Dolls

I checked out the new photos and the eyes are beautiful!! He is just so cool! I can't wait to see Mal in his new clothes!!

I am about the sear the pork and prepare the pressure cooker Cross your fingers for me!!! I was just talking to Rob's cousin Linda and she told me the KFC's original recipe chicken is pressure cooked. The crispy is deep fried. The original is more juicy because of the pressure cooking method. I am excited and scared at the same time.

I am a little bummed today. My mom called and was crying saying dad was not having a good day at all and had a tough night. Add that to taking down all the pretty Xmas stuff and I am just feeling rather blue. I guess it is a bit of post holiday depression, especially since these holidays were such an emotional time.

Be sure to put some pix of Val and Mal in this thread for the Aerwin and the lurkers who don't go to your Flickr.

Enjoy your dinner party!

Thanks my laydee! I will and I know your pork roast is giong to be fab!

Glad you got to see the latest pics...it seems my new boy is quite photogenic. Especially with the new eyes. It took me about 30 minutes to get them in right, then of course one of his eyelashes had to fall off!
I have a secret to share about Pru...I also added lower lashes that I got as part of a set...and they make all the difference in the world in making her photograph and look better! I knew you would notice something was different about her! You are very observant! At first I did'nt like that wig on her, but with the new eyes, lashes, and with that dress...it just is perfect and the best one she has right now I think.

I can't wait to do some more shots of the group tomorrow, then I will post some of these photos on DOA tomorrow probably. I will post some of the good ones here too when I have more time.

I am sad for your Mom and your Dad. This has been a very tough few months for all of you. I will take my Christmas stuff down tomorrow, and boy, am I dreading it!

Better get cooking....! TTYL

I think Pru looks absolutely gorgeous now!! Her eyes and that wig are just perfect. Her dress is spectacular!! I love the period theme. I have always loved gowns for my dolls, that is why I have bought so many Barbie gowns for them. I have always loved the gowns from long ago, like the Victorian era. You have really created a stunning couple/family when you include Mal!

Well, our dinner was wonderful!! The pressure cooker was so much easier to use than I thought! I didn't even have hubby hold my hand It seems overwhelming when you read all the dos and dont's etc., but it all came together really easy and worked exactly like the book said. The pork was tender and delicious! Not falling apart like from a slow cooker (which hubby was afraid it would be because he gets tired of mushy meat ). It is very much like from the oven only more tender and moist. The kraut was great!

Here is the recipe I used.

http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/main/pork/pcporkrst.html

You really should get a pressure cooker. I got it for $59 at Kohls (I used a gift card from Nathan and his dad) and I have seen it for that price at several places. It is great for a working woman. It only took about 10 mins. to brown the meat in the olive oil, about 5 to get the pressure cooker to the right pressure, and 45 mins. for the meat. So 1 hour from start to finish and just let it sit for 10 after you take it out of the pot. While the meat was cooking I made the mashed potatoes and green beans, had the bread maker going, and set the table. Really fast and easy! I am so glad that I finally got one! Can't wait for my new cookbook to come from Amazon and I can try lots of new dishes!

Yes, my poor family has been through a lot these last 9 months. Breaks my heart. My poor dad and all the hell he has been through, and my poor mom having to watch the love of her life go through it all It's horrible sad. I wish I could turn back the clock and make this all never happen.

You made me practically drool over the pork recipe and the yummy meal you prepared tonight! I may just have to break down and get me one!
I cook a lot more in the winter months. We are hungrier and I have more time to batch cook so we have leftovers for the week.

Our dinner was good and fun tonight. We made homemade pasta with the new pasta maker I got for Christmas, and a yummy flourless chocolate cake for dessert. Our friends jumped right in and really enjoyed the pasta making experience...it is quite fun.

Yes, the Pru girl is really working that dress, wig, and lashes...she looks really great with Val and I am so thrilled! I have had it all in my mind and now it has come to fruition-finally!

I have some more photos I want to get now that everyone has the right eyes, lashes, etc! Poor Mal's eyes don't photograph very well though...
I may have to get him some new ones too down the road.

OOO!! A pasta maker! Is that easy or very time consuming? My boys LOVE pasta and if it is not too much work that might be a fun thing to get down the road! Sounds like you had a fun evening! I should check into flour-less cakes. Do you know you can make cakes and deserts in a pressure cooker? I am going to have to try a cake just for fun. I can't imagine a cake in a pressure cooker I have lots of fancy bundt pans though so I don't think I would do it very often. I like my fancy shaped cakes!!

