Grin (Ah-Choo!) and Bear It?

Something happens to me at this time each year.

The world explodes with color. The animals continue their life cycles. And the trees and flowers begin to blossom, sending their pollen into the air....making me sneeze and sniffle and wheeze.

Suddenly I become very sleepy...and, like a bear, I want to hibernate.....

...........

Think someone can wake me when it's Summer?

Wordless Wednesday

(In)Convenient Friendships

A funny (ironic, not humorous) thing happened when technology began to explode more than a decade ago.

Yes, the Internet was born. And the Worldwide Web was spun. And music and videos could suddenly be "streamed" instantly. And Instant Messaging became the "in" thing (along with writing in all lowercase without any need for punctuation or spelling *wink-grin*).

But with all these technological advances came a blight -- a horrible disease which is permeating our culture and causing a lot of pain.

Because with this technology came convenience and anonymity...and selfishness.

Call waiting. Instant messaging. E-mail. Answering machines. Voicemail. Message boards.

So now you can screen your friends' calls; ignore their IMs and e-mails until you feel like answering them; wait for a message on your answering machine or voicemail to see if what they need is important enough; and leave a nasty no-name-needed comment on a message board......all from the convenience of the computer.

No feelings needed...no feelings considered.

Ain't technology grand?

Hmm...

Where's the friendship in all that?

We can have a "buddy list" on our computer with lots of long-distance friends who are there when we want them. Nice and convenient, huh?

But what happens when someone is hurting? When someone is reaching out with a need? How can we ever really know?

I've thought a lot about the recent murder-suicide deaths of the Wood family. While I don't condone (in the slightest) the actions the husband took, I understand them.

People left comments on different forums about how he (the husband) should have "reached out"..."gotten help"..."swallowed his pride and admitted his problems."

What if he did? What if he reached out and nobody was there, nobody listened? What if his wife was too busy on her blog or with her involvements with the kids? I'm not saying she was -- in fact, I'm not offering an opinion at all on anything to do with the causes of this, except to point out that hopelessness has grown in our society not because of a lack of money or time or resources....but in part because of a lack of camaraderie...and true friendship...and truly being there for people.

Ask yourself: If so-and-so died how would it affect me? Would I be sad for a little while and move on?

Life moves incredibly fast. Take time now to invest in someone, really be there for them.

I promise you, it's can be hard, but it's worth it.

There's no such thing as "instant friends" that pop up in a window and can be closed from a computer taskbar. Even when we read a friend's status does not mean we understand what's really happening in his/her life. That can only happen with real contact...even when it's not really convenient.

"Friendship is a plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation." ~George Washington

The-More-the-Merrier Monday Musings

Big cuz, little cuz. Ethan with his 6'5" cousin Erik (15).
Happy Monday to you! The final Monday in April. Doesn't seem possible, does it?

We had a very warm (read: HOT) weekend in this part of the world. While we were thankful for the sunshine and warmer weather, it would have been nicer for the temperatures to stay a little more seasonal.

Emily got to take a field trip with her co-op class last Wednesday, and Ethan and I tagged along. We went to Brady's Village Art Gallery & Rock Shop in Morgantown. Some very dear friends of ours own it, and it's attached to their house. We've been to their house several times but never to their shop. It was lots of fun to see them again and admire all the rocks and artwork in their little shop. If you're in the area, stop by and have a gander. It's well-worth it.

Ethan continued showing his newest talent this weekend. He's taken to "singing" at the top of his lungs. Yesterday, he even waved his one hand in the air and lifted his head up. Both kids have been debating each other on whether he'll be a dancer or soccer player when he's bigger. I told them he'll be neither. He's going for opera.


Edward had his first soccer game of the season yesterday. It was a slower game due to the fact that they set up "zones" for the kids to play in to prevent the soccer "amoeba" that comes from all the members of the same team playing against each other....and that it was SO hot. Edward managed to get a goal and was promptly rushed off the field in the throes of a mild asthma attack. His coach said he [Edward] was so determined to get that goal even though he [his coach] could see him flagging. We celebrated with ice cream, of course. *wink-grin*

