Despite the presence of Pinkie Pie, it was not a good day at Chez Insanity...

Current Notes : The second peg-foot doll steps into my little world !

Score ! On a quick run to the local grocer’s, I found Velveeta Hamburger Helper-style boxed dinners on markdown, 2 / $1. For that price, I’d try them. But each box had a $1. off coupon…they weren’t expired, either. Would they work ? No big deal if they didn’t, after all, 50c a box for mac n cheese isn’t bad. But they did ! My six boxes cost three bucks, but six dollars came off my total. They paid me to take them ! It was all I could do to not go back for more. Decided it was only fair to let others have a score, too, and six really was about the most I was likely to use. They’ll make great lunches for Dearest Son and me, as Beloved Hubby doesn’t really like that stuff.

Otherwise, today was actually kind of disappointing. Went on a short doll hunt, and found absolutely nothing new – neither of the Black Carpet lines, nor the Ghoul Spirit, the Scare-mester, or Art Class. All I saw was endless 13 Wishes and the occasional leftover Skultimate Roller Maze and Swim Class. Lotsa Die-ners, too. And everything was full price. Ah, well. Maybe next week.

As a sort of consolation – because I really was geared up to get my Clawdia/Honey today – I bought My Little Pony Equestria Girls Pinkie Pie’s Boutique. Whew. I confess, I’d been peeping in on her occasionally, but I really didn’t have intentions to buy her… but what can I say, pink and black and glitter. Ya’ll know I’m a sucker for 80s stuff…

As if my disappointment was a harbinger, we weren’t home a half hour before everything went to the nethers. The behaviors and attitudes that made me long to escape this house years ago roared back with reinforcements today. The money we’d put aside got spent on…something we were assured was paid months ago. In truth, it hadn’t been paid in months, and that bundle of registered mail proved it. To say the house has been tense is an understatement. To say the mood is visible from space is only a slight exaggeration. And I have no idea how we’ll cover that hole Beloved punched into the wall. It’s huge.

Oh, and we didn’t get what we were saving for today. Down payment for Beloved’s new-to-him truck, which would give me the 4Runner to use. Not happening now. I’m so mad, I could punch a fool in the face. 

So close, so very close on that camisole pattern...

Current Notes: I need a nap !

I was a naughty girl last night… although, with all the marked down dolls, I guess it was inevitable. So many dolls I wanted for just their clothes, half price or less all over the place, so tempting. I had shopping carts in three online stores. But I didn’t buy a one. I have plenty of dolls. I have plenty of doll clothes and still hope to sew more. Yet the ones I want aren’t out yet, and it’s silly for me to buy more others just for this skirt or that dress.

But the urge to buy was upon me…and I snagged something I really did want, the Monster High Frights, Camera, Action! Black Carpet Playset . I like their version of the ‘velvet ropes’, and saw immediate uses for the podium and ‘quilted’ seat. What really ‘sold’ it, though, was the shelves reversed to a photo op spot, and I just couldn’t resist that. Free shipping, should be here Tuesday, so we’ll see ! Beloved Hubby bought Prime a couple weeks back, and we’ve been giving it a workout !

Speaking of which… yes, my camera xD chip arrived today, shortly before 1pm. Here’s hoping the playset arrives with a lot less fuss.

I was a good girl today, though. Kept m’self from buying a black, two-foot high MH Christmas tree, but it was harder than I thought. Once I realized I didn’t really like the skirt or the ornaments (too skullette and DracuLaura heavy for my tastes), and I could make my own anytime, I let go. It’s a darn good thing the local TRUs didn’t have any in stock, or I’d be stuck !

With the ‘make your own’ on my mind, I pulled up a kitchen chair and sewed. Mostly just finally tackled the camisole I’ve had ready to go for…what, months now. Still need serious practice on straps, I totally rank at those. It’s also a bit tighter than I want, so I’ll put a bit back on and go for it again, hopefully before 2014 dawns ! 

Hope your day was full !

Current Notes: I'm just glad it's back to Fall-type weather ! 

Happy Thanksgiving ! However you spent your day, I hope it was relaxing and had good food. Heck, I want that for everybody every day !

