Hooray for 50 Followers!!!! :)

Wow, guys...I've been hoping for 50 followers for a long time now.  I can't tell you how excited and thankful I am for all of you.  A special thank you to Kellie from A Maiden's Musings for being my 50th follower! :)

Hmmm, I suppose I should have something spectacular planned to celebrate 50 followers, but honestly...I've got nothing. :}  I am at 125 posts, so I was thinking of doing something spiffy for my 150th post.  Right now, though, I'm just trying to get through April.  Between my oldest daughter's birthday party (Yikes!  I never posted pics from my youngest daughter's Toy Story party! :(  I'll get to that ASAP), my big girls getaway trip next weekend (meaning a trip with my childhood best friend to celebrate her birthday, along with her aunt and our other dear friend from high school...with NO KIDS!! Eep!!), and our church's Easter program, it's going to be a crazy month.

So I guess all I can do is thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for making my blogging adventure such a pleasant, uplifting one.  I appreciate so much all of your comments and interest in little ol' me and my random doll and Disney doings. :)  My next goal?  100 followers!!!! :)

More "Tangled"

Okay, I promise I won't keep going on and on about "Tangled". :)  I just had to share a quick post, because my copy that I ordered from Amazon.com came today! :)  I wanted to share this because if any of you get the chance to pre-order from Amazon for a new movie, it's definitely the way to go!! 

Usually, the best price in town (at least where I'm from) is at Walmart.  My mom and aunt got $5 off coupons from Disneymovierewards.com and ended up paying $23.99 plus tax for the 4 disc Blu-ray combo pack (the same one I ordered, including the 3-D Blu-ray, the regular Blu-ray, the DVD, and the Digital copy). 

I pre-ordered mine from Amazon.com a couple of months ago, because they sent me an email for $8 off plus free shipping.  So I ended up spending $21.99 total for mine.  Then, as an added bonus, today I was informed that I got an additional $5 off.  I had forgotten about their "pre-order price guarantee".  Basically, if the original price of the DVD went down between the time I ordered it and the time they shipped it, I would get the lower price.  The movie went down to $24.99 from $29.99 as the original price, so I got that discount too.  So basically, I got the 4 disc Blu-ray combo pack for a total of $16.99.  Amazing, or what?
I was a little sad about having to wait...amazing price or no...but I got my copy only 1 day after it was released. 

I just wanted to share this with all of you so that you'll know for next time!  I would highly recommend purchasing your Blu-rays or DVDs this way!  I saved a lot of money, which is a big deal, especially where things are tighter financially right now. 

So, keep your eye out for offers from Amazon.com.  Mine came thru email...and I do have an account, so you'd probably need to sign up and make a wishlist or something. 

Hope this helps you save some money on your next movie purchase!! :)

P.S.  And no, I'm not endorsed by Amazon.com or anything.  Sorry if this seems like product placement or something.  I was just amazed by the deal I got!! :)

Thoughts on the "Tangled" Blu-ray

Hi everyone!  So, I got the chance to watch "Tangled" and its special features last night.  I had so much fun! :)  Let me just say, aside from the great story and music that takes me back to the films I grew up on ("The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin"...), this is an absolutely breathtaking film.  I love the beauty of the animation.  It's so fun to see all of the attention to detail, especially on the human characters.  The lighting, the scenery...everything blends together to make a perfect mix.  Since I'm familiar with the story, it was fun being able to focus on details this time around.

As far as special features go, I was a little bit disappointed.  I only watched the regular Blu-ray, so I don't know if there are more special features on the 3-D Blu-ray.  I won't know for a long time, as I don't have a 3-D compatible TV. 

The features they had were fun...I just was expecting more of them.  Maybe I'm too used to the "Diamond Edition" Blu-rays with loads of extra stuff.  There were a few deleted scenes, a couple of extended songs, lots of fun Tangled trailers (a lot of which I'd seen on Disney.go.com), and a really fun countdown of all 50 animated features from Disney.  That will be nice to have as a reference. :)  There was also a behind the scenes featurette hosted by Mandy Moore (the voice of Rapunzel) and Zachary Levi (the voice of Flynn/Eugene).  The featurette was fun and light (it looked like something that was probably made for the Disney channel), but didn't go into as much detail as I was hoping for. 

There also didn't seem to be any sort of pop-up menu on this Blu-ray like there has been for others.  Oh well, maybe I'm just too picky! :}  I'm sure there are at least a couple of Easter Eggs, since there usually are on Disney films.  I was hoping to check the Web today and see if anyone has discovered them yet.

