Nothing Strange....

Mom and Rosemary - (not on Black Friday!)

Before today, I thought there were two types of people.  Those who like shopping Black Friday and those who don't.  I did not dawn on me that there was a third category.

There is. I hate to put myself in a group - but as the expression goes "if the shoe fits...."

There is the category of people who like Black Friday, leave the house at 11 to meet their best friends and get to the store by midnight only to find that the store does not open until 4 am. Who knew?

Best friends + comedy of errors = great time.  So, we spent four hours in the middle of the night in the rain sitting in the parking lot of Target drinking coffee that took us an hour to get at McDonalds.

What's strange about that? Nothing strange to me. Not when you laugh until your sides hurt.  Not when you are grateful for friends and friendships that pick up where they left off - like there has never been a day apart. Nothing strange when you realize that you don't even care if you get the door buster but simply enjoy just being with your mom and your close friends.  There is nothing better than wrapping up my favorite day of the year with an all-nighter with best friends.

And to keep it all going we woke up today and did it again.  Well, not the midnight run and the parking lot hangout, but a trip to CTS and a lunch full of laughs to fill our soul until we all get together again. I am grateful.

Limbacher

Maddie the Dino - A last minute switch from Pebbles!



Michael the "Skeleton Robber" this is the back of the costume!
So funny when he ran!!!


It has been a busy couple of weeks - between birthdays, Halloween, cousins, and everyday life, I have been going 'round the clock.  I know this is the reality for so many families - that is not lost on me.  I am a gal who needs down time.  I need to be able to connect with a book, a project, even a tv show to decompress.  I guess it is the connection that I crave. 

This week I certainly got the connection I needed. 

I am a touch of a pack rat. Kinda. I have always saved "things" that are important to me.  Growing up I had a lot of Ginny Dolls.  As an only child, I remember playing with them for hours on end. My mom would take me to The Granite, the local five and dime at the time, to buy outfits for the dolls.  I loved dressing the dolls in the outfits and sorting the clothes. 

It comes as no surprise that I saved these dolls.  I have been waiting for the "right" time to pass these dolls on to my daughter.  This weekend, as I packed away the Halloween decorations and costumes I can't bear to say good-bye to, I pulled down the dolls. 

I think I was even more excited than my daughter but, according to her it was "the best day of her life!"

I also pulled down my dollhouse stuff.  I have a whole bin full of doll house furniture and accessories.  It is hard to put into words all that this bin means to me - then and now. 

As a little girl my dad made me a doll house - and my grandparents, Limbacher and Grandfather made me furniture.  Not just basic furniture - deluxe furniture.

It is difficult to explain without seeing the furniture first-hand or without you knowing my grandmother but I will try to put it in words.  My grandmother, who I lovingly referred to as Limbacher, was meticulous.  Her craftsmanship was exceptional. She made beautiful Ukrainian Easter Eggs, delicious food, doll clothes, and doll furniture just to name a few of her talents I treasure. 

The doll furniture includes couches, chairs, ottomans, tables, a hand-painted chest with my initials, and a red velvet chaise lounge.  With grandfather, she built hutches and bureaus.  I always knew how amazing it was. But when I opened the box as a grown up, I was blown away by the true labor of love that stood before me.

I shared it with my kids - both son and daughter alike took joy in opening the box.  I had enough to not only fill several houses, but a general store.  When I used to visit my grandparents in New York, my favorite spot to shop was the general store. It was only fitting that I asked my Dad to make me a general store.  I have shelves, a pint size cash register and general store goodies to make the experience genuine.

Through it all, all I could think of was Limbacher. I wondered what she was thinking when she made the furniture. I wondered if she ever thought when she was making the furniture for me if I would save it for my kids to enjoy one day.  I wondered if she ever had her own doll house when she was younger. 

I stopped wondering and starting wishing. Wishing I could tell her how much I had played with the furniture and that I saved it all these years.  But mostly, wishing that I could tell her all about my kids and how much joy they are having playing with the furniture.