Cut Clutter, Clean, Calm

I am by no means a neat freak. However, I definitely feel calmer when my house is tidy. Just having the dishes put away, the counter wiped and the toys cleaned up makes me feel like I can relax for the night.
I also have this new mantra, that cleaning things makes them last longer and keep better. If you never clean your carpets, they get all matted and stained (mine are, and need to be steam cleaned). Even toys and appliances; if you clean them, they keep their newness longer. This mantra can get me into some pretty good cleaning modes some days. I also getting into cleaning when I pull out my KB WonderCloth and just start wiping. It's a cloth made from special fibres, that you don't need cleaners for. It's the same idea as ENJO, but it only costs $3 per cloth. These things do wonders on all kinds of surfaces, and then when I'm done I just throw it in the wash. It makes cleaning easier, because if I get out a bucket of water, my toddler cannot stay away and I end up with a lot of wet spots around the house!

Today

Today I learned that red potatoes mash differently than white or yellow. They get kind of gluey.

Verse of the day- "A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart." Luke 6:45 (NLT)

Thought of the day- "If someone paid you ten cents for every kind word you said about people, and then collected five cents for every unkind word, would you be rich or poor?"

The verse and thought are from my brother-in-laws blog. Both kind of struck me as something to think about every once in a while.

Ikea & Freebies

On Saturday my sister and I made the trek to Ikea. Our mom babysat our kids for the day and we made the 2.5 hour drive feel short by chatting the whole time. I went to get the Expedit Bookcase, the one with the cubes that I could put baskets in for some nicer toy storage. But, of course, they didn't have any of the baskets I wanted left. So I didn't get it because if I couldn't get all of it, I'll wait, or think of something else. I did get a new duvet, and a few little decor items. Then we went to HomeSense and Michaels, and I found a bunch of stuff there. I dropped off my sister and started the 2.5 hour solo trek home. On the way, I passed a wagon with a big FREE sign on it. I had to turn around. I picked up a few things that I thought I could use for future projects. Here is a sample, finished projects to follow (hopefully soon!)

Because Parents Love Homemade Cards!

It's my MIL's birthday soon, so I thought I would try making a fabric card, after seeing this tutorial on MADE. It was really easy and turned out super nice. And I know my MIL will love that I made it. Now I will be saving every little scrap of fabric because I can make these cards with those leftover little pieces!

Project Quilt- Complete!

So yesterday, yet another rainy day, I finished the quilt I was working on! My mom guided me through the whole process and I'm excited with how it turned out. Here's the story....

A while back I was discovering the amazing world of crafter's blogs. I stumbled upon a stitch in dye. She makes the most amazing quilts! I grew up close to some mennonite communities, and they make beautiful quilts, but they really aren't my style. A Stitch in Dye has amazing quilts, that are less traditional, with great fabric and bright colours. After looking at these quilts, I decided I wanted to learn how to make a quilt. I went to Walmart and bought a rotary cutter, cutting mat and square templates. Then I went to my mom's house to raid her fabric stash. She has a friend with a bridal store, and gets all the old sample dresses from her. I chose 5 colours and started cutting the 90 squares I thought would need for my quilt. I was making the quilt for my daughter, and wanted it to be bigger than a crib blanket, but a bit smaller than a twin comforter. After I cut all the squares, the project stalled out for a bit. Eventually I sewed all of the pieces into rows, then my mom came over and I ironed the rows and she pinned and sewed them together. I went to our local quilting store, and picked up some cotton batting and backing. Yesterday we pinned it all and I sewed until my shoulders were starting to hurt, then my mom sewed some too. Stitching in the ditch in very concentrated, intense sewing! Well, after a few hours of pinning and sewing, it is finished! It's the perfect size and weight for my 2 year old. Now she doesn't have to drown under her comforter anymore!

The Gifts of Autumn

Autumn came to visit me,
And as she hurried on,
She tripped and spilled her treasures
All over my front lawn.

Golden leaves and ruby ones
Of deepest jewel shades,
Gathered from her wanderings
Over valleys, hills, and glades.

When I saw Autumn's treasures there
In brilliant disarray,
I quickly stooped and picked them up
And cherished them all day.

by Catherine Donnelly in the Harvest Issue of Ideals (a magazine from 1961)

I liked this poem, because I want some fall on my lawn that I can go pick up and decorate with and "cherish" in my house!

Weather

It's amazing how the weather can affect my mood and motivation level. It has been rainy, cold and windy all week. I just want to stay indoors and drink tea! It is a big reminder that winter is on its way. I find myself preparing to hibernate. I'm cleaning up my craft area, and getting some more projects ready. I'm almost finished a project that became tedious and I got tired of. Thankfully my mom came to help me get it going again. I will blog about it when it is completely finished. I love reading other blogs for ideas and motivation. Hopefully one day I can motivate someone else! Well, I really want to do some fall decorating, but all the great stuff (leaves, sticks, corn stalks) are quite wet from all this rain. I'm excited for Thanksgiving next weekend and seeing all our family. That's why I love holidays!