More than a photo album, file boxes

I am making note of this for middle.

I have written, many times, I think scrapbooking is setting most women up for (utter) failure. Expensive supplies and tools. Stuff gets piled. It just never gets done. It feels like failure, constantly.

Our photo albums are now three ring binders with archive safe pocket type pages. Different style pages are available to hold one full size sheet of paper (per side) down to (4 per side) 3 1/2 X 5 pictures. Maybe even smaller pictures. There are lots of options.

I think a very good practice is to designate one color (of binder) per child (black for oldest, aqua for middle, purple for youngest).

Each of our kids has 4-6 of their color binders (filled) now.

I just keep adding binders.

I stopped buying the binders from the photography places. I now just get the heavy duty ones from Office Depot.

And then using the different type pages, I put photos in the albums.

But what middle and I were talking about is putting all keepsakes in those albums. group pictures, cards, certificates, etc. Great/worth keeping artwork can be shrunk to 8 1/2 X 11, color copied, put in the albums too. (Sharla mentioned this concept of the three ring binder instead of scrapbooking to me long ago and I remembered).

So I am not talking about cutting up pictures or using all kinds of stickers and fluff. I am talking about just slipping things in pockets/sleeves and putting them in the three ring binder. Boom. Done.

Middle and I talked about keeping things in hanging files and having each kid have their own file box. And I think that is important too.

For things like social security cards, medical files, school paperwork/transcripts, bank records, etc a file box is really important. My kids had them by (I think) third grade as part of teaching them to be responsible for their own paperwork. Keeping and filing paperwork is an important learning tool. Really important.

I mentioned middle's idea of also having a medical notebook for each child too. Just to keep track of the who/what/when/where's of their medical care. So the child knows, later, what happened to them, where all the records are, etc.

Middle, as she has been getting ready to move into her apartment, has been thinking a lot about this type of stuff. Mentally picturing how she is keeping her own stuff, and how she wants to keep (her future) kids' stuff.

I was looking to clone my two drawer filing cabinet and I did

My husband has been cleaning out his office.

From his point of view he has been cleaning it out BIG TIME.

From my point of view, yes it is better but there is a long way to go.

It is a very large room.







There are lots of shelves yet to be sorted. They are now full. My guess is those shelves will be empty after he finishes. I am considering the best future use of those shelving units.






There is a locking cabinet in that room that is now empty. So, we are considering the best storage use of that cabinet. The shelves are not strong enough for file box storage. I can't think of anything else besides files that we might want to lock (my husband is funny about tax records, etc). Originally we bought the cabinet to lock up samples (husband's job). It was in the garage at the old house. Eventually all samples were set directly to the office.






As he has been sorting, some of the upstairs files have been moving down to our computer room. And my little two drawer cabinet in the computer room, bought in 2010, is now full.

On the way to church this morning, I was thinking about the excess files. And I wished I had two of those little two drawer cabinets. (I was kicking myself slightly that I had not bought two of those cabinets in 2010.) I was telling middle and my husband that I wished I had another of those cabinets and asking if they remembered where I had gotten the first one. We guessed Office Depot or Walmart.

It occurred to me I might have made a note on my blog when I bought it. I had. 

Middle and I went back to Target to buy another cabinet. They had the same cabinet - yea! But no longer had the wheel caddy. They sent me to Office Depot who did have the cabby. Same as the one I have at home. So now I have identical set. And have doubled my space. (We do have plastic file boxes for the old, old files too.)






I want to put an extra bed in his office. We can (often) use an extra bed. The room is huge. The room can be part office and part extra guest room, easily.

I bought the head and foot board of a antique Jenny Lind bed at a garage sale for $40 (I think). The side rails were missing, but that is okay because they would have been too short anyway. We will have side rails made, put a piece of plywood over them, and then buy a good quality pillow top mattress to fit the 3/4 bed. I like 3/4 beds. We do not try to put two people in one unless it is a cuddly couple who are both small in stature and love to sleep cozy. For tall or over sized people, the 3/4 beds are nice. Oldest sleeps slightly corner to corner in his Jenny Lind, at home, in his room. He loves that bed. It was from a garage sale too.