I got to see more toy ads than usual today. Did  you know Tinkerbell now has her own Country Camper van ? I don’t know what took Mattel so long to make that. Nothing says ‘magical forest fairy in classic children’s literature’ more than a custom 4WD RV ! I wonder when Tink’s “Career Series” begins. She can’t repair pots and pans forever, ya know. Payments on that RV are probably brutal !

As for me, I had lots to be thankful for today, and I was, relaxed and reading for a good chunk of the day, with a soda on one side and a big bag of Cheddar Chex Mix on the other. We planned ahead for the day ! Had pork chops and home fries with DM & FIL, snacks in the afternoon, and the dinner of our choice tonight. Not a ton of leftovers. Not a big huge deal. Just a relaxed, quiet day, with naps and TV and books and favorite foods. Perfect.

Sewed a little. DMIL dropped a split-seam robe off next to my sewing machine today, so I went ahead and fixed it, as a ‘thanks’ for the chops. Would have been nice if she’d asked, but that’s kind of her way these days. I hoped to sew more, but Dearest wanted to watch the remade Incredible Journey, and Michael J. Fox’s ‘frantic’ voice for that one dog just scrapes on my nerves. Normally, I’d just listen to my Mp3 player with headphones and sew away, but it hasn’t yet been replaced. Soon…

Oh, and just for fun, I checked for the tracking status of that wayward camera memory chip. According to their site, UPS will deliver it tomorrow. I’ll believe it when I see it, as the rep I had the misfortune to deal with yesterday told me they were closed today and tomorrow. If it does show up, she really was fulla fibs !

I hope your day was full of what makes you happy and content…

What's the Universe got against me, anyway ? I ain't goin' shopping tomorrow !

Current Notes: Aaaargh. 

There are some days you can’t help but wonder if it’s “Thwart Me” day. You know you’re not that important, but sheesh, if it doesn’t seem the Universe is against you but only in petty ways.

Today, my new memory chip for my camera was due in. Denied ! Seems that Amazon.com inadvertently added an extra letter, just one single letter, in our address, and that completely flummoxed UPS. Yes, friends, you too can completely bewilder a major US corporation by adding an ‘n’ to “9^th Street”. If your package has “9nth Street” on it, with everything else being the same, UPS will put it on the wrong truck in the wrong city – even if the zip code and everything else is correct ! Even if they delivered a package on the 13^th – barely two weeks ago ! – with that ‘n’ there, they just can’t possibly jump that flaming hurdle today.

Yeah, the customer service rep was feeding me a line. The first CS said it was on the right truck, they just had some trouble finding the place. That’s bad enough, but the second told me that that mischievous  “n” put my chip on the wrong truck in the wrong town. I guess I’m lucky they got the state right ! She then told me I could pick it up at the local UPS office in Capitol City right now…how ? I thought it was on the truck ?

In the end, I won’t get it ‘til Monday, so I told her I was quite displeased with their level of service, that this is why people prefer to use USPS, and if she couldn’t tell me the truth – or at least stick with one lie per conversation – then I hoped she got a big bellyful of turkey tomorrow…with a side of botulism. Thank Everything this was just a stupid memory chip, and not a kidney. If the address to the hospital was hand-printed in sans serif, people could die !

So, anyway. I finally got Beloved Hubby's very important photos from the current too-limited chip backed up in six places – including three USB drives – and blanked it. My Tablet simply doesn’t take sharply focused pictures at any range, and its color palette was driving me nuts. I wanted my old camera back ! Of course, the freshly blanked old chip proceeded to screw up for several minutes. (sigh)

Once that was fixed, there were several other minor annoyances, all in a row, culminating in Flickr once again changing interfaces. My usual minute-long ‘post image to Photostream, snag URL, cut/paste here, format, final check, done’ became an hour of ‘Why the flapping flaming flip is this not working either ?1?’. Let’s just say Flickr’s ‘Share’ button don’t do squat for Blogger. And I had to search all over the image page to find what would work. Still have no idea why Flickr changed anything at all – was anybody complaining ? (sigh) I figured it out, but I did not need that on top of the rest of an already stressful day !

