the gift

Christmas shopping has begun! Well, not really, but kinda. lol I took the girls to the museum on Saturday and they had these playsets by PlanToys (they make green toys). There was a doll house, farm, tree house, recycling center etc. It was all made of wood and very simple, but there was great detail in all of it. Little drawers in the dressers that slid out, little pillows on the beds, little place mats on the kitchen table, itty bitty shovels and pails, jackets and hats for the little people who were made from wood and rope. I thought it was adorable and after I watched Maddie play with it for 40 minutes straight (the child doesn't do anything for 40 minutes straight!) I knew that I wanted to get a set for the girls. So, I looked on line.....and discovered that a house alone costs anywhere from $120-$150, and that doesn't include the furniture inside. Each room of furniture (approx. 4-6 pieces) costs about $20 as does a family of 4. Well, that was a nice thought. There was no way that I was going to spend that much money on a doll house! Then I went to my boyfriend Craig's website (also known as craiglist.....and he's not really my boyfriend *wink*) and found someone selling their PlanToys dollhouse. She had the chalet house, a family of 7, convertible sports car, children's bedroom, dining room, living room, patio set, playground, master bedroom, pet and accessory set, nursery set. I priced it all out, and all that costs nearly $400!!!! But I got it all for $150!!! Some people seriously don't know how much they could be getting for the things they sell on craigslist. The whole set is practically brand new.....the woman told me she bought it for her daughter when she turned 2 and that she never played with it. They put it away and then brought it out again when she turned 3 and she decided it was an "old" toy and she didn't want to have anything to do with it. Did I mention that the people I bought it from lived in a mansion in Chapel Hill and only had one child? Spoiled maybe? Anyway....their loss is our gain, and I am so super excited to give this doll house to the girls for Christmas! And just so you really understand how excited I am, I actually took it out and set some of it up today during nap time just so I could touch all the little furniture and arrange the rooms! Excited. The best part is that it can totally grow with them. As they get bigger, we can buy other accessories to go with it.....little pots and pans for the kitchen, a vegetable garden for the backyard, clothing for the little people and there is always the option of getting the farm, or tree house, or recycling center down the road as well. I am so glad that I have craigslist to find good deals on things because otherwise I would never have bought this cool doll house. I'm also really thankful that I have an awesome husband who understands my obsession with finding deals, and the speed at which I must act to get said deals. Thanks honey! :)

Here's the PlanToys website in case you want to check out their stuff!
PlanToys