Machine Washable

I don't have a lot of 'nice' things. Don't get me wrong- I have cute things, they're just not usually very high quality. Anything nice that I do have is almost certainly a gift or a hand-me-down from my mom. I've always said that were it not for my benefactor, we'd have cinder block bookshelves and bed sheets stapled to the windows. Because of her, my home has never reflected how truly poor we might have been at the time. I was raised in a very nice home and was quite accustomed to fine things, but as I ventured out in a poorly disguised version of 'living on my own' I became more and more aware that my adult life would probably not mirror the example I had as a child. I was not raised in wealth, nor was I particularly spoiled, but I never had to go without and I could usually have what I needed. Our homes were not small, and they were always beautifully appointed. 

I went through a series of progressive adjustments once I left the comparative luxury of my parent's home and became accustomed to the fact that I would lead a simpler lifestyle. My lack of expensive things originated from the lack of money necessitated to buy high quality things, but fortunately for me it has also become a choice of lifestyle. I have definite opinions, styles, and preferences, but I have found that they can almost always be accommodated without spending a lot of money. Because I was fortunate enough to be raised in  beautiful and creative environments I learned to create those spaces myself. There are times when something may warrant spending as much as you can afford, when you are buying an investment piece or something substantial where cheap just won't do, but many more times when it is just not expedient to spend exorbitant amounts of money unnecessarily.

I'm also very casual. I don't own or even want china. I don't care about a formal dining room. I don't care much for anything formal in fact. And clothes? Getting dressed up and accessorized once a week for church is fulfilling enough for me. The rest of the week I am usually happy in jeans or even stretchy pants unless an occasion warrants otherwise.  Sometimes I work hard and sweat profusely, staining my clothes. I get down on my hands and knees and get to work, in whatever I'm wearing. I have to scrub toilets and bathtubs. I clean litter boxes and wipe bums. I need clothes I can move in, and that will not cost me an arm and leg to repeatedly throw in the washer and dryer- or worse, dry cleaning! (the horror) And sometimes I drip ice cream down my front, or more often I drop food into my cavernous cleavage. Sometimes I don't find it until I change my clothes at night when it falls out of my bra.

I also have kids. As a new mother I was aghast to find dry clean-only baby clothes! I don't want silk covered chairs that I have to cover, again, when they are in use to protect the silk. I don't want fabrics that will stain and ruin with the very threat of little fingers approaching and that will stain once again as I try to clean them. I don't want delicate drapes that will tear the first time one of my errant children plays in them despite my repeated threats of bodily harm if they should do so. I want something I can repeatedly throw in the wash and know it will come out alright.  I want a clean home as well, and feel satisfied by washing something and then drying it in high temperatures, erasing and killing whatever may be there, real or unreal, seen or unseen.

A long time ago as I was washing my living room pillows for the umpteenth time, I realized that I live a 'machine washable life', and I like it. I think you could aptly describe my whole life with that term: Machine Washable. Sensible, practical, durable, affordable, but still cute. Something that might get dirty frequently because you really use it, sharing it with people in your life, but is easily remedied, coming out clean again and again- if not a little worse for the wear.

That's me- Machine Washable. My person, my home,  my lifestyle.

Quilts

 

I have never been a collector of anything specific. Even as a child I never had a "thing" that people would send me, adding to my collection- no themed decor, jewelry or ceramic figurines, thank heavens. Most collections seem superfluous or trite to me. However, a few years ago I came to the conclusion that if I were to collect anything, it would be quilts. All quilts, any quilts.

Years before that, Shell and I had enumerated all of the reasons that make quilts so wonderful, and pretty much the perfect gift. Let me share: they are beautiful, first of all. They are practical- who doesn't use blankets? They are practical, functional art. They also take a tremendous, tremendous amount of time, making it a true gift of the maker's time. They are a gift of talent, as nice quilts are not easy to make. They are also heirlooms- quilts are handed down through generations and tell the story of the quilter. They are imbued with history, heritage, love and hard work. Old quilts tell of thrift, ingenuity, art and sometimes hardship. What is not to love?

To summarize, quilts are:

Beautiful

Functional

A gift of time, talent, and expense (they're not cheap to make!)

Heirlooms

Historical.

I love old quilts, the kinds you find in antique malls, and new quilts made with today's amazing variety of available prints. There has never been a better time to be a fabric-lover.

I have a small collection started.

