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...