Better late than never
Oct 30th 2009
Karen RoseKaren Rose
I just returned from NYC, where I spoke at the NJ RWA convention. (Waving to Donna and Elsie, who I saw on Saturday!) I had a very good time and the NJ chapter members were simply wonderful.
After the convention, I spent Sunday with my oldest daughter, who’d come with me. We walked around 5th Ave area on Sunday afternoon and then she asked to go to the American Girl Place. For those who haven’t heard of it, it’s a doll store. A freaking huge and cool doll store. We walked in and said, “Wow, it’s bigger than we thought.” Then we realized it has 4 stories!
Oldest told me that she’d fallen in love with American Girl when she was 11 years old. Unfortunately, that was right about the time I got laid off and we had very little money. She didn’t ask for a doll then. She knew things were tight. Now we could afford a doll, but the one she’d fallen in love with was discontinued 
. Nevertheless, we explored every square inch of that doll store. When we got to the top, we found a cafe, where you could have tea!
So we did. We were the only ones in the cafe without a little girl at our table, LOL, but we had a simply wonderful time. We ate the little sandwiches and my daughter told me the story about every one of the dolls in the place. She read the back of the menu to me – it was the story of the store founder, who’d started the store after spending a lovely day at the ballet with her own daughter.
I was so touched that the founder understood it’s not just a store – it’s a place where memories are made. We eked out every drop of wonderfulness out of the place and it was so very sweet.
Then later (sshh) I found the Samantha doll my daughter had wanted on Ebay. Samantha is on her way to FL and I can’t wait to see my daughter’s face when I give it to her! I’m eight years late, but better late than never!
Where were your fondest memories made? Did you ever go back and do something later that you had wanted to do before and couldn’t? Did you ever fall in love with a doll?
53 Comments »
53 Responses to “Better late than never”
Deborah on 30 Oct 2009 at 3:10 am #
What a sweet thing to do, that is so thoughtful of you, I hope your daughter likes her surprise.
Judy F on 30 Oct 2009 at 3:54 am #
Ah you are a good mom.
My niece Michelle has that same doll and her little friends too. LOL I think they are still up at my sisters house.
Many years ago at christmas my SIL mixed up the name tags on two gifts, this doll baby was supposed to go to April but instead she had Michelle’s name on it. After the mistake was realized it was to late to fix it, Shelly fell in love with baby Nancy. My parents even took baby Nancy to the doll hospital when her arm got torn. Shelly still has that doll.
B on 30 Oct 2009 at 4:10 am #
Aww, that’s so freaking sweet. If I were your daughter, I’d about have a heart attack, I guess.
That’s awesome what you did. My mom would probably have told me to suck it up and get over Samantha’s loss. In fact, I really doubt she’d ever go into a doll store with me. She thinks I’m too old for all those things, and she gets mad when I buy myself cute, fluffy things.
I was never much of a doll person, but I collect fairies. I buy them everywhere I go and all of that. There’s this store in my city that sells fairies, and they’re often expensive. I was in a fairy frenzy once (I think I bought seven fairies in two months) and there was this one I really wanted, the most beautiful I’d seen, but it was too expensive. I actually did have the money to buy it, but it just felt wrong spending over 100 bucks in a FAIRY. So, this one day, I was walking through the store and they had a sale. THE fairy was 85 bucks. I bought it without thinking twice. Now, that was accomplishment.
My most fond memories are everywhere. They’re usually related to people, though, not places, even though there are places, like Reno, I’d do anything to go back.
PJ on 30 Oct 2009 at 4:49 am #
Okay, it’s not even 7am yet and I’m sitting here with tears streaming down my face. You’re a great mom, Karen!
Cail on 30 Oct 2009 at 5:51 am #
Karen! I too was a child who didn’t get the American Girl doll that she wanted when young! I wanted Molly, and my parents decided it was too expensive. On my 21st birthday my bf at the time got me a Molly doll. I absolutely adored it. I’m sure your daughter is going to be so excited! What a wonderful mommy you are.
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 6:14 am #
Oh, Cail – what a sweet thing for your bf to do! My daughter loves Molly, too, because she looks just like Oldest at the same age. Same hair and glasses and everything.