So, I guess that's about it.  Overall, I'd give the Blu-ray a 4 out of 5 stars, just because I would have liked to see more Bonus Features.  I'd be interested to hear what all of you think, too. :)

P.S.  My dolls got to have a movie night and watch with me.  Tess did a post about it on her blog, and she'd love it if all of you checked it out.  For now, here's a pic of all of them enjoying the movie. :)

TANGLED!!!!!! :)

So, for those of you who don't know, Disney's "Tangled" came out on DVD and Blu-ray today.  Yay!!  I pre-ordered mine on Amazon.com.  The good news is that I got a great deal on the 4 disc Blu-ray DVD combo.  The bad news is that it won't get here until April 1st at the earliest.  :(  Of course, being the extremely patient person that I am (HA!!), I have no problem waiting.  Yeah, whatever.  It was KILLING me that I had to wait.  And yes, I know I'm completely pathetic. :} 

Then, my mom and aunt came over for a quick visit (after stopping by Walmart to buy their copies).  They were on their way to my mom and dad's to watch it.  I was bemoaning the fact that I'd have to wait to see it, when my mom very sweetly offered to leave her copy here for me.  I felt really bad and told her to ignore my whining.  Then my aunt pointed out that she didn't even own a Blu-ray player, so she could leave her Blu-ray copy here and take home her DVD copy. 

I couldn't resist the offer.  So now, I do NOT have to wait to watch my second favorite Disney movie of all time, plus see all of the great bonus features! :)  Well, at least I don't have to wait as long.  I do have to get 3 kids thru the bath and to bed first. :)  But then, it's movie time! :)  I'll be sure to do a post on what I thought of the Blu-ray. :)  Okay, I used waaayyy too many smiley faces in this paragraph.  :}  I'm just so excited!!!! :D   

Emma Woodhouse Dress @ Doll Clothes of Yore

Hey guys!  Just wanted to do a quick update for those of you who liked my "Emma Woodhouse" dress from Doll Clothes of Yore.  Emily mentioned on her blog that she has about 6 of these dresses available again.  She found more of the material she used to make them, so now 6 more fortunate customers will get to have an Emma dress of their own.  :)  Follow the link HERE to start shopping. :)

Disney Princess Squinkies!! :)

Okay, I know I said I was going to be better about spending money...at least, I think I said that on here.  Maybe I'm just remembering the conversation I had with my hubby!! :}  Anyway, I succumbed to an impulse buy today.

I was in Walmart, looking in the toy aisle with my girls, when lo and behold, I saw that they had FINALLY gotten in some Disney Princess Squinkies!  I'd heard that these were in the works, but I wasn't sure when they were going to be released. 

The first ones I saw were Disney Princess Squinkie bracelets.  Of course, I was immediately drawn to the Belle bracelet set.  It had a yellow bracelet with Squinkies of Belle, the Beast, the Enchanted Rose, and the Magic Mirror.  I was fully intending to purchase this, but when I walked back towards the front of the aisle, I saw this set:

For just $4 more, I could get the ultimate Beauty and the Beast Squinkies set!! How could I resist?  They were so cute, so relatively inexpensive, and such a unique find for my Beauty and the Beast collection! :)  Here are some close-ups of all of the different Squinkies:

Lumiere, Belle in her ballgown, and the Beast

I love how they did Squinkies of belle in all of her different dresses! :)

Wardrobe, Mrs. Potts, and Cogsworth

Chip, the Enchanted Rose, and Philippe

All of them together:

My favorites:

 

The big Squinkies sets also came in Cinderella, Snow White, and Ariel.  The bracelet sets came in Belle, Cinderella and Ariel.  There were also some light-up ring sets that came in Belle, Cinderella and Ariel.  The ring or bracelet sets are around $5 each, and the bigger sets are right around $9 each.  So, for any Disney Princess or Squinkies fans (or both), you can find these at Walmart, Target, and Toys'RUs.  There are probably other locations as well, but these are the ones I know about.

And hey, just in case you've forgotten, these make great toys for your AG dolls, too! :)  Here's Emma, absolutely thrilled with her new collection of Beauty and the Beast Squinkies:

My Newest Doll is Here! :)

Yesterday afternoon, I got a special package in the mail...the package I've been waiting for all week. :)  I'd like to introduce my newest doll:

PITA!!!!  Well, at least that's the name she came with.  I'm still deciding on a different name for her, so she won't remain Pita forever.  :) 

Pita is a Karito Kids doll.  She's 21" tall, so she's taller and narrower than an American Girl or other comparable 18" dolls.  I'm planning on doing another doll comparison post down the road to show you the differences.  Pita has vinyl arms, legs, and a vinyl head.  Like my Maggie doll, she also has a vinyl chest plate and cloth body. 

