Reading...Writing...

Sara Berman's Closet...

This book came to me as a gift. I mean, a real, honest-to-God, completely unexpected, it's-not-even-my-birthday GIFT.

Two weeks ago, this box appeared on my step. With the familiar Amazon swoop...I thought it was the silicone insteps I'd ordered for my sister-in-law Jeanne (she has plantar fasciitis)...

(I mean -- aren't we ALWAYS expecting an Amazon box nowadays?  The next box that arrives will have a 70" round vinyl tablecloth for my table...you can buy ANYTHING on Amazon...)

But -- instead -- it was this beautiful little book.  I don't want to ruin the book for you -- but it's the true story of a woman, Sara Berman, who was married for 30+ years, left her husband and moved to New York City.  It is SUCH A GREAT STORY...told by her children.....with pictures of her closet.  Which is now on exhibit at a Museum.

We all have our own story. 

And, in telling you about this book -- I am moving ahead to the #4 thing on my list.  W.R.I.T.I.N.G...

Because, only when I was WRITING about Sara Berman's Closet did I start THINKING about how all these books came to me.

Reading and Writing go together like needle and thread.  You can't do one without the other..and the end result is so...well --  SPECTACULAR!  I get to meet new people, learn new things...reading and writing is how I engage with the world.

#3: READING

The #3 thing on my list of Daily Goals..."Reading"....

Once again, much like SEWING -- READING is a joy-filled activity for me.  There is nothing I love more than the feeling of being completely swept away by a great book.

How many times in my life have I been so absorbed in a book that I stayed up until 3:30 AM...reading...

Many.

This post is about my "Daily One Hour" ...so, the mission here is to write about the book I'm reading RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT.

When I looked around -- I realized I am reading five or six books right now. Hey -- THAT CAN'T BE GOOD..!!

The truth is -- it would be a rare day for me if I only read for "one hour".

But -- in the interest of following my own directions...here are the books I'm reading right now:

Rebecca Stead: I am thrilled that Lilly is an avid reader. She's finishing the 4th Grade, and SHE is recommending books to ME. After she read "Educated" by Tara Westover, I got it from the library and we discussed it. I think a Grandma Book Club is a GREAT idea.

Then she recommended "When You Reach Me" -- by Rebecca Stead.  It takes place in New York City -- and, although time travel isn't my usual area of interest -- we had a lively discussion about the people and places in this book. Now, I'm reading "Goodbye Stranger".

Remember the little corner junk shop in New York City? I bought so many wonderful things there -- the guy running the place GAVE JACKIE AND ME a free book on our way out the door. He had a stack of paperbacks on the counter -- and I picked this one.

It is a police mystery that takes place in -- guess where?  Yep...NEW YORK CITY...

My cousin Jackie recommended "Where The Crawdads Sing". Her book club in North Carolina loved it -- and then they did a story about the author on the CBS Sunday Morning show. It had a huge waitlist at the library, so I bought it from Amazon...

book on Tape:  I always...always...ALWAYS   have two or three different CD books in my car.  Right now, I'm listening to The Sunshine Sisters.

Sara Berman's Closet...

#2: S.E.W.I.N.G

Ahhh...sewing. There isn't a day I don't sew SOMETHING. The best thing about having SEWING as a hobby is that it's always different. For the last coupla days, I've been focused on Frankensewing some sheet sets to give as gifts. Although I often find BEAUTIFUL SHEETS at thrift stores, many of them are orphans, so it's fun for me to create a "set" -- by making new pillowcases, or adding a decorative hem...I think they are the perfect gift.

Last month, my total focus was making outfits for NEW YORK CITY...it was so much fun to plan what I would pack, and how everything would go together...

Altho I didn't sew this purse -- I did mod podge both sides...

And I IRONED the Statue of Liberty on the back of my raincoat...

I cut off the sleeves, and added a side panel so this blouse could be an easy-to-pack vest (that went with everything).

You know -- I LIVE TO FRANKENSEW...there really is nothing I'd rather do. Last week, my cousin needed some summer pants (can we still call them pedal pushers?)...so I cut off some too-long pants, and turned them into shorts and/or capri pants...

Lilly is OFTEN the recipient of my Frankensewed creations...although some of them are HITS... many of them are MISSES...like this GREAT corduroy coat.

