So random, September '24

When one "so random" post goes out, I start to work on another.  This one picks up where the last one left off, on August 27th.  Remember when I said that Elisabeth Clara was envying Morgan's hair bows?  The very next day she got her own.

eBay shop is jmtolananny, and they have a lovely selection of Cabbie clothes.  I'm a hippie at heart and thus I'm always looking for tie-dyed stuff for my dolls, but those aren't the easiest things to find.  I guess the risk of dye transferring to a doll's vinyl body is a very real deal.  But I was able to find this blouse and slacks set that has the tie-dyed aesthetic.  Even Elisabeth's much-desired hair bows are rainbow.

August 30th.  One of the 65th Anniversary Fashionistas struts her stuff in front of my domestic miscellany. 

This is Dionne, inspired by the one and only Black Barbie from 1983.  I'd been hoping Mattel would honor Black Barbie with a Fashionista...and if I recall, one of y'all told me that they eventually would.  Anyway, I had Dionne on the chest of drawers with the #FailFix crew, but she was standing straight, with her head facing forward.  Now she looks like this.  I solemnly swear to y'all that I did not do it.  I figure that either Mama knocked her over in the middle of the night and put her back...or Uncle Man-Child has been fooling around with her.  I doubt that second one, but then Dionne is his type.  He likes his chicks young, unfortunately.  Either way Dionne is showing off, and I'm letting her do it.  If I had the body for a slinky red dress I'd show off too.

August 31st.  I was gearing up for September's first Bae Day Monday, and I realized just how cute Hugo Jack and Kiara look together. 

I've had these two nestled together ever since I moved Kiara over to Casa Pizarro, but I'm only now realizing what a cute pair they make.

September 1st, 2024.  Dionne swan-dived off the chest of drawers one too many times, so I threw her atop the OTHER chest of drawers, where I keep about a dozen other dolls.

Dionne's new friend is Bubblegum DJ, one of my O.M.G. dolls.  She's a smidge more demure than dramatic Dionne.  Emily and Jettivee can also be seen in the background. 

September 2nd, better known as Labor Day 2024.  Bae Day Monday was for baldies and those with tufts...and do I have plenty of bald Cabbies!  There's Matthew Tommie and Hugo Jack...

...brothers Esmond Brant and Nathan Hunter...

...twins Stella Rae and Cara Raelean...

...and the little ones, Taniyah Yasmin, Owen Presley, and Sammy Sloth. 

I unfortunately didn't have any tufties at the time, but as we saw, that changed.  I also don't own any baldies that will take a pacifier...yeah, I do.  Owen Presley will take one if I can find the right size.  

On September 3rd another Cabbie group asked for head mold #3, so I acquiesced.

Nathan Hunter is a Preemie and Elisabeth Clara is not, but they're very close in size.  The sizing of Cabbies is a difficult matter, I'm afraid.

September 4th.  Foster child Precious arrived after the battle with the local mail carriers.  Elisabeth Clara also got another new dress.

These two have a lot in common.  Both are brown-eyed brunettes in pigtails, both have the #3 head, and by something of a coincidence both are wearing variants of the same dress.  This is called the "swing dress" and it comes in a number of color variations (my favorites are yellow, spoilers).  Elisabeth Clara is wearing ballet flats with her dress, which apparently aren't the right shoes for this combo...but they fit her fine so who cares?  As for Precious...well, she's still hanging out at Casa Pizarro, and I've slowly been building a special wardrobe for her.  I do still intend fully to give her to my friend, and what a gift she'll be!

Speaking of Precious, September 7th.

I have Precious at my workstation, where Idalia Gale or Beryl June often sits.  I keep her there just in case my friend comes, and on the 7th Ernest John decided he wanted to keep her company.  The two don't have much in common except for brown eyes.  Precious now sits in a sparkly gift bag with her panda dress and a sheet of tissue paper covering them both, waiting...

September 8th.  Ernest John made another friend.  Morgan is a serious little poppet, but she is not unkind.

