Breaking News with Maggie: Claire is in her New Home! :)

Hi everyone.  Haven't been in the mood to type lately, but this really is most appropriate for a "Breaking News with Maggie" post.  So, here we go.

Kerri, Claire's twin sister, just did a new post on her blog.  Claire is officially in her new home, and judging from the pics, she and Kerri are already having a great time together!  You can see the post yourself HERE. 

We are sure missing Claire around here, but we know that she and Kerri will have many great new adventures together.  Enjoy your new life, Claire.  We're so glad we get to keep in touch with you. :)

Maggie's Memos: Goodbye Claire and Hailey's New Do

So today is our last day with Claire.  Her auction ended over a week ago, but apparently Mama and the buyer worked something out so she's just now being shipped.  It's so hard to keep having one goodbye after another.  Hopefully this will be the last for a while!  On that subject, Lucy's had so much fun with her sisters that she's decided to wait on her visit for a while.  So we really should be past goodbyes for a while now. 

We're all going to miss Claire's happy smile and sunny personality, especially Hailey.  But we know she's going to a good home...and she even has a twin sister waiting for her there!  She's a lot less nervous now that she knows a little bit about where she's going. 

For those of you wondering, Tess is doing much better.  She and Mama had a long, private talk.  I think Tess was able to get a lot off her chest instead of internalizing everything (which is what she usually does).  Another big plus is that Mama got an email from the lady who won Ella's auction.  As a result, Mama found out that Ella is going to a fabulous home where she'll be loved and cared for, and even be able to model dresses!  We can't wait to hear from her.  Tess will always miss Ella, but she's glad she's going to such a great place.

In other news, Hailey has a new hairdo.  Well, to be completely accurate, Hailey has new hair.  Unlike most of the dolls in our little family, Hailey and I (and Emily...er, Elizabeth, too) have the unique opportunity to switch wigs if we like.  Everyone else has their original hair attached, so they're just stuck with it...at least for now. 

I've never really been into switching wigs myself.  For one thing, I'm quite happy with my long brown locks, thank you very much!  And for another thing, I don't like how muddled you feel when you first get a new wig.  I believe I explained this before when I was talking about Emily, now Elizabeth. 

Don't worry, though.  Hailey hasn't developed amnesia or anything.  Her new wig is the exact same style as her old one, and just a slightly different shade.  She's been a little forgetful the past two days, but nothing horrendous.  She still remembers who she is and who we are.  And she LOVES her new hair.  Her old wig was getting a little ratty and dusty.  This one is silky and shiny as brand new hair (actually, it is brand new hair). 

I'm not sure about the color, myself.  It's a little too Pippi Longstocking or "The Little Mermaid" for me.  But Hailey likes it, and so do Tess and Mama, so I guess that's what counts.  What do you guys think?  That is, if anyone actually cared to comment on this blog every once in a while. 

Okay, I should revise that.  Tess would be mortified.  I realize that we do have comments...just not very often.  We do like them.  Comments, that is.  Just in case you're wondering.

Well, I should stop before I do more damage.  Tess will probably write a big apology post for my rudeness the next time she's on.  Good grief.  Can't people take a little harmless sarcasm?  What's this world coming to?

P.S.  To Marsali and all of her sisters, I do realize that you girls post comments here quite frequently.  Just didn't want you to think I was ungrateful. :}

Tess's Tidbits: Katie is Coming Home!!!

At last, some happy news during this sad week.  I just found out that my cousin Katie is coming back home tomorrow!!  Mama is supposed to pick her up at church.  I can't even describe how excited I am to see her again!!  I know everyone else feels the same way.  Lucy is relieved that her older sister is finally coming home.  Emma and Charlie are really excited to meet her.  Mama says after she talks with Charlie and Katie she'll be able to determine whether they are sisters or not.  I don't know, maybe she has to do a background check or something. :)

Once Katie gets settled, we'll post more pics from her trip.  And in the future, we'll either have her do a special post on our blog, or we might have another "Breaking News with Maggie" interview...Maggie's already working on her interview with Charlie.

So keep checking back for more fun posts.

