May 3, 2007--table

we built a new kitchen island, so this table (which we inherited from our home's previous owner) went to a church friend. you can sort of see the two trashcans she took too, hiding under the table.

May 2, 2007--trashcans

our trashcans don't fit in the new island. i don't have pictures of them, but i gave them to a church friend.

May 1, 2007--blender attachment

this was an attachment that i picked up at the dig-n-save. it doesn't fit my new blender.

April 30, 2007--blender jar

this was part of a blender/food processor combo that i got for christmas a few years back. the blender doesn't work any more--the blades don't turn. so i got a new blender. i'll keep the food processor part for now.

April 28 & 29, 2007--two shirts

i don't wear these.

April 27, 2007--Everyday Food magazines

Same story, second verse--here is a collection of about 31 issues of Everyday Food. I am totally attracted to the design and styling of these, plus the food is good. but they take up a lot of room and it takes a lot of time to sort through the issues when i'm looking for a specific recipe (so i go online instead) and i don't often take the time to browse them for dinner ideas. instead, i think i'll buy the new cookbook based on these magazines (including a full-page photo of each recipe, and nicely divided up by season) and get rid of the bulk of the magazines themselves.

April 26, 2007--Cooking Light magazines

I'm getting rid of my collection of old Cooking Light magazines. I think there were about 24 issues or so. i never look at them and i have a large collection of recipes i've never made yet, so... these can go and inspire someone else.

April 25, 2007--seeds in a can

this is my second attempt to grow one of these "seeds in a can" kits and i'm giving up. i'm throwing away not only this can of not-growing seeds in funky dirt-like substance, but also the idea of growing something in a can. does that count as two things? this one was party of my birthday present from my lovely husband.

April 24, 2007--wrist rest experiment

this was an experiment that didn't really work. it was supposed to be a padded wrist rest that you could wear on your wrist! but... it's too tight. and too hard to mass-produce.

April 23, 2007--my first danskos

i loved these shoes. you can probably tell. but i haven't worn them in over a year and the few times when i wished i had brown shoes, i couldn't bring myself to wear these because they're so tattered. it's time to let them go.

April 22, 2007--citronella candle

i'm so embarrassed that i even still have this. it's broken, the candle is mostly burnt and it's so old that the citronella is probably non-existent anyway!

April 21, 2007--wind chimes

one of my favorite college professors gave me this wind chime as a wedding gift. it's broken now. i may decide to re-use the chimes themselves to make myself a new windchime, but this one is kaput. if i re-use the chimes, is it cheating to list the item on this blog?

April 20, 2007--mail organizer thingy

my wonderful husband bought this for me one year and it does look like something i'd like a lot, but the slots are too small for most of the mail we get (catalogs and junk) and so it's never really gotten used. i think he's a little sad about it, but that's not a good reason to not get rid of it. in fact, sadness around an object may be a good reason TO get rid of it!

April 19, 2007--cheap-o pedometer

back when counting the number of steps you took every day was the hot way to lose weight, i bought this pedometer. i didn't have a lot of money to spend on it, so i got this cheap one. i quickly learned that it was... inaccurate--to say the least. it had a tendency to count bounces and bumps that weren't steps at all and to not count all of the actual steps i took either. i didn't use it very long. why have i kept it?

April 18, 2007--tiny cross-stitched box

i think this was a graduation gift from my aunt. back when i was going into music education. i'm not planning on going back to music education and i'm not really into cross-stitch and i was never quite sure what to keep in such a tiny wooden box. although i dearly love the aunt who made this for me, i no longer feel the need to keep it.

April 14-17, 2007---blank books

when i was in high school and college, i had an insatiable fetish for blank notebooks. thing was, i actually wrote in lots of them. i wrote poetry, lists, stories, journalling.... but i don't do as much of that anymore. and these four notebooks aren't really my style any more, so, i'm passing them along to the next mad scribbler.

