Today's post is part of our ongoing March series on Whitespace: Restoring Rest.
Let's explore and swap stories.
“Time is a tool — Use it wisely; enjoy it thoroughly.”
~ Tsh Oxeneider in Organized Simplicity
Creativity, community and adventure are critical components to soul rest.
But as the mom of two cherub faced boys under six who defy gravity, I wake up every day to a mountain of To Do’s that fall into a category I dread: domestic.
Before having kids, I never considered my lack of domestic diva-ship as a liability. As an “explorer” of ideas, I get energized by engaging people and brainstorming adventures to go and do. To recharge, I turn to my introvert lover standbys: reading, journaling, music, and the outdoors.
Keeping a tidy closet and floors clear has never been a high priority for me.
My life now as mom sings a different tune. I juggle my days filled with household duties: laundry, cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping and Lego sorting. In other words: clutter management.
To have soul rest, I need soul sanity.
The Logical Need For Less
The rate of clutter emerging from our young family was driving the three elements of soul rest to an all time low.
I figured the only logical way to maximize the time on soul-resting gifts was this: minimize the number of stuff mommy has to clean up.
For advice, I turned to my high school best friend whose closets stay color coordinated, even after having three kids.
“So, how do you do it? I get tired just thinking about cleaning.” I wondered what she’d say.
“I always feel better when everything’s put away… Don’t you?”
I felt so guilty for not enjoying cleaning up as much as I thought I should.
One book is surprisingly changing my perspective on organizing simplicity: Organized Simplicity: The Clutter Free Appraoch To Intentional Living
Organized Simplicity: A Clutter-Free Approach
I am a connoisseur of words, so when I read the subtitle of Simple Mom’s new book — “clutter free approach” — I was curious. Creating a clutter-free home as a goal didn’t interest me. A clutter-free approach did.
Simple Mom was founded by Tsh Oxenreider as a site to provide “life hacks for household managers”. When I turned to the first page of her book Organized Simplicity, I was expecting her to start rallying the troops by telling me “Household Managers shalt be clutter-free.”
Instead, Tsh had me at hello —
“Simple living is not easy, ironically. It’s hard to know where to start, what steps to take and what it really looks like.
Most simple living books are inundated with theories, step-by-step plans and experts who can tell you exactly what your simple life should look like. This is not one of those books…
I want to help you find what simple living looks like for you.“
A welcome surprise was how Tsh organized her book. The first half is focused on exploring the factors that influence our experience of simplicity: how we spend our time, money, and the priorities we find meaningful.
I found room to reflect on how I wanted to spend my limited resources. I got excited about investing them on community, creativity and adventures for me and my family.
My big ah-ha moment about de-cluttering hit me here —
“It’s important to use time to really recharge and not just kill time.”
Everyone has unique motivators to simplify. I learned time is mine. I want to spend it on rest-filled activities and people who I am passionate and refreshed by. Not moving stuff around the house.
An Overhaul of Clutter
I was still very nervous about the actual work of de-cluttering. The second half of the book provides — Ten Days To A More Simpler, More Organized Home.
“One of the best ebenezers for your decision to live a simpler life is a purposeful, family-wide overhaul of the home.”
Overhaul would have turned me off earlier in life. Right now, an overhaul is just the thing I want.
Although I will probably complete it in twenty days, I’m eager to walk through the practical steps outlined in bite-size chunks.
The book is written in a reflective, organized, and realistic voice. It is the perfect find.
I read it to my husband the day I got it. It was a fun conversation to have together.
Now, I see my overhaul approach to de-clutter as a fun adventure as a family.
Because there is purpose behind this organization, it’s not just about putting stuff in boxes (yawn). It’s about making time for the life I want, the one God has designed for me and my family to enjoy and live.
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How do you make time for rest?
What motivates you to de-clutter and simplify?
Pull up a chair. Click to share a comment or subscribe by email.
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** Organized Simplicity BOOK GIVEAWAY **
Thanks to author Tsh Oxenreider, (3) three winners will be randomly selected to receive a copy of Organized Simplicity.
You can also join Tsh on SimpleMom.net this week at Project: Simplify: Hot Spots Revealed.
BY 3/13/11 Sunday Midnight PST:
1. Leave a comment.
For Extra Entries
2. Facebook or Tweet the giveaway (Click on the “Share” button at the bottom of today’s post).
3. Subscribe to Faith Barista
4. Join me on Facebook.
Comment again for each extra entry.
