More Dolls

Lots of nights when I'm in the teeny tiny sewing room, instead of sewing, I pick up one of my sweet dolls. Last night it was this one...

Lucky me when I pulled her from a toy bin at a thrift store.

Like most Zaph dolls, she has a beautiful face and soft silky hair that feels real.

She is 11" tall. Just the perfect size to sew for. I made the little pink flowered dress.

Would you take a look at this sweet, dainty little baby's slip...

It is so delicate and I love the ruffle and lace and the tiny buttons on the shoulders. Another thrift store find.

There's just something about little baby sweaters, slips, and booties that I cannot resist...

like Hattie's sweet clothes.

On the subject of dolls, I have been working on a doll for my cousin Patty. I've posted about Patty before. She is the cousin who gave us the beautiful antique cupboard. Another neat fact, Patty and I are first and second cousins. Her mom and my mom are sisters and her dad and my dad are first cousins. 

Anyhow, cousin Patty and I are the same age, well, she is a tiny bit older than me; almost a year. :)  So waaaay back many many years ago Patty got this doll for Christmas. A boy baby doll...

Meet Danny Lloyd...

Over the years the doll's body had become ragged and worn. It was quite a surprise when the mailman delivered the doll to me with a note from Pat asking if I would give my best try at re-covering her treasured doll's body. 

well, I hardly knew where to begin, but I did give it my best try.

not perfect, but the best I could do. Do any of you remember this doll from the late 1940's or early 1950's? 

Patty would like to dress Danny in a vintage baby boy's outfit but I haven't found one yet, but did pick up this soft little outfit at the thrift store.

We have been blessed with two days of sunshine which helped dry things out some. But once again we have three more day of rain coming in, starting tomorrow.

Here it is bedtime once again, so I will say goodnight. Thank you for visiting. 

Love,

Henny

A walk in the rain

Anybody wanna go play in the rain; maybe splash around in some big puddles? We've got just the place.

I carried the camera out with me to feed the animals this morning...

Here we go, down the steps with the bucket of feed...

and on down the path for hay that is stored in an old chest type freezer with no lid...

I ducked under the shelter and laid the umbrella across the mower then filled a bucket with hay...

Got the goats and chickens fed then walked around to the other side of the house for a look...

That's all the rich soil I hauled from behind the chicken lot. Thankfully, the newly placed bricks are holding back black mud.

Seems kinda foolish to fill the birdbath anymore.

Cedar trees hold lots of water...

Going on around passed the back porch, the pond is full and rushing over the spillway into the woods...way back there in that far corner...

Looks like those brick columns supporting the house are bracing, trying hard to keep the house from washing right down the hill and into the pond

meanwhile, on this end of the pond, the muddy water from off the side road pours steadily in...

why, straight down this hill under the muddy water are the stepping stones we use to cross over.

newly made streams rush through the woods from off the side road.

bringing in more and more muddy water...

and covering what's left of the teeny tiny pier...

So there, we've been all around the house. Thank you for walking with Weetie and me. It just feels good to show someone.

Hurry Weetie, let's go get a dry towel. 

We really do need a few sunny days now, just like you folks up north who are covered in snow. 

All this was early this morning. We've waited all day for a break in the rain for Eli's long walk, but there has not been one. Now we are going anyway. We'll bundle up and carry the umbrella and slosh up and down the muddy road.

Sorry for such a gloomy post. The weatherman says "tomorrow afternoon", look forward to tomorrow afternoon! The rain should end for a few days. Whew!

Dumperoo says "Hey" from a dry spot under the sewing table.

Love,

Henny

Blaming it on the long-legged tower

Should probably call this a potting area not a potting 'shed' because there's no roof. At 2:30 this morning I was lying awake planning how to build a roof and had come up with a decent plan, then remembered there was a holly tree growing up through the center of the floor.

Thought I would go back to what started all this in the first place...

It was that silly little roof top from off the old wishing well driving me crazy. It was cute and I wanted to use it somewhere. "Nail some legs on it", I asked Poppy. It will be an entrance to the teeny tiny greenhouse.

"There you go", said Poppy, wondering why I wanted something that looked so out of place and useless. So it became "the long-legged tower". But the tower needed something??

The potting bench. Never could get that thing to sit level. I buried all kinds of crap under the dirt and leaves.

Poppy found that old Singer base in a junk pile several years ago and thinking I might like it, brought it home. Then back when he worked for Winn Dixie, picked up a park bench with one metal leg broken off. It was part of that broken bench the made the back for the potting bench.

Then friends, I remembered the magazine article I had saved since 1997... 

Oh my gosh! See the little wood stove! I still want one, just like that!  

"Guess we need to go to Lowes", said Poppy. So we did, and then started building the walls. That was two years ago.

Son-in-law Todd recently suggested using that stack of boards they gave us to build a floor. Of course, we needed to!


By this time the potting bench was looking rusty and bad...

So, during sunny breaks in these rainy days, I painted.

Back to the plan made at 2:30 this morning...

