topic Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July in Community Chat

Toni Girls - 4th of July

Enufstuff — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 00:24:30 GMT

The Toni girls are dressed in their red, white and blue, all ready to celebrate Independence Day. Tonight they will go to see the fireworks.

They will be going to the neighborhood parade and festivities in the morning and then to a barbecue in the afternoon with family.

They wish everyone a Happy 4th of July!

The sailor dress is a re- creation of my sailor dress that I wore when I was five years old.

I hand embroidered the little anchor on the front of the dress and the blue stars on the back of the collar.

The dress on the little brunette was not made by me. This is the dress she was wearing, when

I found her. It is perfect for 4th of July.

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

DSD2 — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 00:34:23 GMT

The Toni girls are beautifully dressed in your amazing creations. The pristine white shoes are precious.

They are bright eyed and ready for the festivities.

@Enufstuff thank you for all of these lovely pictures. Wishing you and all a happy and safe 4th!

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

haddon9 — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 00:51:48 GMT

@Enufstuff I love the Toni girls! Such cute dresses! I'm particularly fond of the little sailor dress...its' so cute and I love the craftsmanship!

Where I live now there are celebrations of course but when we lived in NJ it was so much fun!

The kids were little and first thing in the morning the local fire department would give the neighborhood children rides on the firetruck. They loved that (so did my DH who would accompany them).

Then it was time to walk to the other end of the street for the local parade. It would last about 20 minutes with local political groups, scouts, little league, cheerleaders, etc....all the while throwing candy at the kids lined up to watch. The parade would end with several fire trucks blaring their horns.

Then it was time to go home for a cook out. Afterwards everyone took naps (my kids & their cousins) except the grandmas (my parents & DH's mom would come over) who would help clean up to be ready for the fireworks where we walked two blacks down to the local park.

Such fond memories! My DD had a cute little red, white & blue sailor dress like Toni!

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

haddon9 — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 00:54:01 GMT

Happy Fourth!!!

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

Desert Lily — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 01:18:46 GMT

@Enufstuff You've done it again. The Tonis are amazing! That sailor dress couldn't be cuter or more perfect. And the brunette's dress screams 4th of July. They'll be the best dressed girls at the festivities.

Wishing you and the Tonis a wonderful holiday!

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

Enufstuff — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 01:20:38 GMT

@DSD2 Thank you very much. Happy 4th of July!

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

Enufstuff — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 01:39:55 GMT

@haddon9 Thank you so much.

July 4th was always such fun. It was a big deal,

when I was young, to stay up late to see the fireworks.

There were always activities, parades, games, hot dogs and ice cream at the playgrounds.

When my girls were little , they had pony rides for the children too. We always had a family cook out and took them to the fireworks, at the beach.

Now, my youngest daughter and her husband have been organizing the neighborhood celebration, at the park.

They have food, drinks and ice cream. They have a

petting zoo, pony rides, face painting and other games and activities. So many people contibute to this event to make it successful.

Tonight, the city has fireworks at the beach.

Your daughter must have been very cute in her sailor dress. That style was very popular for many years. I liked wearing my sailor dress.

My three daughters were close in age and many times, I dressed them alike. One year, I bought them all sailor

dresses and I made a little one piece sailor outfit for my son, who was two years old. It had short pants and that was when I learned how to make the sailor collar, like the one on Toni's dress.

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

SportyShorty07 — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 03:46:18 GMT

@Enufstuff Absolutely fabulous 4th of July outfit for Toni! I love, love, love it ! Beautiful big blonde curls on Toni, and I just love her red bow in her hair and her little hand holding the American flag! Absolutely charming navy blue dress with perfectly aligned little brown buttons and little flared sleeves. The collar- wow, oh wow that collar! I love the big red bow, perfect little embroidered anchor flanked by perfect white and red stripes. The back of the collar is such a crisp white with perfectly sewn red bow border lines and those tiny little blue embroidered stars. Spectacular!! Thank you for making the 4th of July extra special with another beautiful Toni creation- and I love her brunette gal pal's frilly red stripe outfit outfit and pretty hair. Excellent work and Happy 4th of July to you!

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

Enufstuff — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 04:03:50 GMT

@SportyShorty07 Happy 4th of July to you my dear!

