* For all those looking for the article on Suzannah’s mice, we decided instead of a blog article, to offer you the section of the journal inwhich that part of the story unfolds. You will find this special download free this week under Journal entries by week in the orphanage.

Comments From Kathryn’s Spotlight

You can find this in the orphanage part of the town under The latest release at the newspaper office is Kathryn’s spotlight and message. You can find it by logging into the town at www.GingerBrookHollow.com  It is downloadable from the link at the very bottom of the newspaper office page.

In Kathryn’s message she says how much she would like to hear what others do to “make sunshine”. We invite all those who want to share their ideas to add their comments to this post. This is a wonderful way to share things that help all of our friends and neighbors.

We stopped in the dessert to take a picture just before the sun set. Yes, your eyes do not deceive you. There is an antique rocking chair on top of the car.

Just getting everything inside (and outside) of the car took enough time that we didn’t make it in time to set up the night before, so we were up bright and early putting the display together as fast as we possibly could. When the show opened, our little booth took on the look of an old time general store as much as we could make that possible in just 13′ by 4′.  Here is just what that looked like.

The Rocking Chair Finds a Resting Place.

Even though the booth was small, the shelves and baskets allowed us to have a lot of little things for sale in this display. We didn’t have any pickles, as Harold might have, but we did have a genuine antique pickel barrel filled with our Ginger Brook Hollow tote bags.

As you can see, there are even dress stands. Oops, this must have been on the last day because the Dream Doll stands are empty on the top shelf. That is because we sold out of some of the dolls. Can you tell which ones?

Do you like Emmaline’s little apple boxes in the bottom left hand corner. We’d love to have them in Harold’s store, but shipping becomes complicated, so we are trying to think of a way to share them with all of our Friends and Neighbors.

Our favorite part of the booth was the right side where we had the sales counter and glass cases.

Where we kept the "penny" candy

This was KatyMarie’s territory. Under the cases we had things from Harold’s store like the beaded purses and the jewelry that has been offered in the past. On the shelf behind the counter we actually had some time period calico prints and some nice pieces of small lace for sale.  If you look closely, you’ll also see that there is a jar filled with each one of the girls’ favorite kind of candy. Do you know which one your favorite girl likes?

In this picture two of the “little girls” are wearing Dream Circle outfits and there is actually a dream pillow for sale all made up.

KatyMarie enjoyed giving out our miniature souvenir hat pins, and I have to admit that I enjoyed creating them. Both of us enjoyed dressing the part.

"Would you like to choose one of our hat pins?"

We didn’t think it was right to have an old fashioned general store and look modern.

"Welcome, Friends and Neighbors"

We especially like having our “Friends and Neighbors” come by and tell us “Hello”. During the show we did have more “Friends and Neighbors” join us as they learned about Ginger Brook Hollow.

"Good Morning, we're just opening the shop."

You can see Grandma and Johannah standing together on the corner of the cupboard. Kathryn started out there, but  she kept being adopted.

In the picture on the left, KatyMarie is just taking her place as we opened up shop. The shelves to the left are still covered as they have been for the night.

The show was five days long. There were a lot of nice dolls and vendors. We talked to many people and made new friends. We were tired when the last day ended and a little bit sad to take our “store” down and pack everything up.  At least we sold enough to go home with everything on the inside of the car. (I think we packed a little bit better too.)

Was it worth it? I think so. We created memories that have made it easier for us to say “good bye” to our beautiful 17″ girls, and I actually had a small dream come true as I recreated a little piece of Harold’s store (or something that felt like it).

We ended our trip as far west as we could go by watching the sunset at the beach. So long California, and so long to our 17″ Where Love’s Circle Begins line of dolls!  We are going to miss these girls, but we hope for a new and bright future.

-Cheri

Closing of This Adventure

You will find the results on the page for news and events.

Sincerely,

Cheri

A Cup of Jelly

The result was a very good, but sweet jelly. The apples added a pinkish golden color, and we do agree that the flavor is a little bit like honey. This is a jelly we would recommend if you have access to a lot of organic dandelions, extra time, and curiosity, but it is not the easiest jelly we have ever made. We think that if we do it again we will follow the modern pectin recipes. We like some advantages of our day over 1897,  and we loved the way our little cups of jelly came out looking. We will consider doing it this way again and using them as gifts. We are considering mint jelly next because there are so many fun little tea sandwiches that can be made with mint jelly.

