I'm a pack-rat.
I simply don't have that elusive ability to know what's important, what I'll need in the years to come and what I should just pass on to someone else who can use it in the here and now.
I like my stuff and I get worked up about getting rid of anything.
It's serious emotional angst for me and spring cleaning time is the worst. I feel compelled to organize my house at this time of year yet I just keep moving the same stuff every time it comes around.
I have approximately five very large boxes of 'stuff' from my childhood. I'm not sure what is actually in those boxes or why I saved some of it but now that I've had this stuff for 30+ years, I can't get rid of it. I've had it this long, I should keep it right?
It's a vicious, indecisive circle for me.
Plus, those boxes are worth a lot of money. Not because of the stuff inside, but for all the shipping I've paid for to move them around the country during my adult life. They went from Boston to upstate New York to Los Angeles to San Francisco to Maine.
Yup, they've seen some serious mileage and never got lost.
That's karma telling me I should keep them right?
But there are these times when my stuff comes in handy and takes me on a trip down memory lane.
Like recently when my co-workers started joking around about Charlie's Angels and I knew I still had my old dolls.
Or the time last summer I shared my 50+ volumes of Nancy Drew books with my girls after they saw the new movie (that movie was painful but my kids loved it).
And when my girls were younger they enjoyed playing with all my Goofy paraphernalia (btw, he is still the best Disney character of all time).
And of course Raggedy Ann has continued to be a cherished item for not only me, but for my girls as well.
L. was inspired to make her own this year for Fashion Review...
... and then there was the Halloween costume two years ago...
... and the dress that matched the doll that G. loved as much as me when she was little.
And I have to mention that doll is a testament to my mother's sewing skills for holding up to regular loving through a second generation.
I was about 4-years-old when my mom gave me the doll after a dance recital.
But the rest of the stuff... I'm never going to 'need' so I've set a goal for myself this spring. I'm going to pare down to 4 boxes by the end of the season.
Because really, when am I ever going to use my old 4th grade folder covered in old Mad stickers...
I thought the Mad comics and stickers were HILARIOUS as a kid. I was such a geek.
... or read the Super Mags.
But then again, maybe some day I'll need something else from these boxes and I'll get mad at myself for getting rid of the one thing I could have used at that moment.
Oh the woes of spring cleaning.
If you're a pack-rat and have found a way to work through your problem, please share your secret!
I promise only to pass on the secret to one other person ... my husband.
Yesterday G. spotted a corner of her missing sled in the backyard and dug it out.
She was all smiles when she uncovered her treasure while playing with her cat in the backyard.
And at the end of last week the public works department had a backhoe (no joke) at the end of our road to break up the ice ruts that made that part of the road impassable for small cars (the town didn't plow our road after a couple of storms in February and the road was a mess for weeks and required a detour to get on the main street for us and several of our neighbors).
We can now see pavement again.
I know, it will still take a while to get rid of all the snow but these little things are indicators to me that spring really is on its way.
For the past few months the kids and I have been crocheting and knitting to make squares for an afghan. This is the second year our 4-H club has made one for charity with some guidance from the Warm Up America! program (my kids really enjoyed making one last year so we decided to do it again).
But this year we asked people to make 5" by 5" squares because we thought the smaller size would be easier (last year's squares were larger and took more time to make so not as many people helped knit/crochet them).
We asked our friends and family (from ME, OR, MA, WV and Ontario - THANKS everyone!) to help with the project and by the end February we had 159 colorful squares.
It really is a fun kid-friendly and satisfying service project. But having done this twice, I thought I'd share some of my learnings about organizing this type of project in case anyone was interested in giving it a try.
*Organize your squares and fit them into a row of strips BEFORE the meeting when you plan to sew them together. This is when you can figure out how each strip of squares will work out to be approximately the same width (it's inevitable that not all your squares will be exactly the size you request and/or perfectly square, especially when kids are knitting/crocheting the squares too).
*At the meeting, put the kids into small groups and give each group a row to sew together. This keep things organized for you and it helps the kids feel less-overwhelmed with the project.
*If time allows, crocheting a black border around each square makes explaining to the kids how to sew the squares together much easier because all the sides of the square have exactly the same stitching.
