Showers and baths and cleaning, oh my!

Today's Small Thing was something that I had planned on doing anyhow. As you all know, we have had the sickies around here and when that happens, I like to go around and disinfect as much as I possibly can, as soon as I can possibly do it.

I had planned on doing today's Small Thing before kids' bath time, but tonight was so unorganized and poor JoNo and Boo were just having a rough night in general with not feeling well and I guess I should mention Hubby still isn't feeling the greatest either. All that to say, I didn't get to today's thing until after bedtime.

But I did it. I cleared the bathtub of the toys and all the bottles of shampoo and conditioner and soap and bubble bath and loofahs and then gave the tub a good scrub down. We still have some paint drips on the tile surrounding our tub from when Hubby painted last year and when I am in there taking a bath, I pick at them. I didn't feel like trying to work on those tonight, so I skipped the paint removal part of my bathtub scrub routine.

Then I went downstairs and gave our shower a good scrub down too. I don't know if it is hard water or soap build up or what, but our shower never looks clean. EVER. I cannot wait to get the Shaklee so that I can finally have a shower and shower door that look like I clean it every once in awhile. So frustrating! Agh!

I did end up needing to add some supplies to the upstairs bathroom, and thankfully, I had enough on hand to do so without cutting me short in the kitchen. Yay for that! Boo for it being harsh chemical cleaners, but one thing at a time, right? Right.

Okay, point totals. Today's first bathtub or shower scrubbed down was worth 40 points, then the second one was worth an additional 20 points and assessing the cleaning supplies was worth another 20 points for a grand total of 80 points! Which I would just like to point out that I earned all of. That brings my monthly total up to...400 points!

ALSO - please consider making a donation and sponsoring my boys by clicking on the links under my banner above. They would really appreciate it!

40 in 40 - Week 1

Today is the first link up for the 40 bags in 40 days challenge. I am excited to be a part of this challenge. I have so many areas to declutter yet (it really is a continuous process - the more I get rid of, the more I am willing to let go of) and this will be a great aid in doing so.

First off, I'd like to share my plan of attack for this challenge with you. The recommendation was to use black trash bags, so that you cannot see what is in them. But I don't have black trash bags on hand and I didn't want to have to go out and buy a box of bags just for this challenge when I have a HUGE box of white bags from Sam's Club.

So, my plan of attack around the house:
Day 1 (Wed. 3/9): Master bedroom closet (3 bags + loose items)
Day 2 (Thu 3/10): Yarn storage / cedar chest (1 bag)
Day 3 (Fri 3/11): Front closet ()
Day 4 (Sat 3/12): Laundry room / clothing #1 ()
Day 5 (Sun 3/13): Old Hyundai ()
Day 6 (Mon 3/14): Little kids' bedroom / toys ()
Day 7 (Tue 3/15): Laundry room / clothing #2 ()
Day 8 (Wed 3/16): Bookshelves ()
Day 9 (Thu 3/17): Kitchen drawers ()
Day 10 (Fri 3/18): Laundry room / clothing #3 ()
Day 11 (Sat 3/19): Hall bathroom ()
Day 12 (Sun 3/20): Van ()
Day 13 (Mon 3/21): Laundry room / clothing #4 ()
Day 14 (Tue 3/22): Newer Hyundai ()
Day 15 (Wed 3/23): Entertainment center ()
Day 16 (Thu 3/24): Laundry room / clothing #5 ()
Day 17 (Fri 3/25): Storage area #1 ()
Day 18 (Sat 3/26): Outside ()
Day 19 (Sun 3/27): Laundry room / clothing #6 ()
Day 20 (Mon 3/28): Garage #1 ()
Day 21 (Tue 3/29):  Storage area #2 ()
Day 22 (Wed 3/30): Laundry room / clothing #7 ()
Day 23 (Thu 3/31): Kitchen cupboards ()
Day 24 (Fri 4/1): Storage area #3 ()
Day 25 (Sat 4/2): Laundry room / clothing #8 ()
Day 26 (Sun 4/3): Kitchen cabinets ()
Day 27 (Mon 4/4): Garage #2
Day 28 (Tue 4/5): Laundry room / clothing #9
Day 29 (Wed 4/6): Kitchen counters ()
Day 30 (Thu 4/7): Storage area #3 ()
Day 31 (Fri 4/8): Laundry room / clothing #10 ()
Day 32 (Sat 4/9): Bedroom closet ()
Day 33 (Sun 4/10): Storage area #4 ()
Day 34 (Mon 4/11): Garage # ()
Day 35 (Tue 4/12): Armoire ()
Day 36 (Wed 4/13): Pet area ()
Day 37 (Thu 4/14): Boys' room ()
Day 38 (Fri 4/15): Guest room ()
Day 39 (Sat 4/16): Storage area #5 ()
Day 40 (Sun 4/17): Garage #4 ()

Total bags = 4
Days of non-bagged items = 1

ALSO - please consider making a donation and sponsoring my boys by clicking on the links under my banner above. They would really appreciate it!

