Redefining Home

Drum roll.....for my first ever give-a-way on Peterson Ponderings. 

Thank you to all who introduced themselves.

 I was excited to meet you AND I got to visit some new blogs.

Super excited.

What can I say? I don't get out much.

To choose a winner, we used the extremely scientific method.

A very tired teenager held the bag with the names.

And since the book is about China, 

perhaps the Chinese contingent should draw the name.

The winner is Jean! Aunt Jean, if you would like a copy of Carrie's book Redefining Home, leave me a comment with your address (won't be published) so that I can forward that information to Carrie and she will get your book right out to you.

While we are on the subject of redefining home, it occurred to me that it might be time to move. Or at the very least, use the strategy of stripping a room completely and put back only what you need. I declare a clutter war. In honor of this declaration, you get to see what I found in my bedroom while cleaning this weekend.

Two very large bags of 3T and 4T clothes. 

Girl clothes waiting to be looked at. 

They might come in handy one of these days.

An ironing board from my childhood and a broken fishing pole.

Just to prove that we are well rounded, on "someone's dresser" you will find a stud-finder, box of nails for a nail gun, a painting and musical instrument from Mali, Africa, figurines from Haiti, and the American flag, from America of course, all sitting on a broken IBM Thinkpad from late last century.

I have four daughters and am plagued with the phenomenon of hair elastics showing up everywhere and anywhere in every single room of our house. How does this happen?

My current bedside stack of books. No NEW ones since my bookfast began unless you count the one that was a gift and the library book.

Blessed indeed to have one of these in my window.

On my dresser is an assortment of sanitizing equipment that went to China last summer and has been sitting there unused ever since. Think what you want!

Isn't she a beaut? On the other end of my dresser, is my VERY-OWN-TOOLBOX. With my very-own-tools that you shalt not touch. I got that for Christmas and am quite protective of it.

Every room needs one of these little odd size closets.

You know, the kind that you shove everything you don't ever need but think you might want some day? Then you close the door, quick!

Oh, lookie here. What is all that under my bed.

A pile of original artwork belonging to the one who has left home. We racked our brains where to store it. Under our bed was the only guaranteed child-proof place. So far so good. If she doesn't take it soon, I may start hanging it on the walls. :)

The miscellaneous and sundry shows up here and there: half of an Easter egg, a hair band, and a refrigerator magnet. Can you explain that? Yeah, me neither.

Last but not least was the collection of children's books I gathered up. Micah loves to read books at nap time and I happily oblige that habit.

What do you think? Time to move out and start over?