Temporarily mine...

Current Mood : Reminiscing.

Ya’ll are gonna laugh yourselves silly at me. We went to the flea market – first time in months ! – and while Dearest Son found a model car to love pretty early on, I made two circuits, looking, searching. I can tell you, without the merest shred of doubt, that there is not one single whit of any Monster High products or merchandise anywhere in that big ole tin-roof barn. Not even a hint of any clone junk. Closest I saw was some footless Bratz that couldn’t even give up their clothes for the cause – they were nude, too.

What makes the day funny is what I eventually bought. Three Barbie dolls ! That’s right, I bought three bedragged, long-in-a-musty-box, wrecked hair blondes – and one of ‘em was a nearly bald knockoff. I got a pink Three Musketeers doll, a ballerina My First, and the poor clone for six bucks. However, the clone wore a nice pair of narrow olive-drab slacks that’d look great on a MH boyfiend, and the floral blouse paired with it was nice, too. Ms. Musketeer had a pink crown / mask permanently attached to her head, but her dress was pretty and in good shape, so I earmarked that for the molded-swimsuit Belle I bought last year. The My First ballerina I tagged as a body donor for a damaged doll, but I decided against it later – still gonna snag her neat wrap dress, and had fun brushing her hair out.

It may seem surprising that I got all the clothes I wanted with a minimum of dolIs purchased, but that’s ‘cause I always ask if I can switch clothes around first. Sellers usually agree, especially when I’m the only one diggin’ in the doll box all day. Decided to swap the white Star Skater outfit – with the natty fur at collar and cuffs – with the neat floral wrap dress, and got to work dressing them, to help the seller out. The Barbie was yer standard 80s wide-eyed girl…and the dress wouldn’t go over her hips. Yet it was clearly a Barbie dress. Not the first time that’s happened. The last couple Barbie outfits I’ve bought new wouldn’t fit on most of my older dolls. Last Ken outfit I bought wouldn’t fit on the older guys, either. So much for those ‘bigger hips, more realistic’ push Mattel tried to sell a few years ago. All the bodies are smaller now. And nothing fits anymore.

Gee, wonder why I’m so addicted to MH ! So far, there’s only three different ghoul bodies, the differences are readily apparent, yet half the clothes still fit between them, and it’s mostly shoes that are the big bone of contention. As I should have expected, the Musketeer dress just barely fit Belle, but while snug, it looks fine on her. Slacks fit Gil, even with his non-removable leg fins, so that was well worth the two bucks, right there. I’d intended to refit the wrap dress to fit the ghouls anyway, so having it small wasn’t a big deal, but it is frustrating to run up against that again.

We also hit a Dollar General, and scored the My Little Pony Valentines Dearest wanted, so I wanna thank Presto for the tip ! That store now only has one box of MLP hearts-and-hooves now ! Swooped the soda Beloved Hubby craved, and a few other minor necessities. And I can tell you, right here and right now, that Stauffer’s brand ‘Whales’ cheddar crackers – evidently Goldfish knockoffs – are not good. Gonna hafta crush ‘em small and get rid of them in the next meatloaf, or toss ‘em to the ducks. Yuck. Target’s clone ‘Chickadees’ tasted much better. Thank Everything we had some raw cauliflower in the fridge that I could nosh on before our late lunch.

Forgot I had beans soaking for about 36 hours, but I got to them today. I’m getting pretty good at recycling ham bones and kitchen bits into bean soup ! And it was delicious ! To think that, until last year, I’d never soaked dried beans, much less cooked with them. Shame that the space I cleared by finally using up the ham I had to fill up with bean soup leftovers. Least it won’t be there long.

Did ya’ll know there’s such a thing as the United States Dry Beans Council ? It’s a trade association, of course, but they run a good website for soaking questions, nutrition information, and recipes. I swear, with all the recipe sites online, I’m amazed anyone still buys cookbooks, but it’s always good to have print.