Decorating the....Refrigerator?

Yes! I took every last magnet, photo, paper clippings, recipes...EVERYTHING OFF!! It looked HUGE, naked, ugly and black! I cleaned it well and had thought to leave it bare for awhile....but I could NOT do it!! Had all the 'stuff' piled into a basket and I began the 2 hour process of putting MOST of it all back on! I love the 'Mama Says...' calendars and often paint my version of some of the pages.

Today I put half a dozen of last years illustrations on as a 'base' and embellished them with the various magnets/photos to complement each theme. One section is patriotic...another the treasures of children...another making memories and a section down low for grandkids. I have 3 cookie magnets in that area that are 30 years old. The whole thing is filled with pics of loved ones and crammed full of good memories! Pictures of my Mother as well as quotes about MOM. Some of the quotes are old and stained but remain a treasure for me. A very favorite is one by Chuck Swindoll back in 1985...."We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations!" Isn't THAT the TRUTH??

A whole row of apples Amber, Benjamin and I painted.....a set of little square 'Mom' magnets my mother gave me when I had a second set of kids when in my late 30's....the poems Summer, Jesse, Jr and I all memorized in their childhood - 'Don't Quit' and 'Slow me down, Lord'..pictures of all four of my children plus my three grandchildren and my daughter in law, Leigh Ann, and son in law, Mike. Each picture brings back memories of what life was like at that time.....for instance the one I took of Summer in a field of bluebonnets brings to mind the refreshing freedom I was beginning to feel that spring. Also on there are a few favorite pics of myself. I love the 'Ring Dance' picture of Amber and Mike. The years from 1983 through 2009 are all accounted for right there on my refrigerator. I like it! A bare fridge (inside OR out) is so lonely looking! Better to have it chock full of interesting keepsakes on the OUTSIDE and healthy wholesome food on the INSIDE!