Some Organizing and a Quilt Update...

Quote for the Day:

"It's a sure sign of summer if the chair gets up when you do."

~Walter Winchell

We got back home on Sunday from our visit to our son and daughter-in-law's house in Georgia.  I brought back with me one doozy of a cold.  I've been really sick with this cold...and hoping that my left eardrum doesn't burst from the pressure because my hearing still hasn't returned in my right ear, yet.   :(

I also brought back with me several baskets that I found when we were out "thrifting" while there.  I like to use baskets for organizing, and my stash of square and rectangular baskets was nil.   I've gone to only buying baskets that have straight sides and are, preferably, square or rectangular because they are the best at utilizing space without wasting any.  I will occasionally buy oblong baskets as long as they have straight sides, and only buy round baskets if I have a specific use for that particular round one or if it is really small round basket...the kind that are good for corralling things on a desk or table.  So, whenever we are out "thrifting", I look for baskets that are good for organizing...and are CHEAP!  BTW...any basket with straight sides will do.  If it is an ugly color, I just spray paint it white.  If it has a stationary handle, I often remove it by cutting it off level with the basket part.  This is easily done with a hacksaw, or, if really thin, a pair of scissors will suffice.

Since I've been sick and haven't been feeling up to doing much, I decided yesterday that I'd tackle a small organizing/decluttering project in the downstairs bathroom that's been needing done for a LONG time.  

The bathroom downstairs is really small...well...actually BOTH bathrooms in this house are really small...but I digress.  Because the bathrooms are small, we only have pedestal sinks and there is no storage cabinet underneath them.  Instead, I have this bookshelf that we found in the garage when we moved here 15 years ago.  It was from someplace industrial because it was painted a machine-gray and had safety-related stickers on it.  LOL  I removed the stickers and painted it white.  Usually it has a pair of battenburg lace curtains covering the front held on by a tension rod, but I removed them while I cleaned this cabinet.  They need washing before being put back up, so they still aren't up.

Anyway...back to the ugliness of the contents of this cabinet.  Those orange and red bins are really flimsy and the sides kept coming un-snapped, so they had to GO!  

I went through everything being stored and threw away all the old hair products, etc., that weren't being used.  I grabbed some of the baskets I had found and went to work.   I refolded the towels in thirds so they would stack neater.  I would still like to find an appropriate basket to hold those bottles on the bottom shelf, but for now, they will be fine.

I had planned on cropping out the stuff on top of the cabinet so I didn't straighten it up, but I decided to keep it in the picture and just "keep it real", as they say.

Now...on to the quilting update.  

After not doing any quilting for 2 weeks while we were away, I've been "itchin' to be stitchin' ".  I've been working on the Blue Ridge Beauty since we've been back and yesterday I gave the rollers another crank and found THIS...

Those arrows at the top of the frame are pointing to the CENTER BLOCK of the quilt!  That means I'm very close to being 1/2 done with this quilt!!!  I find that diagonal lines go fairly quickly, so that's why I'm moving right along on this quilt.  The diagonal lines on the other end of the frame that you can't see from here go the opposite direction so they meet with a "V" down the middle of the quilt.  

Loretta

Organizing the Linen Closet...

Quote for the Day:
"There are two different kinds of people in this world:

 those who finish what they start, and....."
---Brad Ramsey 

Many moon ago I started this blog to ramble about many things, but also to keep myself accountable with some decluttering and organizing.  I haven't done any "projects" for a while now, but I knew that I HAD to do something with the linen closet because it's been "bugging" me for a while.  It's clutter that *I* knew was there even if it was contained behind a closed door.

I did a little research online for ideas how I could organize it and "pinned" some inspiration pictures on Pinterest to motivate me.

Yesterday, I pulled EVERYTHING out of the closet and started the process of sorting and organizing and today I finished the project...complete with pictures!  :)

Here is the "before" picture...

 

This closet it REALLY deep and stuff is just crammed in there!  :(

And here is the big reveal...the "after"...

