When my sister’s here… she comes first…

Hi everyone,
I was at my mom’s house all day yesterday visiting with my younger sister and her hubby and my mom, of course. We are solving all the problems in the world, working on a big puzzle, watching episodes of Christy, shopping at Kohl’s, getting our houses all orderly, talking about diets, and health and organizing 101, and then lots of just plain ole’ “sister talk!” (my favorite!)

I never got to your comments…well, I read them, but I didn’t get them answered on yesterday’s post… so I thought I might just do a blanket statement here on this post…since visiting came first. If you missed seeing my ornaments on yesterdays’ post, you can see them HERE.

If you missed the comments day before yesterday, the consensus was the doll who should be next up for a dress, should be Kirsten. I’ll show you some possibilities and maybe let you all decide what grouping of fabrics you’d like to see her dress set made from…My sewing will pick back up in a few days…

Marilyn, the hair on the angel ornament was just that long silky hair you can buy for dolly wigs at Hobby Lobby. I just stitched it on in the center part and then on the sides, sort of like barrettes. The pasta angel was sprayed with a glossy paint and then let dry. Yes, the acrylic paint goes on the inside of the glass balls and then swirled…I have some myself that are VERY pretty…

Yes, Linda, my mom has some wonderful memories hanging on her tree… my older sister in PA always finds her the neatest ornaments at little shops where she lives. Wow, really, you have candy canes still from the 70’s that look great? That’s amazing… I love a tree full of memories! I don’t think my mom did anything to the baby shoe… she just kept it with her other ornaments. You could always GLUE your buttons on a piece of felt and make your ornament that way… just a thought…

Hi Cindy, After looking at momma’s tree and her fun ornaments, it made me sort of want to throw all mine away and start over with some fun and pretty ones… I keep thinking I’ll make myself some of those pasta angels, but never get around to it. I’m like you, I just box them up each year and say I’ll do it next year… Oh well…

Thanks Sylvia, My mom used to have some great big glass balls from Italy that were paper thin and were so pretty, but they’ve gotten broken over the years… She puts what she has on her tree…the good, the fragile and the silly ones…and enjoys them all. I like it too, when you have a tree full of memories from ornaments that your children made!

Joy, your little noodle cars sound so cute and I bet they were a big hit… do you have any of them left? I bet there are some mommies out there that have silver pasta cars on their trees…I can almost bet on it!

It sounds very German at your house right now, Laura. It sound lovely! I bought my sister some glass glitter for her birthday and think it’s so pretty to use on things. I bet your angel is darling…

HI Jan, and thanks for the compliment on the glass ball with white feather in it…I’d love to have a whole tree done with just them on it… wouldn’t that be pretty… and tiny white lights too!

Susette, I have a big tree but was thinking of maybe getting a smaller one this year, so I could just use my “favorite” ornaments and have them more showcased instead of all spread out…

HI Suzanne, So glad you found some plastic containers too…yes, mine were on sale… 40% off and then I had a 20% off my total purchase. I’ve been busy visiting with my sister, so I haven’t gotten anything put in mine yet… but I will!!!

I had to leave you with at least a couple of pictures… we have gotten so much rain here in Southern Illinois, we have our very own Hillbilly “Cement Pond!” (It’s actually and old in ground swimming pool that we’ve turned into what we call our “courtyard”)… but it’s filled with water now.
I hope it’s dry where you are!

[If you click on the pictures they will enlarge.]

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This was the only other picture I could find of what the courtyard looks like most of the time…

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See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne

12 thoughts on “When my sister’s here… she comes first…”

  1. Jeanne, your “Hillbilly Swimming Pool” looks so pretty filled with water! If the fountain were going, and the bushes green, it would be like a park! I didn’t know you had that in your backyard! I guess it would be costly to maintain all that, but anyway, you look so cute standing there in the second picture, and I see chickens in the background!