The woman having the garage sale said the bed had been her grandfather's and then hers all the years she was growing up. So her childhood bed until she married I think. She said none of her children wanted it. She said it had been in storage for over 35 years. I had a strong attachment to that orphaned bed, immediately.

Blue Apron

Jennette wrote a piece on Blue Apron.

I thought it sounded very interesting.

I forwarded her link to my oldest, with a note that said it sounded like something he would like.

He read Jennette's piece, and said he had heard of it, maybe when it first started in 2012. And he said it did sound like something he would like.

So he signed up for delivery.

And he does like it. He said it was fun and interesting. He said the directions are very easy to follow. He said he had never done most of the skills it required, but he learned. And he said (as Jennette said) he used nearly every dish in his kitchen. That is not a lot of dishes in either kitchen, I suspect. Everything is included in his box except salt, pepper and oil. Everything is premeasured.

He also mentioned it would be a great couple's thing. No one has to plan or shop. The work, split between two, would go very quickly. Or at least quicker. He said it would be a good dating thing too.

He likes food. He likes to cook. He is interested in more (than I am) gourmet type meals. He likes to build his food and cooking skill knowledge base.

He said his grocery shopping will now be down to string cheese, yogurt, fruit. He will keep some frozen veggies on hand incase he needs to expand one of the meals.

He is on the three meals plan which is designed to feed two people (so six servings total) each week. He said when he finishes cooking, he divides each meal in two, and puts one away, so he does not just sit down and eat the whole thing. (We had discussed this in advance, hence the veggies in case he needs to add to any meal. So far he said the servings are just about right.)

He is really excited about this.

He said although it looks pricey at first glance, he thinks it will be less expensive for him. Because he was mostly eating out recently. His meals out will be greatly reduced.

His deliveries come late afternoon on Friday. He then plans to cook Friday-Sunday. And then start the week with ready leftovers in the refrigerator. It might be 3-6 leftovers depending on his social plans over the weekend. But he said cooking is too hard for him, right now, after work, because he is still very slow. And he is cooking by himself. He can suspend any week's delivery if he is going to be out of town, but has to do it well in advance.

So far, really good idea for him. And it is organic food.

Headphones, charger cords, vitamins, paperwork, sports bras, notebooks, binders, service for lap top, etc.

I think I mentioned, before middle and I left for England/Scotland/Wales, I cranked on anything youngest was going to need. 

I thought it was some psychological thing (if the plane fell out of the sky, youngest would be stocked).

So youngest and I spent a couple days running major errands. We restocked supplies, replaced worn items, etc. 

As I popped back in and out of the house later in June and then July, we would continue to do the same.

Staying at our friends' house, last week, I was doing the same there (dust pan, tape measure, headphones, charger cord). 

The week I stayed there in June, I was restocking toilet paper, paper towel, Kleenex. 

I realized I am always in this proactive groove. 

It bugs me to be out of basic things. 

If something breaks, I replace immediately. 

If the kids mention something, I take care of it immediately. Evidently if my friend's kids mention something, I am all over that too.

I have several thoughts about all of this. 

The first thing is I try to stay on top of everything, so if there is an emergency, I can literally walk out the door. My bag stays packed. I keep cash on hand. My passport now lives in my packed luggage. (This state of readiness does not cause me anxiety. It is the opposite.)

The second thing is undone things accumulate exponentially. Maintenance on a house is the perfect example. Take care of house things regularly, it is still a lot. Leave things undone, get ready to sell, facing a nightmare mountain level of tasks that need to be done before house can be listed. Clutter is another example. It has to be addressed regularly or it just keeps expanding.

The third thing is life is stressful enough without having unreliable equipment. Things like headphones and charger cords are vital to daily life for kids, big kids, small kids, me too. 

