Still Sorting and Trying to Organize

 

Family Room Bookcase

The family room didn't get painted and there was no emptying of the room.  In fact, it was quite the opposite as things that were emptied from the living room and dining area were put in the family room!  This was how the bookcase above looked when all the books from the living room bookcase were added:

During the Painting

In a way, it was good to know that all the books could fit in one bookcase, along with my scrapbooks, photo albums, and board games.  

Currently, I have some of my scrapbooks and all the board games on the bottom shelf and the rest of my scrapbooks and photo albums, along with books about scrapbooking on the shelf above that. 

The middle shelf has a few decorative items - two blue and white tea pots (which might go in the dining area), a green glass bird that was a gift from my aunt, and two pieces of pottery that my daughter made in school that she thinks I should get rid of, but, I'm keeping!

The two upper shelves have books, including some that didn't get put back in the living room bookcase for one reason or another.  There are a couple of books among them that I want to read and then, donate.  But, I have room for them and I am keeping them for now.

Meanwhile, in the dining area, the shelving unit there which has table linen and kitchen towels in the cabinet section:

Dining Area Shelving Unit

has had cookbooks and other items returned to it:

Dining Area Shelving Unit

However, I am now thinking that the two blue and white tea pots that are currently sitting on the middle shelf in the family room bookcase might look better on the middle shelf of this shelving unit.  There might be a little rearranging of items, later today.

It's still a work in progress, I would say.  But, this shelving unit is looking a lot better than it did before it was emptied in preparation for painting!

June Grocery Shopping - Week 3

 

June 17 Groceries

I did a small grocery shopping trip on Tuesday, June 17.  The Armenian store was having a one day only sale of organic strawberries for $0.99/lb.  That is a very good price for strawberries, in my opinion, even if they weren't organic, and as soon as the grocery ad came out, I decided I would buy some.  That was before I saw the news footage of federal agents chasing migrant workers down strawberry fields, last week.  Makes me wonder if we will ever see strawberries on sale at this price from now on.  I decided to buy five containers of strawberries with plans to freeze some of it for smoothies, etc.

In addition to the strawberries, I bought two cans of coconut water, bread rolls, and pita bread.  I spent $12.61

June 17 Grocery Receipt

June grocery spending to date:

June 4: $45.64

June 6: $30.22

June 11: $1.37 (2 boxes of cereal)

June 17: $12. 61

Total Spent to Date:  $89.84

June Grocery Budget: $150

Balance Left in Budget: $60.16

I plan to do another small grocery shopping trip this Friday, to pick up some milk and maybe a few other items from the supermarket. 

How about you?  Are you finding good deals at the grocery store? 

Baby Girl Quilt

Baby Girl Quilt

I finished my latest sewing project!  A quilt for my daughter's goddaughter.  I had hoped to finish it in time for her baptism, but, I couldn't.  Instead, I finished it in time for her 1st birthday, which isn't until the end of the month.  

It's just a very simple 5-inch squares pattern, with fabric I had in the stash.  Leftovers, actually, from another quilt I had made several years ago, for my friend's 1st granddaughter.  Cotton/cotton blend on the top and cotton flannel for the backing.  

The top is machine pieced, but, I hand sewed the binding and hand quilted a single line of quilting all around.  Then, I hand embroidered X's, with a small stitch through the middle of the X to deter little fingers and toes getting caught in the stitches, at the corners where the squares met:

X's in the Corners

The X's are to hold the three layers of the quilt together.  I usually tie my quilts, but, I thought the embroidered X's would be better, in this case.

I had some help with the quilt, as usual, of course:

Quality Control Officer Cat Testing for Comfort

The quilt has been Dancer approved!  (Fortunately, the little girl's household includes two cats, so, a stray cat hair or two on the quilt wouldn't matter, too much, although I am going to wash it before I gift it).

This is the thread I used to sew the line of hand quilting:

Quilting Thread

I have almost come to the end of the spool of thread!  I don't remember how long I've had this spool of thread, but, the fact that the spool is wood and the price on the label on the other side should be an indication:

35 Cents!

It's vintage thread!  LOL.

I am considering this as a frugal gift since I didn't have to buy anything specifically for this quilt.

I just need to wash and dry the quilt and then, it will be wrapped up ready to be gifted. 

I am grateful for:

- My fabric stash
- Being able to sew
- My sewing machine
- Thread from the stash
- Dancer's help with projects!

My next sewing project will be another quilt for the baby's older sister who will celebrate her 3rd birthday in July.  I have fabric in the stash for that, too, but, might have to cut a larger quilt batting to size, which is fine, too.  

