Optimizing Summer

For a pretty spontaneous gal, I am surprised by the fact that routines have become more important the more vintage I get.

As the new year (2020) got underway my dearie and I began to embrace a better morning routine and with a good half of the year gone I can certainly see the benefits. We try to give each other a bit of personal space first thing but we meet for the morning planning meeting which doesn't take too long if we don't get side tracked with just good old conversation.  LOL  We can save that for after exercises and breakfast!  He is the solid and practical planner.  I am his opposite- think spacey and impractical.  His happy place is the grocery store or surrounded by his cookbook collection, pantry and freezers.  Mine is Home Sense or Michael's, or surrounded by hobby books, my stash and my art supplies.  oh, and books but NOT cookbooks!   But together we get there!
It is all about balance. The Mr. is like a baby and likes being fed every 3 hours.  The Mrs. records our morning weigh in results!  The old farmer likes being out and doing physical stuff.  The house wife likes to be inside vacuuming .  I say whoa to him and he says giddyup to me. 

So with mornings under our belt I think it is time to embrace evening planning.  This will probably take the rest of the current year to tweak. My idea but my better half is seeing the need.  Mr. Observant says the first thing is to quit flopping down into those default chairs after supper.   How is that for a start!

A big part of basics is getting the extra stuff out of the way.  Think of Barbra Streisand singing "on a clear day, rise and look around you"!

With that in mind I kinda like Minimalism.  definition - constituting the least possible in size, number, or degree.
Mr. Practical does not like clutter; think grocery store aisle!  I don't either but I can sure make a mess once the creating genes get going be they designing decorating vignettes, journal pages or sewing projects.

So we set boundaries. This far and no further.  so many books, so much inventory, this much time,  this long a season, or this many projects.  oh, and He who manages the budgets would include- this much money!  I am of the mind 'you can't take it with you and he would just like it not to run out before we get to that particular end!


Anywhoo...

Since shelf space is near its boundaries and I am not yet ready for minimal books, I got an e-book for the last Book club review.

I like the idea of minimalism but not the austerity of it.  I do like simple and uncluttered.  My closet began to grow a few years ago as I began the change from frumpy to fantastic.  Picking up clothes at the thrift shop was part of experimenting with how I wanted to be perceived.  My closet wasn't simple.  It was excessive. 
 I had already done a closet purge in spring so I felt this would be a piece of cake.  Looking into my closet I thought, No Way!  I need it all!  I had pulled out what I consider my summer wardrobe and the numbers weren't even close.  I set new numbers and that is allowed.  Summer is 3 months and 45 articles can do it.  Well, maybe excluding accessories.  Then I read the rest of the book.  More purging and of course I can do it.
 

  Well, I have gone from way 'too extreme' to 'well maybe' to 'committed'! I had to get a firm hold on my prejudices, confront my 'just in case' mentality and do another purge! I work at things by peeling the onion layer by layer. Vbsigh  But I am just so happy as this has been the best way to really define my style. Paring down to minimal means keeping what you feel best makes you happy and that embraces fit, color and style. Your likes not what others like on you. And what eventually hangs in the closet is, no surprise here-  YOU!  This is a great challenge. My personal number is 345 and once I use up the 15 white shirts and tees I can see this working. Ps. I don't really need to shop until I need to upgrade for quality. Let the challenge begin!💖

 Now that I have calmed down I will just say that my closet breathes, I have a very workable fashion plan for summer and dressing is pretty quick.  I also will not be buying anymore clothes for quite some time.  I realize I have a lot of 3 - 4 season clothes so overall the closet can decrease as my favourites just move through the seasons with me.  But one basic coat is not gonna work for winter.  Shoot, we have six months of the white stuff and that coat is all most people see.  So there will be winter, deep winter, and 'winter -let go'  types of coats!

And speaking of optimizing summer, the weather is decent and the mosquitoes hiding in the shade so time to take advantage!