Cardboard Castles

Like most kids nowadays -- Lilly and Warren have WAY TOO MUCH STUFF. I have no idea how you can avoid that accumulation of stuff. It's just the consumer-driven world we live in. They have every toy, stuffed animal, video game, riding cycle thing, I-pads, electronics -- well, you name it. Their lives are jammed TO THE BRIM with toys and games of all types.

Then this happened...

After the holidays, Lilly and Warren pretty much took over the spare bedroom upstairs. After serving as our Christmas "escape room" -- my new hope for this large sunny upstairs bedroom was that it would become Lilly's room.

With the Lego table from Uncle Ross positioned in the small main floor bedroom, I figured that would become Warren's room.

During this transitioning...of course, it was time for me to GO THROUGH everything in those rooms to make room for this next phase of my Grandma life.

I discovered a drawer full of mismatched socks Ross left behind in 2004...a closet full of coats that haven't been worn since George Bush was President (the first one).  Well -- you get the picture.

And then, we opened the closet!!  It was jam-packed with Ross and Elliott's 1980's childhood toys.  He Man and all his friends, along with a whole squad of WWF wrestling characters...an electronic football game (that was played maybe two times)...well, you get the idea.  It was quite a stroll down memory lane...

Of course, Lilly and Warren had to check out e.v.e.r.y...s.i.n.g.l.e...t.h.i.n.g...

But -- can you guess what was the ONE REALLY BIG THING??  The one toy from that 1980's treasure trove of toys??

Yep.

The cardboard castle....

Ross was six years old when he sat on our porch and painted these cardboard boxes...

There used to be four cardboard towers on top (cornmeal)...

And this made me wonder...why is it that cornmeal and oatmeal come in round cardboard containers? I think it's always been packaged that way...but it does feel kind of old-fashioned. Hummm...