Friday!
Wow, actually I can’t believe it. We went to Chicago for a four day weekend last week to spend some time with family and I am still trying to get back into a routine. I missed my normal chance to run errands without kids over the weekend, so I still have that feeling like I am trying to catch up. Although, thrifting with Carol was much more fun than being here doing my grocery shopping! Here is one of the things I am currently working on. I need a few more supplies, but the fabric store is so much more fun without the kids. I am sure you will see a lot more pictures of this in the coming weeks.
I also have more storage ideas to post. I just need to run around and take a few more pictures. If you want more inspiring photos check out my sister-in-law’s photos on flickr. Being at her house is always so inspiring for me, I am sure you will see why!
The Secret Hidden in my Underwear Drawer
It is time to reveal a big secret. I am actually quite embarrassed about this. But here it goes…
Yes, I use empty tissue boxes to organize my socks and other unmentionables. I am not sure whether I am more embarrassed about the fact that I save empty tissue boxes, the fact that I can hardly bring myself to buy tissue unless the box is aesthetically pleasing to me, or that I compulsively sort things by shape and color. But really, this comes in very handy. It’s free, unless you never buy tissue and have to start. And, I never have to rummage around looking for something just to find out that I have run out. I always know when I am running low.
I also wanted to make sure no one missed any of the great ideas in the comments. Mirre sent links to the pocket tidies she made last year. They remind me of the wall pockets I keep seeing all over blog land, but hers are much more colorful! Definitely, more my style! And they can be tied to the back of a chair or on a changing table, or wherever you need extra storage. Lauri mentioned using empty Crystal Light containers to hold pens, pencils, paintbrushes… you name it! Decorate these babies up with paper and ribbon and your in business. And she also says they make an easy kids craft if your looking for a gift the kids can make for someone special in their lives. Perry suggested using old test tubes (cleaned of course), man I would be in heaven if I could get my hands on something like that. Actually, I discovered after a quick internet search that you can buy them at pretty reasonable prices… hmmm… my beads might need a new home! And everyone loves mason jars! All the great ideas are making me feel like I should dig a few more out of the basement.
Canned Buttons
Living in an old family house has some special perks. One of them is that you find all kinds of neat and useful stuff just tucked into corners of the garage and basement. I have been thinking about trying to can some vegetables and making my own jam, and feel so lucky that I have all the supplies I need without having to make a big investment (just to find out I might never want to do it again.) But since I haven’t gotten around to doing it yet, I will put all these wonderful canning jars to good use. They are currently holding my button collection.
One of the other useful thing in this old house is the great shelves these are on. They look like grocery store shelves that even have the strip along the bottom of the shelf to put prices. Well, I am not selling anything, but I like that the shelf heights are adjustable and that the shelves are not very deep. It doesn’t take up too much space and you never lose stuff at the back of the shelves. It has really come in handy as I am moving most of my supplies out of my studio and turning the laundry room into a “store” room. More on what led to that decision later…
Re-Purposing for Storage
After posting my peanut butter jars in their new costumes, I thought maybe I should do a series on all the crazy stuff I use for storage around here. I like storage boxes of all shapes and sizes, but don’t like spending money on stuff like that if I can figure out a way to use what I have.
These are cardboard boxes the hubster brought home from work. They are all the same size and are even the perfect size for holding sewing patterns, although I also have them holding tape, glue, string, and fabric paint. I covered the fronts of the boxes with some art nouveau papers that I try to keep on hand for stuff like this. I did spend some money on paper that I like, but it is easy to make a little go along way on projects like this.
So, now I am wondering if any of you have storage ideas that you have posted that I haven’t seen yet… send me links!
This time of year
I hope you’re staying warm where ever you might be!
Curriculum Arrived!
Kids are SUPER excited!
With this much enthusiasm, education should be a breeze!
(Still sitting around with my fingers crossed!!!)
Oh, look! I posted!
My MIL informs me it is time to take the Christmas stockings down. I think it is funny, since she still has Christmas lights up… wink, wink! I have been busy around here and feeling a little rebellious towards that little voice in my head that tells me I should post. I keep telling that little voice in my head, “This is MY blog, I will post when I want to!” I think a lot of women can relate to that voice that is constantly telling them all the stuff that they “should” do. It is different than things you “need” to do, like feed and love your kids, or pay bills. That “should” voice has A LOT of expectations and I think rebelliousness against it is very healthy.
