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Lkunkel
Member
10-29-2003
| Sunday, September 05, 2004 - 2:30 pm
Vee: I oh so want a refrigerator/freezer combo with the freeer on the bottom. I'm not sure what you are considering "kits" (I haven't read my FL mail this weekend at all), but I have our refrigerator and stand-alone freezer shelf contents divided with plastic boxes. I have my extracts, flavored oils, and essential oils in the door shelves of the refrigerator. I just have to be careful to not grab the wrong one for whatever it is that I'm preparing. My spices are organized in the door shelves of the freezer. Whatever I am defrosting, goes into a dishpan in the refrigerator--if any of the juices run, they stay IN the dishpan. Sandwich makings (deli meats, jelly, condiments, etc.) are in their own box; R-T-E fruit (grapes, cherries, peaches, etc.) are in their containers. Whatever I pulled out for the week's meals, are in a dishpan with cution tape strapped over the top, so Potshot knows to not use it. Today I am resting a bit more, but tomorrow I am back at full force--such as it is. Tuesday I have a major disability appointment...it is basically the one that will decide if I am eligible for disability. My other plans for the week include getting the shelves and putting them up, putting up stuff to sell on eBay, and continuing work on the journal. I've been working on the depression and doing a lot of writing; I'm feeling a little better, but it isn't the same as being able to talk things out, but it's the best I can do, so there it is.
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Sunday, September 05, 2004 - 7:18 pm
You are always tenacious, Laurie. You have a lot of spunk and grit. I am very glad that you are feeling better and I hope that you have someone to talk it out with. Don't forget us...we count, don't we? I guess you are doing the same sort of kit thing that I am doing, except I hadn't done it before in the fridge. (I had made the first aid kit and the shaving kit and the tape kit and the glue kit, etc., back along.) We had run out of refrigerator door shelves for stuff so I used tupperware boxes for most of it. For the jams and jellies I used the carton that the Clementines came in...it's sort of cute. Thankfully, my days of defrosting are over. Don't overdo it now. Do you set your timer for 15 minutes or do you go until you're feeling tired? I am trying to stick with the timer. That way I don't get too frustrated with any one thing. Sometimes the timer is set for an hour though.
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Spinner
Member
10-27-2003
| Sunday, September 05, 2004 - 7:28 pm
Sounds like progress, LK. I have never had a bottom freezer unit but it seems to me that it would be hard to find things in it. That must not be right or LK would not be longing for one! We have a side-by-side and I like it very much. I organize things in plastic baskets and it works out very well. My plans for the week, assuming that DH is finally able to take his mom to Florida tomorrow to sort out the mess at her condo (Hurricanes Charley and Frances have both come to visit) are to catch up on our professional responsibilities and to get this house back in shape. I've tried to keep up, but MIL has needed a lot of TLC; we are very behind here in all areas of life. Good luck at your Tuesday appt. LK. We all need to look for a highly renumerative position for Vee where she can put her newfound knowledge about you-know-what to work. Surely that's useful information that others need!
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Lkunkel
Member
10-29-2003
| Monday, September 06, 2004 - 1:45 am
Vee: the problem with talking here is that it is too open, and there are some people who may lurk here who could cause problems if I wrote anything that they may take incorrectly...which would just depress me more. I learned the refrigerator thing early on in living with Potshot. The man loves sticky stuff: jelly, syrup, honey, etc. If it isn't in a holder then I have to clean the whole fridge--not just a little holder. I set my timer for 15 minutes to work. I then sit down for 15 minutes and work on msgazine or catalog wishlists. I then repeat the process at least once more. FlyLady may believe the process can be completed in 15 minutes but not for me--I need extra time, generally 3 sessions to the one. Spinner: If you have ever dropped a turkey on your foot, you'd check out the freezer on the bottom. It is firly easy to organize. If anyone has AIM, email me, and I can bring you into a chat room with me and we can work together. As for the future, I can only take one day at a time. I promised Potshot that I would be careful with my activities. And that is much easier, if I have company, so just drop me a piece of email.
