It didn't end the way I thought it would....

My CoW cleaning spree I mean.  Yup, I spent yesterday working on cleaning & rearranging the CoW.  Not that I needed to, but because reasons.

****Yay before pictures!****

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The northeast corner, directly across from the door. The bookcase will be rearranged to accommodate more materials.

The north wall that borders the garage. The small bookcase will leave, but my grandmother's sewing table will not.

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Spring cleaning binges have always been a thing with me, except they seldom hit in the spring.  Not sure why, but I've always done at least two "purges" (not that I actually purge a lot, but that's what it feels like) a year.  My boys hate it, because it forces them to do what I've been on them all year to do, in one foul swoop. 

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The northwest corner along the garage wall next to the window seat. Directly behind my computer/main work desk.

The north/street facing window seat area. If I were a better photographer you'd be able to see my Japanese Maple & stone fountain.

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So yeah, cleaning, throwing out stuff that is unusable, finding stuff I forgot I had, all while doing laundry, baking bread & dealing with boys.  That was my Monday that felt like Sunday.  

I have to admit that I had not planned on getting so sidetracked while avoiding watching/hearing about football/yard work.  Honestly, I had every intention of staying focused on the task at hand so that my CoW would not be unusable for very long.

Then I found these.

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It's hard to tell, but there are probably CLOSE TO ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY postcards between the two stacks.

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Yeah, it's my post card collection.  I don't exactly know why, but I have liked postcards for just about as long as I can remember.

It started with a couple of cards I found that my parents had bought when we lived in Germany & kind of grew from there.  Some of them were mailed to me by friends & family, some I bought on my own.  

There are postcards from New Zealand, England, Germany, British Columbia, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, Florida, Texas, Chicago, Alaska, Idaho, Hawaii, Ohio, California....  I do not YET have a postcard from each of the fifty states, all of the various island nations or all seven continents, but I'm working on it. 

Needless to say, finding these gems ended the long day of trying to rearrange my CoW into a more organized & functional space.  I absolutely had to stop working & go through them all when I found them.  It was "A moral imperative!" (Yes, that was a 'Real Genius' quote for all you Val Kilmer lovers out there.)

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The postcards that started it all. Our favorite restaurant when we lived in Germany.

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Even though you were inadvertently responsible for my not completing my tasks both yesterday & numerous other times (both past & future), I'd like to thank everyone who has ever given or sent me postcards.  I think they are a genius invention & hope that they never go the way of the handwritten letter.

Well kids, I'm going to go lay on a heating pad & apologize profusely to my back for the work I did do yesterday that has caused it to be so angry with me today. 

Aloha,
-Clare