Slip-sliding Away

Today's task was a dresser drawer, the smallest drawer left to be cleaned/purged in my dresser. A drawer I rarely use, you will soon see why.

• 8 half-slips. I'm curious, who wears half-slips anymore? Who wears slips? I am so tempted to toss them all, but one is brand new - still has tags on it. These date back to the days when I worked in an office and wore skirts and blazers and (horrors) high-heel shoes. As crazy as it seems - KEEP 4 (two black, one white, one beige), DONATE 4 (2 white, 2 beige).
• a sweater stone. This is a device for removing sweater-lint. I don't think I have ever used it, don't think I ever will - DONATE.
• a duck whistle from the D.C. Duck Tour - KEEP - I am sure I will need a duck whistle at some point.
• a tee-shirt dress from the 1980s. If you don't know what a tee-shirt dress is - allow me to explain: you cut the bottom of one tee-shirt off under the arms and sew it to the bottom of another tee-shirt making a long tee-shirt dress. Why anyone ever did this is beyond me, however, they were all the rage in the 80s. The reason I still have this one is because it is decorated with my daughters' hand prints. I actually had them dip their hands in white paint to decorate the tee-shirt dress. Too bad I was a little too early for Project Runway. KEEP - of course I will never wear this again, but I can't get rid of my sweet daughters' hand prints.
• 4 drawer sachets - KEEP - but not all in the same drawer.
• a pedometer from a McDonald's "Healthy Meal" that appears to be broken - TRASH.
• 2 sets of rosary beads - KEEP - it would probably be a sin to throw them away.
• a satin lined, small velvet bag - perfect for a tube of lipstick and a small mirror in an elegant evening bag - KEEP - in spite of the fact I am sure I will never use it.
• a beautiful, fine linen, handkerchief given to me by Daughter #1 on the day of her wedding, for use at the wedding. Of course I cried, but I didn't use the beautiful handkerchief - I didn't want to get it dirty! KEEP
• 2 clothes pins - KEEP - move to utility room.

That is the end of the exciting cleaning/purging activity for today. Quack, Quack (that was the duck whistle).

The Hard Stuff

Some days I am inspired to clean/purge something and other days I am too tired to face my messes. Today was the later. But I am committed to this blog so I chose to clean an area I had an issue with last week. On the night the relatives came for dinner I had an incident that drew my attention to a mess of a disaster waiting to happen. Daughter #2 was cooking Spanish Rice at the stove and I reached over her to get a bottle of bourbon out of the "liquor cabinet." I have noticed that approximately 95% (don't take me seriously when I use math - I would never actually figure a percentage - I am only making a wild guess here) of the people I know keep their liquor in the cabinet over the oven. My parents did, so I do. Anyway, as I pulled the bottle out of the cabinet I accidentally knocked over a champagne flute. The glass fell from the high cabinet, to the floor, and shattered into a million pieces (again, the math thing - probably not a million pieces - I didn't count). As I was sweeping up the mess, Daughter #2 threw the Spanish Rice in the trash and announce she was going to the store to get new ingredients, as she wouldn't serve anything that might possibly kill someone. Good call. Remember the glass shattered - smithereens is a word not often used, but it comes to mind, odds are glass got into the pan of rice. So, the liquor cabinet was my project for today.

The liquor cabinet is a fairly small cabinet over the oven. Keep that in mind as you read the items I pulled from the cabinet:

