A family favorite holiday

Yep, it's Halloween again!  I can't think of a better way to bring down the curtain on my favorite month than a holiday full of kids in costumes and buckets of junk food.  I think the sugar may have given me double vision. 

LOL, Treesa thought Skye Kitty needed a friend.  Prima Kitty is her name, and like Skye her birthday is today.

Prima is very similar to Skye, but not exactly the same.  Her vinyl is slightly fairer than Skye's, and her eyes are that lovely Mattel green (Skye's eyes are blue, also lovely).

These Halloween Kitties are so cute!  As far as I know they all have the same head, but they're adorable nonetheless.  Thank you, Treesa!

Of course Skye and Prima aren't the only dolls I've got DOLLED up, LOL.  So Mischievous Moonbeam and So Surprised Suzie are all decked out.  Moonbeam's outfit was a gift from Mama, and I got the orange one myself. 

Moonbeam's dress has a red petticoat underneath, and it peeks out in places, giving the otherwise blue-gray and black ensemble a nice pop of color.

Then there's Jettivee Bargo and Kyle MacDonald, both clad in costumes my Mama supplied (again).

Kyle isn't just a Scarecrow, though.  He's headed to Oz!  He has his diploma, though I didn't show it here.

"I've got a brain!  How can I thank you enough???"

Well, you can't.  LOL, I always loved that exchange of dialog!  As for Jettivee, she's got an adorable dress under that cape.

So cute!

Mumpy Terri Lee, in orange like Chatty Cathy was earlier.

And as a finishing touch, here's Chatty Cathy's new dress.  Nothing va-va-va-voom, and IRL the skirt is ridiculously short, but it's got cute buttons.

See the buttons?  That was what sold the dress for me.

And that, ladies and germs, is my Halloween for the year!  The Bootheel has had a lot of rain so the ground is wet and spongy, and the air is chilly so we're not opening our doors this year.  We've clipped our curtains shut so no little hoodlums can see in, and Mama and I are enjoying mini Almond Joy bars.  Diet be damned, calories don't count during Halloween...ha, I wish!  But we're splurging a bit and loving every second of it.

Thank you for Prima, Treesa!  She was a lovely little surprise.

Happy Halloween,

RagingMoon1987

So random, September/October '25

Ah, my favorite two months have come and gone!  July and August were dynamic and a little depressing, while September and October have been pretty chill.  I got all of my cats moved over to Casa Pizarro, and as a result I no longer have to worry about driving two miles in ice storms or driving rain or God knows what kind of weather to care for them.  See, I had been waiting for our handyman to build a fence so they could all go outside, but Mama wanted a patio instead so we've got that (the cats are all indoor anyway).  The transition has not been smooth; the girl cats all hiss and glare at each other, Adric hasn't come out of hiding since I brought him over, and Tommy went missing on the 29th.  Turns out the little devil was trapped in a pile of laundry; by nightfall he'd freed himself and was back to his old self.  Oh, and my surviving parakeet, Shirley?  I got a brand-new cage for her, new toys and everything, and I went to get her out of the old cage and found her dead.  So now I've got a nice new cage, a nice new travel cage, toys and seed and cuttlebone and everything, and no bird to use it.  Yet.  Mama says that we can get some new birds when we're done moving everything else around, so the cage won't go to waste.  Nor will Shirley's old cage; I plan to sterilize it and get some zebra finches.  Mama is very fond of zebra finches, and frankly, so am I.

Alrighty, first image is on August 31st.

Rita Cheryl and Silver Bird strike a pose.  As I discussed not too long ago, they're both ready for fall, and indeed fall is now in full swing.  I've experienced colder Halloweens, but this one today isn't exactly swim weather.

September 2nd.  I found two fall dresses in Chatty Cathy's wardrobe, and I dressed her in one of them.

Usually we have a mini-summer in September, but it was still so mild on September 2nd that I started to wonder if this fall would be different.  The heat broke back on August 19th, and it hadn't cranked up by the 2nd!  Not that I missed it, LOL!  Y'all will get to see Cathy's other dress later; it's a smidge more appropriate for Halloween.

September 7th.  I was gearing up for Monst and Amooooore Doll reviews and had to move these two.  Big surprise, I pushed the reviews back.

