Happy #thinkingoutloud Thursday! No idea what I’m going on about? Click here!
1. I spent the majority of the day yesterday feeling like a prisoner in my own home. Apparently FedEx came by my place at some point on Tuesday evening, which would have been awesome had I actually been home to meet them. Unfortunately, the tracking number I was watching said the package hadn’t even been shipped out yet, so I wasn’t expecting it anytime soon and didn’t bother staying close to home base. Womp, womp. But at least it came!
2. As for what it is… I ended up taking advantage of the Black Friday sale that Erin Condren had on their Good to Go collection and picked up a bunch of planner accessories for my 2016 Life Planner… which has yet to actually get here, but I think I’ve griped about that enough so I’ll just leave it at that ?
3. And if you’re wondering why it’s so hard for me to stay home despite the fact that I technically work from home, it’s because I get a little stir crazy when I’m cooped up for long periods of time with no one but Douglas to keep me company, so I like to take my work out to coffee shops, libraries, parks, and anywhere else I can sit and write. It helps a lot with the whole creative process bit.
4. Well, that and I was in serious need of a trip to the grocery store because I literally had nothing to eat. I mean, I had some things, but the only reason I had those somethings was because they were the things I didn’t really want to eat in the first place ? And I had ZERO bananas, which is basically emergency status around these parts. I blame that on all the banana recipes I’ve been whipping up lately.
5. And on that note, which recipe do you guys want to see first? I’ve got a chocolate banana bread and chocolate fudge banana oatmeal bars. Both will [probably] be up within days of each other — it’s just a matter of which you want this weekend vs. early next week ?
6. So I was trying to get rid of some clutter the other day, when I came across all my notes from university. I’ve been hanging on to these things for years, both for sentimental reasons and the slightest possibility that I might need to reference something at some point (like… really?!?), but I finally decided to get rid of them and free up some space. I kept essays and written work, but the notes and handouts went to the recycling bin…
7. I also came across my sticker collection, which is probably a good 20+ years old?
Remember puffy stickers? And fuzzy stickers? And smelly stickers? And shiny stickers? And creating a “currency” value for them, of sorts, where you’d be like: “Okay, I’ll trade you two of my regular stickers for one of your fuzzy ones.” Good times.
8. AND I also found these manuals to my old Game Boy games…
Now if only I knew where the thing actually was. I’m betting it still works ?
9. Alright, friendly faces, that’s it for me this week. I’m off to the mountains this weekend, but there’ll be a recipe post up on Saturday so let me know which one you want to see!
No questions… just tell me whatever comes to your mind! 
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I love going through my old stuff. I really need to head back to my mom’s house for a good day or two to go through everything I have in my old room.
Yeah my mom’s been after me to look through my old stuff too. But it’s like… no. You keep that. That’s my childhood and it belongs with you
Haha so did you keep the sticker collection?! I still have mine, it’s in my “memory box” since I’m hoping my son will enjoy it one day…although it may pain me a bit to watch him stick all my “high currency” stickers on actual paper, lol!
:lol:!! Yeah I don’t know how I’d feel about actually using mine, but I definitely kept them!
chocolate banana bread…LAWD that looks delicious!!!
Do you want to come to my house and help me de-clutter…please and thank you!!! That is how I will be spending my winter break!
LION KING….still my favorite movie and the Broadway play was sooooo awesome!!
I can be there as long as you pay in cookies
Decluttering is actually super relaxing for me 
Oh man…. the mail can be such a pain! Especially during the holiday season when things seem to move at turtle speed!
I had a sticker collection too! I ran across it not too long ago, it was pretty awesome. I also just found our old 8-bit Nintendo and games last night. I need to get that thing set up and see if it still works!
I still have my old school Nintendo! And it does work, but looking at it is kind of painful
Duck Hunt and Mario are the bees knees though.
Puffy stickers!!!!! Oh my goodness, I miss those!!! I smell and squeeze everything I come across, so your sticker book would be heaven for me.
I also have a bunch of scratch and sniff ones
OH my gosh the sticker collection. I hoarded them…and now that I have kids, and they just use them to use them a little piece of me dies, but then I think, why? They’re having fun, haha. And I still have all of my old stuff too! So hard to just throw away all of that hard work, when we both know we’re NEVER going to look at that stuff again! I even have all of my old text books! They’re just sitting on a shelf at work, not getting used, hehe.
I still have a tonne of my textbooks too! Some of them I don’t mind (psychology and philosophy), but things like stats, math, and them? Yeah no.