I was partial to Kirsten, who’s being discontinued soon, too. She looks awesome in her St. Lucy’s Day dress.
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 6:19 am #
PJ – didn’t mean to make you cry! But I did, secretly, walking around the store and remembering my oldest at 11. She’s a good kid and knew it would hurt me to have to tell her no about the doll back then, so she didn’t ask. I was determined I’d turn that memory around
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 6:22 am #
Thanks, Deborah! I’m sure she will! But I’ll ask her if I can take a pic of her with her new doll and post it on the forum. She might be too shy for that, but we’ll see!
JudyF – a gift mix up – what a great premise for a story! What did April get that year? Did she love her mix-up gift too? How sweet that Shelly’s parents cared enough to have her doll “treated” at the doll hospital.
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 6:24 am #
B – I’m not sure we’re ever too old for dolls. I loved the store and I loved that each of the dolls there had a backstory, created just for them.
Good for you, getting the fairy. Sometimes we just gotta do stuff like that. And my best memories are made with people, too.
elsiehogarth on 30 Oct 2009 at 6:42 am #
Hi Karen! Thanks so much for visiting us in New Jersey. We had a great time with you and Sarah. Too bad about the pouring rain.
Julianna loves American Girl. We have been there many times. Most of the time I have waited outside while Laurie and Julianna are inside because on the weekends that place is a madhouse.
My fondest memory age 3 0r 4, with my Mom, was seeing the play Beauty & the Beast and the Nutcracker. I just love everything B&B-the Jean Cocteau movie, the Disney version and stories that are B&B related. Since the Nutcracker is my favorite balle, I try to go every year to the New York City Ballet to see it. It just brings back so many childhood memories.
Margaret on 30 Oct 2009 at 6:49 am #
I got all choked up, too. What a great mother-daughter story. Even if it was raining, I think a bubble of sunshine was following you all.
I remember buying Samantha for my now 28-yr-old granddaughter. She was the first gd. I used to get big presents for the gks. With 13 + 2 ggks, those days are gone for good. I wonder if she still has her doll. Up until recently, I was still receiving the American Girl catalog. Drool worthy, for sure.
Karen, my 60-something neighbor down the street has a whole room devoted to Barbie dolls. They even spill out into the living room. So, I’m sure your sweet baby isn’t too old to finally get her Samantha.
Excuse me. I have to find the Kleenex.
Margaret on 30 Oct 2009 at 6:51 am #
I got all choked up, too. What a great mother-daughter story. Even if it was raining, I think a bubble of sunshine was following you all.
I remember buying Samantha for my now 28-yr-old granddaughter. She was the first gd. I used to get big presents for the gks. With 13 + 2 ggks, those days are gone for good. I wonder if she still has her doll. Up until recently, I was still receiving the American Girl catalog. Drool worthy, for sure.
Karen, my 60-something neighbor down the street has a whole room devoted to Barbie dolls. They even spill out into the living room. So, I’m sure your sweet baby isn’t too old to finally get her Samantha.
Excuse me. I have to find the Kleenex.
Amy Scott on 30 Oct 2009 at 6:51 am #
Karen, that is such a wonderful thing for you to do! Your daughter is a lucky girl!
I was hooked on the Cabbage Patch kids when I was young. I remember getting my first one for my 7th birthday, her name was Tracy, and she was perfect. She had blonde hair, and blue eyes, and I fell in love with her immediately. My mom said she would never forget the look on my face when I opened her. I still have her tucked away, and one day when my daughter is old enough I will pass her along. Hopefully, my daughter will appreciate her as much as I did.
My fondest memories are of playing Barbies with my best friend. We would sit up in her room for hours making up stories, dressing and undressing them, we had our own little Soap Opera going on. She had everything for them, a house, a pool and a car. We had everything we need for life in Winterville, that was what we named our little Barbie town. We still get a kick out of looking back on this!
Judy F on 30 Oct 2009 at 6:56 am #
I don’t remember what April got that year I will have to ask my sister, she remembers everything. LOL Shelly was so upset that baby nancy was injured her mom and dad had to do something. Baby nancy had to spend the night at the hospital till she was better. LOL And you could never call the doll nancy it was always baby nancy.