They look funny peeking out of my walker bag.

September 8th.  A new arrival and an old one.

I'd planned on introducing Dell to her pen pal Mosi, but Cotton Candy Mia met her first.  The two made very fast friends; note that Mia is wearing Dell's charm bracelet. 

September 12th.  Head shot of my new-to-me B.F.C. Ink doll, Kaitlin.  She too will be getting a review...in the spring.

Back when this blog was young, I moved Heaven and Earth to find a B.F.C. Ink doll to fill out an outfit I'd bought on sale.  My search was fruitless and I forgot in time, and then I remembered, LOL.  Kaitlin is the result.  Mama is very fond of Kaitlin, by the way. 

September 14th.  Kaitlin strutted her stuff as best she could.

Later B.F.C. Ink dolls were jointed all over, but my doll is a first wave doll and is only jointed at the knees.  There are a number of other quirks about Kaitlin's jointing that I'll discuss when I review her...and that's not scheduled until next March.

By September 15th I already had Kaitlin out of her stock clothes and into her secondary outfit.

I love how the hat makes her eyes pop.  I wish she had something on her neck, though; a big neckline like that always looks good with a necklace or a scarf.  I'll see what I can do...

September 26th, Failbook memory from 2018.

I think this may be the first picture I got of Freya.

September 30th.  Cloe accompany me to work.

Cloe is small and easy to carry, so I may make her the blog mascot.  Jade was and still is my favorite of the Bratz dolls, but this Cloe reminds me of all that was good during my adolescence.  Capri pants, high heels that were both cute and comfortable, and cheap lip gloss that smelled nice and had glitter in it...LOL, kinda dated now, but I had a heckuva lot of fun.  Now I just wear whatever's clean and comfortable.

I must say, Cloe is photogenic even when her hair's not doing what I want it to do.  But then that's the case with a great many of my dolls.

Yep, that's our side-view mirror she's in!  I've never done that with a doll before.

October 3rd it was Lorifina's turn to go for a drive.

Lori fits nicely into my walker bag, despite her long legs.  She's not as compact as some of my other dolls, but getting her oot and aboot was small potatoes.  Even so, I only took her to Sonic, LOL.

October 7th. 

When I get bitten by the Bratz bug I rediscover the Bratzillaz all over again.  Believe it or not, I tend to forget that I have these, even though they're jointed and have striking eyes (note how Jade's eyes seem to glow).  Even though the Bratzillaz are fairly flagrant rip-offs of both LIV and Monster High, I like 'em a lot.  They're characters.

October 13th.  My resident brown-eyed redheads strike a pose.  Both of them are new-to-me.

Y'all have met Billie (twice), and the other doll is Zelia, a Hearts for Hearts Girl.  I have Dell waiting in the wings too, because I love H4H Girls' bright eyes and shiny hair.  But then Billie's eyes are nothing to sneeze at either.  Nor is her hair.

October 14th.  Two of Treesa's Build-a-Bears, Raina and Hal.

I love these Build-a-Bears!  They're unfortunately quite addictive. 

October 18th.

This shows San Juan Carmen and Kaitlin together.  I thought I'd have Carmen's review ready by now, but obviously I don't.  I was trying to pound home the point that Carmen is not terribly attractive, but spoilers, I'd already pounded home the point so I edited this out.

October 19th.  Treesa requested a picture of Danica and Billie together since they both have freckles and short red hair.  I thought it was a good idea.

It was cool enuff for fall clothes by the nineteenth, but Billie's new things weren't in yet.  More spoilers, her ensemble (and Camille's) are full-tilt winter garb rather than fall, but then temperatures last night fell into the high thirties, so it's all good.

October 30th, after a week of moving cats from Point A to Point B.  A girl on my favorite Cabbage Patch group said she missed me, so I shared my It Girls.

Christa loves Beryl June on the left, and I think it was another C name that loves Candela Laura.  Said Candela was her dream Jesmar.  Said dream Jesmar just fell into my lap pretty much, so I told her to keep her ears to the surface, and if I ever decide to do a Cabbie cull she'll be the one who gets Candela Laura.  Christa, same goes for you.  If I have to start giving them away you get Beryl June, hands down.

