So random, December '24

December 1st.  I'd just learned that Twyla Boogeyman's eyes glow in the dark, and I was planning on doing a post on that.  It fell through, but I still have the picture I took.

I don't talk much about Twyla, but she's always been one of my favorite Monster High characters due to her smaller size and her coloration.  Unfortunately my Twyla is falling victim to time just like Lagoona Blue has, and her hair looks pretty nasty.  I'm hoping I can save it.

December 2nd.  Bae Day Monday was for Jesmars.  I only have the one, Candela Laura, still in her fall dress.  Here she'd offered to help me shake out the winter quilts so that the family can avoid another spider bite (that lovely saga is here and here).

The ninth and the sixteenth are for Lily Ledy and Tsukuda, respectively.  I don't have any of those, but I'm looking forward to seeing the other folks' dolls.  The quilts got a clean bill of health, by the way; I guess the only spider in the pile was the one that bit me.

December 3rd.  Autumn Leah (right) finally arrived in the mail (she was listed as "out for delivery" for a solid twenty-nine hours).  Here she leans on Gwenda Cecile; my friends on Failbook wanted to see them both.

Y'all have met Autumn Leah, but I never talked about Gwenda Cecile, even though the two arrived around the same time.  Gwenda Cecile is a poseable Kid from the Hasbro era, with thick, pale blonde braids and bright blue eyes.  She has a head mold that reminds me of the crazy-expensive Coleco #19 head, which has a big toothy smile.

December 7th.  It was a Saturday, and I'd been to work and Mama hadn't.  When I came home that evening I found this.

Adora was wearing Bluebelle's hat, and poor Bluebelle was in the floor!  I presume that Mama brushed against their shelf at some point during the day.  Her coordination isn't any better than mine is at this point.  Bluebelle's hat is too small for Adora, but it still looks kinda cute!

December 12th is about as random as they come.  This headshot of Rosemary turned up in my Failbook memories.

Rosemary doesn't look like that anymore!  She's got a new wig and no eyelashes, and I need to fix that latter bit.

December 15th.  I was putting Jazzie's post together and decided to fool around with the rest of my Barbie dolls.  For some reason I included Marlo, even though she ended up not being in the post.

Y'all know how I like opposites, and Dionne and Marlo are about as opposite as it gets.  New and old, red and blue, brunette and blonde, black and white.

Since I once compared Marlo to Midge, here they are together.  Marlo is slightly in front of Midge here; in reality the two are the same size.

Hmmm, maybe she doesn't favor Midge as much as I thought she did.  She doesn't look much like TNT Barbie either.  It doesn't really matter much, but I like to nitpick.

Lastly, here's Marlo with Jazzie.

These two don't look a lot alike either, but that's to be expected since there's at least twenty years separating their production dates.  I have to admit that even though Marlo can't pose worth a doggone, she IS photogenic.  I need to think of some other scenarios for her.

December 16th.  This is a Failbook memory, of Yasmina and Raya together. 

I don't remember why I had them together, but I did.  I've always loved Yasmina's yellow, slightly creepy eyes.

December 18th.  Another Failbook memory.

Imani was so new that I didn't have her whole outfit yet.  I only had her sleep sack.

December 18th, present day.  Shelley (left) got a new dress that coordinated with Barbie's.  Y'all can see what happened next.

Now Shelley needs some shoes of her own!  I'd like to find a similar outfit for Midge too, so she and Barbie can pose together again. 

December 21st.  Saturdays on that Cabbage Patch group I like are called Seasonal Saturdays, and the Saturday before Christmas doesn't get more seasonal than this.

Besties Elisabeth Clara and Shelley Fred are ready to deck the halls...or they would be if we were bothering with a tree.  My goofy tree at the library is up, but both Mama and I are too crippled up to put a big one together, and Uncle Man-Child would be of no help if we tried.  So Elisabeth and Shelley are just chilling out, staying warm.  Elisabeth's left pants leg has the Grinch on it.

Everyone oughta love the Grinch! Unlovable as he's supposed to be, he's...pretty darn lovable.  

