creative little daisy

Less is more. Much less.

When you've been a collector all your life, by the time you're in your 80s, you've likely accumulated a lot of stuff. That's the case with Mitch's aunt Gin. She's not only a collector (of many things) she's also the type of person who finds it very, very difficult to throw anything away. Anything. She's lived alone in a little house across the street from Mitch's parents for many years until a couple of years ago when she had a fall and was all alone. Since then she's lived with my in-laws. At first she would go to her house some during the day and sew or work in her yard, but feeling more and more frail, she's nearly stopped going home at all. When she heard Alyssa may be looking for a little house to rent she offered hers. The conditions were that Alyssa pay the utilities and look after her cat. She jumped at the offer and couldn't wait to get to work making the little house her own. Gin didn't mind if she painted, she just wanted to be sure none of her stuff was thrown away.

After about a week of scrubbing, and painting, and thinning, the kitchen is looking good. It's a sweet, cottage kitchen, just what Alyssa wanted. Gin went over for the first time yesterday to see the changes. It was hard to judge her reaction at first. She just kept saying it's not the same place. Finally I asked if she was sad, did she wish it was the way it had been. She shook her head and said no, I like it better this way. Phew, we were beginning to worry.

Nearly everything in the after pictures was there before, just lost among a lifetime of collections.  A few things are Alyssa's, like the knobs on the cabinets.

The tablecloth was my contribution.

The washboard wasn't always decorative, it was really used for washing clothes. The wooden bowl behind the rolling pin was made by Gin's father. It's a dough bowl for making biscuits. I doubt it will get any more use than the washboard in Alyssa's kitchen.

I better start looking for some fabric to dress up those windows.
Up next, the living room.

On an unrelated note, if you are interested in hearing me say ahhmm about 50 times in less than 5 minutes, check this out. When the very talented, very kind, Lori asked to interview me for her podcast, Sew Forth Now, I very nervously agreed. You see, I have a voice for blogging and I communicate much better when there's a backspace button. Lori did a wonderful job with the interview and made me feel very at ease. If you can stand to listen to my southern drawl (I can't) you might get some ideas for handmade Christmas gifts. Check out the other episodes while you're there.

Because we are all family...

Christie lost her home in the California fires. Please go offer her your encouragement and support.

$2.50 Maternity Jeans- that fit!

Have you shopped for maternity clothes lately? Well it's been about 18 years for me, and back then affordable choices were few and far between. I remember paying something like $40.00 for a pair of jeans when I was near the end of my pregnancy with Casey, even knowing I'd wear them only a month or two. I was so sick of wearing the same stretchy knit pants, when I saw that denim... jeans... they actually looked like jeans! I was blinded to any reason. I splurged- it really was a splurge, and bought them. Well in the 18 years since, the choices are much more plentiful, but the prices are no better. Add to that the fact that size small in maternity fashion doesn't work for the extra small and you have a mom-to-be with nothing to wear. Alyssa is a tiny bit of a thing, but she's getting a little round belly that makes it impossible to comfortably wear most of her non-maternity clothes, jeans in particular.  She mentioned that she had heard of a band you can buy that you wear to cover unzipped and unbuttoned jeans, allowing you to wear your clothes longer. I searched around and found a couple, but they were a little more expensive than my budget allows right now.  A little more searching and I found this. Bless your heart Miss AnnaReilly!  This has to be one of the quickest, cheapest, easiest projects I've done and one of the most functional.  I picked up a pair of pants at the thrift store, on 50% off day, so they cost me $2.50. I pulled out an old tee shirt and followed the very clear tutorial and about 20 minutes later Alyssa was very happy to have jeans that fit.

She has the band scrunched down, it actually has a great deal of stretch room and the jeans also stretch. I'm sure they won't fit all the way through, but for less than three bucks, I have no doubt she'll get her money's worth out of them.
I know she looks like a tiny little girl, but she turned 20 this week. One out of the teenage years, one to go.

Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart for your comments of caring, support, and understanding on my last post. It really is important to know you aren't alone.

* In her comment, Sarah pointed out some of the advantages of using the stretchy band and I fully agree with the functionality.  It's just the "I can make that for less"  mentality coming out.

