Visit from Elizabeth and Brent

I know the bottom two photos don't go with this post but I love them and you can just enjoy the contrast of Sedona with our place!
We were so happy to have Brent and Elizabeth for lunch on Saturday. Brent came down to see his family here before flying home this morning. We know Elizabeth will miss him but hopefully Lizzy will be some company this school year, and they'll see each other at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring break. Lizzy certainly seems entertaining and energetic enough to make herself good company. She either thinks she's a puppy or a flying squirrel!!

Elizabeth's room

After our nice visit at Elizabeth's apartment, I went home and tried putting finishing touches on her room at home, now the pink guestroom/Elizabeth's room.
John C helped me by putting up the new blinds and fixing the loose curtain rod. Mom let me switch a walnut table in my green guestroom for her vintage table in her blue guestroom. This table was purchased from our neighbors, the Wisdoms, in TX, when I was a little girl. I'm not sure what wood it is but it matches in color the mahogany vanity that was my grandmother's and which Elizabeth has always used.
So, here are photos of the newly redone room. I want to add a narrow shelf over the bed and my "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose" poster to the empty wall.
I guess I don't have photos of the other end of the room but the walnut rocker, my great grandmother's, is just inside the door and behind the door is the white wicker child's set of chair and loveseat. They'll get new cushions of green and cream polka dot fabric and the bed is to sometime get a quilt with that fabric, the valance and dust ruffle fabric, and at least two more.

Mom and I to see Elizabeth

I was really happy that Mom agreed to go with me to see Elizabeth, and take Lizzy to her new owner. And not just because I might need help with the cat! I don't remember that I ever took mom to Kalona, which is on the way and so much fun to visit!
Lizzy was a great traveler and it was a mild day so our brief stops at the various country stores didn't bother her.
We stopped first at the General Store. I love the assortment of items here. Everything from straw hats and suspenders and ladies unmentionables to housewares and baked goods. Mom got some dish towels and cookies for Brent and I got fresh bread and eggs for Elizabeth, and chocolate covered pecans for mom and me and maybe some to share. :-)
Mom enjoyed seeing the Amish buggies outside and interacting with the young woman who checked us out.
I went back to the highway to drive through Kalona on our way to Hwy 1 and the Stringtown grocery. Mom got to see some more buggies and more Amish farms.
The Stringtown grocery has an amazing assortment of goods in bulk, a walk in refrigerator run by a generator, and some housewares, herbal remedies, and baked goods. We bought a coffecake, spices, dried parsley, and peaches. Next time I go I hope to get butter, too.
Next we went on to the cheese factory and bought some smoked cheeses. So, Elizabeth had some goodies for the week.
I was fun to see my little girl :-) after she spent the summer away!

Doll Update

I received Meg (in lavender gingham, bottom photo) and Josephine (largest doll in white in center photo) dolls this week. Empress Josephine, not Little Women Jo. I suspected they might be in worse shape than described as they were cheap--and because I won the bid. :-)
Meg was described as Excellent but needing her apron washed. Josephine was described as missing her arms and needing her dress washed. A stain all over the front of that dress was evident in the photos but Meg looked clean and with her hair down over her shoulders. Hmm.
Meg arrived very dirty and when I first looked at the eyes I was upset enough to think of sending her back. They were quite dirty and looked cloudy as well. Her hair was in a net and still fairly well set so I don't see how the listed photo could match up. Josephine, as expected, had no arms and had a stained dress but otherwise was beautiful.
The first step was to put the clothes in a bowl to soak. Then I rinsed Meg's hair with water alone. I didn't want to use Windex as I've never done that with a Madame Alexander and wanted to start with the least treatment necessary. I washed her with a mild cleaner and wiped the face and eyes. The eyes looked so bad that I actually spritzed them with an antibacterial cleaner and wiped with a cloth sprayed with Windex, then rinsed. I set her to dry with a fan blowing on her face and hoped for the best.
Josephine was cleaned more vigorously as she had body stains. Her hair, face, and eyes, however, were very nice. Her headdress and her rhinestone necklace were cleaned in jewelry cleaner.
Josephine's dress came clean right away. Sadly, however the upper layer of the front had two places where the fabric had been rubbed and threads broken. The back had several such areas. And the under layer of the dress was full of holes. So, the hope of finding arm parts at a good price (lots of parts on ebay but there is usually lots of bid action) became almost moot. I may try to replace the under part of the dress and reweave the hole in the upper layer. Or, keep for parts...
Meg's apron, in back, had the worst stain, although it was faint. I think I got most of it out, finally. Her netted petticoat had about a one inch area where the lace was torn in half. That was mended, although it can't look as new as some was missing. I also had to reweave a small area of the cloth. Bummer.
The wonderful thing is that Meg's eyes, after another treatment with Windex and a fan blowing towards her for days, look quite nice now!
Also, here's a photo of the small curio cabinet I got for $5 at a yard sale. Caroline Kennedy is on the bottom shelf. I'm searching for an appropriate wig and body parts but may have to make a cloth body.

