Why Would Anyone Say I'm OCD?

Ok, I admit to being a little organized, but only in spots. Not every spot. Just a few spots. This is my linen closet. My shelves are labeled - call me Martha Stewart. I have a loveseat that makes a twin bed, a sofa that makes a double bed, queen beds in the bedrooms and a king sized bed in the camper - that means sheets of every size. If I don't label them I spend way too much time figuring out which sheets go where! And look what I discovered. This over-the-door shoe holder is perfect for pillow cases. :) I roll each pair and stick in a slot - there are a few singles on the bottom row for the twin bed (and the odd embroidered pillowcase I find at antique shops and can afford). I'm a sucker for hand embroidered pillowcases. So if you have any languishing in a drawer think of me! And there's so little storage space in this house (we downsized 6 years ago like people our age are supposed to do but which I don't understand at all because it took me years to collect all my stuff and then I'm supposed to get rid of half of it - what's up with that? I'm just sayin'.) So in the bottom of my linen closet I put a few other things, like my rice cooker which I only use for steaming shrimp which happens about twice a year. And light bulbs, and beach towels. Oh, and a couple of suitcases. One is for storing the electric blanket (the one with the cord sticking out) for when we have company who likes to be warm. My husband could live in the Antarctic and be comfortable...we sleep with the temp at 60°. Brrr. And the other little case holds the American flag my cousin Carol sent me and which only goes on the flagpole in the summer, specifically the Fourth of July because it's too special to leave out all the time.

Yes this is part of my fabric stash and yes I know that shelf is sagging. Fabric is fat in case you didn't know it. It must be big boned because it weighs way more than you would expect. Those white forms I wrap it on are foamboard? I buy when it's half price at Hobby Lobby and cut into fourths. There are a few extras there because I recently used some of my stash - yea, me! The folded fabrics are either solid color Kona cottons or quilt width backing fabrics. The Kona is folded because generally I buy 5 yards at a time and it's way too fat to put on a form. I also have a bin with fat quarters in it (which are really not fat at all) and a bin waiting to get onto forms. But right now there's not an extra inch of breathing space on the shelves so that fabric in the bin will have to wait it's turn.

And these old P.E. lockers each have one project in them. Some are projects in progress (WIPs) and some I haven't started yet but plan to any day now. Right. Any day now.

So honestly that's just two spots that are organized. Or three if you count the fabric closet and the project shelves as two spots but really they're in the same room so if I'm counting I'll say one spot. Did you notice I didn't show you the closets in my bedroom? There's a reason for that. And that's all I'll say about that. But I might organize them in a couple of weeks. Maybe. It could happen. But it's not likely.

I'm going to be having a giveaway sometime late next week so stay tuned. You never know what I might choose - a trip to Hawaii (just kidding about that one), an apron, fabric, patterns, my first born child (just kidding about that one too). I might even go shopping. Probably not. Anyway, you might want to leave a comment because you never know how I might choose the winner. That's a hint girls/guys.

Does This Ever Happen To You

Yesterday I took a deep breath, hitched up my git-along (according to my grandma this means you got yourself ready to do something) and went into the sewing room to do something about my overflowing scrap bin. I throw my scraps into a plastic tubby. Only for the last few months I have to mash down the scraps with both hands in an effort to keep them from spilling over. That tubby, by the way, is about the size of a rectangular laundry basket. I know that my Grandma would have used up every bit of those scraps so something inside of me just won't let me throw them away. Twelve hourslater (in a two day span) every piece had been ironed, about 1/3 of them had been trimmed and they were all sorted into piles. I have piles for 2 1/2" strips, wider than that strips, narrower than that strips, big pieces, big/medium pieces, medium/small pieces. They are in smaller plastic boxes with lids that stack on top of each other. I'd have been through sooner except something happens to me when I get started organizing....it's like I'm possessed or something. Some people call it OCD. :) I moved stuff and vacuumed, moved stuff to new places and believe it or not threw some stuff away. I find it hard to get to a stopping place. Does that every happen to you?

