I wanted to first of all thank everyone for your very kind comments in welcoming me back. It’s nice to be missed and even nicer to be missed by all of you! Thank you for giving me time to get myself together. I’m not totally ready to jump back in with both feet, but I’m getting better each day.
I was hoping to get in my sewing room today and check out some fabrics for upcoming dresses, but more paperwork and a trip to the DMV and 2 insurance companies took up my time.
I DID enjoy reading all of the different things you did over the weekend and wanted to comment on them. But first I guess we better announce the winner of the Giveaway! I had quite a few ladies enter this time and was happy, considering the picture of that slip was so crummy. I was going to get new pictures taken today and replace them but that never happened. Oh well, the winner can be pleasantly surprised when she opens the package!
I put everyone’s name on a slip of paper and then shuffled them on a blanket.
My hubby drew the winner’s name… BARBARA HARING is our winner! She’s in California and Gracie will love this slip! :o) I’ll get it on it’s way to you, Barbara!
Thank you Jane, for your sweet comments about my momma’s hand touching mine. I will cherish that forever! It was SO nice to hear from you all the way from New Zealand! I would still love to see some pictures of your farm sometime! :o) We all would!
Charlotte commented about doing some sewing this past weekend as she was getting ready to go to a Sewing Expo in the Seattle area. I can’t even imagine how much fun that is going to be! Wish we could ALL go with you! :o)
Linda did something fun with her neighbor, who turned 102 Sunday. She took time out and spent the afternoon with her, sharing her birthday cake and looking at her birthday cards. What a really sweet thing to do Linda!
Ingrid was babysitting her grandson as she tried to read through the many comments you all left. They were wonderful, weren’t they? I think I might print them all off to share with my brother and sisters…
This was a weekend of birthdays, I guess, because Ellen Haytas was at her granddaughter’s 1st birthday party! I hope you had fun!
Laureen shared some very special words and had me tearing up! Yes, it’s wonderful to know that I’ll be seeing my mom again someday…and my dad too! Thank you!
Joy said she was ready to go to the Expo Charlotte was going to and I was ready to pack my bags and go with you! She also visited her grandkids and Landon (I’m guessing?) received a new American Girl Joss doll! How fun is that?
Sandra was packing up her things because she’s having to move to a smaller place. I’m so sorry you have to move from the home you’ve known for so long, but I’m praying that you’ll like it and adjust quickly and make new friends to make it easier. I’m glad your 21 year old granddaughter was there laughing and helping you.
Marti had fun watching videos over the weekend? What was your favorite? :o)
Barbara had fun sewing this past weekend. She also got some wonderful news that her name has risen to the top of Magalie’s list and she’ll be getting ready to paint Barbara’s new Little Darling doll. HUGE congrats on that, Barbara!
Julia was hanging out with her dad, after just losing his wife…and Julia’s mom. How sweet of you!
Dorothy in PA and the World went to the Madame Alexander Doll Club Convention and saw a little doll in the presentation and as soon as she got home, she looked for her and found little Mali on Etsy and promptly bought her! I found her on Ebay! What a sweetheart! Congratulations!
Susan went out to dinner with her hubby and then they went and bought her a new phone! WOW!
Hanna Davis had a new Shed put up on her backyard! How many ladies on here have their very own She-Shed? Anyone? Congrats Hanna!
Susette reminded me about something for the new subscribers… and I think I’ll tell you about it tomorrow. I need to post it every once in a while just as a reminder. Thanks for the “remind” Susette!
Laura went to a garden store/gift shop and looked at the new Spring décor. That sounds fun. We had a new Home Goods store open up here in town on Sunday, but I haven’t made it there yet! I’d like to see what’s new for Spring. I’m ready for Spring too! Although I think we are supposed to get snow flurries Wednesday morning.
Carole went to an amusement park with family and friends. That sounds fun!
Carolyn was dog sitting for her daughter and finished making some quilt blocks for a facebook swap group. We’d love to see some of your blocks sometime, Carolyn. (If you have any left to show!)
