Good things come out of a visit from the In-laws!

One thing for sure, preparing for an in-law visit can be a good thing. It really forced my DH and my DS to get organized and clear some of the clutter they have left in various spots throughout the house. The biggest accomplishment was my kitchen table. You can actually see that we HAVE a table! My DH uses it as a desk. He is studying for his Masters in Education and is currently reviewing Euclidean geometry. Additionally, he is involved in a number of Christian organizations, so all that stuff finds a place on the table too. I told him that he could have 1/2 of the table but it creeps and eventually, the kitchen table becomes his workplace. I have promised him that once the window is replaced in the 3rd bedroom, we will paint the room and replace the carpet. Then we will purchase a desk, a bookshelf or 2 and a comfy chair so that he can use it as a true study. I wanted it done for Father's Day but since the home improvement is terribly behind schedule, I think it will be an anniversary gift instead.

Now that the house is in better shape, I am hoping to maintain it. It is so much more relaxing not to have all that stuff hanging around. The trick will be changing the DH's behavior. He is such a pack-rat. Never throws away anything. I on the other hand, tend to be neat. Not obsessively so, but I do put things away after I use them and I do my best not to let my clutter get out of hand. I am a magazine junkie as well as a stitching junkie, but even so, my stitching has a home and I regularly go through my magazines and purge them. It has taken me years to get to this point, but I realize that mentally and emotionally, it helps me a great deal to have a clean, clutter-free environment. A less chaotic environment actually helps my mood.

So, the next step is to clear out the 3rd bedroom to begin it's transformation into a retreat for the hubby. I have started it but it seemed that everything that we didn't have a home for made it into that room. This weekend, I plan tackling it. I already have 3 piles going, keep, give away, and throw away. The keep pile is pretty small, the give away is by far the largest and the throw away is really just made up of junk that we've kept throughout the years. It'll take me most of Saturday to go through. The biggest task I have is finding a home for the Snowmen collection. I have a couple of containers that contain my snowbuddies. Storing them in the basement is a bad idea because the basement is a bit damp and most of the snowmen are stuffed. Not a good environment for the frosty fellows.

I am hoping to stitch this weekend too. I will be working on whatever calls the loudest. No matter what, just stitching will be wonderful as I haven't worked on anything for at least a month!

I did receive some new stash in the mail. I got the new Essy & Friends piece from Elegant Stitch. It's an adorable scissor case designed by Indigo Rose. I love these little pieces as they are quick stitches and I am supporting such a good cause, Breast Cancer Research.

I also received the fabric, NPI silk and chart for the Lois Minshall Sampler from Threads of Gold. It's a pretty sampler and the colors are very soft and delicate. I don't plan on starting it right away but it has made it to the short list. Threads of Gold has a number of samplers that I would love to have in my stash. One in particular, Caroline Braden 1801, has my attention.
Another sampler to add to the ever growing list of *wants*!