From top to bottom:

Lap quilt, made by me; Baby clothes quilt, made by me; Baby quilt, made by Michelle; Twin-size quilt, made by Michelle, Queen-size bed quilt, made by Nana.

First, the bed quilt that Nana made for us when we got married. We have this on our bed under our coverlet, so I use it and see it everyday. I love it because we use it, it was made for our wedding, and for the extraordinary detail. 

Look how small that square is, and her seams always match! She is an extraordinary quilter in that regard. Sometimes I just marvel at those tiny corners and how they always seem to line up.

I think this lap quilt might be the first one that I actually finished, even though I started my first quilt literally 14 years ago. That quilt is still unfinished, but it is so close. It is over a king size, and while I machine-pieced it, I was determined to do the actual quilting by hand on my first quilt. Hence, 14 years later I am still working on it. I only have about 1 foot of quilting left, after which I have to bind it and I'll be done! I really want to finish it this year. It's about time.

Anyway, I think this lap quilt is the first I finished. I made another one for my mom.

I love lap quilts because they're quick and small enough that I can quilt it on my machine. (Anything over a crib size has got to be sent out for the quilting.)

This baby clothes quilt is one of my favorites for sentimental purposes. I think a quilt is the perfect medium for sentimentality.

I love that most of these clothes were worn by both Bella and Fiona, and some of them were even gifts for Lola, so all 3 girls share these clothes. There are only one or two items that were worn by only one girl, so it feels like their shared heritage. A couple of them were even worn by Eva! One day I had a friend over while I was cutting the clothes and she was about to have either a panic attack or a heart attack at my taking shears to my baby's clothes. I felt the exact opposite- what good would these do, stuffed into boxes and stored in a dark attic? I would never see them and probably never use them again. However, in this quilt I see them often. Almost every day we get to remember, touch and cuddle with these baby clothes. I saved just my favorite, or ones whose details I thought lent themselves to this type of quilt. All the rest I gave to friends, with just a couple saved to pass down to my girls.

I love the details on baby clothes and on this quilt.

{This was a favorite corduroy sleeveless romper both of the girls wore.}

{From Paris}

{Adorable footie butt-ruffle pants, given to Bella by Denise and Grandma, and worn by both girls.}

{Eva's, from Paris}

{Butterflies and toile, both from Paris}

{This was a baby shower gift for Lola, given to me by one of my old Young Women leaders.}

{Favorite elephant jammies}

It was a little bit tricky because of the mix of cottons and jerseys, but luckily my mother-in-law Nana was visiting and helped me with that part. She also taught me to tie it, since I had never done it before. (In general, I prefer quilting to tying, but this quilt lent itself to tying, and I'm very pleased with the finished product.

I love this one too. I love them all-thus my desire to collect them- but I love them all for different reasons. I love them because of who made them, when and why they made them, the materials they used, and the use they get. I love this one because it was beautifully made by Michelle, but it is also sentimental.

She started it when I was pregnant with Lola, but didn't give it to me until she came to visit after Fiona's birth. While this might cause her embarrassment, I am glad she finished it when she did. After the birth of all 3 of my girls, she was able to quilt all of their names on the border, one on each side, with 'sweet dreams' quilted on the 4th side. So the sentimentality factor makes it that much more meaningful to me.

{Lola Jane}

This one was also skillfully made by Michelle, for my dorm room my first semester at BYU. I think it is the most stunning of my quilts. At the time we both really liked star motifs. I still do. I'm pretty sure I asked her outright to make me one, which again, is quite a gift of time, talent, and money. I used it on my bed until I got married.

I love the scalloped quilting design.

Why must you torment me, mitered corners?!

Finally, another in-the-works quilt I started about 10 years ago as a student at BYU. I remember I saw a page in the Company Store catalog. The product featured was a set of sheets, but on the bed was this kind of crazy log cabin quilt. It was the first time I'd seen a design like that and vowed to make one. I wanted it to be full of bright, mismatched prints which I clearly achieved.

Although I still have all my materials cut to size and organized by color, this one is still far from done. I imagine my girls will love it when it is finished.

One thing I love about quilts is the beauty of the individual fabrics and the collective whole. On this quilt in particular, there are plenty of prints that individually, I would never use. Taken separately I would think some of them quite ugly. However, pieced together they create a rich tapestry of color and geometry. I love the sheer number of prints I used on this one and holding it, exploring and identifying each one.

It's also as close to improvisational quilting as I've gotten, although I still want to learn that technique as well.

