Gift for a Friend

We had our neighbors over for a game night before Thanksgiving. I was showing her some of my Barbies and clothes that I made. She got very excited and started talking about her Midge doll and how she was always her favorite. She was heartbroken that her mother had given all her dolls to her niece years ago and they were gone.

My neighbor has been having some serious health issues and is waiting to have more tests done next week. I wanted to do something for her to take her mind off things and reminder her of happier days, so I took to Ebay and found her this beautiful Midge doll..........for a steal.







The seller was fairly new and only had one picture of her. There were only a few hours left on the auction and I had to get to work so I put in the starting bid (no other ones were entered) and set a small limit just in case someone else came across her.........but no one did.

I kept my fingers crossed that she would be in decent condition for the low price. Well, she turned out to be in very good condition.....all fingers and toes, all polish and face paint. Hair just in need of a brushing.....well it might need a washing to freshen up her do.

She came dressed in just the dress from the Barbie in Switzerland outfit. I made her this simple strapless dress and stole that will take her from Christmas parties to New Year's Balls. Slip on a pair of vintage shoes and she was all set.

Needless to say my neighbor was thrilled and I was thrilled to put a smile on her face.

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The Food of Christmas

We always start our morning with a variety of smoke fish and lox and bagels. And we can't forget the Bloody Mary to wash it all down.




Pre-dinner cocktail was a Pomagrante Martini.



Dinner was filet with lobster tails, baked potato and asparagus. And we can't forget a glass of wine to wash it down.

We had a Mixed Berry Tart (store bought.....oh the horror!) But I forgot to take a picture.

Ugh! Lucky I got the Wii Zumba workout for Christmas !!!!!!!!

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Merry Christmas

Original Barbie in gown handmade by my Aunt Virgie for me for Christmas almost 50 years ago.






Brenda, 1964 brunette bubblecut is wearing vintage outfit #977 Silken Flame. Veronica, 1964 ponytail swirl is wearing vintage outfit # 986 Sheath Sensation. These dolls and outfits are vintage but not original to me. I have added several dolls and outfits to my collection in the past 20 years. Both dolls have had their lips retouched.




Stephanie, 1967 - 1968 Hair Fair and 1966 Francie, Barbie's MODern cousin. The Hair Fair was just sold as a head with different hair extentions. This one has had some re-rooting done as you can see by her cowlick. Francie is original to me and is as close to perfect as a played with doll can be. Both outfits are made by me.



Look at that face, perfect lips, no missing eyelashes, beautiful hair and her body is excellent. Yes, Francie is perfect to me.

May your Christmas be merry and bright..........- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My Original Barbie

Her name is Barbie. I got her when I was 7 waaaayyy back in 1963. For a much loved, played with doll she is in very good condition. Her pale pink lip color is almost rubbed off but still noticable even in this photo. She has no neck splits but does have greening on one ear. The outfit is original to my collection from 1963 #955 called 'Swingin' Easy'. It came in this green and a darker green of the same print. The ribbon sash has faded to a purple from a dark green! Aside from that it also is in good condition.



If you look closely you can see the ear greening on this side. It is oxidation from the metal earrings she came with and is common on older dolls. Some people have had success with removing it but.....it doesn't bother me enough to risk it.  I love her the way she is and I think she looks darn good for 50!




Here she is with Jeanelle, my reproduction 1961 ponytail. Jeanelle is dressed in a green cotton dress that I made from a vintage pattern.




Barbie and Jeanelle are getting ready for Christmas!

