(with apologies to Shirley Jackson for adapting her title)

Ya know how one thing leads to another?

So, my beloved 40 yr old sewing machine croaked. Kenmore model 18033, I salute you.

I bought a new one. Electronic. Learning curve.

It came with a limited selection of presser feet, unlike the old one that had just about every foot known to humankind at the time it was manufactured.

Then I found out I could buy a BIG package of sewing machine presser feet for the new machine (the old ones will not fit it) thanks to my daughter who bought that package for HER new sewing machine.

The package arrived, and it was full of goodness and also very very flimsy.

It occurred to me that the Container Store sells clear plastic divided containers.

It occurred to me that I had a small, multi-drawer cabinet out in the storage room that would be perfect for storing miscellaneous sewing stuff.

It occurred to me that my sewing and quilting books were almost all in the bookcase in the parlor instead of in the office next to the sewing machine.

It occurred to both my husband and me that if we were going to venture to the Container Store, there were some other things we should buy, like a bin to put sweaters in because the old one is terminally bulged out and the lid doesn’t fit any more. And like kitten proof containers for all the miscellaneous stuff we each have on the tables next to our chairs in the living room, and a kitten proof container for my “nightstand” which is actually an old wooden root beer crate that I scrounged from a grocery store circa 1973. (Remind me, I need to write a post about kittens.)

OK, so here’s how it went today: I cleaned all the junk out of the little cabinet, brought it in and washed it. Then I had to find space for it near the sewing machine. Which led me to go into the parlor, look at what was on that bookshelf behind the door into the hallway, and remove a goodly portion of it to be recycled. Ran the Shark over the shelves to get rid of a ghastly accumulation of dust, rearranged all the craft books by type of craft (jewelry, wire, beading, design, etc etc etc), picked a few worthy sewing and quilting books to move to the office, evicted a large collection of books from the office and put them in the parlor…. phew. Then we went to the Container Store. Came home with clear plastic containers for the sewing stuff, two plastic toolboxes to put in the living room to store miscellaneous chair-side stuff and remote controls, one small latching container for my nightstand, and a big plastic bin for the sweaters. Everything but the sweater bin has been put to use. We gotta save SOMEthing for tomorrow.

We also resisted eating lunch in Pasadena and supper at any local restaurant. We feel virtuous.

Hope you'll recommend my posts via your favorite social media. Just don't copy the material as your own.