Daily Photo: January 5

This photo is of me (okay, really just an arm, my leg, and a bit of side boob, LOL) and my 'babies' - my two sweet boys!  This is a pic of me and both of my boys sitting on the couch on a lazy, winter Saturday afternoon.

Since We Last Spoke

Happy New Year, readers!

As we've recently rang in 2013, I just thought I'd take a few minutes to catch you up on what The Dog Days of Life has been up to, as well as give you a brief look forward & update on things to come this year!

Christmas was very nice for our family.  We stayed in town and took plenty extra days off work to just relax and hang out around the house.  Since I had some slacker time around the house, I more fully utilized Instagram and made these hilariously edited pics of the dogs:

Austin went incognito this Christmas!  My FB joke was that he'd asked for a one-way ticket to Papua New Guinea & a passport under the name 'Rusty Shakleford' for Christmas!

I just thought this was funny because Eli is SUCH a grump; 

he'd be furious if he thought Santa was skiing on his nose while he slept!!

Between Christmas and New Year we got a teeny bit of snow, so of course we had to get out there and play in the snow with the dogs!

View of the snow from our back deck!

Mark and the boys playing in the snow!

Austin LOVES the snow!

Eli HATES the snow!!

Just to re-iterate: Austin LOVES the snow & Eli HATES the snow!

Together on Tuesday
I know, you've really been missing ToT, we have been too!  We are in communications 'behind the scenes' to coordinate our upcoming re-start schedule, topics, etc.  Most of us have checked in and all seem to being doing well, in spite of several of the ToT families (including my own) catching some of the winter flu season ick that is going around!  We are currently tossing our topic ideas into the hat; once we get dates assigned to those topics, we'll get rolling!  I'm very excited about some of the ideas we have in store!

**NEW IN 2013**
During our behind the scenes ToT discussions, Nancy brought up the fantastic idea of taking up a challenge to post a Daily Photo for the rest of the year, and I am totally IN for this!
What to expect:  my plan is to take and post a daily photo that sort of represents some aspect of that day.  Could be anything....and if you've read this blog much, you'll really know that it could be anything!  For the most part, my aim will be to post actual photos that I have taken myself.  My only disclaimer to this, is that from time to time, there may be a photo, graphic, etc...that I come across that could be so insightful, meaningful, or fitting that I just have to use it that day.  That being said, these will be few and far between.  Most days I'll probably just have a sentence or two explaining how that day's photo tied into my day.  The reading on these will be light in length, mostly just a small bit about the ins and outs of the 'dog days' of my life.  I am very excited about this in addition to our regular ToT entries!

Together on Tuesday - Black Friday Shopping (or Shame?)

Our topic this week: What do you think about Black Friday Shopping?  Love it or hate it?  Why? Are the deals worth the lines, crowds, waiting in the cold/dark early morning hours?

So, what do I think about Black Friday shopping?  In a word: SHAME!
Shame on people for acting like primal buffoons against their fellow man just to save a few bucks.  Shame on people for leaving home and family behind the evening/night of Thanksgiving to go and line up outside of a store.  Shame on people for being SO FREAKING GREEDY that they'll throw any resemblance of common courtesy out the window in order to get some crappy non-branded electronic gadget at some cut-rate price that still costs far more than its worth.  Shame on people for treating the poor retail store employees in such a horrible manner.  And certainly not least of all...shame on retailers for facilitating...no...enabling such behavior.

So...I guess you've figured out that I am vehemently anti-Black Friday.  To answer some questions that you are bound to wonder as you read this: no, I do not work in retail.  Yes, I HAVE worked in retail (which is how I originally met Katie over at Fun Home Things!  She's a hoot and made working retail WAY more fun than it really was).  I HAVE worked retail on both Thanksgiving and on Black Friday.  I know business, and I can spot a exploitive business model/practice in a matter of seconds.  I know how not to fall prey to those practices.  I am a Christian, and I celebrate Christmas.  For me the the true meaning of Christmas is the birth of Jesus and should be celebrated with a giving heart and mind.  I have an abundance of respect for all other religions.  I do not push Christmas on anyone; we should all be free to celebrate the holidays as we as individuals and families see fit. 