I bought this particular doll from Jen at Dolls and Nachos (thanks, Jen!!). :)  Jen does lots of doll sewing projects on her blog, so I got to reap the benefits of her work.  Pita (or Eva, as Jen called her) came with her original meet outfit (including boots), 2 pairs of pants, a Regency dress (whoo-hoo!!), a white lab coat, and a leather messenger bag just her size.  Jen also sent me Pita's book, which I haven't read yet.  I'm still deciding if I want to read it, as I want to develop my own character for her.  Here are some fun photos of her in all of her different outfits.  

Meet Outfit

Meet Outfit minus Jacket

Jeans

Khakis

Regency Dress

Lab Coat

Messenger Bag

A picture showing Pita's body style:

I'm still figuring out Pita's best picture angle.  I've found that every doll seems to have a certain angle that captures them in the most flattering way.  I have to say I'm not completely pleased with these pics I've taken, simply because they don't even begin to show what a beautiful doll Pita is!  She looks so much better in person!

At the moment, I'm still working on her new name and personality.  The good news is, I have plenty of time to work on things...I'm thinking I should have at least a good month or two, if not three.  Why, you may ask?  Because Pita is my new motivation.

Let me explain myself.  For the past, well, okay, three years now, I've been struggling to get rid of that last bit of baby weight.  My youngest was a Cesarean baby, and that last 20 or so pounds have just not come off the way I've been hoping.  I'm not a big exercise enthusiast.  I do it because I know I should, but I really struggle to keep at it consistently.  My eating habits need to change as well.  I do really well for a month or so, but then little by little, bad habits creep back in.  Soon I find myself eating because I'm bored or because things taste good, not because I'm hungry.  I know I'm not alone in this, but it's still annoying and frustrating.  

Since I've had such an issue with this, I thought if I had a "dangling carrot", so to speak, it might help to motivate me.  So, here's my brilliant plan. :)  Pita is going to go live at my mom's house.  I will not be allowed to bring her home until I've lost a certain amount of weight.  Right now, I'm debating between 10 and 15 pounds.  I don't want to make the challenge too hard, but I don't want to make it too easy, either.  At this point, I'm leaning towards the 15. 

Once I've lost the weight, Pita will be able to return home for good.  Then, hopefully I can shed those last few leftover pounds, since by then I will have (hopefully) gotten back into healthier habits again.  

I have absolutely no clue if this will actually work, but I figured it was worth a try.  I actually got a good little jump start on it from being sick, because I lost 7 pounds.  Although, I noticed when I weighed myself today that I've gained at least 4 of them back (it's amazing what happens when you can suddenly eat more than a piece of cheese for lunch). :}  So, I guess it's not as much of a head start as it could be.  Oh well.  I'm still going to try it and see what happens.        

I'll keep you guys updated on my progress (or lack thereof) ;) periodically.  But don't worry...I won't suddenly turn this into a weight loss blog. :)  For now, I'm just going to enjoy Pita/Eva/whoever until I can get her over to my mom's.  I'm kind of thinking Ava might be a nice name.  Hmmm...I'll have to think about it. :)

More Pics from Marcotsgirls

Hey guys!  Just wanted to add another quick post.  Ebay seller marcotsgirls, the creator of my beautiful Regency dress from the last post, sent me a link to her Flickr album that shows some of her past dresses.  Note:  these dresses are not currently available, but they give you an idea of the type of work she does.  Also, she has three new dresses listed on eBay right now, so be sure to click the link above and check them out! :) 

Click HERE and HERE to see marcotsgirls Flickr.com photos.  I hope you enjoy browsing through them as much as I did. :)

Updates, Goodies, Etc.

Hi everyone!  Wow, what a week it's been.  Just wanted to share some goodies and give you a few updates. 

So, first off, we didn't end up having a birthday party yesterday.  As of Thursday night, my youngest daughter still wasn't sleeping through the night.  Friday morning, I felt nauseated unless I was laying down, due to lack of sleep.  My lunch Friday was a slice of cheese and half of a Sprite.  :}  I had been trying so hard to make the party work, but I knew on Friday that there was no way I would feel well enough to pull it off. 

It ended up being a really good decision.  Friday afternoon, my mom came down with the same virus I'd had last week.  Since she always makes the birthday cake with my aunt and is a huge help to me on party days, it would have been disastrous to do a party without her. 

