So this is going to sound cliche, I’m sure, But cliche? Not so bad if it’s actually doing something good, right? Here goes… I’m trying so simplify life over here. Yes, you read that correctly. The ultimate consumer is on a down-scaling binge. It’s too much. There’s just too much stuff in my home. In our closets. In our kitchen. I want a simpler life. I want only things of extraordinary quality and beauty surrounding us. And that doesn’t equate to stuff, necessarily. Although I have had an awakening of sorts, courtesy of Etsy. During an email exchange with a lovely woman who sells her beautifully handcrafted jewelry on Etsy, it occurred to me why I’m so obsessed with the site. The exquisite crafts found on Etsy? In people’s little “shops?” Are made with love. By hand. By someone who has a passion for what they do. And it shows. Like this beautiful little “vessel.” It is exquisite, to say the least. It’s delicate and yet rough at the same time. It’s been made by an artist. With devotion. It’s just perfect, to rest on my bedside table, where it will catch my earrings at night, as I get settled in my bed. And this little bowl? It now symbolizes what I want in my home, in my children’s closets, in our life: beautiful crafts made by true artisans. Not mass-produced throw-away stuff.

And so, I am cleaning house. Making detailed lists of what we need. The necessities. And everything else? Not so important. No more buying just for the sake of buying. Really, how much stuff can one home acquire? We don’t need things to entertain ourselves. Entertainment can be found in our beautiful backyard. In the hand-crafted sandbox that my husband lovingly built for his girls with his own two hands. Or on the hiking trails just across the street from our home. Or at the duck pond down the road. Or on the tiny little swing-set hidden just above our home in a park that has breathtaking views of the mountains that we now call home.

And food? Well, as huge a role as it plays in our home, I’m finding the need to retool that, as well. Why should I buy popsicles at the store, filled with preservatives, when I can make my own watermelon slice pops? With my girls. In our kitchen. Using molds that Pea picked out herself. Charming, simple, delicious and family bonding at it’s best. Especially with Pea, as she’s getting older. She sincerely wants to be in the kitchen with me, helping out. Wearing her little apron that her Daddy brought back from Hamburg. Perched on her stool. Stirring, measuring, pouring into bowls. And making a mess. And while that mess would have stressed me to no end last week? This week? I’m letting it go. Really, what’s a little flour on the floor or melted mini chocolate chips stuck to the counter, when your daughter looks up at you as you put the popsicle molds into the freezer and says, “mommy, what are we making now?“