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Sunday 2 June 2013

Storytelling Sunday 3 - June

This year Storytelling Sunday asks you to "pick your precious". This is how Sian described it ...
Start looking around, see what you love. Pick Your Precious is for short story tellers and for long. You can take the idea of simply a photo with a few words; or, if you are a can't-stop-yourself storyteller, you can expand as much as you like. The thing to keep in mind is that at the end of the year you'll have a permanent record of the little things you hold dear - and your family will know why you are holding onto them! Doesn't that sound like it might be worth it? No more "Do you really need that?"
Please join us this year. It only takes a minute and even if you only write a story or two, that will be a few more of your stories written down. I have missed playing along over the last two months but it has been just crazy around here! We have almost found a new routine and I added STS to my personal To-Do list using my new app Wunderlist. I even set it to email me and flash me a reminder on screen!  And see, it worked!!!  I'm here on time :-)

If you have read any of my stories this year you will know that I am trying to look through my shoe boxes that have followed me near and far.  I finally got around to opening this one ...


It is filled with letters, newspaper clippings, school reports I wanted to keep, and mementos from weddings and outings.  It is going to take me a while to sort it out!  I had forgotten that I had a pen friend in Spain, until I saw the return address on one of the letters.  I was a letter writer as a kid but I was continually disappointed when people didn't write back!  My family lived far and wide and I loved to write letters :-)  But two things in it caught my eye this morning and so I will write about them this month.

Does your family have any traditions for the first day of the month?  Did you ever do anything at school on the first of the month?  If I remember rightly this story began in the school playground on the first day of the month many, many years ago.  It then spread to home and became ingrained in our family life on the first day of every month.

A pinch and a bunch on the first day of the month, and no returns!

The idea is to quite literally pinch and punch people and they couldn't do it back!  At some point we began to retaliate with "A slap and a kick for being so quick!" which caused the ending be altered to "no returns of ANY kind!" (You could only 'pinch and punch' a person once each month)

The morning of the 1st in our house was like watching a suspenseful thriller.  There was hiding, stalking, and lightning quick movements to get everyone and avoid being gotten.  At one point our step-dad worked morning shifts and so there were two times of attack.  First in the morning and then when we returned from school.  We would drop our bags and try to work out which door was safe to enter, or was there a way to entice him out of the house unsuspectingly so we could all get him at the same time!

Folded in my box I found this piece of paper ...


My brother must have left it on my door so that he could win.  We must have had some sort of conversation the night before about actions speaking louder than words as he noted this on the page ...


I love his pinch and punch pictures!


The LOML was never a fan of this game and when the boys were little it got out of hand and so it died out in our house ... until this year.  Living with my mom and my step-dad has seen the tradition come alive again as they have still done it to each other every month.  The first of May was the first time that it became a real game!  I think there will be lots of sneaking next month!  Maybe I should add it to my to-do list too, with an email reminder and a flashing reminder!

The other interesting item that surfaced in my box was a school project from when I was nine.  It is a booklet (mini-album) all about me.  I have covered some of the details that are not suitable for cyber-space.  I guess I have always been a collector of memories.



This page also contained all of my contact details and full name.  I still love Macgyver and trying new foods!


I didn't really go much for drawing to scale at the time.  My bed actually filled almost my whole room!  Sitting on my bed is Drooper the dog wrapped in a blanket.  Maybe you will meet him in the future :-)


The card that was stuck to my hospital crib when I was born and a lock of hair from my first hair cut ( I was a baldy for a very long time!).  My mom must have kept a record of the place and time.  This hair salon is still there.


And some interesting facts about me including my birth announcement from the newspaper.  I even included a scrap of carpet from my bedroom (I hated that pink carpet and it was ALL through the house!) and the grey vinyl from our kitchen floor.


I think I shall have to try and preserve this a bit better but I am very happy that I have a record of it all.

If you enjoy a story or two why not pop on over to Sian's and join in!

Happy Sunday,
Chipper

18 comments:

  1. What a find! a shoe box of precious! You have reminded me that i have something similar from my school days tucked away somewhere!

    A great keepsake and yes we are a pinch and a punch household when we remember!!

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  2. Wow, what amazing things you've found in your shoe box. The album is fantastic and I love the note from your brother :)

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  3. This is amazing! What an absolutely precious treasure trove indeed. I can just imagine you going through the box and reliving all the memories..I am the kind of girl who would also have kept a piece of my bedroom carpet. I can totally relate to that!

    I hadn't heard of Pinch Punch until I got married and my dear husband introduced me to it

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  4. ps..great to see you back again!

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  5. we always did the pinch and a punch thing, thanks for reminding me.

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  6. This brings back a few memories of the bruises we had at the hands of our little brother! LOL Loved your box.

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  7. We still do Pinch and a Punch but here if you say White Rabbits after it you can't be got back! Where did that come from?! Also it has to be done before 12 o'clock or its bad luck!

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  8. Yes we pinch punch here but not a pinch and a punch we just say pinch punch first of the month. Love that you have that picture from your brother and you were a brilliant scrapbboker/memory keeper back then :)

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  9. What an absolute treasure trove your shoe boxes are x
    Many thanks for sharing :)

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  10. I love your book about you! Also we have ALWAYS done pinch and a punch in our house! Glad you are back doing it again :-)

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  11. I remember pinch and a punch from school as well as white rabbits - doesn't happen here tho'. What a wonderful find from that shoe box - have fun sorting through it's contents.

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  12. It appears this box is going to be filled with precious items - I enjoyed reading about the two you shared today. What a wonderful mini-album all about you & an early start to your scrapbooking hobby!

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  13. What a wonderful box of memories you have!! All those little "scrolls" look mysterious too! I've never heard of "pinch and punch" but it certainly sounds like something we did growing up in our large family!

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  14. What a wonderful collection of precious things. I loved your pinch and punch story.

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  15. Wow - a whole box of precious there - and what wonderful memories to be able to dip into. Loved your brothers drawings and your first "scrapbook" album! Treaures indeed. Thanks for sharing. J x

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  16. We had the 'pinch,punch' routine when I was a child as well....it seems to have more or less died out now.....probably just as well!!!

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  17. Oh my a whole box of treasure to take you back in time. Love the pinch and punch tradition - well, at least from afar.

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  18. Oh my goodness! What an amazing treasure trove of memories. I can't tell you how much I would love to have something like that from my childhood.

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Thanks for taking the time to brighten my day :-)
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