Tess's Tidbits: The Missing Piece

It was late when I got back to our room from the Literary Ladies Society meeting, and Hailey had already fallen asleep.  I tiptoed into the room so I wouldn't wake her.  

I sighed as I removed my feathered headband.  I wasn't sure what to think about the meeting.  Emma and I had enjoyed a simply thrilling discussion about different Jane Austen film adaptations, but I was worried that we'd overdone it a bit.  Several times I'd caught glimpses of rather blank expressions on Jenna and Hayden's faces.  I had to remember that this was a Literary Ladies Society, not a Jane Austen Society, and that not all of our members were as in love with Austen's work as Emma and I.

I was amazed that I'd been able to speak at all.  When Jenna had asked me to come up, I'd literally felt sick to my stomach.  My mouth was so dry I might as well have been made of sawdust instead of vinyl.  I couldn't look at anyone without feeling like I might faint, so I chose a spot on the floor and stared at it while I struggled to find words of introduction.

Before long, however, the words had come.  As I spoke about the characters as dear to me as my own friends, it was as if the whole world melted away.  I was Lizzy Bennet, sharing about my life...and why I preferred Colin Firth to Matthew Macfadyen (no offense, Mr. Macfadyen...I adored you on "Little Dorrit").  When Emma joined the conversation, I was elated.  We always love discussing Jane Austen together.  

As we spoke, the haze suddenly seemed to clear, and I was merely Tess the doll once more...and Hayden and Jenna were on the verge of either sheer boredom or a long nap.  I've never been more embarrassed in my entire life.  The last thing I wanted was to drone on and on and bore my audience.  This is why I wanted to be a writer, not a public speaker.  As I said my goodbyes and headed down to my room, my plastic heart sank.  What if my writing was just as bad?  Would I bore my readers to tears as well?  Perhaps my blogging is not all that interesting.  You would tell me if it was horrid, wouldn't you, my dearest readers?  If I have no future in writing, it would be much better to know it now than after years of toiling over stories that no one will care about. :(

With these thoughts weighing heavily on my mind, I opened the top drawer of my curio cabinet to put away my headband.  Then I stopped in my tracks.  How had the picture gotten there?  Hailey must have thought this was where it belonged.  

I put my headband away, picked up the framed picture almost reverently, and slowly took a seat on the bed, being careful not to wake Hailey.  Pemberley purred behind me, but I didn't respond to my kitty.  I simply stared at the portrait.

It seemed so long ago.  In some ways, it had been a lifetime.  A little over two years, to be exact.  Two years since my baby sister left us.  I fingered the picture gently.  There were times when I missed Ella so much that I physically ached.  I knew that she had chosen to leave and that we were fortunate to hear from her sporadically via email, but it didn't take away the pain of losing her.  I always felt as if a piece of me was missing.  And every day, I vowed that someday, somehow, I would try to bring the three of us together again.  I wasn't exactly sure what I could do, but I had to try. 

Until that day, I'd have to keep going and bury my loss.  I knew Mama had said that I could talk to God about how I felt.  Sometimes He just felt so far away.

"Dear Father," I whispered slowly, "Mama says we can talk to you about anything."  I hesitated.  "I really miss my sister, Lord.  I miss her more than I can say..."  I had to stop to get my tears under control.  "If there's any way you could help me get her back, I would be forever grateful."  I stroked the picture frame lovingly.  "Mama says that sometimes You don't have the same plan that we do and I have to trust that You know what's best."  I wiped my eyes and glanced over at Hailey to make sure I hadn't woken her.  "It won't be easy, but I'll try my best to be content no matter what happens.  Thank you, Lord...Amen."

A tear slipped down my cheek and landed on the glass of the picture frame.  I carefully wiped it away with the hem of my gown and then put the picture back in the drawer.  I didn't know what would happen in the future, but it helped knowing that God did.  

Meanwhile, I'd have to try to be content, making the most of each day, and pray that one day the missing piece of our lives would be restored.

