Spring Cleaning

Ahhh....Spring.

The lovely smell of flowers in bloom, the sound of birds chirping their beautiful melodies, and seeing a house that is in dire need of Spring cleaning!

I've learned that I am somewhat of a minimalist when it comes to my home.  When I lived in Asia, I moved apartments a few times and discovered that I hate having tons of stuff.  It's funny the amount of things you can accumulate in a short period of time, extra dishes, small appliances, knickknacks...the list could go on and on.  I remember moving into my first place and having so little that it literally took one pick-up truck to take all my things to my little home.  By the time I left there a few years later, I needed a few vehicles to transport everything and had to travel back and forth a few times.  Do we really need all this stuff?  Don't get me wrong, I can't figure out how people could have lived in the days of no coffee makers or microwaves (where would we be without that first morning cup of java??), but has anyone actually used their breadmaker?  More than once, I mean? 

When Steve and I first moved into our home, we had only a few things.  We didn't even have furniture for our dining room, kitchen, or spare bedroom!  Two years and a baby later, my little home is bursting at the seams with stuff.  My living room is now home to our puppy's bed, baby toys, tons of pictures of my adorable kid, as well as the usual living room stuff.  The kitchen still has the all important coffee maker, but now also holds my hubby's desk, a high-chair, and Cody's extra large dog kennel (not to mention all of his toys or anything else Cody finds to entertain him...such as Steve's shoes).  Every room is full of stuff! 

We are planning on staying here for a few more years, so we decided that it was definitely time to do some spring cleaning so that our home feels more spacious.  It's easier for me than it is for Steve to purge our home of things we don't use, but he was starting to hate the clutter as well.  We cleaned and re-organised closets, Steve cleaned the garage, and we both tidied up the rest of the house.  One trip to Value Village with a very full car later, and my house is starting to feel a lot less cluttered.  Aside from the trauma of discarding clothes that no longer fit me (how depressing is that!!), I feel much better about my little home.  Yes, Cody's kennel is still in the kitchen, and yes you can still trip on a baby toy, but my home is starting to return to the place I loved when we first moved in.  Spring cleaning may be a lot of work, but it sure makes for a more loveable home!