Oh wow!

Once a month grocery shopping day means the next couple of days after are quite busy for me.  I spend a couple of days putting it all away. There's chores like making of meatloaf muffins in portions to fit my diet.

There's flash freezing of things so I can take out only the amount I need for a recipe instead of thawing out a whole package.

I've started gathering things from discount bins to use this fall in canning season.  Hopefully, my little backyard garden will give me enough to be canned.

Speaking of backyard gardens..... look what I got.   Aren't they beautiful! 

These are a gift from the man who traded the cutting of the trees for two quilts.  A blackberry, a raspberry, and a blueberry.  All I could say is "oh wow!" when he gave them to me.  I've already told him he's done enough to pay for the quilts but he wants me to have my backyard garden.  He's doing more than his share in the trade and I'm very thankful he's going a little farther for me.   I think he's almost as determined to see a garden in my backyard as I am.  (big smile) 

Today there's more kitchen work to be done and I want to do a little house cleaning too.  Later tonight will be the Thunder Over Louisville fire works show.  I won't be going to it but I can watch the planes fly over my house as they buzz the crowds along the river all afternoon.   The blue thunder planes are my favorite.  They are quite loud while still looking really graceful in the show.   Hmm... I like the older planes too.  One is a local plane that I see every afternoon.  It looks like the Red Baron plane in Snoopy cartoons.  It's a red plane so I call it the Red Baron.  I wave at him every evening as he flies by.

Ok, my internet connection is acting up so I'll go do something else. 

 

Cardboard crafts blog

I didn't get finished with the current quilt.  I got down to the last couple of rows when it simply was too hot in the studio to continue.  So I went to the back part of the house and worked on setting up my newest blog.  Can you tell the room is dark?  If the sun can't get in.... it can't make it hot.

Well of course, while setting that blog up I had to work on the other two as well. 

You might wonder why I have three blogs instead of just putting everything on one?  Hmm.... it's like having three file cabinets.  One cabinet for each subject.  I have this blog which is like a "what's Anita doing today" journal.  I have the hints blog of "ways I save time, money, or space".  Now I have a blog devoted to "using cardboard in artistic ways" instead of putting it into a landfill. 

None of my blogs earn me money although I'm thinking of "monetizing" the cardboard blog just to see if it works.  I guess my curiosity is getting the best of me because I really want to know if money can be earned just by writing a blog. 

I still have work to do on the cardboard blog.  I want to do a few experiments with blogger features while there is not much on the site.  Less information to loose if something goes wrong.  But... right now I am headed to the studio to finish the current quilt before it gets too hot again.

What's up lately?

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Retirement is fun! After getting over the fear of lost income (making a mistake) a person can relax and start doing all the things they couldn't get to while working 12 to 16 hours a day 7 days a week. For years.

Yes, I'm still quilting. Just not for sooo many hours a week. This is the current quilt on the machine. It's difficult. I'm using two battings, one is cotton and one is fluffy poly. I haven't done a two batting quilt in quite a while. There is also a LOT of stitch in the ditch around the applique. Because of the two battings I have to go extra slowly to give the needle time to flex properly.




On really nice sunny days there is a certain time of day when I'm forced to stop working on the machine. The sun shines right in the area and it blinds me. It's also not good for the quilt. Sunlight can fade it. So I cover the quilt with some scrap batting and go do something else for an hour or so.

Over the last few days I've spent my down time either moving stuff back where it belongs or doing things I haven't done in years. Like making these from t-shirt left overs. (I put a tutorial on my other blog.)

I wasn't happy just making one so I made more.

There was a time (before quilting) when I made all our clothes. I often asked friends and family to give me the stuff they planned to give to the thrift store so I could make my kids clothes. I would scour places where I could find different types of fabrics. There was a store that sold shirt factory scraps for ten cents a pound. An upholstery shop would give me old samples. My kids never could figure out where all the different fabrics came from. They only knew that Mom made one of a kind.... custom made.... clothes for them. Not once did they ever think of their clothes as "home made" because I told them how some people paid a lot of money to get custom fitted clothes.

