You're Invited

To the Paper Doll wedding...

Grab your pearls and let's go! 

This is the joy of paper doll weddings...even though they happened nearly 60 years ago...the copyright on this set of paper dolls is 1954...the wedding goes on and on.

My sister and her husband were clearing out the cottage. They took load after load to the transfer station. She and I had last done this about a decade ago and it desperately needed doing again. In the process, she rescued my paper doll set.

When I was a child, all I needed was a set of paper dolls like this one to keep me happy for days and days on end, perhaps even an entire summer.

Here's the bride...what's up with that pink wedding dress? I hope it's 

only a matter of marketing and not morals.

Edited to Add: Thanks to Jill's comment, and she would know because she's a fashionista, I was able to find a pink wedding dress from the 50s. 

Source

Here's the bride's trousseau. It's a little worse for wear. In fact, the dolls themselves have seen far better times. A bridesmaid has lost her feet and the groom, poor man, has lost his head. 

It warms my heart to see how fond of the headless groom the bride still is.;D

The more I think about it, the more I am thinking this "bridesmaid" doesn't go with this set. I got a clue when I found Sonja Henie skating through the batch.

You've waited long enough. Here are the bride and the flower girl in all their cotton candy glory.

I may have smoothed their ruffled pixels too much, though doesn't it give that misty out of time appearance?

Some other things I'd promised I'll save for another day. You have a good one!

Drip Drip Drip

For the sake of all who want rain/need rain, while the Northeast takes so much of it, I'll not complain. I'll simply share what it's like around here.

The rain patters on my roof and so I read nap. Nothing makes me feel more weary than the sound of rain upon my roof. 

However, if I were to be reading, I have a very good book to finish. 

This one is called, appropriately enough, Ernie's Ark by Monica Wood. Monica Wood is a Maine author and a very good one. You be the judge. Visit her web site and find some excerpts to read. I think you might get as hooked as I did right off.

Look around while you're there at sidebars and things — fascinating site. I love spending time there.

~~~

My sister has returned from her time at the cottage in New Brunswick bringing me photos to share and paper dolls and stories. Tomorrow, I hope to chat about them; it'll be raining so I'll have the time. ☺

A peaceful day to you — perhaps a wonderful book or a nap — whichever you prefer.

Picasa Web Album Tips in Pictures~Delete a Photo

 

OOPS...missed step: Click on the individual picture you wish to work with so that it opens on a page by itself. 

Hope that this helps!

A Day in the Life~Mosaic Monday

Our corner has had lots of rain, heat, and humidity; there have been more days of shadow than of sun; we may even have become a bit moldy. Still there are many joys...

Have a great week!

*Thanks to Mary at Little Red House for hosting Mosaic Monday!*

Testing 1 2 3

Blessings this Sunday and all week through...

Stone Path and Dead Fir

Aren't these titles inspiring? Ha!

John and I were out bright and early this morning trying to beat the heat. We were working on a new stone path to replace the one that used to go from the drive to the front door. The old walk was as straight as an arrow. I do hate a straight path.

~Path and Postage Stamp Front Lawn~

There had been an old tar walkway there until I ripped it out last summer. It was to the left of the stones where the azalea bush is now. We tried going without a path at all, but that doesn't work because the mower must squeak between the garden on the left and the mailbox morning glory garden on the right. Nope. Not working. Time for Plan B.

I set two stones yesterday and nearly keeled over so asked John for help today. Poor man dug and placed and fiddled and brought in dirt and took it out and wound up hopping up and down on each stone to set it, with sweat pouring down like rain. Too hot for such pursuits, but we were well into it by then. 

What was I doing? Digging out more sod, fetching tools, and issuing orders supplying suggestions.

~dead fir~

While thus occupied, a truck drove up and a lumberjack hopped out. He began talking with our neighbor about the condition of neighbor's fir tree. It's dead. Completely. I had tried to gently break the news to neighbor yesterday, but his hopes were high for a miracle. Not to be.

This is how you usually see this tree — from my kitchen window.

This photo was taken on June 20 of this year and I can see some red in the branches. The tree in question is all the way to the left. I can't believe how quickly this tree went from being mostly green to that sickly shade of red.(This photo also is the one I used to show the opening view after six trees were cut. How ironic. I never dreamed the view was going to open again so soon.)

Here's how it looked in better days...one of three, labeled "3," and the tallest.

Mr. Lumberjack offered to take all three trees down. He says that it's only a matter of time. They may not even survive the summer. Our neighbor remains hopeful and so just the third tree will be felled. 

It sure smells like Christmas around here... 

Lobster and Surfing?

I have been reading the most delightful book to take my mind from a grandson's troubles this past week. It arrived last Saturday and was a complete surprise to me.

The note begins this way: Did you say that you had been looking for this? 

Oh my! Why, yes, I had! The Lobster Chronicles is written by Linda Greenlaw and recounts five years of lobstering from the Maine island where her family has made its home for a couple hundred years. Fascinating!

My adventure began one day recently when Kim was describing a Blondie recipe — you just never know where reading a blog will take you! So, if you'd like the background to this story, you'll find it at Kim's Happy @ Home first on Starting Summer in the Kitchen and then the following post Blondie Recipe and a Cookbook Connection. Kim has a beautiful blog, takes delightful photos of her charming home inside and out, and you can't go wrong to visit. Tell her I sent you. Besides, she'll visit you back!

