If it's not one thing....it's your Mother...

No, not Mr. B's mother - she's still in San Diego with the other-brotherB. But apparently all that sunshine has brought on a cold of sorts - they are both (my "other-Mother" and Mr. B's "other-brother") down with the sniffles.

(But I always wanted to use that line...hehehe)

No, I'm talking about the "purge" part of my last few weeks.

You know, like "Oprah's Big Give" only this is "Colleen's Big Throw-out"...

In an attempt to be more space-saving, clean and 'green', seems I have tossed out about a ton of trash.

How's that for leaving a "footprint" on the world??

While most of it was recycleable, I think a lot was not. I have done due diligence in giving what I felt could be fixed, re-purposed or re-claimed to the appropriate charities, but, holy crap!

(with the emphasis on crap...) This is where watching too much TV brings you the guilt for

ruining planet ....

Do you ever wonder why in the world were you keeping that? Did you honestly think it'd come back in style? Or that you'd pick up that particular craft that took hours and hours and never really looked like the picture on the box??

What was I thinking??

I think I have done every craft know to mankind (or womankind) over my 58 years.

Paint by numbers? Oh they made it look so easy..mine never looked so good. And Heaven forbid one should spill one of those little cups - would have to make the tree branches Pixie Pink and the kids would laugh, but I liked pink branches. They were different, I created them, me and no one else. My opinion is the only one that mattered..

Macramé - Oh this was a good one - everybody got HUGE hanging planters for Christmas that year - most of whom never grew plants....

Ceramics - well, who doesn't need one more dust collector? And a purple pig with a flowered butt no less! Guess what everyone got that year??

Sewing - OK, well this one did put clothes on little April's back when she was about 2 - but remember I found the pattern for a nightgown for Andy (now 38) still pinned to the sweet flannel? Yep, that one sure lasted, huh?

Embroidery - small hoops vs. big hoops. wood hoops vs plastic hoops - I was a wood hoop girl. And when the embroidery made me crazy, I used to use wooden hoops for stretching fabric to....

...Paint on. Yep, oils. Couldn't afford canvases, but had all those various hoops...what's a girl to do in the month before Christmas but make everyone a fabric-painting in a hoop. Boy, they were lucky!

Oh, and don't forget the polymer clay phase. Little squishy fat people with red noses and exaggeratedly huge eyes - no, wait, that's my family...Oh yeah, little cats with whiskers made of bent, colored paper clips...could have made a whole village of people as Hillary would like us to to raise a child, only this kid would look odd, like a blue smurf because we ran out of flesh-colored clay....

Knitting, crochet, you name it, I've tried it and have ALL the tools and supplies to prove it. Well, everyone did get some lovely knitted scarves for Christmas....

So, in an attempt to rid myself of the guilt of all those unfinished projects, I choose one craft - scrapbooking - to keep me sane. Only this was in it's heyday when I HAD to have all the stuff - you know, scissors, but not your ordinary ones - oh no- I needed one pair to cut straight, one to cut curvy,one to cut like a postage stamp, one to cut like pinking shears, one to cut "Victorian" edges and on and on... until the guilt of having so much paralyzed me from actually doing anything. Oh, and the adhesives! Liquid. stick, cream, solid, spray, laminated, you name it...

Albums? Started out 8 1/2 X 11 - then went o to 12 x 12...then 6 x 6 ...now wait! 8 x 8 is the "In" one this minute! Oh, but the 4 x 4 is cute!! And with that comes the various sized page protectors, papers, and "sized-right" embelishments!

Besides, to try to find something in all that excess was next to Mission Impossible!

Well, I can finally say I am......almost done. I now have everything in it's place and even a few places that are empty (and shall remain so) but I want to go over one last time. Some of the drawers seem too full, so I will once again decide what I HAVE to have, and rid myself of the rest. It's not a big job - just 2 or three drawers.

So my label-maker is at the ready - I am such a visual person, I need to "see" what's in everything or I'll forget and "rummage" looking for stuff again...gives me the chills..ick..

We even picked up a little blue desk, sort of Victorian-style, for a mere $12 at Desseret Industries - then got pretty glass knobs for it. I'll sand it then paint it buttermilk and antique the edges. As soon as it's completed I'll take a picture. Can't wait., it's the cherry on the top!

Well, that was way more than you wanted to know. Go out there and have a great Sunday, OK?

-me