I still have so many old textbooks and papers I know I’ll never use again. I have zero desire to use anything with chemistry again for the rest of my life. I had to do a serious closet cleanout at home when my parents started packing to move. It’s hard to let go of some things…
and I feel you on going stir crazy in the house when you’re not the one deciding to be stuck there. Sometimes you just want to get out!
Ugh don’t even get me started on the textbooks — I still have a tonne of those too. And the worst part is that you can’t even sell them since they basically come out with a new edition every year
I love decluttering, but I have the hardest time with school stuff! After every quarter I tell myself I should get rid of notes… and then I don’t. What if I need them? (I won’t.) I’ll probably manage to part with all of them after graduation…
I kept mine while I was in school [just incase], but I graduated years and years ago and haven’t cracked them open since, so I think it’s safe to say that I probably won’t need them. But it’s not a bad idea to hang on to them through school!
I can’t believe you still haven’t received your planner! That’s just crazy! I haven’t ran in almost two weeks and as much as I want to, I also don’t. Hah! If that makes any sense.
Oh sticker collections! Mine are long gone
I recycled tons of old notes/teaching resources that I no longer use. I have to do that again soon because we are putting our house up for sale which means de-cluttering. I have no idea why I’m currently hanging on to something like 10 empty binders.
Mine ended up being something crazy like 10-15 binders as well. And now I’m not sure if I’m supposed to keep the empty ones or recycle those as well. Still clutter
oh my gosh I totally still have my old papers, notebooks, ect. No idea why Im clinging to them, other than I remember how much work I put into them
And those stickers! I think you’ve got yourself some new stickers for your planner, huh? At least that’s probably where I would use them! Either that or in my blog notebook that never leaves my side!
Can’t wait for those recipes! I’m good with whichever one comes first…just as long as it has chocolate!!
That’s a serious sticker collection! Definitely hang on to them. I’m dying to try your chocolate banana bread recipe so I vote for that one first – but both sound really good
Definitely keeping the stickers — they’re vintage
And so far the banana bread is winning, so that’ll probably be the first one up!
I so hope you find your gameboy and can put those game manuals to good use! ha ha
Oh my gosh Game Boy! I feel old now. Love the stickers. I’m kind of old school and just use an $8 planner I bought at CVS! Lol.
Too funny. I found my old sticker collection, though in a old dress shirt box, not a binder, over Thanksgiving! I used to ask for stickers for every birthday & holiday & then refuse to use them, only collect them. Sigh. My mother must have wanted to strangle me.
Oh my this post is hilarious and I LOVE it! Your sticker collection brings back such great memories. Isn’t it hilarious how we go through such extreme phases? It looks like you had a pretty serious sticker collection and I thought I was going to be a pro basketball player, a fashion designer, and a day care director at different points in my life! Us creatives go big or go home.
I was think working at home would be great, roll out of bed and login, work in your pjs, etc…then I think how stir crazy if probably go, lol. I thinking working from home one day a week would be good.
I remember the time I parted with all my notes from college. I was torn because I really felt like they could come in handy one day, still haven’t needed them…yet. It really was like a breakup or at least saying goodbye to something you’d never see again.
Yeah it’s definitely a little bitter sweet. But I honestly hadn’t looked at those things in years and they were just taking up so much space. I figure that the essays were the most personal part of it anyways.
Oh my gosh the Game Boy! I remember that I got my first one for Christmas. This must have been like 24 years ago! I still have it somewhere and last time it still worked. I think I need to find it in the basement
Also I am in love with your planner accessories!
Remember how big of a nightmare it was to try and play it in the dark?
Now they have those fancy backlit screens, but back in the day? It was like no light = no go.
I remember those stickers! It was like hitting the jackpot if your parents bought you anything but the ordinary stickers.
Chocolate fudge banana oatmeal bars!?!? Those sound amazing! Loving The Lion King stickers
I’m trying that decouttering thing too. Even started a challenge and everything. But it’s hard to let go of some things. I still have notes from college too even though o left 6 years ago. I think after we get rid of the obvious clutter, it gets harder to get rid of things we like.
Cool stickers! I hope you kept those. They’re vintage! I put mine on cards when I’m writing get-well or birthday notes, etc.
The funny thing is that the hardest part is actually making the decision to let things go — after all is said and done, it almost feels like a relief.
I totally had those exact lion king stickers!!
I also just ordered an Erin Condren life planner and it’s supposed to be here today!