~~~

Did your 4th of July go well? Weather seemed a big issue for so many. 

Here it was so miserably humid 
that breathing wasn't easy so we enjoyed our picnic lunch outdoors and then went inside to watch a movie Sam had requested: Soul Surfer. It's the true story of Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm to a shark attack. Yes, we do love to keep things in perspective around here. < insert wry, wry grin > Yes, Sam did enjoy the movie, though there was a collective closing of eyes quite early on. Gotta admire true grit when one sees it!

Happy fifth of July! Our local fireworks are actually tonight so we may be off to see them. Did you get to see some last night? (Besides a Capital Fourth?)  

237 Years Old and Counting!

Freedom is not perfect and Liberty is not guaranteed. ~Unknown

A Very Happy 4th of July!


printable source

Thoughts for a Wednesday Morning

Thank you for the prayers yesterday. Sam was back home last night because he was doing so well. His right arm is in a cast — there goes the penmanship practice this summer — and the pins and rod have been removed from his left leg (no cast; no splint, only bandages). One big step forward and a little step back. Hope that this is the end of his broken bone saga. It is going to be a long summer for the poor little guy. 

~~~

After posting Lakes of Canada for Canada Day, I had a couple of emails with questions. Perhaps I should have stuck with O Canada after all. ;>

No, The Innocence Mission is not a Canadian group. They actually hale from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (I always thought that they were Canadian myself.)

In an attempt to answer what the lyrics mean, I've selected the following quote, which really says it much better than I could. (However, let me just say that I feel a sense of joy whenever I hear the song. Probably because I connect it so closely with "the lake" and perhaps because the imagery is so easily identifiable with me. I've walked in that circle of flashlight and I also like to think that, though I am shy, I can be known.)

...'Lakes of Canada' creates an environment both terrifying and familiar using sensory language: incandescent bulbs and rowboats are made palpable by careful rhythms, unobtrusive rhyme schemes, and specificity of language. What is so remarkable about Karen Peris' lyrics are the economy of words, concrete nouns-fish, flashlight, laughing man-which come to life with melodies that dance around the scale like sea creatures. Panic and joy, a terrible sense of awe, the dark indentations of memory all come together at once, accompanied by the joyful strum of an acoustic guitar. This is a song in which everyday objects begin to have tremendous meaning." Sufjan Stevens
quote source

Now I'll wish my own countrymen a very joyous 4th of July! 

Source

And Here We Go Again...

Right, Sam? 

Yes, Sam formerly known as the boy who broke his left leg twice and had to have the pins removed this summer ... sooner rather than later ... fell and also broke his right arm just above the wrist yesterday. He is in surgery this morning as I write this. The pins in the leg are being removed and then the arm gets properly set. It's a two-fer. We'd appreciate all prayers on his behalf and most especially that he does not break any more bones. His poor parents may be ready to turn him into a bubble boy. As his grandmother, I'm highly tempted.

Gosh, I'm just looking at Jake in the background and it appears that he's being held together with bandaids. Boys!

Happy Birthday, Canada!

♪music perhaps?♪

It's not O, Canada, but it is a tribute all the same. Lakes of Canada by Innocence Mission was first shared at Haven back in 2007 on Canada's Thanksgiving. Somehow it seems even more appropriate for a July holiday! (Besides, I just love this song.)

Here's the lake in Canada we love. This photo was taken from the banking above the shoreline just in front of the cottage. One day, I'll return. ☺ Hope that all my Canadian brethren and sistren are planning time near the water to celebrate 145 wonderful years!

Sewing Room Time

It's been a rainy, cool day. I love to spend such days in the sewing room and since I had a few projects to finish...

