Updates...Finally! ;)

At last I've managed to secure some time on the computer!  Thank you to all of my wonderful readers and followers.  You've been so patient with me, even when I haven't been that great at posting.

Wow, Blogger just decided to change to their new format.  This is really weird trying to figure everything out and remember what I was going to tell you at the same time.  :{  The changes aren't as bad as I thought they would be, but it's still going to take some getting used to!

So, things have been a bit crazy around here...but what else is new?  I think you've heard that from me and Beast'sbelle's 18" blogging dolls enough that it's beginning to sound like an empty excuse! :(  Trust me, though...I really mean it this time.  Still skeptical?  Just take a look at this picture:

You see, in the midst of all of her various commitments, birthday parties, and events, Beast'sbelle has decided to rearrange her room (aka OUR room) and her closet.  And since time isn't on her side, she's had to do it in spurts.  This has lasted for a few weeks now, and as you can see from the picture, our living space is a bit chaotic at the moment (to put it mildly).

Apparently, Beast'sbelle's dad is working on some official doll rooms for the 18" dolls.  Beast'sbelle's idea is to have all of her 18" dolls on one side of the room instead of both.  She needed another space for her books, so Emma, Hayden, and Charlie lost their room for the time being.  As for the rest of the mess, as most of us know, any time you do major rearranging, it's like working a puzzle, trying to find the proper place for all of the pieces again.  Beast'sbelle does not appear to be very good at puzzles.  ;) 

Any of you who follow Beast'sbelle's blog probably noticed that she made a "Room in a Box" for me, after watching My Froggy Stuff's YouTube channel and going into "crazy crafter mode"!  (You can see Beast'sbelle's post about it HERE...you'll have to scroll down to see the room.)  If you'd rather not follow the link, here's a quick picture of what it looks like:

While I appreciate the thought, there are two major problems with my new room:

1.  I have no idea why Beast'sbelle thought that I would be the type to enjoy zebra stripe decor.  I mean, do you guys look at me and think zebra stripes?  It's just not really me.  And as if that isn't bad enough, Beast'sbelle never even finished the room!  She was going to add pictures and wall decorations and never got around to it, because she's been so busy.  So not only am I in a room with decor that would not be my first choice, but it's been an "in process" room for almost a month now!

2.  Because a lady's bedroom is a personal place, Beast'sbelle thought it would be best if the others weren't there with me (especially Robby...we're not married yet, after all).  So all of my friends have now been banished to the top of the bookshelf, while I sit alone in my lavish bedroom.  Not only does this make me feel unjustly favored over everyone else, but it's awfully lonely, too.  Not to mention the fact that it makes visits with Robby very inconvenient, especially when we've been used to sharing the same shelf.  

Robby's been having a difficult time getting down from the bookshelf, because Beast'sbelle accidentally lost his walking stick and hasn't had a chance to make him another one yet.  Walking stick aside, the shelf is so high that it makes it almost impossible to get down unassisted.  This is very frustrating for him, but he bears it without complaining.  He's so much nicer about it than I would be!  

When Beast'sbelle is available to help him, Robby comes and visits me but stays outside of the room so that everything remains proper and appropriate.  It's always so nice to be able to talk to him and sit with him (and sometimes even get a kiss or two in!).  I miss him dreadfully when he's up on the shelf with everyone else.  Now I'm looking forward to our wedding even more.  Once we're married, Beast'sbelle will display us together again.  I'm counting the days, believe me! :)

This feels very "Romeo and Juliet-ish", doesn't it? ;)

Sigh...he's so beautiful.  I can't believe I ever thought him otherwise.  I think it's because I know his soul so well now.  That's what I see when I look at him.  And his beautiful soul makes his perhaps (as I thought at one time) less-than-perfect features beautiful to me.  I mean, how can this face not make you want to swoon? :D <3 <3 <3

Ahem, okay.  Moving on from my adoration of my fiance! ;)  You probably noticed a few new faces among the regulars of the 12" set.  You see, there was a huge Goodwill Thrift Store that opened locally several weeks ago, and Beast'sbelle keeps finding new friends to bring home.  She's already warned us that she's not sure if this will be their permanent home or not, but she wants us to make them feel welcome anyway.  It's easier said than done when they're stuck up there and I'm way down here in my room.  I think Rapunzel and Isabella have done a pretty good job of making friends with them, though.

Our first new addition was Tiana.  She's from the Disney Store like Robby, Eugene, Rapunzel and me.  She had everything but her shoes.  Apparently she was a "display only" doll in her former home.  I've only had a couple of chances to visit with her, but between those talks and info that Rapunzel shared with me, I found out that Tiana was pretty upset when she first got here...still adjusting to the fact that she'd been donated.  Thankfully, she was only at Goodwill for a few hours.  Beast'sbelle snatched her up on the morning the store opened.  

Tiana's opened up a lot more and has been pretty cheerful now that she's gotten to know everyone.  She sounds just like Tiana from the movie, but of course, she's got several differences (remember, people, we're not ever the character from our movies...we're just made to look like them!).  For example, she loves Bluegrass music more than jazz, and her favorite food is spaghetti. ;)

Beast'sbelle has been really struggling with whether she should keep Tiana here or find her a new home.  Beast'sbelle was really disappointed with how dark "The Princess and the Frog" was, especially for a kid's movie, so I think she feels bad having a doll from the movie.  I think Beast'sbelle really likes her, though.  The rest of us do too.  Hopefully Tiana will get to stay.  I know for a fact that Beast'sbelle has been dying to order a Naveen for Tiana from the Disney Store, but she doesn't want to do so until she's sure about Tiana's future.  Beast'sbelle does love a good romance, and she's been pretty successful with her matchmaking so far (aside from Isabella and Ben...but I'll have to save that for a later post), so I figure if a Prince Naveen shows up in one of those UPS packages that come to the house every once in a while, Tiana should be safe.  There's no way Beast'sbelle will be able to resist when she has Naveen too. ;)

Our other newbie is Cordelia.  She was a Party Princess Belle doll that Beast'sbelle found at Salvation Army in her (very scrunched) original box.  I don't know if Beast'sbelle is very attached to her yet or not.  Cordelia is...well...nice...but...she's kind of an airhead.  She's really sweet but just not very deep.  She has a gorgeous voice, though.  She can sing all of these amazing arias from all these operas I've never even heard of.  So as long as you don't expect a lot from her, she's nice to have around.  It's just a bit difficult to have to keep explaining all of our jokes to her 3 times before she finally laughs.

Anyway, that's about on what's going on here.  We're still working on figuring out the best day in June for the wedding (we have to coordinate around Beast'sbelle's family vacation and such).  As soon as I know for sure, I'll let all of you know. :)

I'm not sure how regularly I'll be able to post, but I'll do my best to get out to the computer when I can.  Hopefully, our room will be back together soon.  I'm also thinking of offering my room in a box to Beast'sbelle's daughters for their dolls.  I'd much rather have my friends with me than a room all to myself.  I'll let you know how it all goes. :)

Talk to all of you again, hopefully soon! :)