Kathi Lipp's Blog, page 35
July 16, 2019
#365 The DIY Style Finder: Discover Your Unique Style and Decorate It Yourself Part 1
In this episode Kathi chats with guest and long time friend, KariAnne Wood about the fun and freedom in cultivating your own decorating style.
In her latest release, The DIY Style Finder: Discover Your Unique Style and Decorate It Yourself , KariAnne encourages listeners with some simple DIY mantras:
Don’t give up on your dreams.
Learn from your mistakes.
Embrace your imperfections.
Release any stifling rules that limit your creativity.
Through the book’s easy style quiz, readers can identify their personal décor tastes. These include the Traditional, Farmhouse, Transitional, Contemporary and Coastal styles. If you feel stuck, when it comes to style, it’s worth mentioning that clutter often stifles creativity.
Make sure to sign up for KariAnne’s blog, Thistlewood Farms, here.
Giveaway: And as a special treat we are giving away a book! Just enter what you think your decorating style is in the comments below and we will be drawing two lucky entries.
Or if you would like to purchase this book now you can order it on AMAZON now.
Just for fun: In this episode Kathi also mentions taking the Enneagram test. Click here to find out more.
We would love to stay connected.
To share your thoughts:
Leave a note in the comment section below.
Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.
Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.
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Meet Our Guest
KariAnne Wood
KariAnne Wood, writes the decorating and lifestyle blog Thistlewood Farms from her project-filled historic home in Dallas, Texas. She recently followed God’s call and jumped back “home” with her family from the middle of the country to the busy Dallas Metroplex where she lives with her husband and four children.
If you wander down the tree-lined streets of KariAnne’s beloved hometown, McKinney, you might find her painting mismatched chairs, listening to Christmas carols no matter the season, singing Scripture, or walking hand in hand with her knight-in-shining-armor husband to a Friday night football game. She loves sweet tea with lime, thunderstorms, good books, milk glass, and yard sales, and she is an imperfect DIYer saved by grace.
If you would like to learn more about KariAnne check out her award winning website and blog Thistlewood Farms.
#365 The DIY Style Finder: Discover Your Unique Style and Decorate It Yourself Part 1
July 9, 2019
#364 July 9 How to Take Control When Life is Full of Change – a Conversation with Jen Babakhan
Join Kathi as she talks with special guest, Jen Babakhan, whose book Detoured is a huge blessing to women who are juggling the transition many working moms face. In this episode Jen will share how she made it through this very difficult time in her life and gives others encouragement along the way. Plus she shares simple tips to help moms emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, as they navigate motherhood.
Listen in to learn these things:
Acknowledge this is a difficult decision and give yourself grace.
Understand that our value is more than our career.
Find a new community of moms.
To make getting DETOURED a little more exciting we are partnering with Harvest House and offering a super fun grand prize which includes an adorable lunch tote and ice-packs, as well as a picnic blanket and Jen’s book. Learning to take time to unwind is a huge step in finding balance in this life transition. Sign up here to be entered into our giveaway!
If you would like to go ahead and order a copy for yourself or perhaps another mom you know is struggling in this of transition, click here and get ready to be inspired.
We would love to stay connected. To share your thoughts:
Leave a note in the comment section below.
Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.
Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes or subscribe now.
Meet Our Guest
Jen Babakhan
With a degree in public relations and a background in marketing and education, Jen Babakhan left her career to take on motherhood. Her writing has appeared in Reader’s Digest, and has been featured in MSN, Yahoo, and AOL. She lives in California with her husband and two young boys. You can also connect with her at JenBabakhan.com
#364 July 9 How to Take Control When Life is Full of Change – a Conversation with Jen Babakhan
July 8, 2019
How to Tackle That Summer Decluttering Job
Every year when that big yellow bus pulls away for the last time, school children everywhere fly home with that exhilarated feeling of freedom. It’s time to toss away the backpacks and drag out the pool floaties and other hot-weather essentials.
Summer stuff, as I call it. Outdoor grilling, beach trips, and epic water gun wars make for a huge pile in the garage (on top of last year’s cornhole game, sports equipment, and the treadmill you plan to sell).
Or the looming family reunion that sends you up into the attic, digging through boxes to find photos for the slide show you’re in charge of.
And what about all the bins of clothing you stored last year, in hopes that your growing kids (or their younger siblings) could get some wear out of shorts sets and swimsuits.
Any of these projects can make you forget just how far you’ve come, even if your living room is 90% clutter free and you’re tackling that kitchen counter daily as part of your evening routine. But before you get discouraged, we’ve got five tips to help you keep your momentum going on your decluttering journey.
