MOVING SALE!

The 20 years of accumulation

I'm totally serious about this - we're moving and after 20 years of apparently trying to fill up every square inch of space in this old house. To make matters worse, we're downsizing. From an unmeasured number of square feet (let's ballpark it at 1200) to less than 500 of living space and another 300 of indoor storage with a bit of covered outdoor storage as well. Needless to say, there will be a purge. 

Actually, the chucking out has already begun but not feverishly yet, as well it should be. We've been meaning to go through our closets for a couple of years but now we truly must. I've already thrown away a few bags of stained, ripped, worn out garments and given another few to Good Will. I still have waaaay too many pieces of clothing. Especially for someone who goes out publicly maybe once or twice a week, three closet racks of dresses, pants and tops are just more than enough, am I right? Combine that with a dresser with a larger drawer of underwear, another of socks and stockings and bathing suits, and TWO of pajamas (yes, 2!). I do love PJs. 

But that's not the half of it. I also love books - paperbacks, hardcovers, and collectible sets. I have two bookcases full of them. I also have a large plastic bin with paperbacks - to my credit, I joined a book swap club some years ago and so, rather than accumulate more, I end up breaking even, but I still own too many books. I also am a collector of boxes - the kind that hold trinkets or jewelry. None too large, but a great many and each one unique and special. Luckily, they don't take up much room, nor are they heavy to carry, so they will, in all likelihood, be coming with me to the new house. 

Oh, but there is more! I do crafts, so I am a bona-fide hoarder of yarn and other fibrous materials. Also buttons, broken pottery and tiles, beads, wire, and the equipment one uses to construct projects made with such items. Mark down another two bins full of craft items that WILL be relocated. And don't forget the unsold, as yet, projects I've already crafted, crocheted, sewn, painted, pyro'd or otherwise cobbled together to make something new. I am currently having a sale in my etsy.com shop where some of these things can be taken off my hands for a deep discount. You should check it out:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/354025220691664584

Where there's a way, there's a will

My spouse, on the other hand, has a "spare room" full of his own collectibles. He has often verbalized that someday he will leave our offspring his collections and they will happily keep or sell them. While a magnanimous idea, certainly, I've rarely noted a descendant who was thrilled to be left with a bunch of "stuff" that they know little to nothing about and have to now get to know or simply get rid of it. But I didn't rain on that parade, so we have load after load of collectibles - myriad types of bakelite items, ceramics and pottery, knives, coins - that we are currently attempting to sell on eBay. Here's one such item: 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/bakelite-backgammon-pieces-15-each-brown-and-darkened-yellow-/152241971801

Then there's the kitchen. The kitchen we have isn't large, but I have a metal industrial rack that is 5' x 3' x .5' that houses all my baking essentials, cutting boards, pots, pans, lids, tins, racks, cast iron, and some Tupperware that you can microwave safely in (I was a salesperson for a while and bought some nice pieces for myself). So there's a lot of "cooking items" to be moved and then the big question is - will the industrial rack fit anywhere? The kitchen, proper, will be home to the washer and dryer, so that's a large part of the bare wall available to such a rack. We'll see. But, there's no way I am giving up what took most of my married life to accumulate in the cooking department, and I do love to bake and cook. 

Still, I believe we can do this downsizing without any remorse or despair. I fully expect to give away many things, but these will be things I did not really need in the first place. And we will be better off for it, I'm sure. As I've noticed, no one person NEEDS three full closet racks of clothing and two dresser drawers full of PJs; similarly, no one family needs three food processors (I never bought more than one, but have kept all three), two toaster ovens (one is a rotisserie/convection oven as well, but still...), 5 different sized muffin tins and three bundt pans. 

There's even a problem in the bedroom

You read that right - there is a problem in the bedroom. As I said, the square footage is sparse, our bed is a queen. However, we have figured out that without the frame (which I really don't care for anyway) the queen bed WILL fit. Are we going to sleep with mattress on the floor then? No, we plan to place our current (new, BTW) mattress upon 30 or so 5 gallon plastic buckets and a stout piece of plywood. This serves dual purpose: 6 inches of spare floor space plus plenty of vermin-proof (not that we're expecting any but one never knows in the rural, middle TN area) storage. My husband is a borderline genius about some things (the collection of Pigeon Forge Pottery, notwithstanding). 