I want my kids to feel like I am a help, not a hindrance. I want them to feel like if they tell me something, it will not go in one ear and out the other. 

And I tell them, if I don't take care of something right away, tell me again, because it means I have forgotten. Normal (honestly) is taking care of it that day or the next.

Every once in a while something comes up where they told me, I forgot, six months have passed, they bring it up again. Obviously these were not vital things. It is just incredible how quickly time passes. And how easily I can get busy with other things. 

This started (with the kids) when they were little, because I would ask, pretty much every day, driving home from school, while we were still out and about, if they needed something for the next day. On Fridays I would ask if they needed something for the next week, or the week after that. 

My kids are very, very proactive. And it reduces their stress level hugely. And it increases their possibilities hugely too. Because they are looking forward and are available to opportunities. 

Weighted Blankets (does anyone else identify with this?)

I think I have mentioned I love the feel of the heavy vest dentist offices use during x-rays.

I know I have mentioned (sleeping so much better with) tucked blankets on the lower half of my bed which simulate weight. (I got conditioned to cats sleeping on my legs when I was little. Created havoc with my undiagnosed asthma. But I got conditioned to the weight (and warmth) on my feet and legs.)

Our little six year old has a weighted blanket which she loves. It has pockets/compartments of pellets.

Here is the site.

These blankets with pellets should never go in the dryer -

"Are your pellets non-toxic?

"poly says: In their current state the pellets are non-toxic. If you melt, heat or change their structure the pellets become toxic. Also, like any plastic, pellets cannot be digested."

I mentioned middle and I are on the road. (We still are).

I have been using my heavy sweatshirt blanket everywhere we have gone. I use it folded, on my lap, in planes, trains, buses, autos.

(I also sleep with it tucked under my legs and then pulled over me which creates a weighted feeling. I put hotel blankets over my legs.)

I have a C shaped neck pillow with me too. It is the dense kind. I has not worked on my neck, but it works great in my lap during the day in transit. It gives me somewhere to put my hands. It puts weight on my lap.

I realize weighted blankets would have helped me as a child.

Sheets

We have a variety of beds at our house.

The king went to my mother's guest room when husband and I switched to XL twins, side by side. His jumps and twitches woke me, two beds totally solved that problem. We did not want to sleep in different rooms. I needed to be able to sleep. The XL twins are pillow tops, so they require special sheets, both XL and deep pockets.

Middle's room has two regular twins that are pillow top. They require deep pockets. The XL twin sheets in T-shirt fabric, left over from college beds, work very well on these beds. Youngest has a similar mattress upstairs that uses the same sheets.

We have one regular twin (no pillow top) that uses regular twin sheets.

Oldest's bed is a 3/4 bed that needs a regular double sheet, no deep pockets, no double/queen size.

And that is my problem.

I am always hunting (oldest's room, laundry, linen closet) trying to remember which sheets go on that bed. And we are changing it constantly because we use it for company very regularly. Yesterday I had the big hunt. I could find the fitted, but not the flat. Still have not found the flat.

About half of our sheets are white.





Last night, I figured out a solution that I should have done years ago.

I ordered a set of Aqua, cotton weave, sheets in a regular double size. Very high thread count. On clearance at Macy's. I had a coupon too.

The only other Aqua colored sheets in the house are EX twin T-Shirt that are in middle's college stuff.

The Macy sheets will be very distinct. And as soon as I have them in hand, going to wash and put right on the bed. And after company, wash and put right back on the bed.






I still have queen size sheets from a long ago bed, floating around, because we use them on an air mattress.

We have a lot of sheets, blankets, quilts, towels, etc. A lot. But when I have a houseful or a revolving door of company, I need them. I often need them all. Sometimes we are full to the gills and then full to the gills again, two days later, with totally different people.

We have asthma and allergies at our house.