June Meal Plans - Week 2 Review and Week 3 Plan

Wednesday Brunch: Peaches and Yogurt

This was the meal plan for June Week 2:

Brunches:  Rice, leftover sausage stir fry, dhal, and mallung (daughter, on Monday); rice, beef curry, dhal, and mallung (me, on Monday); yogurt with treacle and cashews; cereal with milk; peanut butter toast; French toast, scrambled eggs and toast

Dinners:  Bacon cheeseburger with sweet potato fries and cucumber slices (Monday); pepper steak with mixed vegetables (Tuesday); rice, beef curry, lentils, and mallung; leftover lasagna and salad; leftovers

Snacks/Desserts: Fresh fruit, the last of the peach cobbler, Cheetos, crackers and peanut butter, granola bars, yogurt

And here's how it worked out:

Monday:

Brunch - Rice, beef curry, dhal, mallung

Dinner - Bacon cheeseburger, sweet potato fries, cucumber slices, ketchup

Snacks/desserts - Fresh peaches; the last of the peach cobbler

Monday Dinner: Bacon Cheeseburger
and Sweet Potato Fries
(Cucumber slices not pictured;
I ate them while the fries cooked!)

Tuesday:

Brunch: Yogurt, treacle, cashews

Dinner -  Pepper steak and mixed vegetables

Snacks/Desserts - Fresh peaches

Tuesday Dinner: Pepper Steak and Mixed Vegetables

Wednesday:
Brunch:  Peaches and yogurt; leftover lasagna 
Dinner:  Beef curry, just by itself
Snacks/Dessert: Peaches, cheetos

Thursday:
Brunch: Beef curry sandwich, mango
Dinner:  Hamburger patty, boxed herbed pasta mix, vegetables

Thursday Dinner

Snacks/Dessert Peaches and yogurt

Friday:
Brunch: Scrambled egg and microwave baked sweet potato; peaches
Dinner: Lasagna
Snacks/Dessert - Toast and jam; cereal

Saturday:
Brunch:  Bread and the last of the beef curry
Dinner: Lasagna (leftovers)
Snacks/Dessert - Fresh peaches, fruit & grains cereal bar

Sunday:
Brunch: French toast and bacon
Dinner: Leftover pasta and vegetables with ham

Sunday Dinner: Pasta, vegetables, ham

Snacks/Dessert: Peaches

I think that worked out well enough.  I finished some leftovers (there are more leftovers in the fridge), cooked a few easy to prepare items to go with leftovers, etc.

On to June Week 3 meal plans.  Except, this week, I don't feel like meal planning!  It's going to be a week of fruits and salads, leftovers, and breakfast for dinner, I think, with maybe a couple of frozen hamburger patties to help round things out.

I do want to go grocery shopping for a couple of items that are on sale and maybe some bread rolls as I am out of bread.  I am also expecting a visit from one of my long-time friends whom I have not seen in at least 20 years, on Saturday afternoon, so I want to buy or prepare some tea time snacks to have with her.  

But, here are the meal options for this week, based on what I have on hand and how much I feel like cooking!

Brunches: Fresh fruit with or without yogurt, salads, leftover French toast and bacon, muffins if I bake some, peanut butter and crackers

Dinners: Leftover pasta with vegetables and ham; Leftover pasta with hamburger patty;  Hamburger patty with homemade fries and salad; tuna salad sandwich (if I buy bread rolls) or tuna salad and crackers (if I don't buy bread rolls); scrambled eggs, bacon, and fried potatoes (breakfast for dinner); chicken curry and rice with vegetables if I feel ambitious!

Snacks/Desserts: Fresh fruit, cashews, fruit and grain cereal bars, muffins or fruit bread (again, if I bake some).  

How about you?  Are you doing a meal plan this week?  What do you do if you don't feel like meal planning or cooking?  Do you eat out or order food to go?

Half Way Through the Month

 

Chrysanthemums

A couple of weeks ago, gardener friend M gave me this chrysanthemum plant as a thank you gift for some jams and preserves I had given him.  Isn't it gorgeous?  It came in a small pot and we transplanted it into this bigger pot.  I hope it continues to grow well.

Sunday was Father's Day and I remembered and said a prayer for my father who died when I was 7 and my stepfather who died 39 years ago almost to the date (June 16).  

We went up to 93F on Sunday and I loved it.  To be honest, the house stayed cool for most of the day, so I was quite comfortable.

I spent a rather relaxed day, shifting a few decorative items around, sorting through some paperwork, and sewing.  I placed the two large blue and white vases and the Sri Lankan earthenware water container in front of the fireplace, along with the wooden elephant that had belonged to my father, to see how it looked:

Fireplace with Vases and Elephant

I like the vases, but, I am not sentimental about them.  The wooden elephant, on the other hand, is a definite keeper.  It's battered and bruised with one tusk missing, a broken tail, and the lacquer paint chipping off, but, I am sentimentally attached to it.  I didn't like this arrangement, however, but I left it as it was for several hours to see if it grew on me.  It didn't so, I played around a little bit with it:

New Arrangement

Sorry for the lighting - taken late at night.  I moved the water container and the elephant to other areas of the room for now.  I like this arrangement better.  I guess I like things to be evenly balanced.

I'm sure everyone is heartily sick of looking at my fireplace by now!  So, here's something else to look at:

Helper Kitty Sleeping on the Job!

I was sorting some papers for filing,  He came to help and plopped himself down on the papers for a cat nap!  And that was the end of my filing!  LOL.

Well, half the month is over and I think it went quite well.  Hope the rest of the month will go equally well.

