Things that keep me up at night.

Sometimes at night I can't sleep. (okay, so it's more like 3 out of 7 nights a week, but who's counting?)  The other night was one of those nights.  I was avoiding a lot of work and was really apprehensive about the amount of work I have to get done and so I couldn't sleep.  Most nights I will just clear my mind, make a mental list, and then go to sleep.  It didn't work.  So I tried stretching and relaxing my muscles into the bed, but that failed also.  So I gave up and let my mind run.  And my mind ran to one of the most unusual places you can imagine.  I've been reading my friend's blog about simplifying her life at http://southernsimplifying.blogspot.com/.  She is trying to cut back the number of items she personally has to 100 items.   She amazes me and I'm not sure how she is doing it, but she is.

That chain of thought led me to consider what are some of the strangest items that I own and would have a hard time parting with.  These are not things that I need everyday or even every year, but they are things I'm attached to.  I spent somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour trying to figure out what I would consider to be my most random possession.  I have decided to share some of the finalists (and the winner) here with you.

Finalist #1     

This guy may look like your normal stuffed frog, but don't be deceived.  See that red button there to the right?   It's the sing and dance portion of the thing.  I know a lot of stuffed animals sing and dance, but are they hats?

Because this guy is.  That's right a singing and dancing frog hat.  I got this for Christmas last year, it was supposed to be in my Easter basket but it got lost until Christmas.  My family is special and I love them because of things like this hat.

Finalist #2

The superhero cape.  This may just look like a pile of shiny material to you, but look closer.  That ribbon there can turn a normal person into a superhero faster then you can say "up, up and away!"  I made this in college for some skits and a Halloween costume.  Let's just say that it has made many public appearances and is a snazzy addition to any closet.

Finalist #3

Then there's this guy.  It's a bumble ball junior.  If you pull that plastic hook on the side there it shakes and bumbles about like a real bumble ball.  I don't know where it came from.  I think I may have stolen it from my sister.  We used to torment the dogs with the full sized bumble ball, good times. (not really torment, but play.  you know how that goes.  no one was hurt, it was all in good fun.)

Finalist #4

The hand carved fan.  This may not seem that random at a glance until I tell you that I bought it at a Civil War Re-enactment.  Oh and I played with it so much that it is now broken.  I also used it as a wall decoration for some time.  I've been on the lookout for a new one for a few years now.  It's just fun.

Finalist #5

This one is more of a collection really.  I used to collect balls of all kinds.  I would buy them, play with them for a while, and then put them in the basket with the others.  My collection has dwindled because I've started giving them away or just putting them to better use but there are still some real gems in the set.  For example...

This one lights up and is square.  It's got a crazy bounce and can be lots of fun.  I actually carried this one in my book bag for some of my time in college and used it as a fidget (an object that is played with to help one focus on the task at hand, usually used for hyperactive students) in some of my education classes.

 

 And when you squeeze this one, it does a really gross popping thing.  This was a birthday gift from the students in my youth group in 2007.  

 This is a miniature of my favorite kind of ball.  They are called "Gopher" balls and usually found in gym class and at camp.  They're made of foam and coated in want I assume is some form of plastic, so when you squeeze them they flatten out and are perfect for dodge ball and other such games where you throw things at people.

Finalist #6

 This is a random assortment of items from my time spent with the students at my old church.  The jean scraps are from a painting day and one of the girls cut her pants into shorts because it was really hot.  She then wrote me a poem on the scraps of her jeans.  The cup and little name plates are from bible studies that I still remember the point of but am not quite sure about the scriptures they were about. (give me a break it's been close to 5 or 6 years!)

Finalist #7

This is Buddy, the bobble head blood drop.  I got him in the fall of 2002 for giving blood.  This guy has been with me through a lot, and he still kind of creeps me out.  But I just love him.  

The winner of the most random item I own is ....

Buddy the bobble head blood drop!  

Now aren't you glad that I let you have this glimpse into what keeps me awake at night?  It only gets stranger from here.  But this is all for now.  Enjoy and take care.

Mel C