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Monday, September 06, 2004 - 6:36 am
Thanks, Spinner, for suggesting that I use my vast knowledge of bedbugs for a greater purpose. I'm thinking a top ten list of things to do or a top ten list of things not to do or something... I hear you, Lk, and just want to say that you can feel free to e-mail me any old time you feel like talking. I agree with you that some things are too private to be shared in a public forum. We could take a vote of which refrigerator people covet...that would be very interesting! I was concerned about the weight of the bottom freezer, but, because it rolls so smoothly, that has never been an issue. However, as Spinner suggests, it is true that things get lost in there. As for the side by sides, my mother has found with hers that the freezer side is so narrow that she can not store large items such as a turkey or even a roasting chicken. However, it is very practical for her kitchen because the doors do not swing out as wide. I had to make a cake...gasp...last night with the extra stuff I found floating around after the refrigerator clean up. We had three large containers of yogurt...gotta make some yogurt cheese...extra eggs, extra bottle of canola oil, etc. I made a pound cake from Cake Mix Doctor. It came out really good if I do say so myself. Tomorrow begins our new battle of the bulge so we must eat this entire cake today.
Have a great Labor Day!
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Monday, September 06, 2004 - 6:48 am
I have no idea what is going on here, but obviously I posted twice...hmmm...I'll throw in the picture that I wanted to post originally for Labor Day. Guess I won't...forgive me everyone!
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Lkunkel
Member
10-29-2003
| Monday, September 06, 2004 - 9:11 am
Anyone cleaning and want company? Just IM me on AIM, and you can join GrandmaTo2 in cleaning.
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Schoolmarm
Member
02-18-2001
| Monday, September 06, 2004 - 9:56 am
My new house has a side by side fridge, and I am not used to it yet. It is nice to get ice out of the door, but I am SURE that it will not hold a turkey. I have to put the pizzas on end in the bottom drawer. The compartments in the doors are very small, too. I will have another big total for the clutter challenge. I worked with my folks today until I got sharp eye pain (I had LASIK enhancement on Friday). I will take a nap soon. I won't post the clutter total until I put it out with the trash on Wed morning, cause I don't want to claim it til it's OUT of the house! About 25 more boxes unpacked just this morning! At least the trash collectors here will take LOTS of stuff! They were so picky where I used to live, and that just helped me be a packrat. I am SO excited because my Dad and I have my new home office furniture put together. Two tall bookcases, and two two-drawer vertical files with three shelf hutches on top. I think that I have enough storage for my scholarly work. It all matches! I will get the desk after I get the rebate check from Office Max! LK....I'll be calling it a day for cleaning, unless the eye stops hurting!
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Tuesday, September 07, 2004 - 8:19 pm
Schoolmarm, your commitment to decluttering is impressive and inspirational. I know that it hasn't been easy especially with your mom's "help." (Hope your eye is feeling better every day!) Sis and I begin another adventure in packing and moving beginning this weekend. The good news is that we have two more helpers...my mother and my son. The bad news is that it is my grandmother's home, which is filled from the basement to the attics (yup, two of them) with stuff. My grandmother is a classic hoarder having lived through the Depression and W.W.II. She firmly believes that every single thing in her home has value including the faded plastic geraniums from my grandfather's grave. You get the picture. If any of you have any advice about how to make choices, I'd be grateful. Many things are valuable antiques, but tons of it is just junk. Sighhhhh, I think we're in for it. We don't have the luxury of lots of time. There is no time for a yard sale, no local Salvation Army. I'd like to ask her friends to come in and take something that they would like, but my grandmother is aghast at that idea. I am trying to put myself in her shoes, but it is not easy. The FlyLady testimonials about clutter and what we are leaving behind for others to slog through has really hit home with me this week. It could not possibly have been more timely. I am realizing that I have a long way to go. Follow-up on K in Boston: She is feeling very tired and stressed. School begins tomorrow and she is so weary that she doesn't know how she'll even get through the day. Her mom bought her a mosquito net that is treated with pyrothrine, which has some efficacy with bedbugs. It won't arrive for another four or five days. On another interesting note, my sis was talking with a fellow nurse whose daughter attends college in Boston as well. This co-worker said that her daughter's dormitory rules are very bizarre because of the stringent cleaning rules. Seems the dorm rooms must absolutely be vacuumed twice a day and all bedding must be changed three times a week. This co-worker and her daughter had no idea why these rules were in place. My sister was able to enlighten them. Poor woman was horrified to hear what her daughter's college has not seen fit to explain.
