Live in the Moment - Take a Load Off!

I learned such a great, refreshing lesson today. I learned to live in the moment. Not just to enjoy the moment but to live in it. I realised that I don't need to be thinking about what I have to do next week, tomorrow or even in thirty minutes. I need to do the task at hand and worry about the next one when it comes.

I was driving to school planning how I was going to get the kids into the post office, make sure they didn't touch anything as we waited to be served, get them back into the car (without them being run over), get to school in time to pick Isabella up, then off home to cook and serve an early tea in time for swimming lessons, more tea and all showered and in bed in time so I could leave at 7pm for a meeting. Phew! I was feeling a bit stressed.

Such a weight of stress lifted off my shoulders as I realised - I can't do anything about tomorrow right now. I can't even do anything about what's happening in half an hour so I might as well stop worrying.

We all need to plan for the future but once that's done, put it aside and focus on the NOW. The rest will take care of itself.
Cool pic thanks to zazzle.com

Spice Up Your Bedroom!

What is your bedroom like? Comfy, cosy and relaxing? Modern, hip and organised? A make-shift storage facility? Ours was the latter, and depressingly so. Does anyone else sleep better in a tidy, pretty room? I do. And of course the ambience and style of a room affects other things... you don't need me to spell it out I'm sure...

So, I'm officially back online. Back from my cyber-attical... (haha pun intended). While I was away I found myself dreading coming home to our cramped, cluttered, ugly bedroom. So, without sending myself into a tail-spin, I decided to gradually declutter and start again. Each day I did one job - big or small - just as long as I did at least one thing towards improving our master bedroom.

As with everything, it happened in three main phases:

Phase One:
Declutter. It's quite amazing how much rubbish can be 'stored', no matter how organised everything looks. Chuck it out, have a garage sale, stop by the op-shop bin, call the council and organise a roadside rubbish pick up. Whatever you do, get rid of all that junk! I was amazed what a difference this made to the feel of the room. It took me about a week, doing bits here and there when I could. I reorganised the desk and decluttered all the surfaces. The whole feel of the room was immediately lifted. Everyone breathe out. Aaaaah...

Phase Two:
It's time to dream! Now that all the clutter's gone, there's room for your imagination to flow! I've spent many wistful moments in my bedroom this week, imagining possibilities and choosing colour and design themes. What do you want your bedroom to be? A place of relaxation, parents retreat, love-making hotspot? I wanted all of the above... It would be nice to have a room that spiced things up, don't you think? What colours textures and patterns will you use? What feel are you going for? I'll be going for red and white as my base with sumptuous fabrics, textures and scattered words bringing it all together. I can't do anything drastic so there'll be no painting, new curtains or flooring. Can you repaint or recover the floors? If so, the sky is your limit!

Phase Three:
Change. This bit could seem overwhelming or expensive but you can do whatever you want and keep it within a budget, you just need to get creative! My one splurge was a new quilt and pillow cover set. Our original set was a wedding gift and although lovely, it was high time for a new, fresh one. I bought a beautiful fresh white linen set from IKEA (approx $80 inc 4 pillow covers) and the change was well worth the dosh. A candle in a red vase, some oversized tea lights and a blown-up version of our engagement photo made the bedside table. I'm on the hunt for some proverbs or verses that will add to the feel of the room. I have a thing about painting words so I'm going to paint them on canvases in colours to match our theme. Throw rugs and cushions pull it all together (I'll be scouring the local opshops and ebay for some bargains).

Is your room due for an overhaul? Let us know how you go!