If you clear out anything now you aren't going to be a head of the curve as it just gives your husband the opportunity to continue to shop and fill those new open spaces. The burden is going to be on you whether you address it now or later and I'm thinking it will be even more of a burden right now as you will have to be dealing with your husband telling you "can't sell that." I'm still circling back to putting it in your will with the directive that the kids be responsible for calling someone to handle it. They can decide whether they want to call and just hire someone or interview several companies. Companies come and go and who you may pick out now may not be around when the time comes for this process to take place. Keep in mind that is not a burden on them because I'm guessing that monies brought in from the sale of these items will be divided up among them. And down the road if your husband has passed and you still want to sell some of it, you still can do that.

On a side note, my father in thinking that he is getting his affairs in order has signed a contract with a Realtor to sell his house after he passes which could be another 10 yrs or so. He did this against my and my siblings advise as we want to hire someone that we interview and are comfortable with when the time comes. Not someone that he decided he "liked" for whatever reason at the moment. Plus, things change and what maybe the right "terms" now may not be the same down the road. I want to control the situation not my dad from the grave.

You have lovely things, and if they bring YOU joy, then enjoy them. I had to cleaned out my parents house as a 32 year old with 2 young children and did what I had to do. I feel that the kids of today want everything handed/given to them, and feel no responsibility or sense of obligation to the parents that raised them. Try to go room by room spending 2 hours each day going through things that you really don't need and won't miss if it's gone. You can then donate to Goodwill for someone else to enjoy. If you do a little each day, soon you won't believe how much you can really accomplish. Keep the things you and your husband really find meaningful, but get rid of the things that are really just clutter. Trust me, the men usually don't want to get rid of anything, but rarely know when it's gone. Do your best and don't worry so much about what the kids will have to do. They are young enough to handle it and it's good sometimes for them to have to step up to the plate. Good luck to you.

I was in your children's position when my parents died as my mother had been a collector of just about everything.

My suggestion is to go through everything and organize pictures, memorabilia and the like. Luckily I had lots of time to go through EVERYTHING in my parents' place before it was sold since there was no financial pressure and I lived relatively nearby.

However, my parents - especially my mother - saved everything. There were hospital bills from my grandfather's surgery in 1957 and so I had to weed through every single box and file - and go through every single piece of paper and photograph to make sure that I wasn't tossing anything out that was meaningful. My parents - like most in the pre-digital era - had boxes of photos which were disorganized. I had to go through each photo and tossed those which I had absolutely no recognition of. If they had no significance to me, they certainly would have no significance to anyone else.

It's also helpful to weed through clothing - again I felt I had to go through everything to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

Honestly the furniture and other items that were displayed were the least of the issues. I hired a company who handled most of the estate sales in their area and they took care of everything. They contacted an antique person for the big items - the rest of the stuff was put for sale in a two day estate sale - a "junk" type of dealer took most of the rest and they handled donations for what he didn't take.

I was the sole heir so there weren't any disputes about who was getting what. However, it probably is a good idea to ask your kids now what, if anything they want, and attach it to your Living Trust - you do have one of those, I hope. Thankfully my parents had set up everything with an Inter VIvos Trust - I was a Trustee and so at least the administrative/financial parts of the estate were seamless as I had the ability to write checks etc.

If you and your husband are happy, be happy with your stuff. Let your husband continue his hobby. The kids are grownups and there are a lot of them. They can handle this on their own when the time comes. You don't need to do a darn thing except note when someone has said they want something when you do estate planning.

Don't feel guilty!

(There is always the possibility that one of both of you will need to move for care in the future and at that point, it'll be time to make arrangements to clear things out.)

So as a child who’s parents are considering some of the same issues... I want them to be comfortable and happy. There is a big difference of an overstuffed home and your very cared for home. Enjoy your items, enjoy gifting them to others that appreciate them...and give up things that become overwhelming.

Your home looks lovely and not cluttered at all. Definitely not overcrowded. I think you should not worry about this. Hopefully your children are not pressuring you. This is your home. While I understand that you do not want to burden the children, I say enjoy your home and your possessions. Living your life to the fullest makes most sense to me.