So this month I have been cooking, cleaning (lots of cleaning!), and trying to enjoy time with my kids. I have been doing spring cleaning and selling a few things on ebay. We also put a bid on a house. Another buyer offered cash, boohoo! Actually, it is okay! We aren’t ready to buy a house and although we could swing it, it feels very freeing to not be taking on the burden of repairing a house right now. My daughter has also been having a hard time in school. Her grades are wonderful, but she was miserable. She has been begging me to home school her, again. I have always thought that I don’t want to burn myself out on home schooling before junior high rolls around. I mean, seriously, if you could have avoided the trauma of junior high wouldn’t that have made life better? So we have also spent the month debating whether to let her home school after the semester was finished or wait until the end of the year. We decided to rescue her now from her middle school hell, and so curriculum is on its way. She is excited and it is contagious. I am very excited about all of the practical things I can teach her that she wouldn’t learn in a classroom. And to top it all off, my son broke his arm last weekend. It is the third time. I am embarrassed to say it feels pretty routine at this point. He inherited my double jointed (backwards) elbows. They are great for freak shows, but not so good for avoiding broken arms. I should know, I broke both of mine when I was a kid (at different times fortunately!) But he has me beat. Hopefully, this will be the last time, but he is only seven. There are still a lot of years for me to be sitting around with my fingers crossed!
So with all that is going on I have been feeling a little creative deprivation. So I made a duvet cover for my daughters bedroom. I was excited to pull all the fabrics from my stash. The oriental blue one was a gift from a SIL quite a few years ago and I have been holding on to it for a long time. I always pull it out hoping to use it and then, I can’t find the perfect compliments to go with it. I was soooo excited when I pulled it out this time and actually had collected enough complementary fabrics to go with it. Yippee!
I basically did 18″ squares for this duvet cover. It was so fun to be able to start and finish this all in one day. It didn’t take too much time out from all the other craziness in our lives. And it was wonderfully therapeutic.
Happy Holidays!
I haven’t been motivated to get the camera out lately, but here is a picture of stockings I made for our family 6 years ago when my son was just a year old. I always thought I would get around to decorating them a little more, but every year that I get them out I appreciate their simplicity.
So, at this rate I may not ever get around to embellishing them. I am starting to fear that doing so would end up dating them, and they are fun the way they are. You wouldn’t believe how much fun the kids have showing guests all of the different stocking shapes. Except for a nasty cold, we have really been enjoying the holidays. Fun times with friends and family! Greatly anticipated visit from my brother… it is always too short. I am afraid that by the time my kids are grown and I have more time to spend with him, he will probably have young children of his own, and the tables will be turned. For now, we will take what time we can get. I love that my kids adore him as much as I do!
We have also been enjoying this wonderful Christmas special. If you haven’t seen Creature Comforts: Merry Christmas Everybody!, it is fabulous! Happy New Year, everyone! I will see you again sometime next year!
Quick Post
Here is a quick picture of my family. I am feeling very thankful that we are all still here.
The Boy had an encounter with some poison ivy… not too big of a deal, until it turned into a staph infection. He was at the doctor’s office three days in a row. Each time leaving with a few more prescriptions and a list of scary things to go IMMEDIATELY to the emergency room for. The Man actually had tickets purchased to fly out of town for a few days and the weekend, and ended up staying home. While a staph infection isn’t uncommon, if things go bad, they can go very, very bad and it just was not a good time to be half way across the country. The doctor’s were worried about it being a resistant staph since he wasn’t improving, but waiting for the cultures to return could be too late, so they put him on two different antibiotics, antibiotic ointment, he tried two different anti-itch medications, and they topped it off with steroids and a steroid cream. I am now on a first name basis with my pharmacist! Hopefully, she will forget me, because I am hoping it will be a really long time before I have to go back in there again! We went to the doctor on Monday and it was such a relief to have the doctor actually say, “Well, it looks like he is out of danger.” Man, you couldn’t make a mother happier! Of course, I still don’t think it is an accurate statement considering he is still in danger because he is both a child and boy. He might just do something like slide off the back of the couch backwards onto his head… yes, he did that today! Or try to sit on a rope and fall backwards onto his head… yes, that was a few days ago. This last week has been a reminder that every day with this family is precious.
Sorry, I have been rather inarticulate lately. During a crisis, the first thing that goes are my words, as my husband can tell you. And I have been thinking a lot lately about priorities… again. But that is for a later post.