I might have lost my marbles?!

     I might have lost my marbles... Well, if you read my post about peddling crap then you know my son Reid is a hoarder.  When I was cleaning his crap up the other day, I put it in a mason jar, hidden in my laundry cabinet so that it would not resurface.  Otherwise, my eight year old would declare that this "thing" was his new, favorite old  "thing", best "thing" in the world "thing"!  If you also read that post then you also know that Reid gets his peddling of crap quite naturally- moi.  I saved his "things" for a couple of reasons.  The first reason, I would like to think is about being green.  I have a hard time throwing stuff out, if I am not recycling it.  His "things" are quite cute, so I was really saving them to recycle in a favorite present of ours - Flubber.  We love to make a big batch of flubber, dye it a pretty color and put it in a big Mason jar.  When Reid is not looking, I put his  "things" in it along with some real coins.  A super fun present.  Lately though I have come to realize that I am holding on to their childhood "things" because I am afraid that if I get rid of it, then it may not resurface again. EVER.  They are growing up.  I was cleaning their tub the other night and started to tackle the basket of mess next to it, and was about to do away with the squirt shark, lobster, and penguin, and realized these  "things" might not ever make it back to this basket.  It would just become a boring basket  holding shampoo, soap, and bath clothes, so I put them back where they belong for just a little bit longer.  Anyway,  Reid is visiting his first friend, Caden, down in Monroeville, Al., ( home of Harper Lee), and I miss him.  His brother really misses him.  These "things" remind me of him and all his quirky glory, so I made this arrangement out of my garden in honor of Reid and I think it is fun.  Unfortunately, Reid will never see it because his hand would be jammed in it, in a matter of a nanosecond...declaring how could I "drown his favorite things"?!  So this will go to Firefly before he comes home.  Here is to Summer, Children, and all their Wonderful Childhood Quirks and Things! Nan