I used rectangular laundry baskets for the sheets...organized according to size.  I tossed a LOT of old sheets and pillowcases...and could have downsized even more by getting rid of some more (I didn't realize how many sets we had for our bed).  However, because the sheets for our bed are fairly new, I decided to go ahead and save the newer ones and then just "downsize" by attrition when they wear out.  No more sheet buying for me for a LONG time!  LOL

The cardboard box on the very top shelf holds our beach towels and the basket above it holds the sheer and lace curtains that I pick up when thrifting.  :)  To the right of those are 2 space bags holding the mattress pads we use on the beds that we put up when company comes.  (Those beds do not stay up all the time because the extra bedrooms are where I sew and quilt.)  And on the left side of that shelf is a bag holding the couch covers that we used to cover the cushions when we had our dog.  Right now they aren't needed.

On the bottom shelf, I used a variety of baskets to hold pillowcases (embroidered in one, plain in another), cleaning cloths, and twin sheets.  Behind the baskets of pillowcases I lined up some of the smaller purses I wanted to keep.  (I only change my purse about twice a year, but I like to keep some small purses to take on vacation to carry just the essentials when shopping or sight-seeing.)  I felt safe in putting them towards the back since they don't get used much.

The bag on the floor towards the right holds a large roll of bubble-wrap.  The picnic basket in front of it holds those zippered plastic bags that linens come in.  I save those and use them for holding quilting projects, protecting quilts when mailing, etc., and a myriad of other uses.  The basket on the floor on the left is holding all my extra rugs.

Like I said, these shelves are VERY deep so I tried to avoid storing too much in the back because it just gets forgotten back there, which does us no good, anyway.  

Everything is labeled.  I could have gone all fancy-dancy making hand made labels, etc., like a lot of people do.  But I went the easy-peasy route...my trusty garage-sale-purchased label maker!  :)

Towels and washcloths are stored in the linen cabinet in the bathroom so that's why you don't see any here...just in case you were wondering!   :)

Loretta

Labor Day Weekend...

Quote for the Day:

"The law of heredity is that all undesirable traits 

come from the other parent."
---Unknown 

Happy Labor Day to my USA readers...and Happy Birthday to my son Paul and his wife, Trinity! 

Yep...you read that right.  My son and daughter-in-law share the same birthday!  :)   Makes it real easy to remember!  LOL

The Labor Day weekend is a 3-day weekend here in the USA...the last hurrah of the summer.  We planned to have a yard sale all three days, but it looks like we might get rained out for Monday.  But so far, Saturday and Sunday have been fruitful and we have gotten rid of a lot of things.  YAY!!!  


This evening I decided to go through a closet that has been so overstuffed that the door wouldn't completely close.  :(  This closet is in my quilting room (used to be Erin's bedroom) and is where I store my out-of-season clothes.  Unfortunately, it also holds all the clothes that I can no longer wear due to weight fluctuations.  I know that it is not useful to hold onto clothes that I can no longer wear because even if I ever do lose the weight and get back into them, most likely they will no longer be fashionable.  :(
So...I decided to attack the closet today...

before...

I ended up with 3 large garbage bags of clothes to donate to the local thrift store...

I emptied all of these hangers...

And this is what the closet looks like now...

The door completely closes now!!!  YIPPEE!! 


This afternoon I also went and did my couponing at Walgreen's and Rite Aid.

From Walgreen's...

I got $31.43 worth of product, paid $8.42 out-of-pocket, got $14.50 back in Register Rewards, making this trip a $6.08 moneymaker for me! 

From Rite Aid...

I got $13.52 worth in product, paid $2.22 out-of-pocket, got $4.00 back in +Up Rewards, making this trip a $1.78 moneymaker for me! 

I hope that everyone has a safe and fun holiday weekend...at least, what is left of it!  :)


Loretta

Couponing Day and Some Decluttering...

Quote for the Day:

"By sowing frugality we reap liberty, a golden harvest." 

--Agesilaus

We found out yesterday that our Marine nephew was scheduled to leave Afghanistan and return Stateside this weekend!!!  We are very happy to hear that news!   We are very proud of him for volunteering to serve our country, but very grateful that he had a safe tour of duty and is now returning home.  He still has a couple years to serve and we are trusting God that the rest of his time in the Marines will be uneventful.

Keeping this in mind, we are keeping in our thoughts and prayers, the families of the 30 troops, including 22 Navy Seals, that were not so fortunate yesterday when their helicopter was shot down.