On this Father's Day Sunday, I am grateful for:

- My father
- My stepfather

- A lovely potted plant from M
- A warm and sunny day
- My helper kitty 

Sunday's joyful activity was sewing (and eating fresh peaches).

To Do List for Monday:

- More sewing
- Clear the dining table

- Tidy the family room

- Water the garden

- Clean out the fridge

- Take the trash cans to the curb

- Meal plan for the week

How was your Father's Day Sunday?  What are your plans for Monday?

Two Birds with One Stone

 

Empty Bookcase

This is how the bookcase in the living room looked after everything was taken out for painting the room.  Completely empty.  

After the room was painted, I planned to take my time and put back the items in an intentional way, replacing only the items I wanted to keep and taking the opportunity to declutter as part of the process.  I also planned to thoroughly clean the living room as well as I went, a sort of late spring cleaning.  Those are the two birds I've referred to in the post title - cleaning and decluttering.

This is how the bookcase looked before:

Before

Midway through the process:

During

It took just over a week, as I put things back in the china cabinet, as well, but, the last of the books were put in place on Friday night.

After

I have a few leftover bits and pieces that I still want to keep and display, but, they have been found new homes for now.  And I told my daughter that there is room on the third shelf (where I have the trio of elephants - a gift from my mother) for her books when she comes down.  

I might declutter a few more of the books, but, for the time being, I am happy with the number of books stored on the two bottom shelves.  I didn't count how many books I have, but, I know that there are more than the 30 books recommended by one famous organizer.  

I am pleased with how the bookcase looks.  I am by no means a minimalist, but, I think I've reduced the visual clutter to a level that seems right to me.  All the items being displayed are meaningful to me - the laughing Buddha at the center of the top shelf which was a gift from my mother, the six smaller laughing Buddhas I've placed at the base, which were gifts from aunt C, the seated Bodhisattva which was a gift from my sister, the standing Chinese sage which was a souvenir of our time spent in Taiwan and Hong Kong, the round Japanese platter which was a gift from my daughter one Mother's Day, and the trio of blue and white elephants which were another gift from my mother.  

A bit further down along the same wall is the fireplace:

Fireplace

The painters forgot to rehang the mirror that used to be above the mantelpiece and I haven't done so, yet.  I also haven't put back the large blue and white vases that used to be placed on the hearth, on either side of the fireplace.  I do like those vases, so, I might put them back.  But, for now, I am enjoying how it looks without them.

In the meantime, the shelves and the items displayed on them have been washed and the pictures have been dusted.  The fireplace and shelves were not painted, and I don't think they look bad, but, I might decide to paint them, later.  I've never used the fireplace in all the years I've lived in this house; I'd have to get the chimney inspected and probably repaired, before I do so, if I ever decide to light a fire!  With my luck, I'd probably end up setting fire to the house!

At this time, I think my living room decorating and decluttering is almost done (still have to decide if I want the mirror rehung and those large vases placed near the fireplace).  

Obviously, a living room only requires some seating, a flat surface such as a coffee table or a side table on which to place a cup of tea or a glass of water (and maybe a small plate with a cookie or a piece of cake!) and a couple of lamps for lighting.  Everything else is a want, not a need - pictures, books, decorative items, etc.  But, they are the items that make a house a home, I think.  I've lived in an apartment that had no furniture other than a patio table and some chairs that the landlady gave us, which we used as our dining table.  We had no spare money to buy any furniture, so we covered sturdy cardboard boxes with table cloths or fabric and used them as places on which to keep a few necessary items.  Now that was real minimalism although, I don't think we had heard of that term at the time, in the mid 1970s.  I don't think I want to get back to that level of minimalism!  What I'm looking for is a happy medium where I have enough to be comfortable and feel grateful for the abundance without feeling overwhelmed by it.

I am grateful for:

- My home
- Furniture (cat clawed as the upholstery might be!  😸)
- My favorite things on display to enjoy seeing without feeling overwhelmed by visual clutter

- Being blessed with enough and plenty!
- Memories to look back on and smile

What do you think?  

Garden Harvests on Friday the Thirteenth

 

Wax Beans and Squash - The Squash Side

M planted some wax beans and squash in the same planting bed and the plants are flourishing.

The Wax Beans Side

On Friday the thirteenth, I picked the first wax beans:

Wax Bean Harvest

I am pleased with the amount of beans I was able to pick.  

I also picked some peaches:

Peaches (in a bowl of water to wash them)

These peaches were not fully ripe, but, they were not bird pecked.  I'm trying to pick the rest of the peaches before the birds get to them.

And I picked the two strawberries that were ripe:

Ripe Strawberries

Such a blessing to be able to pick vegetables and fruits from my garden.

B;In addition, I did two loads of laundry, put some more books back on the bookshelves, called the vet's office for a refill on Dancer's medication, and tended to the garden with M.

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- Fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden
- M's help with the garden

- Water for the garden

- Working appliances
- A relaxed day

Friday's joyful activity was spending time in the garden and picking some fruits and vegetables.

How was your Friday?  Are you superstitious about Friday the thirteenth?