AG Spotlight: Silver Bird Le

I was the Moon Girl's first Just Like You doll, but certainly not her last!

FULL NAME:  Arizona Matagorda Silver Bird Le

NICKNAME:  My full name is such a mouthful that I just go by "Silver Bird."

WHERE I GOT MY NAME:  Matagorda Bay, a song by Mark Lindsey ("Arizona"), a song by Justin Hayward ("Silverbird"), and a common Vietnamese surname.  Like I said, a mouthful!  By coincidence, Mark Lindsey also performed a song called "Silver Bird," but I like "Arizona" better.

JUST LIKE YOU NUMBER:  #4

HOMETOWN:  Rural Texas, near Wichita Falls

HEAD MOLD:  Asian (I AM a #4, after all)

HAIR COLOR:  Black with a purple streak (not permanent like Luciana's)

EYE COLOR:  Dark brown; my left eye has a little silver in it, to be expected from an American Girl my age.

FAVORITE COLORS:  Purple, purple, purple, and silver

THINGS I LIKE:  Soccer and gymnastics (the trampoline is my favorite apparatus), vintage clothes, making friends, farm animals (especially pigs), tornado history (Wichita Falls got creamed twice, once in 1964 and once in 1979), playing the piano and any other instrument that has a keyboard, walking on fence rails, urban exploration and exploring in general, writing to my pen pal (Maryellen Larkin), and the University of Alabama.  ROLL TIDE!!!

THINGS I DISLIKE:  People monkeying with my hair, and unfortunately the Moon Girl does that often.  LEAVE IT ALONE, DANG IT!!!  I also hate falling off fence rails, but that doesn't stop me from walking on them!  I don't like pig bites either.  Slim doesn't bite often, but when he does, get your hands away PRONTO!

MY CHOICE OF MUSIC:  I like both the Moody Blues and Paul Revere and the Raiders, the bands fronted by Justin Hayward and Mark Lindsey, respectively.  I'll throw Yes into the mix since I idolize Rick Wakeman, and Journey because why not?

PETS:  Slim, a pig, Becca, a goat, and Baxter, a gray and white rabbit.

BEST FRIENDS:  Kyle, because he is also a tornado buff, Luciana, because she likes to explore (and because we have pets that are hard to feed), Julie, because she likes rabbits, and Zoe and Rilla Louise, because they dream of forming a band...with me as a member!

SOMEONE I'D RATHER AVOID:  I like Doremi because we like some of the same music, but she's a major ditz and she has a mean streak.

HOW I CAME HERE:  eBay.  Moon says she got me for a steal, probably because I'm not minty-mint.  A minty-mint #4 can go for a lot nowadays.  Whatever, I don't want to be minty-mint.

ABOUT ME:  I grew up on a farm, and I'm one of the few dolls in this gang who habitually prefers jeans and pants to dresses.  Not that I don't like to get my girly-girl on every now and then, of course!  This is my favorite dress.  Sage green with purple flowers and a purple bow.

As y'all can see, I love to climb, even when I'm in a dress, though unlike some of my friends I prefer to climb fences rather than trees.  The Moon Girl calls me her Flying Wallenda, and then she usually warns me not to fall...which I did right after this picture was taken.

I also like to play soccer.  I'm the only one in Casa del Luna who plays, but the sport is taking root in Malden quite nicely.  The Moon Girl says that two of the local churches have a team.  Too bad neither of them wear purple like I do.

In addition to soccer and fence-walking I'm both an explorer and a tornado buff.  Imagine my surprise when the Moon Girl told me of a small town about a hundred miles from here that got wiped out completely by a large tornado.  Kyle, Luciana, and I are all itching to go, and Moon has promised to make that happen for us.  I think it's a pity that we don't live closer to Mose, North Dakota.

Side note from the Moon Girl:  Heck, all there is at Mose is a sign...and an abandoned house that stood up in the blow.  I think it's a pity that we don't know more about the incident at Mose.  There is virtually NOTHING online!!!  What little information I could grub up implies that Mose was wiped out by a tornado, but at least one YouTuber thinks it might've been a derecho instead.  Wikipedia also implies that Mose was hit by a derecho rather than a tornado, but we all know how trustworthy Wikipedia is!  It's also possible that Mose got hit by a one-two punch, as derechos often contain embedded tornadoes.  Interestingly, the sign in Mose reads "1899-1943," but the post office was in service from 1934 to 1954.  Back to Silver Bird now!