Cheri

Not only have we awarded the three prizes we promised up front, but for an extra superior job of not one, but seven entries, we have chosen to give an extra sweepstakes award to Robin and Daughters of Florida.

The prize for the most creative decoration goes to Larysa  in the Ukraine for her uniquely beaded shoes.

This pair of shoes is a good example of thinking “outside the box”.

These shoes, once simple, have been made elaborate with wire beading.

The prize for the best outfit match goes to Jena of  So. Carolina.

The judges felt that her work mirrored the outfit she chose to copy best.  Here is a picture of her shoes. Look closely as they rest on the outfit she matched.

The prize for the cutest shoes goes to Patty of Minnesota. Although each of the judges had other favorites, several of them kept coming back to this pair of shoes with their attention to small detail.

The whole next section of pictures is devoted to the seven entries of Robin and Daughters. As you see these creations, we think that you will agree that they merit a special sweepstakes award.

* Robin has generously offered the cute dress pattern she created for her first two entries as a special gift for  other Ginger Brook Hollow collectors. You can watch for it in the orphanage under ideas where you can download it free.

Their first entry:

Louisa looks picture perfect in her new blue outfit.

We picked a blue dress and shoes for Louisa to match her eyes- she thinks this outfit is perfect for walking the neighbors dog, Pippin.  On her walk she has picked some cornflower blue posies to take home as a gift for Kathryn’s birthday.  She is dreaming of having a puppy dog of her own someday!!!  Robin and daughters

The Perfect Birthday Gift from Louisa

These blue and yellow shoes add the perfect finishing touch to the outfit.

Their second entry:

Susannah wanted to make a special gift for Louisa.  She had helped the local seamstress one afternoon, and to her surprise and joy, the seamstress gave her a whole basket of fabric scraps!!  Using an old quilt pattern, Susannah cut the fabric scraps into circles and gathered each circle into a yo-yo.  She sewed the yo-yos with buttons (from the button jar of course) onto the bottom of a dress for Louisa- there were so many left that she had enough to decorate her own dress!!  There were still lots of fabric circles. She wondered what to do, and then she thought of an idea!  She strung the yo-yos together and added a fabric head, and had a clown toy for Louisa’s gift!

These shoes would match either dress. Maybe Suzannah will share.

My daughters thought we should use buttons to make a dress and matching shoes- like the theme from the newsletter- we have read it over and over again!  so I made the pink dress, made the yo-yos, and made the clown- then decorated the shoes with tiny fabric circles and button flowers.  When the dress was finished, my daughter Cory wanted one for her Louisa doll too (cory gets to keep the clown doll too in her trunk with Louisa)- so I made the second dress while we were waiting for the shoes to arrive.  So there are two dresses to match the shoes!

This clown is a perfect gift. She will love it!

Shoes that are both fun and pretty are every girl's dream.

Their third entry:

“I chose this dress fabric because it says  “a cup of kindness”.  I loved the sentiment and thought it fit well with the Gingerbrook girls philosophy of life. and I love organdy Tea Aprons!

April offers to share her strawberry shortcake for tea.

I like red on April- it brings out her lovely colouring.  The dress has cherries and black and white polka dots all over it so the shoes have cherries and polka dots too!

"I feel pretty, oh so pretty!"

April wore it on Friday for our royal Tea Party when we watched the wedding of the new Princess- we made scones for the occasion and had mint tea- April and the other dolls had strawberry shortcake! “

April's shoes are pretty with cherries on top.

Their fourth entry:

We are very big on celebrating the USA- Independence Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Flag Day, Voting day- etc- so we thought the dolls should have a pair of USA shoes!

Perfect for a Summer of Patriotic Celebration

Their fifth entry:

Thank you, puppy!

We thought the dolls would need a pair of Christmas shoes- so I painted one pair of shoes black and then painted holly and berries on the sides-
then I thought it would be fun to make them convertible shoes-
so I made some plaid straps for the shoes- Susanna’s puppy dog is helping her try them on- or maybe he is stealing one of them for a game of chase!
They can be removed and replaced with the green ribbons- I painted red dots on the ribbons and made some striped socks for her to wear with them

These shoes say, "ready for fun."

