Where did we get all this stuff?

Maybe I'm nesting. Or maybe I'm just tired of the messes. Either way, I'm trying to clean up the house and my continual realization is that we have too much stuff!

I wouldn't call myself a pack rat but I love memory reminders. I have recently come across boxes in the basement with pictures that flooded me with memories of high school, college and even elementary school. Among the photos are awards, stuffed animals, t-shirts and other items that remind me of a life that past not that long ago but feel lifetimes away. But where do you draw the line? Looking at all this stuff is amazing for me but at what expense do I continue to take up space in the basement? Is it okay to keep some of these boxes in the corner to pull-out every once in awhile and once I'm gone, let someone else throw them away?

Having a semi-finished basement is a fabulous place to store as much as we want without people seeing it. However, I don't want to think of that as my savior because when we DO finish off the basement, we'll have a kid, or two, to manage while I weed through it all. Then I might toss things I don't want to get rid of because I don't have time to deal with it. But maybe that's the answer?

Ugh. I don't know. I just want a clean house for the New Year that stays clean for more than a day or two. I want ONE closet in our bedroom. I can do without the one on the bedroom floor and the one growing out of the tub in our bathroom. I want a kitchen counter that doesn't get covered in crap when Shaun comes home from work. I want things have a place. I want to get back to the days where I would clean-up every Sunday and it only took an hour or so to do the whole house.

I guess I want a lot. And, sitting here telling you about it isn't helping clean the house. So, off to organizing I go.