Hi everyone,
I am making progress in my sewing room and about 3/4ths of it looks wonderful… I can see the tops of a few pieces of furniture and hope I can keep it that way. It’s nice looking at a clean organized room.
Linda asked about what I’m going to do with the stuff I’ve been weeding out. Well, I’ve been debating about it. So much of my stuff is just overstock for me, or buttons that I know I’ll never use, or laces that are too big for doll outfits, or patterns that are just too numerous. I’m going to check into Liberty Village, where my mom used to live, and see if they could use some of my crafting things. If they don’t want them, I may take them to a Senior Citizen Center in a neighboring town. Rebecca and I love to go there when she’s home and it’d be a way of giving back to them for all the things we’ve gotten bargains on over there. I am going to be letting a few dolls go and I may do them on the blog. I’ll keep everyone posted.
I know when I showed all those patterns before, I didn’t really “advertise” them as being for sale, but I might now… I haven’t made it to the patterns yet, but it’s coming up.
Today wasn’t too much of a weeding day, but a folding day! I straightened up my fabrics on the bookshelf and when it was all nice and neat, I took a picture of it, with my clock in the same picture. I just love that clock! Did I already tell you that? :o)
ON the very bottom shelf, I have some large clear containers that have my stretchy fabrics for thigh highs, panties, sparkly gloves, and some tops. Most of the things down there were bought at the Goodwill on the days when they had 75% off. I just picked up a few each time I went when it was on sale. I have MORE than enough now that I see them all grouped together.
The next folding I did was in another spot. It’s on those built in shelves in my sewing room. They are right in the middle and are very deep because the stairs go down to the basement right there on the backside. The shelves were built to use the maximum amount of space, but it’s almost “too” deep for me with my table in front of it. Sometimes I have to go around to the side to reach what I need.
On the bottom shelf I have put some of my props along with my ironing supplies. The props are a bit easier to get to instead of being in a tub or stacked on top of each other. I do have 2 layers of them on this bottom shelf. I may sort out a few of them in a while, but for now they are staying. I do have another tub of other props that I’m not sure where I’ll put… right now, they are still in the tub on the floor.
On the upper shelf, I have some fabrics… these are things I’ve ALSO bought at the Goodwill. I like to find nice plaids in men’s shirts to use for my dolls. The smaller the plaid, the more I like it. These things were all 75% off too. The shirts have had their collars and cuffs cut off and the plackets up the front cut off too. I wanted to get “just the fabric” stacked in here without too much bulk. This was how I solved that. They are just plaid fabric pieces now.
Some of the other pieces were just novelty fabrics I liked. I DO like texture in my fabrics, so you’ll see some with tufts, dotted swiss, some colorful linen pieces… just fun doll outfit pieces! I had them in another tub, but I was never going to use them if I couldn’t see them, so I decided to put them on the second shelf. I can use my curtain to pull shut and close off all the busyness of that area when I’m listing a doll outfit or company is coming over.
Well, it’s time for bed again… I do have a few commitments this week… A very special bridal shower for the wife to be of our Pastor. Yes, he met someone last August and they have been getting to know each other and are getting married in August. We are all so thrilled for him and his new bride to be. She is just a dream for him!
I am decorating a purchased carrot cake… actually just adding some flowers around the bottom of it. I also am doing a little devotional for the shower, and came up with a game to play. I’ve been busy but Thursday and Friday will REALLY be busy.
Then next week, we have a BABY shower for a young mom to be and I have a few things to do for it.
Cindy and Deb and their hubby’s are coming sometime soon and Rebecca and Karn will be coming too… again, busy, busy, busy… that’s me!
Well, good night!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Your sewing room is coming along nicely, Jeanne. I need to get back to tackling mine, too.
Now I’m heading to bed. Good night, all!
