During a lull of "work" on Friday, I tackled three of the six drawers in the dining room sideboard.
Apparently, we have a severe infestation...
of pens. Seriously...where did all these pens come from?
Shockingly, the majority of those pens actually work. I know this because I tested each and every one. That much smaller group off to the right? Those are the ones that are sketchy.
It also appears that I have an affinity for note cards (actually, I've always known this about myself) as I unearthed cards I didn't even know I had - which is good news for the pen pal project. I even uncovered cards that have a rendering of our house on the front, along with our names and address that we received after we bought this house that I had completely forgot about.
I also have an affinity for Post It Notes, pads of any kind and office supplies - this was realized when I uncovered at least SIX rolls of tape. It should be noted that tape is a rarely used supply in this house.
I have a very loose plan (i.e., whenever I have a moment or three) of going through every single drawer and every single closet in an effort to control the chaos that ensued when we moved in four years ago. Now, how this will shake out considering the fact my husband likes to "hide" things when he helps "tidy," remains to be seen. BUT, so far those kitchen cabinets, the junk miscellaneous drawer (as the Suburban Correspondent calls it - WAY classier than "junk" drawer) and the utensil drawer are staying fairly tidy.
Today I went through one drawer where we had been storing old movies, DVDs, CDs and VHS tapes. Yes really. For the longest time, we had a VCR that actually worked and all the little people that used to visit pre-Netflix loved to watch Man-Child's old videos of Pooh Bear, Peter Pan, etc. - although they could not wrap their little minds around the "rewind" concept.
And, as of right this very minute, there is an actual empty drawer in this house. The Husband must never learn of this as he will want to fill it with something.
That drawer won't stay empty for long though. I have a dresser in my dressing room that I would like to get rid of and, although, I'm sure a great many things in there will be headed to Goodwill or somewhere, there are other things that will stay and will need a new home.
I once upon a time had a "junk drawer." Then I married SG, who doesn't believe in them, sort of like you are. Now it is orderly and even I can find things in it. Congratulations on having an empty drawer, even if it doesn't remain that way. I love your upbeat post, Gigi. Have a great day! :-)
ReplyDeleteWe do have a junk drawer - I prefer to keep it tidy; so I have to go through it every once in a while since The Husband tends to put random tools and what have you in there.
DeleteWe always have a bag of pens somewhere in our home because of Ella and her drawing obsession. :)
ReplyDeleteShe literally has a Ziploc bag in her room of markers and I am always missing one LOL.
First... I'm jealous of your working sharpies. I go through those like water.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I have no idea where the pens come from. Seriously, I also go through the drawer every six months and take a gallon zip lock bag into work to share. The bag's almost empty, and as it happens, the junk drawer's getting full of pens again. Seriously, I don't know how it happens... and COVID just made it worse, as everyone needs their own CLEAN pen for signing.
I'm eyeballing The Husband as the main culprit for bringing in the pens...particularly since the majority of them seem to be from his work.
DeleteI'm not quite sure how I received your blog, but I'm delighted to be here. Please, do not get me started about pens. I adore pens. My current and future kick will be gel ink. I believe that I am (and have always been) a hoarder - of pens.
ReplyDeleteSo, I'm sure I must have followed you somehow, although the memory is not what it once was. As for the beautiful art work - use a thin wood edge and so what if it covers up a few rows of the black? It was made with hope and determination, and nothing worthwhile on earth is perfect.
As an aside - the "Comment as:" below is not my preferred e-mail address, but I don't see how to change it and your blog didn't go to that address. Just to add to the confusion.
Lololol VHS tapes. My MIL has an enormous collection of VHS that she's been saving for...collector's items? Who knows. Anyway, she has all these tapes and then her VCR broke - I mean, really - and then she tried to get it fixed. I'm sure the guy at the shop was like, what even is this? We have a pen problem too as I buy new packs for back to school but it turns out my kids go through maybe one pen a year. So we have a lot.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am trying to tidy some closets and drawers around here. Nothing major but just feeling the need to get some things sorted out. We still have a bunch of CDs that I haven't given to Goodwill yet. Which I really should because we NEVER listen to CDs. Sometimes it's hard to part with stuff even if we aren't using it. Those pens though..... :)
ReplyDeleteI think elves come into my house at night and leave pens becuase I have the same issue; they're like gremlins. :)
ReplyDeleteFour years in your house, can you imagine the amount of crap I've held onto for 23 years? It's scary.
How did I miss this post? Just spotted it, sorry to be late to the pen-hoarders anonymous group . . . not so anonymous now. I remember on a rainy day I used to occasionally (not often enough) make the kids test out all the markers and toss the dry or weak ones. Same with the crayon bin - toss the bits of crayons that no one would ever use again. So refreshing. I recently struggled to find a sharpie. I ordered a bunch on Amazon and my heart is so happy now when I open the drawer and there they all are. So easy. I will keep your empty drawer secret safe, love that the Husband can never know. Hee hee!
ReplyDeleteI love office supplies. I love all things stationery. Period.
ReplyDelete