Make The World Go Away

What:  Light-up globe, featuring many countries that no longer exist.
Origin:   It was a gift from my former sis-in-law and my brother.
How long kept:  Probably 20 years.
Usage:   I haven't used it in light-up mode for years, but it has been on my windowsill since 1994.  See confession.
Why kept:  It Was A Gift From...
Destination:  Housing Works

Confession:  I loved this, but had outgrown it.   It was hard to dust, too...and was an incredible dust catcher. 

The decision to let this go, I went back and forth a little bit.   What pushed me over the edge?  Once I thought of the title for this blog post, I couldn't stop myself.  

LMAO.

Regifted To Regift

Regifted To Regift
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Pine cone shaped candles.
Origin: Gift. See confession.
Usage/How long kept: Hmmm. These unopened candles were given to me in the early part of this century.
Why kept: I might burn then, and thus They Might Be Useful. Also, Out of Sight, Out of Mind.   They Were A Gift From...
Destination: To my sister-in-law and brother, for them to give as a hostess gift.

Confession: I can't remember who gave these to me. Hopefully not the family members who received the hostess gift. (And who hopefully can find the humor in this one, in the unlikely event that they happen across this blog.)   And hopefully not my sis-in-law and brother!

Confession part deux:   Stay tuned for more candles.   Sigh.

Pursing My Lips

Pursing My Lips
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Several coin purses.
Origin: Various, but I think that they were all gifts.
How long kept/usage: Hmmm.  I remember using one of them, a gift from a friend who made a trip to Italy in the early 90s. Others are question marks.
Why kept: Out of Sight, Out of Mind.  See confession.
Destination: One for each of my oldest nephews. (The younger nephew and niece are too little to do much but chew on these.)

Confession: This is the sort of thing I remember my uncles giving to me when I was little. That stuff always seemed so cool! I still have a neat, round plastic box with a screwcap that's got a few marbles in it. I think that my Uncle "D" gave that to me. Nostalgia. The good kind.

Hopefully their parents will see these gifts, which I view as pretty disposable, the same light. (We'll let "M" be the judge.)

Confession, cont: I've got a lot of small stuff squirreled away in, you guessed it, storage boxes. The art quilters at my quilt shop would call a lot of it "ephemera". (The kata, or ceremonial silk scarf, from a dinner that marked the 50th anniversary of Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hilary's successful ascent and descent of Mount Everest? That would have been 2003. Got it.) I actually like some of this stuff.

Nostalgia. Also the good kind.

The turquoise and purple coin purse shaped like a cat. WTH? (Sorry, mom, if you gave this to me. But not so much.)

Face This

Face This
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Clock.
Origin: Gift from a former business associate.
How long kept/Usage: Uh, since 1997? And it may have sat out on my desk at our office for a time.
Why kept: It Was A Gift From X. Guilt. (X and his wife are still friends. But not likely readers of this blog, whew.) And Out of Sight, Out of Mind, it was on the top shelf of my kitchen cabinets -- I have to get out the ladder to haul myself up there.
Destination: Housing Works.

Confession: No Housing Works guilt over this one, I did check eBay and people are selling these, but the price didn't add up to enough to compensation for the transaction cost, and worry about getting it there in one piece...the HW drop was friction free. (Unlike most of my other HW donations, I did fill out a little donation form for this one.)

Nuke This

Nuke This
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Several old cookbooks.
Origin: Various, at least one came with the microwave. Others were Gifts From Mom.
How long kept/Last Used: Well north of 25 years. And some were last used, um, never. Others, in the 80s. See confession.
Why kept: Because I might make that revolting stuffed pork roll thing. In my microwave. If only I weren't a wanna-be vegan, I Might Need It!
Destination: Housing Works and recycling. See confession.

Confession: There's one cookbook in here that I loved, which Mom definitely gave to me, a Bon Appetit cookbook, Quick and Easy Meals. There's a calzone recipe torn from the Sunday Chicago Tribune dated August 18, 1985. My guess is that this is around the date I would have last used this one.

Aargh.

While the books off to Housing Works are truly gone (I dropped them on my way to get lunch), this one, which is falling apart beyond any notion of repair, is still sitting on the credenza in my front hall, waiting to be recycled. Sticky.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: newborn Thanksgiving outfit
Why kept: it was a gift, nostalgia, sticky
Destination: to my friend that I've known since 1st grade (wow, I'm lucky to have several friends that I still keep in touch with on a regular basis that I've know since grade school -- and NOT because of facebook!)

