Closet Cleaning

The closet in Betsy's bedroom hasn't been really cleaned since she left home to attend Baylor University in 1995.  Before I retired it was on my "Summer To Do List" each year.  Somehow I just never got around to taking care of this task.  When I retired last June  it was moved to the top of my "To Do List".  But our summer was busy with visits from our girls and their families, so I told myself, "Just wait until things calm down in the fall."  When fall came I was enjoying myself so much......sleeping a little late, sitting on the porch drinking my coffee and reading the newspaper.  Rick and I had a fall vacation planned to the Smoky Mountains and it came really fast.  We had a wonderful time. The fall foliage was awesome. We returned home just in time to get things ready for our family to come for Thanksgiving. Of course everyone knows once Thanksgiving is over it is time to begin planning and decorating for Christmas.  Rick and I love all the special activities during the Christmas Season at our church. It is always a very busy time. The closet cleaning was now moved to my after Christmas "To Do List". 
However, after Christmas I chaired the committee to plan the 75th Anniversary of Procter Baptist Church.  The celebration was Sunday, March 5th.  Immediately after the anniversary celebration the girls had Spring Break. March 13th was Steffi and Tad's seventh wedding anniversary and they planned a trip to New Orleans and ask if we would keep Beau.  Of course we wanted to keep Beau and enjoy some special time with  him.  Betsy also came home during the week and when Steffi and Tad returned from their trip we celebrated Rick's birthday and the closet still hadn't been cleaned.
After everyone left and things were somewhat back to normal I created another "To Do List" once again placing "Clean Betsy's Closet" at the very top.  I was really tired from all the anniversary celebration and having the kids home, so I talked myself into taking a few days to just rest and relax.  But those few days turned into about two weeks.
Then a group of our friends talked us into taking a cruise with them at the end of April. The Monday after Easter Rick left for a trip to West Texas to turkey hunt.  I was ready!  This was the week I would clean the closet and I did begin.  This closet is really more than Betsy's closet....it is in her bedroom but it is a large walk in closet and in the last ten years it has become a storage closet for everything that didn't have a place.  This was going to be a BIG JOB......but I began.  It took  an entire day to just remove the boxes so I could walk into the closet.  Then each box had to be sorted and some of the items re-boxed.  I made piles of things which belonged to the girls which I did not know if they wanted to keep or not. I worked non-stop for three days, I was making head way but the task was far from done.  Then Rick called and told me the turkeys weren't cooperating and he was coming home on Thursday.  He had an agenda for Friday and Saturday which didn't include working on the closet project.
I am still not finished with all of the sorting and going through boxes. I am working on the project.  Each box holds memories. Letters from the girls while they were attending camp, school projects and papers, items from Rick's parents home and memos and honors my dad received from many organizations he was involved with during his lifetime.  Baby blankets make for my girls by my grandmother, Mama Pat.  I've laughed and I've cried. Some finds just had to be shared with my mother ( who lives with us).  It's been a walk down memory lane.
We leave Saturday, April 28th, for our cruise and I must have the "Clean Betsy's Closet" marked off my "To Do List" before the boat sails....
Wish me luck.

Easter Pictures

Top picture: Beau playing with his Easter goodies.

Middle picture: Beau, our daughter Steffi and her husband Tad.

Bottom picture: Rose and Bud with Beau.

The only thing missing is our younger daughter Betsy.

Easter

The past two weeks have been very busy.  I went to Tyler to visit Betsy.  We shopped until the money ran out.  Took time to visit some of the beautiful gardens while in town.  Spring time is really lovely in East Texas. I returned home via Dallas.  I enjoyed a day with Beau, my grandson.  Got home just in time to get things ready for Easter.
Easter was wonderful.  Church, egg hunting and lunch with my mother, sister and her husband, oldest daughter and her family and of course my husband, Rick. We missed our youngest daughter Betsy who could not be with us. Thank you God for our Risen Savior, for spring time and the renewal of our earth and for my family.