Pesto, Patterns & Problems Destashing
There is nothing better than fresh pesto…
made with basil growing right outside the back door.
sweet Italian basil
Since I knew we were planning to move, I only planted one type of basil this year unlike last summer when I had lemon, sweet, Thai and one other type that I can’t recall off the top of my foggy head since I haven’t yet made a dent in my morning coffee.
There are so many recipes for pesto, but I make a fairly simple version for which I just estimate ingredients:
| 1 handful | Washed and dried fresh basil |
| A few | Cloves of garlic to taste |
| A couple pinches | Kosher salt to taste |
| A handful | Pine nuts |
| A handful | Grated Parmagiano or other hard Italian cheese |
| Pour | Virgin olive oil into mixture until mixture is a smooth consistency |
| Directions | Blend the first 3 ingredients in a Cuisinart or similar blender.
Add the pine nuts and pulse – slowly add the cheese and olive oil. Taste – can be used fresh or frozen on pasta, chicken, sandwiches and more |
1000 Patterns by Drusilla Cole
Last week, I picked up 1000 Patterns by Drusilla Cole from the library to use as a bit of inspiration for both the upcoming home remodel/move and for design ideas for pottery decoration. I had a chance to thumb through the book yesterday and it’s pretty cool – it’s interesting to read about the history of fabric designs and patterns and how classic ones have remained strong throughout the centuries. Personally, I am mostly drawn to the more primitive ones from Polynesia, other parts of Asia and Africa for their simple, often bold graphics and limited use of color. The book itself is well organized – I just wish many of the photos were larger.
Meanwhile, not much happening in the way of clay this week after all. We are showing our home to potential tenants 3 times this weekend and I’ve been cleaning in preparation. Last night, my hubby and I started the task of going through the main floor of the home, looking for items to pack, keep and/or donate. I can see that my desire to purge stuff is going to be more difficult than I imagined. For every 2 items I put in the purge pile, my hubby yanked 1 of them out and exclaimed, “I like this – we can’t get rid of this….” – despite said item sitting neglected in a cupboard for the past 5 years.
After reading Linda’s post yesterday about going minimal and following one of her links to zenhabits about creating a less cluttered home – I tried reasoning with my husband. “If we haven’t touched it in a year baring special or emotional attachments, let’s give it away.” But apparently, my husband has emotional attachments to everything including a growing match-book collection (we don’t smoke and certainly don’t burn enough candles to require so many), pewter mugs (never used), paper beer logo coasters (dime a dozen), misc. tschotskes (many are mine and I say they go), etc. etc. Needless to say, he’s afraid to come home from work now-a-days for fear of what will be missing.
Then I boldly made a new rule, “In the future, whenever we buy anything new – something has to leave the house in its place.” He seemed agreeable since destashing is easier when done on a smaller scale (although the rule is more about maintaining the status quo). We live in a small home and we just don’t have room or the storage space for a lot of stuff – my vice is of course clay stuff, art supplies and books. After we finished boxing up a good 4 boxes of items bound for ARC, I remarked at how easy it would be to move if we truly lived a minimalist existence – imagine just moving furniture?
Of course as human beings, we collect stuff or are we really collecting and preserving memories? Being a sentimental type myself, I keep more than my fair share of stuff including a gallery of my daughter’s art work since birth, cards, photos, art & pottery, family linens, letters, books and more. I am trying get better at editing my stuff, but in the end, who am I keeping this for if I don’t use it on a regular basis? My daughter? Me? If our memories live in our heads anyway, why do we need a physical reminder? I don’t have the answer and am just thinking out loud. Similarly, you may recall that my step mother gave me some of my Dad’s stuff that she had been keeping since he died in 1982 such as his wallet, some photos a letter and some more ephemera. I didn’t miss it before I knew about it, but now I have it in my possession and can’t throw it away either. Ironically, my step-mom now feels comfortable giving his stuff away after all these years – yet it’s one more memory and connection for me to my dead father. Oy vey!
So question – are you a collector or comfortable with memories living only in your head?
Cynthia
Err, um, Mom…are you okay if I get rid of the silver goblets you gave me a few years ago? Or do you want them back – seems I don’t really have use for them after all.
