I was deeply inspired by Shay Salomon and her book, Little House on a Small Planet. It opened my eyes to a new (and infinitely more manageable way of life.) I hope that it will do the same for you. Perhaps, like me, you should start to think big and live small. I believe it will change your life for the better.

Here is Shay Salomon with her inspiring story on living small!

What is the Small House Movement?

The Small House Society (SHS) is the movement of people who want to simplify their lives by living in less space. So it's really a wide range of people, in the United States and all over the world, from young families who have exchanged their large suburban homes in favor of small downtown apartments, to folks who have retired into RV's and the open road, to movie stars who have downsized to small mansions.

The best part of Pier 1's Clearance Sale is all the stuff on sale now is all the stuff that you'll need for the next couple of months. From outdoor dinnerware to seating to the Thinking Frog (yeah, maybe you don't need that, but what a conversation starter!) everything is marked down and priced to move (right into your house or backyard.) I know I could have used the Hot Pagoda Umbrella yesterday and avoided the weird tan on the back of my neck. The umbrella measures 101" x 101" x 114" and is on sale for $149.98.

Are you ready for the upcoming 4^th of July festivities? I know I cannot wait. Bring on the cookout! Bring on the suntan lotion! And bring on the cold, frosty ones! Whatever your definition of cold, frosty one might be (I am Coca-Cola-kind-of-gal, truth be told) these great buckets from Kmart are perfect for filling with ice to make whatever you choose cold and frosty. The Essential Home Americana Party Buckets come in patriotic blue and red, are made of plastic and measure 18-1/2"L x 13"W x 9"H. The best part – are you ready? – is they are on sale for $6.49 each!

Summer is all about getting outdoors and enjoying the fine weather. But what about the time you spend indoors? Even the most outdoorsy person has got to spend some time inside. So how about making the inside of your home a really lovely place? I bet you've been telling yourself you need to find something for your plain walls. Maybe some photos. Maybe something that will keep the summer alive all year long and just make you smile. I have just the thing. Melissa Lund's Fine Art Photography is all about fields full of summer flowers and the old family farm and old-fashioned things that are poignantly modern. She sells her stuff on Etsy, and I heartily recommend the Black-Eyed Susan print. (But hurry, because there is only one left and it is – yes! – only $27.00!)

With the weekend right around corner I know I should be thinking about rest and relaxation, but what I've been thinking about is my home "office." Ok, it is just the desk in my bedroom, but I really need more dedicated space and a true home office. What does that mean? Probably, it means getting organized and re-allocating my space. I wasn't sure what to do and that's when I came upon this home office makeover on Lifehacker. Maybe, it is just a tad too masculine and tech-y for my tastes, even though there is a major improvement from the before pic. When I found this post on Ramblings of A Renovating Couple, I knew I had found plenty of inspiration. So now I can get to work at home.

When I was apartment-hunting with friends last weekend I was struck by how much I loved the furniture. Since every place we visited was a new construction, the apartments had clearly been staged. If only I could move into a place and have it furnished (and furnished well) in the blink of an eye. By this time you know that means I started searching online for a good staging and rental furniture resource. And success! afr Furniture Rentals is just the place! They have different services including home staging (as well as furnishing your office!) But I knew they were a winner when I saw the end result of Allison Janney's New York City apartment (which was featured on LXTV – Open House NYC.)

When describing their mission, Inhabitat says that Green design is good design and Good design is green design – and Inhabitat is both green and good in design and in the way they share their mission with all of us. They have eight major sections that run the gamut from Energy to Art, but what drew me to them (of course!) were their Architecture and their Interiors sections. I loved their Design for a Dollar post, their Top 10 Prefabs and their funky feature on a house called The Nautilus. Truly, there is something here for everyone – and oh, yeah, I like a blog with a sense of humor!

I know it is only Wednesday, but I am already thinking about the weekend. The weather forecast says rain, but I am going to go with being in denial until the clouds open and the rain falls. And my mind is firmly fixed on outdoor rooms. My neighborhood is filled with lovely backyard gardens. Many of these have been turned into extensions of indoor living areas. I always look forward to being invited into my neighbors' outdoor rooms – some are outdoor living rooms, some outdoor kitchens and some of my favorites are outdoor lounges. Since everyone is on a budget nowadays and perhaps this years' vacation will be a staycation, I thought I'd find you some Quick, Chic Outdoor Decorating ideas. That's why I love HGTV.com so much – they have plenty of ideas for all your indoor and outdoor spaces!

