Allie in the South of Spain

Counting on nice weather Jose and I leave tomorrow EARLY in the morning to begin our day-long journey from Sevilla to Michigan. We have connections in both Madrid and Chicago but this time it seems as if we have enough time between flights to 1)not get too bored in the airport and 2)not have to sprint across the airport trying to make it to our gate before they close the cabin doors (both of which have happened in the past). Today we have been packing and cleaning our apartment since it will be a while before we are back again. This summer we have decided to bring just one big suitcase between the two of us along with our standard carry-on items. Not only does this make traveling more comfortable but it also leaves us room for the inevitable things we buy at home (see crockpot, I really want one!). Luckily since we have international flights we get our one free checked back each but we have chosen to cut back since summer at the lake never requires all the clothing we have brought...

The next installation in this series is covering our bathrooms. Our apartment has got two of them, one for guests with a shower and one off our bedroom with a tub/shower combination. One of the things I looked for (since our old apartment just had a stand-up shower) in a new place was a tub. Sometimes in such small spaces this can be hard to find but with our hopes of having kids some day, I knew we needed a bathtub. We decided to change out the floors in our bathrooms just like in the kitchen. I hate having to sweep and mop every day and knew with the light colored tiles that came with our apartment we would constantly be cleaning. We opted for some rustic tiles when we made the switch. Eventually we added mirrors, lights and closed in the shower in our guest bathroom. We also added some storage solutions to both. Here are the before pictures: This is the guest bathroom This is the master bath but the tiles are the same in both Now here are some after photos: Guest...

Deep down I think I have always been somewhat of a minimalist. It is something I have been reading up on lately, playing around with the idea and I think I fit in with this movement, though I am certainly not as extreme as some folks who live out of a backpack and own nothing more than a toothbrush and the clothes on their backs. Minimalists are made up a whole spectrum of people with the overall philosophy being that you can (and most of the time) should live with less. It is good for your finances, good for your home, good for your time and good for your sanity.  I have mentioned before in this blog about moving a lot over the last 8 years and of having to quickly reduce my belongings to those that fit in suitcases. Overall it hasn´t been that difficult of a process for me most of the time. Things don´t hold a lot of sentimental value for me normally, nor do I feel a lot of anxiety getting rid of them. In fact quite often the opposite is true, I get anxious the more things are...