memories

Last week my family and I were in Los Angeles for my mother-in-law's funeral.  Depending on which legal document you consult, she was 97 or 98 or 99 years old when she died, and the mystery of her precise age (and birth date) was finally explained to us by her younger sister.  It turns out that their mother was very superstitious; in Poland, where the family originated, it was thought that acknowledging happy events such as the birth of a child was a way of attracting the evil eye, so exact birth-dates were not accurately recorded and celebrations were eschewed.

No matter her birth-date or exact age, she lived a good, long life, and was lucid and feisty as ever until the end.  A few weeks ago she decided she was ready to go and, within 2 weeks of that decision, she died peacefully.  May her memory be a blessing.

During the week we were in Los Angeles, I took a day to clear out boxes of my belongings from my parents' garage.  There were a lot of books (surprise, surprise), heaps of letters written by friends from my high school years through university, and finally, a box of treasures from my childhood.

This is Rebecca -- the sweetest 8 inch tall companion a child could ask for.  My best friend Pamela also had a little doll made by Madame Alexander named Amy and we were a happy foursome for years.

Rebecca has a collection of pretty outfits...

And a pretty china tea set, of course.

I was so happy to find Rebecca among my old belongings.  She's a reminder to me of why I do what I do, and in her honor (and for your reading pleasure) I've listed my favorite & most beloved books about dolls below:

The Paper Princess by Elisa Kleven

Goldie the Dollmaker by M. B.  Goffstein

Hittie, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field

Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Baily

Patty Reed's Doll by Rachel K. Laurgaard

The Little Girl and the Tiny Doll by Edward & Aingelda Ardizzone

The Fairy Doll & Other Tales from The Doll's House by Rumer Goden