a decluttering story . . .

Do you remember when you first started quilting (or any craft, for that matter), and all the tools and gadgets that seemed so necessary were overwhelming in both the scope and the cost of it all? 

I do.

The biggest for me was the rulers and squares.  They make such a difference in cutting pieces accurately!  And while you can get away with a few select sizes, it's just easier to have the range.  It just is.  So over the last twenty years or so, I've been diligent in collecting.  Let's face it; I've never been shy in my love of gadgets and collecting them.  Rulers were right up my alley.  

It started with the OmniGrid rulers, then I switched over to Creative Grids.  Then Quilters Select rulers were introduced.  And finally I replaced (almost—95%) all my OmniGrid rulers. 

Only I didn't really replace them.  I just added to my collection.  Which was unintentional . . . I didn't really want multiple sets of 2.5" squares, for example.  I just wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the ones I didn't use anymore. I sure didn't want to just <gasp> throw them away! Until I found a friend who has just taken up quilting (and taken to it with a passion), and you know what? She needed rulers.  So guess what?!  I don't have multiples anymore!  Well ... I may have multiples, but I don't have any more (almost) OmniGrid rulers . . . they went to a good home where they'll be used to make lots of happy quilt beneficiaries smile. 

The end.  :)

In other news, the drive to cull my rulers started a welcome chain reaction and I spent the majority of yesterday cleaning/organizing my Nook space. It had gotten a little (a lot) out of control; I'm much happier with it now! 

Large rulers and specific job rulers are easy to find.  I love this screen.  It does a great job of corralling my creative space, and is terrific storage.  Here's the front:

The entrance to the Nook is right there at my front door.  I hated the thought that the first thing people would see when they walked into my home, was (potentially) my creativity in the throes of progress.  We all know what that looks like! So the screen was the perfect solution, and provided both storage and display space.  Win/win!

I had started using the cubicles as catch all.  I went through each one and tamed that to manageable. 

Part of that was pulling fabric out and putting it into bins in some sort of system.  So this is what that looks like finished . . .

Bins of fabric, just waiting for me to sit 'n sew. Shew!

And then my cutting table had also become a bit of a disaster site.  Some of it was paper clutter, some of it was fabric clutter.  It was an easy drop off point.

Now it's just ready for projects! As you can see, my next wool project is ready to set and sew! Aaah, and you can also see where my finished cross stitch pieces go to wait some sort of final finishing inspiration. Ahem.

I still need to do some reorganizing with my Nook book shelf.  

I have magazines on it that I need to move to the cubes.  Magazines don't really do well on this shelf.  It's the rotating that does it in. (And the cats.)

Ellie and I found our next cross stitch pattern to stitch together.  Teresa Kogut's Give Thanks. 

At first I wondered if it might be too stitch heavy for Ellie.  But then I thought about the samplers 8-year-old girls worked way back in the day . . . I think 13-year-old Ellie can manage this just fine! I had to order the linen and some of the floss, but we should be ready to go sometime next week!

I continue to work on Lady Halloween. Actually, I had to go back and look at my last post to see if I had in fact worked on it!  I have.

Not much, but I've worked on other things, too!  Maybe this will be my slow stitching project for Sunday!  I'll link that up with Kathy's Quilts on Sunday!

Speaking of working on other things, I finished my little Halloween orts tray . . .

I'm so pleased!  The "BOO!" was an add-on by me.  I centered the design horizontally, but misread misinterpreted the instructions, so there was a whole lot of space at the bottom.  Which was perfect, because I really wanted some purple in that stitchery, and "BOO!" was the perfect place for it!

I'll leave you with a little game of Where's Waldo (aka Starry)?

Have a great weekend!!  :)

friday on my mind . . .

Ever heard of that song?  By The Easybeats -- an Australian rock & roll band from the sixties.  The lyrics are kind of funny -- hodge podge -- and the music is classic sixties à la The Monkeys.  There aren't really a whole lot of songs with Friday in the title (comparatively -- especially to Saturday, Sunday and Monday).  This one -- Friday on My Mind -- won out for today's title appearance.  Gee ... I hope I don't have to pay royalties or anything!

