Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Organized Chaos

Have you ever been SEW organized that you could not find something?

There are a few things that I have misplaced over the years. One thing comes to mind, which I have NEVER found. A green ceramic Christmas tree. When I quit putting up a big tree, when our family quit exchanging gifts, and when only Louie and I exchanged, I would put out this green ceramic Christmas tree…until I misplaced it. I know I put it in a copy paper box, and I know it used to sit under a sewing machine cabinet with a big tablecloth over it, in our bedroom. But I don’t have the sewing machine and cabinet anymore, and I don’t have the tree either.

What really bothers me, is that, I try to think of myself as an organized person. I can remember (gee, I can even remember when I used to remember everything, but THOSE days are gone!) when I knew where EVERYTHING was. Well, I guess that was when we lived in apartments and didn’t have so many hiding places. And, that was before Louie and I started going junkin’ and brought home stuff by the bags full EVERY. WEEK.

Sew, a few weeks ago, I did some more cleaning out and de-cluttering, (I have hauled out probably 10 vanloads of stuff since fall of 2010, and I’m still not done de-cluttering). That was the weekend I set up my quilter in Louie’s office/utility room. When I stole the bookcase from the corner and put it under my quilter, I wheeled my second Juki TL98E which sits down into a cabinet in that corner. I also cleaned out the Juki cabinet. I decided that I was going to put all my Juki TL98E accessories in that cabinet, (because I want to be organized and know where everything is!!!)and the accessories I was looking to put in there, were both extension tables, and one more of the knee controls, which is clamped to the underside of one of the extension tables. Now why I needed to do that, I’m not really sure, because there will probably never be a time that I will EVER use the extension tables, but I just NEEDED to have everything together, because I NEEDED to know where the extension tables were. (I’m a control freak like that). Then it  happened. I COULDN’T FIND THE EXTENSION TABLES!

                            woman confused

For a few weeks, I have been looking for the extension tables. I have looked under the basement steps (pulling everything out) about 5 times and they were not there. I have looked around, behind and inside everything I can think of. In fact, I have been resigned to the fact that, as of late, I can only remember seeing ONE Juki extension table, and can not remember the last time I saw the other one. BUT I KNEW I HAD ONE. WHERE WAS IT???

It has been on my mind since then and I just couldn’t stop thinking of it. I fell asleep very early last night, and so when I woke up at 2pm this morning, and realized the garbage had not been taken out yet, and I put on my shoes to take out ‘said’ garbage, my mind went to wondering again, where that DARN Juki extension table could be!

Ok, so it’s 2 am. I’m thinking of the table, and I can’t sleep now anyway. I went to the basement again. I was about to rip everything out from underneath the basement steps again, when I thought I would look inside my ‘organized’ quilting closet AGAIN, for the 10th time. (Hi, my name is Michelle and I am addicted to vintage sheets…and everyone says, ‘Hi Michelle!’)

                     Juki found 001

                     Juki found 002

These bins are filled from floor to ceiling with fabric pieces usually under one yard in size, organized by colors and marked with sticky notes, and the bigger bins are filled with sheets.

                      Juki found 005

My quilting closet is also a place I ‘park’ my cutting table and two small white tables.

             Juki found 006

…and ‘OH!! LOOK! My Juki Extension tables!!! Woo hoo!’ If I had actually read the note on the outside of the suitcase when I looked the other 10 times, I would have found them weeks ago….and there are TWO extension tables in that suitcase!!!

              Juki found 003

                    Add Stickman Dancing

Well, the bad news, is that they won’t fit anywhere inside my Juki cabinet, because they are too long, which is why they were in this suitcase in the first place. I decided maybe if I put more post it notes on the suitcase, it would catch my attention the next time I think I lost them. I should have attached one of those big gloved hands on a spring, like in the old cartoons, to the suitcase, to poke me in the nose, so the next time, I can actually find it! (If I’m lucky, one of my quilting girls will remind me next time I can’t find them because they read it here!)

                      Juki found 004

One of the girls even asked me if I had put it in a suitcase, and I did admit that I had not opened any suitcases, but that is what I would have done this morning. I did open this suitcase, and they are indeed, both in there.

Well, at least now I can rest, but it will only be for a few minutes, because then the alarm clock will be going off, and I will have to get up to get ready for work.

Are you organized like I am? I hope not!

Now, where’s that darn Christmas tree????

Be blessed!

Michelle

Add_Bear_Essentials_Loving_Care_thumb

8 comments:

  1. I know EXACTLY how you feel! I am looking for two boxes of checks for two different accounts. I need need to replace the checks in my checkbooks. I can't find either box of checks. I am about to lose my mind. They are here in this house...somewhere. They always are on a shelf under the desk in my dining room. For some reason, when I had my open house my sister thought I should put them somewhere else...and now I can't find them. I am one of those people that has a "place" for things. Now th at they are not in their place, it may be years before I find them! I hate to order new ones but that is what I am afraid I am going to have to do. Moral of my story - don't listen to my sister! LOL!

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  2. Losing things seems to be more frequent around our place now. I think we are more easily distracted and when we put "it" up/away the landing place is not fully pictured in our brain.

    Age, my dear sister, is the reason for much of this I fully believe.

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  3. I have Halloween decorations I bought seven years ago when I moved here and have never been able to find them at Halloween .Every summer we clean out the basement I find them then DH packs them away and come Halloween ,there no where to be found .At least you found your extension tables ,everything looks so nice and neat in your storage area .Have a good day at work .

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  4. Yeah!! So happy you found the extension tables. You are so organized and I like to think that I am but I have been floundering lately. I hope my brown pants and your Christmas tree are having fun wherever they are. Oh, maybe that is where my quilt pattern is for the quilt I cut out last year and now can't remember what book it came out of!

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  5. I am organized exactly like that. Exactly. Put it up in a safe place...then can't remember what safe place! Good grief! blessings, marlene

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  6. Loved this post! I do it all the time. I put a note on something or set it somewhere in plain sight but when I'm looking for it I look right past it. Frustrating isn't it?

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  7. YES! That's me too! I'm almost afraid to re-organize these days because I know it will be months until I can find what I'm looking for! :) And, like you...the answer always comes at the strangest times! Congrats on locating the tables, and I'm sure that Christmas tree will show up eventually (unless you gave it away in your "purging" and you can't remember - that's what happens to me all the time too!) :))

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  8. I bought a labeler to try to be more organized but haven't done too well. Yesterday a friend was here and I was looking for templates for her to use on a quilt. I found some in a box and looked and looked for a particular one, never found it while she was there. As soon as she left, there it was in the box next to it. Duh!

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