"OMG you have a lot of STUFF"

Gee, thanks Ms. Realtor Lady.

She was nice overall, but that line did not win her points in my RRS (Realtor Ranking System. Which I just invented on the spot to mark her down 50 points for that line.)

Semi-Nice Realtor Lady cold-called me last week to tell me about a local open house. I take any serendipitous events like that, when I'm in the middle of a multi-novena to St. Joseph for house concerns, seriously. So after chatting for a few minutes we agreed to get together yesterday. She looked around our house, gave us some advice, and begged us on bended knee to become our realtor left her card and asked us to think over contracting for her services.

But that's not why I started this post. When she opened the door to the unfinshed side of our downstairs (raised ranch/split foyer remember: upstairs is all finished, downstairs is part finished part butt-ugly unfinished), she walked in to the "basement," wide-eyed, and said "Oh my GOSH you have a lot of STUFF!!" To which I replied, "No, not really, we just have no where to keep everything!"

Which is for the most part true. 95% of the kids clothes are in that room on racks (Family Closet). Our file cabinets are down there. A big table for messy crafts. Our pantry on open shelves. Another open shelf with games, toys, and pool stuff. File cabinets. A few book cases. Dress ups.

I guess compared to the average world citizen, we have way too much, but compared to the average American family, we really, really don't. There is just no place to put it all in this house with tiny closets.

But I probably STILL have too much. Things I don't need. I'm going to challenge myself to get rid of another 27 things today (my Flylady roots are showing). Anyone with me?

BTW, my favorite house (with the big closet) has been put under contract. My second favorite house (the one with the stream) has been taken off the market or sold (not sure which). There is not much else out there that is affordable, with big enough rooms for our family (i.e. if we want to be cramming kids in tiny rooms we might as well just stay where we are). The realtor made it sound so easy: "You just sell your home and then pick one of the homes available, there are so many!" But the "so many" are not what we want. We don't want the beautfiul house on the nasty street where a chemical spill happened 5 years ago, or the too expensive home on the even more expensive street, or the just right house next to the future gang memebers. Or too big, or too small, or too hilly, or too...I don't know...totally boring. I am hoping that my multi-novenas to St. Joseph will be fruitful and something perfect for us will come on the market just when we need it.

St. Joseph, pray for us all.

ETA: I was shocked how easy it was to hit 27 things to give away this time. 10 items from my closet (just how *does* one gather three different black turtlenecks?) 10 from the girls/boy, and another 7 manuals to things we no longer own. :) And by easy I mean it was all there for me to gather *easily*. It is not necessarily easy to give away that nice light blue shirt I bought with my hard earned money that never sits right on me and always needs ironing, or the L.L. Bean black turtleneck that dh always compliments (even though I now have a new one almost exactly like it given as a Christmas present). That's hard.

I think that's going to be my new decluttering motto.

It's hard.
Do it anyway.

:)