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Somehow, with everything, some hand-quilting got done.

I'm finally to one corner, so it's a little more interesting work. 

I found my sourdough starter had grown a bit, so after I made bread for sandwiches, I made this crusty loaf, still with 1/2C of rye flour. 

The starter is active enough now that I can make bread without any additional yeast.

I worked on the Steampunk Blouse for Daphne's dolls.

We had Charlie's brother over for Thanksgiving dinner. He lives alone, so we didn't want him to have to have Thanksgiving alone. We figured if we wore masks until we had to take them off to eat and sat at opposite ends of the table, it would work out OK. We are all careful when we go out, which we only do when it's necessary, but it still isn't risk-free.

I gave him his own serving utensils. I kept the plates turned over until we were ready to eat, and the eating utensils were rolled up in our napkins. I kept my mask on when I cooked, when I set the table and when I served the food. The table with three leaves is 7' long. The two chairs in the foreground were ours, and my BIL sat at the window. The other chair (the one in front of the bookcases) wasn't used.

Even the living room was set up for social distancing.

Normally, our younger son and his family come to us for Thanksgiving, but they didn't come this year. They live more than three hours' drive away in good weather. Last year it took them 12 hours to get here. They would have had to sleep here, and with the two little boys we all thought it was better not to have Thanksgiving together this year. The state guidance says no more than six people from no more than two households, so we were in compliance. 

We managed to Zoom with the rest of the family, though.

Our daughter's family and our older son had already had their dinner, but it was almost like sharing a meal together. They live in Wisconsin and Indiana, so they couldn't have come for dinner anyway.

The technology has been very helpful in getting through this difficult time. Our choir managed to sing on Sunday for the annual "Lessons and Carols" service that marks the first Sunday in Advent. Not everyone in the choir participates in these virtual performances, due to the complications of having to record yourself while you listen to a recording. There were some lovely images displayed while we were singing, but they included us for a short bit .

We're eating leftovers, but we had used up the salad by the day after Thanksgiving, so I made a batch of my corn salad, which keeps for several days in the fridge.

I didn't have any cucumber or spinach to add, but we had extra tomatoes and avocados, and I tossed in from fresh basil leaves, because our Aerogarden is still producing, so I used what I had. It's OK without the Feta cheese topping, too. Here's the regular recipe.

Easy Corn Salad

Dressing:
• 3 T olive oil
• 3 T lemon juice
• 1/2 t Salt
• 1/2 t dried cilantro
• 1/2 t dried basil
• 2 T salsa
• 1 T pickled garlic

Salad:
• 1 16-Oz pkg. frozen corn
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• 4 green onions
• 1/2 chopped red onion
• 1 C chopped cucumber 
• 1 handful fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 chopped avocado
• 1 bell pepper (any color, optional)

Optional Topping:
• Crumbled feta cheese

Mix dressing ingredients. Add remaining ingredients and toss. Top with feta cheese. It keeps pretty well in the fridge for several days. It's great in the summer when it's hot out.

My book comes out tomorrow. I'm going to come back and correct the link to Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook when it comes out in the publisher's store. Tomorrow is also "Giving Tuesday." If you are interested in giving to St. Jude through my fundraising page, here is the link. Purchases of my book will provide a small donation to St. Jude as well.

What's on my needles: Still the Steampunk Blouse for Daphne's dolls.

What's on my sewing machine: Awaiting its next assignment.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. A little more progress this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Pen Pals. Pippa finds Emil writing a letter to a friend. He reads it to her, and their discussion leads to an interesting revelation.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Elsewhere by Dean Koontz. Just getting into it.

What's in my wine glass: Domaine Paretlongue, Cité de Carcassonne Syrah-Cabernet Franc. Pretty good.

What's my tip of the week: Operating two different devices with Zoom in the same building doesn't always work out well. It helps if you can turn off the microphone on one.

Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

<a href="https://store.bookbaby.com/bookshop/book/index.aspx?bookURL=Mariah1&amp;b=p_fr-ho-bl" target="BookShop" style="display:inline-block; text-align: center; background: url('https://www.bookbaby.com/bnb/p/fr-ho-bl.png') no-repeat; background-size: 235px; width:235px; height:184px;" title="Mariah by Peggy Stuart" data-class="wide"><img src="https://store.bookbaby.com/BookShop/CommonControls/BookShopThemes/bookshop/OnePageBookCoverImage.jpg?BookID=BK90045873" alt="Book Cover Image" width="110" height="160" style="position: relative; top:15px; left: -40px;"></a>

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

All Booked Up

Mr. Truly Me 74 (real name to be determined when he reaches his new home) is almost ready to go.

I bought most of his clothes, because I've been pretty busy, but I did make his sweater, which you saw last week. Now that I've had a look at his clothes, I realize he still needs a warm hat and scarf, and a pair of sneakers. I will try to get the scarf and hat made quickly, so I can send him off to Wisconsin. In his box, he will have a dressy outfit (trousers with suspenders, dress shirt, dress shoes and socks, bow tie), three T-shirts, corduroy cargo pants, pajamas and a warm winter jacket and boots.

I'm still making sourdough bread. This loaf got no extra yeast, only the sourdough starter. I'm still trying to use up my rye flour, but it's mostly all-purpose and whole wheat, with added wheat bran, wheat germ, oat bran and wheat gluten.

I'm working on marketing the book, which has cut into my time. I have had to ship some to people overseas, which required a trip to the post office. Rocky had his annual physical, and I was talked into phone-banking again, to make sure people know where and when to vote, how to get absentee ballots, what they will need to take to the polls, etc. I thought we were done with this, but Georgia has runoff elections in several races. 

I started a sweater for one of Daphne's Dolls for Christmas. The pattern is on Ravelry here. I've made it several times before. I can't remember the color name, and I've lost the label. It's sort of a purplish pink, a color I know she will love.

For mindless knitting, I'm using up scraps of cotton yarn for dishcloths. I don't have enough of any one color to make one, so I've been putting two colors together, knitting the cast-on by alternating the two colors, and then knitting across and back with one color, then across and back with the other. The first one I did like this was two shades of blue, but it's in use.

I've been waking up while it's still dark. Sometimes I'm rewarded with a great sunrise.

This week's story in The Doll's Storybook is about being a good sport when you lose. Sometimes that's the most important part of the game. Jolena knows this from ski competitions, and Veronika has had some challenges with her sewing that help her understand the boys' disappointment.

I think if anyone asks me to do anything else, I should tell them I'm all booked up! 

Well, it's thanksgiving again, so I have to include my quilters' turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving. Stay well!

What's on my needles: Dish cloths and a sweater for Daphne's doll.

What's on my sewing machine: Sitting idle.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. A little more progress this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Good Sports. Dolls understand that you can't always win. How you behave when you lose says a lot about you.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still Elsewhere by Dean Koontz.

What's in my wine glass: Torre de Pias red by JAWs. Not my favorite, but drinkable.

What's my tip of the week: If your glasses fog up when you wear a mask, one trick is to put a little shampoo or dish soap on the lenses, wipe them down but don't rinse. If you think you're likely to get it into your eyes, you can use baby shampoo.

Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available from Amazon or Barnes & Noble in the US, and on Amazon in other countries. Other vendors are starting to list the book, too.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

Goodreads!

This week, the book made it onto the Barnes & Noble website and Goodreads.

Goodreads wanted me to fill out some information to prove that I was the author, but that's taken care of now, and it's official. The four younger grandkids received their copies from me. I sent them off at the Post Office on Monday, after dropping off a copy for the church library.

Mr. Truly Me 74 now has a homemade turtleneck. It's finished, and I made notes on the modifications on the project page on Ravelry.

Here it is from the back:

It also makes a good cardigan.

I'm pretty busy with the book right now, but I have some clothes coming for Mr. Truly Me, so he will be ready to send off in a few days. 

We returned our political signs to the candidates, so they can use them again. We kept one special one as a souvenir.

