Throw Pillows

Zing!  The pillow flew past my shoulder and missed the brother it was intended for, knocking the lamp off the little table.  I caught the lamp, placed it back on the table and straightened the shade.  Giggles from across the room revealed its source.
     "Good catch, Mom!"

       In our house, the term "throw pillow" is taken literally.  Pillows are tossed, stacked, climbed on, wrestled with, and used as weapons and tools for a variety of purposes.  As lap trays they work for a bowl of ice cream or popcorn (good thing they covers are washable), a reading book or lap desk.  As mountains or hills for Legos or little cars they landscape the floor.  As weapons, they make great (and almost harmless) missiles or battering rams.
     As you can imagine, we don't decorate with a lot of fragile, delicate stuff.  On the whole, we have a fairly indestructible decorating plan.  What gets broken doesn't survive, and what we don't want broken gets put out of the way, somewhere "safe." The pillows are used for adding color, comfort and creativity to a room.  Throw pillows are easily covered with colorful fabrics and seasonally changed.


     For a long time I didn't want any pillows around.  They were just clutter.  I was forever picking them up off the floor.  They needed perpetual washing.  Maybe I've mellowed, but I found their usefulness for comfort, pretty accents and wild fun outweighed the disadvantages.  Now, there is usually a pillow handy.  If boredom is settling in like a milky fog, a pillow fight is sure to dispel the doldrums.  If you need to grab someone's attention, an in-coming pillow lets him or her know. If you need to cozy up in a corner for reading, or sprawl out on the floor to watch a movie, grab a pillow.


     The group we have at home now is much more sedate than it used to be - pillows are actually used more now for their intended purpose. But, when the older kids are home for a visit, you can be sure to see a pillow or two or three flying through the air.
     Throw pillows lined up neatly along the couch make a pretty still-life picture.  Yes, that does happen once in a while. Now, I wouldn't be without them!

     And, another use for throw pillows that I saw this week - smashing a spider running along the back of the couch!