Free Room Refresh Planning Guide
While we’re still a few weeks out from crocus and daffodils, spring is definitely in the air at my house. The March sunshine is warm and the wind is boisterous as it weaves in and out of the pines. The air is full of anticipation and joy - winter is over and another summer beckons.
I’ve started putting together my spring cleaning list, and in the spirit of slow living I am determined to keep my expectations reasonable about what I can actually accomplish in the fickle Maine weather. My usual M.O. is to list out every possible thing that needs to be done around the house and yard, and then feel like an utter disappointment when I come nowhere near finishing everything on the list. This year I’m tackling a few key projects that should only take a few hours each, along with the standard raking, pruning, playing-in-the-dirt fun of springtime.
Top on my list of projects is giving my living room a room refresh. What is a room refresh, you ask? A room refresh is when I make over a room with minimal-to-no-spending. And is one of my favorite things to do. I bought paint for the living room last fall, so technically this room refresh isn’t completely free. But I don’t anticipate having to purchase anything else. Along with a general cleaning and a fresh coat of paint, I’m planning to give my sofa and area rug a deep clean, using a carpet cleaner borrowed from a friend; swap out the existing artwork and photos with ones from other rooms in the house; and add in some new houseplants which I propagated from my favorite pothos plant. After two years of being home pretty much all of the time, my goal is to make this space feel light and airy and brand new.
If you’re interested in tackling some spaces in your home, I’ve put together this room refresh planner to help you get started. I hope you like it!
After my book writing declaration of last week, I’ve been digging into research and sorting copious amounts of notes, determined not only to get a working draft of a book finished, but also to have plenty of great content for Mabon House. And while I love doing research, it can quickly become overwhelming because I want to include all the information in whatever I am writing about.
So to get some perspective, I thought why not ask all of you what you’d like to see more of on Mabon House. If you have a couple of minutes I would love to hear from you. I’ve put together this short anonymous questionnaire/poll, to make it easy to share your ideas for Mabon House.
Thursdays are fast becoming my favorite day of the week because it’s when I receive so many kind messages from all of you. I know some of you have been going through rough times and while I’m not able to answer every email, I just want to say that I am thinking of you. And I’m glad you are here in the Mabon House community. And thank you to the folks who take the time to send me kind words and encouragement. It really means a lot!
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How I Deal With Contrast in Life
Hello Friends,
I hope this finds you well and safe wherever you are. The sun is shining here in Maine and the weather finally feels like it is turning. Stubborn ice is slowly giving way to the warming earth and I can feel the release of some of the tension I’ve been carrying around. Life has been full of contrast the last few weeks and I’ve been trying to approach unexpected hurdles with a better attitude. I tend to be a bit of a control freak about my schedule and plans; when these get interrupted I may look cool on the outside, but on the inside I am spiraling like a toddler who needs a nap.
Over the years I’ve gotten a lot better about being less reactionary to unwanted situations and going with the flow of life, instead of fighting it. This has taken a lot of practice and I am still a work in progress. But I’ve found that life is infinitely better if I can keep my thoughts in check and take a beat to assess what is really going on, versus what the hyper-anxious voice in my head is telling me. Yes, I am a joy and delight to be around when the unexpected happens.
When I start to feel overwhelmed by things happening around me, I try to take some time to refocus on my personal goals and general vision for my life - what I want to be, do and have. And how I want to feel in my life. Some might refer to this as the Law of Attraction, or faith, or being in the vortex. I think of it as giving myself a reminder that even if the present moment isn’t great, that it will pass. Good things happen all the time and I am not obligated to carry on in despair just because one area of my life is out of alignment.
Note - this isn’t about being happy all the time or ignoring glaring problems in life. Toxic positivity is just as bad as constant negativity.
When an unwanted situation comes up and there is an immediate action I can take to feel better, I take it. But if the problem is more in my head, like when I start to ruminate about all the things that could go wrong in life, I gently release the worry as much as I can. I get busy with other things and focus my attention on areas that bring me joy. Does this work every time? Absolutely not. Do I still carry around more anxiety than I want to at times? Heck yeah. But I am definitely able to keep a better perspective about what is happening and acknowledge that whatever the problem is, it’s a passing cloud in life and the sky isn’t actually falling. And, as an additional affirmation, I remind myself even if the sky did fall, I am incredibly resourceful and creative and could put it back together in some fashion. ;)
This Week’s Free Printable
All of this pontification about contrast and flowing with life rather than paddling upstream, as Abraham Hicks likes to say, inspired this week’s printable: A day planner that focuses on what you want in life, rather than all the to-dos, must-dos, should-dos that often weigh us down. In our quest to conquer our schedules we often forget about what really lights us up. So, I hope this printable helps you focus on your spark and light in life.
Along with making printables as a distraction from life, I’ve been enjoying a new channel on YouTube - Roaming Wild Rosie. If you have ever dreamed of escaping to the woods and living in a little cabin by yourself, you might like Rosie’s content. She recently purchased a little red cabin in the woods of Sweden and is fixing it up by herself. I found it was the perfect antidote to life at the moment.
I hope that your corner of the world is safe and you are able to take a moment and enjoy the approaching spring equinox and Ostara celebration. I’ll see you next week!