I am sooo gonna eat crackers in bed tonight…

Fillies Gone Wild ! "Go the %^$# To Sleep !" Read all about it in The Equirer !

Current Notes: I am sooo gonna print 'National Equirer' and hand it to a few MH ghouls...

When the holidays loom large on the horizon, everything on 250+ channels is the same ole same ole, and the wind chill is something-or-other negative below, I can’t help but think it’s natural to feel a bit nostalgic. Kinda ranks when the good old days and the bad old days are the same memories, but ya have what you have. Last night, I had insomnia ‘til 3am. Ah, fun.

I’m nearly back to normal, save for all the tools that’ve accumulated around my sewing Arena during my absence. Well. Bag that trash ! We’d have more space for tools if some of the IL’s stuff – that they’ve “been meaning to relocate, but…” - got moved, so I did it. There’s another reason I’m not fond of mirrors, besides the obvious. Those suckers are *heavy* ! Shoved a buncha their sh…stuff in the closet that their attentions have also neglected. Gonna keep packing it in there ‘til they clean it out or we do, right into the trash carts. I have near-annual changes of address to help me keep my flotsam down – I’ve learned that if it’s important, I know where it is !

Beloved Hubby tried to surprise me today with a new memory chip for the camera. Our old 2GB was messing up more often than it was working, then it was lost completely in the move. All I could find was the 16mb that came with that and another, older camera. Those hold about eight photos before they’re full. Our current one (can’t find the other 16mb) has photos on it of some gorgeous cabinets Beloved made, for a digital inspiration album to show clients. I’ve been hesitant to take those off the chip, even with backing them up numerous times, to use the camera for weeks now, but the Tablet isn’t near as good. I was hoping to buy a new, big ole chip this weekend, but he wanted to surprise me with it today.

Problem is, it’s xD. Evidently, that tech is on the way down, if not out – he couldn’t find one anywhere. So we ordered one off Amazon.com. Should be here tomorrow, if you can believe it !

I’m still so sleepy, though…

They're kind of Christmassy, in an odd sort of way...

Current Notes: Flickr just changed interfaces again, and it took 

me half an hour how to figure out how to do what I normally accomplish in 15 seconds. I swear...

Comfortably ‘perched’ in the newly cleaned and finally unpacked Studio – much better. Somehow a room looks brighter with no stacks of cardboard boxes in the way, no matter how bad the room looked before the move !

I’m down to the last two apples. I swear, once those are gone, I won’t wanna see a Granny Smith for quite some time, unless it’s the li’l ole mare on My Little Pony. Y’see, I like apples, and Beloved Hubby likes it when I eat wisely, so whenever we got low, he’d buy more. Which is great, but I’m the only one eating them, and I started stashing ‘em in the fridge, where they wouldn’t get in the way with all the various tasks going on in the kitchen. He’d see we were out of apples, and buy more. I put the last bag right in the fridge, since I was still eating the previous batch… and the next thing I knew, it was Halloween, and the only way to get rid of them all was to eat them, animate them with mad science, or try to pass ‘em off to local treat-seeking kids. Yeah, right. I’ve been eating one a day for nearly a month now, give or take a skipped day here and there. I’m heartily sick of apples, and that caramel dip is long gone. And it wasn’t even me who ate it all. If you want me to eat pommes in December, yer gonna have to step up to chocolate dip…

I’ve read that Slo Moe is on his way to hitting stores mid-December instead of January. I’m ready ! There’s thirty bucks in his fund, waiting on him to show up somewhere besides eBay for $135. Hoping for another survey or two, to plump it up a bit more, but one way or another,  I… that is, Ghoulia, will have the fiend of her dreams.

Deboxed the last Midnight Magic doll, known as Selina, today. I still can’t believe that purple thing is supposed to be a Siamese cat. I thought it was a Chihuahua. I’ve never seen a Siamese with such a stumpy tail and oversized head ! In a stunning display of bonus, the Chiamese’s  head turns. All the way around ! Now that photos are done, it’s Dearest Son’s genetic mess toy now. Beloved’s got the camera today, to photograph some gorgeous cabinets he created for a sort of brag portfolio, so I’ve been experimenting with the Tablet’s camera recently. It’s not bad. I prefer the Fuji FinePix, but be happy with what’cha got, I always tell Dearest – time to be an example.