You’ll be entered to win a copy of Organized Simplicity!
Congratulations to to our winners, who were randomly selected:
Tina (#148), Fiona (#189), Shelli (#50)
Thanks again to Tsh for this special giveaway!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Congratulations to Terri #183, randomly selected winner of the Cuisinart Jump Into Facebook Giveaway!
Thank you to everyone who welcomed me to Facebook!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not a subscriber? Get Faith Barista directly sent to you! Subscribe now via email (click here) or RSS (click here).
198 Comments
I lived in a hoarding environment for nearly 20 years. It was so bad, I was not even permitted to give my own childhood stuff away.
I’m at the point now where I want to live in a house that’s so small (and decluttered), I’ll have to go outside to change my mind.
I cannot express the sheer joy I’m experiencing at being able to freely collect clothing to take to the consignment shop. A simple exercise, perhaps, but rife with newly found emotional freedom.
I have trouble de-cluttering and simplify my life. Find what simplicity looks like for me…. and time with loved ones is a good motivator and rest filled activities. Good thoughts for me to think on some more.
Whenever I think of simplicity and living a clutter-free life, I think back to when my husband and I first got married. We had next to nothing to bring into our life together (18 year olds rarely do, lol), but cleaning the apartment was a breeze! Two kids and four dogs later, that’s not realistic for us, but I still long for that simple place from time to time. 😉
Unfortunately, I usually find time for rest after I ‘hit the wall’ and have no choice to slow down. Sleep evades me often. I declutter when I get frustrated with all the ‘mess’ around me and cannot stand to clean around it any longer. Out comes a Goodwill bag or box in the garage and it doesn’t take long to fill it and out it goes!
I have always been one to save everything. The thought, “I may need this someday” didn’t allow me to depart with much of anything. After an extended time of illness, the clutter and the “mountains of treasures” seem to have overtaken my life. Getting rid of clutter to simplify life…sounds good to me!
Getting organized to be focused on what is truly important….
I am a packrat! I’m hoping that throughout Lent and with the coming of spring, I can de-clutter many areas of my life, including my heart!
We do pretty ok in alot of areas – mostly because my husband likes it 🙂 and we have cleaners come in once a month that spurs me to take care of things sitting around so they can get to the parts they agreed to clean! The worst is I need to do an overhaul of my clothes and closets, but it’s a hated chore .. and who has time to sit down with a closet of clothes with a toddler running around? On the other hand, sometimes we like when there are toys everywhere because it reminds us that we have a little one in our life and that we are using the home and space we’ve been blessed with 🙂
As a single mother of two busy teenage boys, we have stuff. In being a busy mom, I really need an assistant/a double me. But aside from that, thinking about what’s really important in simplifying my humble abode, I would like to keep only things related to my family. I am an avid book lover, so I have a small library, and a collector of rare unusual toys, antiques and collectibles. But they gather dust… I have a closet that’s overflowing, and floors I can’t see. Time for a Yard Sale, and a trip to St. Vincents. I am truly blessed, but when it comes down to it, family stuff, such as things my family has given me, and photo albums that need to be finished are what’s really important for me to hold onto. Family. That’s the stuff I’m keeping.
As for the small library, I really need only one, the Bible.
I would love to simplify, and life would be so much easier.
Time, large garbage bags, a Venti Caramel Frappuccino and a copy of this book would be wonderful.
Keeping things in order is so good for my heart, but it is also a continual challenge. I would be thrilled to win this book. Blessings
I am a subscriber to Faith Barista and I just subscribed to Simple Mom. What a help! Blessings
I need all the help I can get! I would LOVE this book!
I tweeted 🙂 (MelanieAnneTN on twitter)
I subscribe to your blog
How do I make time for rest? During busy days where there’s too much to be done and I’m scared, I pray that God will be in control of the timing and then I rejoice as things get done in perfect timing…that’s rest in the midst of things. Then too we try as a family to sabbath on Saturdays (church and shopping and prep work Sundays). Come to think of it, today is one of those scary-busy days! I’m up early (thanks Kat!) getting my reading time in.
What motivates me to declutter is having people over, and my husband lumping all my piles together: then it looks big and I pull up the recycling bin and get to work after I’ve cleaned up from the party (usually Sunday night dinners with students). But decisions, decisions: they’re so hard to make, what to keep, sell, or give away when I might need it again! I think Tsh’s book would give me a rubric.
