Empty Nest

The guys were here working most of the day yesterday. The basement is empty of furniture, doors, and baseboards, and new carpet will be laid down very soon...I hope. And I *really* hope the whole basement story will come to an end soon because none of us can take much more of the chaos.

I had a little time for slow-stitching yesterday, and I filled my hoop. This stitchery will go faster than some of the others I've done recently.

We had some errands to run in town, but Mike was busy helping the guys move stuff out of the basement. Since it's a daylight basement, they were unloading things to our utility trailer. The trailer was hitched to one of the ATV's, and when it was full, Mike towed it up to the main level where the garage is located, and everything was unloaded into the garage. That was Mike's idea, and the guys really appreciated not having to haul stuff up a flight of stairs.

I was standing by to supervise the disassembly of the sewing room, but in the meantime, I baked an Orange Upside-Down Cake for Two. So yummy. It gave me a way to use up the denuded orange that was rolling around in the refrigerator.

Before it was finished baking, I was directing the guys on the care and handling of things in the sewing room. When all was said and done, the entire basement was emptied of its contents. Some areas of the carpeting hadn't seen foot traffic since we moved into the place more than 20 years ago. I walked around and made a little video, so you can see the size and configuration of the area. If you can't see the video, then click right here.

And that's all I have to show for yesterday. I'm kind of at a loss for what to do with myself if I can't sew. The "I Believe in Snowmen" quilt has been lounging upstairs, draped over Eliza. 

It's next in line for quilting, and I could start on that. Since we're heading to the beach next week, I doubt I could finish it. Starting it seems like too much. I could change my mind, however. Also, I found a new recipe for an "Awesome Apple Fritter Bread." When I realized I had all the ingredients on hand, it too a big giant step toward the top of my to-do list for Saturday. Baking bread seems like a more likely scenario. For sure, I'll need to start packing for our little getaway next week. 

It was good to have the guys here working for the past two days, but now we're ready to have the house to ourselves again for a bit. It's been stressful for humans and cats alike. The kitties are obviously confused. There is a pile of quilts in our bedroom, and the kitties can be seen roaming among them. If we could hear their thoughts, I imagine them thinking, "Well, this looks familiar, but it doesn't belong here." Their sewing room kitty bed is lying on the floor. I left it there, hoping it would give comfort to someone for a catnap. My cutting mats are lying on the floor of my office. I worried someone would set them on end, and I didn't want them to warp. Getting ahead of the game, I'd already removed them the day before. When I came into the office yesterday afternoon, I found Smitty standing on them. I imagine they felt familiar to his paws.

So I'll spend the day somehow, doing something. Sometimes it pays to just walk around until you bump into something, and then just go from there. Follow me for more tips on handling sewing-related withdrawal.