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I'm going to enjoy my retirement even more now that there is renewed interest in my sewing skills from my kids. Even my daughter is interested again. She says she missed the clothes I made for her. She didn't ask for any because I was too busy doing quilts. YES, I'm going to enjoy my retirement very much!

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Ok, time for me to get into the studio. I still enjoy the quilting too.

I'm not sure about it

Today in the mail I received an invitation to join the Louisville Artisans Guild (LAG). I received a one year free membership because I won a blue ribbon at the fair. The free membership leaves me with several questions that I need answered before joining. Even a free membership isn't a good idea if its not a good fit.


I've heard about LAG for several years. I've never tried to get into the guild because it's supposed to be a juried membership. Or at least I thought it was. In other words, in order to become a member your work must be judged by a group of judges before you can join.


The invitation to become a member read more like a request for me to volunteer than asking an artist to join. I kept asking myself.... Are they interested in my art work or just wanting me to volunteer work time setting up and taking down booths? I'll do more thinking before accepting the free membership.

On another note.... what happened to the CSPAN station? The one that had cameras in the congress room so the public could watch the discussions. I thought the president said he wanted more transparency? If he were keeping to that promise then why is it that the public is not allowed to watch the proceeding for such a dramatic change as health care reform? I want to see which of the congress persons are saying what. How many are really wanting to change things for the better and how many are listening to the lobbyists? I want to know if I will vote for them next year or not.

What's the big secret with health care reform that they wanted to take the cameras out? Doesn't it concern us all? So why is the public left in the dark while these people decide our futures? Me thinks something is rotten in DC these days and we are all going to pay the price for it. Politics as usual? Not hardly, as far as I can remember the cameras have not gone dark until now. You think we are all being manipulated? What else could it be? (just my own opinion of course)

Nine to go

The last few days I've stayed off the computer (except to post) and working steady on this quilt. I had talked with the owner last Saturday and she wanted to pick it up Thursday. It's the only day she can come. Could I have it done by then? I told her yes I could have it ready. I had one on the machine I needed to finish first and then I'd start on hers.

I called last night to tell her I had it finished and that I would be home today. No doctor appointments. She tells me she can't come until next Tuesday or Wednesday. As a professional quilter, I get this a lot. Rush, rush, rush to accommodate a customer.... the customer changes their plans without telling me. This is how some of the stress of quilting for others happens.

Oh well.... it's one more to cross off the waiting list countdown.

The pictures are already cracking and peeling away from the fabric. I found out that the customer's son made this quilt for his wife for their first anniversary next month. It's his first quilt. Not bad for a beginner. The saying across the top says.... God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you. Awwww..... that's nice.

I put a feather around the border.

Flowers around the words and curly ribbons on the sashing.

Flowers on the corners of the blocks around the photos.

Another look at the flowers.

Larger flowers on the blocks without photos. I did large open flowers so they would not be quilted too tight. The photos are not quilted and I wanted the blocks to have fairly even density.

This is the flower block from the back. I think this is a Pam Clarke flower design. Could be a Diana Phillips one though.

A look at the corner flowers and the ribbons from the back.

This is the photo blocks from the back. It leaves a gap in the quilting when there are photos on quilt tops.

One more photo from the back. Can you see how these make it look as if I didn't finish the quilting? I'll be glad when the photos on quilt fad goes away.

In my haste to make a post then get back to quilting, I failed to explain how my daughter can save money by moving home. Right now she pays 800 a month rent. To me, that's a house payment. It was far more than she could afford so I've been helping her. Sometimes a mother has to let the kids learn from their mistakes. Her lease is up in October and she can hardly wait. She tells me constantly that she should have listened to me instead of baby's daddy about the apartment.

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She pays 100 a month for utilities. Mine were 260 but are being reduced to 170 due to the insulation work I had done. Baby's daddy pays day care, cell phones, and cable bills. This amounts to a little over 1100 a month. Both buy groceries.

