Cleaning Out

You know, it's amazing the things we collect over the years. Not only what we collect but, where we store it. Closets, drawers, attics, under beds and in the basement (our's is actually a crawl space).

As I have mentioned in previous postings, Ronnie does love a project and, during these projects we do clean things out. We have been known to say, "Let's not clean the kitchen, let's tear the old one out and put in a new one!" We don't need a new kitchen at the moment so, I guess we had better clean up the dishes that are piled in the sink. We really do believe in Sundays being a day of rest and, after singing in (3) services, that's usually what we do on Sunday afternoons.

With Mama selling her house and moving in, we have to clear out some space to store her things while the new addition is being built. Because she will be sharing a bedroom with Meredith for awhile, we have started in Sissy Wall's room.

Meredith is her Father's child and, in addition to being his dead-ringer look alike, she also has his knack for being messy. "Pig" is the word that I use to describe the both of them on many, many occasions. Both of my parents were OC and I was raised in a spotless environment. When we would go to visit other people, I was shocked at how messy some people live. Messy meaning, there is actually trash in the garbage cans. I'm also OC and this has caused lots of problems over the years. Justin is not actually OC but, he is neat. Unfortunately, because of my health issues, I have had to realign my entire way of life and, resign myself to the fact that I can't do the things I once could. Because I have to rely on my family to do for me at certain times, I have to be satisified with the way it's done or not done. This means, I usually go to the bathroom and have a good cry.

I digress. Last week we began to clear out Meredith's closets and drawers. Making stacks and stacks of clothes that fit, don't fit or are unfit. Some things in her closet still had the price tags on them. These were mostly Christmas or birthday gifts from well-meaning relatives and, consisted of dresses with frills and ribbons and bows. Sis is like me in that department, she's just not a ribbons and bows kind of gal.

Also, we had a veritable hodge-podge of various toys, games and dolls. As Ronnie and I sat among the "collection" he, in a red slouch hat pulled way down over his ears and me with white bunny slippers and cowboy hat, we realized that our baby girl is growing up. We looked around at the baby dolls and Barbie dolls, dollhouse and stuffed animals and, we saw the many stages of her life. In the back of the closet were the baby dolls; Ellen, Max, Joey, Emma and the twins and, their nursery items like, cribs, strollers and high-chairs.

We opened up storage bins to reveal Barbie and Ken and their many wardrobe changes. Clothes for work and church and a day at the beach. There was also Ken and Barbie's motor-coach, their van and their dream home. Man, they live like royalty and they don't even have jobs. Sounds like a soap-opera.

Closer to the front of the closet, are her DVD player, her DVD's, soccer stuff, I-pod and various other gadgets that "everybody" has now. I never have figured out who "everybody" is but, they have to have jobs to pay for all of this stuff. Of course we had to clean out papers and stubby, pointless pencils and broken crayons. All of this cleaning out to make room for Nana and the next phase of Meredith's life.

As I sit here, in Ronnie's home office, I'm looking at (3) huge bags of clothes and one basket of shoes that we're passing down to my cousin's girls and to Good Will. We have already taken the doll strollers, high chairs and other "baby doll" things to Good Will.

It's kind of bittersweet, you know? That little girl, who looked exactly like her Daddy in a pink hat, is almost as tall as I am now and wears the same size shoes. She's growing up guys and, even though I have already been through this with Justin, it still makes me want to cry. This is my sweet, baby girl, who will be a teen-ager in July. The precious little girl that I use to rock in my arms and sing to, will be in the 8th grade next year. Where did all the time go?

We have to make every minute count, cause in the blink of an eye, they've gone from baby dolls to cell phones. From tea-parties to sleep-overs. From cute little sandals to soccer boots and shin-guards. Hold on to your hats guys, cause we're in for a ride. I really think everyone should have a girl, they are indeed a "special" creation.

Oh, by the way, I kept the bunny slippers and cowboy hat. Ronnie didn't say but, the red slouch hat wasn't in the Good Will pile either........??