Sunday, September 20, 2020

The Big Sort Is Complete...

First off, for those (like me) who are struggling with the new Booger - I mean, Blogger...  I just today made a discovery.  I don't know if different templates operate differently, but I finally figured out how to get single spacing back on my blog.  If you've lost your single spacing try this:   

To get the formatting to move the curser down just one space (instead of two) when you press [Enter], check the little toolbar at the top of the post you're typing.  Right before the B I ...  check and see if the word Paragraph appears.  Click on that and choose Normal.  That should set things right again.  

~~~~~

Good things have been happening since I was last here two weeks ago.   My mother-in-law's house is finally empty (on September 9th, I believe - the last several large items were taken away by Habitat for Humanity).  Lord, bless them and their truck.

So many people have been blessed by receiving the belongings of a 65+ year marriage, and a home of the last 25 years:  ourselves, our children, friends, a young couple whose oversea's ministry got cut short by COVID, and several local and international ministries that will either use many items donated, or sell them to fund their ministries.  

This past week saw a cleaning crew come in and clean from top to bottom.  MIL's house wasn't really dirty, but a deep clean of a few areas and a full going over has made the place shine.  And this week painters will go in and do mostly touch-up work.  Four months after my mother-in-law's passing, the house should be ready to list for sale. Even the realtor is a friend of the family, so yet another person is blessed with the business of selling it.  While there is a certain amount of sadness with all of this, I think Marcene would be very happy with how it's all gone, and the relief we all feel to be at this stage is so very good. 

Along with celebrating our progress, my sister-in-law's birthday was celebrated last Sunday with brats, burgers and cake.  And we visited her on her actual birthday and took her some yummy eats from a favorite Chinese restaurant near where she lives.  

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before now, but back at home I've visited with friends for an outside "play date" several times this summer.  We switch back and forth between bringing a handcraft to work on while we visit, and playing Taboo.  Taboo was my friend's idea, and while I said yes just because getting together sounded good, playing this game is sharpening my brain after so much time this year spent quietly - mostly with my thoughts.  Have any of the rest of you found in-person conversations challenging since lockdowns began?  I attribute it to COVID Brain.  Anyway...  every other week or so of playing Taboo has gotten the tongue loosened up and the cobwebs cleared a bit from the brain.  I feel sharper every time we play it.  

I have no pictures of all this, of course - me being me, who only considers after the moment has passed what treasures some candid shots of all these things would be someday.

Sigh.

I'm so good at thinking of photos after the fact.

But that is life - and it seems to especially be life right now.  Today, after lunch DH said, "It seems like I should be going up to Mom's today.  I feel like I'm forgetting something."  And then he added, "What a relief to realize there's nothing there to forget."  

But there is much here to do.  This past week has seen a serious (though not finished) sorting through things we've brought home from MIL's over the last three months.  What the last couple of weeks has not seen is any real crafting - well, except for knitted dishcloths that have helped me wind down, and frankly, rest my COVID Brain.  😶

But the crafty wheels have been turning.  I've been looking at projects, buying some yarn here and there, and going to sleep thinking of colors and color combinations. This is my happy place.  And somehow my craft room recently got turned nearly inside out for the second time this summer, so that is on my priority list of spaces to conquer.  With an orderly crafting space, I'll at least have a place to retreat to when other spaces aren't up to snuff, and I'm too tired (in mind or body) to deal with disorder in other rooms.  The other rooms will come together with some time and a more thorough sorting.

I'm seriously thinking of doing another 30 Day Minimalism Challenge.  It's been nearly a year since the last time, and I certainly have enough "stuff" to move out again.

I've weighed whether or not to take pictures of the various projects I have in progress or am thinking of doing.  I enjoy looking at other's pictures of these things, but if I do that this long post will be much longer and it will be dark before I can get all the pictures taken.

So I will leave you with a single photo of my small stack of dishcloths knitted this month and the happy idea that this week begins a new type of week for both hubs and me.  At least a new type of week since June.  



Here's hoping it's the beginning of getting back to not only some overall order here, but more interesting crafting time, too. 

Oh, okay...  one more picture:


This is what's left of a second batch of tomatoes I picked yesterday from a friend's garden while she and her family are on a week's vacation.   The first batch picked a week ago were frozen and some shared with family last Sunday at SIL's birthday gathering.  What's pictured above is about half of yesterday's pickins' (minus a few I dropped off at a friend's).  They're headed for my freezer between tonight and tomorrow.  Looking forward to the pots of Sausage Lentil Soup and Chili these will make - these are probably my two most favorite soups.  Oooh, and maybe even some "fresh" from-scratch pasta sauce.  Mmmmmm...



