Thank you for all your sweet comments about Rebecca leaving with her stuff and moving to PA! It’s been a tough day for me, seeing my house get more and more empty by the hour and seeing all her stuff loaded in the back of the U-Haul. She caught me crying a few times and that made her tear up too…it seems I’m not the only crybaby in the family!!
Everything is packed and they are in bed now. They plan to get up at 4:00 and be on the road by 5:00…
The U-Haul is full but not stacked to the ceiling all over. My hubby has her heavy furniture pieces strapped down toward the front of the truck, but her fragile pieces in boxes are stacked lower on the floor.
Getting the stuff out of her bedroom, the attic, the kitchen, the garage and the sitting room makes it feel rather empty in the house. I have cabinet space, drawer space, closet space and a whole bedroom that is completely empty!!
Rebecca took Reuben around the house for one last walk…and had a little “sister/brother” time…
…then they came inside and ate some watermelon…
Okay..let’s talk about Fall for a few minutes. I received a few pictures from Sylvia, in New Hampshire. Look at this sunset, taken in Colebrook, NH…way up north.
…and to go along with her Fall sunset, here are 3 of her girls dressed up in the prettiest Fall dresses!! Aren’t they pretty?
I loved what Sylvia wrote in her email:
“I am, I think your oldest fan, I am 86 and have been sewing for American Girls since 1997 when 3 of my granddaughters received the dolls for Christmas. They of course out grew dolls but I didn’t. I am up to about 317 outfits I have sewn.
Take Care and the Best,
Sylvia from NH”
Thanks for sharing Sylvia!!
Thanks everyone!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Wow, George certainly knows how to pack a moving van!! Were the kids planning to make it a one-day trip back to PA? If not, I hope they have a good, secure place to park for the night, and maybe one of those “Club” things to put on the steering wheel, just in case! Praying for safe travels for them–and comfort for you!
Thank you, Sylvia, for sharing your pictures! What a lovely sunset. I have visited many of our United States in my life, but never NH or other New England states, I’m afraid. Just didn’t get to that part of the world. I’ve never made it to Alaska or Florida, either.
Your girls look wonderful in their fall dresses!! Wow, you’ve made 317 outfits for dolls?! I’m impressed. Although I’ve done quite a lot of sewing for dolls, especially in the last 20-25 years, I never kept track of how many I made (didn’t even take pictures of a lot of them), so I have no idea how many I’ve made. I don’t think my total would come close to yours, though!
Today got away from me, so the box from Kathie is still waiting to be opened (Little Darlings swap); however, I will Make Time tomorrow to get that done so I can send Jeanne some pictures as well as post to our LD list!
Hi, I have always kept track of my sewing as I was involved with The Craftworkers that had 4 Fairs a year and we had to numbers all of our entries
Into the fair so that was easy way for me to keep track. Now I keep a notebook of the patterns, the eyelet, ribbon and anything and how much I have used on an outfit. A little over the top but I do go back and check sometimes!
You know there are bucket list for things like coming to NH. You better do that!
As I write this, Rebecca and Karn must be on the road already, since it is 5:30, and we are in the same time zone. I’m thinking of you, Jeanne! Safe travels for them. I wonder just how they are going to unload that truck! Surely they will have some helpers, because that is a LOT !
That Reuben! He must think he is one of them! How sweet it is that he loves Rebecca so much, and I am feeling he will be in the dumps today. Be sure to give him extra treats!
I keep seeing something in your pictures that makes me smile! See that cover-up they are all sitting on there while eating watermelon? Good old Thomas the Train! Our youngest grandson LOVES Thomas and has all kinds of Thomas toys and we watch Thomas videos all the time. It jumps out at me every time you have it somewhere in the picture! Was that Kristoffer’s old cover or bedspread?
Sylvia, that is a beautiful sunset! I too, have never gotten to that part of the country, but it is a place that I would love to see, especially now, in the fall. Looks like I will miss it this year, as I sit here with a sore knee, but someday I would love to get there.
How pretty your doll dresses are! Addy, Felicity, and Kirsten look completely adorable, and in dresses that fit their era! I can’t imagine making 317 doll dresses!
Your comment on Thomas the Tank Engine reminded me of our four year old grandson, Anderson. He has been a train aficionado since he knew what one was. My daughter and son-in-law have taken him on all kinds of train rides and he has lots of train toys. But a few months back he told his parents that he really would like it if he could have a train “without a face”.
I’m remembering Rebecca gave Reuben to George as a Fathers Day present. What a great present he continues to be every day.