By the way, for those of you who don't follow Mama's blog, Claire is officially listed on eBay.  I hope she finds a great new home where she's loved and appreciated.  I know it was hard for Mama to let her go.  For this last week that she's here, we'll make lots of special memories!

Tess's Tidbits: Our Newest Member and Other News

So as most of you know from reading Mama's blog, we have another doll that has been added to our family.  Her name is Charlotte Nora Hathaway, but she goes by Charlie for short.  I can't imagine wanting to go by such a boyish name, but evidently Charlie doesn't mind. :) 

Last night, we all gathered around to welcome her as Mama looked on.  Hailey took an immediate shine to Charlie, although they're about as different as night and day.  Then again, I guess you could say the same about Maggie and me, and we've been great friends for as long as I can remember! :)  Mama said she's still doing research, but she thinks that Charlie may even be our cousin (sister to Katie and Lucy).

And that brings me to some other news, not altogether very pleasant.  After the other dolls had settled down for bed, Mama took Maggie and I to the other room.  I could tell by the look on her face that something serious was on her mind.

"I just wanted to let you girls know about some changes that are going to be happening in the next few weeks," she explained.  She paused for a moment, as if she was searching for the right way to begin.  "You girls know that I've been having a hard time taking care of everyone," she started.

My heart sunk.  I knew what this meant.  She's going to tell us who she's getting rid of, I thought to myself.  I glanced over at Maggie and saw from her expression that she also knew what was coming.

"It's been a hard decision, but I've decided to pass a few dolls on," Mama continued.

We both waited for the blow.

"At this point, it's going to be Claire, Emily and Zaara that go," she finally said.

I had mixed feelings at this announcement.  My first thought was, Yay!  She's keeping me and my sisters and Maggie!  Then I realized that both of my little sisters would be losing their best friends.  For Hailey, this would be the second time she'd lost a friend.  I wondered how she'd handle it.  And poor Emma would be sad that Mama's Bollywood doll was leaving us.    

"There are two others that will be playing a different role in the house," Mama continued.

Maggie and I exchanged a look.  What did Mama mean?

Mama took a deep breath.  "I've decided that Ella and Lucy are going to be part of Felicity's history now.  Ella will now be Elizabeth Cole, Felicity's best friend, and Lucy will be Nan Merriman, Felicity's little sister."

I was numb with shock.  My sister and my little cousin....she was breaking up our family?

Mama took my hand.  "Let me explain, Tess," she urged me.  "I wanted to keep my active dolls down to 6.  You and Maggie were givens, since you have a blog.  You're both so special to me, too.  Emma is staying, of course, and Katie is my traveling doll, so I need her to stay active.  That only left me two more spots.  Charlie will have one of them, and I wanted Hailey to have the other."

She eyed Maggie, hoping for some support.  I didn't look for myself, but I doubt she found any support in Maggie's face.  I'm sure my friend was ready to spit nails!

"The reason I decided to make Ella historical," Mama continued, "is that I wasn't sure how she would do being without Emily after just getting her back again."

"An excellent question," Maggie inserted tersely.

Mama ignored her.  "Even if I kept her active, she would have no one her age.  I think that would make Emily's loss even harder.  But as Elizabeth (which is the name she originally came with, by the way), she has Felicity's friendship, and the ability to go back into Felicity's time."

I gave her a strange look.  "Go back into her time?  What do you mean?"

Mama smiled.  "That's why Felicity doesn't do much with you girls...she's busy in her own time.  I don't know if it's a time warp, or what, but she is back in her own time, even as she's standing beside my curio.  That's how it works...sorry I can't give you any more details.  When Ella...now Elizabeth, holds Felicity's hand, she'll get to go, too."

"But everyone knows that Elizabeth Cole has blond hair and blue eyes!" Maggie blurted out.  "No one will be fooled for a minute."

"Ah, but my Felicity is pre-Mattel, back when Elizabeth had brown hair and brown eyes.  She'll fit right in, don't worry," Mama assured us.

"And Lucy?" I whispered.  "She'll already be a different person by the time Katie gets home this week.  She's been waiting so long for Katie to get home, and now..." 

