this 'n that

Spent the entire weekend cleaning the girls' rooms, but finally have it almost completely done. It's always a trial getting them to give or throw away anything that they've ever touched. Even baby toys that they haven't played with in ten years must be saved because they have sentimental value. What gets me is that toys and craft kits that they didn't like even when they got them are still in their rooms and they won't give them away because they might, someday, change their minds and like them.

So I got them new shelves and storage boxes and all other things that they might need/want to organize. Then I went in each room and took out old furniture. And then I told them that whatever they couldn't fit on the new shelves plus old shelves had to go.

It was very difficult, especially on the younger child, but it's done. The big green trash can was filled several times and there are at least 8 big cases of stuff to go to charity and the rooms are almost completely clean and organized. We still have the new fall clothes to put in the rooms and a closet and some surfaces to clean up - oh and one bookshelf still needs to be gone thru. But it's a huge accomplishment to have gotten this far - finally!

So, today, you get pics of critters and not knitting. First, we have Casey who wants to play. She always wants to play. She always brings a toy with her whereever she goes, just in case you might want to play, because you never know . . . you might want to play. Then we have Jess, hiding under a chair. This is her house and she goes where the chair goes because it's just the right height and width for her. She gets a bit snitty if you move the chair and she doesn't really like it when you look under the chair (the next shot is of her tail when she left.)

And last, of course, is cat. She's just crazy. But she's cute and she knows it and so she poses nicely for pictures for about 2 minutes before she runs under your feet and across the room and up the walls and then back down and back to where she started. She's also very good at opening doors. She can move a box with at least 4 times her body weight and she can open latched doors at will. She's special like that.

One more pic - this of my wheels, which are now behind a huge wall of boxes of stuff meant to go to charity. I'm heading out to SAFF in a little while and while there, I'll be taking a class in spinning. I got the wheels out this summer and tried to spin. I can still make yarn, but it's no longer nice and smooth and consistent yarn. I know that mostly what I need is practice - several hours of practice - but I figured it couldn't hurt to take a spinning class and get several hours at one time. And it just happened that the friend I'm going with was taking a fabric dyeing class that I had no desire to take (don't sew, ya know) and so I signed up for a spinning class. When I get home on Monday, I'll have to move that wall and pull out a wheel and start playing. Then I won't have to spend all my spare money on yarn . . . I'll have to save some of it for fiber for spinning!