Cheap Art Paper for Kids

I’ve just decided that buying “art” paper for our young children is a TOTAL RIP OFF! I went to my local newspaper today. I was able to buy a roll of plain newsprint, 27” W to like 4’ W for TWO DOLLARS a roll! This is a HUGE roll! Also, it comes to mind that perhaps wrapping paper is a total rip too!!! Anyway, you know how we buy little tablets of “art” paper or rolls of “fingerpaint paper” or other things? Our young kids just want to draw / paint / color… they don’t care how expensive the paper was! I can think of all sorts of things do let the kids do with this… I can cut it down into “standard” sizes, or cover floors / walls / tables with it and let them go crazy! It can also be a temporary drop cloth for their projects.

Just thought I’d share with you… use you local newspaper as a resource for cheap art paper for kids!

Suzy :D

PS: I think I may buy some of this and take it to my son's school... I'm sure they'd appreciate it too!

Why Hosting a Yard Sale is A Bad Idea for Me.

As I sit here exhausted and in pain, I am telling myself that I must remember why a yard sale is a bad idea for me. I know myself. I'm a bargain shopper extraordinaire. A "Penny Vice" I've been called. I try to get EVERYTHING for a bargain, and then want to make money when I'm finished with it too. I know that FLYLady says to just "let it go" and "bless someone else with our stuff", BUT, I'm preparing to move over 900 miles and I just have SO MUCH STUFF to unload! Certainly (I erroneously thought) I can have a yard sale and make a profit too.

Now, at the end of the first day of the planned weekend sale, I sit starting at a pile of cash. Did we make money? Yes. Could we have made more? Yes. Could we still make more? Yes. Was it a lucrative venture? Perhaps. Was it the best use of our time and energies? No, NO, NO!!!

I've only spent a week preparing. I started out by spending about an hour making flyers to invite the neighbors to participate. Then walked around with my neighbor handing them out (staying up past my bedtime and continuing a cycle of exhaustion). Then what? Oh. For a week I cleaned this place and that spot looking for things to sell off. I was completely inefficient in my cleaning adventures as well as constantly "stressed out". I moved things to the spare bedroom, then to the library, then to the porch.

Once on the porch, a friend picked up on my overwhelmed spirit (not a hard thing to sense by mid-week) and came to help me price and make signs. She even brought the supplies for this. (Tonight, in my “SHEness” I found some NEW supplies hidden away that would have worked just fine). We then spent FOUR hours together working on these things. (So I moved everything again.) Finally, this morning, we all got straight out of bed, hardly stopped to eat, forgot our normal routines (the house looks like a whirl-wind right about now) and ran outside ... to move everything AGAIN. I sat out in the "beautiful" morning... with pollen and dust and, oh, temperatures approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit!

By the time I staggered inside I was hot, exhausted, and had a sinus headache. Here I am eight hours later and I still am exhausted and have a headache. I've taken more medicine today than in the past month... I suspect rest and water will be my best solutions.

During the yard sale, I did stop to write some lists of things I need to do for the move... over seventy came to mind off the top of my head. I have more lists for actually selling the house and moving, this is just the "get ready" list. Am I overwhelmed? YOU BET!!!

After this exhausting morning, we decided to load up the extra stuff and donate it, when it cooled down. We didn't get to wait that long. A HUGE dust storm blew in and we were running around in the street gathering things that were blowing around. So. Now my living room is full of all the stuff that we quickly brought inside. We have to move it AGAIN... to the truck then take it AWAY!!! How many hours have I spent? What is my time worth? We have about $130 in cash from today. But, we are still all exhausted and feeling ill. Hardly a fair trade.

My sons sold some toys and books. They sat outside for about two hours. They had fun. They made $30. I think they're efforts were worthwhile. I may allow them to set out their table another time. I however am FINISHED! My husband and I are too susceptible to the heat to be purposefully sitting around in it all day. Not to mention the dust and pollen and how miserable it's made my head.

I write this not to complain, but to remind myself the *next time* I get the brite idea that I should have a yard sale... it's just not worth it for me!

