Dear Jonda,

I can't tell you what a difference the closet system has made in my life. Not only did the preparation phase force me to purge my wardrobe, but it turned out that a teacher at school was collecting clothing for families in Haiti last week and I still had the bag of clothing sitting on the floor in the middle room. Perfect timing!

Now I jump out of bed, open the closet doors, and immediately find a nice outfit to wear. I even have received several compliments on pieces I have "discovered."

I gave away 6-8 big bulky sweaters and replaced them with two pretty (small) ones to wear with the two pairs of black/black striped trousers I bought. To reward myself for finally cleaning out the closet, I purchased the comfy purple NYU hooded sweatshirt I had been looking at for a long time. Can't wait to go walking this weekend!

Oh, and I took your advice about the holidays to heart. This year I am streamlining and delegating. My grown kids are all excited and have already bought their plane tickets!

Next project -- figuring out how to manage the hundreds of articles I read for graduate school (reams and reams of paper). I am using 1/2" notebooks for the handouts for each course and am trying to see how big the stacks of articles are for each course. I think flip-top file boxes will be the ticket.

Thanks, again. I know you went to extra expense for the project. I also want you to know that I so appreciate your allowing me to change the design somewhat as we worked.