There's a bunch of these kinds of things hanging on the 'tacky tree' in the kitchen. Some are gifts from over the years. Some were made by the kids in the early elementary years. Myquillyn was sitting across from me and I asked her if she remembered this one.
Oh yeah! I was so proud of that one! No one else was patient enough to do a good job. The lollipop was my idea.
She said that was the year she bought all gray for back-to-school. For some reason she ended up with gray clothes, and it made her feel so complete because she felt like she had outfits that matched. And she remembers one time getting out of the car with her friend and she needed a little money and Brenda didn't have her purse but she told Myquillyn, honey, if I had $5 I'd give it to you; and she thought, my mom would give me 5-whole-dollars...?!
I remember the look older people used to give when I was in line at the Kroger with the girls. I never understood that look; kind of a wistful, longing, sigh of a look. Now, twenty-five years later I'm doing the same thing when I see parents with their kids.