Nostalgic Nugget of the CENTURY

OK. 3 weeks ago I made this wild discovery and when it happened, I started composing this post in my head, and it included lots of exclamation marks and capital letters because those were a reflection of my real feelings. These feelings have somewhat subsided since, but I still think it's worth reminiscing about because now that I get thinking about it again, the whole thing is freakishly awesome and TOTALLY brought me back, and thus qualifies as at least a nominee for the Nostalgic Nugget of the Century.

Here we go. I went home to Auburn a few weeks ago and was informed by my dad that the house was going on the market and that I needed to go through all my prized possessions boxed up in my closet and decide which ones were no longer prized. This seemed like a difficult thing to do - how do you part with your childhood memories? Several trash bags and Goodwill boxes later, I decided this was not such an impossible task.

HOWEVER. Several boxes into this little adventure, I stumbled upon...(Hallelujah chorus, please) THE BARBIES. And all their accessories. I literally put my hand on my chest, gasped, and stepped back (into a pile going to Goodwill).

I was forced to assemble everything. You can't just look at a kitchen set complete with an oven that dings when the food is done (read: approximately 2 seconds after the door is shut and a brief ticking noise), a refrigerator, food items, and utensils, and not assemble something. In doing so, I was shocked not only at how many cool things Barbie had, even back in the 80s (would you believe she was one of the first people to own a PC?), but also at the accessories that I made myself. They're pretty dang near awesome.

Take a looksie at the kitchen set: It's got a turkey on a platter, a pie, little stove burners that turn yellow (hot!) when you push a button, and even little silverware and a spatula. A spatula!!! The fridge is stocked with TV dinners, a carton of milk (they all have little labels!), some strawberries and other food items...it's all just so spectacular. Barbie and friends were such great cooks.

Take a look at her bedroom set. If you're wondering what's in the drawer of her vanity, there's a mirror, a brush, a comb, and a blow dryer. Note the framed picture of Ken (by the way, I found a boxed Ken doll that had never been opened....and his name was Cool Lookin' Ken. The back said, "When it comes to dating, Ken is the best!" You bet he was.) and the HANGERS!!!!! in the closet that are way prettier than any hanger I've ever had.

And this is her home office. My first Barbie outfits included a lot of business/professional attire, and this was very fitting because Barbie had a lot of accessories fitting for a working woman - a computer, a desk-top file, a briefcase, cordless phone (which I kind of feel like barely existed in the 80s...) and a swivel chair. This all so that she could do work at home in the evenings. She was very dedicated to her job.

Barbie, who was also a trained physician, also had this really fantastic hospital room ensemble, complete with patient chart and a microscope with some scummy green bacteria lookin'-thing on a slide.

This is the best part. I had forgotten what a creative and resourceful child I was. I thank my mother for not indulging the few girly tendencies I had as a child and deciding that Barbie didn't really need a store-bought home. So I made my own. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take note of the homemade, felt comforters on the cut-out foam mattresses and the MATCHING PILLOWS on the queen bed. Was I not the coolest child ever!?!?! (Note: "cool" is loosely defined in my book.) Wait, there's just so much to say about this picture. Remember when you could do anything with felt and hot glue? Do you even remember felt? No one uses it anymore. And pipe cleaners! PIPE CLEANERS!!! And do you see how each bed had a nametag? And a crumpled-up welcome mat? Also made of felt.

ALSO. Barbie, a voracious reader, had compiled her own home library. I'm pretty sure she and I had similar tastes in fiction, seeing as how I seem to have read and owned the exact same books. What a coincidence! (Also, please notice the lamp...it's a big wood bead with purple felt hot-glued to it for a lampshade. How creative is that!)

And this is her....Mackenzie's First Barbie, aka Aerobics Instructor Barbie. I actually remember receiving her for my birthday. I couldn't find all the pieces of her original outfit, but I did find her already dressed in this stylin' off-the-shoulder piece (by the way, her ponytail is nicely held in place with a BOBBLE):

And here's her posse, sideways:

I wish someone else had been there with me. It was marvelous. Needless to say, Barbie did not make it into the Goodwill pile. Posterity, you are ALL SET.