Those of you who defend the insanity that has become Black Friday shopping, this is what I say to you:
You are greedy.  There I said it.  Greedy.  I am sure that has stepped on some toes; but you know what?  As I am known for saying: we all need our toes stepped on once in a while.  Its what keeps us grounded; reminded that we are only human and no better than the next guy/gal. 

And for those of you who start shopping in stores that open on Thanksgiving evening/night? I especially chide you. How dare you. If it weren't for people like you who apparently can't live a single day without shopping, those retail workers would be home with their families.  Simply stated, if their revenue on Thanksgiving Day did not add up to Cost of being open + profit, stores wouldn't be open that day.  If you don't feel guilty about pulling these hard-working folks away from their families, then you should. Many of you tell yourselves, "if they had a problem working holidays, then they wouldn't work retail."  Hogwash. That is simply hogwash; and kudos to you for poorly reasoning your way out of having a heart for people who should be able to spend all of Thanksgiving with their families. Some of those people DO have to work retail. Maybe they don't want to, but in order to make ends meet in this tough economy, yes, they do have to. They cannot afford to lose their job by refusing to work Thanksgiving. Their families need food and shelter just the same as yours does. In the current job market, this may be the only job that person could get in order to accomplish taking care of their families. Ask yourself this: would YOU want to work on Thanksgiving? How would YOU feel having to work Thanksgiving? How would you feel if your husband/wife/son/daughter/mother/father/etc...had to work Thanksgiving in order to afford the holiday meal that your family is home having without you? I am sure you'd be angry about it. Yeah, it doesn't sound very nice, does it? It bites a little harder when it is put into terms that hit a little closer to home. 

Here are some ways I suggest you spend your time on Black Friday rather than contributing to this madness which, by design, is created for the sole purpose of lining the pockets of big name retailers:

• Stay home with your family; enjoy that time with them
• Volunteer - for heaven's sake, do something good for mankind instead!
• Read a book
• Watch a movie cuddled up with your favorite cuddle bug
• Put up your indoor holiday decorations...while in your PJs (or not...I just love bumming around in my PJs)!
• Sit around in your PJ's drinking coffee or hot cocoa
• Volunteer - go serve meals to the needy; they get lots of volunteers on Thanksgiving, but we never hear how many show back up to serve meals the next day!
• Do reasearch - pick a different culture to learn about.
• Blog! Hit up us ToT'ers if you need a topic idea; or, just use one of our past topics!
• Work on getting all those holiday cards addressed!  As days grow busier, you'll be glad you got that out of the way.
• Work on a photo calendar project for the upcoming new year; I do one every year, and I love it.
• Volunteer - visit some lonely senior citizens who don't have family to spend the holidays with.
• Pick a fun craft to do from Katie's blog: Fun Home Things (use link on right).  There are TONS of great, fun ideas there.  Not just for your little ones; plenty for us big (older....ugh...older) kids too!
• Read some of our ToT blog entries (links to all on the right sidebar)
• Cook something using an old family recipe that has been around for generations
• Volunteer...did I mention...you could volunteer?  The holidays are really about GIVING.  So spend nothing; but you'll still give in a big way!

