My hubby and I were up to our eyeballs today doing some much needed paperwork… I tried several times to get in my sewing room, but to no avail! After dinner my hubby was working on the electrical cords he’s making for the hayride, Saturday night. There are going to be LOTS of crockpots and too many blown fuses happened in the past… He’s playing MacGyver I think! This is what his area looked like… (yes, that’s our dining room table…)
I did find some time a little while ago and I’m taking Stella’s dress apart, but I’ll save that for when I have more completed.
Fortunately, for YOU… Charlotte emailed me some pictures of her girls in costumes she’s made in the past… I know you will enjoy them much more than what I could scrap together to share… Thanks Charlotte!
This was her email to me narrating her pictures.
Hi Jeanne,
I thought I’d send you a few pictures of my dolls dressed for Halloween, in case you need something for your blog in the next couple of weeks. One or two of them you may have seen before, I’m not sure.
The first one shows my doll, AbbyRose, dressed as a clown, and my friend’s doll, Annie, who came as a fairy; we were at our local American Girl Place (since closed), having lunch at their Bistro. This was Halloween 2016; we had a window seat and could watch the little ones trick-or-treating at the store. As I recall, we also so a large dinosaur walk by!!
The second picture is my April Eleanore and her Annie again. This time we were at a small restaurant in downtown Edmonds. The owner of the restaurant enjoyed seeing our dolls as she had a few of her own (Barbies) on display! It was a 50s themed diner, cute place and good food. I think it closed a few months later, which was sad.
I made both clown costumes, by the way. Such fun! Also made the mask Annie is wearing in the first picture.
These two pictures are a continuation of the Halloween-at-the-diner picture. They show different parts of the restaurant. As you can see, it was a really cute place to eat!! The food was good, too!!
My last two pictures are from Halloween 2019. We were back at American Girl Place again (the last time we got there for Halloween, as the next year was the pandemic and when the mall finally reopened, AG Place was only open a few months after that). By 2019, the Bistro was closed.
I brought April Eleanore again, and my friend brought Annie. I made April’s nurse’s dress, and added white tights and the closest-looking thing to “nurse shoes” that I had. I also made her cap–it’s folded paper!! I bobby-pinned it to her hair.
The first picture is the two girls together; the second is of April by herself.
We are planning to have lunch together on Halloween this year–the first Halloween we’ve spent together since 2019! We did have lunch together once this summer, though.
Well, it’s 11:30, but I’m going to try and spend another half hour in my sewing room while my hubby is still working on his extension cords… then I’ll get to bed.
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, my, what a jumble of cords you have in your dining room!! I’m sure George will get it all figured out, and you can operate as many crock pots as you need with all his preparations.
Thanks for sharing my pictures today, Jeanne–I’m glad you could use them. I’ll try to come back during the day to comment as I have time, but I do have an appointment in the afternoon, and it’s Thursday so it’ll be IHOP tomorrow night.
(This started maybe 7-8 years ago when we were at IHOP and two men sitting at a nearby table were reading and trying to answer the “Super Quiz” questions from the paper. [Bob saves and brings a week’s worth at a time]. It happened that I knew the answer to one of the questions, and they were stumped, so I finally spoke up! And that’s how we met our friends Les and Bob, and we’ve been friends every since! Hal and Paula often join us, and sometimes the waitress will listen in and try to answer if she’s not busy! Once in a great while another diner might chime in, too. All are welcome!)
Oh, I’m sure everyone will notice, but for the last two pictures, my script says the top one is of the two dolls and the bottom one is just April, and of course it’s the reverse, but that’s not a big deal.
Dear Charlotte, thanks for sharing you photos. I showed them to Charlotte Noelle, your namesake, and she said “I am waving to my cousins, can they see me?” I told her yes.
I love the diner! We have a few like that still around in PA.
And I think IHOP makes the best pancakes!
You are so welcome, Dorothy! We always have a good time.
Tell Charlotte Noelle that her cousins are waving back!!
I like IHOP’s French toast. Also their Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, and the fairly new deep-fried prawns and chips (and they have it and fish and chips on the senior menu as well as the regular one!). Their BLTs can be pretty good, too!
