Fall has most definitely arrived. The temperatures are dropping and the swirling, falling leaves are quietly whispering that winter is most certainly on its way. With the changing of the seasons, my house tends to go through a few changes as well. The sandals and slip-ons by the back door have been replaced with boots. The mittens have found their way to the top of baskets. The summer blankets for the yard are being moved to the basement and the warm living room blankets are taking their places. The Crockpot has taken up residence on the shelf by the stove, in a place where it can slowly cook meats, broths, beans, soups, stews, and roasts for us during the long months ahead. The napkins have found a new home (as they've been evicted in order to make room for the Crockpot). A fern now graces our dining room in an attempt to make it through the winter so that it can be restored to the outside world come spring. And the sundresses and tanks have been tucked away, so that the sweaters, wool skirts/pants, and cable-tights and long underwear can take their turns.
While the seasonal shuffle can be a somewhat time consuming task, I found myself thoroughly enjoying it this year. In part because it gave me a change to organize and clean (both of which were much needed!), and partly because I found myself really assessing each item's value. Do we really need this napkin basket? Why do I still have this shirt?? Am I really ever going to wear this again? These shoes were pulled out for summer, but I don't really even like them. And so the assessments continued. I found myself purging more than I have in a long while. It felt so good, so freeing. You see, living in a small house somewhat limits the amount of things we can collect. There is only so much room for coats and shoes (neither of which live in closets, since we have none...), and there is only so much room for clothes, and blankets, and kitchen items. So, we prioritize, and organize, and purge. One of the things that I've come to love about living with a little less is that it really does make life easier. When there are less options, the decision making takes less time. When there are less things, the cleanup goes much quicker. When there is less to do, there is more time to simply enjoy life.
How about you? What does the seasonal shuffle in your home look like?