New Pajamas and a Tea Party

No matter how young or how old we are...we girls love a new set of pajamas...

...a pretty new nightgown...

...a new pair of slippers...

They just feel so good. Especially when it's cold outside, and there's no where she has to be.

So when one receives all 3...well, let's just say...

a girl might not ever come out of them!

Sophia's new jammies and bunny boots (as she calls her new slippers) arrived in the mail...

...and she was pretty excited.  They are very good for hopping.

Commence hopping.

On this chilly morning
we had enjoyed reading through some tales,
and I had begun my knitting time (a new Tasha Tudor inspired Cottage Shawl, for me) with the softest new yarn, Frog Tree's Alpaca Sport ....(acquired at my favorite place to knit, crochet, receive needed instruction..The Joy of Knitting shop, here in Franklin)

Sophia was wearing her pretty new gown.

Scout popped out from between the table and Grammy's Rocker ...wondering what Phia was up to, for she's ALWAYS up to SOMETHING interesting...

she looked awfully busy...

she was 'tidying up'...
 as they say on Peppa Pig...her most favorite show.
*****

Grammy is teaching her that she must tidy up one mess before beginning another...

...and there is always, always another mess on the way...

*****

This lovely new mess requires a basket filled with tea party goodies...

....and a sweet old cloth that is just the right size for impromptu tea party picnics..

...requiring several goes at getting it to lay, just so...

Now onto the guest list. 

There's Winnie bear and Grammy rabbit...

They love each other.
She leans on him, because he never ever falls over.

Then there is Really Old Bear
(not to be confused with Old Bear, who is the star of Jane Hissey's books)

He is a lighter shade of mohair...a very, very old shade...

Looking over Really Old Bear and the tea tray...
..Phia takes inventory.

Hmmmmmm what else do I need...

tea pot...check...a tea cup...

yes..

two tea cups...check...

Now to feed Winnie bear...

Oh...it's too hard to reach him...
must adjust the seating arrangement...

Oh, alright, Winnie bear...just come sit in my lap..

I will feed you.

Now... it is time for Really Old Bear's nap...for he is really really old...

Phia fixes and fixes until she gets his covers just right...

Really Old Bear looks so comfy... Maybe Phia will just slip right in there next to him...

Now of course, this went on for several more minutes, with several more tries,
but, alas, poor Sophia failed to achieve the same level of comfiness as Really Old Bear.
She is most comfy in her very own room,
in her very own bed..

reading books to Little Teddy.

We are very excited that Christmas is just around the corner, although it is very difficult explaining this to one little girl who, upon waking each morning, asks,
"Is it Kissmiss?"

Soon little Phia....soon.

*****
Our love for Tasha Tudor and Christmastide is reflected on our dining table....

The yellow ware bowl belonged to our beloved Tasha.  I was incredibly fortunate to find it on a website, The World of Tasha Tudor... Cellar Door Books.
It is perfect for pomanders and pinecones.
The tiny book of hers, The Bouquet, was found after quite an online search.
Sweet treasures resting alongside the Tudor family's hand-dipped beeswax candles.

Blessings, friends.

...and then she was 3...

It doesn't seem possible...How can she be turning 3...already...

This is a sentiment shared by all parents, grandparents, friends, and family members as they anticipate approaching birthdays.

It was just the other day...we were all at the hospital waiting to greet this little princess.

I had made scones and prepared a lovely picnic basket. It held pretty pink forks, pink toile napkins, a thermos of hot tea, jam and freshly whipped creme for the vanilla scones.
I wore my pink coat and painted my nails a complimentary shade...

We would celebrate the birth of a princess...our very own princess...

December 8, 2010...she made her entrance.
Sophia Abigail Ray...perfect in every way.

Last December...at her 2nd birthday....

We had no idea she would soon be coming to live with us.

This darling little doll would shake up our world on January 29, 2013..

Blessing us...

Challenging us...