Good morning everyone! I see that Charlotte is going to bed and I am starting my day! What a difference, and we do live in the same country!😊
Oh, how nice your folded stacks of material look with that clock nearby, Jeanne! Everything is looking up for you in getting your room so nicely coordinated and neat!
Looks like a busy time for you coming up in the next few weeks! Have you seen the new collab from American Girl featuring “Clueless”? I have never seen the movie, but anyway, the outfits are pretty pricey, and I was wondering what you thought of the plaids not matching. I’m pretty sure they would not get too far in your sewing room!
I had to look up the Clueless outfits. They are cute and something similar would be great for fall. With plaids matching of course. And Jeanne’s plaid stash would be perfect for jackets, skirts, etc. 🙂
Well, y’all, for the ones of you who read my woe yesterday, my back information did get through to the doc and he had to change the shot date because of the change area in my back. It will be on the 18th, 2 days after my birthday. I am trying not to do anything to cause those pains and that helps.
Enough of that.
Jeanne, your stack of fabric looks great! I told you I had more than you and mine would be at least 4 times that! I have 2 walk-in attics upstairs, one in the sewing room and one in the guest room. I went just crazy buying fabric, easy to do when you aren’t looking it at unless you go in the attic. I am sorry that none of the Sofa Sisters but Barbara wanted to take me up on my offer give it away.
Wishing everyone a great day!
Sissy, I would have loved to ask for some of your fabulous fabric. I’ve seen the lovely outfits you design and sew. Just amazing. But, I too have fabric overload here and need to gather it from many locations and weed it out. There simply is not a single space left around here to put any more of basically anything. It was all I could do to not be tempted to contact you. You are so kind to offer fabric to us.
Joy, it will take me a long time to get rid of it so if you change your mind any time just let me know.
Good morning dear friends, It is cloudy and humid here, but I actually managed to get a little walk around this morning outside!
Jeanne, your folding is excellent. Your tidy up and purging ideas come at a perfect time for all of us. I am trying to be a bit more careful in donating. Firstly, getting inexpensive gallon zip bags and using them to sort different fabrics. I have not decided where to donate yet. I would be happy to donate to a church or organization that would find them useful! – instead of just giving over to a group that might not know how to sort them.
Your sewing space looks great. It feels good to tame the “creative clutter”
Thursday already. I am not sure what hubbs and I will do today in regard to moving. Maybe clean out the pantry, or?? …. so much stuff. I am so grateful we are not in a hurry.
I hope all of you have a super lovely productive day
Okay, here’s a question after seeing the fabrics. I’m wondering why the fabrics hidden on the stair shelves, the plaids and novelty fabrics, can’t join the other fabrics on the shelving unit, but on the bottom shelf? Then all fabrics would be together. I’d put the stretchy stuff for tights there as well. It may mean ditching some more fabric, but then all fabrics that are used for doll clothes would be in the same area rather than hidden away behind a curtain with the doll props. Just my take. 🙂
Now that everything has been reorganized, I can’t wait to see what’s next to be made in the sewing room. And what a busy week ahead with showers, and visitors. So great that Rebecca and Karn are headed down to visit too. Exciting!
Here, heat is on the way starting today. Hurrying to get in a walk and do watering before it hits 90. Keep cool everyone.
Got back from our walk just in time as the yellow Jacket guy appeared. He was able to see the nest by the edge of the deck and treat it. The one that other person said wasn’t there. Ha ha But he tramped around through the brush where I saw the big group coming out and couldn’t find the nest. So, eagle eye here will have to be on the look out. I think they may be nesting in the retaining wall there. He’ll come back if I can find the nest. 🙂 Such a great service. They are doing fifteen calls a day for each of their guys. I only contacted them yesterday too. Such a great free service.
