how our playhouse came to be "ours"...

(not a great pic but the best i could do, as it is raining:D)

i was over at EMMA-KATE'S site admiring her kids' new playhouse (cubby). it took me back in time (the fall of 2000) to when our playhouse came to be, well, er... "ours".
unlike the one emma-kate's children enjoy via "the best dad and grandpa in the world", ours came to be "ours" quite by mistake. the now notorious friend, D, and i had volunteered to help with our HABITAT FOR HUMANITY's local auction, which we did every year before she jumped our 'flag ship' and moved to florida. (sorry about the bitter digression)... note to self, "stay on topic!!!"...
anyway HFH had had this darling playhouse on display for nearly a month before the auction. john and i had both commented on how cute it was, and we both mentioned that we would have loved to have had it when katherine was younger. she would have had a blast with all her BITTY BABIES and kitchen appliances in it. but, that time had passed as she was a pre-teen.
well, the night of the auction, d and i were doing our thing, presenting each item, respectively, upon which to be bid. picture barker's beauties (the price is right) gone lucy and ethel (we being the latter doing the former job, HA!). all was going pretty quickly, and we were really busy. the time came for the playhouse to be auctioned. i heard the auctioneer describing it, making reference to it's location outside, and offering a starting price.
during that time, i had my head under one of the far tables pulling out several of the next few things that were going to be actioned so that d and i would be ahead in the scheme of things. i recall the auctioneer asking if there were any other bids.
"SOLD!!!" he exclaimed.
i was still working under the table when d walked over and said, "john just bought that playhouse for katherine."
"what???" i replied. "no, he didn't..." i continued.
"yes, he did!!!" she said.
i came out from under the table, looked around at the table were john was sitting, and saw him sitting there with his face between his hands with an 'oh, ish!!!' look on his face.
HE REALLY BOUGHT THE PLAYHOUSE!!! WHY???
i walked over to the table as everyone was giggling. d, of course, was lhao:DDDDD
"did you really buy that house???" i asked.
"uh, yeah, i think i did..." he replied.
"why???" i asked.
"well, the auctioneer started and was trying to get an opening bid; and i thought i'd help him out by starting... yada... yada... yada..." he continued.
john is known (though i know better)for being conservative... hence the giggling, lol!!! but, we didn't need nor want a playhouse. our one and only, katherine elizabeth, had already outgrown it???
it didn't matter, we had a new playhouse (a darling playhouse), and john was the hero of the auction!!!
"hero???" you ask.
oh, yeah, i forgot to add. when the auctioneer started auctioning the playhouse, he, as they always do, started with a rather high-end request (basically what they would like to get for the item up for auction). well, my john went right along with him and helped him by offering up what he wanted for the opening bid!!! and, guess what... you guessed it!!! no one bid against him.

the playhouse has/does added/add a lot of character to our back yard, though, still!!! ROTFLMAO:DDDD

love and blessings,
dani