Classic Game Pieces - Part 9

Now for the markers ... how about the horse and rider




.

Classic Game Pieces - Part 8

For Monopoly, let's start with the houses and hotels

Classic Game Pieces - Part 7

Monopoly!

These iconic pieces have so much detail that it was fun to put them under a macro lens.

Classic Game Pieces - Part 6

I've shared these photos before, but thought they deserved another viewing with the game pieces series.

Unfortunately, I didn't find any of the peg people to fill the station wagons.





This car has that well worn feeling.

Classic Game Pieces - Part 5

But in Life, who wouldn't want this?

I wouldn't mind it in real life, either!

Classic Game Pieces - Part 4

I liked the little peg people that drove around in cars in The Game of Life. Some of these cards were dreaded.

The blocks of colors with block letters? Classic.

Classic Game Pieces - Part 3

I admit it. I had to really rattle my brain to come up with the name of the game this tiny cherry belongs to. We no longer had the game board. Finally it came to me.

Hi-Ho! Cherry-O!

I never played this game as a kid, but my own children loved it.

October Goal Update: My 19+ Completed Goals

I wrote on October 5th that I'd completed all of my 19 in 2019 goals. One friend asked for a recap. Today I'm obliging. I admit that I worked diligently for all of them. Some required a lot of perseverance, but others seem like they were accomplished almost like a fluke.

One thing that I find interesting is that I wrote these goals last December -- long before we thought we'd actually move to Oregon. In fact, we were on the "five year plan" for moving, waiting until Dale was ready to retire. Life had other ideas. I mention this because the "fixing up the house and purging" goals were already on the list -- before the move made them more urgent. Anyway ...

Here's what I managed to do:


1. Learned to use my pompom maker. 

Then I made a heart wreath out of several sizes and colors of  pompoms.

2. Watched the DVD about Lake Missoula. 

Fascinating. Geology has always been my favorite science.

3. Wrote at least 25 #throwbackthursday blog posts about craft and needlework projects I completed between 1990 and 2007.

These are the years I documented my completed projects, but before I had my blog. I've written 32 of those posts so far this year.

4. Documented at least 10 of my Ladies of the Evening.

I've written detailed descriptions of 14 of my beaded ladies so far this year. I have another five Ladies that I've photographed and am currently writing up the details about them.

5. Did the finishing work on In the Garden.

I turned this stitchery into a journal cover.

6. Used up my tea stash.

All the oddball teas were brewed and enjoyed. Chai and Cranberry Apple Zinger are still my favorites.

7. Reached a weight goal by my February doctor's appointment.

Met ... and (mostly) maintained.

8. Determined my Enneagram.

I took the test, then did some extra reading about it and watched a number of videos on YouTube to understand more about this personality sorter.

9. Made Happy Easter banner with prairie point edging.

This one makes me particularly happy because the idea I had in my head for decades finally came into being.

10. Painted the dog kennel, added privacy webbing, and fixed the roof.

Another goal I'm so proud to have completed. The finished result was even better than I'd anticipated. (This photo was taken before the roof was fixed).

11. Read The Creative License by Danny Gregory.

I read the book and did a bit of drawing. I intend to improve my drawing skills in the future. 

12. Found a new home for my Mom’s china cabinet.

This went to one of my nephews. I'm so glad it's found a place to be loved and used again.

13. Painted the baseboards in living room / dining room.

Here's another goal over a decade in the making. Once we painted the baseboards, the living room and dining room looked so crisp and clean.

14. Took the treadle sewing machine to my sister. It used to belong our dad.

I didn't need it anymore, and she is my seamstress sister who really appreciated it.

15. Watched 50 movies from my Amazon Prime, Netflix DVD, and Netflix streaming queues.

I completed this goal, and went far beyond by also watching a fair number of movies I'd recorded on Tivo. Coco was one of my favorites:

16. Did the finishing work on my stitch sampler.

I made it into my Many Small Dreams journal cover. In it I'll write about dreams I want to fulfill in Chapter 3 of my life.

17. Took my little guitar to Kiwanis Park and played it by the river.

I had my guitar re-strung, then took it to the park that very day. Jeanne and I had a lovely time sitting by the river as my fingers got reacquainted with the fret board, the picking, and the strumming.

18. Dealt with the treadmill: fixed it or sold it or gave it away.

We found a woman to give it to. She is doing some rehab on her leg and really appreciated having a nice treadmill to help her with her healing.

19. Painted the house.

Done. It looks so nicely freshened up now. My favorite part is that we finally had the cinder blocks in the lower porch painted. It looks much more finished now and adds value to our back yard.

EXTRAS!!

20. Sorted old letters.

I love re-reading letters sent to me from long ago. While sorting my old letters, I was most touched to find some in my Mom's and my Dad's handwriting. I also got to peruse some from old flames and folks long gone from my life. I was able to send quite a few into the netherworld, for the people who wrote them no longer bring joy to my life.

21. Fixed and painted the front door.

We were able to do this when the house got painted.

22. Purged and organized the storage shelves in the exercise room.

This was an extended process. I feel such a weight lifted for having released so many items.