April 13, 2007--pencil pack

i bought this set of pencils in a matching box when i went to england for a summer in high school. they're made in china, so there's nothing intrinsically british about them. they don't have erasers. i haven't used any yet, so... what are the odds that i will eventually? meh.

April 12, 2007--free stencil

martha stewart likes to send these "free stencils!" along with the pleas to buy her magazine and i tend to keep them, but WHY? i'm pretty much never going to use them. and they're always the same design.

April 11, 2007--duvet

i bought this duvet at a thrift store in tulsa on a shopping trip with my favorite thrifting cousin. she was jealous that i'd found it first. now, it's not really my style and i don't need to keep it.

April 10, 2007--egg slicer

stupid, stupid design. who makes an egg slicer where the wires don't even go past the bottom of the egg? i finally wised up and bought a new one (that's really cute AND works AND was cheap!).

April 7, 8, 9, 2007--mops

i hate mopping. i really do. and i have a very large kitchen/dining area to mop. a few weeks ago, i purchased the "o mop" system from method at target. it includes a washable, absorbent cloth that velcro's to the mop's head and you squirt floor cleaner onto the floor, then mop it up. when you're done, you throw the cloth into the laundry. i can live with that. a lot less wasteful than the swiffer mops or any of that family of knock-off's. so, here are the past three mop contenders i've had at my house. i'm getting rid of all of them. i'm not sure yet if the o-mop is the perfect mop for me, but i like it better than any of these three!

April 6, 2007--rag rug

I think this cost me... maybe $1? maybe less? i bought it because it was cheap and kind of cute. but now that it's been washed a few times, it's gotten stringy. and much less cute. and the other day i looked at it and realized that it wasn't adding any beauty to my house and that it must go.

April 5, 2007--pretty lunchbox

i really like this lunchbox, but the lining is tearing. since i bring my lunch to work pretty much every day, i don't feel too guilty about spending $7 to buy a new lunchbox every 2 years or so.

April 3 & 4, 2007--denim things

here is a denim shirt that was my very favorite for a long time, but now i have a new one that's more fitted and i probably won't even miss this one. the skirt is one that i got at the dig-n-save and was so excited when i realized that the broken zipper was easily fixable, but then i tried it on once to show my sister and she said it was a "hoe-down" skirt and now that she's said that, i can't look at the skirt without thinking that i look like a cowgirl. and i'm not a cowgirl. and then i found a cuter, much more simple denim skirt.

April 2, 2007--something gray from victoria's secret

i won't make you look at a photo of this one. it's a normal piece of under-clothing (not particularly sexy--it's grey, like a t-shirt) that is relatively comfortable except that the straps are always falling down--no matter how tight i have them. so, this one is out the door.

April 1, 2007--Power Yoga video

A very good friend gave this video to me a few years ago with the stipulation that if i didn't really want it, i should give it back to her (only a TRUE friend can say things like that and get away with it!). after not even opening the wrapping for the last 5 years, i decided i should probably follow her advice and give it back (for me, the words "power" and "yoga" are an oxymoron--i do yoga to relaaaaax.). so, when she visited recently, i returned the video to her. she didn't remember it.

March 31, 2007--herbes de provence

confessions of a kitchen hoarder: i bought these spices mostly because i thought the crock was cute. tonight, my husband was digging through the back of the spice drawer and i pulled out this crock and opened it to smell the herbes and... they don't smell at ALL. probably don't add a whole lot of flavor to anything at this point. and yes, the sticker on the side DOES read, "best before 5/31/2002" but even though the spices are on their way to the trash, i might still keep the crock. is that bad?

March 30, 2007--bike shoes

my dear husband went through his closet while i was out of town and gathered together a giant trash bag full of clothing he doesn't want anymore. (can i count that towards my 365?) he also added to the top of the pile my old bike shoes. he's right. i don't need them anymore. i think i was holding on to them as "back-up, emergency" shoes, but i'd have to switch the cleats over and ... it's such a pain, i'm pretty sure i'll never do it. plus, they're pretty worn out.

