I’m weary of swords and courts and kings. Let us go into the garden. 🌸 Mary Johnston🌸 Chair dance anyone? Oui! ☺️ MUSICA
I ask myself the same question every day when I get up, “How do I move myself forward today?” It’s a great question, it gets me moving . . . because, I have places to go and people to see, and I need to work diligently in the direction of my dreams. Or I’m not happy. Even my tiniest steps forward add up!
For several years now, I’ve been on a mission, to learn more about the writing process, to see if I could figure out how to write my memoir books, to figure out how to get them 
published, and then to get it done. And while I did it, many other things in my life went onto the back burner. I was busy! And, one thing I wasn’t doing was deep cleaning, no good old-fashioned organization, or home care for my darling dear house that deserves better. But it got me for a mom, and 
therein lies the problem. As you are about to see. I can’t believe I am going to show such terrible photos. Normally I clean up before I take the pictures. It’s probably the worst I’ve ever seen it, mainly because we were hardly home last year, and when we got back, I began to “drop off” stuff in my studio, move it out of my view “until I had time to clean it.” I’m thinking someone else out there may experience this problem, so I thought I would do some before and after photos and talk about Spring Cleaning and how to de-clutter, lighten up, and simplify your life.💞 Shield your eyes, here we go . . .
The question is: Who’s in charge here? It was a daunting project to begin. I almost didn’t know where to start, every cupboard and drawer in our house is stuffed to the gills. But as 
time goes on, I’m becoming quite cutthroat about it. I choose emptiness. I took pictures of some of the harder things to get rid of. Now I own the memories associated with them forever! The bookshelves are full of books, some of which have been there since we moved into the house in 1989, any new books since then have had to find another place to go ~ I keep inserting tiny bookshelves in corners of the house, packing it all in even further, and now the only place left is the floor. But the floor is already almost totally covered with projects and boxes of who knows what, it’s layered. You could do a dig here, like James Michener’s The Source.
I began to empty the shelves and take most of the books to the living room, where I’m packing them to give to the second-hand bookstore on the Island. Not all of them of course. I kept the good ones! But not too many. I want empty shelves. I want empty shelves so bad. Room for new thoughts, new ideas! Room to breathe.
Because I can no longer live like this. I think it’s stealing my energy just having to look at it. There are three stacks of original art in plastic pages on the floor under the shelves! I don’t recognize the rest of it, it’s too much of a jumble. Stacks of books, stacks of papers, crowded Beatrix Potter people. I had to design cups on top of the mess in order to get them done in time. Doing a Willard in this mess would be impossible!
All so wrong. That door to the front hall has been blocked closed for maybe three years (It was way worse than this, I’d already moved most of the stuff!). And as I begin to move through it, I ask myself, do I need this, is it adding value to my life, and if the answer is no, then I say bye-bye! I want smooth surfaces, table tops especially. I’ve been getting happier and happier every day, and lighter and lighter, and basically, I’m downright giddy now! Waking up singing! The unbearable lightness of being!
It doesn’t look like this anymore. And as I’ve done it, shelf by shelf, going through everything piece by piece, file by file, box by box, I found interesting things I’d forgotten all about . . . and realized I was engaged in a form of treasure hunt.
I washed each shelf which had not seen the light of day since 1989. Basically the answer to how to do this, is one shelf at a time.
Yard by yard, it’s very hard, but inch by inch, it’s a cinch.
See the cupboards underneath? Same thing, one at a time. And that mess on the 
worktable? That BIG pile on the left is recipes, ideas, and quotes for my Tea Book which I’ve been adding to and saving for years, with no place to put it. It’s not there anymore. Now it’s organized, and my Tea Book project has one of those clean empty shelves all for itself!
And, I think, in my most maniacal of moments, now I have room ~ I can go antiquing again! 😜
Here’s one of the treasures I found, this card was in a recipe box I did for my mom around 1979. I forgot all about it, I don’t think I’ve seen it since then.
I’d brought home my mom’s recipe file from California, and inside were handwritten recipes and letters, from my mom, my grandma, and my great grandma. I also had recipes from my dad and my sisters . . .
And this detailed letter to my mom from my grandfather Willard’s mother, my mom’s “Gram,” and my great grandmother . . . her typing strokes are indented in the soft blue paper ~ Sioux City, Iowa is written at the top ~ and she is writing my mom in California about the only news that ever really matters to our lives. Turn off the TV, and this is what there is, the real stuff of life. 💌
This is the rest of the box I did for my mom . . . so I put all the recipes from everyone else in it . . . and a card explaining who is who, for the future people who will someday find it, maybe my brother’s and sister’s children, or who knows. Maybe some rescuing type of person in a second-hand store. But I have a picture of it now, so it’s mine forever, and the box will be saved in a special family file box.
Then I began on the file cabinet, pulled out each file, went through it, threw out tons of useless paperwork, then rearranged and put back what mattered. This de-cluttering adventure is a long-term project, but I would rather do it now when I choose to, than later, when I have to! Right now I just want to! Not all of it is memories, some of it is just stuff I don’t need. I’m recycling, donating, and throwing out. I already cleaned the kitchen and emptied the sideboard in the dining room, and got rid of 
half of it, and after I get this room done, I go upstairs! That’s also when I will get to start seriously painting four hours a day. As soon as the studio is clean and I feel the spaciousness of it, I’ll dip my brush in water, and hear the ringing sound as it hits the side of the dish and put my first color on the paper, early one morning, in the quiet, with my tea and my cat. I don’t think I’ll get the whole house done until sometime around August. I go as slow as I want. I go to the garden, I stare at the dogwood tree in bloom. Joe and I go to the nursery. I’m planning a tea party. I shoot hair bands for my kitty. I talk on the phone to Siobhan and Rachel in England. I design cups. I brake for John’s Fish Market chocolate shakes! But all while I’m lightening my life, and indulging in the treasure hunt and the joy of memory.
Luv-lee letters like this get photographed, and put into a “children’s letters” file. I’ve looked up names on some of the old letters ~ and amazingly found and followed them on Instagram (@susanbranchauthor)! Sometimes I don’t like the Internet, and sometimes, I love it!
And now, I have all my ideas for books in one place, in files, and NOT, as was before, in piles on the floor. Every day I feel better, I feel more and more inspired about what will come next . . . and think of the words I heard on some TV show, ” I tremble on the brink of life’s next great adventure.” But I can’t get there until I am out from under the weight of this stuffed house!
