Maggie is so much like me, it’s scary! She seems to have this obsession with purses. She spends way too much time in my closet, organizing my purses by color, style or designer. She’s just really into it.

I’ve been looking on ebay and really wanting to get her a nice bag. I know she likes Prada (don’t we all?) but I’m sure she’d settle for Coach. Actually, I really like Coach although I have only two Coach bags. I’ve seen a few Fossil and 9west bags that she might like, too.

The only problem I have with buying her a really nice purse is that she overstuffs them. And I do mean STUFFS them! It doesn’t matter the size of the purse. She’ll fill it up to capacity and then squeeze in just a few more things until it’s overflowing. That makes me crazy.

I’ve told her that she really doesn’t need two calculators in her purse (she can keep one in her locker for emergency backup), or a dozen writing pens. I can see carrying a lip gloss but why does she need FIVE lipglosses?

I honestly don’t remember stuffing my purse like that at her age. I think it’s her way of embracing the pack rat gene that I’m sure I passed on to her. ~Sigh~ I guess I’ll get he a nice designer purse and hope she loves it so much that she doesn’t overstuff it. Then I’ll bite my tongue if she does.

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I’ve already decided that I’m going to get a new couch. I need it. No one will sit on our couch, except for Belle, because it’s just so old and uncomfortable. And it’s ugly, but that’s another story.

The thing is, I really want to update the kids’ bedrooms, too. I’ve been looking online for reasonably priced home furniture but I’m afraid I’ll only be able to do one or two bedrooms at a time. I just can’t afford to do them all at once. The other option is to buy types of furniture together. For instance, I can buy 4 new dressers now and in a few months I’ll get 4 new beds. That way none of the kids feel like they’re waiting longer than the others.

Decision, decisions.

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Don’t you love when you’re doing a job you hate, like cleaning, and you find something that you thought you’d lost? That happens to me every once in a while and it’s always so exciting.

Okay, I’ll admit that the time I found a $100 bill tucked away in a book, I just about swallowed my bubble gum. Sometimes, though, I find something more sentimental than dollar valuable. That happened last week.

I was going to throw away some old purses that I don’t use anymore when I checked one last time to be sure they were empty. That’s when I saw the red glass bead rosaries in the bottom of my old navy blue purse. I hadn’t used that purse for more than a decade so there was no doubt that those rosaries were from neighbor who had passed away about 6 years ago.

You know, that was better than finding $100.

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The cheapest cruises don’t necessarily have to be the worst ones. Sometimes, a last minute cruise decision becomes the best vacation decision ever. Many of the allegiant airlines that connect between cruises, also offer travel nursing, which is doubtlessly an added benefit. To enjoy, one does not have to be in chicago hotel rooms. Cheap hotel rooms can be fun too, if enjoyed with high spirits.

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I found an old file on my computer last night. It was a list of sites that carried business software. Yes, I’m a pack rat. I’m a digital pack rat. I save things like this because you never know when you might need it.

My list had everything from database programs to reporting software and even a few scientific calculators. Some of it was freeware and some was pretty high dollar. Oh, and I even had a program bookmarked that claimed to run on Windows 3.1!

So, did I delete that list after checking through it and deciding it was good for no more than a laugh? Goodness, no! I tucked it away into a new folder entitled “Old Stuff.” Yes, I’m a pack rat.

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A few summers ago, I fell in love with Hilton Head. I visited a friend there and just loved the atmosphere of the island. Of course, I love warm weather and water so no one should be surprised, right?

Now I’m looking at North Carolina and I’m really leaning toward visiting the Outer Banks this summer. It seems like such a relaxing place and of course, there’s plenty of ocean. As much as I enjoy the beaches in Deleware, I’d really like to head south instead. I guess this is another topic I’ll have to bring up when Brian gets home.

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I just realized that I never brought the new window blinds from my trunk into the house. I was going to have Chris put them up for me but he’s working today and probably won’t stop this afternoon.

I suppose I could try to do this myself. I don’t think I need new hardware so I don’t have to worry about that. It’s just that Belle has torn some of the slats when she looks out the window so replacing them seems easier than trying to fix them.

Okay, I’m going to do this myself. I just hope the guys don’t notice because then they’ll expect me to do all kinds of things that I usually delegate to them.

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I’m not sure why it is but I enjoy doing major cleaning when Brian isn’t around. Okay, I do know why. When he’s here, I have to stop what I’m doing to cook for him or to clean off the bed if he wants to sleep or whatever. When he’s not here I can do what I want, when I want.

And I still have so much cleaning to do. I did manage to get rid of some of the clothes that no one wears anymore. I took those to the Salvation Army. I passed on an old printer and scanner to my neighbor. I sent Jesse’s left handed golf clubs (Jesse is right handed) down to his friend, Hoot, who is left handed. And Brit bagged up a lot of Kendyll’s old stuff to be stored int he attic.

And we’re still not done. I have no idea when I’ll get back to all this but it won’t be soon. Brian will be back and that will be the end of my major cleaning.

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The weather is expected to be breaking soon and that means spring clean up and fix up. Last year we did some major spring cleaning, throwing out furniture that had seen better days and replacing window treatments and bed spreads. Chris even painted a few rooms for me.

I’ve been looking around the house and trying to decide what projects to tackle this year. Of course, I’ll do the typical all-out cleaning but when it comes to major projects, there just isn’t much for me to jump into. I want a new kitchen/dining room floor but that isn’t a job I’d do without Brian. We need concrete poured outside for sidewalks but that’s Brian’s to-do, also.

Our house is all brick and stone so it’s pretty much maintainance-free. I don’t think most people consider that spending a bit more on brick pays for itself over the course of 20 years or so. Admittedly, I haven’t checked on the Price to Paint a House but considering the size of my home, I’m sure it would be quite high. No outdoor painting going on here.

Anyway, I’ll have to figure out what kind of major project to tackle during my usual spring cleaning marathon. Any ideas?

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I’m always surprised when my husband decides to take work away from home. He’s not the type to enjoy traveling. In fact, he’s a man of habit and doesn’t want things to change much.

I, on the other hand, love to travel. I’d be very happy to pick up and move every few years. I guess that’s the reason I’m always checking the housing market, wondering what our house is worth and how much house we can get elsewhere for the amount we can afford.

When I compare prices to Florida or Phoenix or Kauai, I want to cry! The comparisons are a bit more in line with ellijay real estate or places with economies similar to ours. I guess that’s why we’re still here.

Sometimes you have to count your blessing and be happy for what you have, even if that means being happy for the snow.

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Some would say I’m a pack rat. I’d prefer to call it “collecting.” Yeah, that’s right. I’m a collector.

I collect anything with a dandelion on it. I collect Little Friends of Kelly Marisa dolls. I collect vintage clothing and purses.

And I collect Stratton Compacts.

I tried taking some pictures of my compacts but truly, it’s so hard to do them justice. They are just so beautiful. Stratton is such a high quality compact, too. Well, the vintage ones are. Stratton compacts are no longer made by the same company. Someone else bought the name and from what I’ve been told, there is a very obvious difference in quality. Anyway.

This picture did come out okay. It is my collection of the “persian rug” design. That’s what I call it but if anyone knows the official name, please let me know. I first bought the princess compact in the lower right of the pic with the folding comb above it. I then added piece by piece, the Empress compact to the left of the princess, the cigarette case above that and the lighter at the top. Next to the lighter is the pill box and below that is the lipstick holder with the fan that swings out to show the mirror.

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