For those who prefer the bigger picture. (I'd have to back out of the house to get the entire room in.) My sewing room is tiny. But it's mine and filled with all the things that make me happy. Many of you are in this room, believe it or not!

Before I forget, and since so many were wondering, my new iron is a Black and Decker. I purchased it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for around $60. I wanted a sweet yellow number, though I couldn't justify the $200 price tag. This works so well. I am very pleased. My last iron was a R*wenta and I was much less than pleased.

I started off with these scrap paper mason jar lids. Just cut a bunch of circles and pop them over the metal insert and screw on the top. For a simple thing, it makes such a sweet difference. (Not my idea...seen somewhere...on Pinterest maybe.)

Finished up a needlebook. I used *this* tutorial for some ideas.

Then I remembered *a little project* mentioned on my blog a long time ago. I modified it for my needs and soon it was done. A lot of fun, too. 

Little dresses in the packages and little dresses on the packages. John's off to celebrate birthdays tomorrow. He had another bumper crop year with two new great-granddaughters. 

Edited to Add: This little photo puts a ribbon on this story — John's greats! 

Hope that you enjoyed hanging out with me.

Wishing my Canadian friends a wonderful holiday weekend!

The Challenges of Reading My Blog

On my chatty days, the challenge is for me to write so that you don't feel as if you're riding a roller coaster. Some of the most fun times here at the blog are when I've been misunderstood. It happens nearly every day. It used to cause frustration. Now I can laugh. ☺

Recently, I've been accused of giving readers a headache, which is not much fun for them I'm sure. This is partly my own fault — my lack of communication skills — and partly that a portion of readers aren't really here; they're just moving through on a swift train. They aren't in a reading mood. I get that. Sometimes all I want to see is a picture book, too. And when it comes to a picture book, this is not the best blog to be.

Glimpses of my little corner are not all that photo worthy...I know that. This is a case in point: the best I have to offer you today is a hanger of linens on the upstairs dresser...oak. (I have a new iron and suddenly ironing has become a joy again.)

All this to say that I am feeling very blessed that so many people have wandered through this blog in the past six years. Why I have any readership is a source of constant wonderment to me. As you know, Google reader is leaving July 1. I have yet to learn whether Google Followers will be gone as of that date, too. My best guess is that since it's all connected, one day we'll wake up to find them gone...poof.

(Oh boy...it is so tempting to say something right here that would toss many for a loop. Some of you will know what I'm thinking and others will just have to guess because I'm not connecting the dots today. Another day...)

If you had told me yesterday morning that the oppressive heat was going to leave and that it would be chilly enough to bake those wonderful molasses cookies last night (recipe in sidebar), I might not have believed you. If you had told me yesterday morning that the Supreme Court was going to rule as they did, I might not have believed you either. All day long I felt as if I woke in one country and ended the day in another. I'm weary. I'm tired. I'm yearning for home.

Making a Path

All boleros all the time here lately. They bloom and are spent all within about a week's time. I sure do enjoy this one special week of summer when the bolero lilies are blooming. This is a header I might usually feature except that it feels "too hot" with all the actual heat and humidity.

~Bolero Lily Love~

This is why we were off on our little trip yesterday. Something must be done about the pathways that are either packed earth or have small strips of grass between two gardens. I'm tired of mowing the grass right into the garden and the little protectors there are not working to keep the clippings out. 

