The Great Closet Clean-Out

After Christmas is the usual time to sort through clothes and straighten the closet.

Last Saturday, when I told Hal that we were going to clean out our closet... I informed him it was not the usual clean-out. This time I meant that we were going to the walls. I wanted to see the baseboards (and wipe them clean of course.) I planned on vacumning the ENTIRE floor. Really I just wanted to "dump" the closet into my bedroom...and only put back what should go in there.

There was SO MUCH "stuff" cluttering my closet - items that I kept asking myself - "Why in the world did I ever put this here?" Some things were put there almost 13 years ago when we moved into this house. Maybe because there really was no place else to put it at that particular time in our lives. But we are empty-nesters.... I have room now.

I had made the decision that this small room called a closet needed to be organized and de-cluttered because we use it every day. I was on a mission.... I had recently read FLY-lady's instructions on cleaning out the closet. And as we went through... the things that we loved (and needed to be in this closet) were put back. Then there is the throw away stack... the give away stack... and the put away stack. So here are the embarrassing statistics so far.

We had three large black trash bags to give away (so we took them to the Thrift Store). We had one large black trash bag that went to the dumpster. I have several large stacks still on the landing (hallway) outside our room. On a side note... I cannot ever keep that landing cleared off. It is just the place to put things when you do not know yet where they go. How sad is that???? But back to the closet.... now comes the rest of the statistics....... This is just from ONE side of the closet. We still have all of my clothes and the wall of shoes/books/misc. items to go through. That is the plan for this weekend. I will let you know how it goes.

Here are a couple of examples of items found...

• The Teddy Bear that Hal gave me in 1974. I am not going to get rid of it now (I have kept it all these years.... that is one thing my kids will have to deal with when I am gone) but you know, it will survive in the newly organized attic.

• The Teddy Bear that Hal had when he was a little boy. He gave it to me when we were dating also. It too has found a new home in the attic.

• My Bride doll from my teen years. She will stay in the closet.

• Cassette tapes - lots and lots and lots of cassette tapes. Once again, why my closet? I asked Hal if we even still had a cassette tape player that worked. We do...it too was in the closet...so I kept a few of them... but they are neatly stored in a box. Not sure where I am going to put the box...tell me, where do cassette tapes go?

• An afghan that a high school friend made for me years ago. Nothing wrong with having it...just why had I seen the need to put it in my closet. The linen closet in the hall has all of our blankets/afghans/sheets, etc.

• You are going to love this..... I still have the Brides Magazines from 1976. Now, how do you throw them away after all these years? So, what did I do with them? I put them in the box with Hal's old comics. Sorry kids, that is one more thing you can deal with. :)

• The Wedding Dress. Again...nothing wrong with keeping it...just not in my closet that I use every day. (So.....where is it now? on the landing... Where do you put it? FLYlady will not let me put it under the bed. LOL.)

And I could go on, but I will spare you. However, I will let you know how the second half of this project turns out.

So you know I have to have an application.... for me and maybe you too. What is cluttering up my life? What needs to be re-arranged for me to be free to do what God has called me to do... to the best of my ability? Functional? What needs to be given away? What needs to be thrown away? Maybe that is why the clean out always comes at the first of the year. I want everything back in order... or in better order (i.e. the resolutions/goals). I really like goals better. I am still working on that list. For now, decluttering is high on the list. From my closet ... from my life.

More later!