MERRY CHRISTMAS

Yes, I know I've been neglecting this blog, but I decided to drop by and say Merry Christmas!  I just don't spend as much time online these days.  I had hoped I'd do better, but there's only so much time in a day.

I told some doll friends that I was trying to find time to work on a doll scene for Christmas.  Sometimes I just have to find time to play.

Did you know that it snows in Houston?  Mostly in my imagination although we actually had a few flurries a few weeks ago, but nothing like the snow I grew up with in New Jersey.  So, I have to use my imagination and let my dolls have snow.  

This is one of my modern Vogue Ginny Dolls.  Some of you know her as GinnyFaith.  I've been neglecting her and decided she should appear in some photos again.  I used to include her in just about all of the photos I took of my dolls.  Then the Vogue Doll Company came out with vintage reproduction Ginnys and I kind of lost interest in the modern dolls.  I'm sorry GinnyFaith!

Here's a close up so you can see her spiffy outfit.  My friend Sherelyn gave this to GinnyFaith last year.  Her doll has the same outfit and so does SHE!   I always meant to ask her where she found them.  It's not often that you see a grown woman and her doll dressed alike.

Some of them tried ice skating for the first time and fell on the imaginary ice.  The Madame Alexander Doll on the left is skiing.  She's wearing one of the Ginny outfits that I still have from my childhood by Vogue (Fun Time #49 from 1954).  The Madame Alexander skater in the gray and peach outfit is also wearing an outfit from my childhood by Vogue (Fun Time #47 from 1955 - It's actually suppose to be a roller skating outfit.)  The vintage reproduction Ginny in the white skating outfit I got at a Fire Flies Convention.  The 1954 Ginny Painted Lash Walker is wearing a vintage ski outfit by Vogue (Fun Time #49 from 1955).  I added the red mittens because her hands looked cold.  They didn't come with the outfit originally.  The AA Modern Ginny that took a fall is wearing an outfit that my friend Karen Mowery made for a Ginny Doll list event.

I stood her up so you could see the outfit.  Karen sewed outfits for our dolls for the month of January.  She chose to make ice skating outfits.  Ginny's name is embroidered on the hat but it doesn't show in the photo.  Karen loved to sew and especially loved to quilt.  Sadly, she passed away way too soon.  I'm fortunate enough to have several outfits that she made.  My doll is also wearing a sweater my mom knitted using a kit that Vogue sold (#7869 Knit Kit in  1957).  I also have the matching hat she made.  This sweater was actually made for a Ginnette doll, but it's the only one I still have.  The sleeves are a little bit long for Ginny.  I feel very fortunate to still have it.  The kit had directions and wool to make sweater sets for the Jill, Ginny and Ginnette dolls.

This is a close up of the terrible fall they took.  (I would have had them standing and skating if I could have figured out how to balance them on ice skates!)

They worked hard building this igloo and making all the snow balls in case any stupid boys came by.  That's a modern Hispanic Ginny on top of the igloo in her snowsuit. On the right is a vintage reproduction Ginny wearing a pink and gray ski outfit that Vogue made (Fun Time #6049 from 1956).

On the right is a vintage Nancy Ann Muffie doll wearing her Santa suit minus the correct hat.  I put a more traditional Santa hat on her but the reds were different and it had white trim that was whiter than the fur on her suit.  I settled on the red and white striped hat but I'd sure like to find the original hat that came with this outfit.  I added the red glasses because I thought she looked cute in them.  I have maybe four or five Muffie dolls in my collection, but the Vogue Ginny doll is really my first love.

We all with you a Merry Christmas!

On more thing...

This is one of my Chatty Cathy dolls.  She's still dressed in her Houston Astros uniform that she wore for the World Series.  I bought her Christmas apron down at MD Anderson Cancer Center.  It was designed by a child with cancer.  I left the tag on because it gives the child's name and age.  I wasn't sure if it would fit Chatty Cathy when I bought it.  I probably would have gotten another one if I had known for sure.  It was made for the American Girl Doll.  There's a matching child's apron and a matching one for adults.  I thought it was really cute.

Merry Christmas once more and I'll be back again some day...

"L" as in Lucky for ABC Wednesday

 Welcome to ABC Wednesday and the letter "L" as in Lucky.

It all began with Lucky. 

My life as a future Crazy Cat Lady began in 1952.  This is Lucky in our backyard in Westwood, New Jersey.  I always loved cats.  My mother wasn't crazy about them, but she relented and got one because of my obsession.  Before Lucky came along I would go outside and sit on the front porch and wait for a cat to go by.  That didn't happen very often, so finally my mother decided it was time to get a cat for me.

These photos were actually slides that were scanned.  Here we are in the backyard playing with Lucky (and our dollhouse).  I no longer remember the name of the girl on the left, but I'm in the middle and my sister is on the right petting Lucky.

Lucky was the first of many cats that I've had in my life.  I remember every single one.  I don't even admit to how many I have at the present time, but enough probably to qualify as a Crazy Cat Lady.

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"K" as in Killer Kitty for ABC Wednesday

It's time again for ABC Wednesday and the letter "K" as in Killer Kitty.

