I know Linda has been waiting patiently and probably hoping I might show her new Kirsten doll… her dream doll that she never got until just a few days ago… well, wait no longer… here she is… beautiful and now home to a VERY good mom who will change her outfits with every holiday that comes along…
Linda said she’s already changed her to something cooler…
AND little Betsy McCall got a new outfit too… what a pretty little ruffled dress… and Linda said the socks are called Whipped Cream socks…Well, that’s a no-brainer! They are both adorable Linda. I’m very happy for you!
Julia mentioned something about going to a wedding a little while back and she sent me a few pictures… all I can say, is, What a wedding party they had!
If you click on the picture, it will spread across your screen…Very, very pretty!
Here is the bride being walked down the aisle with her ??father??…
I will most definitely show you my newly painted kitchen… but it will have to be next week.
There were a few things I wanted to answer… the big square area of concrete in our yard, is where an inground pool used to be… it was long gone before we bought the house, and filled in with dirt. When it’s pretty and green and all the flowers are blooming and we turn the fountain on, we call it the “Courtyard.”
…and sometimes we call it our “Cement Pond”… when it rains really hard, and fills with water about 4-6” deep…
Well, I have to go…
Blessings, Jeanne
Linda, thanks for sharing your pictures! Your new Kirsten is really pretty. I think her braids are a bit longer than those on mine (which is probably 20+ years old), and they seem to stick out just a bit more (which probably is just a difference in styling). I’m glad you’ve put her in something cooler; those long sleeves could get kind of warm when the sun is out!
Your Betsy’s new dress is lovely! I love her “whipped cream” socks, too. May I ask where you got them? I’m quite sure My Betsy would love a pair, too!! LOL
Wow, what a huge wedding!! Just beautiful, though. I like that the attendants could choose different bodices for their gowns, according to their tastes. The men looked so smart in their suits, too, and of course, the bride was lovely!
Ah, yes, I remember your mentioning your “cement pond” before, Jeanne! It looks so much better when it’s not raining!! LOL
Sally, I did answer your questions in yesterday’s blog. To summarize: I’m a night owl, not an early bird! And I live in Mountlake Terrace. Why the founding fathers thought such a long, unwieldy name was good, I’ll never know! LOL
And Barbara, you’re right, I’ll probably just keep buying fabric anyway! However in the last few years I have done at least Some sorting and culling, and have used from my stash, also.
Jeanne, I’ll be watching for the pictures of your finished kitchen, whenever you have the time to post them!
Thanks Charlotte,
Everyone is wondering about whether akurstens braids will stay if the braids are taken down
..I’m sure someone at the AG stores would know.
It was a pretty day today but I couldn’t manage to get any pictures taken…but I will…
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, on MY Kirsten, the braids are held with rubber bands, I think, then tied with long blue ties, and then the braids are looped up and the ties are tied in a bow. I haven’t really looked at her closely in quite a while, but I remember studying her hair carefully when she was new, and I was contemplating whether I could/should take her braids down now and then. Considering how long it took me to redo Molly’s braids that first time, I decided I would make every effort to keep Kirsten’s braids just as they were when she came to me!
I do sometimes take Molly’s braids down, either to make twin ponytails or to leave it down and wavy for a while, and I have finally gotten so I can U-S-U-A-L-L-Y get them braided fairly equally when I want to! However, I have to say, God knew what He was doing when He gave me a boy! LOL
I am very much enjoying my new Kirsten! She is really what I always dreamed of and after waiting so long for her, I have a new one and her accessories too! Yes, this hot sticky St. Louis weather we are having now is not what you would keep a doll in a long sleeved outfit in! I hope to be able to keep her braids just the way they are, but wonder if taking out the ribbons will cause them to fall. Anyone know?
And Betsy loves her new dress! Actually I got the whole set, shoes, socks, dress and headband, from a very nice woman on Etsy. Her shop is called ThisandThatCreations. She lives up your way, Charlotte, in Washington state. . She does a great job and is a wonderful person to work with. However, Jeanne is still tops in my book!!!
