My Version of The Container Store

Recently, a friend confessed to me that her dresser was a mess. "I just cleaned it off" she admitted, "and I even had Christmas earrings out from last year!"

I wasn't too shocked by her revelation since my dresser is usually a mix of jewelry, dust and loose change that wanders over from John's side.

However, I recently found a cute chest for my earrings. I justified the purchase as an organizational improvement, but really I just love how it looks. The drawers are ceramic and large enough to hold 2-3 pairs of earrings.

It got me thinking about my other "jewelry boxes". They're not really boxes and I'm very sentimental about all of them.

When Evan was in Cub Scouts he came home from den meeting proudly holding his mug holder. His excitement dwindled when he realized that we had very few mugs and no need for a holder. It sat in his closet for awhile until one day he came to me with a suggestion.

"Mom you really need a place to hang your necklaces and bracelets. Would you like to use my mug holder?"

This tree holds now hold most of my necklaces and bracelets. It may not be fancy, but it works like a charm. Best of all, it was made by my very own Cub Scout.

Nine years ago John won an award at work. A big award. For lots of hard work. Back in the days when companies actually had a budget for such things.

We were thrilled at the chance to visit Australia and my Mom was kind enough to babysit all four kids. In a moment of insanity, we decided to test my parents' devotion by extending our trip for another week. John thought it would be fun to visit New Zealand. Besides, the flight would only cost us a little extra.

It sounds like this story might end badly, but in fact it was a dream come true. The time we spent in Australia with John's company was great, but our time in New Zealand was heavenly. It is the most gorgeous place on earth and we had a fabulous time together. Best of all, the kids didn't drive grandma and grandpa crazy. In fact, my Mom accused me of exaggerating how hard they were. "Your kids were no trouble at all," I remember her saying. They were 3, 5, 9 & 11 at the time, so I found that hard to believe!

As a bonus, I found the perfect souvenir. These cool little drawers are made from some of New Zealand's lovely wood. The top drawer is perfect for long earrings and the bottom one is great for larger items.

Finally, I have my ring holder. This little gem was given to me by my mother-in-law the first Christmas we were married. She was a champion bargain shopper. She found the best deals throughout the year, usually at Mervyn's, and stocked her closet with birthday, Christmas and baby gifts. When she passed away in August her closet was full of gifts. Many of them wrapped and/or labelled. For years, I couldn't set foot in Mervyn's without crying a bit. When they finally went out of business, I felt like I'd lost a connection to her. I'm certain Mary Alice didn't intend for this to become a family heirloom, but I love it because it reminds me of her.

Oftentimes, we hang onto useless stuff because we are sentimental. Nothing's wrong with that, until it crowds our space. It's a beautiful thing when an item is functional and dear to our heart!

Full Disclosure

I worked really hard on my bedroom this weekend. I organized both of my bookshelves and even recycled a few books HERE. I cleaned off my dresser and got rid of all the single, broken and tarnished earrings.

Evan was a huge help! He cleaned my sink and my mirror and was my gopher. When I wondered aloud what to do with my necklaces, he came back with a wooden mug holder he made in Cub Scouts last year. We've never used it to hold any mugs, but it is the perfect size to hang up my necklaces and bracelets.

John even cleaned out underneath our bed. I was so pleased with all our hard work!

Then something happened this morning. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry, so I decided to take a picture.

Marianne noticed this teeny-tiny little plant growing in the track of my shower door. Yes, that means there is enough gunk down there to sustain life. Yes, I should probably be too embarrassed to post this picture. But I actually find it kind of amazing. A dear friend of mine told me that I should consider it a symbol of the growth taking place all around me.

So I've learned an important lesson: Growth sometimes comes from the worst circumstances. And, oh yeah, I really need to work on my bathroom this week!

Evan the Pilot!

Evan had an amazing opportunity! His Cub Scout pack participated in the Young Eagles program. Evan got to actually fly a Cessna 172 airplane!

Thanks to the pilots who so generously donate their time to this program.

Pinewood Derby

It is legendary--a scouting tradition.

There are so many great lessons to be learned through the Pinewood Derby

hard work
craftsmanship
friendly competition
sportsmanship

Unfortunately, I'm not sure my boys have learned any of these lessons. Case in point...

In past years Evan has spent hours on his pinewood derby car. . . cutting, sanding, painting, decorating and finally weighing his masterpiece.



He's done a lot of hard work and had a lot of fun, but he's never even come close to winning the race.

This year we were slackers. We've had so much going on that John picked up a pre-cut car and brought it home to Evan. An hour or two before the race, Evan applied a few coats of spray paint, put on the wheels & hoped for the best.

At pack meeting they found some left over weights and put them on.

I've been so busy that I didn't even go to the Pinewood Derby, let alone take these pictures. Thanks to Marianne we at least have a photographic record!

And it is important to have pictures because . . . he actually won. Yes, it's true. He won first place, and I wasn't even there.


I should have known better. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. At Ryan's very last Pinewood Derby he was a little too cool to participate. He didn't want to make a car. I tried to encourage him, but he refused. Finally he said, "I'm just going to bring this block of wood and race it."

I let him do it, sure that he would be embarrassed and learn an important life lesson about hard work and doing your best. Can you guess what happened?

He and "the block" won 1st place!

For some reason Mom keeps learning these lessons instead of the Cub Scouts.