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My mortgage payment is 400 a month. If she gives me 200 on the mortgage and 100 on the utilities she still comes out with quite a bit to save for a house each month. She should also be getting an end of year bonus, a raise, a tax rebate, and a small settlement on the accident. The one when she was hit by a drunk driver. Baby's daddy will continue to pay the day care. He's moving back with his parents. She will start paying her own cell phone bill. I already have cable. We both know how to bargain shop for things and how to make meals from almost nothing. She has no debts at all although she is still in college.

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She has already researched houses. She knows how much she can afford and how much she wants to put down on it. On her salary, an 800 a month mortgage payment is not going to happen. She will go with a smaller, cheaper house and a larger down payment. She came up with the plan all on her own. I'm so proud! When explaining her plan to me she said...... see Mom, I really was listening to what you taught me when I was growing up. I can do it the same way we did it before. I'm so proud!

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How long she stays here is up to her. I'm always glad to have my kids near me for whatever reason. About the only time we don't get along together is when she has PMS. Oooo is she really cranky! I stay out of her way. If things don't go exactly as she planned we can work it out.

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Now here is when I need to tell you about how it was I came to have this house. It's sad for me to tell it but is important to know in order to understand why my daughter will succeed with her plan. When my daughter was about three, one of my sons was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He fought a brave battle for almost a year. He died at age 14.

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Near the end of his battle, I couldn't be with my son at the hospital and working at the same time. So I gave up my house by quit claim deed and my daughter and I moved into a homeless shelter. The older boys lived elsewhere. In a shelter I didn't have to think about paying rent or buying groceries. I had the freedom to be with my son.

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After my son's death, I started plans to buy another house. This one. When I first saw it you could barely tell it was a house. It had been abandoned and was nearly falling down. I contacted a construction company and worked out a deal. If they would buy this house from the city and fix it up... I would buy it. I knew it was in a bad neighborhood but it was what I knew I could afford. I asked them to give me one year to get enough for the down payment and closing costs. Each month I would show them how much I had in my savings and they would show me what they were doing to the house. If I failed to get the money I needed then the house could still be sold.

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I don't think they believed me at first but slowly saw my determination. Each morning my daughter and I would get into my raggedy car and start traveling through alleys, behind schools, and behind stores collecting aluminum cans. Soon we expanded to going into a new subdivision being built and picking up small pieces of copper wire the construction crews threw on the ground. The same construction company I had contacted was building several of those houses in the suburbs. Each evening we would take what we had found to the recycling center to sell and then a trip to the bank to put it into our savings.

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How I taught my daughter to pick up every can and every piece of wire she found was to tell her it was worth a nickle. At four years old, a nickle is a whole lot of money. All those nickles would buy us a house with her own room.... complete with princess furniture. It worked like a charm.

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Soon the construction crews and those who lived along our alley route started noticing her picking up aluminum cans and copper wire. Some got mad and ran us off but others asked us questions. I think she won the hearts of the construction men when she told them she was picking up nickles for her new house. Her brother, the angel, was helping to build it. They started putting cans and pieces of wire in a cardboard box with her name on it. I had to tell her it was her name. I could see the men peeking around the corners as she ran to get her box of nickles. Sometimes there would be a hand full of change or a small toy in there too. She would squeal with delight. Mommie look! Mommie look!

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Four months after my son's death I managed to get a part time job. At six months after, we moved into the projects from the shelter and I started getting food stamps too. We continued to travel our route as often as we could and put it into our savings. It grew a few dollars at a time.

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At 11 months after, I saw that my house was nearing completion. I almost had enough in my savings so appointments were made with bank, inspector, closing lawyer, etc. My loan was approved. I think the construction company told the bank about what I had done. Otherwise, I'm not sure I could have gotten approved for the loan. My salary was too low.