I’ve consolidated, whittled down, and distilled . . . honestly, so much of it just didn’t belong here anymore. I saved a few old things, like products I’ve made . . . put them into boxes, labeled them, and up the attic they go, saved for posterity. A very little bit of it. Stuff I hope that someday someone else will want. But if they don’t, at least it’s consolidated. I’m doing this thing just like I redecorate. Taking everything off the shelves out of the cupboards, washing and cleaning them, and putting back only what I can’t live without, and getting rid of the rest.
I had to keep a little bit of this! Just in cases.
And this too!
And of course the piles of original artwork . . .
All organized and stacked on those empty shelves where I can access them. Most of my original art is in an old bank safe in California. Each book I’ve written is totally intact, all the original pages are there, and each book is in its own acid-free box. 
Look at that. I’m making white space . . . ahhh, emptiness . . .
A finished person is a boring person. 💙Anna Quindlen
Don’t worry, I’m not the minimalist type, for me that would be going too far. And I’m not done. Only about half way right now . . . but I can see the trees in the forest! I thought you might like to see some of the treasures I found:
First off, this. The box of everything, all the photos, all the memorabilia, the diary pages, even some souvenirs, everything from the trip we took in 2001 with our nieces Heidi and Holly, to London, Paris, and Bath (where we first discovered the English Countryside) . . . our theme music from that trip was Dusty Springfield from the British Invasion cassette we had in the car . . . we sang as we traveled hill and dale . . . we still sing it. Joe sang it too . . .🎵 I don’t know WHAT to do with my self . . .🎵
Here we are boarding the ship in New York. In this photo, Heidi, on the left, is 11, my 
brother Brad’s daughter, who grew up in Colorado. On the right is Holly, she’s 12, she belongs to my sister Mary and grew up in California. The cousins had met only once before we took them away across the wide ocean for six wonderful weeks. We’d been planning it since they were six. It was the very best time I ever had. They were wonderful and funny and smart! The box with everything from this trip was on a high shelf here in my studio and hadn’t seen the light of day in years. I still have to go through it, and someday, when I get the photos scanned, I’ll do a post about that magical trip.
Something else, a note from my dad. Writing me about the correct way to drink tea.💞 Now it’s in my mom’s recipe box.
And this painting my dad did of his beloved dog, Chief.
And my mom’s jacks and balls. Which I labeled and saved.
And I found this photo of me and my brother Jim with my cute mom and dad, which I don’t remember seeing before, something else to put in her recipe box. Too bad about the over-exposure, but still . . . look how their arms lean into each other. They are in it together. And there’s a picket fence back there! I must have seen it and fell in love!
And this book was in the pile. I still remember the night I met Julia and how much it meant to me.
Deep in the files was this little notebook I used when writing my first book with all kinds of little reminders, quotes and notations, and even grocery lists. The address of Little Brown, and Random House. Lots of dreams tied up in this messy little book.
And I found the hollyhock seeds sent to me by Nicoline, one of our girlfriends from Holland, over a year ago! But I wasn’t here to plant them last spring, and we also went away in the fall, so they didn’t get planted then either ~ I decided to see if they would sprout, and look, they did!
Kind of a miracle . . .
You might remember Nicoline from our picnic in England! She and her husband came from Holland and she brought her own Petey doll to show me!
And now her hollyhocks are planted in my garden . . . I get so many plants from my girlfriends, I call my garden a friendship garden!
This was what it looked like outside this morning, the wisteria has begun to bloom, Lowely’s bluebells are blooming too, at the far corner of the picket fence!
I bring the blooming things in for the little shelf over my kitchen sink . . .
And took a photo of the inside of the little bells of Lily of the Valley . . .
And, you may ask, what has Joe been doing all this time! Oh, we are a team! He has been doing to the yard, what I have been doing to my studio. He’s been thatching, raking, mulching, top dressing, seeding and watering. Men ask, “What do women want?” But they should know . . . This is every woman’s aphrodisiac, someone to build a life with.💞 When we stand next together, our arms press together.
💛💛💛
You can hear Jack meowing! I love it when he talks in a video, not easy to get him to do it!
I heard the ferry boat whistle just now like a long musical note. 🎵 Sometimes I forget where I am, how close the sea is, until I hear the boat whistle!
And as so many of you know, the Studio has been busy too . . . sending out your new English bone china cups . . . 💞
And these are the people who’ve been making that happen. Alfredo, Sheri and Kellee at the Studio. Couldn’t do it without these wonderful people! Monday is Kellee’s birthday!
And I got mine!! Just as excited as everyone else!
I’m very proud of them. It’s hard finding really beautiful things, and then being able to afford to get them made, especially in foreign countries! Now we are importers! We talk palettes, air freight, and customs! TMI for sure!
It’s been a lot of fun on Twitter, so many Girlfriends have written and sent photos, saying, “Got mine!” Marcia (@msmrph) sent this darling photo of herself and her best friend Julie captioned “Tea for two Besties!” Makes my day! Our cup club is not very big, but it’s very wonderful!
We’re working to make your Christmas especially easy this year. I know it’s a long time until then, but in order to get things made in time, we have to start now… we love planning surprises. Especially for you. Like our dream charms. So many of you have asked us to bring them back, so we did. 💞 Here they are! I think they’ll be in our web store the first couple of weeks of June.
We reordered three of our most popular charms . . . Autumn (in that first photo), A Fine Romance (see the hedgerows?👍),
and the ever-popular “Be an Elf,” all with small gift cards . . .
And in the midst of cleaning the Studio, sort of on top of the layers, I did manage to finish designing the bottoms, the handles, and the backs of the new mugs, and sent them off to England where the process of manufacturing has already begun. They are supposed to be here by August! We’re taking no chances they would be late for Christmas, and we need that Autumn cup first! And, yes, they are in the web store for Presale right now! I know it’s hard to think Christmas, but please try, because, like with the last ones, when these are gone, they are gone. You’ll be glad when December comes and you don’t have to go Christmas shopping! ❤️ Here they are:
Santa Claus is coming to town! In 16 ounces of fine bone China from “the Potteries” in Staffordshire, England! And, yes, they are all dishwasher and microwave safe!
This is the back . . . (only a mockup, made from paper in these photos, will look a lot better in real life!)
I did a construction-paper chain for the handle. Oh by gosh by golly!
And we have a 16-ounce Bluebird of Happiness. Which is going to look really good in my new blue kitchen! 💙
Here’s the back. It’s trying to be whimsical!
