Forty-two hours

According to one of Mama's weather apps, that's all it took for Beryl to strengthen from the first screenshot to the second.  Pardon the repulsive advertisements at the top.  I'm a straight-leaning asexual, and yet I get advertisements of scantily clad women.

Beryl has not yet hit land, but she's already broken several records.  She's the earliest major hurricane on record, and I think she may be the farthest east as well.  Since she's NOT predicted to hit land for some time Beryl may stay a Cat 4 for a good stretch of time.  LOL, my mother knows of my penchant for naming dolls after hurricanes, and she had a bit of a dry heave when I told her Idalia Gale could've been Beryl Tempest instead.

Booful Beans fell over laughing when I told him.  Booful and Idalia love to tease each other.

As for me, Malden has been hot and humid, but the passage of a front has meant milder temperatures for today.  Sometimes tropical systems give the Bootheel a ton of wind (like Ike did in 2008) or rain (like Dennis did in 2005), but right now Beryl is tracking too far south to be of any consequence to my neck of the woods.  Barbados, though?  I'd batten down the hatches if I were them.

Love,

RagingMoon1987 

Lina's siblings and friends

Usually when I buy a doll I have an ulterior motive for buying it.  Usually I do genuinely want the doll in my collection, but I also usually am hoping to feature it in the blog at some point.  That was the case with my Magic Nursery triplets; I bought 'em, but then I thought "I can't say anything about these that Miss Emily hasn't."  So I tucked them away and never showed them, thus why y'all have never seen them.  These three are the reason why I named Treesa's Magic Nursery doll the first "L" name that came to mind, as their names also begin with "L."  From left, meet Lulu, Lionel, and Lola.

These three are the Fuss 'n' Giggle Triplets.  At one time they came with a three-slotted carrier that ran on batteries and made laughing and crying sounds.  As far as I know there was no variation of the gender; there were always two girls and a boy.  Thank God there's a boy, LOL!  Y'all know how I like boy babies.

Lulu has her original outfit somewhere (always somewhere), but right now she's dressed in a Build-a-Bear outfit, one of those dresses for Small Fries, I think.  Lola has one too, but I didn't put her in it for this reason or that.

I think these dolls' expressions could vary from time to time; I found one set of trips that looks a little different from my three.  The hair didn't vary either that I know of.  The two girls had rooted baby-blonde ponytails of varying lengths...

...while Lionel has painted and molded hair.

These three are very made up for some reason.  See?  They look like they're wearing lipstick and rouge.  Even Lionel looks that way.

Maybe they're fixing to star in a diaper commercial, like Phil and Lil did on Rugrats.  Seriously, I don't think Phil and Lil were quite eighteen months old, and they still got the full makeup treatment, fake eyelashes and all.  Or as they themselves described it:

PHIL:  Makeup was like nothin' we'd ever seen before.
LIL:  Adults everywhere, pokin' us and combin' us and poofin' us.

That particular episode is one of my favorites; if you're familiar with Rugrats, then you know the basic outline of the episode.  The adults involved were chronically inattentive, the children were chronically mischievous, and mayhem nearly always ensued.  So it was in "Baby Commercial," and the resulting commercial was NOT what the high-strung director had planned.  Either way, my three kids look a little like Phil and Lil did during the bulk of "Baby Commercial."  Not really babyish, but...sigh, I'm just rambling.  The Magic Nursery paint job varied quite a bit from the normal with these triplets.  Note that Lina does not look super-made up.

Also note that Lina's eyes are centered.  The triplets' eyes are not.  They look a bit like Liddle Kiddles' Funny Bunnies.

One thing that struck me odd was that the hearts on the triplets' cheeks do not react to kisses...not that I know of, at least.

According to the old packaging, if one kisses the heart it'll turn to a star, and that signifies that your love is forever.  This was accomplished by heat-sensitive paint that would temporarily fade when warmed.  Lina's heart is pretty scuffed up, but you get the idea.

At one time Lina's heart would've reacted to my kiss (parts of the star are still visible), but it doesn't anymore.  Kinda a bummer, but I won't cry about it.  Never look a gift horse in the mouth!

I guess it's only fair to introduce Lina's older brother too, since...well, since I've got him now.  This is Leo, the first (but not last) Magic Nursery boy that I've found for a reasonable price.  Dig that hair!  He has so much hair that Mama thought he was a girl.

