Just a little decluttering...

Last week I spent some time doing more de-cluttering.  Or maybe I should say getting ready to de-clutter.  I had came across these before, but decided it was time to do something with them.

These were crocheted by Roger's great aunt.  I already have some in my cedar chest....these were some Roger's mom had before she passed away.

If I have one, I have a hundred pieces.  No exaggeration.  I had asked Sarah if she wanted them.  She didn't.  I was grasping at straws when I asked Sarah, and almost did not ask my other daughter, but decided to give her a try and she wants them!  So I decided to give them all a fresh wash.  I did a couple loads of them.  They are dry.  I did not starch them or anything like that.  I just wanted them clean and fresh.

I hope to send some on the way to my daughter before the week is out.  It will take at least two of the biggest Priority boxes, if not three.  There really is that many.

Just think of all the hours that went into making each item.  What is more fascinating is that someone took a crochet hook and thread and these are the results. 

Random rubbish

I am having to search the archives for something for Rubbish Tuesday...the first one above is from last summer on road trip over to Effingham, Illinois.  It is a drive-by.  I did what I could with it to make it look sharper.

The above is from north of us here in Indiana, at least I am 99% sure it is.

And below is from the Vermilion Museum in Danville, Illinois.  If I remember correctly, this is the desk used by Lincoln and his law partner

If I can remember, I am going to link to Rubbish Tuesday in the morn! 

Playing a little bit

It's not as if I have nothing to do...not like I don't have a quilt that I should be quilting on.  It is not like I should not have been working on decluttering.

Even with all the other things I should be doing, I still have this little beauty set up in my dining room.  On its on table, not on the dining table at least.  And I have not sewn any on it for over a week and it has been calling my name.  So, I went and sat down at it a couple different times today and made those two blocks on top.  I made the bottom one some time back a month or so ago. That is not a real pattern.  It is a sort of improvisational sewing and is fun.

What is not fun:  I am never going to get rid of all the scraps in there!  I have worked with these same scraps and made I don't know how many things from them and the tote still seems full!

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Today Roger needed to go to Menard's, the local home improvement store.  The one that is closest to us.  We had another stop or two, so we  were gone two or three hours.  When I walked in the back door, there was a smell.  Oh, a good smell.

It smelled just like Mrs. Hayes' house used to smell.  It is hard to describe, and I have no idea why mine smelled like that.  It is a smell I have only ever smelled in her house, and I didn't know why hers smelled that way and I don't know why this one did either.

Mrs. Hayes was one of my mom's best friends.  She was probably 10 yrs older than mom.  And for a while was a real close neighbor.  I am not sure if I had been born when they lived close to us, I think I was but not sure.  I just always remember that no matter where she moved to, we would go visit her once or twice a summer.  And between times, her and my mom would write each other.

I don't remember what her husband called her, but she always called him MR. Hayes...I don't know if she did that when it was just them, but I never heard her call him anything else.  He was older than her, and when he died, to the best of my memory, she had a hard time finding a place to live.  She even tried living with another lady for a while....I am not sure if she just rented a room or if she shared the whole house.  (Or maybe she only talked about doing that)

Then she finally got into some senior's housing, and had been living there a while when I started driving.  Then mom and I would stop by a few times a year.  And that is where I really remember the smell from.

She and my mom talked quilting, and no matter if I had just been there the month before, I would still get her to get out her quilts till I could look at them.  I don't ever remember her getting tired of doing it...maybe she was just happy that I was interested.