While I don't think they count towards my collection, I also made these two doll quilts-previously featured-for my girls.

Lastly, there's the lap quilt I made for my grandpa this Christmas. I love this one for sentimental purposes as well. It's made from my dear grandmother's favorite and oft-worn aprons, house dress and robe. I love identifying each one as something she wore for years and typifies her to anyone who knew her intimately. I also love that her things could continue to bring him some comfort, now almost a year since her death. I'll say it again, quilts are the perfect medium for sentimentality.

 

So there is my fledgling quilt collection, made by those I love, and a few I made for those I love as well.

If someone has ever made you a quilt, know that they really love you. 

It is a gift of love.

And beauty.

Mantra

'A Little Now Will Save Me From a Lot Later.'

This has been my mantra for a little while now. 

I thought of it one day as I was cleaning up my bathroom when I thought I didn't have time. I was rushing around in the morning and was about to skip it when it occurred to me that I could do it in less than a minute. Less than a minute of effort now, and it will save me from a lot more work later on, if I let it pile up. I am in essence, lazy, so I look for the least amount of effort to accomplish any task.

Since then it really stuck and I found myself repeating it in many instances.

A little now will save me from a lot later...

A little picking up will save me from a major clean later.

(That's the most common way I apply it.)

A little restraint in eating will save me from a lot of weight gain later.

Or, a little restraint will save me from a lot of work-losing weight-later.

A little effort getting ready in the morning will save me from a lot of misery, staying home all day feeling gross.

A little exercise will save me from a lot of guilt later.

A little faith will save me from a lot of heartache.

A little obedience will save me from a lot of repentance.

A little kindness will save me from a lot of regret.

I keep thinking of all the ways I can apply it, but it usually just comes down to the simplest form: 

A little now will save me a lot later.

It gets the job done.

In small, incremental steps.

Pop Quiz:

Which dresser is mine?

The one that houses just a few decorative elements and the necessary bedside items? (in this case, glasses, oft-worn jewelry, perfume, Carmex, and a stack of books-)

Or-

-the one that's contents are pushed to the very limits of the dresser in order to keep a modicum of tidiness and reveal just a bit of clean surface?

Was it the perfume that gave it away?

Note, also, the boxes in front of his dresser. Now and then when I can't take the various piles about the house, I resort to filling boxes with all of the miscellany for him to deal with later, so that at least it is condensed. I don't know that this is actually effective, since the boxes seem to remain untouched for weeks, if not months. Every morning I also find at least one article of clothing on the floor. It does not escape my notice that the clothing, haphazardly dropped on the floor, is within 1-2 feet if the dresser, the closet, and the hamper, all. Take your pick.
And thus, I will never be out of work as a housekeeper.
Just a minute detail of my job.

We Live Here

While fixing Bella lunch today, I had the impulse to photograph and document our kitchen, as it is. No staging, cleaning up, just a glimpse of this corner of our house, amidst our daily routine. (Fiona was down for a much-needed early nap-) So, this is our home today. And most days. So glad.

This Week

Monday, I:
- picked up the whole house
- vacuumed the house
- dusted most of the house
- unloaded the dishwasher
- ran two loads of laundry
- deep cleaned the hall bathroom
- soaked the bath toys and net in a bleach solution
- raked the front yard
- made smoothies
- created a caterpillar home
- played in the leaves with the girls
-tracked my food on dailyburn.com
- had FHE
I did not:
-shower or get ready.
Bella holding the big fat caterpillar we found and made a temporary home for. She probably 'played' with this guy for about 45 minutes, long after I went inside. We kept him in his 'home' until daddy came home and then she reluctantly let him go.

For part of FHE we collected the leaves I raked and took them (along with Bella) down to the backyard.
Fiona got to join the rides on the way back up. Afterwards we let them jump in the leaves a bit. (Video at the end of the post)

Tuesday:
We had the Maxima towed to a service station after it refused to start on Friday. Actually it would start briefly under duress and then almost immediately die. While the tow guy was here he was looking under the hood trying to assess the problem. My diagnosis to him was that it was making a bad squeaky sound that Timm said was a belt, then it refused to start and there was a fairly large metal cog on the ground. He tried to start it while I was inside feeding Fiona. I heard a heinous prolonged squealing sound and went outside to tell him how awesome that sounded. There was a bit of smoke coming from the hood and he told me it burned the belt right off and the car almost caught fire, had he not cut it quickly. There is now a souveneir spot of burned black cement on the driveway.


