10+ Things

"I mean...um...I don't know where to start," I stammered, my heart picking up pace but my body remaining rigid as my husband and I stared blankly at the mounds of things that surrounded us.

Early spring had sprung a wintry mix day, rendering us to the indoors, which means we had no other excuses to avoid the house projects that were piling up around us. One of them being to begin listing all the Craig's List items from the basement, as well as create a rowdy playroom area and P90X station. While it all seemed like a grand idea, it was overwhelming. Like drive to Casey's gas station and begin eating chocolate and drinking soda while rocking in a corner overwhelming.

So instead, we broke it into small steps: 10+ things a day. Toss or donate. Live simpler. Enjoy abundantly. Doing the math made me excited: this could mean 3,500+ fewer things in our home by New Year's Eve!

So it began and with renewed passion I cleared the sink area in our master bath, instantly meeting the daily quota with the tossing of old nail polish. Then came a quick clean sweep of flops and shoes I knew didn't qualify as appropriate footwear anymore. Plus a few baby items with too many stains to make the cut.

And just like that, nearly 100 items were gone.

If only weight loss were that "easy"...

I've decided that if items toss exceed 10 in a day, it doesn't count toward the next in an effort to keep the momentum going. I can only hope this drive continues as the days get longer, the sun peeking out and happy hour on the porch calling my name.

Here's to less stuff at the Team Choate house in 2014!

PS: let me know if you're interested in any of the home decor you've seen in our home over the years. Likely it's being prepped for the garage sale in April!