Julia, what a wedding! I don’t believe I have ever seen a bigger one! It’s nice that they could have it outside and the weather cooperated!
Jeanne, your yard should be on the cover of Better homes and Gardens when it is at it’s best! Those rainy day pictures are quite something, and I can relate! Looks like we are in for a few days of summer this weekend, so your guests won’t have to be opening and closing umbrellas all the time! Enjoy your company, and thank you for showing my new “playthings!”
Dear Linda, how wonderful! It is never too late to receive a special doll.
Hi Linda and Paula,
I have no idea how these Kirsten’s braids are put up, but my daughter has a PC German version which was her first doll. I do remember that Kirsten had tiny rubber bands at the ends of her braids, then the ribbon was tied once around the end and then brought to the front and tied into a bow. If you take the ribbons out the braids should be fine provided they were tied the same. You could try and see under the ribbon if there is a rubber band. A word of caution though, if you take the braids out you will never, ever get the ends perfectly even again. Kirsten’s and Molly’s hair was braided and then cut blunt at the factory.
Thank you Laura for that! I donāt plan on ever taking Kirstenās braids out, but I do want to change her ribbons when the.blue ones donāt go with whatever she is wearing. My only fear is hiding the ends of the braids. They do it so well at the factory, that I am afraid I will have pieces of hair sticking out here and there. I know there is a rubber and under the ribbon, but it just the ends I am scared to do.
I have taken Mollyās braids out and have into trouble with rebraiding, but I donāt put her hair up in loops. My Kaya still has her factory braids.
I guess the only thing to do is to take the ribbon off and see if I can hide the e DTās as well.
Interesting Laura! Thanks for the info!! I had no idea they cut the ends of the braids at the factory.
You are our expert for sure!!
Hi Linda,
I’m hoping the braids have Rubber bands under them…I’m hoping someone here or someone asks at the AG stores so you’ll know.
Julia’s wedding party IS the largest one I’ve ever seen… it is just beautiful in the pictures…
It is REALLY hot today but supposed to be hotter and more humid Sunday… I can do without that…
Thanks for the compliments on our yard…it’s my “hubby’s baby…so he rocks it!” I agree…he keeps it very pretty!!
I’m sure you are enjoying your new “baby!”…she sure is a pretty doll…
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
Linda in St. Louis, Hoping you find this as it’s late….
I’ve enjoyed Kirsten for 19 years!!! But never have unbraided her hair. I have only heard that you can never get the braids back the way they come. After a while, the loops do work themselves loose. I have used the handle of a spoon to hold up the hair enough to re-tuck (shove) the ends back under the hair by the scalp. Then tie the new ribbons on tight and the loops stay in. Take photos of them now, fresh out of the box and you will have a reference point. It is fun to change ribbons. The original outfits came with matching colors. Enjoy her! Now you can do a pioneer time travel.
Betsy’s dress is delightful, the wedding party is amazing and I am also blessed with a husband who loves to garden and I just admire his work.
Have a great weekend, Jeanne, and all the other “Sofa Sisters!”
Oh, Linda, you are a bad influence! I just ordered a set of three pair of those socks from that lady! The girls will just have to take turns! LOL
Yes, Centralia is in about the center of our state, so some distance from me. I’m sure I’ve probably at least driven thru it on one of our many trips east/west!
Iām happy for Linda that she got her new Kirsten. I too, would like to know if when her ribbons come off, will the braids fall down? Perhaps there are rubber bands underneath the ribbons holding them up?
Little Betsy looks adorable in her new outfit. The whip cream socks must be ultra soft to be called that?
That is one huge wedding! It must have taken awhile for the girls to go down the isle. Their dresses are unique in design too for each girl. Wow! Iām thinking the color of the gowns is periwinkle? Amazing to find that many different styles. Perhaps they were hand made using the same material.
Jeanne, your yard seems more like a park. It is very beautiful and serene. It would be a lovely place for all the sofa sisters to have a picnic and visit with you !
