I spoke too soon!

Remember how the other day I said I felt better after a long period of feeling not so great?  Well!  Guess who caught a stupid cold???  Yep, Mama and I both did.  Thank God my boss called off work due to the snow.  Thank God for Sunny D, flannel pajamas, and a warm house.  Oh, and Rubia Emilia.  She's keeping me company as I ride this out.

Candela Laura may have been unseated as my favorite Cabbage Patch Kid.  We'll have to see who's cuter with their pacifier in place.

Y'all stay safe, stay warm, and stay well out there!  It's not gonna get above freezing for at least a week!

Love,

RagingMoon1987 

My Bavatarbie

The Bootheel's weather woes continue, though I'm happy to report that there's no uncertainty like there was last Sunday. Last week we weren't sure whether it would be cold rain, FREEZING rain, ot sleet, but tonight and tomorrow we get snow, period. Last Friday the forecast was calling for one to two inches, and then by Monday it was up to two to four inches. I'd rather have snow than ice, but driving in snow still sucks.  Fortunately for us the worst of it is going south of us, but it could be bad for some of y'all.

Now to today's topic.  Years ago (I'm talking "I was in college" years ago, so the timeframe between 2006 and 2011), I was a fan of a blog called A Feminist's Guide to Barbie.  I hold a dim view of most modern-day feminists due to their obsession with their genitals and with sex in general, but this lady was...well, she actually had her head on straight.  She acted like she genuinely wanted to make the world better for women, and without all the man-bashing (she was married to a hunk, LOL).  She had a cute little girl, they played Barbie together, and the mom had a term for the doll one used to represent oneself.  This was your "Bavatarbie," a portmanteau of "avatar" and "Barbie."  This Bavatarbie could look like you, or it could...well, NOT look like you.  For example, I'm heavyset with shaggy brown hair, pale blue eyes, and a steadily worsening limp, but my Bavatarbie would likely be a redhead and able-bodied (any eye color goes).  Kinda like...

...California Midge (very subtle difference from California Dream Midge).  Red-haired, green-eyed, freckle-faced, and semi-standing on her own two feet.  Here's what the box looked like, because I'm like that.

As I've said before I've always preferred Midge to Barbie, because Midge was less perfect and more personal, but she was capable of being just as glamorous as Barbie was if she wanted to be.  Now for the record, I do own a rebodied California Dream Midge and I love her, but I wanted one of these dolls intact.  And I got her!  I got her MIB with her full outfit, her skates, her paper inserts, and pale spots on her legs.  Indeed, Midge's spots have developed into full-tilt patches.  Her legs are also very sticky, and a rubdown with a wet wipe didn't help much.

Here's a better look at the patches.

Bopsy can relate.  I don't know what it is about Barbie dolls from the late eighties, but a lot of 'em develop these round faded marks on their legs.  Bopsy dates from 1987 and thus has the spots.

A few years made a world of difference.  Snap 'n' Play (1991) and Teen Talk (1992) do not have these fade marks...nor do any of my nineties dolls.

The spots are an aesthetic problem, but as far as I know it's nothing more than that.  Spots notwithstanding, Midge is structurally sound and has everything that a good California Midge should.  She's got her skates, which I think are adorable.

I never learned how to skate, by the way.  Pain and I never have been friends, and the thought of sandpapering skin off my hands and knees turned me off of skating...and scootering...AND riding a bike.  My sister learned to ride both a scooter and a bicycle, so I figure she'd have been good at skating.  Anyway, here's a closeup of Midge's face; the first three Midge dolls of the eighties had my beloved Steffie head.  

California, California Dream, and Cool Times.  After that Midge took on the Diva head, and I think I own the first doll with that head, All-Star Midge.  Indeed, I think the Diva head favors the old-fashioned Midge head more than Steffie does.

I own Cool Times Midge, but guess where she is.  In storage!  Cool Times has pink lips that don't go very well with her tan, while California and California Dream Midge both have raspberry lips that I love.  Take special note of these eyes, as they're the best way to tell California Midge from California Dream Midge.  My doll is the California variant and has two round white dots...

...while California Dream has a dot and a line.  Told y'all the difference was subtle!  I think there were some minor differences in the enclosed skates too, but that's all the difference there is.  Hair's the same, coloration is the same, earrings are the same.  Let's take a moment to admire the paint on these dolls...all of 'em, not just Midge.  I love their coloration. 

Shucks, I wish I had Dee Dee with me!  I love her fiery eyeshadow, but then I also love Teen Talk Barbie's paint, because her eyes are green rather than the usual blue sported by Barbie dolls.  Before the Fashionista days blonde Barbie dolls were almost always blue-eyed, so it always pleases me to find one of these older dolls with brown or green eyes.  But when it comes to heads, for me Steffie is at the head of the pack as always, and I'm glad to have another one aboard. 