I paid 44 cents for this GREAT corduroy peacoat.  But it was too small for Lilly...so, of course, I Frankensewed IT...I cut off the sleeves (and used them to make new side panels) -- then, I put two new sleeves on that I cut out of a sweater. I LOVED THE WAY THIS COAT TURNED OUT.  But Lilly never really wore it...hey...that's the way it goes!

Another GREAT thing about sewing is that it changes...as your taste changes, or your interests...you learn new techniques, you get better equipment...

For example -- the first ragged edge quilt I ever made was for Lilly -- when she was 4 years old...

Lilly picked the fabrics for her own ragged edge quilt -- and she uses it every time she sleeps at my house. At the time, I inserted a couple of t-shirts...

So -- then -- FAST FORWARD...obviously, my love of snarky t-shirts has become a near obsession... and this ragged edge quilt was made almost ENTIRELY out of t-shirts instead of flannel

This is Elliott's "Lazyboy Recliner" t-shirt quilt...and it has t-shirts from every part of his adult life...his time in the Army, his favorite sports teams, his love for dogs, his business...

AND I HATE TO THINK of how many hours I had in my Quilt-As-You-Go Splendid Sampler project. I finally finished it at the S.E.W. Retreat last fall -- with Mary, Rhonda and Deanna.  Sewin with your girlfriends takes things to a whole different level.

HOW CAN I LIMIT THIS TO JUST ONE HOUR A DAY???

Goal #1: Housework

My new #1 daily goal is the one thing on my list I HATE to do. Housework.

AS YOU WELL KNOW -- Every Monday, Carrie comes to help me clean my house. And for a brief moment in time -- everything is in order...and all is right with the world.

Carrie ALWAYS brings cupcakes for my birthday!!

Everybody who has a cleaning lady knows that you must CLEAN BEFORE THEY COME. For crying out loud, if Carrie saw how this house looked on a typical Sunday night -- she wouldn't come within ten miles of the place!!!

If I'm here when she comes.... I get out of her way. I go to the basement and sort through the week's worth of laundry. I fold clothes and hang the sheets out on the line. I stay in the basement, listening to an audio book, while Carrie puts my house in order. I might do a little sewing or mending, but when I hear the vacuum running, I know she's almost done...and she'll be coming down the steps to help me bring up the last basket of clothes.

And I am grateful.   Everybody needs a little help now and then, I'm just sayin'...and when it comes to housework -- I GET NO JOY FROM THAT JOB.

Which is why I'm making "Housework" the #1 thing on my Daily Goals List.  Because, even though Carrie is a wonderful housekeeper, and totally willing to do any job I need done -- there are these little piles of junk ONLY I  CAN deal with.  Like the pile of stuff sitting next to my favorite chair.  It's a random assortment of books, magazines, articles, cards, crafts, sewing projects, bits and pieces of a life....and I am the only one who knows what matters and what is just random stuff.

I have a similar pile on the end of my kitchen counter...on the nightstand in my bedroom...next to the washing machine...well, you get the idea.

Carrie has NEVER THROWN AWAY anything of value.  She neatly stacks things where she finds them...and if I don't deal with them -- the next week, those piles just get higher....

I decided NOT to take any "before" pictures of my trouble spots.  You'll just have to take my word for it...

So, my goal is to spend ONE HOUR EACH DAY working on my little rabbit-warrens.  My hope is that by forcing myself to do this #1 dreaded job -- the next three things on my list of Daily Goals will be my REWARD.

Hey -- this could work...

Tomorrow -- #2 on my list...

ONE HOUR OF S.E.W.I.N.G...!!! 

Daily Goals

Recently, my friend Laura wrote that her idea of a good day is: one hour of housework, one hour of sewing and one hour of gardening.

That sounded like a worthwhile action plan...

...and made me think about the value of having daily goals...

Reason #1:  EACH day is gonna happen no matter what I do or DON'T DO...and I always feel better, at the end of the day, if I have accomplished something..

Reason #2: Having daily goals will insure that I get to do something I NEED TO DO...along with something I WANT TO DO.  Of course, MY daily goals are specific to ME...YOUR goals should be to dosomething you care about.

So, after some pondering...(and because I'm no gardener, Laura) -- I decided my routine daily goals will be...ONE HOUR EACH:

• housework
• sewing
• reading
• writing

If I manage to do those four simple things each day,  I'm will declare it a victory!

