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You are here: Home / Archives for Blythe dolls

Ornaments, Mail Woes, Movies, and the Final Queen

December 18, 2024 at 9:11 am by Claudia

One of my favorites: the bluebird ornament. I have two of them. This one has the indented center which works as a reflector. Something tells me they were called thumbprints, but I may be wrong about that. The other, which I found several years later, is a smooth bulb.

Well. Christmas is one week away. Suddenly, it’s almost here. I’m now wanting to slow time so it lasts longer. When I was a kid, I wanted it to come QUICKLY! Now, I want it to be ‘in the offing’ a bit longer. I want more time to listen to Christmas music, to indulge in being smack dab in the middle of the Christmas season.

USPS woes: My package, which came from Spain, landed at JFK, then went to the Jamaica, NY processing center where it went through customs, then went to the Metro NY Processing Facility, then suddenly ended up at a postal center in Pennsylvania. After two days, it landed at processing center in New Jersey, then traveled all the way back to the Jamaica, NY International processing center, where it sat for 3 days, then to the Queens NY facility, then to Newburgh where it sat for two days, and finally to my local post office. It’s being delivered today. It should have been here a week ago. Needless to say, I live 75 miles north of NYC – this should have been a no brainer.

My customer’s package – she paid for priority mail and lives in Virginia – left my local post office on the 14th, went to the Queens NY Distribution Center, left the center on the 15th, landed in Richmond, VA on the 15th, and then – for some reason – ended up in Grand Rapids, MI on the 16th, where it remains. It is now 2 days later and there has been no movement.

It makes me crazy. But it especially upsets me when a customer has paid for 2 day delivery and doesn’t get what they paid for. I am tracking it as best I can, but I can’t submit an inquiry until the 21st. Hopefully, she is tracking it as well.

I imagine that it all happens in the sorting. Packages mistakenly get put in the wrong bin. This has happened to me more often than not. Sigh. I imagine all of you have stories to tell about the same thing.

We’ve started watching a Christmas movie every night. Last night was A Christmas Story, tonight is White Christmas. We have no interest in modern movies, they’re not our thing. Yes, we’ve seen Elf. It was immediately disqualified from any future viewings – cute, but not something we want to revisit.

And finally, Queen Sophie, my first Blythe:

She always looks slightly skeptical, doesn’t she?

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, Christmas 28 Comments

Saturday

December 14, 2024 at 8:18 am by Claudia

Another night with temperatures in the teens. I think tomorrow will bring warmer weather.

Appointments last week were full up, so I can’t take the car in until Monday morning. Don’s car needs a major repair, my car needs some sort of repair…it’s all worrisome. I’m practicing letting go and trusting all will work out. But as a lifetime worrier, that’s not always easy for me to do.

One of my favorite things this time of year is to plug the tree lights in first thing in the morning. There’s something so lovely about the sparkle of the tree when it’s still dark outside. Because we place it in front of the french doors leading into the den, both Don (sitting in the living room) and I (sitting in the den) get to experience its beauty.

I’m having some difficulty concentrating on reading. I go through these periods at times. I’ve pulled out a few favorites from years back that require very little effort and, more importantly, make me happy. That’s what I’m going with for now.

Because she’s so beautiful, another shot of Miranda.

And today’s Queen – Jessie.

Only one more Queen for the Day to go. Hmmmm. Which girl hasn’t been featured yet?

Time to make our second cup of coffee.

Happy Birthday to my dear cousin Eileen, who reads this blog. Love you.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls 23 Comments

Oh, Christmas Tree

December 13, 2024 at 8:23 am by Claudia

Endlessly windy around here. Non-stop. We were out running errands yesterday and it felt like we’d topple at any moment! It’s also much colder, but that was expected.

It’s Friday the 13th – Don’s lucky day.

We decorated the tree on Wednesday and darned if I didn’t break 3 vintage ornaments. I’ve never done that before. I admit to getting a little teary about the losses.

Here she is:

There will be more views in the next couple of weeks.

A low-key day ahead, though I have to mail an Etsy package. Our local post offices are overwhelmed at the moment. Earlier this week, our mail didn’t arrive until 10 pm. Insane. They are short-staffed, apparently. We really felt for the drivers. As we’re in the country, there are no street lights, and driving around on an unfamiliar route, looking for the right mailbox must have been exhausting. And one of those days involved torrential rains, as well! I’m waiting for a package that was sent from Spain – OB22 and 24 bodies for Blythes – and it arrived last week, went through customs, then went to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and now it’s back in Queens. What the heck? I live 75 miles northwest of Queens – in the same state. It should have been here days ago.

Queen Zoe. (mini me)

Queen Miranda.

Two more to go.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, Christmas 26 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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