Simplify

Lately I've found myself really focusing on simplicity, especially in my house.  Simple.  Clean. Uncluttered.  Soothing.  This morning I donated boxes and bags of unwanted things, which felt so great to get the extra stuff out of my house.  Maybe it's just me, but I tend to breathe more easily when clutter isn't clogging up every corner and closet of our home.

As a side note, I wanted to take a picture of the donation pile with a bunch of Craig's stuff on top and then post it just for fun.  Then I thought about taking Caroline's picture as she sat on top of the pile, suggesting she was going out with her too small clothes and our unwanted household goods.  But then I decided that someone might not get my joke and call Child Protective Services on me.  No joke is worth going to jail for.

Anyway, my focus has been on simplicity lately.  Not minimalism, though.  There are way too many clothes in my closet to ever suggest I could be a minimalist. 

My first order of business was to replace our old (and patterned) dishes with clean, crisp white dishes.  Something to provide contrast to the vivid colors of my big stupid  rooster bowl and decorative plates.

You'd think this would have been an easy task, and to most people, it probably would have been, but because I'm not so good at making up my mind, I assure this was anything but easy.   The ones I liked were either too expensive, out of stock or came with outrageous shipping charges. 

I had my heart set upon square white dishes.  I even found the PERFECT ones, but wouldn't you know, they were the ones that came with astronomical shipping charges.  The cheapskate in me couldn't do it.

As luck would have it, I stumbled upon an add for Pier 1, who had nice, sturdy, crisp white dinnerware on sale.  After I brought Caroline to a birthday party on Saturday, I went to Pier 1 and snatched up dinner plates, dessert plates and these big honkin pasta bowls, which are perfect for salads, soups and, oh yeah, pasta.

They're not square, but they're sturdy and substantial and I like them.

I know it seems utterly ridiculous to get all excited about dinnerware and I'm not exactly proud of this, but what can I say?  My life is uneventful.  Finding what you want at a reduced price is cause for celebration.  It is in my book, anyway.

Believe me, I've beaten myself up enough about my unhealthy attachment to material things.  I know 'things' don't make you happy and having crisp white dinner plates won't fix all the problems in my life or in the lives of others, but at least when I open my cabinets, my eyes will be delighted by the sight of clean, simple dishes.

And there you have it, reason #457 why I'm the shallowest person in the world.

I hope I win a prize. 

Preferably one without a rooster on it!