What? I still have those things?

While looking for a picture yesterday to post on my blog of myself back when I thought I was fat, I hit the "next" button on Picasa (the greatest picture application that I still use despite Google discontinuing it to give us Google Photos, ugh, terrible) and this photo appeared:

It is a picture of my bedroom from my the home that was sold out from under me childhood. The first thing that caught my eye was the Steelers pennant in the right hand corner because I had been searching for a picture of my room with its various Steelers paraphernalia of my youth whenever I wrote about being a fan. Then I looked at the picture more closely and had to shake my head. Because most of that stuff I still have! The next two pictures were of other angles of my bedroom, and yep, still have some of that stuff too.

First photo:

1. Homemade card (to the right of the photo) - I wrote all about that book here. Of course, I couldn't throw that out. I put it in my keepsake bin that I organized and grouped into file folders.
2. The hanging net (middle) - That net now hangs in Madison's bedroom. It has been in here room since before she was born. I did one day suggest we take it down, and she vetoed that LOUDLY.
3. The stuffed animals - I enlarged the picture to see what was in there. To the left of the picture is my teddy bear and cat that I had as a one year old. I have both of those in the keepsake bin. I mean, you can't throw out your childhood friends. I still have the Bippi Bear, the basset hound, the whale, and the octopus. The octopus resides in the bin too with the others. It was made by my neighbor in PA. The other three animals still live in the net that now hangs in Madison's room.
4. Green pig - That pig was given to me by my dad or someone my dad knew. It now sits in my husband's armoire where he puts all of his pocket change each day. When he (the pig, not the husband) gets full I dump him into another container. I use the money to "treat myself".
5. Apple - The apple was made by glass maker friends of my mother's. It sits on my dining room table with the rest of the glass fruit that my mother had at The Condo.

Second Photo:

1. Frames of things - I have all of the pictures, the kindergarten graduation picture, my mother's poem, and my college writing awards. All of it is packed away in the keepsake bin.
2. Quilted blanket and purple blanket - The quilt is in the box with my teddy bear and cat. The purple blanket usually is stored away and brought out in the winter where Madison used it on her bed. Ironically, or maybe not, Tom and I have had it on our bed the past two nights. I just folded it this morning and it is sitting on my bed just like in the picture.
3. The pillow above the window - That was made by the same neighbor who made the octopus. It has my swimming medals on it. It is in the same box as the quilt and stuffed animals. I think the medals I took off recently and put them into an envelope. The pillow has my name on it, one of the few things I owned back then with my name. It was a treasure.
4. The UE basketball & shirt on the bear - The basketball is in the animal net in Madison's room and the shirt, given to me by my neighbor in IN for Christmas, is in the bin with the animals, etc.
5. The grow chart - Under the speaker and behind Humpty Dumpty in the picture, is a grow chart that marked my brother and my growth. They are written in my dad's handwriting and is rapidly fading, but, until this month, it hung on the back of Darcy's bedroom door. It includes both my children's heights, and I put it into the keepsake bin. I wanted to make sure it was preserved. She hung a full length mirror in its place. 

Third photo:

1. Framed pictures - As with all of my other photos, I have these swim team pictures. All of them are in the keepsake bin with the medals and ribbons from my years as a Olympic swimmer and coach.
2. Magnets - Under the framed photos, are two tiny magnets that we got on our trip out west (written about here). I still have one of the magnets attached to my file cabinet right next to where I sit now. 
3. Stereo, 33 Records, and Record Holders - I still have my stereo. I bought that thing for $500 from Service Merchandise, I believe, and I paid for it with my own money while in college. My friend Michelle and I built the case it sits in, and while I did bring that thing to Florida, it has since been demolished. The blue and red 45 record holders, however, I still have, complete with records. They are in my hall closet. The 33 albums are in my front entrance way in a cabinet. My husband refuses to get new speakers so that I can play my records on my record player that sits under our television because we all have Itunes and bluetooth capability. The curse of living with a tech guy.
4. Romance books - I have two of those romance books that sit to the left of my stereo. They were two of my favs, and until my recent renewed romance interest, sat in our bookcase in the dining room. Now they sit under the table next to my bed. I've read one again. Haven't gotten to the other one because I'm so busy writing my own romance novel.
5. Wooden box - On the lower shelf in the right hand side of the picture is a wooden box that my mother gave to me. I still have that and it is in my bedroom where it holds important, secret things like gifts my children made for me when they were younger.
6. Jewelry Box - Still have it and use it today. It sits smack dab in the middle of my dresser. I would give anything to be able to find more like that for my girls as it is the best jewelry box. My mother owned one like it when we were kids, but she didn't bring it with her when she moved. Or I would have it two. I also still have the two watches that are on top of the box. I keep thinking that one day I will get them new batteries, but now they sit in the jewelry box.
7. Bins - I actually still have the blue bin. The purple one made it to Florida and into this house, but it finally broke. The blue one holds washcloths I think in one of our closets. For a long time it held knick knack crap in my dresser drawer.
8. Pictures on bulletin board - I have the Purple Pride sticker. I have the picture of the kid in the corner and the kid below it. I have the heart ornament and the two tassels. I have all of the pictures, and the birth announcement of my friend Robin's daughter. I found of all that recently, and it all still resides in my keepsake bin that I recently went through and purged.

Obviously, I did not purge enough. So much for thinking that I was cleaning house. Of course, in looking through the pictures there are things I wish I still had, like my UE finger, but then again, for what? 

Well, obviously, because it all means something to me. Duh.