Progress in the kitchen

It was an exciting day for some people in my life. 

A friend and her daughter arrived in Santiago after walking the Camino. Her boyfriend and she started out a month ago. He could only get a couple of weeks off, so he walked partway. Then she continued on her own and was lucky enough to have her daughter join her about 200 km from the end. They finished yesterday!! I wonder what they did this morning? Oh, sleep in! 

Another friend and his son have finished their European bike tour. They camped along the way, so they had to carry all their stuff on their bikes. They arrived at the Amsterdam airport yesterday and are likely home now. That is something you have to say about Europe—you can ride up to the airports on your bicycle. Where in Canada would that happen? 

And someone else rang the bell at the cancer center. Her treatments for breast cancer are done! 

All three journeys had their issues, but by far, the hardest and the longest was the breast cancer journey. I pray that it doesn't recur and that she lives a long and healthy life. You have to love the advancements in healthcare! 

And now, back to my decluttering journey, which just never ends! If only I had made a note when I started the tidying and decluttering - I bet I was shocked when the realization hit me that I needed to do something about the mess in my life. I know it's been at least 12 years. A big game changer in my life was when I went on my Artic Tour bicycle ride in 2010. Guess what? I can now share photos with you because those photos were on that hard disk that I paid gobs to recover! 

Here's me after a very muddy day riding on the Dempster Highway!! The entire 800 KM of the Dempster Highway is unpaved, hence the mud! +

A muddy day on the bike!

 Those three weeks without TV and electricity for the last week made me rethink my life. I stopped watching TV cold turkey and likely looked around my house and said, I don't need half of what I own. I'm not sure, but I'll need to check further in my notes. 

So I tackled the kitchen again. I want to clear off those countertops of the mess I created by trying to declutter. When they say the mess is only going to get worse, they mean it!

I took that cutlery tray that I discovered the other day and emptied it. I sorted the knives, forks, and spoons. 

Can you tell me how this happened? I sorted them by style, and how in the world did I end up with so many different spoons? The ones on the left are from a set, and a couple on the right are from another set—probably the very first set of cutlery I owned many years ago. But the singles? I have no idea! 

Many spoon styles

The same goes for the forks. Where did all the different forks come from? 

Different forks

And yet, when it comes to knives, they were all the same. Why is that? 

The knives are all the same

We'll chalk that up to the mysteries of life and leave it at that. I will throw all of them in the sink with hot water and soap and dry them. Then, they go to the giveaway box. Obviously, we don't need them, so there is no sense in keeping them. M is going to be thrilled to see all this stuff go, and she won't have to deal with it when we're too old to do so!

I kept ONE spoon. I've had this thing for years, and I suspect I stole it from Eaton's cafeteria in Montreal many years ago. I don't even remember who I was with, or maybe I was alone, but it's a great souvenir! And I'm allowed a few of those! 

My Eaton's spoon

A few more things to sort through are still in the cutlery tray—seafood forks, fondue forks, etc. I don't think I'm keeping any of them, but I'll deal with them later today once I finish washing all that cutlery. 

Then, it was back to those utensil drawers. This is what they look like. This is the main one in the island. 

The utensils are sorted! 

Three of those trays fit perfectly side by side, with a bit of room in the front. They have a rubberized surface on them so they don't move, and they have a textured surface on the inside, which I'm sure I'll hate when it's time to clean them. 

There are spoons in one, spatulas and lifters in another, and a few other things in the middle one. There are a few things in front, but everything is easy to see and organized. YEAH!!!!!!

I could fit two of those trays in the second utensil drawer, so I was back at the mall yesterday to get them. This is a bit more of a hodgepodge, but at least it's much better than it was. I suspect I should keep track of what we use here, and after six months, I could toss some stuff. 

The second utensil drawer

Some stuff from the cutlery tray was added to the drawer, so the cheese grater was the only thing that didn't fit. 

This no longer fits in the utensil drawer

I suspect that since we mostly buy pre-shredded cheese (I know—spoiled), we probably don't need this. So that will be one of the things to watch. 

Since I was at the mall during lunchtime, I decided to stop at this amazing crepe restaurant and have a cheese crepe for lunch. It wasn't nearly as good as the sweet crepes, but I wanted to be somewhat healthy! 

My lunch

Then, it was back downstairs to get some work done. I made progress on my quilt top, which needs to be done soon. Actually, I completed the worst part—choosing the patterns for applique and fusing all the fabric onto the shapes. Now, to cut and stitch. Sewing and quilting the top will take no time at all! OK -- you can stop laughing at that one!!!

OH—I hope you check out the cushions with the invisible zippers and piping that I made. When I was at the hardware store the other day, I checked the outdoor cushions. They are sewn shut, so if you need to wash them, you likely toss them. What a waste that is!!!

Cushion covers are stitched shut

And again - stitched shut

So, let's talk about my John Deere quilt. I made this quilt in 2015, and it's been hanging on my stair railing ever since. I've been looking for a home for it, but nothing came up. OK—I didn't try too hard. It even has Minky on the back.

The John Deere quilt

Then I happened upon a young man (8 years old) who can talk tractors like a seasoned sales rep. His name is Jackson, and here's one of his videos. His love of John Deere and talking about the same tractors that my Dad had on the farm made it very clear where the John Deere quilt should go. So I contacted his mom, and the quilt got packed up and is now on its way to him in Indiana. I wrote them a letter explaining why I thought Jackson should get the quilt. He wasn't even born when I made it! 

On the way to the post office

Of course, the two girls thought they should be coming with me. Oh no! You already had your walk! 

MOM -- can we come too?

My headphones are acting up these days. For no reason, the power goes off. The power was getting low, so I decided to charge them last night to listen to my audiobook today—hopefully without glitches. 