She's having a baby a year later than we did. If she has a boy, she will be blessed with years of clothing!!! If its a girl, "Aunt M" will have fun shopping!! Seeing her on Friday! Yay!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

I've Been Framed

I've Been Framed
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What:   One of 3 frames containing the 1 year old photos of my now nearly 4 year old nephew.
Usage/How long kept:   I had these hanging up until the little guy was past 3 years old, and his younger brother had turned 1.
Why kept:   I loved them!   They were Perfectly Good.   They were a Gift from my sister-in-law.
Destination:   I repainted this one, gave it a new ribbon, and gave it as a belated birthday gift to "M", with some help from her son, The Boy, who selected a photo of his younger brother as the appropriate photo for the repurposed frame.

Confession: "M", you've been blogged.

Confession, cont: Other family members, be on the lookout for the gift of my folk art stylings.

Bottle Baby

What:  Empty bottle
Origin:  A good friend made some lovely homemade lotions and soaps as gifts.   In 2001.
How long kept:  The lotion was long gone; the clean, but empty bottle has been in my cabinet since probably 2002.
Why kept:  Like Pooh Bear, seeing this in my medicine cabinet reminded me of her.  Nostalgia.   It Was A Gift From X.
Destination:  Housing Works, along with a bottle that once contained some of her other wonderful homemade beauty goodies.

Confession:   Some crafter on Freecycle would have loved these.   I just didn't have the time or patience to deal with the less than friction-free Freecycle transaction.   Sigh.

Good Fortune

What:  Fun party game version of the I-Ching.
Origin:   It was a gift from my friend K? 
How long kept:  Since the early 00s.
Usage:   A group of my girlfriends had a Christmas gift exchange, and we probably played it then.   Don't remember taking it off the shelf -- except to dust it -- since then.
Why kept:   Might play it again, so It Might Be Useful.
Destination:  Housing Works.

Beat ya to the punch

Beat ya to the punch
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

Okay it's not quite a punch bowl but it may make "A" and other family members laugh. There is a family joke about a punchbowl
What: pretty bowl.
Origin: received it as a wedding gift
Last used: we never took it out
Why kept: it was a gift from, it might be useful, it's perfectly good
Destination: re gift for a wedding shower
It's truly a beautiful bowl, but we have others that are a little more practical for serving.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Ho ho no

Ho ho no
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: adorable santa hat and mittens. They are so cute but when I put them on The Boy, he looked like a little girl. I should have said "no" because I knew the red was more pink. Oh well, The boy enjoyed playing with them around the house
Why kept: guilt, it was a gift (hand me down) from X. The Boy may wear it
How long kept: about 6 months
Destination: garage sale pile unless "Q" wants it for her daughter or "L" for her niece :)

The bag less traveled

The bag less traveled
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: a beautiful jewelry travel bag
Why kept: it was gift from a friend, guilt.
Destination: goodwill

This is truly a beautiful bag. It has hand stitched flowers on it. Unfortunately, I don't travel nor accessorize enough to warrant keeping it. I think that some will buy this from Goodwill.

Arrgh. I forgot to hit send yesterday!! Ugh another late post! Sorry everyone (I back dated the post heh heh)

Tea'd Out, Not Teed Off

Tea'd Out, Not Teed Off
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Unitasking tea implements
Origin: Gifts from X
Usage: Some, particularly the single serving strainer cup.
Last used: 2003?
Why kept: Nostalgia; Out of Sight, Out of Mind; and I Might Need Them.   (And my tea needs will be well served by a very nice teapot with a built in strainer that some of my students gave to me for Christmas a few years ago; I'll hold onto that one!)
Destination: Housing Works.

These surfaced the other day, when a bottle of molasses apparently got knocked askew in my cupboard, apparently it wasn't totally sealed shut, and a thin stream of molasses started a slow drip down the back of the cabinet wall.  Whadda mess.

Good news: I don't have bugs -- this sticky mess would have been quite a trap. And also, the molasses? Last used 3 Christmases ago for a spectacular failure in gingerbread person technology: expired. (Note to self, can molasses ever actually expire?)

Everything had to come out of the cupboard. I resolved that everything would not go back in. Also dispatched: some loose chai tea, circa 2003.

Aaargh.

Bring out your dead (jewelry)

Bring out your dead (jewelry)
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: old gold and silver jewelry
Why kept: might be work something, out of sight, it was a gift from x, y and z
Last used: some of the silver was so tarnished, I'm guessing 20 years. Some even from boyfriends in high school YIKES!
Destination: these places that buy you gold for cash (well a check anyway) have been popping up all over the place. So I dug through my old jewelry and took it to one. I got about $59.44 for it. I'm sure it was worth double that but it's out of my house. Yay! The earrings that were worth more will be listed on e-bay this weekend if I have the time

One strange thing happened after I left the place, I started to get a pounder of a headache. I think it was from handling the bad chi jewelry. Or maybe it was the fumes from the glue and new cheap carpeting in the place. Or perhaps it was from the other people's bad chi jewelry. Anyway. Good riddance to old and broken jewelry that I was never going to wear again!