I see it slightly different. The children will be getting an inheritance from the sale of the home and your other assets. Since it is more than one child, how much time would each need to spend to go through the house and clean it out? I promise you based on the appearance of your rooms (all of which are very LOVELY), they will benefit financially once the house is sold.

I know parents don't want to be a burden on their children, but to me they should want you and your husband to be happy surrounded by his things.

You can begin cleaning out old papers.

Thank you so much happy2b..gw...we love our home and we’re so worried that we are going to be a burden. I am so encouraged by the feedback I am getting regarding the stuff we are leaving behind. I just need to get a plan set up with an estate auction site to help get rid of our treasures. The kids kiddingly say they will set fire to everything so they don’t have to deal with it.

Check out this site: MAX SOLD dot COM.

They come in and take pictures of everything you want to sell and handle it all for you.

Your children would just have to call them to handle it all.

I agree with everyone. Your plans sound fine. Just have everything organized and labeled. Your house is beautiful, gorgeous really.

I am terribly sorry your husband is unwell.

We don’t plan to sell any of the antiques that give us comfort and happiness. Your adult children can find an estate sale company if the time comes. We take the long view-my mother was 99, my dad was 89, and my f-i-l was 92. Why are you rushing, making yourself and your dear husband unhappy and uncomfortable for a reason that might be years away? I attended an auction this year and a childless aunt had offered a rare family treasure to her nieces who said they would throw this beautiful book on a bonfire. The aunt put it up for auction instead. It sold for $42000.

Thinking about it a little more, you could write a codicil to your will, giving all those possessions to a charity of your choice. They could then hold an estate sale and use the proceeds for the charity. Perhaps you could give, either in the future or after your death, to dear friends who have similar interests. I would not sell your beautiful things to spare children of the trouble of disposing of them. Why would you deny your husband and yourself at this time?

99% of the value in your home is the enjoyment it gives you and your husband. It is such a huge gift to be healthy enough to enjoy it to the end. I would hold on with all my might if that is your blessing!! What happens next will happen and I really wouldn't concern myself. "Burden" is such a horrid word for the passing and honoring of a life well lived. It would cause you great sadness to let go early--so don't. It will give your kids a few days of busy but they will manage. As you found out there are resources if they choose to use them. My in laws built a brand new home at 70 to decrease the stairs and increase the ease of living. It was not a small home, but they brought in a dumpster and pitched plenty and sent much to museums etc. When they died 10 years later we still found PLENTY of things to do and it took a good week to sort it all out, have the garage sale and settle their memorial with their church. It was not a BURDEN. It was work yes, and disrupted our same ole same ole but it was time well spent and part of the process. It will be a blessing for your kids to take that time!!! I will tell you this. IF you "downsized", if you change your home your kids will not be as drawn and it will affect your family. My in laws died within 30 days of each other. The funeral director said "Well at least you don't have the family home to say good bye to too". That happened 10 years earlier when they moved. The home is a HUGE third loss when it happens and I have watched in my husbands family and am living it now with my parents having sold and moved. It is a draw--even if offspring don't comprehend it before it's gone.

Life is not easy to figure out. It’s obvious how much you love and care for your husband and children by even trying to figure this all out.

The furniture, books, jewelry, art etc will be easier to handle than all the photos and documents. If you have the time and energy, that is where I would try to organize and purge. That is slow-going work.

I hope you and your husband enjoy your home together for many years to come.

"We are living on social security and have a reverse mortgage, so we cannot remodel or improve our small 1970’s 1500 sq ft house. We are here for the long haul".

To me, that's a bigger issue than the stuff. I am not trying to be a downer. In our minds, we go out while on full throttle and the rest be damned! Too often it simply doesn't happen that way.

What if you needed care in your come? Off site care for a hubby "losing his memory?" What if a fall in there, and the well know issues that can follow a fall?

We don't know your circumstances beyond what you've told us. It's N O O B anyway. : ) It is simply that as we live longer a lot can happen in those years. In the "long haul".