Saw, for the first time, that the doll’s left eye is noticeably too close to her nose. But it actually works out OK, since their noses barely show up in photos or in most light anyway. Truth be told, I rather like these MM ghouls, and may end up keeping them. I’d consider going back for the other two, but the only Family Dollar around here only has one display box of them, and their dresses were truly badly sewn. Even taking into account most DTree doll fashion, they were bad. I got the best of the lot, easily. Anyway, I can justify $15. for two – caught mine on sale ! – but $10. each is just too much for a (usually) solid animal figure, a flimsy comb and brush, a not-well-sewn dress, a fairly neat doll, and more boots just like what I already have. No stands here either, never have been that I’ve seen.

Confession Corner : Watched the first two episodes of Season 4 of MLP. Twice. And having Luna in the opening credits is like getting a Christmas present I didn’t know I wanted, and now it’s my favorite. Squeeee ! 

It may be Autumn still, but today's snow says somethin' different !

Current Notes: Ready for Thursday yet ? 

Woke to the sound of sizzling bacon. No smell of it, though. Nope, that was an ice storm outside. It faded to fat, fluffy snowflakes a couple hours later – our first snowfall of Winter 2013 ! – then back to ice and rain.  The propane heater Beloved Hubby bought Friday night kept us nice and toasty, but I’ll be glad when we get the central heat fixed, hopefully next week.

Beloved worked today, regardless of my entreaties. At least he knows how to drive in ice and snow ! I decided that, since I feel mostly back to normal (digestive issues remain), and I have a new ‘perch’ in the Study, I may as well clean it. And unpack that stack of boxes piled up under the window.

That took nearly all day. I had to redo the bookcase, add a shelf, rearrange nearly all the books, find places for a few hundred things, sweep five or six times, ask Dearest Son to take out two bags of trash and three wrecked, flattened boxes, move my desk twice, shove two good flattened boxes and Ginger-kitty’s make-do kitty transporter into an already crammed storage closet, clear and collapse a tv tray that’d become a pseudo-desk and trash stop, and create both a receipts catcher and stray wire and cord box. That got the mess down to just one box of stuff for Beloved to go through whenever he’s ready – or not. It’s out of the way and his biz.

While I was sorting and digging, I made it through about half the first season of Reven8e, which is pretty good, but then very guilty of some serious Harlequin-poor writing. I’m wondering whose side the author is on…

I've never been more grateful for indoor plumbing in my entire life. Seriously.

Be back soon. Picked up some weird bug that's literally kicking my intestines. It's disgusting. Went to bed with it Wednesday night, and it's still here. Hoping things improve over the weekend, I'm back on solid food, but have zero appetite. Wish I could keep that part ! 

Blue Monday

Current Notes: Glitter Girl 02. Would it be cliche to call this one 'Crystal' and the other 'Jade' ? 

There isn’t much going on today, after a busy weekend. We ended up going out for a bit after dinner, and I now have new headphones – so does Beloved Hubby. I can tell ya, I’ve had some good headphones in my life, especially back in My Radio Days, but these new ones are excellent, ‘specially for the money. Neither my Sony nor my Radio Shack professional grade sets were as comfy and high fidelity as my new $30. Skullcandy Uprocks. Dearest Son just got new Sony ones a few weeks ago, so he didn’t want to upgrade, but he found a treat for himself and is just as happy.

The drama that’s been dragging my heels – that isn’t even my drama ! – ramped up today, and I’m having to learn it hard, just to stay out, be neutral to both parties, and don’t discuss anything with Beloved until the car’s out of the driveway. It’s hard not to be dragged in when I’m here all day, but I’ll learn eventually ! I’m exhausted from both sides, and truly, that’s energy I need elsewhere. So I’m withdrawing, and hope that I’m not too late to be uninvolved.

I’m enjoying my new perch in the Study, but I’ve gotta remember to come out every so often ! Put a doll or two in here, and I’ll stay all day. But that’s not good, either.  After all, the sewing machine is in the living room, and I need to go live sometime. 

