Clearing out the Clutter...

I don't know why it is but we seem to accumulate far more stuff than the average person.  Admittedly we moved from a reasonably large house to a tiny, itsy bitsy, teeny weeny little house...lol but still, we have too much.  The last eight years I have spent much of my time packing, moving around, unpacking, changing around and generally trying to fit all that we have into the space that we have,  I just don't get it, we have friends and family who manage to live in the same space we do and everything they own is neatly displayed or packed away.....

So earlier this year I decided that the best solution to my 'neat and tidy', has to be to pack more stuff away.  It worked for a while....then I realized that some of what is packed away, is at times needed.  If I want to make a card then first I have to find the card, then the decorated papers, the glues, stickers, pictures, pens...and so the list goes on.  As each of these things may be packed in different tubs, it means I have to open them all up, find what I want to use and then put them away again.....sigh.  The result is - I now have all these bits and pieces lying around again, not having been packed away.

I have admitted over the years that I suffer from OCD, something I realized fairly early in my marriage, when it annoyed me that my darling husband found anywhere and everywhere to hang stuff, pack stuff or generally leave things lying around.  I have annoyed my family at times to the point of distraction and when they turn to me in exasperation and tell me that something doesn't have to be done in a certain manner, or there is no right or wrong way to doing something, or it doesn't matter if something stays on the counter for a little while, I know I have overstepped the mark and need to back track.  The only area that they know not to fight me about is  keeping things 'germ free'  and clean.  With both Mark and NiQi picking up all sorts of bacteria causing lung infections, I make sure that surfaces are sterilized and clean....a hundred thousand times a day....

I am getting better and as much as it takes everything in my will power to leave things as they are, or just shut up and keep quiet, it is still a problem I have to deal with daily.  So once more I am on a mission to clear the clutter and move things around...Johan's study that he doesn't use anymore is going to become my workroom.  I am making space, packing his files and papers and hauling out my craft materials...hehe