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Saturday, March 2, 2013

MY CLOSET ADVENTURE


In preparation for my auction sale next month, I started cleaning out my guest room closet today. It was so full, it really needed weeding out. I sorted out all the clothes first; separating them into like items and repacked the dress bags to keep my few dress clothes clean.

I took out over 20 hangars of items to donate to Goodwill. I also went through my sweater box and will donate two I don't wear anymore. The tote of old purses has been emptied and the majority of 'never used' items added to the throw-away pile. The sweater box and the box with the old family Bible and family photos is all that's left on the closet floor now.

My adventure was not without a couple surprise finds. In the back corner of the closet, I found an old sheet wrapped over a couple framed items my mother put away years ago. I had to investigate these forgotten items. I looked over an old collage photograph of ancestors from my grandmother's side of the family, and my grandmother's original framed wedding certificate from 1912. In a large plastic bag next to the sheet, I found my father's engineering t-square from when he was a draftsman. I hope these family heirlooms can be kept for the future, despite not knowing who to leave them to right now. That decision will come in time I hope.

Since the bottom half of the closet is now neat and organized, and much less crowded, tomorrow I will tackle the shelf, which is packed full to the ceiling. I'm sure I will find more items to sell or donate. The only thing I remember seeing above the clothes was another box of old family photos that my grandmother had saved.

I'll stroll down memory lane and see what treasures I find tomorrow. I feel good about my productive day today and hope for the best to finish the room this weekend.

The kitchen has already been cleaned out and I now have 18 totes filled with auction items to sell. My quest to declutter and downsize is going well so far, but I have 20 more days to search for unwanted items and free myself of my extra STUFF.

1 comment:

Exploring Almost Forgotten Gravesites in the Great State of Ohio said...

Hi Gail. Bravo for you!! You are doing a great job and thank you for sharing with us your success story. I was inspired by it, and cleaned one shelf today. You don't know how painful (and I mean even physical pain!) it is to actually pitch some things out! I grow attached to 'things' perhaps more than I should. But, anyway, thank you for sharing your story, Gail, and you should be pleased with your progress!