Cleaning is discovering treasures again (and garbage too)

In the midst of cleaning my desk, I found a bookmark my 18 year-old made me when she was seven years old.  Ha!  I'll have to laminate it now.


I found lots of things I didn't remember having - cards and writing paper, books, stickers for cards and letters, and a bag of candy I had hidden in the "keyboard slide out drawer" to keep the kids from finding it.  Well, the candy went in the trash, ha ha!  I guess I hid it too good.  I found an entire file folder of badge work I had been working on for Mary Jane's Farm sisterhood program - those were trashed too.

My youngest drew this for me years ago.  Notice what she wrote on my shirt in the drawing - Writer Mom.  I could not resist, so it's up inside the desk, reminding me what I need to be doing.

I was on a roll, so I headed on around the room and cleaned my "craft corner" I allotted for. 

I filled yet another trash bag.  

However.....

It was bound to happen.

Those unfinished projects just pop up when you don't want them too.

There you have it.  Four unfinished projects - felt cut for two more bottle cap necklaces, two shell ornaments that need beads glued on, a few laminated flower bookmarks that need crocheted tassels, and one styrofoam heart Christmas tree ornament that is decorated with recycled postage stamps and simply needs ribbon glued to it.  

The heart was meant for our tree years ago, and I have a bad habit of putting off one for our own tree, and working on the ones I gift.  I'll finish most of them, but some may not.  The felt bottle cap necklaces did not sell at the Farmer's Market.  They drew the attention of young folks, but instead of buying them, they snapped photos of them when they thought I wasn't looking.  I'm not sure I'll make those, unless the girls want to wear them. 

I'm just thankful it's not another half-finished crocheted blanket or other large project. 

Speaking of bottle caps, my brother stopped in for a visit a while back, and gifted me some very cool bottle caps.  I've never seen any like them before.

They are stored in a recycled pill bottle (also donated to me by family), and will be made into something, just as soon as I get caught up with all the other projects. 

Before retiring from cleaning, I tossed items into the washer, including my reuseable duster mitt, and called it a night.  

I dug out some embroidery floss to stitch up a few kitchen towels for our oldest daughter's upcoming 21st birthday.  I'll have a photo to share with you soon (they are not your normal pattern towels).  I also have been playing around with the herbs again.

Poor Hubby has been having a very bad time lately.  I joked last night that I was going to use him in a children's book, about his "very bad, miserable, rotten day" and the kids got a good laugh.  He's been driving my car, and on his way home stopped to pick up a paper.  He locked the keys inside, and called home for us to rescue him.  It all worked out, because one daughter was home (the only available vehicle as well), and her car needed gas, and he had the cash with him.  Time will tell if he's continuing his story today or not.