Tidying Up

It was Christmas Eve day and we were preparing for an annual tradition; a nearby outdoor candlelight service under the tall cedars, then an intimate gathering of neighbors at our home. My daughter sweeps in having read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and decides this would be a good time to clean out and organize my kitchen drawers! We survived the ordeal and she has since given me my very own copy of the book. I understand her excitement and it has begun. I hope to share my progress and enthusiasm in the following weeks.

First, and just because it really needed to be dealt with, my husband and I cleaned out our too small pantry.

Top shelf didn't need much 

The rest of it, however, was in dire need

Yikes!

It's now 99% improved, but I'm not posting any pictures until it is 100%!

Here is before and after of one drawer I completed today.

T shirt drawer before

T shirt drawer after

Now it's a t shirt, tank top and cardigan drawer

I won't go into all of Marie's methods, the book is a great, short read. I have concluded that she has found a way to make a living out of her own personal OCD and that's not a bad thing. 

As I complete this process I will be putting my etsy shop on the back burner, leaving it open, but not restocking after the holiday busyness. I feel like I will complete this feeling refreshed and inspired.

Everyone isn't messy like me. However, if you are I suggest reading this book.  A lot of it just made me laugh, but it also got me pretty excited about getting my home in order.

I don't want to call this a New Year's resolution. I don't really like to make them, do you? I'm not saying I don't or have never made New Year's resolutions. In fact, last year on January 1st I began a schedule to read through the Bible in a year chronologically and I finished it December 30th (one day ahead of schedule.) But I think they can be defeating and limiting. One of my favorite verses is Lamentations 3:23 "Great is his faithfulness, his mercies begin afresh each day." Indeed, every day is a new day to our Heavenly Father. For that I am grateful!

Happy New Year!  

Linda <><

Work and Play

Sometimes it just takes finishing one big project to get inspired! I've been working on this snowman pillow almost a year. Maybe it doesn't seem all that big(12" X 12") but when something goes that slowly it drags you down. Now that it's behind me, and ready to go on the couch after Thanksgiving, I'm inspired! 

My street

Or maybe it's the arrival of the rainy season and cleaning out the garden that makes sitting on the sofa and crocheting so inviting. Either way, I'm full of ideas and energy to accomplish them.

Here's a couple I've just listed in my shop.

Snowman Toilet Paper Cover by CageFreeFibers

Santa Hat Toilet Paper Cover by CageFreeFibers

My mom had a crocheted doll toilet paper cover made by by aunt on the toilet for as long as I can remember. In fact, when my brother and I moved her and Dad I threw it away because it was so faded and dust-filled. The ones pictured are meant to bring a smile and not be left out indefinitely.

I do have to get past this one recent obsession though. My sweet daughter introduced me to a computer game and now I'm a bit addicted. It's called geoguessr. Have you played? You are given a street view somewhere in the world and your task is to figure out the location. Points are given based on how close your get. It makes this great big world of ours seem kinda small and at the same time incredibly diverse! Check it out, but only if you've got time to play around.

Hope you have a productive week and don't forget to take time to play!

Linda <><

Scrubby Love

I took this photo of Em on a Ruston Way walk last week. We had taken a nice long drive so she could experience busier highways and some bigger city driving. She did great. I can get good pics of her as long as she doesn't know I'm doing it. I love how this turned out, except Mount Rainier was visible with the naked eye, but the haze is just heavy enough to hide it with the phone camera (it's right by her elbow).

I've knit or crocheted almost all of my dish clothes and and scrubbies myself. Most of the scrubbies are worsted cotton and tulle. I love how they work, how well they wash up and how long they last. This week I'm experimenting with a new scrubby made from t-shirt yarn and tulle. So far I'm really pleased. Emma made a bunch of yarn from old t-shirts and I've crocheted a few baskets with it. I take mine on nearly every road trip we go on. It's really handy and strong.

I love the look and feel of my first t shirt scrubbies. I'll let you know how they wash up. I think they will be a new favorite for dish washing. I'm doing something looser with the cotton worsted and tulle for scrubbing veggies. Here's how I make them.

Materials needed: t shirt yarn, tulle cut in one inch strips, tied together and wound around something (I like using a wood clothespin),  size 15 knitting needles

1)    Hold the t shirt yarn and tulle strip together and

       cast on 8 stitches. 

2)    Knit rows until it's about 4 1/2 inches long

3)    Then cast off and weave in ends.

