Monday, April 27, 2009

Dig It!

Did you have a good weekend?

You know how when you see people for the first time on Mondays they often ask how your weekend was, but in such a way that they are really confirming your weekend was good?  Maybe it's a social norming thing.  Most people, when asking that question, are really only ready for the cursory response, "Great.  How about yours?"

Most people aren't really prepared to hear...

"Actually, pretty crummy.  My husband and I had plans to go out on Friday night and at the last minute our plans were derailed due to my husband's work.  I couldn't get hold of the baby sitter in time to tell her not to come, so she showed up anyway.  Instead of dinner and a social event at a local university, I went shoe shopping alone (didn't find a thing) and spent an hour in a bookstore reading a birth order book about how youngest children (that's me) are attention seeking and irresponsible.  The same national crisis that derailed our plans on Friday still loomed on Saturday, so Saturday was no better.  Rather than attend the annual art fair, we'd been looking forward to for months, we piddled around the house waiting for another work-related phone call.  No art fair and with it went my rationale for not tending to the eleven loads of laundry waiting to be done.  Sunday the phone call finally came.  While we weren't waiting around the house any longer for a phone call, I was flying solo with three boys."  

Add to it a couple of arguments, overcast weather, P.M.S. (T.M.I., I know), spotting only one (1) Beetle Bug all weekend, two baskets of laundry still to be folded, and as you can imagine... "No, my weekend was not great."

How about yours?

What does that have to do with today's topic - Kitchen Junk Drawers?  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  Normally my weekend would be chock full of so much activity, I wouldn't give our kitchen junk drawer a second thought.  But this weekend we were around the house more than normal and my panties were already in a bunch, so every time the drawer got opened and closed I couldn't help but notice exactly how junkie the junk drawer had gotten. 

The junk used to be compartmentalized in small black baskets (one for pens, one for batteries, one for appliance type stuff) until one day, Richard, the purist, decided he didn't like the baskets and got rid of them, opting instead for the purely junkie junk drawer.

As unnerving as this drawer is to me, here's an observation.  The boys love it.  To them, this drawer is nothing less than living their very own Indiana Jones adventure.  It's an archaeological dig and to them discovery is every bit as thrilling.  Tidy the drawer and the adventure is gone.  The drawer when messy peaks the interest of everyone - old and young.  It's a curiosity shop chock full of interesting chatchka.  Jack, two; Matthew five, and Ricky 16 can each, at some point during the day, lose themselves in adventures of our junk drawer.

The neat nick in me, though, just can't stand it.  This completely disheveled drawer is just screaming out to be emptied and sorted.  Like-minded things grouped together, items reconnected with mates living in other parts of the house, and blatant junk finally thrown away...
While the neat nick in me likes it organized, why "mess" with a neat thing?...   

So, what's up with your junk drawer?  Where in the house is it?  How junkie is it?  What's something interesting we would find if we rummaged around? And, when is the last time you dumped it out and started over.

One more thing... we're in the middle of a run for the roses, so today's another chance to win a Highlowaha prize.  Buried deep in the recedes of the Beeny Junk Drawer was a 3.5 oz. Cadbury Dark Chocolate Candy Bar, .27 cents, a gift card with a remaining balance, and a couple more items of interest.  Win a creatively packaged grab bag of treats from the Beeny Junk Drawer by doing the following...

Identify three things in our junk drawer, without repeating items already posted by another reader.  Be as specific as possible when identifying items.  It will make it easier for those who come after you.  Get your items right and your name will be placed in a drawing for the one of a kind grab bag.  While on the subject of winners...  Tera, you won Katie's Derby Hat Challenge.  Actual cost of Katie's hat was $5.48.  Tera came the closest without going over by guessing $4.08.  Congratulations, Tera! 

Signing off until tomorrow...
   

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah the benefit of being first...

A yellow Accent highlighter
Roll of Masking Tape
Black Sharpie

Chaotic Kristi said...

LOL @ Robin... and BTW your weekend has my sympathy... menstrual migraine Thursday thru last night... yee ha.... NOT.
um, my junk drawer has::
Glade PlugIns
4W nightlight bulbs
feet off my box fans (I put fans in windows so I dont use the "feet")

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

And have I mentioned it is supposed to rain ALL week in Dallas?!?!

Kat said...

We only saw one bug too! And we also had a somewhat crappy weekend, so I can relate.

I see...
A tub of Carmex
A pink Crayola marker
A pretend screwdriver

Cheryl Houston said...

Sorry about your weekend. Ours was soccer filled. We only saw 6 bugs over the weekend... which I'm pretty sure would be an all time weekend LOW.

Uh... I do have a junk drawer in the kitchen but it's not full because you see, and I'm ashamed to say this... I have a junk ROOM!!! Oy vey! Instead of working in there this weekend I decided I needed to dig up the little garden area in the backyard. You know- for fun.

Tera said...

As we have moved 4 times in about 3.5 years, we don't have much junk. We get rid of stuff every time we move so not much as accumulated. The only "junk" drawer we have is one in the office where we have caulk, furniture pads, batteries, picture hooks and the like.

I can't believe I won again. It must be my lucky two weeks. May this luck will lead to landing a job?!

In the pic:
Red dry erase marker
scissors w/ blue & yellow handles
car key

My weekend was good minus getting rear ended by some college kids who hit the jeep behind us who hit us. All is fine here...including the car! We did get to see friends home from Chicago though and hang out with ALL of our friends here one night. Good time :)

Melanie said...