March 29, 2007--placemats

i bought these "rag rug" placemats at wal-mart when i was in college for 50 cents apiece. i thought they were such a bargain! (someone obviously wasn't getting paid enough) now, i'm realizing that i haven't used them for quite a few years, they're looking a little shabby and i pulled them out and put them on the table to see if i still liked them and... guess what? i don't!

March 28, 2007--lunch box

i think this was my first work insulated lunchbox (as opposed to school lunch box). i liked the pears on the outside and it was a good size, but i've now had two other new ones, this one is grungy on the inside and i think the plastic is a little ripped. i see no reason to hang on to it.

March 27, 2007--jeans

i'm really not sure why i hung on to these as long as i did. i hate the way old navy stuff fits me and these are now too small. and they also ride really high on my waist (and ankles) and they taper! ugh.

March 26, 2007-- rickety stair rail

yay! my birthday! let's list something really great for today. i know! this stair rail! we've been meaning to replace this railing since we bought the house 3 years ago. it's unstable (wobbly if you lean on it) and the space between the balustrades (?) is wAAAAAy too big (i can fit MY head through it, so you KNOW a toddler can!). well, we finally, this month, got our carpenter friend to come build us a new one. it wasn't particularly cheap, but it's beautiful and sturdy and since we opted to "finish" it ourselves, it's not quite done yet, so i don't have an "after" picture, but here's the railing we got rid of! (i think this picture was taken before the bottom post got shredded by the cats--another classy touch.)

March 25, 2007--Mooncake tin

isn't this a pretty tin? it's what the mooncake came in. but, i don't need it. and if i keep it any longer, i'll get emotionally attached to it!

March 24, 2007-- mooncake

some of you may remember this delicacy from my other blog. isn't it pretty? well, it's sat in my fridge ever since i first tasted it, and hasn't tempted me yet. i feel sort of bad, but i think it's time to get rid of it.

March 23, 2007--Spring 07 issue of Blueprint

see, here's the thing. i really WANT to like this magazine, but every time i read it, i just DON'T. i bought this one as a treat to read in the airport on my trip to see my sister. i read it cover to cover and found.... pretty much nothing useful. there was an article on making jewelry and belts out of chains (bleh.), articles on booze (yuk), articles on makeup (yawn) and articles on "hey you should buy this." (yeah, right). i was mildly interested in their small apartment make-over, but since my house is currently LARGER than what I need, their tips weren't really anything I could use. It seems like it's written for people who are exactly like the editors of the magazine itself--young, relatively wealthy people, living in new york city. i still love the photography, the layout and the general eye-candy-ness of the mag, but i had surprisingly little problem putting it in the magazine exchange bin immediately after reading it. am i becoming a fuddy-duddy?

March 22, 2007--apron

when i found this in a drawer i was cleaning out, i thought it might have belonged to my great aunt. mom looked at it and said she didn't recognize it. i'm getting rid of it. anyone want it?

March 20 & 21, 2007--2 vehicles

my husband doubted that it was "fair" for me to count these as part of my 365 things because we're also buying a new vehicle, but i think that since we're downsizing from 3 vehicles to 2 and since these are big possessions and since we've been trying to get rid of the truck for about a year now, they SOOOO count. here is a picture of my car:









i bought it right after we got married. it's the second car i've owned. when i bought it, it felt incredibly luxurious (you should have seen my first car! i loved it too...). i still liked my car, but it had left me sitting in a parking lot twice and on the street (!) once in the past 4 months or so and with the large amount of rust on the back fenders and the large dent in one of the front fenders (long story that makes me angry, so i won't tell it here. suffice it to say that the dent was created right in the carport pictured above) it was looking a little shabby. plus, it had 177K miles on it. i am a little sad to see it go, but my husband is not.