I'm thinking the legs on the long-legged tower could be shortened, then move the tower to the left side and place it over the antique washing machine tub, which holds potting soil...just for looks, of course. :) 

Then put up 4" x 4" posts in front on each side and build the top over the fence panels, kinda how a lean-to looks. 

So there it is. If this rain ever stops, I can go stand and stare and maybe figure it out.

Good gosh, I bet all of you have left your computers by now and I don't blame you one bit!  

Well that's it...except, during all my thinking and planning during the early morning hours, a very loud scary rumbling noise caused me to sit straight up in bed! "Was that thunder?", I thought to myself! Then seeing a flash of lightning, snuggled down in the covers to be safe, only to hear Eli scratch at the door. 

Now wonder where he got his fear of thunderstorms?? I ran to the front door and let Eli in. He slept between us until the clock alarmed at 4:45. 

Thank you friends for putting up with me.

Love,
Henny

The Playhouse/Potting Shed

Hey friends,

Here we are heading into another week of rainy days. It was exciting to hear the weatherman say this morning, there may be a brief period of sun this afternoon. A brief period is better than none.

and if that happens, I'm going to rake up two or three loads of leaves for the chicken lot. The hens are walking in mud up to their knees! The leaves are wet, but that will be better than mud.

Anyhow, been anxious to show you the wooden floor in the playhouse...

 and the newly painted potting bench. Can you believe we I had the old Singer base turned around backwards when we attached the top and back? Pretty normal for me. 

I LOVE the wood floor!

All this looks a little too "set up" right now, in fact, I had to go back and knock over a few flower pots. Well, it needed something! An old sink and a load of potting soil will help and maybe dirty the place up a bit. Still haven't found an old wood stove and tea kettle.  

The weather is still too cold and wet to enjoy being out here, but we have a start.  Spring can't get here soon enough!! 

I kinda like this corner with the old raggedy chairs. Yesterday in the Scrap Exchange with my daughters, Lynn and Andee, I found a piece of granite to fit on top of that little metal stand, to make a side table.

Oh my gosh, wish all you could visit The Scrap Exchange in Durham. No way could I ever tell you what it is like. Well, you could Google it and get some idea.  Lynn works there now, and she love it!!

Had lots more to talk about but I've simply got to get busy. Poppy will be home at 1:00 so I need to finish the house work, especially vacuuming. :( I'd rather digging stumps!

Thank you for stopping by. Oh, Any ideas on making the little potting area prettier will be appreciated. 

Love,
Henny

Also...In my hurry to get busy I forgot to say thank you to two new followers, Sheryl and Jan. I appreciate your friendship so much!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

 Before going out the door to finish the potting bench, I wanted to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day.

It's been a long long time since Poppy gave me roses...

He got off work at 5:00 yesterday. I happened to see him walking from the truck toward the front door with one hand behind his back. Never dreaming it could be flowers, I opened the door and asked, what are you holding?

It was a surprise, for me!!

The silly picture is Poppy's fault...I just stopped to smell the roses!

Here's what I dashed out and got Poppy. He will be home today at 2:00...

I know! Who wants a store bought cake! But listen, we have a little country grocery store in town called Carlie C's. Their cakes are delicious, and this coconut/pineapple is Poppy's favorite. 

I did add a few hearts and a little Valentine.

Better go. It is 1:45. Poppy will be here soon. Let me go prop up beside the cake. Maybe he will want to cut it. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Love,

Henny

The sprig of Ivy that grew and grew

Have I ever shown you the ivy tree that grows down near the pond?

Well, actually this is a pine tree where, years ago, I stuck a little sprig of Ivy in the ground... 

and that sprig of ivy grew and grew and grew...

and keeps on going...why, I had no idea ivy could climb that high. I did Google it and found that English Ivy can grow fifty feet or higher. 

it's like the little pine is trying to stay ahead of the ivy...keep it's head above water, or above the ivy! Poor tree.  

Sometimes I think about taking the ivy tree down, but Poppy says all kinds of little birds build their nests in the safety of this mass of ivy. So the ivy tree is safe.

Last week, those warm days with sunshine were simply wonderful. This week started off with rain again...colder too, and no sunshine, but that's okay. We've been very fortunate weather-wise. 

Poppy put a new handle on my yard rake...the rake with the "life time" guarantee. The rake where the handle broke in two. He sure made it a long handle too. :)

and while I'm on all these odds and ends...my work basket lately has become so heavy, I've been pulling it around in my pink wheelbarrow. 

Why, there's just about everything one could possible need in that basket while outside working. So with my pocket knife and basket, I'm good to go. :) 

Really, I did not start out here to write a boring post, but I have done just that.

How about a picture of Dumperoo asleep on the sewing room bed. Look at those sweet little feet...

and old sweet Smokey at the other end...

Oh, and thank you Angela Pitout for following my blog. I appreciate a new friend. 

We have finished the floor in the playhouse. Can't wait to show you. The rain came back so I didn't get the potting bench painted. Hope to do that tomorrow. :)

Love,
Henny