My Next Five Things

When I stumbled across Adam's blog one Sunday afternoon, I was immediately smitten with the idea of 5things. It took me a few hours to come up with my list, and I'm afraid that it might appear (to some) to be just a glorified to-do list. But to me, these are all things that I've been trying to accomplish for years and haven't ever put high enough on my priority list. They're all things that will make me a happier person in some small way, and who couldn't use a little more "happy" in their life, right? I've got some of my next Next Things in mind already, and they're all much bigger than these, but hey, a girl's got to start somewhere!

So here they are, in all their glory (??), my Next Five Things. I'm not putting a timeframe to any of these, but I'm looking forward to every one of them!

1. Organize my craft closet
Sounds so simple, doesn't it? The guest bedroom in my house has a huge closet, which has been over-run with craft "stuff".... fabric, batting, paints, foamies, scrapbook paper, styrofoam balls, googly eyes... stuff I don't even remember I own. I have no plans to downsize or purge anything from the closet, I just want to organize it well enough that I know what's in there and where to find it, so that I don't end up with a 13th bottle of Elmer's glue because I can't remember if I already own one or not.

2. Frame the tobacco leaf and flag
The tobacco leaf is a long story, if you're interested you can read a post on my other blog from May, called "The Power of a Ladybug." Suffice it to say, the dried leaf has been carefully packaged between layers of cardboard and newspaper for 6 years, and it's time to get it in a frame. Along with it, the flag from my grandfather's funeral.

3. Finish 1 more quilt
At the end of 2002, pregnant with my first daughter and due in August 2003, I stumbled across a message board of other August 2003 expectant moms. We've been together in cyberspace ever since, and several years ago decided on a very ambitious project to make a quilt for each of the kiddos using fabrics that represented all 25 babies. Very long story, but let's just say that years later, I still have 6 more quilts to make. This goal is to finish one more, though once complete, it'll probably be replaced by the very same goal. Hey, one quilt at a time!

4. Go an entire day without getting frustrated
This will be the most difficult of all my goals. I have a full-time job, a 120 mile/day commute and 2 small children. Need I say more?

5. Donate my unused clothes to charity
Sounds so simple, but I'm a sentimental pack-rat. I still have flannel shirts from high school, and not only did I graduate 14 years ago, but I now live in South Florida where we get about 4 "cold" days a year, and that's still in the 60's! No logical reason to have any flannel shirts, let alone those from high school. Getting the picture? **sigh**

Not sure what I'll start on first, but I'll post my progress (or lack thereof) here as often as appropriate.