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Spinner
Member
10-27-2003
| Tuesday, September 07, 2004 - 9:08 pm
Vee, would even that much vacuuming and bedding changes be enough to keep the little buggers at bay? Oh, yes! we are going through the same stuff re the grandma decluttering process. (The rest of you, as Vee knows, my DH is in Florida right now, helping his mom figure out how to manage the stuff in her condo which must be emptied so that the contractors can rebuild--badly damaged in Hurricane Charley.) M-I-L too believes that everything is valuable--either an "antique" or "of great scientific interest". At one time the "scientific interest" might have been so; original papers/books relating to scientific work are in some of those shelves, but the work has long ago passed into public domain and the names of the scientists are really no longer of interest to anyone but those who knew the family members who did the work. The "valuable" antiques, she is convinced, are highly prized by other family members and they will come get them, but this is simply not so. First, the family members live far away, did not ever really know the original owners of this furniture (none of which is really antique-y, having been refurbished over the years many times) and have no room for such massive pieces. So, how they are proceeding might help Vee, but Vee, you may have to take it one step further. Do a Clean Sweep--quickly divide everything by your definitions into KEEP, TOSS and SELL. Follow the one-touch rule--handle only once, decide fast, and for NOW, keep anything that's in doubt. Here's the tricky part. You can't really have a SELL pile--Grandma doesn't want that. Tell her something, if you can; you're storing it somewhere else, it needs to boxed differently, whatever you can do. Truth is, it will be a lie or at least a partial truth, but I really believe it is a kindness to keep it from her that you're going to dump it, or take it elsewhere to dispose of. How can it help to hurt her like that when she's in no position to choose another path? Your TOSS pile may have to have another public label as well. I think while you're doing it you might be able to suggest a particular item to go to a friend "who would cherish the gift" but truly, if you have as much stuff as you think, this small pile wouldn't be worth the time it would take to talk her into it. Where you'll take all these items, I can't fathom, but at least you'd know what you have. I don't remember where your Grandma is going to live after this, but I think it's a real kindness to help her select items to go with her, even if they don't make sense to you; how much can go depends, I guess, on where she'll be and how much room there is. She shouldn't leave with none of her possessions, but I sure don't think she has to know exactly where the rest are if you are sure that she'll never find out. I've certainly seen this week how possession-involved the Depression/WW II folks are and in our case, we learned a quick lesson: the more you press about getting rid of stuff, the more the owner clutches the possessions and refuses to part with any of them. We didn't get anywhere until we backed way, way off and decided to just store everything that isn't wet/moldy and sort it out later. Even then, she's not terribly happy about it but she knows we've done our best. Easy for us to say. The insurance company's paying for the storage--at least for now. Obviously all we've done is put it off until she's not in shock from essentially losing her whole house.
