Around the House

Flavor-of-the-month Bug

May 14, 2008 – 12:38 am

Oh, how I love the season of new growth…you know, spring and all its glory. New grass, bright new leaves, new flowers, new plants, baby animals. I can even deal with the return of the bees and wasps right now. Come summer I’ll be swatting and spraying, but right now it’s all good.

 

Except for one little thing. The sneezing, snorting, watering eyes, plugged ears and that ever so lovely annoying hacking unproductive cough, cough, cough. The one that usually makes me say to myself, “Wow, Denise, quick smoke another one.”

 

Obviously, the dh had enough of being kept awake all night because he called from work with orders to “call the doctor”. Uh, ok…why? Hey, the coughing hadn’t kept me awake, so what do I know? But since my head is throbbing and I can’t hear over the massive seashells in my ears,  it’s apparent the OD of benadryl  ain’t working.

 

Well silly me. There’s a new flavor-of-the-month bug going around and the doc had seen 20 of us with it today alone. Swell. Even more swell was the high temp and the oddly low bp. So, now with a major deadline looming I’m sucking down Zithromax and swilling spiked cough syrup. Oh, yeah, I’m betting this book is going to go through revision h*ll and then some. It’ll be fun, I’m sure.

 

Then again, that could be the drugs talking.

 

Oh, here’s a scary thought…maybe the drugs will write a better story…

 

Uh, hmmm—I should go now.

 

I do hope you’re enjoying whatever season is upon you. And I hope if you suffer from allergies that they aren’t wiping you out.

 

Until next time, take care and be well.

 

Denise Lynn

By DivaDenise | Comments (0)

This, That and the other thing

April 24, 2008 – 3:46 am

A few months ago I bemoaned the fact that I couldn’t find Lee Relaxed Riders anywhere in town…then I found some at WalMart of all place.  Yeah, well, I won’t be rushing out for anther pair anytime soon. I came home from a meeting a weekish or so ago and the dh says, “You’re hanging out.” Oooookkkkkk, since I’m wearing a Henley and a long-sleeved denim shirt at the time I couldn’t figure out what he was talking about. “No,” he says with that irritating tone of utter disgust he uses when I’m at my most blonde, “your a** is hanging out.”  And sure enough, the one side of the back pocket ripped off the jeans, taking the rear with it.

 

Niiiice. I hope the local writing chapter appreciates the fact that I like bright colored underwear—this time in neon pink. (sigh)  If the jean would have been super tight or old and worn I might understand it. Needless to say it was the first…and last…time I’ll be purchasing my jeans there. So, now it’s back to the wild hunt. Oh, joy.

 

Since it’s nice weather-wise here around the Great Lakes, I’ve been doing some (little) yard work. I decided that this year I was going to try growing something…anything…from seeds. I picked out 2 different kinds of morning glories. I mean how hard can they be to grow? For some odd reason I read the directions on the back of the envelope, only to discover these are considered hard-shell seeds. One suggestions was to “nick” each seed with a nail file.

 

Uh, have you seen the size of these seeds? We’d be talking tweezers, nail file and magnifying glass. Unfortunately, I haven’t perfected the art of 3-handed projects yet. I opted for the second suggestion—soak the seeds in water overnight. No prob, that I can do. Maybe. I mean, I put them in a cookie sheet on a coffee filter (in lieu of paper towels), poured in some water…and remembered them 3 days later. The little buggers had sprouted! Yeah, I planted them anyways, it’ll be interesting to see if they do anything.

 

During the winter I do crock-pot meals a lot…often…ok, if dinner isn’t from a box or a restaurant, it’s from the crock-pot. But during the summer it’s hard for me to find things that are A)easy B)cheap C)quick D)low in fat and E)crockable. A customer gave me a recipe that I’m going to try today. Take a roast, toss it in the crock, dump in 2 envelopes of taco seasoning and 1 can of beef broth. Crock for 8-10 hours. I’m sort of curious to see what this tastes like. The dh didn’t look too impressed, but there’s hot dogs in the freezer if this taco/roast thing doesn’t work.