Enjoy your company, Jeanne, and canāt wait for the reveal of your kitchen!!
When my daughter was married she had her attendants pick the style of their dresses. They were ordered from a company that does this on a large scale. You pick the color and then order each dress in the preferred style. I’d never seen it done before but it is a wonderful idea. Sort of custom made but without the custom made prices and there is no stress finding someone to make a dress for you if you don’t sew or don’t want to mess with it. When I was married I picked the pattern and fabric and gave each attendant the responsibility of getting theirs done. It was pretty much the norm back then but I wouldn’t do it today. It used to be the same for dance costumes. Mother’s hoped their kids weren’t doing too many dances. Today you just order from a costume house.
Hi Paula,
Oh, wouldn’t that be fun to have a picnic under my gazebo with wicker furniture spread out in the yard and everyone sipping lemonade and eating cake? We could have such a good time!!!
Thanks Paula,
Blessings, Jeanne
Isn’t “cement pond” What the Beverly Hill Billies show called a swimming pool? LOL! Making us wait till next week for the big kitchen reveal? The suspense is building!
Did the question marks around “father” mean more info? Yes, that is Cousin Mike, walking his daughter, Madison, down the aisle.
Linda, your Kirsten is gorgeous! I’m going to check out that Etsy shop. The whipped creme socks intrigue me.
Dear Julia, what a lovely wedding party. Was there a traditional wedding cake? It’s my favorite dessert.
Yes, Julia. The Cement Pond was what the Beverly Hillbillies called theirs…
Yes, the question marks were for who that was…thanks..it looked like a beautiful wedding!! Loved the colors!!!
Thanks for sharing!
Blessings, Jeanne
Loved seeing Linda’s new Kirsten. What a beautiful one. I can see her in a lovely party dress at Christmas time with the rest of the girls. š And Betsy is just adorable in her new outfit and fancy socks.
Thanks for sharing Julia’s wedding photos. Love outdoor weddings, and it looks like the weather cooperated. Had to count the bridesmaids/attendants. A party in itself, and not unlike the wedding of our daughter some years ago. š
Hi Joy
I do believe that has to be the biggest wedding party I have ever seen… I think it was just beautiful…
I KNOW Linda is enjoying Kirsten right now…I hope Kirsten knows what a great group of sisters she is joining…
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Good morning!
It is such fun seeing the pictures you ladies submit in addition to Jeanneās great pictures.
LINDA got her beautiful Kirsten…(very sorry to hear about the humidity there in St. Louis, Linda. Our middle son was there for college and the first August we drove him out there, I couldnāt leave soon enough and felt so sorry for him!) As for Kirsten, I am so glad you finally have the doll of your dreams. And little Betsy! Too cute. Thank you for sharing .
JULIA, what a wedding and how fortuitous that it was a great day for weather. Thank you for sharing those pictures.
CHARLOTTE, I did see your post last night and thank you. I thought I would wait until today because you were likely in bed. Little did I know! I am not quite the night owl you are. But by having opposite biorhythms, my hubby and I both have our āalone timeā when the spouse is sleeping and lots of together time. When I am expecting a package, like today, itās a little too much time together?!? Yes, I wake Giff up to go to bed. He will fall asleep with our other dog on the sofa. Anyway, we have been out to Seattle, Tacoma, Bellingham and one of my favorite towns, La Conner, which is just about 55-60 miles from your town with the very long name. š Our oldest son was in the army doing his residency at Fort Lewis before heading over to Heidelberg where our oldest grandson was born.
I grinned about you ladies talking about your fabric stashes and how, despite significant quantities, you still enjoy the pursuit and acquisition. Here I am, who hates to machine sew, always LOVED going into fabric stores. The colors, the smells, the texture. Eye candy overload. And old Sal, who doesnāt like her machine, would leave every time with a little this or that. When we moved here from NH to a much smaller house, I gave my eye candy stash away to gals who would actually use it. But fabric sure can be addictive! Last time I bought fabric was to make all 4 grandkids a pillow case with a theme for each month of the year. They are teens, two in college, and still using those pillow cases. That project was my last machine sewing and fabric purchasing. Thank goodness for straight seams so I could pull that off and not get grouchy with my machine!