And the handle. I think it’s adorable. But still, only paper!
And my Autumn cup is a little bit smaller, 11 ounces, because you asked! I’ll do one for every season, all this same size. The only difference between this design and the real life one to come, the handle is actually going to be on the other side . . . This quote will actually be on the “front” of the cup. . .
And this will be the back ~ the handle will be on the other side from what you see here, and the squirrel will be on the left facing the other way . . . I decided I liked it better like that. Decisions, decisions.
The handle. 🍂 Signifies abundance.🍁
And now, my Martha’s Vineyard, Isle of Dreams 16-ounce cup. You drink from it, and I hear, could be a rumor, but I think not, your dreams will come true. ⚡️
It’s a short trip to the Island, via cup. 🛳
And here’s the handle. 💙
Be sure to read the small print on the ordering page, it explains lots of things, like what we are doing, and why, when we retire each of the cups . . . too long for the blog, but extra reading while ordering and good clarification! Hope you like them!
Now, last but definitely not least, Jack. He has taught me a couple of new tricks. You know 
how cats jump up to rub on your leg? Well, he gets on the table and rubs (sort of butts) my forehead, and now I softly butt him back, and we have a meeting of the minds. He puts his head near mine and wants me to do it. We are blood cat brothers. He also LOVES the running water in the bathroom . . . we go there to play . . . he is rather calm in this video, because I have the camera and he knows it, but usually he makes me turn the water on and off really fast, he bites it and grabs it and sometimes he comes out of there wet! It’s his secret life. Joe doesn’t even know about this. How do I explain that I’m being trained by the cat?!
💙💙
And one more thing, I have a surprise for you . . . I thought we’d give away one of these new cups! If you already have yours, it’s okay, you’ll have a best-friend gift all ready to go!
And whoever our lucky winner is will get their choice of which one! In Love with Nature on the left, Little Things in the middle, or Love on the right. All you have to do is leave a comment! And in a week or so, we’ll get Vanna back from Bali (I think that’s where she is ~ she’s hard to keep up with!) to pull the winning name. And I hope it’s YOU! 🌸
Bye for now Girlfriends, have a wonderful day! Love and ❌’s, Me.
Oops! P.S. Almost forgot to say, in case anyone will be around, I’ll be signing books and visiting at Titcomb’s Book Shop on Wednesday, June 7, from 1 to 3pm … joining this wonderful, independent, family-owned bookstore in celebration of their 50th Anniversary! Please come by and say hello if you can! It’s on Cape Cod in East Sandwich, click above for details. There will be cupcakes, and you don’t need a ticket to come! 😘
Love the idea of photographing items that are difficult to part with – they really can be with you in your memory that way . I would love to have a darling mug for my morning coffee. The bluebird of happiness is a favorite. Thanks for “keeping it real”, Susan. Somehow decluttering makes me more clearheaded and simplifies life. Love your happy blogs!
I so would love to win a cuppa for my spot of tea. Please Vanna pick me!
What a breath of fresh air Susan! We could be twins. I have been spending the last year “de-crapifying” as Patty has so smartly labeled it. Every time I get a room de-crapified I feel as if a huge weight has been lifted! I still have a lot more I could be getting rid of. The worst is my studio. It tends to be the room we dump everything in, but I will take your cue and go at it in baby steps. My husband says he doesn’t know how I can work in there. I just clear a little space and have at it, lol. I adore your new cups. All of them. I have little boxes (Old enamel recipe boxes and biscuit tins) filled with recipes and letters and obituaries, etc. Every now and again I go through them and my heart is filled to overflowing with all of the memories and good feelings in each one. They are like little treasure boxes! Good times! We are such kindred spirits.
And those little treasures don’t take up much space!
Thanks for the inspirational post! I began this process about 2 years ago, but it’s definitely a process. For starters, I gave away thousands of books to the library for their used book sale. I kept the most special ones, but almost all of the paperbacks went. I think I can do more winnowing, too. If I can replace it with an ebook if I really need to, it must go. It’s tough to do sometimes, but the end result is worth it.
Thanks for the Jack vids, too!
Thanks for your photos and tips on organizing and purging all the wonderful, but often unnecessary things, that we accumulate over the years. Seeing the absolutely liberating progress you are making is an inspiration to get started in going through and clearing out all of the clutter. You make a difference in so many ways!
Sold home, moved, moved again and now, a year out, still the boxes, but now I know I’m not alone with too much wonderful stuff. You and your loving friends have put some gentle pressure on me to get things cleared out to bring some calming order to my life. Thanks to all.
Susan, I think the purging (house cleaning/eliminating the unnecessary) comes with age… 😉 we are the same age and I’ve been doing the same. Plus, Spring makes me feel like everything should be fresh and light and clean. (And my kitty has to have drinks from the running water in the bathroom, too!)
Also, using your home as a drop off station like we’ve been doing doesn’t help either!
I love the mugs you designed! I haven’t ordered one because I can’t decide which one I like like the best! I hope I win one!💕
Hi Susan,
I find myself decluttering, then heading to yard sales after also…it’s an ongoing battle. Thanks for sharing, we can all relate.
Laurie
Dear, dear Susan,
Re Clutter and De-clutter, You are Me, I am you! Oh! Oh! Oh!
Desperate about it. And Determined.
Carolyn
Determined beats desperate any day! 👍
It’s as if you’re in my home saying declutter, organize, less is more!
I too must organize everything! Thank you for the inspiration!
Isn’t it funny how spring time brings out the “cleaning the nest” in all of us? I have been trying to “purge” as well……I would love one of your mugs. They are all beautiful. Thanks for the opportunity to win one!
love your whimsy!
Received the mugs and how exciting it was❤️ Gave my daughter the Nature mug which she loved, for Mother’s Day and I kept the other one. We were both so excited! Even though she lives in Rhode Island n I live in New Jersey, we share morning time drinking from our special Susan mugs! Love the feel and bigness of them👍 Ready to order the next group. Thank you Susan for understanding and being able to create and elevated the simple pleasures in life!ka
What a wonderful letter and post about de-cluttering. I started in my scrapbook room over the weekend and it feels good to have some of the scrapbooks on the shelf instead of piles on a trunk. Must get rid of things and make room on the table in order to scrapbook some pages.
Thanks for the opportunity to win one of the lovely mugs. They look like a perfect size for my morning cup of coffee.
