Pillows, Plants, and Purging the Past

First, I wanted to thank Andrea over at The Cottage Market Blog for including me in her round-up of Ikea Hacks with Pottery Barn style.  I thought it was quite the compliment that my Tarva nightstand hack has Pottery Barn style!

I can tell spring is near because the days are getting longer, the cherry trees are blooming, and we are  having some warmer days.  Not to mention, my allergies are starting up! I can't tell you how excited I am about Daylight Saving Time approaching.

There's been a lot on my mind lately, but one thing I am aspiring to do is stop shopping.  I've sort of unintentionally stopped buying.  Lately if I go to the store and see something I like, I ask myself, "Do I need this, or do I have anywhere to put this?"  And I usually walk out without it.  One blogger that inspired me is Cait over at Blonde on a Budget.  She's on a two year shopping ban after going thru a serious purge over a year ago getting rid of things she didn't need.  She inspired me to clear out my guest room and clean out my closet.   I also started going thru things in my attic, and got rid of a lot of clothes I had put up over the years with the hope I would one day fit back into them.

I also love reading Janet over at The Gardener's Cottage.  I love that she lives in a small 970 sf home, has also cut back on her possessions, and lives simply yet beautifully.  We live in an area where it would be almost impossible to find a house that small, but she inspires me to appreciate the abundance of space that I do live in.  The conversation has come up in our home of moving, and I can honestly say, I don't want any more space.  To me it's just more to clean, heat and cool, and maintain.

With spring approaching, instead of shopping, I've been swapping.  Since we had been sick, I did a major house clean yesterday, washing all of the pillow covers and bedding, cleaning bathrooms, and mopping the floors.  It felt like a bit of spring cleaning.  In the process, I swapped out the pillow covers for my sofa back to my spring/summer set.  (I love blues for the summer and warm colors for the winter.)  I also have been picking up some houseplants that to me enliven my home.  And with just those few changes, plus the amazing sunlight we're having, things feel fresh and ready to welcome spring!

Of course, I still have quite a bit of actual spring cleaning to do, plus the outside of the house needs quite a bit of work, including some landscaping (with the tree we took down last year), and house painting.  I can't figure out which one needs to be done the most, but we are hoping to get around to both of them this year.  I'll be back to share more of what I am doing to prep for spring.