January 30 and 31, 2012

Oops, forgot to post yesterday.   De-owning stuff in one's head is as important as de-owning in one's house.  In fact, it may be more important since the mental stuff is carried from place to place.  Here we go!

1. Earrings
2. Earrings
3. Makeup.  Haven't a clue how old it is, but I suspect I bought it sometime after my 15 year old was born.
4. Makeup. See #3
5. 1/2 used bottle of  makeup. See #3
6. 1/2 used bottle of  makeup.  See #3
7. Tiny bit of blush. C'mon Karen, it isn't enough to save and you are using the new package.
8 and 9. 2 videotapes.  These were blank tapes at one time and became victims of the DVR.
10. Summertime Song.  A lovely picture book where I could never reconcile the story with the book's title.  Maybe I was so enthralled with the pictures, I didn't give it a chance.  Or maybe I just didn't care.

Destination:  B, Astronerd, Garbage, Elementary School

Items De-owned to date:  100  

January 27, 2012

The end of the week!  Off to deliver the usable stuff I have de-owned to Deseret Industries.


1. Three cardboard mailing tubes.  If you only knew how hard it is to get rid of tubes.  What if I need them sometime?  When was the last time I ever mailed something in a tube?  Uh, never.  I try not to store things rolled up, except cinnamon rolls, so I don't need them.

2. Coldwater Creek Earrings.  Beautiful turquoise earrings that were on sale, but just not me.

3. Red dangly earrings.  Came with an outfit I bought on eBay.  Not my style.

4. Blue dangly earrings.  See #3

5. Gold knot earrings.  Got them as part of a set as a teenager (a loooong time ago) and I may have worn them twice.

Destination:  Recycle, Astronerd and B

Items De-owned to Date:  90

January 26, 2012

I got brave and cleaned out my container shelves in the kitchen.  I love little containers.  If they had feelings, they would love me too.  We have a mutually beneficial relationship.  Well little guys, I love ya, but there are too many of you.  Some of you had to leave.

1.  KFC plastic container.  So cute and tiny, but with a lid that frustrated me.

2.  Little Caesars plastic container.  See #1

3. Non-slip ring for bottom of bowl.  What good is a non-slip ring if it keeps slipping out of the groove on the bottom of the bowl?

4. Ziploc storage bowl.  You served me well, but as I recall,  the microwave was not kind to you.

5.  Lids to containers I no longer own.  I think the containers went off to the side of the road to die, which by the way, is where you will find single socks.

Destination:  Recycling and Garbage

Items De-owned to date:  85

January 25, 2012

The cookbooks are finally winding down.  Time for some more random stuff.


1. One Dish Meals. Thanks again to the credit card thief.

2. Sunset Favorite Recipes II

3. A piece of heavy duty clear vinyl with ladybugs on it. Its intent was to cover Wanda the Honda's cargo area so she wouldn't get too dirty.  Unfortunately, it was too slick and just ended up cowering in a corner with stuff on it.

4. Bike socks with hole in heel.  I LOVE bike socks.  They are colorful and fun.  I love this pair and would consider fixing them, but the hole is in a spot where a repair would cause major friction problems.

5. 32 Gallon garbage can.  This clean can came with our house 20 years ago and sat in the basement.  It slowly gathered things and now it is empty and GONE!

Destination:  Freecycle, B, Deseret Industries and Garbage

Items De-owned to Date:  80

January 24, 2012

Why yes, more cookbooks, but I haven't given up cooking.  I revived my sourdough starter after its sitting in the fridge since last summer. Two years ago,  I used Nancy Silverton's starter recipe involving flour, water and grapes.  It took a lot of tending at first and even went through a "lava lamp looking" stage.  It's all normal now and very tasty.

1. 100 Grand National Recipes 1954. A cookbook Pillsbury didn't produce.
2. 300 Ways to Serve Eggs. I didn't need this because in my world, scrambled is the ONLY way to serve eggs.
3. Short Cut Breads.  These aren't breads that are cut into tiny pieces rather easy ways to make bread.  I still have a number of bread books, so I didn't need this one.
4. The 150 Best American Recipes.   One of the books I received thanks to the credit card thief.
5. Betty Crocker Quick and Easy.  See #4.