Mama sighed.  "That was a hard decision, too.  But Lucy will still get to see Katie and talk to her still.  And now, when Katie travels, Lucy won't have to be alone anymore.  She'll have Felicity watching out for her.  And she'll get to go back in time, too!"

"What about Charlie?" Maggie interjected.  "Charlie could have taken care of her, too!"

Mama sighed again.  "Look girls, I know this isn't just cut and dry, but I did the best I could.  At least this way Lucy and Ella are still here!  And there may be a time when they return as their former selves.  But, like I said, for now I'm trying to limit active dolls to 6, and this was the best way I could do it."

We were all quiet for a while.  "Do they know?" I finally asked.

Mama nodded.  "I thought it only right to prepare them before I told everyone else.  Emma, Hailey and Charlie still don't know anything about it.  I wanted to tell you two first."

"How did they take the news?" Maggie asked sarcastically.

Mama looked hurt.  "They're coping as well as can be expected.  Emily is looking forward to meeting new people and actually getting played with, but she'll miss Ella.  Claire was pretty quiet about it.  Zaara took everything in stride.  Ella and Lucy were a bit down at first, but I think they're getting excited about being historical."

Another awkward pause settled over us, until Mama broke it.  "I know this is going to be hard and take some getting used to," she soothed.  "But it's the best I can do.  Feel free to come talk to me about things any time."

"Are we going to be next to go?" Maggie glowered.  She was seething.

"No," Mama said firmly.  "That's another reason I'm making our family group smaller.  From here on out, I'll be very cautious about adding family members until I'm sure they are a good fit.  I want to avoid this scenario as much as possible."

We didn't say much else.  What else could we say?  Our world was crumbling around us.

That night, when I went back to our room, Ella and Hailey were waiting up for me.  Ella took one look at me and realized that I knew.  We shared the news with Hailey and had a quiet cry together.  It was our last night as official sisters.  Ella was going to start her role as Elizabeth Cole in the morning. 

That's about all I can handle for this morning.  I'll write more as more changes take place.  Mama said it would be at least a week or two before anyone left.  Oh, and sorry about the lack of pics, but I figured pics of Maggie and I sitting around gloomily talking to Mama wouldn't add much to the post. :}   

 

Tess's Tidbits: Christmas Morning

"I can't believe it's already Christmas Eve!" I whispered to my sisters as we sat bundled up together.   I couldn't see Hailey and Ella in the dark, but I could almost feel their excitement. 

"I can't wait until Christmas morning!" Ella whispered back eagerly.

"Me too!" Hailey agreed in her own whisper.  "What time is it?"

I glanced over at the digital alarm clock on Papa's nightstand.  "It's only 12 pm...not time yet."

"Will you girls be quiet over there?" Maggie's hissing whisper reached us from the other side of the dresser.  "You're going to wake everyone up!"

I leaned over close to my sisters.  "I say we go out to the living room and look at the big Christmas tree...what do you think?"

"Let's do it!" Hailey agreed eagerly.

We got up and started climbing down the dresser, fumbling in the dark.

"What are you guys doing?" Claire whispered frantically.  "We're supposed to be quiet!"

"Mama and Papa and the girls are gone, remember?" I reminded them in a hushed tone. 

"Then why are we all whispering?" Maggie asked.

"I don't know...habit, I guess!"  I peered through the darkness, trying to see them.  "We're headed out to see the big tree in the living room...want to come with us?"

"Sure!" Maggie answered.  "Wow, Tess was this your idea?"

"Yes," I answered defensively.  "I'm not a complete stick in the mud!"

I could hear Maggie chuckling as she, Claire and Lucy climbed down the other side of the dresser.

It wasn't long before we'd traveled down the long hallway and made it to the living room.  We had to stack some things to reach the light switch, but it was worth it to see the beautiful lights.  We all sat in front of the tree and gazed at it in happiness. 

"I love Christmas!" Hailey burst out, overflowing with joy.  "I wish Mama and Papa would keep a tree up all year long!"

"Then it wouldn't be as special," Claire pointed out.  "We'd be so used to it, it would be no big deal."

"I guess so," Hailey admitted reluctantly. 

