this "do it when you think of it" rule for 2026 is annoying to lazy me, but it is so good for me.

that was easy. wrapped in tissue then plopped into a reused gift bag. done and done. it also got me to put away the bag and tissue from a bday gift i was given that i had yet to deal with so that is now checked off the list too. thank you.

thankfully i just went into the kitchen and saw/realized that i need to wrap my nephew's bday gift for today. i set an alarm to make sure i am showering and dressed to catch the bus later but i forgot about having to wrap the gift. this is good. i will do this now, i suppose. i don't want to but it must be done and i will be happier having that finished so. let's do it.

i love this sentiment that i just heard "i want to start enjoying what i own more". yes, exactly this. i have ben trying to say this without finding these words. but this is exactly why i have a no-buy in place for this year. what i own i bought or brought into my life because at one point i wanted it or it fulfilled a need. so i want to enjoy what i have or not have it just in my space beacuse of what if once gave my life. i don't need more, at least not until i use what i have already.

one thing i am noticing is that in the outfit ones... what i might have thought of as a great outfit in the past i now look at at too over styled or "trying too hard". it's about how the items are combined or how many are being worn to create a look versus the actual pieces themselves. this is just a me evolving into my own style and preferences as they may work for others. but it's interesting to note.

i think maybe i should go through my socks. that drawer is overly full. i am not sure i am ready to part with many, but i had a few pars of black thin dress socks that i have not used in a year. they were well worn and some are more threadbare than others. i cannot recall if they are 100% cotton or not, but that does sound like me. i have since purchased a set of three similar weight wool socks that i wear almost daily to work over my tights. they are much preferred but the do annoyingly have a visible logo on them. i think i might at least reduce the older black socks and keep only a pair or two of the best ones. that is not going to make a huge difference to the drawer but it won't hurt. so let's do that now and take out that one sweater i want to donate that did make it back into my drawer yesterday. i will put them all out of sight and see how that feels.

three items to donate that i know i will not miss as they just do not live up to my standards or needs. i like them for what i want them to be rather for what they actually are. it's a hard pill to swallow but it is for the best. keeping them just reminds me of their disappointment and inflates my wardrobe negatively by making it appear larger than it is which i don't want and also adds the tension of more decision making when looking for what to wear. so for my mental sanity i will let them go. too bad they weren't right for me. too bad i spent the money on them, but i will no longer spend the mental energy on them of keeping them around.

that sweater story is making me think i need to get rid of the sweater i accidentally felted and was unable to rescue to my standard of acceptable for my needs. i am annoyed with myself over that one. but again... decision made for me. i can hang onto it and "make it work" but i don't need to do that. there is no benefit in holding onto it and being either disappointed every time i wear it becuase it doesn't fit right or worse never wearing ti and keeping it in a drawer. so instead of that i will pass it on. it will still fit someone i am sure. sad, but lesson learned.

i recently bought a sweater that i thought would make an outfit feel whole. but it does not wear or fit the way i was hoping. it was a bit of an impulse/desperate buy. it sorta fit my wants within my price range so i bought it rather than wait for perfect. i could keep it, but i will pass it on. it does not suit current me in the way i want. disappointing but lesson relearned - don't buy just ok enough when you can wait.

i think it just hit me - i don't want an exact clothing uniform but i also do. i want just a few outfits that are superb and that make me feel great and nothing more or less than what feels like a solid rotation i can work through based on my favourite pieces. i have a shirt that i really like - except - that is has a major flaw in how it was constructed and as a result it always looks and feels off. i want to like it and i do, but i wish it was not "damaged". so i have decided that wearing it does not suit my needs. as beautiful as it is in theory, the reality of it does not match up so i am going to redonate it. i am disappointed but fixing it is not an option for me so... i will regretfully pass it along. sad but it does help make the decision for me.

i could also do the pizza for a night or two more and then do the turkey plan... except i have not actually decided on what sides i want with the turkey and that is feeling like a struggle. nothing sounds good or feels right... it should be easy but it's just not coming together in my brain.

