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Post by crimsoncat05 on Jan 14, 2020 17:01:21 GMT
I've fallen behind, too- but over the weekend, I was trying to find room in the frig for leftovers, and decided to pull out some of the 'way back' stuff to see what it was. I found a bottle of I Can't Believe it's Not Butter spray that had an EXP date of 2018!!! And, it was practically full. Then, I found ANOTHER bottle of the same stuff (this one not even opened, also expired), in the door of the refrigerator. <sigh> The refrigerator is going to be a tough one for us-- my DH likes hot sauces, pickled olives, sauerkraut, exotic mustards and that kind of thing-- and bottles or jars can sit in there for months with literally only a tablespoon or less in them. I pulled out four jars of various things to toss, some mostly empty (beer-flavored sauerkraut, that he said really wasn't all that good... my thinking: why keep it, then?) and one (pickled baby carrots) that was hardly touched, and he said "but they don't go bad; they're still good!" My feeling is: If we haven't eaten it in 6-9 months- or more (I think the carrots were in there for over a year)- do you really think we're going to? c'mon, dude! let it go, already! He thought about it a while and finally agreed. But our refrigerator is always cluttered; I don't think it could ever look like one of those Instagram refrigerator organization pics.
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Post by mom on Jan 14, 2020 17:06:23 GMT
Im still plugging away. I am working on my pantry - DS1 is here so I will send some of it home with him to eat. The rest (if still good) will be donated.
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Post by anniefb on Jan 14, 2020 21:15:38 GMT
For day 15 I'm donating 15 pieces of Tupperware to the op shop.
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Post by Eddie-n-Harley on Jan 15, 2020 4:04:14 GMT
Time to catch up on my posting...
Day 7: I got rid of 7 random things from the cupboard. Day 8: 8 chocolate santas overstayed their welcome and were asked to leave. Day 9: Somehow, I had 9 reusable plastic cups of various promotional types that went in the recycling. Day 10 and Day 11: WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PACKS OF JOURNALING CARDS IN THE VACATION BOX? Day 12: Extra sequins had to go. (I had already filled up a container with each color... then stashed the open bags in case I ran out of the sequins in the container. Life hack: YOU WILL NEVER RUN OUT OF SEQUINS FROM THE CONTAINER.)
Then I missed out on day 13 somehow but made up for it today by tossing 13 things from the makeup stash... and for Day 14, I got rid of 14 random things from the office desk drawer. That sunscreen that expired in 2017 and contact solution that expired last May aren't doing anyone any good.
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Post by sleepingbooty on Jan 15, 2020 14:44:03 GMT
For day 14 I found 14 sets of chopsticks to declutter We could totally write The Thirty Days of Minimalmas at this point...
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Post by sleepingbooty on Jan 15, 2020 15:00:48 GMT
I had evening plans for the start of the week so bowed out of here for a few days. In my defense, I decided to FINALLY open up a box that I'd been keeping safe for a former friend for almost *drum rolls* 10 YEARS! I had to double-check my email to make sure how long ago she'd moved away and how many emails I'd sent her to ask what to do with her stuff. She never answered and just completely ghosted the people she used to hang with here after moving to the other side of the country. I have no clue why. She left on seemingly good terms. Per social media, she's doing just fine and living in a big house with fancy stuff and a fancy husband. I feel a bit silly for acting so responsibly and keeping her stuff for almost a decade. I figured it was time to know what I've been keeping in my place all this time and try to get rid of as much as possible. It's ALL gone now. Feels amazing! I managed to fill several days' worth of this game: underwear, CDs, cables, papers, books, bowls, iPod and even a couple of old cellphones + chargers. In total, I 48 items were donated or trashed. I'm fully covered for days 13-15. This game is a good reminder that I needn't be too greedy with stuff. It ends bothering someone else in the end. Wherever we go (or don't per my atheist views ) when we die, we're not bringing it with us. It just become someone else's burden and responsibility. Any life lessons starting to float to the surface for the other players? Any deep reflections about life, stuff and money? Feeling lighter and better already?
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Post by anniefb on Jan 15, 2020 19:04:40 GMT
I can imagine how good that felt sleepingbooty and I must admit to feeling much 'lighter' after such a big clear out. I've been diving into cupboards and clearing out boxes of old stuff in the garage. For day 16 I'm donating a 16 piece melamine picnic set to the op shop.
