The simple things...

Here are some of the simple things that I would not want to live without now that I've had them...

1. A Dimmer Switch in the Bathroom
One day I decided that I had to have a dimmer switch in the bathroom and I'll never go back to a regular switch again... You can dim it in the morning when you're still half asleep and not yet ready to start the day or even for those middle of the night bathroom breaks. A special, 'once in a blue moon' treat for me is a deep bath, a book and my dimmer switch turned low for a 'candle-light' effect.

If you're going to upgrade to a dimmer switch, be sure to turn off the power to that room or to the whole house before you begin! Pay attention as you detach the old switch and connect the wires in the same way when you install the new one.

2. A Bedside Lamp
As a child I used to scratch the paint off of my nightlight bulb to make it brighter so I could read by it. (You know the bulbs that were painted blue to make them less bright?). Well, fast forward past all the years without a nightlight and here I am with a bedside lamp. It's not too bright and I can read by it whenever I like and then turn it off without even getting out of bed! I'm sure you're all aware of this, but for those of you still living in the dark about bedside lamps, you'll have to get one!

My lamp is similar to this one (although mine is a frog holding an umbrella). I bought it secondhand just days after my son was born. It's unique and makes me laugh... I love the way the frog lights up.

3. A Duvet
Even saying doooo vay sounds romantic. My parents just got us one for Christmas and I can't believe we've been 'making do' with blankets all this time! Sleeping with a duvet is like sleeping wrapped up in a cloud. It's so cozy and warm and the duvet is light enough that you can roll over without feeling constricted.

4. A Basket at the Stairs
We do most of our living upstairs and have a long flight of stairs down to our front door. A basket at the top of the stairs means less running up and down. If something needs to go downstairs, but I'm not going down just yet I put it in the basket and take it with me on the next trip down. Of course not having a basket at the top of the stairs probably means you'd get more exercise, but this post is about simplifying, not exercising!

5. Bags, Bags and More Bags
I have a number of bags for a variety of purposes. A backpack full of our swimsuits and towels that's always ready to go for a family swim day; a Bob the Tomato bag that hangs off of the stair railing for books and dvds from the library that are due back; a Nemo bag full of ballet gear; etc... Having bags for a variety of purposes means everything is organized and easy to grab when it's needed.

~❀~ Chelsey ~❀~