Sunday Thoughts on a Beautiful Fall Day!

I just love this quote for today! How very true. I think most of us just feel close and connected with God when we have that chance to experience nature. Fall is a fabulous time to see God's beauty. I am in awe of God's creation in the fall. Luther speaks of the stars in this quote too. Tonight there is a full moon and a lunar eclipse. That should be quite a show! It's a lovely sunny fall day here in Oregon, so I will be able to see the lunar eclipse this evening with clear skies.
I hope you are having a nice Sunday and I hope you have a bit of time to enjoy God's beauty in some way this afternoon. Thanks God for the four seasons....especially for fall!

Tea Time Thursday #89

I found quite a treasure at another doll show I attended last weekend. I have been looking for one of these knitted tea cozies made with a porcelain half doll for a few years. My dear friend LaVonne found one and I have coveted, yes coveted, it ever since she showed it to me! She always says to me, just be patient, it will come to you someday. She is a wise friend.  I almost jumped up and down when I found this sweet lady.

I think she is so darling, holding onto her hat with both hands. She is making her home now in Troutdale, known for our famous East Winds!

She was made with an opening for the teapot's spout and the teapot's handle.

I bought it from a lady who was so happy it was going to a good home. She found it in New Zealand and used it for years, but thought maybe it actually came from England. It doesn't matter to me! I love it.

I will treasure her  and give her a very good home. She is made from a half doll, which I also love. She was made in Germany and has markings on her back.

I was doing a bit of research and came across this knitting book for making these little tea cozies.
I'm surprised that I haven't come across one at the many Estate sales I go to!

I also found several pictures of theses lovely ladies on the internet. I think I need to do a Pinterest board on them. Enjoy!

So Happy Tea Time Thursday. I hope to start decorating tomorrow for fall. I have gathered some new teas for tea time.I love the taste of fall!

Welcome Fall...How I Do Love You!

 Yes! My favorite season has finally arrived! I just love fall. I am so ready for all the things this quote has listed. I come alive in fall and cherish the days and all the fun events of Autumn. I thought it would be fun to just post some of my photos from years past. Do enjoy and Happy Fall to you.

Another Little Dollhouse Finished! Remembering Vermont

I'm stepping back to July for show and tell today. This is a photo of the darling little town of Newfane, Vermont which is close to Brattleboro, Vermont. It is picturesque and has several churches like these in this photo. When we had dinner our first night in Brattleboro, the fun host told us about this little antique shoppe that was a must to visit.

This is the little shoppe, owned and operated by Jack Winner. Isn't it cute? There's just not many individual antique shoppes left anymore with all the malls. Jimmy and I were so happy to find this one! Jack is hoping to retire soon and I'm not sure how much longer this shoppe will be open.

This is their B&B right next door, but I'm not sure if it is being rented right now or not.

Here's Jack Winner! He was just delightful and gave us lots of time and lots of information. We told him we were there for the Tasha Tudor event and he said that Bethany Tudor used to come in often to buy her mother pink lusterware teacups. Unfortunately, he didn't have a one for sale.

However, he had many other goodies to tempt us. I found this doll that I featured a bit ago on my blog and this little black chair that now lives on a shelf in my living room.

The grounds were quite lovely. I just loved the little pansies in this basket by the door.

So, this is what I bought from Jack. It belonged to a friend of his and he said it was from Austria before WWII. I fell in love with it and it came with the furniture and the larger man doll. I added
some items when I got home, of course, but it is pretty much finished now. When I bought it, I could see it decorated for Christmas with a little tree....very German or Austrian.

The bed and the cradle needed bedding, so I got that done the other day. I found the little lamp at the doll show. I had to order this charming little old world children to live in the house.

The furniture you see with the white flowers and orangish trim is what came with the house.  When I started to do some research to find a table for the 2 chairs, I discovered vintage Dora Kuhn painted furniture from Germany. Her work is more refined but I did order the table, 2 more chairs and a little hutch to go into the house. It isn't quite the same, but blends well.

Another look at the furniture that came with the box house.

This little guy was in the box. His wooden foot was broken, but he manages quite well.

Can you see the little cuckoo clock I found at the doll show?  The front door folds up to close up the little one room house.

A detail look at the way the roof fits together when closed.

So here is the little house...nice and compact. I love it and wonder who made it years ago. I will be taking very good care of it now.

I funny little story. Jim and I were going up to our room the night everyone was arriving in Brattleboro for our Tasha Tudor Gathering. The elevator door opened and this lady with a luggage cart says...."you got my dollhouse!" It was Belinda from my tea group and my Tasha group. I was waiting to meet her in person, but didn't know it would be like this! She started to laugh and I figured out she was talking about THIS dollhouse. She had been to Jack's shoppe after we were there and had asked him if he had any dollhouses. He said yes, but a couple from Oregon had just bought it! What a small world! I think of Belinda every time I look at it.

I'm linking up with Stephanie's blog again today. Take a stroll over to THE ENCHANTING ROSE to see what some talented ladies across the USA have been working on this past week.

