December 29, 2016 – Out with the old – in with the
new.
I’ve
been cleaning house – drawers, closets, cabinets, everywhere. I have been on a mission. I bought three of the same item – one as a
gift to a friend who was expected to travel – one for me – it was a nice item
and the same item for a “steal a gift Christmas gift.” I wrapped one in the handiest paper I could
find – not my standard wrap – but I did it before she arrived after church one
morning. The other two – I still don’t
know where they disappeared to. I think
I put them somewhere – but where?
Vanished
– gone. I have looked every possible
place and now that I have opened and cleaned and re-folded every item in every
drawer, torn out the closets and sorted out the clothes and put them back. Moved all the books to closets until I get
into a “reading spell” and opened all the suitcases thinking that I might have
stuffed the two unwrapped gifts in them . . . I have come up empty handed.
Is
this a sign of old age? Did they get
tossed out in the trash somehow? Wherever I put them is a swell hiding place.
What
I did find in this escapade was useless trash.
Toss it, toss it, toss it was my mantra.
I found I had duplicate shoe polish in three different drawers in three
different rooms in the house. They are
now in one place – those that are still useable.
Unmatched
socks – they are all gone. I dumped all
the socks out on the bed, matched those that matched and the rest I
tossed. It was liberating.
I
even got to drawers I hadn’t thought of getting to and imagine the
surprises. I found what were meant to be
stocking stuffers for my husband that I must have bought 3 or 4 years ago. He got
those today as a bonus from my cleaning.
He was good enough to take several bags of trash to the dump.
I had another good find. My last visit
home I worked in my Dad’s garden and in the evening it got chilly. He dug in his closet and said, “You gave me
this. It didn’t fit – you can have it.” I pulled the grey plaid flannel shirt on and
it took the chill off. I had been
wondering where it was – it was off the hanger and on top of an open sewing
basket – nope the missing items were not in that basket. But, I immediately pulled the flannel shirt on. It took off the chill, again.
I’m
still looking – still hunting for those two items. So, what were they?
They were small
pouches that would expand into a full size travel bag in fashionable Kelly
green and navy blue plaid. Light weight
and handy and I thought perfect for myself when I saw it at the store this last
summer. I thought I could tuck it into
my luggage on my next trip and then if I had some items I needed to bring back,
I had a satchel to take care of the situation.
Then I liked the price and bought a second for the Christmas exchange –
a good – all-purpose item for a steal-a-gift – then I thought of my friend who
would be going back to Florida to settle her mother’s estate. She might want to bring a few cherished items
home with her. I got her one too. Well, she is the only one who got one. I am still waiting to find mine and the extra
for a spare gift.
I
can’t think of another place to look, but isn’t the old adage: You will find it
the last place you look. I have something to look forward to.
I
ran out of steam late afternoon. But I
have to laugh at myself. I was just
about to quit the cleaning project as my mind was thinking, ‘Let me relax and
work on my embroidery’.
Every
Christmas I buy a good book or a project to fill the extra quiet time over the holiday. This year it was a set of pillow cases to be
embroidered. My mother taught me to
embroider when I was a child and I admired some hand embroidery recently. A few days before Christmas I was in Wal Mart
and found pillow cases that were stamped with butterflies to embroider. I bought them along with floss – ala - Santa.
I
started the butterfly pillow cases Christmas afternoon. I work with one color at a time and am doing
the leaves first – lots of satin stich – plump leaves. I am slow at statin stich and I am taking
care to do them “beautifully” for myself.
Done
with that closet I went to the last bedroom and went through the bureau drawers. I wanted to get to my embroidery. I was running out of steam. The drawers were given a quick run through –
out trash, and straighten and then I find a shopping bag folded around an
item. The right size for my missing
items and I open it up and what do I pull out?
Another
package of the exact same butterfly pillow cases to embroider with a receipt dated
three years ago.
I
don’t remember buying them. If I can’t
remember buying them, how am I going to
remember where I put my missing items?
On
second thought - did I buy only one and not three?
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