STUFF

This sign is a perfect example of Mrs. Roy's definition of stuff.  We - meaning Mrs. Roy and probably my daughter - came across this sign at a yard sale or a junk store or somewhere similar.  We brought it home and it hung by the front door for about 3 years.  And Mrs. Roy never even liked it that much!  Mrs. Roy is glad it's gone.

Mrs. Roy spent last weekend unpacking the remnants of someone's stuff.  A life of living reduced to a few boxes of semi-broken kitchen utensils, mismatched pots and pans and tons of pictures of grandkids that had been crammed together in several desk drawers among stray socks, spent batteries and owners manuals for blood pressure cuffs and lawnmowers. 

All in all, it was a stark reminder that we all have too much stuff.  Mrs. Roy's been thinking about that a lot since last week and it is time for Mrs. Roy to start getting rid of stuff.  The first chore - the bulletin board above the sewing desk.  Next, Mrs. Roy's jewelry box.  Then the box under the nightstand and then Mrs. Roy's closet and dresser.  After that, Mrs. Roy is going to take a close look at the cabinet in the hall bathroom and then the drawers and cabinets in the dining room.  Stuff defintely lurks in those spots!  Then the top shelf in the entry closet and the cabinets in the garage.  Then it might be time to tackle the attic - that might be even more of a chore than Mrs. Roy can handle!

Mrs. Roy is shedding stuff.  Join me?

Easter

Mrs. Roy's grandson got his first taste of coloring Easter eggs yesterday - and he loved it!  Easter egg coloring is a long-standing tradition in Mrs. Roy's family.  The first year Mr. and Mrs. Roy were married, Mrs. Roy's mother showed up on Saturday with her arms full of eggs, baskets, chocolate bunnies and the dreaded Easter grass.  Mr. Roy quickly understood that holidays, especially Easter, are very important in Mrs. Roy's family. 

This year we had got some egg dye that came with cute little cups for each color.  We got two sets so everyone could participate.  We went through the eggs pretty quickly - so much so that Grandson #1 wanted us to "make more."  Alas, he had to be content with what he had but it is all good because we quickly moved on to filling the bunnies.

Mrs. Roy has a collection of ceramic bunny candy dishes so the grandkids got to help fill them with mints, chocolates and jelly beans.  You would seriously think we were preparing for a world-wide sugar shortage! 

The grandkids are the major benefactors of our love of Easter.  Mrs. Roy has prepared each of them a bag of stuff including the requisite chocolate bunny; Mrs. Roy's mother has also prepared each of them a basket and they will be getting an Easter basket from the Easter Bunny at their home tomorrow morning.  We are talking serious candy overload.  And in case you are wondering, the adults also get a chocolate bunny and some goodies.  There would be a mutany otherwise!

But Easter isn't all about the fluffy bunnies and cute baby chicks of the secular Easter.  Easter at Mrs. Roy's house is also about Jesus - about His death, burial and resurrection and the eternal life we are living because He died on the cross for our sins.  We attended a beautiful Good Friday service last night at church; we had communion last Sunday; tomorrow morning we will be on the church lawn at 7:10 a.m., watching the sun rise over the pine trees and celebrating Mary and the other women going to the tomb and finding that Jesus was alive!  Then we will have a wonderful Easter service at church with everyone dressed in their pretty clothes and faces washed, giving Jesus their best.

Then we are having lasagna for Easter lunch, with Mrs. Roy's mother's special cream cheese pies for dessert.  We might hunt a few Easter eggs out in the yard, then we will settle down and watch the end of the Masters on television.

Life is good.  Thank you, Lord.