This is the first post in a new series, called “Toy Chest”. In this series, we’ll write about the toys we loved as children, get nostalgic, and hope it brings back similar memories of our friends and families. Now, on to the toys! First up… Presto Magix.

Presto Magix was a piece of paper with a setting drawn on it like this:

And it came with a plastic sheet that contained rub-off transfers like this:

Here’s how it worked:

When you were done, you’d have a scene populated with transferred characters in various poses. It was pretty much a one-shot deal. So it was fun for fifteen minutes, then you’d hang it on your wall and ignore it until you got another Presto Magix. They were disposable, but they were also very inexpensive.

I loved those things for the ephemeral fun that they provided, but they had another meaning to me. They introduced a valuable concept: payola! That’s right, bribery. See, my mom would take my sister to ballet, and I would go along for the ride. If I behaved well, I would be rewarded with a Presto Magix from the local Zayre’s department store. Of course, I was the paragon of good behavior, so I got lots of Presto Magix.

So my dear grandmother, Nonnie, is now officially a great grandmother thanks to Justin (I know I’m stating the obvious here, but just go with me on this one). She and Aunt Becki (now Great Aunt Becki) came up for a brief visit last night to meet the little man. We had a nice family dinner with the whole gang, minus James and Chrissy (We missed you guys!). In honor of the occasion, Justin sported his first real outfit which included khakis, a matching shirt and sweater, and funniest of all, little sneakers. Click on the above photo to see new pictures in the album.

At a recent visit with Aaron’s family, we introduced Guitar Hero to Molly, Emily and Andrew. It must run in the family because they all loved it as much as Aaron does. Even Josh gave it a shot. Click on the image above to see the new photos I’ve added to the Guitar Hero Folder in the Gallery.

Amy and Joe’s little man, Justin, is doing well. Aaron and I have been over to their house quite a few times in the past couple of weeks to visit. What can I say, I’m hooked. And it’s not just me, Aaron is already planning for Christmas…
Click the photo above to see a small album of new photos.

I recently bought Aaron Guitar Hero, a Play Station 2 game he had been telling me about for months. It’s a music – video game in which you use a guitar controller to “play” along with specific songs, as if you were performing at a concert. He loves it. We recently brought the game to Amy and Joe’s house, and now Joe loves it too. Aaron has just ordered a second guitar controller so the two of them can play together. The game’s not really my thing, but I do enjoy watching them play – as you can probably tell from the photos above, it’s pretty damn funny just to watch.

There’s a swing bridge (you know, the kind where the middle piece rotates 90 degrees) near our house and this summer we’ve been stuck, waiting for it to close, many times. A couple of nights ago I was waiting just as the sun was setting over the river. It was beautiful.

While on vacation last month I read and enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory. I should start by saying you should not read this book if you are looking for a history lesson, or a story based on facts. It’s more like a soap opera set in Tudor England. I would say the book was inspired by historical England, but certainly not true to it. The novel tells the story of the Boleyn family during the time of King Henry VIII from the perspective of Mary Boleyn, Anne’s sister. The book has lots of drama, manipulation, betrayal and romance. A good, fluffy, beach read.

Sunday we had a little welcome home party for Justin at Amy and Joe’s house. I was impressed, as the new parents managed to host a cookout, while feeding, changing and caring for their new son. We all took turns holding him and passing him around – there’s no shortage of loving hands in this family. I think it’s safe to say we all felt lucky to be in his company.

Click the above photo to see the latest batch of pictures.