Destination:  B

Items De-owned to date: 75

January 23, 2012

Happy Birthday Astronerd!  In honor of AN's birthday, the following are heading out:

1. Fleishman's New Treasury Yeast Baking.   Yeast is one of those very mysterious things.  Is it a plant?  Is it a tiny animal?  I want it to give off gas so my dough will rise?  If so, it is the only thing I know of where I appreciate its giving off gas. Learn about yeast here.

2. Pillsbury Bake-off Dessert Cook Book.  Why yes, another Bake-off cookbook. They create enough cookbooks to support an army of Doughboys. 

3. Sunset Herb Guide.  A freebie with my subscription.

4. How to Clean Practically Everything.  I have given up cleaning.  Not really, but I have a more recent edition of this Consumer Reports book.

5. Recipes, Party Plans and Garnishes.  Circa 1950s-60s book on all things party-like.  I forgot I had it and B much more appreciates it.  Get planning parties B and invite me!

Destinations:  Mom, B, and Deseret Industries

Items De-owned to date: 70

January 20, 2012

More cookbooks!  I am getting tired of saying that, but I am not tired of the space I now have.

1.  1953 Pillsbury Recipes.  Another cookbook from a contest.
2.  100 Prize winning bakeoff recipes.  Yet another cookbook from a contest.
3.  12th Grand national bake-off.  ANOTHER cookbook from a contest.
4.   BHG Kids' Snacks.  There are some cute ideas in this book, but the internet is such a great resource I felt I didn't need the book.
5.   HP books canning.  This is an old canning book.  I am not sure if its instructions are still recommended.  I also have the Ball Blue Book, which I use and love.

Destination:  Mom and Deseret Industries

Items De-owned: 65

Hang in there, cookbooks will end late next week.  heh.

January 19, 2012

More cookbooks!

1. Pillsbury Main Dish Cookoff  Winners 1968.  Yet another cookbook from a contest.
2. Taste of Country 3rd Edition.  A freebie from a neighbor
3. Sunset Cook Book of Desserts 1968.  Forgot I had it.
4. Sunset Salad Book 1966. See #3
5. Better Home And Gardens Jiffy Cooking 1967.  They didn't know "jiffy" back then-they didn't have microwave ovens.

Destination:  Mom and Deseret Industries

Items De-owned to date: 60

January 18, 2012

Even more cookbooks and a DVD

1.  Easy Suppers.  The suppers would have been easier if I had remembered I had this cookbook.

2.  Better Homes and Gardens Meat Cookbook 1968.  I know, it seems impossible to think of a time when there wasn't Photoshop, but there was.  And 1968 was Photoshopless.  You should see the pictures in these cookbooks.  Very vibrant!  Being someone who doesn't eat a lot of meat (I am a carbovore), it did not look too appetizing.  However to Astronerd and FHA, passionate carnivores, they liked the idea of a book just about meat.  They also realized the recipes aint' gonna happen.

3.  Pillsbury Best of One Dish Meals.  How many cookbooks can Pillsbury get out of one competition?  Apparently a lot.

4.  Our Beary Best Recipes. Beary?  Really?  It must have been the teddy bear with the chef's hat on the cover, as I didn't see any recipes with bear in them. This is one of those self-published compilation cookbooks used for fundraisers or church groups.  I must have purchased it at a thrift store because I have NO idea who the women are who contributed recipes.

5.  Touching Wild Horses DVD.  Bought it in the bargain bin of the Modesto CA Blockbuster Video to keep kids quiet on the return home.  It worked.

Destination:  Deseret Industries

Items De-owned to date: 55

January 17, 2012

Look!  More Cookbooks!  Will this ever end?  Why, yes it will, but not yet.   Here we go.

