Clutter, Clutter Everywhere

Clutter clutter everywhere and not an end do I see.
Shhhhh.
Don't tell anyone.
I'm decluttering my house and therefore my life.
As hard as it is to believe, I save "stuff".
There I said it, I'm a PackRat.
Hello, My name is Sherrie and I am a "collector".

Now don't get me wrong I haven't stepped over the edge into "hoarder" but I'm close. I do NOT need an intervention though.
They say the first step is admitting you have a problem.
Well I admit it and I'm in the process of doing something about it.
The problem is compounded by the fact that I married another of the PackRat species, but he will never admit it.
What do you get when two of a kind marry and have lived in the same house for 30 years? You get an unimaginable amount of "things".
I also love gadgets that I usually use once and then just pack away.
Plus the fact that I am a sentimental sap who saves anything that has even the least amount of tug on my heartstrings.
Oh and I have more craft supplies than an army for crafters could possibly use in three lifetimes, but that is a story for another post.

Well, you probably get the picture. We are working on it though.
Yes, I have managed to convince my fellow PackRat that if we don't want to become the lead story on the six o'clock news, "Couple found beneath mountain of clutter", that he has to own some responsibility for the situation and thus must help with the solution.

So, to make a long story even longer,
see I'm even excessive in my writing.
Maybe there is no hope for me.

Anywaaaay,
We are on a quest to reclaim our home that I so lovingly wrote of in my previous post.

Here is the big plan.
Ever so slowly we will sort and purge.
This takes a tremendous amount of self control
of which I have very little.
Now before you say,
"Yeah right, I've heard her claims of cleaning out before."
let me tell you that it is not just a plan of action,
but that it has begun.
And I don't mean just the usual shifting of boxes from
one room to the other.
We have made actual "progress".

Our bedroom and the closet have been "decluttered" and three bags of clothes were taken to Good Will or the dump depending of the decade of said clothes.

The living room closet, formerly know as the game closet, is now a coat closet.

The next adventure was the laundry room, which is actually a closet, but in which you had to move things off the washer in order to do a load of laundry.
I am proud to announce that that is no longer necessary.

Our most recent project was the kitchen, which is still a work in progress.
It is looking much better though if I do say so myself.

All of this has included numerous trips to the dump with garbage bags full of what I now see as useless clutter.

Oh, I almost forgot.
Bryan, under much protest, cleaned out his rolltop desk.
He even threw away ancient receipts etc.
I am so proud of him.

Next on the agenda is the computer room/office/guest room.
Then it is on to the craft room/guest room.
hhhmmm Our house is so small that every room has a dual purpose.
Multitasking to the extreme!

The big finale will be "THE DUNGEON".
This is actually our garage which was many years ago converted to a game room and in which, under a monstrous amount of who knows what,is actually a pool table.
We will probably have to demolish that to get it out of the house.
I kind of like the thought of taking a sledge hammer to something.
When this herculean task is finished it will become a playroom for grandchildren/guest room.
See, dual purpose again.

So, I am very proud of our progress so far
(She said, trying not to break her arm while patting herself on the back.)

My goal is to have the mission accomplished by the holidays.
Wish me luck.