Hi everyone,
I am happy to report I am better… not 100% but I’m hoping to be there shortly. A friend told me to suck on Peppermint candies as the peppermint oil breaks up the mucus in your throat and lungs, I think… so I’m trying it. In the mean time, I’m showing pictures that were sent to me, but never (I don’t think) made it to the blog. This is “generally” a blog about sewing for dolls, but since I’ve been under the weather, I’ll show these. If nothing else, it will give you all a chance to chat with each other.
I am glad to see that 2 ladies are eyeing the dress for Molly, which makes me happy as I wasn’t totally happy with my pictures. It’s such a bright colorful dress and the fabric is just wonderful, but I thought my pictures were lacking pizzaz! Today, I had my first outing in 2 weeks and found myself looking at the red, white and blue candy… I will find something and add it to the winner’s box. :o)
Now for today’s post. I just have some odd ball pictures, some outside and some not, but I’m going to put them all in this post to get totally caught up. I hope I haven’t missed anyone’s pictures they’ve sent.
Let’s start off with something Linda sent me. I can’t remember if I shared this or if I just saw it but didn’t share it.
Jeanne, thought you would enjoy this VERY OLD picture taken at Easter, back when I was three. Hard to see, but I’m holding a paper mache white rabbit, that had candy inside. I remember that dress so well, it was a pretty robin’s egg blue with pink roses on it and a ruffle along the hem, and above the sleeves and the top of the neckline. I’m not sure about having a bonnet on, but it does look like something is tied around my neck. Those are my father’s Iris’, he just loved them!
Love to you,
Linda💕🐰💕
Next in my emails, I found this sweet note and picture from Linda G in MN.
Dear Jeanne,
Someone suggested sending pictures of what we as Sofa Sisters looked like at Easter growing up. My folks really didn’t do photography so I have few pictures of myself.
But here’s one of my 1950’s doll in hat and dress from Woolworth’s, nylon socks with lace, white patten leather shoes. I’ve added the pop-it beads, gloves, charm bracelet, poodle, Easter basket and her Bible. It may bring back some memories!
Blessings,
Linda G from MN
Here is Linda (in St. Louis) again…
Here are a couple of pictures of my Azalea. Finally, after two years of no blooms, we have a bunch! This was from a cutting that my neighbor, Mary, gave me long ago. She is no longer with us, but I think of her when it blooms. So pretty!
Love to you,
Linda💕🌺
I could not get the pictures of Susette’s Azalea’s to open up… sorry…
This is from Linda (in St. Louis)
Jeanne,
I am not sure of what pictures you all have of mine, but I am pretty sure this isn’t one because I just did it. Pretty sure you have the Maypole dance and my azalea, but that’s all I can think of.
Here, Betsy and Sara are at the County Fair, where Sara is going to ride in the pony competition, and Betsy is wishing her luck!
Love to you,
Linda💕
Jeanne, if you don’t have much for May 1st, here is something you could use. Even Coconut got into the dance around the May Pole!
Hope you are feeling better!
Love to you,
Linda💕
I found a few pictures of one day when I was walking Reuben. These little purple flowers sprung up over night and Reuben had to check them out.
Well, I think I’m caught up… let’s start fresh on Monday? DOLL STUFF… OK? :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
I’m glad to hear you’re feeling so much better, Jeanne. Let us know if the peppermint candy thing works. I usually keep a couple of them in my purse to suck on if I’m out and about and getting hungry but it’s too close to dinner for a snack! I get mine from See’s (but they only have them at Christmas), and they keep quite a long time. They’re all individually wrapped, too. (And while you’re there, you might try their lemon truffles…..Ohhhhh, yummmmm!! Just sayin’!)
What a darling picture of you, Linda! Isn’t it funny, how certain dresses just stick in our minds? I had a pink polished-cotton one when I was in 2nd grade that I just loved.
Linda G., your doll is wonderful! Her composition looks just perfect, and she’s dressed so nicely! Looks like she’s ready for Sunday School on Easter! I remember buying doll clothes in the dime store, too–in our town, it was the Ben Franklin.
Linda in St. Louis, your azalea is lovely! What I would call a salmon pink. Your bush is almost as tall as mine, I think.
The County Fair and Maypole Dance displays are wonderful, as usual, Linda! It looks like Sara is getting ready to climb onto her horse. The girls dancing around the Maypole all look so pretty in their pink dresses!
Any idea what those little purple flowers are called? They are certainly pretty,
Jeanne, I’m so happy that you are getting better, and have found something to lessen your coughing. Mine isn’t peppermint, but horehound candy by Claey’s that I really like because it doesn’t leave a “medicine” taste in my mouth. Cough drops just don’t do it!