JEANNE, I think your courtyard is lovely when filled with rain as well as dry. Hope your company arrived safely and the good times have begun. Hope they gave you and George all the kudos you deserve for all your work. Thank you for a wonderful blog and all the time you put into it.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Dear Sally, hello. I wasn’t sure if you got my comment from yesterday. There are UFDC doll clubs in Colorado. If you are interested, I can connect you with the Regional Director of that area. I am sure they have all kinds of dolly events.
HI Sally,
I was just out in my yard taking some more pictures just to have! We really are blessed with a very pretty yard… my hubby loves the outside of our house and I love the inside… but we both help with the in’s and out’s of it… We can’t wait for the new roof… we are in for some hot dry weather… maybe we’ll move up on the list now… hopefully! :o)
I’m so glad you have joined in with us Sally… you are here “just in time for cake” soon! :o)
Thanks again,
Blessings, Jeanne
Sally, I love La Conner, too. Have you been to the quilt museum there? It’s in an old Victorian mansion!
And I went to college in Bellingham–Western Washington State College (now University). But when I graduated in 1968, it was still “college”!
Congratulations Linda on your new Kirsten. She is the sweetest doll. I’m sure she appreciates your getting her out of that long-sleeved dress and into something cooler. I changed all my dolls but my 18″ MA dolls the beginning of May. They are now wearing summer frocks and will change into more sporty clothes after school is out for the summer. I changed my MA dolls out of their Easter dresses this morning. They are now wearing tiered sleeveless dresses with matching shoulder purses. Each ensemble has three different fabrics but they are different for both dresses. So summery looking.
I love, love, love Betsy’s outfit. Thanks for mentioning the Etsy shop. I’m checking it out. I have those socks for my LDs. I don’t remember where I got them but I see the Etsy shop you mentioned has them to buy separate from the outfits.
I was wondering what used to be inside the concrete rectangle. I thought it might have been a pool. It’s lovely now with the fountain. Maybe some wrought iron benches?
Yikes what a huge wedding party. The only time I’ve ever seen one like it was when the bride came from a large family and had a lot of sisters. The color of the dresses is very nice and the bride is lovely. My daughter had an outdoor wedding. She was married in March and March in Texas can be early spring or late winter. She had an amazingly lovely day. While she picked the colors for the dresses each of her attendants got to choose the style they wanted. I like that idea because everyone has different tastes and you want to buy something you’ll enjoy wearing again. I remember the day when bridesmaid dresses were worn for the wedding and then disappeared into the nether regions of the closet if it was even kept. Some of them were downright silly looking at times.
So looking forward to the big kitchen reveal next week. I imagine you will spend a lot of time just admiring your handiwork for awhile.
Such a good mom you are, Barbara… changing your girls into cooler clothing! My girls are the coolest… in their “birthday suits!” :o)
We’ve always talked about taking out all that concrete, but where would we put it and to haul it off would cost a fortune… it goes down very deep… maybe someday… I’d kind of like for the yard to be level with all grass, but I’m used to it the way it is…
I can hardly believe this is my kitchen… it’s wonderful… really wonderful! I love it!
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne
My mother always thought Kirsten was the prettiest of the AGs. Linda’s new doll makes a case for that, but Jeanne’s older version is just as pretty. Maybe a column on Kirsten hair care would be nice for all the people with questions and a slide show of her various caps and hats would be nice.
I noticed the same thing everyone else did about the wedding party — dresses united by color and skirt but with bodices becoming to each bridesmaid. I have often noticed that whatever the style, there is one that does nothing for one of the bridesmaids. I complimented one bridesmaid for always being there to help the bride straighten out her dress, veil, flowers…. She said she had to because the maid of honor didn’t. I said, “She couldn’t. She was very curvy, and if she bent over, the whole congregation would be embarrassed and if she knelt, the back of the dress might split.” It was the wrong dress for the job. Julia’s niece made excellent choices. Everyone will have good memories.