'Cone on' the Rottweiler

Poor Louie has a hotspot on the side of his head and is relegated to the cone of shame. The Vet said we caught it in time and should heal with help of antibiotics and a topical spray to dry it out.
I guess these things can turn really nasty, real quickly. We noticed it Weds. evening and thought it might have been a small cyst that broke. Cleaned it up but couldn't see anything. Thurs. it looked the same, cleaned it up again and decided if it was the same on Fri he would go in. Vet said his ear on that side was black and blue (really......how can you tell?????) I mentioned he did hit his head pretty hard on the kitchen cabinet earlier in the week in his zeal to eat dinner. Vet said it was possible that open a small scrap that got infected. This type of bacteria infection is similar to the flesh eating bacteria in that the skin dies. Fri. morning his skin did look different in the small spot he had scratched fur off so we got him in in time to halt it.

As you can see he is not a happy camper. Heard him several times during the night bouncing off a few things in the bedroom but he is learning to navigate the house with it.

He is suppose to wear it until he sees the Vet on Weds........oh joy.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Thankful every day for family and friends!


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Location:Sarasota FL

Game Night Dinner

We had game night tonight with our neighbors, The Husband usually does all the cooking in our house but tonight I thought I would take the helm. I am not a great cook but if I had to fend for myself I wouldn't starve.

The Husband did do the appetizer:



Shrimp Mufungo, doesn't look like much in this pic but is quite tasty. a Cuban dish made with grilled shrimp and fried green plantains.





Okay my plating isn't as pretty as The Husband's but here is my dish. Puerto Rican style pork, Cuban black beans and rice and sauteed plantains. It was good, not a knock you socks off dish but presentable to company.

I made this for dessert........







This is a Snickerdoodle Cheesecake. It WAS a knock your socks dessert! I am not a cheesecake person and this is the first I ever made and it was like eating a giant creamy snickerdoodle cookie..........YUMMY! And it was simple to boot.

There will be more Snickerdoodle Cheesecakes in my future.

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Saturday Cocktail

The Bible Belt, a little cocktail to enjoy on a cool (finally) fall evening. Southern Comfort, a bit of Triple Sec and Sweet and Sour mix.....simple and tasty. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Halloween Trickster

Our local Petsmart, aka Louie's favorite hangout, had their Halloween doings today.  They had a costume and tricks contest.  And guest what....Louie tied for 1st place in the tricks contest!

He was super excited to be there and could barely do the 3 tricks The Husband got him to do.  But he performed flawlessly.  I thought he looked pretty darn cute as a Ladybug too.........but there were some awesome costumes that just took the show.

He got a goodie bag just for going and another for winning the tricks contest AND he got to meet a lot of dogs.....which is his favorite thing...next to treats, of course.  So he had a GREAT day!

Halloween Ensemble

I love this outfit on Stacey. I think it looks fabulous with her red-orange hair.



The dress is a simple princess seamed strapless sheath. The cape provides protection from the chill of an autumn evening.










This is a vintage Stacey doll from 1969. She is not part of my original collection. I picked her up over 10 yrs ago. She has not been retouched, but shows some discoloration on her arms and face. But isn't she a cutie?



Stacey is a mod era doll and think this outfit is both modern and mod.

I won't be doing an outfit for Thanksgiving as I am working on a jacket for myself and hope to make several doll outfits for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Hope you enjoy!
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Location:Destin, FL

Saturday Cocktail

The Midori Sour is one of my new favorite cocktails. Simple to make just equal parts of Midori and Sour mix with a lemon garnish. Delish!

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Harvest Moon Ball

I love dolls. I still have my original Barbies from my childhood. I have also added to those over the years and now have a modest collection of Barbies and Ideal Miss Revlons (from the 50's).

I go through periods where I pull a few out for display and/or to make clothes for them. This is one of those times when I wish I was 10 yrs old and didn't have a care in the world..........because the world is a very scary place at times.

So I've decided to make a few outfits for some of my Barbies (and they can't all be named Barbie, so yes, they have names). Now it's been awhile since I have made anything for the Vinyl Goddess and she is quite small so I am starting out with simple but pretty outfits.



These two lovely ladies, Jeanelle (reproduction 60's ponytail) and Courtney (early 2000 doll) are attending the Harvest Moon Ball tonight in coordinated fall dresses.




