Yes - my house is back! And Resolution #3 ...

Doug and I spent most of the last three days undoing Christmas.  As much as I love to see the decorations come down from the storage bins in the garage, I smile broadly as they make their way back up into the rafters for another year.  I'm sure there are those who are saddened when the season is over, but I'm not one of them.  I'm no Scrooge, however.  I love Christmas and the joy of spending special time with family and friends.  But I'm a neatnik (some would say I border on the fanatical), and the extra "stuff" in the house starts to get to me after a week or so.  Today is a happy day - the house looks normal again.

One of our traditions is to watch the Albert Finney version of Scrooge at the end of the holiday season.  We saw this movie in Michigan in 1970 - our first Christmas as a married couple - so it has special meaning to us.  We watched the DVD last night after dinner.  I still smile at the "Thank You Very Much" scene!

I started the binding on the TLC quilt yesterday using Sharon Schamber's method.  So far, it's going well.  I definitely like the way she joins the binding strips and how detailed the video is (see this post).  The binding is on; the true test will come tomorrow when I try to sew the second side on by machine!  Normally, I finish binding by handsewing it to the back of the quilt.  With Sharon's method, the binding is completely sewn on by machine.  I tried this a couple of weeks ago following another blogger's method and was not particularly successful!  Sharon's method is more time intensive, uses glue, and is highly recommended by one of my quilting friends.  Keep your fingers crossed!  As the arthritis in my thumbs worsens, I'm looking for more ways to use the Bernina instead of doing handwork.

Now for Resolution #3.  About 30 years ago, my inlaws went on a trip to Asia stopping in Sri Lanka along the way (it was Ceylon then).  My mother-in-law fell in love with batik clothing and purchased dozens and dozens of skirts, blouses, dresses, saris, etc. to bring home.  We think she intended to sell them at the College of the Desert Street Fair but never got around to it.  When MIL passed away several years ago, I inherited this clothing as part of the "big clean out" of her house.  I've managed to sell a few pieces on eBay and Oma's Closet and at a The Oasis holiday boutique in 2008.  I even cut up three of the skirts and made handbags out of them!  But I still have two big plastic boxes of clothes in the garage.  Resolution #3 - by the end of 2010, all of the clothing will be sold, recycled into new sewing projects, or given away.