We had photos taken for the Reading Eagle this weekend for a special section they're printing to highlight BerksParents.com. And since I'm one of the two bloggers on there, we get to be featured. Wow! Wooof. It's quite an honor, to say the least, but also very odd for me, too. Last Wednesday, the special features editor (also a good friend of ours) called and interviewed me on the phone. She also mentioned the photo. When I called to set it up, I felt so strange and kept remembering when I did that as part of my job. The photographer came on Saturday afternoon -- our choice of times -- since I knew that the baby would have had two wonderful naps and be well-fed and happy. Well, "two out of three ain't bad." He was well-fed and happy, but he only slept for about an hour...in the morning. Sigh. Still, he behaved himself which was all that mattered. (He's quite the photobug, I think.) I thought the photo would be a posed shot of us just sitting under our little dogwood tree or something similar. But the photographer said he was supposed to get a shot of us doing something "familial." Hmm... That was harder than it would seem. We dug out some Popsicles and bubbles and sat on the front porch and visited with him. The kids also drew with chalk on the sidewalks and played baseball. Hopefully, he got something that was "family-like" enough. I felt rather red-faced by the end of it...not being a photobug in the slightest.

Speaking of red and faces, we managed to get a nice sunburn yesterday whilst watching the game. It was that hot. And it's only April. Yikes.

And speaking of heat, 24 is definitely "warming up." Only 5 more episodes (4 more weeks). Egads. We end each week with our stomachs in knots and our fingernails a bit shorter (despite our yummy pretzel treat). We've also been catching Season 2 of LIFE. If you haven't seen it, watch it!! You can watch the whole season for free online at nbc.com. The characters are brilliant, and the storyline just different enough to make it compelling and really enjoyable.

Here's hoping for a cooler day? Enjoy your Monday!

Saturday Sweetheart

From this...


...to this...

...in only 7 months.

Wow!

Friday Funnies

Did you ever have one of those days when you woke up thinking it was another day even though you knew it couldn't be but somehow in your head it just had to be and yet it most certainly wasn't?

Yep.

Me too.

* * *

And now for something completely different:

Proof that you can't fix "stupid."

By George, Time's Not A-"Dragon"

Waaaay back, a long time ago (maybe in October?), Emily saw a little outfit and thought it would be perfect for Ethan for St. George's Day. (Not that you have to dress specially for this particular holiday.)

(I know. I know. That's really thinking ahead. But it was so cute, and we knew we'd never find it again if we didn't buy it there and then.)

So we did, thinking that Ethan -- being only 7 months old by St. George's Day -- would fit it perfectly.

Hmmm....

Voila.


Ethan being Ethan...it fits but only just (and that's because I haven't washed it yet). This kid is growing like a weed. Where's the time going? It's certainly not "dragon," huh? *wink-grin*

Have a wonderful St. George's Day! Read the history of this momentous day here. And don't forget to buy your dragon wings and thank your "knight in shining armor!"

Wordless Wednesday

Pondering the Imponderable

My friend Angel posted this about a tragedy that happened to a friend of a friend of hers in the town near where she lived before moving to Pennsylvania. She said she didn't know this woman...but anyone of us could have.

The victim, Francie Billotti Wood, described herself in her blog's profile as "...a woman, a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, a lover of many things, a joiner, a questioner, a truth-seeker and a friend."

I went to Francie's blog and read down through the past three years, getting to "know" -- through her writings -- the sweet and intelligent woman she was. The last entry, dated April 1st, was somewhat haunting given the turn of events.

I can't sleep and I am thinking
I am thinking about a board presentation I plan to give in May. I am thinking about sponsorship letters that need to go out for an event that is in Sept. I am thinking about driving my MIL to BWI in the morning. I am thinking that Chris and I will never agree on a new house to buy. I am thinking about how I volunteered to serve on the board of my Moms Club but am afraid it is going to be more work than I bargined for. I am thinking that I wish I was sleeping instead of typing on my blog. I am thinking that I miss my friend Heather and my friend Kim. I am thinking it is way too hard to make time to exercise....

I am thinking that I am pretty lucky to be awake and to be thinking about such trivial things. How truly blessed am I to be thinking about being able to give back to my community, to get to stay home with my children, share time with my childrens' grandparents, and to have such wonderful friends that I care so much about...and to have my health and to be able to exercise. I am thinking how grateful I am!

Wow.

The reason I am especially perplexed by this tragedy is that it came in the form of a murder-suicide. Her husband and soulmate, Chris, murdered her and their three children -- Chandler, 5, Gavin, 4, and Fiona, 2 -- and then killed himself.

