When things go bang!

Thanks for the comments—there are always so many good ones! I laughed when I read the comment about decluttering and how so many people start—let's say on September 1st, which happens to be today—or they begin on New Year's Day, but they lose interest after a week or so. 

That happens!!! And it has happened to me in the past. I'd get excited and say, "I will get this place neat and tidy." And then, I didn't. However, every time you decide to tidy up, it is the start of making this a new habit. You may "fail" the first couple of times, and there are many good reasons for that: 

• lack of time,
• lack of motivation,
• lack of space (I know -- you need space to tidy up!),
• lack of support from your household members,
• overwhelmed,
• health,
• or you simply forget.

But here's the thing -- it's OK to work at it sporadically, and hopefully, one day, you'll reach the point where you really and genuinely want to make it a priority, and you will want to tidy something up every day. Then it becomes your new habit, and if you're like me - it can become obsessive. OK -- so I'm not obsessive about it - otherwise, the office would be spotless, but I'm making it part of my daily routine, so I don't need to prepare to do the tidy up, I don't make a huge mess while doing it, and it just becomes a normal part of life. 

You need to stop buying things that you don't need! I haven't stopped buying things, but I'm only buying things that I need—OK, except for that darn puzzle. Otherwise, I only buy what I need to fix something or because I'm going to use it. 

I also consider all those "fails" successes. If you manage to clean up a small spot, it will look good, and it's one spot you won't have to do later! Everything is a win!!

So, if today is your new starting point for tidying up, why not start with a drawer? I know I've said that before, but a drawer is so easy. It's self-contained. You can take that drawer to the bed, the kitchen table, or wherever to sort and you probably have loads of choices in your house. Kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, hallway, storage units --- I bet all of them have at least ONE drawer. Make that your task today, and be prepared to be overwhelmed. It should be easy to know what is garbage (hopefully) and what you want to keep, but there are going to be items that you will waffle over. 

Try to deal with everything in that one drawer -- it will be challenging, but the first one is always the most difficult, so pick an easy drawer. Sock drawer??? If it has a hole - it's gone. If it doesn't fit properly? - it's gone. That one should be easy!!

I had a relatively slack day yesterday -- I just could not motivate myself to get anything done, and the applique task almost killed me, but I got it done. I think I will have to take a break as I'm slowing down so much with it that a break of a couple of days would be good. But I must remember to get back to it. I've come so far, and it would be a shame not to finish now. So, you may not hear me talk about the applique for a while. 

The quilt of the day was done—a lovely bright flannel (front and back) quilt for Project Linus. It really "hurt" when I took all my flannel and gave it to Diane to make quilts. She didn't get a chance to use up all the flannel, but she used up a good part. I can't thank her enough for all she did for me!! I sure do miss her! It makes me happy to at least quilt and bind these quilts rather than just giving my flannel stash away and letting someone else deal with it. But then I had Diane to help me. Everyone needs a Diane! 

Community project quilt

All the quilts are trimmed, and the binding is ready to be put on this one. The next one is loaded on the long arm, but I only have three quilts on the list for this week, so I won't quilt it today. I have THREE projects that desperately need my attention, and I had better get moving FASTER on them, or I'm going to be burning the midnight oil. I've been working on them, but I need to spend more time. That's another reason to take a break from the applique.

Remember that messy shelf from the other day.

The before

So, not a whole lot changed, but I removed all the power bars and electrical cords from the shelf and tidied up the IKEA bags. I now have room for a shelf of puzzles, and if I ever buy another one before I finish some of what I have, well, I better get myself together! It looks much better, and it is much easier to access things on the shelf. 

The after

I went to Rona for a sturdy tub to put all the power bars and extension cords in. I had three choices: HUGE, medium, and small. I used my spatial prowess and bought the small one, which was easier to carry home. And it was the perfect size. It's the yellow and black one in the back. 

The power bars and extension cords are contained

A small wine fridge in this storage area must be taken to the recycling place. But it's heavy, and I'm unsure how to get it in the car from the basement. DH can't help, or should I get him to help BEFORE his surgery? 

The wine fridge needs to go

That toolbox is so full that it can't be shut anymore and desperately needs a good cleanout. And I could tuck it under the shelf where the fridge is if I could get that out of there! So, the storage room is much neater than it was, and it took only a short time to make that happen. I removed two large pieces of foam that I had purchased for some reason and never used. So those are both in the giveaway pile now. That freed up the room for the new storage tub and the puzzles to go on the shelf. 

I found this container, which I need to sort through. It contains all the hardware from the blinds that came down when the windows were installed. I suspect all that can go to the metal scrap place, but it still needs to be sorted. 

A bucket of hardware to sort

Something very peculiar happened yesterday. I was sitting at the computer when I heard a loud noise from the backyard. It sounded metallic, but what the heck could it be? Was it in our backyard? Or the neighbor's? Look what happened. 

Where's the glass top?

The glass from this tabletop shattered into a million pieces. What a colossal mess. This is our old table, and I've been meaning to take it to the garage for months so it could be put out in the garbage. That never happened, and so now, instead of dealing with one piece of glass, I have many pieces to deal with. 

I thought I could get my dustpan and scoop up the big pieces. Nope—that didn't work at all. Perhaps I need a new dustpan. Anyway, I got the ShopVac out and vacuumed up the pieces. I didn't quite finish, so I must continue the cleanup today. I need a new bag for the ShopVac as there is no suction. I might not use a bag and fill the container, but I didn't want the glass cutting into the filter around the motor. 

Here's a close-up of that tool. I'm sending pictures to my Dad this morning to see if he can figure it out. What is it, and why would I have it? 

OH -- During my applique journey, I have emptied many bobbins and finished a spool of thread. Let's just say there is a lot of applique and leave it at that. 

Empty spool of thread

Of course, the girls offered to help me clean up the mess—as if!!! They just ignored the whole thing. But look at this dog—it doesn't matter how much I brush her; she still looks a mess. 

MOM -- I'm cute, not a mess!

I mean - seriously? She doesn't even look like I've ever groomed her EVER!!!! 

She's just one big ball of fur

Oh well—I try, and that's all I can do. The more I brush, the more hair needs to come off. I won't brush her at our house anymore, as the hair goes everywhere, so she gets brushed in the forest, where the hair can go wherever! 

YES—I did take the pill this morning, but not because of my alarms, which didn't work. Seriously??? I set a notice for ten minutes before I wanted to take it. What happened to that? But it was so much on my mind that it was the first thing I thought of, so I got up and took it immediately. Obviously, I fail at setting alarms. I will talk to the doctor or the pharmacist and tell them I need a different solution. 

I also think I need to check out this report because I'm still in denial that I need the darn thing! Yep, I'm an old dog and not open to new tricks! Sigh. 

Well, it's time to get the day started -- remember -- pick ONE drawer today and go through it. If you've already cleaned all your drawers, then select one shelf. Our houses have many shelves, such as kitchens, closets, wardrobes, etc. Pick one and see what you can do to improve it!! Heck -- I might even do that today myself!!! I spot one shelf in the office that could use a tidy-up! OK -- there are many, but I see one in particular. 

On that note - I'm out of here!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!