cleaning out

We have a shower stall in the basement that is our dumping ground for everything that is ready to go to Goodwill, friends, or the church. We've joked about putting shelves and racks in it!

I'm forever emptying it and filling it back up again. My goal has been to get it completely empty and claim it as an extra shower in the house for the kids and their friends.

Leave it to my oldest Type A/anal son (You gotta love him) to attack it the other day and proceed to take everything to the Goodwill with my permission.

Believe it or not, it rained and he couldn't work. As I was busily clicking away at my computer I heard him pacing. All I did was ask if he was looking for something to do and he was. So upon my suggestion he went for it. God love him! I think he could go in business getting all of us organized.

Of course he wanted to know if I would pay him. Trust me, I'm happy to give him a few bucks to do that job!

Let's see, what else needs organizing?

Anyone else with a shower stall being used as storage? Come on. Fess up!

Oh, oh someone has been peeping into my guest bathroom where they've seen a lovely floral shower curtain pulled across a bathtub HIDING the foot soak inside and the extra two dozen or so rolls of Scott toilet paper and the 3 extra bottles of Clorox and various other cleaning items. They are all snug inside the tub/shower. Luckily no one needs to take a shower in there since theres a huge walk in shower and garden tub in the master bedroom bath. My guests can use the guest bathroom but No peeking girls...

Yes, and it's the constant butt of my friends' jokes!! We have a 3-bathroom house for 2 people, so my husband uses the downstairs shower for storage. He's a fanatical coupon shopper; if something is a "good deal" he'll go back to the store several times to stock up.

So let's see... (going downstairs to count a few items)...

29 quart boxes of soymilk or rice milk
39 cans of Hansen's Fruit Smoothies
17 incarnations of pasta
at least 50 bottles of water
etc. etc.

and this is above and beyond the multiple items in the closets (most notable: 23 packets of taco or burrito spices. We don't make tacos. We don't make burritos. But they were on sale )

A tad off the subject, but then again, maybe not...A friend of mine's hubby has "Horde's Syndrom." Ever heard of it? I have known this man for years and years but had no idea that what he does actually had a name. I've never seen anyone as bad as him. There isn't one spot in their home that isn't covered with his newspapers, articles, papers, magazines, etc...all stuff he says he wants to read someday or whenever he gets a "round to it." It's incredible. They cannot have company because he won't let her touch anything or move it. She's created him an office before, told him every other part of the house was off limits to him, did a thorough cleaning and got rid of bags and bags of stuff, and within a month, not only has he filled up every single space again, but he's filled up his office as well. This guy is very political and has worked for well-known congressmen and other policitical figures so his work IS important, I realize that and so does his wife...but he is beyond that with his hording of materials...wayyyy beyond. Now he has inched his way into HER space in the house which consist now of one room where her office is and her computer. They have been married for about 35 years and I can tell you the arguments they've had have been over this thing...AND...he has sought treatment and help...nothing works. Now I'm looking around the room I'm in and thinking, what tha hay! I've got it too! LOL!

JJ

My junk pile is huge. We have a 5 car garage and we can hardly get a car in.
I have a trailer in there over flowing with ,my theater stuff. There's a full lighting system, a sound system, costumes, props, and general junk.
My husband has his tractor with a trailer full of junk and a whold grass catcher system. He has a ton of yard tools, plumbing supplies, electircal supplies, pool chemicals, furniture he simply could not part with, and tools, tools, tools.
I have a ton of craft stuff, stuff the kids say they LOVE, but don't want to clutter up their places with.

Generally the garage is a huge pile of junk, but it's our junk so we've decided we just need to ORGANIZE.

Dot's if only your son was closer. We've tried to find a guy just like him around here. So far, we're coming up empty handed. Seems the kids around here simply do not work.
Kind of like the painters, pool men, and floor contractors we've hired. They have broken cars, have to be picked up and taken home, talk a lot, take forever, and work only if it's convenient. Drives me nuts, but that's another topic.
smile

smile, people we hire who don't work...that is another topic.

I wish we did live closer because he's work for you in a second. If you're going to pay him, he'll do it. He loves making money, but still likes to spend ours. He's nineteen.

jawjaw, I couldn't live with someone like your friend's husband. It's possible my older son gets his organizational skills form his mom. that would be me. I have a hard time living in a mess, but I still manage!

Smile, we had a 2 car garage which is now our kitchen. Many years ago we stored all our junk and some of everyone else's junk in our garage. We needed a bigger kitchen so we decided it was cleanup time. We emptied out the garage, cut a hole in the wall and had a new kitchen designed. Just think what you could do with a 5 car garage!

My mom was a little bit of a pack rat. We always teased her about the stuff she saved. When she died we found bags of soaps, lotions, shampoos and conditioners from all the hotels they EVER stayed in. We had to laugh.

The funniest is that in my closet, on the top shelf I have this samll piece of luggage that's full of the same! I'm collecting them for the homeless, but never get around to doing it!

Crazy people, aren't we?