...to begin to purge things in the household

...since spring has sprung

and because today was such a good day.  There are no children on the purge list!

I spent weeks preparing for Mark to come home.  I cleaned out closets, organized spaces, and wiped away dust in anticipation of his arrival.

The funny thing is, is that he isn't even that particularly fussy about the state of any of our closets or drawers.  But I spent many, many late-night hours trying to get so many things right.

The problem with all the cleaning and organizing that I have done, is that I haven't gotten rid of all that much.  This problem is compounded by the fact that I continue to fine 'new treasures' to decorate our abode and I was already over our 'weight allowance' here on our move this fall.  

My little secret to my mostly tidy home is that I am great at organizing stuffing all of my shtuff into hidden nooks and crannies.

The other problem(s): 

I am hopelessly attached to things.  I can remember where I purchased, found, or whom I received from, most every item in our home.  This holds true for everything from toys our kids have received (even from my baby showers) to the gifts I have received from families I have worked with over the years.

I might use it again.  We move often.  13 homes in 14 years of marriage.  Who knows when I might need those lavender sheers again?  Or be able to find a place for the floor lamp that sits unused in our living room corner?

Then there are the items I don't even use.  The pretty hand painted shelf that has no home on our walls.  The country style wall quilt rack with a heart in the middle?  I don't even like it.  So why can't I get rid of it?

Maybe I can repurpose it?  Oh...Pinterest you are not helping me purge my currently un-useful items!  Ideas like here, here, and here make it hard to toss and purge!

And then there is this thought in my head that I focused on the wrong areas to tidy and organize.

Since Mark has come home he has:

• cleaned out the garage
• organized the entertainment center
• sanitized the garage refrigerator

All of these are incredibly helpful tasks and it is so sweet of him to jump right in to help.  But truth be told, he would really just like me to donate, toss, and purge these things that I am spending time tidying and organizing.

Well, yesterday I came across this article that I found to be written just for me.

I can empathize and relate to nearly all that the points the author talks about.  Her bottom line.  Let go.

I have had this large pile of items in my room that are things I will no longer use, for quite some time.  But I haven't been able to part with them.  While cleaning the garage we also came across several no-longer-useful items that were taking up space in our garage.

My task for tomorrow: donate ALL the items. 

Mark has already loaded the truck.

Wish me luck.

I can do it.

Although even thinking about my task for tomorrow makes me slightly panicky.

Ridiculous!

I know.  I know.

I am going to reread that article before I head off to bed.