Faith, Hope, Love.... and Joy.

I know I've said here before, I'm not much of a girlie-girl and I'm not much of a jewelry wearer. I am most comfortable in jeans and a tee. Necklaces are the only jewelry other than my wedding rings (simple bands) that I feel comfortable wearing. Because my uniform is so basic, to keep from being too boring I like an interesting tee, one with a beautiful screen print like the one I'm wearing or a graphic that says something about me. I feel the same about necklaces. I don't want the latest diamond that says "forever" or whatever the diamond industry is pushing as the only way to show how much you love her, until next holiday when they  come out with another way that's the only way. Not for me.  I want something that feels special and has meaning to me. That's exactly the kind of jewelry that Lisa of Lisa Leonard Designs creates. As soon as I came in from the mailbox yesterday and opened the box to find this necklace, I loved it so much I went straight to her website to order another. Something that said JOY.
I've had joy on my mind a lot lately or should I say a lack of joy has been on my mind. I've become increasingly aware that I have been in a bit of a funk for quite a while and am frankly quite exhausted and worn down. I am 39 years old and feel so much older most of the time. Getting to this point has been a gradual process, a slow wearing down of my body and my spirit. If I were to try to pinpoint the beginning of the slow trickle of joy out of my life, it was probably around the time I had to quit working. I was told I would have to have a lung transplant and that my line of work was detrimental to my health. I became more conscious of where I went and who I was around and eventually became more comfortable at home than anywhere else. Once a shop till you drop kinda girl, I cringe at the very thought of going to the mall. So here I am, a stay at home mom at a time when my kids are seeking more and more independence from mom. I have made it no secret, being the mom of teenagers has been the absolute hardest thing I've ever done. We, because it is we going through this, not just me. Mitch and I have been on a roller coaster ride of fear, worry, frustration and heartache for something like 2 years now. When your identity is so tied up in being a mom and suddenly you feel that you have failed at your job. You have failed miserably and you don't get do-overs, it bruises if not breaks your spirit. Anxiety and worry made me finally seek help in the way of medication, but there really is no magic pill in a bottle to heal a spirit. I hate to sound sappy or cliche' but an awakening moment came for me this week watching Oprah.  Like I said, I've been thinking a lot about joy lately. In fact I mentioned a sermon a few weeks ago in which the pastor presented the question, What would your one wish be? What do you most want? I couldn't answer right away, because I really wanted to think if through. Finally I decided what I wanted most, what I felt would be the most beneficial to myself and those I love, was joy. I wrote on a piece of paper I wish for joy and peace.  I don't know exactly how to put to words the feelings I have. It's not like I'm walking around crying all the time. I just know I'm not joyful and I'm not spreading joy.  I guess it's like a low grade sadness... does that make sense? A constant low grade sadness combined with the occasional and usually out of the blue crisis that would result in a more acute sadness.  All of this chipping away more and more of me. More of my awareness of who I was and what I wanted out of life. More of the security that everything will be all right. Slowly and insidiously  joy has slipped from my life. Forced out by the constant feeling of having my guard up to as a defense for my battered spirit.  This has been a hard thing to face. Hard to put to words, mostly I believe because I don't want to inconvenience anyone. That sounds pretty silly doesn't it? I don't ever want to be the reason anyone has to go out of their way, I don't want to be the cause of someone else's upset. I try very hard to keep things on an even keel and just praying that things would just magically get better. You know the old this too shall pass thinking. Never mind that in trying to keep my feelings inside really doesn't work and doesn't benefit anyone. It's a never ending circle of unhappiness. Back to the Oprah thing, she had Dr. Christiane Northrup on her show, a doctor/author who specialized in women's health. She discussed how stress and unhappiness increases inflammation at the cellular level. Most diseases are the result of inflammation. I have two chronic diseases that are inflammatory in nature. So, (and this really isn't news to me, I'm a nurse, but it was the message I needed to hear at this time in my life) all this stress and unhappiness in my life is not only wearing me down spiritually, it's detrimental to my health. Like I said, this is not news to me, I think I've even discussed it here before, but I think what's different is I said it aloud. I may blabber on and on here about feelings, but when it comes to actually speaking- actually saying what's in my heart doesn't come easily for me. It seems nearly impossible to make my mouth form the words and leave my mouth, but I did it. I talked to Mitch and to Alyssa and Casey. I told them I am tired of feeling this way. I'm ready to be a source of joy they can come to. This doctor, the one on Oprah said something to the effect that a being a joyful mother is the best legacy you can give your children. As unhappy as the world can be and as much disappointment as there is out there, everyone needs to know there is a source they can turn for joy. My job of being a mom isn't over. I still have time to spread a legacy of joy and that is my wish. I know I can't do it on my own, I plan to be much more communicative with those I love, to let them know what I need to be happy, because it really is true, if mama ain't happy...and for me, if mama ain't happy, mama ain't healthy. In a few months I'm going to be a grandma, and I have a lot of living left to do, I need my health.  I've made an appointment to talk to someone who's job it is to listen to people whine and help them through it.   My wish is for joy and if I have to work a little bit to find it again, that's work I'm willing to do.
Boy that was probably TMI  just to say I can't wait to get my new necklace, I'm getting the mini circles necklace with the words Joy and Peace, a tangible reminder to myself and everyone I see that joy is my wish.
If you made it through all that, I promise I have some crafty things to talk about. Maybe later today, if I can ever get a good picture.