Retailers who enable, host, and otherwise create the insanity that has become Black Friday shopping, this is what I (scathingly) say to you:
You are nothing less than negligent in the way that you have crafted yourself a business model around exploiting the general public's willingness to compete/injure/trample/harass/and yes, pepper spray each other over the slim opportunity to score some superstar deal.  You know you are guilty - do not bother denying it.  You advertise some great deals - a handful of which are shockingly spectacular.  Then, you only stock 4 or 5 of these items at said shockingly spectacular price at each store location.  You KNOW full well...as a matter of fact...you bank on our ability not to resist trying to 'get in on it while the gettin' is cheap'.  By now, you fully know that you will have hundreds and hundreds of customers show up each and every store trying to get their hands on one of these highly coveted deals.  Of course people are going to act crazy and fight.  You know this, don't act like you don't.  Your plan is to give them hope that they'll score one of these superstar deals, but by pure numbers, the vast vast majority of them won't but while you've gotten them in the store, you know full well they'll go for the secondary deals (some they think are still great/good deals).   Firstly, I will call out Walmart for this.  You are the most notorious for inciting Black Friday madness.  You seem to set the bar lower and lower every year.  I thought maybe you'd back off once people started getting injured, trampled, pepper sprayed, even killed at your stores during Black Friday shopping.  I'm not sure why I thought that (misguided optimism, most likely), but you haven't backed off.  As a matter of fact, each year you continue to incite more and more bad behavior.  Quite frankly, Walmart, I am disappointed that the rumblings of the possibility that your employees would stike on Black Friday did not come to fruition.  That would have been a much-needed reality check for your management to have to deal with the crazy ass customers of Black Friday in lieu of the associates you normally toss out to the Black Friday crowd with little or no regard for their well-being.  I am disappointed, but not surprised.  I am sure that you had deployed corporate-level boots-on-the ground to each of your stores to squash any talk of this.  Because, well, that's what you do to protect yourself against the cost of improving employee treatment.  Isn't it?  But not so fast Target, Best Buy, and all you other major retailers - don't you snicker too soon over my calling out Walmart.  You are just as guilty.  You just nimbly follow suit behind Walmart and pattern your own practices after theirs.  You also facilitate your own bit of madness on Black Friday. 

Over the years, you have bastardized the holiday season.  Not just Christmas, but all holiday observences that involve gift-giving this time of year.  You have diluted the true meaning of these holidays and celebrations for many.  You are teaching adults and children alike that the holidays are about things.  About spending, spending, spending.  Buying, buying, buying - and subsequently about getting, getting getting.  It isn't about stuff.  Its about giving, love, family, friends, and togetherness.  And one more thing: STOP PUTTING OUT CHRISTMAS STUFF SO EARLY THAT IT IS STILL A MILLION DEGREES OUT IN THE MID-SUMMER HEAT WHEN YOUR EMPLOYEES (EMBARASSINGLY, I'M SURE) ARE STOCKING THE SHELVES WITH THIS STUFF. 

Are the deals worth any of it?
NO.  Correction...make that HELL NO!  I would not pry myself away from my cozy warm bed for a free crappy 'no-name' flat screen TV/computer/DVD Player/etc...let alone go out, stand in the cold, freeze my ass off, subject myself to my phobia of people getting all up in my personal space, and then having to crowd surf my way through the store to buy something.  It just won't happen.  Never has.  Never will.  That is all (as Danielle from My Peaches and Cream would say!).  There is nothing I (nor anyone in my family) needs so badly that this would happen.  It is stuff people.  Just stuff.  Not even life-saving, critically needed stuff.  Just mundane stuff that will inevitibly clutter up your house and eventually annoy you.

Regardless of how you feel about Black Friday shopping, the reality is this: a very small number of you will get the best deals.  The odds are against you; you probably won't score one of those afore mentioned superstar deals.  I don't know the numerical statistics, but I would boldly guess that you may have better odds walking into a casino and putting your dollars on the line there instead.  On the secondary items you may get some decent deals; but was it worth it?  Really worth it?  It has been proven that over the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, most items end up on sale for less than they were on Black Friday.  Further, on things like electronics...you typically aren't getting the product of a well-established brand.  I am NOT saying it is all about brand names, but there are reputable players in the consumer electronics industry and then there are the less than reputable players.  Yes, you are all loaded with stories about a brand name product that failed for you; I am aware.  It happens.  But in general, certain manufacturers are more into overall quality than others.  You may get something like a Blu-ray player or laptop ridiculously cheap, but will it still be working in a year or so?  If you have to replace a cheaply made item, in the end...you've not only saved nothing...you've actually spent more. 

Together & THANKFUL on Tuesday - GOBBLE, GOBBLE!

Happy Tuesday-before-Thanksgiving!  Dog Days of Life has been hit and miss lately with ToT, but no worries, we are still in!  So a couple days out from Thanksgiving, us Turkeys thought we'd list out some of the things we are thankful for this year!