Daniel Libeskind, the architect who was tapped for the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site in New York and other high-profile projects (like the Jewish Museum in Berlin ) has a stellar new project. A pre-fab house! And not just any pre-fab house, one that will sell for (gulp!) $2.8 million to $4.2 million. Ok, it is 5,500-square-foot, two-story villa which includes a solar thermal system and a sauna. It also has four bedrooms and four bathrooms as well as a rain shower, a fireplace room and a wine cellar. Most of the house will be manufactured in a factory and can be shipped anywhere, but will be sold through, Proportion, a Berlin-based company. Buyers are promised "regional exclusivity," so you will be the only one in the neighborhoods with a rock-star-architect home. All I can say is, thanks goodness because at these prices you'll want to be the nicest pre-fab on the block!

When the spring weather comes in earnest, I love taking long drives in the country. I'm pretty handy around a picnic basket and usually, a friend will do the driving. I enjoy a little antiquing, buying some local products and just taking in the scenery. Some of my favorite things to look at in the country are barns. Over the years I've noticed that barn stars (those that used to adorn only barns) have now made the transition to homes and are now quite the fashion. I love barn stars... Do you?

Here are some great barn stars from American Tin Star in a wide variety of sizes and colors.

The last time I was home sick, I curled up on my couch with a cup of tea and turned on the TV. That's when I came upon a documentary about Leisurama. If you have no idea what Leisurama is, then let me tell you that it was an almost perfect melding of forward-thinking, marketing and design -- and a true experiment in affordable housing. The industrial designer and architect Raymond Loewy was asked to design homes in a planned community out in Montauk, Long Island. The houses would be fully furnished (all you had to do was move in) AND you were able to buy them on the ninth floor of Macy's Herald Square. Some models sold for $12,995! The year was 1964 and the inspiration came from our American way of life (summer vacations! bbqs! sun and surf!) Did I mention that it all started with a Cold-War debate between Khrushchev and Nixon? Ok, it isn't as dry as all that, it is actually quite funny. Take a look at this clip and see how the houses (and their owners) have withstood the test of time.

And you can buy your copy of Leisurama here.

My friend and former colleague Janice Wright and I bonded over our shared battle against clutter a few years back. Janice is a blogger at It's A Jan's Life, and I remember her saying that the problem begins with bringing in the mail. I understand and agree with her completely. It seems the delicate balance of life stuff and clear spaces can immediately go out of whack with a day's worth of catalogs and junk mail. That's why when I learned that Janice had worked with a professional organizer, I immediately asked her to share her experience.

Here are Janice's 7 Things I Learned From Working with a Professional Organizer.

When my husband, Scott, and I began to work together from home in earnest, we knew we needed some changes to our apartment so it could accommodate 2 computers and a network printer, and be a place we'd enjoy being – together and separately. Like many parents, we also needed some help controlling toy clutter.

Frank Lloyd Wright is a name that resounds throughout modern architecture. Could it be that soon his name will resound on playgrounds as well? If Lego has anything to say about it, Fallingwater will be right up there with the Slip'n-Slide. Lego is debuting play sets based on six of Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic buildings including the abovementioned Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum. And that's not all, Lego's Architecture Series by Adam Reed Tucker features The Empire State Building, The Sears Tower and The Seattle Space Needle is sure to inspire your little future architect (if not the kid in all of us.)

Gallery: Lego Architecture

Before you go off for the long weekend, I thought I'd give you something to think about. Is strange good? Would you want to live in a weird building? Sometimes, when the mood is right, I think I just might like to. Other times, I'm all for a modernist cube. The other day, I visited Ten Weird Building Designs. I think I might just like to live in the Urban Cactus in the Netherlands. What about you? Or are you more of a Crooked House kind of person?

Dear Little Sis: I won't be coming over for your annual Memorial Day BBQ this year. As you know, I have company at my house from Italy. I'd like do something traditional in the spirit of the holiday, but you know, I don't have a lot of space.

Dear Big Sis: Sorry to hear you won't be making it to my house (that just means more of my mother-in-law's potato salad for the rest of us.) I just wanted to say that if you do feel like BBQ-ing at your house, I have just the thing. Or rather, Home Depot does. It's the Weber's Smokey Joe Black Charcoal Grill. It's compact, it's stylish (the Italians love that,) and it's a bargain at $29.70. You taught me well.

Dear Little Sis: Yes, I did! Many thanks...now, about your mother-in-law's potato salad...