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Monday, September 17, 2018

This week at our house

new acquisition this weekend, Princess Sewing Basket
Time again for the Happy Homemaker post, linking to (familycorner.blogspot.com)

The Weather
hot, way hot, hotter than an oven and dry. Plants wither, Milo doesn't want to walk, I haven't got the energy to walk. I thought CO would be nice, and cool, and clean.  It's so very hot, pushing 100 for week after week. It is mid September and it's still in the 90's and cooler means 80s which apparently is all we can hope for. So many people say it's so much hotter now than when they grew up here. When will humans wake up and clean up the air?
Related image

Book I'm reading
trying to finish the mystery from last week, because the Rhys Bowen book I ordered, latest in Her Royal Spyness series came in. Yipee! But I fall asleep before finishing much at night, then wake up an hour later, and 10 times a night now. For the last week, waking every hour.
 I'm tired y'all.

What's on my TV now
I am waiting for Dancing with the Stars to start. And This is Us. For now, I am often watching BBC shows on ACORN, or Amazon prime. We are watching the recent series Brokenwood out of NZ right now, and I just love the characters, writing and acting. It's a mystery show. Then there is 800 words, out of Australia... a quirky comedy that is just fun to watch, sort of in the genre of "Northern Exposure"

On the menu for dinner
As you know from last week, I just am not into cooking now. We had some rotisserie chicken last night, and I pulled the meat off the bones to use in a casserole tonight. I like sauces from Trader Joes as a flavor base, with meat and vegetables, and want to spend just about no time on food prep. It hurts to stand up at the stove, and I lost my cooking mojo. Plus I really prefer to paint, quilt, draw or write.

On my to do list

Always a long list to get a home set up. I want to spend a lot of time this week in the studio rooms.
We went to IKEA (again) for shelving units yesterday. I wanted DH to build some more like he built for me in MD but he seems reluctant, so I got some metal ones yesterday for the materials closet that:
IKEA OMAR Galvanized Shelf unit
1. are sturdy and won't out gas since they are metal
2. were inexpensive
3. could be assembled in minutes
4. will fit into the existing closet
I can't unpack if there is nowhere to put anything, so this will give me a place to put things for now. If I hate them, they can easily go in the basement later and be replaced with ones DH builds. I didn't want to build in shelves because of resale, a new owner would want room for clothes likely.

I also got some more Antonius baskets for the frames we bought last time. The IKEA near here is always ALWAYS out of stock on half of what we want.
I need to do mundane things like laundry, mopping, dishes, watering the plants, but I know you aren't interested in that stuff.

also to do
eat better, drink more water, clear off the dining room table.

Bwaahahahahahaha! Like that will ever happen!

In the craft basket
you mean the studio? a big mess. Stuff pulled out of boxes waiting to be gone through.
I need to start working soon, as I took on another challenge, this time with Alida to interpret a famous artist work/style. I've done about 16 of these already, and they are such a learning experience for me.
Image result for lapaylor picasso poodle
I do each one in a 12" format, onto peltex so they are slightly firm, in the style of an artist, and most include a poodle somewhere. I decided to do Vermeer this time, but considered Warhol, Afremov, Mucha, and Rennie MacIntosh, so I have plans to do them later.

I'm in the research phase, where I look at the paintings, read about the artist's life, read their quotes, decide what about their work makes them different... I sketched out my plan and just want a place to work so first step to that is sorting and setting up.

Looking forward to this week
I have a date to meet a friend at a quilting event in Longmont. It will be fun to see her and be surrounded by other makers. Plus I am in the mood to indulge my love of fabric art, so I'm excited to see what is out there for purchase.

I am not looking forward to the vet visit tomorrow. Milo must have allergies, like us, and the vet is insistent on doing expensive treatments.

Every week I hope I'll have less pain. Every week I think my prayers will be answered and I suppose since this has been going on so long, and my wonderful PT is back in MD, it's likely hopeless, yet I still sort of hope it might happen this week.

Tips and Tricks
We bought a table and chairs this weekend at a yard sale.

 It's not beautiful but it will do for now to paint and bead on in the living room.
 The owners were asking $40 for the set, as they were finally moving in together after 6 years of dating, since the man's daughter was leaving the nest for college. See how people tell me their stories?
 Anyway, I asked if they were into bargaining, and they said yes, and hard as it was I offered $25 for the set and they took it. We figure we can always sell it at the Spring 'hood sale if we find a perfect set before then.
When we cleaned it with some Dawn highly diluted, there was a cloudy film left, which we learned was the hard minerals in water here, binding with water. Oy vey.

