Once Upon a Time

There was a couple of kids who fell in love. They got married. They had kids.

Lots of kids. Well, not lots as in Duggar lots, but 5 is considered 'gluttony for punishment' by most people who ask the loaded question.

In four more sleeps, this family of seven is moving. We've been in this house for 4 years now, and so we have amassed some considerable... stuff. I thought about keeping a running total on how many bags of stuff was given to the opportunity shop, and how many garbage bags were added to the landfill, but I gave up. Needless to say, we have entirely restocked a Red Cross Shop, just about, and added at least a million years to the decomposition process.

Oh yes. I have been harsh.

I've had to be. In an effort to cut down on costs (because we like to eat, it's a bad habit, I know), and also to help my mother out, because she's going to the UK for 2 years, we are moving our boisterous children out of a house that is starting to feel a little snug into a cottage half the size. And no backyard

*Pause for dramatic effect*

Wait... what's that sound? Oh, that's me in the corner, sucking my thumb and whimpering.

The good thing about mum's place is that it comes with oodles and oodles of built in closets, which is always a plus. The house we are in now has tiny wardrobes in the bedrooms and that is it. No linen cupboard, nadda. However, mums little abode has a kitchen with no pantry and only the under counter cupboards. But there are shelves on the wall, so all is not lost. Although Lilliput did call, they want their kitchen back.

It also gives me an excuse to purchase the buffet hutch I've had my eye on for about 6 moths. And baskets to keep all my food in on the shelves in an effort to keep the kids out of it long enough to actually cook with it.

Back on topic, we've been packing, or attempting to pack, for the last two months. After putting most of the stuff we are keeping into boxes, and then piling it all against the big wall in the lounge room, we're actually wondering why our house was always so messy... there really isn't that much stuff. Either a) all our stuff was on the floor at the same time, b) I've purged 25% of our house or c) I am a MEAN pack rat.

I'm thinking it's d) a combination of all of the above.

I'm on the home stretch now. All that's left are piles of miscellaneous things that we're keeping, but either don't have a category, or there's not enough of it to warrant it's own box. I'm loath to make a Miscellaneous Box, as in my experience (and I am very experienced at moving) misc. boxes are the ones that never get completely put away, but rather rummaged through from time to time, making a mess, until you are 11 years into a relationship and marriage *ahem* and you have stuff that you can't remember why you even remotely thought it was worthwhile keeping, let alone carting from one end of the country to another,

And no... hubby is not in that box.