Ohhh gorgeous! I seriously hope you have better luck with shipping than I do! Mine was supposed to be sent out yesterday but… nope
Sticker collecting used to be my JAM!!!! I had the binder system to organize my stickers too!
Running out of bananas is seriously a sad thing, but those recipes sound like they’re worth it! I’m voting for the banana bread!
Banana oatmeal bars, please! Breads just never seem as satisfying & are hard to keep in the fridge. Although both sound yummy.
Lack of bananas is bananas! Seriously, it’s a problem I seem to always be running into. I didn’t like bananas growing up, because my mom likes them green (like a lot of people, apparently, which I don’t get) so I’m making up for lost time.
I am often a prisoner in my own home — I totally get it! It’s even worse now with the short days.
I wasn’t crazy about bananas growing up either! And I’m pretty sure it was for that very reason — I’ll never understand the green banana thing. They taste so metallic
Im pretty jealous of your sticky collection if I say so myself, fuzzy stickers all the way! When I run out of bananas too I act as if its the end of the world! Bananas are needed to function in life, but at least you made those two delicious recipes that i can’t wait to see soon
I have kept certain things from college—papers and books—and I’ll tell you what, they have actually come in handy a few times! the papers on Shakespeare from 7th grade…. I can probably let those go…
Or statistics. Or symbolic logic. Or research methods. Definitely wasn’t a fan of those classes
A week ago I was cleaning out some boxes of stuff that my parents packed for me when I moved. I threw away all of my sticker books I had. I mean I can’t use them once they were in the sticker book anyway. I also kept a lot of my notes from school, not just college, but high school too. Actually some of my high school notes came in handy my first year of college since the gen eds I was required to take basically were me repeating high school. I even used a paper I wrote in high school and turned it in in college because we were literally covering the same topic…but after moving last year, I threw away a bunch of that stuff finally.
I had to get some bananas at Trader Joes yesterday because I was down to one. But now that my stock is replenished, I’d love to see that chocolate banana bread recipe. I will be baking this weekend for a potluck and also for myself.
I kept all of mine when I was in school as well, and some of them definitely came in handy, but now that I’m no longer studying and can’t even remember the last time I cracked them open? Yeaaaaah I think it was time to let them go
Oh man, at first I totally thought you got your planner and was ready to jump up and down for you! ha! I busted out the 2016 planner I bought over the summer (LOL) and it’s killing me that I can’t really use it yet!! This will be the first year in YEARS that I’ve had a paper planner but I’m kind of excited about it!
Ugh the wait is the worst. I almost want to just give up on the one I have now and just start fresh with the new one
Oh my gawd, how did we not play Nintendo when you were here? I have the Wii which means access to all the old school games. I even have a Zelda character all set up working on his triforce.
I need to look into some coffee shop work time on the weekends. I love the idea of getting out of the house for a break and a change of scenery. Also, no distractions would be awesome.
Yeah, Meg! How DIDN’T we play Nintendo when I was there?!?!?
I have all my college papers still saved for a rainy day. I was reading a couple in Spanish the other day and made remember how much I miss speaking Spanish every day.
I miss Spanish in school. Such a beautiful language.
The sticker collection is too cute
I know Adam and I are hoarding a bunch of old papers we don’t need but it’s hard to find time to actually go through any of it. Also how bizarre is it that I received an extra planner with the giveaway and you haven’t gotten yours?
I guess that’s what I get for being from Canada
First things first: keep the stickers! Fuzzy and puffy ones were definitely THE most coveted and your future children [or god children :)] will think you’re pretty cool for having them – at least before they discover social media …
And oh my do I understand why you’d leave the house on any occasion. I’m technically working from home, too, and I need to change surroundings to really focus on writing or research. Otherwise there’s always a dishwasher to unload, snack to be eaten, …
Those banana recipes sound amazing. I have a hard time keeping bananas of the proper stage of ripeness in my house. I hate green bananas. They don’t stay in the yellow with faint brown spots very long – which is what I prefer for eating rather than baking. Love the stickers! Brings back memories
Finding perfect bananas can definitely be a challenge! Especially in the winter when all the bananas seem to be green. I just freeze when when they’re in the perfect stage so I can snack on them later — kind of obsessed with frozen bananas.
Yes to getting stir crazy at home! I’m a stay at home mom and I swear if I don’t get out once a day, I lose my mind!! Sometimesy husband takes my car and leaves his truck (which I refuse to drive unless it’s an emergency) and I literally count down the hours.
I can definitely relate! That’s when I end up going out for a walk to at least get out of the house and get some fresh air.