"Y" as in YELLOW

This week we are studying the letter "Y" for Alphabe-Thursday sponsored by Ms. Jenny at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent."

Our weather finally cooled off a little and I've been spending time out in the garage trying to get a wooden trash can painted for the kitchen and a table finished that I started working on over a year ago.  I only have a limited amount of time to work on this kind of stuff since days like this are few and far between.  I wish we had basements here!

All of a sudden it was time for Alphabe-Thursday!  I had to dip into my archives to come up with something.  How about "Y" as in YELLOW? 

Some years back I got together with some Ginny Doll friends.  One of the ladies made our dolls ice hockey uniforms.  They wore YELLOW shirts.  I could be mistaken but I believe their helmets were made out of those Leggs eggs that held panty hose and were sold in grocery stores some years back.

She made an ice rink too.

 Things got ugly but that's how it is with Ice Hockey.

I think these pictures were taken with my very first digital camera.

Now head over to Ms. Jenny's blog for a list of this week's participants.  Thanks for visiting.

"X" as in Ginny Doll X-RAY

Welcome once again to Alphabe-Thursday sponsored by Ms. Jenny at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent."  This week we are studying the letter "X" as in X-RAY.  (I know, not too original but X is a difficult letter.)

In keeping with my doll theme I will give you an abbreviated history of the Vogue Doll Company.  The company was founded by Mrs. Jennie Graves in Massachusetts.  She was a very talented sewer and in 1922 she dressed some German dolls and sold them to a Boston department store. Over the years she did well, but eventually sales declined.  At that time she decided to come up with a line of 8 inch dolls and they were released in 1946 and eventually called Ginny.

In 1948 Ginny started being made out of plastic.  Mrs. Graves had a group of home sewers making outfits for these strung plastic dolls.  In 1954 the company came out with a walking Ginny doll.  For sentimental reasons the 1954 walking Ginny is my favorite.  This particular doll had painted eyebrows and lashes and is referred to by collectors as the 1954 PLW (painted lash walker) Ginny.

Some years back someone posted an X-RAY of a walking Ginny doll on a doll list.  You can see in the X-RAY how the walker was made.

Here are a few other pictures that show how the doll is put together.  I no longer recall where these pictures came from but probably from a doll list just like the X-RAY picture.  There's no way I would ever be able to take apart a doll this way and put it back together!  This is a later doll because she does not have the painted lashes.  From 1955 on they had molded lashes.

As a child I never really had my doll walk.  It wasn't like you could give her a push and she'd walk across the room.  You kind of had to rock her and press down so her feet would move and then her head would turn.  I never found that too exciting.  I'm sure today's kids would be totally bored.

I know I've shown my childhood 1954 PLW before, but here she is again.  She's the reason 1954 is my favorite Ginny year.  Her walking mechanism is broken, but that's OK.  I wouldn't have her walking anyway.  I just want her to stand there and look cute.

I have a Pinterest board with some of the 1954 PLW Ginnys in different outfits.  I told you 1954 was my favorite year!

Now head over to Jenny's blog for a list of this week's participants. 

Thank you for visiting!

"W" as in the WITCH'S HAT

This week we are studying the letter "W" for Alphabe-Thursday sponsored by Ms. Jenny at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent."

(I don't know about  you, but I'm dreading next week.  "X" is always a tough one.)

In keeping with my doll theme...

The kids got together to plan their big Halloween party.  This was only a work session where they got together to carve the pumpkin and make the plans.  One of the girls wore her WITCH'S hat.

I did ask her to remove the WITCH'S hat since it got in the way when I was taking pictures.

The Vogue Ginny doll kneeling on the chair is a Bent Knee Walker probably from around 1961.  I say that because she has freckles and green eyes.  Vogue made a doll called the Wee Imp for 1960 (although she came out in mid 1959) and she had straight orange hair, green eyes, and freckles.  She was only made for one year.  They apparently used up leftover freckled faces with green eyes the following year and put regular wigs on them.  The other two dolls are Vogue Vintage Reproductions made in recent times.

