Happy 150th Birthday Laura Ingalls Wilder! Tea Time Tuesday # 140

My Tasha Tudor friend Linnie encouraged us to celebrate Laura Ingalls Wilder's 150th birthday today! As it is Tea with Tasha on Tuesdays, it was the perfect day to have some fun and brighten up this long winter. I don't need much encouragement to have a tea party! Thanks Linnie, this was really fun.

Happy Birthday Laura Ingalls Wilder! Thank you for all the wonderful books about your life's journey.

I decided to follow Laura's Ma's advise...."Ma liked everything on her table to be pretty". So this is a tribute to Laura today and a chance to use some of my pretty things.

I don't have a Laura doll, so this little miss with her bonnet and red and white outfit has to do! She was pretty happy joining in the fun. I made little cut out brown paper heart garland as Laura did in one of her stories.

I ordered this DVD about Laura's life and Jimmy and I are planning to watch it tonight. So many of us read the books and watched the TV series, but I would like to learn more about her life.

A few goodies to grace the table. The pressed glass lantern was our first anniversary gift to each other 40 plus years ago!

With my health issues, I have been doing  a lot of cooking from scratch. I wanted to make something from the Little House Cookbook. It's quite fun to read and study the recipes. I actually decided to make a gingerbread recipe that is not in the book but I found it on the internet.

Here's a copy of the recipe in Laura's handwriting. It's pretty much the one that I used. I did use butter instead of shortening and I used whole wheat pastry flour.

I have never made gingerbread from scratch, so it was a new adventure for me.

It was totally a different sequence of combining the ingredients. Adding baking soda to a cup of boiling water was an experience! If you make this recipe, use a Pyrex bowl with the baking soda. I actually had a bowl break on me.

Here it is ready for the oven...yummy. I did increase the spices from 1 t. to 1 1/2 t. after I read some of the reviews. Oh, it did smell so good when it was baking.

Here's the finished gingerbread. It was delicious and baked well. I did have one little piece...not diet food, but had to have a treat today.

Jimmy is such a good sport to join me for tea and he always supports my tea time adventures.

Of course, I had to have the paper doll book! I haven't cut out the dolls or clothes yet and I'm not sure I can use my scissors! I may just have to enjoy the book.

I had to add a few Valentine crafts to honor Laura and her life. The quilt in the photo above was made by Laura and her daughter. I'm sharing a few red and white crafts that are favorites of mine.

This is one of the hearts I made from the cutter quilt that I shared a few weeks ago.

I adore little pin keeps. This is a vintage bonnet pin keep that I have had for some time. It even has a little thimble inside.

I found the directions and pattern for making one. You can find it on Tipnut if you are interested.

I have never read the complete set of Little House on the Prairie, but I would like to go back and read them all.

I had a fun time with all of this today. I'd like to leave you with this quote. Have some fun and pick up the books again. 

February 6th

Just returned home from my dad's. After a busy day of shipping my Etsy, grocery shopping , working on Valentine projects, Jim and I decided to go over to his apartment tonight. We enjoyed dinner with him and I got his snowmen down and his Valentine's decor up! We had a good evening with him.
I am about ready for bed as I only had about four hours of sleep last night, so off to dreamland. 

Sunday Thoughts...February 5th

A rainy and lazy Sunday on this February winter day. Time to rest and ponder these thoughts.
I hope you are having a nice day and I pray your week ahead will be filled with God's blessings.
Believe!

February 4th

It's a quiet Saturday afternoon. The freezing rain continued through the night and began to melt this morning. It's now all gone! YEAH!
Our daughter Gina was here for a quick visit and had to return home this afternoon. I was hoping she could spend the night, but she has a class tomorrow and needs to be back home.
I am working on some Valentine projects and Jimmy is watching college basketball games. It's not too exciting around here, but I am so happy to have the ice gone and the temperatures warmer.