I played with Barbies growing up and had dolls that walked, and their hair grew. I miss those days.
LoriHandeland on 30 Oct 2009 at 6:58 am #
That is so sweet, K-Ro. Your daughter is going to be thrilled.
I never got into dolls. Not sure why. I had Barbies but I only played with them when my cousins came over.
Of course now I have my freaky Barbie collection, but that’s another story for another day.
Since I had all boys, dolls here either. I’ve heard of American Girl but I’m not familiar with the store or the dolls or the stories. I know it’s a HUGE deal though. That store in NYC sounds very cool. I might check that out the next time I’m there.
TrishD on 30 Oct 2009 at 7:43 am #
Karen, That is so sweet! I’d say you are the best mom ever but I don’t want to offend my mom so let’s say you’re the second best!
I fell in love with a doll when I was around 8 years old. My parents didn’t have much money at the time but they always made Christmas great for me and my sister. One year they bought me a My Friend Mandy doll. My mom spent months making doll clothes for her and when I opened the present on Christmas day she was in a metal doll case with a cat painted on the front and filled with outfits for every occasion. She had spring dresses, winter dresses, nightgowns and a “dress” up outfit complete with a velvet cape.
I still love her and she now sits on my dresser. Every few weeks my daughter and I drag out the doll case, go through her “wardrobe” and change her outfit. I think she’s due for a change. I guess I’ll be playing dolls this weekend.
dbrown3400 on 30 Oct 2009 at 7:47 am #
Hi Karen (waving back.) What a wonderful story. Your daughter may be the one to shed a few tears when you give her Samantha.
My fondest memories will always be when I delivered my two daughters. Seeing their sweet faces for the first time gave me a joy like no other emotion in the world.
When I was little, both Dad and my step-father gave me a Toni doll. The one from Dad was a brunette and the other a blond. Somehow it always bothered me that I preferred the fair-haired doll because my step-dad and I were never on the best of terms, but, man, did I love that doll!
Julia London on 30 Oct 2009 at 7:53 am #
I fell in love with a Scarlett O’Hara Madamoiselle doll a million years ago. My mother recently gave it to me. I had destroyed her hair, one eye had been rubbed off, and her dress was stained with dirt. I wish I had the one in the box that lives on in my mind’s eye.
Freedom Writer on 30 Oct 2009 at 7:56 am #
My daughters used to ask me for these dolls. The creator of this line of dolls,Pleasant Rowland, was from Wisconsin. She built a call center and warehouse in Middleton, WI. I had been tempted to get a job there in the early years. In 1998 she sold the company to Mattel. I didn’t know that they had a stores, but I see that they have several all over the country.
Pesky on 30 Oct 2009 at 7:57 am #
That’s a wonderful memory! The heart has no timetable, anything given with love is right on time.
My mom loved porcelain dolls, but growing up on post war Ireland the youngest of 13 there just wasnt any extra money. My sister and I were never into dolls but every time my mom would pass a porcelain one she’d stop for a moment to look. As Adults my sister, brother and I were able to get her her dolls for Christmas and she loved every one. When she passed away we carefully packed away the dolls for when my nephews have little girls. Dolls are wonderful things.
A gift of love from my parents? My mom got me a typewriter when she could not afford it so that I could write the stories down that were in my head. I still have that typewriter, it was used to death but it allowed me so many opportunities. When I was 16 my dad got me tiny diamond chip earrings and wrote me a poem to go with them. They could have been 3 carats a piece for the way I felt about them but the poem where he expressed how much he loved me meant more. Our house was broken into years later and they were stolen with the rest of my jewelry at the time, but the poem was left behind.
Freshechelle on 30 Oct 2009 at 8:24 am #
What a sweet story! Your daughter is going to be so touched by the meaning behind the gift.
I still have the doll my gran crocheted for me who wears a sweater with my name on it. It still smells like cigarettes and perfume, just like Grandma.
My mom recently visited me in Chicago with her sister. I dropped them off on Michigan Ave to shop but not before teasing them about wanting Rebecca, the AG doll from NY. It was joke because we are aghast by the hair salon and cafe and the whole AG cult atmosphere in the store (at home the doll are sweet, in the store it’s intense).
