Just Jammin'

"Use It!"
* the freezer jam pectin and plastic Ball jars I purchased in May -- after thrice buying four pounds of strawberries with the intention of making jam (they got eaten not thrown out), today Bub and I made strawberry jam as Little Bit looked on. Easy peasy and tastes just like my Grandma's. I am counting this as a "use it" because I would not have been surprised if the Ball jars and pectin sat ignored in the pantry all summer.

Now, what to do with the glass Ball jars I purchased eight years ago when the hardware store in my neighborhood had a going-out-of-business sale . . . perhaps attempt to make cooked jam of some sort without scalding myself.

Another shirt off my back . . .

"Lose It!"
* actually, two more t-shirts off my back -- note to self, anything of the Sonoma brand at Kohl's does NOT work for you. MEP, you may like the fabric or the color and certainly the price, but you will not really like how it fits.

No Space in the Space Bag

"Lose It!"

I continue to add baby and toddler clothes (30 pieces or so the past two days) to the large donation pile in our basement. While I'm at it, I've been sorting the "keepers" and storing them in the space bags I got at Costco. Have to say I'm impressed with those things, and Bub has really enjoyed using the vacuum to suck the air out.

Next challenge: rearrange/weed through other crap around here so that I can fill the newly-emptied plastic bins that used to house the clothes.

"You've made better."

"Use It!"
*Cook Yourself Thin Cookbook -- followed recipe for Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna which was, well, just okay. I think I can do better with my own improvisational lasagna recipe. Also, I feel like I need to note that I did not have this cookbook when 2009 began, but that I gave away a cookbook when I bought it to preserve stats for the Cookbook Challenge.

Cookbook Challenge Stats: 14 down/39 to go

Don't stop till you get enough?

"Lose It!"
* several t-shirts, capris, and pairs of shorts -- many of my summer clothes have been with me for many summers now. I don't care what season my stuff is (indeed, my favorite pair of capris is from May 2003, and I still have a few pairs from the late 90s), but I do feel like stuff I'm not wearing does not need to take up the limited space in my closet and drawers. So, some old and some newish stuff has hit the giveaway pile. In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that some new shorts and t-shirts have made their way into my house. I think though that I have managed to follow the one in/one out policy that organizational experts recommend. I'm going to make another pass through the closet, drawers, and bins and try to make it a net loss of stuff.

"Use It!"
* my cd collection -- I had an idea yesterday that I would go on itunes (have a gift card) and buy my five favorite Michael Jackson songs. I was looking forward to thinking about which five to choose and to listening to them while cleaning up after dinner. I always think about Michael Jackson in terms of my Thriller tape and didn't really think I had any CDs. On a whim though, I decided to flip through my CD case (not easily accessible, but I got to it). I realized I had the Thriller and HIStory CDs so I was all set and effectively made $5. I also realized that I have not loaded 80% of my music onto my itunes. So, there's a little project for my spare time.

What are you using and losing these days?