I have very large, clear plastic bags. Garbage bag size, but clear and thinner. I have gotten in the habit of bagging sheet (sets) together. So everything for one bed is in a bag with the air squished out and the end loosely tied. This protects against dust mites and keeps sets (not in use) together.

The only problem with this is the white sheet sets all look the same.

Yes, I guess I should be labeling.

Or I should stop buying white.

But the bag thing works really well.

One word of caution - everything must be very dry to go in a bag. Things like quilts and comforters, I line dry after they come out of the dryer. So they get dried, and then more dry.

I have never had anything mold, because I am super careful with my drying. But middle's freshman roommate had something mold, big time.

And I only use clear bags. I know someone who once put three family quilts in a dark garage bag and they disappeared. We can only assume they went out in the garbage. They would have looked like garbage. She was devastated, as you can well imagine.

Gaylord

One of my local librarians mentioned Gaylord as a source for photo storage.

I first ordered envelopes.

2 mil Polyethylene Postcard Envelopes (100-Pack)
ZZ-PB35
Fits up to: 3 1/2H x 5 1/2"W

2 mil Polyethylene Postcard Envelopes (100-Pack)
ZZ-51025
Fits up to: 4H x 6"W

2 mil Polyethylene Envelopes (100-Pack)
ZZ-2810
Fits up to: 8W x 10"H



The envelopes are clear, three sides are fused, the last side has an open slit. I gave these to my mother for mother's day.

We have dismantled three photo albums.

Two were black construction paper like pages and were disintegrating, not to mention not archival safe. And the last was the terrible sticky pages with the plastic sheet over it, which we now know ruins pictures.

We were able to get all the pictures out of all three albums. It was not easy. My mother could not do it. But middle and I could. My mom wrote on the back of pictures, for the few where there were writings on the pages. We left all of it with my mom. She is going through and at least writing names and locations on the back of all the pictures. She can do this at her own pace. And she has nice, readable handwriting.

The librarian had suggested the envelopes. Each picture can be seen (front and back), is protected, and can be handled. That is what we are doing with a lot of these old pictures. We are then dividing by family lines and then going to put in archival safe boxes (also Gaylord).



After our success with the envelopes, I ordered photo albums pages. (My previous sources are all defunct.)

4 mil Polypropylene Album Pages for 4 x 6" Prints (25-Pack)
ZZ-PP4625-6

4 mil Polypropylene Album Pages for 3 1/2 x 5" Prints (25-Pack)
ZZ-PP35525-8

I ordered 5 sets of each.

I have not yet received my Gaylord album pages, I just placed the order today and then called to verify they are in stock and will ship immediately. They are. They will.

I also verified that everything I ordered was archival quality. It is.

To be honest, I did not even compare prices or shop. I was just happy to find what I needed (desperately, we have piles of pictures at this point) and know it would ship immediately and was archival safe.

Earth Day

Earth Day is observed on April 22 and was started in the United States in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson to create awareness for the Earth's environment and to encourage conservation efforts. In 1990, Earth Day was taken international, and today, more than 500 million people in 175 countries observe Earth Day.

Laundry and bathroom tub faucet

I think I mentioned when I stayed with our little 6 year old, last month, for a week, I caught up the laundry at that house. Started with a pile that was very, very high, and washed around the clock, for days.

At that house the dryer was slow. Which was annoying. I was always waiting for it.

At my house, washer and dryer are about even. Which is nice.

Yes, I told the husband of that house the dryer vent probably needed checked.

I have 2-4 extras rolling in for the weekend. I have been catching up laundry and washing bed linen for three days.

I have not been setting a timer and doing laundry as constantly as I was at the other house. Youngest had an orthodontia appointment. I picked out a new faucet set for the bathtub in my bathroom, which was complicated. I was at the library looking stuff up a couple times. But I have done a lot of loads the end of this week.

And either we have a stash of missing hangers somewhere, or we do not have enough hangers for everything in the house to be clean at the same time. Walmart run is needed. I love the deep grooves for straps on their plastic hangers.