Hayden's Histories: Literary Ladies Society March Meeting

Hi everyone!  Hayden here with another...um...slightly late...report from our 3rd Literary Ladies Society meeting. :}

Last Saturday was the 3rd Saturday of the month, so the four of us all got dressed up in our fancy dresses.  Jenna and I did a quick declutter job on our room before Tess and Emma got there.  Not that we're overly messy, but we both collect a lot of stuff, and our collections have a way of overflowing from the shelves. ;)

The topic for this meeting was a comparison of the two most recent movie adaptations of "Pride and Prejudice", presented by Tess (or I suppose I should say "Miss Bennet"). ;)

I was really surprised when I found out that Tess was going to speak.  She's so painfully shy that I wasn't sure she could handle getting up in front of us, even though it was only an audience of three.  She did a great job, though.  I could tell she was nervous when she started...she spoke really quietly and didn't make eye contact with any of us.  After a while, though, her love for "Pride and Prejudice" gave her an unnatural boldness.

In fact, she started talking so fast that it was all I could do to keep up in our meeting minutes!

As she continued speaking, she seemed to come alive.  Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks were flushed as she pointed out the many flaws she saw in the 2005 version with someone named Kira or Keira...it's in my notes somewhere (Tess spelled out the names for me). ;)

My sister Emma was thrilled with the topic and often interjected a few points of her own.  Tess always welcomed them graciously.

Before long, the two of them were in a deep, fan-girly discussion which had grown from just "Pride and Prejudice" to adaptations of all of the different Jane Austen films.  You know how Emma gets when she gets excited. ;)  The two of them were completely lost in a world of Austen, discussing pros and cons, costumes, lighting, screenplays, and even whether Mr. Knightley or Mr. Tilney was a better hero.

I have to admit, I kind of glazed over during the course of the conversation.  I'm a fan of Jane Austen's work myself (it's great "scope for the imagination", to borrow a phrase from "Anne of Green Gables"), but this conversation was a bit beyond me.  I mean, I didn't know enough about JJ Feild's smile or Colin Firth's hair to have anything to contribute.  And while I didn't mind a discussion of film adaptations, I wasn't expecting something that delved this deep.  I do have a bad habit of drifting off anyway, letting my imagination run away with me.  I'm glad I don't have to go to school, because I'd probably always be getting in trouble for daydreaming. :}  Basically, what I came away with was the the 1995 version of "Pride and Prejudice" was "spectacular" and the 2005 version was "horrid", at least according to Tess and Emma.  Um, I mean Miss Bennet and Miss Woodhouse. :}

Several hours later, Jenna and I were alone in our room again.  

"Well, I think I know more now about Jane Austen film adaptations than I ever needed to know," Jenna declared wryly as she pulled off one shoe.

I blushed at her direct comment.  I didn't want Tess or Emma's feelings to be hurt.  "It was informative," I began weakly.

Jenna chuckled at the uncomfortable expression that must have been on my face.  "Don't worry, Hayden, I'm not going to say anything more."  She wiggled her foot back and forth.  "I do appreciate all the preparation Tess put into her presentation, and I know how excited your sister gets about Jane Austen."  

She reached down to take off her other shoe.  "I'm wondering if we should rethink our meetings a bit."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

My friend dropped her shoes on the floor.  "To be honest, I'm getting a little bit overwhelmed trying to coordinate a meeting every month.  I'm wondering if we should switch to every two months, or maybe even every three months."

"We'd have to put it to a vote," I reminded her.

"Of course," she agreed.  "I just think it might be a little more relaxing for everyone."

I wasn't sure if the others would feel the same way, but I was fine with whatever Jenna was fine with.  Especially if it meant I didn't have to make any decisions or take charge. ;)  I could dress up anytime I wanted, and fewer meetings would mean more time for making up stories or acting out plays with Jenna (our favorite pastime together).

"Maybe I'll talk to Emma and Tess tomorrow," Jenna mused as she rummaged through her dresser for her pajamas.

"Let me know what they say," I responded, heading to my own dresser.  "We can always have a quick meeting if we need to be formal about it."

