Divide and Conquer...

Recently I came across a GREAT deal on "bandaids".  While 300 pieces may seem like a lot for most families, for a home with a very "hands-on" geek, a food service manager and an almost 8 year old boy...this will probably only touch the tip of the iceberg!  While the deal was terrific, having that many bandages in one spot wasn't practical.  I could easily store the bigger box in the linen closet on the second floor, but the majority of our "boo-boos" happen on the first floor...and there was no room in our tiny powder room for such a big box.  So what did I decide?  Divide and conquer!

Using the copier function on my printer I made a color copy of the front of each box.

These copies will fit perfectly on the front of "Invitation" size envelopes.

A swipe of my glue stick and they are neatly attached to the envelopes.

I separated the contents of each individual box, leaving half in the original box and putting half in the corresponding envelopes.

They fit perfectly in what I believe to be an old Ferrero Rocher candy box.

Which fits PERFECTLY inside the wall cabinet in my powder room.

Not every bulk purchase is a great deal.  However, the large size does not have to preclude the purchase, as long as you can "divide and conquer"!

Toodles...

ORGANIZING LEFTOVER BINDING...

As quilters, we ALL have leftover scraps of binding after we complete a project!  I hate to admit it, but up until recently I had simply thrown away the leftovers, figuring I would never have a use for such small amounts of binding.  I know...I'm sorry  :o(

Then I learned about mug rugs, mini quilts, pieced bindings, etc.  There are so many uses for these tiny leftover bits!   So, I began to collect my leftovers in a small jar...but they were so MESSY LOOKING!  Anyone who knows me well knows that I. CAN'T. STAND. MESS!  What to do? 

A really CUTE solution was waiting for me at the Sizzix website!

After Christmas I began buying quilting supplies and fabric to use up the money left on numerous gift cards (set to expire in early 2015).  When I saw this shape cutting die I knew it would be PERFECT to corral all of my binding scraps, and my leftover pieces of ribbon!  I popped it into my shopping cart, paid using a free gift card and waited anxiously for my package to arrive.

This morning I used my die to cut a handful of "spools" out of card stock, and began measuring and winding my bindings.  I wrote all of the measurements in pencil so it would be easy to reuse my spools a few times before they became dogeared.

I secured the binding ends with a safety pin and dropped the spools into a large metal clasped container.   My bindings will stay safe, dust-free and, most importantly, AVAILABLE whenever I need just a small amount of binding to finish a sewing or quilting project.

Because I have more spools cut than binding leftovers, I used two large paperclips to secure the spools together and taped them to the underside of the container...without taping directly to the card stock.  I could have dropped the paper-clipped spools into the container with the bindings, but I don't want to have to go digging through my nicely wrapped binding every time I need another spool.  Had there been more leftover spools I probably would have placed them in a small clear bag and taped it to the lid.  Time will tell which method works best, but for now I have organized yet one more small item in my sewing room.  Another 2015 goal gets checked off the list!!!   

I'M HAVING ONE OF THOSE DAYS... (and an organizational solution!)

...STRESSED, that is.

This is how my desk looks right now!  Yes, that is a very low calorie, low fat, high protein, good for you lunch.  Sorry, must be my imagination...  I tend to eat comfort food when I am stressed and the only "bad" thing I could find in the kitchen was the very dregs of a bag of chips and french onion dip.  Ahhh...stress relief.

Since Dear Hubby and I had to go out yesterday I did not get my laundry done.  So that chore has carried over to today...and I have a TON of phone calls that need to be made in addition to keeping the laundry flowing.  Note to self...get the laundry done on Sunday...NO MATTER WHAT!

Juggling all of the information for MY phone calls, Dear Hubby's phone calls, Mom's phone calls and Dad's phone calls was driving me crazy this morning.  You see, I'm the family secretary!  Whatever information needs to be gleaned, appointments made, questions asked, etc., etc. for ANY member of my family...I do most of the calling.  My mom and dad are really getting a little up in years to handle everything themselves and call me first with any medical issue, Dear Hubby has absolutely NO time in work to make personal calls, J can't make or receive any calls at work, and I have my own slew of issues to handle...personal and household. 

While looking for my "notes" (scribbles actually) regarding a previous phone call I decided there HAD to be a better way to keep track of what had been said and done and what the "status" was on each issue!  Necessity is the mother of invention!

I found an old notebook from when J was still in school and  began a running list of the calls I had to make.  I left a space after the word "Call" so I could add the "-ed" after I had made the phone call and then documented what was said or done.  Note:  The little red "flag" is a call on the next page that has not yet been made. 

I then searched through my "freebies" and found a highlighter with attached "flag" dispenser.  Perfect!  I can highlight the subject of the call for easy future reference and I can flag any calls that still need to be handled!

I think this book is really going to help my CRS (Can't Remember S***) syndrome and will cut down on the number of scrap paper scribbles or miniscule notations in my tiny Filofax blocks.  Ahhh...it's amazing how calming organization can be!  Now to make that last phone call...

A BIG STEP IN ORGANIZING...

Thanks to J and his wonderful fiancee, K, we have made a BIG stride in organizing! 

