The Bare Essentials

Friday, May 6, 2016

(A few little details from around our apartment)

We sold our couch on Wednesday.  We decided a few days ago that we are going to stay in Utah a little longer than just the summer (although we are not quite sure how long, yet), and rather than storing our furniture, we are pretty sure we are going to move to Utah in our two smallish cars, and sell/giveaway everything that won't fit (I was totally sure that is what we were going to do until I had a mini melt-down yesterday and have started second guessing everything that we have talked about and decided. Clearly I am handling this move with grace and poise...)

We did this when we moved here (we only had one car then), but this is quite a bit more challenging, because we have a lot more furniture, and stuff generally than we had then, plus a baby.

Part of me is relieved to have sold at least one piece of furniture, but there is a little bit of a lump in my throat, too. 

That is the couch I used to nurse Fox on during the night, and the couch where Adam and I have snuggled during countless movies, and had long, deep conversations about life and our family.  That is where I took a nap a few days ago, while Fox was napping, and where Fox loves to play, and pretends to 'relax.'  I keep thinking, "It's just a couch! Who cares!"

But somehow, losing it feels like a little bit of myself has gone with it.  Which is pretty ridiculous, because this is not the dream couch of my life.  It was a nice neutral color, was decently comfortable and looked nice with pillows on it, but it was featured on Emily Henderson's round up of "Design Mistake: The Generic Sofa."  Obviously not an heirloom piece.  

I guess this sadness over our couch has brought me back to my current reality, which is, for all my minimalist talk, I still struggle with wanting stuff, and wanting to keep stuff, even when I don't love it (bleh... what a sad confession).  I am constantly having to remind myself that I don't like a cluttered or messy space, and that cutting back on stuff makes a clean space much easier to maintain.  Plus, the goal of only owning stuff I love is what I hope for my future!

To confirm my love of clean, uncluttered spaces, as I have been going through our apartment, I have been realizing that the parts that are getting emptied of so much excess seem so free and open!  I am now wishing I had done some of this months ago, so I could have enjoyed it for longer!  I am also determined that in our next place, I will do a much better job about keeping it emptier from the beginning, rather than having to purge it after!

More isn't always better, sometimes it's just more (a gold star if you can name that movie!). It is still hard when buying stuff is legitimately fun, and new things always seem prettier and fresher than old things; but I am coming to appreciate the stuff I already have, especially when I don't have tons of it lying everywhere.

Any of you facing this same struggle?  I think it is a pretty common problem, but that doesn't make it any easier.

Happy Friday!  Hopefully you don't spend yours weeping over sold furniture and unused toilet paper rolls that will probably get given away.  Not that anyone I know will be doing this, of course...

Other places I have been on the web this week: 
In celebration of Mother's Day:  10 Life Lessons I Learned from My Mother
For those who own a cast iron skillet:  How to Clean and Season Your Cast Iron Skillet


  1. Don't feel bad about wanting to hold on to special things, or at least things that represent special times! When we moved out of our apartment (the one we brought our baby home to) I was really heartbroken to leave those memories behind! And I'm an extremely sentimental person so I tend to keep old cards, pictures, etc. (Sounds like I'm an enabler for hoarding! Ha!) Minimalism is great but it's nice to give yourself permission to hold onto things that "spark joy." :)

    And it's Sabrina, one of my favorites! "More isn't always better, Linus. Sometimes it's just more." :)

  2. It's sad to watch a chapter of your life get left behind. Happily it means there's a new exciting chapter just beginning!

  3. we moved from our home after 28 years and filled two semis. I was appalled. I'm making more of an effort to purge. My husband is the opposite though.

  4. I have noticed the same feeling of free and openness as I have decluttered my house over the last few years. We have a third bedroom in our house that has been a "junk room" ever since we moved in, despite the fact that in the five years we've been in our house it was supposed to function as a bedroom, a craft room, etc. It was just really easy to throw stuff into the room and feel like it was out of sight out of mind. In our house growing up there was always a junk room so I thought it was normal. As I've gotten better at getting rid of things, I have actually noticed a real difference in my productivity, feelings of peace / calm while at home, etc. Good luck with your move!

  5. What part of Utah are you moving to? We live in Ogden area, and are renting out our home. 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, in a great LDS ward. My husband's parents just left for a mission so we would live in their townhome while they're gone.
    PS Happy Mother's Day :)

  6. Wonderful and yummy dishes you shared with us, I will make all of them once I am done with my assignmentmasters discount code work and I can't wait to share my work with you.


