Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Crazy Soap Opera Day...........

 


I am pretending today is Tuesday and I am posting for the group Love Your Library hosted by Snapdragon Crafts  I hope it's not too late but yesterday was crazy here.
This is the book I am using for my first pattern which is a WIP from way before Christmas that got put away in July when my daughter came and hadn't surfaced again until today.  
Some of you will remember it and I can hear you saying now..."You mean you never finished it?"   That's right folks. But this is going to be the year of "finishes"!  They may not be in order but they will get finished.
 All the parts are done except for the pompoms and then I need to sew it together and do the embroidery.  This week all I managed to do was find the book and the project and it's parts.  I still need to find the rest of the yarn and needles.  So, hopefully you'll all see some progress on this by next week!

As for my following Clean Mama   that went pretty good considering I had some other stuff that came up unexpectedly yesterday but I still managed to do laundry, empty all the garbages and get it out to the curb, clean counters (not all) and make some cookies which I invented using what I had on hand.  I'll share the recipe tomorrow.
 Today I'm making some bread for my neighbor as a very late birthday present, cleaning the shower in my bathroom (cat litter box resides there with a heavy duty cover over the drain) shook some rugs and will vacuum and hopefully wash bathroom floor and washing the "dog linens" (beds) but I am already starting to get tired....yep, at 3:00 p.m. my biorythmic clock takes a huge dive until about 5:00 or 6:00 p.m when I manage to perk back up a bit.  I don't nap but I may go sit a spell and crochet those bookmarks....almost done!
I hope you're off to a great 2015 and if not, don't worry.....there's always tomorrow....God willing.
Happy Trails!





Monday, January 5, 2015

A fresh and hopefully clean start..........

I was looking back on my 2014 blog posts and there were many things that I posted about and then promptly forgot about.  So, I am revisiting and hoping to follow through this time.  One of the first items I posted about was cleaning and de-cluttering which I did do some but didn't continue to follow though to the end.  This past weekend I read and picked up some really good tips.  One tip became glaringly evident to me.  Clutter and even too many decorative items make your cleaning routine take that much longer!  Well, that explains it!  So this will be the year of the "clean and lean" homestead!
I made a lot of excuses like too big of a house, 2 housefuls of stuff, not being able to get rid of stuff, illness, tired....enough!  The woman that wrote these articles has 4 bathrooms! So no more excuses....I'm off and running  now!
The plan/tips/methods I'm following is from www.cleanmama.net   This woman is a miracle worker and gets right to the heart of the matter.  No fluff just practical, sane advice.  She has all kinds of free printables , recipes for natural cleaning supplies, menus, specific organizing and cleaning processes and an Etsy shop for more downloadable checklists and aides.  She's even written several books.4 Free Seasonal Cleaning Checklists via Clean Mama  The above is just a small example of her free printable checklists.  Her graphics and designs for her work sheets are a delight to use....form and function! :)
Her basic Daily Tasks are 1) check floors, 2) wipe counters, 3) take care of clutter  and 4) laundry.  She feels if you keep up with these 4 things it will free you to do the other tasks that are involved with maintaining a home.  Her Weekly Tasks are 1) bathrooms, 2) dust house 3) vacuum floors 4) wash floors, 5) catch-all and 6) sheets/towels.
I have my own routine and some of those will remain the same but I am utilizing her specific methods for certain areas that I've had problems with.  She also has a FAQ section which I haven't looked at yet and and a way to contact her if you have questions.
Today I cleaned 1 of my 2 bathrooms, visited the neighbor and took her her Christmas gift, changed my sheets, did laundry and took down all the Christmas decorations and lights outside.  I didn't get it all done but I am not allowing a lot on my bathroom counter now which will make it much easier and quicker to clean next time.
 There is also a De-Clutter Challenge that she and several other gals have going which you can see here
with another free printable list. I know many of you are probably excellent housekeepers but I,  for one, can never seem to get it all done.  I know I don't have the energy I used to have but I am not using any excuses!  Wish me luck! :)
If you're more like me I hope this helps you in some way.  I've looked at lots of house cleaning and organizing websites and to me this gal has everything well in hand!
 Happy Trails and Happy Housekeeping!

 

Sunday, January 4, 2015

YOP Week #27

This is quite a red letter day....more so than the 1st of January.  We are halfway through the YOP year or for some it's the first week! Also, Downton Abbey's new season starts tonight and I turned 66 today.....unless you want to be specific as I was born about 10:15 at night.  No matter.....it's a BIG day! LOL!
I am still "plodding along" with the Jesus bookmarks but working on #9 of 10 or 13 maybe.  I was thinking of my neighbor, one for my daughter and myself but we'll see.  I wish I had something else to show you but this is what I've been working on and only in the evening.


I wanted to join the Downton Abbey MKAL but with yarn and pattern it was $57.00 and you don't even know what you'll end up with?  I like a good mystery but not a $57.00 dollar one! LOL!  
But I did join this.......I found it through our very own Gracie is not My Name and her Saturday post. The link to sign up is here

The object is to utilize the books and patterns you already have....sort of like printed stash, lol!
Since I am knee deep in toy making I thought I would pick this for my first book......
I'm already making a couple things out of it but they are not finished.  Now that the Christmas "making" is done I will move on with the other holidays and birthdays and maybe some socks for me?  Please?
Mainly this half of the YOP year will be spent using what I have, finishing all sorts of WIPs and organizing my projects and supplies. Below is what it looks like now...........old, mostly "free" bags I've gotten from all over (except for the crocheted one) and I have no idea what's in any of them so I have to "root" through them each to find what I'm looking for.  And yes that is my Pilates machine which should be used in a whole different way! 
 
