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In An Envelope…

November 17, 2009 by Joy the Baker 106 Comments

School Days 

Here’s a fun fact:  my Mom is a scrapbooker.  She’s a serious scrapbooker.  She’s got the paper cutters, the corner choppers, the fancy albums and colorful background paper… there are stickers…. so so many stickers.  She’s for real.  Scrapbooking is the new rubber stamping.  Remember the rubber stamp craze!?  Yea, we’ve moved on.  Scrapbooking. 

I went to my parents’ house a few days ago to find these envelopes gracing the brick fireplace.  The envelope in front had my name on it.  I was hoping for an early Christmas stocking.  Boy oh boy did I get it.  Among other darling and embarrassing photos of myself, I found a chronological history of my school days.  From preschool to high school.  Every cute, awkward and downright horrifying picture.  

Now.  Because I don’t know any better.  Because I’m certifiably batty… allow me to share with you preschool through seventh grade.  The later, more awkward years will follow, and we’ll all cry. 

School Days 

Though she will deny it, my Mom gave me this haircut herself.  I remember very well.  Even at four, I knew how ridiculous I looked.  

School Days 

First grade.  Somehow I think I rise above this bowl haircut.  

School Days 

Second grade.  That tiny headband is failing…. big time.  Nice frock.  I would totally rock that these days. Is that weird?  That’s weird. 

School Days 

Nice corner fading third grade!  I feel like there are some serious adult teeth hiding out in that mouth.  

School Days 

Oooh yes.  Full of teeth.   You have to grow into your teeth.  It’s true.  It’s like puppies with big paws.  Should I tell you how much I loved this Cinco de Mayo dress with matching hair ribbon?  Yes.  A lot.  

School Days 

Mixed girl hair is a hard thing.  It wants to be curly.  It wants to be straight.  It wants to ruin your life.  What are you going to do?  Button your shirt all the way up and hope for the best. 

School Days 

a)  Why do the school photographers make you look in the ceiling corner.  It’s awkward.  

b)  I thought this shirt was so clever.  I was right.  

School Days 

Oooh Joy .  Triangle hair.  So short.  So much volume.  I wish I could have gone back in time to tell you everything would work out ok… but the truth is that you’ve got some seriously awkward years ahead of you.  Yeesh. 

Enjoy the kitchen intermission.  Laugh at me.  Please… go on… laugh.  If your Mom is a scrapbooker, you might not want to laugh as hard.  Your time for an embarrassing envelope will come. 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kelly Taylor

    November 18, 2009 at 12:18 pm

    Oh geez! I think I have it worse than scrapbooks. My mom has every stinking photo of me from K-12th grade framed on the wall going upstairs to the second floor. Size 8×10!! Talk about embarassment when friends and boyfriends come over! My husband still makes fun of me and remembers the first time he saw “the wall!” Atleast I have two sisters that have to deal with the same pain!

    Reply
  2. Jenny

    November 18, 2009 at 11:11 am

    I’m going to dig up the picture of me in 2nd grade with big tears in my eyes and braids brought up on both sides like puppy dog tails – why oh why?

    Reply
  3. Sarah Jackson

    November 18, 2009 at 8:52 am

    Ummm, you’re a Jackson. That’s all there is to it.

    -Sarah

    Reply
  4. Millie

    November 18, 2009 at 1:42 am

    Oh Joy, those pictures were awesome! Very cute! I agree with the mixed girl hair being horrid. Mine is constantly frizzy and to make matters worse, I had the huge plastic glasses up until high school. lol! Thank you so much for sharing! =)

    Reply
  5. Terresa Wellborn

    November 18, 2009 at 12:47 am

    In the last school pic, you are looking very much like Lucy from the movie, “The lion the witch & the wardrobe.”

    yeah, school picts. don’t know why our parents forced us to take school pictures but everyone else was, too. The blind following the blind kind of thing.

    Now that I have 3 kids school age, no, we don’t have them do school picts. Not when our friends, uber-good photographers, take much much much much (X 1 billion) pictures.

    Reply
  6. Jackie

    November 17, 2009 at 11:36 pm

    That was fun. In my forth grade photo I’m wearing the ugliest shirt ever made. It had a farm pattern which was repeated all over the shirt. The worst part about it was that my Mom loved it so much that my sister’s fourth grade picture was in the same shirt.

    Reply
  7. Lisa

    November 17, 2009 at 10:18 pm

    At least the evidence of your childhood hair and fashion missteps are contained within an envelope and scrapbook (or would have been..lol)..my mother has a wall of shame and takes great pride in framing our more unfortunate moments for the whole world to see!!! :)
    Great entry :)

    Reply
  8. Hope

    November 17, 2009 at 9:24 pm

    Hahaha! Love the photos….remind me so much of mine…except my mother saved nothing so I don’t have any school pictures to look at anymore? You didn’t get photos in front of the wagon wheel? haha! I thought every kid in America had to deal with the ugliness of the wagon wheel.

    Reply
  9. Stiffler

    November 17, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    it’s always fun to look at old school photos.

    Reply
  10. Erika from The Pastry Chef At Home

    November 17, 2009 at 9:08 pm

    Joy, you were beautiful right from the beginning. You have those big cartoon Bambi eyes! My sister has big lovely eyes like that as well.

    Your school photos remind me a lot of mine – except my mom allowed me to style myself (including hair accessories) for my school photos so every year I look all kinds of CRRAZY.

    Reply
  11. Catherine

    November 17, 2009 at 7:35 pm

    Thanks so much for the kind comment on my blog today. You have made my day! I feel like I need to blog about Joy the Baker checking out my humble blog. And how cool that it was the day I posted your Root Beer Float Cake. Thanks again!

    Reply
  12. Lori

    November 17, 2009 at 6:36 pm

    i LOVE this. glad you shared :)

    Reply
  13. Jamie

    November 17, 2009 at 5:59 pm

    Thank you for the picture parade. I just recently went through all my grade school pictures and cringed the whole time-but its days like those that keep you humble and remind you that even that icky guy I work with probably has horrific grade school photos too.

    Dont worry, my 5th-8th grade pictures include a horrible poddle perm on my very fine very blonde hair….ugh

    Reply
  14. Pip

    November 17, 2009 at 5:59 pm

    Wow..I have the almost EXACT same photo as the last one you posted. Pink shirt, gold chain, slowly coming down from enormous hair hair, blue background. Crazy! Mine is circa 1992 I think!

    Reply
  15. Rita

    November 17, 2009 at 5:25 pm

    Last Thurs, Nov 12, I met your mom on a flight from LA to Denver. We chatted for the whole 2.5hr flight — what a delightful lady. Your dad was sleeping so didn’t get a chance to visit with him.
    She of course, suggested I look at your blog — a very proud mom indeed.

    You do have a very fun site and I look forward to reading much of it.

    Rita, Gunnison, CO

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      November 18, 2009 at 1:21 am

      Rita! That’s so sweet! I’m so glad you stopped by to say hello! Lovely! My Dad is a habitual napper… too bad you didn’t get to chat with him too… he’s pretty hilarious!

      Reply
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