Red, White and Blue For A Tiered Tray, Barbie Outfits and Me

 Decor For The 4th of July And More!

Hello everyone! It's been a minute or two since I last posted. I went on a trip and have been busy with other things but I wanted to pop on and share some fun ideas as the 4th of July approaches. 

I found some cute smaller items for the 4th at Aldi recently and I'm using them on the Foyer table. The top tier of my tiered tray shows a candle draped in colorful beads and a flag themed little hat. The bottom tier shows the little garden figurines I bought last summer. So, the tiered tray is a combo of 4th of July and summer type figurines. 

The bottom shelf of the Foyer table holds a vase with flags, a little flag dish and the Red, White and Blue sign. This is a simple nod to the 4th of July this year. 

And just look at how festive these Barbies look! They are definitely dressed for the 4th of July! I used a star bandana that I had on hand to create the dresses and skirts except for the one Barbie who is all dressed in blue with a red plaid tie at her neck. I personally sewed everything you see here except for the white top on the last Barbie which was a purchased piece. And, of course, I didn't make the shoes.  By the way, the last Barbie on the right is my most recent find and she had not been out of her original Spring Petals Barbie outfit for 30 years! So, she is definitely ready to kick up her heels and have a new outfit to wear! 

This is the outfit she had been wearing for 30 years. She is an absolutely beautiful doll. The Spring Petals Barbie was designed by Mattel for Avon in 1996. I am enjoying my Barbies and not leaving them in boxes or wearing the same outfits they arrived in. I am enjoying my hobby and sewing and dressing the dolls in different outfits. I must say, however, that this doll arrived in pristine condition with everything original in the box. This beautiful spring outfit is very high quality. Much different from the cheaper materials used for Barbie clothing today in my opinion. 

Here are some close-ups of the outfits. I'm using a red earring to hold the navy blue scarf in place on the doll to the right. 

It's so much fun to be creative and to try to design and sew outfits. I created my own pattern from another Barbie dress to use for the all blue top on the doll to the right. In my opinion it would be too short for a dress so I am using it as a tunic top instead. Mix and match, right?! And you have seen the all blue skirt that I sewed already on a different doll. 

And speaking of sewing, here's the skirt I sewed from a lounging robe that belonged to my Mom. I wore it today to go shopping paired with a navy blue top and navy shoes. No white in the outfit (except on the shoes) but definitely red and blue! I wore a white sweater inside the stores because I'm always cool in the AC and, to be honest, I kinda felt like this outfit made me look too much like a little old lady. Different shoes and not wearing the sweater would have helped but these were comfortable. Sometimes I struggle between wanting to be comfortable and wanting to be stylish. Do you ever feel like this?

How about you? Are you displaying any red, white and blue around your home? How is your summer going? Hope you will chime in and share in the comments. I'll try to post again, soon! I have some fun new books I've been reading to share with you!

Until Next Time,

Debbie This and That

Remembering My Mother for Mother's Day

 A Tribute To My Mother

Hi everyone! Today's post is all about my Mom in honor of Mother's Day this Sunday. I wish my Mom was here to celebrate with me. But, unfortunately, she has been gone now for 30 years. I was around 37 when she passed and I have missed her so much over the years. She never got to see me in my 40's, 50's or, now, my 60's. The above picture of her was taken when she was in her 60's, I think, and it's hard for me to believe that I am around the same age as she was in this picture.

 As I've mentioned before on the blog, I am the youngest of five girls and I arrived quite unexpectedly and was a big surprise to my parents and sisters. I was one of those babies that appeared after my Mom had her tubes tied! It can happen but is very rare. I guess I was determined even back then!! (wink) In the above picture, I'm holding my Mom's hand standing on the railroad tracks that we used to walk yearly, making a trek to the remote graveyard where my Mom's parents were buried. She lost her parents at a very young age-she was 3 when her own Mother died and around 10 when her Dad died. That must have been so difficult for my Mom and her brother to go through. 

My Mom worked at many different jobs in her lifetime. When I was little, she worked in food service and then later at a sewing factory. But the job I remember most was when she became a department head at Hills Department Store. She worked in what was called "soft lines" which was the Ladies Ready to Wear Department. She had a good eye for quality pieces and enjoyed her own personal style in clothing and jewelry as well. She even took classes to create jewelry and really enjoyed doing that. She always liked to look nice with her hair styled nicely, manicured nails and coordinating pantsuits like the one you see in the above picture.  Pink was one of her favorite colors! She loved Mary Kay Makeup and Estee Lauder perfume. I still have one of her old bottles of Estee Lauder. 