The second bedroom, since we don't actually need a working 2nd bedroom, will become, you guessed it, storage! But, more than that, my sewing machine, our stereo and collection of CDs, vinyl records and cassettes will go there, too. It just never ends, does it? Oh, and likely a good many books as well - the ones I simply can't part with, at least (signed by author, collection of Shakespeare's writings, for example). And then there's that supply of yarn and fabric I mentioned. 

We are very fortunate to have a finished attic room that is really nice and roomy and will serve well to hang clothing that is not currently in season (because the closets are small), and will house a great many plastic bins (the large kind) of which I currently own about 15. Right now, I'm very, very glad that I accumulated so many of them; once the majority of them are cleaned out of what I know to be stuff I haven't seen in over a year or two they will very handily be a godsend for moving the stuff we feel we must keep. There are ways and I have the will. 

Go forth, my child,  and hoard no more

I am hoping that after we move, we will continue to "downsize" and stop filling our lives with unnecessary crap. I know we will think not twice but three times before bringing anything new or used into our "new" home. I hope we will find things to give away to someone that needs it more than us. I hope to sell a lot of the crocheted and crafted items I currently have so that I can make more with the yarn I currently have. Either that, or I will probably just start selling the yarn and fabric that I have on hand to someone else who is just getting started on their own hoarding foray. But, then, I wouldn't wish that journey on anyone. 

Peace, out! 

C's Crafted Creations: And It's Almost Independence Day

C's Crafted Creations: And It's Almost Independence Day: Reminds me of the state of the USA right now - wrecked!  It's nearly time for one of our most enjoyed national holidays - The 4th of...

And It's Almost Independence Day

Reminds me of the state of the USA right now - wrecked! 

It's nearly time for one of our most enjoyed national holidays - The 4th of July - fireworks, music, family and friends, cook-outs, games, FUN! Really?? After the year(s) we've had here in this grand ol' country (young, really, not old, as countries go)?





I know what you Americans are thinking - hey! what's that got to do with the 4th of July? We're celebrating our independence and rightly so!

Founding Fathers were not radical new thinkers -- The Declaration of Independence was nothing new. Even Thomas Jefferson said it was"not about new arguments, never before thought of, not merely to say things which had never been said before, but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject."

{Oh, and speaking of Thomas Jefferson The DNA test actually proves that a male from the Jefferson family fathered Sally Hemings' children --that's a number of possibilities.} 

AND WHAT ABOUT THAT PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE WE ALL LEARNED? 
The pledge we now say was written over a century later than the Declaration of Independence was written and our country became the U.S. of A. Our Founders took their states rights very seriously and considered the U.S. Constitution to be a compact amongst the sovereign states so that any state could secede if it felt the federal government had become oppressive. So, if not with a pledge, how would our Founding Fathers begin meetings and celebrations? The answer: most likely with a prayer. In fact, the very first resolution brought before the First Continental Congress, and immediately passed, was the declaration that they would open every meeting with a prayer. (1)

Latest version of the Stars and Stripes - but how important is a flag, really?

The soldiers of the American Revolution fought under the American flag, right? Wrong! In fact, our Founders deemed a flag to be irrelevant. A bill introduced in 1794 to add two stars to the flag was considered too trivial to be given any attention. The matter was "a trifling business which ought not to engross the attention of the House, when it was their duty to discuss matters of infinitely greater importance" as stated by one member.  The Continental Army did still fight under flags, but these flags were all different depending on the regiment.  (1)

BACK TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION:

Now, we know that the British American colonies were economically well-off in the 1760s and did not, for the most part, feel especially oppressed by British rule. 

Well, first, go back to the War immediately preceding this - the French and Indian War. This conflict had been fought by British and Colonials alike, but paid for, primarily, by the British Crown. War, as we all should know, is costly, no matter who wins. The English were paying hefty taxes at home, the colonists, not so much. This caused a bit of "bad blood" back in England that began to fester and grow. English taxes were levied and collected on goods that came into colonial harbors, most especially, Boston. Many times, these taxes went uncollected, under-reported, pocketed by the unscrupulous, and thwarted by means more and more known to English taxpayers and their Parliament. 

With sentiment growing in favor of the American colonies paying their "fair share" to help pay for the war they had just helped to win, the call for increased enforcement of tax laws became louder and more insistent. With the Quebec and Ohio Valley land acquisition following the Treaty of Paris, came the Proclamation of 1763 by the King of England, forbidding colonial settlement into those areas west of the Appalachians and east of the Mississippi River. This did not sit well with those who had fought in that war, nor was it settling to those who had already made plans to head in that direction. 