I adored Jack’s video and hearing his lovely voice in the other. Your spring cleaning inspires me to be more creative and innovative and organized. You add light to my life as you do to all of us who read your blog. Thank you….more than words can say…
Thank you Kay, love having you here! xoxo
Love th idea of taking a memory picture, before boxing up those treasures. Another great idea from SB to help organize my life. Thanks so much for all your inspirations.
I love this post, makes me want to give it a go and delete, delete, delete! I had a huge pang of jealousy when I saw your stash of stickers and papers… I have so many of them in my scrapbooks and my family recipe book too! Thanks for the wonderful giveaway, and also for glimpse of your springtime
Love the mugs, just wish they were more affordable. So glad you’re back on Instagram!!!
I just recently started to declutter my spare bedroom that has a sewing machine material ,quilting supplies, shelves filled with make up, paints , brushes gift wrap, coat rack for winter coats,yarn knitting material ,clothes that i am going to fix one day ,belly dance supplies,and there might even be a bed in there .It is a very exhausting to go in and look around and its easier to close the door and ignore it,but i will never be able to enjoy the room unless I can see what i have and what I don’t need anymore Thanks for the inspiration
Pick me, Vanna.
Love the mugs!
HAPPY SPRING AND SUMMER TO all of you (kitties too) and have fun antiquing.
I started the same declutter of my little home about a year ago. I’m still at it. Little by little, but it is getting there! In fact my little home looks huge now!
Treese/Colorado Cowgirl
I’m hoping for that myself Treese!
I HAVE to order the new Vineyard mug for my future daughter-in-law. They got engaged there last August! Been cluttering for a year now too and feels great. Love that cat! Mine passed.
For the memories! I’m sorry about your kitty. Are you going to get a new kitten?
Hi Susan,
I understand the clutter and mess. My Mom and I have discussed this about ourselves many times. We have come to the conclusion that those of us with hobbies, ie: quilting, sewing, gardening, cooking, antiquing, reading, etc. just have clutter. It’s hard to find the time to do it all, store it all and make time to clean and organize it all. So we do the best we can, but still so glad that I have interests that keep me busy and full of life!
Love the cups and charms, will be ordering mine soon. Always enjoy your posts. Happy day to you!
Stephanie
I don’t mean to inject something troubling here but I got very wordy (enthusiastic!) yesterday and left a few comments here and there on this post and while, at one time, they showed as awaiting moderation, it’s now May 22 in the early a.m. and anything I wrote yesterday is gone, flown away (not even waiting for moderation). Also, every single time I go to comment, my name is again not my own but someone else’s including their email address. I thought this was fixed on your former post so it was a surprise for me. I’m not complaining; it’s just that, before, you’d asked us to report in (I think) so you’d know what’s going on from the reader side. So sorry you’re having these frustrating computer glitches. I should say that each time I go to leave a comment, the name in place of mine never changes; it’s always Susan Morgon, who is not me. It’s all so very strange!
I saw and replied to at least a couple of your comments Vicki . . . I don’t think they’re gone, although I can never be sure with the gremlins. One of the problems is that this name thing only seems to be happening with 3 or 4 of you … I almost wish it happened every time, because I can’t figure out what you 4 have in common that is different from everyone else. I keep trying though, I sent your comment to my computer guy. He’s a genius with computers, but this has him flummoxed too. Your name is here, so I’m assuming you put it in manually? Have you tried to refresh?
Susan, this is happening to me too. More than half the time there is the name of someone else in the space for the name and email. I just check before I post my comment to see if I need to change it to my own info. I just keep thinking that some people may like to keep their info private and it is showing up to others, not just you. Right now Marty’s info is showing up on my iPad. Not a huge problem for me, but just wanting to pass that info on to you so you are aware.
Maybe this is helpful, too: I am on a computer that sits on a desk. I’m not on a laptop and I’m not on a phone/iPad. But I think switching from Google Chrome to Internet Explorer made the difference; will see what happens…right now on Explorer, my name is coming up as me, with my email address and not somebody else’s. This is exhausting (said with a smile; it’s okay; we’ll get thru it!).
It’s important to note, though, that I’ve always been on the same program for all the recent years of Susan Branch posts. I’m wondering if Chrome made changes. I don’t know enough about software/hardware or computers to understand it all!
Sorry, I also meant to tell you that most of my comments that are awaiting moderation do disappear, but usually when I go back into the blog to check on them they have been moderated by you. I don’t think any of them have disappeared completely. I’m just patient, check on them, and they show up.
Yes, it’s just me, I’m slow! Try refreshing too Rhonda, it seems to be helping!
Before you suggested the refresh thing (F5 key for PC) I also got the wrong name when I went to leave a comment. Now it filled in the right name. It hadn’t happened to me before. I have Windows 10 and wonder if that’s the problem.
That gives me hope, a very good sign … I sent your comment to my computer person. Perhaps everyone should refresh! Thank you Judith!
I had that same name appear when I left my comment earlier. It is awaiting moderation, too, so I will check to make sure that it actually appears. 🙂
Well, the latest troubleshooting on my end: I left google chrome and went to internet explorer. My name now comes up with yet another girlfriend’s name (including her email address) but at least the post loaded to 1189 comments. Back on google chrome, we’re still stuck at 126 comments and the post won’t update at all. I’m scrolling now thru these hundreds of comments trying to catch up! Every time I go from page to page, the name and email changes…one minute I’m Becky, then Debbie; it’s crazy. Yesterday, since I couldn’t get anywhere on the decluttering (current) post, I even went back into the “Anniversary” post to try to leave any helpful comments for your computer guy as to what was happening (THAT post is stuck on 630 comments; never changes now, at least on Chrome), but my ‘report’ flew away never to be seen again, at least by me, in the comments.
Did you try to refresh Vicki?
Well, it’s the next thing I’m going to do. I shouldn’t admit this, but I didn’t know how to refresh until the previous commenter said to hit F5 for a pc.
As I write this, my name is showing up correctly (same for the email address) on Explorer.
(An aside.) You know, I love to watch the giant panda cam for the National Zoo in Washington DC and all of a sudden one day, I could no longer view the cam while on Google Chrome. So I switched to Internet Explorer, and then I could see the ‘live’ cam and watch my baby bear, named Bei Bei, who I watched being born and he’s now almost age 2.
I’ll talk more about this with my husband…about the problems with these programs on our home computer; he has the greater knowledge of computers. I’d think it was just ‘me’ except that other girlfriends here have had the same probs. And it all happened so seemingly ‘out of the blue’ one day here on your blog.