Again, Thank you for noticing all the little

details. The tiny buttons on the sailor dress,

are actually metallic gold color.

The picture of the doll holding the flag should have been the first picture, but I pressed a wrong button. Then when I added the others, they came out in the wrong order.

Oh well, all three pictures are there, but oddly, the picture of the back of the dress is in first place.

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

SportyShorty07 — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 04:55:14 GMT

@Enufstuff Happy 4th of July, my dear Donna! Thank you for your kind words, and it really is such a treat to view your work. I didn't even notice the order of the photos in how you submitted them, because each one is such a wonderful experience to look at! I zoomed in on the buttons and you're right! They're lovely little gold buttons . Such wonderful photos of your Toni creations. Are you doing anything fun for the 4th of July today?

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

meallen616 — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 09:19:19 GMT

Beautiful!

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

lynnie61 — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 09:35:48 GMT

@Enufstuff Happy Fourth, 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

I LOVE the sailor dress. Your hand sewn details make it even better! My mom always made sure my sister and I had sailor outfits. Mostly dresses like Toni. Loved wearing them, we felt so special. I remember one year my dads aunt crocheted us both RWB ponchos. We wore them for years. happy kids!

We usually swan at the local community pool, and that was the community that had our fireworks. We lived over the hill from that pool, so we could always see perfect fireworks from our neighborhood. My dad always bought fireworks and enjoyed doing them in our beighborhood. A home cookout, watermelon, sparklers. Many special memories. Holidays are just not the same to us.

Now we watch a Capitol fourth on PBS. We usually don't head to the cities fireworks any longer, however the are on TV these days. Enjoy your holiday! Stay safe.

Thanks for sharing once again. Both Toni's soooooo cute.

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

PamfromCT — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 11:37:09 GMT

@Enufstuff, Hello Donna, Thank you for sharing all your little beauties dressed for the holiday. I marvel at your fine work and attention to detail. Brings me back to when I was little, and I had a great-aunt, a widow with no children. She, like you, was a gifted seamstress, and I remember wearing hand-

smocked dresses she made for me. From the collar to the waist. And I do remember my daughter and son dressed in their nautical outfits.

Thank you for sharing your talents and memories. Have a very happy 4th!

Pam

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

Oznell — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 13:04:15 GMT

Love those two little patriots! How adorable are they. Sailor suits and stripes both seem so perfect for the day's celebrations.

Thanks, @Enufstuff , for supplying such cheer, and Happy Fourth to you and all here!

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

Enufstuff — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 14:03:26 GMT

@PamfromCT Happy 4th of July, Pam. I hope that you and

your family enjoy the holiday.

We are having a relaxing, quiet day here and

not doing anything special.

My daughter invited me to go to the park,

where she and her husband have organized the festivities for the neighborhood children.

I'm sure that they will all have a wonderful time, but I'm avoiding crowds and I really don't go out in the morning. We did those kinds of things for so many years, with the children and grandchildren (who are now in their 20's & 30's).

We haven't gone to the city fireworks at the beach for many years. You have to park blocks away and walk sometimes a quarter of a mile, to get there. Talk about crowds of people. We always took the kids to the fireworks, but now,

If I want to see the Boston fireworks, I just watch on TV.

The Boston fireworks are the best, with The Boston Symphony Orchestra on the Esplanade. I did that once,

back in the 80's. There had to be thousands of people there, for

the event. It was a beautiful display.

My son took his bike to the beach last night, to see the fireworks and he said that he couldn't even get a bicycle near the beach, there were such crowds.

Just in the past few weeks, I've been hearing of people getting the new Covid variant called Flirt, spreading since May.

One is my sister in law. She doesn't really go out much, like me. Only to the grocery store, early in the morning and she wears a mask.

She went to the dentist and had to wait in the waiting area. A few days later, she was sick with what she thought was a cold. When she tested, she found that it was in fact, Covid.

Then, my brother, who has asthma, caught it from her.

They are both 72. Fortunately, he did not get real sick,

but she did. She has not tested positive for two weeks, but she has a cough that does not go away.

So I'm back to wearing a mask, when I go to the doctor and I'm avoiding crowds, again. My husband and I have not had Covid , yet. We try to be careful. What a drag!