 

I’m a third shift bat. That much I’ll admit freely. However, the rest of my house are those odd, frightening sunlight people. So, being mom and wife, I of course keep to my schedule while also keeping to theirs. Meaning sleep is a joke and eating a circus. We have dinner around 4 – 5 pm. For me that’s brunch, but whatever. Come about 3–4 am I’m starving, the blood sugar is crashing and the words on the computer monitor start to blur. Normally, I’d eat whatever was left over from dinner. A couple weeks ago I finally figured out that by gosh that’s stupid because I’ll be heading to bed between 5-6 on a totally full stomach. That could explain part of the massive weight gain this last year. The other parts I’m blaming on age and cortisone shots. So, I thought maybe some fresh fruit and veggies would be a better idea. It was for a couple days, then I ran out of oranges and only had veggies around—you know, cukes, celery, green peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes topped with a dash of vinegar and oil. They don’t sell enough pink pepto at the carryout to take care of a veggie overdose. Not bright.

 

After that I decided some cereal would be good. The dh’s idea of cereal is Captain Crunch. Uh, no thank you. Oatmeal is fine in the winter, but it’s not winter anymore. Special K with strawberries and a box of Life were my choices. To my shock, in 2 weeks time either the scale broke or I actually lost 7 pounds. I’m going to check again in another week. Keep your fingers crossed that it’s not a broken scale.

 

Until next time, take care and be well.

 

Denise Lynn 

By DivaDenise | Comments (1)

Change in Seasons

April 6, 2008 – 4:07 am

Ah, spring in the Midwest. The yellows and purples of crocuses dot the flower beds. Daffodils peek up through the ground.  Grass and iris leaves start greening up. It’s a time when song birds build their nest 4 feet outside my bedroom window and sing merrily at 5 am…about half an hour before I go to bed. Each morning I’m serenaded to sleep. That’s today…a month from now I’ll be holding a pillow over my head, I’m sure. And spring, a time when human minds turn to flights of fancy…or in my house become useless mush. Take your pick. The sounds of “where are my sunglasses…light jacket…whatever” followed by “how would I know, I don’t wear them” fill the air, punctuated with repeated sneezes, snorts and coughs.

And spring, the season when the pungent scent of cat urine wafts through the house with the strength of a freak hurricane.  And you wondered where I was going with this didn’t you?

I’ve owned cats my entire life…and some have owned me. Right now I own 4 and am owned by 2 more. I’ve never, ever, everever had a problem with a spraying male before. And he’s 10 years old for pete sakes. The dh and I walked in the back door the other day after going out for dinner and we both looked at each other and at the same time asked, “What IS that smell?”

First check is the litter box. Nope, it’s clean. No nasty smell upstairs in the bedrooms, thank goodness. The living room is…eh, I really haven’t decided yet. The dining room was nailed good…somewhere. The kitchen is fine. The basement…where my dungeon office resides was also nailed better than good…again, somewhere.

After 3 cans of Lysol and 2 hours of cursing, I was certain the problem would go away.

Did I mention my middle name was MORON at times?

Took the dog out the other night and when I came back in the house, that…smell…slapped me upside the head. Had the dh not already been in bed I would have screamed bloody murder.

It has to be the new alpha male. Not new as in I just got him, I’ve had him since he was 10 days old and fed him by hand. But the old alpha male is really old and has recently decided to give up the position. He seems to like being a lap cat of late.

The vet claims there’s nothing physically wrong with the suicidal cat…he’s just experiencing a change in seasons.  Um, doc, HE’S TEN YEARS OLD.  And he’s fixed. Keeps it up he’s gonna be fixed real good.

