10.13.15

Banana Leaf and Lily Boxes, BaliFurnish.com

BOXES. My theme today is BOXES. Emptying them, sorting them, organizing them, filling them, moving them into place or out of the house.

Here is a box of my favorite feel-good tea. I know you have seen it before. If you haven't tried it, give me a call and I will make you a cup in exchange for YOU helping me unload my household of STUFF.

10.12.15

Keep On Truckin’ Poster, R. Crumb, 1967

Day 3, I may be held back by the fact that I need drawer dividers and more containers. It looks like a full eight hours more and I may be ready to sort partially finished projects and things of that type. Quilters call them "KITS". No more fabric needs to come into this house.

10.11.15

WHO SAVES FABRIC THIS SIZE?

This piece of fabric is two inches long and a quarter inch wide. I kid you not.

This is not the ONLY thing I ran across yesterday that had me wondering, "What ever possessed me to think THIS is a good idea?"

Pressing on. QuiltyFriend cracked a friendly whip yesterday afternoon. She even said she would come again today to help out.

10.10.15

BABO character from
EZ Packaging

Too tired to get started on Reduce-Reuse-Recycle (in the Studio) from my hike yesterday. I am digging in this morning. QuiltyFriend would have come over last night to help, but I couldn't collect myself. She said she might be able to come Sunday, so I must crack my own whip at my own self and get things done to the point where she will say, " Good work, so far." She has so many ideas and is so inspiring. I don't think I would be motivated to succeed in this task if QuiltyFriend was not giving me full support.

10.09.15

As part of my semi-annual "Clean the Studio" events, I have decided to fill a box or bag with things to LEAVE THE HOUSE PERMANENTLY, every week. If I do this for a year, I will have reduced my load by 52 boxes.

Here is the first week's lot,

48.8 pounds of books, which were donated to the Blairsville branch of the Georgia Pines Library system. Presumably, they will be sold at one of their fund-raising book sales. 

Stay tuned to see what left the house this week!

10.08.15

Think I found this picture HERE

I gave up trying to make pumpkin carving a family event, long, long ago when I found out I was the only one in the family who cared. My kids were still young enough to wear costumes but not old enough to go out on their own. 

It was a sad day; I realized the cherished memories I had of my own childhood could not be repeated, and probably shouldn't be. (Decorating the Christmas Tree--ugh. Don't ask) 

These days, if I carve a gourd, it is because when I bought it, I did not coerce the produce guy to cut it in half for me, for cooking.

Martha Stewart says these are cats. I disagree.

Not long ago, my OregonBrother told me my spirit animal was an owl. I would like to think I could make jack-o-lanterns as cute as these. They would suit me just fine.

10.07.15

An actual group, though I am not sure how serious
they are--it looks like an enabling support system!
THIS should link to the group in case
you find yourself in the area.

Well. That is a long way to go to avoid the problem I have going on at my place. I have had several offers of help, but you know how it goes.

It is a problem I actually want to tackle on my own. I just need three completely uninterrupted days to myself.

I hope to go on a hike Friday, but after that, I think I will dig right in. My plan is to use "centers" for the different types of things I come across, then organize each center, then put the newly organized components into their homes. I hope I can be brutally honest with myself and remove from my possession those things VERY unlikely to be wanted in the future.

I usually do what I call triage sorting: putting immediate need/want-to-finish projects in order in a separate container, but I think I now have two of those containers. Big ones. That hold 14 gallons of whatever.

How many quilters does it take to clear a stash? Five. 
~One to put the folded fabric on the shelves, four to lead discussions: 
~One to explain how SHE folds HER fabric
~One to suggest organizing by color
~One to put forth the idea that scale of print is the key for organizing
~One to say organizing by style of fabric makes it easier 
~One to keep the day lively by pointing out which fabrics are also present in her own stash.

Oh, wait, that's six. No wonder I have trouble with stash management. 

Did I tell you I also have the urge to complete empty every cabinet in my kitchen and pantry, scrub down everything, and reorganize so the things I actually use are accessible?

10.06.15

TEA OF THE DAY~

I am remembering my first breakfast in Paris today. We had croissants and a view of the Notre Dame Cathederal. The name of the tea is bringing the memory back to me, but we had espresso to drink. 

This tea is a black tea, and very "normal" tasting, nothing special. As though one has "le petit dejeuner a Paris chaque jour".

It's About Danged Time

Guess which ones I already ate this year? Delicata, Sweet Dumpling, Spaghetti. I have all of the above to look forward to, plus: Gold Nugget, Gold Acorn, and Turban. My DearNiece made us BURRITO BOWLS one night, using the spaghetti squash. My life will be altered forever. It was delicious! Now I will be looking at squash recipes that are more savory than sweet.

If I could, I would have a SQUASH TUNNEL surrounded by a CHICKEN TUNNEL. 

Pretty amazing, yes? Chickens work pest control and provide organic fertilizer. Wow.
Wiener dogs bark encouragingly to increase effectiveness of workers.