Let The Games Begin...

Flashback Friday has struck again. It seems like it was just Friday. Time is flying by, I hope and pray you are enjoying yours. Linda at Mocha with Linda hosts this fun meme. If you would like to join in the fun just hop over to her site and link up, of course that is after you check out my answers.

This week we are remembering games, so let the games begin!

Games of all kinds were a big part of my childhood and followed me in to adulthood. After Janice was big enough we tried to play a game every week. Since I have remarried and live in a different state I still enjoy my games. Pogo.com is a lot of fun. Do any of you play on Pogo? Wait, this post is about memories, as in childhood memories. Did I ever mention I love to talk?

Two of my mom’s sisters lived in Illinois also, so the families were together a lot on weekends, whether out camping or at one of the houses. They would all get together and play Rook. I remember the first time I played Rook, Mom, Dad, and one of my aunts and her husband were playing, and they just couldn’t get over how good I was doing. I really don’t even remember the rules, but I never ended up with the Rook card, only because they all wore glasses. I could see all their cards reflected in their glasses. I am not sure if I ever fessed up or not.

We played Bingo, Hands Down, Park and Shop, Monopoly, Booby Trap, Kerplunk, and I had a strange game called Bats In Your Belfry. There is a picture of one below. It was quite fun especially at Halloween. There was a place on the belfry that you sat the bats, then one at a time you dropped a black marble down through the haunted castle and it might make the bats fly. If it did you tried to catch them in the claws. Different!

Battling Tops was always a favorite. We also played Clue, Life and then of course Dominoes. My mom and dad loved Dominoes. I was very lucky I was in 3rd grade when we moved to Northlake; my oldest brother bought my dad a pool table for the basement. We got to play pool on it as long as we were careful. By the time I was in high school I was pretty good.

When we were at my cousin’s house we played a card game called Milles Borne, I remember it being a lot of fun, but do not remember how to play it. And they had a neat game called Mouse Trap. It was a lot of fun too. We did not play it a lot, because it took forever to put together.


When we were at their house there were a lot of neighborhood kids, sometimes we would all get together and play games outside. We played the old standards, Tag, Ghost Ghost Come Out Tonight, Mother May I?, Simon Says, Red Light Green Light, Red Rover or Sardines. I think Red Rover or Sardines were my favorite. Red Rover was fun cause if you were picked you got to run and break through the chain of people. Sardines was fun seeing how many people you pack into a small space.


When we were camping, we sometimes played the pinball machines at the office or game room. We played volleyball, badminton, horseshoes or Jarts while we were out camping. It is a wonder none of us ever got hurt those Jarts were dangerous!


I almost forgot about the puzzles. We had a card table that was always up at our house and there was always a puzzle on it, not a little one either usually a 1,000-piece puzzle. All of us worked on them. The joke at our house was seeing who could pass by without stopping to put at least one piece in. We spent a lot of hours working on puzzles, something I still enjoy, but miss. I do work on puzzles on pogo, but it just isn’t the same.


Last week I mentioned the Ouija Board. Yes I had one, and I am so glad that God had his arms around me and was watching out for me even though I had no idea. I look back now and realize how lucky I was and how lucky I have been, let me rephrase that; it is not luck it is blessed! We had messed with the board quite a bit asking different questions, you know girl questions: Does so and so like me? I can’t remember if it was one of my cousins or a friend but we had our fingers around the edge of the pointer. And I don’t remember the exact question we asked but it was not the usual ones, but I do remember the pointer lifted off the board! We both jerked our hands away and looked at each other; we both asked the other did you do that? Needless to say we never used the Ouija board again. And the strange thing is I asked my brother to burn it and it would not burn, so we ended up throwing it in the garbage. I never thought anything about it back then until that episode, but that scared me. I look back now and think how lucky we really were. Some of you may think but it is just a Ouija board, but I believe it is more than that, and is not something that you should dabble in. When I think about this incident along with the Séances we used to try and the finger lifts we did, it really scares me. We were dabbling on the dark side, but I Thank God every day that he was watching out for me, even though I was not paying any attention. And the best part, He has now forgiven me for everything!


Ok so much for my soapbox…just saying it is so easy for kids to get caught up in things before they even realize what it is.


If you would like to join in the fun don’t forget to hop over to Mocha with Linda and link up, then we can all enjoy your memories!


“And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 10:17


until next time… nel

p.s. I will post the winner to my giveaway on Saturday, tomorrow is going to be pretty busy!