Basement organization begins tomorrow

more cat pictures

Saturday, May 31 Goals

I am going to start my organization frenzy a day early. It is really hot outside and I want to distract myself from the urge to shop. It is feeling really strong today. Though I do need to buy a bookcase and some baskets to go on the bookcase so I can organize the back bedroom.

Cleaning:

master bathroom

kitchen

laundry

vaccumn furniture and floor

Projects:

Guest bedroom - go through closet/buy bookshelf/organize "stuff"

Planning desk - clean out drawers/organize recipes

Closet - clean out all clothes and shoes/sort and organize

Stitching:

• finish the border and bottom flowering plants

New Month Resolution!

As June approaches and my almost 2 weeks of inactivity where my house is concerned comes to mind, I have realized I really need to make goals for June. As Megan stated in her blog, I too am a packrat, though I do think hoarder would be just as accurate description of me. It's true, I do have most of the summer off to recover from the 10 months of craziness, but I need to utilize the time instead of being a cross stitching, book reading couch potato.

For the last 5 years we have put things in the basement and shut the door so we wouldn't have to deal with it. It is now to the point where I am afraid to open the door and literally freak out if my father even mentions my basement. Last summer I did attempt to organize the basement but quickly found other endeavours to chase. June is my month of no buying and I have also decided to make it the month of cleaning and organizing. I will not only focus on the very scary basement, but also the very scary drawers and closets too. And other hiding places that we have.

DH has 9 days off in June and he has agreed to spend 6 of them focused on the basement with me. He is also going to work on organizing the garage (his very scary dumping ground). We were going to do a family vacation, but with the rising cost of gas and the fact that his family will be descending upon our house twice this summer, he thinks that cleaning is a much better way to spend the time. Plus we can use the vacation money to work on our landscaping in the backyard. We need to put in some trees!

So bring on June 1. June is going to be a busy and productive month. The in-laws won't recognize the homestead! Let's hear it for June.

Weather!

DH got called into work because of the supercells that are moving through - looks like lots of tornado activity. We are now under a tornado warning. I had gone to help my friend/co-worker move into her new, gorgeous house but had to come home when DH got called in. DD was home alone so I really needed to get home to her.

I have this wild urge to start a new project. I keep looking through my collection and fighting the urge to do it. I stopped working on CDC and picked up Nature's Beauty and started working on it, hoping the urge to start will disappear - so far it hasn't helped.

I officially checked out of school, but I still have things I have to do for it. It seems like I am never free...

CDC Update 2

My stitching marathon for the Memorial Day weekend is over. I have stitched a lot this weekend.

If only housecleaning was as fun as stitching, I would never dread it!

Weather and not cleaning...

Yesterday it was 90 today it is 65. Though the sun is finally making an appearance.

We are going to my mom's for dinner. I am taking this polska kielbasa salad and a chocolate butterscotch cake.

I have been a bum all weekend. I have been obsessed with cerque des cercles (picture at the end of today to show progress). All I have done is stitch on it. I was going to clean, but I have managed to avoid that all weekend though I did thoroughly clean the kitchen and buy groceries. Today I need to do that as well as laundry. I gave both dogs a bath this morning. They were smelling like dogs. Now both are sleeping. Wish I could take a nap:)

Hairball Harry, nickname for dd's beloved cat Skip, threw up all over her bedding so I need to wash it all. At least he was considerate and missed the carpet. Blech...

I have a few things to finish up in my classroom and then I am finished. Moving day is June 6 so I will go to school that day and move into my new to me room. I plan on doing a lot of work since I am going to Oregon with my parents for two weeks in late July and early August. Hannah and I will fly back the day before I am supposed to be at an inservice for the start of school

Indiana Jones Movie

DD went to spend the night with her friend Gabby Katherine so DH and I went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. It was okay ~ a little disappointing. We both agreed that the other three were much better. We would give it a 6 out of 10. I thought it was kind of choppy in parts and slow. It was also very far fetched, much more than the other three.

My sister's house was hit by lightening. They lost their tv, desktop and phones. They also had to have some eletrical work done to their house.

I am finally done moving out of my classroom. All my boxes are now in the hallway. I went and poked around in my new room today. I can hardly wait to move in and unpack. It is bigger than my previous room.

Off to stitch and such...

FROG!

Who sent the frog to my house? I just had to rip out a hundred stitches!

The romance of the library - aka the book obsession

• Hannah thinks I am insane. I have my library number memorized - and use it daily to check my status on books.
• I get daily calls from the library telling me I have books to pick up. My DH calls it my lover. I just got a phone call and a book that I have been waiting for quite a while is in. My first instinct is to rush over there and get it right now. Thankfully it is on the way to my mothers.
• I know you can have 40 books checked out (more if you choose the right librarian to check you out).
• I always have 40 books on my request list (the max).
• Two of the librarians know me by sight.
• I have had embarrasingly large library fines which is why I am now obsessive about managing my books.
• DD loves the library too (though she prefers to own the books rather than "rent" - her word). She recently discovered the YA section and the world of fines. She had to pay $9.40 since she didn't manage her account online like me. She has learned from that experience and is now in the process of requesting books that she knows she has no hope of getting from the book store.

