13 Ellen Grafs in the US

And here you thought that one of me was enough...

This is kind of fun.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 13 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Too Much Stuff

So, i'm moving.

Packing all your belongings into boxes reveals things. Like - I probably have 70 pairs of shoes. Now, if you read my previous post, you KNOW I got a good deal on every pair!

However, yesterday was the day of reckoning for my kitchen. It's a little kitchen, so common sense would say it wouldn't take very long to pack up. I'm one person, right? (ha, ha, ha)

My friends Julie & Melanie helped me pack up the kitchen for 3 hours yesterday - and we're not quite finished. I am most definitely thanking God for these ladies - not just because I needed the help (I did!) and not just because working with them was a lot more fun than doing it by myself (it was!) but because they were good at being ruthless. We found a box of cereal that expired in 2006. Julie found an enormous amount of salt (& salt shakers). Melanie told me I had too many glasses. We found a 2 1/2 year old jar of pickled beets that scared Julie. We purged. There was even a dead spider in my cupboard. It was like "Clean Sweep: Herbert St. edition".

4 boxes & 2 bags of stuff are now in my car to take the thrift store. This is added to an already full trunk of stuff to go!

Dan, clever man that he is, kept his mouth shut and a broad grin on his face. He loved it. I think that he might give these girls an award. Melanie reminded him that "she's all yours".

It begs a spiritual question: I wonder what junk i'm holding onto that, if revealed, my honest and loving friends would tell me to dump? What stuff i'm hanging onto that is totally useless? Do I need a spiritual 'clean sweep'?

Hmm... just some thoughts.

(Postscript: The justice? We went to some garage sales yesterday where I picked up a few treasures - a filing cabinet for $2 - and it was something I actually needed!)

Happiness

I think that one of the best parts of being human is being able to celebrate the good things that happen in the lives of others - especially those we believe most deserve it. You know, those things that make you cry happy tears for other people...

I've loved watching Paul & Wanda's blog to see news of their new daughter. They're amazing people, and I can only imagine them as amazing parents. Congratulations, Paul & Wanda.

Dentist Bad - Coupons Good

Although today i'm suffering from the after effects of a painful dentist appointment (and somewhat like a bear with a toothache, I have to say - not my best attitude, i'll admit it) I was cheered up by some good new coupons on one of my favorite new websites - smartcanucks.ca

I love a good deal. A great item at an incredible price makes my heart pound faster and makes my blood pressure rise. And, although i'm being teased about 'becoming a good Mennonite woman', friends who are similarly thrifty are coming out of the woodwork - and my coupons are being shared and appreciated by more and more people. Aha! Saving money is infectious - and addictive, I have to say.

Right now i've found my favorites at smartcanucks.ca, healthyshopper.ca and save.ca . Now I have to stay home long enough to shop!

Oh, and i'm finding great bargains for my forthcoming move (if you hadn't heard - i'll be moving at the end of May - hallelujah!). Since Dan is at motorcycle training all weekend, i'm hoping to rope a girlfriend or two into some yard sales on the weekend, and even found a piece of furniture on the roadside last night. It amazes me how in Waterloo you can leave something you don't want anymore on the roadside, and by morning someone has picked it up! I still kind of feel like a thief throwing things in the back of my truck (we didn't do this in BC or Georgia!) but now I have a furniture refinishing project for this weekend. Like I needed something else to do with having to get all my packing done in the next two weeks!