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31Days, clutter, organizing, the Night Owl | January 2, 2016

Start Here

Happy New Year!  I’m so excited to start Peter Walsh’s #31Days2GetOrganized again!  If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, read here: where I started and here: how I continued.  This will be my 4th set of 31 challenges which means I’m starting with my 94th challenge.  Can you believe I still have too much stuff and want to declutter more?!  I would love it if you started with me and the other thousands on his Facebook Page.  It’s easier to let go of stuff and get a healthier home when you’re doing it with people all over the country, at the same time!  Here’s a look at the first challenge:

If you’re in as much clutter debt as I was, your donation bin or area is going to need to be big if you want to do a garage sale at the end of the month.  If you just want to donate, I would suggest going to goodwill or similar every couple of days.

This is everything that left my house after my second set of 31 challenges.  This year I want to have even more leave my house so I’m going to buy 5 large boxes tomorrow.  We are going to be moving soon and most likely we’ll be having a big garage sale and I don’t want to be looking at pile like this for a whole month.

If you’re reading this and thinking I wish… but…  Here are a few of my thoughts:

1. One person can make a big difference.  You might think you need your whole household on board to declutter and clean things up but you don’t.  One person, little by little, can create a healthier home.  This is true with attitude and cleanliness.
2.  Don’t worry about the WHY.  TODAY it doesn’t matter why, how, who’s fault it is that there’s too much stuff.  No shaming yourself or anyone else is allowed!  TODAY you want it to change, that’s all that matters. The WHY can be conquered when your mind is free and clear of the clutter around you.
3.  If you think “there’s no use” because it’s just going to get messy again… This might be the perfectionist in you leading to procrastination.  So this month, let go of that, DONE is better than perfect.
4.  Create a “no impulse buy” rule for shopping.  If you didn’t go to the store for it, don’t buy it.  For me, I try to make myself wait a week before I can go back to the store to buy something I saw.  Usually by then, I’ve stopped obsessing and I don’t want it anymore.
5.  If you have a hard time letting go of things and you get emotionally attached, remember this:  “People are more important than things” and “people are not IN things.” (I believe I just quoted my very good friend here.) Also, believe there will always be enough, give to those in need. Would you rather be generous or stingy?
6.  Go see the movie JOY and get inspired for your life!

I could go on forever and I will little by little this month on Instagram and Facebook.  Follow along or participate with the hashtag #31Days2GetOrganized.

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The Fall of Unfinished Business

clutter, organizing, the Night Owl | September 23, 2015

The Fall of Unfinished Business

Today is the first day of Fall and I am declaring this season "The Fall of Unfinished Business".  I'm pretty good at coming up with ideas and taking steps to start on these ideas, for example, buying supplies or sharing my plans with you.  I'm also pretty good at getting overwhelmed, Continue Reading

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Summer Style Shape Up Giveaway!

fitness, health, the Night Owl, the Shopper | May 13, 2015

Summer Style Shape Up Giveaway!

I fell in love with taking care of myself last summer.  It had been a while since I worked out on a regular basis, I'm talking since before my wedding, that's about 12 years!  And last summer I realized I couldn't keep waiting for a window of opportunity to open for me to exercise.  I Continue Reading

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The Art of Decluttering

31Days, clutter, organizing, Peter Walsh, the Night Owl | December 31, 2014

The Art of Decluttering

I can hardly wait for the first of the year to be here so I can start Peter Walsh's "#31Days2GetOrganized" again!  Were you wondering if I was going to do it again?  Can your Instagram or Facebook news feed handle it again?!  Don't worry, I'm going to do it differently this THIRD Continue Reading

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United Colors of Wimbledon

encouragement, inspiration, interior design, tennis, the Designer, the Night Owl, Wimbledon | July 11, 2014

United Colors of Wimbledon

Billie Weiss/AELTC Every time I watch professional tennis I get inspired.  I like the game, the preppy style, the colors, the atmosphere, the sportsmanship, the fanfare and the athletes.  The height of all this tennis inspiration happens for me at Wimbledon. Jon Continue Reading

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Hello Neighbor! I’m Erica Smith and this is where I share discoveries and tell a few stories!

