Hi everyone,
First of all, Happy Belated Easter! I woke up this morning and realized it the was the first time I haven’t written at least “something” for Easter Sunday since I began my blog. I just forgot to do it.
If it seemed like I wasn’t here last week it’s because I WASN’T! We went to Tennessee to be with my hubby’s sister, who lost her husband 2 weeks ago. It was a nice visit but bittersweet without Bill being there. He was the life of the party and had the most infectious laugh and everyone loved being around him. He was a prankster and kidder and my hubby got his start in the maintenance business working for him. He taught my hubby LOTS of what he knows and uses today!
It was at their house, (here in Carbondale) when I first met my hubby and he brought me to meet his family, that I was introduced to croquet. When I saw the set in their garage last week, it brought back lots of memories. They played it at all the family gatherings…
We also went to see my hubby’s younger brother, who lives in Tennessee as well, but about 2 hours away. His wife has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and on top of that, she fell and broke her hip 2 weeks ago. She’s in a rehab place and it was a visit none of us wanted to really go to, but we did. Hard things happen!
Penny has really slow internet at her house so my posts were pretty simple, but I was doing the best I could, using pictures as I could get them loaded. I should have started my Easter Parade sooner as I still have lots of pictures to use, and I’m sure even more that I have missed when looking for others, but here are a few more… maybe even enough for 2 days. I’ll have to see how they load tonight.
I had to take a brief break from writing this post as the we got a Tornado Warning on our phones. They said it was coming toward Carbondale and gave us all kinds of warnings to get in our safe place. Reuben was panicking as he is SEVERLY afraid of thunder and lightning. It shifted slightly and went north of us… Thank you Lord!
So here are a few more dresses on my girls for Easter… I hope you don’t mind…
Here is Ten Ping in a pretty blue and cream Easter set from back in 2020.
This was my very first dress I made for Sara, my sweet Ruby Red Fashion Friend doll. I’ll never be able to thank Donnell for bringing her doll when she came to visit me one time. Sara was a doll I had never seen before and I’ve told it before, but I think I had my very own Sara doll bought before Donnell was out of the driveway. It was the beginning of my love for the Ruby Red dolls.
Next up is Elin in a dress that she and Patsy Tonner shared… I found this Swiss embroidered hankie and thought it went so well with this dress set.
Who remembers the TROUBLE I had trying to get this dress photographed so the mint green color didn’t turn aqua in my pictures? It was so hard to take pictures and look like what it really looked like in person. I finally gave up and called it aqua/mint.
Sometimes I have to look back in my notebook to remember what I used for the title of the dresses I made. This one stuck in my mind… I called it “Golden Delicious!”
Here is Molly in another of my smocked dresses. I called this one “Smocked Sweetness!”
I don’t think I’ve shown this one yet, hope not… This is 7 1/2″ Riley Kish, in a pretty little pink and white floral dress. I remember after I made it and saw her all dressed up in it, thinking just how adorable she was in it.
Here is another dress for Riley… this time in a pretty mint green with a pink embroidered vintage hankie used for her apron. I LOVED that hankie!
Here is Samantha in an Aqua silk flower striped dress. She was beautiful in this color.
And this is the last one for today… Wren Pistachio, by Helen Kish in a bright yellow and roses ruffled dress…
Well, I hope that keeps you happy and smiling on this Monday! I have a few more to show tomorrow and then I think we’ll move onto something else.
Hope you enjoyed seeing a few more Easter dresses!
Blessings, Jeanne
You have sure had some tough visits to do this past week, Jeanne. I’m so sorry for the one loss, and the one that’s coming up, sooner or later. You are right, some of those visits are ones you don’t really Want to do–but you know you would feel even worse if you didn’t go!
So many pretty Easter fashions tonight! Yes,, I do remember the trouble you had photographing that one dress, and the time you had trying to get the photo to match the actual color of that mint/aqua dress. It’s lovely, whatever color it is!
I just love Molly’s smocked dress! I actually have that fabric, in both pink and the blue you show here. Great minds think alike, huh?!
I also really like Riley’s pink and white dress, and the yellow one for Wren Pistachio.
