Too much of a good thing...

just ends up cluttering up a perfectly good closet sometimes.  See those Crocs?  On their way to the sink to be disinfected and then into the giveaway bag.  I kept the red pair.  I have pink flowered Easy Spirit shoes and green Easy Spirit shoes - and who knows why I bought those orange things - but enough is enough.  I meant to purge the Crocs basket during the spring cleaning frenzy but I somehow overlooked it.  Never too late to pass something along to a new owner - especially gently worn trendy rubber clogs.  And, as you can see, the only thing in my old lady cart is canvas bags for groceries.  It's been a productive day!

Just one sheet...

of paper, every day for a year is almost a ream of paper.  I had never really thought about how much paper that really is until I decided last year to fully embrace Outlook and all of its features.  I've been using it forever - but still keeping information in the old, tried and true format as well.  Now I use it for my email, my calendar, my task list, my contacts - everything I would have traditionally written down somewhere else.  I also started using OneNote for the first time last year and I love it!  This nifty little program has taken the place of my old write-everything-down composition book - a system I've been using for eons.  The switch took a little getting used to, but the electronic notebook format of OneNote is infinitely better - I can still have my page-a-day to do list, but I can also keep my other lists in their own sections of the notebook.  And color code it!  I'm in nerd heaven!  So instead of printing about four sheets of paper a day just dedicated to my various lists, I've retrained myself to use virtual paper instead.  I'm down to printing my one reminder list a day - and by the end of the day I have scribbled notes on it, marked off items, and written down numbers and other important information to be entered in Outlook at the end of the day.  Hopefully in a couple of weeks, I'll even be able to let this wasteful quirk go, too.  Maybe.  You know the Chinese proverb: the palest ink is better than the sharpest memory...

Trying to do my part...

and recycling my aluminum cans - even though it goes against my perfectionist tendencies to have trash sitting around the house for too long.  Cardboard boxes come into the house long enough to divest themselves of their contents - and then on to the recycle bin with them, too!  See, I've got this bug phobia.  Cardboard and paper - out the door!  I thoroughly rinse the empty aluminum cans before I toss them into the sealed bin where they patiently wait until the bag fills up - then I tie it up and pass it along to Jonathan for his employee who redeems her collection of cans for extra money.  I have even switched to a smaller bag for the recycle bin so I can get the empty cans out of the house sooner.  How obsessive is that?  I want to do my part - but I also don't want a bug infestation!  Is it just me or does everyone who recycles feel this way?

Oh, and I almost forgot...

I did accomplish something during this lazy Sunday.  I framed a little project I had made a while back.  I finished the stitching and put it away because I didn't know what to do with it.  This morning I was cleaning out the drawers in my bedroom desk to make room for my sewing supplies and I found this little frame with a calligraphy quote in it that said, "One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius."

So it would appear.

If I could find that cable...

I would upload photos of the absolute disaster area that is my new home office at this moment.  However, it would appear that my camera cable is still at the old office in the same box as my LabelWriter and computer speakers.  In an attempt to cram ten pounds of crap into a five pound bag, I mean downsize my 1200-square foot office into this 200-square foot dining room, I am once again reduing the number of things with which I find it absolutely necessary to survive.  I am recycling stuff to other people who will use it more than I will.  My friend Richard got custody of my color laser printer by agreeing to print color stuff for me when I need it - which is very seldom.  He's been using the printer for his real estate flyers anyway.  My living room is just too small for two big chairs and a loveseat, so my client Jonathan inherited the big green chair for his living room.  Now his wife won't have to spend any money on new furniture - they also took the leather sofa from the office off my hands.  Jonathan is really thrilled about the saving money part.  And I have yet another box of stuff piling up for the Salvation Army.  Aggie says she would recycle but she only has four toys.  She does have a wardrobe of collars (right now she's wearing her pink Princess number) but she feels that they are all essential for her to be a well-dressed cairn.  Whatever.

Rained out!

No flea market on Saturday - it rained like cats and dogs!  So, all of my stuff from the back room - and the rest of the stuff from my storage unit (finally empty!) is all piled up, waiting for me to finish going through it all.  The mess is the office is going to make me crazy until I get it out or here or put it away or take it home to my apartment.  I about can't stand it already!  Everyone who comes in thinks I'm moving out - and I am just  not thrilled at the prospect of hauling part of this stuff home, because I really have nowhere to put it - or even to a flea market.  Part of me just wants to take all of the stuff I don't want to Goodwill or the Salvation Army and be done with it.  It's that time of year to be charitable!

I've been trying to concentrate on getting some work done this morning, but my eye keeps going to the pile of crap in the middle of the room.  Like a chipped tooth you cannot keep your tongue away from...

Paper cutter's elbow!