Snatching us up out of our simple routine...

Making us better human beings...

All that, from one little girl.

And yesterday...she was 3...How did that happen...where did the time go....
It marches on...

Saturday...
What do I gift her with? What does she need that she doesn't have?
What does she want that she doesn't  need...something frivolous...and tiny...that will fit her 3 year old little hands....
That's it! Something she doesn't need but would love.

I pull out the Make-a-Lilly wooden doll pieces I had recently ordered from Natalie Jo at Piccalilli Patchwork, and began painting, sewing, stitching french knots, ...

A  Phia Dolly.. She was our little Phia Doll... so here's one for her...

With tiny french knots and lazy daisy petals and flower...

..and a pretty little lace lining to peek from under the re-purposed fabric dress (made from a very loved set of pajamas gifted me, from our Tia ...grandson Xavier's mommy)...

I added the tiny heart...as I always loved those old raggedy ann dolls with the red heart on their chest...as this little dolly was from my heart...

It is finished..

I hand her the Phia dolly....she draws her up to her lips...and gently kisses the round little face.

I melt.

Sunday...
We prepare for the party, the celebration of an eventful year. I choose her Laura Ashley dress, in the palest pink, because it compliments her peaches and cream complexion and bright blue eyes. The soft pink angora sweater, ivory tights, and pink ballet slippers complete the ensemble.
She resembles a creme puff...
and we are on our way... with Phia Dolly in one hand and Old Bear in the other...blankie to the side...

A big Happy Birthday Phia smile...

We arrive at Nana and Gran's (Husband Tim's parents) and there is her daddy. She adores him and he adores her.  They work on which fingers to hold up...

"I'm 3"

Auntie Tia has arrived bearing gifts...a birthday crown,  fit for a princess...and a big pink basket filled with treasures.  

Oh, it is just so hard to wait...must take a peek...

and  wearing a crown can get awfully tiring...must take a break...

Auntie Tia scoops her up and loves on her....   Phia and Tia...

Do you see now why Sophia loves hats?  I mean...really really loves hats...of all kinds....?
Her Auntie Tia loves them...
and Tia's momma, Nancy (Sophia's grandmother, who resides in heaven) loved them....
Sophia will know these things.  One day.

Make a wish, our darling Phia doll...

I tuck her into bed. We lie there in silence as she sips on her milk...and then she whispers,
"Atsa bess ... birfday... efver."
And I melt...again.

She enters her deep sleep, and a little giggle slips out, as she dreams.
I am a puddle...

I slip out of her bedroom and quietly close the door.
Husband greets me in the hall...me with tears in my eyes..
"Did you hang that there?"
I answer "Phia asked for tape earlier and said something about hanging her poster..."
Hmmmm....we ponder...she has grown up just a bit more, today...

This morning....

It is gray outside ....

Phia is enjoying her birthday presents ....

...so I build a fire, as it is chilly in the high-ceilinged living room..

And I make my way to the kitchen to prepare our breakfast...

...adding a bit of butter...

...and dishing out a portion for Phia...

I re-enter the living room, and with the Roger Williams Christmas CD playing and the fire crackling,
I find Sophia in repose ...and all is well..

She later enters the room with a basket of Goldilocks story blocks...and it occurs to me...I gifted my Matthew with these, on HIS very special birthday.... It doesn't seem possible...wasn't he just 3?..

.....and I know...time marches on...

******************

I have completed 2 more felt ornaments (thank you Alicia Paulson for your adorable ornament kits)...

...and continue work on #4.... the Gingerbread Girl...

And so go the days at Rose Water Cottage, as we prepare for the celebration of the most wonderful birthday of all...a Prince ....our very own Prince ...of Peace.

May you feel the warmth and magic and joy of this Christmas season....

Blessings friends...

********

Eliza Visits Martha's Vineyard has now been scanned and will travel to the printers on January 15, 2014...My parents' 60th Wedding Anniversary...a perfect day, indeed.

