Would Grandma giggle?

When I eventually find a little free time to sew, I'm going to make these ol' gals:

Aren't they a stitch? I hardly ever buy doll patterns anymore, but when I saw this pair of spunky ladies by Maureen Mills of Sweet Meadow Farms, I sent my order off post haste. I have the perfect place to display them. Grandma Ferna's old rocking chair.

They won't sit there all the time though. I may put them to work. Like if we have company at our new place and they hang around till after our bedtime. I'll invite the little white-haired one to join us on the sofa so she can give them the look.

And if Mr. Gadget happens to leave his dirty socks on the bedroom floor, I'll put her right there next to the socks. He should get the message. So much better than me nagging.

Oh, and if one day I don't feel like having company....

I'll just prop each of them up in a window next to the front door. They'll be just the thing for scaring off annoying solicitors, pesky little trick-or-treaters, and long-winded neighbors......or even grown children who might be entertaining wild ideas about moving home.....

Ma and Pa's Discount Moving & Storage Co.

There was a small interruption in the new home hoopla this weekend, as we lended a hand, and some wheels, to Big City Girl and Tech Guy.....both of whom had moving needs. BCG had a few things to move from the apartment she once shared with former Prince Charming. And TG, having just purchased a washer and dryer, was in need of a speedy delivery, lest he run out of clean socks before the start of the new work week. They both know it's not worth shopping around for a mover when Ma and Pa's DM & S Co. is usually available, always dependable, and extremely economical.

So now back to the hoopla. From this picture, you'd think our new condo is all ready for us to move in.

But behind this door, it's a different story.

Here's Mr. Gadget talking to Jeff the electrician guy, making sure he puts in enough outlets for all of his gadget needs.

Here's the master bathroom--future home of a big soaking bathtub and a comfort toilet. Hmmm......maybe this getting-older business won't be so bad......

Here's the basement and the little corner where Mr. G will have his office. My craft room will be two flights up. The secret to a happy marriage, if hubby is retired or working at home, is to insist on at least one floor of spacing. This is considered a buffer zone. And if you want to chat....well, there's always email.

This is the great room, but I'm thinking they'll all be great. With everything new, I figure I won't have to do any real cleaning for at least 6 months. Jeff the electrician guy put a connection above the gas fireplace for a plasma TV. We don't have one of those. We have a perfectly fine TV. But I don't imagine it'll be long before Mr. G gets a hankerin' to go shopping....you know, to enhance his Jeopardy viewing.....

Need a mattress?

Apparently the folks who work for our local newspaper think we do. When I retrieved the paper yesterday morning and saw the size of it, I was quite excited by the promise of extra reading material......and the prospect of sitting with my feet up in my comfy chair with an extra cup of coffee and delaying my chores. Heh.....

I had intentions for this blog post to be about my crafty things. I do have a sock underway (with other Marcia's gifted hand-dyed yarn), and an embroidery project to begin for a lady who has, over the years, hired me to handle all of her embroidery needs.....mostly stitching names of her grandchildren on various articles of clothing. But I've had to let some of my projects slide for the moment....because Mr. Gadget and I are preparing for a big move.

We've decided to buy a condo and my days since returning from vacation have been filled with making choices about tile color, floor stain, cabinet styles, appliances, and whether or not we want the comfort toilet or just the regular kind. That was a no-brainer. I'm all for comfort, with a nice magazine rack thrown in.

It's exciting and crazy-busy around here. Sadly, I will be giving up my treehouse, but happily I will be gaining a new room with twice the space. More details will follow in the coming days. It's amazing, isn't it, what some people will do for blog fodder......

Meanwhile, here are a few vacation pictures from the Mr. Gadget file:

Another one of those crazy colorful ferries.

My new Estonian friend. We're the same height, but it appears she's slightly more well-endowed.

Mr. Gadget almost had to sit in someone's lap on our tour bus to get this shot of a street sign in Norway. Being married to a knitter has exposed him to lots of frogging.

I'm afraid a petal or two may have fallen off my little potted flower. But I'm busy sweeping up....

