And another year gone....

I have been gone for awhile, and actually forgot I even *HAD* a blog until E mentioned it in passing one day. Life has changed quite a bit. I now work at a a small grocery, 2 out of 4 kids have graduated high school, 1 of those is now married, and 1 is on year 3 of a 6 year contract with the US Army.  Of the younger two, one is a junior in high school, and one will be in high school next year. So S1 came home from Iraq safe and whole. D1 married S1's best friend. While he was overseas, no bitterness there. (and if you can't feel the snark.....6 months later he is still upset.) DH took a new job, which we had high hopes for, but didn't pan out as well as we thought.  We were hand to mouth, payday to payevening, how to get milk for a while there.  Just surviving. No art, for either of us. No hobbies or fun unless it benefited the household budget or someone else bought it as a gift. No dreams, no way to get out of the mess we got ourselves into.  And now, we are back to new job, new hope, it can't be worse than the last.  And in all that I was looking for one thing online. ONE. And I could find snippets here and there, but not enough to work with.  Actual frugal living. Just google that and tell me how most of those results happen on food stamps.

 I already knew how to make my grocery dollars work.  Hi! I was a single parent food stamp mom for longer than I care to think about. Once a month cooking is a joke in that place. I was happy to get lunch leftovers, and DH was happy to take them. Scrap sewing?  Does NOT begin with precuts.  All I could think was "Are you people serious? Oh, hell, no. I hope that is the worst you live through." Really. Not in a bitchy way, but somethings just suck.  It's not to be bitchy, or judgy. It's just reality. If someone is googling "scrap yarn gifts" they should be able to make it with scrappy pieces of yarn.  Not minis or whatever.

In the midst of all this we had some family problems.  Some in-laws were constantly, CONSTANTLY, "triggering" (I kind of really hate that word) a spouse. To the extent that a holiday at home alone was better than being with the spouse and kids if involved the in-laws. Police were involved. It got ugly, and expensive. And the holidays were still coming up.  Can we say stress?

In light of all that, I have decided to take things in a new direction. The beginning of this blog was part of the OPAM challenge hosted by Kris Meares of Tag Along Teddies  and Sweet Peg of Happy in Quilting.   It is a great thing if it fits your life, and I finished so many projects thanks to their encouragement. But seasons come and go, and things change.  And now here we are.

I hope to sign up for next years OPAM. If fact, I just re-saved their sites to my toolbar. (It's kind of fascinating how much you lose from one 'puter to another) But for now, my goal is to be change I want to see in the world. ( I am not attributing that because I have have seen way to many different people....let's just go with it's true, shall we?) Less waste. Less stress. More beauty. More giving. More hobbityness and less scroogyness. Less wanting and needing and more helping and wrapping. (just because it's basics doesn't make it less worthy of giftyness.)

I am planning on reviewing actual scrappy patterns and books for both yarn and fabric.  I am planning on sharing the things I have done to save my home money and time. Some of them are and will be fails.  Some of them won't be. I won't do the math for you. (hell, I don't do the math for me, LOL)  But maybe there is something that you can pull that does help.  Most important, I want every mom or wife to know she's not the only one.  Most of us, and I would bet money that it is really all of us, have been there. Maybe for a week, maybe for years. But we all learned something, and that something isn't sponsored by Amazon (ps....I hate Amazon. They are my last resort.), or followed by a "may have been compensated by". I think if you need to compensate me, you are already realizing your failure. ( ahem....amazon). If I like what I see, I may facilitate a give-a-way. Or sponsor it out of my own pocket. I have a background in marketing, so I am familiar with the game.  (cue Reel Big Fish--Sell out with me to tonight, sell out with me......)

Here's my first book recommendation, no footnotes required. Get your hands on a copy of "The Science of Shopping". No, I don't remember the guy's name. Nor do I care. What  I do care about is how he walks you through marketing and sales angles in a way that leave you afraid to read an ingredient list in the store again.  And yes, I am. If I am interested in a product, I buy it, try it, keep or toss it. End of story. I let my dollar vote. And it carries a big stick.

My first project recommendation for yarn is find the cheapest granny shawl pattern you can find. They are almost all the same. And search for a free log cabin block for quilting. Really, its x*x x*a, x*b,x*c all the way around.  X is your starting square. 2*2, 2*4, 2*6, and on and on. And on. Mostly, just remember to research the public domain.  Because both of those should be in it.  I paid $6.00 (NOT REALLY...IT WAS IN STORE CREDIT!!!!!) for my granny shawl pattern because a) it was one page to put in a binder, and b) I liked the colors they used in the example photo by the header. It was the one by Ewe Ewe (here's a link just in case. I don't think they know I exist. And really, all you need is the first 2 rows. But I am  a basic crocheter.)

My first garden recommendation? Start a compost pile.  No walls, fences, or worms or whatever.  Just take the nasty veggies bits to a corner you don't go to often and dump them. Do the same thing next week. It is free. the worms will come on their own. Next year, dirt. And maybe some food and plants. I am not ashamed it admit I have harvested food from the compost pile. Celery, carrots, tatoes, whatever. It grows, I cook it.