HI Marilyn,
I could do a quickie video on how I tucked Kirsten’s braids in this last time I looped them… I finally figured out how to hide the ends…
It was a lovely looking wedding party and I loved the color combinations… I wonder what the original fabric color was called? Periwinkle, wisteria, hyacinth, lavender, lilac… who knows… it showed up wonderfully in the pictures…
I like the idea of dresses to suit each girl… makes more sense to me…
Thanks Marilyn,
blessings, Jeanne
Congratulations, Linda, on finally getting your Kirsten. She is really a pretty doll. As I mentioned, Kirsten was my daughter’s first doll and technically the start of the PC/AG journey although Samantha would be MY first.
Kirsten is a lovely doll, but the reason I don’t have her is I would need two of the German versions as that is my preferred version of her, one with her hair in loops forever and one to take her hair down and then you have to worry about silver eye with the pinwheel eyed German dolls. Luckily, the decal eyes are exempt.
Wow, what a huge wedding party. I’ve never seen one that large.
Your courtyard looks very pretty. The fountain is lovely.
HI Laura,
I think Linda is thrilled with her Kirsten… just like you would be if you found the perfect German version… I Hope you do someday! :o)
Thanks for your compliments on our yard… I should take a picture of the fountain running sometime…
Blessings, Jeanne
So sorry, I forgot to comment on how sweet Betsy looks in her ruffled dress and socks. I remember buying those types of children’s socks- lace, eyelet, and tulle like edging.
That lady’s shop looks nice. Too bad no socks like that for the AG’s. How nice that it came with shoes to match as well.
Congratulations on your new Kirsten, Linda, and I just love Betsy’s outfit it is so pretty. Love the socks too.
It was lovely seeing the photos of the wedding Julia. My nieces and nephews all live in either the UK or the States, my older two grandchildren don’t seem to be interested in getting married though they do both have a little girl and the next down are still at University or school. I only seem to go to funerals these days. Sam’s not hopeful of any weddings in the near future either. Jonathan would have to leave his room to find a girl (or she would have to somehow find him and then never leave his room lol)
Love seeing photos of your garden Jeanne the ‘courtyard’ definitely looks different in the rain.
Enjoy your visitors Jeanne I am looking forward to seeing the pictures of your new kitchen
HI Anne,
I’m so sorry you can’t see your family as they are so far away…that must break your heart! It would mine…
It was a pretty day and I was outside taking some more shots of the yard and house… maybe we’ll get that roof soon.. I’m anxious to see it done now…
Yes, next week the Kitchen… it’s wonderful!
Thanks Anne,
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, oh my goodness, May is marching by so quickly. Do you know how to slow it down (laugh)?
I love the photos of your yard or as they say on Escape to the County, my new favorite show, your garden.
Hi Dorothy,
I LOVE that show, Escape to the Country… and have just discovered it maybe 9 months ago. I watch it whenever I can and try to guess which how they will end up with or if they will buy any of them. I like to see the decorated ones… they are usually so cozy and very sweet looking.
Thanks Dorothy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, no! I forgot to Comment today. So glad Linda got her Kirsten doll. I am making a sheet and pillowcase for my Kirstenās bed today. The red-and-white stripes on the mattress and pillow show right through one layer of fabric, so Iām doubling it. Iām not seeing any rubber bands on the braids. Iāve never looked because thereās no way Iām taking them down. Iāve looked closer and the ribbons are woven in a kind of knot back up and between the hair at the beginning of the braids to keep them in place. All the more reason Iāll never take them down! I won her on eBay years ago.
Beautiful wedding. Thanks for sharing the pictures. And the pictures of your yard are beautiful, Jeanne. Every time you take pictures of it, it looks even better. Enjoy your company and your new kitchen.