Sweet Friends!

Here are photos of a couple of gifts friends have made for Aurora. Joan made this cute Raggedy Ann doll. I had one when I was a little girl; but the store bought kind, not a handmade work of cuteness like this one. Still, I loved that doll. One day I noticed her hair was peeling off. Now her hair was a one piece glued hard helmet of hair, so..being only 4....I helped it come all the way off. Much to my delight, I found Ann was a lot cuddlier without that hair! My mother, however, got angry with me and glued Ann's hair back on. Hmm. I took it off again. And again..until my mother, frustrated by my determination, declared, "If you do that one more time, I'm giving your doll to Marigene!" Marigene was my older sister, five years my senior and she, unfortunately, heard my mother's threat. Facing the loss of my baby, I decided I'd better not peel Ann's hair off anymore. But Marigene, rather devious and unkind even at age nine, gleefully ripped Ann's hair off! I cried and tried to tell my mother I hadn't done it, but she didn't believe me and gave Ann to Marigene anyway. That's my older sis for you! Marigene hadn't wanted Ann, and tortured her to death to torment me. Poor Ann, ended up in the garbage shortly thereafter. I knew it had been all my fault for taking her hair off one time too many. Alas! When I told Joan that story, she said, "That's HORRIBLE!" I don't think I told her the last part, about Ann's demise, which was the really horrible part. Oooh well! Here is a cute handmade Ann for Aurora to love--and it has nice soft hair, btw!

My friend, "Dutch" (a.k.a. Carol) lives in Pennsylvania. She and I are friends through our online quilt group and have actually had the fun of meeting and hanging out together in Connecticut at our last quilt gathering. Dutch surprised me with this beautiful hand quilted whole cloth baby quilt for Aurora! The photos really don't do it justice. It is incredible!


What wonderful and talented friends!