A poster above mentioned she handle her moms affairs at 32 with a toddler. I am watching friends do the same at TWICE her age, with the additional issue of helping out their own kids, who are indeed 32, juggling jobs and infants - then add issues of parents in late eighties or early nineties into the mix . It can mean a new definition for the word exhausted. Just something to think about.

Several years ago a friend was moving and she had so much unused stuff (home goods and clothing) that I mentioned to her the "rule" 1 item in 2 items out. Perhaps you need to work the other way with your husband: have him bring several items each week to the antique stores to sell to them rather than buy from them. I totally get your children not having an interest in the items you have collected, looking at your pictures reminds me of a museum. This is tough for you but in my circle we all laugh and say " the kids will rent a dumpster and just throw everything in it".

Good luck and please do some decluttering so that as you continue to age you really will be able to stay there comfortably. First thing social services will have you do is remove the rugs on top of rugs

If you have things your husband doesn't care about, like perhaps excess kitchen items/serving pieces, etc., maybe you could thin that out now. Also if you could work on the paperwork....that would help your kids. Would your husband go for the "one new thing in, one old thing out" rule?

"We are living on social security and have a reverse mortgage, my husband is starting to lose his memory".

Hope for the best, plan for the worst. Having been the executor of several relatives' estates, the disposal of physical assets is fairly simple when compared to qualifying for State nursing home aid. Your #1 job should be to gather all the paperwork necessary to qualify for State Medicaid. The list of documentation needed can be found on your State's website. I write this in the sincere hope you will never need this documentation but, if you do need it, it can take months to obtain. I wish you a peaceful Christmas.

Your house is great, and to someone who last year had to deal with the disposal of a completely packed-full of antiques house of true hoarders, your's is a piece of cake. BUT, here is a sad reality check. The antique market has plummeted in value.

My parents (whose house I cleaned out last year) had always thought that they could liquidate some of their antiques if they needed cash No one wants the stuff anymore. To conduct an estate sale I hired an expert in our city. He (and lots of other dealers) told me that nearly everything was worth about 1/3 of what it would have been valued at 20 some years ago. It sounds as though at some time you may be at a point where you need cash; unfortunately, your belongings aren't going to help you out there.

So, in your place, my goal would be to simply start to de-clutter and get rid of all of those things you have tucked away in closets and cupboards. Those are the items, rather than the large pieces, that will take a ton of time for anyone (you or your children) to go through and figure out how to get rid of.

So agree with the above poster...the reality is that you can barely give antiques & vintage items away let alone sell them. There are some exceptions. Mid century furniture is still hot. I think the route you have chosen is a good one, that of hiring an estate sale expert to handle the furniture, artwork & knickknacks. While you may not want to commit yourself at this point to any particular company, it doesn't hurt to start looking so that your children have a head start on this. PLEASE, please, please start to de-clutter the paperwork. I'm going through this now with my 90 y/o mother. She can barely throw out a 2 y/o Good Housekeeping magazine so the de-cluttering process has been contentious even though she herself as been through the burden of clearing out the estates of others. It is the photos, books, brochures & minutiae of paperwork that will be the burden for your kids. They literally will need to go piece by piece through your stuff which is emotionally & physically draining. I have made somewhat of a compromise with my Mom & maybe this will work for you. She refuses to discard or recycle items I feel are plain junk & here's an example of what I mean by junk...a 25 y/o torn obituary of her deceased older sister's sister-in-law who my Mother might have met only a handful of times & has no connection to, blood or otherwise. With the help of us children, my Mom has been sorting through this & we have set those "junk" items aside separately in boxes so that we know at her passing, we can quickly dispose of these as they have no value monetarily or emotionally. Yes, the boxes of clutter are still there but at least sorted through.

Juliette, you are right on the button. We know full well that antiques are not worth what they used to be. The modern generations seem to be going for clean lines, MCM, and no clutter. We are not counting on getting any money for our things, but we still love looking at them and enjoying their history. If they aren’t a family treasure, then they are a memory of where we found them. Memories are getting more and more important as we get older.