If the weather gets cold, she can remove the ribbons and replace them with her gaiters- the red gaiters are trimmed in black with buttons for an early 1900′s look.  I read in a 1900′s children’s fashion book that gaiters were very fashionable and economical- instead of boots.

Or she can take the red gaiters off and replace them with the green gaiters- trimmed in plaid with tiny black tassels!

Cute Shoes and Warm Legs

I made a pair of red socks to go with the shoes.
Or- she can replace them with leather black gaiters, trimmed in red with fur on the tops to keep her toasty warm!

Smart Black Gators with a matching muff!

I had to add the fur and red muff so her hands will be toasty too!
Or she can wear the shoes by themselves with her red socks!

One Pair of Versitile shoes!

So she has one pair of shoes to wear 6 different ways.
Merry Christmas in May!?

The sixth entry: Buzz-Bee Shoes

Shoes as Sweet as Honey

I think these shoes should belong to Meg- she could wear them when she collects honey to make all those wonderful cookies!

The seventh and last entry by Robin and her daughters is special to Ginger Brook Hollow. If you are familiar with our doll and dress boxes you will immediately know why. Here it is: The Bluebird Outfit and Shoes

Since it is Katherine’s birthday this month, I made it for her.

Songbirds for "The Songbird"

On a spring day, she was out for a walk to see the wildflowers and found a baby blue bird who could not fly yet.  She carefully cuddled it in her pinafore and carried it home.  For weeks she and Grandma Sunday fed it and cared for it- and finally the day arrived when she took it out of the cage and set it free.
She held her breath in suspense, but after a few hops, the bluebird flew!!!  She was sad to see it go but so happy to see it flying in the blue sky!
On her way back, she picked some wildflowers and tucked them into her pocket as a gift for Grandma Sunday.

Things to Sing About

She was a bit lonely as she went back to the house, singing a little song softly to herself- and there waiting on the porch was Creampuff.  Katherine scooped him up and he cuddled in and  started purring as if he was singing along with her.  She wasn’t lonely for the bluebird anymore and she was filled with joy!

I made this outfit as a tribute to you and the joy you have brought to our home this year.  The dress has cherries on it- the pinafore is striped just like the surprise boxes that come to our house, the pocket has a little bird and blue flowers, just like the tote bag, and I painted black stripes on the shoes and birds too.

Just right for Kathryn's Dress

The Rest of the Entries!

Jenna's Shoes

There are many other cute entries that we think everyone would love to see.  The rest of this post will devoted to the many other marvelous shoe entries for this contest.

Here they are:

Aileen's Shoes

Brooke's Shoes

Aileen's Shoes

Sandy's Shoes

Jen's Shoes

Heather's Shoes

Katie's Shoes

Holly's Shoes

Aynslia's Shoes

Brenda's Shoes

Ellen's Shoes

Jessica's Shoes

Quinlyn's Shoes

Meredith's Shoes

Melissa's Shoes

Makayla's Shoes

Carolyn's Shoes

Novel Whole Food Snack

Now days a lot of people are watching their “glycemic index” and turning to whole foods for a number of reasons. Out of a desire to honor those who are being health conscious and not wanting to leave them out, here is a new recipe created just for our collectors who fit in this category. It is in keeping with the theme of the current newsletter.

These little buttons are made with the natural sweetness of yams while incorporating some protein from nuts. Although they aren’t so fitting for a dainty tea sweet, and most people wouldn’t put them in the category of dessert, they are a fun treat or even appetizer. Here are the directions for making them.

You will need 2-3 small, thin yams. Wash them off and put them in a pan with about 1″ of water unpealed. Boil them until they are just barely tender all the way through when checked with a sharp knife (about 30 minutes). Peel them and then slice each one crosswise  into 1/4″ thick slices.

Dip in melted butter. (I start with 1/4 cup.) Then coat in the following mixture:

2/3 cup almonds (or pecans) ground or powdered in a food processor or blender

1/4 cup flour (You can use rice flour, whole wheat flour, or another favorite)

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger (or 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice)

2 Tbsp brown sugar (You can substitutes stevia,  agave, or honey. If you are using a liquid add it to the butter instead of the crumbs.)

