Helpie-Selfie Shelf

I have a deluxe sewing arrangement. Our dining room has been converted into my sewing room, complete with a large table built by my husband at the perfect height for cutting fabric. I have two large wall cabinets for fabric storage, a wall rack for rolls of oil cloth, a corner for a permanently-erected ironing board and a lounge chair for just thinking about sewing. More than that, when the kids are at school, I am free to build a day around whatever sewing task seems interesting. Sure, there are regular chores to take care of, but it's possible to plan the have-to's of the day out and leave several hours aside for making things. But, during the summer, kids are home. Our kids have their own pursuits and are certainly easy-going, but I have been finding it difficult to focus on sewing when I'm interrupted. Even if I set aside 90 minutes to work on items for my market booth, young visitors checking in about calling a friend or having a snack disrupt my fabric flow. My solution to the snack-interruption problem is the "helpie-selfie shelf".

Marked off by washie tape in the fridge, any items found on the helpie-selfie shelf are free for anyone to eat at any time--no permission necessary. Sure, the shelf is heavily-weighted to carrots and grapes and foods that won't ruin the next meal. Yes, some items need portion notes (only two dates at a time), but for the most part I'm thrilled with the helpie-selfie concept. Two of our three kids love to snack; they are thrilled they can eat whenever they want. Everyone in the house is reminded that a quality snack is a fruit or a vegetable or snippet of protein. And, I get more sewing done.