N.C. only uses rear licence plates so Timm kept the front Utah one if that makes anyone happy. I question its legality, but we've never been cited.
Wednesday:
I got large blisters on the balls of my feet from walking 4.5 miles in unsuitable shoes, such as flip flops.
Thursday:
I let Bella use her piggy bank to buy her first item from the ice cream man who patrols our street. Yes, he is still patrolling since our daily highs have still been in the high 70's.

She chose a Spiderman delicacy with gumball eyes.
Fiona, suitably outraged that she is behind glass while I photograph Bella eating ice cream.
Video, below: Fiona started using a fork for the first time. She was using it much better before I got the camera out. She's like that- as soon as she sees the camera she's so mesmerized that she ceases all function with the sole intent of grasping said camera.
Also, the girls playing the leaves and Bella riding her bike. She rode her bike on the sidewalk across the street under my supervision while I raked. I was surprised because she hasn't ridden it in a while, and even then she needed a bit of help, but this time she got right on and went for it! After this video she started going as fast as her little legs could spin, teetering the bike to the verge of tipping, all the while yelling "I'm zooming! I'm zooming!"
By Friday I was climbing the walls from 7 days confined to the house with the girls. Yes, it even gets to me.
Our week came to kind of a grinding halt after the car was towed. We got a lot done in those first couple of days. Here's to about another week without a car...

Still Life of Fridge

I love the snapshot of my life this scene offers.
Clockwise-from left:
A picture of me and baby Bella when she was 9 months old, 2 inspiring quote magnets I've made- one from Jeffrey R. Holland, and one from Mark Twain- affirmations that Shell printed out for us, to-do lists for Timm and I both, more affirmations, a picture of Timm at the prom, the most beautiful card I've ever received (from Shell), free Cold Stone coupons, Sebastian's birthday party invitation, homemade magnets, more affirmations, Fiona's 3-D ultrasound pictures, my favorite valentine from Shell, my Weight Watcher's bookmark with my sticker accomplishments, awesome french postcard from Shell, giant 'B' magnet for Bella, and tiny note from Shell.
A very pleasing collection of momentos, colors, family, reminders, and pick-me-ups. And a whole lot of Shell :)

Sping Break

Timm's home for the entire next week for Spring Break. One of the benefits of a poorly paid teaching position-regularly scheduled breaks. And just so he doesn't get carried away or spoiled or anything, he'll still be working his other 2 jobs. Red Robin a couple of nights this week and swim lessons on Saturday. Can't let the boy get soft, now can we?
Our agenda for the week is yard work. Woohoo! Since Timm works the aforementioned jobs, he only has one day off a week, Sunday, which leaves us zero time for projects of any sort. We lack the Saturday that the majority of Americans rely on for their lawn mowing, odd jobs, and slovenly indulgences. Well, he lacks that- I don't. I'm just tending to diapers, spit ups and tantrums rather than tasks with more empirical evidence.
Anyway, we are using the small amount of our tax refund that did not go to our credit card and other bills to fund this venture. It's pretty basic since we lack the money to fully realize our vision and we have done very little since we bought the place.
As with all projects I undertake, even if only in my mind, I have quickly become obsessed. My waking (and some sleeping) hours are spent dreaming of shutters, paint colors, window planters, exterior lights and perennials. Damn that money hindrance again. Oh well, for now we will rake up the front beds, till, fertilize, trim, plant a few things and remove a thing or two. Baby steps. That still leaves the back yard (a bigger project in every sense on the word-), the sides, the physical exterior of the house itself. Maybe if mom and dad are feeling like another service-oriented birthday gift I could propose a few things.
And for the record, mulch, fertilizer and a few basic yard and garden tools add up amazingly fast. Here's to hoping that one day my house is not blue, our lawn does not have a 50/50 grass to weeds ratio, and maybe, just maybe someday soon it could even look like the inviting and cozy refuge it feels like inside.
Progress reports to come. I fear my own contributions may not be quite equitable to Timm's, due to the little 6 month Fi and the limitations she imposes. She's worth it. That's what I tell myself when the daily mundane tasks of domesticity seem to mount around me, anyway.

Meh.