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Post by sleepingbooty on Jan 16, 2020 15:23:25 GMT
Day 16 required 12 items (I still had 4 left-overs from the box purge ) and I did something a little different: I purged my Kindle today. Got rid of some books that I'd read and no longer needed on the device, cookbooks I didn't click with and the free book excerpts I'd sent to my device from Amazon. I didn't keep an exact count but I've certainly met the 12-book mark. Nice and easy way of getting rid of some digi clutter!
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Post by anniefb on Jan 17, 2020 4:49:58 GMT
For day 17 I found some more plastic plates at the back of the kitchen cupboard - 17 are going in the recycling.
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Post by ss on Jan 17, 2020 12:43:40 GMT
I have been trying to keep up! Last weekend I took care of Saturday and Sunday by cleaning under the bathroom sink and medicine cabinet. The bathroom garbage can over-floweth with old products, yucky products. So sad to toss my face cream that had separated, ugh, throwing money away. A good lesson for me. Use it up and don't buy anymore till I do!!! Wednesday I back-tracked to Monday and Tuesday....the mystery clothes in my laundry room. Oh my goodness. Little girl Christmas dresses. I'm not even saying how old my youngest is now. A nice stack for the VVA donation bag. Tomorrow I'm looking forward to continuing in the laundry room and starting in my kitchen cabinets. What oldies but goodies will I find in there?
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Post by anniefb on Jan 17, 2020 17:21:34 GMT
I'm back at work as of Monday so have been decluttering extra things as I go as I know I'll be more pressed for time in the remainder of the month. So. much. stuff. It's been good to be ruthless and get rid of things I've been hanging onto on the odd chance I'll use them.
For days 18 and 19 I found 18 plastic cups and 19 pieces of plastic cutlery which are being recycled.
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MDscrapaholic
Drama Llama
Refupea #146
Posts: 6,340
Location: Down by the bay....
Jun 25, 2014 20:49:07 GMT
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Post by MDscrapaholic on Jan 17, 2020 17:35:22 GMT
Ugh, I've really fallen behind! I think this weekend is going to be a major "catch up" time for me! I'll post when I'm done!
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,459
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jan 18, 2020 1:16:45 GMT
I've had a really off week but I did manage to get the donation bags I filled last weekend out of the house today. I cleaned out one of my drawers while I was putting the washing away and got rid of some things that I no longer wear, or are perfectly fine but I just don't like. I also bought new towels this morning so my next task is to move some current towels into the pile for cleaning use, and get rid of the ones that are currently there.
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Post by ecvnj58 on Jan 18, 2020 12:31:25 GMT
I fell off the wagon. I got so sick this week but this weekend I plan on taking photos of the stuff I collected for Freecycle to actually get them out of here. I’m going to try to start decluttering again as well as I clean through my house. I noticed my tv stand has so much dust on it so I really need to get cleaning. Lol.
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Post by freeatlast on Jan 18, 2020 12:39:01 GMT
I've fallen off the craft room cleaning wagon but I did manage to clean out some kitchen cupboards along with the freezer and refrigerator. And last Saturday I dropped off a big bag of clothes to Goodwill.
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Post by sleepingbooty on Jan 18, 2020 17:02:18 GMT
I did yesterday and today's declutter in one go. It was ALL small stuff that I've been putting off because it required going through loads of small nooks and relying on my memory to remember where the tiny spots of clutter were. But I got there in the end! It's the trail mix of declutter, friends. Anybody else always surprised to come across lonely pen caps, broken keyrings and whatnot? I can't believe I found 28 tiny things to put in the garbage bin. I have a bag with an extra 7 books to drop off at a local street library when we go out tonight waiting by the front door. That makes it a perfect 17 + 18 = 35. WOOHOO! Who knew one could still find so much stuff to get rid of in a small apartment? Tomorrow is my SO's turn to go through his books and stuff while I relax and let myself be entertained. This is going to be fun!
