a treasure trove of time

I smile as I open my hair product drawer and find a snail. Not a real one...it's bright and colourful on a pink background and it belongs in a big wooden puzzle. But this little snail is snuggled happily among my hair products as if it's found a new home.



This is only one of the many sweet little surprises that are now springing up all over our home. Now that Little Lady is on the move and into everything toys, treats, and tid bits are showing up in the most surprising places. You would think that for a neat freak mother who has been referred to by many as "Monica" these little messes would be enough to make me extremely mad. But instead they make me smile. It's like living in a treasure trove without a map. I feel as if I am getting new gifts from my little girl daily. As if she is leaving behind tiny traces of herself for me to find.



As well as the snail I have also found the following: Snacks in my scrapbooks, crackers in my couch, an empty water bottle in my make-up bag, a cookie in my husbands dresser drawer, a shoe in my tupperware cupboard, a singing toy under the sink, and tiny baby clothes wrapped up in my sheets. These are only a few of the treasures she tucks away for me to wonder over. "How did she get there?" "I was watching her the whole time. Why didn't I notice that?"



It's strange and I know I'm being sentimental....but I already know I'll miss my little mess when she moves on. This trail of her childhood toys will eventually turn into teenage things...Cd's, and clothes, and bags of chips. And then one day she will move away and I will open my make-up bag and find everything exactly as I left it. The house will be silent since her music and giggles will no longer grace these halls. The carpet will be clean. There will be no crumbs on my couch. And I....the perfectionist who always wants things perfect...will cry. Because my daughter has filled my life with LIVING. And when it is only me and Prince Charming left and the windows sparkle free of fingerprints...our lives will look so empty.