stuff

As of yesterday, our basement project is finally and totally done! Friday morning the carpet was installed at the same time the gutters were being replaced, which is actually an unrelated project, but it made for quite a noisy morning. We are all totally thrilled at the finished product; Daniel even got up early this morning just to roll around on the new carpet.

Now, of course, the task begins of getting Our Stuff in order and figuring out where it's all going to go. My in-laws are coming for a 10-day visit next weekend, so we have a hard and fast deadline, and I think it's going to take at least the whole week to get situated. I have to admit that the whole prospect has been rather stressful for me. We're a family of four living in a very small house, and while a finished basement with a second bathroom (oh, how we love the second bathroom!!) makes things a whole lot better, it doesn't exactly give us unlimited space. Lately I've been feeling anxious about how much Stuff there is and Where it's Going to Go, and this being me, I have been reflecting a lot on consumerism and excess and the American lifestyle...and really, there's nothing new to say about that. Basically, it boils down to this: I don't want to have too much stuff, excess bothers me, but damn is it hard when you have two kids.

Also, more living space means less storage space, so despite the many discussions we've had about where this and that will go, and how much room to allow for a computer desk downstairs and is a second TV and sound system really necessary? really? and whether or not I will get a corner to set up my sewing machine, I have kind of avoided the issue of The Stash. It's kind of like the elephant in the room, by which I mean, if you piled up all the yarn I have it would be a mound approximately the size of an elephant. Maybe a baby elephant, but still. It's a little much. I am not going to feel guilty about it because my stash gives me inspiration, and I've never been irresponsible about spending, but given the reality of our living space and how much yarn I've got, it might be time to pare down a little. I could probably still be inspired with a little less yarn, is all.

I'm not sure yet if this means I should do another give-away, or try and sell some off (I don't do ebay because I don't want to ship to strangers, and I have varying success with craigslist) or just not buy yarn for a while. I haven't bought much lately anyway, but going cold sheep might be in order while I figure this out.

In any case, the vast majority of what I've got has been sealed up in the shed outside since last fall, so maybe what's old will feel new again!