Esme's Cousin Alex

It is lunch time in the St. John household. Emme keeps nagging Basil that they need to get a longer table. The four little ones, Daniel Jim, Rowan, Riley and Jada have to squeeze together on the bench. Marley and Marybeth have to share a chair. Which is another problem. They don't have enough chairs for everyone.



Emme's finishing up at the range. Elissa is pouring coffee. Esme is feeding Ellery and Jessamyn. Which is another problem. They need a second highchair. Jessamyn is sharing crispy rice cereal with Silly Old Hound Dog.



To Esme's surprise, in comes her cousin Alex moving at her usual speedy pace. She has an important job as a municipal planner and is never without her briefcase or phone.

Alex just doesn't understand why Esme only wants to teach part-time at the nursery school. Or why Tyler spends so much time at home, when she has a busy modeling agency to manage. Or why Elissa works only two days a week in her medical practice. Or why Emme works Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at her interior design shop. And Sister Claus......Alex will never understand catering to any man the way Sister pampers Santa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alex is just right for stirring up some tension in Basil's happy life. And just right to give Matt some uncomfortable discussions with Elissa. And just right to give Esme's husband reason to stay away longer on his business/golf trip. And just right to keep Tyler's husband, the long-haul trucker, on the road. And absolutely perfectly right to give Santa cause to stay out in the barn currying the reindeer til long after Sister has fallen asleep...............

This set of doll dishes belonged to my grandfather's little sister. Aunt Bessie was born in 1907, so the dishes are probably 95 years old.