It's outta here...

OMGosh...now I understand how "hoarders" are born.  Yes I know there are professionals who disagree and say hoarding has something to do with how we're "wired" or something like that.  But, we have all walked into a relatives house in the later years of their life and wondered "why do they have all this 'stuff'?" 

I believe it all happens quite innocently and at a snails pace.  Before you know it you have piles of "stuff" around you, every closet and basket is full and overflowing.  The task becomes sooo overwhelming you decide to ignore it rather than sift through years of magazines, recipes, pictures, clothes, etc...  Well before it gets that far, I decided to nip it in the butt - as they say.

Clothes are not usually a problem.  When you have growing kids, you go through their closets at least once a year, usually twice.  My closet is next...if its too tight, not been worn in a year or out of style...it's outta here!   I'm always amazed at how many t-shirts I give away and the next thing I know...t-shirts...lots of t-shirts! How does that happen...grrr.

Paper, paper, PAPER--everywhere!  I LOVE trees, hate paper! I LOVE magazines, hate paper!  I LOVE getting the mail, hate paper!  In my house it's known as the paper tiger. He sneaks up behind you and before you know it "he's" on top of you and you can't breathe.  Well, NO MORE! I have gotten my mail under control. When I get the mail I immediately go through it and either throw it away (sadly most of it goes bye bye-what a waste of resources) or put it where it needs to go.  Magazines, however, have been a problem for me.  First of all, you cannot throw away a magazine that hasn't been read from cover to cover. Fail...yes you can...its ok, the magazine police aren't coming to arrest me!  After some inspiring words from my friend Lana, I knew I could tame the magazine tiger as well.  I was/am committed, and I succeeded!!!  I went through 15 years (yes FIFTEEN) years of magazines and tore out recipes and articles I wanted to keep, mostly recipes from my Country Woman. I reduced stacks of magazines (probably 8 feet) down to just a 1/2" stack. I have been receiving Country Woman Magazine since 1995, and I absolutely love it.  Which was probably why I still had every issue since 1995.  I must admit, I feel better. I will be organizing them into a binder.

But first, I'm going through my crafting office.  I'm weird.  First I have to purge everything, and then I can get my creative juices flowing to create my recipe binder and start crafting again.  It's coming along and I will share more pictures as it all "comes together".