• As always, the thing I am most thankful for is Mark.  He is the best husband in the world!  He's come through some tough times with me this year and I love him for that!  He never lets me down, and he never ceases to amaze me how he can pull a bad situation together and turn it around so we can get through it.
• I am thankful for family - both mine and Mark's who were there at every turn to provide whatever support we needed no matter how bad things got.  Even family from far away put life on hold to travel here, worried, prayed, called, sent cards, notes, texts, FB messages, and many other things just to show their love, support, and care for us.  We appreciate and love every single one of you and every single effort you've made for us.
• Our friends - because like the family, they've been here through thick and thin.  Some of you have really shined in your ability to support us - be proud of yourselves, you've made a difference this year in a good way.  We consider you family because we love each of you just as if you were our very own 'kin folk'.  
• I am thankful just to be around and able to enjoy the so many things in my life that I have to be thankful for this year!  My injury was so horrible and looking back and knowing the things we know now, I am so very lucky to be alive and well again!  Life is delicate people - don't waste it.
• Related to the previous one, but I thought deserved its own, is my gratitude for the Doctors, Nurses, Physical Therapists, Imaging Teams, and every other staffer at Norton Hospitals that not only treated my physical injuries, but their smiles and words of encouragement went a long way to keep me going emotionally as well.  It wasn't just those listed above, it was everyone down to the people who brought my meals and cleaned my room.  Every single one of them had kind words every day.
• I am thankful for the life of a little girl whose family nearly lost her earlier this year.  God literally reached down and put life back into her tiny body so that she could go on to do things like celebrate her 1st birthday and these Merry Holidays with her family.  I am also thankful that her family did not have to bear witness to the tragedy that nearly unfolded that day.  I reiterate: life is delicate - DON'T WASTE IT!  
• Our home - because it isn't just the house where we keep our things and sleep.  It truly is a home full of love, happiness, joy, and laughter.
• Our two crazy turkeys, Eli and Austin!  You didn't think I'd leave them off this list did you?  Surely not...and don't call me Shirley (how about that prime opportunity to throw in a one-liner from the movie Airplane?!!).  These two crazies bring me joy...no matter what I say about them in other blog entries, LOL!  
• The two weeks that Mark and I got to spend together on our vacation this year.  We were blessed to be able to travel around Europe and visit our friends who've moved to Germany in the past few years.  Granted, we spent A LOT of time tooling around in a tiny periwinkle Toyota Yaris, but it was a blast! Not every couple can spend two weeks in a tiny clown car, getting lost, and dodging mopeds at high speeds and still enjoy each other's company at the end of all that!  
• That my good friend Elizabeth Ryan had a safe, healthy pregnancy despite the challenges throughout.  She may be thankful that she didn't end up with multiples like I dreamed one night that she would!
• That Sean Ryan not only made it home safely after his year serving in Afghanistan, but that he also made it home in time for the birth of him and Liz Ryan's third child, Morrigan Sophia!  Now looking forward to, hopefully someday, getting to be thankful that they live closer to me than Alaska! 
• Our jobs - because they provide us with a wonderful life.  Both companies couldn't have been more helpful during my injury.  Both Mark and I were provided with the time off that we needed to deal with my health.  A lot of people can't say good things about the company they work for and the people they work with - but we can.  We've made so many wonderful, caring friends through our jobs  and they've been supportive when we needed them the most.  
• Speaking of jobs & friends - thankful for a cubicle neighbor that cares enough not only to put up with me on a daily basis, but also cares enough that when she gets home and winds down for the day, realizes that I wasn't my typical sassy self that day that she reaches out to me to make sure I am okay.  You know who you are...Stephanie Schoeff!  
• That fellow ToT blogger Tish was willing to share some life wisdom with me that has really helped me deal with some things that were bogging me down emotionally.  She's pretty wise, that one is!
• For this Together on Tuesday blog group!  I've mentioned it before, but its true - I LOVE writing with such a diverse group of ladies.  Every week is like a new puzzle piece of getting to know each of them.  Our posts have been less regular lately, but we'll be back on Tuesdays regularly in 2013, and as far as a group of people goes, we've really got quite an array of things going on lately!  Just a few: new members to ToT (myself included), new babies (even TWINS, in Nancy's case - BLESS HER!), kids starting off to school for the first time, natural comedian even at 4 years old, kids' rambunctious imaginary friends (remember Babe, anyone?) I sure hope that troubled Babe stays contained to Danielle's house (LOL, sorry D!), injuries, new jobs, vacations and much much more!  
• For you, fine readers, who take a few minutes once in a while to read the crazy thoughts I've been brave enough to share with the world!  I hope each and every one of you have a Happy Thanksgiving this week!  Be sure to look around and see the things you have to be thankful for - they are everywhere!