It's simple and super quick. I think they would be a great addition to a kitchen gift basket and they are very environmentally friendly. They can be used for dish washing or as a veggie scrubber.

Psalm 24:1 on etsy by Makewells

Hope you, too, can find fun ways to be greener this May!

Linda <><

Mother's Day

Here in the Pacific Northwest we are enjoying sunshine and 70's for the first time this year. The garden is going in thus I must keep this short and sweet.

As an adult I rarely got to spend Mother's Day with my own mom. She lived too far away. I would send a corsage for her to wear to church and call. Now, she has been gone for two years and I still miss her dearly. So far I've been blessed to spend most Mother's Days with the two precious ones who call me Mom.

1994 waiting for the parade to pass with Mom & daughters

This year we have a full weekend planned. First, there is this:

We are a team: Family of 4

We live such a sheltered life, it is unimaginable what is happening right now on this planet. If you feel inspired to help with a small donation that would be awesome! Every little bit helps!

Next on our agenda is the annual Mother's Day hike. Weather permitting we'll be hiking Mount Si. 

Mount Si

If all goes as planned I will follow up with some pics of our adventures. 

I hope your May basket is filled with sweets and blessings!

Linda <><

Cool Stuff -- Everyday Kitchen

What are your favorite kitchen gadgets? I love to cook and want to make things both healthy and tasty, so most of the time that means cooking from scratch.  My love of cooking comes from my mom and my brothers are both great cooks.

Today I'm sharing three of my favorite smaller kitchen gadgets that I've found recently and use every day, multiple times. Cool stuff I don't know how I ever did without!

First, and maybe not technically a gadget, is cotton and tulle scrubbies. I've been using them on dishes for years now, but it wasn't until the last year or so that I found out how good they are for scrubbing veggies too. I use them on potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots mostly. Since they are machine washable they are better than sponges and I've found they last a long time.

cotton & tulle scrubbies by CityGirlCreations98

The rolling garlic chopper is truly a gadget and fun to use. I hesitated in buying one at first because it seemed the garlic press and a paring knife did the job just fine. Then one day the store had a great sale on gadgets and I broke down. Turns out, I love it, it's fun to use and my daughter bought herself one after using mine, before I could put one in her stocking for Christmas. By the way, we use a lot of garlic in our house. No vampires hanging around here! Garlic is, among other things, a natural antibiotic. This now has a home on the dish drainer.

Rolling Garlic Chopper

The third kitchen gadget I use daily is this cool citrus juicer. We started drinking a cup of warm water with fresh lemon juice first thing every morning when we radially changed our diet in 2012 and this works great. We were doing a reboot and this is one the habits that has stuck as it is clear it makes us feel better. This also has a permanent home on the dish drainer.

Citrus Juicer

Do you like to cook? Do you have anything you use every day in the kitchen?

Have a great week and happy cooking!

Linda <><

Cool Stuff

The first week of each month I intend to share some of my favorite finds here. Since my last blog was about Mason jars this week I am showing you some of my prized accessories for Mason jars.

Because we juice I use my jars a lot for drinking. When I discovered the cuppow it was love at first sight! These neat lid attachments make your Mason jar into a sipper cup perfect for big and little kids. I use it for water, juice, smoothies, tea, and, once upon a time, for coffee. It works for hot or cold and a straw can be inserted.

This brings me to the next cool thing. We use straws so much that I wanted something reusable. The Endurance Stainless drink straw and Endurance Stainless spoon straw work great for my family.

My husband takes his lunch every day and the plastic salad bowls kept falling apart, so I pack his salad or veggies in a Mason jar and add this nifty BNTO lunchbox adapter with dressing or dip. I have also found that the cups from my egg poacher fit perfectly for a smaller cup on top.

Lastly, here are my own Mason jar cozies! I use them on all of my Mason jars. They work as a coaster and a cozy, for hot and cold and I think they're pretty darn cute!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/157116259/snowman-with-scarf-and-top-hat-mason-jar?ref=shop_home_active

https://www.etsy.com/listing/150536252/flower-mason-jar-cozy-coaster-coral-and?ref=shop_home_active

I love combining all of these items as a gift and filling the jar with trail mix or homemade cocoa mix or candy! Do you have any creative accessories for Mason jars? How do you use them for gifting?

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

James 1:17

~~All of the items mentioned above are things I use. I am not compensated in any way.~~