Me and Nel were talking the other day about her favorite childhood doll, and how she lost it one afternoon when she was three years old. Here is her short story of the lost cherished doll.
~I was at a restaurant with you, Dad, and Raggedy Ann and we were sitting in a leather booth. Sometime after leaving the restaurant, I realized I didn't have her anymore and I had a complete breakdown. I was totally inconsolable. A few weeks later, I remember being at Grandma's house and being presented with my Raggedy Ann, which you all had miraculously "found," but I remember knowing that it wasn't my real Raggedy and throwing her down crying. It turns out, I was right. It wasn't the real Raggedy. Grandma had made me a new one to replace the one I lost, but any kid can sniff out a new replacement toy. The ironic part is that the "new" Raggedy (pictured here) is now probably my oldest and most treasured toy from my childhood. I kept her all those years, through kindergarten and middle and high school and even college, through all the moves and life changes, and now she's sitting on a bookshelf in my own daughter's room with her baby Raggedy, which you got for me when I was pregnant. I look at her from time to time and think how happy she is to have a baby girl.~
Nel took that doll everywhere she went, and it will always be a part of her life.
You know, it's so hard for Jess to part with her stuffed animals. One day when she was sorting through them to give some away, she had a hard time letting them go. And I can relate, as I kept many of my children's special things. This is a handmade bunny Jess made me when she was little.
We love our special stuffed animals, don't we?
Do you have a special stuffed animal or doll from childhood? Here's mine. I still have her. My mom was a great seamstress and made a few doll clothes for her.
Happy May! What a wonderful month this is.
~Sheri
35 comments:
I still have a hard time parting with mine. You bring me such joy. Thank you friend.
I can't let go of my stuffed animals and of course, my dolls! When I worked my very first job as a young girl of of high school, in the county courthouse, my friend Beryl's mom made me Raggedy ANn and Andy in matching lavender outfits. She knew it was my favorite color. I have them tucked away. They were timeless beautiful dolls and most everyone I knew had them!
Your daughter's Raggedy Ann was so precious. I love that she still has her doll.
Your header is so beautiful too.
I am really awful at trying to downsize. I love all my things like my dolls, teapots, tea cups, etc.
Your post was very sweet, thank you for sharing.
Have a wonderful week.
Yes, Yes, Yes.....I have fave stuffed animals and dolls. Pretty sure my stuffed Raggedy Ann is down stairs. I gave it to my daughter when she was born 41 yrs ago. I need to check that, but yes, I have those things. My mom made them also but my first one came from an elderly lady that when she lived a street over I spent a lot of time sitting and talking with when I was 12/13 or so....thanks for the memory reboot.
Just in case you don't read my blog today....Charlie Cash Hicks.
He will be turning 8 on
May 28th. He is battling
cancer for the third time.
I want to see how many
birthday cards he can get
from all over this amazing
country .
C/O Skeen
Charlie Cash Hicks
143 Brandonwood Drive
Johnson city, TN 37604
I wanted to tell you that
Charlie is the grandson of
a friend, Susan.
Remember the painting
I did for Debbie, the one
with the two women on the beach?
Debbie is Susan's cousin.
While Charlie was battling
one of the earlier bouts of
cancer Susan lost both her
mom and dad to cancer,
just a couple yrs later
she lost her hubs to
cancer also. Its a rough
story and Charlie could
use your prayers along
with this card you send.
He has been battling since
he was three yrs old.
Not sure what is in the
water up there but apparently
there are several other kids
in that area that battle cancer
also.
Thank you for those
that send out a card.
You folks are the best!
Oh what a wonderful story. 🥰
Early childhood, I don't remember a special toy. Most of all though, I miss my red corduroy overalls.
Sweet photos and a lovely story. My teddy bear has been with me since my 1st birthday. I still have him, hardly any fur, one eye, but he is my favorite teddy and I have a whole collection of them.
Oh my goodness - what a fitting topic today. I might have mentioned to you we were thinking of moving - but we are moving. I tell you it is harder than anything to decide what to keep and what to give away. I have my Posie Doll who looks like Shirley Temple - she is 65 years old and in good condition - but do I need her?
I loved the story of the Raggedy Ann's - how you made her another one out of love - she got a baby one - and now it is so valuable to her. That is what love is all about.
We all love our stuffed animals and dolls.
I have a ballerina...since 1955. Gotta' love those keepsakes.
hughugs
Donna
Lovely post;-)
What a sweet story. I love that Raggedy Ann, is now sharing love with a new little girl.
oh love this post
so precious
😊
and oh yes the snow is so pretty especially around Christmas
hugs patty
What a story, and with such a happy ending! These are beautiful photos of loving the beloved stuffed pets. I was allowed almost no stuffed animals, as my Mom had allergies & asthma. When I did get one I really wanted, it mysteriously disappeared while I was asleep.
I loved reading about Nel and her Raggedy Ann doll! She was darling in the big hat and her pretty white short set. And the teddy bear with his chocolate chip cookie ought to be the mascot on gourmet cookies. I didn't save any of my dolls, probably because I had 3 little sisters to pass things down to. It's wonderful that you have one of yours. And I hope Nell's daughter some day passes both her Raggedy Ann dolls down to her own daughter, or son!
I loved my Raggedy Anne doll and to be honest, I have no idea what happened to her. In fact of all the dolls I have ever had, she was my favorite. When my firstborn, Michael was a baby, I bought him a teeny tiny mini Raggedy Andy stuffed doll which he proceeded to love to pieces... He loved that doll.
Such a sweet post along with the sweet photos. I always enjoy your blog. Makes me smile.
Hello, my friend. What a lovely post you shared today. I enjoyed reminiscing with you. I also had a Raggedy Ann doll! I still have a special one, a Curious George doll that followed me to college and back. I cannot part with him. Thank you for the smiles!