So, one thing I'll ask, before you leave Dog Days of Life this time, leave a comment telling us one thing you are thankful for this year!  God bless!

Together on Tuesday - My Rambling, Meandering, and Hilariously Off-topic Craft Discussion that Includes My Thoughts on 3 Seemingly Unrelated Things: Wine, Sewing Machines, & Mullets and it will leave you wondering...'What?!?' Then Somehow I Use My Fabulous Word-Smithing Skills To Tie It All Together and then Recommend That You Subsequently Consume A Large Volume of Said Wine After Having Read This...

This may be my shortest blog entry yet!  However, in a last minute move, I've made an attempt to have my blog entry title be longer than my actual blog entry itself.  Why, you ask?  WHY NOT?  By the way, I am starting to think there isn't a character limitation on the Blogger title field; after several fruitless attempts to max out, it is still taking whatever I add to it.  

Are you crafty?  Not at all...  If so, what are you good at?  Good at drinking wine...but I guess that doesn't count as crafty, per se.  Bad at?  Being crafty...especially, if there is a sewing machine involved. What are you currently working on?  Making coffee...kidding (but really, I am actually making coffee - its Sunday morning); I am also working on this blog which you are currently reading.  Let's see some photos of your projects!  There are none...LOL!  If you aren't crafty, do you have a hobby that isn't craft related?  If any of the following count: shopping, travel, hanging out with Mark and our friends, spoiling the dogs, and just being generally hilarious (usually inappropriately hilarious, but hilarious nonetheless).  Oh yeah...and mullet watching at Wal-mart (I don't actually go to Wal-mart for this specific purpose; but I DO live in Kentucky...mullet capital of the world, perhaps...so I do take full advantage of the opportunity to scope the hideous mullet scene while I am there anyways).    

The End.

Ha, ha...you almost fell for that 'The End' part...I just heard the panic welling up inside you!  While I am probably the LEAST crafty member of ToT, I do still have to take this opportunity to entertain you...so, here is a visual from the 'Good', the 'Bad', and the 'Ugly' of the above crafting discussion since I don't really have any craft projects to talk about...

The Good:

The Bad:

The Ugly:

The Confusing Confession:

Contrary to ALL of the above, and in the interest of complete honesty...I do have a Pinterest account.  Yep, now you are just sitting there wondering 'WTF???'  I created the Pinterest account for the SOLE PURPOSE  of voting for a pic of a fabulous craft creation that our very own ToT blogger Katie over at Fun Home Things  had entered into a competition.  I logged in exactly one time, to vote for Katie's project.  If she enters another contest that I need to get onto Pinterest to vote for...I'll have to create a new account...I didn't save my account login info and I've long forgotten it by now.

The Wrap Up:

So, now that I have horrified your brain with images and thoughts of Joe Dirt mullets and sewing machines, my best advice is to go drink as much wine as you can get your hands on so you don't have nightmares about all of this tonight!  

The End.  For reals this time!  Go on...get out of here...go get your wine drinking on to keep the above images from being scorched into your brains....and remember...if you are offended or confused about how I got so far off-topic on this blog entry...just remember...I am severely lacking in the craftiness department...so I had to fill the the blog space and your time with something, right???

Together Last Tuesday - (Un?)Conventional Wisdom

Notice what I did there?  I am making up for last week's missed ToT post.  It just occurred to me that at a glance, you may think this is my last ToT post, nope, not the case...I just crafted a little bit of word play into the title.  Put down the Kleenex...Dog Days of Life is NOT leaving the ToT group!  Just being a little tricky...well...because it is MY blog...so, I can do that!  Am I going to get sued for actually saying Kleenex instead of tissues??  Oh well, we'll burn that bridge if it comes to pass!

I typically don't always go back and make up missed posts, but I was really looking forward to this one, and well, quite frankly, I was sulking about missing it.  The only cure was to write it.


