Now I know what you're thinking, " you don't have a time machine!" well I actuality I guess it isn't so much a time machine per say as much as a very awkward cupboard. You see, I don't know who actually designed my kitchen cupboards, but they for sure didn't do it with any kind of short people in mind! I honestly think they didn't do it with any kind of people in mind at all! They look really nice from the outside, but the inside shelving doesn't match up very well with the outside doors and so on the top shelf and in the corners you have these tiny little openings with a whole lots of space inside, but they are completely impractical for everyday use!
Back in the early days of our marriage and life in this house I realized that these cupboards were impractical for storing food or dishes, so I figured I would use this space for storing things like old income tax returns, old bills, momentos, and all of that flotsam and jetsome of life that you figure you'd better store because you will probably need it again in a few months.. As I mentioned before, there was really a lot of space up there and I kept stuffing, and stuffing till about the year 2000 when we bought a nice large filing cabinet which was much easier to organize. I know my sister won't believe this, but I usually clean the filing cabinet once every year or so, but these top cupboards, well they just kept getting put off for another day and the stuff up in there from those early days of our marriage got forgotten about... Until last night. Last night I got invited to go to a fondue party and I started thinking..I'm pretty sure I have a fondue pot up there.... Somewhere.... And I started pulling things out and I fell. Into the time machine.
There were a bunch of old plastic cups in the front, the ones you get at the movies in a kids pack, and then in behind them, a sippy cup. My baby is 15 and I still had his sippy cup! (lump in my throat). Then of course there was tons of junk, like the bags and boxes for my princess house starter kit, back when I had aspirations of being a princess house millionaire .. That kit has long since taken up residence in my everyday dish collection. There were big envelopes full of old tax returns, bank statements, and bills. I found the outfit that my 15 year old baby wore home from the hospital, and gulp,( more tears) two little hand prints made in dried red clay with the names Emily and Sam on them! I found a few boxes with cards on them, wedding presents!!! For me!! With crystal dishes that I have obviously never used, There were a few old puzzles which Sam was happy to put together, and some old model cars which Trent had never put together, my old clippers which I used to use to cut Sam's hair before he got old enough to know better and lots and lots of junk. Just when I thought the cupboards were empty and had started wiping them down, my hand bumped something way at the back... It was a 13 year old box of Kraft dinner!!! ( for an explanation of why it was there please read the post entitled, A Domestic Goddess I Ain't)
I threw away a whole garbage bag full of just pure junk, burned another whole bag full of old tax returns and bank statements, but kept out a couple of plastic grocery bags which appeared to have cards and momentos in them. I went through these at the end after I had washed down the cupboards and put back the tiny hand prints and other keepers. These bags were the real treasure in the trove! I have a habit of saving old cards, but once in a while I will find a stack of 4 year old cards and throw them away thinking.. Oh who needs these, but I am so glad I never gave my self the opportunity to throw these away. Most of them were cards that I got for my wedding! 19 years ago. While most didn't have any special meaning, that lump in my throat got way bigger when I opened a tiny little card that said, "all my Love, Nanny Kenny" . My Nanny has been gone for 6 years this May, and it was like a little message from heaven from her (pauses to blow nose and wipe tears). Then I came across one, " all our love and best wishes from , Grammy and Grampy" . Grampy has been gone for 17 years and Grammy for 7. There was another from my dear neighbour Lois Pridham who was like a second mother to us, and one, " with love from Auntie Della" who was so special to Trent as well as to me. There were also lots of funny ones, like the one from Lisa Gallant with a huge letter written all over the inside apologizing for not staying for the reception and all of the ones from Trent's old friends calling him a gooner blab and a dummy honk, and of course the one signed Sir James MacKay the 4th... and Melanie.
And then at the end of the pile of wedding cards was a small pile of...(gulp) unmailed thank you cards... (guilt guilt) so I guess there is no better time to say officially:
Angela and Cory Rocheford,
Carol Rayner
Aunt Alice and Uncle Dick Ellsworth,
Uncle Terry and Aunt Gladys Kenny,
Aunt Barbara and UncleStewart McRae,
Uncle Wendell and the late Aunt Josie Harper
Uncle Bobby and Aunt Penny Harper,
Uncle Joe and Aunt Patsy Harper,
I am very sorry I never sent you thank you cards after my wedding! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! I loved your gifts and appreciated having you as my guests. Please forgive me!
After the wedding cards there were a variety of cards, including a collection of 'congratulations on the arrival of your new baby girl' cards received at the birth of Emily, now aged 17 and off to university in the fall...( more tears) 'congratulations on the birth of your new baby boy ' cards, for Sam age 15. And awhile bunch of various birthday, valentines, anniversary cards to all of us, which made us all laugh and cry a bit.
There were some momentos for Elora too, her 5 year grade one readiness assessment in which we found that Elora had very good verbal and writing skills, but had trouble with thinks like tying her shoes and doing up her zipper. Her teachers final comment was, " Elora is a very happy and easy going little girl, she shows great enthusiasm and typically skips around the classroom beautifully singing and humming.... She has a very soft personality and her feelings are easily hurt.... Keep up the super work Elora! ...". There was also a few homemade cards from her in there and a lovely self portrait of her at age 6!! ;). There were photos of her from kindergarten, and birthday cards and invitations, and I tiny plaster of paris broken hand print too!
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