I then used the wood feeder that I used on my antiques right after we moved, and it's really good. Some of my antiques look actually rich and shiny now, and it's almost removed a water stain on the treadle machine.

It smells of oranges and beeswax... love that.

Lessons learned this week
I went to an estate sale, of a crafter who hoarded supplies.
after days of sales, and purging, still full
It was a small home, in a very modest neighborhood of small homes,  chock-a-block full. She must have purchased one of every book published on about 10 crafts, had every kind of kit, about 10 sewing machines including a long arm, about 12 boxes holding gallons of fresh water,  knick knacks, furniture, etc. The person in charge of selling it all said half was already disposed of before the sale. The sale itself had gone on two days before I found it and the house was still full.

It was a serious jumble to try to see anything. So many sewing/knitting/beading/items jumbled together in boxes. A tremendous number of binders with patterns filling them. Books falling everywhere. SO much costume jewelry. All after days of selling and the initial purge. The salesperson wanted to sell everything individually instead of lots or bins. Ridiculous! That orange bin above was waist high to me, full of paperbacks.

I learned to be more selective in my stock of materials, and to periodically let things go if they were mis-purchased and no longer needed. I learned to try to limit my plans to be more realistic.

I related to this woman, it's hard to turn down a deal, even I got a collectible princess sewing basket and two little beading pamphlets, and it's exciting to think of the projects to make, but none of us can possibly make all the projects we've bought materials for. Most crafters are gatherers at heart.

Still... it was sad and overwhelming. I wonder how she felt living in the mess. There's a lesson in here somewhere. I must have purged half my craft possessions before leaving MD, but there are a lot here in boxes to go through.We need enough to create with, and enough to make us feel happy, but maybe too much is draining.

Devotional 
I hope to meditate this week, to try to center myself amid this crazy hectic life I'm in recently

I do a post every Thursday and things I really liked this week. I used to post more Art but have been waylaid this year with the changes and will get back to that. Trust me! 


linking to
https://www.shabbyartboutique.com


28 comments:

  1. Hope you find some pain relief soon! Your last few pictures of the "full house" definitely has a lesson for us all. I know that the clutter in my basement was weighing on me heavily. I've felt very relieved since purging much of it last fall. There is still stuff in boxes to go through, but it's manageable finally.

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  2. I really enjoyed stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful week!I love the table you found at a bargain price!

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  3. Sorry you are having to live with pain. It's so debilitating and just steals our joy. I lived in Denver for 4 years, and I heard the same comments from people who had lived there for decades: the weather used to be better. Not sleeping well is maybe also affecting your outlook. Hope you are feeling better soon.

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  4. Glad you joined the link up! Hoping you find some pain relief very soon. You must have one of those tell me your life story faces, I can relate. Run into the convenience store and run out with the details of the clerk's custody arrangement with his ex-wife. Has happened to me. Weather should cool off a bit soon, then get hot again, then cool off again. Welcome to the Midwest! Hope you have a great week.

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  5. What a great post and link up theme...love it! I hope you can find a good PT near your home. Thank you for sharing this post

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  6. Interesting stuff. We've started watching 800 Words and have been liking it so far!

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  7. Hope you get to feeling better. Have a great week

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  8. I too hope that this may be the week when you feel better. You have plenty of interesting things to share, even when you are not creating much.

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  9. It's getting hotter here in southern California, too. A friend has a time-share in Palm Springs in August (what she could afford), and we have been going with her for several years. It used to cool down to 90 by the time we'd walk home from dinner, but not this year. It just got hotter and stayed hotter.

    You mentioned out-gassing. I really, really need a new bed, but am afraid of outgassing foam. (Those beds they deliver in a box recommend "airing" for 24 hours. Then it'll be OK? I don't think so.) And it's hard to find beds without at least a layer of foam anymore!

    May your pain diminish so that you may experience and spread more joy!

