January Blahs.

I'm totally having January blahs. I am setting things aside for ProjectTwentySix but am not motivated to organize, photograph, or blog. Give me a couple more days of grace.

This may be a totally unnecessary post but if I pretend there are people "out there" anxiously awaiting my next post I'm much motivated to keep moving forward with the Project.

Katie

Day 89 - Bibs & Cookbooks

I went to the kitchen for today's items.

1 to 15. Bibs
16. Apron
17 to 24. Cookbooks
25. Filebox of Recipes
26. Princess water bottle

I love to cook and I love cookbooks. I love to peruse the pages and look at lucious photographs of food. However, I almost never use my cookbooks anymore. I nearly always just look online for what I need. I really loved some of these and used them frequently in my first few years of marriage, but they sit and collect dust now so sayonara!

I also still have a dozen bibs.

Katie

Day 88 - Movies Galore

Today's selection includes 25 movies and one case for a VHS tape.



1. Clear hard case for VHS tape. I'll donate this to our church's library that still loans VHS tapes.
2. VHS Sleeping Beauty - duplicate
3. VHS Billboard Dad - too mature for our girls
4. VHS Never Been Kissed - too mature
5. VHS Les Miserables - would rather they listened to the music
6. VHS Phantom of the Opera - would rather they listened to the music
7. VHS The American President
8. VHS Flight of the Navigator - duplicate
9. VHS My Best Friend's Wedding
10. VHS Charlie Brown's Christmas - kids are horrible to eachother!
11. VHS Rudolph - some generic version
12. VHS Happy Pooh Year (or something Pooh New Year)
13. VHS Miracle on 34th Street
14. VHS A Year Without Santa Claus
15. VHS Belle's Enchanted Christmas (no box)
16. VHS Little Drummer Boy
17. VHS She's All That - Too mature
18. VHS Harry Potter #3 - duplicate
19. VHS Thomas the Train - girls aren't interested
20. VHS Lyle the Kindly Viking - duplicate
21. VHS Winnie the Pooh 4 episodes - girls aren't interested
22. VHS Winnie the Pooh 4 episodes - girls aren't interested
23. VHS Winnie the Pooh 4 episodes - girls aren't interested
24. DVD Working Girl - Explicit
25. DVD Sixteen Candles - Explicit
26. DVD Bob the Builder - girls aren't interested

Katie

Day 87 - Princess Magnet Toys

There's more than 26 pieces here but I figured it wasn't really 'worth' more than a day's posting here. I'm just happy I won't have to pick these toys up one more time! Hurrah!

Katie

Day 86 - Dolls & Games

1. Cinderella & Dress
2. Tinkerbell & Dress
3. Baby Belle
4. Dora with her Baby
5. Pink Baby - one of the first little dolls DD#1 received from a friend at church. Good memories.
6. Doll blanket with bleach on it
7 & 8. Baby hats
9. Preemie onesie - took to cosignment
10. Madeline Game
11. Princess Yahtzee
12. Princess Memory (we have a traditional memory I like more)
13 to 19. Hello Kitty magnet & clothes
20. Doll shirt
21 & 22. Zhu-Zhu pets bags (we don't have Zhu-Zhu pets)
23 to 26. Doll diapers

Katie

Day 85 - Many Art Projects

I'm continuing to work in the office sorting papers. Here are a whole bunch of the kids' drawings and glued and glittered things. A whole bunch = 26.

Katie

Day 84 - Art Supplies

1 to 5. A few more Color Wonder markers
6 to 9. Color Wonder books
10. Alphabet practice book with attached marker
11 to 26. Projects the girls have made and I'm sneaking out.

Katie

Day 83 - Color Wonder Markers

Twenty-Six Markers. I love the Color Wonder technology but I just don't have to keep yet another art supply!

Katie

Day 82 - Shoepalooza!

13 Pairs:
Baby Patent Leather - given to cousin
Baby Wee Squeekers - given to cousin (love these! All 4 girls wore them.)
Baby Slippers - impractical & outgrown anyway
Rubber Boots - Girls got new boots for Christmas. This set is old and got left outside for awhile and you can see in the photo that one is lighter (sunbleached) than the other
Princess Slippers - just too many slippers
Dress Up Slippers with feathers - impractical and hard to find the set
Dress Up Slippers plain - impractical and hard to find the set
White Velcro Tennis Shoes - Velcro doesn't stick
Navy Mary Janes - Toes worn
Red Converse - Kiddo doesn't wear
Pink Converse - Kiddo doesn't wear
Princess Sandals - Outgrown and I just don't like the flashy lights
Black Dress Shoes - Toes worn

Katie

Day 81 - Bigger Kid Toys

1. Little People School Bus
2 to 5. Bus & Students
6. Little People Camper - Vintage (gave this to mom to go with all her other vintage LP stuff.)
7 to 13. Little People Construction Set - Barriers & Dynamite set
14 to 18. Construction Workers
19 to 21. Construction Vehicles
22. Littlest Pet Shop House
23. My Little Pony talking doll - kept the kiddies awake too much
24 & 25. Chipmunk McDonald's toy & palm branch
26. Another Silly Band. Are there any more of these left?