I did the refresh over and over again on Google Chrome and it made no diff on your blog there; still has somebody else’s name in my place, won’t load the newest post beyond 126 comments although clearly you have like 1200 which I can see now that I switched to Internet Explorer. My name is continuing to come up correctly with Explorer, too. So, I’m done with Chrome. If I can see you and read you (and the girlfriends) plus have my name come up right on Explorer, that’s my own personal solution; don’t know if it’ll work for anyone else having the prob. Susan Branch blog and Google Chrome, at least on my home computer, seems to be a bust. Has been SO confusing; made me have a big headache. Onward!!
Okay, then maybe it’s chrome??? 😜 No rhyme or reason as far as I’m concerned ~ it only hits a few of us, but nowhere near all. And my computer person has narrowed it down and believes it’s internal with WordPress. Try not to think about it!
I love your house, cluttered or not, and your yard…a little bit of heaven on earth!
Good Morning Sue,
You’re post on clearing the clutter was perfectly timed as I am just beginning this process myself. Difficult to get ready to go in to work on these days when I would rather just sort, trash, reminisce and otherwise spend my day. I’ll get there eventually. Love the new mugs. Impressed how you find the time to create in the midst of the reorganization. Thanks for your inspiration as always!
What a wonderful way to start my new week. A Monday morning read on Spring Cleaning and how fun/overwhelming it can be.
This year, I’ve set up my writing desk on the front porch where the lilacs have completed their folly and the peonies are awaiting the ants to open their frilly pink wonderfulness! I think that desk being adorned by one of your beautiful cups would be just dishy!
Jena
Pennsylvania Pondering.
🙂 #Sipping My Peppermint~Tea #Savoring #EveryWord & Breathing~In Each Photo….#GoodMorning Sweetest~Sue…….Thanks Again For Your Wonderful~Words~Of~Inspiration…..Very Early This Morning While I Was Awaiting The News & History….I Watched A Show on PBS All About #JuliaChild…..& Thought Of You During This Delightful~Hour & To See Your Photo Of Your Autographed~Book From Julia To Sue & Joe #Goosebumps…. 🙂 My Wings Are Crossed That I #MightWin YourMagical~Prize…..I Wondered Where Our #Vanna Has Been #Bali….#Amazing 😉 Happy~Monday! xoxo #Poof 😉 🙂 P.S. I Loved #PrinceGeorge & #PrincessCharlotte At #Pipa’sWedding #Adorable! 🙂
Me too Angie, weren’t they darling. I loved how romantic the whole wedding looked to be. Pippa’s dress was amazing. I hope they live happily ever after! Just like us! xoxo
Oh How I Loved #Pippa’s Dress! #Beautiful & She Was #Glowing #DarlingRoyalChildren I Wish I Was Their #Nanny! 🙂 (In My Dreams) #MaryPoppins #SpitSpot! 😉 & #Yes “Happily~Ever~After” & “Just~Like~Us” #Amen Sweet~Sue 🙂
I am cleaning out prior to moving. Like so many we are downsizing. I will always have room for a new tea cup. Any one would do nicely, thank you.
What an inspiration you are! You’ve motivated me to de-clutter my closets, basement and junk drawer! Love the before and after photos. Thanks so much for sharing and for giving me the energy and confidence to tackle the clutter!
What an inspiration you are! You’ve motivated me to de-clutter my closets, basement and junk drawer! Love the before and after photos. Thanks so much for sharing and for giving me the energy and confidence to tackle the clutter! Happy Spring!
Good Morning! I don’t know how this post slipped by me? I was checking and now suddenly here it is and over 700 comments! I want to say first and foremost…GIRLS, order your cups! I have all of the first 3 and they are wonderful! And then my special Little Things, that I won from Susan! And now I will preorder the next ones! This may keep me from retiring and I will still be slaving away at my job at 70, because Susan keeps designing cups! LOL
it is wonderful to purge now and again. Although, I think I may have a hoarding gene in me, especially when it comes to books. I joke and say I will be one of those elderly you read about that has piles of books and magazines covering the floor, with only pathways through the house! We really do have more books than shelves and we have a lot of book cases! Other than that I tend to be pretty organized. Speaking of reading, I am rereading FTG and MV Isle of Dreams and AFR. They are just as wonderful the second time around. A sign of a really good book!
Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!
Just wonderful! You have absolutely made my day! Thank as always!
This blog in particular is just perfect for me, today! We’ve just returned from a little vacation by the sea and my house is school-year heavy and needs some scrubbing and airing. And the mugs … Oh, dear; what a lovely possibility! I was so sad I missed the first round of ordering. And so now …
I really must order one of your autumn mugs, and Christmas, and and and! 🙂 How could someone pick only one? Thank you for all the loveliness, Susan!
You have inspired me to attack my home office and make some white space of my own! Even though my “stacks” are in baskets, they have long lost a charming look!
Please Vanna, I would love 1 of the new cups. My old white mug with my initial on it has seen better days. Again, PLEASE, VANNA!
Beautiful mug designs Susan! And thanks for the re-organization inspiration, I need to do it too!
Oh Dear Susan -YOU are so Inspiring! My Midwest farmhouse is in NEED of de-cluttering…Thank you once again for motivation, inspiration and reminders to “Stop and Smell the Roses”! To Life’s Simple Pleasures!!!
Hi Susan!!!
I am always delighted to see a new blog post and especially one with a video and meows! How cute is that?!?!
I am so it’s you on reviewing what’s around you, makes me think of the quote you often share about having what is beautiful and useful in your home!
Right after I read your post I went through bunches of magazines for recycling and I’m thinking of how I can donate some of my creative supplies and donate what I know I won’t use/make. I’m often going through the house and purging. Such a great feeling.
Hope your week is delightful! Now, I’m off to ponder which mugs to pre-order…decisions, decisions.
Much love and squishy hugs!
Jeanette
Susan……Thanks for all your hard work bringing us such joy and happiness through your art work, all your wonderful books, your new beautiful mugs and your blog which I always look forward to reading. You give us so many things to think about. Have a great summer!
Thanks for such a wonderful post. The timing couldn’t be better for me as I have several daunting “house” projects similar to yours that I need to start and just have not been able to get started. I feel inspired now to get underway. Thanks for the chance to win a cup. I received my “In Love with Nature” cup in the mail last week and was thrilled! It is absolutely beautiful. Happy Spring!