Here it's possible to see how close My Child and Preemie Cabbies are in size.  By coincidence, they match in the as well with their nautical garb.  I've never tried putting Preemie clothes on Morgan, but it couldn't hurt to try.  Stay tuned...

September 9th.  My sister's birthday was that day, and Mama and I celebrated with Chinese food.  That particular Bae Day Monday was for Cornsilk Kids.  I don't know if the admins meant Coleco only or all Cornsilk Kids, so I went full Monty.  Here's my Coleco Growing Hair pair, Cleopatra Chantale and Andrea Doria...

...the blondes, Lucey Dena and Iris Evangeline...

...Leslie Emily, who is both in a class by herself and dazzled by the camera flash...

...the gimmicky ones, Julie Emmalee and Kory Aryan...

...and the little ones, Carol Kasey and Skye Kitty. 

There are Cornies out there with hair a deeper red than Cleopatra Chantale's, believe it or not.  More on that at eleven. 

The same day my other Cabbie group asked for pictures of head #9, so once again here's Andrea Doria, sitting pretty.

I need to change this girl up a bit.  Give her a new dress or a new 'do or something. 

Finally, here's Candela Laura in her new overalls. 

I got this outfit around the same time as the others, but I bought this one myself (the others were gifts).

September 12th.  The remains of Hurricane Francine made for a cool, windy, rainy evening, and when the weather is like that I usually think of something cozy.

Usually my American Girls and my Cabbage Patch Kids keep to themselves, but on this particular evening Rita Cheryl fancied a cuddle with Ernest John.  Ernest is proving popular with the ladies!  Oh yeah, and he wanted to show off his new binky.  No #4 Cabbie stays without a binky on my watch!

September 16th.  Bae Day Monday was for popcorns.  I got to kill two birds with one stone that day, because my popcorn girls get something new for fall.  Usually Wednesdays are for sharing new clothes, but I jumped the gun.  This picture was obviously taken before Beryl June got her shoes.

Beryl June has had nothing to wear since she arrived but that green bubble dress.  I like that dress a lot because green and because polka dots, but it was time for a change.  Idalia Gale has also been wearing the same thing since...I think since last March.  So change did her good too.  Of course my friend from Newfoundland loved it, LOL.  By the way, does Idalia Gale have long legs or what!  Her short dress makes them look long anyway, but clothes notwithstanding she's lankier than Beryl June. 

September 18th.  

My new boy Gavin Andrew wanted me to take his closeup.  He also wanted to wait until his sister gets here for a full-body shot.

September 19th.  Gavin's sister didn't arrive, and Gavin decided to pose with Kitrick Randolph Fergus and Julie Emmalee instead. 

I had Randolph and Julie out because they're getting new outfits!

Randolph's outfit is a gift from Mama, and Julie's getup is my own find.

Now, time for the eleven o'clock news.  September 23rd.  Gavin's sister FINALLY arrived.  Karen Sheila will be her name.

Both Gavin and Karen have the flaming red hair that I was referring to in September 9th's entry.  See how much darker this hair is than Cleopatra Chantale's?

As y'all know, I love a good redhead.  I don't have too many at Casa Pizarro yet, but the ones I do have stand out!  Hmmm...would one of Bailey's extra heads count as red?

No, that's pink and orange.  Cute, but not red.  Bailey does have a little red-haired friend, though.

Bailey and Shannon share the same patch of real estate, and they've become thick.  

September 23rd was also Bae Day Monday.  This Bae Day Monday's theme was reroots, and I only have one.

The last Monday in September was for shaggy and fuzzy boys, and I don't have any of those yet.  I haven't given up completely on finding a fuzzy red boy, so we'll see. 

The weather on the 23rd was a little stormy, and the lightning freaked two of my tinies out a bit.

They are Milk Shake Bonnie and Lady Doolli, from this post back in May.  I thought it might be nice to display the dolls Setsu-P sent with my other little ones, and that proved smart.  Whimzee and Antu have become fast friends. 

September 26th, 8:27 p.m. CDT.  Hurricane Helene's landfall was thirty minutes away, and I had a pair of cuddle buddies.