Our sourdough starter is really well-developed now.  It's making very nice loaves of bread with almost no yeast. I think I'll try the next loaf with no yeast at all.

I made cookies, too, because I needed them for Friday's story. Of course, we had to eat them after taking the photos.

This week's story is Apostrophes! Pippa isn't sure she learned enough in class to be able to do her homework, and the boys are building something in the dining room with Legos. I always like action shots more than the shots where they're just sitting around talking. This was my favorite photo from this week's story.

Rocky had his annual physical on Saturday. All his bloodwork was good. He has a problem with one eye. I'm not sure what it is, but it affects his vision, and there is treatment. He's getting a steroid medication in the form of drops in that eye. We will have a recheck in two weeks. He's 16. Miniature poodles don't usually live much past 17. He seems to still enjoy his life, though, just like his human parents.

What's on my needles: Another dishcloth, just to have something to knit during meetings.

What's on my sewing machine: Waiting for next assignment.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. More progress this week. I finished another section, but no photos. One section looks like another.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Apostrophes!

What's on my iPad/iPhone: I'm back to Dean Koontz's Elsewhere.

What's in my wine glass: Cattoo Petite Syrah, 2018 from Naked Wines. I really liked this one!

What's my tip of the week: Do you have a young person who is regretting not being able to visit Santa this year? Santa is available for visits via Zoom, because who understands technology better than Santa? Donations are encouraged, as this is a fundraiser for Cove/COPY, a non-profit providing camp and other positive experiences for at-risk children.

Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available for preorder from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, to be released December 1st.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

Moving Ahead

The past week is just a blur. Looking at my photos helped, however. I remember that I made a hat for Pippa to go with the pajamas, though.

I made the hat so I could have a knitted component to the pattern, which made it possible to put the pattern in my Ravelry store.

I had to delete the photos I took that showed how to sew the pajamas, because the file was too big to upload, but I'm hoping the written directions will be sufficient.

There isn't much in the way of patterns for this size doll. The Wellie Wishers, put out by American Girl, are a similar height, but they are slimmer and shorter by a bit. That isn't too bad with something loose and knitted, but the more fitted something is, and the more the fabric lacks stretchiness, the more important fit is.

Now I'm working on outfits for "Mr. Truly Me 74," a boy from American Girl, for Zachary for Christmas.

I'm starting with my Wonderland Turtle using sport-weight yarn. It's designed for the slimmer Götz Happy Kidz, but someone has used the pattern for this size doll, and she included her gauge on her project page, so I'm able to duplicate the gauge and, with luck, the fit.

I will be sewing some things, too. I think I probably have enough patterns to use. It will keep me busy.

The listing for my book on Amazon has the correct price now. It has also appeared on the UK site. It should soon be available for preorder internationally all over the world. You have to search for "Mariah" by Peggy Stuart or "Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook." If you specify "books" you might get it faster, but the link to the page for the US is here.

Everything beyond the costs of production will go to St. Jude. I have a fundraising page set up on their website to become active December 1st., so people will be able to go to that page to donate, if they like, and I think I will be able to include the links for purchasing the book there as well.

I was still making phone calls to get voters to go to the polls all through Tuesday. As you undoubtedly know, we had a long wait to get the results. We were pleased, and by Saturday morning we discovered we had no champagne to chill, so DH had to make a run to Costco. (It isn't as if we knew we might need some bubbly at some point!) We were ready for a chilled toast by the time the speeches were underway.

I was happy to have been part of getting out the vote in Georgia. It was certainly worth the time and effort, and I got to make some new virtual friends. Now they want me to start writing and calling Georgia again in a few days to make sure everyone votes in January for the runoff. Our Christmas plans have been greatly modified, so I should have the time. I've never lived in Georgia, but my parents came from the Deep South, so I feel comfortable with the culture.

What's on my needles: Wonderland Turtle for Mr. Truly Me, just finished the turtleneck collar.

What's on my sewing machine: Waiting for clothes for Mr. Truly Me.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. No progress this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: In The Book, Pippa finds out a little of the history of the story blog and learns that she is part of something bigger than herself.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: I'm still just listening to music. I started a Dean Koontz novel (his new one), but I didn't get very far.

