Monday, March 29, 2010

Flying Frantic - The Purse Project

Women FLY FRANTICALLY through life.
We generally feel there aren't enough hours in the day.
And if there were more hours,
we would just make our TO DO LISTS longer.

That's what we women do.
We write lotsa' things on the never-ending TO DO LIST,
and feel guilty about the ones we haven't crossed off.

Not only do I feel like I can't catch up,
I  know I'll never get ahead.

Some days, I feel like I am just
hooking-bobbing fleeting time.

So, I've learned to pray about my list,
and have the Lord guide me in what He wants me to do,
and give me strength and wisdom to accomplish much.
Somedays I don't even make that list.
I just listen.

 I've also learned that the more organized I am,
the more I can accomplish.
I spend less time looking for things and
less time preparing,
while flying through life.

“Organizing is what you do before you do something,
so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.”
A.A. Milne

 
This week I am FLYING FRANTICALLY
through organizing projects
that have all helped in the challenging area of
getting out of the house,
with or without
kids.

The Purse Project
are projects that can be thrown in a purse
to fill up little wasted minutes in the car,
in waiting rooms or at kids'  lessons/practices.

Women rarely have a spare hour.

But, we all can find 15 minutes in a day.

I got the idea years ago,
from the only  Sewing With Nancy episode I watched.
It changed the way I view my sewing/craft/household projects.
She encouraged sewers to break up their projects into 15 minute increments.


These socks sat on my dryer for weeks, until I finally dealt with them. 
 After being worn and washed once,
the ruffles started unraveling.
Little girls really, really need white, ruffly socks.
It took five minutes to stuff my scissors, thread, needle and the socks
 in a ziploc bag and put it in my purse.

Both were mended by noon the next day.

My latest purse project began with this summer fabric.
 I have had it over six years.
That's as long as some of you have been married.
Some of you have sewn many quilts or dresses in that time.
I finally can confess,
I have been reduced to merely collecting fabric.
I rarely sew anymore.

One day I prewashed the fabric.
The next day I ironed it.

Don't these ants just make you want to have a picnic?

The next free time slot I used to cut out cloth napkins.
I counted squares to make it easier.

I put the napkins by my sewing machine,
which I now leave out,
and in between correcting school work,
I  stitched a napkin or two,
again using the squares as my guidelines.

They just need to be unraveled.


My stitched napkins, scissors and seam ripper were put in a ziploc,
and are taken with me on car trips, and to ball games.

 
It is slow, but I am making progress.
A lot more progress than I made in the first six years of owning the fabric!

Sometimes my purse project is a magazine I need to read.
I bring Post-it notes to mark pages of interest.

Other times I throw in a book or a curriculum catalogue.

The idea of The Purse Project
 is to accomplish,
not overwhelm.
It has to be something that you can reasonably get done,
in 15 minute increments.

We all have a purse (or diaper bag),
and we all have 15 minutes.

What project is currently in your purse,
or what would you like to toss in this week?


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8 comments:

  1. Great ideas Mindy!! Thank you for more practical wisdom!

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  2. The Purse Project is a great idea! I usually get stuck in my car for at least 45 minutes cause my little guy decides to take a nap. So, I guess I need to have 3 Purse Projects in my purse. hahaha

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  3. Great ideas! I loved the little ants on the tablecloth!!

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  4. I love this idea. I have a whole stack of jeans that have holes that need to be mended. A little at a time.

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  5. What great ideas! I'm off right now to put a short project into my purse. I have a fifteen to twenty minute wait in the van every day waiting for the kids after school. Less twitter-ing, more crafting. Love it!

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  6. I love the "purse project" title! Great ideas. I like to break up cleaning or organizing into small increments.

    Even if you're in the middle of watching a t.v. show you can use commercials to load or unload the dishwasher, start a load of laundry, make the bed, etc. Thanks for linking up!

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  7. I have to do things like that to trick myself to keep up with my projects. I want to get them done...I just need to integrate them into my life. Great idea for the napkins...I'm going get my cloth cut out this week.

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  8. I carry yarn around in my purse and a crochet needle :)

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