Less is WAY More

Oh my word! I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this closet-cleaning business!

It was out.......of........control.

I pulled clothes out of EVERYWHERE. Closet, drawers, shelves, laundry baskets, dryer... and this is what I found:

Blue Jeans: 10 pairs (7 of which I rarely wear, 1 maternity)
Athletic pants: 2 pairs (1 of which I rarely wear)
Comfy Pants: 6 (4 of which I rarely wear, I maternity)
Jammie Pants: 14 pairs!!! (8 of which I rarely wear)
Skirts: 14 (12 of which I never wear, but partly due of a lack of matching shirts)
Shorts: 20 pairs!!! (12 of which I rarely wear, 4 maternity)
Slacks: 8 (4 of which I never wear, 4 maternity)
-------------------------------------------
Total Bottoms: 74!!!

Tank Tops/Camisoles/"Beaters": 25 (14 of which I rarely wear, 3 maternity)
Long-Sleeve T-Shirts: 13 (10 of which I rarely wear)
Blouses: 25!!!!! (18 of which I rarely wear, 4 maternity)
Button-Up Shirts: 11 (9 of which I never wear, 2 maternity)
Dresses: 5 (3 of which I never wear, 1 maternity)
Coats/Jackets: 10 (6 of which I never wear)
Sweatshirts/Hoodies: 10 (4 of which I never wear)
Nightgown: 1 (1 of which I never wear)
Sweaters: 14 (10 of which I never wear)
(And the GRAND FINALE)
T-Shirts: 42!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (22 of which I rarely wear, 1 maternity) ---------------------------------------------
Total Tops (incl. dresses, nightgown, and coats): 166!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is so ridiculous! Look at this mess!!!

Isn't it terrible???

Hey look! A baby!


So after pondering whether or not I have enough clothing to dress the entire population of a small country (which I think may be possible), I proceeded to put all of my maternity clothes in one Rubbermaid container and winter clothes in another, then I piled up all of the clothes that I never wear so I can figure out what to do with all of it! I have creative uses for some, like my yet-to-complete plan for making a quilt out of old camp t-shirts, and using other ones to make up some cloth diapers. Maybe I can find a resale store and get some money out of the rest, that way I could move on to Project #2 and start replacing some of the clothes I do have with ones that are in my color scheme (which I also need to figure out). Oh, things to do!

Project #2 will probably be put on hold for a bit though, because right now I am more focused on my experimentation with organic/natural foods. Strange as it sounds, I am having a blast trying new recipes (currently working on some home-made granola...yummy!) and learning about what foods and ingredients are or aren't good for our bodies. I will talk more about my food experimentation at a later time though, because I have a grumpy baby boy that just woke up from his nap and is wanting my attention...

Oh, the joys of being a mommy! :-)

Simplify!

Photo Credit

My goal for the rest of this month? Simplify!

Why? In order to cut the stress along with the clutter! To spend less time looking for things I've misplaced and more time doing things that matter, like spending time with my precious family and serving others!

Americans have so much STUFF! Women pride themselves on how many pairs of shoes they have, men on how many cars, kids on how many toys... I'm beginning to realize that the "stuff" is oftentimes what makes our lives crazier and more stressed out! In my last post I talked about how I think God may be trying to teach me valuable lessons about the difference between "need" and "want" and the joy of contentment. Maybe this is another lesson...that too much stuff can cause stress and get in the way of what is really important.

My first project is to simplify my wardrobe. I have SO much clothing, it is ridiculous! The worst part is that I probably wear 1/4 or less of what I own! It is time to do some serious evaluating of my clothing!

I plan, first of all, to get rid of things that I simply never wear! After that, I am wanting to try to organize my clothes around a color scheme in order to ensure that everything I own (clothes, jewelry, accessories) can be used in some way. If I can't use it, it has to go!

I have gleaned some valuable "simplifying" tips from Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking and I am excited to try simplifying other areas of our home in the near future.

Stay tuned for a detailed description of my wardrobe-simplifying adventure!!! ;-)