December 22nd.  Two radically different Barbie dolls.

Malibu P.J. is on the left and Isolde is on the right.  I think they're discussing the differences in their joints and how P.J. can sit comfortably with her legs outstretched. 

December 23rd.  Bae Day Monday is for Tri-Ang Pedigrees.  Again, I have one, my beloved Kitrick Randolph Fergus.

My friend from Newfoundland got her first Tri-Ang Pedigree doll a few days ago, and we had a discussion about Tri-Ang eyes.  Because the paint used was absolute crap, these dolls have very distinctive eyes.

Kit's eyes used to be brown, and the Newfoundland doll's eyes appear to have once been green.  Now both of them have...well, mud-colored eyes!

December 24th.  Failbook memory from 2020.

I apparently had just gotten Justine-Marie, because I showed this random headshot to everyone. 

December 26th.  This popped up in the mail.  Another gift from Mama. 

Nathan Hunter looks fine in his blue corduroy suit, but it's nice to change things up a bit.  This should hold him until the end of winter.

December 27th.  I took this in preparation for another series of posts. 

Barbie and Sindy.  Mattel and Marx.

December 28th, the not-too-smiley day that really wasn't that bad (for me, anyway).  Courtney got a new outfit in the mail.

Any of my balloon-headed Skipper dolls would've looked alright in this, but I love hot pink with dark hair.  Oh, and fringe.  I love fringe. 

December 30th.  Friend from Newfoundland needed a way to fill in the last Monday, so she declared it IC and UT Day.  These factories were both based in Taiwan, and Cabbies from there have their own special attributes.  In this case I have one of each; Shelley Fred is an IC3, while Elisabeth Clara is a UT2 and has the cheeks to show for it.

UT Cabbies have VERY rosy cheeks, and IC Cabbies have very pretty complexions when they haven't discolored (some of 'em do).  Shelley Fred is lucky and has not discolored so far; indeed, his face reminds me a little of porcelain.  This porcelain look is also common for IC kids.

Later that same day.  Fluff and Farrah cuddle.

Farrah is the younger of my two Malibu Barbies.  I unfortunately don't know where her older sister is.  However, I do have a rough idea about where to look.  I'm very fond of the Malibu Barbie line, so I'd like to have 'em all together. 

Still December 30th.  Two of my blue-eyed girls.

Danica and Martina, complete with That One Hair for both dolls.  By the way, it should be remembered that blue-eyed Furga dolls can look possessed if the camera's flash is wrong.  Martina, Caroline, Eva, and Gia have all fallen victim to this. 

I was restless on the evening of the thirtieth, and while waiting for Mama to come home I ventured outside with Martina. 

We were both in the mood to enjoy the last few hours of mild temperatures before a strong cold front pushed in.  The last week of December has been delightfully mild (with tornadoes for the south), and the first week of January is predicted to be "colder than a well-digger's butt," as my family puts it.  With snow.  Blaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!!!

And with that, the year has come to an end!  It was an okay year, free of a lot of tragedy and illness...well, for me, at least.  I know that people in Appalachia are still digging out from Hurricane Helene; that recovery is gonna take a long time yet.  But for me, thank God, all is well.  My family has a home, we're all alive and well, we've got enuff money to pay bills, that's a lot to be thankful for.  And the eclipse...that was the highlight of my year, and I hope I never forget it.  As to you, my dear readers, I thank all of y'all for popping in with comments or with views, for the gifts, for everything.  This blog would be pointless without readers.

I love y'all, and happy new year!

Cheers,
RagingMoon1987

Not really a smiling sort of day

My badge says "smile"...

...but it's not really a smiling type of day.  Visibility is down past a quarter of a mile in my area; I don't recommend driving in crap like this.

Could be worse, I s'pose.  Look at the Weather Channel's headline for this morning.

Tornadoes!  In December!  That's...actually not uncommon for that part of the country.  They see severe weather year around.  Look back to the Enigma Outbreak if you don't believe me.