Horrifying.

Senseless.

Heartbreaking.

Troublesome.

Three little children. Two boys and a little girl. None of which will ever live to his/her potential. No more birthdays, Christmases, summer vacations.

A beautiful woman who was staying at home with them, raising them, taking them to church, their school, the zoo, visiting their friends and relatives, living what seemed a normal life in smalltown America.

A handsome man who by all outward appearances seemed sweet and loving and smiling, troubled by financial burdens and a new job....inwardly hurting from something in life; something which made him want to leave it all behind...and take his family with him.

The question "WHY?" comes to mind, though I know there's no real answer to it.

Only God understands, and only He can bring peace after such a tragedy.

Pray for Chris's and Francie's families. We may not have known them personally...but we know they were real people, gone from this earth forever, leaving behind grieving parents and siblings and friends...all seeking answers to this imponderable act.

And it made me think that I need to reach outside the computer to the people around me...

You never know when someone is hurting. And after a tragedy it's too late.

Musing on a Moist Monday

Ethan in his new hat from Granny
Happy Monday to you! And a very rainy one here. But we're not complaining since the weekend was gorgeously sunny and warm, despite the prediction to be otherwise.

Okay. Okay. I couldn't resist the alliteration today. I tried...I really did. *wink-grin* But I did do "good" last week in veering from it, right?

Isn't it hard to believe we're nearing the end of April? I think it is. Sigh. Emily reminded me that April showers bring May flowers...and I suddenly realized that those flowers will be here soon.

Stuart tore down a bush this weekend. It was a huge, old bush that had decided to grow sideways into our frontyard -- basically taking it over. The front garden looks so much nicer now. He also mowed our "hay field" of a yard. It's funny how a little rain followed by a little sunshine can make the grass grow -- and fast.

Edward started soccer on Friday evening and, as predicted, was in heaven. He certainly loves this sport. His coach seems nice, very patient as he took 11 kids through the drills all on his own. Amazing really. He has practices on Mondays and Fridays with games on Sunday afternoons again. It'll be fun to see what Ethan thinks when he sees his big brother play this season. And Edward got his new team t-shirt. They're a dark golden yellow. He doesn't know what the team name is yet, but I'm sure they'll come up with something sporty. (Let's hope it's not "buttercups" or something similar. A co-ed U-8 team last season had a very creative name: "Silver Knights on Pretty Pink Ponies." Guess that's a good compromise? Maybe Edward's team could be the "Lightning Buttercups?")

We're looking forward to another exciting installment of 24 tonight. Last week's episode had my stomach in knots, and, by the end, I joined the myriads of others around the area yelling at our televisions. Ugh. It's just a show, I know, but it certainly can evoke some real emotion. *grin* I made myself a new flavor of pretzels last week: balsamic vinegar ones. Very nice. Not sure what variety I'll go for tonight, but I'll need something as it's sure to be another nailbitingly exciting episode.

Emily celebrated turning a half-year older last Wednesday. We had a little party for her in the evening, and it was interesting trying to figure out how to put 11 and a half candles on her cupcake. I don't think I didn't too badly, right? I was looking at photos from her birthday and then more recent ones...and it's funny how much a kid can change in a mere six months. It could just be her new glasses, but I'm not so sure.

Emily on her 11th birthday

Then on her half-birthday

Ethan also hit a new milestone: 7 months! And if confidence follows strength, he'll be up and running before too long. He loves to bounce in his "in-the-door bouncer." He's even taken to winding-up the cord and then picking up his feet to spin. I'll try to get it on video sometime. Still no teeth though his nighttime (mis)behavior keeps getting our "hopes" up. We tried some cereal puffs and discovered that he loves to chew.

We went to the historic Hopewell Furnace Village this past Saturday to celebrate Fala Day, or "Doggie Day in the Park," in honor of Franklin D. Roosevelt's favorite dog. It was such a treat to take Buster with us and join two friends and their two dogs. Even though it was hot, we all had a fun time, especially Buster who doesn't get to go for drives very often. Emily even entered him in the just-for-fun "SIT-STAY-COME" contest. She's been working with him at home...and this was a real test to see what he'd actually learned from her...which at home is LOTS but out at the park with a ton of distrations NADA. Still, he did get a ribbon for "participation."

