A Time to Toss

Cleaning out the garage is a good thing. So is getting rid of stuff you want but really don’t need to be storing.

After church we decided to attack the garage. Ever since we moved in, we simply put everything in the middle of the garage and have been walking around it to get to whatever we needed at any given time. We figured it was time to stack everything against a wall and throw out what we don’t want anymore or donate it. We ended up with a small pile of donations, a lot of boxes to break down and recycle, and tons more space. Alas, it was time to toss some of the things I’ve been holding onto since my childhood, one being a coloring poster of various fairy tales and children’s books characters that was half-finished. Further inspection revealed it had indeed been infected with mold from the old house. However, I had my little sentimental bit, took a picture, and moved on.

Sometimes it is necessary to throw away things from your past in order to fully embrace the future. Holding onto what could have been will only leave you stuck in time.

(p.s. – I found my feather boas.)

Papa

Losing a grandparent is difficult. Losing them long before they actually pass away is harder.

I remember the first time we went to Lewiston, Idaho to have Thanksgiving with Papa and Grandma K.. It was a long drive, it was cold when we got there, and we had to rake leaves. Yes, rake leaves… in the cold. My brother and I would have froze to death, but we had just gotten hand knitted gloves and hats from them. How convenient. What I wasn’t expecting was getting paid to do it. It was the first time I had gotten money for doing chores and the first time I realized that hard work pays off… literally. I used that money for Christmas presents, or candy, I’m not really sure.

What I remember most is thinking it was absolutely awesome knowing somebody in the entertainment industry. Okay, so Papa worked for a local radio station, but we got to tour the station before he took my brother and I to the toy store to pick out stuff for us and our sisters and had goulash for dinner. And he knew Santa. Mall Santa. A mall Santa who arrived at the mall in a helicopter. It was amazing to my nine year old self. Papa also loved to tell war stories from when he was in Korea. Lots and lots of stories. And he could watch television in his sleep as was apparent when I changed the channel while he was obviously sleeping and he said, “I was watching that.” I still have no idea how he’d know I even changed the channel, but he did. He always did.

So a few years ago when we were told that Papa’s mind wasn’t as sharp as it once was and he had to constantly be reminded of who people were, I was saddened. I wondered if he would still be the same person I knew. And for the most part, he was. But over time it was quite apparent that he was remembering less and less and becoming more paranoid that something was going to happen to his dog who practically never left his side. On one hand this slow degradation somewhat prepares you for the inevitable, but on the other it just seems cruel.

When I got the call that he had passed away, or more accurately text message (don’t mock, between texting and Facebook is how my family communicates) I wasn’t surprised by anything except actually breaking down and crying over the loss. Even though I knew it was coming and have been preparing for it over the last couple days, I still couldn’t stop falling to the ground as the tears began flowing. And then I started laughing as a story he told me about my stepdad popped into my head. Losing someone is difficult and painful, but as long as we remember them, their spirit will live on.

New Quilt Project

After cleaning I was bored. Let’s just say that me and boredom are a dangerous combination.

I was tired of cleaning yesterday afternoon, and figured my objective of mopping the floors and laundry and dishes and vacuuming and litter box changing had been achieved, so I stopped. Oh, I could’ve continued with various other tasks, but decided against such extreme measures. After all, I can’t have everyone thinking I’m some super being, can I? In all seriousness I still had to go grocery shopping, so I gathered the bags and walked out the door and drove off. Now, here’s the thing, I decided to take the back roads and as I was doing so decided to go ahead and take a trip to my local quilt shop, The Country Manor to say hi and maybe pick up a couple more batiks for The Desperate Housewife’s Quilt.

Okay, so here is the thing… I love this shop. Besides the fact that it is filled to capacity on every shelf, bolts are also in front of the shelves on the floor as well. However, the owner was not in that day, which was a little sad for me. Apparently even she gets a day off every now and then, though this was the first time I’d been in without her. So I perused the back section where the clearance fabrics are, found quite a few adorable children’s fabrics that I passed up because the thought of even getting any of those right now is still a little painful given the uncertain circumstances involving our kids, and kept looking. I found the batiks, and found a couple that I liked, but decided to continue looking in the rest of the shop before picking up anything.

For the last couple years I’ve had my eye on Alexander Henry’s In the Kitchen line, especially the creepy owls and mushroom prints. I don’t know why but this line brings up a flood of memories from my childhood while at the same time is comforting and cute. I decided that since we had a little extra money, and me being me can’t seem to leave well enough alone and save it for a rainy day (which, by the way, it was raining like crazy yesterday too so technically…) I picked out five of my favorite prints and got a half yard of each. Apparently this line was created to have that retro feel and is continuously adding new fabrics. I love the Brady Bunch look it evokes and can’t wait to find a retro pattern to tweak to my liking. Of course, I’ll need to add a few solids to the mix to fill in.