Melanie here, reporting from Maternity Leave. I spent the weekend trying several labor-inducing tactics, including scrubbing the kitchen and bathrooms, and loving on my little pooches whose lives are about to change dramatically!

I see a Black Crayola Marker, a Red & Blue Key, and a Yellow Toy Car

Heather said...

Ahhh Claudia...my week too was a totally farce for a weekend.
Bal was sick Friday which led to a trip to pick up his work materials after I got off work myself...Saturday I woke up with a raging ear infection which took me to immediate care and left me with only half hearing for the rest of the weekend (annoying at best!)...then we too were waiting the impending phone call which came with Richard's and off Bal went...the one positive of the weekend was using our husbands' mutual work drama to get together with Claudia for pizza last night...it was a much needed respite from the otherwise miserable weekend.

And since I was sick and then only went from my apartment to Claudia's house I too only saw one bug and it was the one parked in the lot at my apartments...ugg.

Tera said...

Melanie...tell Ellie to get moving! I'll be around after 12:30 today and don't work until Saturday so call if you need to kill some time!

cassie p said...

I only saw 3 slug bugs this weekend. where did they all go?!

In the junk drawer:
a golf ball
12 dice (7 red, 1 black, 4 white)
blue post-it notes

im sorry to hear about everyones weekends. i hope that your weeks are better. i actually had a decent weekend- didnt really study for finals like i should have; went up to purdue to see my best friend from high school and partake in a yearly tradition called the "breakfast club"...too much fun, not enough studying!!! one final down, three more to go, and i am done with my undergrad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS i can NOT wait to see you heather!

Stacie said...

I spy...
-a yellow apple corer
-a yellow (what appears to be a convertible) Matchbox car
-a pack of two Energizer 9 volt batteries

Sorry your weekend was so crummy, Claudia! Mine was pretty decent, actually--which I really needed this weekend. Chow wagon Friday night, clients/work on Saturday, and a lunch with college friends yesterday, followed by a lovely family trip to IKEA in Cincinnati.

Stacie said...

Oh, and I saw 3 bugs (that I noticed). I tend to watch the road in front of me, so I might have missed some!

b.k.root said...

I see...

1. A silver house key
2. Two golf tees
3. A watch, with a black wristband.


(I don't have a junk drawer... more like a junk closet.)

Katie said...

Sorry to hear everyone had such crummy weekends! I had the weekend off from hall director duties so that is always a nice feeling! I saw NO beetle bugs this weekend. I even made a two hour round trip to afton mountain and back, but no bugs!!!

I do not have a junk drawer. I do have a small basket in my kitchen that holds some odds and ends so I guess that could be considered my junk basket.

I'm off to get busy on more school work. It is the last week of classes this week. I am almost halfway through graduate school! I feel like I just got here! Ahh!

Peggy said...

Sorry about some of the bummer weekends out there!!! But it's Monday... time to start all over again!!!Don't worry, be happy!!!

Rain... feel our pain here in Illinois... I swear, it was raining all weekend... last week, last weekend... and then just before that, it was still snowing!!!

I saw 6 bugs!

My junk drawer is in the kitchen next to the pantry closet. We have had one in every house... batteries, gum, paper clips, rubber bands, book marks, box tops, flashlights... I clean it out once a year... and then throw back in things that were put in the ORIGINAL junk drawer 19 years ago. Kind of a memory keeper drawer. I use the plastic inserts from some Longenberger baskets, they fit just perfect!!!

I spy:
Dice
Ping Pong Ball
Carmex

Peggy said...

Oops! Think it was actually a guessed golf ball? Dental floss...

Dig it!! brought to mind two things I did this weekend... volleyball tourney & weeds!!

Cristine said...

I'll add to the weekend stories. This past weekend was my anniversary, which meant the traditional trip to GB Packers draft party in WI.
As we're about to turn into the parking lot... we got rear ended by a teenager. Just got the estimate - about $1500 worth of damage. Can't wait to be without a van for a couple of days.
But on the bright side, I had a night without kids, drank some beer, and got a new shirt.
I see a Tom Thumb reward card, an office max button, and a brown button.

eknoxuk said...

You would have enjoyed my weekend! Mike's brother came over Friday night and we completely rearranged all the bedrooms upstairs to accommodate our growing family! This provided the opportunity to redo every closet and clean out every room. Then my dear MIL is paying for us to have a house cleaner until the babies get here and today was the first day! Its beautiful! That of course meant that I had to get every room and closet picked up and organized so they could clean! It was a very productive weekend!
On the note of junk drawers, unfortunately when we got a bigger kitchen with our "new" house. The junk drawer turned into three junk drawers! I have a system for what goes in each drawer, but no one else could ever find the organization in it!

eknoxuk said...

Oh, I forgot to mention the cupbrowookies have been a huge hit around here! I served them for guests who loved them, its my family's new favorite dessert and when I posted that I was making them on my facebook status I had more comments than ever! I had to put the recipe up-with Cheryl's credit and got more rave reviews!!

Cheryl Houston said...

Alright Erica! Glad you had a productive weekend and that the Cupbrowookies are a hit! I LOVE THEM but my hips don't!! :)

Chaotic Kristi said...

D'uh, see what I get for posting BEFORE coffee? Just now read the "Identify three things in OUR junk drawer, without repeating items already posted by another reader."
I read it as YOUR junk drawer... which way was it?

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

You were correct, Chaotic. I was interested in what was in your junk drawer, but the contest was regarding what was in MY junk drawer.