The things we keep...

While we're in a confessional strain, I was musing on what accumulates despite our best efforts.

In a kitchen cabinet right now, I have the remains of a bag of loose tea, Pomeroy's Apricot, that I purchased while on holiday in New Zealand. In 1995. That's 14 years, to you and me. Or 2, in dog years. Tea is not a typical souvenir, and I've moved twice plus had the kitchen remodelled. That means I've had a minimum of 3 opportunities to review my continued ownership of said item. And that I've packed it, moved it, unpacked, and put it back multiple times. It sits in my cupboard, taunting me. Right next to the box of Celestial Seasoning Iced Delight, with the Best If Used Before 19....96! I just ripped open the cellophane on that one last week, to make sun tea.

I recently used up some soap, complete with goofy kitten and butterfly image somehow embedded in the bar, that I'm pretty sure was gifted unto me prior to getting married. Our 10th anniversary is this September.

On the desk next to me is a lovely homemade birthday invitation from Lily's 7th, just this past year. I intend to keep it, as it was a marvelous party and her first sleepover. Although having it tossed/lost/scribbled upon is a distinct possibility, I haven't yet put it away. The reasons are two-fold: I don't know where "away" is, and I'm waiting until the baby shower (from Jan. 2002) announcement resurfaces so I can put them together.

This is where the spectre of scrapbooking rears its' ugly head. To which I roar: "You shall not pass!" Sort of...

I do have an awful lot of paper, mementos, and fancy scissors and punches. I own way too many kinds of glue and stick-on letters. I know it's a slippery slope. But I have people who have vowed to intervene (in a Welcome to Rehab! kinda way) if I so much glance meaningfully in that direction. There's a backlog of two or more years of photos that need to be put in regular old 4-to-a-page albums, and then there's the zillion pictures that have been uploaded, edited, etc. on Picassa - but I have yet to find the time to actually order hard copies. My kids love looking through albums, and have asked pointed questions about if we have done anything fun since the early albums left off. Ouch.

Let the record show I don't actually do "stamping" or "scrapbooking" - the terms Bob uses with utter disdain. I make cards. Cool ones. Which I should be doing right now, as Aunt Harriet's birthday is coming up.

I think I'll have a cup of tea first.