FLYLady is right. I'd be better off just blessing someone else and getting it out of my life!

Suzy

One Step at a Time

I had a good day. It's been a long time since I've been able to say that. I did have a bit of a stress in the evening, but, I contained it and moved on, so that too was good. I was relaxed and at ease and was kind with my children. We went out and did some things; we had some friends stop by, and I stopped to sit and RELAX and ENJOY them. I send my husband pages throughout the day, texting him what we're up to and how we're doing. He was happy when he got home because ALL of them were positive today.

Also, I started to lay the binding out and decided not to worry about it. If a corner has a seam, I'll either stop and fix it then and there, or just deal with it. I got the fabric under the presser foot just as my son got up from his nap. Tomorrow, I've laid out sweats and a comfy shirt to wear (if I have jeans on, I tend to do too much, and even though it was a good day, I have big circles under my eyes and I need to rest). Anyway, tomorrow, I'll see if I can start to (and maybe even finish) sewing the binding on my hubby's twin-size Christmas Quilt.

It feels good to be relaxed and at ease.

Suzy :)

Aah... that's better.

I just finished up the task I gave myself for today... prepping the binding for my husband's Christmas quilt. I have about an hour of "free" time in my sewing room, and still have time to spare. Instead of starting to pin the binding on, I decided to make a project list in my sewing room journal. I made four columns, then thought of everything I could to put in each column. Here's what they were:

• Sewing - Things currently in progress - 15
• Cutting - Things that are being / have been cut and are ready to sew - 8
• Materials Acquired - I have the materials and pattern / idea chosen, they need to be prepared - 15
• Idea - I have an idea to create these items, but have to choose materials - 10

This is a big list, to be sure, but it feels good to see it on paper, and it really doesn't seem like as much as it was when it was all in my head floating around. I feel like if I just pick something off the list and work on it a little each week, I'll make good progress. That, and not adding MORE projects to the list. Of course, I think this is the hardest thing of all, because when you are creative, you want to, well, CREATE!!! When your mind gets-a-whirling, it's hard to stop it and it just wants to keep going. So, I guess I'll allow myself to think of new things (which is a good thing to do) and even choose materials from my stash, but I'd like to use more of my energy to finishing the things I've started. Tomorrow I'd like to have the binding roughly placed on the quilt and have the machine set up to stitch it on (changing the presser foot). Perhaps, I'll even start to sew it on tomorrow, but, since I'm planning a late morning / lunchtime outing, and since I've been sick for quite a while, I'm not going to push the actual sewing thing.


Suzy :)

PS: One thing I've found VERY HELPFUL in my sewing room is a little journal I started keeping. Most every project I work on, I jot the date down and then notes on it as I do it or right after I finish. I've been doing this for a couple of years now. It's nice to look back and reminisce, but more than that, it's helpful when I want to remember how I did something (like I wide was that stitch or did I use a special needle or something like that). Also, I save a lot of time re-thinking things, especially the math of a project. The few projects that haven't found their way into the journal (like the Christmas quilt I just was working on), I spend SO MUCH time searching for my notes, but my journal is always in it's home on the shelf. Also, if I have a good idea, I'll jot it down (along with the date) so I remember it later. I DEFINITELY recommend keeping a journal in your CREATIVE ZONE. Mine is just a little spiral bound notebook about 5 1/2" wide x 8 1/2" tall. It's enough. :)

Getting Back ONLINE

I recently coined a phrase to describe something I do when I get too stressed and too tired for too long. I turn off the computer. I turn off the phone ringers. I chill out at home with my boys. I call this "Going Offline". I always warn my hubby first (he panics if he can't get ahold of me or doesn't get regular little text pages). Sometimes I'll warn another friend or two, but basically, if you want me, you'll leave a message and I'll get back when I can.

