Belle's Bulletins: My First Post

Hello everyone.  I'm so grateful to Tess and Maggie for graciously allowing me to be a part of their blog.  I realize I didn't handle things very well...I should have come to them first before I just started typing.  Maggie and I definitely got off on the wrong foot.  I'm hoping that in time I'll be able to prove to her that I am trustworthy and a friend worth having.  Anyway, this is the post I was working on when they discovered me at the computer.  I hope you like it.

I don't know what to do.  I feel like I'll completely lose it if I can't let out what I'm feeling.  Things have been so crazy since "beast'sbelle" let me out of my box.  I have nowhere to go, no one to talk to.  Okay, that's not exactly accurate, but I'm just having a hard time opening up to the others.

Do you have any idea how weird it is to live in a house with 12 or more versions of yourself?  At least, that's what they're supposedly supposed to be.  We're all as different as night and day.  Nevertheless, it's kind of creeping me out!

You have no idea the high expectations others have for you when you're a movie doll.  People expect me to be just like Belle in "Beauty and the Beast".  Well, I hate to break it to you folks, but I'm not at all like her!  It would be nice if I was!  My life would be a lot simpler.

For one thing, I'm not French.  I'm not from France, I don't speak French, and I'm really not all that crazy about their food.  Give me an American cheeseburger and fries any day over some fancy French meal that costs way too much for the tiny amount of food that ends up on your plate.  Let's see, I know "Bonjour" and "Merci", but that's about it.  I love French accents, though!  I wish I could talk like that.

For another thing, I can't dance to save my life.  Kind of a crucial part in "Beauty and the Beast".  You know, the romantic waltz towards the end?  If it had been me in the movie, the romance would have ended right there, because I would have stepped on the Beast's toe and then made him laugh with my horrendous attempt at gracefulness.

Then there's the whole singing thing.  I'm pretty much tone deaf, or so I've been told by the other toys and dolls around me at the Disney Store.  At night, when the store was closed, we used to have these store-wide sing-alongs.  They play Disney music all day, so we all had almost every song memorized.  There were always votes on the best and worst for the night.

I was always the worst...every night.  It doesn't do too much for one's self esteem. 

I really don't understand it.  Almost all of the other dolls could sing nearly as well as the characters they were made to look like.  I don't know what happened at the factory the day I was made, but something went haywire. 

Now I'm here at beast'sbelle's house with 12 other Belle dolls (plus countless Belle and Beast figurines, snow globes, and other things), and they all sing beautifully.  They actually all sing together at least once a week.  You can imagine how horrible that first sing was for me.  Here it was all over again.  "Wow, you've got...quite a...um...voice, there" or "You sure don't uh...hear a voice like that every day, do you?"  and "Are you sure you're really a Disney Princess doll?"

Of the Belle dolls here, 5 of us are out of our boxes.  Then there's a Beast doll that transforms into a Prince and another Prince doll (they're both together with other Belles, so don't get your hopes up on any matchmaking schemes).  :}  Of all of the open dolls, I'm the one with the most freedom, because one is up on top of beast'sbelle's bookshelf, and the others are in her curio cabinet.  It gets pretty stuffy in there, or so I'm told.  So, the bottom line is, everyone kind of has a chip  on their shoulder when it comes to me.  The boxed dolls are annoyed that I just got taken out of my box and can now move around and even change outfits.  The deboxed dolls are cranky because I can come and go as I please without attracting too much attention, while they're stuck where they are until everyone is gone or asleep. 

Then, beast'sbelle just broke the news to me today that she's deciding which Beast/Prince doll will work the best for me.  I guess they've got them in stock at Wal-Mart and she thinks one of them would be just right for me.  Hello, can we say "arranged marriage", anyone?  What if she picks some Prince doll with a Gaston complex?  I don't know if I can go through with it.

Well, that's all I have the energy for now.  I'll let you know if things get any better.  Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated!!! 

Tess's Tidbits: A New Collaborator

As you can tell from the title, we have a new team member here on the blog.  Here's how it all happened. 

We've all been going crazy since Mama started her Craigslist Barbies last week.  She did 20 of them, and had no place to put them.  She finally found a spot...our room!  Now, I consider myself a pretty patient person overall, but 20 Barbie dolls sitting in your room with you is just a little too much!  It's a good thing Maggie was back in her spot on the shelf, or she would have been booting Barbies off of the dresser each time Mama's back was turned. 

Barbies, Barbies everywhere!!! 

While I could tolerate things a little better than my friend, it was still pretty overwhelming.  So I went over to Maggie's shelf to see if she wanted to do a blog post.  She thought that was a good idea, so we made our way out to the computer, which is in the dining room.  You could imagine our surprise when we saw this:

Mama's newest Belle doll, typing on the computer.  And not just typing anything...typing a BLOG POST...on OUR BLOG!! 

As you might guess, Maggie just about hit the roof.  By the way, she's not as mean as she sounds, but she's really vocal and really opinionated.  It can be a bad combination sometimes.

"What are you doing?" she protested angrily.  "You can't just put a post on our blog without asking us!  That's OUR blog!"

