Health update

No diagnosis yet, of course, but I did have the lumbar puncture done and it was not the hellish experience I was expecting.  I did have to lie on my stomach, which was difficult because I have a large chest.  If any of you ladies out there have large bosooms then you know what it's like to try lying on your stomach.  I call my breasts "Patty" and "Selma," LOL.  Back on topic, my hips kept spazzing out and moving in positions that they are not supposed to, which is bad because you've gotta hold still for a lumbar puncture.  A lot of praying and squirming later, I was able to hold still.  As to the procedure itself, the worst part was the lidocaine shot, and even that wasn't all that bad.  The actual puncture was...oh, it was a bizarre feeling, kinda like someone very gently rubbed my spinal cord with a fingertip, and even then only for a second.  Very difficult to explain, but nowhere near the horror stories I'd read and heard.  The worst part of the whole trip was when Uncle Man-Child cut off a utility truck at a red light.  Yeah, we nearly got T-boned, on MY side of the car.  Mama and I would've taken the brunt of it had that truck hit us.

I kid y'all not though, the Lord is good.  He got me through the lumbar puncture and got my family home and safe, and He didn't smack me down when I cussed a blue streak after the cats made a huge mess in our bedroom.  Seriously, I'm ashamed of some of the things I said during that blue streak, and I later learned that it was all over a stupid horsefly.  Tommy and Adric are my bug-chasers (Tommy brought me a live cockroach once), and I figure this time Jethro was in on it too.  They did NOT catch the horsefly, but they scattered my dolls from hell to breakfast and I had to pick all that mess up.  I was not happy, but that doesn't justify a blue streak.  Still, I'm grateful to the Lord and to my mama, who was by my side for most of it all.  Heck, I didn't even have any side effects!  Not yet, anyway.  The nurses told me to take it easy for a couple'a days, so I'm going to do just that.

To keep this from being a completely dull, pictureless post, here's Joyita Emilia, sitting atop the box that my cats upset yesterday.

Mama thought that Joyita Emilia belonged to one of my friends!  Indeed, I do have friends on Failbook who have Cabbies of their own, and one friend in particular who has a large selection of Jesmar Kids (said friend lives in Spain).  But no, Joyita Emilia is mine!  I took the picture this morning, after Mama left the room.

So...uh...there, I guess???  Now y'all know what a lumbar puncture can be like.  CAN, mind y'all; one of my Failbook friends had a horrible experience, so if y'all have to have it done make sure your technician knows what they're doing.  Mine was...oh, I'd say she's my age, maybe a little younger, and she was slick as a ribbon.  So just know that if you're facing such a procedure, it has the potential to be no big deal.  Keep still, don't be afraid, and if you're of faith, pray.  As to the results...well, it may be a week or two before I know, depending on what test they run.  But I'll let y'all know as soon as I find out.  

Cheers,
RagingMoon1987

So random, July/August '26

I bought too dang many dolls during May and June, and I hit July running too.  July 5th.  Carola (from June) poses with one of July's first newbies.  The newbie's name is Ilse (pronounced "ill-seh").

Here's a full-body shot of Ilse.  She is a Revalo doll from Gebruder Ohlhaver, thus another German girl like Liesel and Ethel.  She's smaller than Liesel,and I suspect her wig may be original. 

I think I got her for a steal because she's not one of the big-name dolls.  Not a Kestner, not an Armand Marseille, y'all get the point.  She's got a sweet face, with lovely gray eyes...

...but if I don't position her just so, she can look kinda vacant.  She shares that problem with Queen Elfriede. 

Also July 5th.  This is Daisy.

Daisy is one of those ily 4EVER dolls, and she's inspired by...well, by Daisy Duck!  My mom likes Daisy Duck, and Donald Duck too, for that matter.  Their tempers match sometimes, LOL.  I have a further incentive for liking this doll; besides the hippie dress, she's got gray eyes.  Hey, just like Ilse!

Okay, Daisy's eyes are more bluish-gray, but my point stands.  I love dolls with gray eyes, and I love finding a doll of color with eyes that AREN'T brown.  Mind y'all, I like brown eyes, but not all Afro-American people have brown eyes.  Thus I like it when I find a doll of color who doesn't have brown eyes.

July 6.  Elias and Joyita Emilia get comfy on my pillow.  Cleopatra Chantale and Andrea Doria are partly visible behind them. 

Later that same day a package arrived, containing a Jesmar dress for Joyita Emilia.

