I’m thrilled to introduce you to my friend Lorilee Lippincott. She’s just released a book on simplifying!!! That’s something I think we could all grasp hold of. It’s easier to make a Kingdom Journey when you travel light! Y’all show Lori some love and don’t forget to comment to be entered in the drawing for a free book. Take it away, Lorilee . . .
Do you have a cluttered life? One where you feel you are always running? Feel like you are busy all the time but never seem to get anything done?
I felt like that for years and finally did something drastic about it about 2 years ago. My schedule is still full, but it is full of what I value and I feel I am accomplishing a lot.
What changed?
We got rid of what we didn’t value in our life. I know this sounds a bit harsh, but it really isn’t. I am still married to an amazing man and I still have my adorable children. It is everything else that changed. I realized that material†possession as well as schedule clutter was taking a large part of my life and it wasn’t what I really wanted to spend the time on.
We were a ‘normal’ family in a 2000 square foot house. 2 kids and lots of great garage sales in the neighborhood had us fully ‘stocked’. Beyond that we were running a construction business where I did all the paper/book/scheduling work at home while trying to maintain order, be involved in community service, hold positions in the church, homeschool… it was just kinda crazy… but also kinda normal.
Now we live quite a bit different
Instead of 2000 square feet we are in a small 1 bedroom apartment. Instead of our living space being ‘fully stocked’ the kids have space to play. We have moved out of residential construction for the most part and my husband has been doing commercial trim work instead. The pay is less but it leaves me with almost no paperwork or phone calls and still allows us to keep our self-employment freedom. I am still very involved in church, looking for more ways we can do community service in our new neighborhood, homeschool the children and working on my writing.
I don’t think any of us every want an empty life. We want our life and our schedules to be full. However, so many people (like I was) are running in life but aren’t sure they are getting anywhere. I want to be remembered as a servant of God, a helping wife, and a great mom – not an expert life juggler or homemaker.
The past 2 years have been fun, challenging, and freeing. If you were to tell me back then that our ‘urge to declutter’ would end up with us owning almost nothing I might have laughed. Now, I think we are still living with lots more than we really need, I love the time I have gotten back, and hope to simplify down to backpacks with my family some day and travel.
Looking back I don’t see what we did near as drastic as when we first got started. But the more I talk and write about our change, the more I find people feeling just like I was 2 years ago looking for that same change…. not very many people I talk to want to simplify as far as we have but that is the beauty of both simplicity and individuality. We are all different, but we can all benefit from limiting our lives to what we need and what we love.. the rest is just clutter.
The Book
This past Monday I released Simple Living – 30 days to less stuff and more life‘ for others wanting to simplify and not sure where to start. I am really excited about this book because it is an action book. The book is broken down into 30 short chapters/days, each containing an assignment 30-60 minutes-ish, in 30 different areas of the home and life. This book won’t take you from being a pack-rat to being a minimalist instead it will show you these 30 different areas in life and get you started working in them. Not only will your life and space be simpler after you finish, you will also know where you need to personally work more on simplifying, and you will have the experience ‘under your belt’ to continue.
Simple Living – 30 days to less stuff and more life is for sale this week for only 99 cents. You can’t not grab a copy at that price :) Also, I would like to give 3 readers a copy for free. If you would like to receive a copy of ‘Simple Living’ for free just leave a comment on this post and let me know an area in your life that you want to simplify. DRAWING HELD FRIDAY!
You don’t have to, but I would love it if you would also share this post on social media to help me get the word out about the book. Thanks so much!
Bio: Lorilee helps families simplify at Loving Simple Living and has just released ‘Simple Living – 30 days to less stuff and more life‘. It is on sale this week for only .99. Find her on Twitter.
Good Morning Lorilee!
A place I struggle is w/ paper clutter.
Just can’t seem to get rid of it.
Oh my – me too! I’m sick of all the extra papers that need a place to go. Help us, Lorilee!!
Hey girl – sorry you weren’t one of the winners. The book is 99 cents this weekend. Here’s the ink: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FKUGDW/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009FKUGDW&linkCode=as2&tag=houoftherisso-20
It’s worth it!
