No Binging, Just Purging

The dreaded time has come to trade out my clothes for the next season. Our closet isn't big enough to hold enough clothes for all seasons, so we just take it the 2 seasons at a time- you know- dead of winter (50 degrees) and summer (104 degrees).

It is definitely sweater time here and I have been pulling them out of big rubbermaid containers in my hall for fear of what I knew had to be done. The purge.

I didn't just need a swap in/ swap out this time, I was in need of a Stacy-and-Clinton-esque re-haul (if only I had the money that comes along with that) because of all the crapola that has been accumulating in my closet. I've been gently purging over the years, but not enough to make a difference.

Here's the problem: I completely and totally relate to clothes as if they are humans.

I know that sounds crazy, but hold on.

Almost every piece of clothing in my closet has a story or a memory attached to it. They all make me feel a certain way and most of them can be traced back a long way- like old friends. I have pants that I wore on my first job and felt so smart in (grey slacks- still fit!!). There's the sweater that I was wearing when we told our Sunday School class we were expecting Owen (pink turtleneck). I think the outfit from when I first met Jason (navy sleeveless top and khaki shorts) is long gone, but it's still etched in my memory- along with many of the date outfits I scrutinized and hurriedly threw on before he arrived.

A royal blue dress that I wore to our senior formal is still here and I will never part with that one. I worked so hard to fit in it (with Donna) and I felt like I was on top of the world. We were on top of the AmSouth building in downtown Montgomery, so we actually were pretty close.

I had on a purple top when Jason proposed on the beach. I wore a peach shirt the day I went in to have Owen and a white one for Harris- both with grossly large maternity shorts that I still wore back home. I can also recall what I was wearing when I did embarrassingly stupid things or stuck my foot in my mouth. This is generally pretty often, so I've got lots of stories in that section of the closet.

I remember that I had on a khaki pants suit at my Grandfather Hart's funeral. And a black maternity dress (that was on loan from Emily) at my Big Daddy's funeral- and the only pair of maternity panty hose I could find in town. I had just had Harris the day before my mom called to tell me that my Other Mama unexpectedly died. I just remember sobbing into my blue print hospital gown- and realizing that I wouldn't get to talk with her about this precious new baby. Not on this side of heaven, at least.

Most of these aren't even memories from pictures, but they are just tangled up there in the cobwebs of my mind. It's like the lyrics to Achy Breaky Heart or Ice Ice Baby- they just don't leave. You're welcome. Hope you enjoy singing those.

For years, I had been thinking things like, "I wore that skort around summer 1998 when I met Jason's parents, so it might come back in style in just a couple of years". But, after a reality check, I decided to do a big purge tonight and this is what's leaving and going to find a new home at Goodwill:

You can't see most of this stack, but here is a side shot of the pile with some really interesting jeans in there (pink sweater on top right is the Sunday School announcement one):

I've built myself up for this all day. You know you will not wear these clothes again. You can do it. It will feel good. The clothes aren't the memories... you will still have the memories.

But it's still hard. I'm looking at the pictures now thinking "I should take those to a consignment shop and sell them! There's some good stuff in there!", but I know it would never get done. They would continue to live here and suck up space in my closet or garage.

So, here's the final product. My side of the closet:

I'll have to see what stories come from this group. It looks pretty promising. I can already see the outfit I'm wearing to one of my best friend's wedding this weekend. And look at all those camis! Woohoo! Wait- those are undershirts. Nevermind...

It might actually exist!

I don't believe in many things: the Loch Ness monster, horoscopes (how can you possibly tell what every single person born in a certain month is going to do that day?) and the perfect purse. But, yesterday I snuck out in between Jason getting home and dinner and went to a little boutique called J. Whitener. (If you are in Huntsville, you should go there- it's in that shopping center by NeoMode and Ethan Allen.) In this boutique/ store, they may have what might be my best find in a while. MY NEW PURSE!!!:

I am super purse picky and have many qualifications. Here they are:

1) Must have flat bottom (unlike owner of purse) to be able to put it down.

2) Must be made of durable fabric (preferably leather) because I am hard on purses.

3) Must have a zipper to close the purse all the way because I have lost a LOT of things- especially on airplanes and in my car.

4) I prefer one strap to 2 because that second darn strap always falls off my shoulder.

5) Must be able to pick up and put on shoulder with one hand because I always have a baby, lunchbox, something else in the other hand. (This is one of the toughest qualifications. Many a good prospect has failed b/c of this. I do a test in the store and if it hits my elbow when I'm putting it on with one hand, then it's a loser.)

