Summer Sundays in Texas
Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to my weekly lifestyle post called Summer Sundays in Texas.
My Summer Sundays in Texas is a different post from week to week depending on my reflections of the week.
Today’s post came with an unexpected flood of emotions that perhaps I should have expected.
I would like to share with you the story of my under-the-stairs-closet.
So, I hope you will join me today on a cleaning journey for time with a messy closet in Summer Sundays in Texas.
SUMMER SUNDAYS IN TEXAS: THE CLOSET
Just a few days ago, this closet was brimming to the point that items fell out when the door was open.
I have needed to clean and organize it for well over 25 years.
Before you judge, I was a full time teacher, a blogger, and mom to three very active children. The closet was ignored for so many reasons.
I believe I shared with you that as my grandchildren grew, all six loved hiding in the closet and even reading and snacking in the closet….looking for treasures…and going through family pictures.
I knew this job was going to be as stinky as a baby’s dirty diaper…but I also knew it had to be done.
Almost a year ago, my oldest granddaughter, Kinsley (7), began to tell me that she wanted to help me clean it out…she desired to see what treasures it held.
Well, Kinsley is a VERY busy young lady with friends, swim team, dancing, church activities, and family. But, she continued to say, WAIT FOR ME!
So, I did…and, lo and behold, last week one day popped up free on her calendar and I said, “Let’s do this!”
SUMMER SUNDAYS IN TEXAS: THE TREASURES
I clearly had forgotten what loomed at the back of this large closet that is right under our staircase.
One fun item was a stack of albums (you know, they say vinyl now) and it has Mr. B considering the purchase of a turn table…he is pretty excited we held on to these.
Kinsley was stoked to find a huge bag of beanie babies in like-new condition.
I believe these were my daughter’s at one point and I did keep them with future grandchildren in mind.
Everyone gets to pick out favorites and she was super excited to share this bag with her siblings.
It took us over an hour to remove everything and categorize what was there…including making a huge Goodwill pile.
It is a little embarrassing when a 7-year-old holds up an item and says, “You don’t need that. Donate it!”
When the closet was empty, we made strawberry smoothies and watched Bluey!
SUMMER SUNDAYS IN TEXAS: OVERWHELMING GRATITUDE
After Kinsley left, I was looking at five huge…and I mean HUGE…boxes of pictures and family memorabilia.
Going through these boxes, creating smaller boxes for each child, and a family history box covered the next two days.
It was a deeply emotional experience…I laughed and cried…with Tux watching me work.
The photo here is off a newspaper article that featured my family.
A newspaper reporter for the San Antonio Express News contacted our private school and they were looking for a family that was focused on teaching values to their children and how it was being done.
The school knew that we had set character goals for each of our children, so they gave the newspaper our contact information…after they called and received approval to do so.
(Now that I think about it, I am pretty amazed that a whole article would be written on teaching values to your children and that this was unique to the newspaper!)
Those three children you see in the article now are all married with children…and I could not be more proud of them.
I found the old target that Mr. B and I had sketched out when we became parents…I always intended to have it drawn into poster form by an artist…but never did.
We purposed that day that every decision we made as parents would be done with the intention of having our little arrows hit this target.
In Psalms 127:3-5, the Word says, “ Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.”
I have to say, that for my children, they all hit this target. How they share their faith with others Is in their daily walks and sharing with their own children now.
The five huge boxes of photos walked me back through our lives and included friends and family who have passed on…looking into their faces and the impact they had on our family was sobering.
Yet, looking back with them was also with deep gratitude that we shared life with them.
Remembering the difficult times was also with great gratitude, because God never left us and I am so thankful of where we are today.
I am actually glad that I did not quickly clean out the closet at a time I was too busy to appreciate it’s contents.
It can use a coat of paint, and the carpet a good cleaning, but it is now organized and ready to keep going.
Thanks to my precious little Kinsley for pushing me forward……she is an amazing organizer.
SUMMER SUNDAYS IN TEXAS: MAKING A NEW SPICE
From the closet to the kitchen, I also made a new spice this week…A Mediterranean Spice…. using my spice grinder and Bobby Flay’s recipe.
I like it so much I am using it on many recipes…I will share a couple with you this week.
Here is the recipe for this spice: (I grind the spices separately, pour in a bowel and whisk together)
2 tablespoons of fennel seed
2 tablespoons of coriander seed
1 tablespoon of mustard seed
1 tablespoon of cumin seed
2 teaspoons of ground tumeric
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne powder
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper
This is really good …so far I have put it on chicken, and veggies.
Thanks for joining me today on Sunday Summers in Texas. Has anyone else finally gone through boxes and boxes of pictures and experienced the same emotional journey I did this week?
Please share if you like…and I will be back tomorrow with a fun birthday shopping trip. Until then….