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Wednesday, September 08, 2004 - 4:42 am
Spinner, thanks for your excellent suggestions. They make perfect sense to me and so I am printing them off as a guide for my mother and all of us. What you said about people becoming ultra possessive of their things and the tug of war that ensues is so true. My mother and my grandmother's most recent battle was over clothing that my grandmother could not possibly ever wear again because it is much too large... she is now the size of a peanut. Nana won and the dresses in question are draped over a chair in her bedroom. It is a look, but it is driving my mother bananas. Thankfully, when my grandmother made the move to my parents' home, she brought the things that are truly important to her...her photos, the paintings, the decorations. My mother set up a bedroom with all her treasures and she is surrounded by them. My mother even remembered a pair of velvet curtains that were my great-grandmother's and so they were taken out of storage and put up. Now if we could just squeeze in a piano, her hope chest, her hoosier, the dining room set, her bedroom set, the antique hall table, and the giant wall mirror with the ornate frame, we'd be all set! My son got hauled into the fray with the promise that he, as the only male heir, can have all my grandfather's tools. This includes some wonderful home carpentry pieces; however, my grandfather died before I was born so they aren't exactly "state-of-the-art." Since my son is a new homeowner and gets involved in lots of home projects, he thinks he is blessed. Hope he still thinks that once he sees it all; otherwise, he may just pass out. Oh and I recognized the "scientific" papers discussion, too. This is where I really fall down on the job because my grandmother has saved every letter ever written and some of them are fascinating and seem as if they may have historical significance. Am I an idiot? My grandmother kept journals, too, where she discussed interesting things...movies, books, historical events. Acchhhhh! I am beginning my deep breathing exercises today. It is not too soon. Oh, one good thing, my grandmother will not be making this trek with us. That would really throw a cog into the works. She will be staying with friends at the lake so she should have a good day. That is if she isn't too worried about what we are doing with her stuff.
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Wednesday, September 08, 2004 - 4:56 am
Oh, I forgot to add that I am truly sorry that your mother-in-law lost so much in the hurricane, Spinner. She must feel as if she has been punched. Life just doesn't stop even when we are old or ill or tired, does it? My heart goes out to all the Floridians who have lost so much. This includes my own aunt and uncle; God bless them all. As for the bb question, I don't know if all that cleaning will really have much of an effect. I do know that they had better be changing the vacuum cleaner bags every single time or it will all be for nothing. Perhaps, if the dorms were sprayed, these measures will help. My niece is still waiting to hear more from her landlord. She is willing to pay for the procedure, but the exterminator will not come without the landlord's permission. Naturally! Sorry about the epic here...
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Lkunkel
Member
10-29-2003
| Wednesday, September 08, 2004 - 6:48 am
One suggestion on the "scientific papers/oletters/books": contact the closest university library to you and offer them to the Special Collections Department. UNLV has an incredible selection from various places and it provides excellent research info for Masters' and Doctoral students. Most will want to know how old the documents are and roughly where the person lived, etc., but don't give up--personal papers have an INCREDIBLE historical value--especially in today's e-correspondence.
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Schoolmarm
Member
02-18-2001
| Wednesday, September 08, 2004 - 8:55 am
DO NOT THROW OUT THE OLD PAPERS!!!!! This is a historical (and hysterical) researcher screaming at you! Most historical societies and state and local archives also have repositories for items like this. I would have killed for a diary of a one-room school teacher when I did my dissertation. Or the school papers, or photos, or...or...or..... I know that flylady says to pitch things or give them to the salvation army, but please consider giving things to young family members. They may need linens or dishes to set up house now or later. My younger brothers have VERY little of their grandparents. I have the wedding silver and the sewing kit. I was delighted to see that my cousin had about 10 of grandma's hats on display in her living room. I am very sad that none of us grandkids have ANY of grandma's extensive collection of Fiesta ware, or depression glass. It's just GONE. There are auction and estate places that will buy entire estates. See if they would be willing to buy the estate. Then you wouldn't have to mess with it. I don't think that I'm quite ready for the flylady purging yet. But at least I don't have to deal with bedbugs! LOL! Have a great day, everyone!
