Plodding

Plodding is the best word to describe how I've been going through our house. So far, I've gone through three closets, most of the kitchen, the guest room (with the closet and laundry area), and both bathrooms. The most daunting of rooms remains: Elisabeth's room. It scares me...

So just a day or two after my last post (about the lady out of rehab), Andy got an email saying a coworker's house had burned down. She has a son Andy's size, so he went through his side of the closet and was able to take a lot of his clothes to the son.

Last night, Andy and I packed our Explorer FULL of boxes and bags jam-packed with perfectly good kitchen gear, clothing, books, games, puzzles, and house decor to a local place called Abilities Unlimited. AU is basically a non-profit thrift store that works to improve the living and working conditions for people with disabilities. 

The kitchen and dining room closet have probably been the most shocking so far. I mean, really, how many potato peelers and spatulas do I need? Don't even get me started on the coffee mugs. I literally packed up at least 25 of them - and still have no fewer than 20 at home. (We kept a good selection of at-home mugs and travel mugs, in case you are wondering why I kept that many!) I got quite a few for Christmas, making it clear that 1) I have a problem, and 2) my friends and family all know and encourage it. So basically, I kept what I was given, but for every new one, I pulled one or two out of the cabinet to give away.

I'm closer to being finished than at the beginning of the month, but there is still much to do. As I was cleaning out the dining room closet last night, I filled two large boxes with "give away" stuff and one BIG trash bag to throw away. One closet. How have I accumulated all this stuff and not noticed? I'm hoping my eyes will remain open and I can prevent it from happening again. If you've seen me out at Target lately, you probably have heard me say things (out loud!) like, "Jennifer, you don't need that" or "You don't even really like that - put it down!". Please, Jesus, keep my heart soft and my eyes open. I'm ready to walk out of the "things" trap and stay out of it.

We are making our way quickly through January, which means food month is fast approaching. Details about the food month layout will be coming soon. For now, I suppose I need to gather all my courage and step into Elisabeth's room...