Secret Neighbors shhhh

I remember hosting a traveling doll named MJ in 2013. That was sooo much fun! Here is a fun idea we might like to do for one another. A secret doll house! Remember it is illegal to place anything in a mailbox so maybe place them near a tree or other "secret" place.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/04/13/mailbox-dolls-michigan-mystery/11656555002/?fbclid=IwAR1Vn2qaj5adxx9MlyZuI85kaZ9SAX7ee8X_eAZ4yLGkGRaC1cuDcdQ_e8g

Be back soon with more pics of the Golden Pineapple restaurant...

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MJ is Now In Finland!

MJ has arrived safe and sound in Finland. You can check her out here!


http://www.miniatureandcraft.com/blog/2014/01/mini-jazzi-is-here/comment-page-1/#comment-2245

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More MJ Visit Pictures

After getting Keva asleep, MJ spent a few quiet hours with Keva's mom, Nyla, dad (yet unnamed)  and her grandfather who lives with them. As you can see, dad is getting a little bored with all of the girl talk and is nodding off. Grandpa just seems to be very thoughtful about the topic.

It was just like in real-life. Having company, MJ, made me see even more clearly all that needs to be done around the houses and other areas. I am vowing to get on these repairs and remodel projects promptly and on a regular basis. Window frames, wall decorations, painting and window dressing are on the top of my list. Keva's bedroom still has updates which are ready to be added. Currently, I am working on three stores in the mall also. They make good locations for the stories.

I have Pretty Pleaters for making draperies, so I will continue to practice using them so I can hang some in the living room below after I frame the windows. The tabletop is actually for a ceiling medallion. I plan to replace it with a glass or mirror on the table.

Jenna's room is actually the attic of this house. 

 

Since her television still has not been replaced on the wall, Keva is excited that MJ volunteered to read her a story.

I wish I could get the true colors of this room. Believe me it looks much better up close.
 The paint isn't even pink. It has a bit of lavender mixed in.



A quiet evening with more friends



MJ and her new friend Jenna had a great time in Jenna's family
 room watching The Little Mermaid

This is the right half of the attic family room in the picture below



The white house has the attic family room shown in the above pictures

 



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On The Road Again...

Hi,
Everyone! I hope your holidays were wonderful whatever and however you celebrate. Mine was so full I am just getting back to MJ! She is all packed up and will be leaving in the morning (Friday). The hosts don't know until the last minute when she will arrive and that is just in case she gets held up in the mail or customs. I am the last visit in the United States. This was all put together and started in 2012! I can't believe how time is flying! She has been to 11 hosts in several different countries already. Each host decides where she will send her next. Twenty four people around the world were chosen with a two year window of travel.

 We all will miss her; my family, my wonderful true friends,  my dolls and those people she and I met together. We had such fun! This is an experience we will never forget! My grandchildren are still learning about the places she has been.

 I  have a few more pictures and videos that I will share in a few more posts even though she will be on her way to her next host/auntie. Oh, by the way, I call her hosts "aunties" because that is what R/L MJ calls us. :-) There were so many other places to take her but time would not allow.

There are two things I wanted to add about South Carolina.    

                                    
1. You are never more than a few miles from a train track. The South Carolina coast is an open waterway for cargo from all over the world. That cargo can end up anywhere in the US!

                                                    

2. The other thing is the statewide rivalry between Clemson University and The University of South Carolina. It goes back a couple of centuries. You will see signs of one or the other or both all over the state.

                                                    This is a Wal-Mart display     



This is a common site in any Wal-Mart.
Sorry for the blurry picture. Taken with a cellphone

Last, not in any way least, I was so excited to receive my gifts from the other hosts. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I didn't know whether to show them or not. I don't want to spoil the surprise for the future hosts.  I hope they all love what I sent them also.



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Getting Down with Downtown Greenville

The city of Greenville, South Carolina has been the home of history makers through out the years. Several years ago, the downtown area was renovated to attract not just the locals, but visitors and the vast amount of relocated Northerners and others. The bistro lined Main Street has an eclectic feel of an artistic, cobblestoned, quaint village and uptown entertainment. It is the scene for so many things from various festivals to national bike races. MJ and friends had the time of their lives! I spent several hours just on a few blocks of Main Street.

 I apologize for the pictures taken when the sun started to go down.

This name might be familiar to baseball fans. Shoeless is from a small town on the outskirts of Greenville. Can you find MJ? Look over the "J" in Jackson




MJ had to see if he was really shoeless lol

Falls Park On The Reedy is a beautiful 26-acre city park located in the middle of downtown Greenville, South Carolina. It has a waterfall from the Reedy River.

 The Reedy River is a tributary of the Saluda River, about 65 miles (105 km) long, in northwestern South Carolina in the United States. Via the Saluda and Congaree Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Santee River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean.





The girls are on their way to get a closer view







They let their hair blow in the wind as they drove across the bridge

MJ just had to get out and look. The sun was beginning to set.

The cool winter air made the waves rush over the falls

 



Off to the next adventure!

