How Things Snowball - So, my "5 Sewing Things" I wanted to to do this evening started with: (1) Add the last 4 buttons on Bill's new blue pants. Simple, right? Just four little buttons and the matching button holes. I made the pants before Memorial Day weekend camping. I finished nearly all the work on the pants *at* the camping trip (that's Spring Potrero, for those familiar with Caid). And all that remained were the buttons on the pant-leg cuffs.

The pants were in a bag. The supplies were in a bag. The bag was on the floor, with all the things dumped out of a crate after I came home from the Fiber Retreat. In June. Still, in a pile, on the floor of my room.

The pile was under the card table. The card table is covered in my laptop and all the boxes and CDs from trying to reformat the drive (done), reinstall the OS (done), reinstall Office (done), and reinstall the wireless adaptor and get the wireless signal working (not done).

So my thought was: To finish Bill's pants, I should move the table where the internet cord could reach, pick up the pile, and sew.

It's been two and a half hours. I'm finally sitting with the supplies ready to work. What took two and a half hours??

* I loaned Mina a tiny screwdriver this morning, and she returned it. Pick it up off the floor, find my purse, put it away.
* Pick up the iPod recharger cap, found on the floor. Put it away. (Really, put it on a shelf and find where it goes later.)
* Pick up the belt that I loaned Tamara for garb (a month ago), off the new inkle loom, put away the belt.
* Decide the belt should be packed for Pennsic. Get out an end table, put the carry-on luggage on the table. Pack the belt in the luggage.
* Pick up my linen head-band for my head-coverings in costume. Decide it needs to be washed. Wash, hang to dry.
* Pick up the linen cap. Decide it should be washed. Wash, hang to dry.
* Pick up all the straight pins from my head-coverings, put them away in the jewelry box. Pick up all the award jewelry, put it away too.
* Find the Tydes copies I needed to mail. Put on computer desk for later.
* Find my new Sand Piper award promissory. Put up on top of desk, on display.
* Put calligraphy materials near Pennsic packing, because Ceridwen called today and asked me to pack some blank award scrolls for her.
* Pick up my hair extensions. Unbraid them. Brush them. Rebraid them loosely together. Put in protective drawstring bag. Pack in luggage.
* Pick up toiletries bag off the bathroom counter where I've been meaning to put it away for two weeks. Pack toiletries in luggage for Pennsic. Put larger bag away in closet.
* Find VCR tape that I meant to give to Lot, last week at Lyondemere Anniversary. Put back by TV, to record another episode for him tonight.
* Move end table near left side of work area, since the card table is going there now (so the ethernet cord will reach my laptop until the wireless connection is working again)
* Pick up boxes strewn about the card table and on the floor. Put boxes back in sleeves, restack everything for laptop project. Move card table closer.
* Find extra phone charger (because I left my normal one at work). Plug in, and start charging cell phone again.
* Take out bedroom trash and bathroom trash. Put liners in both trash cans again.
* Find hair pin I loaned Mina two weeks ago, stuck to carpet. Get out jewelry box again, put pin with other pins, put away jewelry box.
* Find 2 more hair ties on the floor. Put away in Pennsic hair ties bag.
* Find clean drawstring bag and hand-towel in laundry, reassemble my contacts supplies in bag. Refill contact solution bottle. Toss empty in recycling (the one I mentioned was on my desk next to the printer and TV).
* Pick up head phones off floor, the ones I use for recording new songs on my computer. Put away neatly.

***** Pick up the bag of supplies off the floor with Bill's new blue pants. Set them on neat and clean card table. Look at mess on floor. Decide to finish that too.

* Wrap up measuring tape. Put away in living room, in sewing supplies, where it's supposed to go.
* Put away spool of thread, hand sewing needle, and needle threader. Put away small canvas bag they were in.
* Put away bag of bamboo spinning project. Label bag, so I know which bag it's in, or what's in each bag.
* Toss out the papers from the Fiber Retreat bag that I'm not keeping (well, put into paper recycling), and put the papers I'm keeping over in the "To Be Filed" pile.
* Put away a half dozen or so safety pins.
* Pick up loose cords and braiding projects. Sort back into their ziploc bags, reassemble neatly in larger tote bag. Label bag (since it's a new bag, and I'll never recognize it as the one filled with kumihimo, fingerloop braids, lucet, and new cords. Plus the silk I'm supposed to be untangling for Scott/Lorccan.)

Normally I would be okay with ignoring some of the clutter, to get a project done. But the piles on my floor were bugging me the most. And I really saw that "two month pile of fiber retreat detritus" as a major requirement for picking up and putting away this week.

Now I'm ready to sew four buttons and four button holes.

But now I'm hungry for dinner. *sigh*

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This Evening's Finished Objects: I'm going to have to classify these as "36 small bedroom tasks, done." Yoikes. Sigh.

P.S. I know I said I wasn't going to bore you with ALL the details. This time, I just had to keep a running tally, just once, to see how crazy my house really has gotten. Oh gracious. Okay. Did that once. Don't need to do that again. Thanks for hanging with me this long, if you really read all the way to the bottom of this entry. You amaze me. *grin*