Leo isn't a gift so he's not quite as special to me as Lina is, but he's still cute.  He's of the toddler size and thus is bigger than Lina and the triplets.

Hmmm...maybe Leo doesn't make the most convincing big brother since he's got dark hair and his eyes are pale blue, but I'm playing it that way anyway.  After all, lots of siblings don't have matching hair or eyes.  Anyway, Leo came during a workday since most of my mail arrives on a workday, and when I had him at my station I saw him from a slightly upward angle.  I knew these dolls had sweet faces, but look at this!

If that's not adorable I don't know what is.  It's possible to see Leo's heart in that picture, by the way, and I'm sorry to say that it no longer responds to kisses either.  I guess both Leo and Lina gave their hearts away to some little kid years ago.  Some of these dolls do still have functioning hearts, though; every now and then I see 'em on YouTube or in someone else's collection on Failbook.  It doesn't matter too much to me whether the hearts on my dolls work, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

While I was putting this post together I bought another Magic Nursery baby.  I was looking for one of color, but this one was just too cute to leave him on eBay.  I broke the "L" mold because he looked like a "Mikey" to me.

Mikey likes everything, especially Life cereal.  LOL, Mikey is essentially the same doll as Lina, except...well, he's a boy!  See?  No hair at all.

His eyes are a different color too; they're lighter blue like Leo's.

Of course the absence of hair doesn't always mean that a baby is a boy.  Just ask Leo (who has hair), or Taniyah Yasmin (who is a girl and doesn't have hair), OR my mom (who was born bald).  Anyway, Mikey won't be a member of Lina's already large family, but he can still be a good friend.

Indeed, First Friends were a thing with the Magic Nursery for awhile.  In the beginning there was one chance in thirty-six that your doll could be a twin, but later on it was possible to get a voucher for a First Friend instead.  Pretty cool!  It does remind me of a story Coworker B told me though, back when Hatchimals were a thing.  Coworker B had five great-grandchildren by one granddaughter (I hated that bitch, by the way), and one Christmas the two oldest girls each got a Hatchimal.  Fine, right?  Well...Hatchimals occasionally came in twins.  And the younger girl got twins and the older one didn't.  And the older one whined and moaned all day because in her own words "I wanted two of 'em too, Grandma!"  I can just envision a similar scenario playing out during the nineties, with a younger sibling receiving an elusive twin and the older sibling getting a single doll.  But then again, not all children are like that.

I wasn't expecting this last little girl to arrive in time for inclusion in the post, but here she is.  I chose the name "Ashley" for her.

Ashley is a First Surprise Toddler, meaning that she's Leo's size.  These dolls could be "first haircut," "first teeth," or "first treat," with Ashley being a "first haircut" doll.  The haircut was pretend, of course; her little braids "grow" when pulled on gently...

...and they could be pulled short again with this ribbon on her head.  That simulated the haircut.

These dolls came with an accessory concealed in their dissolving hospital gowns, one that coordinated with the doll's designated "first."  Ashley would've had pretend scissors.  Otherwise she's the same as my other Magic Nursery dolls.  She's got the heart on her cheek (which doesn't work) and big, "sparkly" eyes.

By the way, I've yet to find a Caucasian Magic Nursery doll with brown eyes.  Lina's eyes are lavender, Ashley, Leo and Mikey have eyes that are varying shades of blue, and the triplets have teal eyes that look sky-blue in pictures.  Several of my Caucasian Cabbage Patch Kids have brown eyes and I think Magic Nursery was supposed to rival the Cabbies, so I wonder why Magic Nursery dolls so seldom had brown eyes.  They didn't have green eyes either that I know of, and that's a mega-bummer, because I LOVE green eyes.  Even the dolls with "magic" eyes that opened and closed only had blue or purple eyes...that I know of.  I'm none too familiar with those.

Just for the helluvit, before I wrap this up I want to do some size comparisons.  Magic Nursery toddlers are a little smaller than Coleco Cabbage Patch Kids (Hugo Jack and Valencia Rose are my examples here)...

...and are of similar size to some Jakks Pacific Kids (a camera-dazzled Lesley Emily and Allie Kathleen are shown).  Miss Emily's Jakks girl was taller than her Magic Nursery toddlers, keep that in mind.

