My parents recently re-did the downstairs bathroom in their house. Growing up, we always called it the "blue bathroom" because it had blue tile and blue (shudder) wallpaper. It was the bathroom we kids always used, which means that it was in a sorry state by the time my parents got around to fixing it up.
Re-done, it looks much better. I did my part by putting in a new faucet. That's what happens when you brag about your skillz on the internet - your parents put you to work when you come visit. As part of installing the faucet, my sister and I cleaned out the cupboards in the vanity and discovered a veritable gold mine of forgotten adolescent toiletry treasures.
There was all the normal stuff like old nail polish and eye shadow in garish shades only a pre-teen would try, but there were some gems as well.
First, there was the collection of hair clips from when I was around 10 or 11 years old (I'm trying not to remember too hard because if I do, I might realize that I was older). I went through a phase where the only hairstyle I would do was a "ponytail with some hair out," also known as a half-ponytail. These were my favorite clips to use:
I think the ugliest ones are the third one from the left (it reminds me of sparkly golden dog poo for some reason) and the cast iron metalwork one right next to it. That thing is so heavy that I remember having trouble getting it to stay in my hair.
Actually, the last two items in that picture are the second treasure we found. Those two little dollies are actual earrings that I actually wore in sixth grade. How my earlobes didn't get all stretched out, I have no idea. I thought they were the cutest thing at the time, but now I'm simply mortified that I ever wore them. Last night, I gave them to Miriam to play with, but they will never again be used as earrings, I promise.
Then my sister and I stumbled upon something really mysterious:
Do any of you know what this is? Teresa and I didn't, at least not immediately. And it turns out that that is not even the most pressing question. The real question is not what it is, but rather why it was preserved for posterity in our bathroom cabinet.
Also, who is Sally J.? While searching for clues as to the item's purpose, I discovered that written on the bulb in childish handwriting was the name "Sally J." Who she is and why she left her...thing...here is anyone's guess.
In case you haven't figured it out, the mystery item is an old-school breast pump. Its design doesn't seem that effective to me, but my mom says that's what they used back in the day. That still doesn't really answer the question of why it was hanging out in our bathroom cabinet, but that issue will have to wait. I'm still working on figuring out Sally J.
Re-done, it looks much better. I did my part by putting in a new faucet. That's what happens when you brag about your skillz on the internet - your parents put you to work when you come visit. As part of installing the faucet, my sister and I cleaned out the cupboards in the vanity and discovered a veritable gold mine of forgotten adolescent toiletry treasures.
There was all the normal stuff like old nail polish and eye shadow in garish shades only a pre-teen would try, but there were some gems as well.
First, there was the collection of hair clips from when I was around 10 or 11 years old (I'm trying not to remember too hard because if I do, I might realize that I was older). I went through a phase where the only hairstyle I would do was a "ponytail with some hair out," also known as a half-ponytail. These were my favorite clips to use:
I think the ugliest ones are the third one from the left (it reminds me of sparkly golden dog poo for some reason) and the cast iron metalwork one right next to it. That thing is so heavy that I remember having trouble getting it to stay in my hair.
Actually, the last two items in that picture are the second treasure we found. Those two little dollies are actual earrings that I actually wore in sixth grade. How my earlobes didn't get all stretched out, I have no idea. I thought they were the cutest thing at the time, but now I'm simply mortified that I ever wore them. Last night, I gave them to Miriam to play with, but they will never again be used as earrings, I promise.
Then my sister and I stumbled upon something really mysterious:
Do any of you know what this is? Teresa and I didn't, at least not immediately. And it turns out that that is not even the most pressing question. The real question is not what it is, but rather why it was preserved for posterity in our bathroom cabinet.
Also, who is Sally J.? While searching for clues as to the item's purpose, I discovered that written on the bulb in childish handwriting was the name "Sally J." Who she is and why she left her...thing...here is anyone's guess.
In case you haven't figured it out, the mystery item is an old-school breast pump. Its design doesn't seem that effective to me, but my mom says that's what they used back in the day. That still doesn't really answer the question of why it was hanging out in our bathroom cabinet, but that issue will have to wait. I'm still working on figuring out Sally J.