Katie

Day 80 - Great Pajama Purge!

We have a tradition of giving the kids new sleepwear on Christmas Eve. This year I wanted to be sure I got rid of pjs if we were getting new ones and I went a little crazy - in a good way!

Each of them still has six pair of pajamas - 3 warm and 3 light - so I have zero guilt at getting rid of all of these.

1 -10. 5 Pairs of top/bottom pjs
11 - 14. Sleep pants without matching tops
15 - 19. One piece sleepers
20 - 20. My own tired pjs. See those yellow pants? I've had those for 10 Christmases and they are probably the least flattering and ugliest thing I own. I think I've only kept them because they were familiar and the last pair of PJs I received on Christmas Eve from my parents. I'm not sorry to see them go.

Mom, please don't start buying me pajamas!

Katie

Day 79 - Laundry Day!

I always intend to fold my laundry as it comes out of the dryer. Does it ever happen? Uh, no. Sometimes I stay caught up for a week, but usually I sit down once a week with 8 or 9 loads of clothes and towels and watch a movie - or two.

Last night's folding yielded a whole day's worth of discards for ProjectTwentySix.



1. Shirt that's too big for me - bought at a garage sale last summer for $1.
2. Shirt that's too big and I think is so frumpy anyway - originally from a garage sale for $.50
3. Shirt that I don't wear often - doesn't fit quite right
4. Top that's too small
5. Kid undies that we were trying out for DD#2. There's another pair floating around you'll probably see soon on here.
6. Kid undies just getting worn out
7 to 9. Kid shirts I just don't like
10. Kid pants that have a little hole in the rear end
11 to 16. overalls, onesies & pants outgrown by DD #4.
17 to 20. Old mom socks - worn out heels. They're pretty old - back when Ralph Lauren was hot.
21 & 22. Old paint socks
23 & 24. Socks that are too big and fall down around my ankles. Not so hot.
25 & 26. Love these striped socks but the top opening is a pain to fit my big feet into so I usually don't choose them.

Katie

Day 78 - Kitchen Stuff

1 & 2. Two Gallon pitcher & lid. Do I need a 2 gallon pitcher? Will it even fit in my fridge? I picked this up secondhand because my mom had one while I was growing up. But she had 6 kids and she made a huge pitcher of Kool-aid every day in the summer. I may or may not end up with 6 kids but I'm certain I won't be giving them Kool-aid.
3 to 11. Small Corningware containers and lids. These are something else my mom has so I have accumulated some, but I never use them.
12. Rusty 9x9 pan - my glass one will do
13. Ice mold in the shape of Shark Fins. I thought this was so fun when I bought it, but realistically when will I use this with 4 girls?
14. A difficult kitchen clip
15. A metal spatula that keeps separating from the handle
16. DH's kitchen cup that I have wanted to get rid of for years but he hasn't let me. Finally, it has a crack! Maybe I'll have to keep that in mind for future items DH doesn't want to get rid of . . . Just kidding, Honey!
17. A mug we got for free
18. A mug I bought at the thrift store I bought long ago match my other "white" mugs
19. A mug I got a baby shower. Love the color, but already have plenty of tea mugs including another green one with a tea strainer so keeping that other one.
20 & 21. A mug I got as a gift from my SIL. Love this one, too because of the lid! Nothing like a lid to keep a busy mama's tea warm, but DD#1 got me a lidded mug for Christmas and I should keep that one to encourage her sweet giving heart.
22 to 25. Child safety pads for the corners of our kitchen island. They kept falling off and have been a drawer for two or three years.
26. NOT PICTURED: My candy thermometer broke in the midst of Christmas baking this year. I had a spare, so I won't replace the broken one.

Katie

Day 77 - Christmas and Candles

1 to 8. Christmas balls
9. Snowglobe craft project from MOPS - cute but not cute enough to keep for more than the one season.
10. Silvery glitter candle - Christmas gift that made a great decoration but doesn't really match my other red & gold stuff and I'm not in love with it.
11 to 16. Candles - I don't really burn candles anymore, they just sit a dresser drawer. I kept tea lights which I do use and one big candle for if the power goes out.
17 to 19. Candle bases/holders
20. Diffuser for hair dryer that I have NEVER used. My curly hair just never looks quite right and that's OK. It's not worth the effort and time to learn to use it properly and curly hair is supposed to be a little messy, right? Right? . . . Uh, right?
21 to 24. Makeup stuff I don't use or is just old.

25 & 26. Corningware dishes I don't use

Katie

Day 76 - Office Papers

Here's are some of those office papers I was mentioning in this mornings post.

