The Black Hole

As a child, whenever we visited Grandma Jannie's house, it was inevitable that we would eventually lose something. We were sure that somewhere deep inside Grandma's mysterious basement was a black hole where things disappeared to. As cousins, we would search for the missing toy, shirt, or paper but to no avail. It just couldn't be found. Occasionally we would stumble onto a closet that we didn't know existed. (Grandma's basement has rooms that have closets that have closets). It is seriously a treasure cove!

Well, a couple of weeks ago, we were down visiting Grandma and Grandpa. Carter is now at the age to fully appreciate the mystery of "the basement." I gave him a little tour of the secret rooms, the secret closets, and the secret drawer that is actually a secret passageway to the basement (aka the laundry shoot...Oh! Did we have fun with that as a child! Chris told me I couldn't teach Carter how to climb down it).

Grandma is a compulsive shopper. She finds the "deals" and then buys all they have. She frequents the D.I. and her favorite place to shop is The Salvation Army. She has some real treasures and some things that are still waiting to become treasures. Grandma is also the most generous person on the planet....if you see something you want or think you could use...it's yours. Carter couldn't have asked for a better invitation. Being a 4 year old inside of a treasure chest with secret drawers and closets would make anyone excited. Carter found quite a few trinkets he loaded into a plastic bag....a jelly bean Jell-O mold, 2 boxes of Peeps, a Easter decoration, etc. Grandma even let me look through the treasure chest with the fabrics. I found some darling fabric for some aprons for the pre-school and some fabric to make a quilt with the Enrichment activities. (Yes...I am going to try to sew).

Basically what I'm saying is this basement is full of STUFF. Stuff that was probably "lost" in the black hole and has resurfaced for a new generation to discover. The best part of Grandma's stuff is she has everything. Need something for a lesson....check the basement. Need something to go with that wild themed party...check the basement. We even used Christmas tree skirts for capes for a princess party one time. Grandma also supplied me with 3 pre-school chairs...and then later brought me two more she found at The Salvation Army. She has a guy at the DI that is watching for more. Put your thinking cap on and you'll find amazing things.

Well. There is a point to this story.

My basement is beginning to look like Grandma's basement. I have so many little things that I might one day use. The problem: my basement doesn't have secret closets, secret drawers. The space I have is the space I have. So I have a dilemma: Should I totally "de-junk" or do I hold onto the treasures that might pay off one day? The other problem is I have gobs of stuff at school that I have for teaching lessons filled with treasures that one day might be useful. I've gotta fit all that in my basement as well.

My basement will soon be dedicated to educating little minds, and I can't have the STUFF cluttering the area. But, my mother pointed out...maybe that stuff will be useful in educating the little minds.

So my question is: How do I simplify? How do I organize? What do I keep? What do I get rid of?

Next week Chris and I have spring break. We will be dedicating this time to Spring Cleaning. I need some advice.

PS. I hope my house isn't developing a black hole. I cannot find my pair jeans I love...and my laundry is done. I also cannot find my comb and the remote to the fan in my bedroom. I've searched...organized...looked under beds and in all the odd places. I've concluded that the comb and remote might have ended up in a garbage can...Kimball likes to put things there. But my jeans? Where could they be?