Yikes, I never want to experience a derecho!  I saw pictures of the damage in Iowa a few years ago and that storm was a humdinger!  Thankfully the weather in the Bootheel doesn't often get that bad; indeed, the Moon Girl says we've been blessed over the past few years...but she also fears that "our time's a-comin'," as she puts it.  Let's talk about something happy now, shall we???  Uh...I like bunnies!  Y'all saw Baxter above; he loves to play ball, believe it or not.  I also have my farm animals; they're okay as long as one keeps their fingers away from Slim's mouth.  Pigs can bite bad!  Luckily for me Slim doesn't bite often; he prefers to have his belly rubbed, like a dog.  He can eat someone out of house and home, though; Luciana says it's a tie between Slim and Goldie (her Tribble) for biggest glutton, and I believe she's right!  The pig versus the Tribble...LOL, sounds like the title of a cheesy horror movie!  As for Becca, I...well, goats are much smarter than sheep, so I have Becca trained to be an attack dog of sorts.  If I say "Becca, sic 'em!" she'll charge whoever I set her on!  I've only had to do that once...to Doremi, LOL.  Becca didn't even touch her; if I say "Becca, halt!" she'll stop, and that's what I did.  It sure made Doremi scream though!  Best laugh I've ever got!  But usually Becca is a good girl, just like Baxter and Slim are good boys.  She loves to have her head scratched, right at the base of her horns.

Regarding things that are cuddly but don't wiggle, here's my doll and my teddy bear.  Maryellen Larkin and Miss AG Bear.  I've had both of 'em less than a week.

Maryellen is my pen pal, and I asked her if it was okay if I owned her mini-self.  I think she was flattered and a little embarrassed, LOL!  But anyway, I own a small version of Maryellen now, and she's made fast friends with Miss AG Bear.

That's all about me, more or less.  If I take up any hobbies I'll let y'all know. 

Very truly yours,
Silver Bird Le

AG Spotlight: Courtney Moore

I think American Girl likes me a little too much.  Have you seen all the crazy videos on YouTube?

FULL NAME:  Courtney Deborah Moore

NICKNAME:  "Court"

BIRTHDAY:  February 12th

HOMETOWN:  Orange Valley, California

HEAD MOLD:  Classic

HAIR COLOR:  The Moon Girl calls it "honey blonde."  It has a slight reddish cast to it.

EYE COLOR:  Medium blue

FAVORITE COLOR:  Purple

THINGS I LIKE:  Vintage video games (especially Pac-Man), mix tapes, eighties toys like My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake, hair do-dads, small animals (especially guinea pigs), gummy bears and candy in general, pajama parties, stuffed animals, Star Trek and Star Wars, the old MTV

THINGS I DISLIKE:  Humidity (it makes my curls frizz), family conflict, licorice, earthquakes, modern-day MTV and reality TV in general,

MY CHOICE OF MUSIC:  Whitney Houston, Cyndi Lauper, Huey Lewis and the News, Michael Jackson, eighties pop and rock in general...except Bruce Springsteen.  NO ONE in the Moon House likes Bruce Springsteen!

PET:  Parsley, a guinea pig.  

*Side note from the Moon Girl:  I said this last week but I'll say it again:  I wish one of these girls had a chinchilla for a pet!  Not that guinea pigs aren't amazing too, of course.

BEST FRIENDS:  Molly, because of course, Samantha, because she's a good listener, Justin, because he and Samantha are kind of a package deal, Amanda, because she thinks things through, and Sadie, because she likes My Little Pony.  I'm in the Star Wars Gang with Luciana, Rita Cheryl, and Z (Z compares us to the girls in Turning Red; she compares me to Priya for some reason), and I also belong to the Dumb Blonde Society, much to Luciana's chagrin.

SOMEONE I'D RATHER AVOID:  Doremi is too impulsive and has a mean streak.  Also Luciana sometimes, since Luciana doesn't like the idea of Dumb Blondes...or dumb anyone.  We just call our group the Dumb Blonde Society, Luciana!  We needed a catchy name!  Whatever, Astro-Luci knows I love her.

HOW I CAME HERE:  eBay find, two months after my debut, no less.

