Packages from Fresno

As many of you already know, I lost my beloved sister to brain cancer two and a half years ago. Her husband, my brother-in-law (BIL), called me a couple of days ago to let me know that he was sending two boxes to me full of doll furniture, a doll, and lots of doll clothes. He has decided not to live in their huge house anymore and has started to clean out. He thought that my granddaughter, Kara, might enjoy the doll and the furniture. I think she would too, perhaps in a year or two. So I will send those on to Kara soon.
In the box was this Jan Vogue Doll. Isn't she pretty? She is in her original outfit and with the original box. I think she is in pretty good condition considering that she is approaching 50 years old. We should all look that great at 50!! LOL!! This was my sister's doll.On the bottom of the box you can see that I had drawn a fireplace with rock surround for our pretend doll house. Jan and I had the furniture, but no doll house. Anyway, the furniture would not fit in a regular doll house. It is too big!
Here is a photo of us "girls" with our favorite Ginny dolls. From left to right, our cousin Vickie Jo, me and then Jan. Jan had broken her arm roller skating that summer. Had to wear that awful cast for 6 weeks. It itched like crazy, she said! She was just 7 years old. Vickie Jo is 10 and I was 12 in this photo.

I still have my Ginny doll. She resides in a small metal trunk with all of her clothes. Some of the clothes were store bought and others are hand made, by me. I learned to sew doll clothes when we had the Ginny dolls. My Grandmother Ryan taught me to sew and gave me scraps out of her sewing basket to make doll clothes with. Jan and I could never figure out where her Ginny doll went. She is gone.

My sister died of brain cancer. She had a glioblastoma multiforma. A brain tumor very similar to Ted Kennedy. Although I am no fan of Senator Kennedy, I would not have wished a brain tumor on him. He is going to be very sick for quite a while. Radiation and the oral chemo drug he will be taking will keep him feeling pretty bad. I wish him well, but know in my heart that he won't survive this horrible tumor.