I owe Candela Laura one too.  I feel like any Jesmar I own should have at least one Jesmar outfit.  I've since covered Joy's elastics with bows, by the way, as Kirari-chan was partially held in her package with white cotton ribbons.

Oh yes, Kirari-chan!  July 8th.  Kirari-chan is the orange-haired poppet, and her companion is a Famosa Expressions doll that I hadn't yet named.  I was leaning towards "Angelica," per my mother's suggestion.

Most Cabbage Patch enthusiasts picture Cabbies with butterfly eyes when they think of Tsukuda, but Tsukuda made other toys too.  Kirari-chan is one of those.  She's a hair-and-makeup doll, and she has a couple'a interesting features that make her worthy of a review.  I'll get to that...someday.  As for the Famosa doll, y'all may remember that I'm fond of Famosa dolls (examples here and here), and I'm also always on the lookout for dolls with "comical expressions."  Famosa Expressions dolls are new critters to me, but I like 'em a lot.  Squeeze their tummies and their expressions change a little.

Kinda like Tiny Cheerful Tearful, or full-sized Cheerful Tearful, take your pick.  I kinda wish I could lock her mouth shut, because I like that goofy grin.

July 14th.  This one is Whoopsie.  I may choose a different pet name for her.

Whoopsie is an Ideal doll and a squeeze toy.  Squeeze her and she makes an obnoxious squeaking sound, and her pigtails pop up.  I just like her cute little face.  I also like that she's semi-local; Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas is not exactly a hop, skip, and a jump away from Malden, but it's closer to Malden than Fayetteville!  

Another new arrival for July 14th is Georgette, a Clodrey doll.

I'd heard of Clodrey from Crissy and Beth (they produced a version of Crissy and a very pretty dresser doll), but I'd only heard of them until I popped the name into Google.  Georgette is a "Coucou" doll, which I think may be a named line like the Revalo dolls are.  I largely bought her for her outfit, which reminds me of my favorite vintage Barbie dress, "Fancy Free."  But Georgette has a pretty face too.  Notice that her eyes follow the camera.  Georgette trusts no one!

I must say, the French dolls are a lot more serious than the Italian dolls I own!  I prefer the exuberant Italian dolls, but obviously the placid French dolls are welcome in my group too.  And there are always exceptions to the "French dolls are serious" rule.  Right, Praline?

Right, Sheena?

Sheena arrived on the 20th.  She is also a Clodrey doll, and she belongs to a wave called "Funky."  The Funky dolls were more punky than funky...or maybe they were both!  Anyway, I don't know of too many punk dolls that were/are geared towards kids, but here's this one at least.

We jump back now, to July 18th.  My cats (particularly Tommy and Chessie) had developed a sudden interest in knocking my dolls from hell to breakfast.  That morning Carla Jennifer (Cabbage Patch Preemie, left) and Mikey (Magic Nursery baby) were my latest victims. 

Good thing Tommy and Chessie haven't been able to reach my porcelain kids.  If that were the case then war might be declared. 

July 19th.  I put my resident ponytail Barbies together. 

The brunette is, of course, Mama's #3, and the blonde is the #4 that Treesa sent me in June.  As far as I know, Barbie wasn't a redhead until the sixth wave of ponytails came out, but if I can find one of them then the color trifecta will be complete.  Note, by the way, that Mama's Barbie is wearing "Fancy Free."

It's not a dead ringer for Georgette's dress, but the colors are bang-on.

July 21st.  It was balls soup hot, as my sister would say.  Temperature was 96 at 2:30 p.m., and the heat index was 120.  

Ayla and Lady waited patiently, for a new friend of their own.

Why they are relevant will become obvious later.  For now we go to July 26th, approximately 8:15 p.m.  It had been ridiculously hot all day (heat index of 118), and it was still stifling by nightfall.  I put Yuka in her bathing suit...

...but to quote one of my favorite library patrons, it was too damn hot.

July 27th it was STILL too damn hot!  Our A/C spent much of the night flashing an Error 34 reading and thus didn't cool the house like it normally would.  Mama and I slept poorly and woke up grouchy, and some of my dolls here appeared to feel the same way.

From left, they are Wendy, Chou Chou, Mika, Nora, and Mali.  Mali and Nora retained a bit of optimism, as they knew Wednesday would bring cooler temperatures.  As for Wendy, she's ready for fall.

Wendy doesn't have her hat yet, but she's gonna be a witch this Halloween. 

Hot temperatures make me think of hot, neon colors, and my new Cry Baby fits the bill there.  This is Charlie, and she arrived on the 27th as well.

