New Year's Resolution (short version)

My New Year's Resolution for 2012

Well, after much over-thinking, I have decided to just follow FlyLady's decluttering plan for the year.  Fifteen minutes per day of decluttering in my house, zone by zone, will definitely result in less stuff in my life.

It seems so far from a perfect Resolution that I'm embarrassed.  Can I maintain this decluttering for an entire year?  What counts as "success"?  If I only delcutter for 10 minutes a day?  If I declutter 2 days a week, instead of 5?  Is it the process, establishing the habit, or the end result of a cleaner, emptier house that is the goal?

I just have to get over my perfectionist self.  It is what it is.  We'll see how it plays out over the year.

New Year's Resolution (long version)

New Year's eve passed me by.  I worked on New Year's Day.  But I've been thinking about resolutions and new beginnings since about the middle of last week.  As much thought as I've given this topic, I felt like I should have been able to synthesize and summarize all my New Year's musings into a brief post.  Too bad: that's my perfectionist self; the one that only wants to present the polished, finished version of things to the world.  That thinking has kept me from posting about this topic, for fear of airing an unkempt heap of random thoughts to the world.  But no more.

If you want the shortened version, choose the other post. 

I love the itch I get this time of year--as newscasters and commentators do end-of-year recap and wrap-up shows, there is momentum to sum up the recent past and think ahead to what the next year will bring.  It seems like a natural process to me, and thus I've been thinking about what I want my next year to look like.

I started by reviewing previous Resolutions that have (and have not) worked.  Some successes:

• Always bring a reusable shopping bag
• Buy nothing new (except food and essential necessities) - this is a movement known as The Compact
• Send everyone (family and friends) a birthday card in time for their birthday (not my success; I borrowed from my Sweetie)
• Write a letter (as in hand-written) to the grandparents once a month (again, not mine; borrowed from my talented and much-loved daughter)

What do these have in common?  How were we able to succeed in these endeavors for an entire year, while other things, like "walk the dogs every other day" or "floss daily" or "write in journal three times a week" have bit the dust?  And why does picking one small thing that might actually succeed seem like not enough to count as a Resolution?  (Oh, there's a whole blog post buried in that last sentence.)

This year's big idea: I want to have less stuff at the end of next year than I have right now.

Doesn't sound too daunting of a big idea.  It certainly beats years when I wished desperately to pretty much wake up a different person than I had been the day before (or the year before, in the currency of Resolutions).  My laundry list included getting in shape, eating better, staying in touch with family and friends, tackling every To Do item I've ever written on a list, getting organized, restructuring my finances, rethinking my career, etc.  You name it, and I wanted a New Year's Resolution to make it come true. 

Thank goodness I have come to terms with my lack of Super Powers.  I'm satisfied enough with who I am that I no longer want to change everything.  (Of course I don't mind tweaking.  But I am more realistic about what I can actually achieve.)  But still... there remains the basic problem with me and New Year's resolutions: narrowing my focus.  (Reminder to self: I can do anything, I just can't do everything.) 

Here are possible Resolutions to go with the big idea

• Do 15 minutes of decluttering per day.  Follow FlyLady's zones for which area of the house to accomplish this in.
• Make a list of all my fabric projects, and work to eliminate half the items on the list (whether through completing them or sending them away into the Universe) by the end of the year.
• Resolve to complete one fabric project each month.  (Make a list of what counts as a completed project, so you can't cheat and sew on a button.)  For any month in which a project is not completed, must get rid of *two* UFOs as penance.
• Commit to bi-monthly clutter-busting sessions with my clutter buddy.  (She, of course, would have to agree to this also; can't say as I've asked her, but we have had successes in the past by working together.)

I read an article about New Year's resolutions (How to choose a real resolution that you can stick with, on WeightWatchers.com) that reminded me about making SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, rewarding, time-limited) from my vague "be better in the new year" ponderings.  The declutter ideas above have at least the beginnings of being SMART tested.  They have all tried to put some specificity behind "have less stuff".  So... good for me.  Even before I read the article!

And yet.
And yet--I am not satisfied with the idea of only picking one Resolution.  In the back of my mind, I am adding to the mental list.  I am throwing some other, hidden resolution-like logs onto the fire.  Things like "finances" and "get organized" and "call your mother".  Aargh.  If I keep this up, I will be holding myself responsible for keeping (or breaking) resolutions I haven't even admitted to others.  I just want to be satisfied with a simple choice.  One small change.  Do-able.  Something to focus on, instead of my constant battle with the ADD-fueled next-thing, next-thing, next-thing.

What was I doing again?  Oh yeah, picking a New Year's Resolution. 

January 3rd.  And counting.

WIP: 1930s reproduction

Worked a bit on the 1930s reproduction challenge blocks I received last January.  In order to calm my sense of overwhelm, I chose two blocks to focus on first.

The blue/red block that I had already disassembled and remade part of into a pinwheel.

So darn *cute* when put with other more pastel-y prints into a Card Trick block.  Now there are two Card Trick blocks in the group of 21.

Rail Fence block that was not quite big enough.  This was harder to expand than it might seem.  I considered putting a border on it, but it would have been a very narrow border.  I thought to just add another stripe in each direction, but there ended up being an awkward hole in the middle.