My first household recommendation? Buy some vinager. Both kinds. Just have it on hand. Hair rinse? Got it. Counter spray? got it. Laundry softener? got it. Mildew? got it. I don't remember the last time I bough household cleaner.

Hopefully, next week I will remember I have this blog.  And maybe some photos. And I know there is always more snark...(blame my dad....he *thought* it measured critical thinking skills. The jury is still out on that.)

"Granola chic" my husband says

I have problem.  I am naturally disorganized.  And I like every thing and nothing.  I go to the office store in town and it is full of beautiful office things.  They really are lovely.  But I don't like them.  Not enough to buy and bring home.  But I need to do something.  I LIKE just running to the store and picking something up.  If I don't like it, I know what glue and paint are for!  LOL!  But then it's always put on the backburner while I work on "real" projects.  But I was losing my mind and supplies.  And my husband doesn't like that very much.  I can get pretty crabby.

So, the solution, according to my amazing husband, is I can have any storage I want as long as it is almost free.  The "almost" is because he knows what happens when we run out of glue or sealer!  (I am pretty sure he believes it will be short lived organization!) So I started with my pens and specialty markers that others (not just the kids) keep stealing.  I had so many pretty things to layer on, the only thing I had to buy was lunch!  Everything used was courtesy of a box I found in a drawer.  And Dinty Moore.

Regular pens and pencils go in No.1 and specialty pens and markers go in No.2.

One little thing down and 100's more to go. 

After I got these done, then I started second guessing my self.  If my organization is visual, it needs to look, well, organized.  Do I go with a theme?  No, I don't love anything enough for all to be butterflies or pansies or whatever.  What about style?  Do I have a style? Is it shabby chic?  Hippy chick?  It's a little too matchy for boho, and so not industrial.  At this point, I have other stuff to do and I am getting crabby.  Too much introspection at that point. So DH looks at me and says "it's granola chic."  I guess since the man is an artist himself, and he actually pays attention to style and movements and whatever,  we can call it whatever he wants.  The cutest part is when he has to explain to me what he means by granola chic.  I ask at least once a day!

I suppose I ought to go and actually put the pens in the holders, and see what else needs a home.  I think I can close my eyes, point a finger, and spin.    Maybe I'll try that!

Sharing this today at Shabby Art Boutique's Shabbilicious Friday

Life just got a little bit easier!

Last week DH got the remaining pieces cut for the closet, only to have the last three ONE QUARTER inch too short!!  He isn't sure what happened, but he was able to fix it, but I had to wait until yesterday when he had a day off.  So my lining isn't all the way in like I wanted, but we are still making progress.  I think he left me pieces to seal today, which I'll do when it warms up a little. 

Also, S1 has been doing his schoolwork wherever he plants himself for the day, which has not been helping him actually getting it done.  So yesterday morning my dad called to see if we wanted a roll top desk.  S1 said he would love to have a nice desk to work at, so we had to rearrange the whole living room yesterday before Daddy got here, so they could just walk it in and set it down.  It looks amazing, and hold all of the homeschool books and supplies. 

I finished all of the canning as of last night, although blackberries are just coming in.  But all of zucchini relish is finished and they will be put away tonight.  WOO HOO!  I get my kitchen back!! Actually, I would rather can than cook any day, but we have a really small galley kitchen, so anything we do completely takes over.  And for some reason, the after canning clean up leaves my kitchen extra sparkly clean. 

I didn't get any sewing done, since I spent most of my time either in the kitchen, or working on the closet.  We'll see what this week brings.  I have a few things I would like to get sewn up, as well as putting things away after moving the desk in.

And lastly......

 this is a picture DH took last week while walking to the corner grocery.  This is a CORNSTALK growing out of the gutter drain.  It's taller this week.  We are wondering how long it will last before the wind knocks it down or the street sweepers get it.  It makes us smile every time we drive past it!

Doing something new....

I've never participated in a link party, but I have spent (too much) time checking out other people's.  I am particularly fond of popping around Shabby Art Boutique. So in the interest of not doing house work right this minute, and having worked with D2 in the bathroom reorganizing today, I figured I would give it a shot.  It's better than watching Godzilla again!

D2 and I have been purging girl stuff this week.  Not because we don't like girly stuff, but because after painting the girls room, I didn't want another mess. No. Uh-uh.  This mama would hit the roof! In the process we found a lovely little chest she no longer wanted (score for Mom!) and tons of hair pretties.  TONS!  Some of them were MINE.  So the solution is.....

 You can barely see the tags I tied on to the knobs.  I had a pack of those little vellum key tags. (had is important, I used them all up on this! YAY!)  I made a label for each drawer, I just tied them on with a sheer green and pink ribbon.  There is a "mom" drawer, so the girls shouldn't be losing my stuff anymore.  Like any of it so fancy, since all I do are ponytails with my hair. 

