jody's blog
random thoughts, ideas and chaoswhat do you do with broken stuff? [day 196]
At work this week, someone dropped and broke our cordless drill. Accidents happen, and we had to buy a new drill. Right after that, the tape measure wouldn't retract back into the case. So what do you do with these things? Possible repurpose? Luckily I work with...
swept under the rug… and sofa, and table, and bed, and… [day 195]
There's no possible way any household vacuum cleaner could possibly suck up all the crap on our floors. It begs the question, "Why do we have so much little stuff and where did it come from?" First of all, Spongebob seems to be everywhere in our house. This pile is...
helping the homeless stay warm [day 194]
Thanksgiving day, we brought many coats and blankets to Dallas to pass out to the homeless people living there, trying to stay warm. Even though there was a lot of food, many said they had already eaten, as everyone gives out food on Thanksgiving. They were there...
if you gotta go, you gotta go [day 193]
We're at a restaurant and Joe comes back from the restroom, running toward the table, carrying a paper toilet seat cover. He holds it up and says, "Mom, can you believe this?! They have paper thing to put on the toilet seats. How wasteful is that!" There's no...
things I just don’t get [day 192]
Let me just say, before you read my list of things I don't get, that there's a purpose behind this list. That purpose is something I say regularly. Just think about what you're buying and what you're doing. Your actions make a difference. They say who you are,...
food glitter [day 191]
I ran out of dishwasher soap a couple of weeks ago and had to wash my dishes by hand. In the process, I realized that I wash all my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. I'm sure this bizarre habit comes from my childhood of eating off gritty dishes from our...
holiday trash-tweet tips from Excessable Christmas [flashback]
These are some fun, funny, odd and disturbing holiday tweets from last year, published in my book Excessable Christmas. The book is still available for sale on Blurb. Book details: ISBN: yeah, not so much. Self published and I’m not famous… yet. Price: blurb.com...
did OJ really do it? maybe wikileaks has a document on that… [day 190]
There have been many days I have been called an activist. I never really thought of myself that way until a couple of years ago. Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky? Could happen. I do get overly passionate about many things. I suppose that could be good or...
white elephant gift exchange [trashogram]
White elephant gift exchanges are fun and seem to be a good way to part with some crazy things you own. Have you ever participated in one of these? I found this little white elephant couple in the trash. The good thing about the white elephant gift exchange is that...
you know they’re good friends when they let you dive in their trash bin [day 189]
I was at my friend's house finishing up a painting project when I noticed she had cleaned out the garage. Upon opening the garage door, I also noticed a truck full of junk. Now this is an invitation for me at anyone's house. First, let me say that if I really did...
box tops for education [trashogram]
All of these box tops were in the junk drawer. These have expiration dates on them, but this is only a 2 month supply, so they're all good. I sent them off to school this week. Even if you don't have kids, save these and give them to your local school. It's free...
*read the fine print [day 188]
*Blog post subject to change without notice. Other terms and conditions apply. Not responsible from broken windshields. What's with all the fine print these days? Are lawyers really that bored? Or are companies that scared? Does anyone actually read this stuff?...
paint it… black? [day 187]
I've written a little tune to the 1966 Rolling Stones song "Paint It Black". This story started with me wanting to paint my front door... I see a blue door and I want it painted black No colors anymore I want them to turn black I hear the the canvas calling from the...
paint the town red… or just settle for painting my bathroom brown [day 186]
I'm on vacation this week, or as some might call it, a staycation. I have a few projects to get done around the house, things I can do without spending money or shopping. I have about 10 outlets that need replacing, as they won't hold a plug. I have all the stuff...
BLACK FRIDAY: the video [day 185]
Any other day of the year, no retailer would allow you to walk around their store with a camera around your neck, they would stop you and make you put it away. On black friday, that's not the case. With the busyness and chaos of the thousands of shoppers, extremely...
black friday chaos [day 184]
I did it. I got up and went out at 4am to shoot the black friday craziness. Yes, that might make me crazy, but it was a blast people watching! I didn't buy a thing, I just walked around the stores. I have lots of video, but no time to edit, as I have to work...
the junk drawer [trashogram]
This is the bottom of my junk drawer... In cleaning it, I found lots of spare change and all kinds of odds and ends. 90% of this stuff is things we just don't need. You can tell a lot from a junk drawer. We mess with hardware stuff a lot, I have young kids, they...
introducing [trashograms]
This is the half year art project... trashograms. What is a trashogram? Trashograms: The process of scanograms and the trash society challenge, combined to create interest and look at 'stuff' in a different and fun way. I will be creating 2 trashograms a week for the...
half way! [day 183]
Today maks the half way point for the no retail shopping challenge! It's hard to believe it's been one half of a year already, but it also feels like I have a long way to go. Today is Thanksgiving, and no, I did not plan for this day to fall on a holiday. If I had,...
move it Ralph! this shelf is mine! love, Martha [day 182]
I had to shop yesterday for work, and I know now why I don't shop. Getting new stuff can be good, but the shopping process just isn't fun. I had to go to Home Depot, which is basically a toy store for me. If I was shopping, that would be in my top 5. Finding...