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RSS My Sister’s Blog

  • In Case You Missed It…
    I hope you all had a great week! My sister and I went shopping together this week at Anthropologie and we were so excited to share with y’all what we loved! Check out our Anthro shopping finds here!   Looking for ways to style your sundresses? Here’s some styling tips… Dress: Staud, Earrings: Madewell, Bag: […]

Currently on Instagram

The best gift tomorrow will be a boy turning 12! ♥️🥳

These streamers took me years to find. Years searching on the internet even though they were right under my nose! My Mom used to use them at every birthday, she’d throw them all over the chandeliers. They were messy fantastic! I finally figured out they are called Serpentine Throws or Streamers. And when you call them by the right name you can find them everywhere! 

#birthdaydoor #birthdaytradition
#notetoself “…the more we stand in awe of Him #notetoself “…the more we stand in awe of Him the less we’ll stand in judgment of others.” - @bobgoff 🌎🤩

Have y’all seen the @expedia Super Bowl commercial with Ewan McGregor? The ad of course is trying to get me to go to their site and travel but I like that it FIRST is trying to convince me to not spend on STUFF! It feels like they are putting my purpose before my money and I’m just going to believe that because I love it! 🙌 

The photos above are all mine and have all been taken since the last Earth Day. They are all #nofilter and if you swipe left you can see their location. Also my file for this post has 76 photos 😆 so it was hard to narrow down to the annual nine! Keep swiping for bonus Planet Earth!

#borntocreate #inawe #creator #earthday2022 #undistractedbook #lovedoes #bobgoffquotes #lessstuff #moreplaces #thankyougod
Easter snapshots 👆 and my notes from @thejohnst Easter snapshots 👆 and my notes from @thejohnstephens’ message we streamed from @levyparkhouston (because we didn’t want to leave our lovely family breakfast to get ready in time to be early enough to find a seat at @chapelwoodumc 👌):
•Created to value and focus on the intangibles.
•Set your heart on things above.
•Live in the light of the resurrection, that’s what Easter means.
•The WORST things are NEVER the LAST things. ♥️

I started listening to/reading the Bible back in February. It’s something I’ve wanted to do my whole adult life. I’m following a chronological Bible in a year plan, listening to cliff notes and trying to finish faster than the whole 365 days. It is a struggle and I can’t believe I’m actually doing it! 😫💪🏼 I’m on day 64 and I just looked up how far I have to go before I get to the event we celebrated this past weekend. I have to make it to Day 274 for the first mention of Jesus and Day 319 for the resurrection. My friends and family have heard me say quite often, “I can’t wait to get to Jesus.” And I’m also looking forward to the New Testament on @audible because I found a version read by @johnnycash! Now if I’m going to make it to Jesus and Johnny I’m going to have to change up what I’m doing for the Old Testament. Do y’all have any recommendations on audible? I’m looking for the impossible: a voice that’s captivating and storytelling but not dramatic and cheesy. And a version that’s easier to read in general. Any help in the comments below would be great for all to read! 👇 Thank you and Happy Easter! 🙏🏼

#easterinthepark #chapelwood #bibleinayear #imnotatheologian #easter #theyearofthedonkey #thelegendofthedonkeyscross #easterbasketsforever
Houston, we have a @buffcitysoap! I’ve been driv Houston, we have a @buffcitysoap! I’ve been driving to @buffcitysoap.pearlandtexas because I’ve been hooked on their Narcissist scented laundry soap and dryer balls since my cousin’s daughter introduced us to it in Dallas last Thanksgiving. (Thank you, Lane! @tsno06) Now it’s just a drive to The Heights and I’m already scheming for a soap making party. 🧼 Go check it out! 👃🏼@buffcitysoap.northheights  #buffcitysoap #htown #houstonshops #titynshops
This was her Christmas gift from 2019! When we gav This was her Christmas gift from 2019! When we gave it to her she was 12 years old and she thought it would be hard to Wait For It until July 2020! 😆 How about March 2022?! Worth the wait to see Hamilton live a 2nd time. She was still in awe! 🙏🏼 And if a mask 😷 had not been required I might have put one on anyway because It’s Quiet Uptown and I didn’t have a tissue. 😭😭🤧🤧🥺🥺 

#hamiltonmusical @hamiltonmusical @hobbycenterhouston #waitforit #itsquietuptown #americanhistory #alexanderhamilton @joseph_1_smith
We’re in New Mexico and happened upon the oldest We’re in New Mexico and happened upon the oldest church structure in the U.S.A. in Santa Fe! Circa 1610! 😲

If you’re interested in traveling to New Mexico, I started sharing our trip highlights in my stories and will continue to share when I have a chance. What I’ve shared so far is saved to my highlights on my page.☀️ 

#springbreak #santafe #newmexico #santafenewmexico #tityntravel

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