Solid Gold

It has been a week since I began my own personal mutiny on the excess in my life, and good golly I have accomplished a lot in a short amount of time.  Maybe I am not so hopeless after all.  If I can continue my attack on my gluttonous ways like this every week, I may actually be able to CHANGE.

Cue music: ...if ya wanna make this world a betta place, take a look at yo'self and make a CHANGE.  Sha-mon...  Whatever the heck that means.

I know my goal was to just clean out one drawer a day, but it was too boring.  I needed to see something BIG.  I am pleased to report, that after many hours of hard work, my 7 year old, Mollie, has a FLOOR in her closet.  And ya know how I said something like, "my poor kidz don't got much clothes, and what they have is just some hand me downs."  Well, the hand me downs part is true, but the "not much clothes" is a bald faced lie.  Well, it was more like a bald faced state of denial.  My children have more clothes than will fit in their closets.  They have clothes multiplying, making little baby clothes, that have sprung forth from their closets and drawers, and take up enough room to fill a football stadium.

So, one organized closet down, 10 bags to the Goodwill, and 2 bags of returned hand me downs to the proper lender of some might fine finery, GONE!  GOODBYE EXCESS.  I have given away one box of books, only about a hundred left to go on that.

I also cleaned out my jewelry box.  I had been hearin' all those creepy commercials about Old Gold Jewelry and wondered if it was a legit thing to do.  There is a new business down the high way that has some poor dude in cut off jean shorts, jumpin' up and down like a fool, by the side of the road, with a sign that says, "We buy Gold!"  I admired his enthusiasm, so, I took my old gold and silver there and had it appraised.  I wasn't going to sell it unless I could get fifty dollars for it.  Otherwise, it just didn't seem worth it, even though this jewelry was all crap.  Broken gold flat chains that were popular when I was in 7th grade.  Gold ID bracelets that I haven't worn since the late 80's when it was considered OK to look like a pimp.  I had gold chains, silver chains, clasp bracelets, I had silver and gold earrings that I haven't worn since 1992.  This stuff was nothin'.  I even had a tangled up add- a- bead necklace from 1983.  Sentimental?  Maybe. But I don't need to be attached to it.  Can't take it to heaven.

So, a really cute and sweet lady ran some tests on my stash.  She had to make sure it was real.  Then she weighed it, and calculated the fair market price since it can fluctuate from day to day, hour to hour.  I must have come at the right time because I nearly shit a gold bar when she told me the value.

Sorry, that was rude.  Let me just put it this way, I walked out of that store with enough dough for a new transmission, which is what I am going to do with this cold hard cash.  Jolie's truck needs some major work and now I've got the funds to fix it.  Hot diggity dog!  I think of it as a charitable cause.  My oldest is 18 years old.  She is a beautiful honor graduate from high school.  She is going places and needs a vehicle.  We've had this old truck sitting in our driveway for more years than I am comfortable admitting.

Y'all, go through your jewelry boxes and sell all those ugly gold nugget rings.  They ain't comin' back in style, I promise.

The food situation:  Screw it.  I went a week eating rice, biscuits, and then my delicious loaves of homemade white bread.  I ate soup and vegetables out of a can.  Remember, we had been to the beach the week before I started this nonsense (I mean, spiritual journey.)   We had left our refrigerator empty by our standards.  No yogurt, no milk, no greens.

Nicholas ate some squirt cheese from the pantry yesterday, I mean, what else was the boy to eat?  He vomited violently all over the sofa afterwards.  I have filled my intestines, and the intestines of my loved ones with enough glutton glue, to last us to the end of time.  I have decided to put this crap up for the end of the world, as was intended.  I figure if the Apocalypse happens, we will eat that awfulness then.  Until that day comes, let us enjoy the fresh fruits and vegetables of this glorious season!  Oh, and um, some whole wheat waffles and bagels.

Facebook update: I have peeked twice.  To check messages only.  I was on there for like 5 seconds each time.  I was scheduled to meet my friend yesterday, and had to tell her Nicholas was puking.  I didn't have her number.  Honestly.  On my honor.  Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.

I will say that existing without my daily strolls through status update land, has given me more time to do productive things.  I really don't miss it.

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank Thee for being patient with me as I mindlessly accumulated all this excess in my life.  I am feeling joy as I am letting go of things.  There is more space for the Holy Spirit already.  I give thanks in the name of the One who says I am worth more than gold.  Amen.