The Great Clean Out of 2008

I don't usually post about things like this, but it was such a big part of my week that I thought I might as well write about it. The first few days after my parents left, I decided that it was finally time to tackle the ever-growing collections of stuff all around our house. I had let outgrown kids' clothes, not-yet-grown-into kids' clothes, assorted sizes of shoes, and lots of other assorted items pile up for way too long, and it was time to regain control and let some things go.

I sincerely wish I had thought to take some "Before" pictures for you, so you could fully appreciate the "After" shots, but at the time I wasn't thinking that I would be sharing all this excitement with anyone. This first picture is only a partial collection of the giveaway bags. I had already put several others in the car to take to a friend. And the picture below is the new & improved shoe cabinet. Now you can actually find your shoes when you open it up! (Check out Sawyer's new Mater crocs on the bottom row!)
And....drumroll, please...the new & improved kids' closet! (at least it's our Middle Eastern version of a closet). It makes me happy to see empty space in there.
Now, we'll see how long it takes us to clutter it all up again! I'm sure it's just a matter of time.