I’ve just decluttererd but it’s a autumn (fall) clean coming into our winter. Love that you keep letters. I wrote you one years ago and you actually wrote back. Imagine my delight getting a letter here all the way in Australia. I’ve never forgotten your kindness. My brother buys your books for me when he is in the States. He’s a keeper.
Sending love, and happy winter to you all. Hugs to your brother! xoxo
Thank you for the un-cluttering inspiration…I am heading to my craft room now! I did a major start on it a year ago when I retired; now to finish the plan. <3
Reading this post made me smile. I have plenty of decluttering to do myself, and you have inspired me. Love that picture of your Dad’s dog, Chief, and the caption on it, brought a lump to my throat to see it. I know what it is to love dogs and cats so dearly, a love for them instilled in me by my own Dad, gone now for five years, and still miss him. I ordered your Santa cup already, one for myself and one for each of my two grown daughters who both believe in the magic of Christmas as much as I do. Thank you, Susan, for bringing some joy to our lives in these strange and troubling times.
Today is my “first day of summer”! We homeschool and Friday was the last day of our school year. So my plans for the summer include lots of cleaning, dejunking, sewing, quilting, and my new hobby~rock painting! I love following your blog. It’s such a sweet spot in my day when a new one is posted. I’d love to win your cup and give it to my friend, Sharon, who introduced me to your work so many years ago. Have a beautiful day, Susan!
Pare down, fill back up. Tiny house, lots of stuff!
That about sums it up over here. Time to clean off another shelf!
Thanks, Susan!
Your blog post came at an opportune time as I am overwhelmed in my sewing room. I wasn’t sure where to start and kept avoiding that room! My granddaughter kept asking how her quilt was coming. Yikes! Thanks for the inspiration!
Oh Susan, you have inspired me again❤️ I have boxes of this and boxes of that, books and bears and old items that need attention. I am going to call it a journey and start cleaning and sorting and making decisions as to what I need or could share with others. I have been saving for a beautiful cup, now just have to decide between the Christmas one or the Little Things one. Decisions, decisions. Would love to win this giveaway, then I would have both! Love your organizational ideas so I am going to get it done! Love you.
Hoping this post will inspire me to declutter while my little ones are at school–because everything I tag to donate is suddenly their favorite! (not sure who they get that from………)
LOL Julie!
Susan Branch cups! And made in England! Near the factory for Emma Bridgewater. What a wonderful surprise for a girlfriend.
I agree.. sorting and cleaning out help make room for so much more creativity. Everything is looking so pretty!
Thanks for the chance to win one of your lovely mugs!
ps- I am a single mom of a dozen after escaping a 27-year long abusive marriage. I am just starting to sell my own art. You have been one of my biggest inspirations in pursuing my own watercolor art “career.” Thank you.
I would write in letters two-stories high, GOOD FOR YOU, SUSAN!!! I’m so happy you managed to get free. Very hard to do. You are a brave courageous girlfriend. I’m so proud of you! Deep breaths of fresh clean air. xoxoxo
I so love reading your blog posts– I look forward to them and savor them when they arrive. Winning a mug would be the cherry on top!
Oh how I love a good clear out!! My daughter finished school on Thursday and she was deep into the organization process on Saturday. Remembering the years of HS, holding on to the great memories and getting inspired for the new adventure of college. I was so proud….she got the ‘gene’ from me! Inspired, I move to the kitchen cabinets!!! Thank you so for your encouragement!! Pics are a fab idea…..Thanks Susan!!!
Well done on the “tidying” up! Love the mugs; I’m giving the “Little Things” to my friend who’s also a lover of all things Susan Branch for her birthday later this week. Plan to treat her, and me to the Santa Claus mug for Christmas! Thank you so much for the joy you add to all our lives!
Hello Susan! Good luck on your project … take your time and enjoy the process. Your mugs are great! By the way, I enjoy seeing you on Instagram.
I love being there, it’s wonderful and so happy!
“No More Swords, Court and Kings” – where’s the British story????
It means, let’s not pay attention to the real world, lets “go into the garden” or, in my vernacular, let’s concentrate on the little things in life that really matter ~ does that make sense Summer?
Happy Monday Susan,
I really needed this blog, my dose of vitamin B (Branch), I need your inspiration that you have shared to get my “rear in gear” and do the same at our house! It seems every horizontal surface is covered and I really need to deep clean, sort, donate, pitch and organize too. I will admit my addiction to Vintage and I have a shop on ETSY where I sell vintage treasures. So I go picking way too much and find all sorts of wonderful things to offer. But these treasures sometimes end up staying with me at least for awhile, I enjoy them then send them on for someone else to love. So your blog was just what I needed a gentle shove in the right direction, inch by inch! Love the newest mugs! I am waiting for a “Fine Romance” mug…..Please! We are enjoying a lovely sunny day here today after so many rainy and stormy days and nights. Once again Thank You for your wonderful blog they really make my day so much brighter!!
Hugs,
Candice
Dear Susan, I have been decluttering too, for the past two weeks, and I am still working on it. In between gardening, quilting and writing home to England. Like you , lots of little treasures come to light, or should I say, delight. I am so much enjoying my little things mug which arrived the day before Mothers Day. Great timing. Thank you once again for your wonderfully uplifting blog. Love♥🙋
Thanks for the organization inspiration, Sue! Sometimes we just need to get going! I’d love to win a cup! Happy end of May! Here’s to summer!
Thanks for the cleaning inspiration. I’m a teacher and this is our last week of school, so my list of things to do and books to read during summer break is long. Would love to win the cute prize!!! xoxo
I want to clear things out of my house too but it’s really hard to part with gifts or other treasures from travels. Also, books. You’re an inspiration, Susan! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Susan I’m so envious of your Spring cleaning, I’ve been off work for a while battling breast cancer and was hoping to be able to finally go thru my piles of memories too (so many of my mom’s things) but Chemo isn’t allowing me to feel good enough yet. I’m just thankful for the treatments that will give me more years to eventually get organized. BTW being trained by a cat is a good thing lol =^..^=. I love your new mugs and will be ordering some soon for Christmas presents. Keep up the good work, your my inspiration. I recently purchased your Girlfriends book from my favorite used book store, I love it!!!!! As always looking forward to your next post.
Stay strong Christy. Step by step, it’s the same with everything. Sending love xoxoxoxo
The mugs are so nice. I would love to win one.