Oh my gosh, I even forgot I sent that picture of me and was a bit startled to see it this morning! I thought it looked familiar! Yes, Charlotte, it’s funny that you remember some dresses you used to have, and not others. And yes, I would think that my azalea bush is more of a salmon pink color. It is still at its peak, but with all the recent rains we have had, it is drooping more than I would like right now. Hopefully, with more sunshine, it will perk upright again. Thank you for the compliments, and nice words!
Linda G., your doll is darling, and yes, I remember that kind of doll too! I would have loved that whole set, and remember looking and looking at dolls at our local dime store, and of course, the big department stores downtown. You certainly have kept her pristine!
Jeanne, those flowers are just beautiful the way they cast a purple glow around the greenery! What a surprise that they just popped up overnight! So you didn’t plant them? If they are weeds, they are very pretty weeds, and I certainly would keep them!
Thank you again for showing my pictures! I only send them to help out in the blog, and maybe to give a bit of enjoyment to others. It’s nice to see what is going on in the other sofa sister’s lives, and we get to know each other better.
And now who is going to be next for the latest “Jeanne Marie Fashion Show?
I looked up one of the photo places on FB I mentioned. ( Free Photo Restoration, Repair & Photoshop) But, there are others. Maybe try getting that sweet photo back to it’s original look. You can tell people what color the dress was etc. 🙂
So great to hear that you are feeling better, Jeanne. I hope you can have a quiet weekend and be all better on Monday. Thank you for finding the fun photos for us to enjoy.
I love your cuteness at age 3, Linda and your gorgeous azaleas. Mine are 25 years old and, while they are big and green they didn’t bloom this year, sigh. Sara look like a real horse girl, I hope she had a good ride. The May pole is so sweet, I love the outfits.
Linda G, your doll is so lovely, such a great photo. She reminds me of a doll I had in the 40’s, her face looks so familiar! Thank you for sharing!
Jeanne, is this the first time you have seen these lovely purple flowers come up? I wish I knew what they are, really pretty.
Have a nice weekend every one.
Thank you, Sissy! I’m loving my azalea bush this year, especially after two years of no flowers. Who der why that happened. That bush is also about 25 years old, but has been cut back a bit or it would voter up everything else. When we first moved here 53 years ago, everything was so small and we couldn’t wait for things to grow. Ow that they are grown, we are trying to keep everything from over growing! At our age, it is not that easy!
Also thank you for the nice comments about my dolls! That pony goes all over to different dolls when they need a horse! Mostly it stays with Kaya.
Oh boy, the mistakes in that comment! My fingers do not touch each key as hard as they are supposed to, plus this iPad is very “touchy”!
Sorry, and I hope you can make out what I was saying!
Thanks for the update on your condition, Jeanne. Boy, this has sure been a long haul, but glad you’re on the uptick.
I was delighted to see Linda’s great photo. There is a site on FB where people post their old photos in need of photo repair and people fix them. That photo would so benefit from some photo enhancement to bring back the color. It is a jewel of a photo and the iris too. 🙂 I love the fair photo with Sara and her pony with Betsy and the pups so attentive. And the May dancers just pop. What a wonderful display. The azalea is lovely. So glad that it is booming once again. It looks very healthy.
Jeanne’s purple flowers pop under her bushes. What is that middle reddish plant?
Linda G’s doll is so sweet. I do remember those pop beads. We used to trade them in elementary school. I had some blue ones that I just loved.
And on to the weekend. Hope everyone has a nice Mother’s Day, for those that celebrate. We’ll be heading down to see the grands. Supposed to be a coolish day, my usual jeans and tee shirt should be apropos. 🙂
Thanks for the info on buying from Ruby Red. I guess that solves my dolly fever problem for the moment.
I’m hoping that the tariff thing gets settled soon so that the doll business can continue. I heard that an 80 percent is being discussed. Better than the 143, I think it has been. I’m already missing seeing the new dolls coming out.
Had a chance to enlarge Jeanne’s pic, and that middle bush is not a bush but what looks to be a Japanese maple. It is lovely. 🙂
Thank you, Joy! Would you believe that photo is a color one? It certainly has faded through the ages! I don’t know, it just sits in a box of photos, and really no one sees it much. I wonder if it would be worth the trouble of restoring it. I mean, it isn’t a wedding photo or anything more valuable like that. What really bothers me now is all these photos we take on our phones and such, are we or our grandchildren going to be able to see them years from now? Will there be things to use to see them?
The site where I’ve seen photos restored for free, does just that, restores the color to color photos. The ones I’ve seen are amazing. And people do it for free. 🙂 It does bother me too that phones now carry our photo collections mostly. Daughter has stuff in the cloud and has actual photo albums for each of her kids. Me, just boxes of old photos in no random order. Must be saving them to arrange in my next life. 🙂
Linda, some of that early color film was prone to fading; I have some photos, too, that have faded, and then others haven’t. It just depends.
