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[Sherlene]

It is a good feeling isn't it. I'm sure your children will appreciate it too. My folks were Depression/WW2 era kids who lived in poverty and learned never to throw anything away - "you might need it some day."

After Dad passed and Mom went to assisted living, we were left to clear out the house they had lived in for 45 years, OMG what a job. I truly think they kept every thing!

I have learned I don't have to be a hoarder just because my parents were pack rats! Too much stuff is a burden that makes me nervous and unhappy. I am de cluttering now too. Hope I won't need some of that stuff someday LOL!

[PINKdogWOOD]

OMGoodness I am SO envious of you Ms Marky. I sat on my sofa in the living room today just looking around at all of the S T U F F all through my home - a LOT of which really isn't even mine. You know, inherited stuff from mostly my husband's side of the family. I SO want to just pack it all up and get rid of all of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dust collectors as my mother would say. I don't need or want any of it, I am SO done with 'collecting' stuff.

Hubby & I have no kids, he's 62 & I'm 61. We're not getting younger, he's not in the best of health anymore. We also have a garage & a basement full of S T U F F too - tools mostly. He won't part with anything, a real packrat he is!!!! Drives me insane!!!! I have visions of him dying on me and leaving it up to me to rid myself of this S T U F F !!!!! (I say this joking but not really!!!)

Now that I'm retired I could so hit this hard packing up stuff and getting it the heck out of here. Man, to be STUFF-FREE - I can't even imagine...

[GCR18]

It feels wonderful. I used to feel that I needed alot of stuff. A couple years ago, I started decluttering. I had two separate yard sales and in between, trips to goodwill. Things are lean and I love it. I may peal another layer over the summer. Sure I sometimes miss something, but that doesn't happen often.

Great job, keep up the good work.

[brewhaha]

My problem is getting started. But once I get it done, it's a great feeling.

[Helping]

Thanks, RedTop! Your comments are inspirational, too, and hit home with me.

[marky]

On 5/27/2014 pink dogwood said:

a LOT of which really isn't even mine. You know, inherited stuff from mostly my husband's side of the family.

pink dogwood--(love your name)---I, too, inherited things from uncles, grandparents, parents, in-laws, etc. I have been responsible for several family members' belongings after they died. I did keep two framed pictures from my mom that she absolutely loved. We looked at them together many times when she was in failing health and discussed the subject matter. She would tell me all about the history of the item--how, when, why she obtained it and this was bittersweet to hear her sweet memories as she was in the throes of dementia. She could remember everything from the past but nothing from ten minutes ago. It is overwhelming. I just managed to sell two large items of my mother's today. They went to a gentleman that will truly love and cherish them. His eyes actually lit up when he saw the antique dresser. It was my grandmother's and he said his grandmother had one just like it. That made letting the items go much easier. I don't think our parents and other family members would want us to burden our lives and homes with their things but it is very hard to look at one of their cherished items and get rid of it.

One of my most prized possessions is from my mother-in-law who passed away in 1992. It is a plastic slotted spatula/spoon thingy that is discolored and even broken. I love it because I watched her make many, many pitchers of tea using that spoon to stir the sugar. I bet she made a million pitchers using that simple utensil. I keep it displayed along with my everyday utensils and I smile every time I look at it. Those are the types of keepsakes we should cherish and display--the ones that have such sweet memories attached. And you can bet that I use it every time I make my tea, which is often.

[PINKdogWOOD]

Many of the items are very pretty, some may be worth something even but I have no want, desire, use for them. They're in a china cabinet that they had in their home. Hubby's brother didn't want the stuff when we cleaned out their parents' home so we got stuck with it. But hubby's a packrat so he felt he just had to have it. Our home is/was his grandparents' home that they wanted us to have and we LOVE it. When we first moved in we could have filled 2-3 homes with the overload of furniture we had - it was like your's, mine & our's!!!! We live very close to a major college where I worked as well. Had many students I worked with too - furnished many apartments by giving away rooms full of furnishings. They appreciated the stuff and I was glad to help AND get rid of a lot of furniture at least. We kept the antiques and we have many. But it's the little china things, trinkets, STUFF I do not need. I crossed over the line some y ears ago whereby I do NOT NEED this kind of stuff in my life anymore. Understand though that there are items that I would never give away, I think we all feel that way. My mom's collection of Irish belleek are many items that hubby & I bought for her through our years of travels to Barbados. The duty free shops sell this stuff by the droves and dirt cheap too although I could never figure out how or why it was so cheap there - and gorgeous pieces too, almost one of a kind pieces.

I don't know - I just cannot imagine attempting to unload all that we have by myself years down this road. I know what it was like when my parents died and my sister & I had to do this with all of the dust collectors my mom accumulated. What a nightmare! I think truly the worst part of all of this is figuring out what the heck to do with all of it!!! It becomes mind boggling. Sis tried to sell it on ebay, yard sales, auctions but ended up not able to unload much of any of it. The garage was so loaded with tubs of stuff, I still don't think she can park her car in it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It just ends up becoming a very sad situation. Stuff you want & need to get rid of but how.....

[Just Plain Crazy]

On 5/27/2014 marky said:

On 5/27/2014 pink dogwood said:

a LOT of which really isn't even mine. You know, inherited stuff from mostly my husband's side of the family.

pink dogwood--(love your name)---I, too, inherited things from uncles, grandparents, parents, in-laws, etc. I have been responsible for several family members' belongings after they died. I did keep two framed pictures from my mom that she absolutely loved. We looked at them together many times when she was in failing health and discussed the subject matter. She would tell me all about the history of the item--how, when, why she obtained it and this was bittersweet to hear her sweet memories as she was in the throes of dementia. She could remember everything from the past but nothing from ten minutes ago. It is overwhelming. I just managed to sell two large items of my mother's today. They went to a gentleman that will truly love and cherish them. His eyes actually lit up when he saw the antique dresser. It was my grandmother's and he said his grandmother had one just like it. That made letting the items go much easier. I don't think our parents and other family members would want us to burden our lives and homes with their things but it is very hard to look at one of their cherished items and get rid of it.

One of my most prized possessions is from my mother-in-law who passed away in 1992. It is a plastic slotted spatula/spoon thingy that is discolored and even broken. I love it because I watched her make many, many pitchers of tea using that spoon to stir the sugar. I bet she made a million pitchers using that simple utensil. I keep it displayed along with my everyday utensils and I smile every time I look at it. Those are the types of keepsakes we should cherish and display--the ones that have such sweet memories attached. And you can bet that I use it every time I make my tea, which is often.

Marky,

I had a slotted spoon/spatula that sounds the same & one day Mr. Crazy broke it. We have looked and looked for another one but can not come up with one that I like as well. I also have the solid one bought at the same time many years ago and I have threatened Mr. Crazy within an inch of his life to not break that one. Those were and are my go to utensils. Boy I miss that spoon and so does Mr. Crazy. Everytime we are close to a kitchen store, he has to look for another which I know he will never find.

JPC

[marky]

JPC,

I just found one like mine on ebay. Look under "vintage plastic nylon foley slotted spoon scoop utensil.

marky

[Just Plain Crazy]

On 5/28/2014 marky said:

JPC,

I just found one like mine on ebay. Look under "vintage plastic nylon foley slotted spoon scoop utensil.

marky

Thank you marky for finding these for me. I am going to show them to mr Crazy as soon as he gets home. Will have to see if he wants to go that high on one. I think they are darn close to the one he broke except I think the one we had was rounded on the end.

thanks again for the work you went thru to find this spoon. I really do appreciate it.

Hope I can repay the favor someday.

JPC