You have a lovely home and I commend you for thinking about this now.

Of course, I would make these arrangements along with our children but they wouldn’t have to do any work except for calling the appropriate people.

As an adult child, I don't think I could ask for anything more or better : ) .

I went through this with my late parents, and now with my mil. My parents left a lot, and it was a good deal of work, but they were my parents : ) . My mil is in a different situation, some of her children are trying to sell the rest of her things while she's still living in her house, which is already quite bare thanks to their efforts because they think it will make life easier for them after she dies; several have retired and are hoping to enjoy retirement without interruption. I told her in the same situation I would change the locks and tell them to stuff it. She's in decent health and has all her faculties, and is just hoping to move out of the old family house into something smaller.

Take a very careful look at Max Sold to see how it would work for you. Here in Canada some of the sale prices are crazy low, and then MS takes 30 percent. And because of where we live, someone in the family would have to take the photographs, so if we put a value on our time, it's not even worthwhile.

I would try to declutter something for anything "new" your husband brings home.

To summarize what I posted in my earlier post - as a child of parents who collected - don't worry about the furniture, tchotchkes etc. If you are enjoying them, enjoy them.

When I had to dismantle my parents' place, those things weren't difficult to deal with.

However, as I wrote above, do go through stuff that is packed away in your closets - papers, documents, photos etc. Having to go through every single piece of paper, photo and document was extremely time consuming and I don't think I could possibly have done it if I had time constraints in terms of emptying the house. If you go through it gradually, that would be the most helpful.

The actual material objects were relatively easy to deal with. But I was so glad that I painstakingly went through all of the papers - how else would I have found my father's' letters to my mother when he was stationed in the Pacific during WW II?

I agree with Helen: the papers take far more time than anything else. The things are a piece of cake in comparison. If you winnow the papers down to just a few boxes (some mementos, some current house and personal papers) it'll be so much easier on your children.

In reading this, and having downsized last year, I can relate. We have collected amazing pieces from our world travels all with great memories of these trips. As mentioned, “brown furniture” is no longer desired in the marketplace. So I would just enjoy what you have. Everything looks wonderful and so full of joy. Don’t think of leaving your children a “burden”. Think of teaching them how to handle living! Enjoy your home and let nature take its course. But do what you can get get rid of papers that have no real value and anything you don’t love and leave the rest. It will be a week of scrambling after you leave this earth so not a big deal. Hang on. Merry Christmas!!! May 2020 keep you both healthy and happily enjoying your home and possessions you love.

Yes, go through the papers. We found $50,000 of bearer bonds in my fathers office filing cabinet. Now, as a college graduate with a degree in business I had NO idea what these were. Thank God, my husband had seen them once in an investment class in high school. Had it not been for him, we would have thrown out 50 grand.

If you bring in an antique dealer to see everything you have, you may get pushed to sell "everything" -- including those few items you actually intend to keep for yourself and your heirs.

Consider first sorting through what SMALL personal possessions that you have that may be "cluttering" your rooms and making a few basic decisions.

Get all the papers and files and records together and do a preliminary sorting of them.

DO keep one container for current financial records -- banking, bills, taxes -- and any property records -- medical records -- things to which you might need to refer -- and add any burial or related items that your executor(s) might need.

Put the most important family documents in the same lock box or container: birth and death and adoption and military records and even diplomas and awards -- things that document your family tree and history.

Of the first two categories, put any that are not easily replaced in a lock box if you have one.

Photographs can be in a separate container -- to be sorted further later -- perhaps adding personal letters and/or cards saved to that box. Photographs can be scanned so all your heirs can have a digital copy of all of them. You might see if someone in your family can/will do that for you. You might even want some of them put in an electronic picture frame that takes the space of one picture on the wall but can show those you want, one after the other. (These can double as night lights in your hallway.)

Older financial records -- any older financial records of any kind that you might want to keep, at least temporarily, could be kept together in the same storage container(s) -- to be sorted further later.

