We don’t have an attic.
We don’t have a basement.
We have a garage. A very leaky, very old, not-attached-to-the-house garage. It is a very poor storage facility. Nonetheless, that is exactly what it is used for. Plastic bins containing last season’s clothing, Christmas decorations, sleds and old bicycles…and it has actually served us well.
Until today.
The weather has improved dramatically, so today was the day I had my oldest son bring in the summer bins. The boy’s things are fine, mom and dad’s clothing fared the season’s storage well. But the girl’s clothing…oh my heavens…every single beautiful dress…ruined. Mold, mildew…absolutely beyond salvage. The little ones were so fond of their many pretty dresses. Though Charlotte had outgrown quite a few, Emily would have had plenty to make it through the summer. Not now.
Here’s the good news: Everyone of those dresses are replaceable. Top of line, extremely lovely and I don’t think I paid more than $5.00 for any of them. This is the advantage of frugality! While it is painful to see these pretty dresses bagged and ready for the trash, the reality is they will be quite easily replaced. And perhaps we don’t really need so many dresses, no matter how inexpensive they are.
And then there’s my sewing machine…ahh…the sewing machine. Tailoring dresses to our taste and desire for innocence and modesty.
Sometimes what seems a loss is really a blessing in disguise. Perhaps it’s not such a sad occasion, after all.
I am a traditional Catholic homeschooling mother of 9 children, married for 27 years to the most patient and sainted man. As converts to Catholicism in 1991, our family has only recently discovered the beauty and full expression of our beliefs in the timeless liturgy of antiquity, the Extraordinary Form also commonly referred to as the Traditional Latin Mass. An avid knitter, I also enjoy gardening, reading and immersing myself in the everyday graces of my vocation.
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I’m sorry to hear about the girls’ dresses. Thank God for thrift stores, right?
Amen, sister! Ready to go?
So sorry. Girls in dresses are just so sweet. What sizes are your littles — maybe we have a few to hand down.
I agree with the frugality bit. The children grow so fast that I’ve learned not to pay retail unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. It also helps to have a gazillion cousins for hand-me-downs. Now if I can only learn to sew beyond straight lines!