Company Girl Coffee 3.11

Well, I guess I will get a post in today, contrary to what I said yesterday. I am still feeling pretty rough and I wasn't able to sleep last night due to one child or another being awake and not feeling well. But at the moment, the only thing plaguing most of the children is a cough. There were no incidents of bodily fluids being expelled in an undesirable manner, no fevers, just the cough. Well, I have a fever, but I think all four kids will be able to attend school today.

I have been attempting to lose weight recently. I started in earnst on February 7th of this year and so far, I have lost 18.5 pounds! That is incredible and I am so encouraged by that! I still have a long ways to go yet, but I feel like I have gotten off to a great start already. I am really pleased. My largest weight drop actually happened just this past week and a half when I lost 5.5 pounds. It was a lot at once and it wasn't necessarily intentional either. I think it was just that I have had a lot of anxiety lately and plus, I was starting to come down with something, so I'm sure that factored in as well.

My house is a disaster area today and I will probably only be doing a minimal amount around the house today, unless I start to feel much better very soon. I found a number of different recipes last night for making homemade furniture polish. I decided to try one out last night that called for 2 tsp. olive oil (or canola oil or whatever oil you use to cook with), 2 tsp. of vinegar mixed with 32 oz. of water. I have a bottle of extra virgin olive oil in my cupboard that I don't use because I don't like the flavor, so I used some of that along with some apple cider vinegar that was under my kitchen sink. The bottle of vinegar is a 32 oz. one and it had very little left in it, so I emptied the vinegar into another smaller container and then mixed up the polish in the vinegar bottle.

My kitchen has a LOT of wood in it. Well, truly, my whole house has a LOT of food in it. Our house was built in 1964 and I'm sure the wood accents and such are original to the home. Anyhow, I took this mixture and poured some onto a rag and tried it out. I think it did an okay job on the areas where I tested it. The one thing about the mix is that just before applying it, you have to shake the bottle to mix the ingredients together well enough to use.

I also decided to look up some information about freezing different items. We have a lot of eggs and potatoes to use up one way or another and I discovered a few different things. The first one being that egg noodles are incredibly easy to make and at very little cost. Two, potatoes can be cut up into french fries or wedges and then seasoned and baked, allow to cool and the freeze in a freezer bag or other storage container. (I would use a freezer mate container from Tupperware myself.) The third item I discovered last night is that you can freeze eggs. All you have to do is take the eggs, crack them into a bowl and whisk them (much like you would if you were going to make scrambled eggs) add a little bit of salt and then place into a container to freeze. Who knew?! Oh, well, I suppose somebody did before they posted it on the internet. I would also recommend that if you are going to do that, you write on the container or on your label or tape how many eggs you used for the mixture. And the last item is that you can freeze milk. You just open it up, pour out a glass or so and then put the lid back on and place in freezer. When you thaw it out, just place it in your fridge and allow to thaw. You may want to give it a good shake when it is thawed though, as milk will sometimes separate in the freeze/thaw cycle.

A whole load of easy tips and tricks that will save money and time and is just good information to know. I even discovered a recipe for crackers, in the event that I would need to make some today for upset tummies. I love the research power of the internet!

Today I plan to rest as much as possible and see if I can get at least a little bit of work done around the house. If I don't get around to housework until Monday, I will be just fine with that too. The most important thing to me at this point is to take care of my family and to get better myself too.

Happy Friday to all of you and hope you are all well or at least on the mend. Here's to hoping my house(hold) will be on the mend soon as well!

ALSO - please consider making a donation and sponsoring my boys by clicking on the links under my banner above. They would really appreciate it!