So many thoughts, musings, interests, passions, goals...Not enough time to document them all. Where does all the time go lately? I think that I underestimate the amount of time that having a baby tacks on to everything. I can account for some of my time, evidenced by my clean baseboards, doors, blinds, edges, corners. The huge load of stuff to go to Goodwill tomorrow. The 5 birthdays this month. The many, many trips to the grocery store lately. Increased cooking. Decreased internet time. The folded clothes. The ironing basket, empty. An organized junk drawer.
Soon, soon I will collect my thoughts. Hopefully create something.

Supply and Demand

So I've tried to stop boring the public with pictures and detailed accounts of my grocery adventures, but I can't help but brag a little now. At least I haven't tallied my receipts, or taken pictures of each trip. I did that for a while, then didn't post them right away and then seemed irrelevant.
Lately I've been so excited and proud of the supply of food we are building. When I started couponing my goal was to spend our full grocery budget for 6 months to stockpile, then try and cut our budget in half, to $150 a month. Well, I've been going for 3 1/2 months, so things are looking good. I have hardly bought a thing in the last few months that were not a coupon/sale combo item. In other words, I can probably count on one hand the amount of full-price items I have bought. (except milk, gotta have milk.) And here are the fruits of my labors:
Our fully-stocked pantry, making it difficult to find many things. We're kind of bursting at the seems.
My fridge has NEVER been so full in my adult life, except perhaps when I s hared it with 5 other roommates, eh Kim? You can usually sum up the entire contents of my fridge in a cursory glance, and it generally looks like I am due for a grocery trip. I also never have so much produce: grapes, apples, pears, cantaloupe, carrots, bell peppers, asparagus, potatoes...
Then there's my famed freezer. I recently told Timm that this is one of my favorite gifts I've ever been given, and I've been generously blessed with a lot of wonderful gifts! After 2 months of it's receipt it is almost full. We have more frozen vegetables than I know what to do with, 10 loaves of bread, and an impressive meat selection: Stew beef, ground beef, roast, chicken, ground turkey, pork chops, sausage, bacon, and shrimp. What the? Definitely a first.
The spill-over continues to my linen closet, the bottom half of which is devoted to food and toiletries.
I have 2 drawers in Fiona's room dedicated to food storage.
And some more paper products in my utility closet, as well as about 5 bags of groceries simply laying in my studio, waiting for a vacancy.
I did my weekly menu planning like I try to do on Sunday or Monday, and with 5 meals I only had to buy a total of 5 minor ingredients. 5!! Everything else was on hand. Amazing.
All this supply makes me feel safe, rich. I love knowing that I have an array of food to choose from, a selection of food to offer my family, and many healthful choices, as well as some extravagant items I would otherwise never be able to afford. Have I mentioned I love this job/hobby? Every aspect of it. Very rewarding. My mom and I were talking about it recently, lamenting that other people we know don't have time to devote to couponing. Then I got to thinking- I invest a lot of time in it, but that is because I want to, I like to, and I can. I always say I have time, I don't have money. However, it's the kind of thing that you could devote as little or as much time as you have. Even if you run a tight schedule and think you have no time, I bet everyone could do something, and every little bit helps, especially in these perilous times, no? I have a few people specifically in mind...Denise, Michelle- I'm looking in your direction... So if anyone has a vague interest, you should email me because I have some ideas for a beginner, or someone who only wants to invest minimal time but still reap rewards.
A couple days ago I was pulling into a spot at one of my oft-visited stores, Harris Teeter, and I pulled right in front of this coupon woman I met months ago. At the time Molly had just started couponing but hadn't really given me any details, so I was curious. While I was shopping at the same Harris Teeter I saw this woman whith what I thought at the time was a rediculous 3" binder filled with what appeared to be thousands of coupons. So I asked her if I could bother her and ask her a few questions. She very enthusiastically answered 'Of course, this is what I do!' So I asked her a few things and after a few minutes went on my way. I ended up signing up for the Grocery Game under her, and now here I am. I feel like this is my conversion story and now I am an enthusiastic missionary excited to convert the world! Flash to present- I pull in front of her and honk as she pulls out. I leave my car running with Fiona inside and run up to her. I ask if she remembers me and she says 'Of course!', so I proceed to tell her that now I'm all over it. The 3" binder, the websites, the mutiple papers I purchase, the glee, the excitement... I leave of geekishness since I'm not sure she would appreciate that take on it. However, this is definitely the geekiest thing I've ever done. She hugged me and squealed 'I'm so proud of you!'. It was funny. Ah, crazy coupon ladies, of which I am one.