Oh, Jeanne, what a week you have had! Things, good or bad always seem to come in bunches, and you sure had a few there to contend with. My condolences to you and George. You both did the right thing in going and I’m sure your presence was very touching and appreciated. Family should always come first, and you certainly showed that. It’s never good saying goodbye, but is a part of life.Sometimes we just don’t know what to say or do, but the fact that you went shows them that you care.
Now for those darling dresses! Little Ten Ping looks adorable, and I especially love that bonnet she is wearing, just a perfect way to show her pretty little face!
And Sara! I remember when you got her, and decided then and there if I get any Ruby Red doll, she wouod be it, and now I DO have her! She looks so sweet no matter what she wears, but that dress certainly is a cute one for her!
You don’t have to wonder how I like Molly’s blue and green smocked dress! I LOVE it! She is my main girl and smocking is so special for me, since I had a smocked dress as a baby and also my daughter had a darling smocked Christmas dress for her first Christmas. Plus I love blue and green together!
Riley’s green print dress and that fabulous hankie apron look so much like what a springtime
dress should look like: pretty, fresh and dainty! Love it! In fact, just as pretty is the pink dress with the ribbon roses on the front ! You can’t beat those!
So glad we both came through last night with no damage, but it sure was scary there for a time. We did lose power for a short while, just enough to have to redo all the clocks that were blinking!
I am so sorry for your loss, Jeanne! Bill sounds like a fun guy to be around. I am glad you got to visit your sister-in-law, too. I guess no one really knows how much time we have left.
It is good seeing your sweet dolls and their dresses. You did a lot of work on them. It is interesting to see that there is a variety of Kish dolls.
I am glad the tornado missed you! My brother in Illinois was in a tornado watch last night. It seems to have missed him, too.
Jeanne, it is such fun to see your former dresses, some of them wake my memory! I also love seeing the fabrics on different dolls. I am so sorry your Easter was full of sad times. I know they loved seeing you, though and you and George brought some joy into their lives.
As for Peyton, we managed to attend Good Friday service and Easter Morning service. We are in the choir and it is small, Peyton is the only male left. I am so glad he still has his great voice. We still soak and re-wrap his hand trice a day. The area of the surgary looks good but the back of his hand still looks yucky, all red and pealing. How every he says he has no pain in it any more. We see the doc on Friday, will let y’all know then. We really appreceate your prayers.
Praying that Peyton’s hand will soon be a non-issue, but it sure sounds like he got help in the nick of time for it to take this long to get over. Hopefully by the next doctor visit he will be over this.
We have a small church choir too. David is one of only two men, both basses. We have two sopranos, one alto and a high school girl who floats between alto and tenor but could also sing soprano, which I wish she did more often because the sopranos get drowned out sometimes by the lower voices. Our choir director came up with a plan, or so she thought. One of the women in the congregation has a beautiful alto voice but several small children so she can’t be depended on but will come up sometimes when we sing special music. She has an eight-year-old daughter who loves to sing but is the size of a five-year-old. She is now joining us since we don’t sing every Sunday. She has a sweet little girl voice with the emphasis on “little”. She is really more of a mascot. Yesterday during Easter service she dropped her binder and the rings popped open and spilled her music all over the floor at which time she drops to the floor to pick it up while searching for the current piece we would be singing. I told her she could share my music and we got through that. She is really still too small/young to really participate in an adult choir but sadly we have no hopes of a junior choir at the moment and I’m not about to discourage someone who loves to sing from singing. But all this is very distracting. Besides the door has now been opened since she sang with us on Palm Sunday and Easter (both times there were issues) so I I just keep the “Serenity Prayer” in mind and know this is one of those things that I cannot change because her parents have more clout than I do and they want her to be able to sing. So any suggestions from me would be like flogging dead horses and I’d be the bad guy. Time will tell.
Thank you, Barbara, for caring about Peyton’s hand. At least he has no more pain in it. I really want to hear what the doc says.
My goodness, your choir sounds so similar to ours! we have 3 sopranos, and also our director has a beautiful soprano, so we don’t drown them out. We have 3 altos but seldom have all 3. I am glad to hear you have a high school girl, it is so hard to get young people interested in church music. I had to laugh about the little one, but I can see how she can be a problem. We just have to keep on singing as long as we can.