If that’s the only picture you have of yourself in that dress, and it’s a favorite, I think it would be worth having it restored. Of course, it’s up to you….
Hi everyone,
I was going to ask my sister, Cindy, last night before I wrote my post, but it was too late. I just asked her and she said it’s called Ajuga. They have been blooming a few weeks now but are starting to fade. It voluntarily comes up every year and beside it, in a few weeks, will pop up the Lily of the Valley flowers. I LOVE them.
The red “bush” Joy mentioned is a decorative Japanese Maple. We planted it probably 18-20 years ago and it has grown, but not much… it’s on the north side of our house. The trunk is very thick…
Well, I’m off to the Food Pantry… 1st time in 2 weeks!
~ Jeanne
Ha ha, you beat me to it. I enlarged the photo and saw that it was a Japanese red maple. It is a lovely specimen. 🙂
Cindy beat me to it. I was going to tell you it was Ajuga, Jeanne. It’s a beautiful ground cover. Of course I love Lily of the Valley, my birth flower.
The food pantry will be fun. A friend once said that she and I were the only people she knew who shopped (without necessarily buying) in grocery stores.
I am pleased you are better. I think you don’t like tea, but another friend said her cough remedy was peppermint candy dissolved in hot tea.
I always think Linda’s Betsy looks so pleased with whatever she’s wearing — and her life in general. Molly’s new dress suits her perfectly — and the picnic basket with it — it’s the ideal choice.
Thank you, Marilyn! Yes, Betsy always has fun and gets to wear some cute little outfits.So glad I have her!
Firstly! wowie, yippie you are almost fully recovered! Yay.
Thank you for sharing these pictures shared by sofa sisters.
Linda, you were a cutie pie as a little girl. I love your hair, so sunny and curly.
Linda G, your doll is beautiful and in absolute beautiful condition! Wow, a treasure and greatly loved
The Azalea bushes are beautiful. I love this color. Bushes are so funny, some years they just hold off haha
I have two enormous camellia bushes that bloom delicate flowers at the end of November! They stay in bloom during snow storms too. I never knew they were so sturdy.
I love Betsy and Sara at the fair. That pony is perfect too. Adorable scene set up!
The maypole scene is lovely too. Wow, all of the girls have beautiful dresses, so sweet. I am so happy that all of you share such wonderful pictures.
Lucky doggie Reuben. Is that Lupine? or some other, it look high enough to be that. kind of like big fat lavender
Dear everyone, have a blessed happy week-end.
I pray that all of you feel loved from friends and family. Happy Squeezy hugs for Mother’s Day
My mother in law used to tell me, every day is Mother’s Day.
Thank you, Rosemary for all the compliments! I’m so glad I got that pony from American Girl before it was discontinued. It’s hard to find a good one on EBay, since most of them have been played with and not in the best shape.
I remember things that I did as a little girl, and that sets the scene for what my dolls do. They are always doing “something”!
Glad you are mostly mended, Jeanne.
How cute you look, Linda and yes, we all have dresses we remember so well.
Linda G. ,Your doll is lovely in her outfit. She looks like my mom’s Madame Alexander Maggie doll except my mom has to have hers restrung.
You azalea is lovely, Linda. As usual, your dolls are having fun with various activities. The County Fair scene is great. Our County Fair isn’t until September. Love the Maypole dance and happy to see Coconut got to join in the fun.
Thank you, Laura! Our County Fair is in the summer, so I just decided to use that for a scene. They always had a horse show too, so that’s where I got the idea to have a pony in there. Sara just HAD to wear her cowboy boots and hat! I did that to appease her! Yes, she is a very spoiled little doll!
I knew you would like to see Coconut in the Maypole scene! Good thing too, because I had that extra ribbon for her to hold!
Hey all, be careful if you decide to plant Augja, as it is invasive. Ajuga reptans, commonly known as Carpet Bugle, is a fast-growing and vigorous groundcover that, while useful in some gardening contexts, is listed in the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States. Can’t be as bad as blackberry and ivy though. 🙂
So glad to hear you’re on the mend, Jeanne! My hubby seems to be fighting something similar, coughing like crazy. I too would have loved Molly’s dress as a child! Such a happy print. It’s darling.
My doll is a Sweet Sue from American Character. I got to pick out “one big doll” at the downtown department store when I was six! She had a trip to the doll hospital for cleaning and paint touch up about twenty years ago when I took her out of storage and began “playing” with her again. Thanks for all your comments.
Love the flowers and bushes, Linda’s fun scenes, the Sofa Sisters and Jeanne’s delightful sewing creations.