• 2 Golden Goblets from Excalibur Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas - Home of King Arthur's Tournament - DONATE - Maybe someone, somewhere, will want these.
• 15 shot glasses - KEEP 12, TRASH 3 - Sort of an odd decision, considering we don't "do shots", but you never know when a wild streak might possess us and we have a need for 12 shot glasses.
• 2 clear glass Christmas mugs - DONATE
• 2 brandy snifters - KEEP
• a glass ice bucket and matching tumbler, Wedgwood blue with a Grecian pattern - KEEP - these belonged to my parents, remind me of my parents - I'm keeping them.
• 8 Koozies - KEEP 5, TRASH 3
• a set of 8 coasters featuring the labels from wines from our local winery - KEEP
• a set (15 assorted) of "authentic" British Pub Mats (coasters) still in the package - KEEP
• 4 wine corks - KEEP - I save them in a big jar, are you surprised?
• a clay pot Daughter #1 made in elementary school - KEEP - wonder what it was doing in there?
• An Aerolatte - The Original Steam Milk Frother - KEEP - but put it somewhere else, with cappuccino maker, perhaps.
• 2 on-the-rocks glasses with Chivas Regal emblem - KEEP - nice heavy glasses.
• 2 champagne flutes - KEEP - one can always use champagne flutes
• 3 cordial glasses, 2 matching, 1 odd - KEEP 2, DONATE 1 - we aren't big cordial drinkers.
• a glass pitcher with a red plastic spout - KEEP - this is another item from my childhood, go figure.
• 2 crystal wine glasses that belong to the ever-diminishing set of my mother's crystal - KEEP
• an orange plastic cup in the shape of an orange with "Smirnoff Screwdriver" on it - KEEP - this is also from my childhood. It was kept in my parent's liquor cabinet and my Daddy put his pocket change in it after work. This change was used the next day for our school milk money. Memories.
• a miniature plastic beer bottle that is labeled "Twang The Original Premium Beer Salt" - TRASH
• a sombrero shaped container of Jose Cuervo Margarita Salt - KEEP
• 2 empty, purple velvet Crown Royal bags - TRASH - why did I keep these?
• 7 packages of assorted cocktail napkins - KEEP
• a stainless steel cocktail shaker - KEEP
• a battery operated electronic timer - KEEP
• 2 Christmas-themed wine bottle stoppers - KEEP
• 4 Christmas-themed swizzle sticks - KEEP
• 12 wine glass charms - KEEP
• a brocade flask holder with plastic flask - KEEP - this is one of my crazy estate sale buys. I laugh out loud when I think of the woman who might have owned this. Anything that makes me laugh out loud gets to stay.
• an assortment of Texas Wine promotional pamphlets and wine coasters - KEEP COASTERS, TRASH THE REST

Have you noticed anything missing? Now for the good "stuff"

• an almost full bottle of 100% Agave Tequilero Hecho en Mexico Tequila - KEEP
• a bottle of Crown Royal Special Reserve with less than a 1/2-inch left in the bottom - DONATE (I am actually donating this to my grandmother's liquor cabinet where the odds are better that someone at her house will drink it.)
• a bottle of Southern Comfort 100Proof I know I have owned for over 20 years. We bought it on a trip to the Virgin Islands in 1989, talk about aged! DONATE - ditto the above recipient
• a bottle of W.L. Weller Special Reserve with about a 1/2-inch left - DONATE - ditto
• a bottle of Old Charter Kentucky Bourbon with about a 1/2-inch left - DONATE - ditto
• a bottle of Tequila Reserva 1800 Reposado 100% de Agave hecho en Mexico - KEEP
• a tiny bottle of Guzano rojo Mescal from Oaxaca - KEEP - souvenir bottle from Daughter # 1's summer in Oaxaca
• a bottle of Triple Sec Liqueur - KEEP
• a bottle of Bacardi Rum, again with only about a 1/2-inch remaining - KEEP - I might one day feel like a Mai Tai
• a partial bottle of Malibu Caribbean Rum - KEEP
• an unopened bottle of J&B Scotch - KEEP - neither of us drink Scotch, but you never know...
• an empty bottle of St.Remy Napoleon Brandy - TRASH
• a partial bottle of Praline Pecan Liqueur - KEEP - this is awesome on caramel apple pie
• a partial bottle of Amaretto di Amore - KEEP
• a Mogen David Deluxe Concord Wine in a Limited Edition Collector Decanter - TRASH - this has been around for way too long.

This cleaning/purging exercise would have been way more fun if it weren't Lent.

Day Two of the Hostage Situation

The hostage situation has not been successfully negotiated. It appears that we have a slight delay. Daughter #2 is in college and can’t partake in the negotiations until next week when she is on Spring Break. I have decided to continue the room purge on my own. Same rules as last time – remove ten items.