*The yarn used to sew the squares together hides a multitude of sins when it matches the square's border, which is a good thing when you've got inexperienced hand-sewers.
*A border helps make the squares look good together, even when put next to yarn that doesn't exactly match.
*Don't sweat the small stuff, like matching all the squares in each row together with the squares above and below it. It's nearly impossible to match squares crochet or knit by a variety of people using different hooks/needles, yarn and stitches so don't even try.
*When sewing two rows together, start one child from each end and have them meet in the middle. This way the kids can stretch their rows to match length-wise throughout the whole row instead of stretching the last square so much that it looks weird.
*Request your square makers use acrylic yarn (stay away from wool or cotton). Acrylic makes washing the afghan easy for the person receiving it and it's less likely to have odd shrinkage or stretching. It's also inexpensive yarn to purchase.
*And last but not least, learn basic math. This helps keep the project simple in creating ONE afghan.
Due to my math error, we ended up with enough squares to make two afghans this year to donate to a Portland family shelter.
And yes, both did pass the kid-cozy factor.
More photos from this afghan-making project.
If you don't know how to knit/crochet, YouTube has some good 'how to' videos to learn.
And if you're interested in doing this type of service project, check out the Warm Up America! website for patterns and general information how to get started.
Warm Up America!
Sewing for a fashion show takes a lot of planning and this past weekend the kids participating in the Cumberland County 4-H Fashion Review were all smiles the big event had finally arrived.
L. decided she really wanted to make her own Raggedy Ann doll like the one my mother made for me when I was a kid. So for her birthday this past fall, grandma bought her all the supplies to make her own.
It took L. a couple of months of on and off work to make the doll, which included embroidering the face and heart, making the body, sewing on the hair (the hardest job of all!) and then making the clothes.
G. undertook an easier project because she really wanted a new poncho (the one I made for her for Christmas several years ago is looking old and ratty now) and she thought it would be fun to model at the fashion show.
There were 16 kids participating in this year's fashion review and every project was different and really great -- from skirts and tops to scarfs and hats to a Medieval tunic to fancy party dresses.
The show had it all.
See all the kids on the 'runway'.
It really is great to have fun programs that teach kids to appreciate the art of sewing because I know a lot of adult women who have never done it. Plus, teaching kids early that sewing isn't hard, you give them a life skill they can use (my mom actually sent me to college with a sewing machine and I put it to use for myself and my friends, which was a source of great amusement with obnoxious matching shorts but that's a story for another time).
There's nothing like looking at the young, proud faces of a job well-done.
There's nothing like an edge-of-your-seat sporting event to get you yelling and screaming. Last night's overtime shoot-out win at the Pirates game was one of those nights when we did a lot of that.
If you're not familiar with the Kids Tracks Pirates Hockey Retro Version, you might not know that my 10-year-old is a big Pirates hockey fan.
It started about three years ago when L.'s friend invited her to her first hockey game. We went and the girls were disturbed with all the fighting and roughness of the game but loved all the yelling and screaming they got to do (obviously something we don't normally encourage indoors, hence it's attraction) at the game. I remember my dad taking me to Bruins games as a kid and thought it was kinda fun to continue the tradition so I bought tickets to a few more games that season.
During one of those late-season games, one of the players was injured (the blood spurting kind that has to later be scraped out of the ice - lots of queeziness in the stands that night!). The girls were really upset and wrote the player a get well card the next day. The player, who turned out back on the ice a few weeks later so it wasn't too serious an injury, sent the girls a thank you card and his player card.
If they weren't hooked on hockey before, there were right then!
So we regularly attend games to cheer on L.'s favorite team (and nope, she has no aspirations to become an ice hockey player, although she tried field hockey for the first time last fall and loved it). We also take photos for Seen Team (I take photos, L. gives out the stickers) and for the past couple of years, we've brought Grandpa along to the games with us.
He and L. talk hockey and have an on-going joke about Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline." L.'s had her various game superstitions through the past few seasons that has kept Grandpa and I entertained -- like the ban on chocolate so the Pirates would beat the Hershey Bears in the playoffs in 2006 (they didn't - she believed it was her and the fudgical's fault), which lead to the 'good luck' consumption of dairy for the Milwaukee Admirals to beat Hershey.
