Hello Monday -- From My Fun Box

I did a huge purge this weekend.  25 sets of Thickers, 18 kits, quite a few sticker sheets.  And yes, I have more to do still yet.  It feels good, but to be honest, I felt a little sick to my stomach while I was making the decision to get rid of those kits.  Especially the kits.  I love every single one.  But there is NO way I can keep them all.  I just had way to many for me to ever use.

In the process I also did some combining of things.  The results of that is 'My FUN Box'.  It's a box inside of which a kit was once shipped to me.  I placed a lot of my favorite goodies that I've been purchasing in recent months, some favorite kit remains and just the odd bit of something I simply can't let go.  And......I made a layout.  It's not for a DT assignment!  It's just for me and I love it!

Soooooo, from my fun box!!

See that yellow airmail washi tape?  Well, it's not actually washi tape.  I'm dying for a yellow washi tape (and Freckled Fawn is printing one RIGHT NOW!)  But since I didn't have one, I made my own.  And I've been hoarding these PP word pins.  Time to use them!

I've had some of those Basic Grey Basic's label sheets that I'd used up.  But I wanted to use the outlines for something.  For the frames below, I cut out a couple together and used them to frame the stamped message and some word stickers.

I love that birdie border punch and the PP is the backing from the SC stamps from a while back that I've also been hoarding.  I really wanted them to make that a full size paper, but since they haven't I have to just accept it and use the bits that I do have.

My memory isn't always cohesive so this next bit may not be entirely in chronological order.  Memories just don't seem to come that way.  I've been trying to decide what to share next and it's interesting how the pieces come at me in chunks here and there.  I suppose that the ones that shape us most are the ones that we most readily recall.  Or maybe not?  I'll have to think on that.

It stands out in my mind that I spent a lot of time alone as a young child.  My father worked a LOT.  I think he'd be aptly named a workaholic.  He knew how to work  That's a good thing in so many ways.  And yet sometimes it is also an escape. I wonder now if that is why he worked such long hours when I was at home.

My mother stayed home with me a lot, but she wasn't the sort of mom to play dolls or games or draw with me.  Not that she spent no time with me, but I think she did find small children tiresome.  She absolutely loved infants who could be held and snuggled but once they started talking she wasn't sure how to respond I think.

I find myself like that as well.  At least, I'm not great with young children.  Teenagers I really enjoy, at least one on one, but children from 2-8 are a struggle for me and I think I got that from her.  The result was that I spent a lot of time coloring on my own, playing house on my own.  Wondering in the woods near our home.  My favorite game was house with my doll Cinnamon.

We used to have a camper shell that sat in the yard.  I'd set up underneath it and make it a little house for Cinnamon and I.  Interestingly, one of the things I remember most about those play sessions is that I'd poke my dolly with pins and then tell her not to cry.  I think that was in response to my memories of being in the hospital after our car accident and being poked.  I was terrified of needles but I think it must have helped me to act that terror out through my doll.

The other thing I used to do was spank and spank my doll.  I would tell her to stop being so bad.  In hindsight, I think I must have felt like that is what happened to me as a child.  I don't actually remember being spanked that often, but in my childish mind, it must have seemed like too much.  Or perhaps it was a response to Kim's treatment of me.

Still, those memories are sweet to me in a way, remembering what it was to be a child and sit in the grass and play make-believe.

I do remember that I desperately wished there were other children in our neighborhood to play with but the only one was a little boy named Owen who lived next door on and off.  His family seemed to come and go very randomly for months at at time.  Still, he was a good friend and we did a lot of tree climbing, woods exploring, Dukes of Hazzard reenacting and the like.

We built lots and lots of forts. One of them we dug into the ground.  That was the best one.  We dug a hug pit in the sand, about 6 by 5 by 4 feet, covered it with an old piece of wood and used an old Washing Machine top as the 'trap door entrance'. Still sounds pretty cool to me.

Summers in Florida were hot and as often as possible, we'd head to the beach for the day and spend as much time as possible in the water.  That was before the days of sunscreen.  I'd be brown as a berry by summer's end.  I always loved best the days that daddy would come along.  He'd scoop me up and launch me from his strong arms out into the cooling water.  I never ever tired of that game.  

I still remember daddy teaching me to swim the summer I was five.  I think it was just a one time deal but I recall him giving me instructions and how proud I was when I could do it.  I loved the water.  I felt strong there since I was actually good at swimming.  And it didn't involve a need for depth perception or a ball!

I have to say that growing up in the country was a good thing.  I highly recommend it.  The opportunity to explore nature seems like a wonderful thing for people in their growing years.

I'm serving in our church's VBS (Vacation Bible School) ministry this week so pray for me.  I'll be taking photos and narrating a play!  We are expecting about 60 kiddos so we're pretty excited at the chance to share Christ's love with those who come.

Have a beautiful Monday.