Ok, now I'm broke. Whew !

Current Notes: Glitter Girl 01

McRib Count 2013 : 04

McRib/ Quarter Pounder Hybrid Count : 01

Beloved Hubby had today off ! It’s probably been almost two months since he had a whole day to himself. Lucky we did all my running around Friday and Saturday – he had the whole day to do as he pleased !

We got donuts for everyone, and went tool shopping. Not as boring as it may seem, given how many ‘home’ products are in most places that sell power tools. I’ll have to show you the cabinet job he just finished, and you’d see why I have no problems with him buying work tools – I’ll get cabinets even prettier soon from those same tools !

Instead of relaxing, Beloved tore into his Study. I was happy – it was the only room that still had boxes from the move in it. Since those are his books and papers, I don’t want to mess with them. Only he knows how he wants them. But, as it turns out, he wasn’t unpacking. He was clearing space for my computer desk in there.

While I wanted his study to be just that, his retreat, where he could sometimes close everyone out for a bit (we all need that, something I’m more and more aware of by the day), he didn’t want me to keep getting bumped and interrupted every time someone needed the bathroom. The way he saw it, I could have my computer desk and printer in the Study, and he’d take my vacated space as a tool staging area, since it’s rare he needs the same tools more than two days together. It’d be convenient to the driveway, and if somebody thumped a tool box in passing, it’s no big thing. He’s always been very careful of bladed and heavy equipment pieces, and I check, too, just to be sure.

While I hated to take his space… being moved a bit would possibly encourage me to get off the computer more. And by separating the spaces, I’d probably be more encouraged to sew ! In the end, I thought that if he’s willing to make the sacrifice to improve my mood, I should accept and improve it !

And I got my first Quarter Pounder /McRib hybrid for dinner. Evidently they ran out of buns between his McRib and mine, because mine came with a QP bun. It was arrayed like a regular McRib, with most of it sticking out of the too-small bun like a barbecue-sauced tongue. But when I went to eat it – after I stopped laughing – I found that they’d thoughtfully cut the McRib in half, so I could stack it and eat it like a burger. You know, I actually rather liked it like that…

Shadow Party !

Current Notes: Twyla is very pretty in pink ! Even if the 'donor doll' is nearly twice her size ! 

Today, I got to visit Family Dollar ! I’ve been wanting to, ever since the second  and third waves of Midnight Magic dolls’ photos started hitting the MH fan sites. It’s kind of impressive that there is a second wave of a knockoff, but the first run of MM sold well from what I could tell.

Ended up leaving with three dolls and a bag of jelly beans. The first was a $5. narrowbox pink doll – Adele - I only bought for her dress. I had to pin it in the back a bit, but it’s what Twyla’s wearing now. It looks very cute on her, so I’ll probably alter it to Twyla. It’s a complete open back, so all I’ll have to do is take it in a bit and move the Velcro ™ to the new spot. I liked the ‘checkered’ dresses the other dolls wore, but they were sewn so poorly, the bad fit and the bad stitching was visible, so I decided to give them a pass.

The other two were the new ‘deluxe’ ones. You’ll get to see them tomorrow. I was going to settle for only one, but they were ‘buy one, get one half price’, so I got the two I wanted. And the jellybeans were good, too ! 

Please welcome...Twyla !

Current Notes: Wish she'd take care of our dust bunnies ! 

Got to go to Kohl’s today ! I was looking forward to a little quality retail therapy time, but I ended up with Dearest Son firmly glued to my elbow. It became a much shorter shopping trip.

But I successfully used my $10. gift card, and brought home Twyla ! Her original price there was $34.99, believe it or not. And I thought Justice! and TRU gouged.  She was on at least the store-wide toy sale, but I couldn’t tell if she was on the further 20% off sale – they have these nice digital screen sale tags, but when it’s clipped to the middle of the center shelf, it’s hard to tell which toys are part of what it references. Even the price scanners (two departments away) didn’t show the 20% off sales, even on stuff the sale tags mentioned specifically.