Hours later they arrive at my door with a huge red shopping bag and I rudely responded “I hope you kept the receipt.” Rebecca is now a mainstay in my apt complete with her little Hanukkah trinket set. I called this week to ask Rebecca’s grandma if she’d be getting Rebecca a Halloween costume or if she’ll be paying for the Jonas Bros to play at her Bat Mitzvah.
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 8:36 am #
Hey Elsie and Donna! It was delightful to see you both!
Oldest and I went to the Nutcracker when we lived in Cinci – it was a fantastic experience in a 19th C opera house. Last year we went to see the production in Tampa because she said she’d enjoyed going as a kid and could we go again? Well… the Tampa ballet was not so good, but Oldest and I still had a great time together!
This year we actually have big-city ticket to the ballet. Looking so forward to it!
Margaret – hugs to you this morning!! No my baby won’t be too old to get Samantha! I bet your granddaughter knows where hers is.
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 8:44 am #
Amy – I liked Cabbage Patch dolls, too. My aunt used to make them and I’ll never forget the boy-doll she made for me that was anatomically correct, LOL. I was in college by then and laughed till I cried. The doll is at my parent’s house, I think.
Judy, my walking doll never really worked, but I had a Velvet doll whose hair grew out of a hole in the top of her head, ala I dream of Jeannie. I loved that doll! My friend had the Chrissy doll and we’d make doll clothes out of fabric scraps. Those were the days!
Gibb on 30 Oct 2009 at 9:02 am #
What a sweet story. I love building memories with my 3 little girls. Pretty soon they’ll hit the double digits and maybe not want me around as much…then it’s off to college. Sigh. Right now I’m trying to get tickets to Taylor Swift for the older ones and me. Hopefully I can surprise them. I know they’ll love it.
Stonehawk on 30 Oct 2009 at 9:07 am #
I love the American Girl Dolls. I have about nine of them displayed in my place. My first doll from American Girl was Samantha which I ordered in my twenties. I still have that doll. I even named my female cat Samantha after the doll. My favorite doll so far at the moment is Felicity. I enjoy getting the catalog and visiting the American Girl Place store whenever I’m in New York City. It’s good that your not too old to get an American Girl Doll. I like that.
Michelle B on 30 Oct 2009 at 9:09 am #
I too have two daughters who are in their 20’s now. They loved those American Girl dolls and we had a catalog every year that we dreamed over all the dolls. We did read the books, but the dolls were so expensive and we never did buy one. I remember about 11 years ago we were living on an Air Force base and there were about 10 little girls living on our circle, including mine, who decided to put on one of the American Girl plays. They did it all complete with costumes and play bills. It was very sweet and done nicely.
I have fond memories of movies and shopping with my Mom. Now I have a grand time doing it with my daughters. I just spent last weekend with each of them. Saw Couples’ Retreat and Love Happens, shopped, and had some fun filled dinners with one on one conversations. I so miss my girly time with them. Can’t wait until Christmas when they will both be home.
Claudia Dain on 30 Oct 2009 at 9:12 am #
What a lovely day you had! You two will never forget that day.
My fondest memories were made near water. In every single memory that I cherish, water is involved. The Pacific Ocean. A wooded lake in New England. A waterfall in California. A sheltered cove in North Carolina. Big D and I just got back from a trip to CA where we drove up and down the Pacific Coast Hwy, delighting in the rugged coastline between Malibu and Monterey. That’s a memory I’ll cling to.
My favorite doll was huge and had long blond hair in a ponytail. I would sit for hours and do her hair, my legs wrapped around her torso to hold her steady while I invented hair styles for her. I’ll never forget those hours of pleasure.
Margaret, where the heck have you been? I’ve missed you!
Pesky on 30 Oct 2009 at 9:18 am #
Everyone has such great memories! Thank you so much for sharing.
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 10:48 am #
Trish – aw, a weekend playing with dolls! Sounds like fun!
ps – I’m having trouble with the site today – my posts have been going into nowhere.
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 10:48 am #
Trish – aw, a weekend playing with dolls! Sounds like fun!
ps – I’m having trouble with the site today – my posts have been going into nowhere.
