1907 Raphael Tuck Postcard

The hubs has been busy in the shop.......a peek inside later!

    Merry Christmas Ya'll!

Nativity

Christmas is just around the corner. 

Time to get our a few decorations.

 The nativity set was in need of a new creche,

so I asked the hubs if he had enough barn 

wood scraps left to make one.  He went

 above and beyond my simple request.

He installed a night light to illuminate the inside.

 These paper mache nativity pieces 
are marked U. S. zone Germany, which dates 
them shortly after WWII.

A sweet little angel keeps
watch over baby Jesus.

It's large enough I can add a
few more animals down the road.

The hubs whittled a working latch

 for the animal enclosure gate.

I love the colors, still bright 
after all these years.

A young Shepard boy dressed in pink,
 with stripped socks!

  I think he did a great job....thank you hubs.

Enjoy the season!

Hall's Lifetime Toys Dollhouse Furniture-Kitchen Roombox Update

The kitchen room box is moving 

along at a snails pace.

 I've been watching e-bay for a

corner cabinet and hutch made by

 Hall's Lifetime toys.  Individually the

 pieces go for around $25 to $75, far 

more than I'm willing to pay!!

This is a bargain, scrappy room box.

I happened upon a set of 5 pieces in excellent

 condition for less than the price of a single piece, 

including shipping, so I snatched it up.

Hall's Lifetime Toys was in business in Chattanooga, 

Tennessee, from the early 1960's through the 1980's. 

They made quality doll furniture for 8-12" dolls like 

Ginny and Madame Alexander.  They also made 3/4"

 scale miniature furniture and 1/12 scale furniture 

and dollhouses.  All of their furniture was made of 

gum wood and plywood & extremely sturdy for play.  

The company offered several styles and finishes that

included painted white, blond, Early American, maple 

and Mountain Cherry.  It was sold in upper 

scale department stores.

 This Early American dollhouse series consisted of 12

pieces of furniture for a living room, bedroom

 and kitchen:

Sofa

Chair

Table & Chairs

Sideboard

Hutch Cabinet

Corner Cabinet 

Rocker

Chest

Canopy Bed

Wardrobe

Nightstand

Dresser

  Now I have 3 odd pieces of furniture!

Do I see a scrappy bedroom

 box in my future?

I've found a hodge podge of  ladder back

 chairs with rush seats, just like the ones

my Grandad had.

 The hubs made some shutters for the

the outside of the windows.

 I've been diligently working on the rug.  This is 

actually many hours of making french knots.

   I've been gathering paint swatches......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wish each of you a

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

shared with the ones you love!!!

Veterans Day 2016

Girlfriends Weekend-17 Years & Still Going

The 2016 annual Halloween girlfriends gathering 
 was hosted by Teresa, at Hard Cracker Farm. 

What does  Hard Cracker mean............
Hard Tack is a simple type of biscuit or cracker,

 made from flour, water, and salt.  Inexpensive and

 long-lasting, it was used for sustenance during

 long sea voyages, overland migrations and
 military campaigns. 
It's literally a "hard cracker" that lasts for years. 

This year we spent the weekend in the 
newly finished guest cabin. 

Saturday morning Teresa's hubby David cooked
 and served us a full breakfast at the big house.
Yea, he's a keeper for sure.

Sunday morn we had campfire coffee, oatmeal 

 and fresh pears from Teresa's heirloom tree.

Glorious weather and a beautiful view.

There is always something to delight 
the eye at Hard Cracker Farm.


Step inside for a peek at Teresa's
full size country dollhouse!



My hubs made a walnut plate rack as my
 hostess gift.  Teresa and David were over
the moon.  It matches the other walnut
 furniture in the cabin and luckily was 
just the right size

The weather was so mild
we were snug in our beds 
without a fire.

We played silly games by lamp light and laughed

the laugh that only girlfriends share.

The cabin has all the amenities,

including a flashlight in case we 
needed a midnight privy run.

The heirloom tree produced bushels of the
 biggest tastiest pears I've ever seen or eaten.
Full of juice and crisp like an apple.  Teresa's
warm Pear Crisp dessert is delicious.  

 The ones at the top of the tree 

needed some coaxing.

Cinders braved the ladder and was
 armed against the hail of pears as
she shook the limbs. 

Sunday we strolled the paths and visited the castle 
ruins at Ha Ha Tonka (laughing waters) State Park.
Photo from:  Ozarks Parks

Shelby was our constant companion and protector
 from the Halloween goblins and ghouls.

As always, we had a great time catching
up, laughing and sharing.   
 Sadly, the weekend came to an end,
but we look forward with joy to next year!
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy Fall