Yeah !…I have my bear from my birth with a dress my mom made….sp precious….I have once make a post about this bear…like the dolls…I am ok….but I do not know how to blog further….I will think about it….first I must try to found a new home for Leaf and me…that is the hardest thing right now ….love from me Ria 🍀💗🍀
Sheri, this is a beautiful post! I loved hearing about Nel's Raggedy Ann. I have my Betsy Wetsy doll and others that have been with me for more years than you can imagine. I guess we never outgrow the love we shared with our childhood friends.
Hi Sheri,
I am the same, it is hard for me to part with stuffed animals and other items. I have kept most of the boys things for them, because they too do not want to part with treasures from their childhood.
This was a sweet post, thank you for sharing.
Carla
I still have an old teddy bear but that's about all. My mother didn't keep anything. Love seeing the dolls and stuffed toys and of course the little ones. Enjoy your week!
That was a darling post, Sheri. I can truly identify with the Raggedy Ann dolly. I have so many dolls and as I go through my collections, trying to have less, my heart is torn. I am TERRIBLE at letting my dollies go, and my books, and my dollhouse miniatures, and my....well, you get the drift. I hate de-cluttering my collections, I truly do. I may end up with the most jam-packed apartment on earth. ha ha ha Susan
Oh Sheri, your doll is very glamorous in her strapless ball gown. I remember making something very similar in pink for my youngest sister when I was about 16 and she was 6. Yes, our stuffed toys are precious indeed. Mine was a blue soft bunny which I dearly loved but as the eldest of six, I had to pass it down the family. However what I do have with me to this very day is a walking doll I won at a fair when I was 6 or 7. The doll was nearly as tall as me. I have made her a new outfit and she has a new wig. These days as we near retirement I am wondering what to do with my precious doll. It is hard to let go.
Hello dear friend!
I enjoyed every word and sentiment here and I was just about to answer your question about what our favorite childhood stuffed toy was. My favorite is a panda bear that I still have but unfortunately, he's been in the basement for 25 years (he followed me from childhood through marriage and two moves) but he is MOLDY! I have to discard him because the mold is just too bad. But as I scrolled down to see your Barbie doll and read that your mother was a seamstress, well, my mother was too and made all my Barbie doll clothing. I miss her...my mom and the doll.
How I wish I had kept my favourite childhood teddy bear - it was a gift from my mom.
I now preserve all my sons' stuffed toys in case they want them as keepsakes in the future.
Beautiful post, Sheri.
Happy Tuesday!
I love that story. Poor gran! But kids know. I still have my Barbie (my first -- she now has horribly bad hair and few clothes!) and my dear Steiff teddy from my early years. It's hard to let go of those old friends.
Aww that's so sweet. When my eldest was little their class pet was a stuffed Pete the Cat. He got to bring him home one weekend. Come Monday he was beyond despair at having to bid is friend farewell. We had to promise to buy him a new one so that he would send this one back to school. He still has that Pete the Cat.
Sheri, what a heartfelt post! I really enjoyed.
I still have a stuffed dog my father gave me as a child. Well, he would be the second. Let me explain. Mom and Dad gifted me Doogan when I was about 5 or 6. Apparently, after years my mother sent him to doggie heaven because he was so worn out. I was just heart broken. Then when I was in my 20's one Birthday I opened my gift, and inside was a stuffed dog that looked just like Doogan. My Mom told me that Dad had gone to several stores for weeks to find it. Doogan is now about 50 years old and I will treasure him always.
Thank you for leaving such a kind comment about my felted babies. I always enjoy your visits.
blessings,
Penny
Lovely post
I think I had a doll I liked, but nothing that I kept forever. I think the dogs and cats and calves and cows and horse took the place of toys for me. I think I remember all their names and they live on in memory.
What a sweet story. My Mom made my girls a set of Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls and we still have them of course. I still have LOTS of my old toys that I just can't bear to part with either!
Adorable post with sweet remembrances!
I loved this story!! We had a similar incident with a stuffed Big Bird. My son left it at my parents in Ohio and we were half way back to Chicago when he realized it. We ran into a Toy R Us and bought another one but of course, he wasn't pacified. The MAIN thing was there was a cloth TAG on the old one under the arm that my son used to put between his fingers and stroke to soothe himself to sleep - so weird, right??? So when we got home (and until we could get the other one back) I sewed a piece of muslin where the tag would have been on the other. And . . it worked! However, once "Old Big Bird" came, "New Big Bird" took second place but still remained a favorite. When my son got married, I had the hotel put "Old Big Bird" on my son and DIL's bed in their suite . . . hahaha! Recently I was scanning tons of old slides and we realized that in about 90% of the pictures I was holding SOME kind of doll! I have my first Barbie but no other dolls from my childhood.
Yes Sheri parting with those special stuffed animals from our childhood is hard. So glad you shared the Raggedy Ann story. I don't recall whether I had one growing up or not. What I did have was a Chatty Cathy and she was my most beloved doll and still today she graces my family room. My grandma made us dresses alike for birthday, Christmas and Easter. My mom didn't have much money but she knew I wanted that doll for Christmas. She later told me how she stood in line at one of the large department stores when they went on sale for hours to buy her for me. Now that Mom is gone Chatty Cathy means more than ever. She reminds me of how much my mom loved me. Such a great memory! I hope sweet friend you have a lovely Mother's Day. Hugs!
Happy Mother's Day! Xoxo my sweet friend.
I still have the teddy bear from my childhood, and every year it is put in our evacuation box when wildfire season starts. That old teddy in your pictures is quite precious.
Oh, oh,oh...I have to know. Why didn't your parents go back to the restaurant and get the doll?? 🙁
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