What would be great for you, since you like to batch cook, is that you could make several meats in one day since it cooks so fast. Cuisinart make a large model pressure cooker ($160) that looks like a huge crock pot with various settings. I guess so you can make larger cuts of meat than you can in the 6 qt. But the 6 qt. is a fine size for us, plus easier to store than that large model. I guess the big one would be great for large families or dinner parties.

I am so happy for you that after all the hassle you now have your BJDs and you love them! I knew once they came you would forget all the bad stuff. Like having a baby. They say after the baby is born you forget all the pain you went thru giving birth!! (they are wrong though I remember ) but you get my point!

We have a busy day planned. I don't think I will get to be on the net much today. So, have a great day!!

Yes, I highly recommend making your own pasta. It is really a fun thing to do! We learned how to make it in the cooking class in Italy-as you know, and I have made it twice here at home since then. The pasta maker I bought was not that expensive and I am very pleased with the quality. All the parts are all stainless steel and it is easy to use. Our friends we had over last night enjoyed it so much, they bought themselves one on Ebay today!

I am a little surprized you are so smitten with Malekai! He does grow on you though! He is so tiny! I will have to take a photo with a pullip so you can get an idea of the scale.

I ordered this for him...I could'nt help it! Just the overall thing, not the top.
Do you think he will look cute in it?


Well, I posted my first photoshoot over on Den of angels...have gotten a few responses. There has been a lot of Hid action lately so it will not surprize me if it does'nt get much notice. I sure had a blast this weekend taking all the photos and sharing them with you. This would not mean near as much to me if you were'nt around to share it with!

Aw, that is the sweetest thing to say! I feel the same way! There is no way I would enjoy my doll collecting as much without you to share it with!

I do just love Mal, and all the little pets! I just would never pay that much for one! Getting one for $50 with purchase as you did was perfect! Maybe they will offer that again next Xmas. I just don't know if I would ever be in the position to spend $400 at one time on a doll order. So, it may never be meant for me to have one of the pets I would LOVE to have the bunny! I think the little jumper will look perfect on Mal!

I will go check out your thread at DOA (assuming I can find it as that place has so many threads) and leave you some feedback. Don't feel bad if you don't get a lot or what you would hope for. That place just has so many posters and threads and people see so many photo shoots of those incredible and crazy expensive dolls that some people may only comment on those.

I think you should be incredibly proud of your dolls and your photos! You have a wonderful talent for this hobby. I am in awe of your sense of style, color, set-ups, themes, etc! AND your patience for it! I never have the time for shoots like that. I just stand them there and take a few pix. Maybe one day I will have the time, but I still won't have the talent

I will have to go read about pasta makers! That is so funny that your friends went and got one the very next day! They must have been really impressed!

We got to go and celebrate Eric's birthday yesterday with my folks. We brought Chinese food and lots of snacks and two cakes. It was a nice time. Dad fought hard to stay awake while we were there. After 4 hours he just couldn't stay awake anymore. We left after that. He was able to feed himself some Chinese food, but mom had to feed him some cake. His arms get too tired and shaky. Poor guy seemed awfully weak yesterday. He and I got to have a sweet little talk alone and I am so thrilled he got to sing Happy Birthday to Eric one more time. Four weeks until Justin's birthday. I have my doubts he will still be with us for that, but I am so happy we had yesterday!

I've got to get busy here today taking down all the Xmas stuff. Kids start coming back after school today, and I have 5 little ones coming tomorrow morning. So have a great day and talk to you later!

That is beautiful and I'm sure bittersweet celebrating Eric's birthday with your folks yesterday. I am so glad that you have had some quality time with him and that he is not suffering. I also think this has given you all time to start to mentally prepare yourself. Although I know you can never totally prepare for the loss of a loved one.

Yes, my big dollzone purchase was a splurge of a lifetime. I doubt I will ever do it again, but I have no regrets since I am so pleased with everything I wound up with. I agree the pets are not worth 150-300.00 to me, but definitely worth the 50 dollars I paid. I'm sure you would buy a doll vs. a pet if you ever decide to take the plunge into BJD ownership.

I found out some cute van (Black and white) type Pullip shoes I have that never fit Pullips well (too big) and were too small for Taeyangs fit Mal as does Uncanricky's under blouse-and they look adorable! The underblouse has some loose ruffles, so should look good under that romper thing I ordered!

