The Tape Incident

Today I had to mail a box. No problem finding a box, there was one ready and waiting in the garage. But the packing tape... couldn't find it. I remembered using it at Christmas to wrap the last gift because we had run out of scotch tape, and it was a pretty good-sized roll. The "old" me would have simply gone out for a new roll of tape. And while I was at it, I'd have checked out all those bargains I've been hearing about. I'm sure there would have been a few deals too good to pass up. So I'd have brought more tape into the house, along with some more stuff. The new me wasn't going to do that.
I finally realized that the tape had probably been put in the attic with the christmas wrapping paper. Now that was a problem. Our attic isn't easy to get to--its in the garage, which is full of--what else--stuff. And the attic is full of more stuff. Nonetheless, I enlisted my dear and very patient husband to navigate all this to find the tape. And of course, after all that, IT WASN"T THERE. My compelling argument about all the hassle we were saving quit working. I was on my own with the tape situation.
I finally found it in a random kitchen cabinet, and I'm glad I kept looking. This explains why, when I was looking for painter's tape one day, I found 7 rolls. And why we have about 30 screwdrivers. And 10 flashlights. And so on. When its so easy to buy things, it really seems to make more sense to go the store and get a new thingamajig the minute you hit the first obstacle to using the old one. And it is definitely easier, but big or small, now you have two thingamajigs.

The other biggie today--we moved the furniture out of our guest/junk room and are turning it into a playroom for the kids. Luckily, my sister's family consolidated kids into fewer bedrooms and freed up space for a guest bedroom at just the time I was planning to find a new home for our furniture. So it worked out perfectly for both families! Now I am faced with the huge task of sorting through all the--you guessed it--STUFF--left in the room. And creating a fun and inviting playroom without buying anything new. The old me would have been eyeing the Pottery Barn catalogues and shopping for shelves and bins and other fun stuff. The new me will go shopping in the attic. (and hey, maybe I'll find some more tape!)