Hi everyone,
The weekend was PRETTY busy for us… getting ready for Monday! It’s going to start a new chapter in our lives…
I made it into my sewing room twice… once to iron a shirt for my hubby and once to get some safety pins.
I will have to just ask you a question today… I hope you have fun chatting with each other!
“What is the farthest you’ve ever traveled or the craziest thing you’ve done to get a doll?”
Hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow…
Blessings, Jeanne
It sounds like Monday is the start of some new treatment; know that you both will be in our prayers as you start this new chapter.
I consider Any time spent in the sewing room–even if all you are doing is ironing something!–to be a win at a busy time like this!
Okay, on to your question: The furthest place I ever went to get a doll–although that was not the reason why I went there–is Swaziland! As in, Africa!
A little explanation: when I was a child, we had a missionary to Africa come to speak at our vacation Bible school back in Michigan, and something about it just captured my imagination. I decided I wanted to be a missionary to Africa!
Well, that didn’t happen, but the church we were attending in the 1990s was a large church that sometimes sent a group of people on a short-term mission trip to help out the “regular” missionaries who were stationed wherever. When they announced a trip to Africa, and an information meeting, I told Ron, I have to go to this meeting, so we did. They told about where they were going (the headquarters of Trans World Radio in Manzini, Swaziland) and that the missionaries there had been asked, if you could have people come in and help you with jobs you don’t have time to do, what would you want them to do? Ken Gaydos (the man who headed it up) handed out the list for us all to look at and, if interested, fill out. Can you paint a wall? Weld? and so on. One of the jobs: Set up a subject file for the missionaries’ children’s home school library. (They homeschool their children thru grade 8, then send them to boarding school, so education credits will be appropriate when they get back to the US.)
My college minor was Library Science (and I was the ONLY one with this training, out of the 36 who went). Did I need more of a nudge than that?!
So I went. Ron wasn’t interested, so he stayed here. We had a week of working at TWR, and my part of the team got thru about 2/3 of the volumes in the home school library (the missionary wife who lived there was able to finish after we left). Then we had a weekend of debriefing and after that a tour down the garden route. Along the way, I found and bought some dolls, all of them cloth. One represents the Swazi people and another, the Zulu. There’s also a “generic” doll or two. Now that I have talked about them, I guess I’ll need to get them out and send Jeanne some pictures!
That sounds like a wonderful time, Charlotte and I would love to see your photos!
What a blessing for you to be able to fulfill a dream and help out at the same time. I would love to see the pictures of the dolls you got while you were there.
As I was reading the two questions, I read them as two different one, but it looks like Charlotte put the two together as one! My answer won’t be as exciting or different as Charlotte’s, for sure!
I would guess that the farthest away I have traveled, was to Hawaii, as a newlywed. Michael had to go to Viet Nam just three months after we married, so was eligible for a R&R a year later, and he picked Hawaii, so that’s why I went there. It was my first time on a plane, and I was by myself, plus we had stormy weather over the Pacific which was in the middle of the night! Needless to say, I was scared half to death on that flight over there! However, everything turned out fine and we had a wonderful time! The flight back was much better, with sunny skies and no storms. I still am a bit leery of planes, and ships are nothing I would ever consider, so I am more comfortable being on good solid ground to go anywhere!
You and George are in my prayers today as you start a new chapter. 🙏🏻💕
Linda, I always wanted to go to Hawaii but never did. My trip all over Europe when I was 20 and my trip to OZ when I was 56 have been great times.
I had to laugh at your trip to OZ, Sissy. I have a feeling you meant NZ, which actually looks as beautiful as OZ from videos and photos I’ve seen.
I’ve only been on a plane once as a child. Linda. and I would never get on one again.
On the other hand, I have been on ferries, boats, paddleboat (The Delta Queen), and small ships ), and would happily get on those. I love the water!!
Good morning Jeanne and George, Happy Monday to everyone.
Jeanne, our prayers continue for good treatments and comfort for George.
These are two super excellent questions. Charlotte, your answer was impressive and I am certain that as a great experience for you.
Linda, I have flown to Hawaii, it is a long flight.
My parents were from Holland, and they came here after they were married in 1947… I think they came in 1949. My dad was an accountant, and later a CPA and later the the assistant director of the G.A.O. He traveled a lot. We got to travel a lot as a family on some of his trips, but mostly, my parents just loved to travel back to the Netherlands and see our family, grand parents cousins, aunts uncles etc. So I traveled all over Europe as a child and we lived in Germany, Italy Belgium, France… that was a great experience. When we lived in the US we lived in Maryland and I hated it in Maryland so much. I was a teen-ager and my peers were poorly behaved and entitled. We did not live in a fancy neighborhood.
Anyway, the most interesting place in Europe I visited and lived was Paris.
I hope everyone had a very nice week-end. It was chilly here. Hubbs and I are walking around the neighborhood every day now, getting exercise. The temps have been in the 60’s highly unusually chilly.
Kitty Princess is very unhappy that her screened porch is not sunny or warm. She spends most of the day sleeping upstairs in her heated bed now.
This makes me feel I should move my sewing pile back upstairs, as the only reason brought the Featherweight down here was to keep an eye on her all day outside on the porch. (I miss sewing on my zippy Singer 301A that is upstairs) I am working on my two quilts at the same time. I am planning on making two colorways at the same time. At present, wow, a lot of small pieces. For quilters: many 8 at a time half square triangles and flying geese.
I plan on sewing all day today. I will take a break to figure out the plan for dinner, and also a few household duties. I am happy sewing all day.
I hope all of you have sunshine. It has not arrived here (because of the storm off of the east coast/we did get some rain and wind but nothing dramatic). I hope we get some sun today.
Jeanne, I hope this week is smooth and easy.
You and George are dearly loved.