This shelf worked really well, since I needed a spot for my teeny canister for my little hair clips.  My bangs are just long enough to stab my eye right now, so I NEED those if I want to see, and again, I found them in the girls school stuff when they were emptying desks at school.  There was still too much "space", so I also moved my mom's ring holder, make up brushes, and a bottle of oil on to the shelf as well.  To top it off,  I put my vanity set in front.  I can't stand the brush, but I love that comb!  And the best part...all the hair doo-dads are in ONE SPOT!!

January is over!!!

It is so weird that the first month of the new year is gone already.  I feel like every year goes by faster and faster as I get older.  Maybe it's just all the stuff we try to cram in to the year.  There isn't time to enjoy any of it, just enough time to get on to the next thing.  At least I got some stuff done in January. The pile of brush debris in my back yard is gone. (YAY!!)  It would be better if there was grass out there, all but a little tiny square was paved over at some point in the house's past.  YUCK! 

I also got 28 things finished for the 2012 OPAM.  Plus a couple of wood projects that were haunting me over the last year.  I still have a lot to work on though.  I really like mixing the smaller projects with larger, more time consuming ones.  The sense of finishing is so important to continuing.  Go figure.

I have no idea what I will do when I get some these bigger projects done.  It will be hard not to jump in to MORE, BIGGER projects.  I have a couple of ideas, but not sure I have the stamina to really dig in to them.  Right now it is "just keep sewing, just keep sewing" in my head. 

The sun has come out, so my brain is wandering into garden mode.  Last year was our first year, and I'd say it was successful.  This year we are going to try and get another bed built in the back non-yard, and maybe add some more veggies.  Last year, the kids planted carrots 10 to a seed hole.  They were very artsy carrots.  Definitely need to spread those out some more.   And I really want to get some of the other yard and house projects done. We'll see. The Mr.'s work schedule is anything but regular, and sometimes I get stuck trying to do some of these by myself.  And the look he gets on his face is priceless when he comes home in the middle of something.  (The best was when I ripped out the nasty drywall in the bathroom.)  They say marriage is a sanctifying experience.  I can see why! LOL

Last weeks finished projects....

So last week I finally got serious about finishing some of these project stashed around the house.  I am pretty impressed with how well the kids did with helping, even when it was just "please pour me a cup of coffee."  They even took to helping each other with homework (I still hate math, LOL.)  The photo below shows all the projects finished between Monday and Saturday.  The black, red and white quilt will be part of a quilt auction this year to benefit our sister parish in Peru.  It came out rather striking, but I am not sure I will do another one like it anytime soon.  The garment bag on the right I started 2 years ago to store my wedding dress.  We just found in the girls closet, all folded up and UNFINISHED.  So now the dress is stored nice neatly and the girls have some shelf space back. The little green and brown box was started last spring, as was the red, white, & blue one next to it. The green and brown box is for one daughter to use in a basket she is doing for a local fundraiser's silent auction.  She's 11, and just decided she wanted to donate a "hand & nail" basket, so I said go for it.  Here's a list of jobs you can do for me to earn some money!   There are 3 coffee wraps: tie-dye, rainbows on blue, and roses on black.  These will be for the school bazaar next November. And last, but not least, the dresser scarf/runner for one of the dressers in our room.  Now I REALLY need to get to work on the other one!

Completed between 1/2/12-1/7/12

So last weeks tally of finished projects is.....8! The goals for this week include basting and quilting one of older son's quilts, a dresser scarf for him as well, altering a coffee can to hold all the non-sewing scissors, and a project basket for me to keep the parts and bits of projects together. Ziplocks in rubbermaid bins just isn't working for me.  As for the house proper, I am hoping to get the last little bit hung in the laundry room and some wood cut from the trees we took down last year. And maybe I can squeeze in some more boxes and coffee wraps. They are a great way to use up left over fabric from other projects.

As for my weekend focus quote, it worked out really well.  I may need to print it and hang it on the fridge.  We have seen a huge increase in storage areas while applying this, which is saying something because we don't have a lot of storage room in the first place!

Quote for my weekend focus...

 "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." - William Morris

I am using this quote, along with "keep the best and get rid of the rest" to help guide my weekend housekeeping. We already sent 5 boxes to the local Goodwill and another 2 are getting filled as we speak.  Perfectly good stuff, but it doesn't fit the "keep it" criteria.  Now we have run to one big and rather funny problem: there are 6 of us.  One daughter loves pink, the other hates it.  They share a room.  One son loves Asian inspired things.  I can't stand it, so it better stay in his room.  The other son believes EVERYTHING is useful and I don't see the use of the beat up cardboard Lego box. I like big, comfy, multifunction furniture; my husband is a minimalist.  I am quite sure we will never have a Better Home & Garden house, but sometimes I think "eclectic" can go too far.  I am not even sure where some of the stuff comes from, since we don't do a lot of shopping.  Another fun (perhaps the funnest) aspect is looking at something and wondering "can I make this beautiful thing useful" or "can I make this useful thing beautiful."  But maybe that's a mess to clean up next week!