skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Our precious friend Kelly, perished in a car accident on Saturday night. She was dear to each of the members of our family. Read more about Kelly here. We are devastated.
After cleaning out a file cabinet of craft and sewing patterns I had intended to give these to charity or maybe to the high school textiles department. Then I checked eBay to see if these might sell. The results were mixed, but I thought I would give it a try anyway. I started at .99 reasoning that if I were going to just give it to charity even a dollar would be nice. So, things are humming along. What a nice surprise!
Inspired by this post, I have decided to try to come up with ten things I hate... Shouldn't be too hard, right?
1. Men's cologne. It gives me a headache.
2. Spaghettios. Again, the smell...
3. Anything "powder fresh."
4. Shopping at Abercrombie and Fitch. The music is too loud, the place reeks of cologne and the dressing rooms are locked. The people "working" there are too busy talking among themselves to actually help a customer. When it is time to check out the line is 20 minutes long because there is only one cashier. Also, the clothes are worn and torn - even though they are new - and they cost a fortune. Huh?!?! Dan used to like to shop there when he was in Middle School. Fortunately he is over it.
5. Stepping in chewing gun.
6. Cigarette smoke.
7. When I am sewing late at night and I run out of something.
Okay, that's it for now. I'll try to think of more.
I've been finding a lot of "buried treasure" during my cleaning out adventure. This "Birthday Girl T-Shirt" was in a box on the top shelf of my closet. I used to make these way back when Kaitlin was a little girl. This must have been one I was keeping "in reserve."
I happen to know a precious little neighbor who is turning six on Jume 20th. Perfect timing!
I actually sold this design to a craft magazine. I think it was "Creative Ideas for Living." I remember being very very disappointed. The editor took some creative license and re-made my design. She invented a boys version of the cake which was horrible and on a khaki-colored shirt. I think it had animal crackers on it or something. She also remade the girls shirt. It was completely awful and it had my name listed as the designer.
Well... at least they paid me.
I'll try to get a photo of my friend wearing this!
Martha Kines is the author of a brand new book called Ivy Briefs: True Tales of a Neurotic Law Student. She is also a wife and mother living here in Scottsdale and has a blog called The Random Muse.
Her blog and her writing style were so entertaining and compelling that the publisher actually contacted her about writing the book!
Martha had a signing at our local Barnes and Noble last night. It was a standing-room-only crowd. She read several excerpts and signed copies for her fans. What fun. I had three of my boys along - they are always happy to hang out at "The B&N."
I started reading Ivy Briefs last night and it is hysterical. Congratulations Martha.
Well you know I had to purchase this pair of kitchen towels. I mean come on! They are red AND they have rick rack. I made them up into bags, but I've never used them or sold them. They're lined with red gingham and have pockets. So when Barb announced her first purse challenge, I knew that this would be my entry. What do you think?
This is a fabulous book! It contains essays from mixed-media artists. I haven't read the entire thing but last night I read "Purging For Peace" by Marilee Fosbre. This is exactly what I am doing. Purging the things from my home and my life that no longer bring me inspiration and focusing on the things that provide it.
It took Marilee two months to clean out her studio. I'm doing the entire house. I hope I can finish faster!
Tomorrow we have a charity pickup. I have three bookcases, one bed, one dresser and several boxes of household stuff on the front porch. Also the recycling bin is filled to the brim.
I received my new bookcases from Ballard Designs on Tuesday. They look fabulous. They're in the living room and I've already filled them. Also I've hung some artwork. Sorry - someone borrowed my camera for his golf outing and drained the battery.
Meanwhile, here is a link to the website of one of my favorite artists, Sheri Rice. See the fourth picture - the one with the Mona Lisa in the top left? I own that and I just hung it in a NEW SPOT in the entrance where everyone can see it!
More books to the library today and three more boxes of sewing stuff for the high school sewing club! I also dumped another ton of magazines in the recycling bin. BUT the best news is that I have my machine up and I am sewing again. I had a repair to a customer's bag that had been sitting for two weeks. What a relief to have it finished!
We had to pull everything out of the garage in order to have the walls painted and so now that everything is beautiful and clean we are going to have the floor coated and some cabinets installed.
Things are moving along here.
Also, I had some inventory left over from Summer 2005 and I didn't know what to do with it. There were some fruity skirts and some scarfles that I discovered in a bin under my bed. It's funny because although they did not sell (I just made way too many) they are still fresh and bright and unworn. So they aren't exactly "used," but not exactly "new" either. Anyway, I took them to Buffalo Exchange and they bought EVERY SINGLE ITEM. I got $136 cash - not a lot but better than nothing.
Tomorrow my new bookcases arrive!