My Dolls

Dolls in the rocker are:
1. An Ideal Baby Big Eyes in a yellow Polly Flinders dress (her original top is folded on the chair arm--can't find the pj pants) which was mine when I was little. My mom reminds me that I wasn't always very nice to her. I reset her hair and gave her a little cheek color to even that out.
2. A Chatty Baby. She doesn't talk any more and her face and arms have whitened a bit. Her hair came out really nice after a Downy soak.
3. A modern Berenguer baby I got at a yard sale for $1.50.

The dolls by the mirror are:
1. An Effanbee which I think is from the Grand Dames series. I don't know which and she's probably missing her hat. I gave her some makeup as she was faded. Otherwise she's complete and her hair was super nice after a wash and condition. I got her for $3 at the pigeon show.
2. A porcelain Dolley Madison by Brinn's. Nice shape. Got it at a yard sale.
3. Sun Rubber company doll with molded clothes. I've had it for awhile and don't remember where I got it. Probably Old Threshers.
4. A Danbury Mint Shirley Temple. Several years old and purchased at Target.
alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502010712285670418" />All my cornhusk dolls which will probably have to move. Most are Nan's dolls from Old Threshers but a few are from Jude at Deutsch Country Days.
And my old Francie doll. It's the only old Barbie I still have. She has a bad ankle so I'm hoping to find a vintage outfit online which would include socks or tights.

Penny Brite who has had a remarkable transformation since I paid about $1 for her at a flea market. Her hair looks like new after a wash and Downy rinse. I got the replacement dress and bow on ebay for about $2.
Madeline from Las Vegas--present from John C.
Another Sun Rubber Co doll in back.
A modern china head made from Iowa clay and wearing a yellow dress which I got at Old Threshers years ago.
In the center in blue and white is the little 70's Ginny I got at the Mennonite thrift shop. She was really dirty and her hair was a wild bush.
Seated, in the colorful costume, is a New Bright Industries Bookcase Collectible doll, also purchased at the Mennonite thrift shop for $1. She was very dirty and her red apron was shredded and will be replaced. She's a Ginny clone and the delicate pleated trim on her sleeves is almost identical to the trim used on Mexico Ginny.
In the white gown, probably bridal, is a ATC doll, one of the many Storybook doll clones. She may be from as early as the 50's. Another thrift store.

On the short upper shelf:
Dolly, my hard plastic, unmarked doll from the early 50's. She had a stuffed body with a crier and rubber arms and legs and a reddish blond mohair wig. I've seen one on ebay which is in very good shape--beautiful!
Large china head is from an antique store in IL. I got it relatively cheaply because it was mended. The smaller china heads, some of which you can't see well, were found in the garden at Dodgeville (not sure about the medium one).
At the back is a half doll, also purchased cheaply because the head has been glued back on. I need to redo it with some better china mend.
Russian dolls from John Wayne.
And lying in front is a carved doll found along the foundation of the house Grandpa and Grandma rented on Flint Bottom. The carved neck fits in a hole in the torso so it moves. There were unmoving legs and there were small holes where possibly arms were pinned on. Very unusual and interesting.
On the other shelf: Ginny's
Three were purchased on ebay as dolls to dress and play with with grandkids. One is dressed in blue print fabric left after I made Elizabeth's interview dress for Li'l Miss Burlington. The blue with the straw hat and teddy and the white with the crown (Josephine) were purchased as a treat to myself at an antique mall. The one in yellow was so dirty and dull but washed up so nicely. I got her for about $5 at an antique mall at Mt. Pleasant.

In the center is the Madame Alexander Marmee which I bought at the last pigeon show for $2.50. Her eyes caught the light. They're fine. To her left is Jo. I got her in the mail yesterday. I will have a long hunt for reasonably priced Beth, Meg, and Amy.
On the left is the china head doll John C bought me for our first Christmas. She's sitting in a white wicker chair set made by Great Uncle George. Vivian and Inez gave me the velvet to make her dress. I also made the body and used repro hands and feet. John C meant her to be a surprise and was coming out of our second bedroom (Pammell Court) after he'd hidden it looking pleased as punch and wearing the sticker on his flannel shirt. I shoudn't have said anything but he'd have realized soon enough so I laughed. Oh dear! Seems so many Christmases after that somehow I accidently (REALLY) found or had delivered to me the present or the box or the bill.....

The dolls in the smaller rocker were carved by John C. He sold a few years ago and I wish he had time to try them again. And the one in the chair in the blue and white is a Zapf.
I think no one checks this so it doesn't matter that it's been awhile. So, I'm going to put on photos of my dolls, as I've recently gotten them all together and put them in the old secretary desk in the green guest room.