You guys, seriously…this week has been so incredibly perfect in all it’s rain and clouds and ethereal-ness. (<<< i love that word). I feel like it makes me sound like a melancholic or some sort of gothic-y person to love these kinds of days like I do…but no matter, I appreciate them endlessly and find them incredibly inspiring. Every day since Tuesday has been overcasty and rainy, and every morning I wake up to see the clouds and the mist over the lake, I just want to hug the day.
I just can’t help it.
On such days, all I want to do is be in my kitchen, either experimenting with something new or putting together something I know we love (usually something like this…rain equals muffins). I don’t know what it is about being in the kitchen, but it’s like some kind of therapy for me. I call it my happy place. Food is essential to life, and nothing makes me happier than preparing meals or snacks or treats for Ben and myself, or for a friend or neighbor. It’s satisfying and rewarding to love someone with good food.
Today is another moody day (good moody day, that is), and I’ve been wanting to experiment with popped amaranth (see blog photo) for a while now, and it felt like the right kind of day to do so. It took a bit to get the hang of it, since it’s a little volatile and easily burned, but I managed to get a fairly large container popped without too much incident. Amaranth tastes kind of nutty and earthy, and I like it for topping smoothies or yogurt bowls. I am a big-time toppings girl, which means I basically eat certain things just because I like the toppings I can put on them. Pancakes, waffles, yogurt, toast, cottage cheese…it’s all about the toppings.
I also did some pantry organization and simplifying. I really hate having packaging in the pantry, so I usually transfer anything that comes in a box or bag into a jar or storage container. I don’t have enough at the moment to store everything in containers, but I slowly add to the collection from thrift stores or yard sales.
I’m in major minimalist/simplify mode right now, and when I get like that, nothing is safe…my closet, junk drawers, food we never eat, and anything else around the house that we just never or rarely use. I can throw things out waaaaaaay too easily sometimes, but I also really don’t like clutter and extras and having things take up space that really aren’t essential. Clean and open and organized spaces, that’s what I like.
Of course, the downside to too much minimalism is that there are indeed times when it would have been handy to have saved that one item or realize that clothing item you just got rid of would have went perfectly with an outfit…I guess it’s all about balance, no matter which side of the minimalist/pack-rat side you find yourself on.
What about you: do you find yourself as a minimalist or someone who likes to keeps things around for when you really will eventually need them?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Minimalist! I guess it's partly the fact that I love to travel, and lugging a bunch of junk around is not so fun. 🙂 Thanks for the blogs, Alicia!
I'd like to say I'm a minamilist but I'm also subject to sentimentalism over things that really shouldn't be or the “ill use this some day so it's better to keep this for four years instead of buying a new one when I need it”
Oh honey. I love that you hate packaging in your cupboards. I completely agree and when I come home from the grocery store, nothing makes me happier than ripping open those boxes and bags and filling my jars and containers.
I don't like excess junk around the house but I'm probably not considered a minimalist. I look at things and think of 100 different uses for it and I might need it down the road to decorate for a party or another room in my house or Christmas. You know what I mean? But I try to keep it stored neatly and I have a small place so I just try not to be too OCD about keeping things I don't need.
Good point! Travel is a good way to keep stuff from accumulating too much, huh? 🙂
True…I can actually be a little sentimental about certain things too, which is good. All about the balance!
Haha, I totally grinned imagining you ripping open boxes and packages after grocery shopping…me too! It feels so much more personal or something to have them in your own containers.
See, I can do that whole thing of “I'm sure I'll use this down the road and it would be great for doing this craft/project/etc.” but then i.just.never.do. I'm such a bad crafter, really. I'd rather just buy something already made, even though it's terribly unromantic to do so. 🙂
Ha Ha, i totally identify with the saving part: i had a lot of ” stuff” saved for years and finally i said it has to go, to many years now and i never used it. wouldn't you know the very next week i thought about one thing i had gotten rid of and knew i could use it.. but glad it was gone..my kitchen was my haven: cooking ,bakeing for family , friends, neighbors, wow what a time that was, ..now, not so much..:) so refreshing to read your blog!!
Ok, so I'm not a minimalist by nature, but am turning more into one, I think. Partly because it has been my intention the past year or so to minimize. So far getting rid of clothes that haven't been worn for months has been a good start on that goal. Next is going through all my drawers and closet and purging and organizing! It can be so tempting to get something just cause “it's cheap!”, but I'm trying to buy things for value and how much I'll use them rather than price. Example: it's better to pay $10 for a top that is good quality and I'll wear again and again than to buy 6 cheap tops (for the same amount of $$) that I don't totally love and will wear out after a year. So…..it's still a work in progress with me! One more thing I've been trying to do is get clothes that coordinate instead of having a skirt that only goes with one skirt, etc. And one more thing (broken record-excuse the longg comment:). Someone encouraged me to narrow down my neutrals. It was hard at first, but I decided to get rid of all brown because it's not a good color on me anyways. So now if I have a grey purse and nude shoes those match with pretty much everything, because my neutrals are grey, black, and navy. It has helped me alot, especially in the area of shoes/purses.
love your blog so much!
blessings,
Allison
Yes, neutrals are A W E S O M E for keeping a wardrobe simple and easily coordinated. I tend to stick with black and white, with a few browns and grays throw in. Sometimes I feel boring with my clothes, but then I remember how much easier it is to stick with that color palette.
Thanks for reading + commenting!
Haha, that always does happen when you finally get rid of something: you need it the next day! Your kitchen is always an inviting, comforting place…you've taught me a lot about the art of good food.