ABOUT ME:  I'm still not over the fact that I've moved from one seismic zone to another, nor am I over how different the terrain is.  Orange Valley is located in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains, and the Bootheel a combination of floodplain, drained swamp, and ancient seabed.  The terrain isn't as flat as parts of Oklahoma, but it's flat enough to allow for good farming.  So while I'm not quite used to seeing the horizon every morning I do love how the seasons change more here, with the flowers in the spring and the leaves in the fall.  I had great fun romping in the leaves last fall, for example.

Overall I'm quiet, thoughtful, and a little on the shy side, but I don't take life super-seriously.  I like to collect stuffed animals.  Vintage or modern, it doesn't matter to me.  Here's my bunch.  I've got a Popple and a modern-day Care Bear in that mix, plus two mini Surprizamals.  

I've also got a unicorn, though Sadie is the unicorn fan of the bunch.  Hey, who DOESN'T love unicorns?

I still like My Little Pony after all these years, though in this case I prefer the old-school ponies.  The modern ponies are okay, but I don't think they're as cute as the ones I grew up with.  Don't tell Sadie that, LOL.  Here's my two; I've got Minty and Firefly, though for some reason Firefly is in the Collectors pose rather than her namesake pose.  Kind of a downer, but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Moon says she has a small collection of ponies, both vintage and modern, and Sadie and I are dying to see them!  I wonder if she has Mimic?

*Side note from the Moon Girl:  No, no Mimic.  I keep my eyes peeled, though!  Mimic is green, and the readers know my opinions on green.  I do feel your surprise regarding your Firefly, by the way.  My Medley is in the Firefly pose and it's a nice, dynamic pose.

Oh well, there are plenty of other nice ponies besides Mimic, and I love my Firefly no matter what pose she's in.  But now I REALLY want to see Moon's ponies!  In other news I'm something of a nerd, being a fan of Star Wars and to a lesser extent Star Trek.  I couldn't be considered the hardcore Trekkie that Luciana is, but I do like Star Wars enough to pick a side (I'm a Jedi).  Moon even bought Luciana and me lightsabers, but they're not here yet.  Moon says that parts of them are 3-D printed, and all three of us are excited about that.  Such technology wasn't even dreamed of in my day...at least not that I know of.  Back in my day transplanting a baboon heart into a baby was considered cutting edge.  Shudder...it's so nice to know I'll never need something like that.  Maybe a limb replacement or a head reattachment some day, but never a heart.  I hope the Moon Girl never needs a new heart.

I'll let y'all...y'all???  Listen to me, I'm already talking like the folks around here do!  But I'll leave the lightsabers to Luciana, since she's more excited about them than I am...which is saying a lot, because I'm pretty excited.  We'll let y'all know when they get here, though!

Lots of love,
Courtney Deborah Moore

AG Spotlight: Julie Albright

I'm the Moon House's resident hippie...except for the Moon Girl herself.

FULL NAME:  Julie Marie Albright

NICKNAMES:  "Cool Hands Albright," "Alley Oop," "Jules," "Sport."  The Moon Girl never uses any of these, but Lindsey likes the nickname "Jules."

BIRTHDAY:  May 1st

HOMETOWN:  San Francisco, California

HEAD MOLD:  Josefina

HAIR COLOR:  Light blonde

EYE COLOR:  Brown

FAVORITE COLORS:  Red and purple, though it's hard to pick.

THINGS I LIKE:  Basketball and sports in general, handcrafts, browsing junk stores, wearing comfortable clothes, watching the world go by, macramé projects, Barbie dolls, small animals (especially rabbits)

THINGS I DISLIKE:  People who disrespect the environment, modern pop music, heights, snakes

MY CHOICE OF MUSIC:  Elton John, Rod Stewart, the Beatles, Chicago...classic rock in general.  I also like Motown and some disco.

PET:  Nutmeg, a brown rabbit.

BEST FRIENDS:  I belong to the Dumb Blonde Society (even though I'm not dumb), I play basketball with Kyle, I occasionally beachcomb with Kailey and Marina, and sometimes I talk sign language with Amanda and Joss.  I consider Kailey my best friend, since we're both environmentalists from California.  Lastly, Silver Bird and I like to trade rabbit-rearing tips, since we both own rabbits.