We have a leaking faucet on our bathroom tub. (The leak is only on top the tub, we hope.) I think the style of tub is called Roman. The tub has a top mount for faucets.

We had the same model tub at the old house. I have always liked it.

And since faucet needs to be replaced, I wanted a set with a spray hose. So shampooing little kid's hair and rinsing the tub after a deep tub cleaning would be easier. Plumber sent me to a specialty shop to look at options. There were three top mount faucets with hoses. Of the three only one was still available. Of the one, there was one left in stock. Yes, we ordered quickly.

Plumber was here this morning. They will have to go through my bedroom wall to get to the faucet. You can just see the faucet, through the crack in the door, on the other side of this wall. On this side, right beside the love seat, is where they will have to go through the wall.

We talked about options to leave access. They said the simplest option was to cut very carefully and then put a vent, like a cold air return, over the hole so we can get to the faucet again if we need to. And so we can check for leaks. And so the area can vent.

Hopefully I will not be writing about a bathroom gutting and redo (from mold) later this month.  .  .

My project of the last year - Tshirt collection for youngest

It is extremely difficult to buy (good) presents for youngest. Extremely. Her birthday was earlier last week. I had planned ahead and started collecting KEY T-shirts nearly a year ago. They were a big hit.

But first, oldest did very well in buying for her -

It has something to do with Zelda who is beloved by oldest, youngest and middle's boy at our house.

Here are my efforts, she was surprised and pleased -

This is the only 'regular' shirt of the bunch. She liked it and it fit really well. She is short, it is hard to buy the right proportions sometimes.

Yes, she knits.

One of our favorites.

I loved this one.

Struggle bus is one of her favorite expressions.

Chemistry, her favorite.

Arguing is one of her things too. . .

More chemistry.

Mole day, a big deal to her and some friends. So this was a big hit.

One of the most classic Star Trek bits ever. 

This (given to youngest by middle) is the start of my quest for next year. Tshirts from famous theaters. Suggestions are very welcome please.

Cleaning out drop box

I bought the hat in Charleston in 2013, I think, in the gift shop at one of the plantations. It is nice and thick. I like the colors. I wear it all winter. Middle found the same company (Solmate Socks) in her wanderings over Christmas break and got me the mittens. I am not easy to buy for unless you are very clever. This was very clever. A total surprise. Notice how long the mittens are, they go way up my wrist and "no, air gets me".

I first looked at the mall. No slippers to be found that went way up the ankle (no air getting me) and had great traction. None. So, then I started looking on line. I ordered several pair from Kohl's and Target. These were the winners. I almost didn't order them because they were only available in an XL and I wear an 8 usually. But, oldest has taught me to always read the reviews. And one woman wrote how she had ordered several pairs of these in various sizes as Christmas gifts and they consistently ran small. I looked at my last pair of Totes/Isotoners and they were an L. So, I took a chance and ordered them. Very warm, very good traction, fit perfectly with athletic socks. And they are very fun.

Middle bought this at the Catholic Conference she attended last week. Not quite sure where I am putting her, but loved it. The book is going in my church bag collection. 

They were out shopping. This is just the regular grocery store. Not sure if they were headed somewhere, like a children's party or if they just do this for fun. From the looks of the crowd, it must have been a day or two before Christmas, it was packed.

Risotto Recipe youngest loves

I make this for youngest, so it is vegan-ish. We always add the "ish" because she is not strict vegan, just mostly. This is one of the things I took middle too. My husband might eat this, but would add a lot of cooked chicken to it. Other than a couple spoonfuls to check as I am cooking, I do not eat it.

Good ideas for aching neck and shoulders

Okay, when you click over to the link, just ignore the title.

These poses would be great for people who hunch forward a lot during their life.

These are chest openers.

Like I said, just ignore the title.

visual quotes - these are actually photos of quotes I found out and about.

Cords and available space in my iPad

This is the cord store we use. Monoprice.

Charger cords, Ethernet cords, VGA cords, USB cords.