The toddlers are also similar in size to My Child, hence why my Morgan is wearing a Magic Nursery dress.  I think these dolls can even share shoes.

The babies are similar in size to a bean-butt Cabbie.  I have my doubts about clothes sharing here, though.  Esmond Brant's legs are pretty thick.

I also know that these babies can share clothes with slightly larger Cabbies, like Lucey Dena and Lesley Emily (again).  Lina's body is a smidge thicker than theirs though; the Disney diaper sets that fit Lucey and Lesley so well are a tiny bit tight on Lina. 

Lastly, the triplets are similar to Booful Beans and to Baby Love 'n' Touch.  Lola likes Booful!

Oh yeah, Ashley arrived the same day that Booful did.  I took the opportunity to photograph the Beans brothers with her.  I don't think either Ashley or Bedsie are too excited about that, but oh well. 

I keep forgetting!  For reasons I'll never know, some (most?) of these dolls have plastic bellybuttons, and these can be either innies (left) or outies.

Lina has an innie, Leo, Mikey, and Ashley have outies, and the triplets have little stitched navels.  Either they were deemed too small for a plastic bellybutton, or that feature had been phased out by the time the trips hit production.  But my bigger dolls have plastic navels and they vary in shape.  By contrast, Cabbage Patch Kids always have outies due to being grown in a cabbage patch. 

So that's the lot!  Five little siblings and two friends.  Two toddlers, two babies, three extra-small babies.

I don't need a huge collection of these, not with my Cabbage Patch Kids and American Girls quickly taking over the room Mama and I share, but I have to admit that they're addictive.  I'm looking for an African-American one now, kinda like Miss Emily's first Magic Nursery girl, Shyla.  Finding one like that shouldn't thunderously hard.  But this is a concept that I really wish Mattel would revisit.  Yes, the gender reveal is a one-time thing, but I still think that with a little tweaking these dolls could be a hit again.  As for me, I'm content with my bunch for the most part, and as with my Cabbies, I  have a favorite. 

Can't beat a gift!  

Cuddles,
RagingMoon1987

A hill of beans

Some of y'all might've heard about something "not amounting to a hill of beans."  I know I did.  I'd be worried about something (usually a bad weather forecast) and Daddy would say "Oh, it won't amount to a hill of beans!"  Anyway, I knew a package from Barb the Evil Genius was en route, and when I opened it it WAS a small hill of beans!  Specifically, Booful Beans!

Y'all do a fabulous job of paying attention, I must say!  Whenever I mention a fondness for a certain item, someone remembers, even if it was clean back in...<pauses to look> Bedsie Beans made his debut on the blog eleven months ago tonight.  It was then that I said I liked Booful Beans the best due to his happy smile. 

These dolls' genders are a hair ambiguous, but I keep calling Booful a "he" so I guess he'll be a new brother for Bedsie!  Bedsie, as usual, is ready to hit the sack.

I freaking love it!  I especially love how their colors jive, though I would've happily taken whatever Barb had to give.  Gift horses are not to be looked in the mouth.  Thank you for sending him, Barb!  He made my day!

Love, 

RagingMoon1987 

First day

First day of summer, y'all!  Or would it be the first day of winter in the southern hemisphere???  Here the temperature has already hit the high nineties and stayed there for about four days, but I'm not looking at this summer with the same measure of trepidation.  Mama and I are taking measures to make sure our animals are comfortable, and while they will still have to spend some time in our hot houses a solution is in the making.  We're gonna get a big outdoor kennel, one that has an awning to keep the rain and the sun off, and I'm excited!!!  We're gonna put in some igloos in case they want those, and a little swimming pool for them to drink out of, and...ah, it's gonna be great.  I don't know how much longer Mama's three dogs are gonna be around (the oldest one is probably about fourteen), but I think they'll like it.  We're also working on a catio for the cats; we're down to eight all around now.  Sir Lancelot died of some trippy cat disease, and Mama's Mittens died of old age, so now she's got Vladimir and I've got my bunch.  I have a rhythm chant to keep the names straight, though without Lola and Sir Lancelot it's not so rhythmic.  Allie-Callie-Lily.  Bobbie-Tommy-Chessie.  Adric the oddball.  Seriously, he's my weirdo...in a good way.  Either way the animals will get moved and I think they'll like their new surroundings.

