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February 17, 2014

Another Snowed in Weekend






With two storms last week, another coming tomorrow, and sleet and rain expected for the end of the week, we are really experiencing winter's longevity.  Although we are all longing for signs of spring, we've decided we can't beat it, so we might as well accept it. We hunkered in, yet again,  and busied ourselves with the cozy things of winter.
  
Although my new sewing room is almost completely set up, my fabric is still in boxes in the basement, making working on new sewing projects a bit difficult.  I have some ideas for spring sewing swimming around in my head, waiting to be implemented, so I decided it was time to tackle those boxes.  Almost a year ago I had purchased these, after seeing this idea of folding my fabric into neat little bundles and storing in a filing cabinet for easy viewing and access.  I grabbed a large box of fabric, settled down in front of the wood stove with a cup of tea, and started folding.  Before long the little ones came in to see what I was doing. They had fun playing with the scraps that I set aside for quilt making, and Little #6 even had a lesson in sewing, making her first dress for Buttercup, her stuffed horse.

I worked on my Scroll Lace scarf and gave Little #5 and #6 their first knitting lessons.  Little #6 still has a ways to go; her little fingers are so tiny, but Little #5 picked it up very quickly.  He chose a chunky brown I had in my scarp basket and wants to make a scarf for himself. He diligently worked on it for a couple of hours last night while the rest of us watched the Olympics, and he wanted to work on it again as soon as he woke up.  Since we are taking a week off from our studies, he will have plenty of time to knit this week.

Hubby and I also started a bit of de-cluttering.  I recently started reading Clutterfree with Kids, and we have been inspired to clean out the house, sheds and barns.  Although I am a very organized person and have tried to keep the clutter to a minimum, I realized that so much of my time was spent organizing, reorganizing, and reorganizing again...over and over again.  I would make or purchase storage units, containers, baskets, and shelves thinking that would be the end of it; my clutter was organized; I wouldn't have to deal with that "stuff" again, but no...that is not how it works at all.  It's a constant battle of cleaning and organizing.  After talking with Hubby, we have both decided we want to free our lives of the clutter of material things, which will mean less trips to thrift stores and goodwill, getting rid of things that may be a bit difficult to part with, and changing our focus.  We aren't going to extremes...I wouldn't say that we are even going to be considered "minimalists", we just want to take a look at what we have, get rid of what we don't need, and be mindful of what we purchase or bring back into the house.  We both want to be free of the constant cleaning and organizing...in the house and in the barns...and we want to focus on what is important.  Hubby cleaned out his drawers and closet (this was actually one of his Valentine's gifts to me) and was able to donate four garbage bags full to the local thrift store.  I also contributed a couple of bags by getting rid of magazines that I thought I would read again (yeah, right) and a number of toys.  We are already feeling lighter.  It feels good to take advantage of the time inside and get things in order, so that in a few months we can  move freely into my favorite part of homesteading, gardening.

I hope you all had a great weekend, and to those that are snowed in, I hope you are able to find ways to embrace the rest of this winter season.





10 comments:

  1. Doesn't it feel great to get rid of stuff? I find it so freeing, like a load is being lifted. We live in a very small home with no storage, so getting rid of stuff has never been a big deal to me. Hubby on the other hand likes to hang onto things. I usually pack the boxes for the thrift store so he can't see what is leaving the house. It is funny though every once and a while I will spot a little something he removed from a box in his workshop :) Since his workshop is his space and it is a whole separate building I figure he can hang onto a few things :)

    Have fun with the decluttering. I always find spring is the perfect time for this kind of work.

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    1. Your husband sounds like mine. He looks through all the boxes and bags I set aside to either donate or throw away, and he'll pull things out asking why I am getting rid of that particular thing. It was quite an accomplishment for him to get rid of so many clothes.
      You are right...it is very freeing to get rid of stuff! :)

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  2. That is great that your son is so interested in a knitting project! We just had another snowstorm this morning here (third or fourth in a week) and when the little babe as sleeping, I felt like doing some organizing, so the pantry is a bit tidier and the sock bin is smaller. I always love reducing clutter and "stuff"! And that is a great Valentine's Day gift - my husband is a packrat, so I have to strongly nudge him into it.

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    1. I know...I love the fact that my little soccer-playing, tough guy is interested in knitting. He has sat next to me every night with his needles since learning...it's quite special, actually, quite the mama-son moment.
      Good for you on taking the time to "lighten" your load...every little bit counts. Feels so good, doesn't it?!?!

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  3. I confess to being the family pack rat..but I am slowly trying to finish quilts and knitting projects, and getting rid of "stuff". With each box that goes, I feel better!
    My mother died last year, the house was sold just before Thanksgiving, and I ended taking boxes of things left in the house that had to be sorted through...just going through the piles in our family room as I slowly decompress...I have also been donating the storage containers as I donate things, vowing not to need them in the future!

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    1. I'm sorry to hear that you lost your mom, and going through her things must be difficult. Good for you, though, on doing some purging...getting rid of the storage containers is a great idea. If you don't have them, you can't refill them. ;)

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  4. praying you all stay safe and warm..Love the kids getting into crafting..

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  5. I could do with a bit of decluttering here, not something I'm very good at! But you're right, now is the time to do it before we get to outdoor weather, maybe I'll try and do just a little bit each day. I love the photos of your children - both with the dolls house and crafting. And looking forward to seeing what you make with your lovely fabric.

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  6. Starting with the first pictures... I really like that hat. Did you make it? I've never done a cable and I put that as a goal for 2013 and never learned so I'm moving it to 2014. Just wondering how difficult they are..

    And the decluttering... I was going to say "a few years ago", then realized that my then preschooler is now in 10th grade, so it was more than a few years ago! I latched onto The Fly Lady-read her website and bought the book that I lent to someone who kept it, and I did a fall and spring boogie and at the time I was driving a suburban. In each season, I was able to fill the back section and the back seats with stuff we emptied out of the house. And came home feeling tons lighter. That was when I was sure there were no more littles coming along, so purging out the small stuff and blessing someone else with it! Now I've got one out of the nest and a second graduating college this spring and things are different again. Thanks for the push! You are doing a great job. Of 4 children, #2 and #3 can both sew and knit. Girl and boy. They have made their own bed quilts and also knit simple things. #1 and #4 never showed the interest, so I didn't force it on them, but sort of wish I had leaned a bit more to try it. FEDCO packages....must be spring WILL come some day!! Enjoy.

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