Tupperware Feature Friday

This week I am going to feature some items from Tupperware that will be available coming up on March 12 - April 8. This month features ways to "go green" in the kitchen and in keeping with that theme, many items are green as well. Some of these items are only available for a limited time and others are at a great discount. I will note which of these (or both!) is the case after each item shown. Also, you can click on the Tupperware bowls to the left of this paragraph to visit my Tupperware site to order your own products today. Or let me know if you would want to do a party. It doesn't matter if we are near each other or not. That is the beauty of the internet!  All product information and pictures are copied and pasted from the Tupperware website. Please click on any picture to take you to my website.

Tupperware® Fresh Herb Planter System
Grow your own fresh, healthy herbs at home without worrying about daily care requirements. Our system waters herbs accurately and automatically. Now you can savor the robust flavor of seasoned food without relying on expensive, pre-packaged fresh or dried herbs. The modular design uses very little space, so you can extend your garden as needed. Includes base, pot, microfiber water absorber G and water bottle with cap. Insert features helpful herb cooking tips and culinary uses for specific herbs.

Special introductory price! New! 
# 81998 $14.99 (Reg. $18.50 value)

Chop ’N Prep™ Chef
Chop fresh herbs, vegetables, fruit, baby foods and more in “turbo” time with this compact and earth-friendly tool. The easy pull-cord mechanism lets you do it all in just seconds and without electricity. Plus, it’s small enough to store in the cupboard, drawer or pantry. Includes virtually airtight and liquid-tight seal. 1¼-cup/300 mL capacity. Gift-boxed for added convenience.

Save over 35%!, Save $14.50!
Or host a qualifying party and pay only $10! See page 8 for details.
# 81907 $25.00 (Reg. $39.50 value)

Spin ’N Save™ Salad Spinner
Meet our “spin” doctor! Place your greens and other produce inside this 4-qt./4 L prep tool to quickly transform them into a healthy salad. Or use it to dry cooked pasta or thaw frozen fruits and vegetables. The virtually airtight and liquid-tight seal that’s included helps you save time by making it now and storing in the fridge for later. Includes bowl with four anti-slip feet, colander, spinner cover and seal. Gift-boxed for added convenience.

Save 35%!, Save $18.50!

# 81916 $34.00 (Reg. $52.50 value)
 

Thatsa® Bowl 4-Pc. Set
The unique thumb-loop makes it easy to safely grip these bowls for prep work or serving snacks. They’re perfect for family popcorn nights—everyone can have their own bowl! Deep walls help prevent messy spills, while textured interiors resist scratches. Virtually airtight, liquid-tight seals keep contents fresh for later use. Each set includes 6-cup/1.4 L Thatsa® Bowl Mini, 12-cup/2.8 L Thatsa® Bowl Jr., 32-cup/7.6 L Thatsa® Bowl and 42-cup/10 L Thatsa® Mega Bowl.
Get eight bowls for the price of four.

Buy 1 set, get 1 set FREE!, Save $75!

# 81917 $75.00 (Reg. $150.00 value)

Saucy Silicone Spatula
The soft-grip handle of this indispensable kitchen tool helps you make quick work of mixing and whipping of wet or dry ingredients. Angled tip lets you easily reach into the corners of straight-edged bowls and pans. Stain and heat-resistant up to 400°F /200° C. Pulls apart for easy cleaning.

Save over 45%!, Save $8!
Requires a $100 order
Limit one with each $100 order.
# 881839 $9.50 (Reg. $17.50 value)

Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons Set
We give you more! Designed for a lifetime of everyday use, the Cups and Spoons each come in a set of six-that's two more than most others. They also feature easy-to-read, embossed measurements that won't wear off. Cups include pour spouts on either side for left or right-handed use; measurements are ¼, 1/3, ½, 2/3, ¾ and 1 cup. Spoons feature raised, curved handles
that allow them to sit flat on a counter; measurements are 1/8, ¼, ½ and 1 tsp., plus ½ and 1 tbsp.

Buy Measuring Cups, get Measuring Spoons FREE!, Save $11.50!

# 81915 $14.50 (Reg. $26 value)

Classic Sheer® Midgets® Set
No home is complete without a set of these little miracles. Now you can get two six-pc. sets for the price of one! Each container includes 1-oz./30 mL, 1½-oz./45 mL and 2-oz./60 mL markings. Seals are virtually airtight and liquid-tight, so you can tote small
quantities and not fret about spills or leaks. Use them for salad dressing; sprinkles for baking; travel-sized portions of liquid soap, shampoo and make-up; or sewing and craft supplies. When empty, simply stack for compact storage. Get 12 containers for the price of six.

