Yep, I'm right there with you! Last Autumn we had our kitchen gutted and completely remodeled. I had to pack up pretty much everything from the kitchen, dining room (which became our temporary kitchen for the duration), family room (which opened into the kitchen and became the work & storage room for the crew) and our living room, where we basically lived and ate for two months. Everything went into boxes . . . and I'm embarrassed to say that one side of the garage is still filled with many of those boxes. I unpacked the necessities and some of my pretties when the kitchen was completed, but the rest is still out there waiting for me. There's so much STUFF and I don't want to clutter up the place again, so I've flat-out just been avoiding it. Now, with cold weather heading our way soon, not to mention the #*%^! packrats that are trying to build nests on top of DH's car engine, I'm out there everyday trying to get rid the boxes . . . . and I'm asking myself that same question, "How did we get so much STUFF ?!?" (Sigh!) Like the rest of you, I'm forcing myself to pare down, but it's hard and it's painful, too. I am finding though, that once the trash truck has come and gone, or another load has been dropped off at our local charity, I don't miss it. It's the deciding and the letting go that's hardest for me. Lynn

Hi Malhgold! My kitchen is still a work in progress, but I've been using my fridge drawers for a few months now as part of my temporary kitchen to have more cold storage, and I LOVE them! I have the GE Monogram drawers that will eventually have panels on them. Right now they are just free standing units in my living room - and ugly with no fronts! But the interior is another matter! They are bright and roomy and I already know I will love them as part of my new kitchen. They will go in the island on the outside edge facing out into the walking space. This is near my prep sink. I will claim the top drawer for veggies and we'll keep the milk in there. This will keep the kids out of the main traffic of the kitchen when they need milk for their cereal (pantry is also outside the main work area of the kitchen). The bottom drawer will be all kids stuff. Drinks, snack veggies and fruit, string cheese, applesauce, yogurts, etc. You get the idea. Since I went with the SZ 700 series, the fridge door would be high and heavy and I knew my little 4 year old son would not be able to self-serve, so we planned the drawers. The kids get the bottom and the top will be veggies and fruits near the prep sink and the milk so the kids can reach it. You can stand up 2 liters, gallon jugs of milk or water. These are accessable, kid friendly and just absolutely wonderful. I'm beyond thrilled that I went this route, and I'm not even using them in my new kitchen yet! Does that help answer your question? Good luck!

Since your envelopes may be a non-standard size (most square ones are non-standard), you definitely need to take one to the post office and ask a clerk to tell you how much it will cost to mail each of them. If they are large squares, they will probably cost the equavilent of a 37 cent and a 23 cent stamp, or 60 cents each to mail. You would then purchase as many 60-cent stamps as you need and attach them at home. The problem occurs when brides assume that all envelopes only need a 37-cent stamp. Then, they receive all of their invitations back with big postal stamps saying "additional postage required" all over them, ruining the look of the invitation. If you purchased your invitations through an invitations dealer, they should have told you if you would need extra postage for the size envelope that you chose. If your invitation has a bow on it or anything else that causes the envelope to not be perfectly flat, then all of them will need to be hand cancelled. The postal clerk can tell you if you need that or not. Most mail is run through machines, but the machines can only handle flat items. Items that need to be hand cancelled are cancelled one-by-one by a postal employee, not a machine. In some small communities or places with unusual wedding-related names, such as Bridal Veil, Oregon, you can mail your invitations and all of them will be hand cancelled with a cancellation containing the name of the post office. Your postal clerk should be able to tell you everything that you need to know to mail your invitations without problems.

I'm trying hard to pare down my belongings. Our house is small, the kids have flown the coop. I have a garage and attic full of "good stuff" I put away, hoping either to sell or give to my kids/future grandkids. Well, I recently tried to give my pregnant daughter the baby bassinette ( a sort-of baby bed) we had used for our two daughters. She did not want it, saying it's old and moldy, it's probably dangerous. My feelings were hurt but I got over it. I'd donate it but I heard no one (no charities) want used baby items because they may be unsafe. I certainly wouldn't want someone to get hurt. So I'll save the bassinettte and let my grand-daughter to be use it as a toy for her dolls.