You might think that because I like dolls, especially Victorian dolls that I tend to be a "girly girl" and don't like getting dirty and all messy. Well, you'd be wrong.
Just to give you a little background for my story I've always LOVED the Victorian dolls and, at the same time, have always been somewhat of a tomboy. Not to the nth degree as some tomboys are, but enough so that I could be called that while I was growing up.
I'd have to blame that on my older brother - the "Irish Twin" I've posted about and eluded to many times. He was always getting me into trouble. Riding our bikes through mud puddles, using a magnifying glass on our shoes to see if it would burn a hole in them, jumping off stone walls into piles of snow, carving our names with pocketknives in the side of our house, and surprising our parents on the day after Christmas by stuffing the fireplace with wrapping paper and then lighting it. We were trying to clean-up and help. We just weren't old enough to know to open the damper to let the smoke out.
Since he was my only playmate for a while whenever we played something he always wanted to do "boyish" things. Play with my dolls and have a tea party - NEVER! So, I was a bit of a tomboy thanks to my older brother.
Well, when my two younger brothers were born my "tomboy" days just got worse - especially when they were teenagers. Come on, Linda, let's play tackle football. Let's have a snowball fight. Let's go swimming in a mud hole. How about climbing some trees - which we stopped when my younger brother fell out of one! Let's work on the car - YUCK! Let's build something - maybe!
Because of my older brother and younger brothers (hooligans - all of them) growing up I was both a "tomboy" and "a girly girl." Thankfully, after my younger sister was born I was finally able to do some "girly girl" things - like having a tea party with the "dollies."
As I got older and got my own home I settled in with more "girly girl" things and decorated my house with Queen Anne furniture and yes, dolls. Lots of dolls. Did I mention that my husband is a "saint" for putting up with me and my "dolls?" If I didn't - well, he is.
But, every once in a while I do something tomboyish and actually surprise myself with liking it. To get back to the beginning of my story - the reason you'd be wrong about my not liking to get messy is that I have spend several days in the last few weeks covered with sawdust - from head to toe. And, here's the real surprise I just LOVED it.
You see, one of my younger brothers has the most INCREDIBLE workshop you'd ever want to see. He has every tool imaginable for woodworking and I just love sitting in his shop and working on something. Of course, I always bring something I want him to do. Last year, he helped me with some of my presents. My brother is quite the carpenter and I've posted about him before in a post entitled "Woodcrafts and Wood Furniture My Brother Made Me."
In any event - back to the story - this year I once again enlisted his help with finishing some of the presents I hope to give this year. When I asked him if he would help he said, sure - as long as there aren't too many of them. I, of course, said, "There's not too many!" Well, when I showed up with 33 of them - he looked at me with that look only a brother can give you that says, "I may LOVE you, but - I'm going to kill you!"
Little did I know that he had already suspected I had a LOT for him to do and already had "payback" in mind. You see, I came home with a TON of woodcrafts that he had made for Christmas presents this year and which I needed to paint for him. I just know that when he was loading all of them in my car he was smirking knowing full well that they were going to take me a long time to paint. And, for sure, he was muttering under his breath, "gotcha this time!"
Little does he know that I have a long memory - and, well, Christmas 2010 is just around the corner. The 33 boxes this year will be small potato's compared to next year. Payback's a bitch, brother! Gotcha! LOL LOL
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