I've actually thought about that, believe it or not.  Let's be honest, some of our dolls are special and we want someone to take extra care of them if something happens to us.  I don't have my wishes in paper, but I plan on divvying some of my things up in case the Big C or some other terrible illness signs my death warrant, or if I decide on a whim to drop the doll hobby (highly unlikely).  Tam gets Sandy McCall, that much is certain, Christa gets Beryl June (and possibly Rita Cheryl if she wants her), and the other lady on Failbook gets Candela Laura.  So if I have anything that you want willed to you, speak up and I'll make a note of it.  Don't worry, I'm fine right now!  I just want to have my little ducks in order...just in case.  'Cause sadly, you never know.

And with that happy thought I bid y'all a cheerful adieu until this evening.  Some of my dolly children are dressed up for Halloween and I want to share.

Hugs,
RagingMoon1987

If it's not too early for Disney then it's not too early for me

Walt Disney World kicks off Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Bash today (it'll run until Halloween proper).  I can only imagine how those cast members must feel in those Halloween costumes, particularly when August is so cotton-pickin' hot!  But then again, a lot of those cast members have to run around in full-body costumes anyway, folks like Mickey and Minnie and Donald and Goofy, so it's hot 100% of the time.  Still, I hope they'll be okay!  Heatstroke and heat exhaustion are no joke (I've had the latter).  But either way, Halloween Season has begun at Disney World, and if it's not too early for them then I can do it too.  Halloween is Mama's favorite holiday, and she...well, she's bought one little Halloween-themed outfit so far.  Exhibit A.

Silver Bird is already ready to hit the streets and gather some candy!  She's even got her little bucket, which the sticker says came from Oriental Trading Company.

Oh Lordy, I used to love Oriental Trading Company catalogs.  I look back on it all and realize that most of it was just junk that could clutter up a kid's room, but to my child's eye it was TREASURE!!!  A lot of the Halloween stuff glowed in the dark, so I always loved those catalogs the best.

Rita Cheryl is a little more understated than Silver Bird, but she too is ready for the oncoming fall, and the blazing weather that will inevitably come before Halloween gets here.

I do have a jacket and footwear for her to wear when it does turn cold, but for now Rita Cheryl is happy as a lark without all the frippery.

Of course no post of mine is complete without a Cabbage Patch Kid.  Mama got this for my Kids, and I promptly assigned it to Idalia Gale.

There's always gotta be one in the mix who WILL.  NOT.  wear a dress, and for me that someone is Idalia Gale.  Oh, she'll wear dresses when I push the issue, but it's like pulling teeth without anesthesia.  Idalia Gale is a jeans-and-overalls Kid, full stop.

Going a size down now, I have a Halloween-themed outfit for So Surprised Suzie around here somewhere (always somewhere!), but because I'm so organized I can't find it.  Never fear, I've had this outfit waiting since last winter.

There's always something available for a Baby Face doll if you know where to look, and not to brag, but I know where to look.  This particular dress is an eBay find, from Luvable Creations.

This next doll is a new face to the blog.  She's Lorifina, though I call her Lori.

Lorifina dolls came in simple little sleepwear, and items for this doll can still be found on eBay, but a healthy cottage industry also exists for this doll, and that's what this is here.  The eBay shop is dea850, and most of the items in this ensemble are handmade.  The shoes are not handmade, being Lorifina-brand shoes.

Pretty sweet kicks, I must say.  These slid onto Lori's feet with zero fuss, by the way.  Lori has sizeable feet, and the openings to the shoes looked kinda small, but they gap open enuff that I had no trouble getting these on her.  

From the very tall to the very small, here's another new face.  Meet My Mini Baby!  Ayla Diamond is her name.  Ayla...I've got another Ayla in my collection, but don't tell the Baby Name Genie that.  I like the name Ayla anyway, so I can live with having two.  Here's the new Ayla; she looks nothing like Big Ayla.  My Mini Babies have sweet little faces...but they're all asleep!

Yeah, I ripped Miss Emily's blog off again, name generator and all.  She recently talked about tiny blind-bag silicone babies (posts HERE and HERE), and when she mentioned that Etsy has a thriving market for clothes, I was sold.  Most of the items for these dolls are crocheted, and I love tiny things that are crocheted.  Crocheting something that small is NOT easy; I've tried it and it made my hands and eyes ache.  This little outfit came from PaulasCrochetArmoire.  As an aside, the Star Babies in the second post are WAAAAY more expensive than My Mini Baby, but the only way they're superior is in the name (I think they're also handmade, so that's something).  Staaaaarrr baby, flashy little shiny little lovin' machine!  LOL, I freaking love the Guess Who.