Much fiddling and trickiness is hidden in this finished product.  Not quite as cute as the original--I feel like something got lost in the translation.  Anyway, the colors will flow with the rest of the quilt and this block will blend in nicely.

Next up, one block that seemed out-of-place...

I have ideas.

Hoarders: TV as motivator

As I have been decluttering and sewing recently, the TV was keeping me company.  Mostly it was just background noise, but some poignant points came through.

There was a Hoarders marathon on TLC, so I watched several episodes of that.  I heard one hoarder say out loud something that has gone through my head: "this fabric was over $20 a yard".  Well, she said it about her brocade fabric collection, but I had exactly the same internal discussion about a pair of pearl earrings.  I don't wear them.  Haven't worn them in years.  Can't imagine my daughters wearing them.  But they cost $50 (a large sum for earrings, in my world).  So, how could I part with them?

No, a single pair of earrings won't overflow my house.  But holding onto items that no longer have any usefulness to me just because they are "worth $xxx" is not a good reason to cling to things.

The clutter corner beckons

I have had to move the boxes in the corner of the sewing cave three times in the past week.  Each time, the thing I was looking for was in the bottom-most box farthest in the corner (of course).  I take this as a sign that this stack of boxes needs tending to.

Even though FlyLady doesn't recommend trying to "rescue"a room in one sitting (the resulting burnout might leave you with a half-completed job, or no energy for the long haul of decluttering), the day after Christmas seemed like the appropriate time to at least delve into that corner.

Goal for the day was to eliminate two of the boxes or bins in that corner.  Not sure if I actually accomplished that or not, but things *feel* better in the sewing cave.

The entire stack in the corner is boxes of "memorabilia" that had been located in various places.  I need to get some bins and separate out things that belong to each of the children (who are all now adults), so the stuff can be stored in the garage.  That stack seems like it could disappear this week: I don't need to make multiple decisions on what to keep, so it should be relatively easy to just divide up the spoils.

So much more exciting to me is that I put things onto the shelves right next to that corner.  I removed things that were taking up space but had no reason to be stored there (the inaccessible printer, a fire safe, wrapped-up nick-knacks, unused picture frames). I put file crates from the floor onto the shelves.  I hope to empty out the red milk crate so I have room to bring my serger in from the garage.  It's an inspiring start.

The small shelf unit that used to be in the corner (but was totally hidden, and completely empty) is now on the other side of the room, holding clear plastic shoe-boxes of quilting scraps and fat quarters.  The top 2 shelves just fit drawer organizers from Ikea, so I'm using them like drawers for smaller sewing items.

Behold!  Useful things stored on shelves!  I feel like I just invented the wheel...

December BOTM done

A week of random sewing--no more than 2 hours a day--and I have completed this month's BOTM.  I couldn't pick a single color theme, and I liked the block so much, I made two of them.

Pink, red and black.  (The flash on the camera was misbehaving... it's cuter in person.)

Dark blue & turquoise.  I would ask which block you prefer, but the color on the two photos does not allow a fair comparison.  I actually think I like the pink/red/black better, which is surprising because I am loving the completed blue blocks.  I now have three in one color scheme and two in the other.  It feels like I have accomplished something!

A pleasant Christmas eve.  Now I won't be scrambling to finish in time for next month's pattern.

Gift Certificate Paralysis

As a result of my Lane County Fair win this past summer, I have a gift certificate: $20 to spend at one of the many fabulous quilt shops in the area, courtesy of our local quilters' Guild.  The gift certificate, which has been in my purse since August, expires at the end of December.

Aack!  What am I going to buy with it?  As in many areas of life, too many choices leave me paralyzed.

First choice: which shop to use the coupon at?  If only Something to Crow About was one of those featured shops, I would certainly make my purchase there.  They are my "home" quilt shop; I know what they carry, I know the layout of the store and all the employees, plus they have a giant sale at the end of December.  Alas, it was not meant to be.  That leaves two other Eugene shops: Piece by Piece Fabrics (a current mini-obsession due to their blog, modern quilting patterns, and bright, whimsical fabrics) and The Quilt Patch

Second choice: what to shop for?  I have been turning this over and over in my mind, unwilling to just wander into the store and go with the flow.  I feel like I must have a purpose to this gift certificate: no willy-nilly impulse purchases allowed!  Why am I imposing this restriction, when I make impulsive fabric/pattern/notions/book/magazine purchases all year long at quilt shops?  Heavens, I don't know.  But the idea, which I can't seem to shake, has me basically sitting at home fretting over what I will use my $20 on.  (Okay, I recognize it as part of my overall perfectionist demon.  But I'm still stuck.)

The current thoughts seem reasonable: buy something that would help you finish or move forward on one of your current WIPs.  Ah, the infamous work-in-progress bin.  What's in that bin, anyway?

WIP Inventory:

• Buck-a-block/BOTM
• Stack-n-whack quilt for my bed
• 1930's reproduction challenge blocks from quilt camp
• "How do you feel about..." word play wall hanging

Problem is, I don't need anything for these projects, unless it is batting.  And there is nothing exciting or sexy about spending my gift certificate on batting.  I might as well buy spools of thread!

Bah, humbug.