As I climbed into my bed that night, I thought over Jenna's suggestion.  I wondered how much of it was because she was overwhelmed, and how much of it was because she didn't want to have to sit through another long discussion next month.  Jenna is creative and has a lot of great ideas and leadership qualities, but she's not always very patient. ;)  Either way, I was okay with fewer meetings.  I was definitely feeling overwhelmed with my blogging.  I don't mind writing, but I'd much rather tell a story verbally than type it out.  And if I'm being completely honest, I prefer making things up to documenting actual events.  Maybe that's why I stress about these Literary Ladies Society meeting posts so much. :}  I suppose I should tell someone eventually, but I don't want to rock the boat.  I am still kind of the newbie around here.

So, you might hear from me next month, but you might not.  I'll try to keep you informed on what we decide. :)

Hayden

Tess's Tidbits: Back on Track

Do you ever go through a time where you feel like you just can't seem to pull things together and accomplish what you need to, even though you know others are counting on you?  Even when you go to bed at night kicking yourself for not following through with your commitment?  Even when you are plagued with guilt for letting others down?  That's how I've felt these past couple of months.

And on that note, I must apologize for the sorry lack of posts on this blog.  I'm ashamed to admit that I don't really have any valid excuses, either.  It was all just busyness, distraction, and procrastination.  Maggie has every right to be as frustrated with all of us as she has been.  Of course, I wish she could have addressed the issue in a kinder manner...but tact never was my friend's strong point. ;)

Hayden, Emma, and I discussed it, and we decided the best thing to do was to give you a brief summary of all that's happened to us these past months and then start over with a clean slate.  Otherwise, we'll always have the past posts we were going to do hanging over us like a dark thundercloud.

For starters, we've recently rearranged our rooms, and we thought you might like to see the outcome.  Mama helped us with them before her girls all got sick this past week.  Unfortunately, she didn't get to Maggie and Rachel's room or the ABC girls' room.

Forgive me, I really shouldn't refer to them that way until I've asked them first.  Maggie got tired of calling Mama's BFC Ink and Hearts For Hearts Girls dolls by their full names, so she's taken to calling them the "ABC Girls", since their names all involve numerous letters.  You know Maggie and her habit of nicknaming others. ;)  We've all rather gotten into the habit of calling them that as well (it is easier), but we've never had a chance to see whether they mind or not.

Anyway, Hailey and I are certainly enjoying our new set up.  It's wonderful having more room to play with my Calico Critters and my lovely Victorian dollhouses that Grandmama found for me at Goodwill (they were originally Christmas ornaments).

Hayden and Jenna switched shelves with Emma and Charlie, and all four of them seem to be happy with their new rooms:

Those of you who are more observant may have noticed that we missed documenting about 2 important days:  Hayden's birthday on January 29th and Charlie's birthday on February 16th.  You might be especially surprised that Charlie never mentioned her birthday, especially since she had a post about her birthday weekend.  That's just the sort of gracious doll she is.  Mama was so busy with her daughters' birthday trip that she completely forgot about Charlie's birthday, and Charlie didn't want to bring it up in the post and make Mama feel bad.

Birthdays are a bit silly for us.  We don't actually age, so we just celebrate the same birthday over and over again.  Our birthdays aren't actually the day we were born, or even the day we joined Mama's doll family.  They're just dates she picked out and assigned to us.  As you can imagine, this makes it a bit less devastating when our birthdays are overlooked than you humans might find it if someone forgot your birthday.  Of course, we love the excuse to have a special day set aside for each of us.  But to be honest, Mama often has a hard time remembering our birthdays, so we usually end up celebrating them at least a day late. ;)  We all make sure to offer each other birthday greetings on our special day and try not to expect anything more than that.

All that to say that so far this year, the birthday "celebrations" have been very low key.  Mama forgot both Hayden and Charlie's birthdays for about a week, and then offered them each a gift, complete with a lengthy apology.  Poor Mama takes it really hard when she forgets about us.

Hayden got a "Man From Snowy River" poster for her birthday (you can see it hanging on the wall just behind her head in the following picture).

Charlie got some more Toy Story Squinkies:

She got Jessie, Bullseye, and Woody. :)

Let's see, what else was I supposed to share?  Oh yes, the Literary Ladies Society meetings.  There's not much to share there.  Hayden decided I could just give you a brief overview, and she'll pick up telling you about the meeting this month.  