Your hand-smocked dresses, made by your great-aunt, must have been gorgeous. Smocking is so beautiful and a lot of work. Your dresses were a labor of love. How sweet of your aunt to do that for you.

Your son and daughter must have looked so cute in their nautical outfits. Now, that I think about it, that style has been popular for children, for more than 100 years.

I was surprised that little sailor dresses were still being sold, when my oldest daughter bought one for her great-niece, my great grand daughter. It was so cute, with a matching, nautical style beret. She loved wearing it.

My great grand daughter called it her "Shirley dress".

It reminded her of a dress that Shirley Temple wore in one of her movies. Since she was very little, her great-aunt had been showing her all the Shirley Temple movies and she enjoyed them.

A few years ago, for her 7th birthday, I gave her a porcelain Shirley Temple doll, wearing that famous, beautiful pleated dress, and I also gave her a DVD of Shirley Temple movies. She put the doll on the top of the armoire in her bedroom and said that it was her special doll.

Well, I am going now to cook some red potatoes and boil some eggs, to make potato salad for dinner. I'll cook some hotdogs. We only eat hotdogs 2-3 times a year, since they are not the healthiest to eat, with the nitrates, sodium, etc.

There are just the three of us, so no fancy dessert either. I'll just cut up strawberries, to put on vanilla ice cream.

I don't do big family gatherings anymore. Five children have now grown to 28 people.

I'm glad that you enjoyed seeing my July 4th girls.

Happy 4th!

Donna

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

Enufstuff — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 17:21:49 GMT

@SportyShorty07 Hi Louise, Happy 4th!

Today will be a quiet day here.

I just made potato salad and I will cook

some hot dogs tonight. I'm not even making

a fancy dessert, just fresh strawberries on

vanilla ice cream.

Do you and your family do anything

special for the 4th of July?

For many years, we did a lot of things

with children and grand children. We always

took them to the fireworks at the beach and to the

festivities and parades at the parks. Then we had

afternoon cookouts.

Now, my family of five children has grown

to 28 people. I haven't done any big family

gatherings for several years now. The kids can all

do them, with their children and grand children.

My youngest daughter invited me to come to

the neighborhood park event that she and her

husband have been organizing, the past few years.

But, I'm avoiding crowds.

They get between 50-100 kids and there are all

kinds of games and activities, even pony rides. They

serve lunch and ice cream, too. A lot of people

donate to make this event a success. She loves doing

it.

She also does a big neighborhood Halloween

party, at the park.

For may years, I did parties and events for every

holiday and Tea Parties for Valentines Day.

I'm all partied out.

The last event I did, was the 2014 Centennial Garden Party, to celebrate the 100th birthday of my house that was built in 1914. We had , food and music from 1914 and

everyone dresses in 1914 attire. I made the invitations and gifts for everyone.

I worked on that party for two years. It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work too. My three older grandsons did not even show up and I had little gifts for everyone.

I should have confiscated cell phones, but I was too busy serving food and all. One grand daughter was on the phone feuding with her boyfriend and the other grand daughter

was on her phone engaged with drama, with her girlfriends who had dissed her the night before. She was so upset, she left before even eating anything. She had her brother , who didn't

bother to come, pick her up and take her home.

So, now I will only plan to do things with my daughters and two sons. I used to have special parties here,for

grandchildren and was always close to them, taking them out for lunch and shopping for school clothes. Now, in their 20's and 30's I don't hear from them, not even a call to thank me for

Christmas gifts or cards and money for their birthdays.

I only hear from one grandson, 18 years old. He visits too, and he lives 30 minutes away, while the others live nearby.

The other grand children have small children and now I only give birthday gifts to the little ones. No more money for the adults, only a small gift at Christmas. That may end too, they can't even bother to thank me or even send a Christmas card.

There are eight great grand children now and I give them all nice gifts for birthdays and Christmas. My two daughters, (their grand mothers) will bring the little ones here to visit or I see them at my daughter's house.

My oldest son and his wife, took over the big family Christmas gathering, they have a larger house. I would bake and bring food to their house. They did this for a few years, but then Covid hit and they have not done gatherings since then.

My daughter in law is a financial analyst for a company that runs nursing homes, so she is very cautious about having large gatherings, since she is aware of the seriousness of how

easily this virus is transmitted.