I know this is long but I just felt I had to share it. I mentioned one of the girls from the nearby small town of Bellville is still missing and they held a rally. This came from that.
last night, our little town gathered
hands clasped, hearts heavy
to pray for the beloved one still missing
we may be small
but our faith is big enough to shake the heavens
and i believe it is
every single prayer making an impact
and just as voices rose
and hearts cried out
a rainbow stretched quietly across the sky
covering Bellville like a banner of hope
a reminder that the one who hears us
is still the keeper of promises
I’ve found myself obsessing
scrolling, aching
until Chase gently tells me to put the news down and breathe
to remember that God is good
even in the midst of all things
and how dare i admit
that part of me wonders “but is He?”
as the girls remain missing
and too many have been found breathless
i sit with my knees pulled tight
whispering, “why didn’t you save them?
why make their families carry that kind of heartache?”
but how can i doubt Him
when He’s carried me through so much already
tragedy after tragedy
His word remains true
His character, unwavering
He’s the God who never promised ease on this side of heaven
only that He’d be the one to carry us through
how do you breathe
when a momma in your town is holding hers
waiting for a miracle
and probably won’t exhale until her baby comes home
green bows wrap the trees
like our prayers wrap around each other
and the strength of this community
upholds those who can’t seem to stand
because the weight is too much to bear alone
the rainbow wasn’t just a pretty moment
it was a whisper from above
“I see you
I’m still here
I’m good no matter the outcome”
and in the middle of all this heartbreak
I step back and take in what i can see
the quiet, rock-solid foundation rising from the rubble
the way love shows up
unshaken
unafraid
maybe that’s what we’re meant to hold onto
not the unfairness
but the faith that promises supernatural peace
and a God who stays
i won’t let the enemy convince me otherwise
so i keep my eyes on what’s true
on the goodness that refuses to be silenced
on Bellville hearts that rally like family
on a town that prays for a little girl
like she’s every one of our very own
because she is
she’s the one we’re hoping for
the one we’re begging for
Thank you so much for sharing that, Barbara. I is just like what has been going through my mind and heart since this all happened. I could never have written it my self and will keep it to read again. God is good, always.
That is beautiful, Barbara.
That is just lovely, Barbara, and expresses what so many of us are feeling and thinking right now. Thank you for sharing.
Hi to the sofa sisters from Elizabeth in Texas. Today, the sun is shining for more than an hour or two, for the first time in over a week. I hail from Indiana and we didn’t have the forceful floods like they have here in Texas. I pray the cities in the flood zones will establish better, quicker alerts for their citizens.
I don’t always respond to Jeanne’s site, but am ever so glad to feel connected to the outside world and to gals who enjoy dolls, sewing doll fashions, and just sharing some of their daily happenings. I no longer drive so only get out when my daughters go places, and often we just do online ordering and items come straight to the door or smaller packages are placed in the mailbox. Both of my Texas daughters work and only have the weekends to catch up on laundry, yard care, groceries, etc. I remember what working all week was like and how precious the weekends were.
My girls help out with getting me to doctor appointments too. Have a check-up coming up with the ear, nose & throat doctor regarding the ear tube he placed in my eardrum a few months ago, so the trapped fluid in the inner ear could drain. My hearing returned to normal after a week of the procedure, but has become more muffled within the last three weeks. I certainly don’t want the tube replaced (it was a painful procedure even with anesthetic applied to the eardrum first). Maybe I’m reaching the point where I might need a hearing aid. But I won’t think along those lines until the doctor confirms what is going on.
My Indiana daughter came down for a week’s visit a couple of weeks ago….wonderful to get-together and especially to see all three of my girls having fun together. We ate a lot of “Yellowstone Recipe” meals at my youngest daughter’s home (she and her husband could have a restaurant….their cooking is wonderful!) Plus they have a waterfall pool and their backyard is done as an oasis with plants, flowers, and Texas bushes & trees. My rollator came in handy during our jaunts around town! We went to several thrift shops, ate at a Mexican restaurant when out, and the girls went on the “Tea Around Town” bus tour, and shopped in several of the stores in The Domain shopping area in Austin. They also went horseback riding on trails one evening. I opted out of some of the events….the rollator can only provide so much walking relief.
