Thank You For Amazing Gift My Fabulous Friend Frann!! XXOO

Greetings and Salutations Doll Friends!!

When I started this blog, I guess I didn't really have a 'goal' for it or any 'reason' other than my life long love of dolls combined with my love of talking or story-telling along with my love of collecting along with my desire to give my daughter an American Girl Doll collection of any girls dreams....? I guess it is just the combination of a lot of things, my reasoning. Mostly though, it was just casting my story out into the world of the Internet in hopes that somewhere, someday, someone would find the information interesting and love dolls as much as I do... Little did I know I'd find not only a pen-pal but an actual friend via this little blog!

My lovely friend Frann sent me the first comment on by blog around the time we started moving, in the middle of last year. I may have gotten random, short, one sentence comments before (which are wonderful too of course) but never anyone who was conversational! Sadly, I might've missed that she even posted a comment for a little while. I had been writing the blog for a while at that point and I guess I kind of got used to not a lot of 'feedback'. I could tell that it was actually being 'viewed' via the blog stat counters and whatnot but by whom? I had no idea. Did they enjoy it? Who knew? So an actual comment was a treasure in itself! However, Frann and I started chatting back and forth on comments... It got to be so much more fun to write the blog, imagining her across the ocean, sipping a warm drink and reading it. Even now, it's like sitting down to tea as I write this. (Hi Frann!!) It's made my blog come to life for me and it's breathed even more life into a hobby I already loved. How lovely is that? 

Then, one day, Frann asked for my snail mail addy... Actually, she asked for my email address and promptly wrote me when I gave it to her. Embarrassingly enough her emails got relegated to my 'spam mail' folder and I didn't even see them for the longest time!! I am the worst at checking emails, I won't lie. I am an administrator at my job and by the end of the day, I am usually 'emailed out'... Not to mention, my email box is generally only ever full of adverts from stores I've signed up too and hundreds of emails deep. So... Sorry Frann for taking so long to read your mail that first time!! Such a treasure of a friend to be so patient too! Anyway, when I finally got her email and let her know my snail mail addy, she said she was sending me a gift in the mail! I was so humbled that she would even think to do something so sweet. She mentioned this adorable hooded sweatshirt that she had made for my "Heather" doll by her friend Goofy, who owns a shop. She sent photos of it and it was (and is) so adorable!! She sent some other photos too of other items, I presumed, she'd had made for the "Heather" doll she'd purchased for herself... 

In a side story, I tend to struggle with a bit of a mood disorder... Sometimes I get down in the dregs despite my knowing I have a blessed life and that Jesus is always good and God always loves me... I've struggled with it for years and have mostly kept it in remission via lots of Bible Study, prayer, yoga and an amazing support net-work of loved ones. However, sometimes the balance is thrown off an I am down in the dumps. Such as what happened over the last week or two... We just adopted a puppy and between her and some busy times at work and some trouble my sweet daughter is having a school (it's so hard being 11!), I just collapsed into the mire. Frann has sweetly sent me messages and has become part of that wonderful network of friends and was emailing me during this tough time. She mentioned that the parcel she'd sent should arrive and would hopefully cheer me up. 

So I dragged myself over to the post office to pick up what, I presumed, was a little airmail packet containing the cute sweatshirt ensemble... I knew it'd cheer me up because I love getting new outfits for my dolls and it'd be my first ever 'doll gift' from anyone outside of my husband!! How could that not cheer me up?? So... I got collect the slip from the post office box and take it to the counter... When the post office attendent starts walking back she is holding a box not an air-mail packet!! What?!?

My hands were shaking with excitement as I opened the box... I felt like it was Christmas and I was five years old....!! Seriously, I think it's the most excited and surprised I've been by a gift since... I don't even know? My engagement ring? Ok... Maybe not quite that excited but I was blown away! Before I even LOOKED at what was inside!!

Then things started to click in my head... Frann had sent me photos of this adorable bag but I had no idea it was because she was sending it to me!! 

Then I open bag and inside were all these amazing little parcels of treasured clothes!!! Oh. My. Goodness!!! You didn't Frann!!! I almost cried... Ok... I did cry. But in a good way... In a 'God is good because He sends me the most treasured friends, even across the world and times things in such a way that this parcel came on the exact day I needed it" kind of way!! I couldn't wait to open it all of it up and try it all on the dolls and take photos! Sadly, I still had to work the rest of the afternoon! Talk about being destracted and not wanting to look at reports! But I made it through...

The sunshine I'd hope for to take some photos out on my porch in was not to be... In fact, we had to head to the basement TWICE from the Tornado sirens going off... I was determined to get some photos though!! I would just have to make do with my ott light inside... The photos I got are below... I want to write more and I will but I am, again, out of time. I'll be back to talk about all the items one by one soon... Hopefully today it will be sunny like the weather thing says and I can take some photos with better light too! I will also talk about the amazing craftmanship of the clothing! *Blown away!!* They are made SO WELL!! Better than American Girl Doll clothes or any other I've ever really seen! All lined with pretty cloth and all the stitches so meticulous and neat and the materials so top notch!! Frann said her friend Goofy has a shop where she sews things for people and dolls and teaches classess on sewing... How totally cool! I'll have to ask her if she has an online shoppe that I can link to because I'd love for my other readers to be able to purchase some if so... 

Have to wake up the family so I'll be back as soon as I can!! 

Till then.... THANKS SO MUCH FRANN!! I love you friend! You're a gift from God. 

XXOO

Heather