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.

Elizabeth's birthday week

Yard panorama--out the south and west doors

I took these photos yesterday after we finished mowing. I ran a riding mower (Judy's)for the first time and was so amazed at how much time it saves. Wow. We finished in under two hours what it would have taken me three or four partial days to finish. That's because I can't keep it up for more than an hour or so with the push mower. :-) John mowed all the slopes and down in the gully.
It looks SOOOO nice to me. I have a view now, although I do get sad when we trim off the skirts of the spruce and firs.
The concrete blocks are still there, waiting for more foundation work....Don't tell Judy but I feed the chipmunks there. They sit on top the blocks sometimes and "chip" at me. Judy tells the cats to eat them. I yell at them if they do. The circular mark is from the little pool. And see how huge the raspberries are. John C. wants to put the hardy kiwi on an arbor north of the raspberry, strawberry, herb bed.
It looks as though nothing is blooming in one of the garden beds but the hydrangeas are really pretty. The lilies were incredible but are mostly finished and the roses are rebudding. The Knockout double pink had been really full of bloom. The luna hibiscus will start blooming soon and keep going until frost.
For some reason I seem to be trying to clean the upstairs bedroom and start the painting in Elizabeth's room on the same day. The paint is a Laura Ashley color "Cream Rose" in a Diamond Vogel paint. The closet is "Rosewater", also by Laura Ashley. The walls, however, will be so much lighter. I had a hard time distinguishing the new paint from the Dogwood White which was there. It does dry pinker and is a brighter color. I had great plans to take down the shelf in that room and buy a fairly large curio cabinet that is at Farm King. However, I realized that it's glass to the floor and maybe not grandchild friendly. :-{ So, I'm trying to figure out another home for the Ginny dolls. The old china cabinet in the kitchen and the old secretary desk/bookshelf (which has no glass now anyway) can both smell musty in humid weather so that's a no go.

JT is three!!!

We would have loved to share in JT's birthday party in Kenosha if we hadn't had a big show in Des Moines.
John J. did a great job of getting organized for the party. Some friends/neighbors enjoyed a cookout with JT. Looks like the hot dogs and pickles were a hit. Then, he played with new sand toys at the park (love the background of this park :-) and had a skype visit with Elizabeth and Brent who "shared" some cake and ice cream and the opening of a gift.

ArtFest Midwest--Pella

So, is going to the ArtFest Midwest just an excuse to stop in Pella at the Jarsma Bakery?? Hmmm... Well, we only stop about once a year. I also got raspberry strudel...
The ArtFest was a fairly good show this year. Slightly under last year, which isn't bad considering the economy. Lt. Gov. Patty Judge spoke at the show. She's a big supporter of the arts and she visited most of the artists for a brief chat. I was able to get a few photos of her speaking and talking with John.
I also got a photo of John with the featured Iowa Artists sign.

Father's Day Weekend

What a busy but fun weekend. We had an early 3rd birthday party for JT, who arrived with his Daddy on Friday night. Then Sunday was both Father's Day and the Snake Alley Art Fair.
JT woke up when he came in on Friday night and we told him that tomorrow would be a busy day and that we would go out early to pick raspberries and strawberries but that he would have to go to sleep and wait until it was light. Well, it WAS light at 6:45 so out we went! :-) We got several raspberries and the two ripe strawberries on my new everbearings. He later ate raspberry pancakes, raspberries, a whole kiwi, and some ham!
We then had to check out some of grandpa's new toys and get out the trains. :-)
John Wayne, Cindi, and Nathan arrived later on Saturday so they were there for the picnic. I had made the "Thomas" train cake on Friday and was proud of it, even if the frosting was too soft to pipe well. JT seemed to enjoy it! :-) He was so excited about playing that he could hardly stop to open presents. He got a train repair shop, a train signal set, Thomas poster, and a clear clock which gets put together with colored gears--from Grandma and Grandpa. Then he also received a circus train, talking Thomas, tropical fish floor puzzle, wind up boat (which he played with all the way home), fish squirter, books, hanging train card......
JT was up early again on Sunday, at about 6:15. Grandpa left just before 6 (he overslept) and that probably woke him up. We went out to check the cherry tree and I picked some cherries. JT wanted a taste but these were pie cherries so I quickly switched for some Bing cherries that were in the fridge. :-) We had cherry pancakes for breakfast. We were at the art fair, with a phenomenal parking place, before 11. It was a very humid and hot day. Doing anything made you red faced and sweaty and I think Dad had a bit too much. Sales were fairly good though and Dad won the Committee Spirit Award. That was an honor, although we teased him quite a bit. "I've got spirit, how bout you?" Dad also appreciated all the calls from those of you who weren't able to be home. :-)
I was excited to get a 1948 Eloise Wilkin Little Golden Book at the antique booths. (And a bunny book for JT). I also got a Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee plate in burgundy and gold. Each at a quite reasonable price.
As usual, it was sad to see John and JT get in the car and leave. They had a safe trip back, however, and JT will be with Daddy on Wed and get to play with his new toys.
WE HOPE ELIJAH FEELS BETTER!!! 105.4 is a little too outstanding!!!