12.30.15--wk 11

This turned out not to be a threat.

DEJUNKIFICATION WEEK 11

Unfortunately, it was not a promise, either.

I saved every catalog I received for one month. 

Most Christmases, I savor each catalog, folding  down page corners, circling this or that, not really ordering anything, just enjoying the shopping experience.  This year, I looked at very few. 
I hope this counts as DeJunkifying. Here are 15 pounds of catalogs, received in one month. Somedays, I received two catalogs--with different covers--from the same company.

They are going out the door today and right to the Transfer Station.

*15 pounds worth!

12.24.15

Last year was a really rough winter for me, but loved ones came and swept (Then)HomeSon and me away from the house to a lovely Bed and Breakfast in Asheville. We toured the Biltmore Mansion in all its Christmas glory, approaching the house just as the sun was setting.  We spent several days away from everything sad and awful and I decided I would make travel my new Christmas tradition.

This year, I traveled to a Galaxy Far Far Away. Friends took me to see the new Star Wars Movie, and I have it on good authority that both AwaySon and FartherAwaySon saw it in the same 24 hour period as I did, so it is like we all saw it together.

I have had a lot of invitations to spend the holidays here and there and I consider myself rich in friends and family.

12.23.15-wk 10

Dejunkification Week 10

Not really. Lost my picture in the great Computer Disaster of October 2015.
One box of books--mostly travel and humanities plus a dictionary.
Went to the Blairsville Branch Library of the Mountain Regional Library System. 48.8 pounds

12.16.15-wk 9

Dejunkification Week 9

Books and magazines on vintage knitting and making dollhouses and dollhouse accessories.
Going to the Blue Ridge Branch of the GA Pines Library System.
8.2 pounds

12.09.15-wk 8

Dejunkification Week 8

Miscellaneous Thises and Thatses headed to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Blue Ridge.

8.2 pounds

12.2.15-wk 7

Dejunkification Week 7

Dog Beds, made from scraps of scraps, headed to the Blue Ridge Humane Society Thrift Store for resale in their shop.
5.6 pounds

11.25.15-wk 6

Dejunkification
Week 6

Unneeded bedspreads and sheets that go to mattresses no longer in this home.
Headed to Habitat ReStore (where the mattresses went! Just wanted to wash these up to get them ready)
15.2 pounds

11.18.15-wk 5

Continuing the process of DEJUNKIFICATION
Goal: a bag or box a week OUT OF THE HOUSE, 52 such containers by October 13, 2016.

Week 5

Box of winter clothes and special goodies for FartherAwaySon, in Portland.
22.2 pounds

11.14.15

This is how I open a box. 

This is how I open every box. 

I try to use conventional, socially acceptable methods, but every box from lawn furniture to cereal gets this treatment if it refuses to cooperate.

I was fairly excited to find a bedside clock that I liked. I had browsed around online to see what was out there, but nothing caught my eye. You see, I have insomnia. When I wake up, I try NOT to look at my phone to see what time it is. I try NOT to get sucked into the internet vortex and all those blue light rays. Besides, everyone knows that's why you are supposed to buy a PaperWhite Kindle--so the blue light doesn't keep you awake.

So when I found this lovely little clock in my ACE Hardware, I plopped it into my basket. I THOUGHT it said SILENT. Do you see the words SILENT? No, nor do I. Must have been the ugly LED one next to it. tick..tick..tick..tick..tick..tick..tick..tick..

It DOES say luminous hands for night viewing. I expected to be able to use it that night, after popping in the battery. I forgot that in the "CLASSIC" style, the luminosity has to do with being exposed to light first.

Sweet Retro Design

The second night, I forgot that, too. But that's okay. I have a doctor who FINALLY listened to me about my insomnia. I have a new little aid to sleep. Yesterday marked the first time in 30+ years that I had two good nights of sleep in a row. I got so much done those two days! And today is another. I still wake up at 2 or 3 a.m., but I am not finished sleeping for the night! HOORAY! And tonight I will be able to see what time it is without knocking over my glasses, several books, and ripping the cell phone out of the wall because I forget it is charging.

Probably Poirot Approved

Of course, now that I have my perfect clock, I found another, perfecter one. 

If this had been in stock, I would have ordered it immediately. 

Then I would have one for the guest room.

11.12.15

Dejunkifying continues. I feel like I want to organize all this stuff so you can see where I am. So I can see where I am.

One of the first things to leave the house was this double bed with under drawer system. The mattress left, too. I started to record weights with the pictures of things when my computer gave up the ghost. Now, I will try to retrace and continue forward.

This is a picture of the King Size bed I had, once upon a time. It and the mattress, left a year ago to Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Blue Ridge. This was before I started
Dejunkifying, so it doesn't count. I lost the picture I took of the double bed that was just like it, this can stand in. 

WEEK 1

Well, maybe it was more like this. At least, last time I saw it, it was. It had 12 drawers and a long drawer from foot to head. This one shows only the bottom level of drawers. It is a platform style, so only a mattress is needed, not box springs.


I figure the double bed system weighed about 500 pounds, and the mattress about 125 pounds.

WEEK 2

The air compressor was 29 pounds

WEEK 3

The box was 36.2 pounds

Week 4

The bags were 10.6 pounds








So. In the first month, the household is 700.8 pounds lighter. I will try to make Wednesday my dejunkifying post day. 

11.09.15

Spent several hours coordinating photos between devices. I think I can catch you up on all the decluttering. On October 13, I posted that my goal was to remove a bag or box of "stuff" from the house every week for 52 weeks. I DID do this, and photographed it, I just didn't have computer access to post up on the blog, so here is what has left the house:

October 20

One of these type things--to a close family friend. If only I was sure all the parts were together. And it would be great if I ran across the instruction book...

October 27

Thrift store stuff

November 3

Bags of stuff to specific people

                   

I have been busy. There are piles of stuff just waiting to be photographed and sent on its way. If I only had time to figure out how to make my computer and my blog program get along...As you can see, they haven't agreed on how to show writing beside the photos, nor have they agreed upon how to show the photos on the page. Oh, well, at least I am fairly caught up with the 52 boxes or bags.

11.06.15

After more than a month away from my dear, old, ASUS laptop, I could not stand to be limited to my phone and iPad for internet. It was so tricky to even use the internet that way, I could not even BEGIN to write blog posts. 

Catching up:
I have been getting rid of a huge bag or box of "STUFF" each week. I have the photos on my phone--maybe. 

I keep getting messages that my iCloud is beyond capacity to store and back up data. I am prompted to increase storage, but when I touch the correct button, it does not take me anywhere that I can do that. Imagine that happening several times a day. Me: wanting to add more cloud mass, but never arriving where I need to be to go to the next step.

ANYway, I will post photos of old stuff that left when I get a chance. It looks like I have 4 boxes or bags to show. If I can get those photos, I will! I am determined to send out a box or bag a week for 52 weeks.

Blog may be sporadic while I get used to this new contraption. As you may remember, Apple is not matched up to my brain. 

I have a PC brain. 

But, I have an Apple phone, and an iPad. I think Apple is slowly training my brain so it can function with Apple products. 

My first difficulty is opening this laptop. Not only do I keep trying to do it from the back, I almost drop it every time I try to get my fingers in place to part the screen from the keyboard. I have figured it out but I am still so clumsy.

I could NOT get the hang of using the onboard mouse. Nope. I was delighted that she let me use my USB Logitech mouse, which has right and left click. However, she has to remind me that she is boss. The scroll wheel works BACKWARDS. Yup, backwards. When I want a page to scroll down as I am reading, I have to reel that wheel UP. Training is slow, but the rewards are quite nice.

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.

9.10.15

Like many people my age, I love my computer. I love the multitude of things I can find to read about, learn about, play with. I love that it gives me access to immeasurable amounts of information, videos, images, and I don't have to go find my library card. I can "save" whatever I find, and put it wherever I want it. In fact, I can print just about anything I can find, if I want a hard copy. 

When it is time for a major update such as going from Windows 7 to Windows 10, I meet the challenge with determination and not a little fear. What if my desktop is no longer recognizable? What if I have files so old they can no longer be accessed by my "new-improved" programs? What if my defaults are faulty? WHAT IF MY BROWSER GETS CHANGED AND MY BOOKMARKS DISAPPEAR?

I did it anyway. All by myself. My book marks did NOT disappear. My browser seems unscathed. I did have issues with some of my defaults, but I figured out how to fix them.

WINDOWS 10
Do NOT walk toward the light, unless you are
confident that you can restore your defaults.

I love Microsoft Picture Manager. I am not sure what Windows 10 calls the thing they forced on me instead, but I hate it. I hate it so much, I considered buying a MacBook.

GULP.

I could not use what they gave me. I could not edit easily, I could not target where my pictures would be saved, I could not select a saved image to open with a different program for different styles of editing. 

But I have internet access. I was able to research how to get Picture Manager to be the program I use to view all my images. I can save an image where I want it, select a different program, such as Paint, to run edits, save it, and open it again in Picture Manager for further edits.

I am pretty happy about that.

9.9.15

So. I am ready for October. I know, it is still September.

Those are Utz Cheese Balls. I always wanted to spend the five or so dollars to get one of these giant containers. I was recreational WalMarting the other day, looking at Fall items and thinking about how MUCH I like PUMPKINS and came up with this idea.

9.8.15

TEA TIME TUESDAY
My current favorite two mugs are made by Eric Van Eimeren of VE POTTERY in Helena, Montana.

Nothing makes me feel quite like I feel when I am holding a well-made mug. I found the first one on an Etsy search and bought it to try. I liked it so much, I asked him to let me know when he made any more using the same clay in a similar style. I like that these two are a little different, yet very much the same. 

I have cut out coffee.

Wow.

Yes. I cut out coffee, except for the occasional de-caf. Mostly, I drink green tea--my favorite Genmai Cha. It took me hardly any time at all, only gave me a headache when I was "hiking" a bit of the Donner Pass, and only for about 20 minutes. I think part of that can be attributed to the elevation, my aversion to exercise, and the unfailing cheerfulness of my companions.

What I miss about my morning cup of coffee:
1. the aroma
2. the way that first sip is a promise that TODAY I WILL DO GREAT THINGS IF I FEEL LIKE IT
3. the pleasure in knowing if there is left-over coffee, I can make iced coffee, as long as I don't drink it after 2:00 p.m., and it will NOT cost me $5.00, nor will I have to drink it from a plastic cup with not enough ice and nowhere to throw away my cup when I realize I really don't like Starbucks.
What I do not miss about my morning cup of coffee:
1. having to pee one half gallon every 20 minutes for the first 4 hours of my day

What I like about green tea in the morning:
1. that smug feeling ALL green tea drinkers have when they announce, "I drink green tea. It is so good for you."
2. It reminds me of the first time I had green tea I liked and was told how to make it correctly.
3. It promises that WHAT I DO TODAY WILL BE GREAT. IT IS JUST A MATTER OF HOW I WISH TO FRAME IT IN MY MIND.
What I do not like about green tea in the morning:
1. It is not coffee.

8.5.15

I am pretty good at doing this. When I can, I try to decide the night before. 

It takes practice. Everyday. Sometimes hourly, but it can be done.

7.24.15

OH, OH!
Mid-FloridaSister-in-Law and Brother-in-Law visit soon. She has been learning to make Indian Food--one of my all-time favorite cuisines. 

I asked her to come up with something MILD and tasty.
I don't know what to expect. They eat WASABI PEAS and JALAPENO POTATO CHIPS as a pastime, not as a punishment.

7.23.15

Found it on FaceBook, via George Takei. Do you think it is true? I could have done that all day Monday and Tuesday, when I did nothing but sit around doing nothing. I could have gotten ahead on my tape starting. I could have started a couple of rolls for neighbors and friends. I have wasted my time, not wasting time. Or is that NOT wasted my time, wasting time?

7.22.15

As if you need a reason to order from Missour Star Quilt Company...

When you place an order, you get this email:
Thanks for your order at the Missouri Star Quilt Company!

We just want to let you know that your quilting supplies have been meticulously gathered, placed on a red velvet pillow, and delicately escorted by 25 of our finest employees to our shipping department. Our master shipper has dutifully performed his craft, lovingly packing your order in the finest materials known to man.

Our team gathered to give your package the proper send-off it deserved. Tears of joy were shed, speeches were given, and there was even a farewell cake. Following the festivities, the whole group, led by our local high school marching band playing the song Leaving on a Jet Plane, ushered your order through downtown Hamilton, Missouri. No, we don't own a Jet Plane, but your package was placed in the care of a roguishly handsome man who is riding in a majestic horse-drawn carriage which is on its way to your home as you read this.

Although the products you've ordered will be sorely missed here at MSQC, we are overjoyed that they have found a good home. Take care of them, treasure them, and when you make something beautiful with them, make sure you share it with us on facebook, twitter, or just send us an email, we love to see what you make!.


*Note the above is a slight dramatization of what actually happened with your order, but seriously we did ship it, and here is the tracking info:


Not only that, but they have some really good daily deals if you are on their email list.

7.21.15 #NationalJunkFoodDay

Having missed National Ice Cream day (it was the 19th) I made sure not to miss today--NATIONAL JUNK FOOD DAY.

Seal 'em? Who do they think they are addressing?

There is nothing remotely healthy in these Heath Pieces. Even the chocolate is MILK chocolate, not dark. Pour 'em. Pop 'em. Enjoy.