In dolly news, today's post is a short one, of Jettivee keeping cool under the big tree in the backyard.  Y'all can probably see how gloomy the weather has been lately.  It's been warm and a little muggy, but there's also been a fair amount of rain, hence Jet's blanket.

I don't like wearing white myself because I always manage to get it dirty...so I take my American Girl outside in her brand-new white clothes, because I'm a complete idiot.  Hey, at least I remembered that blanket.  Or a beat-up pillowcase, the one I use to wash Cabbage Patch Kids and Magic Nursery dolls when they need it.  Anyway, Jettivee is riding out the heat with papaya and cocoanut milk.  Mmmm, I love cocoanut milk.

Stay cool, 
RagingMoon1987

So random, part three

I don't know how popular posts like these are, but I like them so I'm gonna do them from time to time.  Hey, it's either that or let cute outtakes go to waste!  I'll start on March 30th, with an outtake from this post.

I need to add some color to Olivia Reese's lips; she doesn't photograph well.  Owen Presley, though...LOL, he's always such a little ham!  Case in point.

April 17th was the date that time.  Cara Raelean, Owen Presley and Hugo Jack were the subjects.  One of my Failbook groups started having themed days for the various Cabbage Patch Kids, and...well, this picture didn't fit any of the themes, but I wanted a group shot of my baldies (I didn't have Nathan Hunter or Esmond Brant at the time).  As I noted on April 19th, the bald Cabbies can get away with wearing just about anything.  That said, I'd yet to get Owen Presley anything new at that point.  Etsy has things, so I had no excuse!

This one dates back to April 21st, 2018.  I can't imagine why I didn't throw this in the blog then!

From left, Licca-chan, Michiko, Sachiko, Pepper Parson, and Saltine.  At the time I commented that my girls were ready for the weather to get warm and stay warm.  That spring must've been kinda like this last one:  unseasonably warm one day and chilly the next.

April 21st, 2024.

Rosemary relaxed after her rough day.  Even without eyelashes she looked so sweet and serene.  I just wish that cute wig fit better!

April 25th, 2024.

Lucey Dena was my work companion that day (I'm slowly but surely breaking the habit of carrying a doll to work).  When one habit dies another is born, and I've taken to wearing buttons of multiple sizes to work...oh right, I told y'all that!  I've got Blythe buttons, Chessie System buttons, a couple'a ace pride buttons, one very unusual one that combines the TARDIS with The Starry Night, and this one with two Cabbage Patch Kids on it.  I...shucks, I can't remember where I got this one!  But I wore it the day that I carried Lucey Dena.

Can't remember whether Treesa sent it to me or if it came as a freebie in one of my Etsy packages.  Either option is equally likely, but either way it's welcome now.

This is another one that popped up on my Failbook memories.  Date was May 1st, 2016.  I'd owned Johnny about two months at that point...and this was just the first time that he got upset with me.

This was the first indication I got that Johnny was going to be a problem child.  I had to restring him (it was my first time doing it), and he sulked for the rest of that evening.  So did I; restringing dolls isn't much fun in general, but restringing ball-jointed dolls REALLY isn't fun.  Not without the right tools, anyway.

May 2nd, 2024.  An outtake from this post.

As I've established ad nauseam, Terri Lee and Mary Jane are a study in opposites, but because Mary Jane is a clone of Terri Lee there are a lot of similarities too.  I prefer Terri Lee's dark eyes, but I also prefer Mary Jane's auburn hair.  I love auburn hair.  I just love these two, period, and I REALLY love how Mary Jane is giving Terri Lee the side-eye.  I solemnly swear that I did NOT pose her like that deliberately!

May 4th, 2024.  A box from Treesa had just been delivered, the one that had the Magic Nursery doll in it.  I posed Lina with a very sleepy-looking Sabine.

Sabine is a large plastic walker that I got in a trade about five years ago, and Lina is my little show-stealer, LOL.  I'd just cleaned poor Sabine's eyes and she just wanted to sleep after that, kinda like I do after I've had my eyes dilated.  

May 9th, 2024.  Lina enjoys some time with Shelley Fred and Morgan.

Yep, I was thinking about Independence Day that far ahead!  Shelley had just gotten that cute outfit in the mail, and since I had these three together I thought it might make a good picture for a July 4th post.  Then Nathan Hunter joined the soft doll family, Mama found him a patriotic outfit, and this image was rendered an outtake. 