The kids enjoyed carving the pumpkin.  Don't worry.  There was adult supervision.  They also enjoyed the Halloween treats and cider.  There was plenty of candy, donuts, candied apples, cookies, etc. for their enjoyment.

They didn't even cry over spilled cider.

Now head over to Jenny's blog for a list of this week's participants.  Thank you for visiting.

"V" as in VOGUE dolls for Alphabe-Thursday

I've been absent for a while and won't even attempt to play catch up this time.  I'm just going to jump right in with a letter "V" post for Alphabe-Thursday sponsored by Ms. Jenny at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent."

"V" is a good letter for me since I collect VOGUE Ginny dolls...vintage, modern, and vintage reproduction dolls and their family and friends.

There were no VOGUE dolls produced this year.  The dolls are manufactured in China and according to what I've been told by other people the Chinese government has shut down the factory and confiscated all the VOGUE Doll Company molds.   I've been checking the VOGUE website on a regular basis to see if there were any updates, but so far there's been nothing posted.  I am concerned about the future of this company.  I would hate to see these dolls no longer produced.

Meanwhile I've been busy redecorating some of my dolls' rooms.  Their living room was given some new wallpaper and windows and curtains were added.  I also stained the wood floor for a new look.  That's a reproduction VOGUE Jill doll doing some knitting.

Of course, the kids had to have a little fun.  The boys are reproduction VOGUE boy Ginny dolls.  (I wish they'd give them a name of their own instead of calling them boy Ginny dolls.)

I also recently purchased a vintage VOGUE dress from 1953 for this vintage VOGUE Ginny.  The dress was in excellent condition and just needed to be pressed.  I made her a new pair of bloomers and added a slip and some reproduction red center snaps.  I already had the hat for this outfit and was just waiting for the right time to bid on the dress.

I also recently added this 1957 VOGUE Ginny wearing what collectors call the balloon dress and coat.  I've wanted this outfit for a long time and when this doll and outfit became available on eBay I was the successful bidder.  I love the way the coat is lined in the same fabric as the dress.  My vintage VOGUE Jill is wearing a dress that I've had for a long time.  I no longer remember where I found it, but the dress is the same print as Ginny's only with an off white background and turquoise and red print.  Her dress is not made by VOGUE but was apparently made during the same time period.

 I also recently added this reproduction VOGUE Ginny to my collection.  She originally came wearing different shoes and "stockings."  I think Ginny is a little girl and shouldn't be wearing stockings like an adult, so I replaced the stockings with socks and shoes.  The doll on the left is a VOGUE reproduction Jill doll and the doll on the right is a vintage VOGUE Jill doll from the late 1950's.  She's wearing a dress that I still had from my childhood.  I think the VOGUE Doll Company did an excellent job with the reproduction Jills.  It's hard to tell the two Jills apart. I think Ginny looks cute in a matching dress.

Well, that's it for now.  I haven't been taking a lot of pictures lately.  I'm hoping to get a doll scene set up for Halloween, but I just haven't had the time.

Please head over to Ms. Jenny's blog for a list of this week's participants.  Thank you for visiting and thank you Jenny for keeping this fun weekly event going.  I hope you start feeling better soon.  You're missed!!

Very Sad...

I lost a very special friend.  She was one in a million and I will never have another friend like her.

I hesitate to even write because words will not do her justice.  She was that special.

She came into our lives in 2006 when she was 6 years old.  Her original owners were unable to keep her.  I truly believe they must have loved her because she was so sweet.  I found her on Pet Finders and she was being fostered by a Veterinarian's wife.  She had needed two surgeries and was finally ready to be adopted.

Her name was Sophie and we weren't about to rename her.  That name belonged to her.

She was a Miniature Schnauzer with a laid back Collie or Lab's personality.  Yes, she barked like a Schnauzer, but loved everyone she met.  I would joke that if someone broke in while we were gone she would run up and lick them and act like their new best friend.

She even loved and tolerated the cats.  That's her in the upper right hand corner.

One of the cats had a bad habit of making Sophie move.  If Sophie was sleeping on one of the couches Murphy would go over and nudge her until she moved.  Usually she'd jump off one couch and onto the other and lay down with a sigh.  That's about as much as she'd complain.

