Monday, October 29, 2012

Maggie's Memos: A Bit of Randomness


Hey everyone...what's up?  Maggie here.  Just thought I'd do a post so you'd all remember that I'm a part of things here on "Jane Austen and Unicorns" too.  Tess and Emma have been hogging all of the posts lately, so I figured it was about time for me to do one before they took over again. :}

Not much has been happening around here for the 18 inchers.  This is the time of year where Mama starts getting really busy, so we haven't seen much of her.  It's cool, though.  We have our own rooms full of things to entertain us, and we keep each other company, so it works out okay.


Speaking of our rooms, Rachel wanted me to show you guys these Muppets posters that Mama found for her on the trip she took earlier this month.  Huh, sure.  Bring back a souvenir for Rachel and nothing for me.  Like I care. 

Mama's recently discovered that old VHS cases make great doll-sized posters.  This was the first time she used the bigger "clam shell" case ones, though.  She just took out the paper with the artwork on it and cut it to size.  I don't know if I'm explaining that in the best way, but hopefully you know what I mean. ;)  Rachel is super excited because these are from her two very favorite Muppet movies.  And I have to admit, even though I'm not the biggest Muppet fan, the posters do look pretty cool.


Rachel has been really busy practicing her rollerblading.  I got tired of it after a while, but she's loving it.  It's starting to make me dizzy watching her blade in circles around the room all day long. 


In other news, Jenna and Hayden have continued plotting about the Literary Ladies Society idea.  Ick.  I was really hoping they'd give up on that. :(  Luckily for me, they officially came to the decision that only those who were interested in participating needed to join.  So far Jenna, Hayden, Emma, and Tess have volunteered.  Hailey, Charlie, and Rachel are still deciding.  I gave my immediate refusal.  Tess tried to sweet talk me into joining, so I told her I'd join on the day she watched "The Avengers" with me.  Funny, I haven't heard anything from her since. ;)  

Oh yeah, and I forgot to tell you guys that Mama got "The Avengers" on Blu-ray for her birthday!!  Rachel and I are sooo excited!  We haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but hopefully soon.
 

Anyway, back to Jenna and Hayden and their nefarious schemes.  Jenna apparently suggested that the LLS should meet once a month, for starters.  She'll be talking to all of the active members soon to figure out which day would work the best for everyone.


Oh, and she asked me to show off her wall, too.  She now has a Chococat poster and two little My Melody thingees in addition to her "Les Mis" poster.  I'm sure your lives are all better now that you've seen this.


Of course, Hayden and Jenna's pride and joy is the map of Equestria that Mama got for them at Walmart.  I guess there were some free promotional posters there, and since they both enjoy My Little Pony so much, Mama thought they'd like having it for their room.


Because Jenna ran out of room on her wall, Hayden ended up with "The Princess Bride" poster on her side.  Conveniently, it's one of her favorite movies too, so it all works out okay. 

Hayden is super excited to be in on the planning part of the LLS...this is the first time she's really had something "important" to do since she moved in with us.  More power to her.  As long as I don't have to be involved.

I guess that's about it for this rambly post.  I'm still hoping Tess caves and watches "Avengers" with me.  Some parts she'd really like...just not any scenes involving injuries, intensity, or fighting.  So the whole 10 minutes she'll enjoy will be worth it, right? ;)

Talk to you guys later...as long as I can get a word in edgewise between my other two chatty blog authors. ;)

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Emma's Editorials: My Trip with Mama, Day 3

To read Part 1, click HERE.  For Part 2, click HERE. :)

On our second morning, we all slept in...mainly due to the fact that the people in the room above us were awake and packing up their room at 5 in the morning.  For about 45 minutes, it sounded like elephants were tap dancing on the ceiling!!  We all fell back asleep when the flurry of activity was over, and it took a while before all of us were ready to crawl out of our beds. :}

But today was our last day, and there were places to go and things to do.  Kailani, Janie and I all got ready and then checked our reflections in the mirror.

We had to check out of the hotel this morning, so we knew that when we walked out that door, it would be the last time we'd see the room.  The three of us all turned and waved goodbye to the room, feeling a bit nostalgic.  I know, we're weird! ;)

Mama realized as we were leaving that she'd never snapped a pic of the outside of the hotel, so she took this one right before we drove away.

This was how the three of us spent most of this day, which confirmed that we had definitely made the right decision staying in the hotel the day before. :}  I think Mama, Mimi and Grandmama were on a mission to find every Goodwill in Vacaville and Sacramento!!

Thankfully, just as we were starting to starve, they decided it was time for a lunch stop.  We shared this delicious Subway sandwich.

Here I am outside of Thrift Town, a large thrift store that Mama had heard about.  It was nice, but she didn't really find any unexpected treasures here.

We were super excited to visit a Hobby Lobby for the first time (Mama and I had never been to one before), but right after Mama took this picture, Mimi noticed that they were closed on Sundays. :(  I guess we'll have to save Hobby Lobby for our next trip. ;)

This was one of the numerous Goodwills we hit on this day.  Any of you who read Mama's blog know that she loves shopping at thrift stores, and Goodwill is one of her favorites.  This one was pretty cool, but the one they shopped at right before our failed Hobby Lobby attempt was the best one.  They all found a ton of stuff there!

The last stop was at another Disney Store.  Now, I love Disney Stores almost as much as Mama, but I was exhausted by the time we got to this mall, so I decided to stay in the car.  Big mistake.  Mama told me later that this was the ultimate Disney Store!!