God is so very good.

Welcome to Christmas at Rose Water Cottage

I cannot believe all that has taken place since my last post.
Where do I even begin?

Okay...so let's see....

I finished the bookmarks for sister-in-law, and her ladies' retreat was a huge success...

My book, Eliza Visits Martha's Vineyard, is off to the publisher, Vineyard Stories, on Martha's Vineyard (we should have a wonderful little hardcover book by next Spring)..

We celebrated Halloween by trick or treating with a little ballerina...

...who has a passion for playing the piano...in a hat...

My son Matthew married his Jenny under the Hunter's moon...

in October...
and words cannot describe what an incredibly beautiful event this was...

and my dear husband saw to it that I acquire the most exquisite confection for the occasion...
(a 1900's edwardian 3 piece ensemble of silk, with hand-embroidered detailing....words fail me...)

We were fortunate to have a long-time friend of our family drive our newlyweds off into the moonlit night. We love you, dear Beverly!

....and then Matthew turned 30 in November. Where did the time go?

Mom and Dad arrived home safely from Africa, after a 4 month stay, just in time for his 82nd birthday.

We adopted the sweetest little kitty girl (my birthday present) and named her Lucy Maud (of course, because we LOVE Anne of Green Gables with a passion!)

Here are a few sweet photos...(Susan's Girl Kitty is her hero:)

She has mastered every adorable pose ...We LOVE her...

This was the ride home, snuggled in my arms, after adopting her from our local Animal Shelter...

It didn't take any time at all for her to know this is HOME.
It was so wonderful to have Susan Branch and some very supportive SB girlfriends (Karen, Patricia, Debs, Rosinda, Laura, Belinda, Jane, Cathy, Georgie, Erin, and even a new GF, Jane Hissey ...author/illustrator of the Old Bear books, which Sophia ADORES) along for the journey.
I wore my "Girlfriends" bracelets with SB and Martha's Vineyard charms...

We tweeted, wildly, back and forth, until we were home with our sweetheart, safe and sound...and even into the next few days...checking in on her progress and how she and little Scout were getting on...

And here they are today...continuing to "warm up" to each other, just a bit more each day...

Whew!  Now that you're all caught up...

...fetch your cup of hot tea, hot cider, or hot coffee (assuming it is chilly/cold/raining/snowing where you live:)...

....come up the flagstone path...

Welcome...
to Christmas at Rose Water Cottage....

It's beginning to look like Christmas.  With fresh pine and cedar garland hanging along the gingerbread trim, I feel as if we live in our very own storybook cottage, nestled somewhere in a storybook wood...

Speaking of storybook cottages...and storybook woods...I read a blog post at Natalie Jo's "Piccalilli Days."  She had visited the real Grandmother's House in New Hampshire, the house that served as the illustrator's inspiration of the 1948 edition of Little Red Riding Hood. In a photo she had taken in the cottage, there was the sweetest shelf holding a display of storybooks. (I imagine they were all versions and editions of the famous story.)

I showed husband the photo, he searched the internet, and it wasn't long until we had our very own, 100 year old storybook shelf for our storybook cottage...

It serves as a perfectly perfect spot for those wonderful old books and some sweet little characters...and a Merry message, by way of old alphabet blocks.

Here is our Little Red, a 1940's Nancy Ann doll, her storybook wood (unpainted trees found at Hobby Lobby, painted by yours truly) alongside the sweet old book.  Eliza has loaned her sweet picnic basket she received as a housewarming gift from cousin city mouse...

Sophia, so intrigued by the story, dressed as Little Red Riding hood (using the Tasha Tudor scarf that had recently arrived by post) and acted out the entire story, over and over and over...
Oh, my dear, what big blue eyes you have!

This book, entitled Prayer for a Child (the same author/illustrator as Little Red Riding Hood), is filled with images of Wendt and Kuhn figurines. I loved this page "Bless the lamplight, bless the fire"...