Ali… thank you for the warmest welcome back! It’s nice to be back among friends. :o)
Teri has been knitting newborn toques (similar to a beanie cap) for the maternity ward in of the hospitals near her. She’s made around 20 so far. She thought with St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, she should make some green ones for the babies born on March 17th. She’s already knitted 8 of those so far! We’d like to see those too! :o)
Terri Silva was visiting with her 13 month old granddaughter this past weekend. I bet there was lots of loving going on! :o)
Bobby Jo was at a quilt retreat making a quilt for her granddaughter! That sounds wonderful too!
April Brown has a new baby goat named Bella and it’s running around in the house. They have trained it to “tinkle” on pads on the floor so they don’t have to diaper her. They also have 3 cats and a dog and she said it’s quite the sight to see. Who wants to see a picture of Bella besides me?
Well, we all certainly were very busy in very different ways, weren’t we? I’m hoping to get back in my sewing room as soon as I can. Who do you want me to sew for first?…an American Girl doll, one of my Little Darling Effner girls, Ten Ping, Patsy Tonner, Nyssa, Bailey, Noel or Navi? I think that’s all of my girls…
Thanks everyone!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Congratulations to Barbara, winner of the pretty flocked slip! (April Eleanore is now hoping I’ll go shopping Really Soon and find some of that flocked tulle for her!! LOL)
Lots of activities for everyone this weekend! Yes, I’d love to see pictures of April Brown’s new goat, Bella! I enjoy watching goats, and when I’m at the fair, try to stop and look in the goat barn a bit.
I wish all of you could come to Expo with me, too! It is just SO much fun!! Of course, they’d need to build a bigger motel, I think!! I am mostly packed, and leave tomorrow after lunch. I’m a little concerned about my husband, who is now 87, and getting a little frail, but I have food ready for him, lists of things like what times I have classes, the name and phone # of my motel, etc., and our son is going to call him every evening to make sure things are okay. Of course, I usually call him twice a day when I’m gone, too. I think he has plans for lunch with our pastor on Thursday. I’ve also let the p.o. know that Ron will be alone, so if he doesn’t make it in to pick up the mail, not to worry, I’ll get it when I get home. Tonight I fixed a nice steak dinner with fried potatoes and cooked broccoli–he’s not as big a fan of steak as I am, but he does love his veggies!! And fried potatoes are a favorite, too.
I’ll have my computer with me, so will report in from Expo!
Hi Charlotte,
Oh, it really would be fun if we all lived close enough to go to your Expo. I’d love to know what goes on there, what classes they teach, is there a guest speaker, do they have lots of vendors selling fabric and sewing supplies?? Just a few of my questions…
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
lots of classes, lots of vendors, lots of fun, Jeanne! It’s the “largest sewing party in the nation”! Go to their web site http://www.sewexpo.com and take a look!! It covers three buildings (one of which is enormous–think Costco!) for vendors and classes, and a couple of smaller buildings have a class or two, also. The first time I went, I could not believe how big it was!
Congratulations, Barbara! Getting anything in the mail from Jeanne is a day to remember!
It certainly was fun to read everyone’s comments about their weekend of fun, and the back and forth chatter! We have the BEST blog, with the BEST readers, a tribute to you, Jeanne! You started it all!
It is snowing right now here, and I am thinking of spring already, as I am sure everyone else is. I am thinking it would be nice for you to sew something for a Little Darling. You do such darling outfits for them, and create such cute storylines too.
Just wondering if anyone else saw the two new AG dolls with colored hair? One has purple and one has rainbow colored hair. I’m not sure what to think! I’m not really into that, just the covering up of gray hair, which at my age is the “in” thing to do!!
Charlotte, we will be looking for your reports from the EXPO!
Hi Linda,
We are actually on our way home from Effingham. My hubby had an appointment to get fitted with a knee brace until he can get his knee revision surgery done…we hit snow on the way up there this morning, but it didn’t amount to much… now the sun is shining and you almost need sunglasses!
I was thinking of starting with a Little Darling and because you mentioned it first, I’ve decided on a pretty little dress for one of them… I do have a new bonnet mold and just might have to make a really special Easter dress!!
