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You are here: Home / Archives for Blythe dolls

Brain Fog Monday

September 25, 2023 at 9:01 am by Claudia

My geranium – another plant that I overwinter – finally bloomed. I had to prune it earlier in the season and the rain knocked off an earlier bud before it could open. So, knowing that rain was coming for the weekend, I moved her to a safer place on the porch until the threat passes. I think I’ve had this plant at least as long as the Boston fern, if not longer.

Monday. It rained all night and it’s still raining now. I slept in a bit because we were up later than usual. Don has an eye appointment this morning.

Lucy telling me all about her day. She insisted on replacing her sweet dress with some dungarees.

She’s right. They suit her. She’s my scrappy girl.

It was a low-key weekend. I read a lot! I’m nearly to the end of The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons. The writer who is taking over this series has done a bang-up job. She understands the characters and remains true to the essence of the storyline that Steig Larsson established many years ago. I imagine that isn’t at all easy.

Mere sent me a photo of my nephew and his girlfriend, taken when he was sworn in as a District Attorney. They swore them in as soon as the bar results were posted. And he has a trial starting this week. I am so proud of him.

Looks like there’s a tentative deal in the writers’ strike, which has been going on longer than that of the actors. I eagerly await the details. Several of my former students from Boston University are writers in Hollywood. I hope they got everything they were fighting for. And I hope the actors get the same. AI is the biggest threat, both to the writers and the actors – that, and streaming.

My brain is a bit foggy this morning as I’m still not fully awake, so I hope this all makes sense! I’m not even sure what is on the horizon for the day; more reading for sure. And some dreaded bathroom cleaning.

Rest in Peace to Terry Kirkman, a founding member of The Association – he wrote “Cherish” and “Everything that Touches You.” I got to know him through Don who knew him from his Los Angeles years. How lucky I was to “know” him. He was unfailingly kind to everyone, including me. He worked for years with people in recovery and he had a heart as big as all outdoors. I’m very sad. I was a huge fan of The Association, saw them live in concert, but I was an even bigger fan of Terry and the man he was. Rest in Peace, Terry.

Say safe.

Happy Monday.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, houseplants 25 Comments

Nephews, Books, and Dolls

September 20, 2023 at 9:01 am by Claudia

It’s so brisk and cool out there this morning! I have a sweater on….what????  Our transition to Autumn weather was rather abrupt, but I’m fully on board. And the light is gradually changing to that beautiful golden light that I love so much.

Yes, if you missed it, my nephew passed the bar exam in Florida, so he is officially a lawyer. In August, he started working for the Pinellas County District Attorney’s office. Everyone who took this year’s exam commented on how hard it was – harder than usual, according to those who had taken it more than once. I’m so proud of him and all he has accomplished after having gone through a harrowing time when he was a teenager. My sister was there at his side through all of it, of course.

Monday was also the day in which Z was having surgery. (He’s fine, all is well. I’ll leave any details for Mere to discuss.) So, as Mere was driving him to the hospital, the phone rang and it was son #2 saying he’d passed the bar. Talk about an emotional day!

One of the books I’d been waiting for is now at my local library branch, so I’m headed over there later today. It’s the newest in “The Girl with… ” series – The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons.  I finished Yellowface  yesterday morning (loved it) so I’m ready for a new read.

Time for a couple of dolly photos:

Nina in her back-to-school outfit. Her body is a bit taller than the bodies of the other girls and her legs seem so long! I love the veins that the customizer painted on her forehead and eyelids.

And a Gene Marshall doll I managed to snag on eBay for next-to-nothing:

This doll is called Iced Coffee. I’ve loved it since I first discovered these dolls. But what I love even more are the great hair rolls and the SNOOD! Oh my goodness, I’ve always loved snoods. My hair, unfortunately, is too fine/thin for any kind of snood, so I’ll live vicariously through this doll. (She comes with the snood, necklace and a matching bracelet, earrings, and that brooch pinned at her waist.

If only we all had Gene’s impossibly small waist.

I know there are Gene collectors who dress and redress their dolls, even making clothes for them (and some of them are exquisite.) But I like them as they are and keep them in the outfits designed for that specific doll. Of course, there are lots of Gene outfits that were sold separately, so I suspect the way to deal with that is to buy one nude Gene doll and use that doll for modeling other outfits. I’ve learned a lot about this from my friend, Doug, who was one of the three original clothing designers for Gene Marshall. He has such fascinating stories to tell!

My Blythes are the dolls I play with and redress, because they’re so gosh darned cute.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, books, Gene Marshall dolls, Meredith, reading 32 Comments

Vaccines, Finishing War & Peace, and the Girls

September 15, 2023 at 8:01 am by Claudia

First of all, we got both our RSV and flu vaccinations yesterday. I was checking the availability of appointments at our local pharmacy and there were slots available in the afternoon. We were just planning on getting the RSV, but the pharmacist encouraged us to get the flu shot at the same time.

So we did. He was a nice guy but not the gentlest in terms of inserting the needle. Ah well. I felt a little funky in the afternoon and wondered if it was a reaction, but thinking back on it, I just think it was my sinuses/allergies. If it was a reaction, it was incredibly short and no big deal. Today, I feel fine – except for the fact that Don woke me up with a big snore at 4:15 am and that was it for sleeping. By the way, the snoring issue is much better as Don found something to insert in the nose to keep the nostrils open. This morning’s snore was a rarity.

Anyway – Covid next month and then we’re good to go.

Done; with one caveat – I didn’t finish the Epilogue. It was about ten chapters long, very dry, and was basically Tolstoy’s musings on historians, the path of history, etc., etc. By the time I was halfway through, I finally realized that I had indeed read the entire novel, plus many pages of the epilogue which were making my eyes glaze over, so I was allowed to stop.

It was a gift, this readalong. I don’t think I would have attempted it otherwise. I’ve read several novels that were over a thousand pages, so it’s not the length, necessarily. It was Tolstoy’s WAR AND PEACE and everything it symbolized that would have held me back and maybe the thought that it would be boring, as well. Of course, it was anything but that. An incredible, beautifully written book by a master.

I spent the afternoon on Wednesday redressing all of the girls. I was dealing with a little anxiety. I’ve found that grabbing one of the girls when I’m stressed helps to ground me, if that makes sense. I fell in love with them all over again. I thought it was high time to remove their summer ensembles and get them ready for fall and the start of school.

Here is group one. I’ll share more pictures tomorrow.

Holly, Zoe, and Katie.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, books, reading, warandpeacereadalong 26 Comments

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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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