Our cat Zoom is a tiny cat.  She was found as a kitten behind a shopping center after Hurricane Ike in 2008.  At least that's what the man in the parking lot told me when he said, "Can you drop this kitten off someplace for me?"  At first I said no.  Then I took a second look and saw a sick kitten.  Her eyes were infected and looked horrible.  I couldn't just walk away.  I took the kitten from him and headed straight to the Veterinarian.

She was treated with antibiotics and eye medicine.  I was told she might lose the one eye, but she didn't.  She started getting well and then relapsed, but another round of antibiotics did the trick.  She's been with us ever since.

We love her, but she's a strange cat.  I'm pretty sure she has some kind of mental disorder.  I have to warn people when they come in the house not to touch her.  I usually say, "Don't touch Zoom because she'll kill you."  Then she'll come over by them and roll around on the floor by their feet looking cute.  Sometimes they'll say, "Really?  I can't touch her?"  I reassure them that she'll scratch and/or bite them if they do.  She's small but fierce.

One time my son came from Austin for a visit.  All of a sudden I heard him yelling, "Will someone come and get this stupid cat?"  Keith was trying to come down the stairs and Zoom wouldn't let him.  She was trying to attack his legs.  I started laughing, but Keith didn't think it was funny.  I wish I had thought to take a picture before I sent Zoom on her way.

Recently I picked up an empty box to put things in while I was shopping at Sam's.  When I brought it home Zoom claimed it and Reid decided to modify the wording on the box.

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"J" as in Jello?? for ABC Wednesday

You'll quickly discover that I had no idea what to write about this week for the letter "J" for ABC Wednesday.  I've been tossing things around in my mind all week.  Finally, in desperation I decided to write about Jello.

I hate Jello.  I think it's disgusting.  I have no idea what it tastes like because I've never eaten plain old Jello.  I hate the way you can see through it.  I hate the way it wiggles.  As far as I know I have never eaten plain Jello unless my mother fed it to me when I was too young to remember.

I wouldn't even try a Jello salad.  You know how people put fruit in Jello and then pour it into a mold?  I wouldn't eat it even that way.  I realize this is probably a psychological thing with me, but I grew up in the 1950's when this kind of thing was served.

Did you know that there's even a Jello museum?  If you're ever in LeRoy, New York stop by for a visit...April through December.  You can learn the history of Jello.

I have to be perfectly honest here.  I know I'm a bit of a hypocrite, but there is a recipe that I love and raspberry Jello is one of the ingredients.  However, because of other ingredients it is not clear and it barely moves.  I got this recipe from a friend many years ago.  I call it Pink Salad.

You can see in the photo above how dense it is.  I can totally forget that there's Jello in there.

PINK STUFF

1 small can crushed pineapple
1 6 oz. Jello (I always use raspberry)
1 12 oz. Carton Cool Whip
2 c. buttermilk
½ - 1 cup chopped nuts

Combine undrained pineapple and Jello in small saucepan. Heat until Jello dissolves. Mix Cool Whip and buttermilk; add nuts. Stir in gelatin mixture, mixing thoroughly. Put in mold or long rectangular pan. Let set for 4 hours. (I do it overnight.) I find it helpful to spray the mold lightly with Pam…it comes out of the mold a lot easier. Serves: 12. (I use a wire whisk for mixing the ingredients together.)

You can make it look fancy by garnishing it with some fresh fruit.  I used a Tupperware mold that I've had since the year of the flood.

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"I" as in Hurricane Irma for ABC Wednesday

This is working out for me.  Lately the hurricanes are alphabetically keeping up with ABC Wednesday.  Unfortunately, this week Hurricane Irma is making "its" way through the Caribbean towards the United States and Florida.  As I type this post Irma is "pummeling" Turks and Caicos with category 5 winds.  That is an extremely strong hurricane.  I believe they said the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever.  So far at least 13 people have been killed.  I hate it when they say "so far" because that means they know there will be more.

 I am becoming a little paranoid about hurricanes this hurricane season.  They scare me.  I find myself watching the Weather Channel on TV for hours on end.  My favorite app on my cell phone right now is a hurricane app.  Hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th.  There is still a long ways to go.  I feel like I have to be on guard all the time because of where I live.  I've been in Texas for most of the last 36 years, but there have only been three hurricanes that impacted this area.  However, the Gulf Of Mexico is becoming warmer and they tell us the storms will become stronger as they head this way.

I've learned a few things in the last two weeks.  Since Hurricane Harvey hit Texas with massive flooding I will no longer complain about living in a two story house.  I really thought I made a mistake buying this house, but I've now decided that a two story home is the way to go in the Houston area.  When there's flooding most people with two story homes can safely go upstairs.  With a one story home  you don't have that option.

I've also learned how poor I am in geography.  I have to admit that I don't know as much as I should about the Caribbean.  Turks and Caicos?   I googled...it's a British overseas territory made up of 40 coral islands.  I'm learning.  I can't even begin to imagine what the wind and storm surge will do to those islands.

I've learned that there are some really dedicated meteorologists.  I don't always understand all the scientific stuff, but I do understand the warnings.

By the way, I referred to Hurricane Irma as an "it" because I heard a meteorologist say that they don't consider them male or female.  I was trying to be politically correct.   At one time all hurricanes had women's names, but they stopped that some years back.

This week my thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted by Hurricane Irma.

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