Out of the Mouths of Babes

The following is a brief transcript of a conversation I had with my daughter yesterday around 3:30 p.m.:

Me:  Hello

Daughter:  Where are you?

Me:  At the store, why?  Where are you? (Thinking she was at my house to visit).

Daughter:  Still at work.  You know you have to check up on old people because they can come up missing.

Me:  I'm not that old, yet.

Daughter to youngest son who was with her:  Tell Granny what you said.

Grandson:  [something about buying me] a doll.

Daughter:  Did you understand him?

Me:  No.

Daughter:  Say it again, slowly so she can understand you.

(Admittedly sometimes I cannot hear clearly on my cell phone.)

Grandson:  I said, Can't we just buy her a doll?

Daughter:  I told him tomorrow's Granny's birthday and he said, "Can't we just buy her a doll?  That's all she wants."

Me:  Awwww... tell him I love him.

Daughter:  He can hear you, Mama.  I have the speaker on.

Me: Oh [acting my age].  I love you Logan.

Logan:  I love you too, Granny.

Logan at age 3 months, June 3, 2006, in Granny's doll room/office

Logan is now a 7-year-old first grader at the school where my daughter teaches.  My husband and I were the "daycare providers" for both grandsons from their ages 3 months until they were enrolled in Mother's Day Out at age 3.   They have been around my dolls all their lives and probably consider it abnormal for people not to own them or just normal for people who do.

I love dolls, but my children and grandchildren are my greatest gifts. 


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Enjoyable Female Gathering for Midge's 50th

So in Style Kara, Grace, Trichelle, Marisa, and Chandra after the party.

This past Friday, these newest Barbie friends, minus a little one, Zahara, gathered to celebrate my childhood Midge's 50th birthday/anniversary.  They stand atop the edge of my cluttered desk waiting to be placed back into their usual doll room locations.  Zahara had been returned to her display area at the time this photo was taken.

I had lots of fun creating a party room and adding the accoutrements for the ladies and Zahara to celebrate Midge's 50th birthday/anniversary as Barbie's first female friend.  The celebration was created as part of a So In Style group event, but I wanted to also share the results of my Friday afternoon doll play here in photos and captions.

Zahara (standing in chair), Kara, Marisa, Trichelle, Chandra, and Grace (seated in corner) all gathered to celebrate Midge's 50th anniversary. 

The ladies bear gifts, cards, and/or balloons for Midge.  The yellow wall banner urges Midge to have a So In Style birthday.

Trichelle wishes Midge a happy 50th birthday/anniversary while Chandra looks on, holding a birthday card and gift bag made using a full-size gift bag. (The curtains are a printed image, taped to the side "walls.")

Grace wears a white jersey-knit dress with an image of Malibu Christie and Midge on front.  With Midge being the first friend of Barbie, Malibu Christie is also an early Barbie friend who resembles Midge.  (Tiny square and rectangular-shaped items were gift wrapped to serve as Midge's wrapped presents.  These include an unopened Happy Meal sweet and sour sauce container -- my grandsons were here and Granddaddy purchased a Happy Meal for the younger of the two.  Before wrapping it, I trimmed the edges of the sauce container to create a better rectangle.  The striped "personalized" gift bag belongs to Vogue Jill.  I printed out the green "M" and taped it over the "J" that's on the bag.  A micro mini cassette tape cover also serves as one of Midge's wrapped presents.  The presents are stacked in the corner alongside Grace's chair.)

Midge and Chandra chat.

Trichelle shares with Midge how much she loves her classic style.

Zahara holds a beautifully wrapped gift for Midge (borrowed from a Happy Birthday Wendy doll by Madame Alexander as Marisa holds plastic balloons that also belong to Happy Birthday Wendy). 

The birthday cake, created using the caps from a lactose-free milk carton and a water bottle, were painted with pink and white acrylic paint to create the icing.  The top cap is slightly smaller than the bottom.  The happy 50th birthday wish on top of the cake was printed on card stock paper and positioned on top of the first "layer."  The birthday cards contain images of full-size birthday cards that were scaled down before printing on card stock.  The table cloth is a coffee filter.  I used a cut-out circle of card stock to reinforce the inside of the filter.  The filter was then inverted over a glass spice bottle that serves as the center base of what appears to be a table-cloth covered table.

Midge, Chandra, and Grace pause their partying to take this photo.

Midge wasn't familiar with the African American tradition in some regions of the US of pinning money onto the clothing of birthday celebrants, but she eagerly allowed the first $50 to be pinned to her faux mink wrap in anticipation of others adding additional dollars before the party ended.  (The $50 is a scaled down image of a $50 bill that was then printed and pinned to Midge with a tiny brass safety pin.)

Only items on hand and scaled down printed images from the Internet were used to create this gathering to celebrate Midge's 50th, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all participants, including me!    

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