• The head piece my mother wore on her wedding day in 1956 and that my daughter wore on her wedding day in 2007 – SAVE – I finally wrapped this in tissue paper and put it up on the top closet shelf. Daughter #2, Niece #2, Niece #3, and Grandnieces #s 1, 2, 3, & 4 will have the opportunity to wear it when their special day comes.
• A plastic step stool – MOVE – Moved to hall closet (the dreaded hall closet).
• Folding chrome stand and canvas laundry bag that fits into it – MOVE – Take to lake house – where it will be perfect for hauling laundry back and forth.
• Two UPS shipping boxes (folded) – MOVE – one more thing into the hall closet. I actually have a shelf with wrapping/mailing supplies on it (who knew I was so organized?).
• A duffel bag with clothes, towels, supplies I have packed to go to the lake – MOVE – moved to my bedroom to finish packing – whoo-hoo we are going to the lake this weekend.
• Loose pages with wine information that came with our wine club shipments – MOVE – move to snazzy little notebook that came with initial wine shipment where they belong.
• A tote bag and a shopping bag full of wedding planning paraphernalia from Daughter #1’s wedding (almost 15 months ago) – MOVE – I moved both bags to Daughter #1’s room – I need to go through the wedding “stuff” to make sure I don’t toss any important memories. (Note the trend of moving stuff back and forth between daughter's rooms.)
• A pair of real headphones, not ear-buds, Daughter #2 gave me for my ipod – MOVE – put with my ipod – (Thank you, Daughter #2).
• A packing box that a book was shipped in. I have been saving this because who knows when I might need to ship a book - TRASH - Really, what are the odds I'll be shipping out a book? Please note - one thing has been thrown away during this exercise!
• Package of drawer organizers from last week's trip to Ikea. This was the only thing I bought for myself - MOVE - to my room where the drawers in need of organizing can be found.

I have done all I can do towards the hostage negotiation. Daughter #2 is going to have to take over from here. I am hoping to have this hostage crisis situation resolved by the end of Spring Break.

We Have A Hostage Situation

I have a hostage in my house. I am actually holding a hostage. The hostage is a new queen-size bed from Ikea. The ransom I am demanding is the removal of all of daughter #2's "stuff" from her old bedroom (my new office). If she wants the new Ikea bed, and I know she does, she first has to move out of my house. That shouldn't bother her, as she has her own home across town. Across town she also has the bed that goes with the remaining furniture in her old room (my new office). I am sure a simple swap can be arranged as soon as she removes her "stuff".

I am being a slight bit hypocritical here. It's not as if the room will be vacant once she removes her things. I stood at the door today trying to imagine it as a guest room/office and even I don't have that much imagination. The room is what is commonly referred to in some circles as a JUNK ROOM. It has become the room where anything without a home goes. It has become a JUNK ROOM. As I stood at the door I knew I needed to begin purging, but I just couldn't figure out where to start. The floor space that was once occupied by the bed is covered with "stuff". I went to the door and just stared in despair several times before I actually got the nerve to go in and do something.

This is going to be a project I will have to tackle in segments, much like the kitchen cabinets. I gave myself the task of removing/putting away/tossing 10 items today. Ten items was manageable, the whole room would require a Pod (you know, those storage units they deliver to your driveway) and a forklift.

The ten things I removed/put away/tossed:

• a 16-quart stainless steel beverage tub - put away in its original box in the closet where it belongs.
• the box containing the most recent wine club shipment - bottles of wine put in wine rack where they will sit unmolested until Easter when I can drink again, box saved for daughter #2 to pack her "stuff" in
• a duffel bag containing workout clothes - moved to my bedroom closet so I will see it and remember to workout (won't someone please take me seriously?)
• two suitcases (please note I am only counting this as one entry) - I nested them, one inside the other, and moved them to daughter #1's room until I can find a more suitable storage place (I have a very bad habit of moving things back and forth between my daughter's rooms. I'll try to work on this.)
• a wooden stand with 4 very heavy wooden folding t.v. trays -stored in the hall closet. The hall closet is the second scariest storage place in my house, the first being the garage and the third was the Tupperware cabinet from blog dated 2/14/09.
• a 6 x 9 foot wool rug purchased by daughter #1 in New York and hauled back to Texas in a very large suitcase after she decided it didn't match her apartment (this was, of course, before luggage poundage limitations went into effect). - I have relocated this to daughter #1's room (I told you I had issues with this) until I can get moth balls and an adequate storage container. Then perhaps I will move it to the storage building we own in a town about 30-miles away. Oops, I just realized that I haven't yet fessed up to having an outside storage place. The first step is admitting the problem - I've done that. Give me a break.
• A box-fan - moved to hall closet, where it is now perched precariously on top of the t.v. trays.
• 2 Mr. Clean car wash kits - husband moved to the garage for me (I'm too scared to go in there)
• 2 tote bags containing miscellaneous writing "stuff", notebooks, journals, books - went through both bags and put "stuff" up where it belongs - desks, bookshelves, etc.

Okay, it's a start. Any day now I will have room to put a bed in the former JUNK ROOM, soon to be combination guest room/office. I wonder how much longer I will have to hold the new Ikea bed hostage? I am eagerly anticipating the hostage transfer!

