Clutter and Cuteness

My picture of the week is a two-parter. I'm still on the upswing of the new year's resolutions and getting things organized. (No need to remind me that we are only finishing the second week of the year.) I'm in  the process of going through "stuff"; purging, giving away and keeping only what I need or love. I have to tell you (and I don't have to if you really know me), it is hard for me to part with things. I get sentimentally attached to things. Silly things, even.

Do you know anyone else that has kept 90% of every love note plus notes from friends since elementary school??  "Do you like me? Circle yes or no. If you don't like me, do you like Kelly?" and "Can you believe she wore dress shoes with her sweat pants?" and "I can't wait until Olivia's birthday party! I love the New Kids on the Block!" They sure are fun(ny) to reread. I thought I would keep them and let my kids read them. But I don't think I want them read. They show how shallow I was. And mean. I thought I was one of the nice girls, but really I was just as cliquey as the others. And what does my husband think of my old love notes? He rolls his eyes and thinks I'm a little nutty. (I also saved his English tablet from high school. It has my name written all over it with hearts and doodles.)

I'm allowing myself to save some of the silly sentimental things (including the orgami-like folded letters that bare our boy-crazy souls). My main requirement is that everything I want to keep has to have a place and not become clutter. 

Clutter creates chaos and confusion and  right now...I'm foggy-minded enough. It also has a way of "hiding". By hiding, I mean blending in. After a while the 12 inch stack of magazines looks like it belongs next to the coffee pot. 

One of my friends and her family came over for a visit yesterday. The house was in so-so shape. I told her, "Ignore the cluttered sideboard, it's not who I am." Then I laughed and said, "who am I kidding?....it is who I am." It's just not who I want to be. 

There is a little bit of everything on my favorite piece of furniture. Mail, pictures, glue, clothes to be returned, a clock that hasn't been wound up in weeks, vitamins, mismatched socks....the list goes on. This family heirloom is WAS the catch all. It's located in the perfect spot to dump items that don't have a permanent home. No longer, I say. And we all know that kids always listen to what their moms say. 

Cleaning took a couple hours because I can never accomplish just one thing without the interruptions of dumped Legos, dirty diapers, refereeing, hungry tummies, phone calls, wiping noses, kissing boo boos, and absentmindedness. But I'm refreshed by the outcome.

Look, it has shelves. Isn't it cute? It's not my favorite color wood but I would never change it. I bought it at my great grandparent's estate auction. They bought it for fifty cents at my great-great grandparents auction. I love it. (Remember, I'm a sentimental gal.) The clock, bowl, glass and lanterns were also grandparents or great grandparents. Besides a couple of Bibles, that is as far as my antiquing goes. Too many kids live here to worry about having and keeping old stuff nice. Besides, I truly do not want material things to get in the way of what is important.

The picture of the week......this is what happens when Mommy is busy....

Seriously....the markers need to go! She is "bazest" (Corbin's way of saying possessed, which he really means obsessed) with pens and markers. Crayons don't do near enough damage for her taste. This girl will go on marker hunts. And we won't even discuss her attraction to eyeliner and mascara! 

As I sit here holding a sleeping tot, whose face no longer resembles a circus clown, I can hear the ticking of my newly revived clock. The midnight chime is advising me to call it a day. I think I'll obey. And tomorrow....who knows, maybe I'll tackle the top of the fridge!