New Summer Play Clothes

Greta and Melissa got some new summer play clothes earlier in June.  It took a while to find the time to take a photo of them in their new clothes.  This was a "free" project - the fabric came out of the fabric collection, and the pattern was graciously shared by weemedesigns (Barb W.) with those of us who are members of the Heartstringdolls Yahoo! group.

Friday Night's Preakness Celebration

On Friday evening, after work, we met a friend at Chik-Fil-A and then rode to Howard County Fairgrounds, where we caught a shuttle (school) bus to Turf Valley for a Preakness Celebration.
Can you tell what kind of celebration it was?

Here's a bigger hint:

We saw a lot of hot air balloons, but the highlight of the evening is the "Balloon Glow."  It was really cool!

The MC would count "One-Two-Three" and then everyone there would shout "Glow Please!"  And the balloon operators would try to make their balloons glow all at the same time!

We were really glad we got to see it!  If you want to see more balloon photos, they are posted here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlp2000/sets/72157633522224371/with/8755872522/

Melissa at Skyline Drive

Last month, we took a Saturday day trip to Virgnia.  In the morning, we visited Luray Caverns.  Our tour was very full, so it was hard to take photos.  After lunch at the Artisan's Gril (yummy hamburgers there), we went for a drive on Skyline Drive, which goes through the Shenandoah National Park.  We stopped at the overlooks and took a lot of photos.







There are more photos of the trip,without Melissa, here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlp2000/sets/72157633425262410/with/8710098913/

Melissa's ready for warm days!

The first half of last week was really warm for April in Maryland!  On Tuesday afternoon, my car thermometer said it was 97 degrees!  Definitely NOT typical temps.  Melissa begged me to let her put on her one-and-only and brand-new shorts outfit - Jo Flitton's Cotton Candy outfit with a knit top by her sister, Patt.  She loves it so much, that even though the temperatures are now in the more seasonal 60's, she's not ready to change into something a tad bit warmer.

And now she says she needs a lot of summer play clothes!  I think I'm in trouble!

A Flowery Day!

Last Friday, we went to a place called Longwood Gardens. They were having an "Orchid Extravaganza."
There were orchids all over the conservatory, but there were also a lot of other pretty flowers in bloom!

It is hard to imagine how big the Conservatory is - it is much bigger than our backyard!

We saw a lot of Columbines.  These were a very pretty pink, but they come in other colors, too!

We discovered the Children's Garden in the conservatory, too.  It has fun scultpures and fountains, walls, spiral stairways and lots of surprises!

We brought home 2 miniature violets to remember our visit.

You can see more photos that we took of the flowers in this Flickr set, beginning here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlp2000/8567102150/in/set-72157629384550878

Melissa (and Jen)

Melissa's Valentine

Melissa was so excited to get a new Lalaloopsy for Valentine's Day, it was hard to find a quiet moment for a quick photo, but we did!

Melissa's Winter Dress

Melissa is a little clothes horse!  She wanted to show off her dress.  It is warm, cozy and a little flowery!  She is thinking about Spring, even though it is very cold outside!

Melissa's Christmas Dress

Melisssa wanted to share a photo of her new Christmas dress that she picked out from her favorite dress shop, Jo's Doll Shoppe.

She wants to wear it to church tomorrow night!

As my DD says:  Today is Christmas Eve Eve!

Melissa Has a Name Now!

Melissa arrived this fall, but hadn't selected a name yet!

She finally settled on Melissa.  Her name means "honey bee."

We aren't seeing too many bees in December around here!

Simply Mari

She's here!   This little darling has been on the wish list for more than a year, but finally made her way here this week.  She is a Dianna Effner sculpt available only through Jo's Doll Shoppe.  Simply Mari is offered in just her white panties, but she came to my house with an Autumn Leaves dress set.  Mari is 825" tall and has a synthetic mohair brown bob.  I love her beautiful face, little size and "pose-ability."
We are still trying to find the perfect name for her.  I am sure we'll find it soon!