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De-Cluttering

First Crafting Failure

by Sunny Daydreame on March 8, 2010

in Crafts & Projects, Homemaking

I’ve never met a craft I didn’t like.  Yes, I am a craft junkie.   I love to gather all the supplies, plan out patterns, pick out colors.  The thought of starting a new project makes me feel a bit giddy.  At the end of the project, I love the satisfaction of knowing that I could do it again if I wanted.  I’ve never met a craft I didn’t like.

Until now.

Braided RugIn 7th grade I was looking through my mom’s fabric stash (See there is a genetic component to hoarding fabric).  The pink fabric in the center, my mom bought when I was a little girl.  She intended to make a blue and yellow and pink braided rug for me (I come by this craft addiction honestly).  She never even got started (procrastination–I come by that honestly too).  I took up her banner and started braiding.  For 14 years, I’ve carried this project, unfinished.

In the past 5 years, I have donated or threw away probably half of the stuff we owned (maybe more).  I actually got rid of a garbage bag full of fabric strips all wound up ready to braid for this rug.  I kept looking at this ball of braid that I had done through high school, carried with me to college, moved with us 5 times in the past 5 years, this rug is practically part of the family.

After finishing my crazy quilt, I picked up my ball of braid and began lacing…Endless lacing

and lacing…

and lacing…

I don’t get to savor the feel of the fabric or pick out a new color combination.  I don’t get to plan a new design.  I don’t even get to tear up strips of fabric or cut tiny scraps to leave all over the floor.  The ball of braid represents hours of mindless braiding, probably while watching TV.  The almost welcome mat-sized rug represents hours of mindless lacing.  There is no joy in this.

I know the rug is supposed to lay flat and lacing it brings out the worst in my perfectionism.  There is no joy in this. I’ve thought about wadding the whole thing up and chucking it in the garbage.  There is no joy in this. I have carried this thing around with me for too long, unfinished.  Mom says I should keep working, to build character.  There is no joy in this.  I’ve thought about rolling it up in a ball and carrying it around for another 14 years. Then I could feel guilty about not finishing it.  There is no joy in that.

Then I think about the joy of a finished project.  I keep on with the endless lacing, just to feel the satisfaction of knowing I could do it again…if I wanted.  I put rug making behind me and pick up another unfinished project.

Just when I am ready to give up rug braiding forever, I wonder if it could be more interesting with different fabrics or if I followed a pattern.   I hate to admit failure, and for a craft junkie, not falling in love feels like failure.

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Decluttering again.

by Sunny Daydreame on October 2, 2009

in Homemaking, Simple Living

Mom says I am above average at accumulating stuff.  I am also above average at getting rid of stuff too.  My tastes have changed so much since I started keeping house with Brenton.  With a baby toddler in our family, there is this whole new category of stuff added to life.

Looking back I can’t believe how much I have gotten rid of.  There are only 2 things that I regret giving away–a denim jacket and a leaded glass window pane.  All in all, the freedom from hundreds of pounds of junk is well worth getting rid of those 2 items along the way.

But my stuff is still holding me back.  When I get to my death bed (many many years from now, Lord willing), I want to look back with no regrets, but I can’t seem to get my act together.  I see my days slipping past like pearls dropping off a string and shattering on the ground.  I’ve wasted too much time trying to get my act together already.  I’m running out of time.

Right now someone is thinking, “You’re still young.  You’ve got plenty of time.”

Either way, I’ve got a lot less time than I did 27 years ago.

At the end of my life, I’m ot likely to say, “I wish I had accumulated more stuff and spent more time cleaning house.”

Decluttering again because when I get the extra stuff out of my way I can get about with this thing called living.

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Operation Childproofing: Hurricane Sunny

by Sunny Daydreame on May 18, 2009

in Family Adventures, Homemaking

For whatever reason, I have trouble doing things slow and gradual.  When I set my mind to do something, I want it all done RIGHTNOW!  (and yes, that really is said/ spelled with no spaces in it.  I don’t have time for spaces in rightnow).  in nature, slow and steady is the norm.  It takes many years for an acorn to grow into an oak tree.  Gradal wearing away by water created the Grand Canyon.  A gentle breeze cools the air and helps pollinate the flowers.  Then there is the hurricane. It still clears the air, but all the trees get knocked over in the process.  It’s kind of the same thing when i decide to declutter–The room may end up clean, but the house is a disaster for a while.

I started my childproofing project in the bathroom.  After clearing out everything that I didn’t need in there, I had 2 bins of stuff that I still need to find a home for.  The bathroom has that just-moved-out echoey sound.  I’m okay with that.

This is the first time that I have set out to organize and actually allowed myself to spend some money on organiztional tools.  In the bathroom I got baskets and drawer dividers to my heart’s content.

The “new home” boxes are sitting in the kitchen waiting until I can find a new home for those items.  Wonder how much of that I actually need to keep?

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Operation Childproofing: The Crisis & The Plan

May 15, 2009

see more Lolcats and funny pictures
This week, I realized something about Wiggles that made my stomach turn flipflops and my heart pound inside my chest–he could start crawling any day  now.  Oh how my life will change when that happens.  I will spend my days trying to stay one step ahead of him, I will [...]

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Do I Love You?

April 24, 2007

My whole life, I have struggled with housekeeping. As a child, my room was a disaster area. As a college student, I cleaned frantically for several hours right before room inspections. As a wife, I have looked hopelessly around the house at the mess and then collapsed into tears. I have [...]

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