I know that I went "offline" a while a back... intentionally... but now looking at when my last post was, and thinking of my PC usage in general (not to mention my general activity level), I've been offline in many ways for quite a while. I just read TWO months worth of posts on a friend's blog. I enjoy reading her stories; they relax me and make me laugh, almost as much as chatting with her does. Right now I'm listening to some smooth music on a website she recommended (pandora)... it's also relaxing my hubby. We're listening to music in the style Harry Connick, Jr and Michael Buble.

Today I finished a project I started last month.

Actually, I chose fabric in five or six color ways to make like TWELVE of these. I've finished the borders for two more (same colors) and am ready to stitch their letters on. I started a club with my friends. We're working on projects each month this year, so that come September, we've got our Christmas projects all finished and we can ENJOY the HOLIDAYS with our friends and FAMILY. In any case, it was very nice to finish this one completely. Now, each time I walk by it (hanging on my wall) I smile. I also feel rejuvinated to finish other projects. The project most on my mind is a quilt I created for my husband in December. I designed and sewed it completely in the two weeks before Christmas, while he was at work, and without him discovering it. Then, I quilted it on a friend's long-arm on the 26th. Ever since, it's been sitting; waiting for binding and a label, and he's been very patiently waiting for it... so, I think it's time to finish it. Tomorrow, I'd like to prepare the binding (cut, sew, and press). I think I can get that done.

Now it's time to go spend some quiet time with my Sweetheart.

Suzy

Better Luck at Dinner Time

The past two nights I have done two things that have made dinner time much more enjoyable! I thought I would share them (in their simplicity).

1. I’ve made VERY simple dinners (read chicken nuggets with Kraft Mac & Cheese and Campbell’s Soup with Cheese Sandwiches plus salads on both nights).
2. I’ve involved the boys with preparations. Usually, they are clinging on my legs (literally) or trying to get me to “do” something with them.

The other day I talked with Frank (50 months) about giving him a “special new thing” to do each night for dinner – where he gets to make us a salad and he can choose what he puts with the lettuce. I mentioned how when we go to a salad bar there are so many choices and that he can pretty much do whatever he wants, but we get to choose our own dressing to go on it. While Frank’s working on the salad, Jack (22 months) sets the table. Normally, Frank would do the table so quick that Jack hardly had a chance, so having Frank occupied with something else gives Jack a chance to do it himself.

It’s been amazing how much more peaceful getting ready for dinner has been, but also how we have something to thank the boys for and talk about what they’ve done. I also know this is good – giving them assignments and chores and responsibilities. I figure we’ll get back to “real” dinners too, but simple is good to start.

One other thing – I’m delighted to start having salads again. I’m always so busy shaking the boys off my legs, that I don’t take time to make salads. Also, I envision letting Frank shop each week in the produce department for a “new” item to put in "His" salads. I know we won’t like everything, but I hope we’ll all learn to eat a little more and different produce in the process.

Anyway, I thought I’d share.

Suzy :)

Hurry Up and Slow Down

Ever notice how at this time of the year (with all the "big" holidays) we rush around so very much, but all we really want to do is sit around and enjoy our friends and loved ones?

I find myself with about two hours each afternoon. It's fairly quiet time, spent at home. My boys are suppose to be napping - and even if they aren't alseep, they are more-or-less in their room and quiet. Today I listed off all the things I wanted to do in those measly two hours:

1. Finish machine quilting a Santa Advent quilt (for December 1st).
2. Do my "homework" for The Pampered Chef.
3. Listen to the recording of a conference call I missed today, for The Pampered Chef.
4. Go to the toy store to look for a Lightening McQueen car for Jack.
5. Go look for fabric for a coat for Frank.
6. Work on Photos (for Aunt / me / book).
7. Pay the Bills (12 days late).
8. Sit and read a book - ahh!
9. Take a nap.

Most of these are things I find easiest to do during the few quiet moments I get. I of course still have house work and laundry and meals that need my attention today. Not to mention yardwork and Christmas lights and decorations and ..... I'm getting more and more tired just looking at this.

I paid the bills. Now I think I'll nap. When I get up, perhaps some of these other things will be doable with the boys "help".

Suzy :)