Thanks for your comments.
I meant to add, thanks to those who commented about the Ensure/Boost. My mom drank it during her later years, also, so I am familiar with it. We’ll see how Ron likes it! (If it’s vanilla, he probably will!! LOL)
I think that was me Charlotte. Yes my mom drank it. It wasn’t her later years just when she had cancer and when she was close to death at age 59 and yes she did die. But I am glad my comment helped you.
Also, I really like your homemade Halloween costumes especially the nurse(she looks so cute!) I have some Halloween costumes! I have to pick some of my girls to get dressed up! Thanks again for your pictures…they made me smile! Oh and that 50’s diner is SO cool! The closest I have been is to a Steak and Shake. Have fun at IHOP! My aunt and I LOVE IHOP! I wish I was going with you…I could probably help you with the trivia in the paper! Okay, again have fun!😊
I’m sorry about your mom, Lauren; mine did make it to 86-1/2, but the last few years she had arterial dementia and couldn’t speak. She still seemed to recognize people, though, even those she hadn’t seen in years!
Thank you for your compliments. The nurse outfit was pretty easy–just a white dress and some tights, plus that cap. I thought about how nurses dressed when I worked at the hospital in the 1970s (scrubs were only worn in the operating room back then!) and used that idea.
Yes, do dress up some of your girls–and take pictures! So fun!!
Well, if you’re ever in the north Seattle/south Lynnwood area on a Thursday, you’d be very welcome to join us at the IHOP on 196th!!
Thanks Lauren.
I should add (just in case you’re in the area) we meet shortly before 4, but are often there until 6 or so!!
Oh yes, Jeanne, don’tr men just love cords all over the place? I get that here too a lot when Michael decides to do somehtng! It always includes cords, of course! Hope he gets it figured out! At least the weather reports sound like it will be a nice evening for a hayride!
Charlotte, I love your pictures of your Halloween “doings” , which seem to be eating out!! It’s funny, but when I first was reading about your adventures, I was just skimming over them, and missed the part where you were at the Ameerican Girl Place in the first picture, and thought that was your home! I thought “she sure must love pink”!
That restuurant is like a throwback to the 50’s! How cute and fun it must have been to go there for a hamburger and fries, plus a soda! It’s so sad that it closed. There is a diner like that in Branson, that Michael and I go to every time we go down there, with all the chrome, red chairs and tables, and little juke boxes on each table, just a fun place to visit!
I love seeing Your and your friends dolls in their various costumes! It looks like they have quite a collection and you did a wonderful job on that nurse outfit! I wish nurses dressed like that now, since they just look more professional that way. So the cap is actually paper? That;s an idea! Are you going to be dressing up your dolls this year or making any costumes again?
Sorry for all the mistakes! Either it was too early, or I need glasses!
We had a bistro with our American Girl store in Houston but it closed down a few years ago and now the entire store is gone. Sadly I think American Girl extended itself a little too much trying to be a magical place. It definitely was a magical place but I wouldn’t mind if there was less “magic” and the store had remained. I ate at the bistro once but by the time I wanted to take Jaiden it was only used for parties. I get ads all the time for the goings on at the store in Dallas but it’s a ways from me and not something I can take advantage of easily.
I miss our AG Place, too, Barbara. It was fun to go there. The Bistro was fun, too–a simplified menu, of course, but it was fun to get “treat seats” for our dolls to sit in. When it first opened, our doll club (now defunct) went there and celebrated one of the member’s birthday. They really went all out for us!
Thanks LInda. I just have a minute before I leave for my appt.
Well, I do like pink, but I don’t think Ron would have wanted our house decorated like that! He’s a Marine, after all!! 😂
I’m sad the diner closed, too. It was a fun place to go.
Thank you. I haven’t dressed any of my girls up yet this year, but I still have a few days before Halloween!! One year I dressed up one of my dolls and stood her near the front door so she could see the trick-or-treaters. I think a couple of them did notice and comment, too! We don’t get many kids around any more–too many other options these days.