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Post by sleepingbooty on Jan 18, 2020 17:12:42 GMT
I've fallen off the craft room cleaning wagon but I did manage to clean out some kitchen cupboards along with the freezer and refrigerator. And last Saturday I dropped off a big bag of clothes to Goodwill. Yay to you! All the small (and big!) things accumulate pretty quickly so no worries if you've fallen off at some point. Your username sounds extra appropriate for this thread, by the way. I fell off the wagon. I got so sick this week but this weekend I plan on taking photos of the stuff I collected for Freecycle to actually get them out of here. I hope you're feeling better, ecvnj58. 'Tis the season of flu, coughing, colds and whatnot. Take good care of yourself! Great idea to put some things on Freecycle this weekend. Reuse before recycle, always! I've had a really off week but I did manage to get the donation bags I filled last weekend out of the house today. I cleaned out one of my drawers while I was putting the washing away and got rid of some things that I no longer wear, or are perfectly fine but I just don't like. Oh, it feels incredible when the donation bags and boxes leave the home, doesn't it? Out of sight, out of mind, finally! Good on for your being so proactive with regards to getting rid of stuff that's perfectly fine but just no longer serving *you*! Ugh, I've really fallen behind! I think this weekend is going to be a major "catch up" time for me! I'll post when I'm done! Looking forward to hearing how your cleaning weekend went, MDscrapaholic. I hope you can get to a point where you feel proud with yourself and happy with the progress. It doesn't need to be a full-on cleaning craze to be good so take it easy on yourself as you get back into the game. I'm back at work as of Monday so have been decluttering extra things as I go as I know I'll be more pressed for time in the remainder of the month. So. much. stuff. It's been good to be ruthless and get rid of things I've been hanging onto on the odd chance I'll use them. Wishing you a smooth return to work, anniefb. Really happy to read you're feeling good about letting go of all the "just in case" stuff. Sometimes it only takes a trip down memory lane to realise you've clung to something for X years just in case to finally come to terms with the fact that it doesn't make a lot of sense to keep it for another X years! Kudos to you. Tomorrow I'm looking forward to continuing in the laundry room and starting in my kitchen cabinets. What oldies but goodies will I find in there? Oooooh, pray, do tell! The kitchen is the domain of tiny, ugly monsters...
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Post by catseatcheese on Jan 19, 2020 9:32:10 GMT
I've fallen behind, too- but over the weekend, I was trying to find room in the frig for leftovers, and decided to pull out some of the 'way back' stuff to see what it was. I found a bottle of I Can't Believe it's Not Butter spray that had an EXP date of 2018!!! And, it was practically full. Then, I found ANOTHER bottle of the same stuff (this one not even opened, also expired), in the door of the refrigerator. <sigh> The refrigerator is going to be a tough one for us-- my DH likes hot sauces, pickled olives, sauerkraut, exotic mustards and that kind of thing-- and bottles or jars can sit in there for months with literally only a tablespoon or less in them. I pulled out four jars of various things to toss, some mostly empty (beer-flavored sauerkraut, that he said really wasn't all that good... my thinking: why keep it, then?) and one (pickled baby carrots) that was hardly touched, and he said "but they don't go bad; they're still good!" My feeling is: If we haven't eaten it in 6-9 months- or more (I think the carrots were in there for over a year)- do you really think we're going to? c'mon, dude! let it go, already! He thought about it a while and finally agreed. But our refrigerator is always cluttered; I don't think it could ever look like one of those Instagram refrigerator organization pics. My DH also loves all of the pickled and spicy things. I suspect we have at least 20 bottles of different hot sauces (although not all are opened...some are in the pantry awaiting use). At least he does use them as he is the one that makes all of our dinners (I work full time and he does not work outside of the home every since we moved to Spain so he keeps himself busy with making a lot of nice dinners....I am very appreciate of this!).
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Post by catseatcheese on Jan 19, 2020 9:41:50 GMT
Oh I am not behind but did I get sick this week. I have never in my life missed more than 1-2 days of work and I missed 3 this week (and was still sick yesterday and finally...FINALLY able to do more than go from the bed or couch to the bathroom or to the pharmacy or doctor today). Anyhow, last weekend I was a de-cluttering fool. It made my husband, the dog, and the cat very nervous. I don't know why they all hate cleaning so much. Anyhow, I found costume jewelry to give to the donation bin, clothing, some dog toys she never uses, TONS of small electronic cords and whatnot that no one has used in a million years and don't work anymore, and some of those little on-the-go chargers for phones and whatnot that stopped working years ago. Then I started on a file folder drawer where we keep "important documents." Mind you...some of these documents were things like the paperwork from when I purchased a washing machine and dryer in 2006 (I gave these to my sister and BIL about 8 years ago because I did not need them anymore...still going strong), paperwork for cars that I have not had since about 2007, documents about the insurance benefits for my company from 2006 (so no longer even up to date), and 100 million manuals for whatever electronic device I have ever had in my life. Then I started on my cards and envelopes drawers. I threw out a lot of things found in those drawers including another 30 or so pens. I cleared out so much I was able to get rid of one of the sets of drawers in my craft room. I have not started on crafting supplies yet (the cards an envelopes were maybe a little teaser to start easy in crafting) although I did throw out one sticker sheet yesterday that only had 1 sticker on it that I knew I would never use. I'm sure that with all that I have done the entire month is set but I still have the crafting room to go. Not gonna lie....last year I did a big clean out of the crafting supplies and gave a lot to a co-workers daughter who was interested in scrapbooking. I know I have a lot but it is mostly manageable. I will start on it but I am dreading it as I hate to let crafting supplies go.