This, and new Acts and Writs from the Crown, caused grumblings in Colonial America in the mid-1760s and beyond. Taxes on paper goods, stamps, then import taxes on glass, lead and tea, not only served to be burdensome but the collected revenues were to be used to pay Royal Governors' salaries. What this meant was that the legislative body who formerly paid the Governor's salary would not hold that salary hostage when disagreements ensued - the legislative body being chaired by colonial citizens. Colonials had Charles Townsend to thank for new and insinuating ways of making their lives much more oppressed, with the appointing of customs officials and a non-juried court to try cases. 

Congresses convened, joining together, somewhat, in their common outrage and eventually repeals were gained. Short-lived reconciliations were the norm, however, and soon, the Intolerable Acts were issued and imposed. 

British occupation expanded in colonial New England and farther south. Upkeep of these troops fell to the locals, who, understandably, were not pleased with that scenario. 

Congresses reconvened to discuss. 

In the meanwhile, groups formed (Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution, who did so much to support boycotts on imported goods and use whatever influence they could to rid their communities of opposition to their stance), literature was circulated (Thomas Paine "Common Sense" sold 120K copies from Jan 1776 to April of that year) to give reason to the cause of independence from British rule, and representation coalesced into a trusted and trustworthy body of men. 

All this had to come together before a revolt could be conceived and carried out. As it stood, only 1/3 of the people agreed with open rebellion and fighting, another third was undecided. Even so, within a few months, men took up arms and formed militia groups to fight the British on their turf and in their own way. Much blood was shed before the colonists even began to have hope of success, but that moment did come. 

Major Battles of the American Revolution

Date	Battle	American Commander(s)	British Commander
April 19, 1775	Lexington-Concord	Capt. John Parker	Lt. Col. Francis Smith
June 17, 1775	Bunker (Breed's) Hill	Gen. Israel Putnam and Col. William Prescott	Gen. William Howe
Dec. 31, 1775	Quebec	Gen. Richard Montgomery	Gen. Guy Carleton
Aug. 27, 1776	Long Island	Gen. George Washington	Gen. William Howe
Oct. 26, 1776	White Plains	Gen. George Washington	Gen. William Howe
Dec. 26, 1776	Trenton	Gen. George Washington	Col. Johann Rall
Sept. 11, 1777	Brandywine	Gen. George Washington	Gen. William Howe
Sept. 19, 1777	Saratoga (Freeman's Farm)	Gen. Horatio Gates	Gen. John Burgoyne
Oct. 4, 1777	Germantown	Gen. George Washington	Gen. William Howe
Oct. 7, 1777	Saratoga	Gen. Horatio Gates	Gen. John Burgoyne
Dec. 5, 1777	White Marsh	Gen. George Washington	Gen. William Howe
June 8, 1778	Monmouth Courthouse	Gen. George Washington	Gen. Henry Clinton
Sept. 16, 1779	Siege of Savannah	Gen. Benjamin Lincoln	Gen. Augustine Prevost
March 29, 1780	Siege of Charlestown	Gen. Benjamin Lincoln	Gen. Henry Clinton
Sept. 28, 1781	Siege of Yorktown	Gen. George Washington and Gen. Rochambeau	Gen. Charles Cornwallis

It wasn't until after the Battle of Saratoga in 1777 that the fight for independence turned in the Colonist's favor. Following that victory, the French became allies, bringing reinforcements and ammunition stores. 

After the war, seeds of change began to grow and blossom. Anti-slavery groups, which formed at the onset, gained membership and influence; women's rights groups, empowered by the inexhaustible efforts of the female population in support of the rebellion, came into their own; religious reform ensued, and by 1833, the state-supported church idea was virtually abandoned, led, in great part, by the displacement of the Anglican (King of Britian- headed) church. Thomas Jefferson himself was instrumental in Virginia's own declaration of religious independence.

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Lessons to be learned and celebrated: 

A diverse group of people can be united when the situation becomes disturbingly dire enough.

Communication is key! Publications and opinion must surface and be seen that speaks to the sentiment of the population. 

Men must rise to leadership positions and put their differences aside to unite under a common banner both to win the trust of the people they lead and to conjure success.

It is more important to fight for what you believe than to fight against what you don't believe in, such passion often wins the day. 

CELEBRATE AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

(1) http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/07/04/10-things-might-not-know-about-our-independence.htm

(2)http://www.ushistory.org/us