My adventure into de-cluttering isn’t beginning with a trash bag and a broom, but with sorting through all that clutters my mind-past beliefs, tightly held lies, unrealistic expectations, etc. I am sorting out what is true, and throwing out what is false, leaving a whole lot of space for what is good.
I feel like I’m de-cluttering all the time. Maybe I’m just not doing it right because I’m still not organized. I REALLY want to simplify my life and our house so I an enjoy spending time with our 4 kids. Maybe it would even make homeschooling more easy! I pray about this a lot and I know that eventually God will get me through this organizing stuff, I just need to figure out how to pare down a lot more!
I’m a subscriber! LOVE your blog!
I also “LIKE” on Facebook!
When my children were little, I have six daughters, I was really good about decluttering. I had to be or it would have taken over my house. I had to stay on top of managing all the STUFF. Now that most have left the house and I only have one at home I have gotten really lazy. Maybe it is my reward for all those years, but I find myself not wanting all this stuff…Thanks for the book and I hope I win. It looks amazing and I am sure it will help.
Kindest regards,
Barbara @madreminutes
http://madreminutes.blogspot.com
I liked on FB, I shared on FB and I follow both of you…….and I will see you at Relevant….can’t wait.
Thank you for the the chance to try to win the book. I really need help with organizing. Your blog has been so encouraging. thank you!
I live alone but you wouldn’t think so by looking at my cluttered home. It is truly overwhelming to see clothes piled up that I probably haven’t worn in years filling up my free space. Finding a starting place has always been the problem. I am excited at finally taking control over my home!
I am joining you on Facebook! 🙂
I really need to learn how to organize to live simply. Would love to win this book
Have been a fan of yours on Facebook for awhile!
Subscribed to your blog…
This is what the Lord is calling me to. I’m working toward making room for Him in my Spirit. He’s calling me to get rid of unneeded stuff in whatever form. My life is full of too much noise, too many responsibilities, too much stuff, just plain TOO MUCH! Little by little He’s showing me how to weed out the too much and welcome in His best…Himself; what a trade-off, my busyness and clutter for Him. That’s Big! This book sounds great.
Blessings!
@mellohmars just tweeted you book giveaway. Thanks
The line “Keeping a tidy closet and floors clear has never been a high priority for me. ” resonated with me. On a daily basis I could find so many other things to do than keep organized or get organized. However my brain often only thinks about what I should be doing to get my rooms more organized and in a more useable state. My tactic lately is do first things first and don’t worry so much about what still needs to be done because I am a teacher (not a mom) and teachers and moms know there is always more to be done.
Thanks for sharing I really enjoy your blog!
Melisssa
I am in the process of overhauling clutter as well. This looks like a great book!
Hi Bonnie:
Thanks so much for sharing some of what you’ve taken away from this book. It’s on my wishlist at Amazon.com.
I’ve always been an “organizer” but have come to the realization, in recent days, that I’m not very good at simplifying.
Our only son has grown and spends 10 months of the year at college. Yet life has become more chaotic for us as a family. The organizational skills that I’ve used in the past are not effective during this phase of life. As a result…we’re tired. We need rest.
That pretty much explains why this book appealed to me. I’m seeking a rest-filled life more than ever before these days.
This statement you made stood out to me…”Because there is purpose behind this organization, it’s not just about putting stuff in boxes (yawn). It’s about making time for the life I want, the one God has designed for me and my family to enjoy and live.”
I’m not sure I’ve ever really seen organization or decluttering as a way to better acheiving my purpose in God or enjoying my family or life. In truth, I’m a neat freak. I like things in their place and I want them to stay there.
Thanks for helping my desire to grow and for increased understanding of why I’ve begun to crave simplicty.
Blessings!
I tweeted about the contest.
I’m with you on Facebook.
I’ve subscribed to your blog via email.
We’re moving this summer, and I have already began looking around our home for things I can give away or sell. I go through times of purging where I cut and slash away the clutter, but then there are other times where I buy and save. Haha!
I feel like I have been de-cluttering for the last couple of years, but it feels like I have only made little progress. I get started and then lose steam. Or one small project turns into a big project and doesn’t get finished. I think the worst part of clutter is how it drains you. I hate seeing clutter, but finding the energy to tackle it is a problem. This is definitely a book I’m going to go get. Seems like the perfect starting place for me.
