Closet cleaning surprises

We moved 1 1/2 years ago.  Today I took the time to start cleaning out the shelves of my closet.  I've heard that you should do a closet clean out every 6 months.  I'm 2 cleanings behind, just since we've moved. 

In my defense, I do that with the seasonal clothes and shoes that I wear all the time, but I just look past the other 75% of the stuff in there.  Sad, really.  Oh well.  With 3 little kids running around and a husband that likes to work towards his dream of being a farmer, things like a tidy closet just don't make the top of the to do list.

So, I asked Aaron today if I could have some time alone to start working on my closet.  He suggested I work really hard on it for 10 minutes, cleaning out stuff I know goes somewhere else.  In 2 10 minute chunks, I got a ton done.  I feel really good about the progress.  I also get to go to The Container Store on a MDO day and I'm all kinds of pumped about that.  Seriously--I love that store.  Everything in there is so calm and peaceful.  I think my mansion in heaven will look just like that.  Nice thought.  I also found some sweet reminders of good times gone by.

Like clothes I got when I lived in Spain 11 YEARS AGO that I don't wear.  Lovely things, and yes, they still fit, but they're just out of the rotation now.  Into the Goodwill bag they went.  A pair of pointy toed boots with a ridiculous heel that I wore from time to time pre-kids but always hurt my feet.  Aaron isn't impressed with them, they're not really in style anymore and I'm past a point in my life where making my feet hurt is OK with me as a sacrifice for style.  But the best treasure was a little bag with hearts all over it.

When I had baby #3, a dear friend organized a shower for me.  He came a bit early--week 36--and even though all was well (thank the Lord for that blessing) she hadn't had time to finalize the party details.  So, we had a sip n see party where close friends could come by the house and visit.  It's ironic--I remember her bringing way too much food for the number of ladies who came and feeling let down that the attendance was so sparse.  But, she had them all write a little tidbit of advice for me.  Today I stumbled onto those tidbits.  What a blessing.  Sweet messages from friends that at that time were close to me, but now some of them I haven't seen in some time.  What a beautiful reminder of a precious moment in my life. 

I'm so glad I started cleaning out my closet.  Of course, much work remains to be done, but it's nice to take a moment and celebrate a cherished memory.