STAY STRONG & KEEP SMILING!
By Pamela Lutrell
For all your shopping, please use the links on my SHOPPING PAGE…thank you, thank you to all who shop this way.
I have so many spots in my house, closets, rooms that desperately need cleaning out, but unlike your young helper, I am not an organizer! As an older woman I’m very aware that I could be gone at any point and would be leaving all this “mess” for our sons, but most likely DILs. I can just imagine what these ladies will say if they have to dispose of my memories and saved items. I keep saying I’m going to work on these spots, and I do attempt at least 15 uninterrupted minutes a day which is slow progress, but progress nevertheless.
Have you thought about taking that rough sketch to your church and asking if there is a talented middle or high school student who could perhaps turn it into an artistic piece? I envision a contest much like one that the PTA art council would run each year when I taught. I had a similar experiece this week with old photos; very long story but the photos did not belong to me but to my brother who passed 19 years ago. Eight heavty albums came into my possession and needed to find their rightful home to my brother’s eldest child. Before I accomplished that I looked through photos that transported me back in time. Funny how a photo brings back a long forgotten memory and the rush of emotions that come with it.
Happy Sunday morning Pam, this was one of the best Sunday Summer articles you have done. Today’s Sunday Summers made my day…and yes I do enjoy going through some older “treasures “ sometimes….sharing with my grands…especially since my husband of 50 years passed away 2 years ago. So….you see why appreciating your article made so much sense to me. Going over sweet memories is a wonderful thing.
Good morning Pam! I think I need Kinsley up here! I have such a closet that I just open, immediately close the door and pretend I haven’t seen that it’s exploding with stuff!
Time to get moving!
Your spice mix is interesting; I was surprised to read you include brown sugar. I’m going to follow your recipe exactly with the sugar. I’m learning new things every day!
I think any progress is great, Celia. Perhaps I should have tried it in small bites, but I would have missed the fun of doing it with her. But, I think you should focus on any progress as positive.
I know…I am really thankful for those photos. I would have done myself a lot of good if I did not get so many copies of the ones I liked…in the end I tossed most of those copies.
It really is and I was so full of gratitude at the end of the process. Thanks for sharing Karen.
So am I, Paulette. That is Bobby Flay’s recipe and it did include the sugar. I have enjoyed this spice on so many dishes and I plan to use it on a spice rub the next time we grill. I opened and closed that door for so long…I am thankful for Kinsley’s desire to be a part of it.
Those emotional journeys through boxes are always powerful. I gave our son our boxes, and his wonderful wife, our daughter-in-law, organized some of the photos into albums for each of us for Christmas one year. Such a precious gift of time and family.
During Covid I went through pictures and school memorabilia. I organized so I hope it makes sense for my son and daughter. Remember when you got doubles of pictures? It was a good feeling.
That does take so much time..,what a sweet precious gift!
It was and that is what I did and ended up tossing so many!
Love reading your memories and can’t wait to try the spice. How can I get your “house” spice from a while back?
As an amateur artist, I would suggest you have that piece mounted on a standard sized backing and frame it in a simple black frame. It is precious just the way it is! It is early family history that shows your family values.
I like that idea! Thanks Deborah!
Hi Judy! It is at the bottom of this post:
https://over50feeling40.com/2024/06/summer-sundays-in-texas-4.html
Enjoy!
Beautiful post, Pamela! Lovely memories! I love music and have about 30 vinyl albums that I’ve saved. And….I have a turntable. Tell Me. B that it is so much fun to play vinyl albums. Yesterday I put on Hot August Night by Neil. One of the best!!
We got rid of ours too soon, Marcia! I have a feeling he is already shopping. My granddaughter just didn’t understand…she lives in a world that says, Alexa, play…..
What a lovely activity to share with your granddaughter. I’m sure she will treasure this memory. I’m in the process of going thru family photos too. A very emotional experience. I’m impressed that it took you only two days.
We have moved so many times in my lifetime that we don’t have a closet like yours. All of the pictures that I could find, I scanned them all into the computer. I have over 3K in the Apple Cloud! I had to throw away most as they had deteriorated and faded almost to unable to recognize anyone. My mother passed in 1997 and I went to Florida and spent 6 twelve hour days cleaning out her double wide home. I never saw her box of photos but believe that my older brother disposed of them. My younger brother was angry with me for years accusing me of getting rid of them. Tom is gone now and Richard and I have made up. But the old family photos disappeared. That is why I scanned my family photos. I also have large plastic crates full of framed graduation photos, grandchildren as babies and their graduation photos. We have a blended family of 7 children, 17 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. They live all over the country so we don’t get to see many of them. But cellphones have made communication on chat threads and videos of the latest baby very important to me. I’m the organizer in this family. Even my junk drawer is tidy! My friends tease me about how neat and organized are my closets. I don’t want my kids to go through what I did at my mother’s passing, cleaning out her stuffed and messy home.