Once the preliminary sorting of papers/documents is done, then begin to decide on the fate of the more impersonal objects.

You might want to take pictures of all the things you've accumulated over the years that have given you the most joy and made you smile just to look at them, then begin to decide ...

what items do you definitely want to keep for yourselves in your home for the rest of your lives -- what items do you want to use to create your own personal "accent wall -- such as around the piano that seems to have become the focal point of attention -- and

what specific item, if anything, do you want to leave to which specific heir -- whether or not you keep that item in your home for now. You might want to consider going ahead and "selling" to your heir(s) -- at a price of your choosing -- any item(s) you very much want a specific heir to have -- whether that is to ensure your heir gets what you want your heir to have or whether that is so you can have use of the money now -- or both. If you have a lawyer that represents your interests, you might discuss this with him/her.

What's left is what you should consider selling -- but not right away. Remove what's left so that you will have removed that "clutter" from your room(s). Put them in numbered plastic storage containers and keep a list of everything that is in each numbered storage container.

If NEITHER of you have had a strong urge to take any/all of these items out of its storage container and put it back on display over the next several months -- or by mid-summer, then seriously consider selling it.

When you bring in an appraiser or dealer, remove the items you definitely intend to keep from the room(s) the appraiser will be permitted to see -- this is so you will not be pressured to sell what you really don't want to sell. (Excluding family photographs and very personalized items you may have displayed on your own "accent" wall.)

Then unpack the items you want to sell and display them for the appraiser.

If there is a reverse mortgage, the home will not be part of the estate, FinallyHome

No parents should keep stuff just to pass it on to potential heirs unless it has real meaning to do so. While working in lawyers office for over a decade, I noticed that many families squabble over inheritance, often with permanent damage to their relationship. [Closer to home, my sister's husband is no longer close to most of his siblings because the house jointly owned by him and his mother went to him upon her death (by the nature of the deed).

I'm more concerned about the reverse mortgage and your husband's deteriorating health. Question for you, law states you had to have counseling from a qualified HUD advisor. Did you?

We don't know (and it is none of our business) how much the loan was for or how much you are getting a month...you, of course, do know. Is there anyway you could pay the amount back? Could your children help you do that on a temporary basis?

We are close to your age, although not in your financial situation; we have down-sized and gotten rid of everything we could not "live without". Daughter took the little bit she wanted and I sold everything...and I mean everything, to my buyers. I miss none of it because I know we are in a better place.

Were I you, I would get ownership of the house and then sell it. Bank the money, and find a rental, preferably in a senior community which offers some health care/assisted options for your husband, and will offer you the feeling of community and give you (and your husband) things to do.

Chances are he will pass away before you an then you can make a decision if you want to move on or stay.

Sounds kind of tough, but my friend's mom and dad did it. They were able to bring most of their furniture and treasures and within a few weeks they felt like it was home.

For everyone that obtains a reverse mortgage, the qualified HUD counseling is a mandatory part of the mortgage qualifying process and the OP would have had the HUD counseling prior to the funding of the mortgage.

The LTV's for reverse mortgages are low. The maximum LTV is partially based on the age of the applicant. The older the applicant, the higher the LTV but it is about 65% or less (MAX) at the funding of the mortgage. It has to start low because the mortgage balance increases during the term of the mortgage.

The borrowers don't give up ownership of the house in a reverse mortgage. The deed is still in the borrowers name. This allows the borrowers to sell the house at any time or pay off the mortgage without penalty if they have the resources.

There are some difficulties with reverse mortgages but ownership of the property is not one of them - for the borrower.

You need the money. I fear that if you contact outsiders to evaluate or handle the sale, you will end up with next to nothing.

Best if you can select some items and assign them to a consignment store. The split will typically be 60/40 or 50/50. See how that goes first and then re-evaluate the action. There might not be much of a market for your items. Most of the people that like these items are your age and are of little interest to the younger crowd.