Although my Mom dressed up to go to work or church, once she was home, she loved to put on one of her many "lounging gowns" to wear around the house. She had a collection of these gowns and I can still picture her so clearly wearing them. I have kept a couple of her gowns as keepsakes and have used parts of them to create a pillow, a skirt and a doll's dress. These items are precious to me. In the above picture, my Mom is holding her birthday cake. I think this was a "Texas Sheet Cake" which was a delicious chocolate confection!

My Mom didn't get to travel a lot in her lifetime. But she did go on a few trips like this one to see the ocean. This was in 1979 and it was the first time I had seen the ocean, at least that I could remember. What a vacation that was! Here, Mom is enjoying being in the water. She had such a lovely smile! She enjoyed traveling around our home state of West Virginia and also traveled some to Maryland, Florida, Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. 

She and my oldest sister also typically made a trip down to North Carolina every year to visit The Mr. and me. Sometimes, some of my other sisters and brothers-in-law would come too. These trips usually included some gem hunting. My Mom was a "rock hound" and loved to look for gemstones. She had a rock tumbler and would go home with rocks that she would "tumble" to see if there were any gems to be found. Usually not, but she still enjoyed the thrill of the hunt and kept the rocks as souvenirs. 

My Mom dearly loved her five daughters, her "girls." She could be strict and definitely let us know that she was in charge as the mama, but we also always knew that we were loved and cherished. I treasure this picture of all of us together, all dressed in pink, at a family celebration. My Mom also loved her sons-in-laws and grandchildren. 

The skirt I made from one of my Mom's lounging gowns.

My Mom was a strong Christian and loved to talk about "her Jesus." She was an adult Sunday School teacher for many years and studied the Bible throughout her life. I can honestly say that she was the biggest influence in my Christian life growing up. She had a wicked sense of humor at times, loved coffee, the Smurfs and the California Raisins (she had stuffed ones), and made the best chocolate fudge, potato salad and pumpkin pies you've ever tasted! She couldn't carry a tune in a bucket and said that when we were all little we would ask her not to sing to us! She instilled a love for reading in me and some of my favorite memories are of her taking me to the library for my first library card and to used bookstores to buy books. We both shared a love for mysteries and the "Cat Who" series of books by Lillian Jackson Braun. I bought her many of these books and now have her collection of them.

My Mom enjoyed flowers and I planted Coral Bells in my cottage garden several years ago because I remember her talking about these flowers. They really took off and are thriving. I wish my Mom could come visit me this summer like she used to. I don't think you ever get over needing your Mom no matter how old you are. I sure do miss my Mom and love her dearly and think of her often. 

Happy Heavenly Mother's Day Mom! I love and miss you! And Happy Mother's Day to all of my readers who are Moms and women of influence to others. 

Until Next Time,

Debbie This and That

A Few Thoughts On Gratitude and Thanksgiving

 Expressing Gratitude

Good morning, friends, on this Monday before Thanksgiving. Today, I'm thinking about the concepts of gratitude and thanksgiving. Both are important, not only at this time of year, but throughout the year.

My words of the year for 2025 have been gratitude and grace, and I have to admit that I have become much more mindful of expressing gratitude in my own life. Whether expressing gratitude verbally, in my journaling or through a thank-you note, I have tried to recognize the many things in my life for which I am thankful. 

The words thankful and gratitude are often used interchangeably. And they are closely related. As I looked up the definitions of each, however, I found that while thankfulness can be momentary, as in "thank you for helping me make this meal," gratitude is more of a mindset. Gratitude is felt more deeply and includes an appreciation of one's life and the good things in life even though one's life circumstances may not always be great. That puts a whole new spin on the idea of gratitude, doesn't it? We all know that life isn't always wonderful. There can be so many things, different for each of us, that can cause us worry, pain and difficulty and, in these circumstances, it's hard to be thankful. But if our mindset is one of gratitude, we can realize that even when life is hard, there are still some things that are good. And it is often this goodness in life that pulls us through whatever the hard times may be. 

The apostle Paul seemed to know this when he wrote in I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

 "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

I am still a student of learning to have an attitude of gratitude in all things. All too easily, I can quickly revert back to being grumpy and fault finding when things in life aren't going well. But I'm trying. And having the word "gratitude" as one of my words of the year has helped me to focus more on this important mindset.

How about you? Do you have an attitude of gratitude as we go into Thanksgiving and then Christmas? I hope that each of you dear readers will enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving week and I look forward to being back with you next week!

Until Next Time,

Debbie (this and that)