world lessons

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do you recall that episode of friends when monica inherits a dollhouse, & doesn't want phoebe to play with her, because phoebe brings a dinosaur, & ghost, & other things that do not go with the house? well, as much as i hate to admit it - i am monica. in this respect, at any rate.

when i play with elfling, i want everything to match. are we playing cars? ok, well let's go with all wood, or all metal, or all large. to mix them up is madness. i should say here that i agree with this sort of madness - it just is not me.

when thehobbit was little, it was not an issue. he played the same way i did. elfling, not so much. actually, not at all - this boy is my phoebe.

when elfling asked me to set up a campfire for his guys, i set out a little log for each guy to sit upon. each wooden guy. when elfling saw that there were not enough logs for each & every guy, he was not pleased. he quickly set about making the circle big enough so that woody & alien guy could warm themselves as well.

i doubt i will ever completely shed my monica, but i am willing to embrace the phoebe world in which i am now surrounded. it is something my sweet child is trying to teach me, & i am trying desperately to learn.

the world needs more phoebes; don't you think?

~peace.

~peace.

the newest keeper of the bins

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you know how much i adore old things. if they come with a story, even better. if they were also handed down within the family, perfection! such was the case with these two boxes. my mother-in-law; also a lover of old things; recently gifted us with these treasures. here is their annotated history:

they were constructed by manlyman's stepfather's father over eighty years ago, for his children. eventually my father-in-law gave them to his own children, & in turn kept them safe for the many grandchildren to come.

years ago it seemed that the last of the grandchildren were too big for them, so my mother-in-law painted them white, added wheels to their bases & cushions to their tops, & moved them into her guest room.

which brings us to now. not quite the next generation of babies, but elfling is the most recent by a decade. my mother-in-law decided that the bins should be no longer collecting dust in her guest room, & lovingly gifted them into my keeping. i get chills just writing that!

so why were so many children in the family given bins with which to play? well, you see, their true treasures lay within.

you need only lift their lids to see.

treasures which were also made over eighty years ago, by my father-in-law's father.

blocks! both hollow...

& solid.

& 'lincoln' logs.

thehobbit scarce recalls playing with these blocks when small, but he did. now they are being used by elfling to make all sorts of fire stations glorious things. & i? well i shall keep them safe for my children's children.

~peace.

ps :: yes i know had a few too many blocks already, but these don't count. they are nearly antiques! & family heirlooms! also, be quiet.

confessions of a tape addict

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hi, i'm kat, & i am addicted to painter's tape. we are using it near daily now. in addition helping pass the time on our road trip, we have: decorated pumpkins, decorated one another, taped things to other things all over thebelfry, created pictures on the table in the dentist's waiting room, & constructed roads.

this is the most recent highway, courtesy of thehobbit.

it was played with, off & on, the entire day. yes, even by my great old man of fourteen.

who, of course, declined to be photographed.

i most especially loved the wee hill.

in researching i have learned that painter's tape is basically blue low-tack masking tape. which is good, because a) regular masking tape is a fraction of the price of the blue stuff, & 2) we need more. a lot more.

notes of note :: if you are going to buy the low-tack masking tape, you need to make sure it is truly the lowest. anything too sticky will ruin surfaces when pulled away. 

~peace.