Where I've been living, through 11-year-old eyes

I am moving this weekend, so I've been trying to pack and clean. It's hard because it's my childhood bedroom, so I have to move around a lot of old stuff that never really found a home but that can't be thrown away, since I keep everything. I was cleaning out my desk and found a folder of 6th grade writing samples. In 6th grade, we took the North Carolina Writing Test, so I have lots of assignments where I was trying to describe things, or trying to explain why I like things with three supporting reasons. It was one of those tests where there was a distinct formula and you just write to meet the requirements.

Anyways, one of the assignments I found was "describe your bedroom," and what I found, basically, is that my bedroom hasn't changed since the 6th grade. So I thought I'd share my 6th grade writing sample with you, so you can have a better sense of where I've been living for the past three months. I didn't change a word; everything below is what I wrote when I was 11 years old:

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Describe your bedroom—November 1993

This is my description of my personal, Victorian styled bedroom in an almost circular fashion.

The first thing that will catch your eye as you enter would be the Waverly print wallpaper with flowers of yellow, blue, pink, and green. This is off-set with the airy tie-back curtains with a pink and white flounce.

One whole wall is covered with ceiling to floor bookshelves that are filled with books, dolls, collectibles, sports and dance trophies, my stereo, and special mementoes. In the middle of the shelves, there is a cozy windowseat where I can be lost in a book.

Aside from the oak shelves there is a high spindle bed that once belonged to my maternal grandmother, when she was my age. The cherry backboard goes well with the off-white, homespun bedspread, with a frilly dust ruffle.

Over my bed there is a watercolor painting of a Cabbage Patch Doll that my uncle creatively painted for me.

Beside my bed is a white nightstand that has my annoying alarm clock and antique lamp. It is usually piled high with my books and magazines.

Adjacent to that is a wooden chair that has pale green cushions with red roses. The chair is in front of my other window.

Beside that is my large closet filled with some of my clothes and boxes. Above that there is a shelf that has dusty old games, puzzles, and “memories.”

To the left of that is my antique vanity which belonged to my paternal grandmother. It is cluttered with hair ties, barrettes, accessories, and two jewelry boxes that are filled with knick-knacks I’ve collected over the years. The vanity also has two deep drawers that are filled with old valentines and artwork I did in younger grades. It also has tacky costume jewelry in it. The vanity dresser mirror has pictures and post cards along the edges.

A green wicker trash can to match my wallpaper is beside the dresser.

The last but not least wall is devoted to two things; my chest of drawers and desk. My chest of drawers is to the brim filled with the rest of my clothes. On top there are old photographs, and a green box, and other odds and ends. There are posters hanging lopsidedly over it.

My desk is always a mess. It’s piled to the sky with papers, projects, and other stuff I can’t find a home for. Above my desk is a bulletin board that has posters pinned up, along with pictures, banners, and illustrations.

Well, I think that’s the best way I can begin to describe my humble little home to you. I hope you’ll come to see it in person, and I’ll try to have it clean when you come.

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This is 2008 Molly again. I don't have much to add, except clearly this assignment (which I don't remember doing) asked for a lot of adjectives. It's also pretty clear to me that my mom helped very extensively with that paragraph about the Waverly print wallpaper and the curtains with the flounces. Because I don't think I knew what a flounce was, either in 1993 or 2008. My 11-year-old self taught me a new word yesterday.