Janice
Oh Susan, I laughed out loud when you wrote that once you decluttered you could go antiquing again 👍 Makes perfect sense to me 😉
Susan, It is early here in Olympia but I was saving your blog until I could read it when the house is quiet and I could savor it all to my self.
The pictures of your “before and after” are such an inspiration to me as my craft room right now looks pretty much like your “before” pictures too. Right now I am working on the scrapbook of the trip to England that my husband and I took last summer. Things need to get organized! We are taking our train trip to the mid west in July and this scrapbook needs to be completed before we go. So having said that, thank you soooo much for the inspiration of getting the craft room organized AND the scrapbook finished.
The cups you have designed are so precious. My husband and I have started having tea every afternoon and I think that these would be the perfect thing in which to enjoy it.
Thank you for making my day and inspiring me to get going on this “cleaning project” bit by bit.
Fondly, Mary Alice
Dear Susan,
I really appreciate your honesty with showing the before of your decluttering, and
Organizing. And then of course the fine of order that makes us all hopeful. We are
consumers and many of us are multiphasic so it takes almost courage and strength
to sort and “throw out” items. I will think, that little paper lace I could make a
Valentine …I have pictures that I just enjoy looking at. And then the books that become
our friends, but others that all of a sudden we have outgrown, that we say goodbye to..My focus is to get all in order ( lots of collections on display).and take a video of it all with
me explaining the history of it. This is for insurance and family inheritance purposes.
This is going fairly slowly, but your progress has inspired me. I love reading your blog
for it is so personable—we feel like we are your friend—yet helpful and creative,
Thank you .. June Emmert
Another inspiring post, Susan. I am inspired to tackle my own studio which is cluttered with artwork, boxes of wonderful thing that haven’t seen the light of day for too long, and I’m sure my “Joy” would work better with more room to breathe! I am inspired. <3
Hi Susan, it’s Kelly B. From Pittsburgh, I am also having trouble posting/ I made two comments very early this morning and both were submitted with someone else’s name. It looks like the email is auto filled with someone else’s name. This one already has Janice Hearns name and email filled in. I can now manually clear and type mine in instead but that’s strange. Haven’t ever had that problem before. Love the post, love the mugs, am inspired to do decluttering of my own today (VERY much needed) and also, have to say I’ve been thinking of Lily of the Valleys lately, and of course, you are on the same wavelength and already have some in a pretty case for me! Have a wonderful day!!!
Try refreshing Kelly, it seems to be helping some people! xoxo
Susan,
Your blog takes me away to another place which we all need at one time or another.
Thank you sharing all your thoughts and ideas.
Where would this world be without them?
Loved seeing this: new post—the purging!!! Spring seems the time to do it–new beginnings in nature and in the house. I have been doing a lot of purging myself. I have taken on the enormous task of repainting my kitchen cupboards. And even though I am “slow as molasses”, they are getting done. I keep repeating that quote: “inch by inch it’s a cinch”. I have the LOVE mug and love it. Now I have a chance at one more!
Hi Susan!!! OH HAPPY DAY!!!! We LOVE the new cups!! They arrived Friday, packaged and packed beautifully……and I have already pre-ordered the new ones.THANK YOU!!!!!! Everyone that has seen them here just loves them…I believe my coffee/tea actually tastes better!!!!…..I especially love the handles….so you!!!! OK…..so….. a massive purge huh!?!?! I absolutely feel your emotion as you go through this incredibly overwhelming task…..I AM THE WORST!!! Call me a pack-rat, horder(that’s a bit of a stretch),or a sentimental old coot, but I get attached to everything!!! I even form a relationship with my golf balls and if I loose one to the water or the woods…well…it can be devastating!! So when we sold our home of 32 years and made this move to Florida…can you just imagine!?!?!?! The clean out was a 2 year process….I am still recovering!! We donated to everybody….gave stuff away to friends….pawned stuff off on our kids and our kids friends…..and even had a few garage sales (NEVER AGAIN!!). Then there was the junk guy that came to haul off our stuff..one minute it was precious cannot-live-without things…the next..it was in the junk mans’ pick up truck zooming away….The upside is the discovery of those long lost unseen special items( like the wedding cake topper of my PARENTS wedding cake…what to do with THAT!?!?!)…and the relief that white space brings. SO we moved…and lo and behold…it turns out that I STILL packed and moved certain cannot part with items…(like the wedding cake topper thing!!!). I got here and was amazed at myself and my darling sweetheart of a husband who throws away everything (even the important stuff) supported my separation anxiety and my ridiculous item moving and ended up making yet three more hauls to GoodWill…..I am still digging out but we are scads better than before. More organized….more settled….now…the mounds of PICTURES to go through….yes! moved all of them with the thought that when I got to Florida I’d have time to organize them all… pfffft….!!!!!
so far, not so good!! Anyway, I am so proud of you and your diligence. Always looking forward to the next project…a truly wonderful creative mind at work. I love you for it my friend…..
Tell Joe the Gardner that my herbs are flourishing in this grainy sandy soil and the spring flowers here (although different and I am missing my lilacs so) are blooming beautifully….the crepe myrtle is wonderful right now. Take care friend and enjoy your new found space….you continue to inspire….Oh Happy Day!!!
love, cindy
Oh your cups look so wonderful! What a great idea to get a few for Christmas. My mind hasn’t moved that far into the future so thank you for the idea. I think I’ll pop over to the store and order a few now before I forget.
Thanks so much for your blog on winnowing. Not that I am retired, I’ve started on the same task, but without your intense commitment. The results you’ve posted have inspired me to double down and get through my first pass–as you say, better now than later when I HAVE to do it.
This was a wonderful way to start my Monday morning. I too am in the process of decluttering. Getting rid of books is the hardest. There are so many I want to read and always new ones coming out.
I missed ordering my mugs and would love to win one in this giveaway. Gotta go so I can pre-order the new ones so I don’t miss out again. Love!
I love that quote! It’s from “As Time Goes By” with Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer. Lionel’s father, Rocky, is in his 80s and talking about getting married to Madge. Such a wonderful series!
Good luck with the project. You’ve inspired me and I have a humongous pile downstairs in the basement that’s been nagging at me for almost a year now. The time is now and today is the day. Wish me luck as I stand at the top of the stairs!
I just emptied 3 truckloads out of this house! Sadly it doesn’t look like anything’s gone missing! Such a task! I did gain some clear flat spaces……but oh my, books are some of the hardest to part with….especially cookbooks! I too must continue but I am rather enjoying the decluttering process deciding what brings me Joy! My 3 cups arrived the Saturday before Mother’s Day. One went to my Seesta visiting from North Carolina, “Love” is being taken up to my daughter in Alberta and “Lambie” stays with me. Your tea is ever so delicious in it!
