SUNDAY ALREADY !

Time does fly when you are having fun or on holiday!  And so it has this week, has gone past in a flash, my week is now over and it's back to the world of work tomorrow!

Well the weekend, last week, started with the lovely Clara's first birthday party attended by her Mum and Dad's immediate family and everyone , including the birthday girl had a great time. She is such a sweetheart and loves being among people.
The day before she had a photo session with Sarah Fisher called a Cake Smash, Clara was photographed in front of a cake which she grabbed and enjoyed munching on while getting it all over herself, then she was placed in a sweet small tin bath of warm water and more photo's taken.
Courtney kindly allowed me to share one of Sarah's photos.

Unfortunately her dad, then a few days later, her mum came down with a virus , thankfully they are both over it now but Paul is now feeling iffy! and so is Mike's dad ! Oh No!!!

So I was going to go visit with Clara and Courtney in the week but due to their illness did not. But it did mean that I finally got those boxes of books from under the stairs sorted! Seven boxes came out and only three have gone back.
Fifty four books are now bagged and waiting to go off to the local Oxfam bookshop for someone else to enjoy.

This inspired me to finally sort out my corner pan cupboard in the kitchen, it's one of those that half is tucked into the corner which then becomes an abyss of things never or rarely used.

and so it was that a couple of hours later there were twenty nine pots, pans, cake tins etc ready to be recycled or dumped. I have finally thrown out the four square tins I made my wedding cakes in nearly forty four years ago and have only used once since and that must be over thirty odd years ago!
Now lets not get too cocky because I'm sure a few of the pans etc that I put back in, could also have gone but twenty nine is a good start lol.

The cupboard is now nice and tidy and you can take out a tray without causing an avalanche ! How long this will last, is anyone's guess but nice while it does.

Now if I could just apply this clearing out to everything else, I'd have a clutter free home....


On the doll front, it's been a week of arrival's , some expected and other's not.

These two Schoenhut dolls were expected. They had been on layaway with another couple, which I finished at the start of the year and these are the first to arrive. I have called the toddler Eric and his sister Biddy.
I'm not sure what the name Biddy is short for? could be Brigid ? But Paul had an aunt Biddy and when this girl arrived the name came to mind and stuck, so Biddy she is.

Then of course there was the unexpected arrival of Christian, a dark skinned Caleb.

Although an unplanned purchase I am so happy with him and look forward to seeing him out and about come Spring with the other children playing and having adventures !

I'm also intending to dress all my boys by Spring in sweaters, shorts and long socks as this is going to be the village's Spring trend for clothing , courtesy of Ellen Church's photo of some of her boys dressed this way. I think it's a great classic look for boys and could be in any era. I'll also be trying this look out on some of  the girls too! The others will have skirts.

I tried the coat and hat I got in the raffle at the H&G on Biddy because it's got a thirty vibe to it.

the back

In one way it is a thing of beauty but in another it does not fit well. The hat especially is disappointing as it's slightly bunched up and does not fit the Sasha's head. If not for the embroidery on the hat I'd be tempted to unpick it and try and resolve the problem. I may yet give it a go at some time.
But I do love the style of this coat , which is why I picked it, I'd love to find the pattern used and have a go myself at making one.

I'll leave you with a photo of Christian, in his on trend Spring outfit because I think he looks so smart and handsome. He started the photos on this post too because who wants to start with a photo of old pot's but then I was able to remove it when I got permission to put Princess Clara's photo on.

We have been having some wonderful mild sunny days here in the south of the UK and they say it's going to continue for a while yet! All the daffodil and tulip leaves are appearing along with the other Spring bulbs, hopefully we won't have this mild weather followed by two months of what should be spring acting like winter as it did last year! 

So I wish you all a lovely doll filled healthy sunny week ahead.

Dee 

THE END OF A DRY PATCH..

If you saw my earlier post you'll know that I didn't just fall off the wagon I fell and bounced!

So No dolls were meant to be purchased in February , in fact until the 3rd March, as usual I failed in my quest but one day I'll manage it !

The socks that started it all have arrived.

The Rosie Bloom shoes have arrived, Taupe and Tangerine , yes tangerine....  I'm blaming John at Gregoropolis for those Tangerine ones...

And Christian , who arrived on St Valentine's day  bearing gifts . Yes another , my fourth , Caleb !
Lovely and dark skinned like the others!

His face is much darker than shown and it's only because it's so sunny outside that it looks so light.

He came with a big tube of love heart sweets, all the way from a certain Icy Queen in Bonnie Scotland! Yes That one..... don't know what's going on with her, she's moved north to the icy wastelands and her hearts warming up????

Christian is wearing the other pair of socks I bought from Jane, a dolly doodle shorts set and a Diane Dukes cotton sweater with of course Rosie Bloom shoes. He wanted to wear the Ora .. I mean Tangerine one's but I managed to convince him that the brown looked better!

a view of his socks and shoes.

I'll have to see how he photograph's inside, this time I'll add some watercolour pencil to the whites of his eyes if need be and hopefully that will help solve any problem.

