Dolls

Good morning!

The pix are awesome!! Mal and Val look fantastic! Did you do Mal all by yourself? You guys really are pro-customizers now! You must be so proud of your work. These photos have gotten you more responses at DOA!

I look forward to receiving the link to your new Flickr!

Well, I won't be around much today. We are going to the neurologist at 10:30 this morning. We do not think he has RLS really. He has been sleeping much better(since sleeping with the Ivory soap bars,go figure) and does not appear to have the symptoms of RLS. However, he does seem to have a lot of pains in his legs and arms, especially at night, so we are keeping the consultation appointment to see what the doctor says about that.

Then we are going to get some lunch and do some shopping. Eric wants some new shorts. It has been so warm and humid lately and he finally realizes that you can still "be cool" even in shorts! Justin wears cargo or Dickies shorts all the time. Eric has just been wearing his jeans, but he has been playing a ton of Hacky Sack outside with friends (wonder if that is the reason for the leg pains ) and decided it would be much easier and more comfortable in shorts.

So whenever we get home from all our errands and eating out I will get some shots of Milo and Rylee in their new wigs. This is my fave look for Milo so far! I love being able to see all of his features.

Well, sorry you have to go back to work I hope you have a great day and that your baby is feeling better!

TTYL~

Luca - Cookie just signed a huge endorsement deal with SKETCHERS!!!!!!!!!! My fave singer and my fave shoes!!!!!!!!!! Did you know I now have 12 pairs?

EEE! I am a happy fangirl this morning!!!!

Can't wait to see the new wig fashion show when I get home today and hear how it went at the Neurologist!

I think I will wait and check what has been happening at DOA later! yes, I did Mal myself, but hubby helped me map out some dots to get his eyebrows even after I did the first one! He is great help to me with the doll stuff, including the photos! We actually set up the tripod and lights for the Midnight Circus shoot! I am learning new skills all the way around with this hobby, that makes it good right?

Yay for Cookie! That must mean they make Sketchers for men too...duh!

It was a long day! The neurologist was amazing! Spent a lot of time with Eric. He ordered a lot of test 6 vials of blood worth. I will tell you more on that later. I will be putting a post in Chit Chat in hopes someone here can give me some info or insights - and send some good wishes our way.

Here are some quickies since I ended up gone longer than we thought we would be (since they sent us to a walk-in lab). It is windy today also - so their hair wasn't really cooperating

Here is Milo in his new wig! This is by far my fave on him! I think he looks amazing in it!

He is beautiful!














My redheaded beauty!





The wig color matches her lips perfectly!




There is a Russian gal on PS who sews her own outfits for her dolls. Look at these! GOD I wish I could sew!!!!!!!



Naturally the mailman attempted to deliver the CanCan wig while we were out So Eric is going to pick it up for me sometime tomorrow. Probably in the afternoon. Can't wait to see that one on him!

Went back to B,B and B today and I got that sandwich knife I have been reading about. Can't wait to check it out. Also a tool to get corn off the cob. Justin and I love corn on the cob off the grill, but do not like to eat off the cob because we have to floss right afterwards or we go nuts! This looks like quite the handy tool! Eric and I got some Chinese to bring home as we were so hungry! Ate like little

Got to go run and make dinner - Justin gets off work at 6:00 tonight. Plus I have a lot of medical stuff to Google!

Talk to you later!

(oh - they make Skechers for toddles, youngsters, teens, woman, men and they have cool boots too! I'm guessing DC will be into the boots since that is all I ever see him wear )

It's a world wide campaign and it goes for at least one year! I don't think my new boyfriend will have to bartend anymore!!

Also - I am so impressed that you did Mal all by yourself!! Amazing! So glad that hubby is sharing in your hobby!! My hubby? Could.not.care.less about my dolls

At least your hubby lets you enjoy it and does'nt give you a bad time about it! Mine loves seeing me in a creative mode and enjoys giving me his assistance most of the time I think!

Milo looks so cool and differnt in that wig! Kind of gives him a more innocent look.

O-o! I will have to check the chitchat section when I get home about what they told you about Eric...I hope it isn't rhematoid arthritis or something.

Eeel! Forgot to comment on how beautiful your girl looks in that wig! Va-vavavoom!

Thanks! The ding dang wind was really messing with Rylee's hair. I plan to change her outfit too to go with the hair. I just didn't have the time today.

Yes, Milo looks so innocent - but in person he really always does look really sweet and innocent. I am not sure I could make him look evil or badass He has such sad puppy dog eyes.