What's in my wine glass: Domaine Auzias Cité De Carcassonne Malbec. I like this one, but my first taste was after sparkling wine, so maybe...

What's my tip of the week: Lining pans and cookie sheets with parchment paper can save a lot of cleanup. Get the unbleached kind if you can.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

Written and Printed...But Will It Sell?

It was very exciting when the books arrived. I was phone banking for Reclaim Our Vote when they arrived in two boxes that were hard to lift. This is only about half of them. 

I was very nervous when I looked through one copy, but everything seemed to be OK. Then I went to Amazon to check the listing. Here it is. I took a screen shot. The release date is December 1st, which is when my St. Jude fundraising page starts.

I decided to keep it under $15. All the the royalties will go to St. Jude. I'm looking into setting up a nonprofit now, so I don't get taxed on money I'm not keeping.

Other than that, I mostly spent the week phone banking to get people to vote and making a few things for Pippa so I could provide my current patterns in a size to fit these dolls. I tested my "Pippa's Wonderland Turtle" turtleneck sweater by making her one in another color.

I hadn't taken photos of the construction process for the pajamas, so I made a blouse using the same pattern, only opening in the back instead of the front, and took photos of the construction. Then I reworked my pleated skirt pattern. It's a little more difficult sewing on this smaller scale. 

I have no idea how people make Barbie clothes. I usually sew the underarm sleeve seams before hemming the sleeve, but I did it the other way around for this project. You could probably do it, but I was afraid I would mess it up, and I wanted to finish quickly.

Now I'm making a nightcap for Pippa so I can have a knitted item to go with the pajama pattern. That will allow me to make it available on Ravelry. I'll have to figure out something to go with the skirt and blouse pattern.

I'm still trying to find things that fit this doll. She's close to the size of a Wellie Wisher, but taller and a bit bigger around, so buying things made for those dolls and hoping they will fit this one is rather hit-and-miss. I ordered the pastel T-shirts from Emily Rose through Amazon, and the fit isn't bad. It's a little snug, but it looks as if it's supposed to be that way, and the Velcro is completely overlapped in the back.

The church choir continues to have Wednesday night rehearsals, but through Zoom.

We can't sing all together this way, but we can practice with all of us muted. The problem with having us all sing unmuted is, there are variations in the speed with which the sound gets transmitted, so we're all off tempo from each other. We are working on some virtual performances, though.

Of course, the stories continue to come to me. My little muses talk to me. I don't really hear them, but I know what they want me to write, if that makes sense.

What's on my needles: Just CO for a nightcap for Pippa.

What's on my sewing machine: More clothes for Pippa.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. In spite of everything, I made a little progress this week. 

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Saying It Right. The boys have a friend at school who stutters.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: I've still just been listening to music.

What's in my wine glass: El Tinto from Madroña Vineyards. This is a red blend, and every vintage is different, but it's always a favorite.

What's my tip of the week: If you haven't voted yet, here's some info. If you see anything that concerns you, go to https://seesay2020.com and click on whatever the issue is. If you have a problem voting, you can call 888/730-5816. If you have a mail-in ballot you haven't sent yet, don't mail it. It's too late. Find a drop box or take it to your county's elections office. You should be able to vote in person if you 1) never received your absentee ballot, 2) received it but never mailed it or 3) mailed it, but tracking indicates it hasn't been received. How this is handled depends on your state, but you should explain the issue, and they will help you. Take your ballot with you if you have it. They may have you surrender it and then you will be allowed to vote. If not, they may give you a provisional ballot. If your original ballot turns up, only one will be counted. If you find you have a problem getting to the polls, call the office of the party you are registered with and ask them for help. They may have a volunteer who can pick you up and then come back and get you after you vote. Here's what you need (it's like that bag you packed when you expected to go to the hospital to give birth): A mask, water, snacks or a meal, maybe a folding chair and (in some states) a photo ID. Collectively we make better decisions. When we all vote, things can get better.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.