*Today, friends, I am beyond honored to have the lovely, wise, beautiful Paige Knudsen guest blogging here. Paige is the talent and grace behind Simple Thoughts. She is a blogger, a mom to four beautiful girls, a very talented photographer, fellow Golden Retriever lover, and a cheerleader for many women in her life! Her blog is full of beautiful images and truth-filled words. You will love reading her blog! And today, you will be so blessed after reading her story of creating white space in her home and her life. All the images in this post were taken by Paige of her home.

Edited to add: Paige’s home is very white and very beautiful, and while this may seem daunting for moms of little ones…especially boy moms…it has actually been easier to maintain because there is less clutter. There are fewer things to break. And the slipcovers are washable! Thank you, IKEA! Little ones are welcome!

I think now, more than ever, I struggle with making the effort….because it takes effort-planning-self discipline….to make margin in our lives. For some reason, when my girls were little, I figured I’d only be “on” once they came home from school. As if parenting highschoolers ( and now a couple in college) was this license to freedom and spare time!

It’s actually been a little easier for me to make margin & white space ….that quiet area….that space where my mind & eye can rest…in my home than in my actual schedule and daily life. Let’s talk about that first.

I’ll never forget the day when I walked into my cluttered, colorful home and thought enough is enough. Why didn’t someone save me? While everything was neat & tidy, it was just too much. Too much on the walls. Too much furniture. Too many frames on the tables. Too many nick nacks. Too much. I started that very day and proceeded to pack it up, give it away & garage sale it. Gone. Minimize.

I needed to keep things on a shoe-string budget. So being the impatient person I can be, I began the slow process of painting every space in downstairs & hallways the same creamy white color. As I took the many frames & mirrors & painted signs off the walls, I realized how open and spacious and free I felt in my home. I honestly had a peaceful easy feeling for the first time ( as far as decorating goes)…and I loved it.

After I painted the spaces I only brought back in what I absolutely loved. This was far from an easy process for me because I attach meaning to everything.

I am a lover of story and history. Everything has sentimental meaning.

But my eye was on the prize of simplifying our home and creating that “white space” I longed for so for a few things, I did compromise.

Part of the compromise included making a large linen covered cork board and printing out 8×10 images that I trade out seasonally. This enabled me to keep my images in my visual space but just not so cluttery.

I did the same with my art canvases. I usually prop them on shelves instead of placing them on the wall which allows me the ease of changing them out. So once again, I can enjoy them just not at all times and all over my home.

I suppose the process of creating margin & “white space” in my schedule is quite similar to the process of creating white space in my home. Just like packing up all the clutter and well- loved this’s & that’s from my shelves, I need to do the same with my schedule.

I often times tell my daughters that choices are seldom between something clearly “good” & something clearly “not good.” But rather choosing how we spend our time or how we schedule our day is about choosing the best choice for that particular time.

I find that in my role as a mom, making margin or guarding that margin is a toughy.

Just last week I had set apart three days where nothing work related was going to land on my mom agenda. Perhaps the only three days between now & Christmas where I didn’t have a post -it note marking an obligation.

I turned down three last minute job opportunities & even told a friend that I was unable to work at the school on one of those mornings. What that margin allowed was extra, unplanned, fun & relaxed time with my girls several times over those three days. Once you create the margin, you need to tend to it and guard it as well.

While simplifying our home has been a process that started years ago, I continue to walk into spaces & ask my self if something needs to go, or be packed up for a little while.

Same thing with my schedule. I’m growing in that area & learning to allow myself to say “no.” Learning to guard it once it’s been created. Having friends that encourage this and respond with grace to my “no, I can’t do that today. I have scheduled a little respite” or however you wish to verbalize it, has been an encouragement and blessing to me. I pray it is the same for you as well.

I am including a little rookie style video i created when I wrote a couple posts about my journey to simplify our home. You can read them here & here

I am not a profession videographer, so I apologize in advance!

Thank you so much, Erin, for allowing me a little space to share!

www.paigeknudsen.com
www.paigeknudsen.noondaycollection.com

This post is Day 24 of 31 Days of Creating White Space