I'm loving this...and, for this week, I'm going to blog about the SPECIFIC goals I've chosen for myself.

Tomorrow -- HOUSEWORK..!!

Happy Mother's Day

I've posted this for the last six years. If you are reading my blog on a Sunday, it's probably because your Mother's Day is sucking...Thank God IT'S ONLY ONE DAY..!! ******************
I almost never post on Sunday. But this is special. Because it's Mother's Day. And if you came here to read this blog, I'm thinking you could use a chuckle. So, of course, I turned to PINTEREST...
This picture reminds me of my favorite memories with my own mother..

And I think this poster will be something my boys will associate with me and their childhood...

Today, if things go right, 4-month old Warren will have his first Sunday Dinner at Grandma's house...(I'll let you know how it turns out)

One of my credos...(there are SO MANY -- it's hard to pick!)

I don't usually think in terms of my "mission in life" -- but I think Maya says it well. And it reminds me how much I miss Oprah and the Guiding Light...

If you are reading this blog post -- YOU ARE MY FRIEND. And I hope you have a lovely Mother's Day. And if your day is suckin' -- try to think of one little thing you can do for somebody else. That's what I do if I fall into a funk...and it ALWAYS WORKS FOR ME...


Last week, a very good friend of mine said, "when I read your blog, I've gotta tell you -- your life sounds WONDERFUL." That made me laugh. I have the same issues everybody else has...I'm too fat, my house is a mess, my taxes are due, my back is killing me, I thought I had a heart attack last week, my Uncle Melvin died -- well -- you get the idea. I have some bad, sad days...but I choose not to write about that. So maybe you get a distorted view of my life...but, believe me -- everything I share here in this blog is 100% true. I just decided, somewhere along the way, that my life feels better to me if I focus on the happy little moments...

My New T-Shirt Wisdom Chairs

My quest for the PERFECT CHAIRS to go around my perfect 100 year old 60" round table has been going on for 40 years.

Really. I LOVE the table. I bought it in 1977, right before we moved away from Pine Grove, Pennsylvania.  My friend Kathy and I were on one of our typical weekend treasure hunts -- and we found this beautiful round oak table in a barn on Sweet Arrow Lake Road. I paid $150, which was A LOT OF MONEY for me at the time.

It was an impractical, poorly-timed purchase.  For one thing, neither John nor I had jobs at the time.  And -- I had to promptly put it IN A MOVING VAN...and pay to have it hauled to Iowa.  For another thing, when we arrived in Iowa, we were renting a very small house and this table took up half the living room.  But I've never been sorry about buying this table...

When John and I built our house, I designed the kitchen to accommodate my table.  Since June of 1981, every single family event has taken place in that kitchen -- sitting at that table.

So, yes, the table was P.E.R.F.E.C.T. But the chairs have been a different story. Finding the right chairs has been an on-going, frustrating mission. For the first ten years or so -- I had a rotating assortment of random wooden chairs...some were better than others -- but eventually, it seemed like there was always one "bad" chair. The glue loostened, the chairs got rickety...

In the 90's, I had some "matching" oak chairs that were kind of Early American. But they were cheap, and not very comfortable. I never liked them much.

At one point, I found some heavy "school" chairs at an auction, and I liked the looks of them. But the legs splayed out.  People were constantly stubbing their toes.  When John started wearing steel toed shoes with his bathrobe, I finally had to admit those chairs were a poor choice...

Then -- this winter -- I found THESE FOUR CHAIRS at a thrift store. $3 each. With upholstered back and seat...VERY comfortable...they were sturdy yet lightweight... and I knew I could funk them up with just the right Frankensewed t-shirts...

This is the official 'BEFORE" picture.

Now that all four chairs are finished, Lilly and I tried to set up a "photo shoot""

We never got it quite right.

These were the final two chairs...SO MUCH FUN, EH??

Frankie knows which chair is his...

I miss this project already. I love these chairs on so many levels. Of course, there's the SHOPPING FOR JUST THE RIGHT WORDS ON T-SHIRTS...

Then, showing Lilly how to staple and reupholster this simple project...

Choosing just the right BACK for each  chair...

I know it's time to move on...but this was just one of those wonderful projects.  It's been so much fun -- I'M SORRY IT'S FINISHED...

This will go down as the project that kept me busy during the HORRIBLE WINTER OF 2018-19.