Needless to say, we enjoy Pirates hockey.
Last night at the game L. decided to ponder once again what it would be like to work all the time with your sibling. She thought it could get really annoying sometimes.
Kevin Dineen is the head coach and this season his brother Gord is the assistant coach.
She also spent some time dwelling on her lack of luck with Chuck-a-Puck.
L. won the very first time she bought pucks but hasn't won anything since. If you've never heard of this between-periods activity, check it out in the Retro Version. It's tons of fun.
But one of the things I enjoy most about the Pirates games is that you never know what you'll see while you're there. Last night we saw members of the PSO set up on a stage in the stands to play music before the game and between the first and second periods (we also saw guys in kilts but it is March after all).
PSO ensemble at the game
A while back we saw the Maine Youth Suzuki orchestra play (all 75+ of them set up on the ice to play the National Anthem).
A little culture, a little hockey. It's all good stuff.
I would not have thought being the mother of two daughters, we would all enjoy hockey games so much. But it's great fun -- and about the same cost as a trip to the movies (concessions are much more reasonably priced at the Civic Center).
Plus, there is something to be said for an infusion of socially acceptable screaming to get you - and the kids - through the winter blahs.
Overtime ShootOut
L. and I paint large signs for Schoolhouse Arts Center when they need them. They don't take any great art skills to trace and paint but we look forward to the process whenever we're asked to make one. (And this morning I realized this activity falls under Virginia's thoughts about finding special time with each child for me and L. ;)
We started the signs for the upcoming "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep" show this past weekend and they are still in-process (fixing up the letters after the red coat). It takes us about a week to make them because we have to prime the wood (let it dry) then base coat (let it dry) before we can start the actual lettering and painting.
Making these signs is pretty simple and only requires an overhead projector and a semi-steady tracing and painting hand.
Since scoring a used overhead projector for home (someone gave us an old school one that Fino refurbished), the girls enjoy making their own projection drawings whenever they want. (I've seen projectors on e-bay for a reasonable cost.)
On cold, rainy days like today, it's a fun activity that keeps one (or both) of the girls busy for hours. And after reading jro's blog entry about 'messy art', I thought other moms might like to learn how to do this project because it's good, clean fun ... when you use pencils and crayons.
We use a roll of butcher paper and Plasti-Tak (love this stuff) to secure the paper to the wall.
Then I print out the girl's picture choice on to a clear transparency while they set up the projector and get out their colored pencils and crayons. You can print out clip art or simple coloring book drawings too (a google image search with the keywords 'coloring book' in it should get you something easy for younger kids).
Then we put the transparency on the projector and adjust the size of the image on the wall (closer is smaller, further away is larger). Usually the hardest part of setting this up is finding open wall space to accommodate the butcher paper (art projects, photos and book shelves take up most of the walls in our house!).
Then they start tracing.
Today G. made the photo choice -- her cat Toddy -- since L. is sick with the flu.
I am happy to say that the girls have come full-circle on the use of markers. When they were little they loved them because it was something I had to police closely and didn't allow very often (L. was a budding illustrator on her bedroom walls through her toddler and preschool years). Then I allowed full access to markers a few years ago but they decided that colored pencils and crayons looked better anyway.
Last year L. made a projection art project for 4-H and I agree that the crayon/pencil look is much nicer.
Here's the original photo
The other aspect I really like about projection art is that any kid, including those that think, "I can't draw ANYTHING!" (insert G.'s frustrated face here), find success with this. It's easy, it's fun and kids feel like they can do something special.
Of course they also start asking you to find wall space for it afterwards...
Yeah, maybe this art project does have a downside. But for a few hours of peace and quiet in the house on rainy day, I'll gladly find a spot for the new poster.
My family loves cross country skiing and we've been enjoying it since mid-December but there are a few things we're looking forward to seeing again this spring.
The snow sled.
The kids left it outside after last Wednesday's storm. They think it was left it by the hill but Saturday afternoon they couldn't find it after searching for an hour.
The road.
Saturday we went cross country skiing around our neighborhood loop - on the street - because the plow trucks have done such a poor job of plowing after these last few storms. It was easier on the 'groomed' street than cutting tracks in the backyard.