SOMEONE I'D RATHER AVOID:  Samantha's too gloomy!  Felicity and Kyle also sometimes make this list since we don't see eye-to-eye on politics.  I've NEVER won a debate against Felicity!

HOW I CAME HERE:  Moon found me on eBay for fifty bucks and fifty cents!

ABOUT ME:  I love watching the world change around me, though some of the changes sadly aren't nice.  Modern-day politicians take things entirely too far!  Since I can't win a political debate against Felicity I try to stick to conversations that are NOT political in nature.  I used to like beachcombing, but there are no beaches to comb around here.  I do still like to play basketball, and Kyle is arguably one of the best players I've ever met.  He's not unbeatable, but he doesn't give up until the fat lady sings.  I like his dogs too; I even offered to walk them for some spare change, but they get so much exercise playing with us that they don't need much walking!  Not that I need much money anyway, since the Moon Girl supplies most of what I need on her own dollar.  <blushes>  She really spoils us!  Anyway, as fond as I am of Kyle's dogs (and dogs in general), I prefer small animals like rabbits and guinea pigs.  I love Nutmeg but I'd like to try my hand at owning a chinchilla someday.  The Moon Girl owned one and she says Bentley was one of the most rewarding pets she ever had.

*Side note from the Moon Girl:  I STILL mourn for my Bentley!  Her death was so sudden and I'm still not over it!

Understandable, Moon Girl.  The memory of a good pet cannot be forgotten, especially if the death is sudden and/or traumatic.  Not to rub it in, but I'm glad Nutmeg is a stuffed rabbit.  That way I'll have her forever!  The Moon and I both wonder why American Girl hasn't released a chinchilla yet, especially after they've done fish and guinea pigs and critters like that.  Airy has a hedgehog, and AG hasn't done one of those either.  

*Side note from Airy:  I look HORRID in that picture!!!  I love my hedgie, though!  I named him Durian, after the spiky fruit.

*Side note from the Moon Girl:  Note how alive Julie's eyes look compared to Airy's.  And to think I once bashed brown American Girl eyes.

You also said that it depends on lighting, Moon.  In this case you got the lighting just right!  And I agree, Airy.  Hedgehogs are outta sight!  A little sharp, but far out nonetheless.  In my day hedgehogs weren't the most common creatures in pet stores; they didn't start becoming really popular until Courtney's time.  As out there as Airy can be, I'm surprised she doesn't own a snake!

*Side note from Airy:  That's Lark's thing, not mine!

Oh...right, I remember that.  Ewww...snakes...I'm not a big fan of snakes.  Oh yeah, Airy also owns a lop-eared bunny rabbit, but look how small Hopalong is next to Nutmeg!

Do miniature rabbits get that small, or is Nutmeg just huge?  Or is it a little bit of both?  I've read that miniature rabbits can sometimes be as small as kittens, so that would explain it. 

On my downtime I like to listen to music or write poetry, though NOT at the same time!  If I try to write poetry while listening to music, I rip off half the song's lyrics!  I have taken a few stabs at writing my own song lyrics, but I'm not very good at it.  Felicity, the guitarist of our bunch, says it doesn't matter how good I am at it as long as I have fun and create something meaningful to me.  I admit that I agree with her wholeheartedly on that.  We may not agree on everything, but we see eye to eye on the important stuff.  Now if only Felicity had her guitar, maybe she and I could collab...

Well, I'm going to park my keyster in front of a box fan and wish that I had my egg chair.  Moon says someday she'll get it.  

Love and XOXOX,
Julie Marie Albright

Take me with you!

Change, nothin' stays the same
Unchained, and ya hit the ground runnin'!
--Van Halen, "Unchained"

Like Van Halen, I tend to hit the ground running these days.  Up at seven-thirty.  Take my dogs potty, then feed dogs and cats.  Get dressed.  Run over to Mama's place to take care of her animals.  Usually then I'd head over to McDonald's for breakfast and get my happy butt to work after that, but thanks to some lovely insurance caveats, I have to flush Mama's drains.  I don't mind going over to help Mama, as spending time with her is always time well-spent...but the damn drains are FINNICKY!  Anyway, flush drains, receive threatening message from an ex-Facebook friend, and FINALLY get to work...seven minutes late, in a foul mood, with Luciana in tow because screw the rules.

