Packing, Packing and More Packing

I have been in denial about my packrat ways... Jason is right... I am a terrible hoarder of junk... maybe the worst I know. Surely I must be the worst I know.
We are in the midst of packing. I have been going thru the house one room at a time going thru every cabinet, drawer, file, pile, etc. I don't even want to admit to how many trash bags I've filled up in just 2 days. And I'm barely half way thru the house!! I am recycling all that I can, but most junk just can't be recycled. If garage-sale-ing is considered recycling, then some of it could still qualify!
Julie has gotten lots of good sturdy boxes for us from the store, so that has been very helpful.
I have the kitchen all done, the bathrooms all done. The office is at least 3/4 done. Still have to tackle Jason's desk and the closet. Our nightstands in our bedroom have been gone thru. Still have to tackle the laundry closet- which should be very quick since it's so small! I cleaned and organized our master bedroom closet a few weeks ago, so it's going to be very quick to pack up. The boys' room is what I'm most dreading. I know they have too many toys, but it's so hard for me to part with them because I know how much they cost and how much they enjoyed playing with them (if only for a time). So, that will have to be done when they're no where around or they'll never let me get rid of anything. A lot of it will go to the garage sale pile, I'm sure. Last year when we did that, they were cool with the toys being sold because we told them that some other children who couldn't afford a toy like that would love to have it. And we told them they could have the money from the sold toys. They each ended up with $10, so they thought that was pretty cool! And we ended up giving most of the toys away when kids came to the sale, so they felt really good about that!
I'm a little worried that the stacks of boxes that are labeled to go with us to the apartment is getting too large... I'm worried about not having enough room. Although, I'm trying really hard to bring only what's absolutley necessary, or something that could be needed soon. Last thing I want to do is to go out and buy stuff (particularly bathroom, kitchen and office stuff) that I already have...
The house projects are coming along nicely. Jason and one of his employees put all new boards and hardware on the front of the privacy fence/gates. It looks so nice! He also removed the plants in the front yard landscaping that died this year due to the heat and our neglect in watering them. There were only a few, but it looks much better with those removed. We plan to get some new ones to replace them and it will look really nice. Jason's dad has come every day this week to help us finish up the sheet rock and it is almost done. Just have to do the texturing of the ceiling and walls and then we're ready for flooring and fixtures!
When I walk in and see it looking like it's almost done it brings tears to my eyes. For years, I've dreamed of having that extra space. We planned out every square foot very carefully to get exactly what we wanted. And now, after all of this hard work, time and money, someone else is going to get to enjoy it instead of me. I'll be living in a 900 sq ft apartment...
But, such is life and I will repeat that we're doing just what we're supposed to, and have faith that God has bigger and better things in store for us somewhere down the line!
The apartment is supposed to be ready sometime this week, so onward with the packing until the big move. I can't wait to get it all done and be able to relax a little bit... yeah right! School and fall sports are starting, so I'm sure my relaxing won't last for long. Good thing I like to stay busy!