Lightening!

Yes, I meant lightening! Did you think I meant it as aerial electric lightning?

No worries. Alle ist klar.

A dear dear friend told me of Marie Kondo, aka Konmari. She is a Japanese woman, sweeping Japan with her approach, her methods, her philosophy of organizing. She started her fascination at the old age of 5 years, of organizing, or "The life changing magic of tidying up" as her book is titled.

Her book is available as an audio book online. Have listened to it a couple times as I was working on needlework projects or hand-making cards for loved ones for upcomong occasions.

Her ideas make a lot of sense. I need her.

When making the decision to leave Colorado, I rid myself of 1/2 of all I own. Have spent the past 3 years working to get rid of the rest.

Donate

Give away

Throw away

Have rid myself of furniture, clothes, knick knacks, dishes, bed linens, table linens, even a few antiques. Whatever it was that I could do without.

Lighter! Lightening my load!

However, still need to get rid of more.

Today, had to do some mending of pants for 2 single guys, here in town. I was meeting them at Dos Chiles Mexican Restaurant to take them out for an early dinner as well as deliver their mended pants which ~ by the way ~ I had had their pants for 12 days, had not touched them! the pants, that is.  :)

By 11 am I had gathered motivation. I went into the room to get my sewing machine, which I had not touched since 2010, ready to mend the pants.

UGH!

I had been an expert seamstress. Had made my daughters wedding dress in 2010. Had been sewing a long time. Since 2010, I had no reason to sew. 

Time to get it out, fire it up!

The room, a small sitting room just off my bedroom, had been more of a storage room. Had to move the 8 storage bins away from the area where my sewing machine, still packed in a box, was safe, padded by 2 antique quilts I had once prized, to keep the sewing machine from being damaged when I moved to Texas.

It took me 30 minutes (I'm embarrassed to say) to move the storage containers away, un-box the sewing machine, get it set up, then, begin mending. Another deterrant. The sewing machine was 12 feet from the electrical outlet, the cord was only 8 feet. Time to go to the hardware store for an extension cord. All the hardware store had was a 6 ft cord & a 20 ft cord.

The mending was quite simple. Bring the outer seams in by 1.2" on each side, sew up the crotch that had ripped. Patch a rip in the front of one.

This mending task illustrated for me that, I need to rid myself of still MORE than I already had. 

I accomplished the mending, then, did my hair in preparation for meeting the guys at the restaurant. After dinner, I would give them their mended pants after dinner.

Lightening is needed! Lots more lightening! lightening my load of extraneous "stuff".

I have one large bag of clothes to donate when the donation facility is opened on Tuesday. Hoping to add 5 of the remaining 20 bins I still have.

Getting rid of more...more...more! Ha ha!

Greased lightening!