Thursday, November 13, 2008

this and that and an invitation ....

i got only a little art done today ... but i got a LOT of other stuff done... 

let me tell you a story .... 

i am messy ... i think that's been established in the last 400 and something blog posts .... my children? pretty messy as well ... but ... to varying degrees .... 
all of the closets are kind of a disaster .... due to that seasonal transition thing when there are suddenly too many wrong things on the primo shelves .....

so, last weekend, i gave each kid a giant trash bag and said, we are going to donate all our outgrown and unloved things in our closets .... i need you to each go to your closets and find 30 things to give away .... moans, groans, sighs, complaints ... and they trudged up the stairs to their messy closets .... and then we have a personality study....

first born ... girl.beck.artist .... perfectionist, over achiever .... she went to the closet ... counted out her 30 giveaways .. and then kept going .... cleaned off every shelf, gave tons away in not one, but two bags .... and had tidy pile of good stuff to hand down to the little sister ....

second born ... boy.beck.artist ... rule follower, don't work harder than you have to .... he got thirty things ... exactly ... no more, no less .... 

third born ... baby, life is a party, extrovert, "i have to do it alone!??" ..... she went to her closet ... and soon after the boy was done, she came stomping out of her room ... how'd it go, honey? got 30? .... and she started to wail ... sob ... cry .... I CAN"T DO IT! ...... 

today? i cleaned that closet ALL morning long ... it is a place of wonder now .... she came home form school and was stunned ... and has pledged her eternal gratitude, she'll keep it clean forever ... or maybe two whole weeks .... and she'll try not to outgrow stuff so fast .... what more can i ask for? 
i also spent what would have been painting time, working on my inventory for this show ... 

i have a drop off tomorrow morning, then they keep the pieces, do the show, sell my stuff ... and then when i go back in a bit more than a week, they give me a check and what i didn't sell .... 
i actually have two shows like this on the same weekend ... so it is good that i have a big inventory at the moment .... that new years resolution is really working out for me .... 

so that's my day .... how 'bout you? busy? not so busy? work hard? not so hard? 

9 comments:

Chris said...

You tell a story so well. Have I not said this? I can just see the energy of your family closet cleaning, and it's easy to delight in it because it's not mine. However, I have a third of my closet out on the floor because I am doing the same thing! But it's taken me a couple of weeks so far! It's always such a relief when it's done, though.

I would be at this show in a heartbeat. However, I live about 2,000 miles away.

sigh.

Darla said...

I'm so like your third born. My closet? I promise to keep it clean forever (after I once get it clean!) and I'll TRY not to outgrow stuff so fast (maybe next year). HAHAHA.

Darla

Queenly Things said...

I'm third child, too. I promise and promise and I promise.

cath c said...

ha! i haven't yet reached the closet in the room clean up of child #2 of 3 and started that room two weeks ago. found the floor in 3 hours...

Anonymous said...

Being a closet cleaner myself, I can see the impetus behind girl beck! Two bags, wow! I have only one small bag going right now. now the closets in the studio, that is another story! come help me with that,or send girl beck! Little art here today - committee meeting with big decisions made though..............and a new project to paint recycling receptacles as a fund-raiser for the art league.........in our spare time. :-)

Anonymous said...

I can relate---my girls are both like #3. Have fun this weekend!
--Roberta :)

3rdEyeMuse said...

all in all, a good kid.beck.artist accomplishment. :) busy, busy ... but almost time to breath!

much success this weekend!

Jodi Ohl said...

love your personality assessment of your children via the closet cleaning experiment, it's funny how a task can speak volumes to our nature!

hope the sales fairies visit your shows in droves!

Kelly Warren said...

oh my, i think both my girls are in line with the third born. though i can't say my closet is much better. :-) hope your shows went well!