Be okay where you are. There are a lot of shame-inducing circumstances we find ourselves in surrounding our clutter. Even if we’ve been decluttering for a long time, we can discover an area that’s overrun by stuff we no longer need, or stuff that goes someplace else, like all those boxes in the attic we stuffed there “for now” (years ago).
Or, perhaps during a busy season, we let our routines go and now we’re faced with having to re-conquer areas we had worked so hard to declutter. That one dresser that you let pile up, or the bin of toys in the playroom.
Whatever the reason for your dismay, the worst thing you can do is to allow shame to pile up like clutter. Be gentle with yourself as you assess your situation and accept it. Wasting time and energy beating yourself up takes away from your ability to remedy the situation.
Remember, all you have to do is set a timer for 15 minutes. You’ll be surprised at how much you can get done in that short time. Set a timer on your phone, and then rinse and repeat the next day, and the next.
Before you know it, that area will be decluttered and feeling like new again.
Set small goals. Instead of dreading that big job in the garage, tackle one shelf or one corner. If we wait for a whole day to magically open up on our calendar for garage cleaning, we might see a couple different presidential administrations before it happens.
You want to choose an area that’s small enough to complete in 15 minutes. In some cases, that may be only one box, one drawer, or half of a shelf. If you have more than 15 minutes to work on it, great! Keep setting the timer until you’ve either finished that area or run out of time.
Accomplishing small goals adds up to big goals achieved. Task by task, decluttering a bit at a time will eventually lead to an entire closet or garage completely decluttered.
Remember your “why.” Why did you want to declutter in the first place? Often there’s an event that makes a cluttery person finally decide to get rid of all their unnecessary stuff. It could be the death of a parent (and the clean-out process of that parent’s house), or it might be an embarrassing visit when someone appraised the dresser with raised eyebrows. (Ahem…Not that any of us here at Clutter Free Academy have experienced any of those things personally, mind you.)
We may have had a unique catalyst for our clutter-free journey, but one big reason for us all to keep at it is this: God created each of us for a unique purpose and getting rid of the clutter frees you up to do what He made you to do.
Celebrate your wins. Who doesn’t love a good celebration? Looking forward to a fun moment (or three) when you accomplish a decluttering project will help you across the finish line.
If you’ve finished clearing off the game shelf and gotten rid of those Hi-Ho Cherrio and Chutes and Ladders (and your kids are in middle school), play a game your family still enjoys, maybe one you rediscover after reclaiming that space.
Or reward the kids with a trip to the pool for helping you bag up winter clothes that are too small. It doesn’t have to be a big deal—just something to mark the accomplishment.
Keep your 15-minute decluttering routines. In the summertime, it’s easy to lose our school year routines. But the future you—the one packing next year’s school lunches and buying backpacks filled with #2 pencils will thank you for the 15 minutes you spend each day decluttering.
It may not seem like much, but your efforts add up to a big payoff.
Like Jen Babakhan says in her new book, Detoured, “All the little things you do over and over every day are seen by God. If you could watch your life like a movie on fast-forward, you would see that the dishes, laundry, books, snuggles, tantrums (by you or the children), and even the socks you pull out of the corners of the couch on a much-too-regular basis add up to a life of authenticity and love.”
Giveaway Time!
Thanks to our fabulous friends over at Harvest House, we are able to give a few of you a free copy of Detoured! 5 people will win a copy of Detoured!
And one Grand Prize winner will receive:
Detoured
Lunch Tote Bag
Reusable Ice Packs
Outdoor Blanket
Leave a comment below to be entered to win. What is the summer decluttering job on your list?
* Giveaway for US residents only.
July 2, 2019
#363 Cultivating Places of Comfort, Beauty and Peace by Christie Purifoy
On today’s episode, Kathi is joined by Christie Purifoy, to share thoughtful and encouraging insights from her new book Cultivating Places of Comfort, Beauty and Peace.
When we care for places, we are caring for the people who live in those places.
In this episode we will be talking about :
What it means to be a placemaker
Creating sacred places in our everyday surroundings
The difference between placemaking and hospitality
Thanks for listening!
We are giving away 2 books~
To be entered just share in the comment section below, “What do you do to recognize God in your space?”
Or if you would like to order the book now just use this easy AMAZON link!
We would love to stay connected.
To share your thoughts:
Leave a note in the comment section below.
Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.
Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.
Subscribe on iTunes or subscribe now.
