Thank you for the promise Lord!!

I'LL KNOW HER

By Carol Glitschka, July 2010

SOME DAY WE'LL MEET AGAIN

I'LL KNOW HER, I'VE NOT A DOUBT

SHE NEVER SPOKE A WORD TO ME

AND WHEN SHE DOES, I'LL KNOW HER

I TREASURE THE WARMTH OF HER SKIN

HER VOICE NEVER TOUCHED MY EAR

NO CONVERSATIONS WERE SHARED

YET I HOLD HER MEMORY DEAR

ONCE WE WERE SO VERY CLOSE

SHARING EACH BEAT OF THE HEART

OH, I'LL KNOW HER WHEN WE MEET

THOUGH IT'S YEARS WE'VE BEEN APART

THEN I'LL HOLD HER IN MY ARMS AGAIN

THE GATES OF HEAVEN OPEN WIDE

I'LL KNOW MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER

THAT I CARRIED WITH JOY AND PRIDE

To my daughter, Vaun Laurie - July 11 - 13, 1964

Babyland, Evergreen-Washelli

Camping Donuts

Our granddaughters, Savannah and Alyssa, making 'camping donuts' in our kitchen.

Savannah has on her camouflage outfit, she was going with her family to her dad's friend's house for a paint ball shooting day.

I had told the girls about the times we had made 'camping donuts' when our kids were young and we were camping.

Savannah and Alyssa's dad is our youngest son, Von.

The girls had always wanted to make the 'camping donuts' so they emailed me ahead of their arrival and I had all of the items ready for the project.

The only difference, and it's a big one, is that we weren't camping, weren't in the great 'out-of-doors'' doing this with a 'Camping Donut Kit'.

I'll give you instructions on how to put the kit together to take camping with you. You can use

it over and over again. Kids love it!!!

Here are the finished 'Camping Donuts'. They are delicious and the kids ate them faster than I could make them when we were at the campsite.

Here's how you prepare a 'Camping Donut Kit'.

You'll need a 3 lb. and a 1 lb. coffee can, both empty, save the lids, you'll reuse them over and over again. You'll also need tongs to remove the hot donuts.

You'll need some chicken wire, enough that when crunched up will fit in the bottom of the 3 lb. coffee can from side to side and an inch high.

Charcoal briquettes, bbq lighter fluid, matches, a can punch, and the 1 lb. coffee can filled to within an inch and a half of the top with vegetable shortening.

Punch four holes, evenly spaced, in the sides, at the bottom, of the 3 lb. can. These are for air distribution.

Crunch up the chicken wire so it fits the width of the 3 lb. can and is about an inch high. Place in the bottom of the can. Put a box of matches inside and put the lid on the can. Keep, along with a bag of briquettes, in with the camping gear. I put a note on the outside of the can to not forget the shortening can.

Fill the 1 lb. can with shortening to within an inch and a half of the top and put the lid on. Keep refrigerated until it is time to go camping.

You will need several tubes of inexpensive country biscuits. Keep in your cooler. A paper bag with a 2 cups of sugar and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon.

At the campsite, when you are ready for donuts; choose a safe place, an open area with dirt or a flat rock. Take the lids off the cans and save them. Put some briquettes on top of the chicken wire in the 3 lb. can, sprinkle with bbq lighter fluid, light and wait until they are glowing and ashy.

Place the 1 lb. can of shortening on top of the hot briquettes inside the 3 lb. coffee can. Let the vegetable shortening melt and become hot and bubbly, this will take about a half hour to 40 minutes. While the shortening is heating, open several tubes of biscuits and cut each biscuit in fourths.

When the shortening is hot and bubbly, carefully drop the cut biscuit pieces into the hot fat, about five or six at a time. Turn with a metal slotted spoon or the tongs and fry until they are golden brown and puffy. Remove with the tongs, put into the bag with the cinnamon and sugar, shake and remove to a plate. Continue for as long as you like, or until you run out of biscuits.

Carefully remove the shortening can from the 3 lb. can using oven mitts and the tongs, place on dirt or a rock to cool. Cover when completely cool.

Empty the charcoal briquettes into the campfire pit, or if you will be leaving, douse with water to be sure they are completely out. Let the 3 lb. can cool and put the 1 lb. can inside of it and put on the lid. Enjoy!! They're also fun to make at home using the deep fat fryer. You can also use a small cutter to cut holes in each of the biscuits. Then you will have regular donuts and donut holes. Refrigerate the shortening when you get home. The shortening can be used up to ten times without replacing.

Granddaughters and Pullip Dolls

Granddaughter, Savannah, turned sixteen this year Here she is opening some of her gifts.

The birthday party was in a local park where they live in Oregon. The weather was perfect, the kids played 'Capture The Flag' and some other games, hung out, visited and we all had cake and ice cream.

Savannah is the first of our granddaughters to have a Pullip doll, from Korea. Pullip, in Korean means 'Young Leaf'. Savannah named her doll Violetta.

Aidan, our grandson, had a great time at the party, he enjoys playing with the older kids.

Aidan could care less about Pullip dolls.

