Minimalist Wardrobe

I have learned a lot from this ordeal experience of moving another persons belongings. I have learned that we are all products of our generation. I have learned that personal taste in clothing and such is as personal as our fingerprints.

My MIL is a product of the depression era.  She was born in 1921 so she was old enough and impressionable enough to be affected, even if not personally, by the depression.  She was raised on a central Texas farm that they owned, the child of Czech immigrants, and she always said that they, as a family, never really felt the full on force of the depression.  They grew their own food, they went to the community school which was worlds away from the big cities and the big city problems, they sewed, knitted, and dresses and shirts got passed from the bigs to the littles -- regardless of the state of the economy.

However, I am sure that she wasn't completely oblivious to the plight of many people and maybe it was the depression or maybe it was the immigrant mindset but this lady can save things for decades after their purpose has been served.  She also, clearly, has always had the feeling that more is better.

I was raised differently.  My mother was also a depression era child and because my grandfather worked for the railroad he always had work.  In 1928 they, as a family, bought a new house, a new car and had a new baby -- not too shabby in the time when the world was falling apart financially and the time between wars was way too short.  However, my mother didn't cling to material things. As I was growing up in the 1950's it was a common occurrence to come home to the furniture all being rearranged, new drapes and linens bought and installed, things painted and everything smelling of Clorox bleach and Lysol.  My mother didn't like things to stay the same for too long! We routinely cleaned out closets and discarded all manner of things.  We lived in what would today be called a tiny house so there was no place to store multitudes of things so out with the semi-old and in came the new. I don't remember my mother ever actually wearing something out.  Breaking things, yes, but wearing it out, no.

Both of these ladies have shown clear evidence of a shopping problem. One is a hoarder, the other a tosser.

Both of them are, in my humble opinion, wrong.

There has to be a balance and I have been doing a lot of thinking about this.

As I said prior, we are all products of our generations.  I was a child of the 50's and a teenager in the 60's.  We all loved Twiggy, Carnaby Street and we all tried to be anorexic.  In my case that didn't work and I am still dealing with it.  I regress.  At any rate, when I was a teenager, it seemed that we thought in terms of outfits -- we would buy a dress (many granny dresses or baby dresses), buy the tights, the shoes, the hair decoration and we had an outfit.  I still think that way.  I buy outfits.  However, today's mindset is toward capsule wardrobes where everything is in a color scheme to go with everything else and mix and match.  I simply can't get my head around that -- I still think in terms of outfits.

So, this is my plan.  I am going through my wardrobe and toss virtually everything.  I am going to plan and purchase six outfits to wear every day of the week -- a uniform so to speak.  It is probably going to be jeans and button down shirts as that is what I pretty much live in.  Then, I am going to find a couple of outfits (shopping my own closet for this) for church or dressier occasions.  I have a new winter coat that I bought from TravelSmith -- it is a khaki trench coat with a button in liner -- raincoat or heavy coat and it is warm.  I have two sweaters.  I am going to be able to put it all in one place in my closet and I will be able to get the laundry done in a couple of loads.  I am going to arrange these outfits on a hanger -- shirts on top of pants -- and that way I will have a minimal amount of hanging stuff.  Everything will be folded a la Marie Kondo and I am going to be done.  I have enough shoes to do me except for a pair of summer sandals which I will purchase in a neutral color -- ONE pair of sandals.

This is my plan.  I don't know if it will work and I am going to try to purchase these things with the new trend in mind that it is preferable to buy to own forever which means the quality would need to be as good as possible falling within financial restrictions.  My closet isn't over crowded right now but I do need to replace some things that are getting worn out and I think this would be a good way to approach it rather than just buying things willy nilly.

I will let you know how it goes and maybe even snap a photo.  Maybe.

Moving Day Number -- oh who knows anymore

Moving my MIL to an assisted living apartment is like the never ending project.  It took us the entire day to move her clothes from one the old apt. to the new apt. which is just across the parking lot -- she had to look at each piece and determine whether it would stay or go -- she had to pare down because she just didn't have as much closet space.  It. took. all. day.  She has two closets in the new apartment and they are now full to the brim.  We are toting six medium size (18 X 18 X 16) moving boxes full of clothes to the charity shop tomorrow.  In the process of clearing out one closet we found six more boxes and one bag full of clothes that we didn't know was there.  We are about to lose our minds.