Sunday Thoughts

My daughter Gina called me last Friday to tell me that one of her long time friends-ANNA- had just lost her mother. Anna's mom was just 65 and she passed away just a few weeks after the doctors had found found some lesions on her spine. Anna has been a family friend and in our lives for so many years. She was so close to her mama and is just so very sad right now.
Gina came home from Seattle to be here for her friend. Anna stopped by in the afternoon and we all just hugged and cried and hugged some more.

I have been thinking about all of this for days and I have been trying to help my daughter with some words of wisdom, to help her friend. I was looking at verses about comfort and came across this image....how perfect. Life is so fragile, not unlike an egg! Life is precious and I am guilty of wasting time and energy on things that really don't matter too much. A time of loss is a good time to spend in prayer and a good time to think-or should I say RETHINK- about your priorities. I probably cherish MY TIME too much. I am not always there for others.

So what can you do for your friend when she is deeply grieving? I am not always sure that you can say much when the shock of death is so new. You do need to just BE THERE. Maybe you just need to listen, just hug, just cry or just offer a glass of water or a cup of tea. You need to be available if and when she calls and asks for your help.You need to hold up your friend and her family in prayer. I think the real test of friendship and the real comfort comes a bit later and continues all through the first year after you have lost a dear one. You can't expect much from your friend during this time and sometimes you just need to be agreeable.

I am thankful for my faith and for the comfort that comes with that decision. Not everyone has that and my heart just goes out to them.When I don't share that faith or the same beliefs with a friend, I believe God wants me to comfort those around me and to be a good example of how a Christian lives.

Take some time to think about these Sunday Thoughts and pray that you will be ready to comfort others when that time comes. Comfort is a gift we can easily give to others.

Tea Time Thursday # 88

The week sure went by quickly! Here we are ready to celebrate Tea Time Thursday once again.
I purchased this old book when I was on my trip out east. I just loved the cover! It is not in very good condition, but it makes for a great backdrop and I just love the graphics. It has a publisher date of 1900. Like a lot of children's books from that time, it is composed of short stories that have a message for children, encouraging them to be good children.

Jimmy found me this sweet little boxed china set from Germany. I just love this look and want to rescue every set I find. Oh oh....

I found this sweet little silverware place setting at a doll show. It is still in it's little box and features a knife, fork and spoon plus a napkin ring holder with a napkin and a knife rest. It's dolly sized but not miniature.

Last weekend I found another sweet vintage pair of children's gloves. I adore these gloves from the past. I was doing a bit of research about gloves and tea. If you wear gloves to tea, etiquette instructs you to remove them and put your napkin over them on your lap. Who knew? I was also surprised to find that you can still buy children's gloves. I do remember getting a new pair at Easter for my new Easter outfit.

This boxed note set seemed to be calling to join the party today! It's a lovely set of invitations for a children's party. I think there's about 8 different designs.

Just a little Tea Time Thursday presentation today. It's been pouring rain...time for a cup of tea. The changing weather means hot tea for sure! I am going to have a cup of vanilla caramel today. Happy almost fall. 

What do you do when you are stuck in your house?

Last Friday, the city of Troutdale repaved our street and so we were not allowed in or out from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM. I had planned ahead so I didn't need to leave and settled in for the day. I decided to bake a batch of oatmeal cookies for my Jimmy (his favorite, but not mine). I made a big batch to share with the guys roofing the house too. I was also wanting to try out my new hand mixer. It is a nice heavy duty one and it really works great. A bargain for $8.00!

This is my recipe. It is not overly sweet. I do like to substitute golden raisins and I add about 1/4 c of dried cranberries and 1/2 c of chopped pecans.

The recipe does make the 4 1/2 dozen cookies as stated if you make them smaller as I did.

Golden raisins, dried cranberries and chopped pecans make the recipe a bit better! So that was a fun thing to do when you are stuck in your house!

My next project has been waiting since last spring. I bought a very fun little two room vintage dollhouse at a flea market. The lady who sold it to me has become a friend over the years. She had had this for years and thinks she found it in Seattle. It was probably made in the 30's or 40's and is very simple and handmade. It has two glass panes and a little door that opens between the two rooms. The original linoleum flooring is loud but period and I wanted to keep it in the little house.

There was only one original set of curtains left and they were pretty icky, so I replaced it.

I used some vintage lace and tried to copy the original set .

I found a little set  of curtains already made for $1.50 and I thought they would be just perfect for the kitchen area.

Last winter, I had found some little doll furniture that I thought was so cute. I didn't know anything about the pieces. I was going to put them on my Etsy site, but wasn't in a hurry to list them. When I got the house, I decided the furniture was perfect for it! I later found out that the furniture is from the same time period and is called Strombecker. I found a few more pieces online. I wish I had a couple more rooms to fill up, but this will have to do!

I had to make the little bedding for the bed too! I had so much fun just playing with my little dollhouse! It's a very different type of house and it will live in my cottage...just for fun.

It was just fun to stay home and work on something fun that I have been hoping to finish for  a long time.

I'm linking up to my friend 's Roses of Inspiration today. Pop on over to Stephanie's beautiful blog The Enchanting Rose. You will be amazed at all the creative bloggers.