Birthday presents for granddaughters

This year I thought it would be nice to get each granddaughter an 18" doll.  I would make an heirloom nightgown with a nightgown to match for their doll.  I am having a ball.  I ordered 5 Madame Alexander dolls.  One for each girl and one for me.  That way I could keep making outfits for the dolls in the coming months.  I tried to match the girl's hair color to their doll.  I started with Sammy Jo's.  One thing leads to another.  I thought ballet slippers would be nice for house shoes for the girls.  So, I ordered them.  Then I needed to order ballet slippers for the dolls.  I chose a doll for Sammy Jo that has long, dark hair with bangs.  When the dolls came I did not like the looks of the hair.  I had to learn how to style the hair and set it with 165* water.  I love the hair now.  The nightgowns were fun to make. 

The next birthday was for Rachel.  She has dark curly hair and wears glasses.  So I ordered glasses for her doll and curled the doll's hair.  Rachel loves dark purple.  That was easy to do because I love purple.  Rachel's gift is in the mail.  We will get pictures of her in her nightgown after she opens her present.  Did I say that I was having a ball?

Lori, our daughter, just went to work for JoAnn's.  Now I can call her and ask for more "posh" materical for the next 2 girls.  Their birthdays are also very close to each other.  I will be busy making those outfits soon.

Update on Missionaries

    The civil war is going stronger today.  Our missionary friends that are still in Ivory Coast left their homes this morning.  They needed to get to a safer location closer to the airport, although they do not fly out until next Tuesday.  Right now they are at another missionary's home until they leave.  They drove through road blocks and pretty scary things this morning.  There were burning cars on the sides of the roads.  They could hear gun fire.  They had to cross a bridge that is very dangerous.  Joe saw a helicopter randomly shoot cars on the bridge in the last civil war.  Needless to say Joe prayed two solid hours while his friends were traveling this morning.  

    I can't imagine leaving everything behind and running to safety.  Joe did not want to do that with three small children.  That is why he left three weeks ago.  Continue to pray for the unrest in that part of the world.   

News from Africa

    Civil war has broken out in the Ivory Coast.  Three weeks ago our kids decided to get visas into neighboring countries so they could cross the boarder.  They left at just the right time.  Our other friends that are missionaries in Ivory Coast must go back to the United States.  The US Embassy is closed so they aren't able to get visas. 

    Joe, Laura, and the three kids are in Ghana presently.  Their vehicle is broken down right now and they aren't able to go anywhere.  The head is cracked on their motor.  They have tried 2 different used heads with no success.  A church in northern Canada sent them the money to buy a new head for the Toyota Land Rover.  A man in our church gave them a torque wrench to put the proper torque on the bolts.  It is very difficult to sit in a new country without a vehicle that works.  The public transportation is difficult to handle with children.

    We are praising the Lord that they are in a safer country in Africa.  The Lord is supplying their needs and taking good care of them.

Christmas Present

The vinyl stickers for the back of my car was designed and sent to me by our daughter in Canada.  She sent the design to our daughter, Lori, in Missouri.  We went to visit Lori's new house.  While we were there she downloaded the design and cut it out on her vinyl cutter.  What a nice surprise!

                                                                                    

Buster came home from town one day just before Christmas with this new car for Nannie and me to run errands in.  He is so sweet!  We are always getting surprises.