This is across the street from the Falls. You can see a mix of old and new. Both Falls Park and this area are set under a bridge on Main Street 

The man-made dam lies in front of a series of art galleries

This is the Peace Center Concert Hall. It sets on the opposite side of the street of Falls Park near the end of Main Street. It is where every thing from The Lion King to a Fragle Rock children's concert has been seen (Goggled picture)

This is something pretty new in Greenville. An outdoor Ice skating rink! 

 

 

 Are these little cuties future Olympians?

I actually thought most of the people had walking disabilities, until I was told the blue things were to assist and protect unskilled skaters. hmmm I was looking to see if they had grown-up sizes! lol

The Poinsett Hotel was one of the first "skyscrapers" to be constructed in Greenville. Named after Joel R. Poinsett, the Secretary of War under President Fillmore, the hotel was built on the site of the Mansion House, an 1824 resort hotel. Built in 1925 at a cost of 1.5 million dollars.

Bet you didn't know where the name of the Poinsettia flower came from!
Joel Roberts Poinsett, born in 1779 in Charleston, South Carolina to a wealthy physician, Dr. Elisha Poinsett, and his wife Katherine Ann Roberts, was educated in Connecticut and Europe, gaining expertise in languages, the law and military affairs.
 

There is at least one street named after him in Greenville.

A copy of the famous Italian fountain statue  "II Porcellino" 
 

MJ stands tall in a very popular popcorn store on Main Street.

This is not for the popcorn shy. Their bold flavors make them a big seller and the beautiful wrappings are very festive.
It is also probably the most expensive gourmet popcorn you will ever love!

During segregation the Sterling School was a school for "colored-people"
It has produced many successful and influential people.

"The record of Sterling High School is that of struggle and triumph. It covers a period of nearly seventy-five years.  Reverend D.M. Minus was appointed to John Wesley Church in Greenville, South Carolina in the early 1890's, the beginning of a great work.  Rev. Minus was born in Colleton County, South Carolina, on June 15, 1848, of slave parents; his father was Elijah and his mother was Sarah Minus.  He was the oldest of thirteen children.  Minus was brought to Greenville to accomplish two things: John Wesley Church needed a new brick building and the children needed a high school in Greenville so they could prepare for life's duties without leaving their hometown."




The statues are set in the middle of downtown Main Street Greenville. The bricks hold a significance in the structure of the school. 

You never know what you might see on Main Street!

Horse and buggies are a regular site along Main Street. This one is decked out for the holidays



Downtown Greenville at night

Christmas is all over



Walking down Main Street is like enjoying an outdoor art museum



This is the collective name of the three  below sculptures . Each one is individually named

EMERGE
Front view
MJ felt right at home in her arms!



Back view...or is it the other way around?

CONNECT

TRANSCEND
MJ is enjoying being close-up and personal. Right in front of his face! lol



It was becoming dusk when I took these pictures. You can see them much better here... http://www.flickr.com/photos/24638974@N06/4654562967/

 

Only in South Carolina! Ride 'em MJ!

 

This is one of nine tiny friends who mark points of interest. They serve as guides in a scavenger hunt along Main Street. Each one is different! This one was near an historical war figure, hence the hat. (I was illegally parked so didn't have time to get a picture of statue. lol) There was a book written about them too!

http://miceonmain.com/historyofmiceonmain.html

Hope you enjoyed downtown Greenville! More MJ in South Carolina to come!

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Chilly Night-Warm Hearts

South Carolina is full of "Historical" Towns. There is a lot of pride in their history and traditions, many of which are still practiced. MJ and Willie enjoyed a night of "Family Fun" in one such town, Fountain Inn.  

 



This is the scene of the great date

 

CEO and president of the Chamber of Commerce was the ambassador of the Family Night. He knew he had MJ in his pocket from the very beginning

 

MJ recognized these folks right away! She remembers seeing them on the Steve Wilkos show in November 2013! I sure hope they reconcile with Granny one day.

 

MJ is sitting pretty on Mr. Squarepants' nose

MJ is cool as a cucumber riding on Larry the
Cucumber.

 

Pooh literally had MJ in the palm of his hand.

 

I think there is some kind of rule in South Carolina that you MUST have funnel cakes at every fair and function

OK, so what are the Oreo's for?

Ever hear of fried Oreo cookies?

Nothing like a romantic horse and buggy ride...sigh!

 Or the excitement of a carousel ride...giddy-up! (turn down sound...very loud!)

Just because it takes a teacher to appreciate a teacher :-)

I don't know...because he is so beautiful I guess! lol

Set next to the outdoor activities is this center.

 

MJ had to get a little closer to that gingerbread man to make sure he wasn't another dessert
 

A tribute to the original inhabitants in this area

Many Cherokees lived in the "upstate" area of South Carolina  



This display memorialized one of the first store owners in Fountain Inn...he owned a "meat shop" and lots of land when it was extremely cheap

 

Peg Leg Bates was known all over the world for tap dancing with just one leg!  He hailed from Fountain Inn.



Peg Leg Bates never let losing his leg stop him from dancing! Here, is his first wooden leg he used .

 

These are real cotton balls just as they grow in the field

Tools and other items from history

Is that a tiny gift
Santa is holding with care?

 

Awww it is MJ!

MJ's bio said she loved Christmas and knows in her heart that Santa is REAL! Oh well, I guess there is no argument here!

 

Taking a little time getting to know one another better.

 



PEACE!

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