Not enough closet space. That’s usually the reason for me to declutter. It’s also removing attachments to things that no longer serve a purpose. (I’m still working on that.) I went from a walk-in closet in my teenie apartment to a very small one in a big house. Most of my shoes are still packed in a box in the garage because there is no room for them in the bedroom closet. I do find that a less cluttered environment is more peaceful. I would like to find ways to organize without spending a fortune on new closet units. I periodically reorganize my pantry and actually put the spices in alphabetical order. I did that with our DVDs that are in a bookcase now. I organized them by category: drama, comedy, etc. And then I alphabetized them. I know….obsessive! Then I added other things to the bookcase so it’s an artful arrangement, too.
I’m an admitted packrat. I only have two real motivations to declutter: Repeated inability to find what I want or need and fear of waking up to find myself in a house with boxes up to the ceiling full of “stuff”. The frustration leads me to reorganize, but the fear leads me to purge.
Hello,
How I simplify is if I have not used it in a year, or worn in, touched it at all, I start a pile and when it is all together I look for someone to give it all to who is in need!! It has been so fun, I have been so surprised at times on how much stuff has accumulated!! Once I have gathered all said items I get a cup of coffee, sit and just rest in knowing that purging in so many ways is a good thing!!!
Cleansing the house of all unneeded things is like cleansing your spirit for a refreshing of GODS touch and anointing, it prepares you for a new adventure!! 🙂 🙂
Blessings
Wow. I typically shy away from those organizational books. I don’t need one more thing to make me feel like I’m doing it all wrong! But this book sounds like it has potential…
I hope you keep us posted on your ten (or twenty) day de-cluttering, Bonnie. I want to know what that looks like! Me? I’m thinking about moving into the house across the street and visiting my three guys in the evening :).
Usually, the onset of spring makes me want to de-clutter. This time of year begs for newness and simplicity.
I’d love to win a copy of this book! Thank you for a chance to win.
seizethebookblog(at)gmail(dot)com
I’m intrigued. Your comments make me want to read . . . and jump in. Paper is my nemesis on the clutter front. It overwhelms me. I just don’t know what to do with it.
I know I feel better when there’s not so much clutter around. I can visually and emotionally rest. I’m just not good at getting there
I already subscribe. ;0
And, I’m already with you on facebook . . . 🙂
We have moved a lot. We are making our third move in three years this summer. Our moves are big ones. We moved to MA from CA. Before that we moved to CA from HI, and before that VA to HI, and before THAT CA to VA. This summer it will most likely be an international move. I can’t ever seem to get organized because we move so much! I would love to win this book!
I subscribe to the RSS feed.
I am organized by nature; but organized for simplicity? Not as much as I’d like. The greatest motivator for me recently to simplify is my desire to give to the least of these. I cannot give if I am keeping or adding to what is already enough.
Thank you for the giveaway; I have me wanting to get Tsh’s book!
I tweeted the giveaway!
I’m a long-time subscriber!
I’m a facebook fan!
Very anxious to read this book!
Would love to receive a copy!! Lord knows I need the help! = D
I lived with adults who loved to have and collect stuff, tons of stuff, that they did not really need. I hated it, but when I moved out on my own I started collecting stuff of my own. I got caught up in consumerism and ended up with so many things I did not need! Then having a child I amassed even more stuff. Finally we decided to limit what we let into our home: organic, natural, no chemicals, non-toxic, made locally. If it doesn’t fit into one of those categories then we sell it or give it away. We avoid buying new or used items that don’t fit into those categories either, as much as we can. It keeps our buying in check and helps up have viable reasons to get rid of the stuff we’ve never really needed. I read a great book called Little Princes, about trafficked children in Nepal. Those children created their own toys and lived with so little, yet they were so happy! It helped me to realize that children don’t need fancy stuff just like we don’t need fancy stuff. It’s not easy getting rid of stuff and sometimes I just want to pull my hair out trying to organize things, so I would love to read this book! Thanks for having this giveaway!
Very anxious to get organized for the spring and summer!!
I grew up in a home that was the last thing from simple and the last thing from organized and that grew in me a desire for both. NOW. I have a deep connection of my soul and my space and when my space is cluttered my soul feels restless and overwhelmed. I long to create a better environment for my kids while teaching them to keep a peace in our environment that will follow them into adulthood!!