Thanks for the bump over at DOA and your kind compliments about my photography talents and patience! I am getting better and learning as I go as far as shooting the BJD's. It is a different ballgame than photographing Pullips. You are so right about it being a very busy board with lots of cliques and factions. There are a good number of folks who seem to gravitate to the "cheaper" dolls as well as those who are into the really pricey, rare ones. To me, it seems really ridiculous to pay over 200-300 for a doll when there are some really nice ones out you can get in that range. There is no way in hell I could ever pay more than that for a doll. I am so lucky my hubby supports me in this hobby and sees how much I am enjoying it. Many of the collectors over there are young gals or kids and there are some older ones like us, but there must be some really spoiled, rich kids out there for their parents to buy them 800.00 dolls all the time! Or young people who are making very bad money budgeting choices to be spending so much of their income like that!

Glad you are back to work, and your clientele is still there for you. I'm sure they know a good daycare provider is worth waiting for!

Better get back to work....TTYL

You are welcome for the bump!

I figured it was full of rich kids. It is darn hard to be a working class citizen and have those $800 dolls! God I have seen a few on ebay lately way over $1000! I just don't see how you can have that type of collection unless you got a rich mom and dad! Sadly, I don't!! Well, they are rich in other ways - just not $$$$$! I would have to be so loaded before I could bring myself to spend thousands on dolls - regardless of how amazing they are! I fear for me BJD would be like Jays potato chips - "can't stop at one!" I bet I couldn't even stop at two!! It is probably better I don't think about getting them. If I did it would certainly be one of the cheaper ones!

EEEEKK! My order from mEda just came!! The white lace hat and leggings are perfect and she threw in the seafoam green leggings as a gift!! I was so tempted to get those for Kira (now that I have taken her out of her Haute stock I am going to get her some outfits that go with her eyes)!! That was so nice of her!

Yes, my customer's have been very understanding. They all live in my little town and most right in my neighborhood, so we are neighbors too! All very good people!

TTYL~

what outfit will the white hat and leggings go with? That was nice of mEda to throw in the green ones too! She has always been good to you about that!

Yes, I see some of the young gals on DOA have to sell dolls sometimes because of some unforeseen emergency to get some quick cash. They don't seem to come down on the price too much though! They must go around doll poor and eat ramen noodles and wear rags to be able to buy all those critters! I know when I was young I would spend lots of money on clothes, shoes, and make-up. I made pretty good money though as a sales rep for Toyota-so I could at least afford it! I wonder if some of these folks even have full-time jobs!

That is so great your customers/neighbors have stuck with you through this. Hope you had a fun day back with the kids today!

I am hoping to create a "mod" looking wedding outfit for Natalie. I am waiting on a white mini lace dress I got from ebay.

Yes, I remember the days of clothes, shoes and make-up for me! Now it's for dollies!

Look at this Uncan!!!! I love her!! I wish I could swap out eyes! If I could I would buy yours and change her eyes and hair. She is just so pretty!!

wow, she does look so different with lively eyes! She really is such a pretty doll. I wonder if that gal will come through on Wednesday and buy her or not. I have not heard anything since she asked me if I would charge less than 15.00 shipping. I told her I would go 10.00 and put her in a smaller box than her stock one, but could not guarantee what condition the hair would be in since I would have to send her sitting and bubble wrap her like that.

I always wished I could switch out Pullip eyes too! But, man what a bloody hassle! I know lots of the gals do it, and live to tell about it, but I know it is definitely not my bag! Changing the eyes on the BJD's is as far as I go! That gets a little tedious as it is!

Oh yeah, I remember the mod wedding outfit for Nat now. Do you have another dress for her since the first one was too small? Can't wait to see her in it!

I have been thinking about the craziness of the photoshoots and where to post things for the most exposure at DOA. I will have to try and experiment posting shoots in different areas to see if that makes a difference. I have to keep reminding myself that as long as I have you in the audience, that is really all I need to make it fun !

Aw thanks! Yes, way too many threads at DOA for me. I like the smaller boards. Their loss if they missed your gorgeous pix!

This is a Barbie dress I am waiting on so it should fit.

I hope you hear back from the girl and she buys Caprice. Yes, I sure wish I could swap the eyes. That would be so much fun!

Good night and sleep well! Talk to you tomorrow

I won't be around tomorrow until the late afternoon. I have to go in very early and won't have internet access at work tomorrow.

Here is something cheery for tomorrow morning for you! Have a good one my friend, TTYL!