I have learned so much about minimal living from this experience.  Much more than I ever learned from reading books or blogs or articles.  At one point this afternoon I was musing about how Marie Kondo would handle this situation.  I am sure she wouldn't have felt like running away -- she probably would have enjoyed the experience.  I did not. 

So, when I get finished dealing with MIL's possessions I am moving on to my own.  I am not ever going to have my kids go mad going through my junk.

Oh My Goodness --

Moving Day 2

Oh my gosh -- I am so tired.  I wish we had had more time for all of this -- it is more than a two day job.  Going through another person's belongings is a difficult process -- especially since the person is still living and is probably not going to be happy about all the changes although she asked for all the changes.

This move is going to be better for my mother in law but I am afraid that we are all going to be in deep you-know-what when she can't locate all her stuff that just isn't in her possession anymore.  I know we are going to go through that awkward period when she is angry with us for doing what she asked us to do.

This is definitely one of those "can't win for losing" times.

Sigh.

Moving Day 1

Clearly I survived the first day of moving.  The day was spent moving the large pieces of furniture that were to go to the new apartment.  A few smaller things were moved but the bulk of the day was spent with the big stuff.

The day started roughly at 8 a.m. and ended about 13 hours later with lunch and dinner breaks.  My main job was to observe so that nobody got hurt.  I mean, after all, these guys (my husband and brother-in-law) aren't teenagers anymore -- just sayin'.  You wouldn't think that moving things across the parking lot would be so tiring.  Well, it is.

Today we face the hard part -- trying to figure out how to pare down clothing and sort paperwork and stuff like that.  MIL doesn't have a full kitchen in the new place so kitchen stuff will be minimal -- some plates, glasses, cups and bowls.  A bit of silverware, a couple of cup towels.  And the microwave.  Can't forget the microwave.

I have done pretty well until last night.  I had a totally freaked out episode, almost a toddler melt down and all over a pair of tweezers.  My MIL had been pounding into my head to get a small dish with a special pair of tweezers.  I don't see anything special about these tweezers but beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all.  So, my last trip from Apt. 1 to Apt. 2 I decided to just grab the dish and hand carry it over.  All was good until I got into the elevator with two ladies on scooters and one bumped me and sent the tweezers flying.  I just knew they fell through the gap down the elevator shaft.  I went back to each floor just to check and by this time I was having a fit.  I got to Apt. 2 and my partners in crime tried to calm me down but I was frantic.  This was the ONE thing my MIL said we had to get without doubt! So, I dumped out my purse and by golly those tweezers never hit the floor but ended up in my purse.  I couldn't believe it! After that incident, I was done and just need my bed and a nice cuppa.

So, today we start again.  Yay!

I am just glad I wasn't a part of MIL's move from SA to FT. W 7 years ago when she broke up housekeeping in the house she had lived in since 1953.  From what I understand, that purging was a bear!  I am just glad I had to deal with tweezers.

Moving Day

Not for me but for my mother in law.  Several months ago my MIL got sick. All manner of tests were done to no avail.  She was on the decline -- "adult failure to thrive" was the diagnosis.  She was hospitalized with malnutrition and dehydration -- not something you would expect to see in a first world woman of above average means. 

It seems she was just quitting.  Everything.  Including eating and drinking. 

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas she was hospitalized twice in a week.  At the end of the second stay she was being released and wanted to go home but the closer it got to actually going home she was having doubts so the doctor arranged for a three week stay at a nearby rehabilitation center.  While there we broached the subject of her moving from her apartment in an independent living retirement facility to an assisted living apartment in the same place.  It is a new wing -- all shiny and bright -- and she agreed completely.  She even asked if we could make it happen before she was released from rehab so she could just go to the new place.

So, for the last three weeks my husband has been jumping through hoops to make this happen.  The new apartment has been chosen and secured.  We have two old men (my husband and brother-in-law) and one old, decrepit lady (me) to help and we have a day planned for sure.  Hopefully this will be mostly taken care of today and tomorrow to be finished up on Sunday.  Looking for MIL's release from rehab to be Monday or Tuesday. 

