Memory lane

So thanks for putting up with my late-night-post-class-euphoric rant.  I think I am just about over it by now. 

Now begins the next chapter of my life.  The one in which I start my career, start paying back a much larger amount of student debt and figure out how I will ever get out from under my mortgage.

Excited?  Same here. 

There are many things that I could write about now.  Job searching, Christmas cookies, jewelry, etc. 

But not today.  Today I am going to share an amazing discovery with you that will either confirm my identity in your mind as a complete lunatic or a charming sentimental fool.

As a child, there were few things that I enjoyed more than playing with dolls.  I know, you're not impressed or surprised by that.  But wait.  It gets better.

My love of dolls was not limited to Barbies or action figures.  I had all sorts of toys.  For me, however, the grand supreme apex of awesomeness came in the form of dollhouses. 

I had two of them.  One was hand-crafted and made for Barbie-sized dolls.  The man who built it took care to create upholstered furniture, install carpeting and even put up wallpaper.  This thing had a walk-in closed complete with full-length mirror for crying out loud.

This dollhouse was later given to my second cousin.  I have no idea what has happened to it since, but as she is now in college, I suspect that it is long gone.  This saddens me, but at least I know that someone else found use for it after me.

My other dollhouse was of a different variety.  In a fit of inspired craftiness, one of my uncles decided that he was going to purchase a kit and construct a beautiful Victorian-style dollhouse for me.  If one were to follow the instructions and complete everything, the result would be amazing.  The scale was not large enough for Barbie, but it still could have been cool.

Unfortunately, my uncle did not work fast enough, so while the exterior was painted and all the walls were constructed, everything remained largely unfinished.  But I didn't care.

Turns out, this house was perfectly sized to use with my second favorite set of dolls: the Sylvanian Family.  Apparently, these dolls are still being made, but they are not marketed here in the U.S.  Or so I thought.

On a recent trip to a local toy store, I discovered this.  It appears to be a web-ercized version of my original collection for todays Internet-savvy American youth.  Lest you think that I have a problem with this, think again.  Then, feast your eyes on THIS.  Do you see it?  The camper?  To be more specific, the camper that looks like a SCAMP??????????

Do you know how much I love Scamps????  If not, you do now! 

I first discovered them at the MN State Fair many years ago.  They bring out all the sizes for people to walk through, and I fell in love. 

Let me clarify something for you now.  I do not like camping in general.  I hate sleeping in tents.  Something about the ventilation issues and heat regulation combined with the fact that there are no bathrooms... 

But a SCAMP... now, I would be willing to sleep in one of those!  Plus, they are cute.  Don't they look like little red and white beans? 

So now, here I find a small-scale version of one of my favorite things that has been designed for a doll that resembles a favorite toy from my childhood.  If anyone is still looking for a Christmas gift for me, you now have two very good options.  For those of you who have tighter budgets, the doll-sized version is fine.  But if you really want to make my holiday season, give me something I can take on the road.  If you're curious, I would really prefer the models with bathrooms.