What a sweet way to spend the day with your granddaughter. I have been going through old boxes of family photos and whatnot this summer. It has been a journey in time from my grandparents as newleyweds, my mother growing up, and as a bride. Losing her in March, I couldn’t go through these initially, but now I find such comfort in visiting her youth, before she was my mom.
I stuck with it for hours and powered through. I was afraid if I stopped that I wouldn’t go back. It took every bit of two days.
I missed out on those skills! Good for you, Sydney!
So many sweet remembrances of people…I am sure for all of us that is the most emotional part.
I just want to say good post. Again I wanted to say something longer but it got lost.
Also want to try the spice.
Sorry about any struggles to post but so glad you are here!
I think decluttering & organizing is an ongoing process, & those sentimental things are the hardest to deal with. In the current season of my life, I keep working on that process & taking one small step at a time.
I think your granddaughter could have a career as a professional organizer in her future. She just might be the next Maria Kondo.
Thanks for sharing your closet process with us; it couldn’t have been more timely for me. I love Celia’s suggestion of working on a cluttered area for 15 minutes per day. That reminds me of the old adage “You CAN eat an elephant – one bite at a time! My daughter’s old bedroom has become a catch-all room for her clothes and mine, as well as random other household items I just couldn’t seem to part with. I’m spending this weekend trying to sort it out, as it has to be suitable for a guest room in less than three weeks. My teenage nephew is coming for a graduation trip to a concert in my area, and I want him to be comfortable and have his own space. Too bad I don’t have a budding organizer among my grandkids – you found some true treasures with yours! I especially loved seeing the target drawing and the article on your family, which explains a LOT about why your kids all turned out so well. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album was a walk down memory lane for me. They are playing in my area soon as part of their “farewell tour,” so that album is going to be a true treasure. I really regret not salvaging my turntable when I cleaned out my mother’s house last year. I was just overwhelmed on the last day of cleanout and didn’t think that through very well. I still use the stereo it was a part of, and would love to have it, as so many of today’s artists are making vinyl records again. As always, thank you for sharing your heart and your Sunday mornings with us. I usually eat lunch alone after church on Sundays, and look forward to sitting down with your Sunday posts so much.
Dear Pam: Thank you again for sharing this thoughtful and encouraging experience. How wonderful to share it with an organized and helpful granddaughter. As someone said, she will treasure the experience. I volunteer one day a week at the Family Search Center in San Diego. This is run by my Church but is open to everyone and is free. In the Center we have equipment to digitize, slides, photo prints, very large in frame portraits and VHS videos. You can then put these on a flash drive or save to the “cloud” etc. There are Family Search Centers all over the world and in most major cities. You can do a google search. It does not take long to scan photos or slides. If anyone is feeling the urge to get organized, these centers can help particularly if your photos or documents are deteriorating or if you want to have one place (e.g. the cloud) where all can see the photos. This center has helped me a great deal this year. You can also usually call and make an appointment to reserve the scanner or the slide digitizer etc. at your convenience.
Mr. B saw them Friday night in New Braunfels area! There are two original band members and it was good!
You can get that room ready in three weeks ! I believe in you!
Thanks for letting us know about them, Mary!
I applaud you Pamela for ‘mission accomplished’ as have been editing my summer closet for a month now in a stop ‘n go process and therefore only about half way through. As to the subject of photos; being Exeuctor of my Mother’s estate when she passed away; for immediate family members (as a keepsake) I created a photo album for each one of them using photos she had and titled it ‘A Glimpse Of Your Heritage’ . For it and briefly; I applied scrap booking techniques to each page (using different papers etc.) and with the help of a computer/photo editing program/printer plus the assistance of my eldest sister and a cousin, I was also able to include information dating back to our Great-Great GrandparentS (both sides) with a full page biography (including pictures) about who they were as well. (The era they were born in, their occupation, accomplishments, tribulations, character traits etc.). Also for the front and back cover; random photos in a collage format were used that were all numbered with an accompanying index. Whereas, the pages after our immediate family were left blank so they can continue ‘their own story’ as individuals. To conclude; it was a fun project to do which has also proven to be beneficial as some of the children have used it for school assignments on their family heritage and hopefully their copy will be passed down from generation to generation. -Brenda-
Yes I have divided the photo totes for our children. In fact, I did it twice. The first time it included papers from they school days. I made notebooks for each of them. It was a gift to each of them for Christmas one year. The second time they received a special box that was made for photos.
Yes, it was emotional both times. Mixed between joy, fun, and a little sadness. So glad I did it.