She enjoyed sleeping in cat beds more than the cats.

I suspect at times she might have thought she was a cat.

In May I took her to the Veterinarian and she had lost some weight.  That was strange because she was eating just fine.  But over the summer she stopped eating as well and finally didn't want to eat much at all.

We ended up taking her to a specialist and she had lumps and bumps in her spleen.  It was probably cancer.  I opted for surgery, but her pre-op blood work showed that her kidney wasn't functioning as well anymore.  (She only had one good kidney.)  We tried IV's to see if the numbers would improve, but they didn't improve enough.  She did start eating a little more, so we brought her home to love for a little while longer.  We knew the days were numbered.

I didn't want her trying to jump on and off my bed, so we put one of those blow up mattresses smack dab in the middle of the den floor.  Reid and I took turns sleeping there with her at night.

She loved all the extra attention.  She was in no pain.  We became pretty creative trying to find things she would eat.  Reid had some success with dog omelets.  Since she loved eggs he'd put dog food inside an omelet.

Eventually that wouldn't even work.

Reid and I talked.  We knew it was time to let our friend go.  Last Thursday we took her for a long car ride.  That was one of her favorite things to do.  We drove back over to Friendswood and took her for a ride past our old house.  When we turned down the street she sat up straight.  She had always done that when we lived there and would return home.  Somehow she knew.

We took her for one last ride on Friday.  She was always happy to go to the Veterinarian and last Friday was no exception.  In a way that made it easier.

We miss her so much.  She was definitely one in a million.  I feel so sad and lost without her.  Jim used to say that he had "one dog" and I had "all those cats,"  but she truly belonged to all of us.

 

Blogging Break...

I've taken a blogging break.

My sweet Sophie isn't doing well.  She's a 13 year old rescue dog that we adopted when she was 6 years old.  She's the friendliest Miniature Schnauzer you'll ever meet.

We discovered about a month ago that she probably has cancer in her spleen.  I took her in for surgery, but the pre-op blood work showed that her kidney wasn't functioning as well as it should and surgery would be risky.  She only has one working kidney anyway, so this wasn't good news.

I brought her home and as long as she's in no pain or discomfort we'll do what we can for her.  She's lost a lot of weight, but we're usually able to entice her to eat with things she's never eaten before.  She's always been on prescription diet food, but now we give her what she'll eat.  We also give her lots of chopped ice.

She's a happy little dog, but I don't think she has much longer.  Meanwhile, I try and keep her downstairs.  We put a blow up mattress on the den floor and Reid and I take turns sleeping down there with her.  I got concerned about her jumping up and down off my bed upstairs.  Of course, the cats think the mattress is for their comfort and convenience, but we all share.

 March 2011

Anyway, the computer is upstairs and I just have limited time on it, so for now I'll be hit and miss in the blogging world. 

"O" as in OH DEAR for Alphabe-Thursday

Yikes!  It's time again for Alphabe-Thursday sponsored by Ms. Jenny at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent."  In keeping with my doll theme I'm reaching into my archives to find a picture.  I've been kind of busy this week and didn't have time to come up with something original so I'm going with "O" as in OH DEAR!

Some years back an online doll group did a thing called "Ginny as me."  We would find an old photograph of ourselves and then recreate the photo with our Vogue Ginny dolls.

OH DEAR...what was I thinking when this photo was taken?

This is actually from an old  slide and I was rejecting Skippy Olsen's advances.  This was taken sometime in the early 1950's.

Here's Ginny as me!

The boy doll is a Madame Alexander doll.  The Ginny representing me is what collectors call a Skinny Ginny.  This type of Ginny was manufactured during the late 70's and early 80's.  This was a period of time when the Vogue Doll Company was undergoing changes and was owned by a couple of different companies.   Eventually, the company was purchased by the Smith family in 1995 and today we have very good reproduction Ginnys that are very similar to the ones produced in the 1950's.  (I was always a skinny child so I decided to use a Skinny Ginny for this picture.)

Now head over to Ms. Jenny's blog for a list of this week's participants.