My hubby took time off of work on Friday and let me pretty much sleep the whole day.  I'm finally feeling like myself again after 2 1/2 days of taking it easy.  And I know for a fact that I would have overdone and relapsed if I had tried to throw a party. 

It was all for the best.  My daughter got to open her present from us and pick out whatever dinner she wanted.  That was enough of a celebration for her for now.  The party is tentatively scheduled for next Saturday.  So, Lord willing, if we're all feeling well enough, we'll have our Toy Story party then.  :) 

Moving on, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I won one of the contests connected with the Literary Heroine Blog Party hosted by A Maiden's Musings.  Last week, my package with my fun literary buttons came in the mail.  Thanks so much, Kellie! :)

My other fun item to share with you is this beautiful Regency dress I purchased on eBay.  I know, I know, technically I didn't NEED another 18" doll Regency dress.  :)  But, I had sold a few things on AGPT, so I had some Paypal money to play around with.  It was one of those things where I saw it listed, put in a low maximum bid, and didn't look again.  I was sure it would go for a higher amount.  I ended up winning it for right around $12, though, including shipping!!  So here's Hailey, wearing my newest Regency doll dress, sold by marcotsgirls:

A fancy "do" :)

Beautiful Hailey! :)

I am so pleased with this dress!  I've noticed that a lot of the Regency dresses made for 18" dolls have very close-fitting skirts, which, in my opinion, make their heads look way too big for their bodies.  I think this type of Regency gown, with a fuller skirt, looks better on them.  [Note:  I'm feeling a slight sense of "Deja vu" here.  Sorry if I mentioned this point in my earlier post about Emma's Regency dress.  It's going to take me a while to get back into the swing of things. :}]  

The quality is excellent on this dress.  The material is sturdy and well-sewn.  The hems on the sleeves are very fitted, which concerned me when I first tried the dress on Hailey.  Marcotsgirls obviously did her research, though.  Just when I couldn't get the sleeves any higher on Hailey's arms, I realized that they were in just the right spot for the Velcro to close in the back.  The result is a nice, tight look around the hem of the sleeves.  The little details like ribbon trim add an extra beauty to the dress.  And for those of you wondering, yes, the pretty golden bead necklace was included. :)

I would highly recommend this eBay seller.  I don't believe she has anything listed at this time, but keep checking back.  She always has some great items to offer when she lists. 

Well, that's all for now.  Sometime this week I'll have a new post.  I have a package coming in the mail and it's...a NEW DOLL!! (Well, new to me, at least.)  This will be the last one for a long time, so this is a big deal. :)  Who do you think the newest member of our doll family will be? ;)

  

Doll Clothes of Yore: New Items and Clearance!

I almost forgot...I got an email from the Doll Clothes of Yore website, saying they have some new designs and several outfits on clearance for 15% off.  I had fun taking a quick peek and thought I'd share the news with all of you.  Maggie was very excited to see that one of the new dresses is an Eowyn dress from "The Lord of the Rings". :) 

I've included a direct link to the clearance items HERE, and a link to the main website HERE.  There are new designs in the Medieval, Renaissance, Colonial, Civil War, and Edwardian categories.  Have fun browsing!! :)

I'm Still Alive!! :}

Hi everyone!! Yes, I am still alive! :)  I was beginning to wonder after last week, though.  I'm feeling a lot better, but I'm still really wiped out.  Just the thought of sitting and typing a post or doing a photo story has been exhausting.  Of course, it doesn't help that my youngest daughter has a milder version of the same bug and hasn't been sleeping well for the past 4 nights.  My body just isn't getting enough down time to get better.

I just thought I'd give you a few quick updates.  You won't be hearing much more from me this week, because (aside from trying to recover) I've got to get ready for my youngest daughter's birthday party on this coming Saturday.  We'll still have it even if people are sick.  It just might be an extremely small party. :}  Thankfully, my daughter is turning 3, so as long as there are presents, cake, and a few extra people there, she'll be happy. :)

Besides all of the usual birthday prep, I've got to somehow resurrect my disaster area of a house.  You know how it is when mommy is sick.  My dear husband has worked on dishes, laundry, and some basic cleanup, but the girls are like little tornadoes.  Not only that, but hubby's had a horrible sinus infection, so there's only so much he can do between feeling miserable and trying to have enough energy for work.  As you can imagine, I've got my work cut out for me to have everything ready by Saturday.  I'm sure it will all come together, though.  I'll let you all know how it goes.

