My friend Julie at
"A Succulent Life" had an interesting blog about her childhood doll and its origin. She still has her favorite doll and is taking very good care of it. She also has a link to another site where a blogger shares her childhood doll memories so, since I see a pattern here, I thought I would do the same. Hopefully someone reading this post will join in too!
OK, this is not an actual doll from my childhood - they are long gone. But my childhood fondness for Raggedy Ann & Andy (possibly because they were redheads too) made this handmade patriotic rag doll a must-have for me when I saw it for sale about 15 years ago. She's beautifully made in country shades of red, white, and blue. If you look closely at her right hand (on the left) you may see a piece of stick. There was a flag that broke off. I have tried numerous ways to get that thing back on but it never stays. She is also wearing a "I Like Ike" button.
While she may not be my original doll, she is sitting in my childhood rocker. I had no idea that my Dad had memorabilia from my childhood but every once in a while he drops something on me! About 4 years ago it was this rocker. It was made by the
Dixie Seating Company and they are still in business today and still making this rocker. I believe it arrived around my first birthday/Christmas so that would have been December 1958. While the finish is a bit marred, the construction remains perfect.
This photo has Jerry's childhood jointed teddy bear in my rocker. That bear is in danger in our house with two rat terriers who love to destuff dog toys so we keep him way up high on top of a filing cabinet. God help him if he ever falls to the ground :(
Cousin bill with the new grandbaby.
Christian, Tamera, and their baby.
Bill's son Willie. He had fun showing me his arsenol of Nerf guns.
The guy in the tye-died shirt is my cousin Bob that I have not seen since probably I was a teenager. He's been staying with Bill for a while. To his right is Aunt Flossie - she is the last living sibling of my dad. The little boy in front is Willie again.
Christian's jeep got stuck in the mud.
Passed lots of trucks filled with oranges. There were enough oranges on the side of the road, that escaped from the confines of the trucks, you could have picked up enough of them to last a year!
We stopped at this road side stop because they had a big BBQ going outside and were advertising pulled pork and smoked sausages.
It turned out to be a biker bar. I went inside to buy us some cokes and a guy in a lot of black leather took my photo, lol.
Mom eating with the smoking bikers in the background. Inside was a live band - it was REALLY loud.
Oops! I should have taken a photo of my sandwhich BEFORE, lol.
Our final stop was the shops at Ellenton Prime Outlets. I bought two purses for summer. I really like handbags like some people love shoes - purse are my thang.