34 comments:

  1. I appreciate that you (and your family) were able to take something heartbreaking (the passing of your MIL) and think about being able to spread blessings to your community. Its a beautiful sentiment. I will be certain to hold onto this idea for the future.

    You mentioned that COVID has caused you to be "bad" with in-person conversations. The opposite has been the case for me- I have been abysmal with keeping up with text conversations with friends. I hope you get your in-person mojo back, its a tough when everything feels on indefinite pause.

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    1. "indefinite pause" - such a perfect phrase for this time we're in.

      Sharing MIL's things with so many others has made the siblings so happy. And that has made the experience less painful than it might have been. I don't know who made the decision to hold an auction of my parents' household, but it was a painful way to part with a lifetime of accumulations. OTOH, it was quick and got the job done. It may sound weird, but I guess I'm glad I've had both experiences and know there isn't one right way to do this. The main thing is to maintain family unity and support for one another - and in both our cases, that happened, so it's all good.

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  2. Those look like Roma plum tomatoes, best of all for sauce. Great haul.
    How thoughtful you are at sharing always. You frequently mention it and it's good to hear.

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    1. Thank you for the encouragement, Liz. And yes, they are Roma tomatoes. I do think I'm going to save some back from freezing for making some fresh pasta sauce. :)

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  3. I really love your outlook on the passing of your MIL - I hope for continued blessings for all of those touched by her life.
    Aw man I know what you mean about taking photos! I downloaded the 1 second every day app, in which you can put together a slideshow of short videos from your days and I've found that reminds me to take some photos or videos. Mine tend to be photos rather than videos, but it's still a good reminder!
    Kath - Backstage Knits

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    1. Hmmm... I may need to look into this 1 second every day app. I do often think about what would make good pictures. But in the actual moment where those "good pictures" appear, I too often fail to recognize it. sigh.

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  4. Why is it, our craft room is always the one messed up. That seems to be the room we dump stuff into until we (me) find time to sort it out.

    Glad to hear your MILs home is emptied and ready to be placed on the market. That is a big chore off your shoulders.
    How nice that so many benefited from all of this.

    I have heard of Taboo. May need to look into that game. I love to play games.

    COVID brain is a real thing. Many have suffered from it. I have made it a point to speak to others daily via phone. It has helped quite a bit.

    Lovely dishcloths. They are such a perfect project when you just need a little crafting without a bunch of thinking.

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    1. I don't know why my craft room (and unfortunately our bedroom) too often become a sort of "stuff purgatory" until I often decide to just get rid of them. I wish I could just skip the part where I decide to hang onto a thing, hoping I'll realize it's purpose and where it should be stored. I do know when I get those areas cleared, I'm inspired to keep them that way. Until it happens again...

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  5. I am happy to hear things are moving along so smoothly with your MIL's house. I know what a job it is to sort through someone's things especially when they have lived in their house for so long. Those tomatoes look good enough to eat! lol. I have never played Taboo but my son and I get together on facetime chat a couple of times a week to do crossword puzzles together. It definitely keeps the brain limber.

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    1. Keeping the brain limber is so true. And important!

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  6. We have been dehydrating all our cherry tomatoes. They are so tasty in a cream sauce over spaghetti. Plus it makes them easy to pack and take to Florida with us in the winter. I've never made dishrags as I'm a sponge user but yours are very pretty.

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    1. I just looked up how to dehydrate cherry tomatoes and how to use them. I must try this! So glad you suggested it, Maureen.

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  7. Those dishcloths are so lovely, and all in my favourite colours. Are you sure they don't have my name written all over them? LOL. I'm glad you got all the sorting completed.

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  8. Hi Becki! It is lovely to hear from you again - I don't mind the long posts at all. Well done on cleaning out your MILs house, an experience that can be heart-warming, heart-wrenching, and, as your family turned it, satisfying. I am so glad you were able to take many memories and bless others - from family to strangers.

    It could be time for me to give the Minimalist Challenge a go again too!

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    1. Hi Christi! I almost asked above if anyone would like to join me in the minimalist challenge! ;^) So good to hear from you.

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  9. So glad you are finally finished with taking care of your MIL's belongings. I love the way you and your husband took care of it all and the fact that it was blessing others. It's been a lot of work and emotional healing as well. I am sure she is loving how you dealt with it all.