Yes, Luciana.  This morning when I was getting dressed I glanced over at my dolls, some of whom are jumbled together waiting for a review, and I saw Luciana with her hand slightly out.  Pardon the terrible lighting.

I solemnly swear that I did not pose her like that.  But anyway, she reminded me of a story I saw on Den of Angels, where a young woman was preparing to leave her room, when she saw her very tightly strung ball-jointed doll.  BJDs with tight strings tend to stay with their limbs bent, but this time the doll had his arms outstretched like he was pleading to be held.  Same sort of thing with Luciana; she's a relatively new doll and her strings are still tight, but just the same she had her hands out then.  Very well, then...allons-y, Rose Tyler.

Oh well, at least my life is merely "Unchained" and not to the point of "Jump."  OMG, that song tainted my opinion on Van Halen for YEARS!!!  For real, I hate "Jump" that much, LOL.  And to the ex-Facebook friend, fool around with me and I'll tell everyone that you're not really a royal.  Seriously, the guy is deluded!

Love and box fans (stay close to one),
RagingMoon1987

The heat is on

It's summer now: the heat is on.  It's summer now all summer long. 
--Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Chapter 9/Flood

That single chapter from Ms. Dillard's book made its way into one of my high school English textbooks, and while I enjoyed the whole chapter, that single line is what stayed with me.  It stayed with me because it made sense.  Summer begins when it begins, and it ends when it ends, with no regard for manmade calendars or timetables.  This year, for my area, at least, summer began today, a full week and a half before the solstice.  After a somewhat out-of-the-ordinary winter and a mild, rainy spring, the summer looks to be a hot one, or it will be if the week's predicted temperatures hold true.  Mid to high nineties are predicted clean through to next Friday, with heat indices in the low hundreds and not a drop of rain in sight.  

Usually on summer evenings my mother and I would go out to the road by Crowley's Ridge.  We'd enjoy the cool that the canopies of the trees provided, and if it was dark enuff we'd marvel at the lightning bugs.  Alas, there will be no lightning bugs for RagingMoon1987 this summer, as I'm stuck in town, where the lightning bugs rarely stray.  I'm perfectly capable of driving myself, but with Mama still out of commission it's not much fun, and with gas prices rising such leisurely drives are increasingly wasteful.  Oh, Mama's home again, with the drains still in her stomach, and she's acting more like herself, but I'm still cautious.  If she has to go back to that hospital again I'm gonna go off on a certain doctor like Castle Bravo.

Since I have no long drives and no lightning bugs at the moment, I busy myself with my dolls...when I'm not doing laundry, that is!  LOL, anyway I went back to Wal-Mart yesterday and picked up the My Life dream team captain.  I chose to name her "Jemma."

Whew, those long pajamas and fuzzy slippers are too hot for this weather!  How 'bout a change, Jemma?

That's better.  Airy is ready for the heat too, Elton John glasses and all.  Neither of these outfits came with shoes, but that bothers Airy and Jemma naught.  Indeed I'd probably be barefoot too if my yard didn't have so many thorns.  Doesn't that dress of Jemma's match her hair perfectly?

Etsy couldn't have done better, and that's saying something because Etsy has no end of nice things for dolls this size.  There isn't much else to say about Jemma since she's everything Airy is, shocking blue eyes, tight joints, and all.  Indeed, if Cititoy hadn't started tinkering around with hair colors then these dolls would all be one and the same.  Here's a closeup of Jemma's hair; as I noted a few weeks ago she's got mostly purple hair, with some green and blue mixed in, and some yellow that I initially missed.

The roots are about the same as Airy's, but Jemma's got longer hair.  

So that's my brightly-colored little pair!  I'm glad Cititoy is stepping up their game with hair colors.  Now if they'd vary up their head molds like Our Generation has then they'll really be fun little dolls!

Love y'all,
RagingMoon1987 

AG Spotlight: Molly McIntire

Good golly, I'm Little Miss Molly!

FULL NAME:  Molly Jean McIntire

NICKNAMES:  "Olly Molly," used by my dad, "Silver-Eye" and "Little Miss Molly," used by the Moon Girl.

BIRTHDAY:  April 22nd, one day after Felicity's.  Hey, I share a birthday with Blossom Flowerpot, that pink-haired loopy doll!