The entirety of our January meeting was spent assigning a schedule to each of our meetings for the year.  Sadly, we're already behind on said schedule because our February meeting was cancelled.  The third Saturday fell on the weekend that Mama was gone, and while Papa knows that we're alive, it still makes him rather uncomfortable to see us moving on our own and everything, especially when Mama's not there.  Since he was working on projects around the house, we decided it would just be best to stay in our places and keep things as normal as possible. :}  We should be back on track for the third Saturday of March, though. :)

I did have a great idea for another "Tea with Tess" post, but it never came together like I hoped it would.  Those posts are much more involved than my regular posts, so they take much more time and organization.  I'm going to take Mama's advice and not promise posts ahead of time, but I do hope to have another "Tea with Tess" post at some point in the near future.  

Well, I believe that we're now completely up to date.  I can't tell you what a relief it is to be all caught up. :)  My hope is that we won't let things get that behind again, but we're only vinyl, after all.  We can't be perfect all the time. ;)  

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, dear readers.  We'll talk again soon! :)

Tess

Guest Post by Charlie: My Trip :)

Hi everyone...it's Charlie again, back from my weekend travels. :)  I know, it's the middle of the week, but honestly, I feel like it's taken me this long to get back into the routine!  I think Mama's had the same issue this week. ;)

My trip was loads of fun. :)  We left early Saturday morning, all piling into Grandmama's van.

Here I am Saturday morning, all ready to go.

The trip was long, but not unbearable.  I enjoyed seeing all of the scenery on our way.

Our first stop was at a McDonald's for lunch.  We had cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, and some of those new Fish Mcbites.  I think I have a new favorite food...they were so yummy! :)

We ended up stopping fairly close to our destination, so it was only about another 30 minutes of driving before we reached the hotel in Roseville, CA.

Here I am standing outside of our hotel.  It was really nice.  I loved the blooming tree in front. :)  

Grandmama was teasing Mama about how much stuff she packed for an overnight trip.  Here's all the stuff we brought between the 7 of us (me and the 6 humans).

After being stuck in the van for so long, it was nice to have the freedom to move around and stretch my limbs. :)

I took a little time to climb up to the windowsill and enjoy the view of the city.

I wasn't able to dawdle for long, though.  Mama's daughters had birthday money to spend and were eager to get shopping!!

Our first stop was the Disney Store in the Westfield Galleria in Roseville.  A completely awesome store, by the way.  If you ever have the chance to stop by, you should. :)

Here I am in the mirrored walk-in castle display in the store.  In front of me is the Sophia the First playset that Little Gal was SURE she was going to get...for the first 15 minutes walking around the store. ;)

I didn't end up getting any Buzz Lightyear stuff.  To be honest, the whole time in there was rather a blur.   The three big humans each took a little human and followed them around as they flitted from display to display, trying to decide how best to spend their money.  It was all Mama and I could do to keep up with Little Gal.  This trip was all about them, though, so it was okay.  And really, I don't need more Buzz stuff (not that I'd ever complain about getting more, though). ;)

After the whirlwind that was the Disney Store, ;) I hitched a ride with Little Gal on the mall carousel.  We didn't get nearly as long of a ride on this carousel as the ones we get on the carousel in Eureka (we're very spoiled there!), but it was still lots of fun. 

I don't have any pictures of it, but one of Oldest Gal and Little Gal's favorite things about the mall was the "Air Joy" bungee jumping activity that was set up for humans from 30 to 180 pounds.  Basically, you sat in a harness-type thing that was attached to strong bungee cords and jumped on a special trampoline.  Middle Gal wasn't interested in trying it, but the other two girls loved it!  We didn't get any pics to share with all of you because there was no way to do so while still keeping the girls' identities private (which is extremely important to Mama and Papa).

When we'd finished looking around a bit more at the mall, we went to Hobby Lobby.  People are always talking about this place on AGPlaythings, so Mama, Grandmama and Mimi wanted to check it out for themselves, as we don't have a local store.  We ended up spending 2 hours in there and only saw a fraction of what it had to offer. :)

By the time we were done at Hobby Lobby, it was past dinner time and we were all starved!  We stopped at KFC for dinner and enjoyed a delicious meal of greasy chicken and carbs (what more could you ask for?).  ;)

Mama decided that it was important to go to ToysRUs  next.  The Disney Store and ToysRUs were the two places she'd talked about to her daughters, and she wanted to make sure they got to both places before their money disappeared. :}  Sorry this pic is so dark, by the way.  It was getting late by the time we got there (and we spent another 2 hours there!).  Honestly, I think Mama had a harder time leaving than the kids.  She loves that store! ;)

By the time we were done at TRU, it was too late to go anywhere else, so we called it a night and headed back to the hotel.  Grandmama and Mama took the girls down to the hotel pool to play and work off some energy, but Mimi and I chose to stay in the room and relax.