What Happened to Spring...and Some Other Stuff

Spring came to Arkansas some weeks ago. First I saw hints of pink on the Redbud trees. Then the forsythia and the japonica bloomed. Along came the Tulip trees and, of course, the daffodils were everywhere. Now my Carolina Jasmine is blooming, and the hyacinths. That was yesterday. Today it's just barely above freezing and it's been raining for two days with two more days of rain to come. I had started getting out my summer clothes. After all it was 80°! Now my closet is crammed full, half with winter, half with summer. Sweaters are hanging out with capri pants. Boots linger beside sandals. My closet is not large. Woe is me.


Hello. My name is Marlene and I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. OCD for you fellow sufferers. I spent most of my day yesterday finishing the organization of my fabric closet. I had just had my fill of not being able to find a fabric to go with what I was making only to find the perfect one in my closet after I'd gone out and bought another. So with the blessing and urging and enabling of my two neighbors, Connie and Cissy, I went to Hobby Lobby and bought 20 x 30 foam core, cut them in fourths, and this is what the result is. Of course that was several trips to Hobby Lobby over the course of a couple of months and only when the foam core was on for half off. I wish I could tell you that this is all of my fabric. But it isn't. I have several (many) pieces pulled out and in tubbies as part of a project or ten that I'm working on. However, now that I can see what I have I no longer have an excuse for not using it. Right? Unless someone out there can think of a good excuse for me to buy more and I'm all ears....

My computer has spring fever. Or something equally yucky. It gets slower and slower every day. Sort of like me. Do you think it needs castor oil? I've cleaned everything I can think of to clean and still it slows down. I might have cleaned out something I wasn't supposed to - I've been known to do that in my house so it stands to reason I could have done it here. I suppose I'll take it to the doctor but what shall I do while it's gone? I'll be lost. I'm sure I'll wilt or wither or something really bad. Oh, I know. I'll take it tomorrow when my husband has gone fishing for a couple of days and I'll use his! All is well.

I'm Just Wondering

After several interrupted weeks - the kind where you have a day at home and several days traveling, or a day at home and several days of meetings/errands/appointments - I've had a really quiet week. Of course part of it I was sick after Montezuma came to visit me while I was in Mexico, but by Wednesday afternoon I was much better and ready to get back to my normal life. Have you ever noticed that after a time of interrupted weeks and you finally get to spend some time at home the "nesting" instinct kicks in? It always happens with me. I spent Thursday cleaning out drawers, reorganizing closets, doing laundry - things that make me feel like Holly Homemaker. (Disclaimer! This is not my closet or my drawer; I am not that organized.) But by Friday morning I was ready to hit the sewing room! Only when I got there, before I could sew I had to clean out a closet! And right now I'm just wondering if my husband is going to be gone one day this week so I can take every single thing (not furniture) out of my living room and rearrange! I mean what's on the top bookshelf might get moved to the coffee table, what's on the mantle might get moved to the end table....I'm not pregnant (that would be a true miracle from God since both hubby and I have been "fixed"), I'm not hormonal (been off those things for several weeks now), and I'm not insane (couldn't swear to this one). Any explanations?

Here's another thing I'm curious about. Why is it that the longer a man watches television, the louder it gets? Does that happen at your house? It seems that when it's first turned on the television is at a reasonable decible. After the first hour or so I notice it from 2 rooms away. Another hour and I could hear it out on the lake in the boat with the motor running. Is it their hearing? I mean, does it decline over time - not just years, but hours? Is there some subliminal message on commercials (which are louder than the shows anyway) that says, "Turn me up! Turn me up!" Or is it a concerted effort to get our attention? We're off in some other part of the house doing something that isn't designed for their comfort so they're trying to get our attention? If you know I really, really wish you'd share with the rest of us 'cause my ears hurt. And those of you with small children added to the mix, bless your heart!