Before, After, and Some Other Stuff, Too

I can't believe it has been one whole week since my mom left.  I miss her being here so much.   And not just because she was so busy getting stuff done!   Dad, I miss you, too.  And I sure wish you were closer. I want to return to the subject of our unpacking.   I know, it's so interesting.  I can feel that you are on the edge of your seats because it is unbelievably fascinating to see all of our brown boxes.   I bet there are a lot of questions, like,"What's in that big one?" or "How can socks end up with a mug, a chalkboard, a fancy train car, and tie-on cushions for chairs?" or "Does she know that if one more box goes on top of that pile it will fall?" The real question is,"How can they still have so many boxes to unpack?"   Do you know what's left?  A lot of papers.  And toys.  Papers and toys-all of which have not been missed so I can just toss them, right?   Oooh, and electronics paraphernalia.   That stuff is Mike's department, though. Are you waiting for me to get to a point?   Well, good luck with that.  Just kidding...here it is.  I want to show you the results of my mom's hard work.   She is the champion of the HWF (House Wrestling Federation), having taken on this behemoth of a project and come away unscathed. Here is a series of before and after shots... literally, in one corner- and she got it down to three boxes or so. Then there was this corner... and again, down to about three boxes (this is a lot of the wirey, tech stuff-oh, Mi-ike, where are you?). She made a walkway here; the pictures don't do her job justice.  The boxes went from the wall where the built in bookshelf is over to our sofa which is floating in the middle of the room. "Why are there baby shoes in with the dried garlic?" Ah, the schoolroom...a really effective learning environment, no? You say no?   Well, this is better, isn't it? And here is one of my masterful towers.  She had the nerve to remove it. Cock-a-doodle-do, good morning to you.  A much nicer greeting when we eat breakfast (or any meal for that matter). Yes, my putting-away-clean-laundry problem remains a problem. She helped me put it away, and get stuff folded when it came out of the dryer.  Mom, I could hire you.  Now will you move to Dallas?  Dad, I can hire you too.  We need someone to cut the grass and watch the kids and wash the dishes.  We have plenty of work for you all.  Send me your resumés ASAP and I will get back to you very soon. There are many things that I don't have a picture of, but I hope I have conveyed just a bit how much she helped us.

TOP TEN REASONS WE NEED GRANDPARENTS IN TOWN

#1  They always want to see what you did in school.

#2  They will tickle you.

#3  You can tickle them.

#4  They help find missing toys.

#5  They cheer for your soccer team.

#6  They are sew special. They always have a fun project to do.

#7  They share their slippers.

#8  They love midnight snuggles.

#9  They get to go to your birthday party.

#10 They go through all of the random stuff that was thrown together at the last minute when you moved, sort it, and help to put it away in a proper place.

There are a million more reasons why I would love for our families to be closer, my parents, Mike's parents, siblings, cousins, and all.  But I am so grateful for how close we are in spite of the miles between us.  Our homes may be separated by many, many states, but our hearts are connected by a bond that somehow bridges that distance.

Comments

[Grandma Vicki]

My dear Christina, you know I start my morning by looking at your blog and I was so touched, tickled and nostalgic...and ready to to do it all again! You give such sweet (and funny!) kuddos. Thank you! Do you know how much I love your family??!

[Christina]

WE LOVE YOU, TOO!

[Mindee@ourfrontdoor]

Ah, but if they lived close they'd be all involved with their own stuff and their own houses. When you visit each other you're focused. It's nice.