Today, I did some decluttering of the "medicine cabinet" in the downstairs bathroom.  I use quotation marks because that is what it is called, but I don't keep any medicine in it...only cosmetics and toiletries.   Unfortunately, I did not get a "before" picture.  :(  It is your basic medicine cabinet with sliding mirrored doors.

And here are the after pictures...

left side

right side

I went through and threw out some outdated toiletries and then added the organizers on the top shelf to hold extras of things (when I find something on sale at a really good price, I try to stock up.)


This shows what I threw out...





I also did my couponing...though the deals were "slim-pickins' " today...

Rite Aid...

I got $15.30 worth of product, paid $5.70 out-of-pocket, got $6.00 in +Up Rewards...making this a $.30 moneymaker, plus the free product!  :)

For the hand-quilters that read my blog...I use the brush-on liquid bandage on my underneath finger when it gets too tender from too much hand-quilting!  :)  Let's me keep on quilting, but protects it!

From Walgreen's...



They are having photo specials each day this week, and today's was one free 8 X 10 enlargement.  I've been wanting a picture of Erin & Dale to put on the entertainment center, so I had this one that was taken last summer at Erin's college graduation enlarged to fit a frame that I already have!  :)   (Dale really needs to learn to smile in pictures!  He has a great smile...don't know why he doesn't like to for pics, though.)

At Walgreen's, I got $23.11 worth of items, paid $1.94 out-of-pocket, got $4.00 in Register Rewards, making this a $2.06 moneymaker for me! 

Thanks for listening...   :)

Loretta

Some Decluttering...

Quote for the Day:

"Even if you're on the right track, 

you'll get run over if you just sit there."
- Will Rogers

Andy informed me yesterday that I hadn't updated my blog since the 7th, so I thought I'd get my butt in gear.  (Andy reads my blog to keep up on what is going on in our lives...LOL.)   :P

So...here I am to update Andy and all my readers with what is going on here at our house...

First off...this picture was taken the night before we left for Georgia, and shows the progress we've made on the kitchen so far...

Sorry for the poor quality of the picture, but it was taken with my phone because my camera was already packed for the trip.  The pantry and wall cabinets have been attached to the wall, but the base cabinets and countertop were just set in there to get the "feel" of how they are going to fit together.

Have you tried one of these, yet???

McDonald's frozen strawberry lemonade...MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!  I tried one when we were traveling back from Georgia and they are GOOOOOOOD!!!  So today after my chiropractor's visit, I swung threw the drive thru and got me one since it has been record-breaking HOT this week....but really, any excuse will do!  LOL

Today I did some decluttering in the bathroom....

Since we have a pedestal sink, we keep toiletries in the bottom of the antique china cabinet that we use as a linen closet in the bathroom.  (We keep towels and wash clothes in the upper part where the glass doors are.  The bottom part has solid wood doors.)   This is what it looked like inside the bottom doors...

You know what I'm talking about....everybody has a place where they keep their toiletries.  Like I said, most people keep their bathroom "stuff" under the sink.

I went through and discarded a lot of opened items that were never going to get used and other odds and ends that had gotten shoved in there...

...then I rounded up some more baskets to use to help organize things...and now it looks like this...

I wish the bottom shelf was "taller" than it is...many bottles, like shampoo, etc., won't fit standing up, so I had to put taller items on the top shelf and shorter ones on the bottom...limiting the way I could organize things.  

When Andy saw it he immediately said "oh no...how will I find anything with it so 'neat' "?  LOL

That's all for now, Folks.  Have a great day and a great weekend!  I'm hoping we can get some more work done on the kitchen and manage to stay cool in this heat this weekend!

Loretta

 

Decluttering and a Book Recommendation...

Quote for the Day:

My second favorite household chore is ironing.  My first being 

hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint.  

~Erma Bombeck

TLC was running a "Hoarding:  Buried Alive: marathon today.  I like their show better than A & E's "Hoarders".  TLC's program actually shows the progress the person has made several weeks down the road even though things may still not be perfect.  With A & E's program, they rush to get EVERYTHING done in 3 days and when you are dealing with compulsions, there is no way the behavior is going to be corrected in 3 days.  