Lastnight was the kicker. Dear, dear Squirrel (named so because at birth his tail was longer than his body and he carried the thing up and across his back….like a squirrel), decided to beat up on the semi-brain damaged male, who will not fight back like the girls do. My son swatted him away with the newspaper. Later, when said son was doing dishes, Squirrel walked up behind him and yep, you guessed it…sprayed the kid’s pant leg.

Now, I totally understand the cat’s scream—he was more shocked that my son was able to turn around and grab hold of him before he could escape than anything else. And I more than totally understand confining him to a small space.

BUT LISTEN UP — MY OFFICE IS NOT A SMALL SPACE.

A small space is a cat cage on the back porch unless I’m right there to keep an eye on the little snot. He’s currently stretched out on the top of my desk purring and staring at me with that “mom, I love you” look. Grrrr.

So, tomorrow I’m off to the pet store and farm store. There has to be something that will remove the smell from the curtains in the dining room. Tonight, I still need to find his “spot” in the basement.

It’s gonna be a long spring. I can see it now.

Until next time, take care and be well.

Denise Lynn

By DivaDenise | Comments (0)

Updating with slipcovers

March 4, 2008 – 7:18 pm

Slipcovers? Yep, those take it off throw it in the wash, or dry clean “suits” for furniture.   Fabric is like a wonder drug for old, ugly or just plain “I’m tired of it” furniture. 

Doubtful? Bear with me. Let’s take  a GoodWill or Salvation Army special:

 Sort of odd colored, but it’s got a nice feather cushion–something you don’t find everyday anymore. The legs could use some TLC, but the frame is solid. It’s worth saving.  About 8 yards of fabric can get you this: 

 

Don’t like the more modern, slightly loose plain white look?  Ok, let’s try a print…floral for an older strange green sofa.

 

What about something a little more cottage looking, with sheets in multiple prints? I have to tell you, there’s nothing better than sheets if you want to wash the slipcovers repeatedly. They wear like…well, sheets!

How about grandma’s old iron porch sofa?  Get some cushions, 1.5 yards of fabric for each one, some pillows and for a fraction of the cost of buying new, you can have something like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or if you’d just like to add just a touch of neutral, or color to a small area, how about a lampshade?

Again, the cover slips right off so you can toss it in the washer. Half a dozen in different colors and you can change the look in a minute.

One of these days, I’ll clear off the table and show you how you can do it yourself. First…I have to find the table.

Until next time, take care and be well.

Denise Lynn

 

By DivaDenise | Comments (0)

Getting ready for spring planting…

February 24, 2008 – 3:24 am

After watching a falcon having a dove take out, or is that a take in, brunch this morning and hearing, although not yet seeing, a robin, I’m pretty certain spring is on its way.  While the urges of the wild kingdom will start the turn toward procreation, I’m contemplating flower beds. 

My part of Ohio is rated as hardiness zone 5b. You can find your zone at: http://www.growit.com/ZONES/index.htm     Just click on your state and it’ll take you to a zone map. Knowing your zone gives you an idea of when you’ll be able to start setting seeds or plants outdoors.  Naturally, sticking a damp finger out the window gives you a clue, too.  I like to use both methods. 

Since I’d like to try something different this year flower-wise, I’ll start my search at the HGTV site for perennials where it lists plants suitable for your zone: Just click on where you live and another page will “pop-up” with a list of plants. Some of them have links to more info and some don’t. 

Unfortunately, I didn’t find anything in the perennials that strike my fancy. We’ve got enough iris’s, lilies, coneflowers, lamb’s ear, herbs yada, yada, yada…. 

Now it’s off to cruise the annuals at the  Burpee (R) website  which btw also has a zone finder…imagine that.  And as usual clicking on Annuals gets me something on the very first page.  

I sort of like the Lisianthus collection.

The Cutting Garden collection would be sort of kewl, but there’s too many choices in there that don’t interest me.

The Perilla Fantasy would add a nice splash of color, so I’ll add that to the list.

If  I want to do the Patio Sweet Peas, I need to be getting the seeds started. They are sort of colorful. 