Thank you for a lovely post, Susan. And it inspires me to get busy cleaning out all those things that need cleaning out! I have bins and bins of fabric…I fear that when I reach the bottom I will discover remnants of cloth from which I made baby clothes for my daughter…who is 33 now!!! And then there’s the high cupboards and the boxes in the attic… photos and old clothes and junk, oh my!!
Loved this post, love your use of words and that you make messes like me!
Now maybe I’ll get back to finishing my art room. Thanks for reminding me. It’s like half done and is really wonderful in my head. Your cups are wonderful and I’m loving how big they are. I don’t drink tea but a BIG cup of coffee is what I love ❤️ so they are perfect.
The Martha’s Vineyard mug and book would make a nice Christmas gift. I think I have a friend who (sadly) doesn’t have the book yet. Gotta fix that🙂 I love reading about decluttering and being a minimalist. But in reality, I haven’t gotten there yet. I got rid of a lot when we moved from the home we lived in for 20 years. But since then I have accumulated more stuff. You have inspired me, after vacation I will work on the garage.We use ours as an attic.It’s been on my list of things to do for 4 years, so why not.😂
I make messes too, and love to straighten up. What a wonderful feeling to have everything in it’s place, even for just a little while. Just got new counter tops in the kitchen and will leave them clear for a short time. They are white marble quartz and look so good with my red accents. Me thinks…. how nice your cups would look on my new counters. Thanks for all you do to inspire us ‘Girlfriends!’
Loved your photos of spring cleaning in your wonderful home! I too seem to feel the same way in the spring, to declutter only for find more space to clutter again! UGH!! Love the mugs, hope I’m chosen so that I can own the beautiful cup and place it on a clean shelf!
Everything you do is inspirational. Now I must start the process.
I love the wisteria around your house, ours blooms in February here in Georgia! Your new autumn cup is lovely!
Hi Susan! This was a wonderful, inspirational post, as always!!! My Mom passed away in 2012, and as my two sisters are out of state, I was faced with the task of cleaning out her house. My Mom kept a clean and tidy home, but her closets and cupboards were stuffed to the gills! It took me a year, but I found new homes and donated most of her belongings that didn’t have sentimental value. Now I am working on my own so my two daughters are not faced with the same task–LOL!
Love the feeling you get when you de-clutter! It gives you a sense of accomplishment and freedom.
Your newsletters are so inspiring and refreshing. Thank you for taking me away from the hub-bub of the world, if only for a few minutes.
Would you come to my house to organize my office? Such a daunting task but your photos have inspired me!!
Helping others, spending time with loved ones, music, dogs, gardens, breathing the air…and Susan Branch’s blog = all medicine for waking up each day , reluctant to listen to news….so officially “no news week” this week….just a focus on the good stuff….thanks for the idea of a family memento box….I will start one for my great-niece – treasures from our tiny family….to pass on to her….I love that idea….onward to spring cleaning….and thank you for being a voice for the good stuff….
I am inspired! I’ve been working two jobs for most of the year so haven’t had time for much cleaning, organizing, or much else. Fewer hours for the summer and I can’t wait, yes, can’t wait to dig in and deep clean, declutter, and see some open spaces like your beautiful room above. Good job!
On another note, received my cups this past week. Had completely forgotten about them so what a surprise to find them at my front door. Absolutely lovely, Susan Branch. I am going to give my nieces choice of which ones they want and the remaining one will be mine. I do this because I love them all and can’t decide which one I should keep and which ones I should gift. I will be preordering the next four and will have the same dilemma, I’m sure.
Have a beautiful day! Thanks for bringing such beauty into our lives.
Love ❤️ your latest post! And more cups! Exciting! Now to decide which one/ones!
Enjoyed every moment of your blog yesterday. I think all of your “kindred spirits” are in cleaning mode right now. It is that time of the year I know I have been moving furniture , straightening and de-cluttering too. I love to know that I am not the only person doing it. We met at “Rakestraw” book store and I will never come back down over that day. A real dream come true. Remember the sillouette? Well, that was me. I would love to add a mug to my collection. Thanks for the chance. Pippa and Kate were gorgeous and the little ones adorable.
The mugs are so pretty, I hope Vanna picks me! I have been slowly working on decluttering my home, I love that clean slate feeling!
Hi Susan!!
Good job on the simplifying…it must be the Spring version of Hygge. 🙂 You’ve inspired me to tackle my utility room…..the shelves are full of unused fabric and home decor. It makes me slighly anxious every time I need to do a load of laundry! I would adore one of your CUTE mugs!! Have a lovely day!
xoxo Debbie
Susan, you have inspired me…my desk area first, then, yes, the drawers in the rest of the house, the bookcase in the living room….yes, empty, sort, wash and put back “only” what is truly loved…or, really needed!
Thank you Susan, for the inspiration and the view that yes, really, it can happen, one inch, at a time.
As your Gram said, in her dear letter, Love and Blessings for all…
Gerri
Those cups are lovely. Your detail on them is stunning. Is it unusual for you to see you artwork on a 3d piece? I loved the trip down memory lane. I still have some of those scrapbook stickers and I’ll tell you they have held up.
I am not surprised at the office declutter – weren’t you told “You are the Master of the white space”!! Art imitates life
Dear Susan,
I’m a newcomer to your blog, and all things Susan Branch, and I can’t begin to express how much I adore everything about you! Over the last three weeks I’ve read your trilogy and I’m inspired in so many ways. Honestly, even though I wish I would have discovered you sooner in my life, timing is everything! As I usher my fourth bebe off to college, I’m plotting a purge fest this summer. Actually, I’ve been slowly cleaning and parsing out for the last year, it’s difficult to part with some memories. But, I know I have to do this before I start my next big project because the clutter definitely steals my mental energy. So thank you for coming into my life in 2017, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!
Oh what an inspiration! I have been procrastinating doing some deep cleaning because all I have left of my parents and grandparents are “things.” Treasures. But I realize that it is draining me, like you were being drained. I keep thinking that someday I will not be here and my daughter will be saddled with going through all of my treasures and they may mean so much to her. I really need to get moving on thinning and weeding out things so she only needs to be concerned with what was most important to me. And thank you for sharing your lovely garden with me. So beautiful. I hope you have a lovely week! Blessings!