Also, when watching A & E's program, "mistakes" are always being made by someone throwing something out that upsets the hoarder.  It is so predictable that it almost seems like they do it to make the show more interesting.  However, it upsets me to watch them upsetting the person instead of helping them psychologically to deal with their compulsion.


Overall, it seems that TLC's participants actually get psychological help and actually make some improvement, albeit over a longer space of time.


Anyway...so this afternoon I was hand quilting on my whole cloth quilt and watching TLC's "Hoarding:  Buried Alive" marathon and just generally trying to rest and recuperate from this cold and laryngitis.   


But you can only watch this kind of show so long before you feel the need to get up and do some decluttering/cleaning of your own... just on the off-side that your house might start looking like what they are showing on TV and the next thing you know it is YOU that is on TV telling people "I don't know how it got this way"!!!  LOL


Thusly, I arose and made my way to my desk to do some decluttering.

My desk has two drawers on the right-hand side...the top is a shallow drawer that holds pens, pencils, etc., and the lower drawer is the size to hold hanging file folders.  However, since I have another file cabinet, I use this drawer to hold miscellaneous office supplies.  Since it is deep, it holds a LOT and things tend to get lost in it... it's like the Bermuda triangle of office supplies!  LOL

You can see the drawer here...looks innocent enough from the outside, right???

Don't be fooled!  Here is what it looked like opened...

All sorts of things just thrown in there.  :(   Just keepin' it real, Folks.


I'm the kind of person that has to remove EVERYTHING and then sort, etc., as I go through each item and decide what to do with it.


So it get WORSE before it gets better!  

I learned a helpful trick a LONG time ago about organizing drawers...


It's best to divide and conquer.  The more dividers you have in the drawer the neater it will stay because things won't roll around and will remain "corralled".   It's not rocket science!  LOL


So for this drawer I took 3 shipping boxes and cut the top flaps off of them and then fitted them down into the drawer...the smallest box sets inside the corner of one of the other boxes.  Then there was a narrow area off to the side between the bigger boxes and the side of the drawer...perfect to stand narrow items up in.


Here are some finished pictures...

Things fit in fairly snugly so as not to allow much movement when the drawer is opened. 


These items were put aside for the summer yardsale...

These were deemed broken and tossed in the trash...

And these items were taken to where they belong and will be stored with like items.  You remember my mantra..."Like items with like items."  :)

And, of course, Lady is never far from where I am...

The gratuitous pet picture...just because I CAN...it is my blog, after all!  LOL  She's like Andy...doesn't like to look at the camera...always looks away just as the picture is taken!  LOL


If you are interested in some good books, let me tell you about what I just finished reading and am currently reading. 


People who know me know that I rarely read fiction.  I like memoirs and biographies.  Real life is so much more interesting than fiction!  However, I ignored my own rule and read "The Help", by Kathryn Stockett.  

EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT book!  I highly recommend it!


I am now listening to "At Home:  a Short History of Private Life" by Bill Bryson.  

If you have never read any of Bryson's books, I highly recommend them!  He is a hilarious author!  He can make anything funny!  


I like to listen to audiobooks while quilting, but at night I like to read after I go to bed.  So on my nightstand right now is "Shattered Silence:  The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter", by Melissa G. Moore. 

I'm only about 1/4 of the way through this book.  So far it is a little "dry", but the subject matter is interesting.  I really haven't gotten to the "meat" of the book, yet.  I'll give you an update when I finish it.


Well...that's all for today, Folks.


Thanks for stopping by my blog!  Please leave a comment to let me know you were here!


Loretta

Just Keepin' It Real...

Quote for the Day:

"Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy."

~George Carlin

First let's start off with some good news...

Yes, Folks...that's pretty darn close to 70 degrees F today!  According to the TV and the weather download on my computer screen, it IS 70, but for some reason my back porch thermometer is only reading at about 68-69 right now....or at least it did when I took this picture!  :)

It is beautiful out...partly cloudy, peaceful, nice!  I wish it was like this all year long...no humidity...no cold, no snow...  *sigh*...


Okay...now for the bad news...

This, dear Readers, is what my desk looks like...most of the time...well...pretty much all the time...