6) Can't have too many pockets because I lose stuff in there when I think I'm doing good separating. This is always frustrating. This purse was on the border of too many pockets, but I went for it anyway because of the other qualifications being met.

7) Has to be big enough to hold wallet, phone, sunglasses, lipstick bag, pen bag, baby socks, rattles, games, snacks, etc- whatever I need that day.

They had this purse in many colors and I went with the camel because fall is around the corner and I thought it could work with summer and fall.

And, I know this wallet doesn't match, but it was so cute and I wanted one of those long thin wallets that looks like it doesn't hold anything, but it does! This has all the contents of my previous wallet (that I couldn't close) in there:

And it can double as a bag if I'm headed to a party (like that happens a lot). It just doesn't hold passies, wipes, bits of cheerios or M&Ms for potty rewards (don't think I didn't eat those at the bottom of my old purse when I was cleaning it out this morning- I'm shameless)...

The War in {my} Wardrobe- Part 2

Yesterday afternoon, I was exhausted from kiddos and work and I think Jason can sense these things when he walks in the door. Maybe it could have been the tears or the loud sighing at going to the potty for the third time with Owen in 30 minutes with no result.
Anyway, my wonderful hubby walked in and said "LEAVE"- or I think he said it much nicer, but that's all I heard. I was out the door on my way to Marshall's for returns.
OK- here is the stuff I found:

I knew I only had a short time before dinner, so I loaded up the buggy with anything I could think of that might fit/ look decent and I ended up taking 24 things to the fitting rooms. I told myself the men's and children's section was out of bounds and I had to focus just on me. This is harder to do than you think! The girl at the fitting rooms was super nice and I think could tell I wasn't going to steal anything, so she let me take TEN items in at a time! Woohoo! Small things, right?

Out of those 24 items, I came home with 5 tops and 1 pair of pants (the other in the pic is the one pair that mom got that fit). Most of the items were $9.99 or $14.99 and I only ended up spending $13 of my own money after the $80 gift card from returns (thanks, again, Mom!), so I think I did a pretty good job! All things fit properly and the pants are a size 8 10, so I've still got a little ways to go before my goal of fitting properly back in an 8 (or smaller would be fine, too).

Thanks for your support and encouragement! I'm so glad everyone else feels my pain. We can all work on it together! Now, the search for khaki shorts continues! Along with the search for the perfect purse... does it exist?

The War in {my} Wardrobe

Let me start by saying that we are blessed beyond all belief. We worship an amazing God in a free country, have healthy children, enjoy life and are truly and overwhelmingly blessed.
With all that said, I'm having some clothing issues lately that you might be able to appreciate. I've had my fair share of thin and thick times. But being pregnant really throws me for a loop in the clothing department. Now that it's super hot (even for really cold-natured me), I'm looking for shorts every morning.
I didn't have regular shorts last summer because I was pregnant. The summer before that I was a size 14 (thick time). The summer before that I was pregnant (REALLY thick time). And the summer before that was 4 years ago and apparently colored bottoms were in fashion then- or at least I thought they were. I have blue, red and hot pink capri pants. Really??
So, for my options in the morning, I have cotton T-shirts that I've bought at Target under the guise of "Grocery Money" and size 14 shorts/ size 10 light denim capris from 5 years ago- some of both pleated. I have started coming downstairs every morning and asking Jason if I should be allowed out of the house in the current ensemble. Most of the time his answer is NO. He has turned into Clinton Kelly.
My favorite shorts right now are baggy, pocketed Columbia shorts that I bought in *gasp* 1998 at Sikes & Khon's while I was in college. They fit (good news), but they are so far out of style and make me look huge (bad news).
Apparently my mom noticed my dilemma while she was here because she went out one afternoon and came back with a slew of clothes for me from Marshall's! THANKS, MOM! Unfortunately, only one pair of pants fit because I'm a little off balance lately. It might be that the clothes were from Marshall's, too, but I feel like my torso has gotten longer and my hips wider with each pregnancy. Can anybody hear me?
What's a girl to do?
Here's the answer: new wardrobe. If only one could afford that. I do need to go What Not to Wear, though and ditch the current clothes (2 closets full) to make myself only wear the stuff that fits.
In the meantime, I'm headed to Marshall's to make some returns in hopes for one pair of khaki shorts from this century and maybe a cute shirt to look "modern" and not mom-dern.
Fashionista- can't wait for your advice!