Travel Tuesdays. When homekeeping becomes it's own adventure . . .

It's been pretty quiet around here for the last few weeks.

It started with my computer troubles, continued with my bad cold and then became  a little more deliberate as I started my Top Secret project.

Wait, that's not actually true, it really started when my son Morgan got the unexpected opportunity to move in with a friend.

This left a room empty!

In a teeny, tiny house that's pretty exciting stuff, let me tell you! (Cue the wild dancing, whoo hooing and high fiving!!)

The possibilities were endless. I began to dream and scheme.

Turns out Henry was dreaming and scheming as well! He had big plans for that empty space, only his plans were not for Morgan's room but Holly's. Holly lived in an incredibly teeny, tiny room in the basement, but she had a south facing window that lets in light whereas Morgan's window opened out into the crawlspace under the deck. . .

Henry's plan required Holly to move.

After some thought Holly agreed. She would be losing the light but gaining quite a bit more space. The downside to the move though, were the two shades of purple the room had been painted in. Dark purple on the right side of the room (including the ceiling) and light purple on the left. Souvenirs of times gone by when the room had been separated by a divider, allowing two kids minuscule rooms of their own.

So, first things first. Painting, baseboards, sorting and purging, new bedding and decor. . .

It was chaos for a while.

And then Henry changed his mind . . . and that teeny, tiny space became all mine.

It's odd how much something can change in  a few weeks. I knew exactly what I was going to do with the extra space. As a matter of fact I had already begun moving things into Morgan's room before Henry spoke up.

Some how though, in those few weeks, the Top Secret project came into being. No one has been more surprised by it than me! As a matter of fact I still find myself  shaking my head at times and wondering  "Where  in the world did that come from???"

You may wonder what all of this has to do with homekeeping and adventure . . .

It has everything to do with it!

I have never been accused of an organized mind. Or an organized home. On the other hand, I function best in an organized space. And there is nothing more freeing to creativity than a smoothly run home. (At least, that what I've heard . . )

Remember this?

Or this??

How about this???

There has been more purging, painting and decorating going on, with an emphasis on using what I have and getting ruthless with clutter (although the Top Secret project has me very sorry I let some things go during the big summer purge with my friend Joyce, especially some of the fabrics . . .)

I am working on streamlining the basics like house cleaning and meals, with an eye to reducing the number of decisions I have to make in a day.

I don't know about you, but the age old question "What's for dinner?" strikes fear in my heart each and every day! I want to have meals planned ahead of time so the only thing I need to think about when I get out of bed is, "am I going to have oatmeal or toast for breakfast?"

 "Oatmeal." It's always oatmeal.

I want to do a little housework every day with the hope that I won't get overwhelmed and choose do do the fun stuff instead. My normal response to a sink piled with dishes??? " I wonder if there are any good crafts on Pinterest right now?

So. I'm trying to keep my online time limited for the next little while as I try to get into a comfortable, sustainable routine that will allow me plenty of time to work on the things I love guilt free, while still feeding my family and making sure there are always clean towels in the linen closet and clean underwear in the dresser drawers."

I'm only 48. You're never to old to change.

Right???

Travel, either at home or abroad is exciting, but sometimes, staying at home, organizing your space, cultivating good habits and making room for new things can be the most exciting adventure of all!

At least, that's what I'm telling myself  while on hands and knees, scrubbing months worth of crud off of floors that don't see a mop nearly often enough. . .

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