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Lkunkel
Member
10-29-2003
| Wednesday, September 08, 2004 - 10:52 am
Schoolmarm: ITA on the papers. I guess I didn't make it clear enough. I also agree on the hand-off to younger family members. The stuff i am sending to friends' church rummage sales or for other charitable pick-ups are the things I've bought because I "needed" it. ::shudder:: I cried when I had to clear out the antique table bottom that belonged to my maternal great-aunt. The repairman said that the cost of repairing the table base far exceeded the value of the table as a whole. (The wood was splitting, loose, and just way too dry out here in the desert. If you walked by it, it swayed.) What I did, then, was to take the marble slab table top (roughly 30" by 20", with the corners cut off to make a 6 sided "rectangle") and placed it atop the microwave cart my now-deceased older brother bought for my now-deceased father. Together the items make a very beautiful altar, that reminds me of family and strengthens me every time I use it. So I do feel blessed that I am able to use both items as a new piece of furniture. However, had I not been able to, I would have tried to track down my little brother to find out if he wanted the pieces. For the FlyLady purging, consider that she does say DONATE, she doesn't specify to whom. What I normally do is to use 3 boxes: Belongs XXXX (somewhere in the apartment other than whatever room I'm working in); Donate; Give to XXXX (I post-it note to whom I think would like it--or if I have something of someone's to return); and, of course, the largest-sized Big Black (Garbage) Bags (BBBs) I can get my hands on. I so do not want to leave behind a disaster area for my family/friends. So, I will get it together and get this place thinned out and keep it that way.
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Spinner
Member
10-27-2003
| Wednesday, September 08, 2004 - 1:05 pm
I wasn't clear on the papers either. The ones of real scientific value are already held by the corporation(s) that hold the patents that resulted from this work. The letters have been scanned into e-storage. Much of the rest is magazines with articles/pictures that mentioned the work way back when, sometimes only obliquely and literally amounts to 12 storage boxes. The archives-type people have already looked at them, pulled out what they wanted. No family member wants them; MIL has already given each grandchild (2) a full set of silver--I can't believe they owned so much sterling--we have a set of theirs too! And the boxes of paper items are not in good shape--the acid and such has crumbled a lot of the items. Maybe I have no sentimental bone, but I have no trouble throwing this kind of stuff away. It meant a lot to the original owner, but that was years and years ago. And I don't keep my own personal papers; as soon as their value has ended for me, I shred and toss. Most of the dishes that MIL wants to give away, while from well-known sources. go back to the day when lead was used in the decoration. They are not suitable for food; no one in the family wants them. We have contacted the estate sale folks and eventually they'll probably take most of the stuff even though they've determined already that there's nothing there of exceptional value--they were clear that they didn't want boxes of papers--but not now; in Florida they can barely deal with what they're already committed to because storage space is so damaged/limited. That's one of the reasons we're just storing everything for now; that, and that MIL isn't wanting to deal with it and we're fine with that.
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Wednesday, September 08, 2004 - 3:19 pm
Are you talking about Fiesta ware, Spinner? There is just one color plate...crimson, I think...that is not safe to be eaten from in those old collections. My grandmother has a large collection of those, too. They were her everyday dishes. It'll be the old letters and the journals that will be the biggest problem for me...I'm the type who buys old journals and diaries, if they are cheap enough, whenever I find them at a flea market. I have quite a little collection, which I used to share in my writing classes. Also purchased a stack of old letters written by a soldier during W.W.II because he kept asking what was going on. He always wanted information even though he was in the thick of things. I found that interesting. Since my grandmother is an only child, she inherited every single thing. She was also an only grandchild on one side of the family compounding the problem. My mother is an only child, too. This means that there are many, many items to share with all younger family members, but we could literally fill four homes with these things. Quite frankly, younger members are not showing that keen an interest, although my daughter did receive her great-grandmother's wedding dress and some other vintage clothing. We are blessed to be able to say that we have dishes that go back to my grandmother's great-great grandmothers. But, remember what the Fly woman says...things are just things...if they bring no particular joy, they are clutter. Right now they are bringing a fair amount of concern. Believe me, though, we will not be tossing anything of value. As I said, I'd love to use the umpteen vases/candy dishes/pickle dishes, etc., as gifts. Of course, there will be truckloads of stuff that must and will go. Thank God, my grandmother doesn't have bedbugs...just my niece. It's bad enough in a rented room, but can you imagine an entire house? Yikes! (Speaking of the critters, if you want to be horrified, do a Google of any city you are interested in + bedbugs...scary! New York and Boston are the worst, but they're on their way to a city near you, if you don't have them now.)