1. Sunset Cookbook of Favorite Recipes.  I remember reading Sunset Magazine when I was little.  I liked looking at the gardening, travel and home sections.  I sort of skipped the recipes at that point in time.  I loved the magazine because it made me feel very cool I lived in California and the homes and gardens featured were beautiful. I also learned there were cool places to visit nearby.  In fact, I continue to subscribe today.

 Did you know Sunset Magazine was started in 1898 by Southern Pacific Transportation Company to help combat negative images of the West? We just bought a reproduction of a 1904 Sunset Magazine cover by Maynard Dixon.  We plan on framing and hanging it.  

2. Taste of Country 4th Ed.  Another neighbor freebie.

3. Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cookbook.  Being lactose intolerant, this just didn't appeal to me.  ugh.

4. Recipes from the Heart of Pampered Chef.  Bought it at thrift store, marked recipes I wanted to try, never did it.  

5.  Hey, a DVD snuck in,  A Series of Unfortunate Events.  No, it isn't chronicling my collecting cookbooks.

Destination:  Mom, Deseret Industries

Items De-owned to date:  50

January 16, 2012

Hey, it's a holiday here, but the de-owning fun never sleeps, just ask my family.

Here are are today's departers:
 1. 6 issues of Taste of Home
 2. 6 issues of Taste of Home
 3. Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen: this guy is downright jolly looking and we do like spicy foods.  We didn't cook a single recipe in this book.
4. A Taste of the Country 5th ed.
5. The Children's Cookbook  No, it isn't about cooking children.  Sorry, Johnathan Swift.


Destination: DI and my mom!
 Items de-owned to date: 45

January 13, 2012

Ah, Friday the 13th. It is certainly bad luck for these things because they are HEADED OUT! Actually, it may be better for them because they will go to someone who actually wants them.

1. 6 issues of Taste of Home
2. 6 issues of Taste of Home
3. 6 issues of Taste of Home
4. 6 issues of Taste of Home
5. 6 issues of Taste of Home

 That's five years of Taste of Home. A cautionary tale: Taste of Home was kind of sneaky, or actually, I was very inattentive. The company kept sending me subscription notices even though my subscription didn't run out for a LONG time. I didn't pay attention and paid the bill. Lo and behold, I was subscribed for what seemed like an eternity! Fortunately, I became more attentive and it didn't happen again. I remember looking at the subscription expiration date and thinking "Wow, 2007 (or whatever year I had subscribed to) is SO far away! I wonder what my life will be like then?"

I bet you never knew one can have deep philosophical/life journey thoughts while looking at a magazine label.

Destination: DI
Items de-owned to date: 40

January 12, 2012

Why yes, there are more cookbooks and a mathbook that snuck in the mix.

1. Painless Algebra. Is there such a thing? I LOVED algebra, but now I can't remember some of it. All of us have moved past the level of this book and 1. continue in math or 2. never want to try it again.

2. A cookbook. Years ago, someone stole my credit card information and didn't have the three numbers on the back of the credit card. So when she (I assume it is a she from the Disney books, Christmas ornaments and cookbooks that arrived at my home) ordered stuff, she couldn't change the shipping address. So all of the stuff came to me.  HA HA ID THIEF!!!!  TAKE THAT!    This cookbook is one of several that arrived and when informed of the fraud, the book company said "just keep them".

3. Another cookbook. See story in #2.

4. Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2001: a freebie from a downsizing neighbor

5. Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2003: see #4.

Destination: DI, Mom

Items de-owned to date: 35

January 11, 2012

I must warn you, the next few posts are going to look the same. My family and I have gone through our cookbook collection, again. My family LOVES cookbooks. FHA used to spend Sunday afternoons reading cookbooks with Astronerd and B. B is in a college major that involves some cooking. Astronerd just told us, when asked what skills she must have in order be on her own: "I know how to brown hamburger, so that's taken care of." FHA invents recipes and has his own recipe notebook. Me? Well, I just buy the cookbooks, read through them and wait to eat what the others cook. I really do like to cook, I just don't like shopping, prep and cleanup.