Speaking of winning ... I've got some!  Winners, I mean.  Yay!!  Stay put!

I'm not posting another picture of my quilting bunk room ... because it looks exactly the same as it did Wednesday.  It's apparent I haven't had decluttering the quilt room on my mind!

I have had fun with my crazy quilting course!  On Wednesday I did some shopping for embellishments and the like . . . 

What fun, what fun!!  Almost as good as bring home piles of fabric.  LOL!  I probably won't use/need all of this for this course, but this is the year of crazy quilting for me, so I do plan on putting it all to good use in some form or fashion! I went straight from shopping to visit with Joc and Ellie.  

My sweet girls!

Leia was particularly interested in my yarn (aka fiber) selections.  I'm so glad they met with her approval.  Linking her up with Feline Friday over at Sarah Did It!  ;)

Ellie had fun showing me her toys.  I can't get over how fast she's growing!  

She's such a charmer, too.  I adore how she tilts her head to one side, when she's being cute and lovable!!

Leia watches from a safe height.  

She's learned that Ellie is a pretty fast crawler and also has a decent reach. I get the feeling that Leia's very curious about Ellie and almost likes her ... she just does NOT want to be touched by Ellie!

Ellie loves to be read to ... she'll sit quite nicely and turn the pages when directed.  My favorite to read to her is a classic . . .

Yes, I meant literally!  LOL!  Is a girl ever too young to be interested in Pride and Prejudice??!  Of course, this is just a counting primer. (Did you know that word is pronounced "primmer" with a short i sound?  I did not.)  But it's quite darling.  I got it for Ellie for her birthday.  Here's my favorite page . . .

Four marriage proposals -- that just cracks me up.  Like I said, too cute!!

My crazy quilt block is ready for embellishing, but the thought of it really overwhelmed me.  Having never done this before, I wasn't sure where to start with all that BLANK space.  Being the visual person that I am, I decided to print out a picture of my block (which will be a thread roll-up when the project is complete) and start pencil doodling possible seam treatments and embellishments.

This is my mock-up!  It's a rather fascinating process.  Of course, it won't look exactly like that because there will be stitches I'll be required to use ... and of course I won't use black floss ... and some of it will be buttons or beads or ribbon!  I'm really excited with the direction this is going!

Tomorrow we have a big work day at the camp -- to get the obstacle course all finished up!  Yay!!  We've got about 25 or so volunteers planning on coming out to help, so it will be a big day.  I can't wait!  I -- along with some very sweet volunteers -- will be manning the camp kitchen and helping prepare and serve lunch to all our hungry workers.  Hoping for sunny skies!

And finally ... would you like to know who the winners are of the book, Decluttering Now!?  

Mr. Random.org helped me out here ... the two winners are:

Gone Country of From City Streets to Country Roads, who wrote:

Sounds like a wonderful book since it hits on how to handle the 'stuff' in our lives but also how to handle the other 'stuff' in them as well. What a great balance that we all need. I also like the part about serving the Lord will all your heart and how can we when our hearts (and minds) are a cluttered mess!

Crossing my fingers for winning this giveaway as I daily struggle to combat the mental need for 'stuff' and I have no room nor need for most of it!

And Jan of Red Sock Mama, who wrote:

Oh my, a Christian based book on decluttering? A dream come true. I've been a functional hoarder for years. I look like a minimalist on the surface, but just beneath is a jumble-in all areas! I'm realizing now that tossing out is simply treating symptoms...need to get to the source!

Congratulations to both ladies!  As soon as I get mailing information from you, I'll pass it along to Sherry, so she can put books in the mail!  And a BIG thank you to Sherry and Lindon for so graciously providing!

Happy Friday, y'all -- have a GREAT weekend!!

:)

what's going on . . .

Don't forget ... tomorrow's the last day to get in on my Declutter Now! book giveaway -- check it out HERE!!  I've really enjoyed reading the comments that have been posted -- and Sherry and Lindon have, too!  :)

I thought I'd successfully kicked the crud . . . but no, it's back.  I think this is going on four or five weeks now!  I'm tired, tired, TIRED of it!  Anyone know a cure?  I'm open to anything!  LOL!

