Baby, you're gonna love this ...

When I was a little girl I absolutely loved looking through boxes of jewelry. I always asked my mom, grandmother and great aunt to pull out their gems so I could sit and try them on and obsess over them. Secretly wishing that they would hand over their diamonds to a messy, careless eight year old with no sense of responsibility or knowledge of value. I usually walked away empty handed but on occasion I would be given a strand of cheap beads or a gaudy cocktail ring that had no sentimental value to its old owner. And I LOVED these days.

I have remained a jewelry bug. My grandmother worked for a jeweler for many years and would bring home boxes and bags of fashion jewelry for me all the time. (And now my friend, Elisha, does the same for me!) I still get so excited each time. I always save some favorites, even after I outgrow  them. Each time I would buy or be gifted a jewelry box I would keep my old ones and the gems inside. In the back of my mind I think I was always saving it for my baby girl. Before I knew I would ever have her.

Scarlett may not know it but she already has a little collection of her own. I put aside a Hello Kitty tin and a Scooby Doo music box just for her. Inside- ankle bracelets, rings, a watch, necklaces, charms and even some flavored lip glosses - because I remember my mother having this orange flavored lip balm that I never could get enough of - I can still smell it.

I really hope she enjoys junk jewelry as much as her mama does. One day she'll ask to see my jewelry and I'll say, "Let's look at your jewelry!" She'll be able to wear these "gems" that very second and I won't care a lick if she loses one in the yard ...or on a sailboat. (Still sorry about your wedding band, Mom...)