Share the life lessons you have learned so far:

1. Bad things happen to good people.  It sucks, but it is a part of life that we can't change.  
2. We won't always understand why we go through certain things in life.  At some point, you just have to accept what you are dealing with and stop spinning your wheels on the 'why' part.  You just have to accept that you may never know - we aren't supposed to know everything about our lives.  Plain and simple. 
3. A good indicator of someone's true character is how they treat those in the service industry.  If I want to get a good sense of someone's true character, I pay close attention to how they treat a waiter or waitress.  A truly nice person is appreciative of the service they get from a waiter/waitress doing a good job.  Someone who gets their kicks or self-esteem boost from belittling, talking down to, or otherwise being a jackass to a hardworking waiter or waitress is NOT a nice person; they are not my friend, and they never will be.  
4. Blaming others for your lot in life only carries you so far.  Get over it.  At some point you just have to suck it up, put on your 'big girl/boy panties' and move forward as a responsible member of society.  You can only blame your parents for the first 18 years of your life...beyond that, you are legally an adult, your choices are up to you.  Own them, take responsibility.  Be a grown up and don't dwell in the past. 
5. Have a sense of humor.  Life is hard, but a good sense of humor can make it a lot less hard.  
6. Surround yourself with people who can make you laugh and love doing so.  Whether it be friends, spouse/significant other, or co-workers find people who love life and laughter to spend your time with.  
7. Stop thinking through the 'what if' scenarios.  In certain situations, you will certainly drive yourself to insanity.  I have always been the 'what if' lady...it is just how my mind works.  Great for analytical thinking that I use at work, but horrible for things that happen in life.  (Somewhat) jokingly, I have referred to myself as the 'worst case scenario calculator'.  But, I have been put in some situations this year that have forced me to stop my mind from going down the 'what if' path.  The 'what if' path contains things that are just too dark and horrible for me to think about.  Thankfully, God has pulled me through these situations with good results, and who am I to second guess the grace He has shown me and those around me?  
8. Don't freak out over the small stuff.  Life is too short for that.  At the end of your days, do really want to reflect back on your life and see that you spent most of it fussing over the insignificant, mundane details?  
9. Take a few minutes one week to meet your Garbage Man (or Woman).  They could be really nice.  We've met ours, and he is really a nice guy.  Besides, those times when you forget and try flagging him down on his way back down the street...he/she can choose to see you, or not see you.
10. Have a pet, at least once in your lifetime.  They bring joy to a home.  We all know I am a dog person, but that is just me.  I have had cats, and cats can be absolutely entertaining - cats are always plotting against you and it can be fun trying to stay a step ahead of them!  
11. Sometimes being a grown-up sucks.  Life can get really complicated and sometimes we have to make tough decisions that have no good outcome no matter what you choose.   
12. It is OKAY to laugh at things society says it is inappropriate to laugh at.  Just choose your time, location, and company accordingly!
13. Listen to your gut instincts.  It is there for a reason, so don't ignore it.
14. Don't sugar-coat things.  Life isn't always sweet, and finding out this reality will feel like having a band-aid ripped off after a lifetime of being sheltered.  Just avoid all that and tell it like it is. 
15. Marry the person you can't live without - the person you would gladly walk barefoot from New York to California just to spend some time with.
16. Be aware of the unconditional love in your life - both those who love you unconditionally, and those who you love unconditionally.  Unconditional love is the best security blanket in the world.  
17. In career/business: everyone is replaceable.  Period.  Of course there are some 'workplace superstars' out there that have convinced themselves otherwise.  I have watched others think this, and have seen more than once the subsequent fall from grace.  The very instant they deem themselves irreplaceable, is the very same instant that big head of theirs has been distracted long enough to be unaware of the target they just put on their own backs.  In business, everyone is replaceable.  Do a great job; pat yourself on the back here and there, but in the end stay grounded.  Why?  Because you are replaceable, and know this: someone out there can do a better job than you, and someone out there wants/needs your job.  If you disagree with me, then you are probably someone who needs to hear this.  
18. Don't be that coworker who over-does everything and is that person who goes so over the top that you cause everyone to lose perks or privileges just because you are an idiot.  Everyone (besides you, that is) knows it is because of you.  People will lose respect for you, no matter how good you are at your actual job, and people are talking about you.  Its true, I'm sorry, but its true.  The same applies to the person who makes the biggest, most drunken ass of themselves at the company Christmas party - so don't be that person either...even if it is the only night of the year you get out on the town.   
19. Don't work harder to get out of work than it would be to do the actual work itself.  That just isn't an efficient use of energy, time, or effort.  
20. You can't fight every battle.  Accept that, then choose carefully which battles you want to fight.  Once you have decided that, dig in...dig in for the long haul and don't give up. 