This wig makes him look closest to his promo pix. Maybe I will attempt to play around with the fur wig someday. I can't wait for Eric to get the CanCan wig to me tomorrow! I so wish it had come a day we were home.

True, Rob has no issues with my hobby at all. He just really doesn't quite get it I don't think. I mean he is real nice about it, but I don't think he fully understands why they mean so much to me. But then a lot of people I know don't

Didi has one of those Hujoos doll on the way! She picked a real cutie too! She also recently got some dolls from the Strawberry Shortcake collection and some Kewpie dolls. I tell you I have completely lost count of how many dolls she has now! A boatload that is for sure! Quite the variety now too. Oh - to have more doll spending money would be Heaven!

A couple more of Milo that I like.

The site I ordered more hardback placemats from is having a sale on their vinyl placemats. $2.99 each! They have two scenes I think I will order. The very last one is "Tuscan Sunflowers". I think you will like that one! That is a good price too!

http://www.happyaccents.com/cgi-local/ASI_Store.cgi?Dept+vinylplacemats

ETA: The hardboard placemats I ordered from Happy Accents came today via UPS! They are awesome! So the place has good stuff and ships fast! I ordered them Saturday evening! Very pleased!

Eric picked up the wig for me at the P.O. It is really nice. A different feel than any other I have ever had. I think it looks really good on Milo. I can't decide if I like it better than the other one or not. I like them both a lot.

I changed Rylee into a sparkly red and black top and some cute jeans to go with her new hair!

The doctor's office called to say that 4 of the 6 blood tests came back normal and now we are waiting on the last 2 test - ones that take longer. Not sure when I will hear back from them, but I gave her my cell # so she can call me tomorrow while I am out with mom in case the results come in.

We got the proofs back from Justin's senior portraits. I really like two of the poses. It is $300 for the package with both poses. I'm going to ask my mom and MIL to go in on the package so we can get more pix. If we get the $200 package than we only get 1 8x10 for us and none for the grandmas. So if they want bigger and more pix they will have to kick in. My Dad went half on Eric's pix (also $300) so that was a great help. I can't ask my mom to go that much though. It doesn't make since to order the two extra 8x10's because if you go ala carte they charge $55 for each 8x10 So it makes more sense to go with the bigger package where you get 3 extra 8x10's plus a bunch more for the extra $100, so I will see if each will go $50. Lordy it is expensive to have kids!!

Eeek! I got cut off last night when I was posting about how cute milo looks in his glasses and hat! Dang! Then I had to run off to work early!

I like those mats and they are a good price! I like the mediterranean chicken one too, too bad you can't get a close-up view on their site to get a better look at the design.

You are smart to get the bigger package if you like the photo...they will only be this age once. Hope you get the grandma's to go in with you on it.

I bet Rylee does look smashing in the red and black with that wig! Can't wait to see the Cancan wig on Milo! I bet it will be nice to have more than one you really like on him. I only have one for Val...I hope someday to get another that I like other than the long silver/black one.

Well, I planned to go ride my horse tonight, but the wind is 22 miles an hour! It is supposed to die down some, so I will wait an hour or so and see what it is like.

Thanks! I will try to get pix of Milo in the new CanCan wig tomorrow after we get home. Also Rylee in her new outfit.

It is suppose to be 98 tomorrow with a heat index of 105 Mom and I will melt when we are out tomorrow Justin is going to be working in Mom's garage cleaning out a storage closet for her.

We are having one hell of a storm right now!! Eric is out delivering pizzas and just called me to see if there are tornado warnings or watches. Thankfully there are not, but we have strong winds and it is pouring!! Both my babes are out in this crap Justin is out with friends. Hope they are in doors somewhere and not driving around.

With the larger package we can get both the poses I like. If we get the cheaper one we can only get one pose.

DAMN!!! Cable just went out!! If is the results show of "So You Think You Can Dance!" PISSER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH! It is only the Chicago Fox station that is out! I put on the Rockford station and I can watch the show!!!!!

Some quick shots before I run out for the day!

I totally LOVE the new wig on Milo!!









Is it just me or is this not just the sweetest little face ever?


Rylee's new outfit!





Enjoying a coke and her puppy!



See the little gems on her jeans?


Gotta get ready to go! Have a great day! Love ya and talk to you later!

Eeek! What a special Friday surprize for me!

He is the sweetest thing evah in that wig! Dying of cuteness! You may as well never take him out of it! He has an old world look now that I just adore!

Rylee looks absolutely smashing in her jeans and maroon top! What a cute outfit!

Have a great Friday! I am off to work now! TTYL! Love ya!