I’ve been in a down-hearted mood lately and haven’t felt like sewing or working on my artwork or greeting cards because my brother is in a hospice center and he is on a downhill course, no longer responsive, and is being given the best comfort care one could wish for. When my Dad was alive and in his retirement years, he used to say to me “You’re born, you live, and you die.” It was his way of summing up life, but I remember saying to him…But Dad, there’s a lot of living that goes on between that “being born and dying.” So true.
Dear Elizabeth in Texas,
I am sorry to hear about your brother. We prayed for him during our family Rosary. I hope your ear will heal soon. My husband is in his 40’s and he had to start wearing hearing aids. They have been helpful. I remember my mother appreciating watching her kids interacting together, too. The pressure in my father’s eye has been increasing more. On July 16, he has to go back in. He might have to have surgery on the scar tissue, I am not sure. He has already lost more than 70 percent of his vision in one eye. I can’t imagine. Anyways, I am glad you are having fun with your daughters. I will pray for you, too.
-Karen in Kentucky
I will keep your father in my prayers.
Thank you, Barbara.
Thank you Karen, for your kind words. Eye issues are right up there with ear issues, I think. I have the start of cataracts diagnosed a few years ago…the right eye is slowly becoming worse, however, my eye doctor said they would send me to the doctor that does cataract surgery when I feel It is really time. I keep thinking to put it off because, frankly, I am scared of having my eye (s) done since I understand they do not put you to sleep for cataracts, but say that you won’t feel a thing. All we can do is keep moving forward with health issues and hoping for good days ahead.
Elizabeth, I’m so sorry your ear is giving you problems again. Hopefully you won’t have to have the tube replaced. My husband has trouble with his hearing but some of it is that he needs to keep up better with wax removal. He has always had the problem and has to go to the doctor to get it done but is stubborn about doing it. He’d rather have us repeat everything we say. So glad your daughters have had a chance to all be together and that the Texas daughters are there for you. What a blessing. I will be praying for you and your brother. It is so hard to have a family member in hospice.
Thank you Barbara for your reply. I too kept having to ask my daughters to repeat things when I started to have the hearing diminish in the one ear. And they kept saying, you need a hearing aid, Mom. And then we found out my hearing was compromised from the fluid build-up in the inner ear that wasn’t able to drain…hence having the tube put in. I balked at the idea of a hearing aid and would ask them to repeat things or I would try to figure out what they had said by hearing only a few words….and if I still wasn’t sure what they had said, I didn’t ask them to repeat it again. It can be frustrating. My check-up appt. is coming up soon and I will know what is causing this slightly diminished hearing loss again. Thank you for your prayers regarding my brother.
Dear Elizabeth, I am so sorry about your brother. Yes, this is a difficult time, and it’s no wonder you are feeling down. That’s okay; it’s more important to take care of yourself than to try to be “doing” things. Allow yourself some time to grieve (when my dad was dying 20 years ago, I found out there really is something called anticipatory grief, which you feel before your loved one actually dies; it needs to be treated as you would the grief after the death, with extra care, good nutrition, etc.). Take care.
Thank you Charlotte, for sharing the information regarding anticipatory grief. I had never heard of this before, but it is exactly what I have been feeling. I have talked to my brother’s nurses nearly everyday this week just to know his status and always thank the nurses for taking such good care of him. Hospice people are very special people to be able to know how to keep people comfortable at that time of life. My oldest daughter has visited him and I asked her to hold her phone to his ear so I could share my love for him and tell him that he is the best big brother a sister could ever ask for. My daughter said she could tell he heard me as he opened his eyes a bit and moved his hand a little. He is less and less responsive each passing day. I will remember the words “anticipatory grief”….it truly does require one to reflect on the good times with loved ones and to keep up with eating and even napping more than usual. And it allows the mind to accept the finality of life, gradually.