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Post by catseatcheese on Jan 19, 2020 10:02:54 GMT
I did yesterday and today's declutter in one go. It was ALL small stuff that I've been putting off because it required going through loads of small nooks and relying on my memory to remember where the tiny spots of clutter were. But I got there in the end! It's the trail mix of declutter, friends. Anybody else always surprised to come across lonely pen caps, broken keyrings and whatnot? I can't believe I found 28 tiny things to put in the garbage bin. I have a bag with an extra 7 books to drop off at a local street library when we go out tonight waiting by the front door. That makes it a perfect 17 + 18 = 35. WOOHOO! Who knew one could still find so much stuff to get rid of in a small apartment? Tomorrow is my SO's turn to go through his books and stuff while I relax and let myself be entertained. This is going to be fun! On the idea of lonely pen caps and whatnot....when I find these things I do my best to think "what does this belong too?" I find small little pieces of plastic or metal and I'm like...ok....is there some electronic or craft supply in which this belongs? How did it get away from it's family? The world may never know.
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Post by Jessica on Jan 19, 2020 16:03:00 GMT
Okay so silly things like sickness and work gotin the way the past week, but I came back with a vengeance yesterday and cleaned out enough stuff from my craft room to catch me up to this weekend. Even clearing out the closets shelves - why do I have tracing paper? I don't draw! Why do I have a picture frame but with no glass? Empty binders? Outdated tools? It feels SO GOOD. Plus...I'm super inspired to scrap now.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Jan 19, 2020 16:03:12 GMT
the trail mix of declutter- LOL!! and catseatcheese , you have been busy! (glad you're feeling better, by the way) I LOL'ed at your description of your decluttering making everyone else in the household nervous... it does do that, doesn't it? I hadn't been keeping up, but yesterday afternoon/evening I did enough to make up for it, and then some!! On Friday, I had my 40 hours of work by mid-afternoon, so left a bit earlier than usual... I stopped at a GW to get rid of a few things that had been rattling around in my car for literally weeks. (I did shop inside the store, but didn't find anything worth bringing home- yay, me!) Yesterday I did a massive grocery store trip, and in putting the groceries away, I ended up cleaning out the entire pantry- yikes! (I'm still not sure exactly how it happened, to be honest-- I moved a couple things, and just kept going till I got to the point where I "had" to finish the entire thing-- lol!) I had groceries all over the kitchen island, mixed in with boxes, cans, and jars of things that had expired in 2016, -17, and -18. Yikes!! My DH kept wandering in and out, and every once in a while he'd yell a "can I help?" from the living room. And my answer was always a VERY quick, "Nope; I got it!" (because I knew if he DID help, he'd be flabbergasted at the amount of things I ended up tossing, lol) He did *help* a bit by turning on the light inside the pantry for me-- lol-- which was actually very helpful; I ended up seeing even more stuff to get rid of! I am appalled at the amount of stuff (and $$) I ended up throwing out, but honestly, most of it was things I *thought* I might use when I bought it, but never did... like a packet of stir-fry seasonings and a can of bamboo shoots, both expired in 2015... Or odd packets of marinade mix that were on clearance from an 'International week' promotion the grocery store was running a few years ago; boxes of sugar free jello mix exp. in 2015 and 2016; I tossed a LOT of boxes that were mostly empty with not enough pasta, cereal, etc. in the bottom to use; stuff like that. I think 2015 is the oldest exp. date I found, thankfully... but really-- if I haven't used the stuff by NOW, then I'm NOT going to! Our pantry is bi-fold doors with shelves inside, so not a walk-in. (which is good, because if the pantry was bigger, I'd probably fill it with even more stuff!) But the shelves are deep, which is how a lot of stuff got lost- it got hidden behind other stuff. I did a lot of rearranging to put 'like' items together, put similar small items in bins, and even tossed some of my endless supply of plastic containers and lids! Now all the remaining containers have lids and the lids themselves are all 'contained' in a bin (so there is no longer a chance of a plastic "avalanche" when you're reaching for one). Will it stay this way? probably not. But for the moment, it's a HUGE improvement.
