thrifty friends

once upon a time, there was a little boy who fell in love with a stuffed animal at the drug store. he went there from time to time with his brothers and mama, usually to pick up prescriptions...not exactly joy to a child. his favorite isles were filled with colorful gifts, seasonal knick-knacks, and of course, toys. this particular creature hung with his friends at the end of the row, attracting the eye and begging for a cozy home. "put it on your list," the mama would gently say, noting how much the little boy coveted the creature while simultaneously thinking it didn't quite fit her idea of the perfect toy. several months went by, and always the same little guy called out to her son. satin wings in his favorite color, blue. one day, justified by the coupon in hand, the mama marched into the store prepared, finally, to bring the winged temptation home for her son's fourth birthday. enter "zlock", member of the webkinz gang...a "zumbuddy" to be specific. much to the mama's delight, this was no passing fancy for her son. he was thrilled to find him among his birthday gifts and has slept with him, loved him, and toted him on adventures ever since.

this adoration did not escape his observant older brother, who began to long for a little friend of the same species. oh, my! the collection fever had gripped them! now the family, it seemed, needed another zumbuddy.

*sigh*.

fast forward to today and a much needed thrift store fix. the mama brought the oldest boy along with her for a treasure hunting adventure. fabric scraps, books, yarn...the normal odds and ends began to gather in their cart. but alas, you will never believe who gazed upon them from the piles of well-loved stuffed beasts...yes, a zumbuddy, please and thank you. and not just any zumbuddy, but the exact one, zana, the oldest boy had chosen to place on his list when his zumbuddy envy bloomed.

well, hit me with a daisy. that's the magic of thrift stores, i tell you. and now the two zumbuddies are sitting happily between their adoptive daddies, wrapped snugly in their newly made "sweater" bags.

but that's another story.

our new (to us) easel

driving past the thrift store the other day, i saw an easel just waiting for us! a quick u-turn and five dollars later, it was ours. i wanted a wood one, but this one will do, and the boys are pretty excited about it. the little trays in front are perfect for holding our no-spill paint cups, and i like the idea of just being able to let the whole thing sit out, just waiting for inspiration to strike. we've painted just about everywhere...the table, the floor, outside, on the wall, in the tub, on the sidewalk, you name it, but i always wanted the boys to have an easel. it was quickly set up outside, and everyone gave it a go.

we were all pretty tickled to see sam crawl on over and stand right up to do some painting of his own. he was even balancing for a moment or two, too preoccupied with his artwork to notice he wasn't holding on to anything!

leif whipped out a few flags, to make his own "avenue of flags", just like the one they set up at the cemetery for memorial day. flags...that reminds me...stay tuned for a post on that, too!