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 10:53 am #
Pesky – how lovely of you all to give your mother porcelain dolls! She raised her children well, with kind hearts. I’m sure that meant more to her than the doll itself.
Gibb – good luck with getting TSwift tix! I hope you can and you have a good time. I actually spend more good hours with my daughter now that she’s in college. She was always her dad’s girl growing up. Now, we have more in common!
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 10:54 am #
Stonehawk – nine dolls? Wow! Do you have accesories for them? Those doll beds are huge – you’d need a whole room just for your dolls. Which would be very cool
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 10:55 am #
Michelle B – isn’t it nice just to have the one-on-one conversations? I like that. I missed it when I traveled so much for my job, but now I work from home, so I get that one-on-one time more often. It’s sweet.
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 10:57 am #
Claudia, I had a friend with one of those big dolls. In the daylight, she was beautiful and we played stylist with her hair. At night she scared the beejeebers out of me, LOL.
I feel a little sorry for kids today. Life moves so fast and sometimes you just need time to hold a doll and escape to playland without electronic help.
Gwynlyn MacKenzie on 30 Oct 2009 at 11:07 am #
First, let me say you were wonderful at NJRW. I hope you bought extra batteries for your flashlight, that the pan’s made of nice, noisy aluminum, and your boots have thick soles. (I now have this picture in my mind that still cracks me up!)
Second, I, too, teared up. Your daughter is going to be so thrilled. How do I know? Three kids, no job, little money; been there, done that. So my oldest daughter is thirty, but still gets her collectible Barbie every Christmas since we couldn’t do it when she was younger. She still gets excited. I still cry.
Tea rooms are wonderful places, aren’t they? I’ll never get any work done today if I don’t stop tripping down memory lane. Special moments are treasures forever.
Fiona on 30 Oct 2009 at 11:41 am #
What a wonderful day the two of you had! And what a great surprise for your daughter. She’ll treasure it.
I was never much of a doll fan. I had stuffed animals. We played school, and circus. I invented elaborate stories about their lives, and their magical abilities.
My boys were Lego and Playmobile kids, but they each had a couple of Beanie Babies that were their treasures. They still have them tucked away in a drawer and we still have some Legos.
When I was little, we didn’t have a lot of money, but we always took Sunday afternoon drives (until the oil crisis), and played board games or did puzzles on Friday evenings. My DH and I have avoided getting any video game systems because we all enjoy Yatzee, Clue, Uno, Scrabble, Boggle, poker, and puzzles. Our family just complete a 3-D puzzle that drove us all crazy until it was done!
Karen on 30 Oct 2009 at 11:42 am #
My darling granddaughter loves the American Girl dolls. She has three of them, in fact. One of which was discontinued. I was never a doll girl but my youngest daughter was/is, the mother of the gd. To see the bright eyes of our gd getting her doll is just one of the best things ever. Thanks for the memory.
Judy F on 30 Oct 2009 at 12:08 pm #
Karen I have seen the Nutcracker many times at Music Hall here in Cincinnati. Isn’t that grand theatre something. I haven’t been in the last couple of years but its a real treat.
Lisa G on 30 Oct 2009 at 1:34 pm #
What a lucky girl! Us mommas will do anything for a daughters no matter how long it takes us to do it! I have been in the same situation before without the money to do something for my girls, but later when I can make it up, boy do I! I would love to see her face when she gets that doll! A momma’s love never ends!
Lisa G on 30 Oct 2009 at 1:43 pm #
Gosh I don’t know what happen there! I’m sooo sorry! Computer Glick!
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 1:48 pm #
Lisa, no worries. The blog is wonky today.
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 1:53 pm #
Gwynlynn – thank you!! I’m so glad you liked my speech
(The flashlight, aluminum pot and cowboy boots were part of my arsenal against the snakes that live in my backyard.)
I’m so glad your 30 year old gets a Barbie at Christmas! And I’m so glad that it’s still special for her. Keeps us young, I think!
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 1:54 pm #
Fiona – that’s precious, having that family game time. I’ve read game sales are up, with the economy down. Lots of families seeking to go back to basics.
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 1:56 pm #
Karen, you’re welcome!
