Treasure Bowl

You can't even see the bowl, but it's there.  Under all of the treasures that can't be thrown away. 

This is the bowl where the puzzle piece goes when I pick find it under the couch and no longer know what puzzle it goes to, where I put the bead that belongs to the necklace that fell apart but will be remade, the stickers and the lip gloss from a treat bag but I don't know which child it belongs to.   It's like my kitchen junk drawer, but in my living room. 

I know I should have done this ages ago.  I clean out the bowl periodically (every year or so) and I could call it procrastination, but there is actually some reasoning behind my behaviour.  Method to my madness, you might say.  And the reason is this.

If I wait long enough, I truly don't remember what the bits and pieces belong to and the notes and valentines aren't special anymore and I can throw things away without feeling like anyone thinks it's treasure anymore.

This one of the notes that I still had to keep because it's very recent.  The girls are supposed to pick their fabric choice and a friend will make them a surprise out of it.  They haven't placed their orders yet.

Oo, look!  You can see the bowl now.

So many of the items end up in the garbage, but others are delivered to their rightful places all around the house.  Polly Pocket pieces and spools of thread, scissors (! we can never find scissors around here and now I know why!), crayons and markers.

Almost done.   This is all the was left after all was sorted, redistributed and thrown away.

A page from a Narnia book that will be missed when they get there,

a pile of notebooks (kids never have too many notebooks),

three coasters, an ornament from a friend, and a coax cable part. 

Yay, me!  I then brought all of our overflowing games to the basement, threw out the dead poinsettia, and dismantled my Christmas centerpiece that was dropping dry greens all over the floor.  The living room is looking so much better.

I should have taken a before picture of this scene, but imagine it with an overflowing bowl and the floor underneath was totally piled with games.  Now if only the girls would sell all of their Girl Guide cookies and almonds I'd be down to the basket which I don't mind and the bin of electronic stuff we use daily.

Was your Saturday productive?