If you don't hear from me in a couple of days just check at the rehab -- after all this moving I might be occupying the room that is going to be available.

Chalking the Door -- I will be doing this if I can find the chalk -- and climb high enough

Chalking the Door: An Epiphany House Blessing 2016

Daryl Moresco, OCarm. | January 1, 2016

Every year the Carmelite Pre-novitiate Community at Carith House in Chicago on the Feast of the Epiphany blesses their home.
We invite you to adopt this custom in your family. The family gathers to ask God’s blessing on their home and on those who live in or visit the home. It is an invitation for Jesus to be a daily guest in our home, our comings and goings, our conversations, our work and play, our joys and sorrows.
A traditional way of doing this is to use chalk to write above the home’s entrance, 20 + C + M + B + 16. The letters C, M, B have two meanings. They are the initials of the traditional names of the three magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. They also abbreviate the Latin words Christus mansionem benedicat, “May Christ bless the house.” The “+” signs represent the cross and 2016 is the year.
Blessing the Chalk

V. Our help is the name of the Lord:
R. The maker of heaven and earth.
V. The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in:
R. From this time forth for evermore.

Let us pray.
Loving God, bless this chalk which you have created, that it may be helpful to your people; and grant that through the invocation of your most Holy Name that we who use it in faith to write upon the door of our home the names of your holy ones Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, may receive health of body and protection of soul for all who dwell in or visit our home; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Instructions for Blessing the Home

Using the blessed chalk mark the lintel of your front door (or front porch step) as follows:
20 + C + M + B + 16 while saying:
The three Wise Men, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar followed the star of God’s Son who became human two thousand and fifteen years ago. May Christ bless our home and remain with us throughout the new year. Amen.

Then offer the following prayer: Visit, O blessed Lord, this home with the gladness of your presence. Bless all who live or visit here with the gift of your love; and grant that we may manifest your love to each other and to all whose lives we touch. May we grow in grace and in the knowledge and love of you; guide, comfort, and strengthen us in peace, O Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen

“Chalking the door” is a way to celebrate and literally mark the occasion of the Epiphany and God’s blessing of our lives and home. With time the chalk will fade. As it does we let the meaning of the symbols written sink into the depths of our heart and be manifest in our words and actions the Latin words, Christus mansionem benedictat, “May Christ bless the house.”

Daryl Moresco, OCarm. Br. Daryl Moresco OCarm. is the Director of Vocations and the Pre-Novitiate formation program for the Province of the Most Pure Heart of Mary (Chicago) Province. » See all posts by Daryl

The House on Fortune Street

 

I am a voracious reader.  I am also well known for choosing books for their covers.  I think that is why I still prefer physical books to e-books - the covers.  A while back, while perusing the sale tables at B&N I picked up a copy of "The House on Fortune Street" by Margot Livesey.  It was put on the shelf  to wait its turn in the TBR queue.  My daughter came over one day looking for something to read and she took several books off the shelf, this one being one of them, and it resided at her home for a long while.  Recently, it came back into my possession, was thrown in the back of the car and brought out one day when I was needing something to read while waiting in the kindergarten pick up express line.

I always liked the cover so I assumed I would like the book.  For the first time in forever, that didn't happen.  It was a slow go.  It was a chore to get started and keep the momentum going.  It just didn't grab me but I was determined.  After plodding through the beginning and suffering through a story line I didn't enjoy it started to get better.  Around the middle of the book it started to grow on me -- the overlapping of the story lines was intriguing.  It was almost a mystery without actually being one.  And now -- at the end -- I found I couldn't put it down.  What clever writing it was.  What complicated characters they were.  To see the story unfold for each of the character's viewpoints was enlightening.

It is the story of Abigail and Dara -- friends from college days.  They were different yet so much alike.   They were best friends and their individual stories ran parallel to their story.  Through the whole book, through parents and families and lovers and friends, their relationship remained until the end.  And what a sad end it was.

Would I recommend this book?  I am not sure.  It was a slow start, it was a sad end, the writing was excellent, the characterization and the setting were top notch and I have really enjoyed it, surprisingly.  However, it is a sad book and a depressing read so I would have to withhold my recommendation.  A reader would have to decide for him/herself.