"We'd better just enjoy it while we can," I said, leaning my head back to see as much of the huge tree as possible.

"It sure is weird not having Emma here," Ella remarked.  "I figured Mama would keep us all together for Christmas.  I'm just so glad she got Emily fixed in time!"  Ella smiled over at her best friend, who returned the smile.  Yes, Emily was finally back with us.  She was still pretty weak, but she was back.

I noticed Maggie watching me carefully.  Are you all right? she mouthed.  I nodded and tried to swallow around the lump in my throat.  This was the first Christmas that Mama had taken another doll instead of me with her. 

Everyone knew I was Mama's favorite.  It was a little embarrassing, and I felt bad for the others, but I didn't know what I could do.  Thankfully, no one seemed to be too hurt by it, and no one gave me a hard time.  Maggie was fiercely protective of me...maybe that was why no one said anything.  They probably would have ended up with Maggie's fist in their face.

I tried not to worry too much about Emma.  These things happened in a doll's life.  And Emma was so sweet, it was impossible to be upset with her.  It was an odd feeling to have second place in Mama's life, though.

Oh well, at least I would be able to spend Christmas with my sisters and my close friends.  One thing about being a doll is you realize how much you need to treasure every moment.  Our lives are filled with uncertainty.  There's no guarantee that we'll all stay together, or last the same amount of time.  There's always the prospect of eBay or Craigslist looming over us.  Claire was the only one who hadn't had a previous owner, but even she understood the seriousness of our situation.

I knew Mama loved us, but I also knew she'd been really stressed out trying to care for us all.  I shook my head.  It would do no good to think about all that now.  I wanted to live in the present and enjoy this Christmas as much as possible.

I suddenly had a crazy idea.  "Hey, does anyone want some Reese's Fudge?" I asked mischevously.

"At midnight?" Hailey asked me skeptically.

"Why not?" I grinned.  "Just for tonight...it's Christmas!"

Maggie eyed me suspiciously.  "Okay, it's official:  you've been hanging around me too long.  Since when have you come up with all of the bad ideas?"

I just laughed and ran back to the bedroom where my tin of Reese's was waiting beneath our tiny tree.  Then I hurried back to the living room and opened the lid.  "Merry Christmas, everybody!" I said happily.

Everyone took a piece of Reese's.  After I'd served everyone, I took a piece for myself and sat down again.  I took a small bite and let it sit, melting in my mouth.  I wanted to savor every bit of fudge, just like I wanted to savor every moment of this Christmas time together. 

The Reese's were good, but one piece was definitely enough.  We got drinks of water from the fridge and then headed back out to the big tree. 

All at once, Hailey broke out into a soft rendition of "Silent Night."  One by one, we all joined in.  I stared at the lights on the tree as we sang, picturing that first Christmas so long ago when Jesus came as a baby to the earth.  What must it have been like for Mary and Joseph on that night in Bethlehem?  And the shepherds, visited by many of God's angels?  I wished I could have been there.  It must have been wonderful!

We finished "Silent Night" and moved on to "Angels We Have Heard on High".  I smiled as I heard Hailey's sweet soprano on the glorias.  She really did sound like an angel.  I could hear Maggie's strong alto, Lucy's childish warble, Claire's soulful warmth, Ella's timid notes and Emily's voice, slightly off-key.  I closed my eyes and let the music surround me.

By three carols later, my head was nodding and I was finding it difficult to keep my eyes open.  I wasn't the only one.  Lucy had already dropped off to sleep, her head in Maggie's lap.  Ella and Emily kept making each other yawn.  I lay down on my side and listened to Hailey, Maggie and Claire, the only three still at it.  They made a beautiful trio.

The next thing I knew, I was waking up from laying on the floor, stiff and cold.  The soft, grey light of morning was peeking through the curtain.  I sat up slowly and looked around me.  Everyone else lay in various uncomfortable postisions, sound asleep.  I peered up at the clock, trying to clear my fuzzy head.  It was 6:30 in the morning.

I climbed up onto the glider rocker where Hailey was sleeping and shook her on the shoulder.  "Merry Christmas!" I said softly.  She rolled over and blinked up at me sleepily.  "What?"