It was fun to see all the people out at the park yesterday when I drove past on my way to the grocery store. It made me remember that Spring is indeed here...and Summer isn't far behind.

On that note, I'll bid you adieu for this gray and moist Monday morning! (Ooopsy.)

Sweet Sunday

One of our favorite hymns -- "Amazing Grace" -- sung by an adorable 2-year-old.

Absolutely precious! Have a sweet Sunday!

Saturday Sweethearts

Friday Funnies

In honor of my favorite-most candy of all time! Only available at this time of year.... Sigh.

Enjoy! And have a funny Friday!

On Parenting, Perception, and Patience

When is it okay to teach our kids to lie? When it's a little lie...a fib...a story...or even a fib-lette?

(Euphemisms are grand, aren't they? They're alive and well and "living" all around us.)

Sigh.

It's really just a matter of perception. Like the 3-D glasses we wore to watch a recent movie. They made you think the animated items were coming at you.

Calling a lie something else makes it seem better...if only a little bit. But it doesn't change what it is.

I remember reading an article once about how often parents lie in front of their kids. For example, they might say the child is younger than he/she is so that they can get a cheaper rate/ticket/dinner. The author of the article said she did this once and her child actually "ratted" her out in front of the cashier. Bust-ed! Why? Because the child didn't like lying, and she was proud to be the age she was. Why hide it?

Makes you sit up and think a bit, huh?

I joined a certain networking site a year or so ago and noticed that you had to enter your birthdate -- including the year -- in order to start an account. The disclaimer states this is because of safety reasons. (We've all heard the horror stories of young teens on MySpace.) And because of these safety reasons, the site bans all kids under 13 from setting up an account. (It's true...I tried it to see what it would say.) And if you're 13 and above but under 18 you have to be in high school or college. Again, for safety reasons.

My 11-year-old daughter would dearly love to be on this particular site. She thinks it's the next best thing since sliced bread. Her perception is that it will bring her lots of joy and happiness and, best of all, friends. We've tried to be careful in limiting her use of the Internet and Yahoo Instant Messaging. There's so much out there that's cool, but so much more that could damage her or lure her into harm's way.

We've explained the rules of this particular website and told her that she has to wait, and that really "bums" her out.

Why?

Because many of her friends and classmates from our homeschool co-op -- 10-, 11-, and 12-year-olds -- are already on this site.

How?

They lie. (I know. I was shocked, too.) They put a different year in for their birthdate and everything is "hunky-dory."

But is everything a-okay? Do their parents know and understand the rules and reasons behind them? Or do they just assume that their kids will be safe and use the common sense the good Lord gave 'em?

Pretty heavy assumption.

But it's only "a little lie." And it "isn't really harming anyone." So why not let our daughter join in the fun, too?

I'm left wondering: What exactly does it teach our kids when we allow this sort of thing? That lies have different values...different levels...different intents?

But to God, a lie is a lie is a lie.

And one day that child will have to answer for that lie....and his/her parents will have to answer for allowing it.

Makes you sit up and think a bit, huh?

There's a reason for the popularity of the saying: "Good things come to those who wait."

Wordless (mostly) Wednesday

And she thought I wouldn't take it...


Happy "Half-Birthday," sweet Emmypie!

Seven Months of Somebody Special

It's hard to believe that our "little" Ethan Samuel is 7 months old today!

We let him try some sweet potato puffed snacks (made for babies, of course), and he went to town. The problem was that once they got slightly damp they stuck to him. By the end of his meal, he was covered as was the floor. Still, something a little different for him. And he loves to chew!

Bouncing, Springing, Hopping Monday Musings

Happy Easter Monday!

Ha! I did it! I broke my enslavement, bondage, captivity with alliterative Monday titles...and I also discovered thesaurus.com. Cool site! *wink-grin*

Anyhoo. We had a busy holiday weekend, cleaning up leftover chocolates some stuff around the house, dyeing and eating Easter eggs, and eating chocolate getting ready for Easter.

We decided to send the kids on a treasure hunt for Easter instead of an egg hunt. We thought we'd come up with some exceptionally hard clues, but the kids had them figured out within minutes. We think they really enjoyed the Easter "Domos" we gave to them in lieu of more, ahem, traditional stuffed bunnies or chickies.


I think they're cute...not in a cuddly way, really. But cute, nonetheless?