Place the little rounds on a foil or parchment covered baking sheet. These won’t expand while cooking so they can be fairly close together. Using a large drinking straw push one end into the yams to cut out little button holes. Bake in a 325 degree oven for approximately 25-35 minutes or until the nuts start to brown. Cool slightly and serve.

Simple and Cute Apron

I had so much fun making these little aprons that I would like to have made one for all seven of the orphans. However, if I stopped to do that the Dream Circle members would be wondering if they would ever get their February package, so that will have to come later if I have the time.

As promised, I have added the pictures in the newsletter to this post in color.

I tried a lot of colors to go with the rose garden dress and was surprised to find out that I liked brown as you see it in the picture below. This apron has a variation on how it is tied. I sewed a 30″ piece of ribbon to the front only and tied it in the back rather than on the sides. That allowed me to sew a bow on the front for decoration.

Too Pretty for Baking!

Both of the dresses in these pictures, as well as the ivory one, are still available in Harold’s store.  I can think of many ways to make the apron for these two, but especially for the ivory one. Also, it can be made to go over the white under dress that the orphans come dressed in. Everyone who has one of the 17″ girls should have that option.

I thought how many other things this pattern could be used for. Just maybe I will add some of them to the ideas part of the orphanage this month. At any rate, enjoy!

Cheri

Winners of dolls:

1. Julie from So Carolina
2. Nida from Idaho
3. Mary Jane from Ohio
4. Jill from Massachussetts
5. Jerrine from Florida

Winners of horses:

1. Julie Ann from Virginia
2. Janell from Illinois
3. Anne from So Carolina
4. Carolyn from Alabama
5. Marsha from South Carolina
6. Melissa from Michigan
7. Jenna from Colorado
8. Kathy from Michigan
9. Elizabeth from Utah
10. Marti from California
11. Quinlynn from New Mexico
12. Merideth

Thanks to everyone who entered. We think that they are all winners for making the effort and for taking action.  Congratulations!

Cheri

In preparation for our Papers and Print party, I thought it would be fun to tell you how I made the little caked in the newsletter and let you see them in color. Unfortunately, the picture didn’t come out as well as I would have liked, but I will add it anyhow.

All of these cakes could have been made from a single cake mix with some mix to spare (unless you have to fill a whole set of bundt pans).  If I were doing that, I would have used a couple of small tuna fish cans to bake Suzannah’s, a mini bundt pan for Louisa’s, and a small loaf pan for Johannah’s. However, it was late when I needed the cakes done, so I took a short cut and purchased all the cakes premade.

Suzannah’s was two little sponge cake dessert cups. It would be fun to fill the middle with pie filling because I had both of the indented sides facing each other. If I did that, I think I would have decorated hers in stiff whipped cream rather than frosting.

Louisa’s was a little angel food cake, but it would have been really fun made of pink strawberry cake mix,  and it is easy to find little bundt pans these days. It is simply drizzled with thick white glaze and then I added a few flowers.

Johannah’s was just a cut piece of a loaf cake. It seemed fitting to have mini m&m’s as decoration. I can’t see Jo desiring something very fancy.

I was trying to get them done and decorated at 10:00pm so we could get the newsletter out in time. They aren’t perfect, but the little pedistal plates make them feel more elegant and special.

*** I have decided to donate the two little pedestal plates as prizes to the party tonight, Saturday. They are nice with many kinds of mini treats, and are especially fun for a party in doll sized things. There will be some other fun prizes there too. I hope to “hear you there”

The party starts at 7:00pm for those on the east coast. It starts at 4:00pm for those on the west coast. The number to call is: (801) 717-1157  then you will need to give the following conference ID: 937810#

Cheri

The biggest thing I have learned this month is that taking positive action creates possibilities. It just does something to your brain that stimulates it into thinking of more ideas and solutions. Possibilities create hope. Hope creates positive energy. Positive energy leads to an upward spiral that creates more action and more possibilities.

There is an old saying, “The busiest people get the most done”.  If that is true, I believe it is because they create their own energy by doing. They do not have more time than others, but they train their mind to focus on action, and as the mind begins to work that way, it works on a different level.

Of course, it is possible to become a workaholic, but if you consider that the same principle would apply to play, then taking the time to play would actually create more possibilities for play because of the patterns it inspires.

There are so many things to choose from, and it is important to make proper decisions. However, sometimes the best decision is to do something. It is that something that creates the positive power of possibilities.