12 months of receipts 2005!
12 months of receipts 2007!
Several pages and file folder I found jammed behind a drawer back in our filing cabinet. We bought this a few years ago from the State of Oregon. The file contains unemployment information from 1991 for a man whose full name, birthdate, and social security number are included in the file! I found it a long time ago and intended to write the State, but since it hasn't happend I just shredded everything and am done with it.

Katie

p.s. I don't know where the 2006 receipts are. Perhaps already discarded?

Office

Oh, the woes of an unorganized office! You may have noticed there are many posts about office papers and gear lately. I am so tired of the mess in here! I don't really make New Year's Resolutions, but if I did I suppose getting the office in shape would qualify. We've been set up as "temporary" in our formal dining room for over two years!

Here are a few reasons I've come across these last couple to months to get desks in here, organize, and clean up:

I can't find my 3 hole punch.
I can't find my pin number for the rarely used bank account.
I can't find thumbtacks.
I can't even hook up my new computer!
I searched and searched for my regular old legal size envelopes only to find them under a pile of junk on the floor!
There are THREE printers in here.
DD #1 needs more math curriculum and I have to look through about 60 workbooks to find a) a math one and b) at her ability level. It would take 30 seconds if this were organized!
I have never gotten use the laminator I got for Christmas - Last year!

There is more, I'm sure. Stay tuned for more office bits in future postings. You can see photos of the office as I started this project next Friday.

Katie

Day 75 - Dress Up Box and Toys

1 & 2. Pillow covers from a gift exchange
3. Kung Fu panda blanket
4 & 5. Make-up bags
6. Cowboy hat
7. Fireman hat
8. Princess banner
9. Princess sash
10. Cardboard Mary Engelbreit box
11 & 12. Dance shoes
13. Fake flower
14. Jack
15. Crown that doesn't stay on Barbie's head
16. Plastic wand
17. Ballerina cupcake topper
18. Monkey costume
19. Stress ball
20. Piggie bath puff
21 & 22. Barbies
23. Headband
24. Broken beaded necklace
25. Tinkerbell notepad - waterlogged and ruined Christmas present
26. Asian doll - DH got this at work or something and the kids liked it, but it doesn't have a home and I'm tired of picking it up.

Katie

Day 74 - Kid's stuff

1. Broken hanger
2. Baby rattle toy
3. Bag for lost hand mirror
4 to 9. Magnets to kid toys
10. Lid to chapstick
11. Lid to marker
12. Dry marker
13. Expired prescription
14. Hat to a cute outfit I already took to consignment. I searched high and low for this about six weeks ago. Oh well!
15 & 16. Boot liners
17. Destroyed book
18. Flower
19. Another magnet
20 to 24. Cards
25. Outgrown tights
26. Worn out undies

Most of these just went straight to the trash, but they're out of the house anyway.

Katie

Day 73 - Office Papers

Here are some more office papers. Why are these hanging around still? I don't know.

12 months of receipts from 2008
9 pieces of artwork from one of my DDs
4 pieces of mail I've been interested in, but haven't done anything about in a year
1 more basket

Katie

Day 72 - Various clothing items

Today it's a bunch of clothes:

1 to 5. Jeans I bought thinking I'd sell them on ebay. Since they've been in my office, untouched for 5 months, I gave them to my SIL who actually does manage to sell stuff on ebay. I'm out about $40, but I don't even care because they aren't on my office floor anymore.
6 & 7. Old sweaters I don't wear anymore
8. Gold sweater with shiny shirt underneath I actually bought secondhand to match my girls' Christmas dresses. What was I thinking? It fit, but really was so outdated there was no way I was going to memorialize it in the holiday photo!
9 & 10. Size 13 women's shoes I bought also planning to sell on ebay, presumably to a fabulous drag queen. I realized that drag queens probably prefer platform boots and gave these to my SIL, too. She'll be able to get something for them, I'm sure.
11. Hideous tie - no idea where it came from - I hope I didn't just hurt someone's feelings.
12. Last remaining scrunchie from high school. I found this in the bowels of the car I bought in 2001.
13 to 21. Outgrown clothes from DD#4. Some will be consigned. Some already given to my cousin's baby who is about 6 months younger than DD#4.
22. An orange/pink sweatshirt DD#1 never wears. Will consign this one.
23. Hello Kitty top that DD#2 was devastated she had to give up. It was pretty destroyed by bleach somehow, so we're recycling it.
24. Hello Kitty McDonald's toy
25 & 26. Expired prescriptions.

Katie

Day 71 - Office Bits

I'm back! I'm back! Hooray to getting rid of more stuff!

I decided I'd take DH's advice and not try to catch up, BUT if I happen to find a couple of days' worth in one day I'll post twice.


Today's selection are items found in the office when DH was cleaning up the kids' craft area with the older girls.

1 to 10. Baskets
11 & 12. Dead water colors
13. A special writing board we no longer have pens to
14. Random pen lid
15. Pencil grip
16. Candy tube
17. Piggy Bank
18. Mouse book we don't read often
19 to 26. Game pieces. I'm sure more will turn up.

Katie