What's On Your Nightstand?

Just recently my bedside table got so stuffed with stuff that it was threatening, seriously threatening, to topple, fall, slide over. Maybe explode. The problem was I tend to sit on the bed to use my laptop and people bring me mail, candy (okay, so maybe I bring the candy in myself), interesting magazine articles, stuff. I also toss things there from my pockets, mostly receipts and shiny things I find on the streets. (I guess I'm a certain percentage little boy!)

There's still a lot of stuff on it, but at least half of it now are things that at least make sense to have there. I thought I'd share with you what I have on my bedside table. It's a small nightstand with an open shelf underneath and a small drawer. On the back of the stand is a thin freestanding shelf with two shelves and a top that acts as a third shelf.

In the open shelf underneath are a pair of slippers, a pair of tennis shoes (that aren't supposed to be there), a catalog I need to remember to cancel, and William's secret locked box. He used to keep his allowance in it when he was little and he kept it in our room so that his brothers couldn't get their hands on it, or at least would be less tempted. All his brothers have moved out and he has an entire room of his own to keep his secret box in, but I think it's become a tradition for him and he seems reluctant to remove it so I let it be. There's not much of a little boy left in the 6'4" kid, so it's sort of nice.

In the drawer are all manner of emergency items. A flashlight, a nail clipper, dental floss, pens and pencils, some old cameras that don't work anymore (but I haven't yet admitted that to myself), some playing cards, probably some other stuff I've forgotten and most importantly, a Pez dispenser, Pez, assorted candies, and chocolate. My secret stash of chocolate. Uhm. Well, my formerly secret stash of chocolate.

On the top of the nightstand - On the far side from me I have a small open wooden box that holds some Tarot cards, some miscellaneous computer wires, and there's a pair of sandals and a pair of khaki pants sitting on top of it at the moment.

Closest to me is a low, long lidded wooden box that helps put my reading lamp up high enough for the light to reach my book. I don't know what's in the box, I haven't opened it in awhile. I think some rocks I collected at the beach, but I'm just guessing. Atop the box is my lamp and my wind up alarm clock. I hate digital clocks. We have one on a dresser, it's hubby's, and I use it for alarm purposes (although I suppose there's no reason I couldn't use mine), but I have to cover the glowing green light it makes every night or I can't sleep. My alarm clock has a soothing tick a soft, barely glowing hands so I can tell the time in the dark. Back to the box, atop it I have whatever I'm drinking - at the moment that's a tall glass of iced tea combined with fizzy elderberry water. It's a lidded glass because I got tired of scooping out moths, other flying bugs, and the occasional floating cat hair. There's a second glass there now with water from last night but I'm pretty good about taking my mugs and glasses to the kitchen every morning so that's unusual.

Between the two boxes are two stacks. Farther away is a stack of envelopes containing ACEO's I keep forgetting to take them into the studio. Closer to me is a taller stack that contains miscellaneous papers that were left over from my decluttering - they each need something done with them, a large box of tissues, a pretty journal I have yet to use, two novels I'm halfway through but not currently reading, my reading journal, a novel I finished about a week ago, and the book I'm starting tonight. And my cell phone is on top of all that.

Behind the stacks and boxes on the bottom back shelf is some miscellaneous stuff I didn't finish sorting - tiny things like rubber bands, fortune cookie fortunes, wire.... Yes, part boy. Or maybe just part raven.

On the middle back shelf is a tweezers I forgot to put away, a bottle of Tums, a bottle of chewable Vitamin C, a spray bottle of something called My Personal Summer Spray (great stuff I found at a craft fair - mine isn't either of the two on her website, although I'd love the smell of either - mine is more of a grapefruity scent), some nails, a pretty red box I won in the last OWOH, a bag of agates, some other rocks, a couple of rechargeable batteries (I just have to find the recharger), a bottle of basil essential oil, a little ceramic fairy, and some miscellaneous family photos and a postcard. Hanging above that shelf is a wee reading angel and a miniature string of prayer flags.

On the very top of the back shelf are three metal tins with rubber bands and hair thingies in them. Sitting on top of the tins are a miniature Harry Potter book I made, an autumny hair tie I bought in Paris that looks like a nest, a wee fuzzy owl in the nest, a little soft plastic baby, and a baby witch doll. The baby, owl, and baby witch doll were all confiscated by Joli when she was here and it took me several days to find them and return them to the shelf after she left. But that's okay, she loved carrying them about and even sleeping with them. Next to the tins is a brown glass bottle of dried lavender stems with a metal goddess plant stake in the middle of it (with a really cool vintage moon pin in her arms), Also a set of salt and pepper shakers that need to be returned to the kitchen, another bottle of Tums I bought for hubby to take to work but keep forgetting to give to him, a pink framed photo of Joli, and my card reader.

Oh, and if you look under the nightstand, I'm sure we'd find a half dozen dust bunnies, perhaps a few fuzzy coins, and maybe even a dog toy or two.

Your turn - what's in yourrrr wallet? No, wait. That's a commercial. I meant, what's on your nightstand?