Seriously? If I'm just NOW hearing about this, which was posted in 2011, I'm pretty sure you haven't heard this story either.
Yes, you will cry - but your faith in humanity will also be restored.
October 26, 2015
October 25, 2015
The Life Changing Magic of Folding Rectangles...
About a month ago, I posted this tweet (follow me at @gigirambles)
At the time, I truly believed that those drawers would once again be in shambles in no time. I mean, honestly? I've lived with this man for almost twenty-five years; and in all that time? His drawers have ALWAYS been in a state of disarray...no matter how many times I've rearranged them.
I would re-fold everything to perfection only to have him rummage through them looking for THAT t-shirt (don't get me started on WHY he needs to wear a t-shirt EVERY day) which would, of course, ruin the order that I thought I had created.
But now here we are; a month later - and I can proudly report, those damn drawers are STILL in order!
Yes. a miracle has occurred! And look...I have evidence!
If you've been hanging out on the internet at all in the past 6 months or so, then surely you've heard of the book by Marie Kondo - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and the, apparently, amazing way of folding clothing; which certainly IS life changing - as evidenced by the still pristine drawers.
The basic premise is fold your clothes in rectangles so they stand up in the drawers. This is key because the Husband is able to see exactly what he has and pick out exactly which shirt he wants to wear - without disturbing the order of the other shirts.
For your convenience, this link will show you how to fold shirts in this fashion.
After seeing how well this worked for the Husband - without getting rid of any of his stuff (except for socks with holes) - I went out and bought the book.
The Husband actually said to me a few days ago, "I never knew I had SO many socks!" (Yes, this man owns more socks than any other person on this earth...I wish I was kidding - between his socks and t-shirts it's ridiculous)
I haven't done anything with my clothes yet - but I am eyeballing things more closely lately and find that I am more inclined to toss items into the Goodwill box than usual. I'm thinking that once I get a weekend to myself that my drawers will also get a makeover - even though I'm not as sloppy with my drawers as the Husband has been with his in the past.
I'm also eyeballing his closet; which seriously needs to be sorted...
Just re-folded 4 of the husband's 12 (small) drawers using the @konmari method; let's see how long it takes him to destroy all my hard work
— Gigi (@gigirambles) September 25, 2015
At the time, I truly believed that those drawers would once again be in shambles in no time. I mean, honestly? I've lived with this man for almost twenty-five years; and in all that time? His drawers have ALWAYS been in a state of disarray...no matter how many times I've rearranged them.
I would re-fold everything to perfection only to have him rummage through them looking for THAT t-shirt (don't get me started on WHY he needs to wear a t-shirt EVERY day) which would, of course, ruin the order that I thought I had created.
But now here we are; a month later - and I can proudly report, those damn drawers are STILL in order!
Yes. a miracle has occurred! And look...I have evidence!
 |
| Be still my heart! STILL neat and orderly! |
If you've been hanging out on the internet at all in the past 6 months or so, then surely you've heard of the book by Marie Kondo - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and the, apparently, amazing way of folding clothing; which certainly IS life changing - as evidenced by the still pristine drawers.
The basic premise is fold your clothes in rectangles so they stand up in the drawers. This is key because the Husband is able to see exactly what he has and pick out exactly which shirt he wants to wear - without disturbing the order of the other shirts.
For your convenience, this link will show you how to fold shirts in this fashion.
After seeing how well this worked for the Husband - without getting rid of any of his stuff (except for socks with holes) - I went out and bought the book.
The Husband actually said to me a few days ago, "I never knew I had SO many socks!" (Yes, this man owns more socks than any other person on this earth...I wish I was kidding - between his socks and t-shirts it's ridiculous)
I haven't done anything with my clothes yet - but I am eyeballing things more closely lately and find that I am more inclined to toss items into the Goodwill box than usual. I'm thinking that once I get a weekend to myself that my drawers will also get a makeover - even though I'm not as sloppy with my drawers as the Husband has been with his in the past.
I'm also eyeballing his closet; which seriously needs to be sorted...
October 24, 2015
Living in limbo - I'm done with it.
So here we are a week after my last post...and I've been thinking.
I do that a lot, you know...think. Ruminate. Chew on things.
And after all that thinking I have determined that I have been living for "what's next" and not for "what's going on right now." Upon further examination (why yes, there is ALWAYS further examination), I've realized that I've been living like this ever since the Husband was laid off...over FIVE years ago!
At first, the "what's next" was waiting to see what was coming done the pike. Then, after he found a job, the uncertainty that came with selling the house and, of course, this whole house hunting debacle; as evidenced here and here, means that I have been living in limbo for QUITE some time.
Enough is enough. I need to live in the here and now. I have wasted FIVE years! That is unacceptable.
