Muddling through January

I'm becoming a "homebody". The more I get to stay IN, the more I want to. Hubby has been around a lot more recently, and he's perfectly willing to run errands and bring home what we need. Every few days I do need to take time to go out for coffee, or at least run an errand or two myself. I'm afraid I could be in danger of becoming a total recluse! This winter I've discovered I really do like staying home a lot more.

I'm still sorting and reorganizing. Why is it everything I do takes longer than I think it will, and makes more of a mess than I started with? Things are looking up in the organizing department though. The other day I was working on a project and used the last bit of a Martha glue stick. I went to the cabinet that they should have been in to get a new one, and guess what? There they were...two of them. Lined up right next to a variety of other adhesives. Just like at Michaels, only I didn't have to get in the car to go buy a new one! Yay! Progress.

I did have to go to Michael's and JoAnn's on Friday. First time in weeks since I'd been there. In fact, the people I know who work there, all said "hey stranger" when I strolled in. Went in, got a few choice needed items, and left.

Hubby and I went out to a late lunch and it was close to 4 p.m when we were driving home. As soon as we turned onto the parkway that leads to our development, we saw these deer off to the side of the road. I couldn't get my camera out quickly enough, so he turned around and went back. At first they were all clustered together, standing very still. There was a young boy walking on the other side of the street who started to cross over. As he got closer, the three on the right began to move away. They still didn't run, but by the time I got these photos they had all moved a little farther away. See the houses right behind them? That was all field and cedar groves just two years ago. Now matter how old I get, when I see deer, my breathe catches in my throat. Wish I could have gotten a closer photo. That is a rentention pond in the foreground and I was right next to the sidewalk in front of that.

Easing Into Normal

Trying to get back in the swing of things. There's always that sort of "in limbo" feeling after the holidays. At least for me, and especially this year. With both Christmas and New Years falling on Sunday and the holiday being observed on Monday, it was hard to even remember what day of the week it was.

Hubby and I both have started out the year doing what we normally do. Cleaning out the files, sorting and shredding papers. Moving things around, attempting to get more organized for another fresh start. There are no resolutions made around here, we just strive to tidy things up and begin with a clean slate.

He is always done with his part of this much sooner than I am. Well of course he is! I have tons more stuff to sort than he does. Last week I mostly re-organized art supplies and condensed the amount, and got rid of a lot. I am embarrassed to let anyone even know how many PENS, MARKERS, PAINTS, I had to toss. This has needed to be done for some time, and I've put it off for months. Well, I now have only pens that work, and several empty drawers and containers to put other stuff in. Buying stuff to store so we won't run out is foolish, and wasteful. How guilty I feel about having spent so much money on things that I kept around for so long they dried up.

After spending a few hours each day last week on this chore, I am starting to see some headway. I was even feeling enthused about getting started on some art projects. Then on the week-end the temperature warmed up to the 70's and we all got hit with CEDAR FEVER. This is the main seasonal allergy that strikes here every year right after Christmas and lasts a couple of months. I had it really bad for a couple of days. I could not stop blowing the nose, so got very little done. It cooled off yesterday and rained, so that calmed the cedar down. I immediately felt better. I vote for a long cold winter, as I can't function when the cedar is high. I'm back at my organizing this week. And keep finding little tidbits that make me want to sit right down and make a collage or two. Yay!

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

That's how I feel most days. Here we go again.
I've been busy cleaning and sorting. Mostly sorting, papers and art stuff. I am constantly reorganizing, trying to make things easier to find. I have been very frustrated with my current state of affairs of too much stuff, and not being able to find all the required items when I decide to do a project. Well, I do make such a mess when I do any project. Then if I don't put everything back where I got it, it gets buried under something else. It's a mess of my own making, so no one can fix it but me.

I'm breaking up the monotony of sorting by doing a few small projects. Nothing significant, just little putterings to keep myself convinced that I really am going to use all these supplies! HA I keep discovering things I bought that I forgot about, then a bell goes off..Oh yeah, I was gonna, you know, do that, this or there was a very important reason I needed that. Yikes!

I made a couple of cards for my Dad(horse diagrams), a card and mail art envy for my Mom, decorated some jars I'd been storing tiny things in, worked on some Lunar New Year cards(still finishing those up)and I made a quick Valentine hangy thing on VDay while hubby was cooking us dinner.



My goal is to do a few small things every week, even if it's just a card, tag, ATC or collage. I need to get in the habit of finishing things, instead of starting, starting, starting...you get the idea. My mind goes in too many directions at once.

My Never Ending Quest

I know I am not alone in this constant search for storage organizers to hold my various and sundry "supplies" for all the artistic endeavors I venture into. I do fine for awhile...maybe 6 months or so. Then I go on a tear and start to re-organize "stuff". Well, realizing that if you keep bringing stuff in at a faster rate than you use it up, you are always going to need more storage. Then as soon as you bring said storage home and fill it up, you realize what looked like the perfect solution at the store, isn't quite going to do the job you thought it would. So on and on it goes.

Last week I had a few 50% coupons...Oh how many times have these things gotten us into trouble? Well, I dragged this monstrous thing home to put SOME of my bead and jewelry stuff in, so I could work in different places, then close it all up. I really like more attractive storage solutions, but this looked like it might work.
Well, it may be going back as not only does it not seem like what I need...I don't really like the look of it. I think I may just be getting burned out on the sight of plastic storage boxes.


Now this is more like the kind of things I like for storage. I have used baskets for years for storage everywhere. I think I even still have the first basket someone gave me back in High School. I found this one for 50% over the week-end.


This morning I ran into my Target(where everybody knows my name)Channeling the Cheers crowd...tee hee. The picnic stuff is 75%...Now that's really more like it!
Yes, I know I always buy things in even numbers, but they only had 3 baskets and two trays. I bought them all. One of the gals said "Barbara why do you need 3 picnic baskets". STORAGE my dears, NOT picnics. The trays are kind of cool because they are two levels. I think they might work well for project trays.


Oh and I won't even show the 6 decorative boxes I bought at Michaels over the w/e. So, I am good to go for awhile. Hubby is going out of town for a few days, so I will be hunkered down in the well cooled house, trying to focus on a bit of re-stacking.