I did have a couple of mailbox happies to brighten my days this week.  First up was this darling little book from Angie, over at A Quilting Reader's Garden.  

She'd e-mailed me and said her first winner never responded and I was second in line, was I interested.  Ummmm, yes!!!  I was even more delighted when I opened the book ... there are some sweet projects in it -- but these two *really* caught my eye:

Aren't they PRECIOUS?!!  I'm a sucker for blue and yellow combinations! Not to mention button embellishments and yo-yo's.  And the daisies are too cute!

Then today I had a little surprise happy waiting for me . . .

A fabric squishy from Sharon over at Vroomans Quilts!  That pink is seriously beautiful.  And check out the flower panel . . .

My mind is whirling from the possibilities!  What a lovely gesture from a lovely lady!  :)

I wish I could say that since my last post I'd wisely spent some time in the quilting bunk room, restoring order. 

As you can see, that's *so* not the case.  In fact, I think it probably looks worse! It rather looks like a fabric store exploded.  I started a basic crazy quilting course (again, compliments of StitchMAP -- I *love* this group) and spent Monday evening (and probably some of Tuesday, too) tossing through my fabric stash bins, trying to find the perfect fabric combinations for my first projects . . .

I finally settled on these three combinations -- after a lot of auditioning (which included wailing and gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair and flinging of fabric).  I think it was worth the angst.  Here's my first block:

Of course, the embellishment part comes on down the line.  For this first part, I just got to insert some lace.  I had this sweet little daisy lace on hand that just kind works perfectly, don't you think?  I can't wait for further embellishing assignments!!

Today I'm headed to Ellie's ... I probably need to stop and buy one of those germ masks.  Because I'm going and snuggling with my baby girl! That's a sure cure for what ails ya' -- hope y'all have a great day, too!

:)

decluttering now! a review and a giveaway . . .

This post is late!  I just realized . . . scheduling a post to automatically publish requires that one actually set the date and time you want your entry posted.  It works better that way!!

I had the extreme pleasure of reading Declutter Now! by Lindon & Sherry Gareis.  After first seeing the title, I thought this book would be about decluttering spaces.  An idea which I've blogged about as I attempted to declutter my own space and life.  But happily, Declutter Now! is more than just another book to help you dispose of *stuff* ... much more!

Happily, though, it does include a section on decluttering the *stuff* ... which is a good place to start when one is wanting to start decluttering.  After all, as is pointed out early in chapter one, I ain't ever seen no hearse with a U-Haul behind it!  Too true!  And right off the bat, they hit on several 'mindsets' that I've struggled with in clearing out the junk:  1)  more is better or getting just to get (this one was pretty convicting because my fabric stash immediately popped into my mind when I read this one), 2)  clinging to the past -- all the momentos, boxes of pictures, papers, etc., and 3)  fear.

And not only did Sherry and Lindon list and explore the markers of a cluttered life, they gave practical and Scriptural solutions to dealing with these things. They're very real in sharing how this process worked out in their own lives.  They are both very relate-able and real and have terrific ability to share their story with a sense of humor.

Beyond the *stuff*, they also delve into decluttering debt, the activity clutter, obligation clutter, relationship clutter and emotional baggage clutter.  The whole point of the book being that it's not just our stuff that crowds our homes and lives.  There are lots of things that can take our focus where it really should be.  In Luke 10:27, Jesus says, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind...  As the Gareis point out in chapter seven, how can you love God with all your mind, if you mind is a cluttered, stressed-out and burdened mess?

One last thought from the book that I'll leave you with ... Decluttering not only involves removing the negative, but also knowing what is healthy to keep and do.  Sherry and Lindon do a fabulous job of helping point out the clutter ... and helping one see the balance ... the things worth keeping and how to keep them.  

I was very impressed with this book and the information shared is invaluable. More information can be found about the Gareis and the book on their website Action Plan Ministries.  They also have a facebook page for Declutter Now! on which they're running a 40-day declutter challenge! 

