Left Overs and Getting Things Sorted Out

When my kids come down a few times a year for holidays, I flatly refuse to do any "projects" as I want them to WANT to come down and I feel that if I make them work or ask them to work while here, they may not want to come next time thinking I will make them work.


I have been very conscious of this as I only have daughters so if I ask my sons-in-law to work when here, I can imagine they would think of me as a burden and I NEVER want that to happen as I love to have them come and I WANT to enjoy my time with them as well. How much fun would I have doing only work when they come.

I get such limited time with them anyway that I want to enjoy our time together playing games, visiting and just enjoying the grandchildren etc.

The night before the girls came to visit for the holiday, I stayed up all night putting two coats of paint on the wall I textured the night before. I wanted the paint to be super dry when we moved the shelving back against the wall. 

I moved the shelves out in the summer while we were in the play and things were absolutely crazy and I had to do most of it by myself with moving sliders and I really wanted to have the girls help me at least move the shelves back against the wall as it was hard getting them away from the wall alone. 

I also am hoping to get the coat closets cleaned out and two of the girls took their ski bibs and down ski jackets and I am excited to get the others to try them on and get rid of all the other stuff in the closet. I have ski goggles, light and heavy gloves, ski pants, jackets and hats.

It has been hard as the girls live in college type housing, except for Princess One, so they don't like to take much stuff as they move frequently and it makes it hard on me now having no children living at home, but still having four kids worth of stuff in all the closets and garage.

I haven't had the ability to get to all the stuff in the back of the garage for years since Princess One's wedding as all that stuff got put in front of Princess Threes bins and Princess Two was serving as a missionary at the time and in moving people in and out and the wedding, things just got buried and if you read the blog, you know that my life has been beyond crazy for years and I have barely kept up with three surgeries, the roll over accident, my mother dying etc and on and on. 

I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW WONDERFUL IT FEELS to be able to be getting through stuff! Poor Princess Three hasn't been able to get to the bins in the garage since she left for college five years ago! We were going to start her T-shirt quilt but were missing a large portion of her high school t-shirts. We found them this week and we can organize / sort them for the quilt over Christmas!

They helped me put the shelves back, stick the organized stuff back on the shelf and move the stuff that needs to be sorted and organized and get to the bins of Princess Two and Three that haven't been touched in years! We even found a bin of yearbooks from Princess One we didn't know we still had out there. She has a home now and has all of her stuff which is wonderful!

We were able to get rid of nearly half of all the stored bins as the stuff in them would have been used if they had them out but since they weren't, we purchased new rice cookers, crock pots, mixers, blenders, casserole dishes, pans, etc. I was a bit frustrated that I have been storing all that stuff for years and then spent more money buying the exact stuff I stored but had to be happy that at least we were getting it out of my garage. 

All three girls found stuff to take "home" with them and we had piles all over the house! Happily, the biggest pile was the "GET RID OF IT" pile! We have many bins in the garage and I had a few piles in the house and after organizing the bins that are staying and putting the shelves back, I was able to make a few stacks of "yard sale" stuff. I was also able to make a path to the "eBay" piles I have had for 15 years! I used to sell on eBay and did well and lost the eBay account in the divorce and thought I would start again but what single mom of five has time to deal with that? NOPE, I am SO glad I can finally get to that stuff.

Obviously, in one day, we weren't going to be able to get it all done but Princess One's bins will all be gone soon along with all the stuff she could use I am getting rid of like pasta with wheat which I can't eat. Princess Two's stuff is now all in her old room closets. Princess Threes stuff is now in a few closets and Princess Fours stuff is in a few spots and Princess Five is sorting her stuff as she comes home. I emptied out her room with her a few weeks back so that she mostly has it in one closet and a few drawers and it feels so GOOD to be able to have the time to get through stuff! 

I wish I had time to get to the garage more but I need to work on the two quilts I have cut and one more that I would like to give out at Christmas so that would be three quilts finished in the next month. I don't know that I will be able to do it but am praying I can get it done! 

I haven't worked on my mothers stuff since last May but have to finish that asap as well. 

Obviously I have plenty to keep myself busy! I am just feeling like I am finally able to get stuff done! It makes me so happy. I started on my sewing room and craft stuff in the past few weeks as well but can only get so much done. 

I am so grateful to the girls for helping me get that stuff done the day after thanksgiving. It was wonderful to be able to throw out some stuff, send home a few bins each with the girls and know that I can get rid of stuff now! I was also grateful for left overs that we could just pull them out and to not have to stop working to cook. 

It was a good day! I for one, am VERY Thankful this Thanksgiving! I hope you had an abundant and Blessed Day as well!