Buy 1 set, get 1 set FREE!, Save $11!

# 81913 $11.00 (Reg. $22 value) 

Stuffables® Super Set
Stretch your storage capacity with this unique set. The flexible seals expand, reducing the number of containers needed. They also make odd-shaped or bulky foods easier to store. Includes 4-cup/950 mL, 6-cup/1.4 L and 8-cup/1.9 L containers. Note: Remove seals before microwave reheating. Set of three.

Save 50%!, Save $23!
Requires a $50 order
Limit one set with each $50 order.
# 881840 $22.50 (Reg. $45.50 value) 

Double Colander—now in exclusive color!
It’s two tools in one! Don’t prepare pasta or salads without it. Use the top and bottom separately or together for maximum straining and draining capability. The stay-cool handle and tabbed lid ensure your safety. 2-qt./2 L capacity.

only at a party—save 50%!, Save $10!
Limit 10 when you attend a party.
# 89448 $10.00 (Reg. $20 value)

Those are just a few of the great items available from the catalog this month! Contact your local Tupperware consultant (or me!) for a more detailed list! Enjoy cooking and being green with Tupperware!

And just for fun, some of the other products available for a special price this month: Disney Fun-tastic Friends Tumblers* (sale $17.50)  Floresta 1-Gallon/3.7 L Pitcher (sale $18.00) Jel-Ring® Mold (sale $11.00) Floresta 10-oz./310 mL Tumblers (sale $12.50) Floresta Bowls (sale $19.50) Host Gift Special (free with qualifying show) Kids Cake Taker Set* (sale $11.00) Kids in the Kitchen Set* (sale $25.00) Mickey Mouse Ice Tups® Set (sale $10.00) Microwave Extreme Collection (free! with $750 party and two datings) Mini Party Set (sale $17.50) Mini Gelatin Mold Set (sale $19.00) Mini Serve-It® Set (sale $9.00) Spider-Man Lunch Set* (sale $18.00) Shape-O® Toy (sale $17.00)

Forced Absence

Just wanted to let you all know that I will most likely be absent from the bloggy scene for a bit. At least this weekend, I am guessing. I have a post that should be finished to go live tomorrow and then that is likely all you will have of me for the weekend, depending on how things are going here.

Skip the next paragraph if you don't want to read the specifics of what illnesses are currently plaguing my family.

Hubby is sick with some sort of a gastrointestinal infection. Natty is kinda sick with the same and a bit of a cold as well. I don't know if he is in the process of getting sick or if he is just mildly sick, but anyhow... Then JoNo is sick. He's had vomiting and is showing major signs of respiratory illness as well. He's hanging in there though. He got sick Tuesday night but has been semi-well since then. Punky has avoided it completely and Boo has had both vomiting and blow-out diarrhea. Poor baby guy. I've had an upset stomach and fever myself and just feel like I'm dragging. It's been awful!

I think most of the household (with the exception of Boo and myself) is asleep at this point and I plan on jumping in and doing some kick-butt cleaning. I need to do laundry. But I also want to do a very detailed cleaning in the house. I'm going to start with the main living areas and just try to get as much done tonight as possible. A full, top-to-bottom clean, including dusting and windows and vacuuming and carpet and upholstery cleaning and disinfecting all common surfaces. I wish I had already made the trip over to Erin's house to get some Shaklee to try out, but I haven't yet, so I will have to use the cleaners that I have on hand, which is what I would have had to do anyhow, but I still wish I had made the trip prior to this.

So, anyhow, if you don't see me around within the next few days - this is why. Feel free to leave me some comment love and I will try to get back to y'all as soon as I can.

ALSO - please consider making a donation and sponsoring my boys by clicking on the links under my banner above. They would really appreciate it!

100 Truths!

This is actually a note from facebook, but I don't want to do it on there, so I'm doing it here instead. Also, 100 Truths is actually a misnomer because it asks less than 100 questions, but here we go anyhow - all you have ever wanted to know about me...
 1. last beverage→ water
2. last phone call→ to Hubby
3. last text message→ Incoming- BFF Chris Outgoing- BFF Chris
4. last song you listened to→ I wasn't paying attention actually
5. last time you cried→ Last night while going through some old mementos

SIX HAVE YOU EVER:
1. dated someone twice → Yes.
2. been cheated on?→ Yes.
3. kissed someone & regretted it?→ No, if regret implies you'd do it differently given the opportunity.
4. lost someone special?→ Yes.
5. been depressed?→ Yes.
6. been drunk and threw up?→ Once.