Charging the headphones

I got another quilt done. This one is slated for Quilts of Valour. I'm not sure they like those scrappy ones, but I was assured they would. If not, we'll find a good home for it. 

QOV quilt done!

Here's that little green jacket I mentioned yesterday. I believe it was made by my grandmother or my mother. I would like to ask Mom, but I'm afraid that'll set off a whole thing about WANTING things, so I won't. It's such a shame because I'm losing some information, but I don't want to rock the boat. 

Green doll jacket

The jacket is very well-made and has a hand-stitched lining. My grandmother made jackets, so I suspect she made it. My Mom wasn't so much into that kind of thing. I need to find a small hanger for it, and I'll hang it up downstairs! It would be a good idea to make notes about this kind of thing because then M could evaluate whether she wants to keep it or not. But at least she would know the provenance of the item. 

The lining is hand-stitched

Here's the cutting table—it's looking pretty decent. There are a few other things to take care of on that work table—mainly three quilts that must be trimmed. So I'm keeping the place organized, neat, and tidy, and that's what the new me is all about. Let's keep our fingers crossed that in a year, it'll look exactly as it does now! 

The almost-clear cutting table

On that note, I'd better get myself organized. I have two presentations this morning, and I'm almost ready for both of them. They are the final ones in our nine-month-long classes. 

Remember to tackle those drawers! It's amazing how much collects in them, and I bet most of it you do not need!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

The SPICE of life!

I'm going to have to put myself in time-out. Well, not in the gazebo, for sure! It's the gazebo that's the problem. I made my tea and went out in the morning, but it was hard to come back in. The temperature is glorious, and it's so relaxing. I managed at some point to pull myself back into the house, but barely! 

Gosh—if I want to be outside, I should be at the store getting bags of mulch and working on spreading it. I think we might have some rain in the forecast today, which is a good thing—even if DH is going to play golf!

I could do better at tidying up the paperwork that keeps piling up beside my computer. How can that get so crazy every day? Some of it is stuff that I pulled from elsewhere to deal with. And I keep grabbing a thing or two off the desktop, which isn't really paper—it's accumulated junk. That entire desktop is covered with things that do not have homes! Bit by bit, it's going. But in the meantime, the mess is still there. 

However, it's nowhere near what it used to be, and that's all that matters—every step counts! 

When I pulled myself into the house, I went downstairs and tidied up there as well. My goal is to clear all three of these tables. 

More decluttering

The current project table was piled high with things I wanted to work on, but that's not a functional use of the table. So when I found an empty space, I put some stuff on a shelf, and some went on the rolling cart. I've got a bit more to deal with, and I want that to happen! Then, I'll have a working space for the three digital cutters and my heat presses. 

I've learned that if you don't have room for a tool, it won't get used. So I'm trying to find space for everything. So far, it's been so good, but it requires a little bit more work on my part. I know I have gaps in my storage shelves where I can put the remainder of this stuff. It's just making it happen. We have a virtual retreat tonight and tomorrow, and this would be the perfect thing to tackle!

I pulled out two drawers in the kitchen; both of them have spices in them. OK—we need a better system for species, and I would bet that many of those are way past expiry, and we don't use them, so they should be tossed. 

Spice Drawer 1

Spice Drawer 2

I have to leave this to DH, as it's his domain. But I love his comment -- they are so messy, and spices have spilled into the drawer. DUH!!! What do you think? The spice fairy comes at night and does that? It's YOU!! And if it's messy, then clean it up! He would never think of that! And then we wonder why our children are entitled!

I made good progress on my writing projects - I'm almost finished - thank goodness, because I must rush into the next project. 

OK—I took a few minutes and put some things away. It drives me crazy when I dig out some stuff I'll deal with that day and then don't do it. Can you tell me why I do that? I found several small pieces of art that I purchased many years ago and haven't hung up. There isn't room in the office, so I must scout out two spots to hang those pieces. 

On my walk, I stopped in at the thrift store and spotted a couple of things, but I did not have any money or a coupon, so nothing was purchased! That's a very safe way to shop! 

I have one presentation this morning, and it's all ready to go. 

As I cleared off the cutting table and dealt with stuff, I unpacked this purchase I made while away: I bought this felt at Heart n Home in New Hamburg. Yummy colors!!! And no—I didn't really need that, but it looked nice! 

New felt purchases

You feel obligated to take a hostess gift if you're going somewhere. What to take? Wine? A quilted item? But what? Here's a great suggestion—a package of paper napkins. Paper napkins can be put in the compost (check first). Heart n Home has a ton of gorgeous napkins. They will be used up, and the owner doesn't have to worry about suiting the decor or re-gifting. Who doesn't use napkins? 

I went for a massage, which wasn't fun but didn't feel as bad as the last time. Oh, how our memory plays tricks on us! It makes us believe the pain isn't as bad - who am I kidding? If I don't get my butt in gear and start stretching more, I'm going to be crippled up before I know it. I should be in the gazebo doing yoga! 

Here are the links to the Virtual Retreat. 

Saturday, May 25 - Starts at 6:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89816483795?pwd=Mjc3M3pvVmZPdjdsQzlHS3Zhck52dz09

Meeting ID: 898 1648 3795
Passcode: 248667

Sunday, May 26 - Starts at 1:00 PM -- NEW START TIME

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82983517671?pwd=ODdsa1FJenQwdFNaQWFTNGd4bEhPZz09

Meeting ID: 829 8351 7671
Passcode: 117636

As long as I can stay out of the gazebo, I'm motivated to do something today!

So how are the rest of you making out with the drawers? It may take a while for DH to go through those two drawers. How much can I push? ,

On that note, I'm out of here!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!