I agree about nurses; I liked the white uniforms. I suppose for children, though, the colorful scrubs are more appealing and less “off-putting”. As to the cap, just take a rectangle of paper and start folding the corners in towards the center of one long side…..
Thanks Linda.
Love seeing the costumes, especially the ones you made. Clever idea for the nurse’s cap. Nice masks. You’re quite the accomplished seamstress to be able to pull all this together. How nice to have been able to meet at the American Girl Cafe. Sad that it’s closed. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
Glad to hear Ron is doing so well and you made the decision together instead of waiting until it was absolutely necessary. It seems to be the best for both of you. Have a Happy Halloween 👻 🎃 🍫!
Hope all goes smoothly for the Hayride and the electricity holds this year.
Thank you for your comments, Susette. The mask was actually part of a doll-clothes pattern I got years ago, and I’ve made several of them. They don’t take much fabric, and fit the AG dolls quite well. I should see if I could scale it down a bit for some of the smaller dolls.
Yes. I didn’t want Ron to ever think I had just “put” him in a home. I wanted it to be a mutual decision. In July he’d fallen once and ended up in ER for stitches; a week later he had two “soft” falls (his knees gave out as he tried to walk/stand) within 24 hours, and that’s when I told him I didn’t think *I* was strong enough to keep taking care of him, and give him adequate care. (That way he wouldn’t feel like it was his fault for being too difficult to take care of.) It was a good decision, but not easy!!
Hi Everyone! Sorry I haven’t commented for so long but I read Jeanne’s emails every morning and love to see all the pictures!
October is a busy month since the weather starts cooling down here in Arizona. There are so many things to see and do. We had a wonderful doll show in Phoenix last Saturday with over a hundred vendors. I had a sales table along with several of my doll club members. We were all just selling from our own collections and did pretty well! It’s also a great time to socialize and see people that we only see at doll events, there is one lady who drives down from Montana every year and another one who drives over from Albuquerque.
Charlotte, I love the pictures of your dolls dressed up for Halloween, that is always my favorite, to see how people display their dolls for holidays! I was so busy getting ready for the show that I haven’t dressed my dolls but I did put out my Halloween Beanie Babies.
Hi Terri, You are so fortunate to still have a big doll show in your area. We used to have several in the Seattle area but we are now down to one main one, and it’s always on a Sunday, which lets me out because I play piano for church, and usually have Ron with me, so my Sunday doesn’t end until about 2:30, and the show closes at 4. Plus it’s only twice a year now.
Thanks for your comments. I don’t display my dolls the way some do, but usually try to do some little something for certain holidays. I need to get my Halloween Beanie Babies out, too (thanks for the reminder!), plus I have a couple of Annalee dolls for Halloween that I sometimes display.
Loved seeing George’s electrical projects. So reminds me of our garage while growing up. My dad was an electrical engineer and always was running wire somewhere. All of the electrical boxes/switches are still in the drawers in the garage. We haven’t had the time to go through it all. Too bad George wasn’t closer or we’d bring over a pickup load for him. 🙂
Love the nurse’s outfit that Charlotte made. Reminds me so much of my mother in law who was director of nurses in our local hospital. I always found it interesting that each nurse’s college had a different hat and pin. Thanks for sharing Charlotte and Jeanne. 🙂
Thanks, Joy, for the comments. I, too, remember when each nursing school had its own cap (some with ribbon, some without). I had an aunt who was an RN (and later taught in nursing school)–she lived long enough to watch one of her granddaughters graduate from nursing school, too!–and two of my cousins were also nurses (one an RN, one an LPN).
Good morning Jeanne,
Your picture with the table full of cords reminds me of the happy times my Dad was fixing something at home.
I love your pictures Charlotte, you are a very talented seamstress, so your little girls are always well dressed. I love especially the nurse’s dress. It looks so professionally made.
Thank you so much Charlotte for sharing your lovely pictures and the details with them.
Thank you for your nice comments, Angela! I do enjoy sewing, and always have 2 or 3 projects “under the needle”, as the sayin goes.
Oops, that should be “saying” (last line)!!
