Oak Den: #10 MAY-be We'll Play...

...Button, Button. Who's Got The Button?

Do you remember that game from your youth? I loved that game. Sometimes our Mom would play that with us and sometimes we'd play it in Nursery School (that's what they used to call Pre-K) and I always loved that game.

It isn't so much a game anymore, but a real question.

Tonight I noticed a pair of suit pants in the art room. I wondered, for a split second, what they were doing there. Then I remembered-

Jake lost a button on his church pants and had been going around button-less for awhile. Last week I told him I could sewabuttononthoseyaknow.

He was taking me up on the offer. On Saturday. The day before Sunday. When he would be wearing them.

It's not like we had all week to do this, right?

And here's the kicker: Last night at Abbie's dance recital I was back stage helping direct the dancers and I felt my back have this weird spasm. Then it started to hurt. I hadn't even done anything, I was just bustling around. Well, I had to finish helping with things and by the time I got home I was in a bit of discomfort. And I was in more discomfort this morning when I woke up. So I've been lying around all day trying to rest my back and get on top of whatever happened.

And I took 1/2 of a flexoril pill. A muscle relaxant. And oh boy! has it ever worked!

Things kind of keep spinning. Frankly, I'll be glad when this is out of my system.

Back to Jake's missing button. I wondered if I could be trusted with a sharp needle in my condition. I decided to take the risk. All for the love of my son. So he didn't have to use his belt to keep his pants together tomorrow.

Here's kicker #2: I was so successful at fixing Doug's pants after __ months of hanging in the art room he decided to hang a jacket in the same place so that I could sew a button on that!

The difference is that he only lost his button last Sunday at church. So that jacket has only been hanging there for ONE WEEK!. Good, huh?!

I figured that if I was going to sew a button on Jake's pants that he does need tomorrow I could just live on the edge with that sharp needle in my hand a little longer and sew a button on Doug's jacket, even though he doesn't need that one tomorrow. That would really be staying on top on things.

So I got out my sweet button box so I could find a button for Jake's pants. Doug's jacket had an extra in the pocket.

May I pause here to wonder about something?

Do girls/young ladies sew anymore? Do they know how to do simple repairs and sew on buttons? Do young men think about this?

Now before my sister get all riled up about my questions: Kathy, I did teach my sons how to sew on buttons. And I think some of them have used the sewing machine. And Doug has been a great example of man-who-knows-his-way-around-the-kitchen, so the boys are comfortable there, too. I just have some things I wonder about with this.

And actually, my brain is too tired to go any further with my wonderings. Someday I might wonder a little more because I think there are some good things to think about

Back to my button box. Jake and Abbie both played with these buttons when they were little. I've certainly collected many buttons through the years. If we have a shirt that is just too old and tattered to donate to charity I snip off the buttons and put them in the box. And you know how you get extra buttons when you buy shirts or sweater? They go into this box.