seeing a Ladybug, brings back a moment in my life, a good memory from when I was about 6 years old. When my best friend at the time and me, ran around in the neighbourhood (in the middle of urban city), picked summer flowers (that we would “sell” to strangers walking by) and “hunted” for ladybugs to count their spots, and see which one of us would find the most “spotted” one 🙂

This years Ladybug inspired me to take some pictures of my tiny garden (with my phone) – and I just thought I wanted to share my joy of Spring 🙂

The aftermath

I have a friend visiting from US, and yesterday while watching the latest Star Trek movie on blue-ray, we killed off a bottle of our favourite port (Warren’s Optima 10 year).

I’m not sure it this count as one thing out-the-door, but the reality is that my liquor cabinet now holds one less bottle, and take up a little less space. So in my book, it kinda counts 😉

Now if I could just shake this tiny hangover, that would be two things “out-the-door”!

Remind me, not to do any more decluttering of the bar, any time soon, even though it was a fun night 😉

Woohoo! A Liebster Award!!!

Last week I was nominated for the Liebster blog award! How cool is that! Just three months into this blogging world 😉

The whole thing caught me completely by surprise. This is kind of random, and unexpected, and totally flattering… and it has taken me a few days to get it together. Thank you, Sandra at It’s Tidy Time for this wonderful gift.

Receiving the nomination, I got a little curious, what on earth is The Liebster Blog Award?

As far as I can see, nobody really know for sure, how or when this award started. But what I’ve gathered, is that it started as an idea, to recognize new bloggers. It’s given to bloggers by other bloggers, in order to create new connections, welcome them and bring attention to their wonderful blogs. COOL 🙂 As I find out more, I’ll put it together on a separate page

A short summary for now:

It’s on the internet only, as a virtual award.
It is given to bloggers by other bloggers.
“Liebster” is a German word, meaning dearest or beloved, but it can also mean favourite.
It follows the principles of a “chain letter”, in the sense that it should be passed forward to a certain number of people.
Each of us choose if we want to; accept it, and continue paying it forward or refuse it.
The “rules” have changed over time, so now several sets of rules exist.
It seems to have been started in Germany, late 2010.
Earliest reference I’ve found so far, is to a post on a German site December 19th, 2010.

Now back to my nomination 🙂

Thank you, Sandra over at It’s Tidy Time for nominating me for my first award, ever 🙂

Here are the RULES received from Sandra – not the original ones from back in 2010 – but a different set:

Thank the rockin’ blogger that nominated you
Answer the 11 questions you were given
Nominate 11 other bloggers with less than 500 followers
Post 11 questions for your nominees to answer
Tag your nominees and post a comment in their blog so they know they’ve been nominated!

ANSWERS to the questions I was given:

1. Where do you like to blog? Since it’s been winter since I started my blog, I blog at home, mostly curled up in my sofa with my laptop/ipad.
2. Who is your main inspiration in life? I don’t’ think I have a main inspiration, there are so many to be inspired by. A few:
– my friends Lisa and Mia for following their dreams, love you girls!
– Ed, for being the best dad ever (and my best friend), love you sweetheart 🙂 (and no, we’re not dating 😉 )
– my dad, who sadly passed away less than a year ago
– my step-mum for putting her “best foot forward” after loosing dad, after 30 odd years
– and there are so many more, way to many to count, so I won’t…
3. How do you feel about winter? Living on the west coast of Norway, winters tend to be wet and grey! So I gotta admit I love the season of sun and warmth! But if you give me a couple of cold, sunny snow filled days? Then we’re talking…
4. What was the happiest day of your life? Happiest day, oh gosh, there are so many, how to choose? So I won’t, and leave at it that 😉
5. Which movie makes you laugh out loud, literally? It’s Complicated, with Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alex Baldwin
– the Skype scene in it, just about had me fall out of my movie theatre seat, I was laughing so hard.
6. What’s your favourite candy? Why! Chocolate, off course 😉
7. If you could be any animal, what would it be and why? TIGER. They are confident, strong, independent, both solitary and social animals. I don’t know if it is because I would want to be like them, or because I am like them, that they appeal to me. I actually think it’s both! I can be both strong, independent, solitary and social. I think it’s the confidence the tiger has, that I wish I had little bit more off.
8. Android or iPhone? Both
9. What would be your favourite country to visit?
Counties I’ve already been to – US – I have so many friends there
Countries I’ve never been to – Africa – I’ve always wanted to go there
10. Coffee or tea? Hmmm, Cafe Mocha – does that count?
11. What would your dream retirement scenario look like? Dream retirement! Living in a warmer climate, close to the beach, hanging out with friends, sipping margaritas 😉 and having the financial freedom to travel as much as I want.