    I would love the minimalist challenge but I have no place to take it so I am bagging things up and putting them in the basement until COVID is over. I used to go to the Salvation Army when I went to my doctor appointments but it's 1 1/2 hours away and I don't go to the doctor now either.
    Your washcloths are so pretty and summery!

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    1. It was all the siblings who managed the Great Sort. I was just a helper, really. Somedays more helpful than others. We're all glad that part is behind us. As far as the minimalism challenge goes, I'm looking forward to seeing what I end up moving out of our house this time around. ;^)

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  10. Those dishcloths are truly so pretty and fresh tomatoes are a super gift. I have just given up trying to grow them. I keep trying in pots because my father-in-law used to grow them like that, but I have no real luck.
    I can't believe y'all got that house cleared out in 4 months. That is an achievement for sure. We played a game called Apples to Apples (I think that was the name) at the beach last week. IT was so much fun. I think I can relate to COVID Brain. The lack of social interaction has even this introvert kinda ready to see people in person:)

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    1. I can't seem to grow tomatoes in pots, either. My friend's garden is growing like gang-busters, though. Even though we're nearing the end of our garden growing season here, I think they have a few weeks of plentiful harvest still. Hopefully, frost holds off and all those tomatoes still on the plants will ripen. We've played Apples to Apples. It was youngest son's favorite for a long time. His birthday is coming up and we're getting together to play games. I should ask him if he's still interested in playing this. It would be kind of nostalgic for us to give it another go.

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  11. I am sure that it is a relief in many ways to have the bulk of the work behind you. Just yesterday, we went inside my own mother-in-law's house . . . maybe for the last time because it has been sold and goes to settlement soon. It's quite bittersweet.

    I love Taboo! I would love to be able to join in your game parties! :)

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    1. It would be fun to have you join us, Cheryl. At first, I felt like it was kind of a frivolous thing to do, but it's really been enjoyable and helpful like I said. My inlaws were such icons in their neighborhood. They were among the first to move in when the subdivision was being developed and they were surely the oldest at this point in time. So many people there knew them, I wonder what it's going to feel like to their closest neighbors as new owners move in after losing my FIL and MIL...

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  12. What a relief that must be to have such a difficult and emotional job done. I can’t see a difference in text size or spacing between rows on this and your previous post?? On the email version I got I think the lines were more squished but could be imagining that. I don’t know the game Taboo. I love playing games but we barely socialised before lockdown, so we really just play Canasta with my mother in law.

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    1. You may not be able to see the difference in the final product, but on the typing end, it makes a difference to have single spacing. Now you're giving me something to worry about, though. I will check my e-mail version on my computer screen, and then check the mobile version on my phone. I hope I haven't made anything go wonky... Thank you for any feedback you give. I may or may not be able to resolve things, but it's helpful to know what a reader is experiencing.

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    2. Of course it could be I wasn't wearing my glasses lol

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  13. It has to be a huge relief to have the house clear out done, although I'm sure you will miss going over there and sorting through the memories. Now you can settle into fall and playing with some new projects. I'm facing making two afghan/blankets (crocheted) for weddings that will be happening in the next year. Don't know what form those weddings will actually take but at least I know what the gifts will be.

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    1. We brought pictures home, so DH's doing that sorting - it may take him into the winter. There is still so much to sort through that we've brought home, but I do need (for my sanity) to get back to some crafting. How nice that you're making afghans as wedding gifts. I have an afghan request and the yarn just arrived today, so maybe I'll have something new (that I'm working on) to show next week. :)

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  14. Oh I am so HAPPY that you have been seeing friends! God bless you! Seasons of life for crafting and the like 💖

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  15. What an important and emotional job to have finished, or nearly finished. The tomatoes look delicious and I love your stack of dishcloths.

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    1. So close to being finished, it's almost hard to wait 'till it's truly all done. Painters are there this week, so everything is on track!

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  16. Thanks for the tip, Becki! That double space has been annoying me. Glad you have this big project sorted.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. Glad it was helpful, Amalia. As I read other blogger blogs I can see from the formatting that others are either dealing with it, or possibly just accepting it. I was, too, until I figured it out. I much prefer typing things in single spacing format and add my spaces where I want them.

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  17. What a green thumb your friend has; her little tomatoes look perfecto. Glad you hired a cleaner to clean your MIL's home. I always enjoy seeing your dishcloths.

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