I really like cookbooks. I like the pictures, the advice on planning parties and the hope that yes, even I, could make something delicious. However, I don't need to own every cookbook ever printed (but we did keep FHA's Pipe Springs Cookbook-head cheese-yummmm. Not. Look it up and prepare to gag.)My mom gave me cookbooks too! That's where I got my love of cookbooks. So we went through the cookbooks again. We have cut it down to about 5-6 feet of shelf space. Yes! Here is what we de-owned:

1. A book. Not a cookbook.
2. A Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2003: a freebie from a downsizing neighbor.
3. 1 year's worth of Taste of Home Magazine
4. 1 more year's worth of Taste of Home Magazine.
5. Yet another year of Taste of Home Magazine.

Destination: DI, Mom


Items de-owned to date: 30

January 10, 2012

Video Day!
We have SO many videos! Here are five that are departing our home.

1. Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility-LOVE IT, but will get the DVD from the library if I want to watch it.
2. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace-Even though George Lucas and I share a hometown, I never caught the vision of this particular trilogy.
3. Ghostbusters-it comes on TV a lot.
4. Independence Day-One of FHA's favorites, which we own on DVD.
5. Gods and Generals-If you like the look of beards attached with two sided tape, this one is for you.

Destination: DI

Items de-owned: 25

January 9, 2012

1. A 13-inch TV/VCR combo. It came with a camper we bought. I tried selling it online, but there were no takers.
2. A 1000 piece puzzle. No, I didn't count the pieces. :)
3. A piece of glass that used to live in our old entertainment center. I thought it would be useful for something, but after a couple of years, I can't think of anything. Light table? Don't use one. Tabletop? Nope.
4. A cardboard box. Considering my genetic predisposition to saving anything cardboard and boxlike, this is huge.
5. Another cardboard box.

Destinations: Habitat for Humanity Restore, Garbage, DI, Recycle Bin

Total items de-owned to date: 20

January 6, 2012

1. Part of a box of mystery candy.
2. A Canadian penny.
3. A bag of Astronerd's too-small clothes. Maybe I should count them separately, but today I will count them as one item.
4. An unopened bottle of Oregano dated October 2006. I forgot we had it.
5. Part of a bag of little Hershey Bars. I would rather eat chocolate than throw it out, but when I bought the bag of candy, I didn't realize it had been somewhere VERY warm en route to the store. The candy had melted into the shape of the wrappers and didn't taste good. I guess I could have returned it, but by the time I thought about doing that, chocolate mercenaries had eaten enough of it I didn't feel right about returning it.

Destinations: DI, recycle and garbage.

Total items de-owned: 15

January 5, 2012

Today I have de-owned:
1. A t-shirt.
2. An odd stuffed animal.
3. An invisible dog that I believe was hit by a car in our garage. It was not as gruesome as it may sound.
4. A box of cherry flavored candy canes. What??? There should be a law that peppermint is the only allowable candy cane flavor.
5. Half a box of peppermint candy canes. We have so many, we will never eat them all. Oh, my first world problems.


Destinations: Deseret Industries and the garbage.

Total items de-owned: 10

January 4, 2012

1. Nancy Drew book-I loved Nancy Drew but Astronerd and B never caught the vision.
2. Math Wizardry for Kids-My kids are too old for this.
3. Science Wizardry for Kids-Astronerd loves science but is way beyond what this contains.
4. The Handy Bug Answer book-We love the others in this series, but this one never caught on. Besides the pictures creeped me out.
5. Prince Caspian by CS Lewis-How many copies does one need? This was a freebie.

How I came to find them: I was exercising in the basement and saw them on a bookshelf. One can to a lot of de-owning planning while exercising.

Destination: School faculty room. These would be great for the classroom.

Total items de-owned: 5

Five Begone!

This blog is going to chronicle my journey in de-owning things found in my home. My goal is to remove five things per weekday. Those things will be donated, sold, recycled or thrown away. Sometimes I will keep the item anonymous, other times I will comment on an item. To provide comfort to loved ones, I will not be removing family members or pets unless they are dead.