    Oh boy, you should see it around here with all the rain! Our neighbors just down the hill from us have a permanent creek going through the yard. We have a pretty good one ourselves in the front too! We are going to have a LOT of work in the yard to get it back to what it once was! I think today is the first time we will see the sun since Christmas!!

    I can’t wait to see what is up next for Kirsten!

    1. HI Linda,
      It seems funny to see it full of water when we know it’s not supposed to be…It’s much prettier with the green grass, and the fountain going instead of the way it is now…It was just an in the ground pool that the people who owned the house before us filled in with dirt to about 8″ below the concrete, and just left the concrete around it… It’s kind of strange but we make do with it…someday we’d like to dig up the concrete and just have it be yard!

      We’ve got areas around here too that are flooded beyond anything we’ve ever seen… Some places have said it’s the worst it’s ever been…EVER!

      Yes, Kirsten is up next, when I get to her!
      Thanks Linda,
      Blessings, Jeanne

    1. Those trees full of memories are wonderful, aren’t they? I hope your kids make lots of fun ornaments for you to enjoy for years…
      Thanks Christine,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  2. Hi Jeanne,
    We just stopped in Dodge City, Kansas and this is the first chance I got to catch up with you. We’re headed to the same place and we got through Iowa before it got really bad. Our route has changed several times!
    Loved seeing your Mom’s tree. I have such wonderful keepsakes in my ornaments from the 50’s that had been our parents and then ones throughout the years of our married years and then ones the children made. I’ve just started passing a few ornaments on to the kids.
    Loved your totes…organization is the key. When I get home, the doll room and book, games and little treasures get re-orgnized.
    You look so cute in your picture…love the chickens in the background. Oh and love that pink print material…ohhh.
    Blessings!

    1. HI Paula,
      It seems strange that Christmas is over… it comes and goes so fast… This one has been a particularly wet one for everyone it seems…
      There should be something besides Christmas where we hang our ornaments out to re-live the memories more than once a year…

      I’ll get to working on Kirsten’s dress set as soon as my family is gone… in a few days…
      Thanks Paula,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  3. Paula is in Dodge City, where my dad came from. Say hi to it from the Grotzkys.

    Jeanne, you could make pasta ornaments next year to show us, and that way you’d get them done. You could also do as you said you might like — choose a smaller tree to showcase some favorite ornaments — or choose two or three smaller trees and place them in in different rooms, and make the feather ornaments for one of the trees. I do see one problem, and it’s big. Christmas sewing. Maybe you could make and photograph the ornaments during slow times during the year, if there are any.

    Like everyone else, I like the courtyard. Maybe you should get some ducks to go with the chickens.

    As for me, more eye surgery tomorrow. By tomorrow afternoon I should be able to see clearly out of both eyes.

    1. HI Marilyn,
      Again, you made me laugh when you suggested getting ducks for the courtyard! I should tell my hubby you said that!
      Maybe I will make some ornaments for next year…in my free time… whenever that is…

      I will pray for your eye surgery tomorrow that it goes as well as your first one went! What a wonderful gift…sight!!!
      Blessings, Jeanne

  4. Love your pool/courtyard! Maybe ice skating rink if it gets cold enough? Do you still have chickens? They only recently have been legalized within the city limits here. Our neighbors have a few.
    Can’t wait to see the beginnings of Kirsten’s outfit.

    1. HI Joy,
      Yes, we still have chickens… 10 hens…that we get eggs from…

      It is colder tonight, but not freezing…so we won’t be ice skating any time soon…

      When my brother and his family and my sister and her hubby leave, I’ll get started on the dress set for Kirsten…I’m glad she’s first up for the new year… I can’t wait to see what I make…either!
      Blessings, Jeanne

  5. Yes, a tree with feather ornaments would be lovely! I would choose all ornaments in blue just like the one you pictured. Blue with white lights. No other color but the green tree.

    1. HI Jan,
      Ooooo…the tree you envisioned sounds lovely! Maybe next year we can both do one like it… I know some people who have trees in each room… that would be a lot of work, but fun to see in your house…
      Blessings, Jeanne

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