Merging Lives Requires Cleaning Rooms

Winter is the time for us to focus on interior projects instead of exterior ones. The outdoors doesn't end - snow still needs to be cleared from the roof, gutters still need leaves pulled out of them, etc. But, when the snow is falling and the winds are blowing, we're concentrating on cleaning, reorganizing, and trying to figure out how to make everything fit in new spaces in the upcoming year. It's unfortunate that both DH and I love to hang on to things. We're not "hoarders" in the classic sense - there are no small pathways through towering heaps of boxes and newspapers, etc. No, there's lots of open space, clean counters, and uncluttered furniture. 

Just add glitter and let those "My Little Pony" characters
run rampant in my craft room and den. The rest of the
house isn't bad (the library still needs work), but those
two rooms are in need of some serious cleaning and
reorganization work. 

But there are places, like the craft room, where it looks more like a herd of "My Little Ponies" ran through spreading glitter wherever they went while pulling everything off shelving. It's a direct finger point at the fact that both DH and I have a variety of interests and each one requires supplies, a different workspace, and storage. 

I'm not this bad, but I do have several of the same wheels
that this woman does. I own four spinning wheels - one
traveler, a castle-style, and Elizabeth standard and a
Rio Grande great wheel. I love them - they're simply beautiful. 

My own personal interests range from beading, weaving and spinning, to sewing, painting, print making, and lots of metal working. His interests overlap in painting, but he adds leatherworking, woodworking and general fix-it talents to his mix. He's handy with a jewelry bench too - holds his own with torch and hammer. 

DH is fine using craft paints like these for his painting,
where I choose to go with the more high-end Spanish
acrylics and watercolor paints for mine. Different
strokes for different folks. 

The main problem is that his supplies are not my supplies. I'm picky about brands and quality levels for things like my paints and chemicals, he is more than content to work with less expensive (and less reliable) craft paints which have larger color grains and different suspension media. He also is a good one for not putting things away or just putting them in odd places because that's where they were when he was finished using them. My tools have very specific homes, his seem to sprout feet and wander. 

We'll be retiring over the next 12-18 months and will be sharing living and work spaces. It will be very interesting to see if we can avoid destroying a 40+ year relationship once we're living in each other's back pockets. Oy! 

Have a wonderful Saturday. Even though I'm working tomorrow, it's only for four hours so I can deal. At least, I'll tell myself that - LOL. I'll probably start that pearl repair. The silk is stretched and it's ready to go. Be back on Monday!