Oh, totally have to get the Gerbera Spinner – the dh will love that one.

And I want the tri-colored daisy.   

The dh has always wanted some Morning Glories trailing up the back privacy fence, so I need to pick up the seeds to get going for those too. I didn’t realize they came in so many colors. 

Wow, we both love violas, but I’ve never seen amber ones before. Add that to the list, too.  

And I think I’ll need to stop right there, because I need to leave room for the snaps, carnations, pinks, verbena, marigolds, geraniums, asters…..well, you get the idea.

What about you? Has your fancy turned to the outdoors yet? Can you look beyond the covering of snow and see the possibilities hiding beneath? 

Until next time, take care and be well.

 

 

  

By DivaDenise | Comments (0)

Plaster is so not fun…

February 4, 2008 – 4:11 am

When we moved into our house 20+ years ago, there was velvet embossed wallpaper in the bathroom of all places.  The dh didn’t want to tackle getting rid of it. At the time I couldn’t figure out why. When he left on a fishing trip with his dad, I learned “why” the hard way.

The first section of wallpaper tore right off…giving me false confidence that I could so totally do this job. The next couple of sections needed to be coaxed with the edge of a putty knife. No problem, it’s a small bathroom and only 2 of the walls were papered.

The last section came off in one fell swoop…along with the plaster underneath. A frantic call to my dad ended not so well. His suggestion was to mix up some plaster and patch the wall. I tried and failed miserably. The hole was just too big.  My bil suggested cutting a piece of drywall and fitting that into the hole.  It takes a skill I don’t possess to cut drywall.

After standing in the hardware department for what seemed like hours, I ended up buying a couple gallons of textured paint. Yeah, it sounds like a stupid idea, but 3 coats of it filled in the hole nicely.  To hide the fact that only 1/3 of the one wall was now textured, I ended up texturizing (is that a word?) the whole wall using a large plastic hair pick (quit laughing).  And 20+ years later, the “wave wall” still looks pretty good.

Unfortunately, there are now 2 more rooms needing major plaster repair and I’m pretty certain my texture trick isn’t going to work in the living and dining rooms.  A section of the dining room ceiling fell—of course, since it’s the only plaster ceiling left in the house why wouldn’t it fall? And there’s a 3 foot crack in the living room next to the fireplace that refuses to be patched the easy way.

So, it’s time to go web surfing for some DIY info on plaster repair. This is what I’ve found so far:

E How To Do Just About Everything:
http://www.ehow.com/how_115326_repair-damaged-plaster.html

Do It Yourself.com:
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/repairhomeplaster

Preservation Briefs from The National Park Service:
http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/briefs/brief21.htm

Home Tips.com:
http://www.hometips.com/articles/repair_plaster_wall.html

Ask The Builder:
http://www.askthebuilder.com/603_Patching_Plaster_Walls.shtml

After reading through the articles, I’m getting the major impression that this isn’t a job for the timid. (sigh)

Although I know completely understand why all of the other rooms have drop ceilings and why the former owners paneled the kitchen.

Now I just need to figure out how brave we want to get…

Until next time…take care and be well.

    

By DivaDenise | Comments (0)

Color Dumb

January 24, 2008 – 12:57 pm

I must be color blind. Or possibly, color dumb.   The above pic is a close sample of the fabric I’m using for the sofa slipcover, there’s a smaller companion print that I’ll use for the chairs and a matching windowpane plaid for the draperies, a table skirt, cording and possibly a pillow or three.  

The color dumbness comes into play while trying to choose a paint for the walls. White just isn’t going to “get” it anymore. I’m basically whited out after 30+ years. Yellow won’t work because well…the kitchen is already lemon and that’d just be wayyyyyyyyyyy too much yellow. 

I’m just not much of a monochromatic person color-wise. So, that leaves me staring at a color wheel….ok, a bazillion color wheels.  To be honest, I just don’t get it. Which is probably why I insist the customers pick out their own fabric…don’t ask me…please.   

