Making Lemonade

I'm looking on the bright side these days; if I didn't, the whole situation of living in a construction zone would drive me over the edge. I knew that I had to shift the focus to that which I could change for the better. As someone who craves order and tidiness I am faced daily with my biggest enemies: disorder, clutter, chaos and dust; piles and piles of it! My challenge is to deal with all of the above and make constructive use of this current state of our home! When the new drawers were installed, including the one that would house our silverware, Mr. G. had already outfitted that one with custom dividers, I no longer needed the cutlery insert that I'd had before! Hmmm... I thought... would it fit in the top drawer of my cutting island where I keep thread? Would it EVER!! Not only did it fit nicely but the sections were the perfect size for my small spools to be arranged by color. No more rolling around and getting mixed up with each other every time I opened and closed that drawer! SCORE! My next victory is with spices, extracts and baking supplies. Since all of the cabinets that contained those have been removed, I am now intimately acquainted with each and every bottle and tin that we have. Those that were old, dusty and of unknown origin have all been discarded, as have multiples of the same item! Now to separate those remaining into like categories and alphabetize them before they're restocked; this will be a HUGE (much needed) accomplishment! Likewise all of the no longer useful and questionable cleaning supplies that had been stored beneath where the kitchen sink used to be: gone, gone, and gone! Getting that future space under control in a neat and orderly way will be a breeze now!

We've gone from left photo to the right one this week, the backsplash has already been removed and the wall resurfaced; fingers crossed that all of the new cabinetry will be installed this weekend.

While Mr. G is working on the kitchen re-do and I've done as much as I can on that front, I've been escaping to the sewing room and a precious scrappy quilt loaded for clamshell quilting. A friend brought this to me, it has such a wonderful story: her mother had begun piecing this before she was diagnosed with a fast moving illness that ultimately took her life, it was out of the blue and completely unexpected. Following her death the unfinished quilt top sat for a long time until recently, her father picked it up and finished piecing it! It's huge: 96" X 102", entirely made up of three inch squares; yep, that's 1,088 scraps of love! My friend wanted double batting for a weightier, more substantial quilt. Sew it goes, this is destined to become a treasured family heirloom. 

Augie's been hanging out with me while I quilt lately, the sewing room is a peaceful place for him too. We're rising to the current challenges by squeezing lemonade out of the "lemons" that our construction zone has presented and making the best of it. Someone asked me the other day if this wasn't worse than moving; "no, not at all" I answered, emphatically, "I don't ever plan to move again, if I can help it! When this is over, and the dust settles, it will all be wonderful" (and tidy and better organized than it was before!). 

In the meantime, I'm enjoying the laundry room not only for doing up the dishes by hand 

but even for plugging in the crock pot for tonight's dinner. It's all good!

Life is Good! 

Finishing Up

Remember that ongoing porch project? This is how things looked a little over a week ago when I left for Hampton, VA and MidAtlantic Quilt Fest. The scaffolding was still in place and the units were all framed out to receive the screen panels. We had four glass sections installed in the gable end before I left.
Even though the space will be screened in, the screen panels have pull-down vinyl inserts so that we can minimize sweeping and cleaning out here during bad storms and the heaviest pollen in the spring. That's why we decided to glass-in, rather than screen-in, those gable ends. I was in for a big surprise when I arrived back home last Sunday!

Even though they weren't due to arrive until this past week, the screen panels had arrived while I was gone and Mr. Goodneedle already had most of them in place by the time I got home! He finished up installing them last Monday. What a difference; we have a porch!!

We got busy cleaning up our outdoor furniture and moved some of it inside, we cranked up the patio heater and sat down to enjoy our new space. We went to Costco to look for some comfier seating too. 

All Mr. Goodneedle's hard work on that tongue and groove ceiling were worth it, the happiest day for me was the day that the scaffolding came down for good! I could breathe a sigh of relief again. 

The Costco shopping trip paid off; we added a pair of recliners for reading and relaxing and we've ordered a few more pieces to round things out. It's really coming together now and I have no doubt that this new-found space will be utilized fully and frequently. We are already enjoying lunch and cribbage out here every day; we turn on the heater and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature surrounding us!

My latest find: cork-backed William Morris designed placemats; the "Strawberry Thief" pattern. 😊

Here's where we were last spring...

... and today!  What a difference a little less than a year makes. The columns in the foreground are slated for removal soon, but it's all coming together. Finishing up has never looked better. 

Life is Good!

Up next: As Ye Sew, So Shall Ye Rip...

Spreadsheet Required

We had the youngest two grandchildren for a few days last week, it was wonderful and BUSY! They're in the third and first grades now and they both have lots of fun activities besides school. Our son had emailed me calendar items to add to my daily schedule as reminders but I find that I need a spreadsheet. It's the way I visualize and plan. It might be antiquated but that works for me, and so, I created one. It worked like a champ! I knew at a glance who needed to be where and when. If it had just been the kiddos and their schedules it would have been one thing; but, during this time, I had a bit of oral surgery and construction began, full bore, on our porch project. Things were hopping at Chez Goodneedle!

The oral surgery was done under sedation, a first for me. I had cracked a molar clear through to the root and a plan was devised, over several steps, to prepare for a dental implant. The tooth was extracted and a bone graft was set in place all while I snoozed. I don't remember a thing about leaving the dentist's office that day or anything (I suppose that's good!) until I woke up sitting in the car in the Chick-Fil-A parking lot (Mr. Goodneedle was bringing lunch home for the work crew that day). I've had a follow-up visit since; all is well. I'll have the remaining stitches removed in a few weeks' time. 

Here's where we stand today with the progress on our porch project, we're roofed in; Mr. Goodneedle is busy with wiring and doing the things that he can do as we move forward. We will, eventually, have ceiling fans and a tongue-and-groove ceiling, (as well as screens) this space will be much loved and well-used come spring and warmer temperatures.  

Our dress-loving six-year-old granddaughter maneuvering around the rink at ice hockey practice!

So, back to the grandchildren-sitting and my spreadsheet: except for Lynnleigh's art lesson the day of my afore-mentioned surgery (there simply wasn't time to squeeze it in!) neither Gregory or Lynnleigh missed a beat: they were at school, their respective music lessons, Daisy and Cub scouts and ice hockey practice. Homework was completed, meals were on the table at the correct hour and baths and bedtimes were accomplished on time and successfully. This New England girl absolutely loved watching them skate! Truth be told: I am a HUGE hockey fan!! Their gear bags are, literally, as big as they are and the only mishap last Sunday afternoon was losing a glove somewhere in the melee associated with leaving the ice at the end of practice and getting all their gear off and in the proper duffle bags while they chased around to find the candy-bearing coach who hands out treats. I'd still consider our time as temporary surrogate parents a huge win! As Mr. Goodneedle stated: "keeping children is a young persons' sport!" Clearly, we're not too old yet! It's been quiet around here since they returned home. And now it's Thanksgiving week-- bring it on, I can't wait to have them back here again!

Life is Good!

Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving!

Up next: There IS A Simpler Way!