J moved the guest bed back into the yellow room.  I know.  I know.  I was going to use it as my "quilt pinning" room, but it just didn't feel "right".  So it is now back to being the guest room again, lol.  Obviously the denim quilt doesn't fit the queen sized bed.  It was the twin sized quilt I made for J's dorm room back when he was a freshman in college.  Until I can finish the guest room quilt I started about a year ago, this will have to do.  We finally found sheets deep enough for the bed.  It is a pillow top mattress with a fake feather-bed we placed on top!  It is dreamy to sleep on, but regular sheets didn't fit.  We found these at Brylane Home online.  They are nice sheets at a good price.  The white table is actually our Christmas tree stand, lol.  But until we find two cheap nightstands, either painted white or ones that I can paint...again, it will have to do.  I am also contemplating one nightstand and one three drawer chest to give guests a place to put some overnight clothing.  I am also looking for a headboard cheap and will paint the black rim of the bed white also.  I am much happier with this room as the guest room, lol. 

J and K also moved the broken futon into my Expanded Sewing Room.  The store where we bought it was unable to get us a replacement arm as the futon has been discontinued, but they glued it up for us.  Hopefully it will withstand just occasional use in my ESR.  I hope to hang the Sunshine and Bowties quilt above the futon.  The mug rug is made out of the same materials and those red things on the opposite arm are two pillow covers.  I just need to buy some pillow forms. 

This morning I stopped at the thrift shop looking for a headboard and night stands.  No luck in that department, but I found an adorable orange and green metal bucket to hold my white buttons that are on cards.  I also found the three little black metal buckets.  I got the orange bucket for $1 and the three black buckets for $.25 each.   As you can see, I stopped making Collapsible Craft Containers to hold buttons when I began work on my mom's quilt.  Now that Christmas is over I really need to complete the next 8 containers. 

This horrendous pile of junk is everything that was contained in the old desk and closet we emptied when we had the yellow room painted.  Dear Hubby and I need to go through these boxes so that I can have my ESR (Expanded Sewing Room) back again, lol.  I have a set of plastic drawers that I will put next to the three drawer lateral file (where the green and white boxes are piled) for more organization.  Even though I disliked using the two small fold up tables to pin my quilts, I think I will be much happier with all of my sewing confined to just two rooms.  I tried it with a permanent table set up in the third bedroom (now guest room) and I really didn't like it.  Live and learn, lol. 

So thanks to my Dear Son and his Dear Girlfriend, my home is much more organized than it was on Saturday evening!  Love you both...

FOOD AND FABRIC...ACCEPTING MY LIMITATIONS....

After the fiasco a few months ago when I decided to go grocery shopping all on my own (I paid in severe pain for days afterwards), I have finally admitted my limitations and thanked God, and ShopRite, for the wonders of online shopping.  I never really knew there was such a thing until J began working at ShopRite about three years ago.  He has now moved on to his "dream job" elsewhere, but the reality of online shopping (he managed the department so I learned all about it) couldn't have come at a better time.  

This time of year is the big can-can sale at ShopRite.  The can-can sale happens twice a year and is when I stock up for the next six months.  With J out of the house, Dear Hubby and I need a lot less...but cans are still heavy and neither one of us is in good enough health to heft such weight.  So we decided that every six months I will place one big order from ShopRite and have it delivered to the house...right to my kitchen table to be exact.  Dear Hubby and I can then put things away gradually, carrying a can or two to the pantry at our leisure.  During the intervening months I will place one or two "bigger" orders and we will just shop for milk, bread, produce, etc. in between.  It costs $15.95 for delivery, but that is a small price to pay four times a year to keep either one of us from hurting ourselves and suffering more pain than is usual.  Usual is bad, more pain is unbearable. 

So I have admitted my limitation in major food shopping and have now placed that activity on my "no longer do" list.  Unfortunately, I probably like food shopping better than any other type of shopping (I'm not a "window shopper"), but through the wonders of the internet I can still buy what I need, when I need it, despite my physical limitations.   

If you have followed my blog for any length of time you know how I LOVE quilts and quilting!  I am still pretty much a novice and my precision still has a LONG way to go.  In the past I haven't really dwelled on my need to be more accurate, but since my goal is to become a "good" quilter and some day see all of my dream quilts to fruition...it is time to focus on improving! 

I began this quilt some months back.  While I thought I was being "careful" with my cutting and piecing...the resulting blocks were not perfect.  I went ahead and sewed together the first row...and then put it all away to work on my mom's Christmas present.  I pulled the project out again yesterday and the piecing is BAD.  I can't possibly make a decent looking quilt with such out of kilter blocks!  

So, yesterday I began unpicking the one (err...actually two now that I look through the pile) rows I had sewed together.  I still have about one and a half more rows to unpick, but there is no rush and I can take my time.  My seam ripper is my friend! (repeat as often as is needed to sound convincing)  I only put one errant hole in the material when my hand moved unexpectedly, but it is in the seam allowance and hopefully will be cut off when I do the trimming, lol. 

A dear quilting friend suggested my goal be quilts that are "crisp and professional".  Since her quilts are the best I have ever seen, she KNOWS what she is talking about, lol.  I am accepting my current limitations in accuracy, but will working long and hard to improve!  Thank you, B, for your sage advice!

One of my "organizational" goals is to meal plan each week.  This is even MORE important since I need to purchase meat weekly to fit in our tiny kitchen fridge freezer.  I can't WAIT for March (after Dear Hubby's bonus) when we can replace our broken freezer!  Above is my meal plan for this week.  I currently have all of the necessary items in-house, with the exception of salad greens and dressing.  They will be delivered on Thursday, lol.  I have also purchased a few cuts of meat in my Shop Rite delivery order and will use them in next week's meal plan.  Who thought losing my freezer would lead to better planning?  Maybe I shouldn't replace it, lol.