Thanks!! I agree! That is the wig he was meant to have! It took me awhile to find just the right look for him - but that is it! I thought Old World too! You have no idea how much I adore him So I have a choice of 3 wigs for the next boy - who I think will be Min. I think he is more manly than Mo - though Mo is gorgeous and maybe one day I will have him too! So I think a nude Min for Xmas (if he can still be ordered or I don't fall in love with someone new ) I have the wigs and a couple of outfits so I should be able to get a nude Min with Xmas money.

That outfit Rylee is wearing is the one I won on ebay for $2.50 -$8 shipped! One of my best deals ever!

Not sure if I will make it outside for pix. I've got a few things to get done and I am waiting for a call back from the Neurologist's office. Another test came back negative and she was not sure now if that was it or if there was one more so she is checking with the doc. Also, I asked her to ask him what we should do next if all tests are negative. I have two friends who SWEAR by their chiropractors!! I mean they say every other doctor threw their hands up with their aches and pains and the chiropractors did wonders and still do. I wonder if I should send Eric to one and see if that helps He is still sleeping much better since the soap bars went under the sheets. I find that so funny and odd!

Oh, at B, B and B today I got 16 silicone baking cups for cupcakes and muffins! They are multi colored and will look great in the cupcake tree stand! I will make some cupcakes Tuesday for the kiddies. I bought some chocolate funfetti frosting to put on vanilla cupcakes. They will love it! You don't need a cupcake pan. You just put the batter in the cups on a cookie sheet. Then peel them off the cupcakes and use them again! I love the way they feel! Mom also bought me a really cute set of Sea Salt and Peppercorn mills. They are clear Lucite and the tops look like old time sink handles. I put them on the island. Too cute!

One of my cookbooks from Amazon came today - the Comfort Food cookbook with 104 mac and cheese recipes! Eric loves mac and cheese and his oral surgery is next Friday morning and the doc said no hard food for a week after. I always wanted this book and to get it used for $5 was great! It's a really nice hard cover that looks like it was never even opened up! I sure lucked out on this one! Eric and I are going to go sit down with it in a few mins and look for which ones he wants me to make while his mouth is recovering!

Talk to you later! Hope you are having a great day! So far it has only made it to 87 degrees! I do not think we will hit 98! Fine by me!!

Sorry I have'nt had a chance to post much today. Work was not super busy, but fairly steady, then right when I got home I took the horse formerly known as reform school girl out for a ride. It was 82 degrees when I got home at about 5:30 and perfect riding weather. I also took Cole the horse trail doggie to accompany us. Well, my girl is now a reform school graduate after tonight! She did really great and so did Cole! I am one happy horse and dog owner tonight!

Glad to hear that most the tests have come back negative on Eric, what a relief! It will be interesting to hear what the neurologist says. I would be very cautious about starting the chiropractor route. Our doctor advises against it for most things. All that manipulation of the spine can cause some people problems down the road when they get older. For all the happy people that tout chiropractic as the miracle elixer, there are just as many that were not helped at all and some that were made worse. It is one of the least evidence based form of medicine out there...I am really surprized so many insurance companies pay for it. Just my humble opionion for what it is worth...

You are such a great Mom to your boys! The Mac and cheese cookbook sounds fab! I wonder if he will be adventurous or stay with the traditional plain jane recipes.

I have a busy day tomorrow and won't be around much. Tomorrow is the Police and Elvis Costello concert! Can you believe it? I have to hit the Macy's sale first off, then will come back here have lunch and start getting ready to go to the show.
We will leave here around 3:00 to get there around 4:00. The show does'nt start until 7:30, but to get decent lawn seating I think we will need to be there quite early. I am excited, but the reality of having one of my lifetime dreams come true is hard to get my head around right now.

I think I am going to go to bed soon....TTYL!

Good morning!

Glad your baby graduated with flying colors! How exciting! How fun that Cole can come along for the rides.

Thanks! I try hard to be the best mom I can be. We found some amazing sounding Mac and Cheese recipes! Man, there are a lot of cheeses I never even heard of I told Rob that after we get Eric home from surgery we will have to run to Woodman's. That store has the hugest cheese isle I have ever seen! I bet we can find them all there. I will be taking my Mom to Jewel Wednesday and I will check and see what all they have there. I just know it is a much smaller cheese case than Woodman's, but maybe I will get lucky. Eric is adventurous when it comes to pasta and cheeses. Not veggies so much. I need to stick with recipes without anything that requires much chewing so none of the ones with meat are on our list. I am looking forward to trying them myself!