With 6 kids and 4 dogs and homeschooling, I need to simplify and try to do it all the time but the simplifying process has made things more difficult! I just want to scrap everything and go to bare minimum but husband will not be happy with that!
I NEED this book. I am a disorganized wreck! I love Tsh’s blog and helpful hints.
I would just like to have a place for everything and everything in it’s place. I am tired of too much stuff. I love to see the beautiful pictures of order. There is a hymn that says, “And may our ordered lived confess the beauty of Thy peace.” Where there is no order there is no peace. Enough said.
Following through email subscription as well!
And also following on Facebook!
My first time to your blog. You described me to a T. Are we soul mates? I have been thinking about getting Tsh’s book…knowing that YOU loved it makes me pretty sure I will, too. 🙂
My attempt to reuse everything and be green has actually made my house way more cluttered. I’m now attempting to find the balance between saving things for a later use, and keeping a clean house. I think the question that works is, “Do I have a specific use in mind for this in the near future?”
Oh, and I joined you on FB!
And subscribed! 🙂
Just joined you on Facebook.
Just added you to my rss feed.
I would love to win 🙂
shared the giveaway on facebook.
I SOOO want to be organized, but I have 5 forces working against me! (6 if you count the dog!) Whenever I seem to make progress, it’s undone in no time. I realize it’s part of being a mom, however I know it CAN be done;)
Warmer weather definitely motivates me to declutter….was doing pretty good until it snowed 2 feet this weekend:(!! Ugh. I have entered to win Organized Simplicity sooo many times…hope this is my lucky entry!
Thank you for this post. I’ve been curious about this book and now I’m sure I need it. As a working mommy who is about to transition to the home and welcome baby #2, my home and heart need an overhaul! Would love to win!
My house is in need of some simplifying! I’d love to get a copy of this book!
I subscribe to your blog via Google Reader
So glad I found your website. I’m also more of an “ideas” girl and can walk by a mess 100 times and never notice it. Fortunately I married a man far more domestic than I who is showing me the ropes : ) Thanks for a chance to win Tsh’s book!
I subscribed via google reader. I can’t wait to read more posts : )
I just have so much clutter…in my mind, house and life…hoping this book could help!
I need this book! With 4 young children, and a home with very little closet/storage space, I feel like all I do is move clutter from place to place! It’s driving me crazy! I feel like if I could just keep the house somewhat neat and organized, I would be a much calmer, peaceful mommy! Help!
Would finally like to get my basement back to a livable condition!!!
I also just added you on facebook. Before doing so, I wanted to make sure your blog was something I felt comfortable recommending to friends/family. I went to your top 10 and “God’s Pressure vs. Pleasure” caught my eye. What a wonderful read. I’m really looking forward to exploring your blog more : )
i would love this book! i am expecting baby #3 day day and have two foster children as well, so the idea of simplifying sounds delightful!
As a homeschooling mom… clutter is a constant battle…but worth the fight!
🙂
Blessings on the journey~
I shared this post on FB
I joined Faith Barista via e-mail
I “liked” you on FB : )
I would love to give this book a read. I feel there is something big on the horizon for our family and I keep thinking that de-cluttering our house and lives will help us to not be tied down to our “stuff” when a big move comes.
I am now following you on facebook.
I joined you on FB & subscribed. I am doing the overhaul challenge … as I need simplicity and little to no clutter in my life. At almost 49, I am cutting back and honestly asking myself what is it I really want.
I just subscribed via RSS!
Organizing is an ongoing work for me. The last 10 years have seen a gradual shift to purging, simplified living and complete organization. I keep tweaking it, but it feels so good. My mind and space are free of clutter! I would love this book to keep going in the process!
It often feels like clutter is strangling me. I know I need to declutter, but it is really tough for this natural-born packrat. I would love to read this book!
I “like” you on FB!
What a full and rich post! I’ve got a lot to learn!
I’m motivated to declutter and simplify so that I don’t have too much to take care of. Even the essentials are too much for me.
I just followed on facebook, as well. 🙂
I neeeeed this book!!!
I tweeted. Thank you for the giveaway!
