Overwhelmed

Today, my Mom, Jenni and Jenni's Mom came over to help me finish clearing out the craft room to make room for the new nursery.....all I can say is that my back is killing me and I can barely move!! We worked for hours, hauling things out of the craft room and closet and up the stairs to the play room which will now be both the play room and the scrapbooking space....how? I have NO idea. We did get a lot accomplished....the baby's closet is completely clear and there are just a few boxes left in the nursery that Johnny will have to bring upstairs. The problem is that in cleaning out the room I was faced with just how much STUFF I have accumulated, and it is quite depressing!! My mother said that I was never allowed to buy another scrapbooking item as long as I live :)

At first it was sort of funny, but after countless trips up the stairs taking paper, embellishments, stickers, photos, etc...... I just got completely overwhelmed! What I realized, is that I have so much stuff (and this applies in other areas, not just scrapbooking: pillows, picture frames, decorative accesories, etc...) that I am not really able to even enjoy it. I can't be excited, for example, when my new Jenni Bowlin kit comes in the mail, b/c it just makes me think of all the other kits that I have yet to even open much less use. I just have too much stuff and I have got to get back to basics.

I have been trying to think of the lesson here and where to even begin to try and remedy this little situation. What I really want is a space where I can create layouts and other craft projects that inspires me instead of reminding me of all the projects I haven't begun or that are still unfinished. I think maybe I got sucked into the allure of the products instead of focusing on what I really need to preserve our memories. It all seems pretty silly really. A pretty petty problem to have, but I realized after today that it has become a problem if only b/c it is making me feel overwhelmed and has taken the joy out of something that I used to enjoy. So now that things are much clearer and almost all contained upstairs, tomorrow I will start to go through each and every thing and decide if it is adding to my joy or sucking it out. Hopefully I will remember to take some pictures along the way to document this little journey. I am still sad to be giving up the craft room, but Oh so very grateful that it will soon be filled with all things little boy :)