These are simple strapless dresses but getting that full skirt attached to the bodice did take some doing. One of the hardest parts of making doll clothes on this scale is finding fabric prints that are appropriate and have enough drape or are not to stiff. These are made from cotton and I think worked out good. The leaf print is really pretty.

I have decided on the next outfit to make.....something along the lines of Halloween but not a costume.

Hope you enjoy!

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Saturday Cocktail

Sex on a Brazilian Beach. Peach nectar, Malibu rum and vodka. Refreshing on a very hot day!

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Saturday Cocktail

Emerald Coast Margarita - The color of this cocktail is reminiscent of our beautiful Gulf water. But much tastier!

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Labor Day .......summer's end

Where did the summer go? While I love fall and the coming cooler weather, I have to wonder where the summer went and so quickly! Seems like as a kid the summer was long and lazy, now it zips by like high-speed rail. Or is it just that I'm getting older and all time seems to be zipping by and not just summer?

We had neighbors over for dinner and games last night. Always fun!




I went with a summer into fall theme with my table, based around the beautiful golden roses and orange gerber daisies I got at the market. I made a pitcher of peach sangria that was delicious.




First course, a tuna poke salad in a little corn tortilla cup on a bed of guacamole with a hint of shiracha. I loved this and could have made a meal out of it.......in larger portions of course.




Salad course, spinach with a bacon vinegarette. The white stuff is grated egg white. The yolks were soft boiled separately. When you broke the yolk and mixed with the salad it gave it such a heavenly richness. It was sooooo yummy.




Main course was Chicago style baby back ribs and twiced baked potatoes. Chicago style ribs don't get as much press as other styles but that's okay, they are our little secret. Chicago style ribs offer more resistance, none of this fall off the bone stuff, these are ribs to sink your teeth into. And the sauce is a little sweeter so you get a good carmelization. All in all, yummy.

Dessert was apple pancake with ice cream (sorry, ate it so fast, no picture).

Several rip roaring rounds of UNO put the cap on a great end of summer evening.

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Saturday Cocktail on Sunday......and Louie

It finally stopped raining for a day and I was able to take my cocktail outdoors......on Sunday! One of my favorite cocktails is an Old Fashion, made well it is quite tasty. This is one I made up, a Rum Old Fashion, using Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum, ginger ale, bitters, muddled orange and cherries and a tsp of sugar. Quite tasty, indeed.

And since I haven't posted any Louie photos of late, here are a few to feast your eyes on (Ruby, these are especially for you, baby!).






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Saturday Cocktail

The Velvet Peach Hammer (it's raining out today, so indoor photo). - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Saturday Cocktail

Once again it is raining here so I am sticking with my tropical themed drinks to bring a little sunshine to my world. Today's drink is an unfrozen version of the Blue Hawaiian. I am not a fan frozen drinks like daquairis so I just made this unfrozen. Not quite as yummy as last week's drink but still refreshing......and beautiful!
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I Had Babies!

Well not really babies and I didn't really have them. But I did have a hand in a very beautiful event.

About a month ago we noticed Swallowtail butterflies laying eggs on our parsley. A few days later we found little bitty caterpillars. Then they started to eat and grow....


































At one point we had 27 caterpillars! We had to by 6 more parsley plants to keep them fed. But then the birds discovered them even though they were very close to the house and we put up stakes with bags tied to the top. We lost quite a few to the birds, some died naturally but finally 3 went into chrysllis stage.

I walked out this morning and they were completely out of the cocoons. They are very docile and crawled right up my arm. The Husband got a few pics of me holding them. I can't tell you how excited I was to hold them. I had to go to work but The Husband watched them completely dry out, get their bearings and take flight.

It was amazing being a part of this, seeing the eggs getting laid, providing them food and shelter.........sometimes nature benefits with the help of man.

Fly free, Moe, Larry and Curly......fly free......