Jessica on 30 Oct 2009 at 3:23 pm #
Oh how sweet! I’m sure your daughter will love it!
When I was little the cabbage patch dolls just came out and my parents couldn’t afford to get me one so my mom bought the patterns to make one. She made me one and I named him Curly because he had blond hair that was in tight curls. His fingers aren’t perfect and neither is his body (he’s more square than than anything), but he’s mine! My mom said a kid next door at the time told me he wasn’t real, but I wouldn’t believe her. I did get a real cabbage patch doll 14 years later, but she doesn’t hold a candle to Curly.
Sabrina Jeffries on 30 Oct 2009 at 6:42 pm #
I love dolls! I still have a few, mostly costume dolls. I keep thinking I’ll buy a doll house and fit it up, but I’ve never done it. I love miniatures.
Sounds like you had a wonderful day with your daughter! Those are the memories we cherish.
Karen Rose on 30 Oct 2009 at 6:49 pm #
Sabrina, years ago I bought a dollhouse for my daughter when she was a toddler. I spent more time playing with it, I think, LOL.
Miniatures are a beautiful art form. I’d love to collect them, but alas, have no space.
Jessica – a sweet memory of your mom. Of course Curly was real! More real because of the love that made him.
Louise B on 30 Oct 2009 at 8:17 pm #
My husband was in the Air Force and we had 3 children going to parochial school. Our youngest (the daughter) wanted an American Girl doll, but it wasn’t going to happen. I told her if I ever sold a book, she’d get one. When she was 14, it happened. I announced The Call to my family, and she immediately pulled out her American Girl catalog. Kaya (the Indian doll) joined our family.
I, too, had hoped to take my daughter to The Nutcracker. It’s never happened. We take our sons instead to see their sister perform. (She been in it for four years.) Sometimes dreams don’t occur quite as you had expected.
Patricia Barraclough on 30 Oct 2009 at 11:05 pm #
I had two dolls when I was young (1950’s), a blond walking doll and a rubber bodied baby doll. One grandmother made clothes for the baby doll and the other made the clothes for the walking doll. The baby doll disappeared when I was in 6th grade and we moved. Still can’t figure out how it got lost, we only moved a few miles away and we didn’t have that much. Those 2 dolls were my only toys. I still have the walking doll. Unfortunately, she is the worse for wear. A cousin who didn’t like me, grabbed it away from me one day and ripped its arms off, then scraped it up on the sidewalk. Too bad, they were both lovely dolls.
Heidi Shafer on 01 Nov 2009 at 10:40 am #
I just bought American babies for my older two granddaughters last christmas. The dolls came out when my youngest daughter was just growing out of playing w/ dolls. She liked them but didn’t want one. So I waited hoping my granddaughter would like one. Well the first ones now have the bitty baby and the oldest wants Julie this yr for christmas. So I will make sure she get Julie this yr.
stephers on 01 Nov 2009 at 6:04 pm #
Oh, I had a Samantha doll growing up! I used to read all the books non-stop (and considering that I am still reading books non-stop, not much as changed). As the only girl with 3 brothers, that doll became my best friend and only ally. I have so many memories of dressing her up for Christmas, curling her hair, and going everywhere with her. She wasn’t just a “sit on the shelf and look pretty” doll. Even though I’m 24 now, I still love that doll and she will be passed on to my daughter.
Jasmine on 01 Nov 2009 at 8:15 pm #
Wow, that was so sweet! and if I had known you would be in NYC I would’ve tracked you down to get a autograph ^^…wow I never realized how much of a stalker I could sound like…
And I never really grew that attached to a doll…chuckie kind of ruined that for me =[ I used to love barbie doll houses and whatnot..but now I can’t sleep in a room, alone, if there is a doll in it.
Jasmine on 01 Nov 2009 at 8:15 pm #
Wow, that was so sweet! and if I had known you would be in NYC I would’ve tracked you down to get a autograph ^^…wow I never realized how much of a stalker I could sound like…
And I never really grew that attached to a doll…chuckie kind of ruined that for me =[ I used to love barbie doll houses and whatnot..but now I can’t sleep in a room, alone, if there is a doll in it.