Don't Be That Girl..........

........with the bags of clothing stuffed in her closet, tags still attached.

Forlorn and forgotten.

Hey, life gets busy.

Desperately seeking an excuse for what I found last weekend in my closet!!

Around our house, stuff picks up speed around March, barely allows us a chance to catch our breath in April, and then starts to slow down sometime in mid-May. Everything around the house gets pushed aside as we try to tackle the mound of extracurricular activities vying for our attention every year at this time.

One of the biggest messes I was facing was my closet. I've said numerous times I'm no clean freak, but I DO need order to maintain my sanity. If I can't find what I need in my closet, it signals my body and brain to start the countdown toward my next meltdown. Ask my family: that's not good.

So, I finally settled down enough last Sunday night to tackle the closet mess. I knew I would feel that deeply satisfying rush when it was all completed, but I had NO idea my organizing would lead me to find.....

.....forgotten bags from Goodwill, filled with clothing. Tags still attached.

At this point, I must say life is providing me with at least one good opportunity a week to be ashamed of myself.

We make jokes about the 'shopaholics' who must continually spend money on clothing, then stash the unworn items in the back of their closet, to be forgotten and, perhaps dusted?

In one completely bizarre example of 'check your brain at the door'......several weeks ago I had tried on a truly lovely 'Miss Tina' jeans jacket. Matte gold and leather details really made it something special. It fit me perfectly, except in the shoulders; they needed to be taken in (I have tiny little shoulders, totally out of proportion to my, um, chest). I stood for a long time, looking at my reflection, wondering if it was worth my time and money to take it to my seamstress and have it tailored. I THOUGHT I had just put the jacket back on the rack, and I had obsessed over it every since, wishing I had just gone ahead and bought it. It was gone when I went back to look.

Guess what I found in a bag in the closet?

My only excuse (and it's really not a good one, sigh) is that my marathon '5 minute stops' at Goodwill, when combined with other errands, completely slipped my busy mind, making it very easy to stash those bags without a second thought or glance.

It doesn't make much sense to preach the pros of thrifting as a way to save the planet, if I myself am guilty of mindless consumption. Being a good steward of what I already have? SNORT. What difference does it make to have all my jewelry out where I can see it and wear it regularly, if I'm not practicing the same objective with my clothes?

Thankfully, there were only 3 bags in my closet. Just enough for that fresh shot of 'OH NO!' to hit my adrenaline and blood stream, present some nice surprises (Wow mom! When did you buy me THIS?!).........and provide fodder for yet ANOTHER 'Don't be that girl' blog post -_-