When did this house become so small, so cramped, and so cluttered? Please hold your snickering and mumblings of "it always has been silly," because it really hasn't been. Well, to me it hasn't been. I used to be able to get along quite fine in this house, it was messy but we got along. But really since returning, this place has become unbearable! There is stuff everywhere and nowhere for it to go! Now, being the person with large amounts of summer related time on her hands, I decided to spearhead the effort and try to get the backroom in the basement clear of anything un-craft related so that it could become my mom's private craft area. Once everything was out of there and the room organized, all the random craft things from all over the house could be brought in and out of the dinning room, kitchen, bathroom, her room, the office (you get the picture). Doing this is where I hit my first snag, expensive childhood toys aside, there is the bed. My old bed. Originally, it was brought down when I changed beds from a full to a twin, I guess so that that room could be turned into a guest room. It was only used in that capacity once and has since stayed upright, waiting for its Murphy bed-like day to shine. Now, call me crazy but what part of craft room which my mother insists be her own with a lock on the door so she can have an organized space, sings guest bed. Especially when we have a sofa bed that, suprise suprise, can never be opened up because of all the junk. Anyways, I suggested we get rid of the bed, thinking naively that my parents would also see it as a waste of space. Nope, they kepts saying how it could be unfolded for guests, because you know we have relatives banging down the door left and right to stay with us. Relatives who could never sleep on a sofa bed or the couch. I eventually broakered a deal on this front though, if i can mend the air mattress, we can get rid of the bed. So, about a week ago, I went looking for the air mattress and found it thrown onto the floor of the laundry room under a bunch of boxes. Awesome. I'm also forseeing a fight on the other air mattress. An air mattress that EVERYONE who has slept on the thing has said was wildly uncomfortable. But with all those guests knocking down our door to stay with us might need a place to sleep! God forbid our adult family members spring for a hotel if they show up with all their buddies. The most we ever have up here are my one uncle and two cousins. 1. Sofa bed, 2. Upstairs sofa, 3. Air Matresss once I've fixed it. Done, in the event an aunt should show up as well, kick a kid onto the floor or sleep on my chair all laid out. We are not hosting our entire family in this house, we don't need all this unnessisary bedding!

I am nowhere near being done with this rant but it's 1:42 and i'm tired. So, in summary, I thinking I'm coming accross two basic problems here:

1. Deep-seated childhood issues about keeping things

2. The Fact that my parents have not gone through all their stuff in a very long time. I'm learning that my parents give away in cycles, one round gets rid of some stuff, go back 6 months - 1 year later, get rid of more stuff.


To be continued....