I’m all about living simply. It is my motto this year. I’m not sure I could downsize to a 1 bedroom apartment with my children. I think I would go crazy. Mama still needs a bit of space to breathe.
I remember when my kids were little saying the same thing. Then I realized it didn’t matter how much or how little space we had they were always right there. Treasure these moments girl – they pass too quickly.
Hey girl – YAY!!! You were drawn for the FREE book. Send me an email and I’ll give you directions for your book. You’re going to love it!
I seem to be craving SIMPLICITY all around lately. We began homeschooling last year and ever since, I’ve been more aware of our need for simplicity. STUFF continues to bog us down and I think dwindling our ‘stuff’ would drastically impact our goals for intentional living!
You’ll love this book. Lorilee covers all that “stuff.” My soul craves simplicity too. As I did Summer of 7 I thought that would help. What I realized when I finished is that it is a continual battle as the world screams at us have more, do more, more more more!!!
Friend – sorry you weren’t one of the winners. The book is 99 cents this weekend. Here’s the ink: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FKUGDW/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009FKUGDW&linkCode=as2&tag=houoftherisso-20
It’s an awesome guide at simplifying!
Decluttering busyness in my life is a challenge and I would love help in how to do that.
Simply Living would be a great start! Lorilee breaks down the simplifying process over 30 days and opens your eyes to see so much. But she not only helps you see, she gives you solutions and how-to-get-rid-of-this steps. Busyness is a challenge for so many of us. That’s sad, because it is actually a life-stealer.
Just filling you in – sorry you weren’t one of the winners. The book is 99 cents this weekend. Here’s the ink: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FKUGDW/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009FKUGDW&linkCode=as2&tag=houoftherisso-20
The book is a great resource!!
I need help with de-cluttering my time and mind set.
Just like I wrote above Lorilee gives great advice and steps for de-cluttering. I wish the world would stop for a week so we could all just spend time de-cluttering. That sounds so freeing!!!
Here’s a great resource – sorry you weren’t one of the winners. The book is 99 cents this weekend. Here’s the ink: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FKUGDW/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009FKUGDW&linkCode=as2&tag=houoftherisso-20
This sounds like what I need. Every room in my house is FULL!!! literally. Did not know that about you, Allene.
LOL not sure what you just learned about me! The post was from Lorilee, but YES YES YES I struggle with too much busy, too much stuff, and too much too much! My soul craves to simplify these days. It is so much easier to see the world’s beauty when there is not so much clutter in the way. Unpack those rooms and be FREE. Blessings friend!
YAY!!! You were drawn for the FREE book. Send me an email and I’ll give you directions for your book. You’re going to love it! Simplify!
I need to simplify my kid’s toys. With lots of family who loves to give my daughter toys every time they see her (no matter how much I ask them not too) it’s overwhelming. Now that I have another daughter, I am really worried about what is going to happen.
Oh how I remember the days of simplifying all those toys! Urgh. Here’s a great resource — sorry you weren’t one of the winners. The book is 99 cents this weekend. Here’s the ink: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FKUGDW/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009FKUGDW&linkCode=as2&tag=houoftherisso-20
Oh man! Just wrote a post about this! All the excess stuff is making me crazy. I just completed possessions week with the Bloom girls reading Seven, and gave a ton of stuff to the Crisis Center and good will. And that was only phase 1!
Girl – if you are simplifying then you need this resource!!! – sorry you weren’t one of the winners. The book is 99 cents this weekend. Here’s the ink: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FKUGDW/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009FKUGDW&linkCode=as2&tag=houoftherisso-20
I would love to read this book. I’ve been blogging about simplicity for 2.5 years, but it’s always nice to learn from other “crazy” people. ;)
Hey girl – WOO HOO!!! You were drawn for the FREE book. Send me an email and I’ll give you directions for your book. You’re going to love it! BTW – can’t wait to get your Letter.
So excited to read this book!
Hey girl – sorry you weren’t one of the winners this go around. The book is 99 cents this weekend. Here’s the ink: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FKUGDW/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009FKUGDW&linkCode=as2&tag=houoftherisso-20