BulgingButtons

May 25, 2015
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Feeling the Need to Purge

So yesterday I started a new quilt project, which felt awesome. Until I looked around.

Every flat surface in my house has stuff on it. Every. Single. One. And I’m not just talking about the normal stuff, either. Oh sure, the kitchen table has place-mats and salt and pepper shakers, but it also has magazines and pencils.

Mine isn’t quite this bad.

The dining room table has gifts from students, the coffee table has magazines, notebooks, pencils, and gift cards. The bathroom counter has movie ticket stubs and receipts. And my desk-slash-sewing table? I don’t even want to talk about it. Frankly, it’s just TOO MUCH.

So today I’ve started cleaning up, in earnest. I decided that I would tackle one surface at a time, starting with the kitchen counters. So far, so good.

Last year when my former house was on the market, it was immaculate. There was not one thing out of place, ever. I loved it. Truthfully it wasn’t even all that difficult to maintain, but getting it that way wasn’t easy.

We’ve been in this house since the end of last summer. By the end of this summer I want it to be immaculate too. That means finding permanent homes for things that have been just sort of hanging around, or letting them go. It also means a serious closet clean-out, since I have piles of clothes that I don’t wear and probably never will again. Sigh.

Still, I’m making progress. It feels good to fill up the recycle bin with junk mail and magazines, and seeing the shiny granite that was hiding under all the clutter makes me smile. I feel calmer, happier, and more creative when I’m not surrounded by too much stuff. Next mission: the coffee table. Wish me luck.

May 24, 2015
by BulgingButtons 2 Comments

A New Quilt Project

You know how you have lots of projects already in the works, but can never seem to find the time to finish them? You don’t? Oh. Well, I do.

Sometimes those projects linger for days, weeks, months, or in the case of several of my unfinished quilts, years. Still, I can’t quite bring myself to give up on them.

Just like Dug, I’m easily excited by new things.

SOMEDAY I may want to finish that particular project, so it sits tucked away, patiently waiting.

In the meantime, my attention gets drawn someplace else. New ideas pop into my head. New materials beckon to me. New trends emerge. “THAT’S what I want to do!” I tell myself, so nine times out of ten I give myself permission to go for it.

I’m not one to start and finish one thing before I start and finish the next. I’m more of a multi-tasker. I may be reading three or four books, writing two or three pieces, and sewing two or three quilts at any one time. My dearly departed father would be both proud and appalled. Proud because he did the same thing. Appalled because he preached against it.

Today I’m on summer vacation. I have the itch to sew up some of the gorgeous fabrics that have been patiently decorating my past two sewing spaces. I’ve found a pattern I’d like to try, and I’m ready to go. All I have to do is move the laptop and replace it with the sewing machine. Then it’s go time!

I’m excited. I’m ready. Here we go!

May 22, 2015
by BulgingButtons 6 Comments

The Last Day of School

At 12:45 this afternoon another school year will officially close. The student work has been sent home, the desks have been washed, the report cards have been printed and stuffed in envelopes. All that’s left to do today is reflect on the year, participate in the annual 5th graders v. teacher’s kickball game, and watch a movie. It should be a breeze.

In my own childhood, the last day of school was an exciting day. I don’t remember too many particulars, but there may have been popsicles involved. I loved school as a kid, but I loved summer vacation too. The long lazy days, the weeks of summer camp, and the feeling of freedom were priceless. What kid wouldn’t love summer vacation?

Sadly, there are kids who don’t. These are the kids who aren’t going to summer camp. Their families aren’t going on vacation, and the feeling of freedom is more like a feeling of abandonment. These kids rely on school for structure, consistency, and in some cases, two meals a day. They are the ones that are quiet as the others buzz about their upcoming trips to San Diego or Wisconsin or Disneyland. Their grandparents won’t be coming to visit, they won’t be going camping, and nobody is going to sign them up for the library’s summer reading program. No swimming lessons, no soccer teams, no arts and crafts. These kids will watch a lot of tv and become bored quickly.

The adults in their lives have limited resources. In many families there are shortages. There are shortages of money, of time, and of energy. There are kids in households run by adults who are ill equipped to care for them. Adults with substance abuse problems, mental illnesses, and insane work schedules. There are kids in group homes and kids living with grandparents and even great grandparents who simply don’t have the energy for them. I’m not saying these kids are unloved, most of them are, but their homes are often chaotic and unpredictable. There may be drug or alcohol abuse in the home, there may be violence. Kids see and hear more than we realize, and it affects them.

Most of my students are excited about summer vacation, and I’m glad. They have worked hard all year and they deserve some down time to just be kids with no pressure to achieve and perform. My wish for the summer is that all kids have fun and stimulating experiences with people who are genuinely concerned about their well being and are equipped to care for them. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to find my sneakers, I have a kickball game to play.