I can't explain what all those do, but we have them and use them.

Oldest says ALWAYS read the comments/reviews posted with a product, on any site, before ordering. True for this site also. Once ordered a cord, with bad reviews, and it was not good.





My iPad told me I had -0- available space in October.

I called oldest who first didn't believe me and then had me pull up the storage information.

We were not surprised when podcasts was listed as the number one thing taking up space on my ipad.  I was collecting/saving them for travel time over the holidays.

My iPad does not have a lot of storage capacity because I do not store things (other than the special occasion podcasts)

I move pictures over to Dropbox and move them to the house computer very regularly. I clean the pictures out of photos and Dropbox each time.

I do not keep any books on my iPad.

But number two on my most full list was email. Which surprised us.

Oldest looked it up and said that while email is out there on the Internet, everything I open (attachments) on email, is also stored on my iPad.

I do almost all my email reading/opening on my iPad. I have a lot of attachments. My brother sends me all kinds of pictures and things. I order things. The kids and my husband all send me things. We use drop box too, but lots on email.


Where ever oldest looked said the only way to clean my email attachments out of my iPad was to delete my yahoo email account from my iPad and then reinstall it. So I was not closing my account with yahoo. I was taking it off my iPad and then putting it back on my iPad.

So, he first asked me if I knew my email password. I did, but he double checked by logging on my email on his computer to be sure I was remembering correctly. I was. Then I took yahoo off my iPad  (settings, mail contacts calendars, yahoo, delete account). And then I added it back on my iPad. My email account looked exactly the same. The only difference is all the attachments on emails were no longer open. But, if I wanted one open, I just had to click the download icon attached to the post and it would reopen.





The screen shots below are all from AFTER I deleted and reinstalled my emails account.

Family pictures into matching card game for kids

I think this is a super cute idea for small children. Especially if they do not see their extended family regularly.

Podcast post

These are the Podcasts I download each week -



The Moth

"Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events."

Vinyl Cafe

"CBC Radio presents the stories and misadventures of Dave, the owner of the "Vinyl Cafe", the world's smallest record store, where the motto is "We may not be big, but we're small." The show also features Dave's wife, Morley, their two children, Sam and Stephanie and assorted friends and neighbours."

This American Life

"Official free, weekly podcast of the award-winning radio show "This American Life." First-person stories and short fiction pieces that are touching, funny, and surprising. Hosted by Ira Glass, from WBEZ Chicago Public Media, and distributed by Public Radio International."

The first two are new to me and recommended by our oldest. The third, This American Life, is
beloved. If I am ever in a coma, the kind where I might be aware, please have one of my kids buy the complete archives and play it for me, one show at a time, all day, to keep me sane. Really great.

Jennette just wrote about another podcast, Serial.

Still cleaning out pictures -

This is Burn Notice on Netflix, screen shot while I was watching on my iPad. If you notice the metal rack of glasses with leaves on them, on the left side of the picture, behind her, we had the exact same ones when I was little (I am 53).

I did not want to copy her picture. SO -
This is a Shutterbean picture, please click and go look. (Love her weekly recap in pictures.) I think this (son's first day of kindergarten) is one of the all time great pictures. I am showing it because she often includes a 'sign' in her pictures to commemorate a date. Really good idea. Not all the time. But sometimes. This is an actual thing with new babies now..

I bought this lamp at a garage sale. The woman just wanted it out of her sight because originally it had a glass (Tiffany kind of shade) and she broke it. I watched ebay and garage sales for replacement shade. I never had the lamp with me. I never figured out right shape and size. Finally took it to a lamp repair shop, in October, after years of using it without a shade in various rooms. I asked for help in knowing size and shape. Owner of shop said - I think I actually have something that will work in the back. She came out with this, used, $20. Sold. Color and size and style - perfect. 

Lending Library for kids on a neighborhood street.