It had this really cool castle playhouse thing that also displayed the merchandise, more selection than the other store, and a ton of cool features.  Oh well...now I'll know for next time!

Mama came out with another big bag.  Hmm...I wonder what she bought this time? (You'll have to read Mama's blog to find out!) ;)

By the time Mama, Mimi, and Grandmama got out of the mall, we had to book it so that we could get home in time for Mama to see her daughters before bedtime.  The humans had decided that In-N-Out sounded good for dinner.


It sounded good to us, too! ;)

What was even more exciting was that there just happened to be a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop in the same parking lot.  I've never been to a Krispy Kreme before.  In fact, I'd never even heard of one before.  I'll never forget them now, though!

For one thing, they have a big window so that you can watch the doughnuts being made.  First they cook in this nifty oven.


Once they're all cooked, they go on a conveyor belt that (supposedly) drains the grease. ;)

Then, after the grease has been drained, they make their way to a wall of glaze.

Here they go...

...and out they come, freshly glazed and ready to eat!

I had fun looking at all of the fancy doughnuts they had on display, but Mama assured me that the best ones would be the simple glazed doughnuts, hot and fresh off the conveyor belt. 

Janie and Kailani were really excited.  Apparently, they've eaten here before. :)

And here, Mama captured my moment of pure bliss.  If you've never had a fresh, warm Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut right off the rack when the hot light is on, you've never really had a doughnut before!  It.was.amazing!!!

Once we'd enjoyed our treats, it was time to head home.  We amused ourselves by listening to Michael Buble CDs.  I'd never heard of him before, but he's one of Mimi and Kailani's favorite singers.  I love the unique, warm tone to his voice.  I might just have to look up some of his music! ;)

The sun began to set as we made our way home.  The sky looked like rainbow sherbet. :)


At last, we were home.  I said goodbye to my new friends, hoping I'd see them again soon.  I knew the memories of this special trip would always bond us together in a special way. :)

Charlie and Hayden were waiting for me when I got inside.  

I gave them both a big hug.  As much as I'd enjoyed my trip, I had to admit that it was great to see them again, and it was great to be home.

They started asking me all sorts of questions...they wanted to know everything about my weekend!!

But I didn't even hear their questions.  The bed had been too inviting.  An explanation of my trip would have to wait for another day. ;)

I hope you all enjoyed hearing about my weekend.  I had so much fun, and it was great to be able to share it with all of you.  What's the best trip you've ever had?

Emma's Editorials: My Trip with Mama, Day 2

Click HERE for Part 1! :)

The next morning, the first thing I saw when I woke up was a sweet-looking Belle doll, sitting against a lamp and smiling.  She waved at me and shyly said hello.  

It took me a while to wake up enough to respond correctly.  I was so surprised to see her sitting there so casually.  I hadn't even known Mama had purchased her from the Disney Store yesterday.  I mean, sure, I'd seen the big bag, but I hadn't seen inside it.  I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.  Mama had talked about adding a DAC Belle to her collection.

Belle looked a little unsure of herself at my lack of a polite response.  Embarrassed by my bad manners, I smiled and told her good morning.  Her expression instantly brightened again.

While I was busy exchanging morning greetings, Kailani and Janie woke up.  Mama had told me that today she and Grandmama and Mimi were planning on going to as many thrift stores as they could find around town.  Janie, Kailani and I had decided that going in and out of a million stores didn't sound like much fun.  Besides, it wasn't often that we had a whole big hotel room to ourselves. :}  We officially declared it a pajama day and couldn't wait to have some fun without the humans. :) 

As soon as Mama and the others left, we made our plans.  We told Belle she was welcome to join us, but she decided she'd prefer to stay in her spot.  It always takes newly purchased dolls a while to get used to their freedom. ;)  We had no such problem.  Our first activity of the day was bouncing on the huge hotel bed. :D  Big beds make the best trampolines. ;)

After we were all bounced out, we decided to watch a little TV.  Unfortunately, Mimi had left the remote on the tall dresser, so Janie and I had to give Kailani a boost so she could reach it.


We decided we needed some snacks while we watched.  The refrigerator stash was pretty disappointing.

Thankfully, we found some other better-tasting goodies to tide us over. :)

There's nothing like candy, chips, pretzels, and TV in the morning.  It's good to be a doll. ;)

When we'd spent...ahem...a rather longish time watching TV, we decided we needed to do something a little more stimulating.  Good thing I'd brought my Boggle game! ;)


I had a lot of fun, but I lost every time.  Janie and Kailani are AMAZING at word games!!  I think I need to get in a little more practice. ;)

We did lots of other things, like races around the room and a cartwheel competition.  We even tried seeing who could stand on their heads the longest.  I ended up with a bit of a headache after that contest, though. ;)

We thought about going swimming.  There was a heated indoor pool and we'd all brought our swimsuits.  Unfortunately, this was the day that 4 Little League teams checked into the hotel.  Sharing a pool with a hotel full of 10 year old little human boys did NOT sound like a fun idea. :}

So instead, we decided to order room service.  But we couldn't figure out how to work the phone.  

About that time, Mama, Mimi, and Grandmama came back.  I couldn't believe that the whole day had passed already!  Mama said that it was late and we should get ready for bed.

I didn't think I was tired, but as soon as my head hit the sleeping bag, I was OUT!  Who knew that a day spent cooped up in one room could make you so sleepy? ;)

Even Belle was tired, and she didn't do anything but sit and watch us all day!  Kailani very kindly shared her blanket with Belle so she'd be more comfortable.  It must be hard to sleep when your eyes stay open all the time, though! ;)

Click HERE for Part 3! :)