Ahem...not all of my kids are getting ready for falling leaves, fun-size M&M's, and pumpkin spice lattes.  Summer Daisy is ready to soak up some rays.

Thank you again, Treesa!  She said she wanted to get that little outfit to me before summer ended, and she succeeded!  Maybe that little outfit would look better on a neutral-colored critter like Flaxie, but I STILL haven't found Flaxie!!!  The pink provides a nice contrast to Summer Daisy's fur anyway.  As an aside...have y'all seen this year's Build-a-Bear Halloween cats?  They are ADORABLE!!!  One of 'em has ghosts printed on its fur.

Mia isn't really dressed for fall either, but she and the next two dolls look so cute that I wanted to include them.  I guess frogs can be for early fall, since they're still hollering on warm nights.

There's a story behind this outfit, one that shows that our local postal service still has problems.  I ordered this super-cute little outfit for Cinnamon, one that mixed go-go dancers and tie-dying, and IT.  NEVER.  CAME.  The tracking number said "delivered," but I never got my cute little outfit.  So, not wanting to give the shop a bad review for something that was out of their hands, I messaged them and they offered me my choice of the other outfits.  I picked the frog dress above, as it was the same price as the lost dress and since Mia needed something nice and new (Cinnamon didn't).  We see the result!  The eBay shop is called Park Ave Doll Clothes, and they have a nice selection of items for a number of vintage dolls that aren't the easiest to clothe.  They've even got some things for my buddy Sasha.

Lastly, here's two more of my Cabbage Patch Kids, Rowena Skylar and the beloved Candela Laura.

As usual, these were gifts from Mama.  Candela Laura's set has Peppa Pig and Rowena Skylar's set has brightly colored insects.  More springtimey, these colors are, but my cares are nigh next to zero.  By the way, remember when I told y'all that Beryl June (one of my double popcorns) has a fan?  Candela Laura does too; a friend on Failbook told me that Candela Laura was her dream Jesmar.  I have seen a couple'a Jesmars that look a lot like Candela Laura does, so if my friend looks hard enuff she should be able to find one.  Candela Laura kinda just fell in my lap...but then so did Rowena Skylar, LOL!

The jumble of colors and themes doesn't matter too much since fall is a mixed bag in the Bootheel anyway.  Some years it stays hot until the middle of November, and another year it snowed in early October.  Still other years have seen the temperatures see-saw wildly, with a wave of severe weather accompanying each swing.  Last fall was very wet, thanks to Hurricanes Francine and Helene.  Seriously, Helene didn't cause my area anywhere near as much trouble as she did Appalachia, and she was STILL a doozie!  I hope it's a long time before the country has another terrible storm like that.  I wouldn't mind a nice long soaking rain though, as the crops are starting to need it.  Speaking of hurricanes...here's Erin's baby picture, taken on the 11th. 

Not gonna lie, this hurricane has me concerned.  She formed in the Cape Verde area, where some of the worst hurricanes form, and she's got nothing but the wide open sea in front of her.  Those waters are warm, perfect for Erin to grow.  So we'll see what happens.  As for me and for much of the east-central part of the U.S., the weekend and the bulk of next week are looking to be hotter than the hinges of hell.  We're not quite to "Everyone in McKinney is dead" mode, but we'll be close.

ALICE UPDATE:  My resident black widow has had a third clutch of babies, and I've seen her oot and aboot a couple'a times, but no more pictures so far.  Alice hides when I come around, and I can't say that I blame her.  I'd hide too if something a trillion times my size looked at me.  But Alice is alive and well, still spry, still beautiful, still nimble as a jackrabbit.

Sunny love,
RagingMoon1987

My little firecrackers

I kid y'all not, I can't say enuff good about vickiveesdollclothes.  When I want something cute for So Surprised Suzie, a lot of times Vicki's the one who's got it.  Case in point.

It's another little bell bottom set like the one Suzie wore during most of the spring, but instead of a headband it's got a cute hat.