The color wheel has 12 colors – the 3 primary (red, yellow, blue); 3 secondary colors made by combining the primary ones (orange,  green, violet); and 6 tertiary colors made from combining a primary and a secondary (yellow-orange, red-orange, red-violet, blue-violet, blue-green and yellow-green).

 May I pause to say, “Uh, huh, that’s nice.”  Now what? 

Well, now the choices:   Mono-chromatic is using the same color in different shades and/or tones. Nope, already nixed that. 

Complimentary is choosing 2 colors that are opposite on the wheel.  So looking at my wheel that’d be….violet?  Oh, I think not. For a pillow maybe, for a color in a picture or a vase, sure. For my walls?  Oh, heck no. 

Analogous is the 3 colors next to each other on the wheel. In this case that’d be yellow, yellow-green, yellow-orange. Hmmm, the yellow-green maybe. Depends on what shades/tones I can find. It’d have to be something light because we’re talking a small 11 X 18 room here. 

Finally, there’s Triadic. This would be choosing 3 colors equal distances apart on the wheel.  Since I’m basing this exercise on a primary color, that’d be the other 2 primary colors. While it works great in the kitchen – lemon yellow walls and red plaid curtains, I can just see the dh coming home to a red or blue living room. NOT.  

It doesn’t show up well in the pic, but there is a real light minty/grayish green in one of the leaves. So that might make the analogous scheme work. Now, to go stand at the paint store for half a day staring. (le sigh) 

Why is it some people can figure this out at a glance and some people (raising hand) are totally clueless? Since I can look at red, green or blue and see red, green or blue, I’m not color blind. Just color dumb.

Until next time….take care and be well.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By DivaDenise | Comments (0)

Adventures with Pots & Pans

January 23, 2008 – 12:59 am

You know your pots and pans have had it when your mother comes to visit you and decides to give you money labeled “for new cookware” for Christmas. 

Yes, that’s what happened and yes, I’ve been on the prowl for them since. In fact, I got so enthusiastic about the whole idea, I’ve now bought two (2) new sets.

The first set, I bought at Bed, Bath and Beyond after an hour spent comparing this set and that. This set had ‘advanced’ non-stick coating. Actually looked nice. Had a nice heft—without feeling like I would develop carpal tunnel if I actually used it every night for a week. I liked it. I bought it. I brought it home. 

That very night, a friend called and “commanded” that Dan and I come to dinner.  “It’s a sales pitch,” she said, naming a brand. “But don’t feel like you have to buy a thing. It’ll be fun and relaxing. Good food. Great company and you won’t have to cook that night.” (The last sentence sealed the deal though I’d been leaning that way for the company anyway.) And, as Dan and I discussed on our way to the command appearance, “Since we just bought cookware, we’ve got a great excuse for not being interested.” We were feeling pretty smug. 

Wouldn’t you know, we loved the cookware when the dealer was done preparing our meal.  As promised, great food plus healthier, faster, easy clean up, save money on both on energy needed to cook the food and the food itself since there was less shrinkage and more nutrition left in, just by the cooking method. And since we’d already decided to take the first set of cookware back… 

(Yeah, we had. I still liked most everything about it—it cooked evenly, had a nice feel, looked great, I even like the lids and handles–but the first time I cooked with it, I noticed something I should have noticed in the store, but didn’t until it was full of food. It had the bolts holding the handles on exposed on the inside of the pan. It was the ‘yuck’ factor. I got out a brush to clean around the bolts the first night I used it. With the way metal shrinks and expands with heat and cold, I knew there was no way I’d keep food out from beneath those bolts and pretty soon, build up and…YUCK.  And, of course, the dealer mentioned the bolts and the problem with expansion and contraction and food beneath.) 