A really great idea - a toddler safety seat next to the baby changing station in a women's bathroom. Middle and I saw these once, her iPod battery was dead, so we could not take a picture. Months later she was in another town with her boy and saw them again and this time got a picture.

"You'll always be my best friend, you know too much." On the pillow on the back of the couch. My therapist's office.

A weekend when we had a houseful including our little 6 year old. Yes, when we have a houseful, you can tell by the living room. You can also see just a peek at all things gaming to the left of the picture. That is a wooden water buffalo stool with the wii on it. There are two TV's and a whole host of electronics in that corner. Sprite bottle is either middle or youngest, on occasion helps with stomach. This is the puppet theater middle and I found at a garage sale the summer before last (I think). You can see a pile of puppets behind the theater and also a bin of them near the horse. That silver light (right side, on table) is from Walmart, has a nice heavy base and is great for detail work like painting. Pottery piece in far right corner of the picture is bust made by middle in high school art class. 

A corner of middle's room at college. Those elephants are cut from extra scrapbook paper. One is going the opposite direction, on purpose. The light fixture is from a garage sale. Have to have super low watt bulbs in it or it gets HOT.

This is also in middle's college room. It is the same one we give for Confirmation gifts. That is decorative washie tape (I think) around the light switch. Very middle.

Bag Lady

Remember the Halloween costumes post?

It took several days for me to think of a spot, in the house, to take those pictures. 

There are really no blank walls. And I needed a hook for hanging.

Our back door is rarely closed. So, I only see the garage side of the door and the screen door to the garage.

I realized the house side of the back door, rarely seen, would be a blank spot for taking pictures.

There was even a hook in place. (I used to have a wreath hanging on the door.)

Evidently, at some point in the past, I removed the wreath, turned the hook around to the house side of the door, and hung .   .   .

Yes, I hung bags from that hook.

At the point, getting ready to take Halloween costume pictures that day, I closed the door and saw the bags, I had absolutely no idea what was in them.

The brown paper bag had sewing supplies to be donated to a local high school that still has sewing classes. I delivered that bag.

The rest, the plastic bags, were (mostly) odds and ends that not even GoodWill would want.

Old mismatched socks, old headbands, a child's coin purse, a couple (now old) bottles of scented lotion, etc. 

There were 4-5 bags with just a few things each in them. 

From what I saw, dust, children's sizes, I think those bags had been hanging there for many years. 

I am sure my original intention was to pass on those items. 

Where I do not know, but I am sure that was the idea. 

I try very hard to donate or rehome rather than pitch. 

And if I had put the bags in the passenger seat of my car, I would have taken care of following through on whatever my plan was. 

If I had set the bags on the rug by the back door where I had to walk over them to get out the door, they would have gotten out to the car.

But because they were set in a slightly obscure place, the wrong side of the door, they went into never get done land.

Quite honestly I pitched everything but the socks which went into the puppet making bag.  One never knows when we might feel the need to make sock puppets.

But finding that hidden cache of junk, made me wonder what else I have sitting around, walk by daily, and just don't SEE.

And yes, I thought of Mrs. Dorfman.

Leaves

My husband sent these pictures (I was out of town) this week.
He just happened to catch all the action -

Each of the separate piles, at the ends of our driveways, were larger than a car. So, first the street sweeper comes and puts all the piles into one big pile that fills the culdesac. Yes, street is barely passable at this point. 

I think they leave the men there, working, just so we do not panic that they are leaving us boxed in our street.

Then, the big machinery arrives to actually remove the leaves. This process happens 2-3 times on our street each fall. People pulling into our street, with the leaf piles, larger than cars, in the street at the end of our driveways are sort of mind blown. We have to put the leaf piles in the street, otherwise the machinery would be up on our lawns. 

To be honest, we are so used to the piles we do not notice them. I didn't even really click with the fact that they were all gone when I pulled in the driveway on Friday. But as I said - middle's boy, youngest's carpool mom, friends just can't get over the size of the piles each year.

This is a picture from 2012 when the piles were just getting started.