Life and Paper Dolls

It's a slow start to spring in Thornhill. It was wonderful for a couple weeks (temps in the 50's and low 60's Fahrenheit), and once spring actually arrived, it went below freezing again and we got more snow. Thankfully, most of the days have remained sunny, and even though they've all been below freezing, the snow has receded again. According to the week's forecast, I can put away my down jacket again as of today... hopefully for good!

Our close friend Kent held a potluck at his place in celebration of his upcoming birthday. There were 14 people crammed into his dining area, but we really enjoyed each other's company and the good food that we all brought. We honoured Earth Hour by turning off all the lights and eating by candlelight.

I really cherish the time we get to spend with our friends like this. I had missed it terribly when I was in the US.

I think my accent has mostly faded away again. I hope I don't offend anyone reading this, but I've never really been fond of southern accents, and for all the years I lived in Kentucky and Virginia I tried to prevent myself from obtaining one. Of course, it's quite impossible. But it was to the point that locals assumed that I was nothern, and the Canadians could very easily tell that I certainly wasn't from the north! When I was here on visitor status in 2008-early 2009, I had made myself assimilate so quickly that I took care to lose my accent and assume the inflections and certain pronunciations that southern Ontarians speak with. When I had to return to Virginia and was there for 18 months, of course I regained the southern accent.

Upon my return to Canada, everyone began squealing over my accent all over again and told me how cute and charming it was. Apparently it gets really intense when I'm worked up or angry or am talking to my mom on the phone, ha!

I find it a little strange at how enthusiastic I was - and still am - about trying to become a Canadian. Even though I've been a resident for three months now, I still feel my chest swell with pride every time I see a Canadian flag wafting in the early spring wind. I even call myself a Canadian, even though I'm still a citizen of the US. My grandfather (well, genetically great-grandfather) was a Canadian citizen born and raised. He fought for the US in World War II, but he never became a US citizen. According to several of our friends, I've done my grandfather well and have returned home. I think I may want to apply for full Canadian citizenship once I'm eligible, which won't be for three years.

And onto other subjects, how about some childhood nostalgia for you?? I love when I remember things and then find them on this glorious thing called the internet.

If you're a girl reading this, you probably remember paper dolls, which seem to have gradually disappeared and are no longer a staple in our own daughters' world of play and imagination. Paper dolls were a special part of my childhood. There was just more for the imagination to create than when I played with Barbies. My paper dolls had personalities, friends and enemies, and they were problem solvers. My Barbies never had such extensive stories (but my My Little Ponies and Littlest Pet Shop critters did!!).

Do you remember The Ginghams, a series of paper dolls released in the 70s and 80s? They were four Victorian girls - I don't think anyone really knew if they were sisters or cousins or best friends - who had a few books and some themed boxed sets. They were done in the sweet, soft colours and simple black outlines of the vast majority of artwork for children at the time, and a lot of their clothing was gingham fabric, hence the name.



Minx has a great fan page devoted to these paper dolls!

I had two of the boxed sets, which are apparently worth a nice bit of money now. I wish I still had them!! I had Carrie's Boutique and Katie at the Seashore. I haven't been able to find printable scans of the contents of the boxed sets yet, but I did discover great scans of the books here! So now I have a folder on my computer full of paper doll files, ready to be printed out and saved for my future daughter(s). She'd better appreciate them, or I'll just take them and play all by myself!!

Trevor didn't quite understand how excited I got yesterday when I finally remembered what my paper doll sets were called and found them via Google :) It really made my day and brought back so many memories of the simplistic joys of childhood. Why can't we ever take that into our adult lives? It's so precious and so quickly lost.

And so I'm posting this long entry now ;) Have a great start to your week, everyone!