well,Ep we are in the process of putting up a fence between him and our property next to him but he ignores it,ducking under the barbed wire were we haven't finished putting up the other wire mesh fencing yet....he even had the nerve to complain to my hub's about the inconvenience it causes him when he wants to go over and bother our renter.You've got to understand this guys mindset...his rights and only his rights matter.Our renter would have to file a complaint to keep him from coming over to her place...or we could put a gate up at the entrance but hub's doesn't want to because his tractor attachments are on that property and he doesn't want the hassle of getting on and off the tractor to open a gate but it may come to that w/ "No trespassing" signs posted. We've report him for DV but they can't do anything unless they see it or see signs of DV on the wife. Wouldn't you know it...we had two camcorders but sold them 'cause we didn't use them. Guess I'll have to get another one.....or get a neighbor to do it. PP

Kathleen, LOL, you kill me! I do have a weaknes for covered bowls...so strange, I guess it is sort of like having a "little" surprise when you open the lid to see what food is in there, LOL Plus, putting the lid back on keeps the food/soup warm (seeeeee I am practical) (...I think this is called rationalization...) But it works for me! Denial is my middle name! I hope that Mikasa still has some stuff for Christmas, I had gotten quite a few nice things at that time of year...no way would I pay full price so my spending days will be over at Mikasa once they close down the outlets :( Luvs, you are right, I did not use all my goodies so I'll have to do some more tablesetting for you all next time I have a group (I did use the bunny bowl in a one-placesetting for me, but I enjoy photographing a fully set table rather than just a snippet of it.) The brown bunny is cute isn't he? Tamgypsy did a lovely vignette with him last year, her pic should still be here somewhere.

Those belts are like Hillary and her headbands. The belts she adds to an outfit ruin the designer's work. The Obamas are wealthy, and she can afford to have a dress custom fitted so that she doesn't need to hold it in with a belt. Another belted cardigans from the European tour: A designer can whip up a cute little number with a properly fitted cardigan if so requested. It is not a miracle: No belt. No cardigan. Fabulous. The original Kai Miller couture emerald gown was pleated and flowing in front. (I think I can find the photo again somewhere.) She ruined the look adding the black belt. The couture version of the gown was altered to give Michelle a more modest neckline, but she could have requested other changes instead of trying to "fix" whatever it was she did not like about the final version, with a black belt holding in the pleats: That pinata tunic worn to Westminster Abby is the absolute worst. At least she didn't wear it with a floppy sun bonnet. Pairing it with an old tweed pair of pants from her lawyers days made it even worse. I'm going to take a wild guess here and guess that, that was made for her from the Anna Sui spring collection that I saw.

donna, have you googled for free doll clothing patterns? I found quite a few of them when I was sewing for Emerson. I found more for the larger dolls than the Wellies. You get a simple bodice, sleeve, tights, etc, and go from there. The hardest part was the shoes. I am tempted to buy a package of those pre cut soles and make a few. I tried winging if for the shoes and it was a hit or miss. I am tempted to buy one of the knock off dolls from WM or Target. I actually liked the ones from Target. Really, what does it ultimately matter? I do see that there is better articulation of the AG doll. And, the hair is better rooted. It really is a bit better made, but I wonder just how much it really matters. When I was a girl I remember playing with baby dolls up until about 8 years old or so. Then, the fashion dolls took us into a couple more years when we sewed for them. I don't even think that my grand daughter gets out her Wellie much. Perhaps if she had a friend to play with, but she doesn't. There is no kid culture on the street where they live and her parents. have not cultured a friendship with any of the kids she spends the day with at day care. I do see that the girls at day care will gravitate to the dolls that they have there while the boys are usually shoving something around or chasing each other. There is a camera and I can watch her and her little brother at day care. I am a bit confused by the nature of the AG dolls. On the one hand, they are not toddlers, yet they don't really seem much like young girls, either. There is something about the hair that puts them into an odd age relation. Still I can see that they are fun to sew for and so darned cute!!!! I am tempted to buy one just because it is fun to sew for them. I am a grandmother now and I still want to play with dolls! it is a lot easier to find something sew for a doll than for a real person. When I was sewing for the Wellie one thing that I found was so different from times past is that it is almost impossible to buy ribbon by the yard anymore. Used to be that you could go into the store and have them cut any length of various ribbons that you wanted. Now, you have to buy a reel of cheap quality ribbon when what you might want is one foot of three different ones. I ended up buying a bag of ribbons on Amazon. Much the same is true with the small trims. My local store is so badly kept and so badly stocked, so it may be better at some others. You see these lovely little creations that some have sewn for the dolls but finding those little embellishments is often difficult. Seriously, my local store has shelves that are falling down and merchandise that is spilling off of them, empty dislplays and shopping carts full of fabric bolts, buttons all over the floor and it is stacked to the ceiling with fleece. It really is awful. The corporation just does not invest enough in hired help to keep things running. There is no competition, so what does it matter? I think it matters in that it turns away customers who are just going to go online for what they want, not just fabric, but notions and crafty things as well.