Around this time of year I typically write a New Year's Resolutions post. This year, instead of writing about what I resolve to do, I decided to do it.

My resolution for 2010: less stuff.

Living in the family room during the kitchen renovation (more later!) has made me realize I have a lot of stuff. It's nice stuff, but there's a lot of it.

But it was not just living in the family room that motivated this mini-epiphany. It was my new favorite TV show.- Hoarders. These are people with serious stuff problems. Fortunately I don't have a problem with cats or overflowing toilets, but I have a way more stuff than I can possibly organize.

So I attacked 1) the TV area and 2) the Stash of Doom. The TV area wasn't so hard (once I accepted the fact that I didn't need to save all those episodes of X-Files I'd taped back in the '90s). I Freecycled three bags of videotapes and a bunch of cassettes.

Neat! Organized! Happy!

The Stash of Doom was harder. I love my stash. I had squirreled away nearly every knitting and crochet tool imaginable in that room, along with enough yarn to supply three or four of me. It was so cluttered I used it to hide Christmas presents. Who would be able to see them?

Bertha gazes disapprovingly at the clutter.

The problem was that I could no longer find anything. There was just too much yarn. *gasp* Did I really say that?

Freecycle to the rescue. I put out the call and found four worthy knitters who could take my mismatched balls of acrylic blend. I also freecycled the fun fur and fizz. I think I'm past that now.

Bertha is happy.


Best of all, I can see all my pretty yarn.