Tuesday, September 19, 2017

A Few Fall Touches


In these lingering days of summer, I've been adding a few subtle touches of fall to my home.  I'm going for a nod to the season rather than an all out change every surface to scream "Fall has arrived".
Not that there is anything wrong with that, it's just that at this stage of life, the interest and energy level for that has changed considerably.


In fact, Brett & I have started to think about downsizing in the next year or so.
We've begun the process of looking at smaller homes.
When we first started talking about it, we had no idea where to start looking.  Just for the heck of it we visited one of the "active lifestyle" communities in the area.  We have now visited three different ones and talked to a lot of people who have made this move.  Everybody we've talked to seems thrilled with their new home and community.  The one thing we heard over and over was how much stuff they had to get rid of to downsize.  The other common theme was not to bother saving it for your kids as they don't want it.  


Our current house doesn't have a basement.
What it lacks in basement space, it more than makes up for it in attic space.  Lots and lots of attic space with lots and lots of things stored in them.
Through my years of blogging, I have talked about cleaning the attic on more than one occasion.  Many things have found new homes through the years, yet many things remain in those attics :/.
I am learning one thing through this process of house hunting.
Now is the right time to get serious about clearing the clutter.
Whether we move next year or in five years, we will be ahead of the game to start dealing with it now.
So that is exactly what we have been doing around here.

Yesterday I sorted through the bins in the attic containing fall décor.
I picked out a few favorite pieces.
I chose a few spots in the house that I thought could benefit from a touch of fall.
In the dining room it was the center of the table
and a few dishes added to the hutch.
For now that is plenty.
The remaining items were packed into the car and taken to one of my favorite charities.
As each holiday rolls around I plan to repeat this process.
It's rather amazing how much stuff a house can accumulate over the years.
When my son was home last week I had him clean out his dresser and closet.  Four garbage bags of clothes came out of there and he hasn't lived here for over three years.  Yikes!
Speaking of my son, I want to thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers on my last post.
We are happy to report that they made it here and back home safe and sound.  Thankfully there was no damage to their apartment and the power was still on.  Amber spent one night in the hospital where she works in Orlando.  They lost power and were working off of generators.  She said the room the staff slept in was on the fourteenth floor with windows from floor to ceiling.  It was a scary time and she was so glad to get back home when it was safe to do so.  

While here visiting, Jaxson decided that when raspberries become finger puppets they suddenly taste better :).
We miss him already, but are most thankful to have their little family reunited once again.




8 comments:

  1. Kim, it sounds as if you are serious, especially since the released items have already been taken away. Doing a bit at a time is a good way to approach it as you don't want to burn out the way I seem to have. And I think it is practical to think ahead and decide what will be best for you in the years to come. Yay for a good report from your Florida family. Your grandson is adorable!

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  2. Decluttering now is a good thing. But I always hear people say they've heard "the kids won't want it." My parents heard that and got rid of some things that I would have loved - so be sure to ask first. Sounds like you are thinking ahead which is a good thing! Raspberry finger puppets are adorable and delicious!

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  3. Great minds think alike...I do less decorating for the seasons and holidays as time goes on and have also gotten rid of stuff as I go along. I just mentioned something similar on my blog post today. We do have a basement and in all honesty, I hate it - for a variety of reasons. I told my husband, "All they're good for is to accumulate junk and to flood." He likes having a basement because of a safe place to go when we have tornado warnings. I know there's no way my son would want my tchotchkes, dishes, etc. Maybe some furniture, but that's about it.

    My mom is 77 and she lives alone in a 3 bedroom, 2 bath townhome that is absolutely filled with "stuff". She has not downsized at all. It makes me and my sister a bit nervous because neither one of us want her stuff (except for maybe a couple of things) and we also dread having to deal with getting rid of all of it.

    Your grandson sure is a cutey, especially with the raspberries on his fingers!

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  4. Going through things a little a time and getting rid of them sounds like a great idea. It all doesn't seem overwhelming that way.
    I've never been one big on decorating for the seasons. I just have out things that I like looking at all the time. : )

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  5. What a great idea you've had, sorting through and donating decorating stuff before each holiday. I'm sure young families starting their collections will be more than happy to get it.
    I do like your tabletop arrangement.

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  6. I haven't found a lot of energy to do seasonal decorating either. So many bad things going on in hte world!
    Brenda

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  7. Oh Kim, "downsizing' has become such a bone of contention around here! Like you we only have an attic for storage and it is full - sometimes I expect the ceilings to cave in!

    No seasonal decor up around here as we have a exterior house project underway so everything is a mess - and bedlam with all these workmen around making so much noise. Oh goodness, just realized they'll be back in the morning so I'm off to bed!

    That Jaxson is such a cutie - if I was there I'd be sharing his raspberries, my favorite berry!
    Hugs - Mary

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  8. Very good idea to start sorting through the house now. It won't be so overwhelming when you do move. I love the fall decorating that you've done. Also what a cute picture of your grandson...something our girl would do lol
    Have a great day oh and I love your new heading.
    Jeannette

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