The toss pile started with a lot of old gift wrap. (Most of it was brought with when we moved here in 2000. WHY I moved it is beyond me...a few were end-of-rolls even then. Geesh.)
Also gone are the old Christmas cards. Reallllyyyyy old cards. I kept last year's cards (it helps me double-check my list next year. And then - I solemnly promise in front of God and everybody - they'll be tossed, too.)
And half-used, dog-eared old notebooks and pencil nubs without erasers. (Who puts this stuff in a closet?)
Gone are all the widows and orphans in the mitten tub. Which means we're now mittenless for next year because there were no mates in the tub.
The giveaway/sell pile. Several cute (but just not me) girly gifty things, probably from those wild Bunco parties. Spa slippers, lotions, tea lights... They're all destined for our church's Missions with Mommy ministry, which makes up gift baskets for our older shut-ins.
Unused coats and jackets are likewise going to a ministry that gives away coats each fall. We can't wear more than one coat at a time, and the coats I'm giving away have not been worn in at least a couple years. Far better to let them bless and warm a stranger's body next winter than hang here, unused and useless to us.
A small stack of sell-able items are ready to put on the upcoming garage sale. I'm on a roll and if I'm going to have to throw it or haul it to Goodwill, I'd rather do that now than later. So the garage sale stack is limited to things that I really think are likely to sell.
The "going elsewhere" pile:
- A small stack of usable school supply items is destined for swimmer girl's new room since she's the only one who will use this stuff.
- Two organizers - one will go to my new office, the other one to Mr. Official's soon-to-be office in his man cave.
- A box of picture frames I'm sending to the attic for future use.
- Two tubs with school pictures, wedding photos, and a few other pictures that I don't have copied in albums somewhere around here. (I even dug through the never-opened end table and culled through the pictures and albums in those areas.) They're semi-organized and headed for the new attic.
- scarves and hats
- emergency gifts
- gift bags, tissue paper and curling ribbon
- Christmas cards, stationery, to-do list and last year's cards
- seasonal colored candles, and the January-September front door decorations. (They could go in the attic, but the candles would melt and I'm more likely to use the decorations if they're near the front door. Otherwise, my Easter door decoration might still be up until the fall wreath comes out.)
I promised some photos, and although I am completely embarrassed by this "before" shot:
 |
| This is why you NEVER open closets in someone else's house. |
I am pretty pumped about the after-effect ("Hi, my name is Terry and I am a transformation junkie.")
 |
| No special effects - this is really all that's left in there. |
Happy closet-cleaning!
