greenfruit

This is a locally-owned natural bath & body products store. My mom & sister went there and came back with rave reviews. I was given a bar of soap from here that is just wonderful and I can’t wait to try the products that I received as Christmas gifts.

From what I’ve been told, the man who runs it is really passionate about what he does and is very nice. He even gave my Mom a free product for no reason at all! They make all of their products above the store using all-natural ingredients. No artificial colors or fragrances are used and they do not test on animals. All of the products are completely vegetarian (but not vegan; they do use beeswax in some things and possibly honey). My Mom told me that after trying some of their products in the store, her hands were the softest they’ve ever been!

I think it’s important to support local businesses, especially really great businesses like this one.

I really loved this place as a kid. Cabbage Patch dolls were pretty big back then. I remember I first received one as a get-well present when I was 2 years old & sick in the hospital (I think it was 1984, maybe?). That started a near obsession with all things Cabbage Patch. When we found out that there was a museum/doll hospital & that it was located in our state, I had to go. We (meaning: me) liked it so much, that we went back with my younger sister several years later. She loved it just as much as I did. Thinking back on it now, as an adult…it seems kind of odd (at least to me). But I did choose “Worth Visiting” because I enjoyed it so much as a child.

What seems strange to me now is the live doll “births” that they perform for visitors. They have a make-believe cabbage patch that surrounds a big “magical” tree. Every so often (maybe every 30 minutes?), a loudspeaker lets everyone know that a birth is about to occur. A nurse (or possibly a doctor?) appears & examines one of the cabbages, mentioning how much it has “dilated.” It’s injected with some sort of “magical” substance (can’t remember the name) and then he/she delivers a new Cabbage Patch baby from the “mother” cabbage. The baby is turned upside down & patted on the bottom, it “cries”, and then it’s wrapped in a blanket & taken to the nursery to be placed in an incubator. They even have an Intensive Care section for “preemies.” Seriously. (no offense if this is your thing)

But if you are looking for something out of the ordinary (or if you’re a doll collector), this could be your cup of tea. Also, if you have kids that you think might like this sort of thing, chances are they probably will (I know we did!). By the way, a word of warning for parents: after the “birth”, the loudspeaker will announce that the newborn will now be up for adoption – but it’s not cheap (almost $200!). It might be a good idea to plan your counterattack early ;)

One more thing: in case you need to look it up, Babyland General Hospital is the official name of the place.