Addendum to my 2013 New Year's Resolutions....

I had the nagging feeling I was forgetting to include something and you know how that feeling always turns out to be right? It was again.

During Christmas vacation while I was sick, I happened upon a show called "Hoarders".  I think it has been on for a couple years, but this was the first time I saw it - and it was purely by chance as the station was tuned when I turned on the set.  So I watched.  And watched for another hour given the back-to-back episodes.  What I saw was CRAZY.  While I can no way relate to the lady who hoarded cats, those both living and dead (which weren't buried, but socked away in her refrigerator and freezer), when they showed the artsy-craftsy lady who could no longer BE artsy or craftsy because she had no space due to the magnitude of STUFF she'd accumulated, part of me related to her plight.  My first resolution is to sew-down my fabric stash.  And I will have pictures on Sunday to show what I completed.  But other snippets of these women's lives (all four story lines were female hoarders) showed piles of newspapers, magazines, bottles, books, supplies for any need - and some never bothered to wash a dish or clean their remaining living space at all.  NOW, I'm not anywhere near that level, but I do have piles of stuff around the house that I reason I will go through before throwing out, or will put away into the place it belongs.  I also have a supple of beauty products since I love lotions and potions.  Which brings me to the addendum....

#6) Go through the piles of "stuff" and make a decision - KEEP or TOSS.  What is kept needs to go where it needs to be, which it likely not on my dining room table.  I'm keeping this resolution manageable for me....one "area" a weekend.  If I bite off more than I can chew, it won't work. I need to feel like I've accomplished and closed.  New Years weekend, I did the first pile and tossed 97% of it.  The remaining KEEP was readily put away.  Last weekend I tacked the two drawers under my sewing machine on the sewing table.  The stuff that stayed in the drawers was fine, but I also threw alot out - and organized an email list for periodic mailings for Olive Street Studio when we have new items or a sale. :-)

#7) Use up my products before buying new ones.  I am a complete sucker for Bath & Body Works clearance sales because they have delicious scents.  And because I'm not a make-up girl, but rather a soaps and lotions, I cannot pass up a good scent, so I buy it.  In 2013, like I had in a prior year's resolution list, I am also going to use up the soaps and lotions I have and not buy more until needed.  I've accumulated many little sample bottles from hotel stays because I can't bear the thought of using two days of shampoo and conditioner and housekeeping tossing the remainder into the can.  I'm going to keep a running total of the number I've used up with the empties hitting the recycling bin.  I decided to use the hotel samples first since I can clear out faster.

Running total: 2 hotel samples; 1 medium size lotion.

Whew!  Now THAT is my complete resolution list.  I'm encouraged by my two weeks progress.  Let's see if by Sunday, I've made more....

Happy Friday!

It's 2013!!

It is so hard for me to believe that we are already a week into 2013.  I think 2012 just skipped right on by it went so fast.  Although, alot did go on....from Craft Fairs, to new designer fabric quilts, to the annual cousin visit out on Fire Island, to Hurricane Sandy / Frakenstorm, to a family Caribbean Cruise (which was absolutely fabulous!), to round-out the year with a beautiful Christmas and New Years.  Besides the fact that I felt a cold coming on Christmas night and it is JUST leaving me, I feel really happy with what I've done and how I've spent my time.  I have Little Olive who is still a happy, great girl doing well in 1st grade....and a Mr. Olive who is attempting to kick his tobacco habit - third time is a charm, right?  Although the Giants won the Superbowl earlier in the year, the 2012 season end came about too soon, but I did my best ever in the fantasy football league I'm part of with Mr. Olive and Father Olive!  Luck has alot to do with that.....

So as I look to 2013, I realized I never wrote up my resolutions for 2012.  In my mind I had them, although nothing lofty - save money, save money, sew more, drink more water, and read at least 12 books.  I was able to sew more, drink more water (does the ice in white wine count? ha ha), and I read 15 books.  I'm quite proud of the reading part because I hadn't been reading on the train, just sleeping and "smart-phoning".  I'll post another about all the books because part of this year's resolutions is to blog more!  I was a lame-poster in 2012, but realized that I cannot always fit in and I didn't want to beat myself up, so what I posted, I posted.  This year, I'm going to use my posts to keep my #1 resolution in check.  What is that you may wonder?  Here ya go.....

2013 Resolutions

1) Sew down all the fabric I've accumulated!  My sewing room is small and I have been buying lots of designer fabrics to make crib quilts.  This past summer, I thought we should expand our offerings with making lap quilts for people who want to buy for themselves or hostess gifts or friend birthday gifts.  So I'm going to try to sew a quilt top each weekend until my fabric stash is sewn down.  This will also give us great stock going into the summer craft season.  I also have to make tote bags and have the fabric sitting on my floor.  I'm planning to post my results each weekend.  I'm hoping that keeps me on-point.  I'm going to send all my tops to my lovely Mother Olive who will find border and back fabric, line with batting, and finish up the quilt.

Here is the first top in the "Kaleidescope" fabric line by Free Spirit:

 I also managed a new beach tote and matching handbag:

I also finished up 4 blankets for baby gift sets in this fantastic owl fabric (I used a cream minky dot on the back so it is super soft):

 #2) Read 13 books in 2013:  Last year my resolution was for 12 books since it was 2012, and I eeked out 15 finishing one up on New Year's Eve.  One was "The Fountainhead", which should be like 3 books!  I also finished the Hunger Games trilogy in a month's time, which for me is lightening fast, and prompted Mr. Olive to remark that he'd never seen me go through books that fast - this from the avid reader who finished the trilogy at a 2-days-a-book pace.

I have already finished one, but it was barely 100 pages and by a local NYC writer.  It took me 3 train rides to finish it.  I may count that as a "half" book, unless New Year's Eve rolls around and I've only read 12, then it will be a full book. ha!

#3) Budget Better: Mr. Olive is still unemployed, *sigh*, so I will try yet again to budget better.  I know I'll never achieve this resolution, but feel like I have to give myself a chance with the clean-slate 2013.

#4) Go to Church: Little Olive needs to go to Sunday school.  Mr. Olive is still bitter, 23 years later, at the Father who didn't allow him to take his confirmation test early because he had an away game for some sport.  He has agreed to go and show her a united front.  I'm thinking a new folding table and chair set may be a good donation to the Church from us.

Today we all went - there wasn't Sunday school because the church lost all its tables and folding chairs to Hurricane Sandy.  And there were no hymns because the organist is relocated due to the storm.  Little Olive said it went by fast!  Mr. Olive remarked about the "different version of the Lord's Prayer" that was part of the service.  That too threw me for a loop.  We all walked home holding hands and for the better.  I'm hoping next weekend is just as good.....and May weekends are better.....and hoping we make it through the summer....dare I dream?

Whew!  That is my little start to 2013!!  More to come......

Happy Sunday!