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Our Third Generation Playhouse

So, there is this playhouse up in the mountains, alongside a little hill, surrounded by huge Oak and Pine trees.  It’s our little playhouse…for the past 3 generations.  My Grandpa Don made it for my mom and my aunt when they were little girls in Jacksonville, CA with a lovely avocado green exterior and little pink stove that matched my grandmothers life size one.  With a scalloped trim and a wood shingle roof it was Trina’s & Karrie’s special little home.

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Then they moved, and of course the little playhouse moved with them, where it sat on top of a little hill in their backyard.

Then we came along…Justin, Mallory, Kelsey and Michael.  We’d run up the steep grassy slope to the playhouse, which was by now empty of all original furniture, or any furniture for that matter, but we loved it just the same.  It was our little hideaway at Grandma and Grandpa’s.  I vividly remember being dared to sit on a cactus in that playhouse on top of that little hill, which of course I did.

Then Grandma & Grandpa moved again, and of course the playhouse moved too. But this time we were gifted handcrafted furniture from my grandpa, pictures for the walls, lace curtains, pretend food and a brass kettle for our little stove.  It was once again transformed into a special little home…our little home.

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Then we grew up, sadly as all children must do and my grandparents gifted all the playhouse furniture my grandpa made to some children up the hill.  I, at 20 something years old was immediately transformed into a 10 year old girl who was super upset that my playhouse was now a garden shed!  Did anyone ask the playhouse if it wanted to be a garden shed?!

But wait, it ends happy.

Present day and we now have children of our own, who have ran up and around the playhouse but never inside, because it was full of wood.  But a wonderful neighbor gifted us with a darling wood set of furniture filled to the brim with pretend food and dishes and we convinced Grandma and Grandpa to return the “garden shed” back to it’s former glory as a wonderful little home…for the third generation of children to call their own.

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So this last weekend we drove up the hill to Groveland and set to work clearing out the wood and tools and spiderwebs and instead filling it with lace curtains, furniture and memories. Yes, I know…all sentimental. I’m pretty sure the adults had just as much fun as the kids setting it all up and turning it back into a little home alongside the hill. We still were waiting for a table and chair set, so we ran down to the local thrift store and got that great wood shelf, a TV tray table and some vintage linen napkins!   My grandmother, my mother and I sat on the playhouse porch as my kids concocted all sorts of delicious plastic treats and tea for us and Liam worked hard to rake all the pine needles so there was nice path for bare little feet to walk on.

The kids asked the next day when we would be able to go back up to play in their playhouse on the hill and I can’t wait either! I really hope this sweet little house continues on through generations to come!
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Comments 1

  1. I remember playing in that playhouse in Sonora with Trina and Karrie, we had such fun in it. I wondered what happened to it every time I drove by their old house. Glad to hear it is back in service for Trina’s grandkids!

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