Though I didn’t remember it until we arrived and heard the pitch, my mother had the same cookware and had since I was ten or eleven. Hers still looks as good as the new stuff he was showing us. So, wow, even without the lifetime warranty, it would last a lifetime. And this cookware had removable handles and a few updated features. 

So yes, we bought the spectacular cookware. My husband was so impressed with it all, he didn’t even flinch when he heard the spectacular price. 

And then I slept on it. Did I really want cookware that would last the rest of my life and most of my kids? Did I like to cook all that much? With the difference between what I would spend for the second set vs. the first set, I could fly to Florida and visit my friend and throw in a trip for both of us to New York, complete with a couple of Broadway shows. With the difference between the two sets, I could (practically) remodel my kitchen or avoid cooking altogether and go out to eat more often. With the difference, I could buy 15 more sets of pots and pans when they wear out—or even if I get tired of the originals. 

Thank goodness for the ‘second thoughts,’ 3 day cancellation clauses. 

So, yes, I cancelled/returned both sets.  And I’m still looking. One of the few lessons I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older is that very few things in life are permanent. Very few decisions are absolutely final. I find I return more things if I’m not satisfied with them or they don’t do what I expect for my money. (My biggest problem is that I really don’t like to shop that much so that encourages me to spend a bit of time and try to make better choices to begin with.) 

Life is about choices and priorities. Some we make are good. Some are not so good. And occasionally, some we have to live with. But most we can make and remake until we’re happy with them.  

By DivaAlfie | Also posted in Kitchen & Recipes, Well-being & Fitness | Comments (0)

The Great Hunt

January 15, 2008 – 12:42 am

Do you put things away so you won’t lose them? And then later, when you need them, you can’t remember where they are? Love it. Makes life a grand adventure at times. 

I managed to find a bunch of those things over the last 2 days…application for the dog license (from last year of course – who knows where the current one is stashed), the prescript for last year’s mammogram (the doc wrote it out 3 months early, so natch I had to get another one 4 months later), half a dozen slips of paper with phone#s and no names of course, a postit that says “amp it up” – I’m afraid I know what that was for originally, safety pins, nail clippers, tweezers, a handful of dog goods, a pen drive, an advertisement for a then new motel in the mountains and odd pieces of costume jewelry that got set aside to be put away…later.  

Unfortunately while some of those items are useable, no amount of crawling around on my hands and knees with a magnifying glass and masking tape turned up a diamond.

And that’s what I was looking to find.

It’s just a small diamond. A tiny twenty-two year old shimmering chip of a rock that meant more than I’d ever have imagined.  Until 2 days ago. I’m not much of a jewelry person…hence the odd pieces of costume jewelry scattered around…but I rarely take off my wedding set and if I do, it immediately goes on my sword ring holder. The last time I put it down elsewhere it turned into a frantic major hunt.  Where you aware that ferrets are natural thieves and they really like shiny things? And that they love to hide those shiny things? Thankfully I tracked down their hiding places and found my rings, along with tons of other “prizes”. 

This time it’s not the set though…just the diamond. Seems one of those little hooks on the end of a prong either broke off or wore off and the stone fell out. I swear, when I first noticed it was missing the world stopped…well, okay, just my breathing stopped.   

Thus began a two day search prodded along by the insane belief that if I couldn’t find the diamond it was all over. “It” being my marriage. Yeah, yeah, yeah I know exactly how totally out of whack that logic sounds.  I’m an author and logic sometimes sits on the window ledge laughing at me. Right now it’s having a grand old time. Personally, I hope it chokes on the snort laughs. 

But this is my diamond. The one that after seven years of marriage my dh went out all by himself and bought for me. He’s the romantic one of the family—the one who buys just the right gift, sends postcards when he’s on the road, picks out just the right cards, knows just when to send flowers and in this case bought just the right set of rings. 

So losing the diamond makes me feel like I’m slapping his face. Of course he takes the practical, logical route and goes to the jewelry store to get a quote on replacing the diamond. Uh, yeah, ok, that’s a thought. They want to put in a bigger stone, but I want my little baby shimmering chip of a rock.