Having recently moved house twice in 6 months has been an eye-opener for me. Until then I had believed myself to be relatively clutter-free. Not so, as I discovered. With the first house move I couldn’t believe how much stuff went to the Salvation Army and Red Cross shops, or got thrown out, and I decided I wasn’t going to become cluttered again. Well, I didn’t add anything to the house, and when I moved the second time I had enjoyed the freedom from clutter so much that we went through all the stuff we had kept and got rid of a whole lot more.
Our current home feels so much more serene, as a result.
The things I struggle most with, though, are surfaces. For example I have a big square coffee table which is the first thing you see as you walk through my front door into the living room, and it is a dumping ground for bills, receipts, books and so on. Likewise my computer desk. Etc etc. I’m working hard on this.
(I would love to win this giveaway, but am not sure if I am eligible because I am in New Zealand.)
I also just shared the post on my facebook page.
I subscribed to your blog via email.
I am so looking forward to de-cluttering my house and life. And I can’t wait to read the book so I can get the full story!
Posted the link on Facebook.
Joined on Facebook.
I subscribed!
With 4 kids, I need all the help I can get!
I just started Tsh’s five week overhaul today! I have 2 small girls and our house is packed with “stuff”. I’m looking forward to weeding through the things that we really don’t need or use anymore.
I’ve had my eye on this book for some time, but still don’t have a copy. I was a major packrat for the first portion of my life, so addressing that insanity – both what I already have and stopping me from adding to it – is an ongoing, uphill battle. Thanks for this terrific review of the book. Now I want it even more. 🙂
I’m working hard at decluttering, because I just don’t want to use my downtime constantly picking up after stuff! It’s been a hard lesson to learn though, 3 children now and living in a small space has kind of forced me to. But it’s been good!
Have been living with a lot of mess lately because we’re “almost” finished with our house, but it has been almost finished for a long time and I’m getting tired of the clutter. Am starting to toss things in a box for a huge garage sale in the spring, and getting more and more excited as I go.
I would love to win this book! Thank you for the opportunity to win it and change my outlook on simple living! 🙂
Ohh this would be an awesome addition to help me with my moving.
I shared on FB
I subscribed
Quite honestly, knowing that I can take a break without feeling guilty, and that I will simply breathe better is what motivates me to de-clutter.
I tweeted about this giveaway here: http://tinyurl.com/4rz2gxh
Thanks for the chance to win this fantastic book!
With a 4 and 2 year old, and one on the way, this looks like a great way to help organize my home!
when my house is cluttered, i can’t think. it feels like the clutter outside invades my mind. maybe because the thots running thru my mind are all about: this is in the way, i need to put this away; oh, why didn’t so-n-so take care of this, what is this & where does it belong?, etc. every now and then when it gets SO very bad, i have, what the kids have dubbed, the cleansies. i stop doing anything else, go from top to bottom of the house, picking up and putting away. if others are home at the time this happens, i make sure they help. if i’m home alone, i set out bags labeled for each person and as i come across something not mine, i put it in the appropriate bag. once done, the bags are put in each one’s room. Ah, i can think again! peace enters into the household. then the cycle starts up once again. breaking this cycle would be nice.
I love the idea of “soul rest.”
I would love a copy of the book. I shared on facebook and subscribed.
If you were to ask my husband what I argue with him about more than anything, it would be mess. More than money, more than time, more than anything. Something happens in my mind when I am surrounded by clutter. Living with a self-proclaimed “messy person” it difficult, but I try to do what I can.
I tweeted!
http://tinyurl.com/4b68nxw
I subscribed!
I’m following on Facebook!
I NEED this book!!! I’m tired of looking around at all of the chaos! I’m SOOO READY to simplify and organize my life so I can actually begin to enjoy it!
Would love the book to help me manage our life better.
I NEED this! 🙂
I need this book!
I facebooked and tweeted about the giveaway!
I subscribed!
Awesome book, awesome blogs-I can’t wait to read more on both of these sites! Thanks for the great giveaway!
I like Faith on Facebook!
I also shared this awesome giveaway and link to your blog on Facebook! Thanks again! I’m so glad I found your blog!
My wife is the don’t you feel better when everything is clean type, but I am definitely not.
I am joining along and already tackled my closet…I found three bags of things to purge…it feels so good! Ont to my hubby’s closet and my kids!