So the weather's not great, and my sciatica hurts, and I watched "The Angels Take Manhattan" all the way through for the first time last night, so I'm just...kinda bummed today.  Hell, I knew what was coming for Amy and Rory, but just the same, watching one's favorite Doctor get his hearts broken isn't exactly a barrel of laughs.  So I scooped up Ernest John and brought him to work with me.

I'm only now realizing that the poor laddie has had a chop to his locks!  

How long have I owned Ernest John now???  Four months?  Five?  And I'm only now noticing this?  Five points from Hufflepuff for Moony being a dolt, and drat these destructive little kids and their scissors!

So that's that!  It's a Saturday, and Saturdays are always mega-slow at work, so I'll probably devote the day to Ryan Hall and pray that no one is killed.  The Mississippi-Louisiana border is in the crosshairs today, where Vicksburg, Rolling Fork and Inverness are both located.  Vicksburg got hit in 1953 (in the wintertime), Inverness got it in 1971 (also late winter), and last year was Rolling Fork's turn.  Jackson and Hazlehurst are also in the warned area, and they too have been hit hard in the past.  Mississippi in general is no stranger to violent tornadoes, and tornadoes that do form tend to be obscured by hills and trees, making the storm spotters' jobs difficult.  So today I'm praying for Dixie Alley.  Hard.

Love and hugs,
RagingMoon1987

Another Christmas present!

I don't know if this doll arrived Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but I only saw the box on the twenty-sixth (our local mail service, y'know).  This is a Furga doll, and Tam sent her to me.  I've chosen the name "Martina" for her.

Martina was Tam's doll of the day for June 22nd, 2023, but in the comments Tam said "She has to go," so I stuck my neck out because I love Furga dolls.  Martina is shorter and a little less svelte than my decrepit Alta Moda girl, Simona.

I think it's kinda funny that Martina is wearing such a long shirt with a short skirt.  I never was a big fan of that combo for myself.

Like most but not all good Furga dolls, Martina's nails are painted.

Martina's face has the classic Furga look, with coral-colored lips, bright blue eyes that are slightly slanted, and soft, threadlike eyelashes.  She's a cute doll.

Tucked in with Martina were several brightly colored dresses, sized for a small doll.

These don't fit Martina, but Tam and I are certain that they'll fit SOMEONE in my collection.  I'm hoping they'll fit Cinnamon, since Cinnamon doesn't have anything to her name but the bodysuit she came in.  I need to grab Cinnamon from Casa del Luna and get back to y'all on that.  There's also a kid-sized baseball cap in the mix.

I'll try that on Sandy McCall.

I have a few more things lingering in the post, but for now that's my Christmas wrapped up.  Christmas?  Wrapped up?  Boooooooooo.  LOL, Mama's doctor said that the <fill in the blank> that she found is just a cutaneous condition and can be treated with time and the right medicine, so that's a huge prayer answered.  She and I were both thinking the C-word, as people will do when something pops up out of nowhere and doesn't go away.  But she's gonna be fine, thank God, and hopefully she'll be around for several more Christmases.

EDIT, 12/28/2024:  I forgot to say thank you to Tam for the gift!  Thank you Tam for the doll, the clothes, and for the nice card.  I know things are crazy for you right now, and yet you remembered to think of me and I appreciate it.  I hope Mr. Ken is still holding strong.

Love to all,
RagingMoon1987

Christmas haul, 2024

Happy Boxing Day, and happy Hanukkah to any of the Jewish contingent out there!  As always, I'm here to share my loot.  First things first, I always get something for myself.  I plan on getting two other somethings later in January, but for now I limited myself to Maxie's friend Simone.  She arrived on December 23rd. 

I bought her in a fit of rage, irate over the fact that Afro-American Barbie dolls with the Steffie face are so expensive it's ridiculous.  Even Malibu Christie is out of my reach, and she's wearing naught but a swimsuit!  Simone is a Hasbro doll so she wouldn't have the Steffie face, but she's pretty enuff.  My door is always open for Maxie and her cronies!

Since I like looking at the boxes, here's Simone's price tag; six bucks don't seem like nuthin' these days.