February 3rd

Happy Friday! We had another ice storm over night and we are still not done with it! I hope it washes away tonight as temps rise. The warmer south wind was supposed to arrive, but it changed it's course. The cold east wind is still blowing. We have burned so much wood this winter and are thankful everyday for the wood our friends brought to us this summer.
Our daughter Gina decided to drive down from Seattle today....not a real good call. She stopped along the way and worked on grading her class papers. Troutdale is the last to get out of this freezing rain, so she may stay at her sister's tonight. Their roads are much more clear than our's. Ah winter....

February 2nd and Dolly Thursday

February 2nd! I am trying to post a Valentine picture from around my home everyday, or at least until Valentine's Day on the 14th.   This is a sweet little miss given to me by LaVonne last year. I love these little figurines.

This is the doll I featured on my Tasha Tudor group today for Dolly Thursday. It is a half doll on a little covered box. LaVonne made one at a workshop last fall at our doll conference. I didn't take the class, so she was super sneaky and bought a kit when I wasn't with her. She made this sweet miss for me and gave it to me in my Christmas box! It is delightful. The class was given by a very sweet lady from Louisiana who runs a bed and breakfast. LaVonne and I would love to visit...maybe someday.

Last Saturday, I went to the doll show in Portland. I wasn't feeling too chipper, but wanted to go as I was in the hospital at the last show. I was a bit disappointed as there seemed to be too many Barbies and not enough older dolls. But, it was still fun and I was glad that I could attend.

This dress was made by the sweetest lady. It was made for a 20 inch doll from a vintage apron. How I wish it would have fit one of my china heads. It was quite fun to talk to her.

My eye always seems to pick out the Little Miss Revlon...probably because I love mine from my childhood.

A few china heads looking for a home!

This little miss seemed to be a bit crabby, but I liked all the goodies around her on the selling table.

 Sweet little ladies, including a Kewpie. This was a very nice booth.

I loved the little mirror and screen at this booth, plus the lovely dress!

This booth was always busy so I had a hard time getting up close to see the goods! Her dolls are really beautiful.

Doll furniture and dolly accessories are always displayed to tempt the shoppers!

 A few more goodies.

I had to take this photo for LaVonne as she has a fondness for Native American dolls. One of these days, I hope she is here to go to the doll show with me. It is very fun to have a doll friend....partners in crime! 

Welcome February

 Welcome February. The second month of the New Year is upon us already. Winter seems to be hanging on here in Oregon. We are expecting one more round of snow and ice starting tomorrow evening. This most likely may be our last fling with winter weather. The wind is blowing so hard again.

We have almost returned to good health. The cough lingers a bit, but we are feeling pretty good.
It was our day with Otto. I usually go over to his house and take the morning shift. He loves to play with Grandma Linda and I do mean PLAY!!!! We always start in his room in the morning before his daddy leaves for work. It's always cars or Monster Trucks and he has quite the imagination, which makes me happy. The pictures are a bit dark and a little blurry today. It's hard to catch him standing still sometimes.

Grandma Linda...play with me! That's his favorite saying. How can you refuse that expression?

He loves to line up his cars so the Monster Trucks can do their famous JUMP.

We had to load up the truck with A LOT of Hot Wheels. That took time to get the right ones on the right levels.

This is his Magic Track. The track snaps together and the car lights up as it goes around the track. He has to have the room dark with the lights off.

We did some art work, went on a monster hunt and then he packed up his little backpack and we went on an adventure, as he told me.  We did spend a little time on the computer paying Monster Truck games.

Papa Jimmy comes over around noon and we take him to McDonald's. There's a play structure inside and he can climb and jump and burn off some of that energy, especially when the weather is too cold to play outside. He sure is getting big, but he still likes to snuggle with Grandma and sit on my lap. He is a cutie pie.  Papa Jimmy gets him down for a nap, and stays with him until mommy comes home around 4 PM. Wednesdays are fun, but busy!

Just a happy note, my kidney doctor called me yesterday and my kidney levels have returned to normal. I was allergic to one of the meds and once they took me off of that, my kidneys started working again. I am so thankful.

Happy February! I am looking forward to a month of lots of fun. We have 3 birthdays and Valentine's Day.