These stones are the remedy. Seven of them for ten dollars. What a deal! John knows all the best places. He's bringing over his square shovel when he comes home for lunch and I'll be getting to work this afternoon, if the rain holds off. We found the crushed brick, too, but didn't purchase any. 

And we managed to have some fun in the middle of errand running — breakfast and supper out. We can return tonight and have this for supper.

The whole world looks a little hazy like this...humid and blah. Now we're looking at another week of rain. So weary of this wet weather we're having, though as John says, "It's better than no weather at all." 

Wanna complain about the weather or praise it?

Gallivanting~Second Try

Now I pride myself on a few things. One is my spelling. I have been a good speller most of my life; however, I am slipping. I have forgotten how to spell a few words, if I ever knew in the first place.

I did know how to spell lightning once, but somehow it became "lightening" yesterday. Two completely different words! I couldn't have had anything to do with that...

This morning, I wanted to look up the meaning for gallivant, yet I was spelling it "galivant," which made finding the definition tricky.

Today, while I am gallivanting, I will be looking for turmeric, which heretofore, I have called "tumeric." You see what I mean?

This reminds me how for years I would order "schrod" at restaurants. Waitstaff gave me funny looks, but I seemed to get what I wanted. Why was I ordering "schrod" when I really wanted scrod? I'm blaming me mum. She always ordered "schrod" too. This may go away back.

It's been so long since we went gallivanting that we may have forgotten how to do that, too. Let's see. I'll check my photos. Ahhh, yes, way back on June 2.
That was the day we finally found some local honey and have since been spared the agony of allergies.



These photos were taken to show Auntie that we do have her kind of food up here — for a price — not listed.

I took them with the iPad camera, which isn't very good. It was all I had with me.

Really, I must stop leaving my camera behind. Why just last Saturday when I was going back and forth through the many detours in town trying to help John with the Ponderosa, I actually saw a man lift a miniature horse from his van and kiss it on the lips!  Now you just don't see these things every day and I would have liked to document it.

This crushed something intrigued me. John thought it could be crushed bricks. Since we're looking for crushed something today, I'm remembering this stuff.

I tell you, Blogger is driving me batty and formatting is wonky. This post will be interesting to see. (A little too interesting, I had to delete and start over.)

A loverly day to you!

Backyard Garden~Mosaic Monday

~The Scene~

~The Bits and Pieces~

I've been chomping at the bit to get out there and take photos. It's been a thunderstormy afternoon, which makes for dramatic lighting (no, I did not mean to say lightening ☺ lightning [Thanks, BJ, for keeping me straight!☺☺])

This reminds me of my grandson's being at a pool party last week with his classmates. His mother was also there. When a thunderstorm brewed up, he strongly suggested to his mom that it was time to leave. She said, "Go get your shoes." He said, "No time for that!"

He would not have liked seeing me out there with the camera for sure. But what I won't do for the cause when I'm feeling chatty.

Linking to Mary's Mosaic Monday at Little Red House. 

Meet Me in the Meadow

~Source~

Some months ago now, my friend Diane shared Meet Me in the Meadow by Roy Lessin with me. I signed up to receive the devotional in my email. Every few days, I must remember to fetch it from the trash. For whatever reason, my email program won't allow me to add the address to my contacts list and it doesn't recognize the gold that it is dropping into the trash. So I've added the link to my sidebar and will visit that way. There's always something pertinent shared in Meet Me in the Meadow. The Word of God is timely; It is perfectly suited to our needs; It perfectly describes our condition. Please visit "Source" and read the brief message it contains. You'll be blessed.

A beautiful Sunday to you...