Fingerprints, Spilled Milk, and Baby Kisses

My house has never been more clean OR quiet. Since Miss Bonnie left several weeks ago not only is the noise level considerably lower ( you know, the blaring stereo!) but my grocery bill is lower because I don't buy all those wonderful items like special cereals, drinks and snacks. I am also buying considerably smaller amounts of food because I am having to adjust my cooking to just the two of us. My electric bill is lower because there is no radio being played, no t.v. being watched, no stereo being listened to, and no blow dryer or electric curlers being used to try out all the newest hairstyles. Even my water bill is lower because young ladies LOVE to take showers and MANY of them;)

Miss Bonnie and I loved to chat . . . and chat . . . and chat some more! We would always clean together but amongst the cleaning were some mighty good conversations. Dancing to the beat of a popular song using as a partner the feather duster, laughing at each other's silly jokes, and just being plain goofy were common occurrences in our home. Somehow, amidst all the fun the house DID get clean;) Now, I can get my home cleaned in record time and it stays clean for a L O N G time. What used to be a mountain of laundry is now barely a hill. For those of you who don't know, young ladies love to change outfits many times a day!Now that I think of it, my gasoline bill is even lower. Miss Bonnie and I had fun "galavanting" around. We loved to go shopping together, catch an occasional movie, and we had a favorite Mexican restaurant that we would treat ourselves to. I haven't had a taco in several weeks, I miss them.

Life is constantly changing and along with the change we have to make adjustments. Change is never easy but it is inevitable. I remember when my children were toddlers. I would scrub the floor in the morning and at lunchtime they would reach over with their cute little chubby toddler hands and spill their milk. "Uh oh, Mommy, I sorry." Now, how can you be upset with that? What do you do? You get the mop out and clean the floor again. Or, the windows have just been all cleaned to a brilliant shine and little toddler hands come up after eating their peanut butter sandwich and leave beautiful peanut butter fingerprints all over the window. Somehow, looking back, Monet never created such beautiful works of art. Little boys that smelled like dirty earth worms after a long day of playing outside. As they reach up to hug you somehow you don't even mind the smell. Finding frogs, paper clips, and other special treasures as you emptied out their pants pockets. Little girls trying on Mommy's lipstick and somehow deciding it would also look pretty on Mommy's couch. Crayon marks on the table, tap shoe scuffs on the floor, refrigerator art, macaroni necklaces, sweet baby kisses. Ladies, time is so fleeting. These are the things that will be imprinted on your heart forever. Enjoy and savor each single, precious minute because I am here to tell you that in a blink of an eye you will be where I am and wishing so much that the stereo would be blaring, there would be a little dust in the corners, and yes, even spilled milk on the floor and peanut butter smudges on the windows:)