Dearest Son found a Sunset Shimmer MLP – they want $8. for a toy that’s $5. everywhere else – but we hadn’t seen one in a while, and he had his allowance, so… Between sales and $10. cards, we strolled out of Kohl’s, Twyla and Sunset in bag, for $17.50. Not too bad, and I’d been thinking of getting a Twyla. That particular Kohl’s really didn’t have much else. I was about to pick up some dish cloths (theirs are pretty good) and head for the registers when Twyla fell off the shelf in front of me.

And now Howleen has her friend ! Really need to stitch her up something soon…

These are the days of our...calendars.

Current Notes: My calendars are here already ! Glad I caught 'em on sale. 

We had homeschool game day this week – we may not have another ‘til next year, with all the holidays on the way. We played a fun new game, Spot It !, that I really enjoyed. Basically, the cards have just one image in common between any two cards. You can play it any number of ways, including solitaire. I wonder how they can do that, keep it at just one image per card sets. I was just glad to see the icons weren’t product logos. There actually is a game like that, it uses real everyday trademarked logos – the first time I saw the ad, I thought it was a parody, a joke. Nope. It exists. Logo Party.

Dearest Son was a little more outgoing, but even that was like dragging a donkey. But we played a destructive version of chess together, a few rounds of giant Connect Four, featuring the world’s largest crash when it’s reset (none of the wood parts are cushioned with felt or anything), and fetched home a small pyramid of books.

(sigh) That’s been about it for the day. I’m still trying to figure out how to arrange my desk so that I don’t have to move out of the way for everyone to get to the bathroom. I’m shoved over as far as I can go – and I can pass even with my chair all the way out – but I still get nudged about 80% of the time. Each way. Between the interrupts and the bumps, I’m rapidly getting mean. One bathroom for 5 people is a recipe for eventual disaster. 

Dare you not to yawn !

Current Notes: So (yawn) exciting day...

Well, back to the ole grind. Dishes are done, trash is out, laundry’s ready to go tomorrow. Gonna finish off a Library book so I can turn it in, but that’s about all that’s going on. Hope your day is more exciting ! 

And now, we have *the* definite spelling !

Current Notes: Want. 

Not mine.
Darn it. 

Ohh, boy. The situation that had me so down and at a loss a few days ago has reared up big time, and it isn’t even our situation. Suffice to say the parties involved had it out tonight, and there’s no telling how it’s all gonna play out. All I can do is stay out of the way, protect Dearest Son, see if Beloved Hubby has any advice, and rest my own way back to health.

Yeah, my tummyache kept me up most of the night, and while it doesn’t hurt anymore, the muscles around it are sore and tender. I have only accomplished reading one of my freebie Kindle books all day – even standing up hurt, so I put dishes and laundry on hiatus for the day.

Heard rumors that the budget ‘Frights, Camera, Action’ and not-quite-so-budget ‘Scaremester’ MH  dolls are making appearances on store shelves, mostly at Justice! outlets. And on Amazon.com. Not really impressed by either line, although if this version of Jinafire doesn’t have such a stare-down expression, I’ll consider getting her. Otherwise, I’m waiting for the ‘FCA’ new characters (Clawdia, possibly Elissabat) and Slo Mo to show up on shelves before I reach for my wallet. Of course, Clawdia and El have been seen in Italy, and rumors that the ‘Ghoul Spirit’ line is in Canada right now abound. I have no idea why other countries always get the series I want first. If I don’t care about a line, of course it debuts Stateside…

Ah, don’t mind me. I’m just bitter ‘cause I can’t eat. Well, I can, but I’m afraid of triggering whatever ate me up last night ! I found the MH calendars on some sort of sale – half price ! – on eBay, from Calendars.com a couple days ago, and couldn’t make up my mind which one I liked better. So I snagged both. Two years ago, I got my 2012 MH wall calendar from them at half-price…in April 2012. They tossed in a free kitten calendar that DMIL enjoyed, too. While I doubt I’ll score any freebies this time, they ship fast and flat, so I was glad to buy from them at such a great price. And I’ll have a choice of calendars to re-use in 2015 !

