Little hidden gems

Yesterday I decided to tackle the cleaning of my closet.  I wanted to donate clothes I haven't worn (so I can replace them as the New York trip is coming soon...shhh...) and follow through on one of my new year's resolution in getting organized.  I started by pulling everything on my side of the closet out.  I put things everywhere there was space starting with my bed.  By the time I was finished I could barely get around my room, which is odd since my walk-in closet is small.

Little did I know that I would find little gems hidden in my closet!  The first one I found was on the top of my shelf in the corner.

I took the picture to show that while I am living in Florida I am still a Hoosier.  We come out of the womb with a basketball in our hands and I keep mine in the closet.  I thought it would make a fun photo for my photo of the day.  The basketball is a keepsake; one I won shooting the most free throws in my age group at a charity event put on by the University of Evansville basketball team.  The ball is signed by all of the players which is why it is in my closet.  Don't want anyone to mess with it and erase the signatures.

When I got a step ladder to climb up to dust these shelves I took the ball down and found this one behind it.

Gem #1

I'm wondering if this is a sign?  I haven't filled out my bracket yet, but after the Hoosier's last game I wasn't so sure I would have them even in my final four, but now?  I'm rethinking that.  I'm a big believer of signs.

Once I got everything out of the closet I cleaned the inside of it.  Then I tackled the baskets that sit on the shelves.  The first basket was full of old purses that I keep thinking I will reuse.  I tossed out the ones I hadn't used in a year and then thought perhaps I should make sure the pockets were all emptied.  I enjoy leaving money in old purses and pockets of jackets so that I can get that excited feeling when I find it.  No money this time, but the gems I found were WAY better.

Gem #2

In the pocket of a purse I'm actually keeping, but is too heavy for me to carry daily, I found a jewelers bag with earrings.  When I pulled it out and felt that something was inside I got so excited because I have been missing these earrings and they are my absolute favorite because I wear black almost daily.  I haven't worn earrings since these went missing and I lost one of my other favs.  They slipped right on and I'm wearing them today too.

Gem #3

Inside one of the purses was a wallet and inside the wallet was a Starbucks card with $10.47 on it and these little gems...Ice cream coupons for G.D. Ritzy!  My youngest was oh, so excited about these and keeps wondering when we are heading back to Evansville to use them.

After the purse basket I went through other baskets.  I found figurines that my friend's daughter had made years ago and that were in a curio I had that sits in my closet now because my husband has yet to hang it in my room.  I had to get out the glue gun to fix a few of them as they are made of dough and they don't do so well in our Florida heat.  I also repaired some doll furniture I had stored away since Darcy doesn't know how to care for delicate things and I took it away from her a few years ago.  (That will have to be another blog because it is a cool story.  The doll house not Darcy's disrespect of delicate things)  In another basket I found this:

Gem #4

Kelly gave this to me one year for Christmas.  I put it on my head and texted her the pic.  She is now insisting I wear it when we watch Survivor on Friday nights (we record it and save it til then).  I'm going to wear it as a top this week like the girls do on the show.

I went through the clothes and shoes and got rid of a huge lawn garbage bag full.  I put things back slowly and neatly and at the very end when I was sweating and tired I found a container of old photos and photo books.  In one envelope I found old school pictures that friends had mailed and given me over the years.  Since a few of them read my blog I just had to post them.

First is me.  The picture in the left hand corner has a story.  My mother took me to get my haircut before picture day.  When we got to the salon the man who cut her hair, and whose name graced the whole place, had been called away for some reason or another.  He put us with a lady who chopped the crap out of my hair.  I can remember my mother coming home and dragging me across the street to show her friend, the two of them pulling and whipping my hair and head around tsking and gasping in horror.  My mother was furious and called her man, the owner, ranting and raving about what had happened.  He agreed to see me the next day to fix it, which of course resulted in more chopping until I looked like what you see in the above photo.  I'm not smiling because I spent two days crying over the horror of it all.  And that outfit?  I had the same thing in another color.

These are my friends from Pennsylvania; Kim and Steph.  We lived next door to them and have remained friends since I was four years old.  Kim moved to Florida with me and put up with me as a roommate for several years.  You can't see in these photos, but there are so many pin holes in them from hanging them on my bulletin board over the years.  Eventually the older pictures were put into an album.  The album was before the acid tone free age so they didn't hold up and I took all the pictures out and put them in an envelope which apparently ended up in my closet.

From Pennsylvania to Indiana...this is my friend who lived across the street.  She had two brothers and I had the one and we had to join forces to stay sane against the three.  I think we held up pretty well and took them down a few notches every once in awhile.

This is Kelly who has been my buddy and savior since moving to Florida many years ago.  I put this picture on because I thought it hilarious odd that she had several pin holes in her nose, which is quite visible in this picture.  I tried and tried but could not remember her hanging on the bulletin board with a pin in her nose.  I blame my brother.

And speaking of him...how cute are these pictures?  I just had to post them.  I use to wonder what he ever saw in this woman, but now I wonder what she ever saw in him.  It certainly wasn't our family.  She is one of my best-est friends now and I don't envy her married to that crazy guy.

The best part of most of the pictures are the message written on the back of them.  That was back in the day when you autographed your school pictures and passed them out.  Michelle mentions guys that I have no memory of, Kim wrote only her name, Kelly did nothing (perhaps the reason for the nose holes?), and Steph wrote this on one of hers:  "Cara - Hon-babe - this is my senior picture.  Try not to lose it!  I love ya and we're Friends Forever! Love always, Steph"

Well worth the eight hours it took me to clean that closet.