This time every year I want to dig through everything I own and throw at least half of what’s stuffed, crammed and wedged into closets, cabinets, and the garage. It’s so frustrating looking for something I know I have one of, only to find everything but that one thing, especially when it comes to clothes. I've found it’s best to wait until Mother’s Day to bring my summer clothes up from the downstairs closet and take the winter clothes down. In Missouri you’re only guaranteed cold in January and hot in August then sometimes that’s not the case.

Jill was unloading the dishwasher when she was here. “Mom it’s official, you’ve turned into the little old mug lady. Why do you have so many mugs and how do you fit them in this cabinet,” she asked, like I could qualify for one of those before and after shows about hoarding.

“I like to bring home a mug from places I’ve been and I do have a method to my madness. I can fit every one of them in. Besides how many times are they all clean at the same time. Some of them are always in the dishwasher. Just be glad I’m not the little old cat lady,” I answered.

I probably do need to get rid of some of the mugs. Tossing out three year old magazines and expired things in the medicine cabinet would be smart too. I’ve read it’s best to just tackle one room at a time. The problem is I start sorting and get distracted looking at things and remembering where they came from or where I wore something. I was going through books at the end of the year and sat down and read for an hour. Maybe I need to set a timer like mothers do for kids doing chores.

Why do we all have so much stuff? My friend Amy lived in a temporary house for nine months with most of her things in storage. She said the only thing she missed in all that time was one cookbook. She couldn’t even remember what had been packed away when they moved into their new home.

I used to sneak stuffed animals out of Jill’s room and keep them in the attic just so there would be room on her bed for her to sleep. Over several months, if she never mentioned them, they showed up at the Pink Door Thrift Shop. Not once did she miss a single one.

I guess I should just dive into the spring cleaning. So today I’ll attack the kitchen cabinets to see what I can do without. I'd better keep an eye on my mugs. The next time Jill visits she might hide some of them to see if I notice they’re missing.