Here is the salt and pepper mill gift set Mom bought me yesterday! Aren't they adorable?!

http://www.pots-and-pans.co.uk/acatalog/Cole_Mason_Tap_Acrylic_Salt_and_Pepper_Gift_Set.html

I have heard all the pros and cons of chiropractors. I really wasn't planning to send him to one at this time. I do have 3 friends who have been in chronic pain (mostly back pain) for several years. Two of them after car accidents. They never had relief from the discomfort until they broke down and saw chiropractors. I just don't think Eric is in that kind of pain and desperate at this point. I guess we could save that as a last resort if things get really bad.

Well, Nancie got back to me and she finished the Dorothy outfit! She did amazing!! She couldn't find the right Toto so she got a white one and dyed him! She got the perfect basket too! I am over the moon! I am mailing her a check today and she will send it out to me when the check clears - so I won't have it for awhile yet. I am really excited that it turned out so great! Here are some pix! (I have the ruby red slippers so that will look even better!) She always makes and sends earrings but I have no plans to poke holes in my dolls ears! Too afraid! I don't think Dorothy wore earrings anyway! But I will hold on to all the earrings I have for the dolls and maybe someday I will have use for them.













Rylee is going to look amazing as Dorothy!

Happy bargain hunting at Macy's! Have the best time ever at the concert tonight! I can't wait to hear all about it! FWIW I cried the night I got home from seeing Clay the first time! Maybe you will too! When Clay didn't win I didn't think I would ever see him and then when I realized he'd made it and got to put on his own show AND I got to go see him - well, I felt overwhelmed when I got home. And you have waited so much longer for this than I had to so I bet you will feel the same way.

I hope you have perfect weather for the outdoor concert! We had a freaking monsoon at about 4:00 this morning that lasted a good two hours! Both Rob and I were up and checking on the pumps - which held, but when I checked this one corner of the playroom there was some seepage so I am drying that out now. We have those carpet squares that pull right up so I have fans on them to dry them out and the dehumidifier going in the corner. At least it will be good for the lawns etc! It really quite the downpour for a loooong time!

I am happy thinking of you doing this tonight!

But I hope you will not be doing this!



Have the bestest day ever! Talk to you later!

(BTW, you never did PM the link to your new Flickr account)

OMFG that Nancy gal did a fab job on the Dorothy costume!!! She is really an artist! Going to the trouble of dying the dog...just Wow! Rylee is going to look so adorable! You have a few dark wigs if I recall, you will just have to braid them! What fun! You could dress the other girls up as the good and bad witches and Milo as the scarecrow-That would be easy for Nancy to make a costume for! I bet your daycare kids will be entranced by them all! I love dressing up my dolls in themed costumes! You really must give me Nancy's ebay link and way to contact her! I would love to commsssion her to make me a Princess Lily dress and some other stuff! I think my minifee body is going to be similar in size to the Goodreau girls...I just need to get the Goodreau and minifee measurements to compare.

Yes, I know I will cry when I see my man Elvis and listen to some of my favorite music of all time. You totally understand what an emotional journey this is going to be. I grew up with his music and always loved it...can't say I love his personality or the man himself, just adore his music and talent. So for me it is all about the music. The persona and personality is not as important to me if the music moves me enough.
Thanks for the beautiful send off! Can't wait to tell you more and show you a few photos-I'm sure I won't get very close, but you must see the venue! It is one of the most beautiful concert sites in the world, no doubt!

Have a great day and TTY much later!

Thanks!! I am so glad you love it too! Yes, Nancie (this is how she spells her name) is amazing! I will email her and see if I can send you her email via PM so you can ask her about your Princess Lily costume. I am sure she will be up for it.

I told her I was thinking of having my Secret (Shyla) be Belle from Beauty and the Beast. That would complete my 3 fave fairytale heroines! I will send her some pix when I decide for sure.

No, I really can't afford all those costumes right now. I plan to keep my Alice theme going, have my Dorothy and maybe look for something/someone to go with her like I got the White Rabbit and Chesire cat for Alice, and have my Belle and have my next boy in one of those Dollzone prince outfits. Then I would have my 3 fave themes out on display. That will be all I could afford for quite some time.

I believe the Goodreau Girls are a wee bit smaller than the ABJD. She doesn't have any male BJDs so I have never thought to ask her to make any boys clothes.

She charged me $55 for Alice shipped and $61.50 for Dorothy shipped because she is going to put the outfit in a box instead of an envelope because of the basket and Toto. I think she is well worth the money! I find her a godsend to my hobby!