Oh goodness!! She is so cute!!! Have a great day! I will be quite busy today with all the little ones. Hopefully we get to talk some tonight!

Are all the kids running you ragged? I bet you are having a ball with them since you missed being with them. Amirite?

Yes, those cute little mice are the size of Mal and go for $225.00!
And we thought Pullips were expensive! Oy!

Yikes! So expensive! Funny, Pullips seem cheap now don't they?!

Yes, you are right on both accounts! It was great fun AND they wore me out! Baby Skylar (18 months)=trouble and Isabelle (almost 3) is double trouble!! But they are super cuties!! The four 4 year olds TALK A LOT!!

Have you seen this new pic of a Rao on the AOD site? She is gorgeous!



Eric will be off work Sunday and he really wants me to make that BBQ pot roast in the pressure cooker, so I promised I would get one tomorrow at the store. Here is the recipe I was talking about. Do you think it sounds good?

http://www.recipegoldmine.com/presscook/barbecued-pot-roast.html

Eeek! That is the best looking Rao I have seen other than Pru!!!!! That one has a 60's mod vibe that I love! I definitely think they are doing more detailed and higher quality face-ups than they used to. That one certainly rocks!

I think that recipe sounds excellent! I love all the seasonings and bet it will have lots of flavor! Wish we could join you for that one! What will you serve with it?

Yes, she really is gorgeous! LOVE the green eyes! Rao is certainly one of my fave 1/4 BJDs.

Usually I do pot roast in the crock pot and I throw in potatoes, carrots and green beans. Eric loves mashed potatoes best so I think I will make them. I will probably make glazed carrots and biscuits.

Yum! That sounds wonderful!

Hey, look what I made for my signature at the doll sites!

Good morning!

That signature is so cool!! It's great that you know how to do things like that.

Well, I have a very busy out and about day today, so I will talk to you late this afternoon or tonight!

Have a wonderful day!!

Did you have a good day my laydee? Mine was ok. My show is on tonight so I am excited.

Have you seen Arya's new doll yet? Go check her out on Flickr...She is another redhead with a very pretty lace gown.

Good evening!

Such a busy day! My feet are killing me So much running around.

I spent 3 hours with my dad this morning going over his tax stuff. As you know my mom has some learning issues, she especially struggles with numbers, so he had me type up all the finance info in a real simple format that I am sure will be really easy for my mom to get.

Sadly, it was really hard for him to talk this morning. His good friend Frank who stopped by (they belong to the same church) had the pastor/priest from their church come by to say some prayers with my dad and give him communion. That meant a lot to him, and me. Then I ran their errands and mine. The last stop I made was at our Jewel and who do I see in the ice cream isle?? My hubby So we check out together! That was a fun surprise.

When I got home I realized that I forgot to get my dad some new larger t-shirts that he needed. So Justin went to Target and got them, and he picked up a prescription my mom needed that wasn't ready when I went to the pharmacist earlier (I was going to pick it up Friday morning for her) and dropped them off at my folks. Thank God for kids who can drive! Yes, it is scary - BUT it sure comes in handy!

My mom called at 8:00 PM to tell me that the supervising Hospice nurse left awhile ago and she confirmed my suspicions. My dad's lungs are filling up with fluid - the final spot it goes to with the congestive heart failure I just had a really bad feeling when I was with him this morning. I think he did too. He kept saying "when I pass away do this". Ironically the nurse said his diabetic sores are healing beautifully. In fact if he had not had the heart attack the nurse thinks the ortho doc would tell him to go for the leg. So sad. I really think the end is near

So, on to something FUN!

I suppose you have seen these pix of someone else's Hid. I think he is so handsome! Very different from Val (who is so much more interesting!) but still, I just love his eyes and his flawless skin!!







ETA: EEEKK! I will go check out Arya's new dollie!! I LOVE when people get new dollies!!

So sorry your Dad is not doing well..it must be so hard to see him slowly slip away. It is amazing his wounds are healing, I would not have expected that.

Yes, I did see that Hid over there and thought he looked good with that color wig. He is a normal skin color I think. I do like the color of the eyes too. Almost a metallic orange. It is interesting to see how the face-ups look subtley different based on the skin color and what people do with the dolls. It almost looks to me like she kept the stock eyes and lips and changed the eyebrows, and removed the scar. I will have to go look again to see what she actually did to change him.

Yes, that Arya is quite the doll collector isn't she?