My Long Awaited Erev Shabbat Present

Thirty-three years ago my family returned to the States from living in Bankok, Thailand after almost four years. While living there I had begun to collect dolls from all over southest Asia.

Very soon it became a hobby. Not a serious one, really. But whenever any of my relatives or friends would travel to another country, I would ask for a doll. When my Auntie Doe passed away (or maybe it was before, because she never had any boys), I inherited all her storybook dolls. Collectors items, for sure.

While in Thailand, my parents had a beautiful teak wood doll cabinet made for my dolls and shipped it to the states with the rest of our Thai furniture. (I am sure there is a great story behind the making of the doll cabinet, but I'll have to ask my parents for that one.)

The cabinet was glass on three sides, with bamboo looking wood. The only part I never liked was that it was painted yellow. It made its way from Thailand to Maryland - three moves there, then to Boston - three or four moves there, and then onto Israel. Glass still in tact and only small peices of paint chipped off.

In our rental home here in Israel, I used the cabinet for office storage, never unpacking my dolls. When we moved to our new home, we called an old high school friend of Ari's, who now lives in Israel and calls himself "The Furniture Doctor," to take the cabinet and finally have it stripped of the ugly yellow paint and refinish to it's natural wood. It was not going to be a cheap process, but I couldn't keep the yellow on it any longer.

The last time I saw it was four months ago.

On Erev Shabbat this past week, they finally brought it back. I turned my head as they took it out of the truck and brought it inside. The cabinet had made it this far, I couldn't bare to watch! I had vacuumed and washed the floor where it would be placed. I had been waiting a long time to finally be able to display my dolls.

The best Erev Shabbat present in a very long time!

The cabinet is beautiful! I am so pleased with how it turned out. It's a dark stain, but you can still see the wood grain. DB quickly put the shelves in and found one single doll to place inside until I unpack the rest. The cabinet is in a prominent place, right inside the front entry way to the house.

Like my Grandma Rose's china cabinet, my doll cabinet has made it to it's final resting place!

After I unpack my winter clothes, I will do the same for my dolls.

It will be a reunion of sorts.

You are all invited to come see!