That’s quite a hope chest Rebecca has there! Happy days for a very, very long time, Rebecca! 🥰
How could I forget to comment on Sylvia’s dolls. All the color choices and details like the rows of tiny buttons speak to a very accomplished seamstress. Is there a fancier word for what they do? There must be another one for someone who’s made so many. Thanks for sharing the picture of the sunset too.
How exciting for Becca and Karn. All loaded and off on an adventure and clear skies for loading too. Good they got an early start. Unloading should be easy peasy. It’s loading that takes the most time. So do they have an apartment or house? I didn’t take in to account that they might have a lot of steps. Now that will add a quirk. 🙂
Hope you have stocked up on doggie treats for Reuben. He’ll need them. Poor boy.
Thanks Jeanne and Sylvia for sharing that gorgeous sunset. What a fabulous photo. Maybe some day I’ll made it to the east coast as I’ve always wanted to see the fall colors. Sylvia’s girls are absolutely perfectly dressed for the fall season. Love the sweet dresses and all of the pretty details. The girls are giving me a nudge to hop it up and get the dollies here dressed and photo ready. I’ll see what I can do girls. 🙂
Wow, Jeanne, new decorating space. Can’t wait to see how you do the guest room. Will the floors be next? It would be so nice to have them done for the upcoming holidays. Exciting things happening at your place.
Dear Jeanne,
Again, a huge hug to you and Reuben, well, George, too, if you don’t mind!! The kids are off on their new life and I just hope it’s absolutely grand for them, and for you and George! And as Joy says, look at all that space! More garage sales and thrift store visits ahead especially when the sisters come visit. All will be well in due time. And they are young…they can figure out all their unloading like the rest of us have in our lives. Do they have their own place or what?
SYLVIA in NH…oh, your dolls looks just perfect for fall. Those are such lovely outfits, and you sure have been a prolific sewer. Good for you and thanks for sharing that picture of your sweet dolls. They look mighty pleased with their apparel as they should be.
Sylvia, I used to take my parents up to The Balsams every year for an anniversary celebration to have the fabulous buffet lunch and just to have a beautiful drive. We lived in Thornton and they came to our place every summer from FL to escape the heat and humidity. Well, NH can get rather humid, can’t it!? And my hubby and I liked going to The Balsams for their Valentines getaways. He loved the x-c skiing and I loved their downhill area. What a beautiful place. To the sofa sisters, The Balsams is in Dixville Notch, NH, and is the location for the “first in the nation” presidential voting.
BARBARA in SE Texas…and Linda in St. Louis, two days ago I responded late in the day with my solution for getting in and out of bed with my total knee replacement. My PT people were pretty impressed I came up with the idea. If you like, go back to day before yesterday to read.
Best to everyone. Have a great day. Jeanne, I am really eagerly awaiting your next home project. I like Joy’s idea of finishing floors if possible before the holidays. Whatever it is, it will be exciting and amazing.
Sally
I did go back and read your comment the other day. What a great idea for getting out of bed. I think I need to use that and I haven’t had knee surgery. Thanks for your much appreciated input but I have another question. How long before you could drive? David couldn’t drive for a month after his heart surgery and even though he was getting around great and had the boys to drive him in the day and me the rest of the time, not being able to drive drove him nuts. He’s having two knee surgeries basically back-to-back so it sounds like he may not be able to drive for quite awhile. Please tell me I’m wrong.
Yikes. I would love to say you’re wrong, BUT…I had my right knee done, total replacement. I am a super achiever at PT. I do it at the appointments and at least once a day at home and never cut corners to give myself “breaks”. I don’t know how your husband will apply himself to the PT. That is key.
I think it was a bit over four weeks for me. I just didn’t want to take the risks of being able to coordinate the pedals with my left leg to cause an accident that would hurt someone else or set my surgery back. When I felt I could try it, my hubby drove me to Walmart that has a huge, huge parking lot out back so I could practice a couple days. When I felt confident, I started driving, but I made a point of going routes less traveled so I could be a poke until my right leg was “trustworthy.”
If David is having both knees done, I suggest he acquire a hobby that will entertain himself for 4 to 6 weeks. Good luck with that!!
Not what you wanted to hear. Please consult the surgeon’s office. You have all my best wishes and prayers, Barbara.
A big, fat hug,
Sally
Barbara, the doctor will tell David when he can drive again. Usually it is earlier with the left knee than the right.
We have always loved The Balsems having gone quite a few times. Usually in the winter and skied. The food was always wonderful. Our little plot of land we have our motorhome on in the summer is about 3 miles from TB. You know they closed in 2011, no sign of reopening yet. Wish they would!
No knowing where Rebecca and Karn live in PA , I don’t know if they are home yet or not. I hope they had safe travels and nice weather. That is quite a hope chest Rebecca has.
Aww, poor Reuben, he will extra cuddles and love for quite a while.
