Femininity

This is totally frivolous and stupid (I know), but I used to collect tea cups when I was young.

I started collecting them when I was 10 years old. I used to hit all the garage sales around my home looking for cool or pretty cups, and spend the money that I found on the road or earned from babysitting.

Before I graduated high school, I literally had dozens of interesting (and probably worthless) tea cups from around the world.

When I moved out on my own, I lost all of them. I had to leave them with my mother and I never saw them again.

Back to the present...

A couple of years ago, I started collecting Fiestaware dishes. I love to search them out on ebay and try to win them super cheaply...it NEVER happens...but I love to try. ;)

On Friday, I decided to type in "Fiesta first" to shortcut through all of the second quality or damaged items that people sell. To my surprise, I came across this:

My First Fiesta tea set for two. Two tea cups and saucers, sugar and cream containers, tea pot and two 6" plates for the sweets and cucumber sandwiches.

I was instantly reminded of the years I spent searching for beautiful tea cups...and how much I cherished them.

I didn't realize that I had anything in particular that I would really want to do special with a daughter until I saw this tea set. Alot of people have a ton of girly ideas about what they would do with their daughters (playing Barbies, pageants, etc...)...but I really didn't have any.

I just figured that part of me was broken or flawed. My mother really didn't do anything special with me until we went Prom dress shopping, and I never played with dolls...ever. I never really got the concept of what you're supposed to do with them or what the purpose was. I never pretended to be a mother to any plastic incarnation of myself...I had a little brother and sister who depended on me to care for them.

So, I have worried that I wouldn't know how to play with a girl. I bought a doll house and I was hoping that in it, I would find some lost little piece of myself...Some small portion of me that was entirely feminine that I could share with a daughter. So far, it just sits in it's little box waiting to be assembled.

Christopher was so easy to play with and figure out. I am just so thankful that he has always enjoyed being read to, hiking, and watching/playing video games.

Now, I have something special that I want to share with my Delaney.

I want to have tea parties with her. We will make scones from scratch and pick out silly jellies to put on them...Have different flavored teas with cream and honey...Or just have water if she really doesn't dig tea. Meticulously craft little cucumber sandwiches and cut the crusts off. I will teach her how to create roses out of vegetables.

We can dress up in dainty finery...gloves, floppy hats, large pearls, clip on earrings.

We'll sip with our pinkies out, and giggle at our seriousness.

I am so excited to have found another piece of my original girliness to share with my darling diva, Delaney.