Southern Snow and Slow Decorating - January 2025

Are you comfortable in your home? Have you been hanging on to things that don't serve your aesthetic? Yes, we all have an aesthetic. It's kind of like a style, but it's such a compilation of who we are. Maybe you're ready for some change, tired of all the things. But if you pull back all the things at one time, remove the placeholders all at once, you'll be sitting on a box you brought home your groceries in from Costco, and decorating with a gift bag from Christmas. 

I've been culling down items from what feels like the last 30 years. We renovated in 2013, and just yesterday repaired the kitchen range-- for the first time. I say 'we' liberally-- Eric is extremely capable with trouble shooting and repairing. But we both usually go straight to YouTube for tutorials. Yesterday, we looked up cleaning the control panel on the back of our Frigidaire Gallery Range. And one thing led to another and now I basically have a completely refurbished range & oven.  We're now back in the business of cozy cooking for the first Southern Snow of 2025

I have to say, Eric has us ready for power outages, with wood stacked to the fence-tops to be used in our wood stove. It is a key feature seen in our main living space. It's always an energy saver as it warms our entire first floor and well enough on the second, should we need it. He's working on a plan now to hook up our generator if we lose power. 

I'll be sharing more of our 'slow decorating' projects on Instagram, Pinterest as well as YouTube. As I mentioned, we did a big renovation of the first floor in 2012 and finished out our bathrooms on the second floor in 2024. We completed the landing 2023 and will be completing the trim & decorating this year. 

Completing the projects is essential. Closing a chapter, giving time to work on new goals and live life beyond the four walls and within is the goal. For now, I'm doing a little 'look-back' and shoring up my recent changes. 'Richard  Parker,' is here for it. 

Whiteboard, Chalkboard, Build a Bunker ~ January 2025

 I have 2 whiteboards in my home office. One is inspirational and the other is practical. The inspirational one has become a permanent fixture since 2020. I've evolved a bit in my activities since then, but it was the jumping off point and I can't erase what's there. Do you ever feel stuck like that- like you just can't throw that momento away for fear that you'll forget the event or catalyst that inspired it's keeping? This is the feeling to overcome in looking forward to new things. Freeing up space for the new is what frees us to live in a forward thinking manner. 

I've culled and culled this December and January. I've determined not to leave behind piles to be hauled away. I'd rather lovingly haul it away myself, or at least dispose of it ethically. But mostly, it's for my mental health. 

No longer are we just inundated by physical objects, but by the backlog of our e-mail boxes, our Amazon wishlists, and our photos in the cloud. We literally- virtually run out of space and must purchase more 'cloud,' to store our photos we'll only be abruptly reminded of by Google at precisely the most inopportune moment. 

Build a bunker. This is one of the most effective efforts I've embraced while working outside the home. My workspace is small and public. But it's mine and it directs my thoughts and activities throughout the day. So does my home office, my kitchen, our living room. Our living spaces are important. So to that end, I'm reinventing, cleaning and purging after about 12 years of living in this house. I'm loving the guidelines I've found on social media-- 'don't hold onto it for 'someday.' Oh my. How liberating when I realized how many times I've moved certain objects over the course of 30 years. It won't look like a Swedish condominium when I'm done. It will likely still look just as cluttered as when I started to the unknowing eye. But it already feels calmer. I've already disposed of 12 bags, 8 boxes, probably more broken, too small, too big, random, un-needed items. This is how to build a bunker. No matter what the work or activity or feeling-- you have to start by cleaning out. 

 

New Year, Continued Goals - January 2025

 I'm saturated with books, podcasts, and my 'circle of 5.'

I don't think I've ever been more effectively poised to look around and determine a plan & follow the path. 

What I know is the goals are continued, it's just the calendar turned. It's the micro tasks that will create the success in the plan. 

Books I'm currently reading: 

Be Your Future Self Now, by Dr. Benjamin Hardy.

The One Thing, Gary Keller with Jay Papasan.

This is January 2025. I determined to keep the Audible subscription which will cause me to invest in myself with audio as well as the hardback versions. 

Moving forward, I'm going to journal consistently, document small tasks and successes and see what focusing on One Thing will bring to the surface.