Rosemary, you have had quite a lot of travel! I did love the Netherlands when I was traveling when I was 20. It was my favorite place. We did get friends from there at home years ago and made such friends with them we were in their wedding in GA.
I’ve been watching the weather channel some and that storm along the Atlantic coast is horrible. So glad you have not suffered from it. I’ve been watching because my daughter lives in Maine. Fortunately it looks like it is going to diminish a lot before it reaches her.
Ah Jeanne always thinking of others… i did visit Turkey that was pretty far;)
We’re all praying for George and you
After my sons went to Australia together after they finished college. When they returned, my younger son married and my older son worked for 2 years and made enough money to go around the world. After hearing about all the wonderful times they had in Australia I decided to meet Ronny when his travels brought him back to Australia. My second husband wanted to go with me even though we are about ready to part. Ronny met us on our arrival with a man he had known on his first trip. He put us up in his place in Cairns, which is up near the top of Australia and looks like Florida with mountains. We had a wonderful time traveling with a lady in her big bus, seeing all about the area. Then Ronny and I went on a boat to go SCUBA diving on the Great Barrier Reef. That was just fabulous, swimming with the fish, the beautiful corals, and also some whales came to visit. They swam by looking at us so closely that my photo of one took two photos to get all of it.
We were out there for 4 days, I will never forget it.
We left Cairns and went sailing for 3 days, another beautiful time. We left Ronny after that. We had set up for 3 plane trips with Qantas Airways. We went to Alice Springs, Adelaide to Melbourne, and then to Sydney and then to Los Angeles and from there to home. All those times we went on so many trips to see so many wonderful animals and lovely places. We were in OZ (nick name for Australia) for a month. It would take too long to tell you all about it.
Maybe I can get out some of my photos to send to Jeanne when she gets time.
Jeanne, extra prayers are going up for what is going on with you and George today. Please keep us posted when you can.
I hope that today brings good news for George and Jeanne, and that she can keep us posted as time allows. I’ll be thinking of you both. Take care, get rest, and keep up your strength.
For the questions, if you’re talking miles, I suppose that it would be flights to Europe, the UK, Spain/Portugal, and South America. All memorable, especially Machu Picchu and Paris. And of course, many trips to Hawaii, over the years. Our girls loved going to Hawaii. As to dolls, I suppose that making sure that I was online and refreshing the sales page for Ruby Red Dolls at exactly 7:00 AM Pacific Time, was a special feat. All to order a doll. Most of the time, I was able to make it through and get in my order, but not always. It is a lot easier now to order. 🙂
We’re still getting ready for the reroof next Monday at the other house. Other person successfully detached the electrical connection for the roof fan that is coming out. And around here, I only have one section of ivy still left to remove which I consider minimal after all that I’ve cleared. Hope to get that done soon. And then, hopefully, I can get other person to cut down the front oleanders by at least half. I would like to get rid of them entirely, like we did at the other house, but other person likes the fire hazards. The fire department considers them torches. Ugh
Very fun today reading all of the travel posts. 🙂
Joy, your Europe trip sounds somewhat like mine when I was 20, except I didn’t go to South America. Your going to Hawaii to sounds wonderful. The one place I missed that I wanted to go.
Guess I kinda goofed. Those trips were all at different times, not all on the same adventure. Last place we’ve been was to Denver, a few years back for a reunion of other person’s family. We don’t travel so much anymore. 🙂
Prayers for George, Jeanne. Hoping all goes well with the start of treatment.
I unfortunately have never been abroad. I would love to visit Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England and Germany and have done so in “armchair traveling” through magazines, videos, and books, but not for real.
I would have to say the trip to CA was the farthest in distance, but the multiple trips to Mackinac Island, MI as well as Canada ( Toronto and Niagara Falls, ON as a child/ young teen) were my favorites. But of course, the memorable trip by train to Nova, Scotia and New Brunswick and the ferry to Prince Edward Island will always remain as the epoch of my travels.
Haven’t heard from Anne. Wonder if she is able to get on the blog? I’m so sorry about her kitty.
Good morning everyone.
First of all Linda, I am so sorry but I couldn’t reply on Saturday to your wonderful photos. I clicked on them to enlarge them and then I couldn’t get back to the blog when I tried. I managed OK yesterday morning but didn’t think it was worth replying on that one so I waited till this morning. I love the way you decorate for every season, and your dolls look fantastic as always.
As for travel, I spent 16 months in N. Ireland with the WRAC (Women’s Royal Army Corps), then 2 yrs in Paris at SHAPE HQ till 1966 (they moved to Brussels shortly after I left), then in 1971 as an army wife, 2 1/2 yrs in Singapore. In 1974 we moved to NZ. In about 1980 we went to LA on a soccer trip and had a day trip to Tijuana. We landed for customs in Hawaii but unfortunately I only saw the airport. I have been to visit Melbourne and Gold Coast in Australia and England several times and in 2019 I came back from England via Houston and met my brother. My oldest son lives in Melbourne and I am hoping to visit him next year though he doesn’t know it yet.. I don’t remember ever buying a doll in any of those places. The furthest I have travelled to buy a doll was about 30 mins away.
I have just finished knitting a sweater for the 18 inch dolls. I need to either find a doll that has pants or make some before I photograph it. I am not very happy with the method so think I will knit another one but change the method. You knit the body in the round till the neck and machine sew two rows of stitching for the armholes then cut up the centre. When you knit the sleeves you add 6 rows of stocking stitch and bind these rows over the raw edge. It makes the armhole really bulky and I don’t like it, plus I had to machine around again because the original machine stitches weren’t stopping the unravelling.
I just realised how late it was, It is 9.12 am and I haven’t had a shower yet oops. It is coffee at 10 so will have to move.
Have a great day everyone, it is good to be back.