Mrs. Cleanjeans

2:30 p.m. Today's project was to restore some order to the house, continue the Christmas takedown, and clean the kitchen floor in preparation for the various members of Shea's family and bridal party who might be stopping by to help her move her wedding reception favors to Grove Community Church for a 4:00 p.m. setup.

My dad came over as I got back from depositing some Mary Kay earnings at the bank to pick up his Christmas gift: washable (! ) leather walking shoes. I had bought his first pair 1 - 1/2 sizes too small, but a perfect fit for our oldest son Sean. So I ordered a new pair for Daddy and hid a surprise black pair for Steve's Valentine's Day gift.

I got started on my reorganization jag when I could not find a tube of Neosporin ointment for a small cut; in fact, the first aid kit we'd kept in a kitchen drawer was gone. Steve looked for it in the RV, but came back with two much nicer containers that I must have moved the contents of the old cracked box into. And there was the generic ointment.

Looking up in the cupboard above this desktop computer, I found myself in a classic predicament. The cloth basket in which we keep everything from finger-and-toenail clippers to baby medicine measuring spoons--yes, our youngest child is 21, and youngest grandchild, 12--was a bulging mess, a mix of canine and human medicine. I knew that even the Coppertone sunscreens were expired. Checking the dates on meds was sure to be convicting, and even potentially dangerous. How many strengths of Naproxen would we ever use? Seems the Express Scripts Rx mailing service had an overstock and must have sent most of it to Steve. (We're Advil people, anyway).

It was time to give lots of items the heave-ho. Doesn't the Lord often use fairly minor happenings to bring a major case of neglectfulness to our attention? He loves His people that much! Psalm 121:3 says of the Lord, "He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber." There is nothing like the care of our Lord!

My predicament was this: if I were to move one thing, and not remove every item from the cupboard, it would all tumble down on my head! Aack! I would have to go all the way and completely reorganize that cupboard and the three medicine containers. Out went the Coppertone, duplicate empty boxes of cold medicines and vitamins, wart removers, medicine droppers, ancient Q-tips, expired prescriptions and old unopened laxatives. Cough drops and Tylenol cold meds were consolidated. Peroxide, wart and ear drops, witch hazel and current tanning products went to the guest bathroom medicine cabinet, along with a spare Union Jack nail clipper I bought in London a few years back. The other fully stocked first aid kit is now back in the RV.

In the kitchen first aid kit went treatments for the kinds of regular ailments we get, as well as an eyeglass repair kit, bandages, and tape for said bandages. Antibiotic ointment, spray, Zicam, eye drops, and a wrist support are there also, with Immodium and Digestive Advantage IBS pills for a couple of family members. The Sea-band anti-travel sickness armbands went into the RV. Allergy medication is ready for the spring onslaught.

On the plus side, I saved the purchase price of flea drops that I would have had to spend, in order to apply to Bailey and Jada for prevention. Doggie toenail clippers and the ear and eye drops they occasionally need were there. My cleaning was already showing a profit!

I'm feeling pretty good about my efforts, but as I looked at the shelf above, I saw craft and painting items and curling ribbon on one side; business items on the other. Is there anything worse than filing paperwork? Moving arts and crafts supplies around isn't very fun either, but I expect I'll glean some finds there, too. If no particular occasion arises for creativity, I just get in crafty moods and will put together anything that appeals to my whim, "just in case" someone needs a cheery little something. Looks like clearing that shelf is now on my radar screen!

First, however, a genuine paperwork hassle is speeding my way. By making an appointment with a Christian attorney to work on a living trust for Steve and myself, I'll be forced to gather our documentation in a timely manner. It's an incontrovertible fact of life that "due diligence" always comes due!