I pointed to the clock.  "It's Christmas morning.  Want to help me wake everyone?"

A grin spread across her features, and she nodded excitedly.  Within moments she was up, shaking shoulders and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

Giddy with excitement, we all hurried back down the hallway to our little tree.  Mama had been kind enough to take our stockings down, so that we could reach them, and fill them for us.  We started with those, oohing and ahhing over the fun goodies.  Each of us had a yo yo and a little koosh ball.

We decided that we were all pretty hungry, so we headed out to the kitchen to fix breakfast before opening our gifts.  Maggie and I got down the cereal, while Claire and Hailey got out the milk.  Thankfully, Mama had a smaller carton in the fridge that we could actually manage.

We all sat in a circle and ate our cereal.  Maggie finished first and read us the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2 and Matthew chapter 2 while the rest of us finished up.

When everyone had eaten, we put our dishes in the sink, washed up, and hurried back to the bedroom to open our gifts.  We'd all drawn names so that each one of us got a gift for one other girl.

I had drawn Hailey's name, so I grabbed her gift and handed it to her.   I couldn't wait to see her open it.

"It's a Rapunzel doll!" she shrieked excitedly.  "Oh, thank you Tess!  I love it!"

I gave her a hug.  "You're welcome," I told her.  I had known she would like it.  Ever since we'd seen the movie 2 weeks ago, she hadn't stopped singing the songs.

Now everyone got up and gave each person their gift.  Maggie beamed down at me as she handed me a box.  "I was so glad I got your name," she confided.  "I hope you like it!"

"I'm sure I will," I assured her.  I opened the box and found a beautiful porcelain church.  When I picked it up, it jingled.  It was a bell!

"Thanks, Maggie!" I told her.  "It's beautiful!  It'll be perfect with all of my figurines."

"That's what I figured," Maggie said happily.

All around us was a flurry of brightly colored paper and cheers and laughter.  Everyone was opening their gifts.  There was a soft elf doll for Emily, a little Scotty dog figurine for Claire, a set of bear Peter Pan figurines for Maggie, and Christmas dolls for Ella and Lucy.

There was one package left that remained unopened.  I blinked back tears as I looked at it.  I had really hoped that my cousin Katie would be back by Christmas.  Her coming would have made this Christmas complete.  I said a quick prayer for her, that her Christmas would be special, too, even though she was far away from us.

"Look what I found!" Maggie suddenly called out.  She was holding a package that said:  "To all my gals from Mama".  Inside was a miniature Nativity Set.  There was Joseph, Mary, Baby Jesus, an angel, a donkey, a camel, two sheep, a shepherd, the star, and the three wisemen.  They were so cute and tiny!  We all took turns admiring them.

"Let's set them up," Lucy suggested shyly.

We all agreed, and in no time, they had a place of honor on our shelf.

Maggie turned and looked at all of us.  "Merry Christmas, everyone!"

"Merry Christmas!" we all said back.  Then, laughing, we went back to our gifts and chattered the rest of the morning away.

   

  

Tess's Tidbits: Decorating for Christmas! :)

Hi everyone!  Tess here.  Sorry it's been such a long time since we've posted.  Mama's Internet has been having problems and we've gone a few days without it!  I have a great post and fun pics to share with you, though.

Before I start, I wanted to share a few updates with you.  First, you'll notice in the pics that Hailey isn't wearing her glasses.  She was having some problems with the frames.  They kept bending and were also hurting her ears.  So Mama decided that Hailey could try contacts for a while and see if those work better.  So far, she's really enjoying them.

The other news is that Emily is still in surgery.  Ella is getting really worried about her.  She hasn't been able to visit her or anything.  Ella's hoping that Emily will be better by Christmas so that she can spend it with us instead of in her sick bed in Mama's "dolls in progress box".  Just thought you guys might want to know.  Now, on to the post! 

Three days ago, Hailey, Ella and I were sitting in our doll room when Mama came in with a box and a little pine tree just our size.  "Who's ready to decorate for Christmas?" she asked. 

I can't begin to tell you how excited we were.  Christmas is such a wonderful holiday, and this was our first Christmas all together as sisters at Mama's house.  We sure had our work cut out for us, though. 