Together on Tuesday: To Keep or Not to Keep...

Okay, sorry, but I just had to sneak in some cheeky, off-beat humor about this week's topic:  Keepsake or Clutter?  How do you decide what to keep and what to toss?? 

I really believe that as humans we all have at least a slight tendancy to save things, which oftentimes becomes too many things.  We live in a retail society.  It is so easy to find things all the time that we want to buy.  But with the wonderful feeling of finding that great buy, there is also that dreadful feeling of finding a space for it.  For me, this is usually seasonal things like home decor items.  I seem to come across lots and lots of great seasonal home decor and I love buying and having it...at least that year, until I find something seemingly better for that same season the following year.  I have plenty of these items already, but each year I seem to add to it until I just have too much of these things.  That is something that I have to proactively think about each time I find myself meandering the seasonal aisles of my favorite stores: do I already have this or something already to serve as good of a purpose?  Do I really need this?  Where will I put this?  When the season is over, where will I store this? 

Things I Keep

Over the years, especially during the college years, I accumulated things that at that particular moment, felt like life-long 'must-have' items.  However, that stack of things included such ridiculousness as every paper I ever wrote (which is a lot...considering I have a bachelor's degree in English Education), newspapers, magazines, books, coats/jackets, teaching materials, things I could potentially use later, etc...  However, I have since had to take a more critical look at these things and pare down what I keep and what I get rid of. 

Things I have kept from college now fits into a flat plastic tote that would fit under a bed for easy storage.  Except for the books, that is.  Still have a LOT of the books, but as far as other random things, I have really minimized it down over the years. 

Of the things from colllege, I decided to keep only the documents that were of some personal or historical value.  This would include a small sampling of the best of the papers that I wrote (or ones that I put the most thought or effort into writing - because let's be honest, there were plenty that were written in the wee hours before class with the printer ink still drying as I turned them in).  Early on, I also came to the conclusion that there was ablsolutely no logical reason or justification for keeping the notebooks and folders from my college classes.  That just took up too much space from the get-go, so they got tossed.  I have never needed them, so that was a great choice of things to toss.  I also still have a lot of the cards, notes, and such that my mom mailed to me while I was away at IU.  The keeper pile also includes the Business Law quiz that I was taking at the exact time that the September 11 attacks happened.  I will never forget, at that moment before hearing about the attacks, that quiz was the most important thing happening...until I heard.  Oh, how horrible it was to find out what happened while I was taking that quiz.  The very next time I had that class was two days later, so we were all still reeling from the news, and we all awkwardly waited for class to begin knowing that is what we were doing when it happened.  The professor wallked in and tossed them on the table and simply said, "here are the quizzes...not that they are important."  He is right, they became insignificant to what the country was going through, but, I have kept that quiz, if for no other reason to remind me that something you think is the most important thing right now can quickly become the most insignificant thing in the grand scheme of life. 

I also still have the IU Student newspaper announcing the firing of basketball coach Bobby Knight.  I am not even much of a basketball fan, but Bobby Knight was a legend at IU, so since I conveniently have the newspaper from the university from which he was fired, I figure I may as well hang on to it...who knows. 