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Spinner
Member
10-27-2003
| Thursday, September 09, 2004 - 2:28 am
Vee, dishes MIL wants to "give" to family who aren't interested--everyone is overrun in dishes, it seems--are very old Wedgewood china from England. At one time, I guess, they used a decal for center decoration and a metallic band on the edges that had lead in them. MIL is, like your grandmother, is an only child and has lived on the principle if someone gives you an item of family interest, you have to take it and keep it until you can pass it on. It's the "passing it on" that's the sticking point--no one is willing to continue this tradition. Other than her now-single (divorced, no children) son, all of MIL's family are on my DH's tree--we have 2 kids, both with families--and we have raised them to not value possessions all that much. Since we've never lived in any city that my DH's parents lived in my kids haven't grown up seeing these household items, haven't seen them used at family gatherings, and as a result, don't have anything invested in those traditions. Like my DH and me, the kids prefer a minimal, contemporary look and in California, home sizes are smaller. No room for a lot of this furniture or large china collections. It is a pity you can't use those side items of china as gifts--maybe you'll yet figure out a way to do it. Tried your suggestion of googling a city name + bedbugs--only report, other than one dating back to 1907 here, is a hotel over near the airport. But there seem to be many problems with that hotel, not the least of which is no one seems to do anything about traveler complaints of any sort.
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Thursday, September 09, 2004 - 5:19 am
Oh, I am getting myself a mini education in dishes. That's very interesting about the decal in the center of the dish...I'll have to be on the lookout for anything like that...wouldn't want to poison the family or anything. Is the "metallic band" on the edge of the dish gold? I have been sharing some of the FlyLady ideas with my mother again this week. I suggested a big old Fling Boogie, but she says with four people in the house doing that we'd knock one another out. I guess the one good thing about all of this is that, as New Englanders, we are interested in all things old. This includes my daughter and my nieces. My son and his wife prefer contemporary things. Even so, one can only absorb just so much. Glad that you didn't find too much about your local city. I have taken to reading people's blogs about the critters and that is very interesting because they have been waging war in the trenches so to speak. New York's problem is described as the "best kept secret." I don't think that Boston's can be described in that way any more. We are getting the remnants of Frances today. In fact, the wind just blew a vase of flowers off my windowsill into the sink. The sink is empty and it's going to be easy to pick it up. Have a great day everyone!
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Purplecow
Member
12-08-2003
| Thursday, September 09, 2004 - 7:22 am
Just checking in to let everyone know we're okay down here and shuttering up for Ivan.
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Thursday, September 09, 2004 - 7:30 am
Purple, thank you so much for dropping in. I've been wondering...Let's keep our fingers crossed that Ivan peters out. Prayers don't hurt either. Take care!
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Friday, September 10, 2004 - 7:23 pm
This is an experiment...I'm a real novice having never posted a photo before...hopefully my work station in the garage will pop up...forgive me if it looks awful
Hmmm, maybe I'm not such a great photographer! 
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Lkunkel
Member
10-29-2003
| Saturday, September 11, 2004 - 10:08 am
Vee, actually, the picture looks great. What's the problem?
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Sunday, September 12, 2004 - 6:09 pm
Not a problem...just a challenge...not the brightest bulb in the box. After this weekend, I do believe that I must officially resign from all things organized and decluttered. My life will never be organized or decluttered again. I just have to come to terms with it...I am a junkie plain and simple. I like being a junkie, I can not become a sleek or modern homemaker so I'm bowing out. Thanks for everything, loved chatting with you all, but I won't be posting here very often, if at all, anymore! Take care now!
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Monday, September 13, 2004 - 5:56 am
Well now, that was a bit melodramatic and over the top...I don't want anyone to worry about me because morning finds me feeling a bit less overwhelmed than I was feeling last night. Just milking you for sympathy and that is not okay! It only means that I am starting from square one again...I know...babysteps...
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