We dyed eggs on Saturday evening. I cooked 2 dozen and each of us got to color/decorate/dye six of them. The only problem? Now the kids have a hard time eating the ones they made. My solution? Take a photo of them before they're eaten. Perfect, right? A win-win all around. So I'll have 24 closeups of decorated Easter eggs on my hard-drive. Not a bad tradeoff to keep the kids from saving their eggs forevermore. Gotta love technology.

Ethan seemed to enjoy his first Easter. He got a bunch of fun little goodies -- none of which is made of chocolate (shucks!!) -- and got to dress up just like his big brother. He also got to wear a number of bunny items, including the cutest bunny hat. No doubt, he'll protest the pics we have of him wearing it in, oh, I don't know, about a decade. Still, we enjoyed it!


Another exciting, daunting, eye-popping, exhilarant episode of 24 overhangs, awaits, looms. Jack has been exposed....oops! No spoilers. Suffice it to say, we'll be on the edge of our seats (again!). We've got our pretzel bits soaking, and we'll be cooking them just before the show so that we have hot, nibbly things to eat instead of our fingernails. I've been rewatching the earlier seasons again while I fold laundry during the week. I'm at the end of Season 1 and cannot bring myself to watch the last 15 minutes...even though I know exactly what happens...Sigh.

I had lots of other fun tidbits to report, all of which I've forgotten now, so I'll end this with the hope that you enjoyed your Easter Monday.

Sweet Sunday

Christ the Lord is risen today!

Hallelujah!


Have a blessed Easter!

Saturday Sweetheart

10 on 10 - Easter Style

What's Sweeter Than HoneyHoney?

Not much!

Stuart and I had the opportunity to go to another Rocco Deluca concert tonight. (THANK YOU, San and Tim for watching our three kids!!!!) We were especially excited because this one was the closest yet -- a mere 45 minutes or thereabouts away -- in West Chester. And we were even more excited because we hadn't seen Rocco live in concert since September 2007 when we took the kiddos to his free end-of-tour outdoor concert in Baltimore.


Of course being in West Chester meant no Hard Rock Cafes and no new Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts (a RDB concert tradition from the beginning). *wink-grin* But The Note was one of our favorite venues to date. From the outside it looked like a small storefront for a deli or take-out restaurant. But it was quite roomy inside and seemed to have lots of history (though I overheard one lady in the audience say otherwise when that was stated from the stage).

Anyways....back to the concert.

Another reason we were eager to go -- besides the obvious wanting to see Rocco live again -- was that we wanted to hear one of Ironworks' newest band, honeyhoney, perform since they were listed to open for Rocco. We didn't know much about them but thought it might be fun nonetheless.

FANTASTIC! That's the word I kept using while listening to them. They have a real eclectic sound to them: a little folksy, sometimes a bit rocky, maybe some blues in there, and even a bit of country. Suzanne Santo and Ben Jaffe are the leads and give a memorable "down-home" fun performance. We bought the CD and I even got to meet them to get their autographs and a photo. They're very humble and genuinely excited to meet fans. They knew that most people had come to see/hear Rocco, but they were happy to be "tagging" along. I told them how much we enjoyed them and would spread the word.


After a few minutes of set-up, the lights dimmed and Rocco came out with his drummer, Ryan.

AWESOME! is the word I used for them! The amount of playing time versus stopping to change instruments made my fingers hurt for them. They never seemed to stop. They played new songs and old songs and even came out for a 2-song encore, including one of our favorites, "How Many Times." For over an hour! It was such a treat to hear Rocco and his guitars sing again.


We managed to get home a bit earlier this time -- though we had to take a quick detour to Dunkin' Donuts. You would have thought the adrenaline of the music would have kept us going...but I guess we're getting older. *grin*

(I'll put together a slideshow of photos from the concert and post it another day.)

Wordless (mostly) Wednesday

Nothing's sadder than an Easter Bunny all alone...

Only a Mother...

All I can say is: YIKES!

Do you think these are real people? Or maybe an artist rendition of real people? They don't look like any friends I've had in the past.

This ad is memorable... but does it really work?

The lady on the right looks like she just swallowed a fly. I'm not so sure she's "60 and loving it." 60, maybe... but she's not happy about it.

And the one on the left? She looks like she stuck a fork in an electrical outlet...though I'm not sure she'd be smiling quite so big...unless she's still in shock. (tee-hee!)

All right. I know there's a saying that "only a mother could love [insert lovey item here]"...

But really.

Com'on.

I mean, honestly...

Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And I know I've had some humdinger photos done in the past...ones that I would have loved to burn had my parents not just paid X-amount of money for the school-picture-package-of-the-year. (Then they offered retakes....but I always worried: What if it's worse??) And while they weren't the best pictures of me, my parents continued to love me.

Thank God for moms, huh?

Musings and Mussiness on Monday

Ethan doing his best Jack Bauer impression with Build-a-Bear sunglasses
I know. I know. I'm a "slave" to this silly Monday alliteration stuff. Still. It fits.

Happy Monday to you! The very first one in April!

Only a few people were fooled by my April Fool's joke. Shucks. I was hoping for a slew of you. I thought I'd totally "get" you with that great ultrasound photo from Google images.

Sigh.

Life should be slower this week.

I'll pause to stop laughing and catch my breath.......................

Well, in theory, it should be quieter and slower. We're on our Easter break. But, sadly, dance class and our homeschool learning group don't take breaks for school holidays. So we're still committed to those this week. And we have 4-H tomorrow night. (We're heading to a rabbitry about an hour away. It should be interesting.) But not having to do official schoolwork will be nice. I still have all the household chores, laundry, and meals to do... so no break for me. Waaa-waaa! Poor Mommy... *wink-grin* I'm also hoping to start (I use this word tentatively here) Spring cleaning...by pillaging the house of the mountains heaps piles of junk that have taken over.

24 is getting more and more exciting...though my nerves are having a hard time keeping up with the week-to-week viewing. I'm really not sure how we did it years ago when that was the only option for watching our favorite shows. And if you missed a show? Well, that was it until you might catch that episode by accident in the reruns. Now we have all sorts of online viewing options in addition to catching reruns... and/or buying the whole season on DVD later on. Ain't technology amazing?

Speaking of technology, we got to chat "live" with Stuart's parents in England yesterday. How cool is that?? We were so excited! We even chatted some more this morning. And all for FREE! Thank you, Skype! It was so much fun to see them in person! I think the kids would have kissed the computer screen if I'd let them. *grin*

And back to 24, we started seasoning and cooking our own pretzels for the occasion. (It's a bit cheaper than chicken wings.) So far, Stuart has enjoyed his immensely. I burnt mine last week. But it's still in the experimental stage. Once I figure out how to do mine, I think they'll taste phenomenal.

Edward's Spring soccer season should be starting up soon. He's really excited. Hopefully we started his allergy medicines soon enough to keep him from having any asthma attacks this year. Ugh. Stinking pollen.

Stuart and I head to...West Chester to see a Rocco concert this Thursday evening. My dear, sweet, loving, wonderful oldest sister and her hubby have offered to watch the three munchkins to allow us this treat. I'm a bit surprised by the venue, being that West Chester isn't any kind of metropolis, but it is a college town so maybe they have a method in their madness? Think there's a Hard Rock cafe there?

Well, the little "man" is awake and singing to me, hoping I'll come and get him for his next installment of formula.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Saturday Sweethearts

May 2006

Friday Funnies

We took the kids to see Monsters vs. Aliens and enjoyed it immensely. It was full of lots of funny moments, and I found these two on YouTube for your "Friday Funnies" pleasure.

Enjoy! And if you get a chance, check out this movie...especially in 3D!

"Beary" Sweet

We're huge fans of the stuffed toys at Build-a-Bear. Who can resist the furry softness of the creatures you create?

I certainly can't.

I can't walk into one of those stores without wanting to choose, stuff, name, and take home all of them. It would make for a somewhat (more) crowded house, I think.

When I was a little girl, I had a stuffed frog named "Flippo." I got him for Christmas when I was 5. He went everywhere with me...to school, to church, to my friends' houses. He even hung upside down on my swingset (tied by his long legs) and protected me from bees and flies. He was my confidante...my best bud...my main squeeze (quite literally at night).

Anytime I got another stuffed toy I felt disloyal to him. But he "accepted" them, and they all got to sleep in bed with me. I couldn't resist their sweet furry faces. At one point my mother made me sleep on the inside of my topbunk bed. That way, if anyone fell out of bed it would be a "someone" with stuffing.

Memories are funny things at times, huh?

Wordless (mostly) Wednesday

A girl this time?