Us!  Three cheers for shared birthdays!

HOMETOWN:  Jefferson, Illinois

HEAD MOLD:  Classic

HAIR COLOR:  Medium brown

EYE COLOR:  Gray; my right eye has silvered

FAVORITE COLORS:  Red, white, and blue!

THINGS I LIKE:  Dancing (especially tap and highland), swing music, old-timey movies, roller-skating, dogs...it's not hard to please me, really!

THINGS I DISLIKE:  Turnips, math (the Moon Girl agrees), and my boring brown hair.

MY CHOICE OF MUSIC:  Glenn Miller, the Andrews Sisters, and Louis Armstrong.

BEST FRIENDS:  Courtney and Lindsey.  I also have a bond with Samantha, since we both ended up abandoned.  Lastly, since I wear glasses I'm a member of the Four-Eyed Freaks, a club Zoe started for folks who wear glasses.

SOMEONE I'D RATHER AVOID:  I don't really dislike anyone!

HOW I CAME HERE:  When the Moon Girl's sister gave up dolls she passed Samantha and me up.  Chatty Cathy says I should thank her for it, LOL.

ABOUT ME:  I haven't changed too much over the years.  I'm still a chatterbox, I still hate turnips and multiplication, and I still love to dance.  In the years that I've lived in the Moon House I've taken up highland dance and swing dance in addition to tap.  Too bad that American Girls aren't the most limber dolls in the world, and spoiler alert:  I won't be the only one to complain about that.  Oh well, doesn't stop me from at least trying to dance!

Yeah, yeah, I know that costume is Irish and my ancestry is Scots, but I don't care much.  I love the wig that comes with this costume, even though the band that holds it on is broken.  It covers my boring brown hair very nicely.

The Moon Girl warned me to take it easy on the ego, and that the last thing she needs is a mini-Michael Flatley tapping around her house.  She needn't worry; as I said above I'm not flexible enough to dance like he can.  Dancing aside...where was I?  Oh yeah, I still love to daydream and I still tend to be an idealist rather than a realist, but I don't let the real world bother me like I used to.  I just take changes as they come and if they're bad...that's just life, I guess.  It's not the end of the world.

When I'm not trying to dance I can usually be found outside on nice days, playing tag and make-believe with Kyle and Olivia Reese, though the two of them have me beat at climbing trees.  I also like to jump rope and roller skate; I'm not as fast as Joss and Lindsey are on their respective wheels, but I can hold my own.  When the weather isn't good enough to go outside I relax and talk with Lindsey.  Everything I've needed to know about the modern world, she's taught me, and I hope she knows I appreciate it.  Courtney and I also like to talk family matters, since we both miss our fathers.  Sometimes Samantha joins in...but she never really knew her mom and dad.  I always feel bad talking about my parents in front of her, even though she claims she doesn't mind.  I know it bothers her a little, but she always listens, just the same.  Samantha is a good listener.  I respect that, and I could learn a lesson from her, LOL!

Well, I'm off to (once again) attempt dancing to "Reel Around the Sun."  Don't wait up!

Love,
Molly Jean McIntire

Patient redheads, and impatient Moony

"Waiting...waiting, waiting."  Thus begins a brief video of the 2011 Lambert Airport tornado.  Yes, lately I feel like I've done nothing but wait.  Wait for Mama to recover, then wait to hear from the hospital, then wait for the surgery to be over, then wait for Mama to recover again.  In case y'all were wondering, Mama never did fully bounce back from the initial gallbladder surgery, and as the weeks passed she grew more and more confused.  Yesterday when she went back for a routine checkup she didn't remember what year it was, or who the president was before Sleepy Joe took office, or ANYTHING!!!  So now she's back at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau with a UTI and an infection around the initial incision.  The doctors are opening her up again around the noon hour to put her drain back in, and I presume that they'll clean her out a little as well.  So my future consists of more six-day workweeks, more taking care of two households of pets, and more listening to Second Uncle whine about how bad he's got it.  Never mind that Mama is in the hospital and Sister, Brother-in-Law, First Uncle, and I are all worried sick.  Second Uncle cares only about Second Uncle.  