LIST FOUR FAVORITE COLORS:
1. green
2. purple
3. pink
4. brown

THIS Semester HAVE YOU: (this implies that it is for someone in college but I'll just go with this year)
1. Made new friends → Yes.
2. Fallen out of love → No.
3. Laughed until you cried → Yes. My good buddy Iris makes sure this happens quite frequently.
4. Met someone who changed you → Probably.
5. Found out who your true friends were → Yes.
6. Found out someone was talking about you→ Yes, it's called family gossip. One of the (sarcasm) joys of being in a loose-lipped family.
7. Kissed anyone on your facebook friends list→ Um, you could say that.
8. How many people on your facebook friends list do you know in real life →225 out of 281
9. How many kids do you want to have→ I always wanted 5. We have 4 and I'm content with that.
10. Do you have any pets → We do. One dog, one guinea pig, one mouse.
11. Do you want to change your name→ No, I don't think so.
12. What did you do for your last birthday→ I don't honestly remember. Hmmm...
13. What time did you wake up today → 2:20 p.m.
14. What were you doing at midnight last night → probably on the computer.
15. Name something you CANNOT wait for → To find a new job.
16. Last time you saw your father→ Don't know if I ever have.
17. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life → That I felt guilty less often.
18. What are you listening to right now → Boo playing on a computer toy instead of going to bed.
19. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom → I have.
20. What's getting on your nerves right now? → Kids not cooperating with bedtime.
21. Most visited webpage → Oh, that'd be a toss-up between facebook, blogger, and my email inbox.

1. Whats your real name → Deanne Marie (Burson) Foote
2. Nicknames→ Dee
3. Relationship Status → married
4. Zodiac sign → Gemini. Although with the way it got changed this past year, I believe I'm now supposed to be a Taurus?
5. Male or female or transgendered→ Female
6. Elementary?→ Seriously? Be right back. Belmont, Elliott, Hartley, Huntington, McPhee, Park, Prescott, West Lincoln. I thought there was more than that, but I guess not? Oh - and one that I don't remember the name of in Florida.
7. Middle School?→ Goodrich, Park
8. High school → Lincoln High School
10. Hair color → brown
11. Long or short → shortish, around shoulder length almost
16. Height → 5 foot 4 inches
17. Do you have a crush on someone? → yes
18: What do you like about yourself? → I am an amazing mother and teacher.
19. Piercings → Two holes in each ear
20. Tattoos → not yet. I don't know if I am brave enough to ever actually get one.
21. Righty or lefty → It depends. Writing - right. Sports - left. Other things - ambidextrous.

FIRSTS :
22. First drink → whiskey, I suppose - for teething way back when. Otherwise, a screwdriver when I was ten, not realizing it.
23. First piercing → Holes in both ears when I was 6, I think.
24. First best friends → Nicholas Gene Ankeny
26. First sport you joined → Basketball. Eighth grade year.
27. First pet → No clue.
28. First vacation→ Worlds of Fun, age 14, as a nanny.
29. First concert → one at the fair with Hubby when we were dating. I don't remember who it was but it was horrible - we left early.
30. First crush → Ehm, probably Nicholas Gene Ankeny

RIGHT NOW:
49. Eating → nothing
50. Drinking → water
52. I'm about to → get back to knitting after this.
53. Listening to → Boo playing.
55. Waiting for → Boo to go to sleep.

YOUR FUTURE :
58. Want kids? → I'd be okay with more. It's highly unlikely to happen though.
59. Want to get married? → How about stay married? Yes.
60. Careers in mind? → Nursing or teaching

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX? :
68. Lips or eyes → Lips. Although eyes are what first attracted me to Hubby.
69. Hugs or kisses → Depends on the person.
70. Shorter or taller → Taller.
71. Older or Younger → I prefer a bit older actually.
72. Romantic or spontaneous → A little bit of both. I'm not a real romantic person myself.
73. Nice stomach or nice arms → Arms.
74. Sensitive or loud → Probably more to the loud side.
75. Hook-up or relationship → Relationship.
77. Trouble maker or hesitant → Hesitant, I think.