Yes, I have two black wigs. I will use the straight one Rylee was just previously wearing and braid it like Nancie did for her pix. The mailman just picked up the check for Nancie so with luck I will have the outfit in about 10 days!

Can't wait to see your pix from the concert!

Maybe I should have Shyla be Glenda from The Wizard of Oz instead of Belle. Look - I just got the perfect red wig for Shyla to wear as Glenda! What do you think?

OK, I just "talked" to Nancie and she would love to hear from you and make you whatever you are interested in. She says she just needs the measurements. She likes pix of what you would like. I did Google Images for pix of Alice and Dorothy outfits and sent them as attachments to emails to her. When she is done she emails me pix for approval and if I am happy, which I have been, I send her a check and she sends me the outfit. Of course you can do Pay-Pal too.

Hope your day and concert were all you dreamed it to be!

I am PMing you Nancie's email now!

Since Justin is redoing his bedroom, I decided to redo my office . I have the dolls on the bigger table now. I moved pix on the wall. Swapped the chairs around. I like it!



These are not great because I swear I cannot take pix standing up without shaking the camera











I assume you are still sleeping! Hope it was great!

Got to go get some regular housework done now and prepare the pork roasts for the grill. We always make two as the boys eat A LOT of meat!

TTYL~

I slept in until 10:00! I never do that! But, after dancing in the heat for 2 hours straight and not getting home until midnight, I gues that is to be expected!

I love what you did with your office! Your doll collection really is amazing! You should be so proud. That room makes you want to be there, it is so pretty and tasteful! Thanks for sharing!

Yes, I think Glinda should be the next project for Nancie! Thanks for getting her info for me! I think her prices are quite resonable for the work she does!

I posted some stuff from the concert in a new thread! I am PM'ing you too about some more Flickr photos...

Thanks! It really looks so much better in person. I do love to be in here. It is warm and cozy and all my fave trinkets and collectibles are in here with me.

I am leaning toward having Nancie make a good witch costume for Shyla. I think she would look great. But I am going to wait awhile. Too many expenses right now with Eric's doctor bills and Justin's portraits. I can wait a month or two before getting another outfit.

I love all your concert photos. You both looked so cute! So glad it didn't rain on you guys!

I've got to tell you what Justin did last night. For some reason we have been having these flying brown beetles hanging out in our double entrance. Justin freaks out going in and out of the front door. So we were up together doing things late last night and he had to go to his car for something. He comes in and says he is sick of dodging the damn beetles. He gets his BB gun and shoots them! It was soooo freaking funny! I go out there to get the morning paper and there are about 200 BBs on the front porch and about 60 dead beetles (seriously - the damn things were pissing me off too) SO, needless to say when Justin got home from work he had a little job to take care of on the front porch I am hoping those damn things never come back! Justin thinks they came here to eat the droppings from the baby birds I am going to have to check into that

Tell Justin I said...Way to go! I hate bugs!

Glad you enjoyed the pics! It was such a blast! We have another show to go to there in about a month...Tom Petty and Steve Winwood! I know there is no way it will compare with last night's show, but should be fun!

Better hit the hay!

Hope you had a nice day! Mine was pretty busy with the kids. Justin talked me into getting him a base guitar and amp package. I am such a sucker for that kid It really was a good deal - $200 off the one he has been wanting for awhile now. He will pay me back half by when the bill comes and then the rest shortly after. It really is a cool black base. So we will now have 3 electric guitars, 1 base, and keyboards. Rob plays drums excellently! Now if only I could sing we could go out on the road and make some extra cash!

I have 10 - yes I said 10 kids tomorrow! So I will be pretty dang busy! I plan for little Isabelle and I to make blueberry muffins in the morning for snack. She loves to bake with me and she is the only little one coming. The rest are second through 8th grade so she will want to hang with me a lot since it always takes her some time to get used to the older kids. She is my little 3 year old Shirley Temple girl!

Pretty soon I will have to get into bed so I can be well rested for my day tomorrow!

Sleep good and have a great day tomorrow!

10 kids????? Oy, that sounds like fun......Not! Just kidding, I know you like challenges and enjoy having a bigger group!

Good idea to get your rest before tomorrow, I think you are going to need all your energy~

I did'nt go to work until 1:30 because I needed to take all 3 horses over to my trainer's place to get new shoes put on. I shelled out $255 for that and you shelled out 200 for a new guitar and amp today! I think you got the better deal! It is a VERY expensive time of year for us. Between the horse expenses, entertainment, and never ending maintenance and upkeep projects outside....we won't be taking any vacations this year or next that is for sure!

Have a great day tomorrow! TTYL!