The very merry Christmas issue

This is exclusively for Christmas Day. There will be another final issue later today.

Yes, I am blessed. I realize that every day, and never more than at Christmas. This year I was gifted by many people with CONSUMABLES! Wine, chocolate, dip, temporary tattoos, cookies and candles. And gift cards, oh wonderful gift cards. And a great set of purple socks.

I also, however, got a lot of stuff.
To be specific, and in no particular order: 2 pint glasses, 2 wine glasses, 2 casserole dishes, 2 sweaters, a t-shirt, a jersey, 3 pair of earrings, 3 books, 1 bread plate, 2 DVDs, 2 CDs, 1 paperweight, 1 foot stool, 1 curling iron, 1 gps case, 1 SU snuggie, a tea towel, 2 sets of napkins, a candle trimmer, a bell, 2 ornaments, a mug, a wine stopper, a wine vacuum set and a scarf.

So, I now have to account for 37 things. We'll call it an even 40, as I most likely forgot to list something. So, I have gotten rid of:3 pair pants, 1 gps case, 2 sheet sets, 3 pair pillowcases, 4 holiday sweaters, 6 pair jeans, 4 holiday fleece, 1 pair boots, 1 glove, 1 curling iron, 2 pins, 2 pair earrings, 8 broken pieces of jewelry, 1 wine rack, and one SU doll. And what wasn't tossed is packed into one old suitcase to give to the rescue mission.

That covers Christmas. And now the strata is done and it's time for brunch. I'll be back this afternoon to finish up the year.

Falling back into the routines....

It has been 70 days since my last post. Summer has come and gone. Faire has passed into the past. I have been very neglectful of my blog, and I am sorry for that. I have been a very good girl, though. I have been keeping track of the days and packing stuff up to get rid of. I have also been keeping track of all the things I acquired. It's mostly garb and other faire accessories.

This is going to be a very boring post. No pictures; just a couple of lists. First, the list of things I acquired over the past 2 months. Some of this I made, some I bought, some was gifted:
6 skirts, 1 bodice, 4 pair of bloomers, 3 chemises, 1 capelet, 2 pockets, 1 feather fan, 1 leather mask, 2 flower garlands, 1 mead mug, 2 ceramic mugs, 4 CDs, 3 books (yes, only 3 books!!), 1 camp coffee maker, 1 electric kettle, 1 pair of pewter candlesticks, and 1 wooden claddagh wall hanging.

That's 35 things. Added to the 70 days, and I have to toss (or recycle, donate, etc.) 105 things.

So, here's the list:
9 pair of shoes, 9 purses, 17 plates, 1 sugar thing from a diner, 9 bowls, 1 flask, 2 fancy hair comb sets, 1 pink satin pouch, 4 necklaces, 1 watch, 5 pair earrings, 16 stray earrings, 9 pins, 1 bracelet, 11 charms, 3 glass candle holders, 6 pair capris.

That's 105 things. And I am now caught up. I am going to really try to stay up on the project from now on. I am, after all, 2/3 of the way through. Wow. I might actually make it!

Must stop shopping....

I had another shopping spree this weekend. The stuff I got is all pretty boring, and most of it is practical. A lot of it is even helping me to organize and economize.

Let's see, I bought: 2 rubbermaid tubs, 1 plastic storage chest with drawers (for craft stuff), an extension cord, an adapter for the car so I can plug my iPod and cell phone in a the same time, a little organizer for coupons, a set of solar lights for the yard and a set of cushions for the kitchen chairs. That's 8 things. Plus I have Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (today) to account for. A total of 12 things. So, here we go....

I'll start by saying that I have a multitude of tote bags. I'm willing to part with these three for now. This one is from the Book of the Month Club.

This one is from a library vendor, JanWay.

And this one is from a NYLA annual conference.


Next we have this collection of hangers that I never use. Note the funky tops. They all came with 2 piece clothing sets, and I was so sure I'd use them. Nope.


These are ponchos. Four of them; a blue one, a cream one, a purple one and a black one. I used to wear them all the time. Not any more.


My old motorcycle helmet.


And finally, three never used stuffed friends that are being donated to the local women's shelter for any kids that may be there. It's a scary world, and a stuffed friend can make it seem a little softer. I know; I still have the one that was given to me after my fire.


That's it. Twelve things out the door. Now I am going to stop shopping for a while!

Go SU!!!!!!!!

