Eliza at Happy Simple Living š»
Welcome! Happy Simple Living's Easy Times newsletter helps busy people simplify with easy recipes and tips for creating a comfy home, organic gardening, saving money, living a simpler life, enjoying holidays, and having more fun!
I'm Trying Something Different This Holiday Season - November Letter
Hello, and happy November! With Halloween behind us and Thanksgiving before us, today marks the unofficial start to the holiday season. We may need to gird our collective loins, because we're about to be bombarded with ads and content urging us to buy more, do more, and be more. Just this week, Facebook shared an influencer in my feed who urged her audience to consider "a Christmas tree for every room in the house." I marveled at her festive photos, lingering over a mini tree perched on the...
Meet the Weirdest Neighbor on the Block, and Other Tales of October
Hello, and happy October! Autumn has arrived here in Colorado, the leaves are changing, and it's officially Wool Sweater in the Morning, Tank Top at 3 p.m. Season. If youāve ever moved to a new home as I recently did, you know exactly how it feels to be the new neighbor on the block. Modern homes donāt always encourage connections, do they? I thought about that each time I drove into the garage and pushed a button to close the door behind me. How was I ever going to meet anyone? The Push-Pull...
The Men I Tried to Hide From, and Other Tales of September
Hello, and happy September! I hope you had a nice, relaxing Labor Day weekend. As you may know, we moved to a new house last month. Unlike other moves, we did this one in two parts. Prior to listing our former house, we removed and stored about half of our stuff in two U-Haul U-Pack containers. (By the way, we had a GREAT experience using U-Haul's "pods." The cost was very reasonable, and every step of the delivery and pickup went flawlessly. This isn't a sponsored review -- just our...
Moving Nightmares and other tales of August
Hello, and happy August! So much has happened already this month. On Friday, a team of burly moving men loaded up all of our worldly belongingsāright down to the last mismatched sock behind the dryer. Iād anticipated The Big Move for months, never quite believing weād cross the finish line. Yet here we areādecluttering done, our house of 21 years sold, everything packed, and a successful move across town to a smaller house that's closer to family. But throughout the process, Iāve been hiding...
What lurked behind my fridge, and other tales of July
Hello, and happy July! May I share a confession? If you gave me a choice between getting a colonoscopy or a thorough home inspection, I'd have to flip a coin. But in mid-June I accepted a contract to sell our house, so I had no choice but to submit to the probing of alllll the nooks and crannies. The buyers' inspector soon presented a 56-page report detailing our sweet home's every fault and failing. Why I Need a Butler I thought I'd cleaned our Bosch dishwasher until it gleamed, but...
Why I Hid My Toothbrush, and Other Tales of June
Hello, and happy June! As I shared last month, our house is for sale and it's a rather strange time. At any given moment, my phone can chime with a showing request. I stuff our dog's giant, fluffy dog bed into its washing machine hiding place. It does not go down without a fight. My son hangs the white towels -- the ones he can't actually use -- in his bathroom. My toothbrush is banished to the back of a drawer, and I replace my bed pillows with two that have ironed pillowcases. (Ironed...
šø May is for Spring Desserts, Mother's Day, and Lightening Up
Hello, and happy May! When I surveyed you last month, 28% of you said that decluttering and keeping the house organized is your greatest simple living challenge. Can I ever relate to that! We're preparing to sell our house and move, and while it's been a ton of work it's also been fun to see our house lighten up and shine. One of my biggest projects was whittling down my collection of books, especially my cookbooks. Here's the progression of the living room bookcases. As you can see, every...
š April is for Strawberries, Hummingbirds, and Finding Beauty
"Beauty is medicine for the world." - Ocean Moon Hello, and happy April! If your soul could use a little medicine, there's perhaps no better month to experience beauty than April, when springtime arrives in the Northern Hemisphere. I've been filled with gratitude as we prepare to say goodbye to our home, our dear neighbors, and this quarter acre where we've lived for 21 years. While tidying the gardens, I've been thanking the trees and plants that have surrounded and sustained us. Thank you,...
š± March is for Parties, Springtime and Garden Plans
š± Happy March! As spring approaches, it's that crazy season that vacillates between mukluks and sandals, snow shovels and garden spades. I love seeing the buds poking up in the garden, especially after 10 inches of snow and subzero temps here in Denver a week ago! During that cold snap, I read a news story that positively warmed my heart. Last month, an 87-year-old widower named Doug Turner wanted to connect with his neighbors. So he wrote simple party invitations, and walked the neighborhood...
January is for Warm Soup, Fresh Starts & Cozy Living
āļø Happy January! I love the promise of a fresh new year ahead, donāt you? It feels like an opportunity to let go of the past, wipe the slate clean, and look forward with anticipation. š One of my favorite annual rituals is to jot down some hopes, goals, and dreams for the year ahead in a cheap notebook. I also spend some time meditating and praying about a single word that might represent my intention for the year. Do you do this, too? (For your inspiration, you can read some list of words...
Welcome! Happy Simple Living's Easy Times newsletter helps busy people simplify with easy recipes and tips for creating a comfy home, organic gardening, saving money, living a simpler life, enjoying holidays, and having more fun!