HAVE YOU EVER :
78. Kissed a stranger → Yes. I was 12. Yuck!
79. Drank hard liquor → Yes.
80. Lost glasses/contacts → Yes.
81. Sex on first date → No.
82. Broken someone's heart → Yes.
83. Had your own heart broken → Yes.
85. Been arrested → No.
86. Turned someone down → Yes.
87. Cried when someone died → Yes.
88. Liked a friend that is a girl? → Yes. I like all of my female friends! Hello! They are my friends!

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
89. Yourself → Most of the time.
90. Miracles → Yes.
91. Love at first sight → No. I believe in attraction at first sight. I believe love is a choice and a commitment.
92. Heaven → Yes.
93. Santa Clause → No.
95. Kiss on the first date? → Well, I have, so I suppose so.
96. Angels → Yes.

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
97. Is there one person you want to be with right now? → Yes.
98. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? → Yes.
100. Posting this as 100 Truths? → Yes, I titled this blog post 100 Truths

Insomnia

Man oh man, this insomnia thing is just kicking my butt. I haven't been able to sleep very well for the last few weeks and so I end up spending my nights either puttering around on the computer, working on projects around the house or laying there in bed, waiting for sleep to happen.

Last night (Monday night) I even took some Melatonin to try and help me fall asleep. Well, technically I guess I should say to help me fall back to sleep. I was really tired on Monday night and conked out around 8:00 when the kids did. I was awake again around 9:30. It was so disappointing. Then I couldn't fall back asleep, so I took some Melatonin around midnight or so. I finally fell back to sleep around 8:00, but woke up around every 30 minutes until 1:30 when I finally just got up for the day.

My schedule is so wonky and it is driving me crazy. I can't stand this! I hate sleeping during the day time when I don't have to work nights (which I'm not right now!) but I can't sleep at night and I sleep fitfully during the day. This is just not working for me! Gah!

Okay, so moving on...when I work on projects at night I have to make sure that they are relatively quiet projects. I'm not the only one in my household who sleeps like crap. We have kids who get up in the middle of the night and change sleeping locations. Tonight alone, Natty came downstairs to the living room while I was taking a break from the project that I was working on and asked if he could sleep on the couch in our den because he had a nightmare. I'm sure he would have just taken the couch in the living room but that's where Hubby and Boo put each other to sleep tonight. (awww, so cute!) So anyhow, Natty went down to the den to sleep. Before that, I had been working on my project and came up to the living room to take a break and found JoNo in my chair. I promptly sent him back up to his own bed. And before you think that I showed favoritism to Natty, let me assure you that had Natty been in MY chair, he would have been promptly sent up to bed as well. No one gets Mama's chair. Just the way it is.

So, as I was mentioning, my project. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the closet before I got started on it because I wasn't really sure how much time I was going to spend on it or if I would even get it done. But surprise surprise! I made a HUGE mess in my room when I emptied that closet out! I took EVERYTHING out of the closet. And when I say everything, I mean E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. The closet is roughly 4'x5'. To the right side of the closet, there are shelves and cubbies that take up about 2' of the 5', which leaves an open floor area of 3'x4'. Let me just start out by saying that the shelves and cubbies were PACKED full of miscellaneous stuff. Okay, really, who am I kidding? The closet was packed full of miscellaneous stuff. I had no clue what was in there. The only thing I did know was that the pile of "stuff" in there was taller than me. I'm 5'4". Yeah. Stuff and stuff and more stuff.

So, I started with the spot right in front of the door and worked my way down to the floor. By this time, I had acquired a sizeable trash pile, three totes that held items that belonged in different areas (kitchen, living room and kids toys), and a clear floor area in the closet. Oh - and I had "lost" my queen size bed, most of my bedroom floor and a card table under the mountain of stuff that had come out of this closet.

Since the main area of the closet was clear, I grabbed a chair and stood on it to get totes and boxes and more down from the upper shelf (the one that is like six and a half feet off the ground! Then I started in on the shelves and cubbies. What a workout!

First of all, I want to tell you some interesting (or perplexing) things that I found. First, I found six rolls of Christmas wrapping paper left over from the after-Christmas clearance sales from 2008, so I took those and stuck them into my Christmas tote that was in my room anyhow waiting to have a home cleared out for it in our basement. Only one thing at a time, please!