MY NOMINEES
Okay, this is going to be difficult. Hmmm, let’s see… Voila! I pass The Liebster Award to – in no apparent order 😉

The Next 50 Years
Living not Wanting
365 minus 1
Musings from a Tangled Mind
Journey thru L
Me Woman You Man
Life Decluttered
newbieminimalist
quarteracrelifestyle
For the Love of Loving Things
Moving forward

There are a couple of blogs I would have loved to nominate – but they have more than 500 followers – so I’ll call them honorary mentions 😉

Simply Save – just squeaking by the 500 mark – already a Liebster – but absolutely worth a check
Life Out of the Box – I love how they use their time giving back to world by supporting school kids in less fortunate countries
Turquoise Compass – makes me want to buy a backpack – I wish I was 20 again…

QUESTIONS to my nominees
1. What is the one thing you are proud of?
2. If you won the lottery, by a substantial amount (so money was no longer a factor), what would you do?
3. Your absolute favourite dessert?
4. What three words do you think your closest friends would use to describe you and what three words would you use to describe yourself?
6. Your favourite quote?
7. Mountains or beach?
8. Can you sing?
9. What is number one on your bucket list?
10. Holy smokes! The apocalypse is here! Your family and pets are safe. You’re at home and can only take what you can carry. What do you save?
11. If you could have a teleportation device that connects your current location to one specific location, what would that location be and why?
12. You get a letter in the mail from 90-year-old you. She/He tells you 3 amazing things you’ve accomplished. What are those 3 things?

My final task, is to let the above bloggers know that I’ve tagged them.

I’m working on it. But you know what, I’ve been working on this for a while and I am anxious to get the post out of the “draft” folder, so I’m gonna go ahead and publish it and the individual notifications will show up eventually 😉

Auf Wiedersehen, mein Liebster’s 😉

Cheating….

SPRING is here!!!

Well, no actually not! Here in Norway it’s still cold, wet and spring..? Well.. not so much!

So today I decided to cheat 🙂

I need a little spring in my front yard. It’s much more fun coming home, after work, when there is some bright plants welcoming you.

What you think? Much more cheerful, wouldn’t you say 🙂

One small positive thought…

I’ve been battling a bit of a headache the last few days and it’s not exactly been doing any wonders for my mood 😉 I was sorting through some documents at my office and I came across this quote, and it hit me right in the face, and completely shifted my attitude 🙂

You know the saying “starting the day off on the right foot”. I think “starting your day with the right thought“, is the essences off that saying. One small thought, either positive or negative, has the potential to influence your whole day, or even days.

Your thoughts can colour your day. Now off course things happen and we can’t always control everything that happens around us, but what we can control is how we react to what happens.

Your thoughts and mood can influence how you are with your family, how well you perform at work and how you relate to friends, colleagues and strangers. Fortunately we have the power to to choose. You can choose positive thoughts and gratefulness, or you can choose negative thoughts and pessimism.

I choose to start on a positive note. How do you choose to start your day?

Loosing a loved one…

Today I got some sad news from a friend of mine. His mum had passed away quite suddenly. Losing a loved one is hard and my heart goes out to him.

It brought back memories from times I’ve spent together with both him and his mum, and I just want to give him the biggest hug.

Writing this makes me think of all the people that have been part of my life. They have been in my life for a lifetime or a moment (and everything in between). And one way or another they have all been important.

Some have come quickly and left just as quickly, but even so, they’ve made an impression. Some have stayed awhile and left footprints all over my heart, and some have changed my life forever.

Some I’ve tolerated and some I have liked. Some I have loved lightly and some I have loved deeply. And in the midst of all this we have all been in each other life’s for a reason. To teach, challenge or love each other.

What happened today, reminds me that life is short. And we should all embrace the people that comes into our life. If they are here for a reason, a season or a lifetime!

RIP.

A perfect day

It’s been raining and raining for weeks, and today I woke up to the the most beautiful, clear and sunny day. One of those zero degrees, chilly, clear days with a hint of white powder on the ground.

And for the first time in a while I could go outside and “smell the roses” so to speak.

I know, not much roses growing this time a year, but if you check out the white plant below, it’s actually called Christmas rose here in Norway (just don’t smell much though) 😉

Being outside on this clear, chilly day, cleared the “cobwebs” out of my mind and cheered me up no ends.

You might say, it was just what the doctored ordered 🙂

You see, sometimes it doesn’t take a lot, for us to lower our stress hormones, making ourselves a little happier and look at the bright side of life. Sometimes all it takes, is waking up to a beautiful day 🙂

And today reminded me of an daily exercise I used to do, but that somewhere along the way got forgotten.

My daily routine
It’s the first thing you should do when you wake up in the morning, and the last thing you should do before you go to bed.

Open a window, balcony or entrance door (anything that opens up to the outside) stick your head out,close your eyes and take a deep breath of fresh air, hold it and exhale slowly. Open your eyes and take another “how many breath you want” 😉 and just be, be in the now, even if it’s just for a second.

I’m not kidding… It’s such a stress buster… and I think it’s a good routine for everyone to have. We are so busy with everything, that sometime we just forget to stop up and “smell the roses”. I’ve found that this small routine is the greatest way to start and end the day. I’m in the moment, even if it’s only for that second or two…

So I will bring back this routine, to declutter my mind 🙂

I’ll take a deep breath tonight. Why don’t you give it a try 😉

My Christmas roses