I hadn't realized how tired I was.  I changed into my PJ's and lay back on my pillow...and before I knew it, I was fast asleep.  I didn't even hear Mama and Grandmama come in with the girls later.   

The next morning, everyone was up early and ready for a new day.  We went down to enjoy the complimentary breakfast in our PJ's, then came back and packed up the room.  Mimi did my hair for me while Mama finished getting the girls ready, and then we were off for another day of shopping!

Our first stop today was Target.  Some of the Lalaloopsies the girls had been looking for weren't at ToysRUs, so they were hoping to find them at Target instead.  The girls found a few goodies, not the ones they were planning on, but fun things just the same.

Our original plan was to go to a Goodwill next, but when we got there, we found out that Goodwill doesn't open until 11 on Sundays, and it was only 10:20.  We decided to head straight back to the mall instead.  (Ironically, we never made it to a Goodwill the entire trip!  Any of you who know how much Mama, Grandmama and Mimi love that store will find that shocking, but it's just the way it worked out.)  Oldest Gal had decided that she wanted to use her own birthday money to pay for another Air Joy ride (and she even paid so that Little Gal could go again too!), and Little Gal had to return the wedding Cinderella she'd chosen from the Disney Store because the dress had a defect.  We also realized that we hadn't taken the girls to the Sanrio Store, another place that isn't around our hometown.

We had lunch at Panda Express in the mall food court and then it was time for the other promised destination of our trip:

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts!!  

Emma had told me how wonderful these doughnuts were, so I couldn't wait to try them.  Thankfully, Mimi bought a few extra to take home, so there were plenty to share. :)

I'll never forget my first bite...it was AMAZING!!  

The hot light wasn't on when we went, so we didn't get doughnuts hot off the rack (which I'm told makes them even more incredible), but they were yummy enough cold! ;)

I washed the doughnut down with some ice water in a coffee cup (they were all out of regular glasses).

It was time to start heading home, but on our way out of town, we found another big Target store, so we decided to stop.  They didn't have much more of a selection of Lalaloopsies, but it was still fun to look around.

We made it a couple of hours before we had to stop for dinner at Taco Bell (hooray for Burrito Supremes!).  And there just happened to be a ToysRUs across the street, so we just happened to stop in there really quick.  Because there's no way Mama can resist a ToysRUs. ;)

By the time we got home, it was dark and we were all exhausted.  I've never been so glad to see my own bed before. :}  

I know I didn't get as many pictures as Emma did on her trip, but Mama had decided ahead of time that she wanted the focus to be on her girls this time around.  I was just along for the ride. ;)  I don't mind.  Posing for pictures every five minutes can get a little tiring.  And I have to admit, while I always love spending special time with Mama, and shopping is fun in its way, I definitely preferred my coastal vacation to this one.  I'd take walking on the beach and playing in the sand over walking through a mall for 3 hours any day. ;)  I appreciate that Mama invited me, though, and I still had fun.

I guess that's about it.  Hope you all enjoyed hearing about my travels!  Mama is working on a post on her blog too, so be sure you stop by her blog as well. :)

Guest Post by Charlie: A Weekend Trip

Hi guys!  Charlie here.  I'm super excited about this coming weekend, because I just found out yesterday that I get to go on a trip with Mama, Grandmama, Mimi, and Mama's 3 daughters.  Mama's daughters' birthdays are this month, next month, and the month after, and this year, Mama decided to do a big combined birthday trip instead of throwing 3 parties in a row.  The trip starts tomorrow morning, and I get to go! :D

At first, Mama thought she wouldn't bring any of us with her because she wanted the focus to be on the girls.  At the last minute, though, she decided that having one of us go with her was the best way to share the trip with all of her blogging friends.  After some deliberation, it was decided that it was my turn.