I'm really pleased to have another Caleb Gregor in the family, he's settled in very quickly and is enjoying some getting to know you time with the others.


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VALENTINE'S DAY

                                                                    Roses are red
                                                                    Violets are blue
                                                                    I just love mum
                                                                    What about you!






Happy Valentine's day , may it be filled with love and laughter

CRASH BANG AND

WALLOP ! That's me falling off the wagon that was supposed to be DRY February!

Yes I know it's not the 3rd of March but it did take until the 12th Feb which in and of it's self is , for me,  a record ! Come on lets be honest on other occasions I've been lucky to make it to twelve hours never mind twelve whole days..

I sort of forgot... I say sort of because it started with the socks.....for which I hold Ellen C accountable .. see below..

 I emailed Jane W and asked if she had some of her long socks left from the H&G and she said yes, so I bought a couple of pairs......  ( I could say since they were from H&G I was still within my five item limit ...okay yes that is stretching it somewhat! ) 

So far not so bad........ but then Rosie sends out her email saying her shop is stocked with her wonderful shoes.... my mind goes.... oh you should have bought some before , so lets go look.....

yes  I CRASH ed off the side of the wagon at this point but still clinging on by my fingertips.. two pairs of Rosie's shoes head my way...

The next item I am blaming purely on the Captain Patches, whose been sitting around looking handsome in his freshly laundered sweater ... so I go looking at bears.... only to find myself making an offer on one.. which is then accepted...... BANG... I'm now over the side and clinging to the tailboard barely keeping my tush out the dust!

But friends... it was to get worse , how I can hear you all say !!  you sip your coffee or tea and reach for a second biscuit !  

What was I not going to buy this month of  dryness?  Exactly !

There I was doing what one should never do when trying to be good, wandering around ebay late at night, on the Sasha pages.. just looking.... and there it is ! I am good and just place it in my watching, it's a good price and I've had this doll more than once.. in fact three times ! and they've always moved on.... So I'm safe... so I believe. Problem is I have always liked these dolls and usually regret having moved them on , thinking I should have given them more time and maybe worked on them.... I would have resisted I'm sure but for the price.......

WALLOP that's the sound of me crashing to the ground having lost my grip on the wagon of dryness 

So more of this sorry tale of a weak will when everything arrives hopefully tomorrow or Friday 

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THE CAPTAIN'S TALE

The year before last I found a bear on ebay that was the perfect, so I believed, present for a good friend. When he arrived I set him aside meaning to send him on in time for Christmas.

But being me I missed the dead line , then had second thoughts about if getting a second hand bear would be an acceptable gift, so he sat about in my bed room chatting with the other bears, then this Christmas just gone I decide yes , he would be a nice gift and brought him downstairs only to realise that one of his foot pad's had come open and his stuffing was on show.

So I placed him on the side intending to repair him, then decide if he'd still be an acceptable gift once repaired.

Well then I was ill and one thing led to another and it was now January when I went looking for him to repair... but he was nowhere to be seen! I did not LOOK properly , just looked around the sides wondering where he'd gone, maybe I'd put him in a bag or box when clearing up for Christmas!

Then a couple of weeks ago I returned from work and Paul came up to me and said  " is this your bear? "
He was holding the captain !
"Where did you find him ? "
" I took him off Rufus who had him out in the garden  " !!!

And there was the Captain ! Missing his label and with not just the stuffing spilling from his foot but also both paws! His jumper pushed up round his neck and muddy from his time in the garden. BUT he was not wet! So obviously had only been taken outside a little while before he was discovered by Paul !

** re enactment photo **

Rufus " Hello Captain ! Have you come to play in the garden again? "
Captain " No chance I remember the last time ! I'm still waiting to be repaired and have my sweater washed! "
Rufus " Oh I had such a great time ! Maybe when you feel better "
Captain muttering under his breath " no chance !"

This was the only thing needing repair before the Captain met Rufus !

Now his paws need saving

One is worse than the other!

I am amazed how Rufus  managed to get his sweater off his arms and up round his neck!
The sweater needs washing and the Captain a wipe down.

His sweater was washed and put outside for a while to help with the drying.

One paw was 'save-able ' and I managed to sew it back together but could need a pad at a later date.

The other Paw could not be repaired, so a piece of brown felt was used to repair the hole.

The heel of his foot pad was replaced leaving his makers mark on view. The repairs are not brilliant , as normally I'd be able to hide any stitches but due to  having to try and get the needle through the old double hem at the side and having to sew the repair in place, it's not too bad.

So the Captain's had a wipe over and is just waiting for his sweater to dry and then he'll be a happier bear than he was a few days ago.
And he's decided on a new name , now he wants to be known as Captain Patches  !


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IT'S SUNDAY AND IT'S PARTY TIME!

One year ago today, my beautiful youngest daughter Courtney, gave birth to my first grandchild,
Clara Elizabeth.
Time certainly does fly when you are having fun !

I'm typing this as Saturday becomes Sunday, while I wait for the two quiches I am cooking to finish, so they are ready to take with us to celebrate Clara Elizabeth's big day.

