For my last confession of the week, I thought I’d go with something embarrassing. So here it is. I was a very weird little girl. I loved anything “old fashioned” and felt as if I was born in the wrong century. I desperately wanted to wear high button shoes and carry a parasol.
I had a Madame Alexander doll that I particularly liked (probably Amy from Little Women with her blond hair and yellow pinafore) and I went through a phase when I would drag it everywhere with me. And I was not that little – I think I was nine! But by then I had read A Little Princess something like nine times and was enamored with Sara Crewe’s doll that had a wardrobe to match her own (I only WISHED that I had a yellow pinafore…).
I also used to like my grade school uniform because I thought it kind of looked like something old fashioned. It really didn’t, but it was a plaid jumper, and that seemed close enough. I even wore it in the summer without a shirt underneath. Like some kind of bizarre sundress. Never mind that it was a hideous polyester. I thought the two buttons at the waist were very smart looking. My best friend at the time didn’t know what to make of this. But as long as I participated in her horse-obsessed game preferences, she was willing to put up with it.
Finally – I think I read the Little House series even more than A Little Princess, and would memorize the details of what Laura and Mary wore, how they did their hair (I was big on braids back then) and could only wish that someone would invite me to a taffy pull. During this time, I tried to emulate some of these quaint practices and insisted on calling my parents “Ma and Pa.” They humored me, but I can only imagine what they really thought of this. My brother flatly refused to join in, and much to my disappointment, it never really caught on.
Sometime in seventh grade, I stopped being such a dork and became a bit more mainstream in my interests. But I still had to live with the shameful memory of wandering around downtown DC wearing one of my odd get ups – most likely involving a hat – possibly garnished with fresh flowers from a neighbor’s garden.
That’s it! No more confessions from me for a while (but feel free to add any of your own). And don’t forget – I’m guest posting on Light Refreshments Served today (Friday, August 1), so make sure to check it out!
OMG, “Ma and Pa”? Now that’s funny!
I love your confessions. They are not at all weird…they are funny and real, like you!
Love it. And, I confess that I adored A Little Princess for the same reasons. Also, Ann of Green Gables. I think it was my dream to be an old fashioned red-headed orphan until I was like nine.
I knew there was a reason I enjoy your blog so much! I, too, loved Laura and felt her pain when she wanted the blue ribbons rather than the red. I dressed up as and played Laura. My great-grandmother made me a calico dress with a bonnet to match, my maternal grandma made me several calico skirts (I wore them to school sometimes), and my paternal grandma gave me another bonnet. I even hand-hemmed hankerchiefs. Then, when a friend’s dad called me Half-Pint, I loved it!
That is hilarious. I, too, loved the Little House series and always wanted to be laura. I had long brown hair and had them in little pigtail braids all the time.
Ditto on the Anne of Green Gables comment by anymommy. And thanks for sharing all your crazy but totally normal confessions, Kate!
I was a Little Princess fan, too. I kind of kills me that I have boys that I can’t share the book with. Here’s hoping for granddaughters!
I’ve confessed my love of Little House and Anne of Green Gables earlier this week. But when I was about 9 I bought an old fashioned sunbonnet and wore it a lot.
I still love all these books! And I loved your guest post today. Oh no – I’ve given musical instruments and toys requiring batteries. Oh well. In preparation for our little one, I’ve laid out several items requiring screwdrivers/batteries for my husband to assemble. The fun begins!
I must, ahem, confess that I don’t remember any of that.
I was probably too busy sitting in a hole with Owen Sharkey, extolling the virtues of work site debris, to notice the social aberrations of a nine year-old girl. Yucky.
I loved the Little House on the Prairie books too. I always tell my husband that I wish we lived on a farm in the 1850s. He thinks I am insane.
Anastasia – thanks for not thinking I’m weird. I’m still mortified by the memory of “Ma and Pa”.
Anymommy – who DOESN’T love Anne with an “e”. I finally watched the movies with Megan Follows. I refused for years because I didn’t want my personal images to be ruined by film. I have to admit that I did enjoy them (even if Megan isn’t at all what I pictured for Anne) – but they sure did derail after the first one. When did Anne follow Gilbert to war??
K – And everyone at the General Store commented on Mary’s beautiful blond hair… That was just wrong.
Jozette – Glad to know that there were other little brunettes out there demanding braids on a daily basis.
Ainsley – Again – thanks for the reassurance that I was normal (or at least that there were others just as weird).
Melissa – Any nieces? I know – I was so thrilled about my one girl. But she’ll probably be a tomboy and want nothing to do with my girly past.
Renee – I forgot to mention that my mother made me a Laura costume for Halloween one year and it had a matching sunbonnet. Everyone thought I was Holly Hobbie and I was SO insulted. As IF!
Christy – Don’t worry about the gift post. Seriously – the point was that you can’t really win…And good for Matt, being so handy and all.
Matthew – I didn’t really expect you to remember much about that. I don’t think you paid much attention to me or my friends at that point.
Christy – My husband thinks I’m strange too. He’s from a family of boys (his mom was a tomboy as a girl) and they never saw Little House let alone read the books.
I was (am) obsessed with all things Little House on the Prairie. I secretly loved (love) that I was (am) from Nebraska–the real prairie! I thought it made (makes) me “understand” and “appreciate” the characters in Little House. . .and I totally do. . .
too funny! I used to think that I loved all things old fashion until I moved to a town where you have to do things that old fashion way most of the time. Canning, quilting, figuring out 100 diffrent ways to clean grease and cow ickies out of hard denim, then I realized that I love,love, love the “easy life”. Although I still wish that I was able to make my own taffy.
confession. I was exactly like that. except my 12 year old dress was horrid. I drew my fashion advice from the mid 90s, which can never be good. too embarrassing to describe—only Matthew knows the details.
On my 8th grade trip to DC and colonial Williamsburg, the only thing I wanted was a bonnet and a hat that I could wear with the bonnet. I was totally into colonial dress and wearing bonnets and petticoats. I read historical novels way below my reading level only just to be able to have a connection to that time period. I always felt that I was out of touch with the period in which i was born, and I still feel like I was born at least a decade later than I should have been.
My other confession for this week is that I might hack Matthew’s blogger account to create a craft blog because I’m just that mischievious.
Also, I adore the Little House series. I’ve always been wanting to make the maple syrup and snow concoction that they made in those books. And I want to live in a sod house. hahah. Also, calico. Calico dresses all the way. And I LOVED the Anne of Green Gables series. Amethyst broach and Anne with an e always.
Ha ha, I’ve already been checking to see if you had.
Call it “Needlepoint Junction: a daily thimbleful of life on the shear’s edge of textile fabrication.”
would that even fit in the title?
hahah most of what I would put in the blog would be about sewing and needlepoint because I’m just that big of a nerd