Piles of Paperwork...

Image courtesy of MentalFloss.com

I thought computers were supposed to minimize paperwork? Doesn't seem to work that way around here. See a great pattern? Print it! A little needlework inspiration? Print it! A remodeling idea? Print it! 

I've got stacks of paper all over my studio rooms, and it's time to declutter it. That's part of what I'll be doing today. I'm taking these projects in two-hour bites. I set a timer, and when it alarms, I stop and go to something else. Remember "eating the elephant"? Small bites. It can be done.

Once I put in my two hours, I can reward myself with something fun. I think I'll decide what my next project is going to be and pull all the supplies together. No guilt here. I've earned it! 

Nothing Beats A Clean Closet...

Brynwood Needleworks - Nothing Beats A Clean Closet

 

I spent yesterday doing laundry and cleaning a closet. This is a task I enjoy, as I'm always reminded of things I forgot I had. It also gives me a chance to reprioritize projects. I even found a box filled with finished quilt blocks that just need to be assembled!

 

Concurrent with the closet cleaning, I also straightened up and organized the fabric studio. I'm not finished in there, but I'm feeling so much better about this closet. I'm able to easily find and pull what I'm looking for. (The laundry is coming along, too.) I'll be finished with all the cleaning today, and I'll share more pictures on Monday.

 

For now, I'm feeling accomplished. Seriously...Nothing beats a clean closet! 

Simple pleasures, right?

 

Sunday Scripture - Turning The Page...

Web image

 Thanks to our most gracious and bountiful Lord for prayers answered

 in the past week. We must always remember when we invoke His

name and ask that His hand guide wise people to make wise decisions, 

 we may not always receive the results we seek if our hearts are corrupt. 

Likewise, if we ask for His will to be done to protect the innocents, and

our motives are for good, we can trust that He and His angels will never 

forsake us. The Lord always answers our prayers, but we have to know 

that sometimes His answers don't yield our hoped-for results.

Thank you again, Lord, for answering my prayers, that my requests were 

in accord with your desires. You have heard my words and seen my

actions,  you inspired and witnessed my change of heart, known my deepest 

thoughts, and then you saw fit to grant these prayers to your faithful daughter.

Over the past six months, I stood apart from my parents and siblings in a family
struggle. I chose to take a position based on morals and principles. I endured
constant attacks on my integrity as they mounted a concerted, vicious and public
campaign against me. I guess they thought they could improve another's image by
attempting to tarnish mine. I was both shocked by and ashamed of their actions.

I have honestly and earnestly forgiven each and all of them, but I will never
forget their behavior. The rift they forged between us by their actions will
never be repaired. People I have written of with great affection in former
blog posts, will never be mentioned again here or in our home.

What they might continue to say or think about me is no longer my concern.

Free-wallpaper-Christian.com

 So, I will ask that the Lord continue to heal my heart and mind to

expunge the memories of those who invoked God's name as they sought to

punish me for my beliefs and actions. I also ask that His angels continue

to shelter me beneath their wings as I move ahead in my life without them.

Thank you to my husband who is my refuge through sunshine and storms.

He is my love for all our days; and my one constant and true companion. 

Also,

 thanks to my true family who love me through all the times of my life...

our sons and their families, the few relatives who believed in me and stood
beside me through this conflict, my dearest and truest friends - near and far -
who defended me even in my absence, and to those of you who have
tolerated my distractions over these last months as I struggled to stand
against the tempest, as well as understand, cope with and accept these changes.

It's time to steer this ship back to the things that really make my life both

"joyful and creative"...focusing on my family, my friends, homekeeping, 
and sharing my silly, little corgi and artistic endeavors with you.

God bless you for your patience and continued friendship.

With deepest gratitude,

Keepin' It Real...

Before...

 I don't know about anyone else, but when I'm up to my you-know-what in "To Do" 

lists, I get busy...cleaning! It helps me FOCUS my thoughts, so when I've finished

 I can get right back to work - without distractions. Clean it up, then get busy!!

I have an area in the studio that's really been buggin' me so I decided that I'd deal 

with it yesterday. It involved emptying a piece of over-stuffed furniture, moving it 

to another part of the house (garage) to serve a new purpose, and moving a piece 

from another room into the studio. Handsome is up north this week, so I can do a 

bit of tearing up without messing up his life, too. I know he'll appreciate that.

Unfortunately, that means all the proverbial heavy lifting is done alone - with the

aid of those fabulous slider pads that you put under furniture to make moving easier.

As soon as I was finished with the emptying, I moved out one piece of furniture

and moved in the other. Right after that, I took two Aleve and made a cup of tea!

So, I'm calling the photograph you're looking at "Utter Chaos". (giggle)

Tomorrow, I'll show you my rearranged, organized, ready-to-roll studio...

as soon as I find a place for everything that's in my face right now.

(Right after I have another cup of tea.)

Dreaming of a Spacious Haven...

One of my blog girlfriends recently commented on my "always organized" studio space. I giggled when I read that because many times it's far from "calm" in there. We always want to put our best face forward on our blogs, so I rarely show you the "real" images in my creative cave.

I cleaned out the closet in the bathroom next to the studio two days ago. It's the "overflow" space that I use for storing what I can no longer fit into the studio. I really needed to see what was in there, having not emptied it in quite a while. That was my major project for Tuesday.

I kept pulling things out of the closet and sorting through them and by the time I was finished, my studio was utter chaos! Just look at this mess! I took two bags of yarn and two boxes of knitting magazines to Paneras on Tuesday night to give away. I shared my stash, and more than a few women went home really happy.

It took me all day yesterday, but by the time I needed to start dinner, I finally had it whipped back into some semblance of order. (That's the first photograph in this post.)

After living in the Flying Cloud last summer, I've felt that there was too much stuff in my studio. I'm going to make it my mission to continue to clear the clutter - little by little (we don't want to do anything drastic, after all) until my room is returned to a spacious haven that will better foster creativity. 

So, don't think that it's always tidy and clean here at Brynwood. I'm just like the rest of you. Sometimes "messy" just happens.

 In case you missed the post, I'm hosting a quiltalong. If you click here, you can learn more about it...and if you click on the "Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt QAL" on the menu bar at the top of my blog, you can see who else is participating. We'll be starting February 1st, so there's still time to join the fun!