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  10. Hi LeAnne, I've been off line a while now, glad to see you've made your move. It sure takes some getting used to a new place. All my friends have been talking about family getting rid of stuff when you are gone. So I decided to purge my sewing room the last few days, so far 7 large paper grocery bags of quilting cottons have come out of the room and two big boxes. Do we REALLY NEED all this stuff? Just think of all the money I spent on it. OMG it feels good to get rid of it, but I still stopped at a garage sale the other day. Accumulating is addicting. I was having trouble with waking up at night, 8-10 times. I finally decided it was one of my meds, yep the paper work said difficulty sleeping, and tremors which I had also noticed, after decreasing the dose, I can sleep 4-5 hours now, it is fluoxetine. Ask your Doc if you are taking anything similar.

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    1. I think we just need to really love what we buy, new or garages sale. And have a chance of using it too. You really did good at letting go!

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  11. Hi LeeAnna,
    It's 7 am and the door is wide open! Mosquitos are still active! I am the living pin cushion for them! Warmer tomorrow! Thanks to the hurricanes affecting the rest of the weather patterns around the globe! Saterday's cooler...10 degrees cooler!

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  12. Awesome score on the table!! Love the pic of the flower. Have a great week!

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  13. It has been so hot here too that I haven't done much cooking though I did whip up a chili Saturday night for Sunday supper hoping it would envoke fall to join us. have a great week.

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  14. Oh, wow! I've never heard of a wood feeder, but am going to have to track this down to use on our waterfall bedroom set from the 1930's or 40's. My great-aunt and -uncle bought new when they were first married. Then, my mom inherited it when my great-aunt died and I inherited it when both of my parents were gone. I have weekly oiled each piece with Old English, but I think this might be a better option. Thanks for the tip! <3

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  15. Hi, so very sorry about your pain. I understand about the HOT, for 9 months of the year it is cool, but in the summer...Global warming is a myth! HaHa!! Take care, love Sharon

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  16. We're still in the mid to high 80s, so no relief for us either. Have you watched Killing Eve on BBC America? Sandra Oh is pretty awesome. And gosh I feel sorry for the people having the rummage sale. No organization, no plan, just making it hard on themselves. Hope you and Milo are both better this week!

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  17. Keep commenting on my blog because I love your comments.

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  18. well I have almost the same table and chairs as you, mine was 60 dollars about 10 years ago and its still in my house, works ok... the tv shows you mentioned are ones I watch, the latest for us is finnish shows on Netflix - Dead Wind (subtitles) and Bordertown (subtitles) are both good

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  19. You are smart to polish your furniture regularly, especially after moving to such a dry climate. Yay, you!
    I'm glad I didn't see the estate sale. It's hard to pass up the goodies but I don't want to leave that kind of mess for my kids to clean out. And as you wrote, too much stuff weighs me down. {Whine, whine, whine.} But glad you bought a couple of patterns to amuse yourself.

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  20. You'll be an old-timer about the weather there before you know it. :-) I've been to garage sales like those you described. I went from oh, joy, oh, wow to I hope I don't have people looking at this when I'm gone. Shudder.
    That a cool challenge you're doing, and I like your process for doing it. I hope it helps you relax so that the pain stays at bay.

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  21. I hope it cools down for you soon. Heat zaps your energy, for sure! I love your new table - a nice deal, too. Sounds like you are settling in and feeling the creative spirit again! I hope you can get some relief from the heat and the pain very soon. x K

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  22. I am only 2 days away from cool weather - and I have been waiting and waiting and I am so excited! I feel so bad for you in that heat :( To me 80s is even too hot. I'm in Michigan and I just love all of the seasons. And I really wish I knew how to quilt! My grandmother was SO crafty and she tried to teach me things when I was very young but not much of it stuck. She quilted, crocheted, knitted, painted, made jewelry and ornaments, cross stitched, made beautiful lace, dolls, sewed and more! Me? I Bible journal a bit? lol

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  23. This week alone I have handed off three projects' worth of fabrics I no longer want to work with AND re-purposed fabrics cut for two additional projects I no longer care about into an edited version of one I AM excited to make. I do not want to be a hoarder ...

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  24. Your first picture really caught my eye. I am sure that I had the same pink sewing box when I was a girl. Flash from the past!

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  25. You had a great week. I love your idea for my painting, lol. Have a great week.

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  26. LA - you say you are tired, but what a post. You have a lot going on, girl! I am going to have to get some of that Howard's Feed and Wax - looks like it might help some of my aged furniture! When does Dancing with the Stars start again? I have only watched one season, and I really enjoyed it!

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