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One year and 6 days after my first contact with the construction company we moved into our new home. Secretly I had gone to Sears and bought a canopy bed and dresser with all the princess stuff to go with it. Ruffle curtains, bedspread.... the whole bit. I had it all set up in her room before we started moving our things out of the project apartment. You should have seen the look on her face when she saw her room for the first time. Priceless!

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I've never been anything but poor (low income). My whole life has been one of making do with what I have or can scrounge together. Hmm.... maybe that's why I love quilting and cardboard furniture so much. Odd bits and pieces to make something really nice. Growing up, I spent time with whatever relative or orphanage I was sent to live and learning with each new adventure. I'm in no way sad about my life at all. It's what makes me who I am. I'm an expert at making do and living with very little. A skill I can teach to those who are newly poor in today's economy. I think maybe my life of living poor was in God's plans all along. I mean really, someone had to be the one who lived and learned in order to teach others. Am I right??

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I may get frustrated at times and moan or groan; but, there is always a way.... providing a person is willing to work hard and accept lower standards. Boulders in my path don't bother me for long. I can't miss what I've never had. After moving into this house we stopped traveling our route. I never saw the construction guys again but they knew if I stopped going that I had finally gotten our house. I think of them every now and then and say a prayer of thanks.

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So you see my daughter does know what it is to set a goal and work toward it one small step at a time. Did I tell you how proud I am that she learned?

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9 and 1/2 to go?

Awww.... gee whiz.... just when I thought I was going to make ends meet.... somebody done gone and moved the ends.

My washer and my dryer have died. The dryer a couple of weeks ago. The washer today. Hmm, I can honestly say I did get my money's worth out of them. I paid $50 each about 9 years ago. Bought them at a yard sale.

I was all set to wash a bunch of winter clothes and store them away. Then I was going to wash a bunch of neckties to be used in 3 memory quilts. My washer said... no way and proceeded to burn up it's motor. Luckily, it didn't catch on fire. It just filled the house up with a LOT of smoke. Now I have to figure out what to do about a washer. Right after I hand wring out all the water from the clothes that are still in there.

Well anyway, this quilt is finished. It's a small one.




I did a feather design on all the corners. I think this is going to be a cushion cover. I'm guessing because of the cut out corners.

I wanted to try some faux trapunto and this was a simple design.

This looks a little more complicated but wasn't difficult.

I did simple lines on the blue area. I started to do more feathers but the first ones (on the corners) didn't show up so I switched.

This quilt is back on the machine. I had stabilized it then took it off the machine so I could talk to the owner about it. I tried to convince the owner that she might want to fix the pictures before I finish quilting it. No, she wants it quilted like it is even if the photos don't stay on there. I'm not quilting the photos.... but they are peeling off already. It's a lot of money to put into a quilt that won't last long enough to get dirty. Ok, she's the owner and knows what she wants.... so that's what I'm gonna do. I think I'll do some pretty designs so that it will still look nice after the pictures peel off.

I spent most of today cleaning out my bedroom closet. Doing some spring cleaning I couldn't get done earlier this year as well as starting to ready stuff for winter. I figure if I start the fall stuff now, I might get it done just in time for winter.

Boulder avalanche

The new faucet is installed. It looks out of place in an old kitchen and it cost a fortune to have it put in. Why is it that designer faucets cost more to install? I haven't a clue but they do charge more. I looked and the hook up parts underneath are the same as the old faucet. Duh, the new faucet wouldn't have fit if the hookup wasn't the same. So why the added cost? Only because it's designer instead of regular. It took 30 minutes to put in and cost $180. So this plumber earns $360 an hour. Geeze, I went into the wrong business!



I had some help cleaning house over the weekend.

Also help sorting the threads. It's best to dump everything out then look thoroughly at each one when putting it back into the box.

A friend once told me that I let nothing get me down. My friend said that what she saw in me is; whenever I come across a boulder in my path, I step back, take a look, think for a bit, then start walking around the boulder to keep going along on my way.

