From the chaos comes the calm

Even though I have a hectic week ahead of me, with many day-job presentations, some of which require considerable sample-making and five Zoom meetings on the weekend, I am calm. I am in control!

What happened? After yesterday's three Zoom calls, I looked at the chaos and said, "ENOUGH!" There were samples all over the floor, which Murphy thought was great to trod upon as she attempted to get some petting. Scissors, needles, thread, and hoops were strewn everywhere, and the situation was not working. The visual clutter alone made me—I don't know what's a good word—feel unsettled. 

So, I took matters into my own hands, jumped in the car, and headed to Rona to buy five storage bins. I can always use them afterward for my samples, which will be more handy than they currently are. You can never have too many storage bins. 

What did I do with them? 

Organized at last! 

Three went under the table on one side of my filming area. Each tub has a category of items stored in it. I may not need all the items and will further cul over this week. I do not like storing tubs under tables, but this setup works for this scenario. Once the Zoom classes are over, the bins will be used elsewhere. 

On the other side of that area, it looks like this. 

The other side of the filming area

As I was madly walking around, I spotted this little cabinet of Diane's that had been claimed by someone but was still at my house. I commandeered it to store my scissors (by brand) and needles (by brand). Brilliant—I may not give it away!

A four-drawer cabinet to store supplies

It is now sitting on the corner out of camera view on the table where I've positioned the embroidery machine. 

The other side of the film area

I can now quickly access the most likely asked-about tools, supplies, and samples. There is more to put there, and since some of these categories will have fewer samples, I've got some large zippered bags that I'll put them in. but they will be handy if I need them, rather than saying - Oh - I have a sample, but it's at the other end of the room. This is my command station in Studio B. Why didn't I think of this before? Now, when I have a particular topic, I can put the tub and dump it on the empty table (which needs to remain empty), where I show things under the camera. I can sort it into order to show it, and voila - life is simple! 

Then, I ran around and did some more sorting and tidying. I just couldn't take it any longer. It still looks messy, but WOW --- it's amazing what you can do in less than one hour. I am determined to get this in order. There is a virtual retreat this weekend, and I will continue to tidy!

Studio B is looking a bit more like itself

I have an intense day today, but tomorrow will be much calmer with only one presentation, and it's already prepped, so I aim to finish tidying up that mess to focus and get some work done. I'm doing the happy dance for sure! There wasn't time last week, but now I'm organized, and I say - bring on the chaos - I can deal with anything! 

I must be mindful of the clock to avoid a time crunch the day before a class. So, I'll start working on the weekend presentations when I have time. They have to be done—do not leave them until the last minute. 

I left my serger in its new spot. I found a smaller basket to store the extra bits, and it's ready to go when I need to serge. 

The serger is ready to go

That cover goes over it when it's not used to protect it from all the dust and lint. I do NOT have carpet in the house, or the situation would be worse. I cannot understand how people can have carpets in their sewing spaces - or even their homes. It's so easy to use the Swifter to clean. OK - I confess, I'm a lazy housekeeper. And yes - I had my Swifter out, and it was doing double work as it cleaned debris from nooks and crannies. Then I got the cordless vac out to get the gritty bits! Oh yes -- I'm on a roll, and it feels good! 

Some of Diane's fabrics had been set out and needed to be dealt with. I measured them. Anything greater than 2 yards was labeled and went into the storage room to become backings for the quilts she made.

Fabric for quilt backings

Anything less went into the giveaway pile. I have several people to whom it will go. I will try going through the bags in the garage one at a time because I need to deal with it rather than let it sit there for months.

I got a chuckle when I went to Rona. Why are all the gazebos out? It is almost spring? Did they ever get put away from last year? 

Spring is close - the gazebos are for sale!

The upstairs hall looks like a cyclone went through. I now have smaller boxes, so it will be easy to sort the books to get the fashion-related books out of the house. Then, I can deal with the remainder of the stuff. Well, I'll sort each box as I go - but you know what I mean. Can I get it all done before DH comes home? 

The mess in the upstairs hallway

I'll share more about the boxes tomorrow. I'm off to spin class this morning and have reserved my bike. We can't be having bike wars first thing on Monday morning. 

I did not get out for a walk yesterday, which makes it three days in a row, which is NOT good. However, on Friday, I did over 15,000 steps; Saturday was almost 14,000, and yesterday was over 21,000 steps. I don't think I need to go for a walk. I can put on a lot of steps when I'm in a whirlwind cleaning mode. And it's all about moving - so if I don't get outside, I can survive for a day or two. I still get the morning walks with the girls. 

And if all that wasn't enough, I made soup for the week! I had to cook bacon for the potato soup, and it's ready for lunch today. 

Making soup for the week

Much more happened, but I've run out of time. I cannot express how amazing and in control I feel because of the hour I spent tidying up yesterday. I needed to get some order from the chaos, and those five tubs ($60) made a huge difference. Since these presentations continue until the end of March, I needed to get things under control or I was going to go mad! 

I have some urgent computer work (emails, of course!), but it won't be complete until tomorrow. I have high hopes for what I can achieve tomorrow, so I must manage my time wisely. 

On that happy note - I'm off to spin class. I had my energy bar laced with protein and caffeine. I feel a good workout coming on! Oh my gosh -- I'm so fired up; I could run a marathon right now! It's only 5 AM! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!