At my mom's house after her death I was kind of surprised to see how much STUFF she has kept. Although only my mom and dad are living in the house she has every single room, closet, drawer and cabinet completely filled with stuff. The garage is incredible. I especially noticed that she had at least 1000 books on shelves and in bookcases in every single room. There were paperback novels, hundreds of self-help books and tons and tons of cookbooks. In the garage there were bins of magazines that honestly were too heavy to move. The one that I opened was all Christmas magazines.
This is a four-bedroom house and my sister's former room seems to be exactly as she left it when she went to college 20 years (or so) ago. Her record albums are in the closet along with her prom gowns and pompoms.
My mom had about 300 bottle of vitamins and "supplements" in cabinets in the laundry room and kitchen. She also had an entire garbage bag filled with vitamin bottles. Now - the vitamins I suspect were the result of Mom's generosity. She was a target for any of her friends who decided to sell Amway, Shaklee, Melaleuca, Arbonne or any of the others. I am sure that if a "friend" suggested, "Why not order a 1-year supply?" she would.
Mom also had a thing for "new" clothes. Whenever she traveled she had to have new clothes for the occasion. She didn't even really like to shop - she usually just mail-ordered. So... every closet is filled with her clothes.
I also discovered that mom apparently never threw out a single Christmas decoration in the 48 years that she and dad were married. Also any picture (photo or artwork) that ever hung on her wall was stashed in various closets.
None of this is 'bad' or 'wrong' - it is just how she chose to live - BUT it caused me to look around my own house. I realize that I have WAY too much stuff as well.
I am guilty of saving magazines and books. And fabric. And neckties. And vintage laces. And buttons. And quilts. My shelves and niches are "decorated" with various vintage knick-knacks and antiques items which were quite charming when I started out, but now have become too much.
So I have embarked on the de-cluttering-and cleaning journey. So far I have donated about 300 books to my library, filled the recycling bin twice with magazines, made three trips to Goodwill and one to the dump. And best of all - sent ten cartons of sewing supplies to the high school "textiles" department.
As long as I am pulling everything out I though we should perhaps paint the house a new color - so it is now a warm light taupe. (Bland yes - but I am going for something more neutral and calm.) I also had all of my cabinets stained a cherry color. They look great with the taupe. I have cleared my niches and shelves of all "accesssories" and even sold a lot of it to an antique dealer!
Of course I am nowhere near finished. I'll keep you posted.
Can anyone use any neckties?
Leah's kids are completely adorable. It was really great to be able to spend some time with them. We went to a birthday party and to the park and we got haircuts and mailed packages and did errands and went to a piano lesson at Miss Arlene's. In other words it was a "normal" time in a busy household. Isabelle is seven and loves American Girl Dolls. (Just like Kaitlin did - once upon a time.) Gray is four and plays t-ball. Stanton (Actually Peter Stanton named after our father) will be two in July and his vocabulary increases daily. Instead of "no" he says "mo." He loves his orange crocs and wants to wear them 24/7.
Things are improving. Thanks for your comments. 
My mom, Nancy passed away last Tuesday on March 6, 2007. It was completely unexpected. She was in the back bedroom, which she had been redecorating. She was sitting up in the bed with a phone in one hand, her Amex card in the other and a mail-order catalog on her lap. Her eyes were open. We still don't know the cause of death. What could have happened?
My dad started wondering where she was when she didn't come out for lunch and he and Michelle (his health care worker) went looking for her. My brother Jeff had also arrived for lunch. They discovered her body and knew she was dead. They called 911 and went through the motions of attempting to revive her but it was too late. The paramedics came and left and then the detectives. I wasn't there but I have the impression that this took a very long time, with photographs and questioning etc.
I arrived in Florida the next day to help with the "arrangements."
My entire family is shocked and devastated by this.
The service was on Sunday afternoon and I returned to Arizona on Wednesday evening. My oldest son Matthew stayed behind to help my dad.
I feel like things will never be the same.
What a privilege it is to sing with the composer of some of my favorite songs! Keith and Kristyn were last here in November of 2005. It's about time they came back!
Although "In Christ Alone" has been recorded my many artists including Avalon, The Newsboys and others - there is nothing like hearing it as the composer intended. It is evident that the song was written not as a showcase for the vocal ability of the artist but rather as a thoughtful meditation. It is very interesting to hear the song with the phrasing, the dynamics and the tempo that the composer intended. Here is a link to the story behind the song. Of course we did more than just "In Christ Alone." We also sang "There is a Higher Throne" and "The Power of the Cross." Kristyn treated us to solo performances of "Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer" and "Speak O Lord."
It was a great morning in beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona.
Yes, I have been sewing, but mostly I've been singing. Several months ago I did some background vocals for Paul Hillebrand's latest CD called "Journey to You." The CD is out now and sounds really great.
More recently I did some singing (along with several friends) on a project for Marvin Matthews. I'm still a little vague on the details for this one but I will keep you posted!
