No Secret Knitting

For the first time in a long time, there has been no secret knitting for Christmas. There was knitting for Christmas, to be sure, but it wasn't a secret. This knitter needed input for cardigans and pullovers, requested by granddaughters who wanted something just so. The hoodie is so far behind schedule, that it has become a birthday gift! (It will also be late for this deadline, but I have sent pics to the nearly-nine-year-old, and she knows how close it is!) Tonight, I am down to the "duck details" on this Psyduck hoodie...wish me luck!

Oh!, and the after-Christmas, rainbow Yoshi is well underway...

The other thing I thought I might tackle in the new year is a closet declutter. There was a group to join on FB, and I joined the parade straightaway, as though I were one of the little people at our grandsons' house...

It sounded like a really good idea, until I got in there and realized that I had just done this last February! 

So, the closet looks pretty good. My apologies. Lol.

The yarn room, could use some work, but I'm not ready for that...still creating the collection in there! Instead of the yarn, we tackled the taking down of all things Christmas over the long weekend. Well, most things Christmas...the gnomes 

and my light-up snowman still stand, but the tree is gone, and we have moved the furniture around a bit. I like it!

But, as with any rearrangement, there are things you find that just aren't necessary anymore. Like this.

This is the bouquet from our wedding. It has survived multiple moves, vicious vacuums, and curious cats through the years...and I could hold onto it for the next 13 years, until our golden anniversary...or I could save myself from my pack-rat tendencies and toss it this year. I think I'll go for the latter. It's dusty, the ribbons are yellowed, and some of the flowers are just...gone. It may be time. 

As sad as it can be to let go of things, the memories these flowers invoke are still strong. Two crazy kids, who barely knew what life was about, diving into the weird adventure that marriage is some 37 years ago. It's been a wild ride...sometimes better, sometimes worse, most times unpredictable...but we are still buckled in, so yay!

So, Happy New Year to you and yours! As you can see, I don't have many resolutions, I wonder if you have? Yes or no, take a moment to say hello in the comments, if you like! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

And watch football with your Pop Pop, if you can.

Holding on Loosely

Well, still no countertops, but the electrical work is about done!

Woodwork stained,

and floors are nearly finished, too...even in the bathrooms!

Yes, it is coming along nicely, and I love stopping in each week to see the progress (and sharing it here)! There are even shelves hung in the closets and laundry nook, so we are definitely getting there. 

Next week, I will have to think a little about window treatments, because I will have these beauties to dress! Which of you friends has great ideas for windows? :)

This week, while cleaning out a current closet, I found some fun goodies in with the dust bunnies. Like, remember all those years that I cross-stitched? Yeah, I don't remember them that well either, but apparently I did!

I even cross stitched my babies (the boy was Friday's child, and dear daughter was born on a Saturday night).

For a long time, these hung in their bedrooms, but they've been in the closet for decades now...so, there you have it. I used to cross stitch. 

In the coming week, it's music on vinyl and CD's that will be pared down. If any of you are collectors, or even remotely interested in what I might find, please reach out. Otherwise, I'll look for someplace to donate or sell cheap...we listen to all of our music digitally these days. I tossed 5 bags of goodies on Thursday...how many can I find for the next haul?

Thanks to all of you following along who have commented and liked the FB posts. Moving after 26 years here is a wild ride, but I'm trying not to hold on too tightly to too much as we go! If I don't even remember that I have it, it must not be that precious to me...so I will hold on loosely, 'cause (according to 38 Special) if I cling too tightly, I just might lose control! 

What is precious to you, friends? I am finding that my most precious items are dear to me because of the memories they evoke. Memories of friends and family that are no longer around, and memories that I still share with some of you reading this today. It is good to have a shared past with so many, and I am really looking forward to sharing my future with friends and family as well!

At some point, I will blog again about knitting. For now, I'm off to clean another closet and play with some cuties! I hope your day is bringing you joy, and that you are well!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Head 'Em Up, Move 'Em Out

Yes, I think the lyrics I took my title from are a little different, but going through all my stuff feels more like herding cats than cattle, so I'll just let it go...along with the junk! But I'm not letting go of everything, because one of the best parts of clearing out the junk in my house has been the great finds. Like this trunk, which sat in my son's bedroom for many, many years. I pulled it out of the attic recently, because Allen is planning a visit with his family, and it is time to pass along whatever he wants to keep. TMNT were certainly big in our home for a season!

