Evil Genius~

We have this “spare” room. You know the room. You’ve all got one. Don’t try to deny it. It’s that sinister place that holds all the junk you aren’t quite sure what to do with, but can’t seem to find the time to get rid of.

Some people are open with this, brazenly calling it the “JUNK” room. Not me. It’s our “Spare” room, soon to be office. Anyway, our room has several bags of clothes that no longer fit the kids as well as their toy boxes. The problem is, at some point, the kids got into all the bags and all the toys so now you can’t even tell there’s a floor in there.

I’ve been meaning to get in there and clean up so I can donate the clothes and weed out some of the toys. It’s just that other things have been more important and I had the added enabler of being able to close the door. You know, the whole “out of sight, out of mind” thing?

But, I really wanted to write today. So, I was happily going to ignore the spare room yet again. Then, the kids got up and started climbing all over Keith, who was still trying to sleep (it was pretty early), and I decided they needed something to occupy their time.

I called them over. “Hey! You two want to do something fun?”

Jonas and Amelia both nod their heads.

“Great! This is going to be exciting. It’s going to help you find toys you’ve forgotten about. It’ll be like getting new ones!”

Jonas turns to his sister, “We’re gonna find our old toys, Amelia!”

I give them a big smile. “Yep. Here’s what you need to do. Go into the spare room and pick up the clothes...but ONLY the clothes. Put them in the bags and stack them in the corner. You know what will happen then?”

Amelia and Jonas look at me with wide, wonder-filled eyes.

“You’ll be able to see all the toys! I bet you find a bunch of stuff you’ve been missing.”

Jonas tugs at Amelia’s arm. “Let’s go do it, Amelia!”

They run off and my husband looks at me with this kind of fearful shock. “That’s evil genius.”

I just smile.

He shakes his head, brows furrowing. “Kind of makes me wonder what you’ve gotten me to do.”

*Snerk*

Tell me about your “Spare” room. Got grand plans for it once you’ve sorted through all the clutter? Oh! How about evil genius? Got any sinister manipulations you can share? Enquiring minds want to know!

~ Sandy :-)

*September 29, 2007 at Sandra's Goings On - Guest Blogger, Frankie Y. Bailey ~ You Should Have Died on Monday

Golden~

We buried my grandfather today. And, although there were tears, there were times of laughter too. Little snippets of fond memories shared, and the general family bonding that happens at times like this--Golden moments in a sea of sadness.

Grandpa Nick always seemed to have a smile on his face and a sparkle in his eye that would inevitably bring out the same in everyone around him. These past two days, I’ve spent time with family members I hadn’t seen in years and with some I’d never even met before. As a family, we shared our grief, but also our laughter.

I believe this was Grandpa Nick’s last gift to us. Those few golden moments that allowed us to see past our grief and to celebrate his life rather than dwell on his death.

Thank you, Grandpa Nick.

Sandy

*April 28, 2007 at Sandra's Goings On - Guest Blogger, Leslie Dicken ~ Secret Intentions