Here's what I've been working on. I was able to purchase a share of a CSA of a gal in upstate New York. She's dreaming of being a shepherdess and sent me my first shipment of yarn from her few sheep. One of her sheep, Maude, is an ornery old thing with a personality that I can't help but like. So, my project had to be Maude-worthy. I used Maude's angry wool and made a matching scarf and pair of fingerless gloves. Her yarn is the cream color. I didn't have enough to make it all from Maude's contribution, so I used Classic Elite 100% merino for the orange color. I think it turned out pretty nice.



It's Feb. 12 and I haven't spent a dime on new clothes this year. Today was tempting. I took Katie and her friend shopping and saw a few things I really liked, but I resisted. I'm still wearing repeats...the same stuff mixed and matched.
And, I finished "simplifying" the master bathroom and have moved on to the dining room. I have an antique buffet in the DR that hasn't been cleaned out in 8 years. I went through the whole thing and was able to get rid of a lot of stuff. I've started a nice pile of things for the Salvation Army. And, I think I'll put some of the stuff in the Band Yard Sale in April. I'm looking forward to getting the DR in order so we can use it as a family much more often.
Finally, my son Sam, prayed for snow a couple of weeks ago. He's convinced that it was his prayers that brought 24 1/2 inches of snow to Siloam this past week. It was amazing. I have absolutely loved having no place to go.
Monday we get back to real life. Maybe :-)

January - A "Simplify" report

Just a little update. Yes, I'm still wearing the same clothes over and over again. Nothing new lately. I do have a pile of clothes to take to Good Will, and I have a couple more outfits that I need to let go of... I got 4 J Jill catalogs in January (not to mention about 10 other catalogs) and I tossed all of them before I even looked at them. Money spent in Jan: $0. I suspect that J Jill will notice the decrease in revenue and will begin to pour on the pressure :-(

And, I finished "simplifying" the bathroom. I went through all the cabinets and closets. I have a lot of junk! I've found that simplifying = deep cleaning, but even though my junk was put away, it's still junk. So, I dived in and got rid of lots. I ended up with a large trash bag of stuff. I had makeup in my drawers that was over 20 years old! 20 YEARS OLD!! I hadn't used it in about 18 years...but I couldn't throw it out because it was still good. Well, it's gone now.
Simplifying by getting rid of junk is good, but I'm also trying to have a more simplified focus. One thing at a time...avoiding the rush, rush, rush...using and being thankful for what I have.
Next assignment: "simplify" the dining room in February. I may even get a few pictures of the process.

For those of you in My Town, I hope you're warm. Drink lots of hot chocolate, please!