Belle had a kind of "deer in the headlights" look for a minute.   Then her cheeks turned red and she stubbornly set her jaw.  I wasn't sure if she'd run away or argue right back.

"I wasn't going to post it!" she insisted defensively.  "Not until I'd checked with you two first."

Maggie opened her mouth to continue her argument, but I put a hand on her shoulder.  "Give her a chance," I encouraged.  "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation."

Maggie muttered under her breath, but nodded reluctantly.  She and I climbed up the chair.

"Let's just see what you've got here," Maggie said gruffly.

Belle moved aside and climbed up to sit on the desk next to the keyboard.  As she did, Maggie took her spot, kicking down Mama's "think pink" bubble wrap that had helped Belle reach the computer.

"So, can you explain why you started typing a post without asking us first?" I asked her.  I had to admit, I was bothered by this, too.

Belle looked down at her hands as she twisted them together nervously.  All her spunk from a few minutes before melted away.  She looked tiny and vulnerable.

"I don't know..." she began, sighing.  "I'm just...sometimes I...it's just that..."

"Spit it out," Maggie grumbled impatiently.

I nudged her from behind. 

"Ow," she complained quietly.

Belle tried again.  "It's just been so hard since beast'sbelle took me out of my box."

Maggie and I exchanged an odd look.  "Beast'sbelle?"

"Well, there's no way I'm going to call her 'Mama' like you girls do!" Belle said.  "It would just be too weird."

"It's not a problem," I reassured her.  "It's just kind of funny hearing you call her that, since you're kind of the original."

"Arrgh!" Belle blurted out.  Maggie and I both jumped.

"That's just what I was typing about!" Belle continued in frustration.  "Do you realize the expectations others have for you when you're a doll modeled after a movie character?  It's more pressure than I can handle.  I'm no more the original than beast'sbelle is!"

"Ohkaayy..." Maggie drew the word out.  "Chill out, all right?  We didn't mean anything by it."  Then she looked at her gravely.  "You still haven't explained why you were typing on our blog without permission."

Belle nodded slowly, the frustration draining away.  "I've just been trying to cope with all of the changes, and I haven't had anyone to talk to.  I thought that maybe if I could type out what I was feeling, it would help."

"When did you learn to type?" I asked her curiously.

"At the Disney Store.  Well, I didn't exactly learn, I just watched the cashiers at the counter.  That was part of my problem.  When I came out, your blog was open to a new post page, and I was afraid I'd mess something up if I tried to go somewhere else."

"And yet, you had no problem with typing something and possibly messing things up..." Maggie began.

Belle looked embarrassed.  I jumped in before Maggie could continue.  "Just a second, Belle, okay?  Maggie and I need to talk about this."

Belle nodded forlornly. 

I pulled Maggie aside.  "What do you think?" I whispered.  "We could let her post just this once."

"If we let her post, then everyone else will hear about it, and then everbody will want a turn.  This is special because it's something the two of us are doing, Tess.  It won't be as fun if we're constantly having to fit in lots of extra posts."

"We let Katie do a post," I reminded her.

"That was different," Maggie said immediately.  "She's your cousin...not to mention the fact that she actually asked us before she started typing."

"I know she didn't do things exactly the way she should have," I agreed slowly, "but...I feel kind of sorry for her.  I think she's lonely.  This could give her something to do and give her a way to express herself.  I understand that need, don't you?"

Maggie was quiet for a minute.  "She is good," she finally admitted grudgingly.  "I was really impressed with her writing."  There was another pause as she thought it over.  She sighed.  "All right, I guess we can do it on a trial basis."

I grinned.  "Thanks, Maggie.  You're the best!"

"Whatever!" she said, but she was grinning back.

We turned to Belle again.  "We've decided to let you post on our blog every once in a while."

"On a trial basis," Maggie interjected quickly.

Belle was so excited she clapped her hands.  "Thank you so much!  You won't regret it, I promise!"

So, that's how Belle became a part of our blog.  It's kind of funny, because we don't usually associate too much with Mama's Beauty and the Beast dolls.  Not that we're snobby or anything...they're just kind of in a different world.  It's hard to explain. 

Belle won't write as regularly as Maggie and I, just every once in a while when she needs to get things off her chest.  We'll be posting her first post right after this one.  Let us know what you think of our newest author (but don't be too hard on her, or Maggie might kick her off before she gets a real chance). :)

The new blog team

Howdy from Tess!

Howdy, partners!
 
I felt like giving a cowgirl's greeting since I'm wearing my new boots from Marsali and all her sisters over at The Bolton Girls Travel Journal.  Just wanted to share pics with everyone and say thanks to all the Bolton Girls for choosing us as your 40th Blog Follower winners.  And don't worry, I'll share the boots with everyone else.  Happy Fall and Happy Trails! :)

P.S. :  To see more pics of my spiffy new boots, click here.

Maggie's Memos: So ready for my Khakis!!

Feeling MUCH too cute for comfort!