Granddaughters Emma (Aidan's sister) and Alyssa (Savannah's sister), at the birthday party.

They really enjoy each other's company and have a great time together. Alyssa also has a Pullip doll and Emma is saving up to buy one soon.

This is leading up to 'The rest of the story!'

Savannah soon discovered a U Tube site, by a Korean girl, with tutorials on how to make clothes for Pullip dolls.

You know what that means.....'get ready grandma!' So, here I am in my Pullip Doll Design Studio. Our living room, with the ironing board as a sewing table (works extremely well) Surrounded by fabric, lace, trim, elastic, floral decorations, cord, pins, thread, measuring tape and scissors.

Would you believe the little pink square I hold in my hand is the 'top' for the dress I'm sewing? Yes, they are small, but easy to make, thank goodness!!

We also discovered that we could make clothes from girls socks. Medium weight, colorful, cotton knit are the easiest to use. If the sock is too heavy the seams are too bulky.

The top, finished edge of the sock becomes the bodice of the strapless dresses, or the waist for pants that are made.

The two "Hello Kitty" dresses are the tops of socks, I sewed a pink cord in front at the top to tie around the doll's neck.

The striped 'hat' is the toe of the sock, the top is made from the heel of the sock, a hole is cut on the edge of the heel for the doll's neck. The pants are made from the body of the sock, one sock, one complete outfit. I reinforce at the ends of all seams.

Here is Savannah's doll, Violetta, with an outfit made from a turquoise and white striped sock.

Hat, top and pants. They are so cute!!

And they're fun to make also.

These are two of the dresses I made following the instructions from the tutorial instructions I got on youtube at www.youtube.com/yunledhc

The pictures are captioned and you can stop and start the video to write the instructions. You watch as she sews the item step by step.

I used a light weight cotton fabric, sewed velcro for a closure in back, added the pink cord to the front of the top (on the inside) to tie around the doll's neck.

I bought small purple bows and attached them with fabric glue. Rick rack was sewn on the skirt before closing the vertical seam in back.

Here is the creamy yellow dress with a floral design. I sewed lace around this one.

After the dress is completely finished, you can hold it at the top and twist the entire dress, as if squeezing water out of it. You twist it very tightly.

The video suggested even twisting and putting it under a heavy object such as a book to set the wrinkles, or iron it when it is twisted. it gives a crepe look to the fabric. I haven't done it here.

But I do like the look!

Here are three 'sock toe' hats.

If you don't like the look of the brim when it is rolled up (it shows the wrong side of the sock), you can cut the toe of the sock a little longer, turn the material back into the sock and sew it in place, then turn the end out and up and the right side of the material will be showing.

As shown here, you can add small flowers, bows, buttons (like the large orange and white one shown) or decorative trim, beads, anything you like.

This is a dress that Savannah made from a stocking. She told me that it took her over an hour to sew it, since she had to do it by hand with a needle and thread.

We can do an entire outfit, hat, top and slacks in about 20 minutes using a sewing machine.

Looks like there may be a sewing machine in Savannah's future.

She did a wonderful job. Savannah has also hand sewn animal plushies, using fleece and buttons for eyes. She makes them for her friends, what a talented granddaughter we have.

Here's a variety of clothing we sewed one evening using various socks.

Voletta is wearing some in the upper right corner. The others are slacks and the pink, white and black one is a strapless dress.

The knit material doesn't unravel easily. The items are easy to put on and take off.

Here is a knit material, with Spandex in it, that I sewed into a bathing suit. This was another tutorial I followed on the yuniedhc site.

Very easy and it looks so cute on the doll. I need to make several more, hopefully I'll get the shape of the top pieces closer to what they should be, lol

The girls went home yesterday, I left the machine up and the supplies out, so today I sewed two more dresses.

Here's the pink one, very delicate and pretty, I love the addition of the silk flowers on the bodice.

Here's the yellow one.

Each dress takes ten minutes to cut out and about twenty five minutes to sew, add the velcro, ribbon and flower.

So each project is quick and you don't feel like you're laboring all day to get something done. That's why I've enjoyed it so much.

The girls were here earlier in August for their grandpa's birthday party.

We have squirrels in our back yard, they come to the door for hand-outs. Savannah decided to put Violetta in the middle of the back yard and have her give out the peanuts.

She is wearing the dress and hat that Savannah made, and waiting for Buddy to show up.

This isn't Buddy, it's one of the other squirrels,

Alyssa added her doll, Lily to the scene. The squirrel decided that he could trust them, they didn't make any sudden moves, so he helped himself to the goodies.

Savannah and I decided that Violetta needed to have a photo session for her portfolio.

Here's Voletta in the Lemon Balm on the back step.

Voletta in the Petunias. Love her hair!

Savannah didn't care for the wig she had when she came, so she saved her money and bought the long burgudy one, good choice!

Close up of Violetta in the Petunias. She's very photogenic don't you think?

Violetta by the Crane statue.

Savannah holding Violetta. It's been a fun experience having Pullip dolls around. Today I purchased material to make a coat for the dolls, another tutorial from yuniedhc.

They are absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to get them finished and post them here. I thank her for all of her beautiful clothing.