Sweet Baby Bear

My "big" birthday has come and gone !! My Christmas teddy bear had a baby for this "special" day. Hilery made the baby bear that measures about 4" tall in his sitting position. I was totally amazed when I opened the box that he was gift wrapped in. He was nestled in a box full of crushed $1 bills, one for each year of my age. He is adorable and has found his home on the lap of the Christmas teddy. AND, I had fun spending the cash !! I have such talented girls !!

Ms. Beary

As everyone knows, I have a LOT of bears in my home. If and when anyone with children visit, the kids are fascinated. My great-grand-dog has one that she is allowed to play with. Jasmine doesn't come to visit often, but, knows which bear is hers !! A few of my bears are "beary special" to me and if asked, I will have a story to tell about them. The special ones have usually been gifts from someone. This little gal came from Sharon the first Christmas after we became friends over 15 years ago. She sits nonchalantly on the back of the living room chair in her velveteen dress and hat and satin pantaloons.

Mr. and Mrs. Bear

This cute little couple were a Christmas gift to me from your Dad. They sit together on the old school chair in my bedroom and they have a teddy bear crib quilt to lean against and be "comfie". Did I say I like teddy bears ? The Christmas of '96, nothing was appearing under the tree with my name on it. When I came home from work on Christmas Eve, a beautifully wrapped, large box had appeared. Your Dad could still surprise me after all these years !! When I opened the package on Christmas morning, he related the story of seeing this couple two months earlier at a little gift shop in a strip mall down the street. He didn't know where he would be able to hide them and keep them from me, so he took them to Willa, our friend across the street. He asked her if she would wrap and keep them until the day. Those two conspired more than once through the years to surprise me !

"Beary" Old

If any one were to ask me how I became obsessed with teddy bears, I would have to tell them it is all your fault !! Were it not for this "Gramma" Wish Bear with her cute little face and sweet pink shawl, gifted to me by you after Hilery was born, would I have gotten so carried away with collecting them ? Who knows if there would have been bears everywhere and anywhere in my home ? Many have been gifts and many I have purchased because it was "love at first sight". A few are very special, like these two !! Through the years, I have actually given some away to homes where I know they will be loved and cared for. There are other bear lovers besides me !! "Gramma" bear is home among friends in an open vintage suitcase in my bedroom. The suitcase was given to me by my old friend and neighbor, Willa M. The little "panda" is my childhood teddy - 68 years old this year. A bear sits on each of my stair steps and he has the top stair, of course !!

Doll Carriage

This wicker doll "buggy" belonged to my Aunt Delores, (my favorite aunt of all time), Mom's youngest sister. When talking to Uncle Lawrence after Aunt Delores' death, he asked me if I would like to have it. Of course, I couldn't say"NO" !! At that time, he told me what he knew about it. In the mid-30's, putting Sis (as we all called her), at age 5 or 6, she had seen it and coveted it for her baby doll. My mom and older sister, Bertha, pooled their money and bought it for their baby sister for Christmas. When the buggy came to me, it was in very poor condition, rusty, dried out, wheels falling off and the rubber on the wheels all dried out and broken up. Your Dad took it all apart, sanded, cleaned, filled the rubber on the wheels with some sort of goop, painted and totally refurbished it to look almost like new. Of course, all this takes away the antique value of the piece, but, I was not interested in that value. I wanted it to become what it is - a sweet memory of my Aunt Sis and a perfect home for a "few" of my teddy bears ! Which, of course, is a whole other story !!