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She's right, I don't stay discouraged for more time than it takes to think things through. Type talking on my blog about my problems helps me think of new possibilities. I hope to give encouragement to others with my blog too. Maybe by reading about my trials and solutions they will see possibilities too.

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Now that I'm retiring I can expect to see an avalanche of boulders about to happen in my path. It's inevitable. Less money means that things will happen to require money. Especially with an old house. (Murphy's Law) I will not let these things discourage me for long. Maybe for a day or two as I figure out a different way. I'm WILL enjoy my retirement no matter what boulders fall in my path!

This and that

Well now.... another finished quilt. A sampler quilt. I did line dancing on all the blocks.



I did a feather on the sashing and corner stones. A curly vine on the inside sashing and corner stones.

Here's a view from the back.

This is the house block. It looks better with straight lines than it would look with line dancing.

Here's how the line dancing looks on the other blocks.

Another block.

Next I did this little quilt table topper. I did 1/2 inch cross hatching in the center and holly leaves on the pieced border.

Here's a view from the back.

I've had trouble with my mother again. She's getting more combative and very hard to handle. I went to the courthouse to start the paperwork for her to be transferred to another facility. There aren't any nursing homes in Kentucky that deal with her special needs. She will have to be moved to an out of state facility. I've been assured she won't be moved until the staff simply can't handle her anymore. I'm getting the paperwork started so when it's time to move her I won't have to rush to deal with it. As hard as it will be to see her moved out of state...... her health needs are more important than my convenience.

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I got the first reality shock of how it will be to do things without my quilting income. The filing fees at the courthouse were $168. I had to borrow money from my daughter to cover the costs. Yes, its going to be a little rough through a transition period but entirely do able. I'm going to find other ways of earning money.... just not with the constant deadlines and stress of quilting for a living.

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My daughter and I have talked and agreed that she should move back home for awhile. Her lease is up in November so that's when she and Ladybug will be moving here. This will give me enough time to finish up the last of the customer quilts (I already have) and start clearing out the rooms for her and Ladybug. It will take me from now until November to get the house in order so there is room for them. I don't move as fast as I used to.... smile.... not a spring chicken anymore.

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Her goal will be to save enough money to buy a house of her own and at the same time give me the financial help I need to make a transition from professional quilter to.... what? I'm not sure yet. Writer maybe? Artist? Crafter? The possibilities are endless. Ok, time for me to get to work.

Hee, hee, hee,



Bethany it took me a second to figure out what you were talking about in your comment. I get the comments in my email. I had forgotten what I posted about. Thank you, I needed a giggle this morning. Yup, I'm pretty proud of our Sean. Despite all his problems growing up he's turned out to be a very good young man. He even mentors a child with similar problems.



I have a little more strength today. I think it's because I ate more solid foods and the medicine seems to be breaking up the bronchitis. I made a meatloaf yesterday. It was something I could mix easily and let the stove do the work. No standing and watching. I didn't have any crackers or oatmeal to put into it so I used a box of stove top stuffing instead. This was a trick I learned from someone's blog on the net. Can't remember who though. It turned out pretty good. By the time it finished cooking I was too tired to fix any sides so I just ate a meatloaf sandwich and went back to bed. Today I'll make the sides and have leftover meatloaf.



I was in the Sunday paper yesterday. It was from the phone interview I did several days ago. It was in the features section. An article about saving money in these economic times. I think it was called Stretch that dollar? In the editing some things I talked about were dropped and a couple of words changed. People can visit my blogs to read more. The article did have my blog web address. I learned a few things from the other people featured in the story too.



Anyway, this morning I have 23 emails about it. I won't be answering them all in one sitting. That would tire me out too much. Even the most routine tasks tire me. I know it's because it's hard to breath. With bronchitis it's like trying to breath through water. I still can't talk very well. It comes out as croaks. I think my vocal cords are suffering from all the coughing.



Ok, time for me to do what I can before I rest again.

Sick again

Wondering where I've been?