Thanks for sharing your photos, Charlotte. I enjoyed seeing yours and your friend’s doll dressed up in costumes. I like your nurse’s outfit. My great aunt was a surgical nurse.
The diner looks cute and reminds me of the diner we have here. It was a restaurant first and then was bought by another family in 1932 and converted to a diner/bakery. Our oldest restaurant in town has been in operation since the Civil War, opening in 1864. It turned 159 this year! Both fun places to go.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pictures, Laura. Your comment reminded me, I, too, had a great-aunt who was a nurse. She was the head of what would now be called the neo-natal nursery, and actually saved my mother’s life. Mom was a preemie, and Aunt Betty kept her bassinet beside her desk, so she could keep a close eye on mom. I’m sure she had to resuscitate mom more than once, as mom was only about 6-7 months gestation.
What a fabulous history your area has, in those two restaurants. I don’t know that we have anything close to that in our area.
Thank you.
That hay rack ride looks to be a very fun evening. George’s tangle of cords will all make sense and avoid blowing fuses.😉so do you have food first or after the ride? You have such fun activities.
Charlotte love all the pictures and having a friend to share it with is even better.☺️The Nurses uniform is lovely and how clever to use paper for the cap…my Moms was so stiff it stood up itself easily. The nurses and doctors now in scrubs all the time do not look professional at all. You don’t know if they are a nurse, Doctor, or housekeeper. Don’t get me started…and hair all askew and no make up. What happened to looking fresh and professional? Sorry to complain but seriously🤔🫣
You’ll laugh, but when I recently visited my doctor, around his neck on a lanyard were cards that I presume would open doors etc., and one right in front that said “doctor”. I laughed. He said that they had to wear them as people had complained that they didn’t know who they were. 🙂
That is too funny, Joy!! That should tell “the powers that be” something right there!!
Thank you, Kathie. Yes, I am fortunate to have a friend to “play dolls” with occasionally. I need to email her (or phone) and figure out where we’re going to take our dollies for Halloween lunch this year!!
I totally agree with you about the scrubs, etc. They may be more comfortable, but they don’t look very professional!!
Dear Jeanne, my table looks like that most times (laugh). I think that the dolls play on it at night when I am asleep.
That will definitely be my next excuse for other person when he complains about a mess on the couch. 🙂
What wonderful pictures, Charlotte. And how nice you have a friend to play dolls with. I was showing my oldest son’s girlfriend my doll collection the other day and it looked like I had initiated a “fight or flight” response in her. She could not wait to get out of that room. She acted like it was a room full of Chucky dolls. So I guess we have nothing common in that area. I love all the adorable costumes and the nurse’s uniform is the best. My mother was an RN back in the days when nurses did dress like that. She always looked so professional.
I’ve finally reached the day when my kitchen and dining room tables have nothing on them but what I want there. One or the other was always the staging area for some project or another. The last time my mother visited she commented that that was the first time she’d ever seen my dining room being used as just a dining room. I showed her pictures of what it looked like when I moved everything out of the kitchen cabinets and into the dining room when we remodeled the kitchen. It looked more like a storage area than a dining room.
Your hayride and Halloween celebration sounds like so much fun. Wish I could join in.
Thank you, Barbara. I have encountered that reaction at times, too. A funny story: Many years ago one of my doll clubs had Christmas lunch at a restaurant and later some of us went to Pacific Fabrics. I hadn’t had Molly too long at that time, so she went along, and Mary Rose and Kathi brought their AG dolls, too. We had a nice time, looking around, trying fabrics against our dolls, etc.
A week later, I was in the Everett Pacific Fabrics, and started telling the manager, a friend of mine, about our trip to the Northgate store. She looked at me and said, “YOU’re the one!! I should have Known it was you!!”
Huh?!!!
It turns out the Northgate manager had been talking to Val on the phone, and said, “The Strangest thing happened the other day.
There were these three women who came into my store, and they were carrying their dolls around and talking to them like they were real people!!” 😂
Val told her, “they were just messing with your mind!” and then, “you should have just complimented them on how well-behaved their children were!! 😂🤣😂