We collect the dog and cat sitter at 8 am and then we are off to join the family for some baby fun.

This is one of the present's I have bought her, a pull along dog with some of the alphabet on her back which when you press a voice tells you the letter and a word relating to that letter.

Clara is walking and also saying words, there is a mouse in her where's my dog, cat etc book on each page and when asked where the mouse is , she points and says there he is!

She is an animal lover and is more excited to see the dogs and cats on our Skype chats than Grandee although she does smile and chatter away at me.

 She's still getting poor mum up, a couple of times a night but apart from that is a gorgeous little girl , yes I'm her Grandee so would say that! :)

So I'm not be posting a proper catch up post today but will be back in a day or so with the sorry tale of Captain M.

Have a great Sunday.




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IT'S THE FIFTH SO IT'S DOLL SHELF DAY

So it's now the second showing for this years doll shelves. Still in winter so the dolls are all snuggled up inside for their photos.

First up is Gregoropolis

Steve just Gotz them together for a shelf photo and what a lovely group they are ! and how exciting is this...

Who is this young lady leading the way..... a beautiful No Navel girl ! So we welcome The Gregeropolis family to the we love No Navels club.

Emma , who is away at college as kindly broken her studies to send us in her doll shelf for February which includes so many cute animals and a GROOT! We love Groot!

In Switzerland , Karin's girl Aurora is wearing a lovely and warm Indigo dress with a pretty floral apron hoping it won't be long until spring arrives.

Bruno is handing out with Wren , I think he's hiding from Granny and her complaining about not having a proper shop yet!

Meanwhile Elora is now wearing some warm clothing and trying to pretend she's just an ordinary doll and blend in with the rest!

Margo, Magda, Merry, Sansa and Ashley are watching what's going on about the kitchen from the dresser.

From Ellen C we have this group of dolls dressed in lovely shades of green , I love the boys shorts with the long socks, so smart.

I wonder just what Ellen's dolls are up to in this photo ! Is the young girl on the box a look out? keeping watch while the others discuss something they don't want over heard by mum?...

She is definitely keeping watch and looking very smart in her blue outfit while she does so,as does her little brother below her.

These girls of Ellen's look like they are looking over at those secret chatters, wondering just what is going on...



Many thanks to those who have sent in their photos, still time to send in yours if you wish.


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SO NOW IT'S FEBRUARY !

Well January made it's mark by leaving with a big blast of snowy weather across the UK.

The front drive on Friday morning.

This is my car , even though it was under the car port!

Thankfully we only had the one burst of snow here and by Saturday , the day of the Haggle and Gaggle , the roads were clear , so I was able to reach the event.
It's only about 40 minutes up the road from me, so nice and close and it was a fun day. There is truly nothing like meeting up with a group of like minded people and chatting and sharing time together.

It fills you with enthusiasm for your dolls again.

I loved seeing Theresa's Hot Air Balloon display as years back, when I had a doll called Duncan, he wanted to be an adventurer and I'd bought a suitable basket and a blow up beach ball with which to make him a Hot Air balloon, but like everything else, it as sat around waiting to happen and now seeing Theresa's and chatting to her about how she formed her balloon, it's filled me with plans to finally get mine sorted out and come the summer adventures will be had!

This is my Hot Air Balloon basket which as been waiting for years to come to life! The handles can just drop inside out the way. So I will need to slowly work on this over the coming months , so it finally happens! It's even hanging up just waiting for it's balloon!

I was very lucky and won four raffle prizes. Some small wicker furniture which is for my smaller non Sasha dolls and three items of clothing.

I'd seen the coat and hat on the far right when looking at the raffle tables, so was happy that it was still there when I won.

I stuck to my five item limit for purchases , in fact I only bought three things, the luscious pink cashmere baby set and a Christmas dress set and some cropped trousers by Michelle.

I was a very lax saleswoman and left my table after the first 30 mins and four sales  and just went off chatting, so the other items Michelle sent for sale, I have added to my sales page and if anyone's interested you can purchases them by contacting me.

We were given a goody bag! It had a skirt and tights kindly made by Petrana and a heart shaped Balloon and a pen, sorry missed pen from photo!. Most unexpected and generous gift.

I was very slack in taking photos of some other dolls that came along, Catherine bought a couple of her Little Darling dolls which were dressed in her beautiful knit wear. But tat's the problem when you are having a great time chatting , you don't think to take photos.

In the week Paul made some bread rolls, I forgot to take a photo of them until I was sitting at work having taken a bite!

I have to say they were gorgeous . so I am encouraging him to make more ;)

On the home front  nothing's happened, the boxes are still filling up the hall and all's come to a halt re the bad weather and working!and now a month's passed!

However even though no books have been taken off for donation , I have bought a couple ! So that's not really working well ! lol

So now the H&G's over I'll be advertising the Chat n Snap for this year, in the next day or so .

It's also time to remind everyone that on the 5th is Doll photo day, so get those photos in or we'll be looking at a blank page !

Hoping everyone has a lovely healthy week and that the weather warms up everywhere but especially over the pond.



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