Meet Our Guest
Christie Purifoy
Christie Purifoy earned a PhD in English Literature at the University of Chicago before trading the classroom for an old farmhouse, a garden, and a writing desk. She is the author of Roots and Sky: A Journey Home in Four Seasons and lives with her husband and four children at Maplehurst, a Victorian farmhouse in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Her lyrical reflections can be found at christiepurifoy.com.
#363 Cultivating Places of Comfort, Beauty and Peace by Christie Purifoy
June 25, 2019
#362 Organization vs. Decluttering – What’s the Difference and How Do You Do Both
Have you ever tried organizing clutter? Let’s be honest..it is never going to happen because it is not sustainable.
Today Kathi Lipp and frequent guest Tonya Kubo talk about the reality of getting organized not just for a season, but getting organized for life.
Tonya shares with Kathi on how hiring a professional organizer helped her realize two valuable lessons. “One, I had been asking the wrong questions and two, I was trying to solve the wrong problems.”
What does it look to pare down so that you can store and organize everything you have?
Check out these easy strategies to get you started.
Minimize before you organize.
Get rid of stuff before you start to organize.
You have to learn to organize yourself and develop a system for the stuff you need.
Thanks so much Tonya for joining us today and helping our listeners live the clutter free life they were meant to live.
To share your thoughts:
Leave a note in the comment section below.
Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.
Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.
Subscribe on iTunes or subscribe now.
Meet Our Guest
Tonya Kubo
Tonya Kubo is the illustrious, fearless leader of Kathi Lipp’s Clutter-Free Academy Facebook group. A speaker and writer, Tonya makes her home in the heart of California with her husband, Brian, their two spirited daughters and one very tolerant cat. Visit her at www.GreatMoms.org.
#362 Organization vs. Decluttering – What’s the Difference and How Do You Do Both
June 21, 2019
Fun Ways to Pep Up Your Marriage with Focus on the Family
We love buying farm fresh produce, but let’s be real, Roger and I are both busy, and another thing… we don’t live on a farm. So, we decided to grow a few things in our own garden, well, actually it is a planter on the back patio, but for us, we felt like urban farmers.
Every day we went out to check on our little garden. As the leaves grew and little buds formed we enjoyed the daily routine of caring for our thriving plants and looked forward to the day when we could enjoy the fruit of our labor, literally.
It was a wonderful day in the Lipp Household when we plucked our first tomato off the vine.
How funny that we can get so intent on growing a vegetable, and yet how easy it is to get distracted from growing something much more valuable, our marriage.
BE INTENTIONAL
It is so easy to focus on the mountain of little things that feel urgent on a day to day basis, but make it a priority to balance them out with what is truly important.
HAVE FUN
Busy happens, we need to recapture some of the fun things that drew us to our spouse. Whether it is a date-night, a simple gesture of kindness, or spending time with other couples, shake up the routine.
TAKE TIME
Just like our tomato took time and patience, we need to nurture a healthy relationship with our spouse. We didn’t flood our little “garden” once and walk away, hoping it would fend for itself. We made it a daily routine to make sure it was thriving.
There are seasons in life, but whether you have been married for a few years or a few decades, we can all benefit from savoring simple moments with the one we vowed to love, honor, and cherish.
How about you? Maybe you could use some fun and fresh ideas to nurture your relationship?
Join me as I visit with Focus on the Family on how to add some pep into your marriage.
http://www.focusonthefamily.com/media/daily-broadcast/fun-ways-to-pep-up-your-marriage
June 18, 2019
#361 – How to Create a Decluttered Mind with Laurie Kehler
Have you ever considered that clutter can extend the boundary of our home, it can also fill up our minds? If so, you will enjoy today’s interview with author and adventure enthusiast, Laurie Kehler.
In her newly released book, This Outside Life, Laurie shares with us the value, emotionally as well as physically, of getting outside.
Laurie shares with us some valuable insights such as:
Why being like a chipmunk creates a “Sense of Lack” that ends up filling our minds, our lives, and even our closets with things we think we might need in the future, but in reality is holding us back from living the peace filled life we crave.
How to create sanctuary right outside your own front door.
What research studies are finding about the need to spend at least 20 – 30 minutes out of the house or office.
I am thrilled to have Laurie on today’s show-so lace up those walking shoes and let’s jump in.
Thanks for Listening!
Enter to Win!
Want to be entered to win the Harvest House Giveaway? Click here to find out how to easily be entered in the giveaway!
Giveaway Items:
Grand Prize Winner = Copy of This Outside Life, Sling Backpack, compact binoculars, reusable water bottle
5 Runner Ups will win a copy of This Outside Life
Or purchase a copy of the book here.
To share your thoughts:
Leave a note in the comment section below.
Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.
Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.