Thanks for visiting.

"N" as in Afternoon NAP for Alphabe-Thursday

We're back again for Alphabe-Thursday sponsored by Ms. Jenny at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent."  This week we are studying the letter "N" as in Afternoon NAP.

A self portrait by Betty Martin

Now head over to Jenny's blog for a list of this week's participants.

Thank you for visiting.

"M" as in MEATBALLS for Alphabe-Thursday

It's that time of the week again.  Yes, it's time for Alphabe-Thursday sponsored by Ms. Jenny at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent."  This week we are studying the letter "M" as in MEATBALLS and Spaghetti dinner.  The "kids" love it!  UH-OH!

Actually, my real kids have always enjoyed Italian Spaghetti and Meatballs.  It's a family favorite.  Normally, we have it for Christmas dinner.  This year we also had it a few weeks ago due to a special request.

I thought I'd share that recipe with you. We've been using this recipe for at least 45 years.  The original recipe came from the cookbook "Recipes on Parade - Meats" and includes 2000 world wide favorites of Military Officers' Wives.  (I took that right off the cover.)  The book was published in 1964 and I purchased my first copy while my husband was in the Navy.  That one fell apart and a few years ago I replaced it with a copy I found on Ebay.

My kids love Italian sausage, so we throw some in the pot with the meatballs.  We also use Italian sausage in the meatballs and I brown them on a cookie sheet in the oven.  I double the meatball portion of the recipe so we have lots of meatballs in the sauce.  These are just a few of the changes we've made.  Enjoy!

Famous Italian Spaghetti

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 c. onion, chopped

3 T. olive oil

1 1/2 pounds of ground beef  (I usually just use 1 pound)

1 6 oz. can tomato paste (I always use Hunts)

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce (I always use Hunts)

1 1 lb. can tomato puree (I always use Hunts and this size can is no longer available.  It now comes in a smaller size can so I buy enough to have at least one pound.  It ends up being a little over one pound and I use it all.)

2 t. sugar

2 c. water

1/4 c. parsley, chopped

1 small bay leaf

1/4 t. rosemary

1/4 t. basil

1/4 t. thyme (I leave out)

1/4 t. allspice

1/4 t. oregano

1/4 t. pepper

1 t. salt (I omit)

1 4 oz. can undrained mushrooms

In large sauce pan cook garlic and onion in oil until golden brown with 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef, add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer gently for two hours or longer.

Meatballs

(I double the below recipe so we have lots of meatballs in the sauce.)

1 lb. ground beef.

1/2 pound bulk pork sausage (I use Italian sausage removed from the casing - half sweet and half hot.)

2 T. onion, chopped

2 T. celery leaves, chopped

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs (I usually use cubed bread.)

1/4 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 t. salt (I omit)

1/2 t. pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients; shape into 1 inch balls (mine are larger).  Brown, drain fat. (I cook them in the oven on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam.)  Add to sauce and simmer 30 minutes.  (I simmer a bit longer.)  Serve over spaghetti.

Italian Sausage

I cook sausage links in oven.  Usually a 1/2 pound of sweet and a 1/2 pound of hot.  Prick them all over with a fork.  Place in one inch of water in pan and cook 20-30 minutes on each side in 350 degree oven.  Watch and adjust time.  Slice at an angle and add to sauce when you put in the meatballs.

(This is from Recipes of Parade - Meats, 2000 worldwide favorites of Military Officers' Wives...with my changes.)

Now please head over to Jenny's blog for a list of this week's participants.

"L" as in LICK for Alphabe-Thursday

We're back again for Alphabe-Thursday.  This week we are studying the letter "L" as in LICK.

In keeping with my doll theme for this round of Alphabe-Thursday I chose "L" as in LICK.  The kids like to LICK ice cream on a hot summer day.

L-R: Vintage Reproduction AA Ginny, Vintage Reproduction Ginny, Vintage Reproduction Crib Crowd Ginny, Modern Jill, Madame Alexander boy, Vintage Strung Ginny

Now head over to Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent" for a list of this week's participants.

Thanks Jenny!