Tryin' to keep it real here.  :(  

I have a HORRIBLE time taming the clutter...especially the paper clutter.  I HATE dealing with things.  If it can't be done on the computer, well...it's a good chance it won't get done.  And even if it CAN be done on the computer...there's still a partial chance that it won't get done.  I put things off till the last possible minute.


Somehow, some way, I need to learn to control the paper clutter and to deal with things in a timely manner so that I don't have them just "hanging around".


So, today, I decided to tackle the desk.  A lot of things just needed put away where they belong, papers gone through and either thrown away or filed. 

This is what the desk looks like now...

Right side of desk...

Center area of desk...

That wooden bill organizer there in the center of the cubby hole is going to go at some point.  I don't need something that big anymore to help me keep my bills organized now that we debt-free.  I need to look at the office supply store to see what I can use that is smaller that will go in there.  Basically, I just need something with 2 slots in it...one to hold papers to be submitted for reimbursement and one to hold the utility bills as they come in and are waiting to be paid.  (Yes, even when you are "debt-free" there are still "regular" living expenses that need to be paid.  Some people think of being "debt-free" as never having to pay anybody anything ever again.  But, alas, if you ever figure out how to do that one, please let me know!  LOL)


Here are items I found on the desk that can go to Ebay and the summer's yard sale...

The light bulbs and little heart-shaped saucer will go on the yard sale, and the lamp, linen hankies, printer ink cartridge will go on Ebay.


The rest of the stuff that was on the desk that didn't belong there have been moved to their appropriate storage places.


If anyone would like to share how they control their paper clutter, I'd really like to hear how you do it.  :)  Any helpful hints are gratefully accepted!

Loretta

She's One "Happy Baby"...

Quote for the Day:

“A thunderstorm is God's way of saying you spend 

too much time in front of the computer”

~author unknown

I had the good fortune of getting a new computer this past week!  I am so happy with it for several reasons...first one being that the old computer was 7 years old and limped along SLOWLY!  (Picture an old man with a cane walking VERY VERY slowly.  Yep.  That's what using my old computer was like!)   This new one FLIES!  In fact, sometimes I have trouble keeping up with it!  LOL

 

The other thing I like about this new computer is that it is an "all-in-one" so there is no tower.  All of the "innards" (highly professional term there, doncha know) are in the back of the monitor.  Do you know how much real estate this clears up on the desk?  There is only 1 cord attached to the computer...the power cord.  Everything else is WIRELESS!  YAY!   

 

Oh...and the monitor is 23" and has touch technology!  Am I screaming hot or what?  You know you want it!  LOL

 

 

All of this...thanks to my daughter who works at Dell and let me use her employee discount...coupled with the President's Day sale...and I'm now a technologically, up-to-date Happy Camper!

 

Yes, Folks...this is where all the "brilliance" happens...my desk...for all the world to see!

 

I still need to hook up the new wireless printer that was "free" with the purchase of the new computer, so that will take up the free space in front of the window to the right of the computer.  

 

I am still "learning" Windows 7 since my old 'puter had XP.  Windows 7 is actually pretty easy to "use"...it's just trying to find things once you've downloaded them...  

It's a learning curve...but slowly I'm getting it!  :)  

 

As for decluttering...I've already given the tower to my daughter-in-law.  She's gonna see if she can get it up and running better either for her use or for little Andrew to use.  (Yes, Folks, kids that young are learning to use computers!)

Here is the old monitor and printer that I will be getting rid of...

 

 

And, yes...even though she is old, I will be keeping the dog!  LOL  She loves to lay near me, where ever I might be.  She's like my shadow...only smaller!  :)

 

And then there is this bulletin board that I've decided I don't need anymore.  It sat on top of the old computer tower in the corner.  It really was not handy to use, so basically, it was useless because it was too hard to reach/use.   

 

So since I haven't used it in over a year, it's time to "release it into the wild".  I'll put it on the yard sale this summer.  :)

BTW...did you notice the picture above the desk?  

 

 

I got it at a Goodwill in Georgia about 2 years ago for $8.48...already matted and framed!  It is a print titled "Christmas Angels" by John Malnic.  Even though it's a "Christmas" print, I leave it up all year because it is a beautiful piece of art.

