the one where I talk about nothing.

Not too much going on here that's newsworthy.  Same old same old. :)

I finished a baby quilt for a friend of mine, and I have yet to mail it. I need to take some photos then send it off.  I also whipped together a quilt top that I'm planning on donating to J's school fundraiser in April.  I just have to pick a backing fabric and then I can quilt it up.  I did a plus quilt design. So easy and yet so cute. I did use almost all scrap fabric on that top. I just had to buy 1/3 of a yard of KONA Olive cotton to finish it. Which really isn't so bad. I've also picked up a few bits and pieces off the sale table at work. But, I have a whole baby quilt out! So I think I'm still even-ish.

As far as yarn goes, I had a couple of older yarn destashs pop up, so that's 10 skeins out! (2 destashes, 5 each) I haven't bought yarn, or finished anything since my last post.

Old Yarn Total  -24
Destash - 10
New Total -34

I decided instead of holding onto the money, which is too easily spent in my paypal account, I'd send it off to a credit card bill this month. yea! Now I'm making that total shrink too.

I'm also working on shrinking my waistline.  To be completely honest, I've put on some weight this past year, and it's making me unhappy.  I found out after a trip to the doctor that I weight the same now as when I was 9 months pregnant with my son. So not cool.  A friend told me about the app My Fitness Pal, and I'm going to track what I eat and when I exercise.  It's helped with yarn, why not my weight?  I think just knowing the amount of calories I'm ingesting will help me think about things a little more.  Like this morning, they were giving away donuts at J's school. I grabbed one, and took a bite.  Well, it was a  plain, dry, cake donut. Not yummy at all. In the past I would have just eaten it. But today I thought, "It's not worth the calories". And tossed it aside. I'm counting it as a win! Ive also tried to cut down on my Mt dew intake.  I had one yesterday, and one today. The only reason I've had one today is the headache! ugh!  But I waited until after lunch to have one, so that's rather good for me.

Yea. I got a whole lot of nothing exciting. Sorry guys. :) I work tonight, so I best go and get ready.

Blogging More.

Yup. I'm trying to blog more.  I get mad when my favorite bloggers don't have new posts, so I'm totally going to blog more.  Not that I really and truly believe and anyone out there is waiting for me to post more...but. Still.

Look! I made a hat.  It's a hat for a brand new baby. M's coworker and his wife expanded their family, and I love knitting tiny baby hats.So there is a new tiny baby hat. Yeah! I snapped the picture just before I stuffed it in the bag to give to them.

So, that's another skein of yarn out! :)

Yarn Destash 0
Yarn Knitted 1
Yarn bought from destash 1 (yarntin sock)

Yarn total -13

I also wanted to show off my big super spending just for me me ME! Gift to myself. :)
I did some commission work, and I counted these when I bought them in Jan. But here is my Vday Bon Bon set from Verdant Gryphon. And I am in love. :) It wasn't from budget money, and I destashed more out then in. So I can totally be guilt free about it, right? I feel like I don't deserve it. But really, what else would I have spent extra bonus money on?

Thoughts about Stash.

Since I don't have photo editing software on this thing yet, there are no pictures to share today. Sorry. Instead, I've cracked my skull a little, to let the crazy out and you guys (okay. You guy. My one faithful reader) in.

So I've been thinking about my stash, and stashing habits lately. Why I stash, what I stash. You know. Deep Thoughts. I have come to a realization that I am a collector. A hoarder if you will. My thoughts are along the lines of "I love it. I must own it all. If I use it up it will be gone forever." So, it sits. Lovely yarn or fabric just sits and waits. Which, after further thought, seems really dumb. Because if I USE it, I get to enjoy it while I'm knitting. Or put it into a quilt and then have a finished quilt that I or someone else will love and see all day. Instead of sitting in my craft room. Waiting for their full potential to be met.

While my hubby was away, I re-did my craft room and now I can see what I have. I pulled out 3 garbage bags of fabric that I no longer love, and won't use. People. That is just crazy. Now, granted I bought alot of this stuff years ago, before I had a husband, a kid and a house. But really. How long should I keep holding on to this stuff that I'm never going to use? So I was honest with myself, and got rid of a bunch. I also made it so I could see what I have, instead of hiding it away in rubbermaid tubs. If I can see it, I can use it. If I see it, I won't buy new stuff that I don't need. Well, that's the hope anyway.

A good example is fabric I'm cutting for a quilt. I bought a bunch of black and white fabric, wanting to "someday" make a black and white quilt. I bought that fabric before I starting dating my hubby. 7 years ago. I think 'someday' has come. I starting cutting into it last night. I didn't break out into a sweat. It didn't kill me. Hell, there is nothing special about that fabric. It's just fabric. I'm even throwing tiny pieces away, instead of saving them. Shocker!

When I was in college, I learned that once people went from a hunter gather society to a more settled lifestyle, they didn't need to hunt to live. But people still do. Those are the people that hunt for toys from their childhood. Baseball cards. Stripey Sock yarn. Whatever floats your boat. They hunt, they find, they collect. No reason really, except to fill some deep seated instinctual urge. Well, I'm breaking that habit. Mostly because I don't want to turn into my Grandmother, who couldn't throw anything out. She was a child of the depression, and saved everything. When she died and they cleaned out her house, she had 3 garbage bags of the waistband from men's' underwear. 3 bags. Of worn out elastic from Grandpa's skivies.

So. In my rambling way, I guess I'm saying this. I am going to start USING what I have. Knitting up that pretty sock yarn, instead of petting it and dreaming about the socks it will make. I will make those socks. I will cut that fabric. I will make a quilt. I will keep it and love it, or give it away and be happy it's making someone else happy. There will always be new yarn to love and pet. New fabric that is just the right shade of pink. Why am I saving all of the goodies? Wouldn't it suck if I died tomorrow, and my husband just sent it off to the salvation army? (Don't worry. My BFF Rose has strict instructions as to what her job is when I kick)

Use it or Get rid of it. Then get new stuff. That's my new motto. :)

Thoughts? Comments? Hints and tips?