I forgot to answer one of the comments about the duplicate winter quilts. That was the second of the $10 quilts that I taught starting back in 2003 or some timeframe like that. Not home to fact-check the date. They were called $10 quilts because the students paid $10 to participate. If they didn't finish their work, they paid another $10 for the next month's pattern, and they got a piece of fabric at the same time. There were multiple variations to that process. Our store (The Hobby Horse) didn't quite follow the same rules as some of the others in the neighborhood.
Although I didn't do the double quilts on the very first one I taught (Pieceful Year), I did on the next two years, this series of four seasonal quilts. Yes, I have two autumn (ready to quilt), two spring (ready to quilt), two winter (quilted, but need to be bound), and I haven't started summer, but to complete the series, I'll make them. Thankfully they are small.
I also did two Cabin in the Woods quilts, and after that, I shook my head and said, "no more duplicate quilts!" These were taught in person, and it was easy to have part of it made and then part of it finished to show the students. No Zoom back then, so you could do some work, take a picture, and then finish it.
The winter and summer quilts were sort of secondary quilts, and we didn't really focus on them in class; they were bonus homework, and probably I and anyone in that class never got them done. My two winter quilts are done. Why did I focus on those? They're on my Visual To-Do list, and the end of the year is coming! Having a list or goal is a great way to focus.
Other than a few things for new classes and the constant need to make new samples, I have NOT started a project just for fun. And you know what? I'm OK with that because I still love all the UFOs that I'm working on. I can't wait to start one of the Christmas quilts in January. I'll have to study that Visual To-Do list and dream up new projects and goals for 2027.
The beginning of next year is already taking shape, and I might have a monthly trip for the first few months, so I'll keep that in mind as I plan how much sewing I can do.
I still have a "few" that I'm not going to finish, but that's OK. I made good progress, and I love the concept, so I'm going to continue with it. Which quilts/projects will make the cut?
Have a look at the comment that Elle made yesterday. She has added a few other tips, as I know she had one day to clear out her family home. I'm not sure I could do that, but you know, when push comes to shove, you just do it! I'm not sure about the Trust thing, but I know that all the documents are in place. That's out of my wheelhouse here- I'm taking care of my parents, and my cousin is doing that stuff for her mom.
When packing, FOCUS is the name of the game. It's been so easy to get distracted, and then we have to get back on track. It's not just packing; we are also sorting things to donate, things to throw out, and things to pack.
It was a dull day here, and we had several personal papers to destroy. We called to confirm that we could have a burn, so we did. Well, that simple little job took several hours, as there was other garbage to burn. But it is done.
When I first started the fire, I put a wee bit too much stuff in the barrel, and it was smoking like mad.
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| My witch's brew!!!! |
But then I got the hang of it, and I had a roaring fire for at least an hour. There were bags and bags and bags of stuff to burn.
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| My beautiful fire |
At one point, I got out a hoe, and near the end, I used it to rake through the ashes to ensure that everything burned. It got pretty hot at times, and I even set the hoe on fire once. Oops. But all is good; we are done with that task, and it cleared out a bunch of stuff from the house.
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| Burning is so much fun! |
My aunt sat nearby, and we had some grand conversations!
We sorted through some stuff that had been hanging around and even had to break into a briefcase. We found a few old bits of currency. I'm not sure how much of this was valid, as one or two pieces were, in fact, facsimiles. Thanks to my Monday Sewing ladies. I think I kept them on their toes all day, asking questions: "What is this?" I knew some of the answers, and I was testing their knowledge. But we had fun with it.
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| Bits of old currency |
We found some old Canadian currency. That one dollar bill at the back is very old. Those can likely be exchanged for existing currency. It is packed, and we'll deal with it after the move.
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| Old Canadian currency |
We found some old Canadian pennies. Yep, those are antiques; the earliest is dated 1907. They are thin and about the size of a quarter. They are not worth much, around $8 CDN.
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| Old Canadian pennies |
I also used the Google picture search function on numerous occasions to find out what some stuff was. That's a pretty interesting thing to do. And amazing how much information is out there on the internet. As someone mentioned, the internet is one big dictionary, or in this case, encyclopedia; you can search with words or pictures.
We found old passports. For whatever reason, I like to keep my passports, and so we kept these. This one expired in 1965, and it was like a small hard-covered book. It's taller than passports today, and bound in a hard cover with a spine. It's a great souvenir, and it would be fun to photograph the inside to keep digitally. I know there is no reason to keep it, but in the spirit of decision-making, we did.
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| Canadian passport from the 1960s |
The next passport, this one expired in 1970, was the same size, but with the soft cover we have today. You can see the old (left) and the new (right).
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| An older version of the Canadian passport with a newer version |
We made a trip to the dump, yep, like everywhere, you need to pay to get rid of things. But it was good to get rid of some of the small odds and ends we no longer need.
As for the hangers, I don't care if an organization can use them -- we got rid of the wire ones. We are donating the nice wooden ones today, but the rest goes. We are dealing with a situation here where the clock is ticking, and time isn't on our side. We have amassed quite a bit of stuff to take to the thrift store today.
I have two days, and while we are on track, we are just slightly behind where I envisioned we would be. We have tackled both bedrooms, and while there is still stuff in them, we've decided whether it gets packed, dumped, or what. Also, everything is packed in those rooms. So that is good. The kitchen is very large, with a huge eating area.
The eating area is a bit of a shambles, so after dinner last night, we started on one side and worked systematically around the room. We made it about halfway around last night. We must continue this morning because that room has to be clear and packed by the end of today. I also need to bring up everything to pack from the basement. While I've had a look, I'm not really sure what is being packed and what is being dumped.