Subscribe on iTunes or subscribe now.
Meet Our Guest
Laurie Kehler
Laurie Kehler is a speaker, host of the podcast, “This Outside Life”, and the author of 4 books. Her latest book is This Outside Life: Finding God in the Heart of Nature. Through storytelling, practical application, and reflective questions, Laurie invites you outside on a journey of discovery and delight. To connect with Laurie and get the free downloadables designed just for our Clutter-Free Community, check out http://www.lauriekehler.com/clutterfree.
June 16, 2019
How to Have All the Summer Fun Without Losing Your Sanity
It’s that time of year again! Summertime—the carefree days of pool splashing, popsicle eating and sleeping in.
At least for the kids.
Not so much for the parents, right?
Usually moms are the ones washing swimming suits, buying popsicles, and constantly wiping up puddles of water and dried grass from the floors. And what about the piles of sidewalk chalk and sandbox toys that have taken the place of backpacks and school books? It’s enough to make even the most patient mom long for that big yellow bus.
Let’s be honest. Getting the kids outside is a good thing, especially if their natural inclination is to sit around playing video games all day while eating junk food. But encouraging outdoor activity is also a lot more work than handing over the game controls.
With a little planning and prep, you can encourage your kids to go outside and create a system that will ultimately save time and energy for mom.
“Mom, I’m Hungry!”
Fueling up those hard-playing days often takes a lot of snacks. To ward off the question, “What can we eat?” you may want to consider labeled snack bins for both the pantry and the refrigerator. That way, mom-approved snacks will be ready for them to grab (and maybe even eat outside) without a lot of hassle.
When unloading groceries from the car, divvy up the snacks into appropriate bins. You may even want to label these according to house rules. (For example, when I was a kid, we were allowed one can of soda per day.) That way, when they’re hungry, they know what they can grab to eat without the same old “I told you — no more potato chips” argument.
Don’t forget to include some healthy treats for the freezer. I love these frozen ice pops, because you can feed an old favorite to your kids without guilt.
“I’m Bored!”
Fun Stations are bins filled with outdoor activities for kids based on their interests. They can easily be stored in the garage or the back patio. Bubbles, sidewalk chalk, jump ropes and other outdoor favorites can get messy and take up the entire house, if we let it. But a big bin you can grab and set outside enables them to choose which outdoor activities to indulge in without a lot of in and out.
Other Fun Stations that you may want to separate into their own bins (to contain water or sand messes):
Water toys
Sand toys
Balls
Sports activities
And the best part? All of that outdoor fun goes back into the bin for the night, ready for another sunshiny day.
Pro parent tip: periodically replace or add fun items to keep kids interested in their Fun Station bins throughout the summer.
“I can’t find my…”
During the summertime, when kids live at the swimming pool (or play nonstop with water toys in their friends’ backyards), moms can save their sanity by keeping a day’s supply of water gear in a dedicated swimming bag. You could include toiletries, a swimming suit, cover up, sunscreen, water bottle, swim passes, sunglasses, sun hat and beach towel.
If you take your kids hiking often, you can save a lot of time by having a hiking backpack ready to go whenever you are. Include a water bottle, small first aid kit, binoculars, compass, bug spray, and sunscreen. You may even want to include a book for identifying plants or birds. Summer is a break from school, but you never stop learning, right?
“I spilled glitter! And other things you never want to hear your kids say.”
Have you banned glitter from your home? Does the thought of cleaning up one more glue mess make your heart palpitate? (I can’t be the only one!)
Summer is a great time for crafts outdoors. Create a bin with all the messy stuff that makes you sprout gray hairs whenever you see it out on your dining table. If you have a craft area designated outside, your kids can glue, glitter and paint to their heart’s content and all you need to do is supply a smock to protect their clothes. Or they can make gorgeous jewelry out of all of those maddeningly tiny beads and you won’t have to vacuum them out of the carpet.
It’s a win-win! Kids get to create staggering works of art in the great outdoors and mom has minimal mess.
Messy Marvin Strikes Again
Most of us have encountered the trail of soggy towels, goggles, and swimsuits through the house after a day at the pool. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent searching for missing items to (hopefully) load into the washing machine before they stunk of mold.
You can prevent the trail of tears (er…soggy swimming attire) by creating a hanging place for wet towels and suits. Whether it’s a bona fide clothes line in your back yard or some hooks near the entryway of your house, your kids will have a place to hang all the wet things, and you’ll save yourself time by not having to search through the house to find them.
A bin by the door for flip flops and other wet, messy shoes can prevent a lot of floor cleaning too. As a bonus, everyone will be able to get into the car at the appointed time without having to search for something to put on their feet.
