Yesterday, Mother’s Day, the kids and I went to Ruby Tuesday for lunch. My mission was to get fatstuffedfull on the salad bar. Mission accomplished!

On the way home Davey exclaimed, “I don’t wanna go home!”

I asked him, knowing the answer, “Where do you wanna go?”

He quickly responded, “My park!”

“Ok,” I said, “but first Mama’s gotta go pee-pee at the house.”

Upon pulling into our driveway I spotted the kids across the street.

{Light bulb moment}

Why not ask the parents if their kids could come with us?

So, I did. And, they did.

Afterward we stopped at the grocery store and I bought some ice cream to treat the kids to, at home.

Messy, sticky, big laughter, and playing.

It was Mother’s Day.

Then I remembered that Michael had this great camera and I started to get acquainted with it.  Some of the first pictures I took with it were our Christmas card portraits and Maureen’s house during our Christmas Lunch/Mama Gab Session/Kiddie Cupcake Decorating Gathering. Then New Year’s Eve where Michael taught this guy Andy to fly a plane and I sang karaoke like a madwoman.  Then the Girl Scout event where our then-troop dressed in tradition Indian Saris.  Then a trip to Helen, GA where I realized I needed to take that camera everywhere from now on. Then more and more and more.

Then this blog started getting decorated with my pictures from that camera.   Then Michael bought me my DSLR. And Mr. Fuji S5000 sat; after all he needed a new lithium battery and wouldn’t keep the date set, internally.  Mikey found him and started to make little Lego animations, but that was it.  For the most part Mr. Fuji S5000 sat and collected proverbial dust in the cupboard.

This past summer, when I was up in Buffalo, I went for a traditional dinner with one of my favorite people in the world.  My cousin Pauline and I dined at Gabriel’s Gate in Buffalo.  Then we drove around on Elmwood Avenue and I took some pictures.

The following conversation might not be ex.act. but it’s primarily the way it went down:

“PJ, you need a good camera!”

“I know, Mishi, I just don’t have the money for a good one.”

“Well, you take good pictures with your cell phone camera.   You NEED a camera.  Look, we have this camera, at home,  you know the one that looks like it’s a professional one but isn’t?  I think Michael is talking about selling it on eBay. I’ll see how much the starting bid would be set at, and maybe you could afford that?”

“Yeah, that’d be really cool, Cuz”

You know how time flies, and things get forgotten?  Well, that happened to me. Then this past Christmas Michael and I were shopping for the kids’ presents and we had decided to get Mikey a camera.  Michael said, “Maybe we should just give Mikey that old Fuji?”

“Actually, I forgot to run this past you a while ago, but Pauline might want to buy that from us?”  I said.

“Buy it from us?  I wouldn’t sell it to her.  But, I’d give it to her!” he smirked.

He then started to research how to replace the lithium battery so that he could do it himself, so that Pauline wouldn’t have to get it done herself.   In the meantime I called Pauline to tell her what we were planning for her.  It was still before Christmas and when I called her she started to cry.  I felt gratitude that Michael was so generous to give it to her.  I felt proud that we were paying it forward to someone we love so much.  I felt happy that Pauline was going to have a good camera to take some really good pictures with.  Because I believe in her ability to take quality photos.  Now I can’t wait to see what she does.

Ironically, the camera got to her during the week of Orthodox Christmas.    When she called to thank us (again) I told her that all we wanted was for to use it and get good at what she’s already got a knack for.   I can’t wait to see what my cousin does with it.  Maybe I could even get her to do a guest post?  Now that would be really cool!

“Look at these, Michael!  I’m getting these for the kids’ stockings!” I excitedly exclaimed as I held up three boxes of bubble gum cigarettes.

I have a distinct memory of going to the five-and-dime and buying all sorts of candy, these being one of them.   We’d sit around our fort chomping on the candy versions as well as blowing the smoke out of the bubble gum ones.   Most of our parents smoked and we said we’d never do the real ones, but we still thought there was some glamour to it.  I think deep down we all just wanted to be like Mommy and Daddy.

The kids had no idea what they were when they found them in their stockings.

“Oh look, I have Lucky gum.”

“I have Victory candy!”

“Well mine have a cowboy on them.”

“But, guys, do you know what they are?”

“They’re candy, Mama.”

“Well, look at them!”

Then they all started to pose with their “smokes” and we all had some good laughs.    The big laugh was when Benny sang, “I’m a joker, I’m a smoker, I’m a midnight toger.”   (There is even video of this!)

After I showed Michael the picture of Benny, on my camera, he said something about how that picture could have been taken in Macedonia.   Then yesterday Olivia told me that she noticed something funny about her Lucky Lights .

“Mama, these cig’rets are made in Macedonia!”

“Really?!”

And sure enough.  They were.

These are going to become regulars, along with matchbox cars, in the kids’ stockings.   However, if I ever find out that this was their gateway to the real deal I will definitely bust some noggins.  Believe that!

Confection #2:  Mini Petits Fours, from Figi’s Gifts in Good Taste, given to us by Miss Beverly.  They came in the mail yesterday and were accompanied by some Caramel Pecan Clusters, a little Christmas ornament, and that red ornament-shaped magnet that I took my self portrait in for Weekly Winners, yesterday!

Confection #3:   One crappy Ginerbread House Kit from Walmart.  Nine dollars down the drain.  The candy was stale.  *And the icing tasted like butt.

Visit Mishelle Lane Photography for one more confectionery treat!

*For the record: I do not know what butt tastes like.  I can only assume that the icing tastes like butt.  Get it?  Assume.  Butt.  Ha Ha Ha!