First, we had to rearrange the whole room to make some space for the tree.  Hailey and Ella helped Mama roll out the pretty Christmas rug.  I think it was actually a tree skirt at one time, but it made a great rug for us!

Next, we put the tree in it's place.  Hailey and I moved it while Ella stood to the side to let us know when it was straight.  It's not as easy as it looks to get a tree just right.  

After the tree was set up, we started hanging ornaments.  Mama had some beautiful little ball ornaments in green and lavender.  Of course, I was thrilled, since purple is my favorite color. :)  Mama tied a plaid ribbon on the top of the tree and it gave it just the right finishing touch.   

Once the ornaments were on, Mama had some other Christmas decorations for us to use.  We had so much fun unpacking everything!

"I love this rocking horse with the teddy bear on top...it's so cute!" Hailey said.

"Lucy's going to love this Nutcracker," Ella exclaimed as she pulled him out of the box.  Our little cousin Lucy is really into ballet, and the Nutcracker ballet is one of her very favorites.

I just couldn't stop staring at the beautiful tree.  It was so nice to have a real Christmas again!  Last year, Mama didn't have a doll room yet, I had just arrived, and my sisters weren't here yet.  This year was much better. :)

It was a great surprise to see some stockings with our names on them.  We couldn't wait to hang them up.

"Hey, look guys!" Hailey called out excitedly as she rummaged through the decoration box.  "It's 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens!"

"I love that story!" Ella laughed.  "Tess, will you read it to us tonight?"

I grinned at my little sister.  "I think that should work.  For now, though, I'm going to find a place to hang this wreath."

"Oh, it's so pretty!" Hailey breathed.  "Where do you think we should hang it?"

"I was thinking maybe I'd try over here on the doorknob of our closet," I replied, carrying the wreath over to that part of the room.  "What do you think?"

"Perfect!" Hailey agreed.

"Hey, Ella, how would you like to help me hang up the stockings?" I asked. 

"Sure!" she beamed happily. 

We stuck an extra piece of plaid ribbon through the loops of the stockings and started over to the closet.  I thought that maybe we could stretch the ribbon across the top and hold it down with a couple of heavy things. 

Just as we started to hang it up, though, we heard 3 voices singing "Jingle Bells" as happily and loudly as possible.  We turned to see Lucy, Claire and Maggie standing in our room, singing at the tops of their lungs like hyper Christmas carolers.

"Hi, guys!" Ella called excitedly.  "How do you like the tree?"

"It's really pretty!" Claire said.  

"Look at the Nutcracker!" Lucy squealed excitedly.

"Are you guys hanging stockings up?" Maggie asked.  "Because we brought ours, too."

We all looked.  Sure enough, each of them had a stocking just like ours with their name on it.  Lucy also held a stocking for her sister Katie.  I sighed as I thought of my cousin, still far away on her traveling adventure.  It was looking less and less likely that she'd be home for Christmas.

"Do you think you could find room for a few more?" Maggie asked.  "It would be fun to hang them up all together."  She walked up to Ella.  "I have Emily's stocking, too," she offered, a little uncertainly.  

Ella's eyes filled with tears as she took the stocking from Maggie.  "I hope she gets well in time," she whispered.  

Maggie gave her a hug.  "I'm sure Mama will make her better in no time," she said encouragingly.

I smiled my thanks to my best friend for being so sweet to my little sister.  Maggie winked back at me.  Then I eyed the top of the closet doubtfully.  "I don't think all of the stockings are going to fit up here."

"Maybe Mama can come up with a good idea of where to hang them," Maggie said.

And sure enough, Mama did.  She cut a longer piece of the plaid ribbon and hung the stockings way up on the drapes behind our doll room.  They looked perfect up there!

We are so happy with our festive room.  What do you think?  Do you like it too?

We'll be doing another post soon.  Mama will be dressing us in our fancy dresses for Christmas and taking some pics.  She promised Maggie she'd find a dress that was as plain as possible so she didn't feel too frilly. :)  I, on the other hand, am hoping for tons of frills.  The more frills, the better! :)