Nature Calls
Spending time outside improves kids’ health and their imaginations. Summertime is the perfect opportunity for them to explore, dream and try new adventures. It gives them a chance to focus on what they were created for and seek their Creator.
In her new book, This Outside Life: Finding God in the Heart of Nature, Laurie Otsby Kehler encourages us all to seek connections with our Creator and other people. She says, “Why are we so afraid? Why do we settle for reading about, talking about, but not stepping into our own adventures of faith?” Laurie’s new book is perfect for summer reading. And with a little planning and prep for your kids, you’ll have more time to spend turning pages while sitting by the pool. And who knows? You might even have time for a water war or an outdoor finger-painting session with your little adventurers.
Comment below for the opportunity to win! We will be giving away one Grand Prize Package- A copy of This Outside Life, a Sling Backpack, compact binoculars, and a reusable water bottle. Five Runner Ups will win a copy of This Outside Life.
June 11, 2019
#360 Learning to Love the Right Now You
On today’s episode of the podcast, Kathi is back with authors Amy Carroll and Cheri Gregory, for part 2 of the conversation on their new book Exhale. Kathi, Amy and Cheri discuss how to love who you are and live your one life well.
On today’s show you’ll learn:
Why we can’t love who we are without losing who we are not
How to tell the difference between comparing ourselves to someone else vs. being inspired by them
Why Iiving our one life well can mean not just getting rid of the things that are easy but also getting rid of the things that are hard
Thanks for Listening!
Enter to Win!
What makes you a “seed sower”?
Leave a comment below to be entered to win a copy of Exhale.
Or purchase a copy of the book here.
To share your thoughts:
Leave a note in the comment section below.
Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.
To help out the show:
Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.
Subscribe on iTunes or subscribe now.
Meet Our Guest
Amy Carroll and Cheri Gregory
Amy Carroll is a speaker and writer for Proverbs 31 Ministries; the author of Breaking Up with Perfect; and a co-host for the podcast Grit ‘n’ Grace. Amy and her husband live in Holly Springs, North Carolina. Find out more at www.amycarroll.org.
Cheri Gregory is a teacher, speaker, author, and Certified Personality Trainer. Her passion is helping women break free from destructive expectations. She writes and speaks from the conviction that “how to” works best in partnership with “heart, too.” Cheri is the co-author, with Kathi Lipp, of The Cure for the “Perfect” Life and the upcoming Overwhelmed. Cheri has been “wife of my youth” to Daniel, her opposite personality, for twenty-eight years and is “Mom” to Annemarie (25) and Jonathon (23), also opposite personalities. Cheri blogs about perfectionism, people-pleasing, highly sensitive people, and hope at www.cherigregory.com.
Learn more about Exhale here.
June 4, 2019
#359 How to Stop Getting in Your Own Way with Amy Carroll and Cheri Gregory
On today’s episode of the podcast, Kathi is joined by authors Amy Carroll and Cheri Gregory, to discuss their new book Exhale. Kathi, Amy and Cheri discuss the first topic of the book, how to “lose who you’re not.”
On today’s show you’ll learn:
How to confront what you are not
How plans and expectations can be clutter
Why sometimes plans have to be let go of in order to keep moving forward
Thanks for Listening!
Enter to Win!
Leave a comment below to be entered to win a copy of Exhale.
Or purchase a copy of the book here.
To share your thoughts:
Leave a note in the comment section below.
Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.
To help out the show:
Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.
Subscribe on iTunes or subscribe now.
Meet Our Guest
Amy Carroll and Cheri Gregory
Amy Carroll is a speaker and writer for Proverbs 31 Ministries; the author of Breaking Up with Perfect; and a co-host for the podcast Grit ‘n’ Grace. Amy and her husband live in Holly Springs, North Carolina. Find out more at www.amycarroll.org.
Cheri Gregory is a teacher, speaker, author, and Certified Personality Trainer. Her passion is helping women break free from destructive expectations. She writes and speaks from the conviction that “how to” works best in partnership with “heart, too.” Cheri is the co-author, with Kathi Lipp, of The Cure for the “Perfect” Life and the upcoming Overwhelmed. Cheri has been “wife of my youth” to Daniel, her opposite personality, for twenty-eight years and is “Mom” to Annemarie (25) and Jonathon (23), also opposite personalities. Cheri blogs about perfectionism, people-pleasing, highly sensitive people, and hope at www.cherigregory.com.
Learn more about Exhale here.
#359 How to Stop Getting in Your Own Way with Amy Carroll and Cheri Gregory