I've been sick with bronchitis for the last several days. I spent a couple of days in the hospital..... again. I'm on an antibiotic called a Z pack which is 30 times stronger than a normal dose. The doctors have me on bed rest until I can get this infection cleared up. I'm slowly gaining strength and out of bed for longer periods of time. I'm staying away from people for the time being. I don't want to get other people sick and I don't want them to get me sick again either.

I won't be doing any quilting until I can get my health issues under control. My retirement has come a few months earlier than I had planned.

I'm unable to talk (due to loosing my voice and severe coughing) so I'm not making very many phone calls. As soon as I can talk I'll be contacting the customers on my waiting list to let them know I can't do their quilts. My health is much more important than my income.

I'll still be doing my blogs and showing the work I do.... just from a different perspective and on a different timeline. Without the pressures of customer deadlines and staying on schedule I can concentrate on my health first...... the art of quilting next.

Forced early retirment is scary and at the same time exciting. I'll have to watch every purchase very carefully; but, I'll be able to concentrate on the art for whatever time it takes to get the design from my mind into the fabric. If I finish in one day.... fine. If I finish in a month or six months.... that's fine too.

Ok, I'm feeling weak again so I'm headed back to bed.

A finished quilt.... finally



This quilt seemed to take forever to finish. It wasn't the quilt that was the problem... it was my time. Every time I thought I could get back on the machine to do the quilting something came up to keep me away from the machine.









You will probably recognize the designs from this one. The customer wanted the same designs I did on her other quilt not long ago. There is a feather on the border and a leafy design on the inside border.

A flower and curl design on some of the blocks.

A different flower and curl on these blocks.

A leafy vine on these blocks.

I have the next two loaded onto the machine. I can't get started on them just yet though. I have some blood tests scheduled at the clinic this morning. I don't want to get into a quilting rhythm and forget about the time. I can't have my morning coffee which is a bummer! I'm not much good in the morning until I've gotten some caffine in me.

We never made it to the cemetaries over the weekend. My brother didn't think it was a good idea for us to be walking around in the rain (storms) so we have postponed our trip for another time. Next time we are planning on going a little further and include my SIL so she can visit the graves of her parents.

I will have to set the star quilt aside.... again. Hopefully for only a few days though because I really want to get that one finished. The reason I have to set it aside is that I was looking through my waiting work and realized I have two contest quilt tops that have a deadline looming. These belong to a lady that lives in South Carolina. I have to get these finished and shipped off to her in time to take pictures and send in her entry forms.

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Looks like I won't be going to Paducah this year. Too many quilts still behind schedule for me to get away. Not enough money in my budget either. Bailing out my kids has cleaned the savings account again. Kids are more important than spending time at a quilt show.

THE DANG THING IS CURSED!!

I went to the big freezer to move some items from it to my refrigerator freezer. These would be my meals for this week. That's when I noticed it. The door was ajar and everything in it had thawed out. I haven't been in the big freezer for at least a week. Right before the last wind storm. I don't know when or how the door became opened. I must not have closed it properly the last time I had it open.

I can't believe this is happening to me......AGAIN. My homeowner insurance deductible is higher than the food I lost so I won't file a claim. I'm not sure it would be covered by carelessness either.

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There's no way to know for sure how long it's been thawed out. The brown stuff in the bags used to be bananas. They were very pretty and yellow but now they are a mushy brown mess.

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There is only a few items I can salvage. I have flour, cornmeal, bread, and some chocolate candy that are not damaged by thawing.

I would be too afraid to try eating anything else.

This is devastating to my budget. No way do I want to start refilling it again anytime soon. It will remain empty and unplugged for a few months while I figure out what to do. Maybe I can use it to store fabrics or cardboard or something.

Christmas is still waiting.


First thing Christmas morning my six year old grandaughter, Ms. Bunny as I call her, asked to be taken back to the hospital. She didn't want to open gifts to see what Santa brought. She just wanted to go to the hospital to stop the pain. She has sickle cell. She was in the hospital earlier this week but was sent home to have Christmas. It's very sad to see a child so sick. Her gifts will wait until she is back home again.

