Maryellen Larkin is the fourteenth Historical Character and the first BeForever exclusive character representing the 1950's. She was released in 2015.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
MerryLee
My sweet doll Merry Lee was a gift I received from Darin for Christmas in 2015. Her American Girl name is Maryellen but I love her holiday name even more. She is so sweet and I love that Darin bought her for me. I change her outfits often and put her out for most holidays.
Maryellen Larkin is the fourteenth Historical Character and the first BeForever exclusive character representing the 1950's. She was released in 2015.
Maryellen Larkin is the fourteenth Historical Character and the first BeForever exclusive character representing the 1950's. She was released in 2015.
Ava Marie
I found this sweet little girl behind the counter at a thrift store in Olivia, MN. I had to ask the clerk if she was for sale, and she mentioned that she was out as a scary Halloween doll. This little honey is not scary at all. She is so sweet, and once I cleaned her up, she looked so happy to have a new home. She is a UNEEDA doll from the 1960's and she is a wonderful addition to my collection. She is a large playpal size doll and she wears size 3 clothes.
Uneeda Doll Company was founded 1917-1991 in Brooklyn, New York city USA. Uneeda produced thousands of cloth, composition, hard plastic and vinyl dolls that were well made and reasonably priced. In the 1930s Uneeda was advertising over 400 models from 14 to 28" tall. Later Uneeda was known as the Tony Toy Company of Hong Kong.
Uneeda dolls are often unmarked or marked with Uneeda inside a diamond, U or UN or (later dolls) Tony Toy Co Hong Kong, in the marking. Uneeda's slogan was: A Uneeda Doll is a gift to be treasured. (Source: dollreference.com)
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Grateful Heart- Day Three
All hard work brings a profit! Today I am most grateful to have a healthy able body! My body is strong and capable of most tasks on our farm. Life is too short to be at war with your body, so today I focused on being thankful that I can walk, lift, climb, carry, jump, kneel, bend, push and pull! We must treasure our status of being able, as it is likely to fade as we grow old.
Lately, Darin has been working many hours at the beet plant which has allowed me to complete more task at home. I have been loading/unloading and stacking wood that Darin's dad has kept us supplied with this fall. It is one of my favorite outside jobs! I am also happy to load and stack my horses hay, to clean out my gardens, to pick up sticks, and to walk our property with my animals. There is much work to do this time of year, and I feel so accomplished when I can cross something off my winter prep list!
I have always been able bodied, but last winter I fell on the frozen ground when we were unloading the tractor and I jarred my back. It was the only time I can remember feeling like I couldn't move, it was alarming! I took it easy for the most part, but then I re-injured it when I went to pull start the snow blower a month later. I remember thinking, is this what it feels like when someone says, "my back went out"? It was terrible and I was angry! Sometimes it takes the loss of privilege before understanding how blessed we are to have it in the first place. This has definitely been the case for me, I am so grateful to have a body that allows me to work hard on our dream farm.
Lately, Darin has been working many hours at the beet plant which has allowed me to complete more task at home. I have been loading/unloading and stacking wood that Darin's dad has kept us supplied with this fall. It is one of my favorite outside jobs! I am also happy to load and stack my horses hay, to clean out my gardens, to pick up sticks, and to walk our property with my animals. There is much work to do this time of year, and I feel so accomplished when I can cross something off my winter prep list!
I have always been able bodied, but last winter I fell on the frozen ground when we were unloading the tractor and I jarred my back. It was the only time I can remember feeling like I couldn't move, it was alarming! I took it easy for the most part, but then I re-injured it when I went to pull start the snow blower a month later. I remember thinking, is this what it feels like when someone says, "my back went out"? It was terrible and I was angry! Sometimes it takes the loss of privilege before understanding how blessed we are to have it in the first place. This has definitely been the case for me, I am so grateful to have a body that allows me to work hard on our dream farm.
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Grateful Heart- Day Two
The Lord has lead me to human service! Serving others enriches the givers soul! Today I am grateful to have the most wonderful job that feeds my passion. I get to wake up every single work day knowing that there are children and families awaiting my arrival. Many days I get to be the light when other's cannot see their way. I get to help, teach, learn, listen, and assist with hope and recovery in mental health.
It isn't always easy for me to love my job but most days I do. I have come to learn that breaks are important for my own mental health. I am able to maintain 10-12 hour days when I have 3 day weekends, and I am grateful that my company allows me to set my own schedule. I also know that when work is difficult, it is okay to let myself cry and be human. When I get in my car, I use my 45 minute drive home to mourn with the parents who have had their children placed, I cry with the children that have been abused, I celebrate with the families that have seen progress, and I pray for the ones that have not. I am grateful that God gives me the strength to work in this field. An added bonus of my position is that I get to teach mental health skills on a daily basis! I teach positive self-talk, gratitude, meditation, grounding, and all sorts of skills that I myself benefit from practicing. I need these skills as much as my clients, and they have helped bring me closer to the person I desire to be!
I work for the most wonderful non-profit that created a position for my professional growth. I get to be a part of a team with experienced professionals, double my age, who share their wisdom and knowledge with me daily. I get to work with therapists, doctors, social workers, guardians, and community members that raise me to a higher level, all for the greater good of humanity. My heart is so grateful that I get to be a person who makes a living fulfilling my purpose!
Friday, November 1, 2019
Grateful Heart- Day One
A grateful heart radiates the Lord's silver living in even the most difficult of days! The season of Thanksgiving is upon us, but the goal is to practice gratitude all year long. Today, I am grateful that God put Darin in my life. I am grateful for the tough road, the heartache, and the plan He had written for us all along.