After unboxing Midge I left her sitting on the arm of the couch, and she looked so cute that I turned her head and snapped a picture.

When I was just beginning to blog about dolls I'd sit typing up the words, and I'd usually have a doll sitting or standing nearby.  More often than not they'd look cute sitting or standing close to me, and I'd snap a picture.  I wish I had some of those now, but they're locked up in my old computer...which hasn't been used in ten years.  I can start the habit up again, but I still wish I had some of those old images, those that had a lot of extraneous junk in the background, or were kinda weird, or were just...well, candids of my Barbie dolls.  Maybe they'd be a little scruffy or not looking directly at the camera, but I was pleased anyway.  

Now, as usual, I'm gonna keep an eye out for ice halos and batten down the hatches for snow!  So far I haven't seen any halos, but I did see some beautiful hoarfrost on the windows and mirrors of our car (plus my reflection, LOL).  I love hoarfrost; it inspired my favorite Faberge egg.

We got put under a winter storm warning yesterday afternoon, but thank God, the weather folks aren't predicting any ice for us.  Snow is a pain in the posterior to drive in, but it's tolerable.

Love,
RagingMoon1987

My first Cutie Reveal...and our crap weather

I WAS gonna dive right in today, but the first big winter storm of the season is on its way.  The Weather Channel has taken it upon itself to start naming winter storms, with this one apparently being Winter Storm Blair.  I never have liked the names that the Weather Channel picks; one year we had Leon and Cleon back to back.  Anyway, we've known Blair was coming for a week now, but early this morning was the first time the Bootheel got put under any sort of advisory.  Here's what the weather map looked like early this morning; my hometown is the blue dot.  

For some context, the pink, which stretches from Ste. Genevieve County northward, is a winter storm warning.  All conceivable types of winter precip are expected there.  My uncle (the one I like), his significant other, and her mother are all in the crosshairs of this.

The purple is an ice storm warning, and that to me is the scariest of all of it.  I love rain, and I can tolerate snow, but I hate, hate, HATE freezing rain!!!  The National Weather Service is encouraging everyone in this band to stay the hell off the streets.

As for Malden and surrounding areas, we're under a winter weather advisory.  I make note of this because yesterday we were expected to get nothing but a lot of rain.  Now they're calling for a little snow as well.  Some ice may also fall, but thank God, NWS says it probably won't stick.

Xanadu, I think it was you that commented on our iffy weather here in my neck of the woods, and I have to admit that yes, it can be VERY rubbish at times.  But thankfully we have far more good days than bad, and after this storm buggers off we should be in for smooth (but very, very cold) sailing.  The lows next week are predicted to be in the mid-teens, so anything that does fall should hang around for awhile.  As for y'all...let's see, I have readers in Ohio and in Pennsylvania...<glances at the map>...looks like southern Ohio is gonna get a dose of this crap too, and extreme southern Pennsylvania may get a taste too.  So if you're gonna be affected by ice or snow, BE CAREFUL!!!  How do I hate January?  Let me count the ways.  

Okay, I'm done bloviating about the weather.  I like to post when excrement is about to hit the fan, and now that I've done that, on to today's doll.  I've been tempted by Barbie's Cutie Reveal bunch ever since the line that had the elephant and the sloth in their lineup, but the Care Bear wave was what finally forced my hand.  I was a fairly big fan of the Care Bears growing up, and lately they have been something to laugh about as well.  Back during the summer I woke up in the middle of the night, but not all the way...and when you're half-asleep anything can come out of your mouth.  So I turned to Mama and had a brief but detailed conversation about Secret Bear, one of my childhood favorite Care Bears.  Secret Bear NEVER talks, only communicating through pantomime and Charades-like behavior, and as a result it can be a pain in the posterior to understand her unless her bestie Friend Bear is around.  Friend Bear understands Secret Bear perfectly and usually serves as translator.  Anyway, morning rolled around, I had only a hazy recollection of the night's events, and I had to ask Mama:

ME (slightly bemused):  Did we or did we not have a conversation about Care Bears in the middle of the night?

MAMA (Dumbledore-level calmness):  Yes, we did.

ME (even more nonplussed):  ...o-kay...

I was left shaking my head at that one since it was so out of left field, even for me.  But anyway, I've kept the Care Bears close to my weird little psychie ever since, and when I saw this line of Cutie Reveal Barbies I grabbed one.

