A Wrap-Up of 2013

I've said this many times, "How quickly this year has flown by!"

It is true of 2013 too!

I began the year working for Nanny Family #2, then for the DeNiece family for 6 weeks, then... my brother J boys for the summer & now I care for 3 kids that in earlier posts I labeled, Nanny Family #3. I also began working my way into full activity in the Church. Last month, I was called as a Nursery Class leader. It's an unorganized mess right now, more like a babysitting service rather than a class. I have my work cut out for me!

C began her senior year @ SNHU. Her boyfriend, G, presented her w/a "promise" ring. She's beginning to talk about her plans once she has graduated which may or may not include moving out of our house & into one w/G. Stay tuned! She'll need a full-time job as well. Student loans, car loans & insurance cost more money than a part-time job provides.

B did some extreme hiking this year, though I'm fairly certain he didn't plan it to be extreme! The weather just happened to be strong during his trips! He was released as Scoutmaster & is now serving as Ward Mission Leader.

I got to be w/Carlotta twice this year! We visited for a long birthday weekend w/her in Virginia on Valentines Day. Then in August, we paid for train tickets for T & Carlotta to visit us here in NH for a week! I crammed in a ton of stuff to do w/her that week as mentioned in a previous post. Starting to save for another trip in February then another in May when C graduates. We hope M will be able to visit then too.

Carlotta is growing so fast! We Skyped on Christmas morning & I was happy to see she is learning numbers & letters. She recognized the number 3 on her Dad's football shirt. I love her so much & love that she has never been afraid of me! That was a fear of mine when I realized T would never live very close to me. I didn't want to be a stranger to my grandkids. I'm getting excited for February!

T continues to do well in her job w/GUIV magazine in her city. She's always so excited about the assignment she's working on & can't wait for the next one. She has become very artistic since leaving home in 2006. Painting, drawing & crocheting are few things she does very well. Her husband, M, talks about interviewing for a job w/more normal hours. He currently does the overnight shift. We chipped in w/his parents to get him a nice suit to help in his endeavor.

The cats have returned to being normal w/each other. There was a time this year where I thought I may have to get rid of one or both because of their fighting. Turns out it was "displaced anger" and w/time & patience, they are normal again! Phew!

Our Monday nights w/our friends continue. I'm sorry there have been a few deaths in their family, but they continue on as the strong people they are!

No major new illnesses, no improvement of the ailments I already have, but that's my fault. I like to eat too much & not exercise very much. My in-laws sold their house in Nbpt & moved into an apartment owned by an old family friend who just happens to be dating the father of the kids in my Nanny Family #3! I haven't made it over there yet. Working 50 hours a week makes me exhausted faster than it once did. I rarely see 9pm anymore!

I guess that's a wrap! Happy New Year everyone!

My Collection

As a child, FPLP (Fisher Price Little People) were the toy of choice for me & my sisters. We could play for hours, indoors or out. We mostly chose the latter.

Playing outdoors also meant we could use the landscape as added playing spaces. The rock wall became a multi-level condo unit, for example. 

Being the youngest sister... at that time, meant 1st choice of the pieces I could claim as "mine," never happened! I tried to argue a few times about how I never got the motorcycle or the boy figure w/the sideways baseball cap. But after being tattled on for whining or arguing & getting punished, I never brought it up & played w/the other pieces, yet always wanting to play w/the "coveted" pieces!

I think that was why I began to collect my own FPLP pieces as a new mother. Sadly, after about 13 years or so of collecting, my kids never catching the FPLP bug & during a rough financial time, I sold the pcs on Ebay, making about $1500. It wasn't long before I regretted that choice.

Several years have passed. We are better off, financially, so I made a few purchases. This time around, I chose to only buy complete/almost complete sets & only the pieces I really, really wanted to play with as a child, but hardly got the chance.

I finished that collection...today! At least I think it's finished... we'll see!! YAY!

So, for inventory purposes:

These are original FPLP play pieces. Not the "chunky" style or the newer styles. These are the toys that consumers claimed could be swallowed by a child. I like to live on the edge!

• Western Town play set & extra horse (complete, though I'd love a silver star sheriff!)
• Fire house play set (complete w/box)
• Village play set (complete) sometimes called "Main Street" play set (needs original #4 mail piece)
• Camping play set (complete w/partial box) A motorcycle comes w/this set!
• Krazy Klown Kar set (complete w/a few extra clowns)
• Yellow House play set (complete)
• A-Frame play set (complete except for the dog. Also, handle is cracked, be careful) 
• 2 snowmobiles w/matching sleds & 2 people each (snowmobile skis come in both black & red!)
• 3 piece zoo tram w/zookeeper (blue body)
• Sesame Street figures & accessories, found a building at a thrift store! I need 6 rung white ladder.
• Goldilocks & The 3 bears pull toy w/plastic key
• Lace-Up Shoe w/Mother Hubbard, 4 shaped people & marshmallow dog (original red striped lace!)
• Castle, complete set except the harness is the incorrect one. 1 horse & dragon missing an ear.

I also have odds & ends which include... another motorcycle w/helmeted rider, race car w/driver, royal family w/knight, 2 types of baby figures, several other varieties of figures, vehicles, furniture & more.

I do not wish to collect garages, airports, schools, playgrounds.

If anyone reading this thinks they'd like to get me some FPLP pieces, I'm currently not looking for anymore FPLP... however, I wouldn't turn away of the following pieces: 

• 
  
• the zoo play set (minus the tram & zookeeper because I have those pcs already)
• Sesame Street Clubhouse play set w/accessories (I have all the figures)
• the white ladder for the Sesame Street Apartment play set (6 rung ladder only, please)
• Pool play set w/exclusive grill, diving board, slide, etc.

note: 

On 2/5/2015 I have just about completed the Hospital set! I have all the accessories (plus a few extra pcs) and I have the hospital building. What I don't have is the fold-down "floor/wall" of the set.

The accessories are: 2 doctors (white bodies & 1 doctor is African-American), 1 nurse w/mask, 1 baby w/NO BIB, 2 turquoise twin beds, 2 turquoise square chairs, X-ray machine, scale, operating table, sink, crib, ambulance w/gurney, privacy screen & 4 people (dad, mom, girl & boy)

OK, thanks for indulging me w/my ramblings about my collection! I do believe I am done... unless you send me some more! Thanks!

6/19/2015 update: Impulse buy! I found on eBay, with box, a complete MCDONALDS!