Is It Possible?

How can one single person have so much stuff? And why didn't I take pictures of it all in boxes before I began unpacking? You would have been impressed with the large amounts of stuff one person can accumulate in 28 years - no husband, no kids, just me and my stuff. I have done a pretty good job of getting rid of things I don't need and trying to pare down my definition of "need."

For example, I have approximately 30 to-go coffee mugs. That's not even a joke. Plus 3 at work. Now, I have not had a working coffee pot for months, so now that we got 2 for the wedding (woo-hoo! - now I have to pick which one to keep), I will be able to make coffee at home and take it with me. But still...30 mugs? I just keep buying them when they're on clearance or just look super cute, and I never realized just how many I had. Now, the pack rat mentality goes hand-in-hand with my thoroughly sentimental nature - "I can't get rid of THAT mug; I bought it when I was with Christy!" "I can't throw that one away - it's from the Speed the Light Banquet!" And this is simply one small example of my inability to discard anything.

Well, I am quickly deciding that I can't keep all these things, so I have a rapidly-growing box of perfectly fine mugs, cups, etc. but things that will not fit in my kitchen or are simply not needed. Matt wants to do a garage sale, but when I decide to get rid of something, I want it OUT OF MY HOUSE!! I don't want to keep a box for months until we can arrange a garage sale. I want it GONE - given away or taken to Trinkets and Togs. So we'll see if he can convince me to keep it around or not.

Other than that, I'm doing my best to set up the kitchen and have started working on my closet as well. I will be SO excited to put all the bathroom stuff away one of these days; that's one of my favorite tasks when moving. I LOVE having the bathroom with all the clean towels put away, 10 bottles of shower gel neatly lined up in a row, multiple bottles of lotion from which to choose, easy to find and within arm's reach...it will be a wonderful day. Matt and Vern are doing a great job - they laid 2/3 of the sub-floor last night. On to the shower!! I'm very proud of him, by the way. We both thought remodeling the bathroom wouldn't be nearly as daunting as it has turned out to be, but he's read and learned lots on everything from plumbing to sub-floors to lighting...he is doing a very thorough job, and I'm impressed with all he has learned even if I understand very little of it. I can't wait to see the progression over the next few weeks!! There will definitely be pictures of our finished bathroom. We may even turn on the heated floors and sleep there to celebrate.