Oh well, I'm thirty-four, and six-day weeks are no serious issue.  On the other hand, Coworker A is eighty-five, and six-day weeks are kinda tough, especially when she usually only works two days a week.  She'll be getting a day off this week so that eases it up a little for her.  Coworker A has been a complete rock star, by the way.  She's picked up the slack for Mama and hardly complained, and both Mama and I are at a loss for how to repay her.

To keep this post from being nothing but whining, here's my two new girls.  They too are waiting.

Far, far away I can hear a tall brunette man in a long brown duster moaning "Awwww, I wanna be ginger! It's never been ginger!"  Well...so do I, LOL.  My hair has never been red, nor will it ever be, because what's the point of a dye job when you've gotta do a ton of maintenance?  Anyway, the ginger on the left is Julia, an early-model Gotz Precious Day doll, and her sister is Amelia, a later-model Precious Day.  Truth be told, they're probably BOTH Julia dolls, but I didn't want to leave them with the same name.  I hadn't had either of them a full twenty-four hours when I took this picture, and when I looked at them through the car window I pictured two little siblings, weary from several days on the road and ready to go home.  Kinda how I felt right then, LOL.

Spleen vented, dolls shown...I think that will just about do it for now.  Unless something good, bad, or ugly comes up the next post will be Molly's spotlight.  I hope it'll be more popular than Samantha's.

Nanu nanu,
RagingMoon1987

The unobtainable becomes the obtainable

First and foremost, kudos to Crystallinetoybox for offering to find a Forever Doll for anyone who wants one.  That was a nice gesture, but having glanced over Forever Doll's website I don't think I'll be needing much help.  I revisited the website, and the mailing options include the United States and the United Kingdom in addition to Australia and New Zealand.  Back in February it was just Australia and New Zealand.  So...y'all probably know where I'm going with this!  I just don't know if I want my Forever doll to be edgy skater boy Axel or rainbow-haired Iris.

With shipping these dolls are...well, they're actually cheaper than a Create Your Own American Girl!  With bill-paying time just around the corner and two Gotz dolls on their way I won't be buying either Axel or Iris anytime soon, but it's good to know that I can buy one without having to rely on eBay or a third party.  Still, it was a kind gesture on Crystalline's part to offer.  Thanks a bunch, sweetie!

Rainbows and skateboards,
RagingMoon1987

AG Spotlight: Samantha Parkington

Sigh...I guess it's my turn.  My birthday was last week.

FULL NAME:  Samantha Mary Parkington

NICKNAME:  "Sam."  The Moon Girl rarely calls me this, but the other dolls do it all the time.

BIRTHDAY:  May 26th

HOMETOWN:  Mount Bedford, New York

HEAD MOLD:  Classic

HAIR COLOR:  Dark brown

EYE COLOR:  Brown

FAVORITE COLOR:  Black, gray, and the various shades of red, from burgundy all the way on down to baby pink

THINGS I LIKE:  Halloween, the dark and the misunderstood, teddy bears, dogs, Christmas trees, books and reading, bird watching, ice cream (peppermint is my favorite flavor), The Wizard of Oz (the witch is my favorite character), rainy days as long as I don't have to go out, painting, long drives on country roads

THINGS I DISLIKE:  Loneliness and abandonment, overly hot days, wearing long underwear on said overly hot days, mistreatment of my loved ones

MY CHOICE OF MUSIC:  Frederic Chopin is my favorite artist, as long as I don't have to play him.  I also like Scott Joplin, and I DO like to play his music.

PET:  Jip, my aunt's spaniel mix.

BEST FRIENDS:  I like Courtney, because we're both shy and try to think before we speak.  I'm also close to Molly, since we were Moon Girl's sister's dolls, and to Denise, since she used to be a Samantha doll herself.  Rita Cheryl often turns to me for advice, but I don't know if the advice I give is any good.  I practice yoga with Luciana and I think she's a sweet girl, if a bit eccentric.  Most importantly, I've been in a relationship with Justin Latowski since shortly after he arrived in January.  We're very happy together.

SOMEONE I'D RATHER AVOID:  Lindsey is too loud, and Doremi is overly enthusiastic...and mean to my Justin.

HOW I CAME HERE:  Moon's sister owned me once, but <sniffle> she never loved me.  

ABOUT ME:  I am the least well-adjusted to the time frame I now live in; my friends say my strict manners and reserved behavior belong to the early 1900s.  I am pigeon-toed and have a hard time standing up, and as a result the Moon Girl almost never plays with me.  I get terribly lonely...I need a hug!