So the first step is to create "tags for bags" so I could just check the tag and not have to "root" through it.........I thought these might do the trick......
or these were pretty....  
Paper tags with crochet edging...I'm thinking pillowcase edging for those who haven't mastered yarn. Cut and Paste to card stock.


or maybe these where the shape could denote what was inside?
Free crochet Warm hands pattern - Keep your hands warm during the cool fall season. Fingerless crochet gloves are great to have for indoors and out.
Anyway that is only a temporary fix until I get gorgeous bags sewn for all my projects.......like this one from Norththreads ( I could not find the link, sorry but these are all on my Pinterest board under graphics and sewing and there are lots more there too)

cute drawstring bag..

or this which Joanne over at Rose Dahlia whipped up to put her new sock project in?
Too cute!  I think I would actually get more projects done if they were stored in these darling bags....I mean who wouldn't want to reach for them?   You should really stop over at Joanne's as she has her "finishes" from 2014 and oh my word what that gal accomplishes is amazing!!!!  She is very talented and does just about everything...a super woman for sure!

So, as much as I am going to be focusing on WIP's I will also be sewing up some tempting bags to house them in and also hopefully sell some.  I hope that helps me with more finishes in the end and not just more WIPs! LOL!  We shall see!
Happy Trails!

Friday, January 2, 2015

Laundry detergent making day............

I make this all the time but I haven't posted about it since 2009!  I thought I would do a retro post from days gone by but updated, lol!
These are the supplies needed...........
 1.  First I slice up the soap with a knife..........
2.  I place the slices in my blender.........
3.  I put it in a Lock n' Lock container (water tight and spill proof)..........
4.  Then I add 2 cups of Washing Soda, 2 cups of Borax and 1 cup of Baking Soda.
5.  I also add 8-10 drops of natural oil; this one is lemon grass (sorry for the blurry picture)......

6.  I put the lid on and shake it like crazy! LOL!
  I use 1/4 cup in each load.
7.  I also use hydrogen peroxide as my bleach (my version of oxi-clean and so much cheaper) and white vinegar as my softner.
8.  I use some old plastic containers, labeled, to hold my supplies and I always have a back up supply of each one so I never run out. 
9.  When I need to fill the container with the "back-up" then I put it on my white board list on my frig.  I got the little magnetic whiteboard at the dollar store.  Since some of my supplies are only available at the store 20 minutes from here I am pretty good about never running out with my "backup" system of necessary supplies.
I hope this is of use to some of you.  If you want to save money this saves LOTS.  Now, I must admit, I do not get filthy dirty (except during gardening season) and I started using the hydrogen peroxide when I noticed my clothes getting a little  "dingy" but it took care of it.  I started making this 6 years ago and I haven't looked back!
Happy Trails!




Thursday, January 1, 2015

Happy New Year 2015!

Here's my annual New Year's gift to you so we all get off on the right foot!  Have a great 2015!

The most common (Federal) holidays of the United States (USA) in 2015 are listed below.
Date
Holiday
January 1ThursdayNew Year's Day 2015
January 19MondayMartin Luther King Day 2015
January 24SaturdayBelly Laugh Day 2015
February 2MondayGroundhog Day 2015
February 12ThursdayLincoln's Birthday 2015
February 14SaturdayValentine's Day 2015
February 16MondayPresidents Day and Washington's Birthday 2015
February 17TuesdayMardi Gras Carnival (New Orleans) 2015
March 8SundayDaylight Saving (Start) 2015
March 17TuesdaySt. Patrick's Day 2015
April 1WednesdayApril Fool's Day 2015
April 3FridayGood Friday 2015
April 5SundayEaster 2015
April 6MondayEaster Monday 2015
April 22WednesdayEarth Day 2015
May 5TuesdayCinco de Mayo 2015
May 10SundayMother's Day 2015
May 16SaturdayArmed Forces Day 2015
May 24SundayPentecost 2015
May 25MondayMemorial Day 2015
May 25MondayPentecost Monday 2015
June 14SundayFlag Day 2015
June 21SundayFather's Day 2015
July 4SaturdayIndependence Day 2015
July 26SundayParents' Day 2015
September 7MondayLabor Day 2015
September 11FridayPatriot Day or September 11th 2015
September 13SundayGrandparents' Day 2015
September 16WednesdayStepfamily Day 2015
September 17ThursdayCitizenship Day 2015
September 25FridayNative American Day 2015
October 12MondayColumbus Day 2015
October 16FridayBoss's Day 2015
October 17SaturdaySweetest Day 2015
October 31SaturdayHalloween 2015
November 1SundayDaylight Saving (End) 2015
November 11WednesdayVeterans' Day 2015
November 26ThursdayThanksgiving 2015
November 27FridayBlack Friday 2015
November 30MondayCyber Monday 2015
December 7MondayPearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2015
December 25FridayChristmas Day 2015
December 31ThursdayNew Year's Eve 2015