Shopping Spree (part 1)

I can't believe it's Tuesday already! I know I have some real catching up to do, but first I have a confession to make. I did something this weekend that I haven't done since this project began at the start of the year. I gave myself permission to shop. I went to Target and a few other stores (I even went to Amazon.com) and allowed myself to buy stuff. And you know what? It was really hard. *grin* I found myself making excuses to myself about why not to buy something. Forever it has been the other way, and now I have broken the habit of justifying purchases.

Now, don't get me wrong; I did shop a bit. Let's see, I got:

A new DVD to add to my musical collection. One of my favourites, too!


A CD at a concert (a night at the pub, actually, with live music) on Saturday night. Great night, great music, fantastic food and drink ( a bit too much of both of those...), and wondrous company! Poor Ould Goat rocks!


Two journals (one to take to Ireland in May, the other just because)


A water bottle for home and travel (to go with the new Brita filter pitcher, of course *grin*)


A neat travel mug for tea. It has a place to put the tea bag or loose tea, then you pop it down into the hot water and pop it back up when your tea is steeped. I just couldn't resist!


A new travel hair dryer and a new hair brush.




And finally, five (yes, that's right, five) new pretty t-shirts.



So, that's 13 things. Plus Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. A grand total of 17 items and I'll be caught up. Stay tuned for part two to see the discards.....

Another fine weekend

First, a bit of a catch up. I'm feeling chatty, so bear with me. This was a long and very good weekend. Relaxing, energizing, expensive and cathartic. It started on Friday with a good massage and a wondrous facial (thanks, Dad!!) at Matthew's Salon and Spa. I was pampered and beautified and stretched and soothed; honestly a morning of true bliss. This was followed by an afternoon with my heart-sister, Merlyn. We spent an hour or so at the Everson and then had a great munch and chat at Dominick's. Well, I had a munch, she had a slurp *grin* (she's fasting, broth was all she could indulge in). But we had a great chat and I am already looking forward to the next one.

Yesterday was a work day; a long, busy work day. It ended with my Dan coming in for a quick visit. Quick, but very expensive. Last night was for The Mummy Returns, The Scorpion King and homemade lasagna. Old favourites we could just snuggle and laugh with and not have to think too hard.

Today we took the plunge and booked a trip to Ireland for May (that's the expensive part). Three nights in Galway, four in Limerick. A week of travel, exploring and togetherness. Huzzah!! So, as we're now both pretty broke, we then relaxed, ate fresh fruit (Dan had more lasagna; I guess I did good) and watched The Barchester Chronicles. The whole mini-series on DVD. A young Alan Rickman at his best. I highly recommend it.

Okay, now that you're caught up, it's time to do the daily toss; well, the weekend toss, actually. I have Friday, Saturday and today to account for (I seem to run in 2 or 3 day stretches now). Plus, I got myself a Brita pitcher this weekend (what a difference!!), so I have an extra something to throw in to the mix. I think this will be the end of the hair stuff. I have finally reached the bottom of the basket (I'm keeping the basket *grin*).

Starting simple. Bobby pins (I wonder why they're called that? I'll have to research that sometime). I have thousands of them. Well, maybe not really thousands, but I have lots of them. So, I am tossing a bunch of them.


This is a pretty leather barrette with feathers that I used to wear a lot. It's not really my style any more, and I haven't worn it in a few years. (I'm throwing in the black hair wrap for biking as a bonus.)


I finally went through my claw clip collection and am tossing all of these. I kept 3 or 4 that I use a lot. The rest are going.


Ditto, the snap clip collection.


Last, but not least, this barrette. I have wanted to like it, but I just really don't.


That's it for this weekend. And that's it for February. March has worked its way in gently, so I am afraid we may be in for a rough late winter. On a positive note, I have been successful with this plan for 2 months, and with my healthy eating plan for a month. So, I guess it's time to start another plan. For March it's going to be movement. More stairs, less elevators. More walking, less sitting. More yoga, less tv. More movement, less lethargy.

I have decided this is the year that's for me; being a better me, a stronger me, a more peaceful me and a happier me. Hell, I turned 40 in the past year; I guess I've earned it. So each month I am going to add in another thing that will help me focus on me. And if it makes me a better me, I can be a better person for those in my life that matter. I won't bore you with the details of all the plans as they progress, but I'll keep you posted as the months roll along.

Hair Supply

This was a busy weekend, but I managed to get through it with only 2 new acquisitions. I went to Borders BookStore and bought the book Katherine of Aragon by Jean Plaidy. I also went to the Syracuse basketball game in the Carrier Dome and got a new travel mug. So, in addition to yesterday and today, I have 2 extra items to toss.

