Treasure Boxes

When I was a little girl, I saved all sorts of odds and ends--pieces of ribbon, postcards, notes, broken jewelry, coins, special rocks, seashells. I used an old grungy shoebox that I hid in my closet to store my treasures, but somewhere along the way, I misplaced my box. To many people the little tidbits I saved would not have meant a thing, but to me they were equivalent to valuable crown jewels or old handwritten manuscripts.
A few years back I was talking with a friend about her husband's baseball cards that he kept in an old cigar box. It reminded me again of my childhood shoebox, and I decided that I needed to give each of my grandchildren a special box to store their personal treasures. So, I've made each a box with their name and some design that is personal to them (and hope to continue as we have more grandbabies). For example, the oldest loves animals, the second loves monster trucks, the third loves music, etc.
When we visit, I love to sneak off to their bedrooms and take a peek to see what they've hidden inside. Shhhh! don't tell! : )

Missing the Kids and Grandkids

One of my sons was able to take a long weekend to go see his brother(my older son), and his wife and kids in the Pacific Northwest. I am glad for him since he hasn't seen them for a long time, but it has been a harsh reminder to me how much I miss being with ALL my kids and grandkids, all together in one place. The picture above is a year ago--it was not taken in a studio, but in our kids' side yard...it was the most snow this So. California girl has ever seen! My son set the timer and ran through the deep snow! I cherish our times together....