My hope for tomorrow is flagging – parties involved are stomping around and sparking. But I fixed Chatty Cathy’s socks and hand-washed them, so my pretty doll is now correctly shod. Every day has its good points, even if it is just getting the right original shoes on a 45+ year old doll.  

If you ask me, we could use more cheese around here...

Current Notes: (sigh) 

Today did  not start out better. I woke up to an ambulance coming to a stop at our driveway. Rescue personnel were in the living room before I finished sliding into shoes. FIL had a seizure. Like Dearest Son’s seizure, there was no time to tell the rest of the house, so I did what I could while they took care of FIL – got Friday put away outside, clearing garage junk out of the way, answering a few questions, making sure DMIL had some cash and both his and her phones, just in case. We couldn’t find her shoes in the scared scramble, so I gave her mine. Talk about symbolism.

He was home a few hours later, which I expected. There’s not a lot that the best medical teams can do after a seizure, except prescribe medicine and schedule tests. It’d have to be a seizure more serious than I’ve ever seen – thank Everything ! – to merit being admitted. Beloved Hubby went to get him and DMIL, just in time for lunch. With tacos !

Unfortunately, I have a raging stomach-ache, and have been lying down most of tonight. Don’t think it’s the tacos’ fault, though. I’m gonna hit the hay.

Well. Hope reset for tomorrow, then. 

Just have to paint a set of her glasses gold...

Current Notes: I really like Ghoulia’s dress – too bad there’s not a new Ghoulia doll shown in any of the Comic cons or ‘leaked’ photos. Guess I’ll have to make it m’self.

Another quiet weekend. DMIL’s birthday is coming up, and FIL wants to get her a Tablet computer. I realized I hadn't used ours since a week or two before we moved. I think I turned it on to make sure it survived the move, but that was all. So, like a dog who doesn’t care about that bone in the backyard until another dog is in a two-mile radius, then it’s The Most Important Bone In The World, I was relentless until I found the charging cable and got it going again.

Then I restarted our subscription to Netflix. Dearest Son blabbed to FIL, so I’ll have to install it on one of their computers soon. I don’t mind sharing, and had planned on doing so, but I’ve learned today that, even though it’s within Netflix’s rules, having two computers streaming their content at the same time means one of them will glitch and stutter – and the way DMIL & FIL watch TV, we’ll be lucky to ever get to use it. (sigh) Well, if it gets to be too much of a PITA, I’ll just cancel it again. If I were really evil, I’d set theirs to ‘KidsFlix’, which won’t show anything above a Disney PG rating.

I’m having a really hard time lately finding my joy. I can’t remember the last time I really laughed. Maybe tomorrow will be better. 

What becomes a legend most...? Green satin !

Current Notes: Shoot, fluff his hair up a bit, get him some nice accentuating jewelry, and he'll be prettier than I was on my wedding day ! Man, do I respect him right now. 

I’m now good at fixing my cheap headphones. Have to be - hardwood floors. Every time they hit, one earpiece or another comes apart. I just cram the wires back in there, and match the slots, wiggle and pinch ‘til they go back. One day, I’ll get another set of Sony ones, those were nice. Very sturdy.

And Kohl’s has come through again – I got a $10. gift card in the mail today ! Just like the others, it’s good on anything in the store, but expires next Saturday. I’d get the MH case, their website shows it for just $12. and change, but supposedly it’s an online-only item. Hopefully, we’ll see what they have in a few days and go from there. I’m still wearing the shirts I got from a gift card about three or four years ago, so there’s no telling what I’ll come home with. Last year, it was two Angry Bird stuffed animals on markdown for Dearest Son, and a set of dish towels.

Cleaned up the second 1969 Chatty Cathy doll. Poor thing’s been languishing on my desk for weeks. Most of her grime came right off, but the stains from her underwear will probably need extensive acne medicine / sun treatment. Dearest wants to use her for some pony pictures, but after that, I’m not sure what to do with her. I have to repair her socks before they can be washed, but the rest of her outfit is waiting for the next load. The dress needs a new snap, but I can do that later. The socks both have unraveling back seams, and the top needs a line of Fray-Check. They weren’t ever hemmed. On some things, Mattel never changes…

Hmmm... maybe.