And then we need to tackle the kitchen proper. While my aunt (bless her soul) has already done a lot of clearing and sorting, there is still a lot to go. We have two days! I want to try not to panic pack if we don't have to, but tomorrow might be a panic-packing day.
Not to worry - we will do what we can. The important thing is not to leave odds and ends around -- the goal is to work around the rooms.
Packing with seniors (I'm allowed to say that because I am also a senior) means they look at the obvious stuff but don't look behind doors, under beds, or in those little nooks and crannies. So that is my job, and then I ensure that a decision gets made about everything! My aunt will be very happy to see me go!
You know what I'm going to say next. It's not the big stuff, the towels in the linen closet, the dishes in the kitchen, that's troublesome to pack; it's all the crappy stuff you didn't deal with because you didn't know what to do with it.
MAKE those decisions now. Clean out the junk drawer. Deal with the stuff that belonged to a loved one who is no longer here; yep, we are dealing with some of that as well. It's all these piddly little things that eat up time when you're getting ready to move. So if you take a little bit at a time NOW -- then guess what? When you are ready to move, it will be easy.
It makes me want to run home (OK -- I'll fly) and then spend three days in that office and literally just dumping stuff. But I can't just toss an entire box without looking at it. I need to touch each thing; do NOT try to change me- that is how I am wired. And then, without putting it back in the box because you don't know how to deal with it, you MUST deal with it! This is the HARDEST thing about decluttering. Make a decision, relive the memory it brings, and then decide whether you want a SMALL box of little mementos or a picture, and toss it. Be ruthless! I mean RUTHLESS.
I am looking for a word to signify 2027 (the word for 2026 was goals), and I might just take on RUTHLESS for 2027. I can make it on the embroidery machine, and then I'll carry that darn thing to the office or wherever I am decluttering. How can I embellish the word ruthless? I mean -- how to enhance the word. For GOALS, it became a soccer theme and is quite cute. I'm sure you all remember that little wall hanging.
Whatever you do, DO NOT set it aside to decide another day. I've been sending pictures to various people asking if they want such and such. In ALL cases, the answer was NO. So don't assume your family/friends want your castoffs. They do NOT!!!!
Yes, I could work faster, but this is NOT my stuff, and I don't have the authority to rip through it. And I'm OK with that. My aunt and I are having the grandest of conversations as things bring back memories for both of us, or I hear more of her stories. It's been a great time so far, and we still have two more days!
Someone must have been reading my blog and prepared the following words of wisdom. There were more in the series, but I got the most fun from these.
How many times have I said this?
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| Chair squats!!! |
Or this?
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| Bone density!!!! |
And here is one about healthy eating. OK -- so I had a muffin yesterday. I'm OK with that - I might have one today, and then I'm back home. I'll be OK.
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| So true |
I don't care if pills will help -- I want to live my life WITHOUT pills for as long as I can!!! I can sacrifice eating those sweets! It's really no big deal.
This one doesn't really apply to me right now; I think I'm pretty good at seeking help when I need it.
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| See medical help if you need it. |
And this one is definitely me, which is why I'm back at the gym, staying active and eating better.
Speaking of eating better, I found this yogurt in the grocery store, and I bought some slivered almonds for my snack. It's plain, so it's a bit bland; I'll flavor it at home, or I'll check how much sugar is in the vanilla flavor.
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| High protein yogurt |
And when we were at the grocery store yesterday, someone was handing out samples of this. Some of these shakes are horrible, but I tried two different ones nd they were pretty good. So I found a couple of healthy, high-protein snacks to replace the muffin. YEAH!!!!
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| Protein shake |
It's so easy to get complacent in anything in our lives. What we eat, what we ignore at home, and so many other things. I do NOT recommend moving frequently to take care of that stuff, but sometimes we need to look around our houses and at our bodies and really take a look. Do we like what we see? If not, only YOU and ME can take care of ourselves and our surroundings.
And it's best to take care of it sooner rather than later. I don't want to worry about clearing out clutter when that time comes. If that means clearing out the clutter NOW, then when it comes time to move, there will be so little to move that it will be a non-issue. That's what I'm going to aim for. And imagine how easy it will be to move, no matter your age!
Imagine that on the day you decide to move, you simply pack your clothes (one suitcase), call the moving van to box up your few possessions, and that's it. The rest is already gone because you don't use it. That's my ultimate goal. Then, no matter how old I am, I'll be able to handle it. Think of all those hidden places - the garage, the basement (OK - so I'm still in denial about that darn basement), the top shelves in your kitchen cupboards, the linen closet, under the bathroom sink, the garden shed, the side of your house- yes, people collect crap along the side of their houses. GET RID of anything you do not need. And trust me, those spaces can hide a lot of items. I've been through most of those areas at my house, and I've left very little.
One of the bathrooms upstairs is completely EMPTY. Except for a few items in the linen closet that should be donated, the 12-foot-long vanity is EMPTY. I'll take a picture when I get home!
And guess what? If you are no longer physically able, hire some young men, a junk removal service, or something. Why not ask your kids for a junk removal service this Christmas if they want to give you a gift? OH, that's a great idea: junk removal, a decluttering agency, or you can hire me! I'm RUTHLESS, especially with other people's stuff, and I don't take no for an answer! I will make you decide, or I'll do it for you!
And keep the lines of communication open -- I'm chatting with various family members to see what, if anything, they want. Taking pictures of items, sending them, and asking questions as you go means things don't sit around while you wait for them to come to you. Get it done NOW!!!!
I've got a lot of work to do!
It's going to be a glorious day!!!!
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