Glad you made it home safely, but then a tornado warning? Scary. Did Reuben have a dog sitter? Just curious. Have you tried one of those thunder shirts for him? I may have asked before. I’ve heard they can work, but our neighbor uses Benadryl, in a doggie dose, on the 4th of July, as the thunder shirt doesn’t work for little Winnie.
Sorry for the loss of your bro in law, and the illness of your sister in law. But, it was great that you were able to get in a visit. How long does it take to get from your place to TN? Clueless here. Any nice scenery on the way? Generations from my family, several times back, were in TN, near Sevierville, before moving on and settling in MO. TN was pretty wild country at that time. But, here I am, from pioneer stock. 🙂
We had fun seeing the grands yesterday. They are back swimming and getting ready for meets starting pretty soon. Hard to believe that our oldest grand is having a graduation from middle school at our next get together. What, he’s going to high school? How can that be? Time flies doesn’t it. The kids with mom’s help made a great peeps cake with Oreo dirt and green sprinkles grass. It was very tasty. 🙂
Got home with medium traffic, and had cats awaiting us. One at the other house who wanted her usual kibble and treats and then when we arrived home there was Charlotte flaked out on the front steps wanting her treats, Once inside, I spotted Callie on the back deck peering into the slider also wanting treats. Such is our life with cats. Not ours, but we get to play with them. 🙂
Glad that Jeanne and George made it home safely. The Easter dresses are lovely and my favorite was Molly’s smocked one. I would love to see a dress made in the Ruby Red size that was smocked. It would be so cute. 🙂
I am sad and sorry for your sister in law. That is a tragic loss of a bright spark in all of your lives.
Well, you had quite a week. Yes, there has been some very wild weather. Spring is always so aggressive on it’s arrival, a fight against the bitter cold. It is always tragic when so much damage occurs from those angry winds.
I am glad for you, that you made the visits with loved ones. We need that, and those we love deserve that presence.
All of these dresses are just so cute. I can not pick a favorite. I have never tried smocking but perhaps I will find something to smock just for fun…. hmmmm
Happy Easter Monday all of you.
Busy day for me, I hope all of you have a positive bright day
So very sorry for both of your sisters-in-laws. I’m sure they both appreciated the visits.
More sweet Easter dresses. How lovely everyone looks. Happy Easter Monday to all the Sofa Sisters.
Jeanne, loved seeing all the Easter dresses- so pretty with the pastel colors for Spring.
I, too, remember the story about you ordering a RRFF right after seeing your friend’s Sara. Now you have a few more RRFF’s who get to model your outfits!
Sorry to hear of your loss of a family member. I’m sure your sister-in-law appreciated your visit. And as difficult as it was to visit your other sister-in-law, it’s good you and George could visit with her a bit.
One of the problems with being so dependable is that when things change just a little it’s noted. When I was thinking back on last week I kept feeling there was something you weren’t telling us. While I’m so glad it was just your trip to Tennessee we weren’t hearing about I am sorry for your reasons for your visits. They can be the hardest kinds of visits but the most appreciated. So sorry to hear about George’s brother’s wife. Her fall just made a bad situation worse so I will be praying for her as I will for all your family.
I wish I had my Wren Pistachio when you made that adorable yellow outfit. I would have done my best to snag that one. All the others are wonderful too. I did not know you smocked. I need to get back to doing that and have several doll dress patterns to use for this. I have everything I need except the inclination. Need to work on that.
Put me in the same boat with smocking. I’ve only done one dress and it was for my cousin’s daughter, so it has been awhile. She’s in college now. 🙂 But, I would love to do one for the Ruby Red clan. Did you find a pattern for that size?
I think most of my doll smocking patterns are for the LDs or 18″ dolls. But let me check something out. It seems I might have one for the RRFFs and I think I got it on Etsy. I’ll check out my patterns tomorrow but the more I think about it I’m pretty sure I remember one and it’s a pretty dress pattern.
Jeanne, these are just stunning! I love seeing the dolls that were popular not so long ago and dresses that were before my time. Works of art each one.
Dear Jeanne, your stories remind me that I need to be grateful for every day with which I am blessed.
I am blessed to know you and the Sofa Sisters.
The dresses are beautiful. I am smiling as I scroll through them.