I’m sure you’ll have fun decorating Rebecca’s room over as a guest room.
Dear Sylvia, Addy, Felicity, and Kirsten are just beautiful in their fall frocks. Thank you so much for sharing them. Wow, 317 outfits! That is just wonderful. Hopefully, you will share some of your Christmas creations when the time comes.
Dear Jeanne, thanks for sharing the photos of daughter and son-in-law. We Sofa Sisters feel like we are on the journey with you.
We have watched our children move out and move on but stay connected in their own unique ways. Your daughter will stay connected, no doubt about that. You set a wonderful example by the love and care you gave to your own mother.
Sylvia’s sunset photo was lovely. Her girls look adorable in their pretty Fall dresses.
Great job packing the U-Haul! I hadn’t realized Rebecca would be taking furniture with her. I was very happy to send some furniture off with both my kids when they got their own apartments. Problem is a lot of it ended up coming back home when they got new stuff or didn’t want it anymore. Finally I just told them to sell what they didn’t want or need. I didn’t need more furniture.
Sylvia, great picture of a beautiful sunset. What beautiful fall outfits you made for your girls. They look so lovely. It would be nice to live in a place where it felt like fall before the end of November. My girls are still wearing shorts and flip flops after school. I can’t believe you know how many doll outfits you have made. I wish I had thought to keep track of all I’ve made. I don’t even have pictures to tell the tail. I’ve been trying to do better in that area now that I can share my creativity with my sofa sisters.
Sally, the Balsams sound wonderful and thanks for the historical fact. I really had no idea.
Poor Reuben. He’s been on an emotional roller coaster lately. Hopefully he will adjust quickly.
We are having some absolutely lovely weather here right now. Unfortunately it won’t stick around. It actually got down to 57 degrees last night which means it takes longer to heat up during the day. We just went out to lunch and it was so beautiful I hated to come back in. That’s not something I can usually say here. It doesn’t feel like fall, but at the moment I’ll settle for early spring.
Sylvia your girls in their Fall dresses look so pretty. You do an awesome job…and the 3 colors together make me want to get my girls in some fall colors. My Swap outfit is fallish….and so darn cute. I’ll take pics of her shortly. Lovely sunset! It felt fallish here yesterday too 🙂
Sally..I did that with my leg when I had my first knee done too! Works so well! By the time i had the second one done they had a loop fastened to a long fabric covered stick that was made for that. The other thing I liked was a long rubber sock that you could pull on clear up to cover the knee incision for showering. It was big, wide but fit very snug above the knee so no water got inside…it was about $15.00 at Walgreens. I drove after two weeks…you can tell, if it hurts…don’t do it. Did PT every day sometimes twice..it is the key. The ice machine is awesome. ( actually on the way home from the Hosp this last time my daughter had to really slam on the brakes…hard… as someone pulled in front of her and I had to put tons of weight on that leg to stay in the seat but honestly it didn’t hurt the whole knee thing at all.)
Rebecca is sure organized…it will be fun for her to arrange her new home with familiar items.
Enjoy the extra room…won’t be long until it fills up again :0)
Hi, Kathie!
I loved hearing that your hospital already had that trick. Guess we weren’t so up to date here in Salida a few years back. It just made sense to me and made transitioning so much easier. And now there is a loop attached to a stick to accomplish this? Crazy wonderful! This ALMOST makes me want to to rethink doing my other knee, but not quite. I’ve had enough surgeries and following craziness to “satisfy me” for quite awhile. That sleeve also sounds awesome! Thanks for sharing this good info.
Sally
Not to be a spoil sport, but please wait until you have clearance from the surgeon before you drive. Your insurance may not cover damages if you should have an accident before you are cleared to drive.
Exactly, Susette, as I ended in my reply above. Always, always consult with the surgeon and/or office so directions come from the surgeon. We all heal differently, react differently, so some will get earlier clearance. Do the PT faithfully, talk with the surgeon, listen to your body and use common sense.
😥♥️
Very true, Susette!
Jeanne, Feel your pain, it is so hard to be empty nesters. It does get easier. I have 4 children and they have all been away for awhile and now are settled within 10 miles from us. I do feel so sad for folks that kids on the other side of the country and only see them once or twice a year.
Best to keep busy and we all know you will do that!
Take Care, Sylvia
Sylvia’s dolls are beautiful and so well cared for, as well as well-dressed.
Jeanne, you are so lucky to have Rebecca so close by — you can get to her house and she to yours relatively easily, and you may find a couple of half way points that you’ll all enjoy. She’s close enough to bring home clothes for you to alter, and can still make necklaces to go with your outfits — and every morning she can keep up with you by checking the blog.