Alphabet Soup . . .

Oooh! Look what I found at the thrift store today. What? You're not excited about an old Scrabble game held together with tape and a rubber band? I am! I never pass up a game of Scrabble at ANY thrift store as long as it is priced under $3.00. I think I have purchased at least ten games of Scrabble in the past three years. What's up America? Doesn't anyone play Scrabble any more?

Actually, I don't buy Scrabble to play the game - though I do love speed Scrabble. If you want to know why I buy it, you need look no further than the header for this blog. I buy it for the alphabet and the alphabet alone.

Here's my big white bowl of Scrabble tiles. It sits on a little desk in our family room and every month we spell out some kind of message - to celebrate a birthday, to celebrate a holiday, to celebrate visitors coming to stay at our house. I can't say this is an original idea. I stole it from my mom (The Queen), who I'm sure found it in some great decorating magazine that has now gone belly up (I'm shedding a tear right now for Cottage Living, R.I.P.).

Here's this month's message - a quote by the philosopher Plato. I thought it was appropriate for February . . . you know, love and all.

And if you're lucky, one of my thrift store outings might work in your favor and you could receive a little birthday gift from me that looks like this:

Don't think of me as a cheap friend who only spent $1 to $3 on you for your birthday. Think of me as a wordsmith, encouraging you to get your literary game on.

PS. The whole Scrabble tile thing is not a good idea for families with toddlers or children of any age who enjoy putting small objects in their mouths.

P.P.S. If I did give you this for your birthday, it would always be accompanied by something delicious, like a plate of boyfriend cookies, some low fat chocolate chip banana bread, or a pan of my MIL's cinnamon rolls. See how much I love you?