Free and Light Hearted

What a fabulous feeling to de-clutter!  It seems so easy to continue to stockpile but I had a great opportunity to share stuff with others.  We are having our first floor painted and decided it was time to do the closets too.  Sooo, I began the process of thinning out pretending that we were moving into an apartment.  As I began putting items away, I asked myself,  "do we really need this?"  We surrendered 1 pr. high powered binoculars, 2 sets of steak knives (we still have another), and a carving set.  The great news is that one of our children  wanted them.  Then to Goodwill Don loaded his trunk with 1 Bean Crock pot,( the other one went to one of our children) 1 large soup kettle, 2 large frying pans, 5 glass platters, 2 cookie sheets, 1 Battery charger, 4 electrical cords, 1 ice crusher, 2 large glass bowls, 1 large plastic bowl, and two of Don's light weight jackets.  Then today Don took a bag with knick knacks sitting on shelves, an extra set of cutting boards, 2 area rugs, a flannel shirt of Don's, and several picture frames.  I called my sister last week and invited her to our make believe rummage sale.  We had stuff all over the dining room table as Marie was painting in the Living Room.  Before I began putting things back in the medicine closet I called the pharmacist and asked him about the dates on items.  6mos. after the suggested use by date, he said the medicine is still okay but begins to lose it's potency, so I thought to myself, why keep it?  YEAH!  During this time I had the joy of going to the Container Store to get a few items to better view the boxes.  Organization!  I love it.   The frosting on the cake was the generosity of Don as he had three bags for books to be given to family and friends.  His shelves look so breathable.   We now have a new look on the first floor, (the family room will be painted in April or May when the bricks are warmer) and less STUFF.  Thank you God for Spring cleaning.  Does anyone else still do that?  mjk