Well, maybe just a little more whimsy....

I wonder if the owner (maybe a nice Indian gentleman) lives in that upstairs apartment with the cute little balcony? (Copenhagen)

Coat hangers in a store window display (along Stroget St. in Copenhagen)

Copenhagen flea market.

Danish cruise ship.....with attractive make-up. Mary Kay perhaps?

Pre-schoolers in Frogner Park, Oslo. Easy to count.

Sculpture in Frogner Park.

In St. Petersburg cheap cars park on the street; expensive cars park on the sidewalk.

Candy factory? Near Stockholm.

Swedish ferry boat companies must compete for most outlandish paint jobs.

Every medieval city needs satellite TV. (Tallinn)

Building art. Effectively deters solicitors. Tallinn, Estonia

Baltic colors

Last time it was whimsy. This time it's colors. I'm sure glad I have lots of photos so I don't have to tax my brain and write much.....well, at least till the jet lag goes....I'm guessing sometime around Wednesday......

Tallinn, Estonia

Sidewalk cafe in Stockholm, Sweden.

Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood - St. Petersburg, Russia. This was built on the site where Alexander II was assassinated in 1881.

Apparently Mary Kay is alive and well and doing business in Oslo, Norway.

Children in Frogner Park, Oslo. The park is the site of a wonderful sculpture garden.

Coffee cafe on the main square in Gdansk, Poland.

Harbor area, lined with restaurants, in Copenhagen, Denmark......site of our expensive hamburgers.

Along one of the many canals in Copenhagen.

Danish pastries. Almost as good as duty-free chocolate.....

Baggage guys get an A+

I'm pleased to report that my suitcase and I didn't once become unglued during our adventure around the Baltic Sea. The same can be said for Mr. Gadget and his, although a considerable amount of cash worked itself loose from his wallet. Those $25 Danish hamburgers and the 5-mile, $60 taxi ride from the cruise port to the hotel....in mostly stopped-dead traffic....almost emptied it completely. Good thing he didn't try to hit me up for a loan. I had big plans to meet up with some duty-free chocolate.....

And for the first time ever, I won the suitcase-unpacking Olympics. I had mine emptied and ready to stash before he even looked at his. I like the new me--the me who has wholeheartedly embraced the obsessive-compulsive rituals of returning home which, heretofore, have always been strickly Mr. Gadget's affliction, I mean specialty. A good marriage, they say, is one in which each partner encourages the other to grow and take on new challenges. Mr. G has made me a better person.

And now, here are ten pictures (oops...you'll have to count the stacking dolls too!) of my Baltic vacation.....the whimsical version.

Fashion statement - Stockholm style

Soap in the fountain - Copenhagen

St. Petersburg kitty out for a little sight-seeing.

Deep in the heart of Tallinn, Estonia Sheep in a shop - Tallinn

Stitching doll in a shop window - Tallinn (such a whimsical place!)

The shop greeter - Tallinn (ok, I couldn't stop taking pictures here)

Tattoo parlor......for that special souvenir - Tallinn

Street performer (making like a statue) in Gdansk, Poland

Clean undies

Mr. Gadget and I will be leaving on our Baltic adventure in a couple of hours. And if the stories I've heard are correct, the airport we'll be flying into is sometimes called the Land of Lost Luggage........so I've affixed this special tag to my suitcase. I can now travel with confidence, knowing my bag will be handled with extra care and maximum efficiency.

So now I'd better attend to the fridge, lest there be more green cheese and bacon greeting us on our return.

I'll be back in a couple of weeks with a few stories. Thank goodness I have my new everyday jewelry to help me remember them......

New jewelry

What do you think? Is it a good color for me? I'm planning to wear this as my everyday jewelry. I think it's just the thing for elder-memory syndrome. It will help me remember the important stuff of daily life.....like Mr. Gadget's request to put a new toothbrush on my grocery list, or to include his dingy white baseball cap in the next laundry load, or his first request followed by a second request, while I'm on the phone with Big City Girl, to speak to her before I hang up....

I wonder if I can find matching earrings......