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jody's blog

random thoughts, ideas and chaos

motion art sharing [day 327]

I was given a challenge several weeks ago to come up with an artistic creative element to do during a church service.  I remembered about two years ago, I had seen some motion sand art created on a light table with a camera mounted above it.  As I started fantasizing...

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2 plastic strainers [minimalist challenge item #61]

[item] 2 plastic kitchen strainers [purchase info] Purchased new at a superstore [time in my possession] Approximately 6 years [last used] 6 months ago [difficulty level in getting rid of it] Easy [destination] Thrift store [info] I have 4 strainers.  I like my two...

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extreme grill makeover [day 326]

I miss my grill.  A lot.  I've been researching grills.  A lot.  After careful research and deliberation, I narrowed it down to the modular Minden gas grill.  Simple, now all I have to do is find a used one.  Well, that was the plan anyway.  The grill is so new on the...

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flat screen tv [minimalist challenge item #60]

[item] 20" Symphonic LCD TV [purchase info] Purchased new [time in my possession] Approximately 4 years [last used] 2 weeks ago, right before I gave it away [difficulty level in getting rid of it] Difficult [destination] Given to a friend [info] I liked this TV and I...

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glass vase [minimalist challenge item #59]

[item] Red with white trim glass vase [purchase info] Purchased at a thrift store [time in my possession] Approximately 8 months [last used] 4 months ago [difficulty level in getting rid of it] Easy [destination] Given to a friend [info] I bought this to use in my...

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the significance of 40 days [day 325]

The challenge is done in 40 days.  Will I run out and retail shop?  No.  If I did, that would only mean that I learned nothing from this amazing experience.  Will I have changed my shopping habits?  Yes, in a major way.  It's all about making wise choices, not just...

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leftover waste [day 324]

I went out last Saturday night with a group of people to a busy restaurant.  We had a pretty large group, so we had to grab the first table we could find.  There was a table about to become available, so we stalked it, and slid into the seats at the same time the...

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1/2 bag of mortar [minimalist challenge item #58]

[item] Half bag of Flexbond tile and stone mortar [purchase info] Purchased new at Home Depot [time in my possession] Approximately 1.5 years [last used] 1.5 years ago [difficulty level in getting rid of it] Easy [destination] Given to a friend [info] I didn't need...

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the clothing experiment update [day 323]

About 2 weeks ago, I decided to downsize my wardrobe again.  Why?  I realized I still have too many clothes I don't wear.  I started by purposely wearing things toward the back, things I haven't worn in a while.  That led to either realizing I really don't care to...

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books [minimalist challenge item #57]

[item] Various books and magazines [purchase info] Mostly purchased used or at a discount [time in my possession] A year up to 10 years [last used] 5 months to never [difficulty level in getting rid of it] Medium [destination] Sold to the used bookstore [info] I...

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suggestions for stuff [day 322]

I received this list of gift suggestions from eBay a little while back.  I know this type of marketing must appeal to the masses, but there's nothing on the "for her" list that even remotely interests me.  We're surrounded by advertisements of stuff, most of it things...

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bookmark [minimalist challenge item #56]

[item] Black metal coffee themed bookmark [purchase info] Purchased at Barnes and Noble new, with employee discount [time in my possession] Approximately 17 years [last used] 16 years ago [difficulty level in getting rid of it] Easy [destination] Thrift store [info]...

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kitchen grips [minimalist challenge item #55]

[item] Duncan's kitchen grips for lid tops [purchase info] Purchased full price at the Le Creuset store [time in my possession] Approximately 7 years [last used] 3 years ago [difficulty level in getting rid of it] Easy [destination] Thrift store [info] Every time I...

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an appreciation for doorknobs [day 321]

I really miss having door knobs.  Finding used black or brushed nickel knobs for my house is proving to be a difficult task.  It wasn't so bad until the storm a couple of nights ago.  We were sleeping with the windows open upstairs and the wind was blowing the doors...

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I want to buy it new [day 320]

I'm a day behind on my blogging because I spent too much time yesterday being busy.  A good part of it was productive busy, but some of it just wasn't.  It was self imposed busyness and stress.  I need to stop giving myself too much to do.  That's following society's...

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scrub brush [minimalist challenge item #54]

[item] Nylon scrub brush [purchase info] Purchased new at a discount store [time in my possession] Approximately 4 years [last used] 3 years ago [difficulty level in getting rid of it] Easy [destination] Thrift store [info] I have 2 of these and needed to get rid of...

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mat board [minimalist challenge item #53]

[item] Blue mat board used for framing [purchase info] Purchased new at Hobby Lobby [time in my possession] Approximately 2 years [last used] Never [difficulty level in getting rid of it] Easy [destination] Given to a friend [info] I bought this for a project I never...

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trash or treasure? [day 319]

There's a lot of stuff that might be considered trash, but before you throw something away, think about the possible uses for it.  These are partially full cleaning supplies and pesticides, well, there's also a random bottle of unopened champagne too.  Just because...

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kitchen utensils [minimalist challenge item #52]

[item] Kitchen utensils, melon scoop, pizza cutter, ladle, apple corer, and martini strainer thing [purchase info] Purchased new [time in my possession] Approximately 14 years on the oldest [last used] 5+ years ago [difficulty level in getting rid of it] Easy...

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time to shovel mud again… [day 318]

I'm really tired of fighting with my yard.  When I moved into this house over 4 years ago, I had very little grass.  I have so many trees shading the grass, that type of grass just couldn't grow.  I had to shovel mud off the sidewalks after any rainfall.  This photo...

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