In my bedroom, while clearing off a bookshelf, I found this and posted it to Facebook. It is a little difficult to read, so I'll give you the transcript at the end of this post, if you want to read that far. On FB, Allen mentioned his "poetic prowess" when neither his dad nor his sister remembered writing this gem. They did not always "get" me, but they did give a perfect gift for whatever occasion that was...I did love that watch, and the poem. 

While I was in the basement, I also opened a box of "goodies" from my desk at the first church I ever worked for. There are certainly some fun things here.

To be happy, don't do what you like...Like what you do!

Then, down the rabbit-hole of photos, look at all these pictures that have graced my fridge through the years, oh my! If you see your face in there anywhere, I'd love for you to drop me a comment! So many good memories right there, on my green ottoman...I'm sure I will find more as I continue!

Speaking of the fridge, do any of you remember when I sold Tupperware? It was a fun 9 weeks in the early 90s, when I didn't really know many people and I had two toddlers at home...so, yeah. I did not excel in my sales. But I did buy every piece of Tupperware that my little heart desired, and all the matching magnets, at quite the discount. All in all, I'd call that a win...lol!

Trash to treasure? Treasure to trash? Who knows, really? But it's been a fun game to see what's there, and to write about it here. Life is a funny thing when you're a collector at heart! Too bad I live in a teeny-tiny house...hahahahaha! 

Well, it's time for me to get back to the decluttering. Board games and books are next on my list, and I have more than a few of each! In fact, if I'm not mistaken, there are two Monopoly sets in my house right now...not like Monopoly and Monopoly Jr, but two full Monopoly sets! We don't even really like to play Monopoly that much, but I think I'm keeping those just for the photos I could create with them!

Still a collector at heart, I suppose, and I enjoyed the trip down Memory Lane. I hope you did too! What are your plans for the rest of this weekend, friends? At some point, I hope to sit and knit for a bit! (Maybe more than a bit, if I'm lucky!) 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Transcript of Poem, pictured above:

Time with Mom

It won't be ready in time

And I'm sure it will cost more than a dime

Have you ever committed a crime?

It's getting fixed at the shop

Perhaps it's taken one too many a drop

Do we have any pop?

We know how much you like that watch of yours

Much, much more than a bunch of wild boars

Our house has a broken door

This way you won't have to depend on a clock

You won't have to listen to tick or tock

We know a guy named Tak (pronounced "tock")

We appreciate the time you spend on us, mom

You're the greatest mom.com

Your love is more powerful than a bomb.

Dad

Allen

Jessica S

Re-Evaluating

With the world in its current state, I am re-evaluating some things. I'm not offering solutions or pledging my faithfulness to anyone in particular (well, except Jesus...and Pop Pop), but all the dismay in our country has me thinking. So. Much. Thinking. It has impacted my 2021 knitting mojo, and these mitts are all that I have worked on in the last 7 days...

I also think I am stalled out because I bought a bit more yarn over the holidays than usual. I'd show you a picture, but I am a little embarrassed. This also got me to thinking, "If Jesus came back today, how would he feel about my 'treasures' here?" Because I think he could come back any time now...so I feel like I should take a hard look at my stuff...like, I found this in a closet this week...

A radio from a car that we bought when the kids were learning to drive...15 years ago. Our son took this radio out to put in a better one, and I told him to keep the old one. So there it was, in the closet of his old bedroom, with his baseball trophies (which will become his treasures the next time we see him).

In the last week, I have cleaned out 3 closets and some basement craft supplies, and I have filled the big, black trash can out back twice. This led to the finding and organizing of over 750 photos (there are more, I have to get more albums), and these great finds...

1982

1993

1997

I feel like most of my fashion and hair decisions in the 80s and 90s were made under the influence of hunger, as I was always dieting. But, looking back, I have no regerts! (Future me, this is not a typo. It is a reference to a commercial for Snickers that takes place in a tattoo parlor...ha!) In fact, it is almost my duty to share these photographic treasures. Look at all the joy and laughter that just brought to my blog friends and family! (You're laughing with me, right?)

Back to the point...I feel good about my progress, and I plan to keep going. Less junk is less to clean, and less for my kids to clean out if I leave before Jesus does come back (see Swedish Death Cleaning...which I heard about in a blog this week...lol!). And if Jesus does come back first, I will feel so much better (I hope) about the treasures that I do have left.

So, if you need me in the next couple of months, check the nooks and crannies of my house (I should be easy to find as it gets less cluttered). Or maybe check that bin of yarn over there...hopefully all this cleaning out will also lead me back to the knitting mojo. 

I hope that your knitting mojo is strong, and that you are in a relatively good head space. I am getting there, I assume!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." 

-Matthew 24:42-44