New obsession in the midst of tidying and moving

Hand lettering, who knew?

Sometimes you find something that reaches out and grabs your heart. I found wooden plaques with a song from a hymnal glued to it and then a phrase from the hymn written across it. Simply beautiful! However, they are not in my budget.

Although we are still in the tidying, packing stage, I know in the new house I want these above the piano. I have wood and I have several hymnals but couldn't quite figure out how to write on the song's page. I tried using Word and Corel but they were unsatisfactory. Certainly not the look I wanted. Then I found hand lettering.

I will be the first to admit that this is only my 2nd day of playing with this. However, instead of trying to find a font to copy, I think my handwriting is good enough to use. I actually like the look even if it's a little rough. By the time we get moved and I can actually make these for myself, I should be a whole lot better. Still, I am happy to have found this technique. Plug here for Pinterest, what would I do without it? 

The life-changing magic or tidying up - Shoes

I recently was in a photo for a cousin reunion in Texas. I was the only one not wearing shoes. The reason: I spent 14 days in the car, trying to decide where to live. Traveling around to all the small cities in Texas is really bad if you are older and your feet swell. Still, I don't wear shoes at home if I don't have to. I blame my Texan mother who didn't like shoes either. So when I got to the category of shoes, I knew what would happen.

We pulled all the shoes from under the bed. We pulled them from the closet. I gathered them from the office. Basically, I only like three pairs of my shoes and one pair of slippers. Therefore, two full garbage bags are leaving the house today. I did find some slippers I like when it's cold but they were dusty and grungy so have now made their way to the washing machine. If they survive, I will keep them. If not, they will find their way to the trash too.

Since we are planning to move, my clothes and shoes are now manageable. My clothes take up 1/3 of the closet and the shoe rack looks naked. I still have one empty drawer in my dresser. It going to be really easy to pack.

Where do I go from here...Books