Highlowaha: K.I.S.S. - Keep it Simple... System

Good Monday Morning. Announcements at the end... with the exception of one quick shout-out to Shannon B - an old friend and new reader. It should be our goal to get this vibrant, funny, and smart woman to participate in our community by posting. She will feel like an instant friend.

Now, today's creative thought...

I've tried. I've put this topic off for weeks thinking, wracking my brain, working 'til wee hours of the morning, trying desperately to think of how I could embellish my idea. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are dedicated to the topic and the truth is... I don't know how I'll even fill a paragraph. The process is so simple, it can't be made complicated... no matter how I try.

My son is fifteen years old and like most of us has accumulated LOTS of keepsakes over the years... art; photos; love notes from girls in school; old papers he's written; fun facts about his first steps, getting braces, losing teeth, making the Varsity swim team; old letters to Santa, ribbons and medals won from cross country meets and sleep away camp; old stitches from an accident during gym class; and countless other irreplaceable keepsakes from his life. Yes, preserving our family's keepsakes is important. It is the only way that Ricky, in this case, can look back on his childhood and, in turn, share it with his future family. Without it he... we... lose appreciation for the context and interconnectedness responsible for so much of who we are.

For the first part of the week, we'll take a look at my un-scrapbooking, no fuss-no muss, four-piece approach to preserving memories. There are a few of you out there who know my system (and maybe even use it - or use a part of it). You know who you are and you know that I am trying to start a "movement." Help me. Chime in, but don't reference one of the four components before I formally introduce it on the assigned day. There's method to my madness (...or so I think).

We will begin with the end in mind. How do we keep keepsakes without allowing them to overrun our house or our countertops? Here it is... Fifteen years of keepsakes tucked neatly away in the box pictured below. Find out who, what, where, when, why, and most importantly, HOW as the week progresses.

Ricky's "treasure" box, holding one folder for each year of his life

Announcements:

Richard, Ricky, Ray, Random (acts of kindness), Rocky Road.... yes, I love the letter "R." Kat, you are the lucky winner of a set of two luggage tags from Nan. OR... cash in your luggage tags for what's behind Door #2. The choice is yours.
To whomever "Anonymous" is responsible for starting the string of items that Cheryl and I could bring back from our trip...if I could, I would hire you on the spot. Thanks for sharing not only your creativity, but also your initiative.
There's a saying... "Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better." Living proof...