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Simplifying Tip - The Library

Simplifying Tip - The Library

Ok, I tried three times to take photos of the revamped Guest Room for my Part 2 post and due to the location of the room, the lighting, and the dreary rainy weather, it has really been a challenge.  Interior photography has not been a comfortable style for me so it is a work in progress.  Let's just say I am VERY pleased with the outcome and will share that as quickly as I can.

Ever since the moment I decided to simplify our household and my lifestyle - I say "my lifestyle" as Mr. P. has his own version, which equates to "not so much", I have discovered so many fun ways to enjoy all of the things I love without the clutter and financial spending.

For example, I LOVE beautifully photographed books.  Gorgeous hard cover large books loaded with visual inspiration.  AND with Fall baking on the brain and the ease of Amazon, I could easily spend a king's ransom on new design and cookbooks.  This leads to unneeded expense and the headache of storing them.  Although I like to revisit my book collection on occasion, I get my fill in an hour or so and then need to find a place for them again.  The kitchen or wall shelves are the obvious places but that defeats the whole clean and streamlined look I have been working towards in our home.

I could certainly read them on my IPad or Kindle but it's just not the same...

Wait a minute.....What about....

THE LIBRARY!

AHA!

Living in a small town, I completely forgot about our library.  It was time to pay them a visit!

Reactivate library card, CHECK.  Familiarize self with the layout, CHECK.  Re-acclimate self with the online request features, CHECK.  (our local library has the most cool and helpful staff)

VIOLA!

Seven of my most desired cookbooks reserved and anxiously waiting for the email announcing they are ready for pick-up!  Knowing how much $ I am going to save makes waiting for them easier.  Besides there are still rooms to purge and clean during the "no oven" late summer months before the Fall baking and photography kick in.

My visual addiction to books has successfully completed rehab!

If at this point you are thinking the library is pretty obvious.......Let me explain further the reasons for my elation.

  1. Full access to all of the expensive cookbooks, design books, reference books, and photography books my brain can handle at ZERO cost!

  2. I go right past the library to and from work on a daily basis and know where all of the book drops are.

  3. Storage issues at home are nonexistent

  4. Buyers remorse - a thing of the past

  5. The anticipation of their arrival is like waiting for Christmas EVERYDAY!

Why are these reasons so awesome?

How many times have you purchased a book you have been dreaming about, read the reviews and "look inside" feature, and ordered away.  When it arrived you devoured every page within a few days or even minutes.  You then set it aside right?  How many times have you read book reviews and were convinced you NEEDED this physical copy in your arsenal?  How many times have you received said book and were less than delighted with the complete package?  Maybe there were only a handful of recipes that intrigued you....or the ingredients were just so off the charts unavailable...or it just didn't make you as happy as you thought it would?

Uh huh....me too....MANY TIMES!

Now, what the hell do you do with it?  Find a place to store it and most times you never pull it out again.  Or if you do hunt for it months later, you are open it up and are quickly reminded why you hadn't looked at it for so long.  Back to it's storage spot it goes.  That being said, there are those few books that you love and refer to again and again.  You love the cover, the message, the photography....you need it for those times when the inspiration bucket needs a trip to the watering hole.  I do own a handful of books that I refer to many times throughout the year but they are far outnumbered by those I don't.  The library allows you to check out the book before hand to determine if this is a book to add to your "gonna die if I don't have it" collection!

Ok, I completely get the excitement of pre-order books - the latest and greatest, soon to be released book.  Sometimes it can take a bit for the library to get a new book into their circulation.  But I was reminded to let the library know of my interest and they would add that new book to their "gotta get it" list.

So while I am waiting for these new books to arrive for my pick up, I am back to cleaning, purging, cleaning, and purging.  Discovering new cleaning products and teaching myself some time-savers along the way.  

I also got a MAJOR haircut about a week ago in my "going grey" project and the best way to describe the two-tones of brown and white/grey is "Midlife Ombre".  With approximately 2 inches (at the longest point) all over my head, I am loving it!

So in closing, I have many new projects to share in the upcoming months.  New photography techniques and recipes to try.  New cookbooks and cleaning products and simplifying tips to  to recommend...it is going to be a fun Fall!

What have you been up to?

Joan

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