Current Notes: While I'm still not 'into' Ever After High - it's like Mattel is ripping itself off ! - I like the Huntsman doll. So I'm thinking about it. And that's all. So there. 

The new Noren curtains are working really well ! I barely knew FIL was cooking ‘til he was nearly done. The things we do for dolls…

Today, I cleaned up my display of Barbie/Midge/Ken doll cases. They’d been suffering from my benign neglect for well over a year, as I’d never cleaned them for the year plus we lived in the apartment. I was actually surprised at how little dirt they had on them – just a nice protective layer of dust. I think I’ll make the second Friday of every month Case Cleaning Day !

Giving serious thought to obtaining the Ever After High Hunter and Cinderella set. I don’t really care enough to learn their names, but I like the Huntsman doll, and want her shoes for the MH crew. Maybe the dress, too. I actually got bored enough to watch a EAH webisode, and I was really glad I have the MH Cupid. The ‘softer, gentler’ Cupid’s baby-face (just like everyone else’s face in EAH)  just doesn’t appeal – and her whole ‘love from afar’ plotline is a bit shopworn. I prefer how Mattel did EAH Cupid’s lips, though.  Wonder if the wings are swappable…?

I was all set to order the set from Amazon, when I discovered Mal-Wart has it for the same price, and I can even get it site-to-store, free shipping. You may not have had occasion to notice, but Amazon.com now requires a $35. purchase for free shipping. I’m amazed they held it at $25. for so long, so I’m not surprised. I’ll let ya know if I go for it, buying EAH may just be a passing fancy.

It’s funny, though. If there’s one character I liked in EAH, it was Raven, not Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty or Alice – yet I’ll probably end up with a nude updated Cinderella rolling around here soon. Ya never know, I may find a Raven I really like and go for it, I’m just kind of surprised at how expensive single EAH dolls are. Given that the amount of props are about the same, a narrowbox MH doll retails for about $15., but the EAH girls have yet to drop below $19.  Guess their clothes are more elaborate or something.

Ooh, I'd like to know what she's reading !

Current Notes: Looks like it's fired up Ghoulia's imagination ! 

Yum ! Dirty Rice for lunch today. Don’t know if ya’ll do this, but I always add a couple handfuls of extra rice or noodles to whatever box mix I’m cooking up. Oh, the box feeds me with leftovers, but Dearest Son can eat up the whole box by himself, and look around for snacks in an hour. I think he grows audibly in the night.

Now that I’m out of excuses, I sewed today. Despite our best efforts, my DM & FIL prefer seared steaks and fried potatoes for most meals. And I don’t think FIL has discovered the lower settings on the stovetop burners to this day. Between the meat and the frying potatoes, there’s a lot of…um, atmosphere when he cooks. Normally, I just open the doors for vents, but it’s getting colder, even in the mid-afternoon when he normally cooks their dinner, and I don’t want Dearest and me breathing all that – and who knows what it’s doing to my dolls and sewing stash !

Waaay back – before I had a blog, and I’ve been flogging these out since 2003 ! – when we had a living room adjoining the kitchen, and Beloved Hubby and I had major anime fixations, I decided I wanted to make some Japanese Noren curtains. I’d seen them in nearly every series I liked, and they didn’t look that difficult to make. Just three squares or rectangles of whatever fabric I liked, hung high in the doorway. Since we were as broke then as we are now, I didn’t even bother with obtaining a short curtain rod – I just pinned ‘em up with hidden thumbtacks.

As it turned out, Noren curtains aren’t just decorative or promotional, although a lot are. I learned that they keep kitchen atmosphere from migrating into living areas pretty well ! So today, I measured about what I’d need, located some thumbtacks, pulled out that rose material I’m kind of tired of using, and cut up the box Chatty Cathy came in as a template. And after lunch, I had my own Noren curtains, installed before FIL started their early-bird supper. Here’s hoping they work well here, too.

If nothing else, I used most of that rose fabric up ! Yay, me ! I'd share a photo of them with you, but it just looks like a swath of fabric in a door frame. So here's Die-ner DLaura, posed in front of a text experiment.