This has been such a long week.  Mama has hardly had time for us at all, she's been so busy.  Even worse then that, Mama got all these "cute" dresses on eBay for us.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I don't have anything against dresses...as long as I don't have to wear them too often.  I've always been more of a blue jeans and t-shirt kind of girl.  The only time I really enjoy wearing a dress is when I'm in a costume, playing a part.  But a floral print dress with a poofy skirt, just because?  Ick!  I feel like I'm Pollyanna or something.  I wish Mama realized how utterly humiliating this is. 

I talked to the others to see if we could revolt together, but no one else seemed to be bothered.  I figured at least Emily would be on my side, since she's the active, sporty type.  But no, she doesn't mind getting dressed up.  Lucky her.  Of course, Tess is loving every minute of it.  She's the most girly girl I know.  It's kinda funny that we ended up being such close friends when we're total opposites!

Anyway, I've decided to stick it out for another day or so.  I don't want to hurt Mama's feelings when she's been so nice.  If she doesn't get me my old clothes back in another day or so, though, I'm going to protest.  I don't think I've worn a dress for this long in my life!

Nothing much to report other than the dreaded dresses.  We're all just kind of waiting for October to be over.  None of us celebrate Halloween.  Mama's family, like mine, doesn't believe in celebrating the holiday.  I agree myself, but I must admit it's really hard when all my friends at school are talking about costumes and candy.  At least Tess is in the same boat.  I just wish we had a different day to dress up.  Mama was thinking maybe around New Year's we'd try to have a costume party, just for us girls.  I hope it works out. 

I'm ready for cooler weather that actually feels like fall and Thanksgiving and Christmas!!  I can't believe they're just around the corner. :) 

Okay, not much more to say...now that I'm done complaining about my attire.  Gotta go for now...Ella wants to look up some stuff on eBay.  Someday, Tess is hoping to get her own computer so she and I can blog as much as we want without interruption.  We haven't convinced Mama yet.  See you later!

Mama, why couldn't I have tried on THESE new clothes?

Tess's Tidbits: Slowly Adjusting

(Just had to share one more of my outdoor photos) :)

Hi everyone.  Sorry it's been a while since we posted anything.  As you can imagine, losing Danielle and even  Rose really shook us all up a bit.  Danielle's already taken her spot in the bottom drawer with the other Christmas dolls.  Mama was going to leave her up with us for a while, but she was worried that her daughters (who are very observant and know all of our names by heart) would notice Danielle's absence right before Christmas and make a connection.  This way, they have a couple months to get used to her not being around.  Hopefully Dorcas's Girl won't guess.  I think Mama's the most worried about her because she's so good at figuring things out.  And she's only 6 1/2!  I think Mama's going to have her work cut out for her with that one.  :)

Hailey's been really having a hard time.  Danielle isn't taking her clothes or shoes or necklace or anything, so for the first few days she was gone, Hailey would get out Danielle's ruby slippers and necklace and just hold them and cry.  I wanted to help, but I knew nothing I did or said would change things.  I gave her lots of hugs, and that's about it.

Then, on Sunday, Mama brought home someone new.  I think she did a post about her on her blog.  Our new member's name is Claire.  She's really sweet.  She has beautiful warm brown skin and big brown eyes.  Her hair is so curly!  I wish mine would curl like that! 

I'm ashamed to admit we had a hard time welcoming her at first.  She felt too much like a replacement for Danielle (she's even 10, just like Danielle and Hailey).  Hailey didn't even want to meet her.  But Claire has an irresistible personality.  She loves camping and she plays volleyball, and she's got this laugh that makes you want to start laughing too.  I think she was just what we all needed.  She and Hailey hit it off when Claire sang "Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog" for us.  It's Claire's absolute favorite movie, and she sounds JUST LIKE Anika Noni Rose, who plays Tiana in the movie!  Hailey was really impressed (she's a singer, too).  Pretty soon, they were discussing music and singing, and then Disney movies and their favorite foods. 

That night, Hailey went over to the drawer and talked to Danielle.  Danielle was thrilled that there was someone that Hailey could hang out with.  She even wanted to meet Claire, so introductions were made.  The two of them got along perfectly.  I think it really relieved Hailey to know that Danielle wasn't hurt or jealous that she was making new friends.  I know that Hailey will never forget Danielle, even when she's not in the house anymore, but I think Hailey and Claire have the makings of a great friendship too. 

So, enough of that!  In other news, we've been in the middle of lots of rearranging and other things.  Mama keeps finding new furniture for us at Salvation Army.  Then she has to come home and figure out how to make it fit in our room!  We've also gotten some new dresses (one of them is the pink one Hailey's wearing in the pic above), and I hear we have 2 more dresses and 3 pairs of pants on the way that Mama found on eBay.  We'll keep you updated as things happen, and once we get all the eBay purchases I think Mama will share some pics on her blog. 

Things are going to be really crazy for the next couple of months.  Mama's trying to sell lots of stuff on Craigslist, and her brother is getting married next month.  Then, of course, we have Thanksgiving and Christmas...whew, I'm getting worn out already! 

Hope you guys have a great weekend coming up.  I'll let you know when anything interesting happens.

Btw, I know this really should have been a "Breaking News with Maggie" post, since it was about a new doll, but Maggie's got a cold and didn't feel up to writing.  Hope you guys don't mind.