Toasting 100 Days!

A Toast To 100 Days!
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Toaster Oven and accessories (pans)
Origin:  See Confession.
Usage: Quite a bit when I first received it. Not so much in the last 3-4 years.
How long kept: Um, since 2003?
Why kept: It Was A Gift From Mom. I might make toast, and thus I Might Need It.

Also, It's Perfectly Good! It has a unique feature, a removable liner that fits in the dishwasher. So it's squeaky clean. It Will be Useful. For someone else.
Destination: Housing Works

Confession: I periodically become enchanted with a must-have kitchen appliance. (Curious, since I barely cook.) I use it a lot, and then...the thrill is gone.  

Reality is that in an NYC apartment, I can't afford the counter space for something I don't use routinely. And pulling this thing in and out of my cabinet on those rare toast making occasions, kind of silly. I'll use the oven.

Confession, part deux: Recovering from the flu. This is sitting next to my front door in a Century 21 shopping bag. It might go tonight...or tomorrow.

Little Blue Marble

What:  Candleholder/globe
Origin:  I like globes.   Think It Was A Gift From...stocking stuffer maybe from Mom, I mean Santa?
Usage:   Not in this century, although I did remove evidence that it had been used, the remainder of a votive candle. 
How long kept:  I can't remember.
Why kept:  Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind, and it didn't go the other day because of the vague sense that someone had given it to me.   Aargh!
Destination:  Housing Works.

Confession:   This is the last day of the out of town posts.   I actually took this to Housing Works during the blizzard on Friday.   Yes, Housing Works, Starbucks, Whole Foods and any number of neighborhood businesses were open.   All of the banks, however, had closed at noon.   Scandalous.

The Gift that Keeps Re-Gifting

Grandma Opening Gifts
Originally uploaded by toddalert

This weekend, I opened the Christmas gifts I received when I visited Chicagoland.   Usually, I ship them home and open them a bit later; this second Christmas is one of my favorite things!

There were a couple of items I knew that could find a higher use.   I regifted them.   One to an excited friend.   The other to Housing Works.

Why so cryptic?

Confession:   Because X and X gave them to me.   And of our 8 readers, I'm guessing there's a possibility of a visit from one of these folks.

Bonus rant:   There is a Big Box store which I'll continue to patronize -- when it benefits me.

But I believe that it will have to be a very cold day in a very hot place before I ever buy a gift  there for anyone.   Without a receipt, they wouldn't take something back, despite the fact that it was a proprietary item that they recognized.   This is not my first such issue with this establishment.   And each time, the demeanor I was met with was less than polite, apologetic or professional -- and kind of "soviet", of the cold war era.   This is not how I want my giftees to be treated when one of my gifts is a duplicate or a near-miss.

Reap what you sow, baby.

Todd's beautiful Grandma, via Flickr.   "Grandma Opening Gifts" used, with gratitude, under Creative Commons License. 

Boa Constrictor

Boa Constrictor
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: Victorian-y boa.
Origin: Sartorial inspiration.
Usage: In this century? Not so much.
How long kept: I must have gotten this in the mid-90s.
Why Kept: I might wear it again, and thus It Might Be Useful.
Destination: Housing Works.

Confession: I tried this on again shortly before taking it over to HW. It's still cute. I don't want to be having this conversation with myself again in 2020.

Confession, cont.: It's going with another piece of outdoor wear I'll never wear. It Was A Gift From X...

Bonus: I can drop these off on the way to buy more milk, eggs, and bread. "S", hope you're warm and toasty up the Hudson. The storm of the century managed to miss us up here in NYC, barely a dusting...that said, I'm hunkering down for the day.

OoPsIe

OoPsIe
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: OPI little purse that had nail polish in it
Last used: never. Received as a gift in 2009. I used the polish but not the bag
Why kept: out of sight and it was a gift for my birthday
Destination: the AMVETs pile. We will schedule a pick up soon

Update: A friend saw this here and thought her little girl would like it. It is now in a little girls treasure box. I would have loved this as a kid!!! Enjoy lil "M"

QED: Calendar Boys Prove That We're All Calendar Girls

QED
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: 2008 Firefighter Calendar, featuring firefighters from another metro area.
Origin: A friend from this other metro area.
Usage: Not at all. First off, I'm not a wall calendar kind of girl. Second of all, I didn't like the objectification of the men in the calendar. (And I'm not kidding.)
How long kept: Since late 2007.
Why kept: It was a Gift from X, and Out of Sight Out of Mind.
Destination: Recycling.

Confession: I felt queasy when I looked at this; this was actually my original reaction when I received it. Why did I put it on a shelf to store? (And how odd, and kind of awful, is it that I knew exactly where to find it after seeing posts from "M" and "S".)

Bonus: Proof Positive that we all *do* have the same stuff.