Let's see...what else did I find? Oh - I found two air mattresses. One twin, one queen. I know one of them doesn't hold air, but I can't remember which. They are both laying on the floor next to my bed at the moment because I am trying to decide whether I want to test them both out and purge the one that doesn't hold air, or if I want to just go ahead and get rid of both of them since we never use them anyhow.

Hmmm...I found lots and lots of clothes that I am going to have to wash because I have no idea how long they have been in there and it was dusty and yucky in there from being neglected and having more and more crap thrown in on top. At the bottom of the pile I found my mother-in-law's old vacuum cleaner that she had given to us when ours stopped working about two years ago. She had just gotten a new one and figured she could part with this one. It doesn't do the greatest job but it is still a decent vacuum. I plan to put it out in the garage to use on our vehicles once I get the garage cleared out. For right now, it's tucked back into the back cubby area, where it fits wonderfully. I might even just keep it there and vacuum the cars out in our lower driveway, which isn't far from our bedroom and has an outdoor outlet right there anyways.

But the real kicker, the one that really took the cake for the finds...a used pregnancy test. The cap had been put back on, by the way. But the thing of it is, this test was most likely taken in, oh, February of 2007. That is the most recent it could have been taken. Let me also point out the fact that we moved into this house in December 2008. So not only is this test 4 years old, but it flippin' moved with us! I just don't know. I mean, I remember keeping it for a short while in our master bathroom, but really? I thought I had thrown it away. It just boggles my mind. And just for the record, the test has been thrown away.

Speaking of throwing things away, this is what the closet yielded:

• 3 kitchen size Glad Force Flex trash bags full of trash
• 3 hot wheels race car tracks with missing pieces
• 1 or 2 air mattresses that may or may not hold air
• 1 folding chair that has a severely torn seat
• 2 full boxes of papers and cardboard (really it's for the recycling, but I didn't want to make a whole separate category for recycling for that one little bit)

 Then things that got moved to another area:

• books to my bookshelf in the living room
• books to the kids' bookshelf in the living room
• medicines (still within expiration date) to the cabinet in the kitchen
• vhs tapes and dvds to the entertainment center in the living room
• kids' toys and stuffed animals to their floor of the house
• a set of 2 stacking shelves which I repurposed - you will see this soon in another post

Things that got put back into the closet:

• questionable laundry bagged up and ready to be taken downstairs as I work on laundry today
• 3 table legs that go to a kiddie table that belongs to the little ones. I think the 4th leg is in the basement and I know the tabletop is down there for sure.
• sports cards (in binders and sleeves or in cases)
• a few board games
• 2 small totes of keepsake items and pictures
• a small tote of bags (backpack, messenger style bag and rolling duffel bag)
• a small tote of cords that I am going to have Hubby go through. He knows what we need to keep and what we can toss out. I'd just toss them all and end up having to buy a replacement one. I don't want to have to do that. I already had to buy a VGA cable (I think that is what it is called) to hook up our new monitor to our new computer tower earlier this year. Guess what I found in that tote? A VGA cable. Darn it! That was a waste of $15 right there. Wonder how much money I have truly wasted in this one closet alone. Eh, scratch that. I probably don't want to know.
• and 2 empty laundry baskets and 2 empty totes

So, the closet probably wouldn't look incredible to some people, but if you had any idea just how much crap was crammed in there, you'd understand. Seriously. I know it still needs work, but it is soooooo much better than it was before! I am really pleased with the amount of work I got done in there tonight. And maybe, just maybe within the next few weeks, we will be able to start using the closet in a more appropriate manner. Just sayin'. It's a goal.

And for the record, I'm still not tired. Grrr. Hopefully that means that I will be able to get a lot accomplished today! It's worth trying anyhow! Or at the very least, get our bedroom back to normal before Hubby goes in there to get ready for the day (kinda seriously doubt that will happen though!)

Oh - and how perfect is this?! Rachel Anne's Small Thing for today was to just start something. Don't get caught up in the details, don't over-analyze, don't wait for the perfect time or the perfect opportunity or the perfect plan. Even if it isn't the right time, the right plan, the right whatever...Just get to it! And, as you have read above, that's exactly what I had done this morning. Woo! Love it!

Oh - and that gave me a quick and easy 40 points for doing what I had already done today! Yay! My monthly total is now 320 points! I still need to bake something from scratch to earn points either today or tomorrow. That particular "assignment was from last Thursday and she gave us a full week to get it done, and I'm quickly coming up on the end of that time frame. I may be back later today with another Small Things post. We'll see!