here is the truck:






my husband bought this vehicle while still in college. we'd been dating for a few years, so he was kind enough to sort of involve me in the purchasing decision, but it's pretty much been his truck. i think it's smelly inside, but it's been nice to have a vehicle that has some space to haul "stuff" when we're doing home improvement projects or going camping. when we inherited our third car last year, we decided that the truck was next on the list to go and tried (sort of half-heartedly) to sell it. no one bought it and in the meantime, the hauling capacity has come in handy once or twice and having three vehicles came in handy a few times (like when my car left me sitting!).

we are both thrilled with our new (new-fer us) honda element that will replace both of these vehicles. we are also both thrilled with the fact that the dealership was willing to give us some trade-in money for our two vehicles that allowed us to purchase the new one. we are probably mostly relieved that we do not have to try to sell either of them ourselves.

March 19, 2007--wool blanket

this one is a bit more difficult for me to get rid of. i've kept it in the trunk of my car for years (sometimes in the back seat instead) and occasionally used it when i got cold in the car. thing is, i now have a cute polar fleece one from my grandma-in-law that is much less scratchy and this one has colors that are rather dated and ... it's just not one of my favorites any more. the story behind it is that i found it at pier one when i was in high school and debated with myself for a very long time before buying it. i don't remember how much it cost, but i do remember thinking that it was very expensive, but on sale so it was cheaper than it had originally been and i LOVED it and thought it was the most beautiful thing ever and whenever i'd ask my mom if she thought it was worth the money she'd say helpful things like, "is it worth it to YOU? if so, then it's worth it!" the thing is, i struggled for a long time (who am i kidding--i still struggle) with determining the value of a dollar. especially in non-used stores. i am a pro at deciding if something is "worth it" to me at a thrift store or yard sale or at an antiques shop (most of the time, anyway) but my points of reference feel all out of whack when i go to stores that sell new things. growing up, i rarely purchased things at the mall and sort of had this feeling that EVERYTHING at the mall was expensive and that was just what things at the mall were worth and that it's okay to pay $16 for a turtleneck at the mall (which is a price i would never pay for one at a thrift store--even if the tags were still on it!). anyway, this blanket is from that era. i loved it dearly once upon a time, but i'm not really that fond of it anymore. yet another example of how even the things that i "love" can go out of fashion and lose their appeal.

March 18, 2007--neck pillow

a few years ago, for christmas, a travel neck pillow was on my wish list. i got two. both filled with buckwheat. this one is now faded and i don't really use either of them as much as i thought i would, but i'm not ready to get rid of both of them yet. secretly, i think i'd like one that's filled with "microbeads" and is squishy... but i probably wouldn't use that any more than the buckwheat ones, so i can't really justify putting it on my wishlist.

March 17, 2007--flashlight/radio

this also came from my car. in theory, in an emergency this would be a handy thing to have in your car. in practice, emergencies rarely come complete with fully charged batteries. my original plan to tape a set of new batteries to the OUTSIDE of the flashlight so that the wouldn't get drained when not in use was somewhat flawed by the fact that the batteries never stayed on. i think i'll use the crank flashlight my husband got for christmas instead.

March 14-16, 2007--car accessories

i've cleaned out my car in preparation to trade it in for a new one. i took these items out of my car and have decided that i should get rid of them. they are (were) cute stripey target auto accessories--a sunscreen, a steering wheel cover and a seatbelt cover. i bought them on clearance for next-to-nothing, and the two smaller pieces have faded beyond cuteness and the sunscreen is one of the pop-out things that are just irritating (they NEVER go back to their nice original small size!) so, i don't really feel too bad getting rid of them.

March 13, 2007--yellow futon cover

I apologize. this will be my first post with no photo. i forgot to get one before i gave the item away! this item is a full-size light yellow canvas futon cover. i bought it for 50cents a pound awhile back thinking i could use it either as a futon cover or as fabric to cut up. it's too big for my own futon and it's so nice that i couldn't bear to cut it up. then, last weekend, i realized that some of my friends have 2 futons and at least one room in their house is painted yellow (so they like the color) so i asked if they wanted it and they're trying it out! i hope it works for them. that's the joy of buying things "by the pound." in most cases, stuff ends up being sooooo cheap that you can afford to give it away and if no one ends up being able to use it, you can return it to the store (not for any sort of refund, mind you) and not feel like you're out much money.

