These are my confessions...

I like stuff.

There are some things I am proud of (My kids, my marriage, my brain) & then there are things that I hide. I have skeletons in my closet. No, I literally have skeletons in my closet. At least 7 that I can think of off the top of my head (all Halloween decor of course...)

I'm a hoarder. I am. I didn't think I was. I thought I was a 'collector'. But collectors can generally park their car in their garage & walk around in their basement. I couldn't do those things. And I think on some level I always knew it was not OK. Only my closest friends & family ever saw my basement. And then I got pregnant with Molly & I was suddenly aware of all my 'stuff'. I was aware that in order to fit Molly into our lives, some of my 'stuff' would have to go. And as I began to pack up my scrapbook room I was struggling to part with things, even things I didn't use. And even worse, I had to find somewhere to move all of my stuff to. It was a disaster. And one day my mom said to me "Haley, if you don't get this done before Molly comes, you'll never get it done." And I was hurt. I felt she was right. So when I made barely any progress & suddenly Molly had arrived, I sort of gave up for a while. And then I got cable. And I saw the show Hoarders. And Wowsers. It inspired me.

So I've been cleaning (that's an understatement). And I somewhere amongst all the stuff, I made a breakthrough. I was tossing things away at a breakneck pace. And finally, I can see progress.


It's really not hard to be a Hoarder & a Scrapbooker. The two really do go hand-in-hand. My focus now, and for the past 2 years, has been to use what I have. And it's working. But that wouldn't have been enough for me. So instead I gave stuff away. As much as I could, to anyone who would take it. And I sold a couple things. And now, when I look at my scrapbook space, I feel relieved... and dare I say, Inspired? I got rid of my big Cricut, the small one seems to be all I need. And I scaled back embellishments until they all fit into 5 medium-sized bins (pictured above). And now it's so much easier to find 'the perfect touch' for the layout I am working on.

I still have a lot of stuff, more than most. I like stuff. And I definitely attach emotion to my things. I am sure that one day Brian hopes he can use our dresser to set things on, but for now, I am happy to have it full of framed memories. I think he looks forward to the day when there isn't a bunch of lavender within arms reach, everywhere in our house (I find this sooo therapeutic & calming when I'm stressed or sad to roll the buds in my hands and take a deep breath). But I also think that having 'fall decor' in our house to celebrate the changing season is what makes us feel at home. So I plan to find a balance. And I think I am well on my way there. (9 trips to the salvage center helps...)

I do want to leave my children with memories and maybe even some fabulous scrapbooks, but not a house full of crap to haul to the dump...