The One-Handed Cheerleader Baby

I was just telling S yesterday how Felisa loves baby dolls. Bella likes her animal babies - Care Bear, Simba, Ginger... but isn't really into the baby dolls as much. Felisa on the other hand loves them! Yesterday she brought the two biggest ones with us in the car. This morning she made a discovery... the one-handed cheerleader baby. It was in the trash can in my "office". Some relative of mine (we always called her Grandma Goldie though I am unsure of the exact relation) made her for me. She is a crocheted cheerleader doll with a green and white outfit and an H on the chest. Her head is plastic with yellow yarn hair. Her hands are plastic also. So anyway, I have had this doll for many years now (since about age 10 probably). It has been in a plastic storage bin in the carport since we moved in. Also in this bin was my pictures of the trip to Europe when I was 16 and various award plaques (attendance award, etc) from school. The guilt of leaving those pictures in such precarious conditions eventually got to me so I brought it inside a couple months ago. The pictures are none worse for the wear (whew!). The cheerleader's left hand fell off. I haven't even unwrapped the plaques.

So what should I do with the broken doll? Should I save it because someone made it for me? Someone I didn't even know very well? I debated for awhile then decided to offer it on freecycle - maybe someone else could use a dusty green H cheerleader doll with a hand that tends to fall off. Then I wouldn' t feel bad because at least it was being loved by someone else. But - surprise, surprise! - there were no takers. So I decided to just go ahead and toss it. So there it was in the trash can in my corner waiting to go out (it has been there for a couple weeks already!) when Felisa spied it. And immediately adopted it as her own. And I suppose I am happy that someone is loving it. She definitely doesn't mind that the doll only has one hand and I don't mind that the doll still lives here after all. Though I may change my mind after I pick it up and put it away for the thousandth time... And as for those plaques... I have no idea what to do with them!