March 12, 2007--instant tea, circa 199?

not really sure how old this tea is. i bought it to make the russian/friendship tea (see entry, Jan. 21) and didn't use it all. why in the world have i kept this in my pantry so long?! it's like it just disappeared into the background for me! i mean look at it! it's "Shur Fine" brand (which my husband always says it sounds to him like the brand is saying, "sure, fine, whatever" as though it doesn't really care if you like it or not), so it's not like it was expensive! i even had to soak the tea (which was no longer in dry crystals, but in one solid log) to get it out so i could recycle the container. good grief!

March 11, 2007--kitchen towel

let's see..... i THINK i got this one either as a wedding gift or in one of those kitchen towel chain letter things. It's a lovely towel, but not really my style. Maybe I'll re-gift it to my mom. It's still in good condition. But my towel drawer is getting full (and i secretly want new cute towels, which means i need to unload some of the ones i've already got.)

March 9-10, 2007--2 headbands

I have owned these headbands for several years, (at least!) and i pretty much never wear them. they look like they would be so cool, but they end up hurting my head or clanging around the earpieces of my glasses and getting annoying and ... they've got to go.

March 8, 2007--izze bottles

when this soda first came out, i was enamored of the packaging (is that grammatically correct?) and thought i'd use these as vases. y'know, i've got a collection of blue glass bottles and a collection of green glass bottles and clear glass bottles are pretty common. i think it's time to recycle these.

March 7, 2007--candle

i loved this candle and used it as decoration in many of my homes. i think it was a gift to me from my best friend in high school (although i think she gave it to me after we had graduated. i don't THINK i've owned this candle that long!). i haven't used it for a few years now and the flowers are starting to escape from their wax coating on the side. it's time to let it go.

March 6, 2007--shhhh.... a gift

One of my favorite little storytime girls gave me this package of bath salts for valentine's day. she is a total crack-up--almost always wears frilly little dresses (last week was the very first time i'd seen her in pants and i almost didn't recognize her!) with her hair up in a disheveled ponytail. doesn't matter what the weather is like--her dresses look like sunday best. so, i'm sad to give away her gift, but i really don't use strawberry vanilla bath salts. any takers?

March 5, 2007--glass container

this is a container from my most favorite moisturizer ever which has, of course, been discontinued. i stocked up when i found out and i'm working on my last jar (and trying desperately to find a good substitute) but this is an empty jar. it's glass with a plastic lid and i found the shape to be appealing and thought i might use it to store something or .... something. but inspiration hasn't struck yet and really, it's just garbage.

March 1-4, 2007--4 necklaces

Here are four necklaces from my collection (all made by me) that i don't really wear anymore. They are now up for grabs! I'll add them to my sale notebook with the subtitle "from my personal collection."

February 28, 2007--hairy hat

the hat isn't SUPPOSED to be hairy, but it's navy corduroy and my cat loves to lie on it. which means it gets hairy. which means i don't wear it. plus, i haven't really been wearing hats lately, so unless it's a hat that i love or that i have a lot of emotional attachment to... it's time to get rid of it.

February 12-27, 2007--16 things from under my sinks

whew! treasure trove of great things to chuck under my sink! here we find expired medications (at least one is over 10 years old), plastic containers i thought i'd use for travel, but have plenty others of now, let's get rid of some, a comb (i own 3 and use 0) some fancy soap that i don't use some shower curtain hooks that i've replaced because they fall off the rod, a cute brush shaped like a foot (i have 2) and a travel toiletries bag that i've replaced with another one i like better. also, from under the kitchen sink--a wire basket with suction cups that seemed like a good idea but mostly got in the way.