I also have a couple of fun posts planned.  First, as some of you know, I was one of the winners for the Literary Blog Party hosted by A Maiden's Musings, and my package arrived last week. :)  I'll be sure to share that with you.

I've also been dabbling in some doll hospital type stuff.  I actually removed my first set of AG eyes!  Stay tuned for that post.  A warning, though.  It won't be for the faint of heart. ;)

And finally, I'm expecting a very special package some time next week.  I can't wait to share it with all of you!!

So keep checking back, because I have lots of fun things planned!  Sorry for the boring post today, but it can't be helped.  It'll just have to see you through till more exciting times. :D

I've Been Tagged! :)

Hi everyone!  Sorry it's been a while since I've posted.  We've had bad colds going around our house for the last week or so, and I finally caught it myself 2 nights ago.  Yesterday, I had a fever and was achy all over.  I spent most of the day on the couch, bundled up.  Today I'm not as feverish, but I feel like I swallowed a basketball or something.  It hurts every time I swallow. 

But, enough about that!  I'm thankful that I'm generally pretty healthy.  Getting sick every so often reminds me of the compassion I need to have for my hubby, girls, and others when they are sick.  I must confess, I'm not the best patient or nurse.  Especially in the middle of the night! :}

So, as the title mentioned, I've been tagged by Susan at American Girl and God.  So, I guess I'm supposed to mention 7 random things about myself.  Let's see:

1. One of my very favorite places to go is to the coast.  My husband even proposed to me on a beach! :)

2. I have brown hair.

3. My very favorite guilty pleasure (dessert-wise) is a dark chocolate Reese's peanut butter cup.

4. I've known my two current dearest friends since elementary school. 

5. I only exercise because I know I need to...but I do it under protest!!  Now, if I was coordinated enough to be a dancer or something fun, that would be a different matter.  My workout DVDs are just not very exciting.  No offense, Leslie Sansone!  :}

6. I also pre-ordered "Tangled", but I pre-ordered it on Amazon.com about a month ago! :)

7. I still have a secret wish to find Narnia. :)

I guess that's about it.  I'm going to tag my 4 newest followers:  Mia and the Girls, Alexandra, Natasha Marie, and Miranda.  Have fun! 

"What a Doll" Finds at Kmart

Hi everyone!  Just wanted to let you all know of a great deal I found today.  My two youngest daughters and I were in Kmart this morning and stopped by their "What a Doll" line of clothing.  For those of you who haven't heard of this, it's a line of really cute girl and doll matching dresses that go along with a line of Madame Alexander "What a Doll" 18" dolls, sold exclusively at Kmart.  I'm not too impressed with the dolls themselves.  The way their eyebrows are painted makes them look cross, and their faces aren't nearly as nice as the "Alexander Girlz" dolls from Costco, or even the "Friends 4 Life" or "Friends Boutique" dolls from Walmart.  The matching girl and doll dresses, however, are really cute.  I like these even better than the popular (and expensive) "Maggie and Zoe" dresses, because the doll dresses have more detail. 

Okay, so the whole reason I'm jabbering on about these is because the winter fashions were on sale for FIVE dollars a piece!!  If you have a local Kmart, I'd highly recommend stopping by and seeing if they have any of these left.  They were in the girls clothing section on one of the clearance racks. 

I was thrilled to find these.  I'm always looking for inexpensive dresses for my girls, especially since the school they attend (or will attend, for my younger ones) has a dress code.  But hey, at this price, you might think about going even if you don't have kids!  Finding a doll dress alone for $5 is pretty rare, at least in my experience! :) 

My youngest daughter's doll Jane (the blonde) is modeling the doll dress that matches her girl. :)  Check out that hair!  It's a "hard-knock life" when you're the doll of an almost 3 year old. :} 

Charlie is modeling the beautiful lavender dress that came with my middle daughter's girl-sized dress.  I know that the cowgirl boots don't really go (or the Buzz Lightyear necklace, for that matter), but Charlie is extremely attached to them.  Besides, my middle daughter was wearing cowgirl boots with her big girl version of this dress.  Something about being a "princess cowgirl". :)

Here is a pic of the dress we picked out for my oldest daughter.  It's not off of the hanger yet because she's still at school.  What a fun surprise for her when she comes home!

Here's a closer pic of the logo on the tag:

There were also about 5 or 6 really cute matching girl and doll purses.  They were still $10 each, so we didn't come home with any of those.  We were tempted, though. 

Hope you guys found this post helpful.  Let me know if you find any goodies at your Kmart! :)

P.S.  There's also a website:  whatadollgirls.com.  No good sale prices online, though. :)