We'll spend the weekend shopping, which isn't necessarily my first choice (I'd rather be rambling outside with Rontu).  But the fact that there's an amazingly awesome Disney Store in the mall we're going to makes the idea of a shopping trip much more bearable. ;)  Maybe I'll find a new Buzz Lightyear treasure for my collection. :D

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I'll share all about my fun trip when I get back.  In the meantime, everyone else will continue getting their posts ready, and Maggie will be happy that we have a "real" post up. ;)

Talk to all of you soon!  I've got to go finish packing! :)

Tess's Tidbits: Happy Valentine's Day!

Hello everyone!  I apologize for my lack of posts lately.  I thought it would be best for me to do this post.  Maggie's already irritated with all of us for being late on our promised posts, and she really detests Valentine's Day.  I figured you could use a happy post today. ;)

We don't have anything specific planned for the day, but we may watch a movie or enjoy the beautiful weather outside.  What are your plans for the day?

I hope to be back soon with a "real" post. ;)  Until then...

Maggie's Memos: What is the Deal?

Okay, this is absolutely ridiculous!  Here I put my reputation on the line, talking about all these great posts we had planned.  And what happened?  Nada.  Zilch.  Nothing.

I would like to clarify that this was not my fault.

Hayden was supposed to do a post about January's *gag* Literary Ladies Society meeting, but she's still getting used to the idea of posting on a schedule.  Apparently the numerous helpful reminders I gave her didn't prompt her to get her act together.  They did, however, seem to keep her from making eye contact with me.  She pretty much takes off running whenever she sees me now.  But hey, if she can't handle a few little well-placed nudges in the right direction, that's her problem.

Tess has been working on a new "Tea with Tess" post.  Of course, it's been so long since the last one, I don't think anyone even remembers that ill-fated series.  I have it on good authority that she was caught re-reading "Pride and Prejudice" when she was supposed to be typing her post.

Of course, it's been a while since "Breaking News with Maggie" too, but we won't go into that right now. :}

And Emma was going to write about...something.  Who knows what she had planned.  Whatever it was, it was bound to be never-ending and full of apologies.

Here I was, simply biding my time, waiting patiently (okay...somewhat patiently) for my turn to write since everyone said they were going to take care of it.

But good grief, a doll can only wait for so long.  Between my procrastinating friends, a Belle doll that has unending adventures that MUST be shared at ALL COSTS on her own sappy blog, and Mama's sudden fascination with Facebook and Pinterest, this blog has fallen by the wayside, and it's up to me to save the day.

So, you want to know what everyone was doing when they were SUPPOSED to be posting on here?  Take a look:

Here's Tess, reading her book (she caught me taking the picture at the last moment and put her hand in the way!).  I guess she had a guilty conscience!

And here's Hailey, just getting ready to raid our Christmas candy stash from Mama.

She probably would have eaten it all if I hadn't caught her in the act.

Hayden and Jenna were doing some sort of production from one of their musicals they love.  *Shudder*  I fled at the sound of random singing and did not stop to ask which one.  

Emma and Charlie were taking turns playing "Bop it".

And here's...hey, wait a minute.  Who put this picture here?  Okay, I know this looks bad, but I was very busy this past month.  I must have just been taking a quick break at the time of this photo.  And...just so we're clear, I do NOT play with my toys.  Rachel and I were just...comparing articulation...or...something.   How embarrassing.

Okay, moving right along!  The point is, sometimes, life happens and we don't keep on schedule like we should.  But thanks for always waiting around for us, even when we don't keep you entertained as regularly as you're used to.  We're planning on getting our acts together soon, but I don't want to make promises again after the last post I wrote.  Just know that we're not going anywhere, even if it takes us a while to post.  

And remember, I do NOT play with my toys.  Someone is exploiting me through that photo!  Of course, I guess I wasn't exactly being fair to everyone else with the other photos...but I'll deal with that later.  Right now, I'm going to go...helpfully...remind my friends that we have a blog, and the key to having a successful one is to regularly post on it.  Hang in there, guys.  We'll get back on track soon...I hope. ;)