Now back to the books.  Oh, the books.  Confession: I have a really hard time forcing myself to get rid of any books.  Even at the end of the semester when I could sell them back for fast cash after finals, I still carefully picked and chose which ones I thought I should keep and which ones I could part with for pizza money...literally, I once sold back some of my books because I really wanted some extra cash to order a pizza the evening I finished my last final for that semester.  I cashed in my thick, heavy volume of Shakespear literature at TIS Bookstore, and cleared just enough to pay for the last pizza that Pizza Express delivered that night.  They cut off deliveries very early that evening due to a snow/ice storm that was moving in, and I got the very last pizza they delivered that night.  Shoo...just under the wire!  The irony here is that a couple semesters later I had to REBUY that exact same big, heavy volume of Shakespeare for my second semester of Shakespeare Literature.  Dammit.  But I learned, and didn't sell it after that semester so I would never have to buy another piece of Shakespear literature.  Plus, it had all my class notes written in it and that alone has served of zero value in the subsequent years of my life!  I still have that second copy I got.  I haven't been able to part with it, probably because it reminds me of the cute and funny story of when I really wanted pizza money and sold the first one. 

I also have a handful of things of the dogs' that I keep.  From Watson there are a few of his favorite toys and his collar and tag that I have in a special box that I bought to keep his things in.  Since we don't have our Watson anymore, at least I have a lot of photos and a few of his favorite things to remember him by.  And speaking of dogs' things, I now have a new one to add.  Eli learned to swim this week.  All on his own.  Mark threw a ball out in a stream for him and Austin to go retreive and it went a little farther than they could wade out to get it and Eli was determined, so when it got too deep for him to wade, he kept going and started swimming for it!  It was a proud moment for Mark and I - my heart swelled a hundred times bigger watching him.  He brought that ball back and after playing with it a bit more, I got ahold of it so I could keep it and always have a memento of when we were so proud of him for being brave! 

Things I Toss/Donate

I have recently come to terms with just clearing out clothes that don't fit anymore or that I know deep down that I will never wear again.  About a year ago, after my weight being up and down and up and down, I decided that having the teeny tiny clothes that I could once wear in the closet staring at me everyday was just too depressing; I decided I needed to do a major purge.  So, after bagging them up, I had every bit of three giant garbage bags stuffed full of great clothes that I needed to never see again.  So, I donated them to a better cause than collecting dust inside my closet. 

Coats and jackets are another thing I have way too many of - that is one of my weaknesses; for some reason that I don't fully understand, I LOVE buying new jackets and coats.  Since fashions change from year to year, that is a grand reason to justify getting them...right??  Just agree with me on this.  As a result, I have a ridiculous amount of them, winter coats especially, that I need to donate.  Some of the coats are too small or no longer fashionably appropriate for my "grown-up" life, so I just need to get rid of them.  Seriously.  I could provide coats for an extended family of Eskimos.  Seriously.  I just need to get them to a more useful home.  People in less fortunate situations need coats every year, and it is selfish of me to keep these coats collected up in a closet knowing I will never wear them.  The funny thing is, that even though I buy all these jackets and coats, there is one I still keep going back to.  A grey wool pea coat that I bought in college for $25 off the clearance rack at Old Navy one year.  Yeah, I still love that coat and always default back to it after I grow tired of my most recent coat purchase.  All I have to do is pair it up with a new scarf and glove set each year, get it dry-cleaned at the end of each winter, and voila...its appearance is refreshed, and it is as good as new! 

The Basement

We all know the best parts and perks of home ownership.  However, the slightly darker and more sinister side is that space that most houses in the mid-west have that sits directly under the main part of the house...yes, you know what I am talking about...<insert music from a horror film here>...the basement.  It is just a big space...for stuff, right?  Well, ours has been just that.  There have been times where I avoided going down to the basement because of all the stuff.  But, to our credit, it was also being used as a shop for some things that my husband works on.  At some point, it became abundantly clear that we needed some type of space dedicated to just his projects and tools and things like that.  So, we built a 1500 sq foot shop for just that.  So, out of the basement went all the tools, saws, sawdust collection sytems, shop vacs, lawn maintenance equipment, and dirt bike & dirt bike accessories.  Oh, the open space of the basement once all that stuff got moved!  We even had a little part of the basement we referred to as 'the garage' and it is now almost empty because all that stuff went out to the shop.  So now, we are down to just one corner of the basement that we try not to think about.  That corner of the basement would be a hoarder's dream come true.  I say there just hasn't been time to go through it all, maybe that is true, but deep down, part of me knows that I just don't want to deal with all that stuff and what to do with it all.  Woof.  This part of the basement story is to be continued...