May 10th, 2024, about ten p.m. local time.  This time Lina is joined by Valencia Rose and Morgan.

I'd been out chasing the aurora borealis, which was a possibility that night.  In fact, it was a certainty in parts of the Bootheel, and indeed parts of the whole country.  People in southern Louisiana got to see it, for crying out loud!  But I didn't see it, so I came home and monkeyed with these three.  Val was fresh out of the drier that night and smelled softly of Tide.  I guess my timing was just off regarding the aurora.  Several of my friends got some lovely pictures though, and I was glad for them.  

May 11th, 2024.  I moved Stella Rae to Grandma's house.  

The aurora was in the forecast again, so Mama and I went out to the back roads to see what we could see.  We saw fireflies and a few pretty clouds, but the aurora didn't show that time.  So we came home, I pulled Stella out of the drier, and I threw her in Angela's arms.  I was pleased to discover that Preemie Cabbies fit pretty well into My Twinn arms!  As for the aurora...my turn will come.  And I got to see the eclipse!  

May 19th, 2024.  Another "I was getting ready for work and caught this" picture. 

Elsie and Carrie are from the same line of dolls, but that's about where the similarities end.  Elsie is stuffed firmly and can sit up if braced from the back, while Carrie can't even do that!  I usually don't mind that, though.  It makes Carrie more of a character. 

May 28th, 2024.  Kory Aryan got some new clothes to wear.

Mama, being the kind person that she is, chose to indulge one of my dolls with a dinosaur-themed outfit.  When I told her Kory looked the best in green, that was the name she selected for customization.  The Cabbage Patch group that I like on Failbook has themes for some days of the week, and I took this picture in preparation for a Wednesday Wearables segment.  Wednesday Wearables is for new clothes (or for a favorite old outfit), and Kory got a lot of likes.

June 1st, 2024.  Taniyah Yasmin poses for an aborted review of a clothing set.

The clothing set in question is this one.  This layette set dates back to 2006 and was a Target exclusive.

The set includes three little rompers with matching headbands, a bottle, and a binky that won't go into any of my dolls' mouths.  Still, the clothes fit Taniyah like a glove, so I won't complain.  

June 2nd, 2024.  An outtake from Elsie's review.

My Cabbage Patch Kids are extremely easygoing, and Alexandra Claire proved to be a capable babysitter. 

June 9th, 2024.  Lena has a brother.

Leo is his name.  Lina has another brother in the post, but it'll be a day yet before he gets here.

June 10th, 2024.  I was moving more dolls out of Casa del Luna, and River Song was one of the ones I grabbed.  Here she cuddles with Allie Kathleen, arguably the softest of my Cabbies. 

They don't have much in common except for blonde hair.  If I'd chosen Alexandra Claire the story would've been different, since she and River Song share a hair color, an eye color, and a first name.  But Allie Kathleen is who I picked and River Song appears happy with that.

June 11th, 2024.  The season's first fireworks were crackling in the street, and Gabby was strutting her stuff.  I had this Charlie Brown outfit on Cindy Lou Who, but the hat didn't fit over her hair so Gabby is wearing it.  Yellow begs for a dark-skinned doll, but Danica just got a new dress and I owe Gabby.

Gabby had to be my oddball.  I moved Danica, Silver Bird, Jettivee, and River Song over to Grandma's house and none of them had a speck of mold on them.  Then when I picked up Gabby...she was covered in the crap.  It's that powdery white sh!t that grows in vintage Crissy doll eyes, and it was easy to clean off Gabby's skin, but I'm taking no chances.  She's being quarantined right now, just to be safe.  The Velvet that Tam sent me last Christmas remains bright-eyed, and I'm doing everything in my power to keep it that way.  By the way, Tam, Velvet says hello.

June 16th, 2024.  A scorcher with scattered thundershowers.  It was thundering pretty close when I saw Carrie passed out on top of Elmyra.

Unlike some of my little dolls, Carrie is not afraid of storms.  For that matter, neither is Elmyra.  A very strong gust of wind hit the house about fifteen minutes after I took this picture, by the way.  We lost out internet for eighteen hours, and our mail carrier lost two trees.  Thank God that's all it was.

I think that'll do it for now!

Love,
RagingMoon1987