Then here's the back of the box, showing Simone, Ashley, and Maxie getting ready for their sleepover.

Can Maxie dolls bend their knees to that sharp of an angle???  I've never tried; these dolls have stiff knees, and I don't want to break the joints.  As sturdy as these dolls are, I reckon they can still break if treated roughly. 

I also grabbed some skates for Rollerblade Teresa, since her original skates were MIA.

They don't throw sparks anymore, which is probably just as well.  Teresa looks complete now, and that's the important thing, though I now know the true reason why Teresa may have lost her old skates.  These fit extremely loosely, especially the left skate.

So that's the stuff I got myself, always on the lowest tier of the gift hierarchy.  That same day a box from Treesa turned up, with its usual loot.  A lot of these were Christmas-themed stuffed animals, meaning that they'll go great with the decor at the library.  There's these two, the cutest reindeer I've ever seen.  I guess Prancer and Vixen are an item, LOL.

These three double as Christmas ornaments.  Two reindeer, and a miniature of Peppermint Sloth, one of my favorite Build-a-Bear characters. 

This cute little teddy bear is clad in a Webkins outfit, and I must say that it fits her perfectly. 

A Happy Meal Build-a-Bear, one who reminds me of Marie from The Aristocats.  Her dress says "Princess," and that sounds like a decent name for a white cat.

There's this angel costume, which Flaxie will probably get once I find her.

The skates go with Summer Daisy's skating outfit.  Y'all wouldn't think that a green bear covered in flowers would look good in winter clothes, but Summer Daisy does.  

Then there were these little figurines, both redheads like I like...

...and this cute Strawberry Shortcake clone, whom I'm calling "Sorbet."

These little dolls were super-exciting, because I'd never heard of them.  They're Glamour Gals by Kenner. 

These are miniature fashion dolls similar to Dawn and the Rock Flowers, but a hair smaller like the Fashion Teeners.  But unlike the Fashion Teeners, the Glamour Gals had permanently attached clothes and shoes, and their legs bend.  Loni is the brunette, and Shara is the blonde.

These are cute, maybe worth a closer look during Throwback Thursday. 

Can't get much more exciting than that, right?  Well...almost right!  There was a heart-spangled box wrapped in bubble wrap, and Treesa included a note that made me giggle. 

Y'all know how I'm always complaining about catching my fingernails on doll clothes.  In this case the warning was a prudent one, because this is a doll kit, and her body is made of pantyhose fabric. 

Buffy!  I can't wait to try my hand at this!

At the bottom of the box was this comical young lady.

I think Treesa and I discussed this gal via email.  The doll is an obvious Cabbie Clone, with a mouth that accommodates a binky.

Sadly, the binky was broken, so I pitched it and am on the lookout for a new one.  I think she can take the real thing, so I won't have to look too far.  The doll herself is a handmade entity, with a label sewn to her tushie.

I googled the name and came up with nothing, so I think this doll may be a special little one-off, kinda like Clio Teresa but nowhere near as dangerous.  Not that the new girl doesn't have problems of her own; one of her leg seams is undone.  Easy fix.  I think I'll name this pet Primrose Jessalyn.  It just kinda came to me.

Now...at the top tier of the gift hierarchy are items from my family, and my mother's gifts were mostly practical.  She got me a set of books by one of my favorite authors, Lee Strobel.  She also got me an opal ring...

...and a Star of David necklace, also with an opal.

Keep in mind that I am a Zionist, hence why this Christian is wearing a Jewish emblem.  I did have a Star of David necklace once before, and I wore it everywhere.  Never even took it off.  Then the chain broke and I lost the Star, and that was the end of that.  I'll be more careful with this necklace. 

Now I'm going to settle in and wait for Mama to come back from the doctor.  It's supposed to be a routine checkup, but...well, let's just say Mama found something that we're both concerned about, and trying to Google it whipped us both into a panic about cancer.  So I'm calm on the outside, but inside I'm freaking the hell out, just like I did a few Novembers ago.  If y'all pray, please pray for my mama; she's the only Mama I got!

Love, 
RagingMoon1987