From the back of the book: Lindon and Sherry Gareis, founders of Action Plan Ministries, debut their writing career with Declutter Now! They are small group leaders and certified Christian Life Coaches from Glendale, AZ with hearts that desire to serve God in a mighty way.

The best news??  After chatting with Sherry, who's a delightful lady, she's offered to send a copy of Declutter Now! directly to two of my readers!  How cool is that?  (It means I get to keep my copy!) All you have to do is leave a comment -- share an aspect of your life that could stand a little decluttering! I'll leave it open until midnight, February 7 (Thursday), and announce the winner on Friday!  For a second chance, make sure you're a follower and let me know.  Two opportunities -- two comments.  And make sure I have a way of contacting you!

**This giveaway is now closed ... thank you for participating!**

I should point out that Lindon and Sherry Gareis provided me with a copy of Declutter Now! at no charge in exchange for my fair and unbiased review.

:)

decluttering the foods we eat . . .

Okay.  So yesterday I talked about the decluttering process and how that's going.  This morning I spent an hour pouring over blog I found via my sweet daughter-in-law, called 100 Days of Real Food.  Basically, it talks about eliminating all processed foods from your family's diet.  Extreme, right?  Or is it?  When I think about the last 13 weeks--the amount of time I've been working the South Beach diet--I realized we have been eating very little of processed foods.  You know why?  Because they're not on the SB plan.  You know why?  Because they're not good for you!  That was a proverbial "face-palm" moment for me!  

This subject seems to be bombarding me on a regular basis lately.  I read a post just yesterday from Keeper of the Home (my decluttering source) about "The Well-Planned Breakfast".  In that post she talks about how the cereal industry has essentially packaged junk food and placed it on the grocery store shelves as nutritious and healthy.  And I know that's not the case with every kind of cereal, but it probably is more often than not.  In her post she goes on to give lots of great ideas for easy, truly healthy breakfasts.

I digress . . . back to the real food blog.  I'm both a little fascinated and a little afraid of this kind of challenge.  Because processed foods have been a part of my eating -- and cooking -- for a long time.  So again I go back to the last 13 weeks ... where most of what I've been serving/eating is whole foods ... and I don't feel like I've suffered or done without and I've lost over 33 pounds (which, if you do the math, averages to just over 2.5 pounds per week -- not too shabby).  I feel good, I feel nourished (I'm obviously energized, or I wouldn't be so bent on this decluttering thing) . . . maybe there's something to this.  Haha ... ya' think?!

Lisa, the blog owner, has done a very good job of defining real food, providing recipes and resources, sharing her kitchen essentials (appliances, gadgets, cookbooks, etc.), essential items for her pantry, refrigerator and freezer, some terrific, practical real food tips, and even some free meal plans -- she has four available, two that target spring and summer, where fresh produce is readily available.  Her meal plans are practical for on-the-go families and budget-friendly, too.  She's got a 100-day pledge ... but for those who are a little intimidated by that idea (like me!), she's also got 100 days of mini-pledges and, for us really slow starters (like me!), she's got a short 10-day pledge ... something to allow you to get your feet wet and decide if the whole thing is for you, without having to make a three month pledge!  Some food for thought, so to speak.

Anyway, all that said ... how about my favorite Chicken Salad Recipe?  I've made it several times this summer and it fits nicely into the whole foods category -- and it's a yummy, summer comfort food!

2 cups cooked, chopped chicken

1 stalk celery, diced

1 dill pickle, finely chopped

3/4 cup diced apple

3/4 cup green grapes, cut in quarters

1/4 cup scallions, very finely chopped

1/4 cup pine nuts, coarsely chopped

1/4 walnuts, almonds, or pecans, coarsely chopped

dash of nutmeg

dash of celery seed

1/3 cup of mayonnaise (just enough to bind it all together)

Mix all the ingredients together.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve on lettuce or in a tomato bowl on between two slices of whole grain bread.  Yummy!  Bon appetite!

Linking up today with Living Well Wednesdays!

And, if you've hung in with me this far, here's a happy tip -- Connie at Quilting by the River is having a marvelous "batik surprise giveaway" -- you *definitely* want to check it out!!

I'm headed over to Ellie's house to play!  Yay for me!!  

:)