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Post by sleepingbooty on Jan 19, 2020 16:27:07 GMT
catseatcheese Oh my, I'm sorry you've been so sick. Glad to hear you're on the mend. Kudos to you for doing so much work since! Isn't it crazy how much we keep archived despite having absolutely no need for it? I giggled at some of the papers you found in your important documents. I think it was definitely time to let go of papers for cars and equipment you haven't had in years! Take it easy on yourself for your craft room. If you know it's going to be the tougher spot to declutter, don't put too much pressure on yourself. You've done amazing so far. *hands gold star sticker* crimsoncat05 Bwahaha, your improvised pantry clean-up anecdote sounds like you were a woman on a mission! I love that you kept trying to keep your husband out so he wouldn't realise how much food you had to get rid of. It's uncomfortable going through the process but it's the only way to learn lessons about oneself and one's bad aspirational purchases. This way, at least, you'll know in the future to stay away from the exotic seasonings and cans if you don't have immediate plans for them. Congrats on the freshly reorganised pantry and container + lid system! Jessica Yaaaay! You got bonus inspiration to scrap from the process, so glad for you. Don't remind me of the stuff I found and that I genuinely stared at while wondering why I had kept this in the first place...
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Post by sleepingbooty on Jan 19, 2020 16:32:46 GMT
This was my SO's day to play clutter-herd. He ended up finding 20 things to get rid of pretty quickly. I didn't even bother going through the bag. It was easy peasy. I made breakfast, he decluttered. I enjoyed the break from gathering stuff for today! Win-win.
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Post by anniefb on Jan 19, 2020 16:46:14 GMT
Sorry you’ve been sick catseatcheese. Hope you really on the mend now.
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Post by anniefb on Jan 19, 2020 16:50:25 GMT
Back at work today - ugh. Can’t believe all the rubbish I was hanging on to in the kitchen. For days 20 and 21 I found:
10 table mats for the op shop and 10 plastic plates for recycling 2 tablecloths, 2 t shirts, a pair of shoes, 16 more plastic plates
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joyfulnana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,810
May 28, 2017 23:43:26 GMT
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Post by joyfulnana on Jan 19, 2020 19:32:47 GMT
I have fallen down so hard on this. But picked myself back up today and got three days caught up. I'm not giving up on this lol
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,510
Member is Online
Oct 2, 2017 23:20:46 GMT
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Post by mich5481 on Jan 19, 2020 21:14:51 GMT
I've gotten rid of: 1 tube of lotion I had cut open to use up every drop, but that I hadn't finished (tossed) 1 lanyard from an old job (donate pile) 5 pairs of socks (donate pile) 5 old jewelry boxes (tossed) 1 Christmas kazoo box gift set (donate pile) 1 blouse that is thankfully too big for me now (donate pile) I have fallen woefully behind. I can add: 11 pieces of clothes that are too big (donate) 2 nearly empty bottles of contact lens solution (tossed) 2 old cherry Chapstick tubes, as I've found other lip products I prefer (tossed) I also sorted through a bunch of rubber stamps yesterday. I'll count how many I put in the donate pile.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Jan 20, 2020 15:36:53 GMT
sleepingbooty , that is a *perfect* phrase for it! "aspirational purchases" is exactly right; these are things I think or hope I'll use, without an actual PLAN. This year I want to change the way I plan meals (well, I need TO plan, period, lol; I never used to do any at all) and to do more cooking-from-scratch. Hopefully both of these things together will cut down on the expired food and the 'aspirational' purchases. I'm glad your SO has gotten onto your clutter-herding bandwagon, and that you got a break for a bit! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next areas I need to tackle are my craft room- again, lol-- it's a never-ending battle... and my dresser and closet. (none of which I am looking forward to!!) My DH has seen my progress, and I think / hope it will inspire him to go through HIS closet and dresser... he hangs onto his clothes for-EVER. I mean, really, forever (practically, anyway). He has some 20-year old dress shirts, sweaters, t-shirts, etc. that he probably hasn't worn since we moved from IL to AZ 14 years ago, yet they still hang in his closet 'just in case' he wants to wear them. (he can't fit into them any longer, either-- but don't say that too loud, lol.)
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Post by natscraps on Jan 20, 2020 16:01:52 GMT
I purged a bunch of toys from DS's toy closet. Most got donated, some trashed, and some relocated to other places (there is no need for dump trucks inside the house anymore, but have a feeling they would get used outside). I had started going through and organizing my paper stash in my scrap room but its just too big a project right now with everything else going on so I put it all away.
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