January Girl And My Favorite Piece of Furniture

I can probably count on one hand the amount of things I have leftover from my childhood. The few things I do still have are very special to me. Among my favorites is this little January figurine that represents my birthday month. I didn't know much about her until I started working on this post. Now I think I'm starting a collection! After some searching on the internet today I've found her sisters December and August. I think it will be sweet to have the whole set someday.

I've had Miss January for as long as I can remember. My mom thinks she bought her at a local drug store in the early '80s. If you look closely, you can see that she has been glued back together in a few places. That's ok. I still love her. I have picked up a few scars over the years as well. I normally keep her on a shelf in one of the guest rooms, but as you might have guessed, January is her month to shine. This month she is proudly displayed in the entryway just inside our front door atop my favorite piece of furniture - a buffet we bought at a cute secondhand store a few years ago.

It's funny how I use my infertility journey as a calendar of sorts. I remember how we went shopping to buy that buffet after our third miscarriage in 2004. We were feeling very discouraged about the news and it prompted us to do two things - get out for some neighborhood shopping one evening, and plan a trip to New England. The shopping trip resulted in what I consider one of the best purchases we've ever made. I love this buffet, and I love to decorate it each season with favorite dishes, figurines, and photographs. Also, the inside holds so much stuff! I have candles in one drawer, placemats, cloth napkins, and table runners in another, and other decorative odds and ends in another. The cabinets hold vases, a punch bowl, and tons of seasonal decorations. It's easy to change stuff out as the year moves along. At Christmas its top is completely full but other months it displays just a few precious things. (Click here to see a picture of it decorated at Easter with my favorite antique teacups.)

Last month I didn't think I could fit a single extra thing on the buffet. Now it's January. It's my birthday month and it's a time for new beginnings and fresh starts. I have only a few special things on the buffet this month: a table runner made by Chuck's grandmother and some plates and glasses she gave me a few years ago that look like Depression Glass; an antique postcard given to me by one of my dearest friends, postmarked on my birthday (January 25) but in 1910; and of course, my January girl is front and center. I even found a cute little pedestal for her to stand on.

I love decorating with sentimental things from around the house. It's just a simple thing, but it makes me happy.