Greetings Homebodies – When someone asks what I “DO”??  I tell them I help people with their homes. I “FLUFF”…  Perk things up a little – point out those lil places that need help. Many times I assist Realtors’ clients to ready their homes for “market.”  Every address  is different and requests are varied;  from suggesting a new front door color,  tweaking what you already have and moving things around a bit, to taking someone’s  garden to a “Snip more under-control.”

Most of us appreciate a friend with a “Fresh Perspective”.  I often tell the story of my “Once -upon -a -time,” co-owner of “The Yard Ladies”, who showed up at my front door with a bedraggled, dead azalea in her hand. At my conflicted facial expression she stated that it was from the end of my driveway and she was tired of looking at it! It was bad for business!

Moral of the story: We become accustomed to our own mishaps …… and just don’t see what others do!   Happens to the best of us!

Later – BA

Delighted you are here at Fluffahome. My Home is High Point, NC.  I am a  former garden designer; Realtor and house flipper. I’ve done just about any job that has to do with Home.  Almost 40 years ago I began as a young mom with little money and too many creative brain cells. I couldn’t get rid of my Volvo Wagon because I could always cram in some found furniture if needed. Did I mention being then married to a Realtor??? Quickly becoming the Queen of Renovations… I was doing “Flips” and “Curb Appeals” before HGTV was conceived! And using “Shiplap”
before Joanna was famous – maybe born!  No need for a fancy gym either.. ..ever carried sheet rock scraps?

I KNOW how to love a house into a HOME.  That’s “FLUFF.” Now I help others with their homes. Whether your journey starts with painting your front door turquoise, buying your first piece at a consignment shop or just adding some seasonal color… Seek to add SOUL.

Good soil is necessary for plants to flourish and a house… well,  good bones are a must, but it struggles to become a HOME without a SOUL.  We are entrusted by our Creator to make a difference and one of my gifts is recognizing potential and encouraging others to use theirs. Whether you are loving your home for a lifetime or getting it ready to sell….. FLUFF can add a little SOUL.  Later, BA

I can hardly believe its February – I hung my Heart of Roses door wreath in January so I would be sure not to miss February! I LOVE this time of year! I actually enjoy cleaning out the fridge….under cabinets and out closets. Its the time of the year to FLUFF, purge and re-organized. I was feeling SO good about my progress until I watched Netflix’ newest HIT, “Tidying Up!” It’s about this tiny Japanese lady who is paid to come into your home to help you Tidy Up. She looks like a tiny doll! After watching a few of these shows I reminded myself that houses in Japan are usually a lot smaller than ours! Her method is different… WAY different. Like how she gets her clients to get rid of things: Like…Clothing. She instructs the client to gather their clothing (closets, drawers, shelves…etc.) Then, after they have dragged every item into an embarrassingly HUGE pile…..The tiny lady with a tinier voice ask the client to pick up each item and HOLD IT…”How does it make you feel?” she asks them. Does it bring you “Joy?” If “YES” you can keep it….. And then she teaches how to use a special folding pattern. Pretty sure it is less than 9 folds… You can do this! Her 3 year old has it down pat! Essentially every item neatly folded sits in your drawer in a box-like section. This way you can easily SEE a 2×6″ portion of every item…. shirt/pant/underwear… (It works for all clothing items!) If the clothing does NOT still bring you JOY, then the item is THANKED and put in a donate pile!

I have never done that… thanked an object for what pleasure it has brought me…. but it looks like her method works so I might try it. I do know I felt NO joy feeling like a stuffed sausage in a favorite dress…. That’s the part about this time of year I DON’T like! The “I got FAT” part! Good thing shoes sizes don’t really change when you get fat! It did bring to mind a pair of comfy workboots I wish I had held onto longer and not donated. I sure hope those boots are bringing someone else JOY!

FLUFF away and Enjoy your clean closets!

Loved this Dayspring card…Perfect!

September is full of newness. New book bags, new clothes, new teachers, new friends and for some worn out Moms – new TIME alone!  OH, I loved my kids! But Moms need their time too. What we do with that time is what will make all the difference. Time is a gift –  I spent most of my  time picking up, putting away,  grocery shopping, cooking, driving kids around or helping at school… Stretched. However, one September I was invited  to join a Ladies Bible Study. GULP! There certainly was no halo above my brow and I joined for all the wrong reasons… My new friends had something I yearned for …Peace.  I didn’t even know what I was missing  … but I knew I needed what they had. They laughed a lot; were sincere; their kids were well disciplined; their homes were joyful; they didn’t complain, they didn’t put on airs and they told the Truth. I just wanted to be around them more… so I decided to go!  I wanted to be the best Mom ,wife and Homemaker I could…. like My Mom!  The sweet time I have invested in Bible Study prodded me to be a better Mom. There were days I knew I had failed miserably….And when the bottom fell out,  I knew WHO I could hold onto as well.  One could say “FLUFF” was birthed from love of HOME. Bible Study taught me to be more content; to appreciate what I had…. to do without and make the best of what I had. I learned to be thankful, I learned to pray…for my loved ones and about everything. I learned to value WHO valued me. That September Gift of Time …thirty some Septembers ago…was a love gift to me.  If someone asks YOU to do something new this September like go to a Bible Study…Oh Dear One!! Don’t cheat yourself!  It COULD make all the difference!