Little did I know – 1 year of blogging!

Would you believe it, today is my one year anniversary. One year! I’m sure for people out there, who have been at this for years, one year is nothing, and I get that. Hopefully I will be among those one day. But for me, here, today, one year of blogging is significant!

A year ago, I decided that a goal for 2014 would be to shed on average one item a day. And I got this idea, that I would start a blog to keep me on track, which as you can see, I did 🙂

So why is celebrating one year such a big deal? Well, you see, when I started out, I had this intention to blog for a year, but to be quite honest with you, I wasn’t really sure if I would actually manage to stick with it. I’ve tried journalling before and never succeeded (and I’ve tried several times), so why would writing a blog be anything different? But believe it or not, here I am, one year later, still posting the occasional words on my blog, and that’s why one year is such a big deal. Not only was I able to stick with it, but I’ve found that I like doing the occasional writing, and being part of a blogging community.

Little did I know, when I started out, that this world of bloggers, would enrich my life, as they have truly done.

This year, I have changed some of my ways. I’m sure some of this change would have come about any-ways, because of the journey I’ve been on the last few years. But there are no doubt that I have changed even more because of the blogging community.

You never know, I might let you in on some of these changes, over the next weeks and months 😉

It’s funny, how when you start a journey, it’s like the universe align itself to help you out, and put the right people in your path. And that’s how it feels, one year in. Starting a blog seems to have been one of the better decision I could have made. Through my blog, I’ve met some wonderful and creative people, who’s writings I can’t help but to be influenced by.

I’m really looking forward to continue this journey of mine, together with all of you, who so graciously have invited me into your “homes”. Without you, this blog would surely no longer exist!

I can’t wait to see what the next year will have in store for us all 🙂

Happy anniversary!

My 100th…

I can’t believe this is my 100th post!

Little did I know when I started out, how much having a blog would mean to me, and I never thought about all the milestones I would go through having a blog.

My first post – The start of my journey!

Suddenly I had my first like and my first follower, woohoo… But how on earth did they find me?

And thank you Jen over at Me woman you man for making the first comment on my blog – oh my I was excited. The cool thing! She is still with me 🙂

Soon followed the 10th post Taking a stab at my bookshelves, my 10th like, the 10th comment and my 10th follower – Ed my dearest friend 🙂

Fast forward and I’m hitting my 100 likes, my 100 comments and after a while my 100th follow by My botanical garden.

And not to forget! My first award, a Liebster award, quickly followed by a second Liebster award I sadly never wrote about, which was given to me by My Light Bag who got it from Laura at The next 50 years who got it from me 🙂 My third award was a Sunshine award and I believe I have a fourth award waiting for me (from Heather at Simply Save) whenever I get my act together to write about it 😉

And here I am; 170 followers, 3956 views, 735 comments (I believe the stats are counting mine as well, so half maybe?), 63 countries later, doing my 100th post!

It never dawn on me, starting out, that I would find kindred spirits, make blog friends, and feel like I belong to a community. Or how I would miss people when they stopped blogging (hopefully only for a while). Or how bad I would feel when I don’t have the time or energy to keep up with my community (I guess it’s just like with regular friends).

I never thought about how much pleasure I would get out of having a blog. How my mind is forever making post in my head, even though sometimes they never make it down on “paper”.

Or how I would be changing during the course of blogging and moving along my minimalistic path. How other bloggers have made me think about all sorts of things from taking better care of the environment, become more thrifty, eat healthier, travel more, single living (nice to know I’m not alone) and take better care of my health. I even believe the blogging community helped with my decision of taking a time-out!

I just want to thank you, my faithful followers, commentators, bloggers, for making my days more cheerful, mindful, reflective and sometime just plain happy 😉

Thank you!

I’ve been partying!!!

I’ve been out of touch the last couple of weeks, so what on earth have I been up to?

Well, let me tell you. It’s been really, really busy, and fun 🙂

September this year, I’m turning 50 years young 😉

I figured a 50 year birthday is worth celebrating properly!

On my actual birthday I’ll be in Houston, celebrating with a bunch of friends and loads and loads of margaritas 😉

But I decided I needed to have a Norway celebration as well! So last weekend I threw a PARTY, with friends and family at this end of the world. Woohoo!!!

The plan was for an outdoor grill party, but the weather gods for some reason just wanted to throw rain at us, so it turned out to be an indoor grill party. Good thing it was a smallish group with only about 20 people, since my house ain’t that big 😉 I do however, feel sorry for the grill-chef that had to spend all her time outside gilling in the rain (I did fix a temporary roof over her, but still…).

Even if it was a small group it was a wonderful mix of family and friends. Mum and brother from UK, stepbrother and girlfriend from Bergen, friends I haven’t seen in like forever, mixed with friends I see all the time. It was a great opportunity for all of us to catch up.

It was a party filled with fun and loads and loads of laughed, I don’t think I have laughed that much in a long time (yes, tears rolling). I love throwing parties like that 🙂

Definitely worth a repeat. Now if I could just find an excuse to throw another one… 😉

March tally!

Month three! My gosh I thought I had spent February focusing on my digital clutter, but February don’t even hold a candle to the month of March.

Unfortunately, getting that focused on digital clutter, have taken away some of the focus on tangible decluttering, and it’s time I step it back up in the month of April!

Looking at my monthly tally this month, you’d think I’ve done nothing. I might not have been decluttering to much, but I have still been up to a couple of things 🙂

MARCH TALLY of things “out-the-door” = 12 items and 7535 emails

1 ice cream spoon
1 leather vest
10 bottles of hotel “candy“
7535 emails at my work mailbox

So what else have I’ve been up to? Well let’s see, there is:

Cheating on Spring early this month with a lot of plants at the front area
The Liebster award 🙂 I still can’t believe it..
Starting the spring cleaning in the yard.
Unpacking my garden furniture,

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