Chicago

It was great to see grandsons, sons, and Beth!!!

March doll news

I was so fortunate to win a cape and cap for my Anastasia on ebay. Only her cape (and shoes) was missing but I used the cap I won, also, as her original cap had a stretched out chin strap.
Below is another of the beautiful tablecloths my mother-in-law gave me recently. Enjoying the fine whitework are the Madame Alexander Little Women, the two 1950's walkers, the newer Madame Alexander, and a 1960's tubsy. We're getting ready for spring outfits or decorations and accessories.

Around the House

My father's mother made this quilt and my mother-in-law had it quilted for me by some Mennonite ladies in Kalona, Ia. She just gave it to me Saturday. The white blocks of the quilt are old sugar sacks and have a logo on the back side of some of the blocks.
She also gave me some beautiful old linens: tablecloths and runners, doilies, napkins. There's one set of 12 damask napkins. I was so excited about it all! :-)
I'm going to try and do a slide show of all my quilts.

Elizabeth and Bella

Elizabeth was home for two nights before flying to AZ for spring break. Bella seemed to recognize her instantly. Lizzie not so much. :-)
Elizabeth took Bella for a long walk down the lane and east of the pond. They ended up at Grandma Weyer's house for a visit complete with treats.

Bella

John finally found a puppy which met his requirements of being large and cold tolerant. Bella is a Newfoundland and is a really sweet girl. She's friendly, active, and is training pretty well. Newfoundlands are noted for their good temperment and for being the water rescue dog of Newfoundland fishermen. "Nana" in Peter Pan was a Newfoundland. And Emily Dickenson had one, also.





An owl photo:


This is a photo of a barred owl who paid one of our bird feeders a visit one morning. He left without a snack.

The March sisters give a Valentine's Party

The March sisters (Beth in pink, Jo in red, Amy in yellow, and Meg in lavender stripes) have invited three friends to a Valentine's Day party.
---FYI The earliest surviving Valentine was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife in the 15th century. By the early 1800's in England, paper Valentines were so popular that they were mass produced in factories. In the US they began to be mass produced in 1847. But, of course, many were homemade.



Jo, a 1968 bent knee Wendy face Madame Alexander, arrived by mail yesterday. I should have done a before photo of her all bent over to fit in a little box. Dust lay thickly on her hair and her apron. Her pale blue dress was aged brown and the blue only showed at the inner seams and along about 1/2" of the back hem. I rinsed the hair with water and washed her face. The clothes got a soak in a mix of Oxyclean and Borax. The dress now shows signs of having been pale blue, the red of the apron is more vivid, although there is permanent fading in the folds, and the undies are crisp. She is missing her shoes and socks and the jewel at the neck. Her little face has slightly darkened permanently but her eyes are a beautifully bright lighter brown and her dark curls are still in their set. And we know how outdoorsy Jo was so the tan is perfect for her.
Meg is also a bent knee doll and is prior to 1971. Her lavender striped dress was also dusty and the fabric could use some starch, but I hate to add something that is harmful long term. Her apron is an embossed print and that and the fact that it isn't a pinafore make it unusual. Her little black shoes have a red button.
Both these dolls have the flutter eyes.
Amy and Beth are straight leg dolls. They both have ribbon trim on their pantaloons which matches their dresses. Beth is a "mustache" Wendy. Amy has yellow eyelids. They both came in beautiful shape, in boxes. Beth was purchased at an antique store.

Joining the sisters at the party are a modern Wendy face doll in the dress I made as a Christmas dress (with green ribbon and undies) or a Valentine's Day dress (with red ribbon and undies). On the desk is a bent knee walker from the late 50's in a vintage Wendy-kins tucked dress and a straight leg walker from 1955 in her original peachy pink taffeta party dress and undies. The last two have flutter eyes, which means they flutter when the doll is tipped slightly. Those three and Jo all need shoes!
I really like the older 50's and 60's dolls and love the variation of the Little Women sets.
I paid under $8 for two and $15 for the most expensive, so my hobby isn't too extravagant and I could sell most of these for more than I paid.

Merry Christmas 2010

We had a wonderful Christmas!! We really enjoyed time with the members of the family who were able to be here (and really missed those who couldn't be).
A Christmas Eve snow set the scene, falling thickly as Elizabeth, my mom, and I went to the Christmas Eve service. Christmas Day was quiet as we postponed the big family dinner until two more families could be there.
It was so much fun to have the house full of little boys. The Thomas trains got good use, and later the Jeep came in for a visit, too.
Also in the slide show are photos of John J and JT's Christmas and our Christmas time visit to Charles and Dawn (and Brent) in Tucson.