The is off topic, want to say I love your piano. I would love to hear more about how you acquired it, brand, did you get it tuned and how difficult is it to service? Your piano looks to have two pedals and it probably has an oberdamf mechanism inside as that's how they typically made pianos in the 1800's where you can lift out the hammers. My piano has the same mechanism inside and two pedals.

I have a 120 year old piano I recently acquired that was in the same family for all those years. Every time I sit and learn to play it I think of what incredible history my piano has to be around for so long. I have no idea who owned it, but I do know what street in the town it was removed from. My piano was made in Berlin by a defunct company named Trautwein.

As a lover of antiques and often buy my antiques from a flea market that does removable after someone is deceased or placed in a long term care facility, I'm now thinking about my "stuff" differently that it was someone else's treasures, makes me appreciate my items even more that they were pre-loved.

This thread is also a reminder to start working on stuff so it's not a burden to anyone. Going to get my papers in order too. We don't have children, but we have way more stuff than we need.

I am asking the Houzz community if they have any ideas on how we can handle this without causing hardship on our kids .

I just need to get a plan set up with an estate auction site to help get rid of our treasures. The kids kiddingly say they will set fire to everything so they don’t have to deal with it.

Looking at your photos, I don't think you have much that your kids will be burden with to take care of. And from what I've read it sounds your kids have grown up surrounded with their parents collection and even joke about it so it doesn't sound they are concerned about disposing of it.

What will be the "burden", as others have mentioned will be all your papers and photos. Sorting through, organizing if not already done and shredding unnecessary documents will be appreciated by your kids. And it won't cost you a thing to do it.

When my parents decided to get rid of their photo albums, they had me and my siblings over for a few dinners and we all sat around going through the albums together sharing memories and taking the photos that we wanted. If there were photos that were wanted by a few of us, I scanned them. What was great about it was that there were photos that had people or relatives in them that no one knew who they were except my parents. It was a wonderful way to share memories with my parents and one that will be more of a value to me more than any of their possessions.

If there is nothing else driving you to find a way to rid you of your treasure's except for your concern of them being a burden to the kids down the road I wouldn't worry about it. Enjoy them and enjoy your husband playing your piano- what a treat at his age!

Thank you to everyone who gave me encouragement and advice. I feel so much better now about enjoying our treasures. This Christmas our kids will decide if they want any of the family heirlooms...some from the 1850’s that have been in family for years. We will make list of who wants each thing and then if they are not interested in the family antiques we will contact the docent who takes care of the old family castle on the Saint Lawrence River. My husbands great grandfather built a castle as a hunting lodge in the 1850’s and it is now a tourist attraction. We have given them several small items over the years, but we have a couple of large “hall chairs” that may be too large to ship. The portrait in the oval frame is the daughter of the former castle owner, so they might want that.

I really appreciate all of your advice and caring comments. I will have a lovely holiday now that my mind is at ease and we have a plan. Merry Christmas to you all!

Before you sign off, could you share some information about some of your pieces?

The horse and rider on the coffee table, love it. And the piece to the right of the books in photo #6, on 4 feet with the little "wells" with covers. What is it? So interesting...

the horse and rider we got at an antique store in sonoma California..the little carrier with covered compartments, we got in SACRAMENTO, ca.

One more suggestion. When my mother and I downsized from the family home, we held a "living estate sale." She had a large living/dining room and that was cleared out for the sale. The rest of the home was closed off and the public came and went through the front door into the foyer and the sale room. I priced at what I wanted to get out of the items and only lowered the price on one item. It was quite profitable, we sold the majority of the items, and it was easy for me to do by myself over a long weekend. If you don't have space, you can price items where they sit and add NFS (not for sale) tags to things you're not selling. It requires being willing to allow strangers into your place though. Access to nursing/retirement homes can trigger what is called a "spend down." Assets must be sold to qualify for admission. You might want to learn about that, as you are likely to be forced into that situation if the time comes. I'm working on the papers/photos/mementos now and just gave some items to my daughter and grandkids this past weekend. It's a start!

COCO, you might want to have the horse and rider appraised. Equestrian is popular right now, an because it is an antique, could be valuable.