So today I was on a mission. Halloween is exactly a week away. So I went in search of pumpkins, decorative straw bales and burlap.
Yes, me.
I've never been one for decorating so much in the fall or for any other season other than Christmas. Because how can you NOT decorate for Christmas?. Halloween...not so much. I decorated more when Man-Child was small and avid for the ghoulish-ness of it all - but my heart wasn't in it.
But today? Today I was all about decorating for Halloween/fall...but on a more grown up scale.
Now, here's the thing with decorating this late in the game; everything was 50-75% off - YAY! The other thing about decorating this late in the game? Not much is left - BOO! I was able to score some decorative straw bales at 50% off but the white, tiny fake pumpkins I was searching for? Nowhere to be seen. If I was searching for purple or black glitter pumpkins then I would have scored. Unfortunately, that wasn't what I had in mind.
So I branched out and hit the grocery store and Home Depot. Home Depot came through with the mums and while, I missed the tiny, white pumpkins at the grocery, I was able to score a medium pumpkin and some variegated gourds which resulted in this (very modest, for a very modest porch) porch-scape.
And, I have to be sure to add that the Husband was the provider of the red leaves. With all the yellow going on, I knew I needed to throw some red in there somewhere. Across the street, in the common area, is a red maple that is located fairly close to the neighbor's yard, but me being me, didn't feel comfortable crossing the street to gather a few leaves from the lawn. I tried to convince Man-Child to gather a few for me. Obviously, he didn't feel comfortable about it either. In fact, he tried to accuse me of using him as a "mule" to "steal" leaves. But the Husband had no compunctions about traipsing across the street and gathering a few leaves for me. (Just another reason I love him...he's sane.)
And then I actually partially unpacked a few of the boxes that I've been living with - mainly just the Master Bathroom; but I felt a little freer. Tomorrow I plan to unpack the baking supplies and just a few of the decor boxes - the rest I am sending to reside in the attic until we find a house.
In the meantime? I'm planning on living for today.
Because really? Five years of living in limbo is insane. It's time to live for now.
I do that a lot, you know...think. Ruminate. Chew on things.
And after all that thinking I have determined that I have been living for "what's next" and not for "what's going on right now." Upon further examination (why yes, there is ALWAYS further examination), I've realized that I've been living like this ever since the Husband was laid off...over FIVE years ago!
At first, the "what's next" was waiting to see what was coming done the pike. Then, after he found a job, the uncertainty that came with selling the house and, of course, this whole house hunting debacle; as evidenced here and here, means that I have been living in limbo for QUITE some time.
Enough is enough. I need to live in the here and now. I have wasted FIVE years! That is unacceptable.
So today I was on a mission. Halloween is exactly a week away. So I went in search of pumpkins, decorative straw bales and burlap.
Yes, me.
I've never been one for decorating so much in the fall or for any other season other than Christmas. Because how can you NOT decorate for Christmas?. Halloween...not so much. I decorated more when Man-Child was small and avid for the ghoulish-ness of it all - but my heart wasn't in it.
But today? Today I was all about decorating for Halloween/fall...but on a more grown up scale.
Now, here's the thing with decorating this late in the game; everything was 50-75% off - YAY! The other thing about decorating this late in the game? Not much is left - BOO! I was able to score some decorative straw bales at 50% off but the white, tiny fake pumpkins I was searching for? Nowhere to be seen. If I was searching for purple or black glitter pumpkins then I would have scored. Unfortunately, that wasn't what I had in mind.
So I branched out and hit the grocery store and Home Depot. Home Depot came through with the mums and while, I missed the tiny, white pumpkins at the grocery, I was able to score a medium pumpkin and some variegated gourds which resulted in this (very modest, for a very modest porch) porch-scape.
And, I have to be sure to add that the Husband was the provider of the red leaves. With all the yellow going on, I knew I needed to throw some red in there somewhere. Across the street, in the common area, is a red maple that is located fairly close to the neighbor's yard, but me being me, didn't feel comfortable crossing the street to gather a few leaves from the lawn. I tried to convince Man-Child to gather a few for me. Obviously, he didn't feel comfortable about it either. In fact, he tried to accuse me of using him as a "mule" to "steal" leaves. But the Husband had no compunctions about traipsing across the street and gathering a few leaves for me. (Just another reason I love him...he's sane.)
And then I actually partially unpacked a few of the boxes that I've been living with - mainly just the Master Bathroom; but I felt a little freer. Tomorrow I plan to unpack the baking supplies and just a few of the decor boxes - the rest I am sending to reside in the attic until we find a house.
In the meantime? I'm planning on living for today.
Because really? Five years of living in limbo is insane. It's time to live for now.
October 19, 2015
This whole house hunt thing is wearing me down...
