Spring Cleaning

We have a nice-sized attic that we are grateful for. But, like all storage spaces, it has gotten a little messy! There are a lot of boxes up there that contain my notebooks, files and books from my years of teaching. Add to that our Fall and Christmas decorations, clothing, toys, etc and you have a pretty big mess with no room to walk around.


Unfortunately, not only was the attic messy, but the boxes were torn and deteriorating. So, one day recently, I decided to get up there and fix it! I bought new boxes and got busy transferring the contents of the old boxes to the new ones.

Even though the work was hard, I enjoyed sifting through the items of my past. Amidst the teacher files and books, I found photos, plaques and journals.

THIRTEEN journals, in fact. I resisted the urge to read through every one of them, but did take a few minutes to peruse. Talk about a walk down memory lane! How fun yet strange to read my own thoughts so many years ago.

I found my Helen Steiner Rice compilations which I promptly brought down and placed in my secretary...


and this placard that hung outside the front door of our first home.


I brought it down out of the attic and put it up in the garage.

Other treasures from the attic included Joel's collection of Calvin and Hobbes comics (which our son has already started enjoying)...

and this piece of artwork:


It was given to me by a student when I was teaching 7th grade history several years ago. I guess she didn't want to carry it home from art class, so she gave it to me!

But this was by far my favorite find:

Joel and I got engaged on September 15th. During the 5 months until our wedding, I made a calendar for him. The calendar was made up of these heart shaped papers. Each paper had the date on it along with a message from me. I have had so much fun reading these messages. They bring back poignant memories of our long distance engagement.

Oh, and in case you are wondering: Here is what the attic looked like when I finished cleaning and organizing it.

The only thing I regret about this spring cleaning venture is the allergies I am fighting after stirring up all that dust!

Our Town Mourns

Our town is suffering. A police officer was killed in the line of duty last night; another is seriously wounded.

It is so hard when the peace of a sweet small town is shattered by tragedy...

April Showers - in March!

To say we've had a lot of rain lately would be an understatement! Last week, it rained for 3 days straight. Not only were we watching it rain, but we were ducking for cover. The tornado sirens went off on all three days, which always sends my kiddos into panic mode. I am proud to report, though, that they are getting better about controlling their fear, and have begun to ask me to pray for God to take care of us as we wait out the storm.

We have seen a couple of tropical storms come through since living here. But neither of them dumped as much rain as quickly as the storms of last week did.


I couldn't resist taking some pictures of our yard as the water began to puddle. Our house is on high ground, so these pictures show minor flooding compared to our neighbors in our town and nearby towns.



Two nearby counties declared local states of emergency due to flooding. Forecasters say there is more rain on the way, but we're not sure we can handle much more.

P.S. Have you ever seen the fear on the face of a 5 year old during a tornado warning? (thanks to a tip from a friend, we have begun to wear our bicycle helmets when we seek shelter)