Simplify, simplify, simplify!

What do I love about vacations? Well, relaxing and enjoying time with my family, of course. I also love the simplicity of not having all our stuff! So simplify has been my mantra lately. I just put a couple pieces of furniture up on Craigslist to unclutter the entry way. My FIL has offered to help build a built-in bench! By the way, who sent me a subscription to "This Old House"? I really like it, I found the plans for the bench in there and it doesn't look too bad. Mom, Papa? Thank you! My plan is built-in bench with a strip of wood on wall with hooks and a new rug and perhaps a chair. Is it possible to only have that much stuff in there?
I continue to try and slowly go through the kid's things too and send things off to the consignment shop. I would love to find a nice desk and get rid of this IKEA garbage we have this computer on in the living room. Especially since it's in the living room . It's a slow process though with a baby!

We are also dreaming about finding a place on Vashon island. If we could find a house we could afford close enough to town and the ferry landing, the commute wouldn't be all that different for Jon. It would be a nice rural setting for us but still be close to all the things we love about urban living. I would want to be close enough to town to walk or ride a bike there. I love that I can walk all over Tacoma and not drive most of the time. I've also realized I need to nurture my inner artist more and would love some kind of work space. A small studio perhaps, I want to try my hand at mosiacs and have a place for all my yarn! Wouldn't that be cool? A couple of acres would be nice as well, I also want some chicken and maybe a couple of goats! Any way, we are looking and dreaming but it depends on a few variables.