I suspect that we are all doing the same thing right about now. We’ve spent so much time working on Christmas in the past month that we need to play catch up during this last week of the year.
I have not had a chance to be in my studio for about two weeks. Two of my quilting friends have donated close to 500 yards of fabric to Scraps on a Mission, which makes quilts for people at our local hospitals. One of the Empty Nesters wanted to get a project like this started, and I offered my assistance. Now I spend my time cutting out kits for ladies to assemble this summer, and I am the keeper of all that fabric! I’ve organized it into six boxes, plus a box of kits, and that seems fairly manageable. I’ve washed part of it, and now I need to press some of the fabric that I want to cut. My goal is to get the cutting table cleared off, and two projects set up for cutting in the future.
AND….I have a quilt on my design board that needs to be sewn together. I have plenty to do in the quilt section of my life.
Do you still iron? For the most part I’ve found clothing that doesn’t need a lot of pressing, but I have a FULL to overflowing ironing basket at the moment. The napkins from Thanksgiving, white antique pillowcases with the crocheted or embroidered trims, a couple of small table cloths, my Mother’s Christmas apron, and an immense stack of quarter-yard pieces of quilting fabric all need to be done. I may set the board up in the living room and iron after dinner until I get it done!
I’ve been crocheting squares for Share A Square 2010. If you’re not familiar with this group, please click on the link to the right for more information. I’ve encouraged the members of my exercise group to make six-inch granny squares, and so far we have created 98 squares. I find that I can make one square while I watch (or listen to) a one-hour T.V. show. Over the past 45 days I’ve made about 30 squares. If I can make the time, I’d like to make two more before I send off my current mailing, so that I can say we have made an even one hundred! And, of course, this is on-going.
One of the reasons I need to clear off the table in the studio is to make a sorting area for personal papers. I hope this is a project that won’t take more than a day or two, and the sooner I get it done, the better. DH says I keep EVERYTHING. He’s almost right. There are a few insignificant things I throw away during the year. Which means, that before I do our taxes, I need to sort through all this stuff to determine if there is anything which needs to be kept for taxes. DH and I will need to be meeting in the basement on a nightly basis in the future to destroy documents. He gets to work on things for the company, and I will need to work on our personal papers. I doubt we need to keep the gas and electric and phone bills from 20 years ago. Besides, I want to reuse some of the binders to hold my cooking magazines!
I also need to file the papers I’ve been collecting on my Mother’s behalf. I’m pretty sure that I can get things down to several three ring binders, and I’ll check with the CPA to determine how long those will need to be kept.
I might see the top of the desk again, soon! What a pleasant and amazing thought that is! lol
So, I assume that most of you go through this same procedure, of catching up with your lives following Christmas. I wish you smooth sailing and great success as we move toward 2011.
Arrrgh!!!
It's just my state of mind!
“Do your still iron?”
I iron my work clothes. Probably wouldn’t if I had a dryer, but clothes that are dried on racks tend to wrinkle up. I don’t iron my regular clothing though.
Bogie, I was interested to learn of “drying cupboards” in the homes of some of our English friends. Actually, I’d like to have a place to hang things to dry, other than my shower, or a place to hang things to air. When I was a child, my Mother had several clothes lines in the yard off the end of the house, and we frequently hung the wash to dry. I loved the smell of freshly dried sheets on my bed. Here, if we hung things out to dry, I’d have to put a sheet over them or the birds would make a mess of the clothing, and I’d have to figure out how to get out the stains!
Buffy–Yes, I’ve been trying to assure that year-end chores have been done. Mostly, though, that means assuring that I took enough IRA distribution, sent out checks (and did the gift-matching submitted) to WSU & Cottey College, and sent out donations to the “charities” that I support. Sorting through paperwork will be done after I’m dead. I am still working on de-cluttering stuff from the 1950s, for heaven’s sake!
No, I don’t iron – well, not much. Hunky Husband irons all of my knit or woven-fabric shirts & tops while I iron my own chino-type pants (which means ironing an average of one or two pants per month!), fabrics thaat I’ve pre-shrunk, and any new clothing of mine – the first time washed.
I agree that it is satisfying to see the top of a desk after it has been submerged for a while. Good luck & don’t work yourself silly. (Oops – too late!) *smirking*
500 yards of patchworking fabric? Wow! Shame (or lucky!) that we don’t live nearer.
We have ‘airing cupboards’ that are really only for final airing of dry clothes. It is a cupboard built around the hot water tank – but, given that many houses (especially newer ones) now have combi boilers that heat water as it is needed, many people don’t have an airing cupboard any more, or use it only to store towels and other linen.
People tend to either line-dry and iron, or tumble dry. Smaller households (often of younger people) without outside drying space often put clothes on radiators to dry, or use a collapsible airer.
I hate ironing. Mr BW loves it. I am a lucky Witch!
Happy New Year to you and yours.
Cop CAR……:p~~~~~~~~~~~ TO YOU!! I suppose that proves your point, doesn’t it? lol
In the past I’ve always made charitable donations in December, but this has been a very hard year for us, so I’m going to have to let you carry the load. Hopefully, we will return to the point where we can share, once again.
Will you look at that! Hunky Husband and Mr. BW both iron! Where have I gone wrong???? I have a husband who would no more get near an iron than wear a dress! Both of you are really lucky!
Blue Witch, it’s great to hear from you! I’ve been incredibly lucky to have landed so much fabric for this charity. I spent last night cutting two sizes of squares to make two smaller quilts, and I’m about halfway done with the project. Unfortunately, once I get them cut out, I long to sit and piece them together, and I have to hold myself back, or there would be no kits for the ladies to work on this summer! *G* I’ll have to put together a basic instruction sheet that will give these non-quilters information on how to successfully piece the tops. It IS too bad that you aren’t close enough to share this bounty.
Happy New Year to you both!
Buffy–Oooo…you gave me a raspberry…one of my favorite berries. *STILL smirking*
I DID! lol How did you manage to get to be a senior citizen with such a sassy attitude? It must have been a daily struggle to keep your thoughts to yourself. I suspect that you will be like my mother and hang on for years to come, smirking and teasing me along the way! *G*
btw….raspberries are my FAVORITE berry!