I came home from work last Thursday and was motivated to sort through our t-shirt collection.  The only reason we had room for all of them in the closet was because they all weren’t clean at the same time.  Normally I have a very difficult time getting rid of things, but as I mentioned, I was motivated.  I was very strict - anything with a hole or a stain was trash.  T-shirts that passed the test were sorted into three categories - dress (the nicer t-shirts that can be worn in public), exercise, and sleep.  The unofficial fourth category was Cubs.  I refolded and put the shirts back into labeled drawers in the closet.  And surprise of all surprises, there is room for more t-shirts!  Hurrah, because there’s at least five in the dirty clothes!

Now what to do with all the t-shirts on their way to the trash?  It seemed like such a waste.  Many of them were garbage because of a small dog-sized teeth holes.  (Our punkin loves to run around with a t-shirt in her mouth and because she looks so darn cute we let her.)  The logical choice was to make them into rags, but I never use the rags.  But then inspiration struck and I had a plan - a mitten rag.  Maybe it would be more functional than a square rag.

My first step was to  create a mitten template by putting my hand on a piece of paper and drawing around it in the shape of a mitten, giving myself a little extra space so my husbands big ‘ol hand could fit inside it too.  Then I laid out the t-shirt inside out, matching up the bottom edges, making sure to utilize the finished edge of the shirt.  I traced the pattern onto the t-shirt checking that I didn’t include any holes or stains in my mitt.  Next I pinned it, and then sewed around the pattern with a straight stitch.  I made another pass around the edge using a zig-zag stitch to prevent fraying.  I cut around the stitching, leaving a slight border.  Once that was complete, I flipped it inside out and had my completed mitt.  Not perfect, but good enough for a rag.  As you see below, Harrison approves.

Bill tested out the mitt when he scrubbed the cats’ litter boxes.  They worked well for both scrubbing and drying!  If you use a super soft t-shirt, it would also make a good pedicure mitten - slather on some lotion before bed and then put on your mittens.

I do realize that I put entirely too much time into making rags.  But it did make me feel less wasteful. Maybe I’ll even use less papertowels now too!

Tags: rags, organization

Because there’s always a cat in it. Or under it.  Or both.
Aren’t they cute?!

Tags: cats

I am late in posting about my wonderful package received from LeeAnn. There were some many goodies! It was great fun to open. I am actually a little embarrassed because my package lacked the presentation of LeeAnn’s. I’ve definitely picked up a few tips and hope LeeAnn wasn’t too disappointed.

All my goodies were packaged in the adorable purple dragonfly pouch. There were tons of little pockets filled with different things (stickers, candies, erasers, pencils, sweets, stamps, stickey notes…). I’m pleased with everything! The pencils especially; I love to have cute pencils, especially at work. It makes budgeting a little more interesting.

I definitely enjoyed my first swap! I look forward to doing it again!

Tags: swap

I am participating in my first swap and I’m a little nervous. For those who are unfamiliar, Wikipedia defines a swap as “an increasingly popular barter system within online communities, in which participants exchange items of comparable value on a trust basis.”

My goodies were wrapped up and sent out last Tuesday. I hope my swap buddy likes them. It was hard; so much pressure to make the other person happy. But it was fun. A great excuse to go shopping. And I did some destashing.

I anxiously await my package!

Tags: swap

My cat, Cheli, likes to drink water directly from the faucet. Anytime we walk in the bathroom, he sprints ahead, hops up on the sink, and waits for it to be turned on. And of course we turn it on for him. Sometimes he won’t drink from it right away, and the water runs and runs. Well, last Friday, I said to the cat, “Drink the water now, or I’m turning it off.” You’ll never believe it, but he did actually get up and start to drink.

Tags: cats, random thoughts

This post is long overdue. A little over a month ago, Slateblu was celebrating her one year anniversary with a drawing for two of her zippered pouches. As luck would have it, I won!

This pouch arrived just before our trip to Florida and I used it for our important papers and keys to the condo. Now I keep it in my work bag for little odds and ends I transport back and forth.

Joyce did a great job with the sewing. The fabric is adorable. Lucky me!

If you get a chance, check out Joyce’s blog.

Tags: random thoughts

Alas, it was not meant to be. But Devon Hester’s return in the first quarter was amazing. The Bears have a lot to be proud of, and a lot to look forward to.

Tags: Bears, superbowl

I am all atwitter for tonight’s Superbowl Game. Even here in Maryland, you can feel the energy. On Friday, driving home from work in a snow storm, two guys drove up beside me honking and pointing at their Bears hats. (I guess they thought a girl in a bright orange car just had to be a Bears fan.) Yesterday, driving through Georgetown we saw Bears fans in their Bear apparel. Bears mania has reached far and wide.

As for me, I couldn’t be more excited. I have been reading Brendan Ayanbadejo’s blog on Chicago Bears.com. They also have cool behind-scenes video on their website (I prefer the Super Sights and Sounds). I saw a news report on CNN tv that last night all the female news anchors in Chicago were wearing something orange during their broadcast. And Chicago is all lit up with orange lights.

My Chicago pizza arrived on Wednesday and is thawing out on my kitchen counter as I wait for kickoff. When Connie’s says they deliver, they really mean it. My potato skins are prepped and my crudités in a football shaped container are chilling in the fridge. I’m getting ready to shower and will then don my Urlacher jersey, counting down the minutes. I have the words to the Bears fight song printed out, and Bill has the music ready to go on his Mac.

This team has been the underdog all season. But through it all, they’ve managed to win. They seem excited, focused and ready. They believe in themselves. We believe in them.

We are ready.

Tags: Bears, superbowl

When I travel, I like to try and find a needlepoint store so that I can buy a souvenir. It’s also fun to check out different stores because they all specialize in different thing, and I can usually find something I haven’t seen before. A couple of weeks ago, Bill and I spent a long weekend in Jensen Beach, Florida, and of course, we found our way to a new store, Needlepoint Alley in North Palm Beach.

I had so much fun looking at the canvases and admiring their huge selection of finished pieces. My husband did not enjoy it as much as I did, but he so great and didn’t rush me at all. And most importantly, he didn’t have a heart attack at the register.

I found exactly what I was looking for and then some. I was able to get my souvenir, a needlepoint of two alligators. A beautiful lotus flower needlepoint caught my eye and I was introduced to a new fiber, Vineyard Silk threads.

And finally, the store had an amazing selection of laquer boxes. They were so beautiful. They get finished with a needlepoint and it puffs out of the top a little, looking quite lovely. I had never seen the laquer boxes before and I couldn’t leave without one. Bill and I picked out a needlepoint of a French hotel since it reminded us of the place we stayed in Paris. I may even try and change the name of the hotel on the canvas.

I left very pleased with my treasures. And I would highly recommend Needlepoint Alley if anyone is in that area!

Tags: needlepoint