Week two of 2021 is behind us!!

Happy weekend!!  I am off work today, working extra tomorrow.  Time to sew and have fun today!  Above is my progress on Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt.  I love these little blocks so, so much!!

Just playing with pieces here...

And more play!  You can find all the pieces to the mystery right here!

Quiltville's Quips & Snips!!: Grassy Creek Mystery!

***************************Decluttering and cleaning for this year:  Part 2!*************

Last week we worked on our pantries.  Mine feels and looks so much better, and now I have meals planned, using things in the pantry.  Love it!!

So this week, I am working on my linen closet.  Wow...what a mess!!!  

The only way to make things less cluttered is to have less of those things to clutter things up.   I donated a bunch of good towels,  moved others along to the "rag bag", to use for cleaning and out in the garage.   I also donated three new sheet sets...I have plenty, and someone can really use them.  

Now!  That feels better!!!

I found things I had forgotten completely about!!  

The above quilt is a very early one, from my hands.  1990's, sometime.  It has never been on the blog, I don't think...it was made way before the blog.  Of course, hand quilted.  NO label though!  grrrr!!  Lesson learned, of course!!!  Julie, label your quilts!

The binding was done by hand, with a whip stitch.   Hahaha!   I just folded the back to the front, which the backing was obviously as old sheet.   I just love it, anyhow!!!  Glad I have progressed a little bit, in my quilt making.

I also found these hand embroidered pillow cases...done my my mom and grandmother.  I smoothed them out, admired all those tiny stitches, carefully folded them and put them back in the closet.  I just can't part with those, not quite yet.

I found this old comforter!  Wow...must be 30 years old.  It weighs 18 pounds.  Seriously, I weighed it!  Talk about a weighted blanket!! It got donated, too.  

So if I do a bit of decluttering and organizing every week, by the end of the year?  We will make a great deal of good progress!!! Care to join me?

*************************the 1930's, a study***************************

I was recently gifted these pretty, pretty fabrics and this book, which I have been lusting over for years.  Yahoo!!  This reminds me of my reading I have been doing about the 1930's.  

Causes of the Great Depression:  1929-1939.  Did you know it lasted so, so long?  Wow!   There are many reasons why this happened...many theories.  

1.  Easy money.  Remember those roaring Twenties?  They were the result of easy credit, and easy money...lots available.  The government increased the money supply, and this readily available supply also increased prices.  This was compounded by terrible monetary policy throughout. Interest rates were up, and banks were lending...and people and businesses were highly leveraged with lots of loans.  Also, lots of investment in the stock market with this borrowed capital. 

2. The federal reserve cut off the money supply in 1929...resulting in a huge 20% drop in the stock market, over just 4 days.  629 banks closed that year alone (this number varies in my research), but you get the idea...banks can't loan out all that money and not get paid back!! Thousands more failed in 1930, 1931, 1932 and 1933.  

  3.  Hebert Hoover instituted the Smoot-Hawley act, raising tariffs, affecting our trade terribly...he just seemed to institute more and more policies that really made it all so much worse. 

Have you heard of the term "Hooverville?"  Common, every day folks were living in encampments, little tents and structures made of cardboard boxes, etc.  People like us!!!  A terrifying thought.

Taxes and levies were added, burdening an already struggling populace.

4.  FDR:  The New Deal:  Work programs! Remember these, or have you heard of them?  President Roosevelt also really contributed to the terrible lengthening of the depression too.  I am finding horrible fiscal policy and taxes, etc. that really did not help anyone.  Seems like everything that was tried, really failed.

TEN years! A decade of doing without essentials,  struggling and scrambling to make ends meet and feed families.  What an awful time!

I have kind of just skimmed over the reasons why this happened, although I am fascinated and have done hours of reading about it. You can get really into it, as I have!   I thought it was important for me to understand why this happened.  I am very interested in how the common folks handled all of this, and how they coped...and the sequalae of all the fear and deprivation that happened.  

Thanks for reading...more next week!

************************************Health!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So?  waking up...big smile on your face!  Contracting those abs??  Don't they feel better?  Drinking that first glass of water, so your kidneys are happy???

If you do something for 21 days, they say you have developed a habit...so keep going!

This week, I encourage you to look at what supplements you take, if any.  I take a handful...vitamin c, vitamin d ( I have a known deficiency), multi vitamins.  zinc!  Do some research...they sure make me feel better, and although food sources of vitamins are best, we don't always eat very nutritious food, do we? I am taking them!  

You are so worth a little effort in increase your health. We take care of others all the times, but take a moment and love yourself, too!

1.  Contract those abs, securing and strengthening that core.

2.  Drink your water, first thing and throughout the day

3. Take your vitamins, if appropriate for you.

Hope everyone has a lovely, wonderful day!  I have greatly appreciate hearing what you do for your health...thank you for sharing!!

Julie