I haven’t seen the multi colored hair on the new AG dolls. Doesn’t quite sound like my cup of tea…
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
Sorry for those getting snow, but have to gloat as it was 81 here yesterday. Yes, short sleeves and shorts weather. And it is still February. Another drought to contend with here in northern CA. Our daughter took a trip to our cabin in the Sierra a couple of weeks ago and seeing the photos with only a few patches of snow was so strange. Last year at this time, the snow was up to the eves and you had to dig down to find the door. Such strange weather.
I too would love to see photos of Bella the goat. I’m sure she is a cutie.
I’ve been making some dolly size felt peeps. The dollies seem to like them even though they are inedible. 🙂
Wondering which dolly will be next in the rotation? Do you have any big dolls? Like 19/20″. And does anyone have a Zwergnase doll? Curiosity here. Looking forward to tomorrow’s post.
Hi Joy,
I remember those pictures of the snow being up to the door and you having to dig your way in.
Linda just mentioned the Little Darlings and I just decided one of them will be modeling my next dress.
My AG dolls are the biggest ones I have.. maybe someone else on here does though.
Blessings, Jeanne
That was really fun! Great weekends for all of you.
We went to a Gymnastics meet to watch our youngestGranddaughter. Those girls look like their bodies are made of vinyl…they can bend and bend! Such a bad day to miss reading your blog! We hadDoll Cub yesterday and I was busy getting everything ready for that.
Congratulations on winning the slip Barbara!
Hi Kathie,
Sorry you missed the post yesterday for the drawing…someday you’ll win!!! :o)
Young bodies certainly are flexible… I used to do cartwheels all the time…not now!!!
What did you do for your Doll Club meeting?
Blessings, Jeanne
I can’t believe I won!!! I rarely win anything. Gracie will be over the moon. Thanks everyone for the congrats. Yes, Jeanne, you have the best blog. It’s a high point of my day.
Wow! Where to start today. So much to comment on. April, I would love to see pictures of Bella the Goat also. I really can’t imagine one as a house pet though. One Cocker is enough to tend to for me.
Charlotte, I love steak too and broccoli so your meal sounds the best to me. And fried potatoes. Yummy! Wouldn’t it be fun if we all could go to the sewing expo in Seattle – and some of the doll conventions. I’m putting all this on my Bucket List. You see I have to live to at least a 100. I have a lot of projects I want to do and fabric to use up as well as the above.
Linda D., yes I saw the AG girls with the colored hair. I think they’re cute, but I told my dolly girls that they could wear all manner of funky clothes, but no funky things with their hair, so you won’t see rainbow hair colors around here. Actually I told my kids this when they were young. Funky clothes okay, even mismatched socks, but nothing weird and strange with the hair. Didn’t have to worry about facial piercings. Thank Heaven that wasn’t a thing when my kids were young.
Would sure love some snow here. Too much yard maintenance needing to be done too soon. We’re expecting a light freeze tonight and it’s cold and windy right now, but sunny. Beautiful day. Then Friday and all next week it will be Spring again. As for my hair, I started going gray in my 50s and colored my hair it’s natural color for years. I stopped when I turned 70. I got tired of having to prove I was a senior citizen.
Joy, please send pictures of your peeps. I’ve seen the Zwergnasse dolls (I get e-mails from the Toy Shoppe), but I don’t have one. Do you have one (or more)?
Kathie, my kids used to take gymnastics when they were small but after we moved here the gymnastics school was not close and they switched to dancing. They kept that up all through their school years and our daughter used to go the Houston Ballet workshops. She took some dancing classes in college but then switched to straight drama.
Does anyone know where I can’t get some doll-sized Easter eggs? Everything I see seems to be for dollhouses and I need something bigger for my egg hunt.
Hopefully I haven’t left anything out. But there is one thing left. I second Linda D.’s motion that the next outfit should be for a Little Darling. I love the things you make for them.
Hi Barbara and Congratulations again. We left early to go to a doctor appt for my hubby, so I’ll get your slip in the mail tomorrow. I’m glad you and Gracie ate excited!
