1.29.16--One of the Ways Eleanor Burns Affected My Life

Eleanor Burns
photograph by Orion 

Eleanor Burns is one of our present day quilting foremothers. Tons of information is available about her all over the webisphere, but today I want to tell you how she recently affected me, personally, in a non-quilty way.

Earlier this winter, long before the decluttering and 3 Goals a Day, I was rattling around in this house with no one but the dog to talk to. I turned to YouTube via my television screen, since I don't get television in the traditional sense.

I was in a quilting frame of mind, so I queued up some Eleanor shows. She is so generous with her talents. There is no charge to watch her shows, unlike many other quilting professionals. Eleanor was in the background while I folded and organized fabric. 

I wish I could find the exact sound clip, but she said she had one chore she just HATED to do. She put it off and put it off until she just had to do it--empty the dishwasher. 

She thought that she had to make a change in her attitude about that, so she timed herself and I think she said it took less than eight minutes. Maybe it was four minutes. Anyway, she concluded she could easily tackle the chore because it hardly took any time at all once she got started. 

And that is the key. That first step, that first move in the direction you intend to go. That first step can take days longer than the actual task. 

So, I thank Eleanor for setting me on the road toward making goals, and moving my successful goals to daily habits. You already know I got myself back into the bed-making habit. I moved a new daily goal to my #1 spot and it is almost permanent enough to move off the daily list, it is almost a habit. I have to admit, I have missed this goal 4 times in the past 20 days. It isn't, yet, a habit. But I think in another 10 days, I will have it! 

The two other goals on the list vary according to what needs to be done around the house. I will have to come up with new #1 to make permanent and I think I have just the right thing.

1.27.16--WEEK 14, WEEK 15

DJUNKIFICATION 
It continues, but with a new slant. Instead taking EVERYthing somewhere, I am saving up some things for a huge porch sale this spring. Thanks to QuiltyFriend for schlepping the things that were too heavy for me. Many hands, light work.

WEEK 14 (Last week): Extra office chair. I have three upstairs in the Sewing Studio. Who needs a fourth? Slated for the porch sale!

WEEK 15 (TODAY! CAUGHT UP!!!) Household stuff, including two lampshades I removed off of perfectly good lamps and bought perfectly nice traditional shades. Metallic animal print just isn't my thing.

1.23.16

Its pretty chilly out, 20 degrees and the wind is howling. The dog doesn't even want to mess  around when it is time to go out. I read all day yesterday.  

I had organized the window seating area in my dining room a day or so ago, looking for things to remove. I found dozens of table cloths in all configurations, half a dozen placemat sets, a food dehydrator, and two woks, among other things. I would gladly give up the table cloths and placemat sets, woks, well, even the food dehydrator, but all I was inspired to do was straighten them up and return them.



Not true.


I sporadically straightened the pantry. Lots of glass jars for my bulk goods. Labels, too. 

1.18.16-WEEK 12, WEEK 13

Dejunkification--WEEK 12

So. Dragon around trying to catch up. Books to Humane Society Thrift Store--12 pounds

Dejunkification--WEEK 13

Clothes and household to Humane Society Thrift Store--4 pounds


I ordered some Banker's Boxes today to set aside Dejunkified garage salable stuff. It is time to cut loose some of this Depression Glass. Who needs 6 sets of dishes? Who wants to list them for sale on Etsy and then pack them and mail them?

Planning a Porch Sale the first weekend after Easter, if the weather looks good. 

1.10.16--Slaying Dragons

Out of the house and on the road. NINE tasks completed. Unfortunately, only one of those was on my 3 Goals list for today, but I feel pretty good about those other 8. I even got home by 1:00 p.m.

Maybe tomorrow will find me looking closer at the 3 Goals list since I won't be distracted by things such as dentist, post office, gas, groceries, etc. I even managed to check the air in my tires and fill up the two that made the light show up on the dashboard.

First snow flurries yesterday, some snow on the roof, but none on the ground.  Time to cuddle up with a book and a dog. 

1.10.16--Dragon Trouble

So. I have had trouble dragon my butt out of the house to do things. Heck, I have had trouble dragon my butt AROUND the house to do things.

All the dejunkification posts for December, I made ahead. I realize I am a post behind on those, and I will try to do two loads this week. December has found me in hibernation mode--moving slowly and not with much ambition. 

For that reason, I decide I needed a different take on the typical New Years Resolutions. Instead, I am doing 3 small goals a day. If I can cross one off the list, I feel good about myself. When I started, MAKE MY BED was the first goal for each day. The first year of my sorrow, I had no trouble accomplishing this task. It had never been my job before because the rule had been, first out makes the coffee, last out makes the bed. Still, it was easy in the first year to hop right out and set the room to rights so it looked inviting when time came to go to bed at night.

Somewhere around September, I sort of just stopped making the bed. In fact, I stopped making an effort in a lot of small ways. Recognizing this as a pattern that was gaining momentum, I decided to stop the nonsense. I came up with the 3 goals a day. At first, I could only accomplish 1 goal. Bed was first on my list, so after about 2 weeks, it became habit and I moved it from the list. Now I have another goal in its place. Typically, my first goal is the same goal every day in the hopes that it becomes habit, and I can move it from my list. The other goals vary.

One day, one of my goals was clean off all the stuff magneted to the refrigerator. I was so surprised at how easy this was. Another day, it was straighten out the book case in the living room. It was one of the hardest tasks to date. It was a day filled with tears for me. It didn't help that I was looking for recipes for AwaySon, and I had to go through several books to find what I was looking for. You know I am an unwilling cook, so none of the cookbooks were mine, and few of the recipes were in my hand writing.

Today, I am pleased to say Goal 1 is done. I expect to accomplish Goal 2, and I really hope today Goal 3 will be marked off. I have had Goal 3 on my list everyday for 8 days, now. I can do it. It will hardly take any time at all. I can do it.