Coco, I am glad your mind is at ease and you are feeling more confident.

Oh my God , what a lovely place You have. Please dont destroy it.This is Your life, live each moment, dont think about other people and their opinions. Make a statement in Your will and leave that thoughts! The place is trendy, airy, interesting and its UNIQUE.

Let Your husband do what he wants, You deserve to do the same and to spend Your life in such beautiful surrounding. Merry Christmas! Best regards!

I don't think I'd be particularly concerned about the antiques: they're lovely to look at, comforting to have around, and, when the time comes, the kids can pick and choose what they want and send the rest to an antique store, auction house or charity.

It's the rest of the stuff in any house, the day to day items we all accumulate, that become the problem. When we moved from our previous home to another state, we discovered just how much stuff we had that we didn't actually use or need: aging towels and bedding; pots and pans and dishes we seldom or never used; cushions stuffed in closets or spare rooms because they no longer suited our decor; boxes of photos that were not important enough to put in frames or albums; books that hadn't been looked at in years; old clothing and shoes, etc etc. We cleared it all out - garbage, thrift shops, or simply left it out for the neighbors to pick over. We also got rid of a huge amount of paper - no one needs 15 year old tax returns or 5 year old invoices for items with a 1 year warranty. So, that's where I would start with the preparations for the future, because those are the things that are going to be the most hassle for the kids (or for yourselves, if the time comes when infirmity hits).

I could live there.

I think that's an excellent plan. An estate sale expert would be able to value your possessions and let you know which items will be able to be sold. Just make it clear to them what you're willing to part with and what you want to keep for your own comfort.

Good luck!

My general rule about all the unseen stuff is to have everything labelled and organized so that I could hire a moving company and not need to supervise the movers.

Coco, I don't know how to advise you about antiques. But I just want to say your home is lovely. I don't like crowded rooms and I don't find yours to be. It's not a minimalist look for sure, but what you have appears to be curated and very organized, so it's calming in its own way. Enjoy every minute with the things you love and the memories they represent. Your children will not be left with a burden, so please don't spend the time you have worrying about that! You have something that money can't buy.

well said jjam!

Coco.... your home is fab...one thing you might not have thought of.... Your children might just take pleasure in seeing you and your husband in your own home, surrounded by the things that give you two pleasure. Do you know how much easier it is on "kids", if their parents are comfortable, happily enjoying life, surrounded by things they love?

I'm going to take a different tack. After nearly a decade as a wellness nurse in an independent living retirement community, I see this as a safety issue. Throw rugs aside (well known fall risk), you should be able to theoretically walk around with a yard stick across your waist and not touch any furnishings. If you can't maintain this three foot clearance, then it's too cluttered and unsafe. Clear passages with no trip/fall hazards is a crucial part of home safety as an older person attempts to age in place. One fall can change the trajectory of a life in an instant. There are many good home safety checklists available online with helpful tips and pertinent information (cdc.gov and ncoa.org-the national council on aging are just two).

Beyond the safety issue, as a daughter who spent four months clearing out my parents' home (three story home and two story garage) after the death of my mother in 2013 (my father had died ten years earlier), please purge papers and at least some extraneous belongings now. My sister and I had a paper trail going back to the 1930s to review/trash/shred. Our parents dearly loved us and yet we were driven to tears at times that so much stuff had been saved over the decades (and never looked at in the garage attic or house attic again) that we had to physically haul out and either attempt to sell (nearly always unsuccessful), take to Goodwill or the county dump. That experience absolutely changed both of us and we resolved to never put our own children in this position-we've taken steps to purge our own papers and belongings and are much more hesitant when buying more "things."

I have just flown "home" from a foreign country to do exactly what tlynn1960 had to do. I can't tell you how awful it is to have to sift through generation after generation of paper. There is enough paper in my parents' house. for a wing of the smithsonian.

My new motto is "People, Not Things."

JudyG. - I think the little carrier with the covered compartments may be a spice box or tea caddy. Coco - to echo others, you truly have a warm and comfortable home with beautiful, memorable items! Best wishes for the holidays