I have been tossing around the idea of putting a wash in color back in my hair…my sisters talked me into letting my gray do it’s own thing. I’ve been tossing around the idea of coloring it with a wash in color…it just fades after about 6 weeks or so….just thinking about it…
Well, that settles it…Linda mentioned it and you seconded it…so a Little Darling outfit will be next…
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne
Completely forgot to congratulate Barbara on the slip win. 🙂 Yay!
I don’t have any Zwergnasse, but I do look longingly at them. Lots on Ebay too. They also have cute clothes and great shoes.
I will send a pic of my felt creations when I finish. Making several colors of peeps and finally found a shamrock I like. They are very simple, but the dollies seem to like. 🙂
Dear Barbara, congratulations! I can’t wait to see a photo of your dolly in her lovely slip.
Congrats to Barbara for winning the slip!
I’m going to check out the AG dolls with colored hair. I have a pink and white wig that I got to re-wig a non AG doll. The non-AG doll has rooted hair. I tried every hair trick I know but it still looks bad so I will cut it off and give her the new fun wig. If I don’t glue it on I can swap around with Zeke (my Julie that is transitioning to a boy) since I don’t plan to glue his on either. I will have 2 bald dolls and 5 wigs to change things up.
I’m getting a very nice McKenna this weekend. I had told my Neice that if she ever decided to down size her admittedly small doll collection, I would buy what ever she didn’t want. That is how I’m getting McKenna. She has barely been played with. It was not my neice’s first AG so she was older and it has been well taken care of.
Hi Julia,
I hope you get the wig thing figured out…
Also, congrats on getting McKenna…I think she is very pretty and her eyes are gorgeous. Shes been a doll I’ve looked at lots of times on Ebay, but never seen in person. I hope she’s as lovely as you dream…
Blessings, Jeanne
Getting here late. Congratulations on winning the slip, Barbara. Gracie will be so pleased.
I definitely want to see pictures of Jane’s farm in NZ. That county/island has the most spectacular landscape. I’ve seen it featured in quite a few movies and it is breathtaking.
I want to see sweet little Bella, too. I like to see them frolicking around like lambs do.
Barbara, I’m hunting for doll sized Easter eggs as well. My Samantha needs to have a Victorian/Edwardian Easter and egg roll. I’m going to check out the dollar store this weekend because I remember someone on the doll board saying they got them there another year.
Congrats on getting McKenna, Julia. I think she’s a neat doll with the wig cap that allows you to part or not part her hair however you wish.
Sounds like you’re set to make a LD dress firstand that sounds sweet. You seem to be able to puts those together very quickly, Jeanne. I was going to vote for a Victorian/ Edwardian dress, but you would still have time for one if you chose at a later time. I can’t recall if you still have Samantha and Nellie. I know at one point you did.
The wild colored hair dolls aren’t my cup of tea either, not with my preference of Civil War, Victorian/Edwardian, pioneer, and 1930’s fashions.
Again, so glad to have you back, Jeanne.
Hi Laura,
I’m really hoping Jane sends us some pictures from her home and surrounding land.
I’ve seen a few different sizes of eggs at my Hobby Lobby that I think would work for the American Girl dolls.
I DO still have Samantha and Nellie and just might do a dress for them.
I’m going to have to take a look at those dolls with the colored wigs now that I’m home… I wonder what my first thought s might be.
Thanks Laura,
Blessings ,Jeanne
Oh Laura,
We are having the worst drought on record.
Small towns out of water, the army called in and cattle pawing at the ground and flinging dust into the air.
We are ok for now.
Google drought Northland NZ.
Amazingly there was flooding in Southland
Congratulations Barbara!!! That’s a lovely confection for your doll to wear!
And yes, I had a wonderful time at my granddaughters birthday. I only get to see the kids twice a year because I live 2000 miles away so time with them is very precious.
Hi Ellen,
There will be more slips to come, so keep watching.
Little girls birthday parties can be so sweet. I’m glad you had a nice time.
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne,
Hello. I vote for the Little Darlings or Bonekas all of the time and I see you have decided on that. Yeaaaa!
HI Dorothy,
Yay! I’m glad you approved of my next dolly choice! I better get busy!
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne