When in doubt, throw it out!
M went to the ballgame last night with his ma, and so Zozo and I had Girls Night at home. We read lots of books, ate dinner, took a bath, and then Zozo went to bed while Mommy got to work. Cleaned up the kitchen and dining room, put some things away, wrote some notes, arranged for babysitting for Zozo Saturday night so we can catch the ballgame with Marty and Megan...the usual never-ending chore list of a mother. Also got to catch up with Beano on the phone, which was great.
Then, just when I was getting ready to sit down with a book and relax, I walked into our bedroom. Big mistake. Huge. Because there sat a basket of clean, folded laundry that needed to be put away. Sigh. Okay, this should only take a few minutes.
As I pulled the stack of t-shirts out and prepared to cram them in my already-stuffed drawers, I remembered seeing Stef's t-shirt drawer: a marvel of order and organization. She folds her t-shirts in such a way that every single shirt is visible when you open the drawer, and they don't get wadded up and wrinkled. You know me, I'm all about doing things efficiently. "Wow!" I had exclaimed, "That looks great! Show me!"
This is one of the many, many times that Stef wonders why on earth she's chosen me to be her best friend. I mean, really, who gets jazzed over the organization of a t-shirt drawer?
Being the good friend she is, though, she didn't roll her eyes (that I could see, anyway) and patiently showed me her system.
So when I looked at my heap of crumpled t-shirts last night, and pulled out the messy drawer, you know I just had to fix it. Yep, every single t-shirt came out, got folded The Stef Way, and was placed back in the drawer. You have no idea how much this pleases me. What's more, the t-shirts that had been crammed into two drawers now fit neatly within only one, freeing up a whole other drawer for the pile of clean bedsheets that I've been transferring from our bed to the top of my jewelry armoire and back for more time than I'd care to admit.
Well, I was on a roll after that. Couldn't stop with one measly drawer...no way! My closet was then sorted and cleaned out and straightened, with a huge stack placed in the car to be brought into work today for Dress For Success, and then I set my sights on M's closet.
It amazes me how men can continue to wear clothes, year after year, with no real visible decline in appearance. I mean, he has sport shirts in his closet from before we were married (10 years ago this October!) that he still wears, and that look fine and are still (reasonably) in fashion. Granted, you can't do that with everything (refer to my father-in-law's clunky black eyeglass frames), but Dockers will always be okay, as will Polo shirts. Other than a few of his shirts missing buttons (and one missing three), he's doing just fine.
Women...not so much. I finally parted with a beloved camel-colored wool suit (with a black velvet collar!) that I've had since college, that I adored back in the day but will probably not be back in style for another 10 years, at which time I'd be willing to bet cash money I won't be able to fit into (not that I can now, either, which is why it was the first thing to come out and go in the DFS pile).
So, the t-shirt drawer has been tackled, the closets are cleaned out...feels good. I'm definitely in the throes of one of my "We have too much crap!" phases. A conversation with Stef this past weekend revealed the insight that it's a good thing when you can clean out both your physical house and your emotional house. I think they're tied together, at least for me. I know my psyche is much healthier when I'm not surrounded by a lot physically.
I think this is the point where M starts to hide things, just to ensure their safety.
Then, just when I was getting ready to sit down with a book and relax, I walked into our bedroom. Big mistake. Huge. Because there sat a basket of clean, folded laundry that needed to be put away. Sigh. Okay, this should only take a few minutes.
As I pulled the stack of t-shirts out and prepared to cram them in my already-stuffed drawers, I remembered seeing Stef's t-shirt drawer: a marvel of order and organization. She folds her t-shirts in such a way that every single shirt is visible when you open the drawer, and they don't get wadded up and wrinkled. You know me, I'm all about doing things efficiently. "Wow!" I had exclaimed, "That looks great! Show me!"
This is one of the many, many times that Stef wonders why on earth she's chosen me to be her best friend. I mean, really, who gets jazzed over the organization of a t-shirt drawer?
Being the good friend she is, though, she didn't roll her eyes (that I could see, anyway) and patiently showed me her system.
So when I looked at my heap of crumpled t-shirts last night, and pulled out the messy drawer, you know I just had to fix it. Yep, every single t-shirt came out, got folded The Stef Way, and was placed back in the drawer. You have no idea how much this pleases me. What's more, the t-shirts that had been crammed into two drawers now fit neatly within only one, freeing up a whole other drawer for the pile of clean bedsheets that I've been transferring from our bed to the top of my jewelry armoire and back for more time than I'd care to admit.
Well, I was on a roll after that. Couldn't stop with one measly drawer...no way! My closet was then sorted and cleaned out and straightened, with a huge stack placed in the car to be brought into work today for Dress For Success, and then I set my sights on M's closet.
It amazes me how men can continue to wear clothes, year after year, with no real visible decline in appearance. I mean, he has sport shirts in his closet from before we were married (10 years ago this October!) that he still wears, and that look fine and are still (reasonably) in fashion. Granted, you can't do that with everything (refer to my father-in-law's clunky black eyeglass frames), but Dockers will always be okay, as will Polo shirts. Other than a few of his shirts missing buttons (and one missing three), he's doing just fine.
Women...not so much. I finally parted with a beloved camel-colored wool suit (with a black velvet collar!) that I've had since college, that I adored back in the day but will probably not be back in style for another 10 years, at which time I'd be willing to bet cash money I won't be able to fit into (not that I can now, either, which is why it was the first thing to come out and go in the DFS pile).
So, the t-shirt drawer has been tackled, the closets are cleaned out...feels good. I'm definitely in the throes of one of my "We have too much crap!" phases. A conversation with Stef this past weekend revealed the insight that it's a good thing when you can clean out both your physical house and your emotional house. I think they're tied together, at least for me. I know my psyche is much healthier when I'm not surrounded by a lot physically.
I think this is the point where M starts to hide things, just to ensure their safety.
posted by Amy at 10:07 AM
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