ocd

I've recently had a fit of the "tidies." I think that's what I'll call it. After looking for two small items that I KNOW I own, but not knowing where to start, I came the abrupt realization that I have way too much stuff. WAY TOO MUCH. Cannot over-emphasize that.

It makes no sense for me to hang onto, say, full-size bed linens to fit the full-size bed I'm storing at my folks' place. By the time I live in a home where a full-size bed will fit, you can bet I will probably upgrade sheets. Also, most of my baby stuff? When do I think I'll have another baby? At the rate I'm going, it may never happen, or if it does, it will be in five more years...and be a girl. Better that someone use all this stuff NOW, because when I finally get to have another wee one, I imagine that me and everyone related to me will be so excited that I'll get everything all over again.

Well, now I'm ensuring that happens. I've discovered freecycle.org, where I list things I no longer want, that don't belong in the dump, but that aren't of any eBay-able value...and people JUMP at the opportunity to come pick them up. Like 40 back issues of Real Simple? Gone within hours. I love this.

Now, I will keep a box of baby Blake things for sentimental reasons (don't look so shocked - I can be as sentimental as all get out), and I will probably keep a chunk of big Blake things for sentimental reasons. But my notes from Business 101? Gone. Framed art I have no intention of putting up in my home again (lovely, but not my taste), also gone. That high chair we never used? You guessed: I've bronzed it and stuck it in a corner of my room. Or...gone!

Also, I'm semi-stressed about all the things that I a) do not have time to do, or b) cannot do alone. (I would lump "parenting an energetic toddler" into group b, but God's not given me many choices there.) This is my official call for help. I need help moving things in my garage (a few hours should suffice), I need help moving furniture in my house so that I can caulk and putty and touch up the baseboard (nope, still not done that), and I need help taping my guest bathroom so that I can paint it. I need help analyzing Blake's ski boots and liners: which ones are junk, which ones are not, and how much should I eBay them for (unless, of course, his family wants to bronze them all and put them in their bedrooms)? I need help sorting through the massive quantities of you-name-it and deciding what to do with it.

Any takers? I'm dead serious here...and I feel badly actually calling any one individual and making this their problem. So, I'm making it the internet's problem.