...as it reminded me of how thankful I am for the blessing of a warm fire and candlelight....

I fell in love with those little figurines...  their faces are so sweet.

Also, on Natalie Jo's blog, she mentioned Woodettes... the cutest set of toys from the 1940's...hard to find... I mean..INCREDIBLY hard to find! So when I found this set on ebay, I snagged it...

...but they were in rough shape.  Someone had their share of fun, though, painting away with the watercolors provided in the set. This is Alice in Wonderland (before the makeover:)

and this is Mary with her Little Lamb (who had apparently lost his head somewhere through the years)...

So I had my work cut out for me...but I was so excited to have a few more characters for my shelf.

And because I love the sweet faces of the Wendt and Kuhn figurines, I decided to apply the same sweet features to these two little girls. This was the result ....

I found a tea set for Alice and a little lamb for Mary. Everyone is happy.

(Thank you sweet kindred, Patty, for the teeny tiny silver candlesticks and the hand made teeny tiny beeswax candles)

Next, came Little Jack Horner...who was also quite a mess...but with a bit of paint and a lot of love, he has turned out to be such a darling boy, sitting on his tiny red stool with his yummy Christmas pie (and a big purple plum on his thumb) ....

I had so much fun painting Mary's straw hat...(I suppose you might have noticed I chose not to paint the characters as shown on the box...we sure love our Peter Rabbit colors;)

Side note....Sophia has watched the painting of these characters and has been so curious. It has been a wonderful way to teach the nursery rhymes and songs, while she falls in love with each "story come to life"... She inspects the plum and the pie and their shoes and their faces... it is all so precious!

She loves our new shelf, with all her friends, and all her favorite books...

She loves that Little Bo Peep has found her sheep...

She reaches up to the book stand to gently touch this tiny bit of forget-me-not sweetness...

The British Garden Flowers book was acquired through Natalie Jo's Etsy shop. This illustration is my most favorite....with that wisp of a blossom to the right of the roses.  The little girl reminds me of Phia, always toting a baby doll.

So, here, in our storybook cottage, nestled in an imaginary storybook wood, I hang fresh pine and cedar garland and inhale the fragrance...

and set a table with pink lustreware atop a turkey red tablecloth as Tasha Tudor, did.

The mantel...which is new to our home but formerly resided in a 1920's home in the area...has a length of crocheted lace woven throughout the garland and twinkle lights, mingling with pink lustreware teacups and a gold open-weave ribbon ... and through the antiqued mirror, you see a glimpse of the storybook shelf...

The bird's nest amongst the garland and lights, sits above Take Joy, on the old piano.  The beeswax candles, crackling as they drip, light the room as they lit Tasha's cottage, with such a soft glow....

They're lit atop the table, as well...

...alongside my most favorite Christmastide storybook, Tasha Tudor's Snow Before Christmas.

Now, Bella with Rose Stockings (handmade by Christine LaFever) would argue that The Doll's Christmas is my favorite...as it has been quite the inspiration for the doll's house extreme makeover and festivities...(more on that subject, at a later date)...

I have been the busy little elf in Santa's workshop, these days, so I am unable to show many of the projects in progress...but this is one I am happy to share...

This evening I completed a precious little felt ornament for our precious little Phia...I couldn't get over how much it looked like her...and my hope is that she'll remember this Christmas, always, as the celebration of the year she found that this is HER Home ... and Tim and I are HER Family ...and that THIS is where Love lives....

...where visions of sugar plums can dance in her head...

****************

When I look through the lace curtains of the front window,  I see a lovely log home....

...and when I look out through the screen door, with its gingerbread trim....I see pine and cedar draped around my little porch...

...and I think...
.. this is the next best thing to a storybook cottage in a storybook wood,
 and I am one happy, thankful, loved Grammy.

Blessings, friends....
...Rabbit Rabbit,  SB girlfriends...
..and may you all have a warm and peaceful Christmastide season.