Geneva and Morgan, both of whom I'd been playing with a lot at the time.  They both feel nice in my arms.  Note that Geneva was still in her poncho.  Oh, and by the way...thirty minutes came and went and Helene STILL hadn't made landfall!  Sometimes hurricanes speed up as they make landfall, and sometimes they slow down.  Helene slowed down, I got sleepy, and I went to bed early on the 26th.  Landfall happened sometime after I went to bed.

September 27th.  Malden football homecoming!  The weather was horrendous, but our boys played anyway. 

Seriously, Helene's outer bands were that big.  It poured all day Friday and most of Saturday.  Anyway, by luck of the draw, Coleco's sporting uniforms are dominantly green, just like my own high school's uniforms.  Shelley Fred is our little linebacker, and Elisabeth Clara is cheering him on.  Heck, everyone in the bedroom is cheering him on, even Terri Lee.  That said...I can't wait to dress these two in Halloween clothes and get Shelley out of that heavy helmet.  And now I can, because homecoming is over!  We lost.  Malden's football team stinks on ice this year.

Now remember when I said above that rainy evenings put me in the mood to cuddle?  Ernest John and Alice Helene took the opportunity to chillax.

September 29th.  Another random head shot of Beryl June. 

My friend from Newfoundland likes all the dolls I've shared with her, but she hella loves Beryl June.  I'm still not sure why; popcorn Cabbies are popular, but I don't think that's Newfoundland's sole reason for loving Beryl June the best.  I need to ask her; I know she'll tell me. 

And that concludes September.  I know that I posted about feeling depressed and frustrated yesterday, and I still do, but hours after I posted yesterday I saw pictures of Hurricane Helene's effects.  The devastation in Chimney Rock, North Carolina looks like the destruction raught by the Galveston hurricane or the Johnstown flood, both of which were extremely deadly catastrophes that are still talked about in the modern day.  Later I spoke to a woman who lost her house and belongings in the flooding...including a large, visually attractive collection of vintage and antique dolls.  It just made me sick.  Helene did drop a boatload of rain on the Bootheel, and I know that some of y'all lost power.  Inconvenient?  Very.  But thank God, we have our families, our homes, our pets and possessions.  So I need to count my blessings, and I hope y'all will too.

Love,

RagingMoon1987 

Something soft

I thought for sure that cutting out the junk food and eating better would improve my health.  And it has to a certain extent; my skin is clear and no longer feels sticky to the touch, and my stomach isn't in a state of near-constant uproar like it used to be.  On the other hand, my joints (particularly my knees) continue to misbehave, to the point that getting up in the middle of the night is both difficult and excruciatingly painful...and unfortunately, when one has kidney stones midnight bathroom breaks are a must.  I also don't sleep well because my left leg has descended from weak and immobile to spastic and painful.  Bottom line, I get incredibly frustrated and sometimes want to punch someone, and when I get to that point I need to grab something soft, curl up in a ball, and act like a toddler for a few minutes.

Enter these two.  Their names are Talia and Alice Helene.  

There's a young lady that I like to watch on YouTube (link is here), and she loves pastel colors so many of her dolls and toys either wear pastels or ARE pastel-colored.  She affectionately calls her bunch the Pastel Army, and she's where I learned about Alice Helene's line.  Alice is from a Hasbro line called Love 'n' Care Baby, and from what I can tell this line was intended for small children, small like my sister and I would've been around this time.  Alice is about the size of a bean-butt baby like Esmond Brant.

Because I'm a glutton for punishment, here's how she compares to a Coleco Preemie (Ernest John, left) and a Jakks Pacific newborn (Taniyah Yasmin, left).  See how short Alice Helene's arms are?  I shouldn't have griped about Ernest John's ridiculously long arms.

To give y'all an idea of how fickle I can be, I said to myself as recently as last month that I'd NEVER own a Cabbie with permanently attached clothes.  Well, guess what Alice has ( besides teeny-weeny arms).