23. Move to Eugene, Oregon.

I admit that this is still in process. But we do get to live at our new place part time as we get our Idaho home ready to sell. Buying our new place went much faster than we had anticipated. We put an offer on the house on a whim ... and they sold it to us!

Goals that got some traction, but are not complete:

24. Convert audio cassettes into digital format and/or get rid of them
25. Use up one greeting card I already own for one greeting card I make
26. Dig grass out of the flower beds in the back yard
27. Learn to use my metal punch
28. Continue with the Everyday Matters photo challenge

With all these goals accomplished by October, I feel free of my self-made obligations. Now I can spend the rest of the year settling into our new home and enjoying the holidays.

Classic Game Pieces - Part 2

How many thousands of times have little hand held these markers by their heads, and walked them around a board?

Classic Game Pieces - Part 1

In going through our game closet to decide which games to keep and which were past their prime, I found quite a number of classic game pieces. They are like little works of art. So I'm treating them as such and will highlight them over the coming weeks.

Let's start out with dice.

Sunrise

Our home in Post Falls has a hill to the east in the back yard that blocks the sun rising on the horizon. We don't feel the sun's rays until the orb crests the tall pine trees.

Our home in Eugene is situated in a way that we can see the sun rise and set every day. Watching these events is a lovely way to bookend our day.

The Two Biggest Goals Yet

Recall how I said I'm an overachiever? Well here are two more of my 19 in 2019 Goals that have been met. And these are doozies.

Goal #15: Purge and organize storage shelves in exercise (storage) room.

This was a goal I wanted to complete for years. I thought it was going to be a horrendous job. Four levels of storage that are 25 inches deep and about 12 feet wide.

There were decorations for every season, boxes and boxes of mementos, more picture frames than I care to admit (I have a sickness: buying used picture frames at thrift stores), many rolls of wrapping paper and gift boxes and gift bags, and sentimental items that belonged to my parents. I went through every box, every item.

It was not as difficult as I imagined it would be. Look what I accomplished!

While I was in the mood, I cleared out my Studio, too. I gave away a lot of materials I wasn't using to make additional space for more current interests. I figured I could rearrange the entire room and start from scratch.  So it went from here ...

to here.

OK ... but where is the furniture that was in the meditation room / photo studio? Oh, that went into the library.

Hold it!

H - O - L - D  IT!

Something suspicious is going on. I saw a suitcase in that last photo. Now you have furniture stacked and lined up like soldiers on the march.

Well, now!

Yes, this is happening!

.

Alternate Goal #28: Move to Oregon

Dale and I bought a cute little place in west Eugene. We're having the interior of the house painted from stem to stern this week, and will have all new flooring installed soon. We're mostly packed, have moved in a few essentials, and will be living in Oregon full time before Thanksgiving.

It's official!

(Our home as seen through a bug-laden windshield the day before we officially became owners)

Maple Leaf Week - Day 5

Among the green

Maple Leaf Week - Day 4

At the root of it all

Frozen in Bud

This little gal never got a chance to show the beauty within.
#flowersforfriday

Maple Leaf Week - Day 3

This time of year? Golden!

Maple Leaf Week - Day 2

In nature, the evergreens and the deciduous trees all get along together.

They even complement one another.

Maple Leaf Week - Day 1

It seems like overnight the leaves of the maple trees in our neighborhood turned a bright yellow. The the breezes blew and they rained down all day.

I'll share some of what I saw during the week.

Click for larger image.

More Than Accolades

Yesterday I made reference to working through a big job with many steps. One of today's steps was to sift through five boxes of memorabilia. I found a box that had awards and plaques and county fair ribbons and my high school diploma and college degree.

Unfortunately, all of the items are ruined beyond repair, full of mold and mildew, spotted, stinky. They're likely health hazards.

Way back in 1987, in the midst of separation and divorce from my first husband, there was a house fire while my then-husband was packing up the house to move. When the fire happened, I was living in a women's shelter with our two babies. Apparently, the box with these tangible objects of my successes got soaked as the firefighters put out the fire.

That whole period of my life was extraordinarily chaotic. Much of the "stuff" was packed away as is. When the items were finally returned to me, I stored them before going through them. I moved on with my life. I built new memories.

Through all these years, every time I'd peek into those boxes, I'd feel sick inside, and just close them up again and push them to the back and "bury" them to deal with later.

"Later" has finally arrived. Today I began dealing with those five boxes. Let's just say, "I'm feeling all the feels."

I'm reminded of what J.K. Rowling wrote in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. 

Ron Weasley had been attacked by brains in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic. Tentacles of the brains had attached to Ron, leaving deep injuries. Later, Madam Pomfrey treated Ron as he was healing, but the healing was slow in coming.

According to Madam Pomfrey, 

thoughts could leave deeper scars 

than almost anything else.

Tonight, I can attest to this.

This Weekend's Motto

"One evolution at a time."

I've got a big job ahead of me. It's a process with many, many steps. Looking at the big picture is too overwhelming. I'm not going ring the bell three times. I refuse to quit. So to do the job, I need to concentrate on the current step.

Admiral William McRaven's words have been my motto this weekend, and will continue over the coming weeks.

One evolution at a time.