I was feeling more comfortable about going out in warm weather and not wearing a mask in doctor's offices and public places. That was until my sister in law recently got Covid, from sitting in the waiting area at her dentists office. Then my brother got it from her. She has tested negative for two weeks,

but still has a cough that she can't get rid of.

Since May, the Flirt variant has been spreading and is more contagious, but the illness itself is not a bad as before, for

most people. Now, I'm wearing a mask again at the doctor's office and avoiding crowds.

When I was younger, I always loved doing special things for holidays, and felt compelled to celebrate. But now, I just appreciate peace and quiet times. It is weird, I never thought that I would feel like this.

I think that Covid has changed a lot of things, or

maybe it is just getting old.

Now, I'm going to prepare my strawberries.

How exciting!

Enjoy the day.

Donna

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

SportyShorty07 — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 17:59:52 GMT

@Enufstuff Happy 4th of July, Donna ! My family and I are keeping it simple today- some grilled hot dogs in buns, salad, potato chips and probably watching the fireworks on the news . Your strawberries and ice cream will be very refreshing to eat after your delicious dinner and side dishes Back when my siblings and I were kids, our parents would take us to the beach and we'd watch fireworks- it was a lot of fun! That's really sweet that your youngest daughter and her husband organize a neighborhood 5th of July event and party- it sounds like a lot of fun! I can understand your not wanting to be around big crowds and Covid is rough to go through- I never, ever get sick and covid really knocked me out in 2019. I think you're making the right choice to relax and have small gatherings with your daughters and two sons.

I really admire the fact that you've planned so many amasing parties with such thoughtful attention to detail, costumes, menus and party favors- you are such a giving person! Your centenial party to celebrate your house sounds so creative- its a shame that some guests were to enmeshed in personal drama or cell phone use to enjoy it- I would've had an absolute blast at your party and would've been very grateful for the time you put into it. Those who didn't show missed out on a memorable and exciting evening!

I'm sorry to hear that some of your grandchildren don't visit or thank you for gifts- I think that the art of thanks via telephone or thank you cards is unfortunately a lost art for many these days. I hope those grandkids can come around and see you- you really are a treasure and a gift to know! Your grandson nearby is very nice to visit and I'm sure he enjoys time with you. I'm glad the great-grandchildren are enjoying their fun great-grandma time! Enjoy your strawberries and your 4th of July, Donna! Whether you have a big gathering or a little one- your presence is appreciated by your loved ones and I'm sure you'll all have a great time today!

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

haddon9 — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 18:21:44 GMT

@Enufstuff It sounds like you have happy memories of the fourth as well when your kids were young!

I'm sure they were all adorable in the matching dresses and your son in the sailor suit!

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

Enufstuff — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 00:06:56 GMT

Thank you so much @lynnie61 . You and your sister must have been so cute in your sailor dresses. It was

so nice of your aunt to crochet ponchos for you.

My mother knitted and crocheted many things for my five children, when they were little. In the 70's she made crochet

vests for the three girls.

Fourth of July was always fun. I had forgotten about the sparklers. There were also punks, and those things that when they were lit, looked like little snakes, on the ground. When we were older, we had firecrackers. We also, had these little tin toys that when you pushed a little lever, the circular top, with a spiral design, would spin around and there were little sparks. I have no idea what those toys were called. My husband said that he remembered that toy too. He didn't know what it was called.

Holidays were so exciting, when we were young. They are nice memories of doing the same things with our children.

Now, watching fireworks on TV is good enough for me, too.

I talked to my daughter tonight and she said that their event was a success. They had about 500 people. One city playground did nothing and all those people came here.

ROTC kids came and volunteered to help set up tents and help

with events. They were only prepared for about 200 people, so her husband had to go get more drinks and snacks. They had bagels and coffee for all the volunteers, who helped.

They had a horse and a pony for rides. Police brought the K-9

dogs and there was a petting zoo. They had games and events with prizes. Todd Angelli, who would sing the National Anthem at Boston Briuns games, came and sang the National Anthem at the park event.

The best part was that it was not too hot and it didn't rain.

It was a great day for the festivities and everyone had a good time.

Re: Toni Girls - 4th of July

Enufstuff — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 00:00:29 GMT

Thank you so much @Oznell . I'm glad that you enjoyed

seeing my Toni girls in their red, white and blue.

Happy 4th!