I gotta tell you a story about one of her gifts. On the day after last Christmas I went shopping to find bargains. Lots of great bargains are found the day after Christmas. That's the time when I start getting things together for birthdays through the year and the following year's Christmas presents.

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I found gifts for several of the grands. I happened to find a couple of Bratz dolls at 75% off for Ms. Bunny. I bought them hoping Ms. Bunny would like that kind of doll. She had never indicated to me that she did so it was a gamble. When Ms. Bunny came to see me a few days ago, after her last hospital stay, I asked her what she wanted Santa to bring her. To my pleasant surprize she said she wanted a Bratz doll. Well there will be two Bratz dolls waiting for her.

While the parents took Ms. Bunny to the hospital, I stayed with Ladybug and cooked dinner. She loved her gifts too. Her's were not wrapped.

I helped unpack some things for my daughter while she was gone. She's still unpacking from her recent move to a bigger apartment. I kept the boxes to use in some of my cardboard crafts when I get around to doing more of them.

Today is another big shopping day. Time to find bargains for birthdays and next year's Christmas again. Actually, today is the day I take my SIL for her grocery shopping so it works out for me too. We plan to go to several different stores. It's probably going to be a very long, busy day. But wow.... who doesn't like finding bargains?

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I do hope that all my blog readers had a very pleasant Christmas and that you got all your heart desired!

I know I'm late posting today. I've been busy putting an organizer box tutorial together and onto the other blog. This is the next box I created. If you care to take a look at the instructions the link is on my side bar.




If everything goes according to my 2009 goals there will be many other cardboard crafts showing up in my tutorial blog too. Actually, I've been thinking maybe I could sell some of the cardboard craft patterns on Etsy shop to earn a little money. I'm still undecided on that though.

It sure does feel good to not have any stress hanging over me for a few days! It's like a big weight being lifted off my shoulders all of a sudden. I'm enjoying every minute of my free time. Still, there is sooo much I want to do and sooo little time to do it before my vacation is over.

Tomorrow I hope to get some house cleaning done and maybe work on my guild challenge quilt. Or maybe work on a quilt for my newest great-grand.

What does a machine quilter do when the rush, rush, rush of the Christmas season has ended and she's not quite ready to hurry into organizing and cleaning? When she's not quite ready to do anything except relax for a day or two?

Well she puts together some of the organizing items and just takes it slow and easy. My thoughts are coming up with a plan of action for when the cleaning and organizing does begin.

I started with this cabinet. It's replacing the white cabinets I used in the kitchen last year. They were much too small for what I wanted them to hold. This one is much larger and is just right for holding canned goods. Well duh Anita.... this one is made for holding groceries and the white cabinets weren't.



Of course it comes in pieces that must be put together.

There are always a zillion little plastic pieces too.

In the end, it all comes together nicely. I still need to put the shelves inside; but, at the moment I'm deciding how far apart they should be placed. I feel the investment of $100 was worth it.

I really like the new size! I think I'm going to maybe get another one if I need the extra space. I'll use this one for awhile before deciding.

After an hour of putting that together and a whole day left; I try to think of something else to fill my lazy day. Lazy because I want it relxed and without any deadline to finish anything.

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I think to myself..... now how can I do a better job of organizing the can goods within the cabinet? Rotating the oldest cans to the front and the newest ones to the back is always a hassle.

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I also think to myself.... I don't want to put a lot of money into any cabinet organizing system just yet. I want to see what works and what doesn't before investing any more money. So I take this.....

and create these. TA DA!

These work just like the soda can organizers made for the refrigerator. The newest cans go in the top and the oldest ones come out the bottom. No more hassle of rotating cans when I shop for groceries. I'll paint them after I've made enough to fill the cabinet and see if they are sturdy enough to last a while. If... after I make several of these and find I still need more storage space; I will know I need another cabinet.

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So what will I do today? I'm still not ready to start cleaning and organizing. I want at least one more day of no deadlines!