Blue Light Special

Something about blue Christmas lights is very pleasing to my eye. I don't think I'd ever actually drape blue lights from the front porch, but I do like to look at them. I really like big blue bulbs in those fake candles in windows. Again,I don't think it's  happening here, I'm pretty boring with my Christmas decorations, but when I see those blue lights in other yards I find it soothing and... just pleasant. You know, the stores are already stocking Christmas items, It's not even Halloween yet folks!  On a recent trip to Lowe's, I found myself in the Christmas section, no longer able to resist the pull of the of blue lights. Today I had Casey put them up on the back porch and they are lovely. My picture doesn't do them justice. I may have to rethink my idea of tasteful this Christmas.

I'm sure you are sick of hearing about my floor, I'm sick of hearing about my floor, but the wood portion of the never ending floor ordeal is finally finished.

I'll eventually get some sort of rug, to soften things up, but for now, I'm just enjoying the floor. I haven't painted the fireplace yet, I need a break from stinky paint, stain, and polyurethane fumes. I'll get to it one day. What I'm really eager to get to is some sewing. After about 3 weeks, I finally have my sewing machine back where she belongs. She's feeling so forgotten and neglected. Tomorrow sweetie, tomorrow.

Discombobulated

And that's ok. I had about half a post written about how upside down things are around here, and then it dawned on me, hey, you've always wanted hardwood floors and you're getting them. If it means living with a mess for a little while longer, so be it. It will make me appreciate calmness and order that much more when the chaos and disorganization are cleared away.

Here's the floor with two coats of stinky polyurethane- one more to go. This is a semi-gloss finish. For the final coat the floor guy suggested mixing semi-gloss with high-gloss. I've got the weekend to think it over, which is much better than the 10 minutes I had to decide on a stain color. Seriously. We asked him to come by and stain a few sections so that I could have a few days to think about it. Did he? Nope. He came the day of, with about 4 different stains for me to choose from. Too much pressure, I tell ya!  This  was a middle of the road color.  I  really wanted to go dark, but once the dark sample was on the floor, it just wasn't working for me. I wish this was a little darker, but once all the furniture is back in place, I'm sure it will be perfect. I think the fireplace brick needs to be painted white. What do you think? I'm asking kinda like I asked Mitch. I will listen only if you agree with me. He didn't, but I still think I'm going to paint it.

On another subject, thank you so much everyone who commented on my granny name post. There were so many wonderful suggestion and so many great stories.  I still don't know what I'll be called and perhaps that's how it should be. If I haven't responded to your comment, it's because my computer time has been greatly limited, what with the toxic fumes in the house. I've been spending lots of time in the camper, crocheting and pretending to be on vacation.

Happy weekend!