Sigh, every time I look up Cry Babies for the sake of reference, I find one I can't live without.  Charlie pairs a deep skintone with bright, splashy colors (just like Whoopsie does), but her eyes are green.  That's a nice change, as Ayla and Lady both have blue eyes.  

August 26th.  Yes, I spent August doing something else.  Paid almost ZERO attention to my dolls, but the Cry Baby Trio did manage to get my attention.

Rub-a-dub-dub, three kids in a tub!  Even though Charlie, Ayla, and Lady look a lot alike I still enjoy having 'em along for the ride of life.  Or the walk of life, take your pick.  Sometimes life crawls and sometimes it blitzes, so I guess both the ride and the walk are applicable terms.

August 28th.  I'd just told Mika that it was gonna get hot again. 

I know, sweetie, I'm not excited either.  Seriously, the first week of September is looking to be miserably hot.  At that stage NWS was showing temperatures in the high nineties clean through to the following Thursday (September 3rd), and neither Ryan Hall nor Max Velocity nor our own local weatherman had any words of comfort.  BUT...we'll make it through.  Mama and I have weathered hot summers with ZERO A/C at all, so we can survive one with a malfunctioning A/C.

And that's the past two months in a nutshell.  My promised focus on nail polish has come to pass, and I've become more obsessed with that than with my doll's, thus why August was so lean.  I'll try to do better in the weeks and months ahead.  The medication my neurologist prescribed is an anti-spasm med and has done wonders for my pain, so I may be able to complete some reviews soon...but no promises.  I love y'all, though. 

Cheers,

RagingMoon1987 

What the neurologist said

Guess what?  NOTHING!!!  LOL, no, my neurologist says that whatever I've got has affected all four limbs to a varying degree, though I hadn't noticed so much in my right arm.  He wants an MRI of my thoracic and cervical spine, and possibly my head as well.  So no answers yet, but we're potentially on the right track.  I'm feeling a little more optimistic now.

In other news, Treesa sent me this Cabbage Patch All-Star Kids birth certificate, and dig this name!

Definitely has a baseball player flavor!  Also reminds me of Vince Lombardi, who was a football coach.  So yeah, I can dig that name.  Kinda big for a little doll, but it made me smile.  Thanks, Treesa!

I'll let y'all know how everything pans out!

God bless, 

RagingMoon1987 

So random, March/April '26

We begin this round on the evening of February 28th.  It was warm, I'd spent some time redressing some of my dolls, and these two had spring fever.  Rebecca Madeleine is on the left, and her friend is the one and only Joyita Emilia. 

As fine as the weather was that day, we ALL had spring fever!  I'd just gotten both girls in their spring dresses (seen here and here), and they looked cute together.

March 4th, the first severe day of the season.  I took Lady to work with me, but ultimately nothing happened.

Early March was a time for baby dolls here at Casa Pizarro.  From left to right, these are Lady, a Belly Button Baby that I've chosen to name "Colin," and a Magic Nursery baby that I'm calling "Elias."

Belly Button Baby is one that I saw on Tam's blog.  There were several variants, with one being this little red-haired, brown-eyed boy.  Belly Button Baby is like those collapsing toys (my sister loved them), where you'd push a button and they'd go limp.  Same sort of gimmick with Colin, though I can't show it very well.

Colin is strung pretty tightly so he can't sit, but he can lounge.  He's a ham!

As for Elias, he's got an eye color that I've not seen on a Magic Nursery doll.  They're...hazel or green or a combination of the two.  They look green in the pictures.

I make a big deal about this because Afro-American Cabbage Patch Kids of the early nineties had ZERO variation in eye color.  Their eyes were brown and that was that.  Magic Nursery dolls of color DO have variations in eye color, as Elias and Miss Emily's Shyla show.  Oh, and remember how these dolls have plastic bellybuttons that can vary in shape?  Elias has an outie (remember that all Cabbies have outies too).  So far, Lina is my only Magic Nursery doll with an innie.

March 6th, 8:15 p.m. local time.  All was quiet in the Bootheel, but tornadoes were hitting far to the west and I was keeping a sharp eye on the radar.  March of '26 was moderately stormy, but not as bad as March of '25 was.  Anyway, one of my new dolls offered to keep an eye on two of my smallest dolls.

Like Olivia Hope before her, Audrina is proving to be a natural with babies.  Or she is with Hong Kong Honey and Libra Baby.  Audrina is a Juku Couture doll, by the way, and I do plan on reviewing her soon.  With her joints and inset eyes she's kinda like a tiny LIV doll without wigged hair.  I wonder if her shoes are bigger on the inside, LOL!

