I Have a Hoarder on My Hands

My Aubrey loves stuff. She can find a use for anything. She once pulled a piece of paper out of the trash and brought it to me saying, "Mama, this would be a good book marker." My little girl was born to a set of parents who hate clutter. We love to throw things away and organize. Since we've been renting the house we currently live in, we've been unable to be nearly as organized as we would like. The closets are full of boxes we never unpacked while we anticipated another move. Now, nearly a year after moving here, it's starting to drive me a little nuts. We've hung nothing on the walls and that alone makes it difficult for me to be organized and have everything in its place. It also makes it hard to have that warm, cozy, home(y) feeling.

Now that Ben has an office we have several book shelves void of books. Aubrey has adopted one as her own. Let me show you what it looks like:
Keep in mind that this book shelf is in our living room for all eyes to see. It kinda, sorta, really drives me crazy. Those that knew me in Kentucky and knew how tiny my apartment was and how organized and clean I kept it are probably laughing out loud at this picture. But I love her as she is and I try to work with it.
There is one shelf in particular that she likes to use. On this shelf you will find: many stuffed animals, nerf bullets, a purse or two, a pair of shoes, a pair of boots, several burp cloths, several cell phones, a key chain, many necklaces and bracelets, stickers, socks, balls, 3 sippy cups, bibs, blankets, doll clothes, blocks, hair accessories, books, and usually things that don't belong to her such as recipes she's taken out of the kitchen, toys that Owen is playing with or teething toys that Evie Kate uses. If something is ever missing you need not look. You simply ask Aubrey if she has seen _____ and she will quickly go to her shelf and retrieve the missing item. The amazing part is that she doesn't need to empty the shelf to even find the said item. She will slide her hide in to the exact spot where the item is located and pull it out without any trouble.

As you can imagine, things don't always stay on her shelf. Sometimes it gets so full the slightest bump will cause everything to fall out. This infuriates her. We have to frequently have conversations centered around the shelf.

I suppose I could tell her that she's not allowed to use it. And when we move and can find a place for her things I do plan to do that. But for now it's actually a good reminder to me that we all have things about us that are kind of annoying. It's good practice for me to overlook the irritations and love the girl in spite of them. That is, after all, what God does with me.

*Although I'm learning spiritual lessons through Aubrey's annoying hoarding inclinations, I do fully recognize my responsibility to train her to not be a hoarder. I hope to do just that. If, one day, you see her on TLC's show, "The Hoarder" you'll know I failed - miserably.