Suitcase Stuff

Why is it so hard to unpack after a trip? It seems that no matter the length of the trip I have issues with unpacking. It is so much easier to leave the suitcase on the floor by the bed for a couple of days and continue to live out of it than to actually pull out wrinkled clothes and dirty laundry; easier until my husband trips over it in the middle of the night or a cat thinks it can be used for a litter box. (That did actually happen years ago, but I have no cats living at home anymore. Ask me about my grand-cat.) Having returned late last night from a three day business trip I decided unpacking would make an excellent blog topic. I also decided I was too tired to actually clean/purge anything, so I unpacked. I won't list all of the items I unpacked; no one wants an accounting of dirty socks and undies, but I will pose a few questions inspired by my suitcase.

1. Why did I take four pairs of shoes for a three day stay?
2. Why did I take an outfit I never wore ?
3. Why did I take two novels and three magazines? I barely read a page.
4. Why did I take granola bars, tea bags and energy drink powder? My breakfasts and lunches were provided at the conference and my co-workers and I went out to dinner every night.
5. Why did I take my ipod, ipod charger, and two sets of earbuds?
6. Why did I take a camera with me to a work function? It's not like I would want memories to treasure in my dotage.
7. Why did I take shampoo and conditioner when I always use the cute, good-smelling, little bottles on the hotel bathroom vanity?
8. Same question for lotion.
9. Why did I iron my clothes before I packed them?
10. Why did I pack every medication known to man just in case I got sick and then forget to take take even my vitamins while I was away?

Just a few things to think about the next time I leave town.

Big Red's "Stuff"

Since I began this blog I have alluded to the fact that my grandmother, Big Red, has contributed significantly to my packrattishness (I think I just invented a new word), hoarding, and/or my inability to part with “stuff”. Having just spent the weekend at her home celebrating her 102 birthday I have some thoughts on Big Red’s “stuff”.
Big Red’s “stuff” falls into several categories:

1. Good Stuff: an antique glass Daisy churn, an antique Roseville pitcher, the awesome circa 1950 drapes in her den.


2. Stuff that might be made into something else or that might be employed for some important function at a later date: Ski rope that might be woven around a metal lawn chair frame to make a new seat, a piece of wormy barn wood on which someone might want to decoupage a picture, a full skirt from the 1950s that could be used as a tablecloth.


3. Family history stuff: The dress her mother wore in her high school graduation photo, numerous scrapbooks, diaries, and photo albums, the original school teaching contract offering x amount of money per Choctaw pupil taught and every letter or greeting card she has ever received stored in manila folders by year.


4. Stuff that is just plain crap: 47 florist vases and containers, trashcans made from five gallon ice cream containers with sheets of rolled up glossy magazine pages covering the outside, and pantyhose and/or nylon stockings to tie up plants with or to store onions in (you put an onion in the leg, tie a knot and repeat until the leg is filled then hang it in the garage).

The category I am interested in today is #3 Family History Stuff. What a rich history our family has, and what a wonderful keeper of the history we have in our 102 year old matriarch. She has kept the almanacs of our family’s existence. Her three bedroom house and her two car garage are full of the evidence of her multi-generational family. She has the original copies of generations of diaries under her bed, stored neatly in shallow boxes. (So what if they are beer boxes.) She has the photo album/scrapbook from her teen years when she rolled her stockings and had a spit-curl in the middle of her forehead. She has the dress, tattered though it may be, her mother wore in her high school graduation portrait and the speech her mother made to her fellow classmates on that day and the deportment metal awarded. (Does anyone award deportment anymore? Maybe we should!) She has copies of civil war conscriptions. She has small account books listing pennies spent during the depression. She has a photo of herself standing by one of the first cars her family owned – an Apperson Jackrabbit. She has the baby name book with the odd spelling of my first name. She has every class photo of every class she ever taught. She has framed photos of her children, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren and her great-great-grandchildren (or just her grands as she refers to us when she lumps us all together) in every room of her house (yes, even the bathrooms). In short, she has a house full of stuff; some great, some not so great – but it is her “stuff” and it makes her who she is and it defines the family. It is a museum of sorts where we go to learn about ourselves, where we go to laugh and cry and be awed by the wonderful people who came before us. Thank you, Big Red, for keeping the “stuff” so we have a little better insight into who we are.

The Stuff We Have to Do

I have fallen behind on cleaning and blogging. As always, I have good excuses:

• Co-hosted a two day local conference

Followed by:

• A 3 (4)-day weekend celebrating my grandmother’s 102 birthday with about 30 family members

Followed by:

• One day in the office to get five days worth of work done

Followed by:

• The 3 days I am leaving town (beginning today) for a conference/training/workshop for work

The stuff I have to do takes precedence over the stuff I want to do. Oh, life!