Permanently attached clothes, just like My Lickety Treats and the Beans brothers.  Now I don't usually mind permanently attached clothes, but part of the fun of owning a Cabbie is changing their outfits.  Alice Helene won't get to do that, but she's at least well-dressed.  Her little nightie can be tied together at the bottom, like so...

...and it can also be completely undone, like so.  Notice that Alice's legs are semi-normal in length, and that her cute little shoes are permanently attached. 

Alice's collar has a little hood that accommodates her head (not all dolly hoods do that).

Indeed, the hood is a hair too big!

Her bib is bowled in a bit, and that accommodates her (permanently attached) bottle.  

Alice's nightie also has a few other features that were common on toys for small nineties children, stuff that helped with dexterity like buttons and zippers.

I had a Mickey Mouse doll like this when I was a kid.  He had buttons and zippers and shoelaces and...I forget what else.  One day my toddler self was throwing a tantrum, and I threw poor ol' Mickey out the car window!  Good thing we were in a parking lot or it would've been bye-bye Mickey!  Anyway, Alice Helene ekes Mickey out by being...well, soft (Mickey was overstuffed).  I was hoping that Alice would be squishy like a Puffalump, but she's not.  She's just nice to carry and have around.  And by the way...that thing I said about not liking Cabbies with permanently attached clothes?  I forgot about these two.

Now...speaking of Puffalumps, that's what Talia is.  She'd fit into the Pastel Army nicely.  I need to ask that YouTuber if she owns any Puffalump Kids. 

Okay, back up, Moon Girl.  Puffalumps (not to be confused with heffalumps) were made by Fisher-Price from 1986 to the early nineties and were these ridiculously soft, lightweight, machine-washable stuffed animals.  I remember them being made out of this tough, satiny stuff, and sure enuff sources say they were made from parachute fabric.  Being Fisher-Price almost always means that the toy in question is geared toward small children, and so the Puffalumps were.  There were a number of subcategories over the years, and one of those subcategories was Puffalump Kids, little dolls with vinyl faces.  Talia, being a doll, is thus a Puffalump Kid.  She's your lapsitter type just like the Cabbage Patch Kids are, and she's roughly the same size as a full-sized Kid (and thus bigger than Alice Helene is).

Talia goes a step further with her subcategory.  See her braids?

Some Puffalump Kids had hair like this, and they were thus called Pretty-Hair Puffalumps.  I personally am glad that Talia's hair is braided, or else it could've become a tangled mess.  

Now...remember how I said that Alice's clothes couldn't come off?  Most of the Puffalump Kids also had permanently attached clothes, but these Pretty-Hairs do have removable dresses.

The rest of Talia's clothes are sewn on, including her shoes and hat...

...but I can at least give her a new dress if I so fancy one.  Some of the Kids also had names, easy stuff to remember like Greg and Heidi, but as far as I know Talia didn't have her own name.  Hence her pet name, Talia.  Unlike Alice Helene, Talia is very, very soft.  I love squishing this doll in my arms, LOL.  I also love monkeying with her face.  Talia has something that precious few of my dolls have:  a soft vinyl face with cheeks I can (gently) pinch.

The only other dolls I've got with faces like that (Saucy, Teenie Talk, and Baby See 'n' Say) have a hard frame underneath.  Talia and the other Puffalump Kids have "mask" faces, by the way.  Their faces are vinyl, but the rest of their heads are cloth, like the heads of some stuffed animals like Puppy and Kitty Surprise and the Rushton bunch.  Setsu-P, if you read this, kindly avert your eyes, as Puffalump Kid heads are even flatter than Baby Alive heads.

LOL, even I have to admit that's freaky!  But as with Baby Alive I can get over it.

Awww, who am I kidding???  I'll hug any doll I can grab when I'm feeling rotten.  It all depends on who's the closest.  I have to admit though that Talia is now one of my favorite go-tos, simply because she IS so soft.  Alice Helene isn't as soft, but she's still fun to hold.  She doesn't weigh a ton like some of my other dolls do, so holding her is easy.  It's really down to preference, kinda like the softness of a mattress.  I prefer my soft dolls extra-soft, so Talia is the winner here.

Cuddly love,

RagingMoon1987