Monday, February 22, 2010

Apparantly I'm A Pack Rat

We'll soon be putting our house on the market to sell... and I'll have to find a place of my own for the kids and I to live.

So this weekend, I was trying to force myself to begin to organize. It's been one of those things for me that seemed too overwhelming to face. So I pushed the daunting task aside and tried to ignore it... as if that would make it go away. But alas, I knew at some point, I'd have to do it.

On Saturday I had a fun afternoon planned, so I decided that I'd face "the house" in the morning while knowing I had something to look forward to that afternoon. Talk about OVERWHELMING!!!

My house is full of THINGS. Full of CLUTTER. When we moved here 9 years ago, I swore I wouldn't collect clutter. I didn't want to have to ever deal with moving CLUTTER again. But ya know what? Somewhere along the way.... four kids and two adults re-cluttered this house.

Yep, and trying to unclutter is hard for me. Everything I pick up is a "memory" or a "might need this someday!" Not that I've needed it for YEARS, but "what if?" And knowing me, the day after I throw it away, THAT is surely when I'll need it. But was it worth the cluttered space that it took up in my house all this time?

Nope. It wasn't. So in the days and weeks to come, I'm boxing things that we want to keep, boxing things that we want to take to Goodwill, and throwing tons away.

My name is Erica...
and I am a PACK RAT.

But I'm trying really hard to un-be one.


Anyone wanna fly down to Texas, get me organized, and help me with the last of the repairs that need to be done on the house? Pretty please with sugar on top? I'll let you take all the clutter back home with you!!!?

{{hugs}}

18 comments:

  1. Do you want to buy our house in Florida? LOL! You're probably not looking to move THAT far away huh?
    Good luck with your unpack ratting! LOL!
    Hugs
    Kim

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks like I'll be packing up my own house in the next couple of months, too. I've been in this one only 2 1/2 years...and it's stuffed full of stuff, too! :( Why do we do that?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, good luck to you! Moving is always a lot of work, but it's fun to "put" stuff away in the new place. Hopefully you will just put LESS stuff away! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Being a military family, we are better about pack ratting, but this last move really proved that we still have a long way to go. I have begun watching hoarders to help inspire me not to hold on to things. My husband has instituted the taking pictures of "special" things and scanning the girls art work. It's helped but I still finding us doing the fly lady 15 minute dash to declutter!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm still unpacking things from our move 3 years ago! I can throw things away easier than a lot of people, but we still end up with clutter. I blame it on my boys. : ) (Including my husband!)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Honey I would be there in a heart beat! Then again you probably would not have anything left when I was done. I am the opposite...probably because we have moved SO much. Keep up your energy my dear. Those are the cutest Pack Rats I have ever seen.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I do that too. Save things and then the day or week after it is gone i need it. My deal with clothes is that if I haven't worn it in a year it needs to go. If it isn't being used and can't be organized in a rubbermaid bin...gotta go:) Good luck. I have been wondering about you and praying for you.
    Hugs,
    mImi

    ReplyDelete
  8. Moving and packing is never easy...HATE it!

    Prayers and blessings during this time.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh Erica! I am with you.....that is sooo overwhelming! Just take it one day and one room or section at a time and ask the Lord to be with you, turn on the Praise Music and thank HIM for where HE is taking all of YOU :)

    Bless you my friend ~ I will be praying for all of you trusting this new season will be full of JOY Unspeakable and FAvor Favor Favor!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. We've been working on getting rid of things...some to Goodwill, some thrown away. I'm an organizer, so I bought plastic storage bins and a label maker. It's taking awhile to get it all done, though, so I feel for ya!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Erica,

    Take it from a former pack rat, it isn't easy but once you begin the process and resolve to let it go and bless someone else, your home is easier to clean, you lose stuff less and your life is much simpler with less.


    Love and Hugs ~ Kat

    ReplyDelete
  12. i am an awful pack rat. and i sort of gagged at the rat pictures. blech. :0)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh I sooo feel for you. After my dad died my mom moved in with us. I had to help her sort through her stuff and support her as she had to go through some of that emotionally letting go, as clearly she couldn't bring everything.

    Matter of fact, she still has some things in storage.

    Then, we had to go through our own stuff and get rid of some things in order to make room for my mom. I am about ready to do another go-through, as we really don't need all that stuff.

    We have things that we just aren't using and if we "love" it that much then why is it in the garage????

    ReplyDelete
  14. First off, my name is Amy and I'm a pack rat:-) Every time I've ever moved, I've made the same promise... I WILL NOT CLUTTER THIS NEW HOUSE!!! But I always find something neat that needs a home or an empty, lonely space that needs stuff:-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. We're moving too, and there's alot of stuff to pack!!! Good luck to you!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Yep, I'm a pack rat too! In fact, my sister has been de-cluttering her house and she keeps bringing her stuff to us so we can clutter up ours even more. Isn't that just too sweet of her. lol

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh, Erica! I wish I could be there helping you. I know how emotional and overwhelming it can be. Brad hates it when I don't throw things away but I've been doing a little better with that. He's been training me. Good luck with it.

    ((Hugs))

    ReplyDelete
  18. I've been trying to declutter since January but taking my time. I've gotten about 200 items decluttered. :D

    ReplyDelete

We love your comments! Please keep it nice and sweet and family friendly so we don't have to delete!