The brass lamp with glass shade on top of the desk to the right of the picture was also a Goodwill find...$2.50, I believe.  The silver (and VERY HEAVY) picture frame to the left of the hanging picture was also a Goodwill find...$1.00.   I have a picture of my grandchildren in it.  :)

 

Yes, my home is decorated with many, many thrift store, yard sale and auction finds!   You would be amazed at what you can find used in good shape for a fraction of it's original cost if you just keep your eyes opened.  Saving $$$ is always a good thing!  :)

Thanks for stopping by my blog!  Please leave a comment to let me know you were here and tell me what you have "released into the wild" recently.

Loretta

Cleaning the Sewing Room...

Quote for the Day:

"Don't cook.  Don't clean.  No man will ever make love to a woman 

because she waxed the linoleum.   

'My God, the floor's immaculate.  Lie down, you hot bitch.' "  

~Joan Rivers

Our kids and grandkids are coming in next week for a visit, so I figured it was time to clean the sewing room...which doubles as a guest bedroom for the grandkids when they are here!   I've been working on a lot of projects in 2010, so the place was quite a mess.  

In "theory" I clean the room well between projects, putting away everything from the last one to get ready for the next one.  Nice theory, huh?  LOL

Well...let's just say that maybe I've been in too much of a hurry to start the next project to bother straightening the sewing room and put things away.

I don't have a picture of the "before" room, but here's a hint...
When I'm in the process of making a quilt, I keep my cut pieces, blocks, leftover fabric, etc., in baskets to "corral" them...usually one basket for the pieces and blocks, and one basket for the scraps, etc.

Well...I emptied these baskets today and put the stuff in them away...

That's a lot of quilts/projects that didn't get cleaned up after as they were finished.  *hangs head in shame*  LOL

While cleaning, I found some more things to "release into the wild"...
 
A friend said she'd like the quilt blocks and fabric that I showed in yesterday's post that I was going to offer on the yard sale, so today when cleaning I found some more to add to it.  :)

I hope she can put them to good use!  :)

I also found some more vintage linens to be "released" to my niece, Kristin...

Now for a tour of the cleaned sewing room!  :)

As you enter the room, immediately to your left is the east wall which has my TV and stereo sitting on top of a shelving unit.   To the left of the bookcase/shelving unit is my "design wall" that extends completely behind the door.  

As you can see there is nothing on the design wall, because like I said, I'm getting ready for company and I'm not starting any projects before then.  I also store the "big board" for my ironing board behind the door when I'm not working on a quilt, and the ironing board beside it when not in use.  The picnic baskets hold my Christmas and other seasonal fabrics.

As you continue to your right around the room, you will see the south wall that contains my cutting table, a storage shelf, and the door to my stash closet! 

Here's a look inside my stash closet...

As you continue around the room, to the right is the west wall.  Along this wall is another bookshelf and 2 storage units with doors.  On top of the white storage units you can see my stash of batting.  The door with the stained glass window goes out to a storage room.  (I don't keep any sewing stuff in the storage room...it's full with non-sewing stuff.)

Continuing to the right is the north wall.  This is my sewing area.  

I have 2 sewing machines sitting on the table...one is an embroidery/sewing machine and the other is just a sewing machine.  Behind the embroidery machine (on the left) is my serger pushed back against the wall (covered with a blue cloth as a dust protector).  When I want to use it, I slide the embroidery machine out of the way and pull the serger forward for use.


To the right of the sewing table is the door leading out of the room back into the hallway.

Since I like to look at other people's sewing rooms to get ideas about storage, etc., I thought I'd share some of my storage ideas...

Thread storage cabinet...found at a yard sale for 25 cents! 

I store the bobbin with the spool of thread it matches by setting the bobbin on top and inserting a screw down the middle of both the bobbin and the spool to keep them together.


Ruler storage...actually a metal Christmas card holder...found at Goodwill for $2!

WIP (works in progress) storage...pizza boxes I buy from the local pizza restaurant for 50 cents each...

Scraps are cut and stored by size using Bonnie Hunter's hints.

Quilting templates are on the side of the tall storage shelf...

Finished tops are hung on hangers and stored on the back of the entry door....

Hope you enjoyed the tour!  Thanks for stopping by!  Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here and to let me know what you "released into the wild" recently!

Loretta