Of all the things I can say about this amazing man, I am most thankful to say that he is my leader. He leads in traditional ways like providing for me, and our family. He is not only the great protector and the physical and emotional strength I need, but he is also my leader in morals and values. He is the leader of forgiveness and apologizing, he leads me in faith, and he leads me in love. He leads in sacrifice, generosity, work, and dreams. He has developed into a man that leads by example, and raises up those around him. He is the leader that never lets me fall, pushes me to new levels, trusts my judgment, and views me as an equal. I feel so vulnerable loving him, he holds the key to my heart entirely, and where he leads I will follow.
Of all the things I can say about this amazing man, I am most thankful to say that he is my leader. He leads in traditional ways like providing for me, and our family. He is not only the great protector and the physical and emotional strength I need, but he is also my leader in morals and values. He is the leader of forgiveness and apologizing, he leads me in faith, and he leads me in love. He leads in sacrifice, generosity, work, and dreams. He has developed into a man that leads by example, and raises up those around him. He is the leader that never lets me fall, pushes me to new levels, trusts my judgment, and views me as an equal. I feel so vulnerable loving him, he holds the key to my heart entirely, and where he leads I will follow.
Sunday, January 13, 2019
Almond Sprinkle Cookies
I have been searching for a delicious almond cookie recipe for a long time, I took a few different recipes and mixed them together to create this wonderful treat. I am not sure if it beats my Dad's almond sugar cookie, but it is a close second for sure! Darin loves to have homemade cookies in his lunch box and this week he is starting a new position so he will be extra grateful to wake up to fresh baked cookies tonight.
Recipe
1.5 cup Sugar
2/3 cup Butter
2/3 cup Crisco (I use butter flavor)
Cream together.
Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons almond extract.
Mix together:
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Add this to mixing bowl with creamed mixture, mix on medium speed until blended thoroughly. Preheat oven to 350 and chill dough for 30 minutes. Make dough into balls and roll into sprinkles or course sugar. Bake for 7-9 minutes. The cookies will still be in balls when removed from oven, flatten with spatula and let cool completely.
Recipe
1.5 cup Sugar
2/3 cup Butter
2/3 cup Crisco (I use butter flavor)
Cream together.
Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons almond extract.
Mix together:
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Add this to mixing bowl with creamed mixture, mix on medium speed until blended thoroughly. Preheat oven to 350 and chill dough for 30 minutes. Make dough into balls and roll into sprinkles or course sugar. Bake for 7-9 minutes. The cookies will still be in balls when removed from oven, flatten with spatula and let cool completely.
Sunday, January 6, 2019
Grandma Jane's Sewing Story
As told by Grandma 1/3/19:
My Mother was a wonderful seamstress, she was good at all home-making chores. She could bake, preserve any food, cook, clean, and sew. She had plenty of practice with all of us children. It if wasn't for my mother we wouldn't be fed or dressed.
I think sewing was my mothers favorite thing to do. She could make anything, jackets, dresses, there wasn't a thing she couldn't make with her sewing machine. Mother's sewing machine was at the foot of her bed, and she was glued to that machine. We would come home from school and go to find mother hard at work making us clothes.
My mother's sisters Lila and Minnie would send her packages of material scraps, and ragged coats they had picked up. Mother waited for those packages like they were gold. She would tell the boys to go get the mail, and if the package wasn't there, she would make them go back and look again! "Go look in the ditch too!" I guess she wanted to make sure it didn't get tossed there accidentally. When the package finally arrived, Mother Hardy would be ripping things apart and matching different kinds of fabric together to create different outfits for us all. She loved getting those packages.
Mother loved to make us girls cotton dresses with rick-rack decoration. One year for the Christmas program we walked to school at the 49th District and my mother had made me the most special dress. It was red and green plaid with white stripes outlining the colors. There were gold buttons from the neck to the waist and a white collar and cuffs. I loved that dress, it was perfect. At the program there was a play and songs to sing, but as soon as we returned home, my mother asked, "What did the ladies say about your dress?" That was most important! She was proud of her work.
My Mother was a wonderful seamstress, she was good at all home-making chores. She could bake, preserve any food, cook, clean, and sew. She had plenty of practice with all of us children. It if wasn't for my mother we wouldn't be fed or dressed.
I think sewing was my mothers favorite thing to do. She could make anything, jackets, dresses, there wasn't a thing she couldn't make with her sewing machine. Mother's sewing machine was at the foot of her bed, and she was glued to that machine. We would come home from school and go to find mother hard at work making us clothes.
My mother's sisters Lila and Minnie would send her packages of material scraps, and ragged coats they had picked up. Mother waited for those packages like they were gold. She would tell the boys to go get the mail, and if the package wasn't there, she would make them go back and look again! "Go look in the ditch too!" I guess she wanted to make sure it didn't get tossed there accidentally. When the package finally arrived, Mother Hardy would be ripping things apart and matching different kinds of fabric together to create different outfits for us all. She loved getting those packages.
Mother loved to make us girls cotton dresses with rick-rack decoration. One year for the Christmas program we walked to school at the 49th District and my mother had made me the most special dress. It was red and green plaid with white stripes outlining the colors. There were gold buttons from the neck to the waist and a white collar and cuffs. I loved that dress, it was perfect. At the program there was a play and songs to sing, but as soon as we returned home, my mother asked, "What did the ladies say about your dress?" That was most important! She was proud of her work.
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