This is when we learn that not only has the normal cost of living gone up in the last 22 years, so has the cost of gems. Ohmygoodness. The tiny little diamond alone is going to cost more to replace than the whole set originally cost. But my finger is naked, except for the mark where my rings normally sit and I don’t like it one little bit. So, I guess it’s a case of sucking it in and letting him place the order. 

This is not how I’d planned on starting out the New Year, or this week for that matter. On the other hand, if this is the worse that happens this year, it’ll be ok.

Until next time….Take care and be well. 

Diva Denise

By DivaDenise | Comments (0)

Making A Clean Sweep

January 4, 2008 – 1:50 am

A New Year. A time of making resolutions and promises for the future. A time for new beginnings. 

After the rush of the holidays, the beginning of the new year is when I start getting this urge to redecorate. I miss the twinkle of the Christmas lights and the shimmer of the candles and icicles. Before I can tear headlong into whatever project I’m planning for the year—I’m thinking new slipcovers and curtains this year–the house has to be gutted…I mean cleaned.  

 A Chinese tradition for the lunar new year (Feb. 7th) is to clean house the day before. Sort of like the out with the old, in with the new concept.  During my google search on this topic, I found a neat one that talks about cleaning out the kitchen gadget drawers: 

http://www.slashfood.com/2006/01/26/chinese-new-year-tradition-clean-out-the-kitchen/

Personally, I don’t own a garlic peeler, but I “get” the idea here.

I do, however, own a house. A small 1200 square feet spot on this earth that’s mine…ok and the mortgage company’s, but I like to pretend it’s all mine. 400 of those square feet are in the basement. A 20 X 20 area that serves as laundry room and my dungeon office. Unfortunately, until this week, it also served as the catch all for enough “crap” to fill three 1200 square feet houses.  Obviously, the pack rat gene is inherited.

I totally understand having a muffin pan. A small one for corn or herb muffins and a gigantic one for chocolate chip muffins – if nothing else, I do have my priorities straight on that. But why were there 4 more muffin pans in the basement? Along with 3 bread pans that have never and will never see the inside of my oven…not while the Wonder bread company is still in business. There was an angel food cake pan…without the bottom, it made a good match to the cheesecake pan also without the bottom.  Was I hoping the bottoms would come home someday?

And exactly what does a non-quilter do with 1/8 of a yard of fabric? Or 3 feet of thread on the spool? Or 5 inches of ribbon?  Or 2 inches of elastic? How about half a zipper?

After re-sorting through 10+ bags and boxes of stuff I’ll no longer use, wear or never used or wore, to begin with, I’ve whittled it down to 6 bags of honest garbage. The rest, while it might be “stuff” to me, might be useful to someone else. Strange colored quilts, clothes that wouldn’t fit if I used a saw on my thighs, dishes, kitchen gadgets, pans, CDs, cassette tapes, stuffed animals, toys—I’m sure it can all find homes. So, tomorrow morning I’ll pack up the car and head to the local donation centers.

Granted, I did find some treasurers…cards from my grandparents who are no longer with us. Trinkets made by a child’s hand stored carefully away. The cards are now protected in a photo album where I can see them on occasion. The trinkets were taken out of storage and now grace the shelves in my office. Oh, that half zipper? It used to close a blue furry bunting bag. Now it’s curled up and nestled in a misshapen clay bowl that has “Mom” etched on the bottom.

And now that the basement is finished, I can start on the rest of the house.  I don’t think I’ll tackle that as one whole project though. The St. Petersburg Times has a great article online about making a clean sweep by doing things in smaller increments than what I’ve done this week:

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/12/29/Homes/New_year_a_good_excus.shtml

I think perhaps the idea of doing the rest a few minutes here, a few minutes there might still get it done.  We’ll see.

 Until next time, Take care and be well.

By DivaDenise | Comments (0)