Are you the kind of person that forgets your anniversary? Your Birthday? or other special events?  I stand guilty and convicted on all accounts.

This morning I woke up I wish I could say bright and early but just early even though it’s Spud Harvest.  I lay in bed and pondered on what I should do today and what I needed to work on. I thought about My Quiet Dolls and where it all started…. Then it hit me… This  weekend is the 25th Anniversary of when it all started.

The reasons I remember so clearly are that my oldest just turned 29 and that this weekend is General Conference.  General Conference for those of you who don’t know is a series of weekend broadcasts by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  These broadcasts total 8 hours of  “church on TV” if you’re lucky enough to have access.  I however had no in home access to TV at the time and my only option was to go to the local church and watch the broadcasts on satellite. I lived in Eugene, Oregon at the time so the broadcasts were from 9-11 am and again at 1-3 pm both days. My oldest was four at the time and I also had a two year old and my third daughter was barely 4 months old.  John worked every Saturday so I was on my own.

I made it through the first session with the diaper bag full of treats and toys but after two hours of trying to keep my kids entertained and peaceful (quiet) I realized I was desperately in need of help,  even divine intervention.  As I drove to the small strip mall in our area I began praying “Lord I need help! What can I do to make this all work.. something that would meet my children’s needs and allow me to listen to the words of inspired leaders without losing my cool or being distracted myself.

Looking back I only remember Albertsons Grocery and Joanne’s Fabrics.  I grabbed additional snacks and headed into the fabric store.  Our budget was tight.  I found squares of felt 4/$1 and grabbed maybe two dollars worth or less.  Looking back I don’t remember if I grabbed a Sharpie marker, and some small ribbons and accessories or if I had them at home.

I do know when I attended the second session of conference I was armed with at least one Sharpie, paper, felt, scissors and some small ribbons and accessories and a paper doll pattern I’d found a couple of years before in the back of a lesson manual.  I used paper to draw out some dolls based on the patterns but made them so I could change hair styles. While sitting and listening we began to trace these doll and hair patterns onto the felt and cut them out.  We designed and made outfits.  My children played and crafted and were so fascinated with their creations.

Instead of a miserable weekend it was amazing.  Since the dolls were made of felt, not paper, they were practically indestructible. If a younger sibling got a hold of your new creation it wasn’t the end of the world.  They survived chewing, stretching and even an unplanned trip through the washing machine. We had fun with bright orange or pink felt for hair and apple green felt for rain slickers,  blue overalls and anything they dreamed up I drew.

It’s been a very good 25 years.  I now have 3 grandsons and 2 precious granddaughters.  I want them to experience the fun of making and playing with these dolls as well.  It doesn’t take much to get a child’s imagination going and it’s so rewarding to see it in their eyes as they experience that aha moment, the Eureka!  I can make things, good things, beautiful things! I can make things and and you can too!

Time to plan at PARTY!

Always, 

               Vickie