Mackenzie Carose

A Place For Everything

By Mackenzie Leave a Comment

I am a minimalist who lives with people who are not quite as spartan of living as I am and that is totally fine. It keeps things interesting, right? 😉 Children especially have toys and other items that seem to multiply during the night, so that a day of reckoning comes, and you think, “I have got to get all of this under control!”

We’ve all been there at some point. And even if you do not have children, I am sure there are times where your own stuff and/or clutter has got the best of you. It happens. We are human.

But the best thing I discovered in my years as a mom to corral all. the. things. are baskets. Wonderful, beautiful things, baskets. I have used them to house Legos, blocks, dolls, a choo-choo train and all its parts, books, etc… They have honestly been a lifesaver for me because stuff, when it is all over the place, gives me anxiety. Me and clutter do not kick it. We aren’t even frenemies. We just don’t get along.

But children like to play with toys and color and do all those fun things which they should do, but when play time is over for the day, these items need somewhere to go. I recently was looking for a different system to house the toys, still using my beloved baskets, but just not maybe within my view sight all the time, so I scoured Pinterest for toy storage solutions and found one for ottoman coffee table storage.

*cue angels singing*

I have a coffee table ottoman and the bottom part was just empty and not being utilized and I thought, what luck to come across a system like this where I can place the baskets and not trip over them when they are being dumped out used.

I love when I come across an idea that I can use that is feasible and doesn’t cost anything out of pocket. Sometimes a solution is just staring at us in the face, but we need someone else to point it out. If you are in need of storage solutions for your own home, definitely check out Pinterest and do a bit of a search. An idea will most definitely present itself!

Any clever storage solutions that you have come across that have helped you recently? Let me know! 🙂

When Is It Enough?

By Mackenzie Leave a Comment

They say with age comes wisdom. If you have been around people long enough, you know that for some that isn’t always the case. But for most, when you have spent several decades inhabiting the body that you are in, you realize some things. Profound? Maybe. But I am having a bit of a shift in my thinking and it has me wondering…

When is it enough?

I am referring to the constant self-improvement that I see in the world. Whether it is in advertisements, social media, viral videos, etc… We are consistently being told that something is wrong with us and that we need to improve upon that. But what if you are just fine the way you are?

I am all for improving upon yourself if that’s what you WANT to do. I am here for all the information that you are looking for and hope that it truly helps you. I had to read up on health and nutrition when I wanted to work on improving my quality of life. So yes, self-improvement resources are awesome when that is what you are actually advocating for.

But what I have had enough of is the being told we are not enough as we are and that if you are not improving upon yourself, right this very minute, then something is fundamentally wrong with you.

I know that there are obviously many differences between the time when our grandparents were working and raising families and today’s time when we are doing the same. And I also know that they weren’t subjected to the onslaught of advertising that we are in 2022. But I think of my grandmother and how she lived her life and how she felt she was fine just the way she was.

She didn’t wonder about the “baby weight” after having three children. She just lived her life.

She didn’t think a certain outfit would make her more attractive. She was already beautiful.

She didn’t fill her home with stuff to impress people. She was already who she was and was absolutely fine with that.

I wonder, what exactly do we need to fix? Aren’t we already enough? The beautiful and messy and complex human beings that we have become, isn’t that an incredible thing?

Can we as a society not constantly tell people that something is wrong with them but instead tell them that you are fine just the way you are? Can we let them know all of the molecules that make up you, are amazing and we are so glad you are here?

Wanting to improve upon an aspect of your life is one thing, but feeling you have to improve on that particular aspect is fundamentally something else.

Don’t let society make you feel like you are not enough.

You are absolutely 1000% fine just the way you are.

As The Page Turns: April Edition

By Mackenzie 4 Comments

Another book blog post! Let’s get on with it, shall we? 🙂

The High Five Habit by Mel Robbins

I do not read a whole lot of “self-help” books, but I just love Mel Robbins and her books and her Instagram and just her over all style of communication. She is really great for those who deal with trepidation and really need that proverbial kick-in-the-pants to get going on making decisions; her messages continue to be on point.

Gunpowder Plot by Carola Dunn

This book is a re-read for me, but I adore this series so much 🙂 Gunpowder Plot is part of the Daisy Dalrymple series which follows Daisy solving murder cases inadvertently of course, with her Scotland Yard husband in 1920’s England. I guess this book would fall under the “cozy mysteries” heading so there is no unnecessary gore or cursing thrown in just for shock value. I really do love this series!

Hemlock by Susan Wittig Albert

A “pass-the-time-just-fine” mystery. This book is part of the China Bayles series which follows a former lawyer who now runs a flower shop and solves mysteries. Previous books have been better than this latest entry and I hope the author gets back on course a bit with the next one.

Lightly by Francine Jay

I enjoyed reading this book, but I definitely think it is geared more towards newbies to the whole simple living/minimalist lifestyle. She did however have one tidbit concerning Instagram that I shared in my Insta-stories and think it is worth repeating here:

“In recent years, social media has raised the bar of personal perfection considerably. Our point of comparison is no longer our family, neighbors, and friends, but practically the whole world. And it seems like everyone is baking perfect cakes, wearing perfect ensembles, perfectly parenting their kids, and taking perfect photos to prove it.

What we don’t see in those carefully curated images is the effort that went into staging them or the imperfection surrounding them. Pan out from that perfect souffle’ and see the three collapsed ones behind it. Zoom back from that perfect closet and see the heap of clothes on the floor. Perfection can be styled, but rarely sustained”.

That’s it from me! Did you read anything interesting this month? Let me know in the comments!