Ahem, yes.  I do like to read and play with Jip, and I even have a boyfriend.  I don't know what I'd do without my Justin.  As you saw above, he gives the most wonderful hugs!

Justin is sad a lot too since his brat sister treats him like dirt, so we support each other.  I don't know what Doremi's problem is, but sometimes I just want to slap her.  Grandmary once said that girls are not supposed to fight, but if it's one thing I won't tolerate it's cruelty to my friends.  Justin tells me that I'm a loyal friend and a good listener, and I try hard to live up to those labels.  So far the only ones to realize this have been Justin, Molly, Courtney and Rita Cheryl.  I predict that Amanda will eventually catch on too, but both she and I read too much to talk to each other.  I like Amanda, though.  I hope I can catch her NOT reading so that we can talk about books.  I'm dying to know who she likes better, Dorothy Gale or Alice from Alice in Wonderland...or if she doesn't like either of them!  I predict that Luciana will also eventually realize that I'm a good listener, if she can pull her head out of the stars and that weirdo in the spinning blue police box long enough to talk to me.

Of course I'm not all doom and gloom, despite what my more boisterous housemates claim.  I like to wear costumes, especially for Halloween.  One year I was a spider witch!  Moon says pardon the quality, as rain clouds were moving in and messing up the lighting.

Talk about an oldie!  That picture is so old that Xenia's eyes were still brown!  Either way Moon says that I make a perfect witch since I've got the hair for it.  Now I need to think up something for this year...whaaaaat???  It's never too early to plan for Halloween!  Moon said so herself!  Lemme see...I do like that old wood fairy costume that was available once.  Time will tell whether I go that route.  As for now I'm off to read and listen to it rain.

Cordially yours,
Samantha Mary Parkington

Time to gripe: where's Kirsten?

Life at home continues to be insane.  My mother is healing from her surgery, but not as fast as either she or I would like.  As a result I'm still running around like a chicken with my head cut off, taking care of two households of pets rather than one.  I have more cats at my place, but Mama has more dogs, and as I said several years back none of 'em listen when I yell "GET BACK HERE!!!"  Coworker A has been a complete champ, covering for Mama at work with nary a complaint, but she's eighty-five and needs her rest.  So...more prayers would be appreciated.  Spleen vented, the scuttlebutt online is that a familiar face will be making a reappearance in American Girl's historical lineup.

Molly, of course.  And furthermore, it appears to be the classic Molly rather than the BeForever version that was available at Costco.  That's all well and good since Molly still has plenty of fans, most of whom are older and remember her reign as one of the original six.  But...I confess that I'm not one of her fans.  Of the original six I always thought Molly was the most boring.  The other girls saved lives, faced serious dangers, and broke rules, while Molly...ate turnips, got poison ivy, and learned how to swim.  I don't hate Molly, of course; indeed, her AG spotlight is coming up soon.  But why bring Molly back now, so soon after her BeForever rerelease?

I'll make a disclaimer here:  I'd be griping if Felicity or Samantha were being rereleased too.  Why am I griping, y'all ask?  Because Felicity, Samantha, and Molly have all been rereleased at least once, while the only rerelease Kirsten got was her 35th anniversary self last year.  I'd love to know why Kirsten hasn't gotten a rerelease.  Do people think she's boring?  I admit that her clothes and accessories don't have all the frills that Samantha's did, nor are all of her items familiar to modern kids, like Molly's or Julie's are.  But like most of the historical girls Kirsten represents an important time in American history, and she does more than eat turnips, get poison ivy, and learn how to swim!  It's been twelve years since Kirsten was in our lives, and I think it's high time she got a rerelease.

As for my Kirsten, she's kicking back after last week's interview.  She's handling the rising temperatures better now that she has her summer dress, and look who she's got with her!

The day after I completed her interview Missy and Stormy arrived in the mail.  Kirsten would like to thank Rita Cheryl for letting her use the beanbag, by the way.  Usually that beanbag is just for Rita Cheryl.

Now as usual, I turn to y'all for your comments.  Are my American Girl fans happy to see Molly making another comeback, or would y'all prefer something else?

Hugs and Mountain Dew,
RagingMoon1987