March 12.  It's been awhile since I talked about Magic Mixie Pixlings, and the scuttlebutt on Reddit is that Moose Toys has pulled the plug on these.  No time like the present to snap one up...or two.

By pure dumb luck I found both Amber (left) and Catlyn being sold together, unencumbered by those clunky bottles.  The consensus on Reddit is that these dolls could've been a hit without all the gimmicks (just like their cousins the Capsule Chix) and I think that indeed is true.  The bottle is a single-trick pony and takes up a lot of space, and there's a danger of it leaking chemicals everywhere (bleach-water, probably, but still).  The dolls themselves are great!  Oh, and as a bonus, the seller shipped my dolls in a Chewy box.  Mama and I are big Chewy fans.  If y'all have animals and don't want to run to Wal-Mart for everything, Chewy.com's shipping is very prompt and the prices are reasonable.

March 12th was also the night I put my last Monster High post together, and I got an outtake.

Budget dolls or no, Frankie and Draculaura know how to look adorable. 

March 13th.  We were facing another stormy weekend and I was nervous, so I grabbed two of my soft dolls to hug.  My Newborn Nancy and Lady are who I grabbed. 

Still no batteries for My Newborn Nancy yet.  I remember I'd said that I wanted to try her out.

March 17th.  Rockin' redheads.  From left, Joyita Emilia, Hannah Valerie, and Rosanna Claire. 

Hannie loves the camera, LOL!

March 22nd.  I was dying to see how Joyita Emilia looked in blue.

She ended up looking not too shabby!

March 27th.  It was chilly and windy again, not twenty-four hours after parts of the Midwest had tornadoes and hail.  I promptly bundled up my newest arrival. 

Her name is Baby Annabell, and she's by Zapf Creation.  She'll be getting a review in...<pauses to look>...late May, if all goes well.

March 29th.  By the end of the day it was warm enuff for a change of clothes. 

Annabell is a big girl, so finding clothes for her may not be the easiest.  But so far I've lucked out.  And yes, it seriously warmed up that fast.  That's life in the Missouri Bootheel.

April 2nd.  In preparation for Annabell's post I had out My Newborn Nancy and Baby All Gone, or as I call them, Nancy and Mary.

Nancy is a Tyco doll, Mary is a Kenner doll, and they don't look a lot alike, but I'd have happily called them sisters as a kid.  Sisters by different companies, one could say.

April 15th.  Taxes were safely in, my hip was semi-behaving, and a lovely breeze was coming through the storm door's window.  I belong to a Failbook group that goes pretty heavy on the reborn dolls, so I trotted out my iCradle doll, Sandra.

I'd just gotten a new pacifier clip for Sandra, since her magnet doesn't hold her pacifier tightly.  The cord is stiff, but it keeps the binky from falling in the floor, which it did at least twice when I'd move Sandra around.

The next evening I swapped Sandra out for Geneva, my Real Baby.  Mama has named Geneva as a favorite of hers, and I've been pretty open about my fondness for her too.

I really feel my physical limitations when handling Geneva.  She's a big baby and I have to hold onto Barbie Walker with both hands, so I have to drape Geneva awkwardly across Barbie Walker's crosspiece...or ask for help, which I loathe.  Mama is also on a walker and can't carry much more than I can, and I want Uncle Man-Child to keep his lousy mitts off my stuff (don't worry, I leave his crap alone too).  Anyway, springtime and that cute duck dress just beg for a picture of Geneva outside in the sunshine, and without a good carrier I just can't do it.  But then again, there was no sunshine that evening, just rain and some thunder.  The week of the twelfth was very violent in parts of the country, but this time the Bootheel made it out okay.

April 20th, bright, sunny, and breezy.  The Dolly Den (Failbook group) asked for curly hair, and I obliged. 

River Song (left) and Alana.  Alana desperately needs a hair bow.

That same day my Zapf Creation Little Princess doll arrived, after quite a journey from abroad. 

Cinderella's whole mouth is askew, not just her paint!  I can live with that though, since these dolls are out of production and aren't the easiest to find.

April 24th.  I'd received a steroid shot and was feeling good enuff to drag some of the kids outside. 

From left, Martina (Furga), Cassandra (Italocremona), and Ilaria (Furga).

Twice this past week I've been afraid that I'd go flying over the rainbow, but it all came out okay in the end.  Unfortunately I've got a feeling that this summer is going to be long, hot, and dry.  I hope all is well with y'all!

Cheers,
RagingMoon1987