THE NEVER-ENDING GOODBYE

The never ending goodbye, this is how a down-sizing, retiring, cross country move feels like to me. I am thankful that we have had a lot of time to purge and pack rather than a lot of people who have had to just throw stuff into boxes and move in two weeks. We've been allowed time to really go through our stuff with a critical eye and have true evaluation but I still find myself reluctant to part with some things playing the "what if I need these?" scenario in my brain. Dave and I have both agreed we will undergo a second purge once we begin opening boxes at the house. Myself personally, I know I will undergo yet another purge once my creative studio is remodeled next Spring.

The purging began right after Christmas when I was evaluating and then organizing and packing up the Christmas decor. On a side note, I'm actually considering decorating the house for Christmas in September. Dave will be coming back to Texas after two weeks but I will be up there an extra week. Once he retires and we make the final drive, we will arrive just a couple of days before Thanksgiving and it would be nice to have everything done except for getting our tree. I don't anticipate that everything will be unboxed and set up in September but I can see myself needing a break from the tediousness of it all. Christmas is such fun for me and I would love to surprise Dave!

I FINALLY finished purging and packing the kitchen. It was overwhelming for many reasons; guessing what you can live without for the next four months, what you can donate when you make the final drive and what you use regularly but has to fit into the car so you don't look like the Clampett's truck in "The Beverly Hillbillies" with belongings attached all over it! It took me a while but I finally finished it yesterday. I purged pantry items and canned goods as well, then scrubbed down the shelving.

The pantry before, a hot mess! Knowing that I was having to purge through it, I had just crammed stuff inside there after the last couple of trips to the grocery store.

I plan to write down all the information on the pantry door from measuring kids and grandkids over the years and transfer it to butcher paper, then hang it on the inside of the closet door up at the house.

I have dwindled down our serving ware to some inexpensive plastic stuff along with paper plates and bowls.

Purging the canned goods was easier because I've not been restocking them the way I usually do, knowing that I was needing to dwindle my supply.

I have to admit, I am glad to have finally put the kitchen project behind me. Today I will start on my stuff in the bathroom and then my closet...I'm glad I am off of work this week!