Instructions for Niece-a-Palooa

Yesterday, I went to a coffee with the shareholders from our new place. Everybody at that table is working to DOWNSIZE...AND GET RID OF STUFF. So of course, I was bragging about my Niece-a-palooza...

One woman said, "where can we find the instructions?". I laughed and said I made it up myself...and she acted like I invented electricity or launched a rocket.

Even though I had this event in my head for months -- when it came right down to it -- I realized I needed to HAVE A PLAN. I thought about giving them monopoly money, and doing an auction...or playing games, and the winner got to choose...but actually playing games would take too much time...and if I auctioned all these things off, one by one, we'd be here for a week...

So -- here's how I did it -- and YOU CAN, TOO.

The secret was CATEGORIES:

• Art off my wall
• Linens from Mom's Hope Chest
• Large serving bowls.
• Sets of King Size sheets
• Microwave bowls for all of them
• Jewelry
• Sampler
• Spooner
• Christmas Coverlet
• Christmas rug
• Purse
• Totebag
• Blue bird knick-knack
• Large rolling suitcase
• Games
• Books
• etc...
  

 

Well -- you get the idea...anything I had THREE of earned itself a category...

Then, I wrote each category down...

Cut them up in strips -- like giant fortune-cookie wisdoms...

I folded them up, and put them all in a zebra container...

The girls took turns drawing out a category...and SHE got the first pick in that particular category...

The girls are choosing "Pitchers"...about to move on to a speed round of "Kitchen Utensils"

I'm sorry I didn't take more pictures...I guess I WAS HAVING TOO MUCH FUN..!!

 

This simple system worked GREAT.  Depending on which category was picked, the four of us would troop to that area.  Suitcases were in the root cellar...Mom's hope chest was upstairs...the art on the was alI over the house.  It was like a moving-scavenger-hunt.  

The day before my Niece-a-Palooza, I jokingly told Val  "Admission is free -- but the girls each must bring an empty pick-up truck..." 

As we were eating dinner (before the pick began) -- I went over the rules. They had to TAKE EVERYTHING THEY PICKED...but the minute it left my house, I didn't care what happened to it. They were free to use it (my hope, of course) -- or regift it or take it directly to the Goodwill. 

After four hours -- those three young women had to make multiple trips out to their vehicles, loading up giant suitcases and bags full of Aunt Rita Treasure...Ross came that night, and he helped Kelcy carry Mom's hope chest down from the upstairs bedroom where it's been living (undisturbed) for almost 20 years...

I've loved the job of AUNT.   And this night was really the culmination of so many wonderful events with these young women.  I'm blessed to be part of their lives.  On this night, I felt like I was passing the torch in so many ways...and the world is in good hands.