Okay, I love my Cricut Expression machine, and I used it last year to make my Christmas cards, but it's just more work to use it when you're just cutting squares of paper, so... I've resorted to my trusty Fiskars rotary paper cutter and I've been cutting out the squares for the cards - all weekend long...  As of this moment, I am suffering from what I call paper cutter's elbow.  Stiff shoulder, tired elbow and stiff right hand.  I want to jump head first into a vat of Tylenol!

All right, maybe I didn't cut paper all weekend.  But it sure seemed like it.  I did some meaningful work on Saturday at the office and a client did come in to do his weekly invoices.  The dogs and I watched Quigley Down Under for the umpteenth time - that movie never gets old and neither does Tom Selleck!  I did some writing and then I re-read The Tightwad Gazette looking for money-saving ideas.  Yes, I re-use zip-loc bags but I draw the line at re-using aluminum foil.  You can check out the website here.  On Sunday, we had Big Hug Sunday - that means Mom stays home with Aggie & Monty and we play and snuggle all day.  I know, I know - they probably don't care, but I do.  When I ran out of things to do around the house, we watched Silverado.  I get a kick out of Kevin Kline and Jeff Goldblum trying to be cowboys - but I really enjoy Kevin Costner's stellar performance as an idiot.  I watched both of my Netflix movies (3:10 to Yuma and Journey to the Center of the Earth) on Wednesday and Thursday so I had to resort to movies in my cabinet at home.  Both of those movies were pretty good; I was surprised to learn that 3:10 to Yuma is based on a story by Elmore Leonard!  I am not a big Russell Crowe or Christian Bale fan - and now I want to see the original with Glenn Ford.  Brenda Fraser was his goofy self in Journey to the Center of the Earth - it was entertaining - a great kid movie.  I love him in the Mummy movies - but my favorite is Blast from the Past. - especially when he dances.  Yikes!  Enough movie talk - I'd better get to work!

Another day...

of letting go. First thing this morning, my friend Long and I went to the storage unit to unearth the Hallmark ornament collection. I went through them and saved only the ones with real sentimental value - about thirty - which leaves 183 in these boxes which a gentleman has agreed to purchase from me as a group. I saved out a few others which I think will make some money on eBay; they're either very old or very rare - so we'll see how I do with that. And then, I did the unthinkable - and even at my advanced age, I did it furtively, looking over my shoulder for the ghost of my mother. I took the ornaments I intended to keep out of their original boxes (yikes!) and protective wrapping (horrors!) and I put them in my pretty, holiday fabric-covered sectioned Christmas ornament storage boxes, along with my other oddball yuletide treasures. And it felt good!

When I was at the jeweler's yesterday, we were talking about the whole collectibles market (Dave was big into beanie babies - and Leslie did the whole Barbie thing) and the fact that all the junk we had "invested" in wasn't worth anything! Well, except for Longaberger baskets. It seems that people are still willing to pay for retired baskets on eBay - which I knew, since I had sold lots of them on eBay about ten years ago. So last night, I decided that since I only had five of the ten JW Miniature baskets - what the heck? It's just stuff. So I snapped pictures this morning and listed them on eBay - wish me luck!

And finally, because God has a way of working things out, just when I had given up hope of ever selling Tim's like-new violin, I've had two calls about it today. The first was from a lady whose son plays in the local junior orchestra. He is taking lessons from a violinist who plays with the adult (?) orchestra and he thinks her son is talented enough to merit investing in a good, full-sized violin. She is taking it to the teacher for his opinion on Thursday - so I'll know then if they want it or not. And I just had a call from a lovely girl who actually plays the violin herself and she is interested in it if the first family is not. I'm just glad that this nice violin may actually find a good home!

Atypical Tuesday...

I just could not get going this morning - and I wasn't even up late reading! I finally left the house at almost ten (yikes!) and got to the office shortly thereafter, not in the mood to do meaningful work. I spent some time working in my little craft area, deciding on photos for my cat scrapbook and working on a couple of cards - both of which I didn't like when I was finished. I need to pare the rubber stamps down to an even more manageable level, but that's a project for another day.

My friend, Long, unloaded the stuff from the back of my car, so my first project in the morning is to sort through that and decided what's going on eBay, what's going to the Salvation Army and what very small amount of stuff I am going to keep, either at the office or the apartment. I need to keep moving on this or I will never get the storage unit cleaned out! Anything crafty, like sewing stuff, is definitely staying at the office because there is no room for anything like that at home. I have my old lady cart all packed up at home with cookbooks, dishes and other stuff to get rid of. I am so proud of myself and my resolution to travel lighter. I think that the biggest hurdle for me will be sorting through all of the Muffy VanderBear collection that I've amassed over the years and the Hallmark ornaments. Both are things that I will never have room for or need of again. I've had the bears packed up for several years and we have not put up a Christmas tree in forever. The last time I had a tree was at my old office about three years ago. It was small and I put all of my angel ornaments on it; those are probably the only ones I will hang onto. I am sure that there are collectors of bears and ornaments out there somewhere who will be more than willing to give my stuff a good home!