Category: Children

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Beauty Parlor Girl

When I was a little kid, I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to be the beauty parlor girl.

I wanted to do all the fancy ladies’ hair in buns and beehives and poofy curls for all the balls and parties they went to.  I knew I’d be good at it because my mama used to let me sit on the back of this very couch and brush out her hair, all the time. Sometimes she would even let me take her curlers out after the Dippity-Do was dry. I couldn’t mess with it too much after the rollers came out or the curls would go flat, but it was so much fun anyway.  Her hair always smelled so good.

One year for Christmas I got a real beauty parlor doll that I could practice on. In fact, before I was out of my pajamas that morning I already had that dolly’s hair in the sink for a good scrub. Everybody knows that’s the first thing that happens when you’re at a real beauty parlor.

Mama said, “Oh, you’re washing all her curls out so soon?” 

But Daddy said, “Aww let her go. That’s what the doll’s for.”

I knew I was going to put the curls right back. And I did, a million times over.

I know I brushed that doll’s hair within an inch of it’s life and sprayed so much Aqua-Net that it ran in her eyes. My hands we sticky for days. I used up a bucket of Dippity-do. Of course, Mama’s rollers and her brush and comb worked better than the pretend ones–so naturally, I borrowed them too. If I used too much stuff on the doll’s hair, it gave me an excuse to dunk her in the sink and shampoo her all over again. I don’t really think mama thought that part of the deal through, but she was sure patient about it.

To my surprise, the doll started to smell just like…my mama.

I loved it.

I looked it up the other day and do you know—that doll with all it’s fancy-schmancy beauty parlor stuff–the chair, the curlers, the play hair dryer and everything cost a whopping $9.95?

Considering my mama got $25 dollars a month for groceries–that was a pretty pricey doll.

I wonder if she was counting on all the free hair cuts and styles she’d be getting from me someday, so then it would hopefully all be worth it.

Yeah. Sorry about that Mom.

I sure love you.

 

 

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Trouble In The Castle

Everyone knows that being a princess is hard work.  Too many frogs. Too many ball gowns. Too many rules.

And then there’s that pesky crown that won’t stay straight. Sometimes it’s all just too, too much!

Then again, perhaps with a little tweak here or there…

and a bit of balancing this way and that…

the princess can find her special way of doing things that speaks to her very own soul.

Then there will be joy in the kingdom.

 

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Mother’s Day Surprise

My family is soooo cute! They each came and spent a part of Mother’s Day with me. And I was given the most AWESOME gifts this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Among them was a beautiful, HOT PINK Kitchen Aid mixer!! Yes, yes, I know–it’s gorgeous and get this…

It matches my toaster!!!

But here’s a tip. Look closely before you throw any boxes away–

or you might miss one of the best gifts of all.

 

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An Old Box…

And in that old box–packed away yeaaaaars ago, I found a ton of pretty little treasures that I could never seem to get rid of.  This little lady used to live in a plastic perfume bottle and smelled like Honeysuckle. The very first thing I did when I got her was to snatch her out of the bottle that was toooo small and dreadful for her to live in. I couldn’t bare it- so, I freed her.

Yeah, I was that kid.

Peter Pan lost his crocodile and his tights…but that cute little face…

After Christmas one year, we found a shopping cart FULL of these little Santa Kiddles and they were  19 cents each. Who comes up with these prices? ANYway, my mom made the comment that they’d be cute on the Christmas tree so my dad bought the whole pile of them. We had to wait the whole next year to see them on the tree, but it was dang magical. And all our friends went nuts over our tiny Santa doll tree.

This little dolly made me very sad, when I was a kid. One day while playing with her I casually took off her hood and discovered that she was completely bald. Not a shred of hair what so ever. Her purple bangs were attached to the hood.  It freaked me out something ferocious and I couldn’t play with her anymore.

Ahhhhhh….Snow White. She doesn’t look as new as the others because I played with her alllll the time. Dopey got lost–but his brothers are all there.

There was a girl at my school when I was in 5th grade who said that if we’d give her a dollar, her sister would get us these teeny little dolls. I was totally in. In fact, I gave her TWO dollars so she’d get me two. I was surprised that she brought me two of the same dolls, but hey, they are soooo cute. I was walking home from school with my already-opened mini babies when another girl from our class walked past me. She said, “Soooo, you know her sister is stealing those dolls and selling them at school, right?” I just stared at her. No, of course I didn’t know that. How could I know that? Never thought of such a thing…till then. Made me kind of sick inside. I told my mom and she said, “Well,  you can’t fix that. Just don’t ever give her money again.”

A sad lesson on the ways of the world, for this little girlie.

Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf. I combed her hair a lot. Good thing she has a hood.

Last, but not least, is the little Martian Kiddle. She used to have a teeny little space ship, but again, if it was cramped and small–my own claustrophobic issues would be transferred to the dolly…and I’d let her out.

Drove my sister nuts. She’d say, “Why do you DO that?! You never keep your dolls nice. Mine still look new.” And it was true. She had some dolls with the plastic still on their hair to keep it all smooth while some of mine were an absolute mess from being brushed and dressed and brushed some more. But I’ll tell you what. If dolls have a soul of some kind, deep inside it, alllll my dolls knew they were loved–loved bald headed perhaps…

but loved. And that’s ok.

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End of Summer Bake Sale

Little Miss Chomp wanted to hold an end of Summer Bake Sale. Well, in truth, she would have preferred it to be a BEGINNING of Summer Bake Sale, but it was put off–as these things often are–until there was simply no summer left.

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But she wouldn’t be deterred–the brave soul. She persevered and at last, at last, the day came.  Her mom and dad made goodies for her to sell and she even used her sweet little cash register.

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It was truly a hit. In fact, after seeing her “haul” I had to wonder if I’m in the wrong business.

Haa.