Recommended Reading
8 Things I'm Not Buying in 2022
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My theme for 2022 is Simplify and embrace slow living. Three of my four kids are out of the nest and my youngest is a junior in high school and my years of active parenting are swiftly winding down. To prepare for the next phase of life, I’ve started making some changes including a slow downsizing of all my possessions to make space for new things to come.
Following my January No Spend Challenge, I have a good handle on what I actually need vs things I want. I’ve already spent a good deal of time decluttering and organizing my home, room by room. Out of this exercise I now have a working inventory of things I have, but had kind of forgotten about. And I have a greater awareness of things I tend to buy and never use, like pretty thrifted dishes or things that I already own in plenty, such as notebooks and pens. So.Many.Pens.
As my year of Simplicity continues, I’ve come up with a list of all the things I am not buying in 2002.
Office Supplies
As noted above, I own no less than 50 partially used notebooks, journals and pads of paper. And I have a gazillion pens. These are probably my favorite things to buy and an easy and cheap impulse buy from WalMart. So the deal I made with myself is no new stationary until I’ve used up what I have. Which will most likely get me through 2022 and beyond.
June 2022 Update - Solid Win. I have made my way through about half of my existing stationary. I did purchase a new personal journal from my favorite book press company. Because journaling is an integral part of my self care routine, I do count this as a (very nice) necessity.
Greenwashed Products
I saw an ad for $30 all natural zero waste deodorant. $30?! As the sustainability /zero waste movement gains popularity, marketers are figuring out ways to capitalize on consumers' desire to go green. I think using less chemicals is always a good thing, but I also think that for those of us on budget (like, literally, everyone) the benefits don’t always outweigh the costs. If I really want to try a more natural product, I would rather try making my own first.
June 2022 Update - This is mostly a win. I did purchase some zero waste detergent sheets. These were a bit pricier than buying a jug of traditional laundry detergent, but not having ANY waste felt like a good trade off, as I could compost the cardboard box. As much as I like to think I can just whip all of my own cleaning and beauty products, convenience and saving time is a factor. Plus, I thought these sheets worked just as well, if not better, than traditional detergent.
New Clothes (Fast Fashion)
I’ve gone up and down in weight for the past couple of years. Last year I bought several new outfits from ThredUp, and so this year I really don’t need anything else. My weight has stabilized and even if I go up or down a bit, most of what I own will still fit fine. So, while I enjoy clothes shopping, especially from ThredUp, I am going to try really hard to wear what I have. And if I do decide to purchase some new outfits, I will most likely source them second hand rather than buying from fast fashion brands. If you’re new to ThredUp, here is a post I wrote about how to find the best deals for your size and style.
June 2022 Update - Mostly a win. I have been diligent about wearing what I already own. However, as summer approached and my work went to a hybrid office model, I realized that I needed some better warm weather options. I had lived in yoga pants and my son’s old t-shirts for the past two summers. So I did invest in some new dresses from L.L.Bean (not sponsored, I just really like their summer dresses and #maine). I would have happily purchased these dresses from Thread Up or any other second hand shop, if I could ever find them. But they are next to impossible to find used, because they are so comfortable and are made to last. As with most of LL Bean clothing, I will wear these dresses for the next 4-5 years, so I thought it was worth the investment.
Home Decor
Second to notebooks and pens, home décor is my other favorite shopping hobby. I love scouring thrift stores for unique items I can repurpose or upcycle. And I have this weird obsession with table settings. I love Blue Willow china like it’s one of my kids. But as I prepare for an emptyish nest, I don't need to be bringing in more stuff. I’m more interested in using what I already have to create fresh looks in my home.
June 2022 Update - Solid Win. I have not bought anything - new or used - for my house this year. Plus I managed to declutter A LOT of things over the spring.
Holiday Decor
This past holiday season I only used about a quarter of my holiday decor. Most of it sits collecting dust in the basement. Since this is the second year in a row that I’ve used only a fraction of my holiday decor, I skipped the holiday clearance sales.
June 2022 Update - Let’s be real. Who buys holiday décor in the first half of the year? The real test will come this fall. I will keep you posted.
Wrapping paper
Buying wrapping paper seems really wasteful, given that it can’t always be recycled. So, I’ll use up what I have and then swap to sustainable wrapping like cloth, paper or baskets. I will also repurpose some of my pretty table linens and doilies that rarely get used for gift wrapping.
June 2022 Update - Win. Win. Win. I even upcycled an old atlas into some wrapping paper, after watching this fun video from Rajiv Surendra (he is like the Millennial Martha Stewart). Here are my finished gifts (not as nice as Rajiv’s, but they’ll do).
Greeting cards
I am sensing a theme here - I really love paper products. I have enough Thinking of You cards and Birthday day cards to get me through the next decade.
June 2022 Update. Also a win.
Subscriptions
I’ve already cut some of streaming services, magazines and software I’ll never use. I have a couple of core subscription services like Audible and Canva that I use regularly. But my Microsoft office can go, as can Spotify and my paper magazine subscriptions that I bought when the Pandemic started.
June 2022 Update - Getting there. I have not renewed any subscriptions this year, including some streaming services. Is anyone else on the fence about Netflix?
My no spend challenge is just one way that I try to practice more Intentional/ Slow Living. Grab your free Slow Living Thought List and let me know in the comments or over on Instagram what you are doing to slow down, let go and create a life that you love.
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