The mailbox.
It required a pickaxe and an hour of work on Saturday afternoon to dig it out enough to get mail delivery today.
The truck.
We can't see the 'hobby truck' (the truck under constant repair by Fino) anymore so that's off the table for repairs until spring (which doesn't break my heart I have to admit; he has time for other projects in the house now).
The chicken coop and backyard.
We need to use the path to the chicken coop to get into the back yard. Not so easy to scale those banks with cross country skiis we discovered yesterday.
The garden fence.
This was taken after last Wednesday's storm and could barely see the fence posts; Saturday's snowfall covered them completely and the old stalks.
The garden fence and sunflowers in the summer.
Our spring will be full of reunions. How about you?
Or the time last summer I shared my 50+ volumes of Nancy Drew books with my girls after they saw the new movie (that movie was painful but my kids loved it).
And when my girls were younger they enjoyed playing with all my Goofy paraphernalia (btw, he is still the best Disney character of all time).
And of course Raggedy Ann has continued to be a cherished item for not only me, but for my girls as well.
L. was inspired to make her own this year for Fashion Review...
... and then there was the Halloween costume two years ago...
... and the dress that matched the doll that G. loved as much as me when she was little.
And I have to mention that doll is a testament to my mother's sewing skills for holding up to regular loving through a second generation.
I thought the Mad comics and stickers were HILARIOUS as a kid. I was such a geek.
... or read the Super Mags.
But then again, maybe some day I'll need something else from these boxes and I'll get mad at myself for getting rid of the one thing I could have used at that moment.
Oh the woes of spring cleaning.
If you're a pack-rat and have found a way to work through your problem, please share your secret!
I promise only to pass on the secret to one other person ... my husband.
*If time allows, crocheting a black border around each square makes explaining to the kids how to sew the squares together much easier because all the sides of the square have exactly the same stitching.
*The yarn used to sew the squares together hides a multitude of sins when it matches the square's border, which is a good thing when you've got inexperienced hand-sewers.
*A border helps make the squares look good together, even when put next to yarn that doesn't exactly match.
*Don't sweat the small stuff, like matching all the squares in each row together with the squares above and below it. It's nearly impossible to match squares crochet or knit by a variety of people using different hooks/needles, yarn and stitches so don't even try.
*When sewing two rows together, start one child from each end and have them meet in the middle. This way the kids can stretch their rows to match length-wise throughout the whole row instead of stretching the last square so much that it looks weird.
*Request your square makers use acrylic yarn (stay away from wool or cotton). Acrylic makes washing the afghan easy for the person receiving it and it's less likely to have odd shrinkage or stretching. It's also inexpensive yarn to purchase.
*And last but not least, learn basic math. This helps keep the project simple in creating ONE afghan.
There's nothing like looking at the young, proud faces of a job well-done.
He and L. talk hockey and have an on-going joke about 
Then I print out the girl's picture choice on to a clear transparency while they set up the projector and get out their colored pencils and crayons. You can print out clip art or simple coloring book drawings too (a google image search with the keywords 'coloring book' in it should get you something easy for younger kids).
Then we put the transparency on the projector and adjust the size of the image on the wall (closer is smaller, further away is larger). Usually the hardest part of setting this up is finding open wall space to accommodate the butcher paper (art projects, photos and book shelves take up most of the walls in our house!).
Then they start tracing.
Today G. made the photo choice -- her cat Toddy -- since L. is sick with the flu.
I am happy to say that the girls have come full-circle on the use of markers. When they were little they loved them because it was something I had to police closely and didn't allow very often (L. was a budding illustrator on her bedroom walls through her toddler and preschool years). Then I allowed full access to markers a few years ago but they decided that colored pencils and crayons looked better anyway.
Last year L. made a projection art project for 4-H and I agree that the crayon/pencil look is much nicer.
The truck.
We can't see the 'hobby truck' (the truck under constant repair by Fino) anymore so that's off the table for repairs until spring (which doesn't break my heart I have to admit; he has time for other projects in the house now).
The chicken coop and backyard.
We need to use the path to the chicken coop to get into the back yard. Not so easy to scale those banks with cross country skiis we discovered yesterday.
The garden fence.
Our spring will be full of reunions. How about you?