Anatomy of a Refrigerator Door

I have never been one of those "blank" refrigerator door people - no matter how much I want to be, and no matter how much I try to be. There is always something that needs to be there . . . even if it is just one little magnet or piece of life that I want to remember.

But the thing is . . . for me, it is never just one little magnet.

Right now, it's about 18 little magnets. Give or take a few.

I took a look at my chaotic and quite cluttered fridge door the other day, and decided it was time to clean it up.

The only problem . . . was that I couldn't remove thing. Not one single thing.

Because, believe it or not, each and every part of that door means something special. Truly.

So, I decided I should share the Anatomy of my Refrigerator Door with you, my beloved blog friends. Because it is silly, and so something I would do - to "air the dirty laundry" . . . or in this case, "air the fridge door".  Here it is - 1 to 18 - and the meaning behind it all:

1. Silly Comics . . . given to us by Phil's Aunt Rose, who I absolutely ADORE! The comics are Starbucks related, and since Aunt Rose knows us so well, she knew we would get a kick out of them. She is right! And every time I read them, I laugh. 
2. Keep Calm and Drink Wine . . . because it is SO us! Saw them up at the dollar section of Target a while ago, and they just had to come home with me. 
3. Leg Lamp Magnet . . . got this one during a family vacation to Cleveland when we visited the actual "christmas story" house. It is holding up a piece of paper that Aunt Rose gave Katie and Ella that reads "Open Another Door". Not sure what that means, but it made my kids so happy when they received it, that I had to hold on to it. 
4. Cathy Thorne Magnet . . . absolutely love cartoonist Cathy Thorne (click her name to link to her website) and her Everyday People cartoons. If I could fill my whole refrigerator door with her work, I would. They are adorable and oh-so true! 
5. Aunt Rose, Phil and Lill . . . photo from a trip to Canada Phil took with his mom and his aunt this year. It makes me happy to see him with these two ladies. They mean so very much to him. 
6. Frank Lloyd Wright Magnet . . . a little remembrance from a trip Phil and I took to the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix years ago. Was a wonderful weekend away!
7. I Love Lucy! . . . because I DO LOVE Lucy! Can't remember where I ever got it (probably from Phil or my sister), but I LOVE IT! 
8. LIFE . . . truly, one of the best reminders I have ever read about doing with you love in your life. I read it often. My favorite line in it : LIVE YOUR DREAM. 
9. One of my Magnets . . . to remind myself of what I am capable of. 
10. Katie's "Rock Star" Magnet . . . that she bought herself during a trip to Six Flags a few years ago. I leave it there to remind her that she IS a Rock Star! 
11. Fan Magnet . . . from the Impressionists exhibit at the Art Institute a few years ago. Loved the exhibit and this little reminder makes me smile. 
12. Ella's Seasonal Artwork . . . this time, it's fall leaves. I love to see her little drawings on there. She is so sweet, my Ella bella. 
13. Kelly Rae magnet . . . reminds me of what I can be. 
14. Isabel Eaton magnet . . . from my dear friend, the artist Isabel Eaton. I won this when she was having a give away years ago, and it is so precious to me . . . I will always have it on my fridge! 
15. Aquarium Photo . . . taken in February 2010, when Ella was 3 years old. This was the day when we lost Ella in the Aquarium. Yep. We did. For a few minutes. But it was a day I will never forget. And this photo will be on every fridge I own for as long as I can have it. . . (you can read about the story that day at this old blog post here.) 
16. Chocolate Magnet . . . because it reminds me of the day I met a real-life Willie Wonka!!! (Or, someone as close to the real-life Willie Wonka.) It also reminds me of the day when I took candy from a stranger. Yes, you can read about this story at this old blog post, if you'd like. 
17. Clip . . . because there is always something that needs to be hanging from the fridge. Always. 
18. New York Subway Magnet . . . specifically one that leads to Little Italy. Because Little Italy is beyond special to Phil and I (and the exact place we went to for dinner the night we got engaged in New York - those many years ago). 

So that is it, my friends. the Anatomy of Our Refrigerator Door. It's been fun looking at each piece and reminding myself of the story behind it - and fun to go back through some old blog posts to see what I wrote about. Warms the heart, for sure. 

I wonder if this is what the story of your refrigerator door is, because I am sure many of you have stories - just like mine. 

Next time you grab something from the fridge, take a look at the door and think about what you keep on it. It's kind of fun to remember what makes each of them so special to you.

Wishing you happy memories, dear friends.

Always.

xo