the original meal plan was to not have pizza this week so i was not saving the toppings and going overboard on how much i was adding because visually it needed more and more. yesterday's dinner proved me wrong, that fewer toppings was just as tasty and i didn't notice a difference in quality or taste. although i am running low on topping i think i might do pizza again this week... to use up what i have but also because i am enjoying it so much. i won't need dinner tonight as that is covered, and i have enough of everything for monday, so maybe tues at the office i will grab some pizza sauce and a red pepper and maybe some mushrooms...? or do i just make a pizza with whatever i can scrounge up around here..? i don't want leftovers... i will decide how to do this. i am really liking how filling mentally and physically a pizza dinner feels. and although it is daily work, it is quick and doesn't feel overwhelming.

so, i used the retinoid on thursday night. and today i am noticing the peeling. there was the slightest bit yesterday but today, i can see it a lot. this is good information because i was so tempted to use it again last night since i didn't see anything and was thinking oh yay i am used to it now. but no, i was right to wait. i am going to stick with it only on thursday nights for a while then move on to two nights a week. slow an steady. i am bad at slow and steady. i want to jump into everything. so i have to constantly remind myself to stay slow.

nope. i had been watching commentary clips about the insanity down south for the past year... well actually since what eight years ago when insanity became the norm. but i want to stop. i want to feed better thoughts into my mind. that can go on around me, but i think i would rather be ignorant about it. let me live in my bubble ignoring the fraughts of the world - at least for now. just let me be dumb and happy.

i am getting excited about finding ways to use what i have to expand my world... using things up to make more space for myself. restyling things i won to give them new life. moving things to change vibes. it's all going to happen this year. 2026, here i come. i am excited for the newness not in new to me items but the newness of loving what i have in new and different ways.

i would go and start counting my clothing since i am intrigued by this idea... but the schnaff found his was to my lap earlier and is snoozing. he even let me toss a blanket over us both. he hates having a blanket on him - which does surprise me because he loves the warmth, but today he has allowed it. i do not minimize the specialness of our time together, so i will try my hardest not to move unless i have to. he is making my legs feel very hot but the slight discomfort is worth having him snooze on me by choice. i could remove the blanket, but it's his body heat not the blanket causing the extreme warmth. i will take it. he seems content and i am content with him. he is the bestest in the whooooole wide world. i am so lucky to get to love him.

it really does feel good to finish things up and remove the empties. i am also looking forward to finishing up the "use it up" bin in the bathroom as well as the "use it up" bin in the fridge. i was overhearing coworkers talk about how people don't do that. they toss out old veg and fruit and food that their ancestors/grandparents would have repurposed and eaten. that is my goal to make sure i am reducing my food waste, using up all my already purchased products and foods, reducing the amount of new things i own and buy and bring into my home as well as reducing the number of things i already have. it is exciting. finishing a product or finding a way to use leftovers feels great.

i am pleased that i managed to finish a face product - make up remover, today. i had been tempted that last few times i used it to use more than necessary just to be able to finish it off, but i didn't. the bottle is in the recycling and it won't be replenished - i have other products i can use for this purpose. i think i might be able to toss a lip chap tube... i have been using my finger to get the last remnants for days now.... i do think it is oh, so close to being empty. there is at least one more application, if not a couple more. although i like this one, i do have so many spares lying around. i won't need to repurchase any time soon. i am keen to finish that off as well just so i can toss it out.

curious how many clothes and shoes i have. i know a lot doesn't get used. i know i have reduced quite a bit. i do often keep things for years... good or bad as that may be. so i am curious if i were to count.. let's say all my clothing minus underwear and socks/hosiery... what that number would be. maybe i will do that. and give a total to each category... i am sure this would help me find and declutter more that i am not using or needing to hold onto... i want less so that it can be better managed and it just feels better to me.

pizza in the oven. i should have made the pizza before the soak but such is life. nearly forgot to use the pepperoni. it's red pepper, black olive, mushroom and turkey pepp. yum yum. i am looking forward to this. my coffee jars with measurements are dirty or full, so i poured the ready coffee into another to hold it in the fridge. i think tomorrow i will run the washer and can make the coffees then. i have washed up all that i can. and now the oven timer went off so pizza is ready! yeah