There are are at least three characters involved in this line:  Grumpy Bear (blue), Cheer Bear (pink), and Share Bear (lavender).  I also saw an image of a white Bear with rainbow polka dots, but I think that was a photoshop job...no, it's not.  It's not even a stinkin' Care Bear, but rather a dream Dalmatian. 

My favorite of this dreamy series is the penguin; she may have to join my little party of furries, along with the sloth and the elephant.

Anyway, this infernal sciatica pain often leaves me feeling grumpy and frustrated, so I picked the doll dressed as Grumpy Bear.  According to this link the word "Vex" has gained some traction as a name, so I'll use that for the doll's name...though I know dern good and well she's gonna be smiling.

Cutie Reveal dolls come in a tube, just like those old Color Reveal dolls did...

...but no water is involved like it was with Color Reveal.  Just slide the doll and her packages out of the tube...

...and she's free!  

The packages hold outfit pieces so that Vex doesn't have to eternally cosplay as Grumpy Bear or pose in her panties.  Part of the costume also doubles as a reversible jacket.

Fittingly, all the pieces are either blue and/or white, and the jacket is a little fuzzy. 

I like fuzzy.  But I don't really like the painted shine marks on her lips.  I haven't seen doll lips like that since Wild Hair Sindy.

Vex makes up for it with her eyeshine...done up like little hearts!  And now that I look closer, I can see little hearts on Vex's lips as well.  I love it!  I also love this doll's highlights; the color reveal gimmick hasn't been completely abandoned...just heavily modified.  My Color Reveal doll (whereabouts unknown) had hair and makeup that would shift colors with warm or cold temperatures, and Vex is the same way.  As far as I know, all of the Cutie Reveals have this feature.

Right now the room is a little cold, so Vex's highlights are on full display.  When it's warm her highlights are more blonde in color. 

Online posts suggest that I can use the costume head as a bed for Vex's mini Grumpy Bear, but usually she just holds him since he's the size of a regular teddy bear.

Not half-bad.  I do wish Vex's legs were more limber like a Made to Move doll's, but then that would probably drive the cost of these Cutie Reveals up.  Vex has more joints than the Fashionistas do, so I'll just let that baby sleep.  Overall Vex is pretty cute.  She's a little more limber than the Fashionistas, but she still can't hold a candle to the Made to Move bunch.  She's dressed pretty cute, though those legs look cold without something on them.  Her face is a little pixeled, but not terribly so.  I can see how these dolls could get addictive, with those cute costumes and their colorful hair.  

Now I'm going to find my warm pajamas and pray that we don't get ice!  On the plus side I'm wearing new winter pajamas, and Mama made potato soup earlier today so we have that to look forward to tomorrow.  Heck, I already had a big bowl of it!  Despite the specter of foul weather ahead, I'm feeling pretty positive and that's an epic feeling.  Love y'all!

Frosty love,

RagingMoon1987 

Twenty below

About this time last year parts of my home county (and indeed, parts of the whole seismic zone) were picking up the pieces after a nasty tornado outbreak.  This year winter has gotten off to a more...well, wintery start.  For me the saga began two days ago when I decided to pose Rita Cheryl in front of one of my bushes.  It was chilly enuff that sleeves were necessary, but it wasn't unbearable.

Indeed, the dandelions behind the library thought spring had sprung.  One of 'em had even gone to seed.

Fast-forward to yesterday, about four o'clock.  The wind was howling, the temperature was plummeting, and the snow was falling.  I'd estimate that visibility was down to around a quarter of a mile, give or take.

Good thing my mom and I live half a mile from work!  The storm was a brief one, but it brought a sharp wind and some seriously cold temperatures.  The temp this morning was one below, and the wind chill was TWENTY-ONE BELOW!!!  I'm used to winters getting cold in Missouri, but wind chills this low are not common.  Or at least they aren't in the Bootheel.  The northern part of the state is another story.

The storm only dropped about two inches of snow, but it's that fine, powdery kind that blows around a lot, so the drifts are about five inches deep in some areas.  Here's what the front porch of the library looks like.  Thankfully, we are in for a beautiful day.

Rita Cheryl is from Brooklyn, so cold doesn't bother her much (notice her still-bare knees).  She decided to take her chance on this small patch of ice...

...and it didn't go so great!  Rita Cheryl didn't let the spill bother her, though.  Indeed, she used it as an opportunity to make snow angels.

Don't worry, we were both careful not to get any snow in her eyes.  Water is a mortal enemy of American Girl eyes.