It's been SO frustrating. Every day that passes, I am reminded that odds are ever greater that we won't find anything before next year. We've been looking for a YEAR now. *sigh* We could have built two - maybe three - houses by now!
I find myself spending lots of time on Pinterest and Houzz dreaming about what I can do once we actually have our own home again. Too much time, if the truth be told.
I think I need to finally unpack those many boxes that I packed in anticipation of a move that never happened (can you believe that was FOUR months ago? Yeah, me either). Or, I need to unpack those boxes that actually hold items I need - like the bathroom box (you know, the one that holds all the Q-Tips that I couldn't be bothered to dig out) and, per a co-worker requesting some treats, the baking supplies box - and send the rest to reside in the attic.
I'm tired of looking. I tired of thinking about it. I'm tired of talking (and writing) about it. I'm just tired of it all. Not surprisingly, the Husband is also tired. And, for that matter, so has Man-Child. He has told me on more than one occasion that he doesn't want to hear about the hunt anymore. I don't blame him one bit. This hunt has literally taken on a life of it's own. Seriously, how hard can it be to find a house that "speaks" to you?
Apparently, it's very hard.
I'm tired of looking. I tired of thinking about it. I'm tired of talking (and writing) about it. I'm just tired of it all. Not surprisingly, the Husband is also tired. And, for that matter, so has Man-Child. He has told me on more than one occasion that he doesn't want to hear about the hunt anymore. I don't blame him one bit. This hunt has literally taken on a life of it's own. Seriously, how hard can it be to find a house that "speaks" to you?
Apparently, it's very hard.
Basically, I need to change my attitude toward our living arrangement. I need to make peace with the fact that it is entirely possible that we will be here until next spring or beyond. I need to quit dreaming about the future; particularly since I have no real idea what it may hold and live in the now.
Easier said than done.
But necessary. I need to adjust my attitude and be happy that I have a nice place to live while we wait for our new home. I need to decorate for fall. And then again for Thanksgiving. And then again for Christmas. And again, if necessary, for Easter.
I think kicking all these boxes that surround me to curb will be the first step to changing my attitude.
Now...to find the energy to deal with the boxes...
October 13, 2015
Right about now I'm thinking they are just screwing with me....
I am truly thinking that the manufacturer of my contact lens solution is jerking me around.
The backstory (of course there is one, haven't you met me?)...
A few months ago, I got a new contact lens prescription. And all was well with the world. Until the contacts really started to bother me a few days in...so I called the eye doctor's office. They informed me that these particular contacts really should be cleaned with Clear Care or another peroxide-based solution; particularly during allergy season (which for me is pretty much all year round).
So I did what any reasonable person would do...I went out and bought the recommended solution. And all was well.
This particular solution states that you should discard the container with every new purchase as the little gray piece neutralizes the peroxide, which means that if you continually re-use the case eventually that little gray thing will quit neutralizing and you will be on the floor, writhing in pain one morning, when you insert a contact that is chock full of peroxide.
This was all fine and dandy as the first container had a blue side and a white side to denote which contact (left or right) went where.
For a severely near-sighted women who, for the record CANNOT see ANYTHING up close with her contacts in, this was a boon.
A BOON!
Because even though I couldn't see the teeny-tiny imprinted "R" on the blue side, I could differentiate blue from white.
And then every single subsequent buy netted me THIS...
For the most un-observant of you, yes...BOTH sides are white. And? To add insult to injury, the imprinted "R"? It's also white. Which means, I can't SEE which side is reserved for the right contact unless I remove one of my lenses and squint REALLY hard, all while juggling the fragile lens on the tip of one finger. *sigh*
Does life really need to be THIS difficult? Yes, I know... #firstworldproblems...but still.
Now, according to this press release, the blue and white case is the "new and improved" case. I'm crossing my fingers that the suppliers hurry up and sell all of the old product so the "new and improved" version is more readily available - because right about now, I'm ready to chance the whole "writhing on the floor in pain" option.
The backstory (of course there is one, haven't you met me?)...
A few months ago, I got a new contact lens prescription. And all was well with the world. Until the contacts really started to bother me a few days in...so I called the eye doctor's office. They informed me that these particular contacts really should be cleaned with Clear Care or another peroxide-based solution; particularly during allergy season (which for me is pretty much all year round).
So I did what any reasonable person would do...I went out and bought the recommended solution. And all was well.
This particular solution states that you should discard the container with every new purchase as the little gray piece neutralizes the peroxide, which means that if you continually re-use the case eventually that little gray thing will quit neutralizing and you will be on the floor, writhing in pain one morning, when you insert a contact that is chock full of peroxide.
This was all fine and dandy as the first container had a blue side and a white side to denote which contact (left or right) went where.
 |
| The right contact goes in the blue side; the left goes in the white |
For a severely near-sighted women who, for the record CANNOT see ANYTHING up close with her contacts in, this was a boon.
