Goodwill sweaters: run for your lives!

Here is the result of an energetic night of sewing:



Some diaper pants for Lucy, and a pair of mittens for a good friend (a VERY belated holiday gift - oops). One of the mittens had a hole in it, so I mended it and sewed a couple of cute Freecycled buttons on top. Bye bye sweaters! Actually, the sweater I tore into for the mittens has been used for a number of craft projects so far. The arms were made into pants for Lu, and I embellished a knitted soaker with a big applique cut from the front. Not bad for a $4 sweater, if I do say so myself.

Thrifted Goodness

So, one of the upsides of Compacting has been that I've become quite a hawk in the thrift store, if I do say so myself. Behold, today's bounty of thrifted goodies:



We have:

-A ton of kid books, some for us, some for gifts. I could have walked out with twice as many. It was a good day for second-hand books.
-Two mama tees, because I recently came to the sad realization that I have spent two of the last three summers in the advanced stages of pregnancy, and the other one I was just plain fat, so new shirts were in order!
-Two glass canisters that say "Macaroni". I find this hysterical. Apparently, the labels weren't a selling feature for the general Goodwill crowd, as they were marked at a much lower price than I generally find canisters. They will not hold macaroni. They'll go in the bathroom, to hold Q-tips and cotton balls. Naturally.
-A "Piping in the Haggis" tea towel. C'mon, now! I, being a generous soul, am planning to give this treasure away to a good friend as a gift. I'm very tempted to keep it, though. Very tempted. I think I'm going to have to hide it from myself.

And I scored all of these amazing finds with two littles in tow. Cue superhero theme music!

Go West, Young Hippie!

*Sigh* No, this isn't where I live.











This is where I live:
















Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that.

I know. It's not that bad. But look at the first photo! I'm sick with longing.

I've been on a streak of rampant decluttering in an effort to feel as though I might have some control over my destiny. I'm somehow convinced that if we own less stuff, it will be easier to just pick up and leave. While that may be true, there are a few other minor details to consider, like, oh, my husband's job and finding somewhat affordable housing. You know, the little stuff.

My First Assignment

100 Things:

1. I love red, but I own conspicuously few red items of clothing.
2. I have no use for navy blue.
3. I love really big or really small versions of things, like human-sized chess figures or the piano at FAO Schwartz.
4. I want to play Sonia in Uncle Vanya.
5. I made two beautiful humans!
6. I like to travel, but I do not believe that the journey is the destination. I hate being in an airplane, I think airports smell like cat breath, and I get twitchy after too many hours in a car.
7. I can cook. From scratch.
8. I can knit.
9. I cannot ski. Well, I have tried it, several times, but it wasn't pretty.
   
10. The last red meat I ate was tripe. Tripe was not the reason I stopped eating red meat. You can’t say I’m not adventuresome.
11. I have a mysterious ability to turn off streetlamps.
12. I love Shakespeare.
13. I’ve been with my husband since I was eighteen. We got married when I was twenty-five.
    
14. I don’t mind being cold, but I can’t stand being wet and cold.
15. I have a stage acting degree.
16. I have a massage therapy diploma.
17. I have never traveled overseas (too poor).
18. I stood and wept before a Picasso.
19. I think I have ugly feet.
20. I need white noise to sleep well.
21. I streaked once. In a theatre. In good company.
22. I’m a tree-hugger.
23. I’ve been typing most of this one-handed with a six-month-old on my breast.
24. I’m kind of a compulsive hand-washer.
25. I’ve been told that #24 should be the opening line if I ever write a one-woman play.
26. I love historical fiction.
27. I want a bit part in a vampire flick so I can wear crazy contact lenses.
28. I want to live near the ocean, preferably in a yurt.
29. I cry when I’m frustrated. This does me no good when I’m frustrated and trying to be intimidating.
30. I have hair vanity.
31. With only one deviation, I have been Compacting since the beginning of 2008.
32. I love swimming laps. I hate chlorine, though.
33. I’m an Artist’s Way dropout. My favourite exercise during the part I did complete was listing five alternate lives/careers. Mine were: ninja, skipper, jazz club singer…I can’t remember the other two.
34. I almost drowned twice.
35. I wear my heart on my sleeve. Sometimes this seems like one of my best qualities, sometimes one of my worst.
36. “Served with a side of ranch dressing” used to be a real selling feature for me.

And that's as far as I got. In true Tigger fashion, I went at this assignment with great gusto and quit when it wasn't interesting enough any more. Maybe I'll finish someday. No promises, though.

Maiden Blogging Voyage

So, I've been going round and round in circles, trying to figure out what the heck to write for my VERY FIRST BLOG POST!!! I finally decided that if I don't just DO it, I'll make myself crazy. And we don't want that.

I'm starting this blog as a place to dump some mental clutter, a place to document some of the small moments in life that I might not otherwise find time to write about, and a place to be a little self-indulgent, because Lord knows I don't get very much time to myself these days.

If you care to read it, great. If you don't care to read it, understandable. If you're my mum, I love you.

Woo hoo! First blog post is complete! Now, on to my assignment from the Curly One!