Hats were kinda a thing in the nineties, when Suzie was also a thing, so this works.

But Suzie isn't my only little firecracker this year.  Hey, when do I ever have only one to show???  Here's Kyle and Jettivee in their outfits from AdollableByRita on Etsy.

Mama supplied these, of course.  She loves dressing my dolls as much as I do.  Believe y'all me, it's greatly appreciated. 

And of course, there's Terri Lee, mumpy and grumpy as always. 

There was a thunderstorm moving in when I took that picture (last week), so that may have concerned Terri Lee some.  She's not a big fan of thunderstorms, but luckily for her the storm fizzled out before it got here.

It's hot today, but the humidity isn't as high as it was last week.  No storms in the forecast as far as I know, either.  Not today, anyway. 

I plan on doing as little as possible today.  I'm not even gonna bother with fireworks, though I'd like to.  I'll explain why in a future post.

Happy Independence Day,

RagingMoon1987

Nine rare American Girls that everyone supposedly wants

This post springs from yet another article that I found, one that apparently knows exactly which American Girl dolls all serious collectors want.  Let's see...how many of these am I dying to own?  And the images...they're all stock images of more modern dolls.  There was no way I was finding a stock image of this first one.

1:  Original 1986 Kirsten

Nope, I've got a Kirsten and I love her.  The original doll has some subtle differences from the one I've got, but they're super-subtle.  Besides, these older Kirsten dolls have ridiculously pale eyes, and I think they look possessed. 

2:  White-body Samantha 

Nope, because I've got a Samantha and...keep her around for sentimental reasons.  Samantha never has been and never will be one of my favorite dolls, and why is a white-body Samantha so much better than a Kirsten or a Molly with a white body?  Hard pass.

3:  Josefina Montoya

No, but just because I don't really need a Josefina.  I like her a lot, and I remember when she joined the AG bunch.  Just reading her lists of accessories was a learning experience because there was so much Spanish involved.  So probably if my collection were smaller I'd say yes to this one.

4:  Cecile Rey

Maybe in the future.  I had a chance to own both Marie-Grace and Cecile about a year ago, but Cecile ended up getting sold and if I own one I want the other.  The article sites Cecile as being desirable because she was the more well-dressed of the two, and because there weren't many of her made (both Cecile and Marie-Grace were unpopular).  

5:  Caroline Abbott

Soft pass, largely because Caroline looks a lot like a doll I've already got (Kat the Time-Explorer).  Caroline represents a part of American history that doesn't get a lot of press, and she's quite attractive with loose blonde curls and aquamarine eyes, so my door is open for Caroline in the future...but not right now.

6:  Limited-edition Ruthie

I didn't know Ruthie was considered limited-edition!  I thought she was a regular ol' best friend like Emily, like Elizabeth, like Ivy and Nellie.  The article talks about her accessories (she wears a watch, pricey in those days), but I don't think Ruthie is any better than Kit.  Pass.

7:  Limited-edition #21

Uh, since when was this one limited-edition???  I remember when JLY #21 was released and no one said a word about her being limited-edition.  Hard pass, because I have #21.  Rilla Louise is in rough shape, but I do own her.

8:  Marisol Luna

NOW we're talking limited-edition!  The only Girl of the Year on the list, Marisol is listed as a fan favorite due to her ballet-themed collection and her abundance of hair.  Hmmm, I remember her being controversial!  Anyway, Marisol was on my radar for a looooong time, and even today I still have my eye on her.  

9:  German Samantha 

Another Samantha??????  Yes, this one was made abroad and has specialized tags and packaging.  Interesting...but she's Samantha.  No.  Just no.  Thanks anyway.

If y'all couldn't tell, the one I'd pick out of all of them would be Marisol, and indeed, she's the only one I'm still seriously considering finding.  The others I either have variants of, don't have room for, or don't care much for.  Seriously, who needs more than one Samantha, tag and body variants be danged?  But then someone might ask me the same thing about JLY #49, and I love her more than all the other JLYs put together.  Indeed, I've considered getting a second one.  Like Rita Cheryl isn't enuff, LOL.

We all have our favorites, so I shouldn't pooh-pooh Samantha too hard.  Some folks love her as much as I love #49.

Love,
RagingMoon1987