A BOON!
Because even though I couldn't see the teeny-tiny imprinted "R" on the blue side, I could differentiate blue from white.
And then every single subsequent buy netted me THIS...
For the most un-observant of you, yes...BOTH sides are white. And? To add insult to injury, the imprinted "R"? It's also white. Which means, I can't SEE which side is reserved for the right contact unless I remove one of my lenses and squint REALLY hard, all while juggling the fragile lens on the tip of one finger. *sigh*
Does life really need to be THIS difficult? Yes, I know... #firstworldproblems...but still.
Now, according to this press release, the blue and white case is the "new and improved" case. I'm crossing my fingers that the suppliers hurry up and sell all of the old product so the "new and improved" version is more readily available - because right about now, I'm ready to chance the whole "writhing on the floor in pain" option.
October 11, 2015
Good news; bad news.
Let's start with the bad...only because I prefer to get the good news last, if for no other reason than to soothe the hurt from the bad...
Yesterday, I came flying into the kitchen yelling "There's a house for sale in THAT neighborhood! AND it's in our range!"
On the high end, but still...
We immediately placed the phone call to set up an appointment. As we've discovered, if a house in one of our desired neighborhoods is put up for sale, and is in our price range, they go fast; faster than a speeding bullet, you could say.
This morning we saw the house and both agreed this could be THE house. We put an offer in fifteen minutes after leaving the showing. And then the agony began.
I received the offer paperwork in my email within the hour. But for whatever reason, The Husband never did. Eventually, the realtor just drove the paperwork over and informed us there was another offer on the table. *sigh* Of course there was...we signed the paperwork, sent her on her way and crossed our fingers.
We felt our chances were pretty good. Our offer was decent. We are pre-qualified. We are in a month to month lease so there isn't a sale contingency - in sum, we could close almost immediately.
And then we received the call...we didn't get it. The other offer was not only for full price, but was in cash!
Cash!
Who in the hell has that much cash on hand?!
How can we compete with that? We can't.
So, once again, we are back to square one. I've gotta tell you, I'm pretty sick of square one right about now.
Now for the good news...
For the past few weeks I have been really struggling. My personal email app automatically updated and threw my life into a tailspin. It was the whole Yahoo debacle all over again (minus the whole "MY EYE! MY EYE! piece - thank God!).
I was receiving email on the phone, but I wasn't receiving notifications. And, as you know, what good is having a smart phone if it isn't going to give you notifications? Yeah, it's worthless.
I was Googling like crazy but just wasn't getting the answers I needed. Because, apparently, Google requires you to put the words together in JUST the right order. Today, magic happened and I was able to string the words together JUST right...and JUST like that my ordeal was over.
So in sum, we don't have a house BUT I have email...it's not perfect, but I'll take it.
Just making lemonade over here out of all these damn lemons...
Yesterday, I came flying into the kitchen yelling "There's a house for sale in THAT neighborhood! AND it's in our range!"
On the high end, but still...
We immediately placed the phone call to set up an appointment. As we've discovered, if a house in one of our desired neighborhoods is put up for sale, and is in our price range, they go fast; faster than a speeding bullet, you could say.
This morning we saw the house and both agreed this could be THE house. We put an offer in fifteen minutes after leaving the showing. And then the agony began.
I received the offer paperwork in my email within the hour. But for whatever reason, The Husband never did. Eventually, the realtor just drove the paperwork over and informed us there was another offer on the table. *sigh* Of course there was...we signed the paperwork, sent her on her way and crossed our fingers.
We felt our chances were pretty good. Our offer was decent. We are pre-qualified. We are in a month to month lease so there isn't a sale contingency - in sum, we could close almost immediately.
And then we received the call...we didn't get it. The other offer was not only for full price, but was in cash!
Cash!
Who in the hell has that much cash on hand?!
How can we compete with that? We can't.
So, once again, we are back to square one. I've gotta tell you, I'm pretty sick of square one right about now.
Now for the good news...
For the past few weeks I have been really struggling. My personal email app automatically updated and threw my life into a tailspin. It was the whole Yahoo debacle all over again (minus the whole "MY EYE! MY EYE! piece - thank God!).
I was receiving email on the phone, but I wasn't receiving notifications. And, as you know, what good is having a smart phone if it isn't going to give you notifications? Yeah, it's worthless.
I was Googling like crazy but just wasn't getting the answers I needed. Because, apparently, Google requires you to put the words together in JUST the right order. Today, magic happened and I was able to string the words together JUST right...and JUST like that my ordeal was over.
So in sum, we don't have a house BUT I have email...it's not perfect, but I'll take it.
Just making lemonade over here out of all these damn lemons...
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