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In Search of Summer: June 1

I wish I could say we spent the long weekend enjoying time with friends and family, poolside and cooking out. Alas, Addie's sickness that sprouted up on Friday stuck around the entire time, so instead we hunkered down and got to work on some household projects. At first I was thinking, this isn't really "searching for summer", but then I realized that we never really did our spring cleaning. So, in order to say a true farewell to the spring we are leaving behind at this unofficial start of summer weekend, we got down to business.

One big item on the list was for me to go through the piles and piles of magazines I have been collecting for years. We have moved them from one house to another and now that we have another little life to support in this space, there just isn't room for such clutter anymore. What started out as one shelf on a bookcase quickly multiplied to include a stack on top of the case, a pile under my nightstand, some more stuffed between the nightstand and our bed, a few next to the end table in the living room and on and on. No more!

Saturday, while Addie napped and watched Ratatouille for the umpteenth time, I gave my thumb a huge workout by going through four years' worth of Fitness, Parents and Real Simple magazines. I now have a MUCH smaller stack of recipes and workout routines that will go into a binder as a reference. And either the library or the Salvation Army will have a rather large drop-off on their hands in the immediate future.


Project #2: Maximize storage space

The guest bedroom that is soon to be a nursery once housed a rather substantial yarn pile in one of its corners. I kept contributing to the stash and it kept growing, but with 11 1/2 weeks until baby #2 arrives, it needed a new home. Enter wicker chests that have contained various piles of blankets and bedding for no particular reason! I packed the comforters and shams that we no longer use regularly into storage bags that will go in the attic and consolidated the blankets we do use into a chest in our bedroom.

Now, what appears on the outside as a decorative prop at the back of our dining area (along with bins that contain my fabric and sewing items)...

Is actually a treasure chest of knitting needles, yarn, patterns and other such jewels!



The dream is that one day we will build an addition to this house which would include a guest/craft room. There I could spread out my yarns, fabrics, sewing machine, painting supplies and easel so I will always have a space that is ready for me to enter and create. Until then, we have to make the best with what we have. I'd say we're doing OK so far. So with that and a huge sigh of relief  I shout, Summer here I come--clutter free!!!

2 comments:

Lee Zuhars said...

Holy crap!! I must say that I have a covetous heart right now for all that unused yarn just laying there unused!! If you feel the need to unload any of it--just let me know.

sara said...

LOL! The bad thing is that whenever I see something I like, I buy it, but just one skein... Hence a lot of yarn just sitting there. It's hard to find a project to do with only one ball of a specific kind of yarn. I think I have learned my lesson and will only buy based on projects in the future.