This book sounds awesome. I would love tips on how to declutter.
if i don’t win…i’m buying anyway…looks like it’s right up my alley 😉
joined on fb
subscribed
shared 😉
Cleaning and organizing is never on my fun list as well. I have a sister who loves to organize, and clean, and cook…. but not me. Being a mother of three girls, I want to teach them to be organized and self motivated in cleaning after themselves. Its kind of a challenge when I am not into that myself. Thank you so much for offering this book, maybe it would help 🙂
Thanks for your post! One way that we have been living with less is to buy fewer gifts for our kids (quality time is so much better!) and routinely give away what is not used.
subscribed to you~
Sounds like just what I need! 🙂
I ‘like’ you on facebook~
shared!
As a mom of 5 boys, I often try to think of ways to “simplify”. It is so ironic that last summer my “new plan” was to cut the laundry in half by donating half of the clothing we owned! It is, unfortunately, still a work in progress. I feel as if I spend all of my time trying to catch up and never get ahead. Any help I can get to accomplish this AND make more time for family is a definite NEED in my life!
I shared on fb!
I try really hard to stay organized but then fail, would love to have this to help me do better.
I subscribe by e mail.
I have so been wanting to get this book! I love tsh’s blog and I know her book must be fabulous.
I liked Faith Barista on facebook.
Clutter is a major issue in my life…HELP!!!
I subscribed…
I would so love to win this book. I have been eyeing it out for a while and it sounds like a great household tool.
I have subscribed
and ‘liked’ you on FB
[…] I shared yesterday, I have a practical need to clutter-free my home. But ultimately, rest is an interior […]
This book has been on my list I just haven’t been able to buy it. I am very interested in simplifying as much as possible. Life is easier that way
I liked Faith on Facebook
i’m a fan on FB
i love to be organized!
i subscribe 🙂
my wife would love this.
I would love to win this to further aid my goal of simplifying this year.
I have left a comment but it is not showing up. I liked on face book, subscribed and mentioned on my facebook as well as my blog. Just trying again to see if my computer is blocking some how.
I left one comment above for trial to see if they took today – my computer kept kicking me off your page yesterday. So we shall count that as the Following you on Facebook one. This comment is for sharing the link and give away on my facebook page.
I also subscribed to your feed yesterday and confirmed with email this morning. 🙂
So this shall just be my comment thanking you for the oppurtunity to get this book. It is number 2 on my list for 2011. thanks again, and I loved your photo this morning, on the reflection.
I subscribed to the newsletter and I already follow you on FB. Would love this book to help in decluttering my home and creating a place for soul rest.
I would love to win this book!!!!!
I “like” you on Facebook!
I subscribe via Google Reader!
I shared this post on Facebook.
Organized Simplicity has been in my Amazon cart for weeks now- I’d love to win a copy, though!
I “like”d you on FB!
I shared on FB about the giveaway!
I so need to read this book!
With a pack-rat husband, and recently downsizing from a 4-br house to a 2-br apartment, we could really use this help!!
Shared on facebook!
Liked you on facebook!
Added you to my Google Reader subscriptions… Thanks!
Finding what simple living looks like for me…I’m hooked! No more having to compare myself to how other, more organized, women do it. Finding margin in my everyday life without feeling guilty about my home and why it doesn’t look like a magazine ad.
This approach sounds doable and non-stress.
I would love to read the book. I’m a huge fan of SimpleMom.net!
I would love to win the book. I live in a studio with everything packed tight.
I liked you on facebook.
I already subscribe to you on email.
Am trying to declutter my life…both at work and home. Need all the help I can get. 🙂
I am so eager to read this book and get started on the overhaul!
I have many organizing books and have yet to find the one that works for me. Maybe it’s time to declutter my library and give this book a try!
I would love to win a copy of this book. I have seen many competitions for giveaways involving Organized Simplicity, and I haven’t got lucky yet!
I am also subscribed to Faith Barista! I like this Blog.
i just shared a little about this problem i have at MTO! When i decided i wanted to be more responsible, a LOT of that meant being neat & organized….you said you were nervous about the actual decluttering– bonnie, we are 2 peas in a pod! 😉
Your description of the book makes we want it today!
I subscribe via RSS reader.
Would love some insights into simplifying my life
I’ve been eyeing this book on amazon, but haven’t been able to get it yet. Thanks for offering this giveaway!
I’m a subscriber!
I am delighted that I’ve won this Giveaway! Thank you so much !
[…] couple months ago, after reading Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider, I got motivated to de-clutter my closets and get my house in order. Not to save […]