The snow is beautiful to look at, but I keep thinking back to a phone conversation I had with First Uncle during my teenage years.  We were discussing snow, of course, and he said in a Garfield-esque monotone, "Bing Crosby dreamed about a white Christmas, but he clearly never had to drive in the sh!t."  Yep, driving in snow, even a little bit of it, is no picnic.  Mama managed just fine last night and equally fine this morning, but she and I have gotten into more than one bind while trying to drive in snow.  So if any of y'all have to be out in this weather, be careful, pace yourself, and take every possible precaution.  And if you don't have to be out, don't go out!  Brew a warm drink of your choice and binge watch your favorite TV show...like I'd be doing if I were home.

Oh, and get this:  next Thursday the highs are predicted to be around sixty.  As Mama would put it, "That's the kind of weather to make you good and sick!"

Merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah,
RagingMoon1987

That type

You know the type.  The type that wears layers from the waist up during cold weather, and then wears shorts (and maybe also sandals or flip-flops).  And if you ask them if they're cold they answer "No, I'm fine."  Yeah...Luciana is that type.  She's got sense enuff to wear decent shoes in this weather, but that's about it.

Note the frost behind her.  This was the air temperature.

I don't know what I'm gonna do with Astro-Luci, LOL.  I couldn't stand going bare-legged in this weather!

Warm blessings,
RagingMoon1987

First snow of the season

As I noted back in June, we have our calendars and our designated beginnings of months and seasons, but God works on His own time, and the two extreme seasons (summer and winter) begin when they begin.  Case in point:  the Bootheel got its first snow of the season last night.  It was just a dusting, and temperatures are predicted to get above freezing today, so it'll probably melt.  But snow is snow, and it made my unkempt yard look quite pretty.

Rita Cheryl was well-prepared for the sudden drop in temperatures, but Tequila Rose was not.

Tequila Rose is taking it in stride.  She says she's thankful that she got out of North Carolina just in time, as the remains of Hurricane Nicole dropped a ton of rain in that area.  I told her that the snow here isn't always this light, but I don't think she paid much attention.  Luckily she didn't notice when I bought her a coat either, LOL.  That should be here sometime next week.

Warm hugs,
RagingMoon1987

Another temperature flip-flop; or the purging of some sadness

Flip-flop...speaking of flip-flops, it was warm enuff here in the Bootheel last week that I considered wearing a pair to work.  I didn't, because wearing flip-flops too much has really done a number on my feet!  Anywho, it was in the low seventies last week, and then yesterday the temperature bottomed out with copious snowfall, to my chagrin and Rita Cheryl's apparent delight.

Today the snow had all but melted by getting off time (5:30 for me), and temperatures will be in the sixties again by about Tuesday.  Amanda and Rita Cheryl sum up the wild variation pretty well.

Won't be long until Rita Cheryl will be wearing her spring clothes again!  In honor of Turning Red I bought her a red panda dress, but it won't be here for awhile yet.  Odds are that it'll be here in time for the tried-and-true equinox.  And no, I haven't seen Turning Red yet, though I love the idea of someone shapeshifting as their emotions rise and fall.  Plus, I love red pandas.  So does Rita Cheryl, LOL.  Rita Cheryl loves pandas, period, as shown by her raincoat and boots.

Now...as is often the case with these posts, I have some spleen to vent...no, wait...one vents one's spleen when one is angry, don't they?  I'm certainly not angry, not today.  I've mentioned off and on that my mother had a cousin who was sick with some trippy type of cancer, and up until about a month ago she was stable and holding her own.  Unfortunately a wave of complications hit in the middle of last month, and in a span of about two weeks Kristi went from being ambulatory and alert to on hospice to deceased.  She passed away yesterday.  Here is a screenshot of her husband's tribute.

Kristi was just a little slip of a woman, and since she was constantly smiling and friendly one would think that she was a complete wuss.  Not so!  Kristi endured her disease and the pain and frustrations that come with it with great courage and strength.  She had her moments of fear and despair, of course, but only her closest family saw that.  The rest of us, myself included, usually saw her smile and her optimism, and her unquestioning faith in the Almighty, a far greater faith than I've ever had.  So while I'll miss Kristi dearly, I'll also remember her with a smile on my own face, and in the future I'll strive to be more positive and more brave like her.  I'll also be keeping Kristi's husband Dan in my prayers, as his health isn't much better than Kristi's was.  He's got heart failure and is on dialysis, and last I heard he was trying to get on the waiting list for a kidney, though I don't know if he'll bother now that his wife is gone.  Y'all know how sometimes someone gives up on life after their spouse dies?  I hope and pray that won't happen to Dan; he's got lots of people who love him.  But then again, so did Kristi.  So I need to just shut face and let God do His thing.  He knows what He's doing.

Give your loved ones an extra hug tonight!  You never know when they'll be called home.

Love,
RagingMoon1987