Cirque des Cercles Update and other news

I am stitching this on a Lilac Belfast Linen with Russian Sage Silk by Victoria Clayton. The picture does not do the colors justice. I am so in love with it, that I have not been able to put it down since I started. I am about 2/3 of the way through the first page. My goal is to finish page 1 this weekend. Then I am going to get caught up on my Bent Creek SAL - I would like to get all the blocks done up to June. I might need to order some floss though in order to do this. I need to check.

Tomorrow should be my last day at school until June 6 when I can move into my new classroom. I am very excited to be able to get a window. Three years without a window has not been good for me. I really hated not seeing daylight until I went home.

I went to the gym yesterday and today at 6:40 AM. Yesterday I ran about a 1/2 mile on the treadmill and walked the rest. Today I did 3/4 of a mile on the treadmill. I am slowly working my way back up to running longer and longer. I have gained 6 lbs. since my bout of illness at the end of January. So now I really need to lose about 30 more lbs. I am going to the gym six days a week and back to weight watchers for eating - I need to count my points. I am finding that by going to the gym in the morning, I have more energy all day long. Plus I get it done and overwith and don't have to fret all day about it. It's great!

DH went storm chasing again. He sold his Saturn and said he was never going again. Yesterday he says he is taking my car and heading out. So, I am driving his 2008 Nissan Altima. It doesn't have a key. It has this fob thing and as long as you have the fob, it will work. There are some blindspots that make it kind of hard to drive. I like driving my Honda Accord a lot better.

Hannah and I are headed to my mom's in a little bit to see her new puppy. Well we are also going to go to JCPenny's and this used bookstore. And maybe Hobby Lobby. We are going to watch a movie and eat Greek food. Yummy!

I went through every box at school and did not find the envelope. So now I am in the process of replacing the contents. Ugh...

Addictions...

I have an addictive personality. Not for drugs or alcohol - don't do either. YUCK! Rather my addiction is books (all kinds), cross stitch, paper, stamps, and any other thing that passes before my eyes.

I was looking at my recipe books as I contemplated ordering 4 more from Amazon and thought I am just plain crazy. I don't need anymore. STOP!

It's the sameway for cross stitch. I just keep buying. And rubber stamps. And paper. And books. And clothes. EVERYTHING!

I need to do a slow summer. I need to stop spending and see what it is like to use what I have. To not order anything new. To save my money. To be frugal. To be resourceful. To be creative.

I am challenging myself to do it for the month of June. To take it off from retail therapy and see how much simpler life can be.

St. Anthony

St. Anthony, St. Anthony

Please come down

Something is lost

And can't be found!

I do not want to have to go through every single box I packed at school to find the envelope!

FUNNY!

I wish I had brought my video camera to school today! Watching my boys do the three legged race was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. They wanted to win so bad, they were running and dragging each other when they fell! The two worst behaved were partners and they almost killed each other. I had to seperate them and make them stand by me.

Dates...

Stolen from Velda, who stole it from Chris, who stole it from Lindsay who found it somewhere else.

1) Go to Wikipedia
2) In the search box, type your birth month and day but not the year.
3) List three events that happened on your birthday
4) List two important birthdays and one death
5) One holiday or observance (if any)

EVENTS:

• 1535 - Jacques Cartier discovers Montreal, Quebec.
• 1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Saltville - Union forces attack Saltville, Virginia, but are defeated by Confederate troops.
• 1950 - Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz first published

BIRTHS:

• 1869 - Mohandas Gandhi, Indian politician and spiritual leader (Father of the India)
• 1970 - Kelly Ripa, American actress

DEATH:

• 1803 - Samuel Adams, American revolutionary leader

HOLIDAYS:

• International Day of Non-Violence to commomerate birthday of Mahatma Gandhi

Stash Enhancement and New Start!

I have been having a giant pity party this week. One of those just too ashamed to say what it is about, but it did lead to me having a very serious talk with my principal about some issues I am having with one of my daughter's teachers. While I was not completely satisfied with the answers, well, truthfully I was not satisfied at all. I have decided to take a wait and see attitude and will send in the DH next time.



I haven't slept well the last several night due to the pity party and the stress of things at school. It is more than just the end of the year blues.



Now about stash. I signed up with the silverneedle for the new HIH cross stitch series. It reminds me ALOT of the Bent Creek one, but I still love it!



I also started Cerques des Cercles on Sunday - Happy Mother's day to me. I am absolutely enchanted with the colors I am using. Picture soon.