Wordless Wednesday

RIP Poor Dead Camera

My camera died.  I didn't realize it was on the brink of demise -- I thought it was only missing a few screws and needed a good battery charge.  I thought that replacement screws and a good while on the charger would fix everything and that we could be friends again.   Seems not to be because when I took it off the charger and walked outside to photograph the sun, it wouldn't work.  It had a brand new battery purchased just a few months ago and the front was properly secured again but it wouldn't open, it wouldn't do anything.

So, off to Best Buy I go to replace my friend of several years now.  This is the new camera I adopted.

I comes in other lovely colors but there were none left from the holidays.  I am fine with basic black, however.  Not such a change from my little Kodak whatever-it-was.  I prefer little point and shoot cameras that I can carry in my purse to the large, dramatic, impressive equipment that all the men in the family carry.  They all tote around these impossibly large cameras with larger lenses and we seem to have very few photos! I, on the other hand, happily snap away with my little camera and I like it that way.

I am not sure how this is going to go -- the relationship is too new, too untested.  Right now the camera -- I haven't even decided on a name yet -- is asleep on the desk charging.  As soon as it warms up a bit outside I will be taking her on a trial run to see what she can do.  She is WiFi enabled -- whatever that means -- not sure how that will help me.  I guess I can connect the camera directly to the computer and download the pics to the hard drive -- hmm..my netbook doesn't have a hard drive.  Ok, maybe I can download them to Shotwell.  Seems this is going to take some time spent with the manual -- I hate manuals but it least it actually came with one.  One of my other options didn't have a manual but rather you had to download it from the computer. 

So, there you go -- a new year, a new member of my purse family and a new learning curve.  Hopefully this little camera will last as long as the other one did and that we will learn to live together peaceably. 

Hope -- is that a good name for a camera?

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser comes from "The House on Fortune Street" by Margot Livesey, page 199.

"For all her many visits to Abigail's house, Dara ha never seen the ground floor flat.  As she bicycled over, she pictured it as similar to the upstairs:  light, beautifully proportioned, tastefully decorated."

Hmmm..the upstairs sounds like something out of House Beautiful and it makes you wonder if the downstairs flat is somewhat of a dungeon.

This is where I am in the book at the moment.  It has been a slow read, started in November and will be the first on my Goodreads challenge list for 2016.  It is picking up and I am anxious to see how all the pieces fit together because it is truly like a puzzle.

 

Musing Mondays

I used to love to do memes but have somehow gotten away from them.  They were always useful for the blog when I didn't have much going on to talk about.  I miss doing them so I thought I would start up again and this is one of my favorites! Please join in if you feel so inclined. 

 

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: What do you do when you finish a book? Do you immediately start another one?

Here are my answers:

I am currently reading "The House on Fortune Street" by Margot Livesay.

Up next I think I will read "Come Rain or Come Shine" by Jan Karon.

I bought the following book(s) in the past week -- uh, none.  I am trying to read from my own library full of unread books.

I'm really excited to tell you about the new independent bookstore that is opening here in Fort Worth.  When Borders closed up and Barnes and Noble downsized to only two stores in a vast area, we were left with only Half Price Books for a book store.  Now, not to downplay Half Price -- they are really good -- but still only one choice.  So, I am looking very forward to the opening of "The Last Word" in the downtown area.

I am really upset by -- the fact that I am not enjoying my current read but refuse to give up on it since I am so close to being done.  It was a slow start, picked up for a bit and is beginning to all come together -- which is good and holding my interest a little better -- but I don't care for the subject matter and I think that is what my problem is.

I can't wait to get a copy of -- well, nothing at the moment.  I was asking for the new Jan Karon title for Christmas and I got it so that is the most recent book I have desired.  I am sure something will catch my fancy soon.

I wish I could read more but life seems to be getting in the way at the moment.

I blogged about very little of any great importance this past week. I never have much important to say but I feel like I have let my blog slide in favor of Facebook and, while FB has it's place, I suppose, it is getting very depressing and sad and one of my goals for the new year is to concentrate on my blog more.  I can't give up FB because that is how I keep up with family and distant friends but too much time is spent THERE and too little time spent HERE.  Must. fix. that.

This week's random question --

What do you do when you finish a book? Do you immediately start another one?

Yes.  That is exactly what I do.


Have a wonderful Monday everybody!