This week it's hair stuff. I have been cleaning out the hair accessories in my basket, and have stockpiled lots of it to discard. Here's the first 4 hair entries.

These are two stretchy headbands that I bought thinking they'd be good for pulling my hair back for facials and the like. Nope. My hair is too fine for them to stay put.


This is one of my former favourite barrettes. It broke a while back and I have been unable to fix it. I have finally given up trying and so out it goes.


These are much too big for my hair and have sat on my dresser for as long as i have had them. Unused. Out they go.


Unused, unwanted, unneeded ponytailers. I have lots that I do use, but these are going.


And there we go. Four things out the door and I'm caught up.

Thursday seems a week away

It's been a quick and busy week and weekend, and somehow I let the blog slip past. So I find myself playing catch up once again.

Nothing very exciting went away in the past few days.

Thursday it was a bunch of never (or rarely) worn headbands. The ones in the multipacks that just sat in the basket collecting dust.


Friday's item was a set of cute little garden things, painted and decorative. The have been in my kitchen for the past five years or so. I have been recently redecorating a bit, more Celtic less clutter. They were a perfect item to give to my boss for her church's rummage sale.


This is the pattern. Very pretty, but I'm just a little tired of them.



For Saturday, I added the guest room clock to the list. It has been hanging in the room with a dead battery for a few years now. I guess it's a safe bet that it's an unnecessary possession.


And so I am caught up to today, Sunday. I still have to decide what to discard today, so I'll be back later.
:)

Bits and pieces of leather

I've been away from my computer for a few days, so I have a bit of catching up to do. Five days' worth, actually. Here goes....

I mentioned in the last post that I have a lot of jewelry. Well, I also have a lot of hair things. Bands, bows, clips, barrettes, etc. I have already posted about a few of them, and now it's time for more. I have some terrific hair things from my days as a biker chick. I haven't worn them in years, and I am quite sure I never will again. So for the next two items I am getting rid of these:

Black leather hair wrap with a barrette back and purple and silver beads. This one is a lot prettier than the picture shows. I used to wear it all the time to stop my hair feom getting all tangled on the back of the bike.


Black leather hair wrap with a barrette vback and red and silver beads.

I am counting them as two individual items because they were each selected at different times (and I paid a pretty penny for them, too.) I almost kept the purple one, but I just know I won't wear it again. I'm putting these in the box of things to perhaps sell, perhaps give away. (If you want one, let me know *grin*)

Actually, now that I am thinking of it, I have a ton of leather packed away ~ jackets, vests, chaps, even a duster. Hmmm, I should start sorting through that stuff, too. Ah well, that's a job for another day (or week).

So, that's it for Friday and Saturday. Stay tuned for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday....

Scrunchies!

I was looking for a hair elastic to put my hair up in a ponytail last night, and I decided to sort through my basket of hair stuff. I have head bands, hair clips, barrettes, combs, pins, etc. I settled on scrunchies for this time.



I don't use them any more. I don't need them any more. Out they go.

Hair style in a bottle

I'm catching up after a busy weekend of excellent Mom time, SU basketball and snuggling. Hope everyone had as good a weekend as I did (so far, at least ~ go Eagles!). Let's start with Friday's addition to the "things no longer mine" entries.

Let me just say that I have straight hair. Nearly pin straight, very little body, practically no wave (much less any curl). I have a lot of it, but it is fine, straight hair. And finally, after 40 years, I have come to terms with that fact. And you know, it's not so bad. It takes a bit of a curl when I want it to, and it takes to color and highlights very well. See, it even takes blue pretty well:

It's very shiny and smooth when I treat it nicely. It's easy to work with on normal mornings when I am in a hurry to get ready for work. So, it's not all bad. Actually, it's pretty good.

With that in mind, I decided to clean out the bathroom cupboard of several styling aids. I finally have come to admit that just styling your hair with things made for curly hair does not make your hair curly. At least it does not make my hair curly. It makes my hair sticky, frizzy, stiff, dull, and many other things. But it doesn't make it curly. So, out goes the collection of hair products I'll never use.

I think that some of them might be put to good use by Mom, so off they will go with me to Syracuse. You see, her hair used to be long and pin straight, as well. And over the years, it has become curlier. Does this mean there is hope for me? One can only wait and see.

Stay tuned for the next catch-up entry.