This Past Month and What the Future Holds...

In my last post, I shared about our wedding anniversary celebration.  As you all know, that was a month ago.  So what's happened around here since then?

To be honest, not much that was earth-shattering.  It took Robby a few days to recover from being out in the cold for so long, and then he was back to his normal self.  We had a couple of nice, mild sunny weeks when things were great.  Faith and I arranged a couple more playdates so Emilie and Sara could play together.  

I blush to admit that I still have not sung to Robby.  Do any of you ever feel something so strongly in the heat of an emotional moment that you feel like nothing can keep you from your goal, only to find yourself feeling much less passionate about it when the moment has passed?  Beast'sbelle says it's because I'm dramatic like she is.  Whatever the reason, I've managed to rationalize and talk myself out of singing to him all this month.  But I have not given up.  I am determined to find the perfect opportunity to sing from my soul.  My husband deserves no less.

Around the second week of June, the temperature rose to over 100 degrees.  In Beast'sbelle's little house with just a swamp cooler, that sort of weather is nearly unbearable, especially in her bedroom (where all of us dolls live).  It's at the back of the house and gets the brunt of the hot, afternoon sun.  We were all pretty sluggish.

Poor Robby had it the worst.  Cold weather makes his bad joint and armature hard and stiff, while hot weather makes them soft and unstable.  I was feeling melty and miserable enough myself, so I can only imagine what he must have been going through. :(  He kept stumbling because his knee and hip just couldn't hold up.  It got so bad that by the end of the week he was pretty much confined to our shelf and couldn't even stand.

To her credit, Beast'sbelle was very concerned about him during this time.  She thought that it might help things if we weren't right in front of the window anymore.  Even though our foam core board wall was protecting us from direct sunlight, it still got really toasty on our shelf.

She thought and planned and finally decided that the best place for us would be back on top of the curio.  She discussed it with us first to make sure we were okay with the change.  I was willing to try anything that would help Robby.  I know make a lot of comments about the way Beast'sbelle is constantly rearranging things, but this was one time when I didn't mind. ;)

And here is our new home!  It's nothing overly fancy, but it works just right for us.  The wall is made of cardboard and covered with an elegant scrapbook paper Beast'sbelle found that looks a lot like wallpaper.  She also made us a floor out of foam core board covered in contact paper.  The new floor gives us a little more floor space than the top of the curio did, and with the three of us living there, every extra centimeter is appreciated! ;)

We still have our tin and our little mini table that serve as chairs.  Eventually, I'd really like to get some proper seating, something a little more elegant...and comfortable. ;)  

Robby is sitting right where our friends normally enter the room.  The white shelves right next to this side of our room make it convenient for them to climb up.

We talked to Beast'sbelle after our anniversary, and she agreed to let us keep the comfortable zebra blanket and pillow we used.  She had offered to make us another bed like we used to have, but it takes up way too much space.  Having a bed we can roll up and put away is much more convenient for us.  We do have to let her 18" dolls borrow the blanket when they travel, however. ;)

Her is our dresser.  While I really love this piece, it probably won't be around too much longer.  It just takes up way too much space in our little room.  I'm hoping to find a tall, narrow jewelry organizer that I can use for a bookshelf.  It would take up less space but still be able to hold our things. :)

One of the most fun things about the new arrangements is that Emilie now has her very own bed.  She was so excited when Beast'sbelle gave it to her. :)  

She now has her own little corner in the room.  We're eventually hoping to paint her shelf (and fill it with a few more toys and do-dads.  Emilie also requested a little dog bed for Toto, so we'd like to find something for that.

Other things I'd love to add are more pictures on the walls and a rug for the floor.  We've never had a space so completely our own as a family, so I'm having fun dreaming and planning the decorations. ;)  We've been happily settled in our new home for a week or two now, so hopefully we'll be able to make the changes soon.  

There's not much else I have to update you on, so I think you can all officially consider yourselves completely caught up with my life. ;)

As you might have guessed from the title of this post, however, I have a little more to share.  I've been thinking a lot about the blog lately and what my goals are.  

When I published my first post on Tess and Maggie's blog in October of 2010 (goodness, how the time has flown!), I was at a place in my life where I really needed an outlet.  I was alone in a room of pristine Belle dolls who all sang like angels and weren't really thrilled with the fact that I was free and deboxed.  Blogging gave me a way to get my thoughts out in the open and deal with my constant feelings of inferiority.  

Much has changed since those early days.  I met Rapunzel and Eugene and formed a lifelong friendship.  I met Robby, and although it took me a while to realize it, I found my hero and soul mate in him.  I met Ben and lost my heart for a time.  There were other friends and acquaintances who have come and gone:  Marguerite, Raoul, Isabella, and Tiana.  Each of them hold a special place in my heart and will never be forgotten.  And of course, I met my sweet little Emilie and filled a void I never even knew existed.  Through Emilie, I met Faith and made a new friend.  And all the while, Beast'sbelle has woven herself throughout our lives, sometimes a benevolent overseer, other times a pesky meddler, but a part of things nonetheless.  

All of you, my dearest readers, have lived through these moments with me, encouraging me with your wonderful comments and making yourselves a part of my insignificant little plastic life.  I truly could not have accomplished all I have without you.

I look over my life and find it so different from the life that lonely little Belle doll was living three years ago.  I love blogging, but I don't need it like I did before.  I'm also finding that my life as a married doll and a mom is making it difficult for me to continue blogging as regularly as I'd like to.  The blog has become a burden rather than a release.  

I've thought and cried and agonized and discussed things with Robby, Rapunzel and Beast'sbelle, and I've come to the conclusion that it is nearly time for the end of this chapter.  It's an extremely difficult decision for me.  This blog has been a huge part of my life.  But I feel that it has served its purpose, and the time has come for me to move on.

I will continue blogging long enough to celebrate my two year Blogoversary in October.  (In reality, I will be celebrating three years of blogging, since I blogged for a year on Tess and Maggie's blog before starting my own.)  But at some point in time after my Blogoversary, I will be saying goodbye to the blogging world.  

I'll still keep my Facebook page open even after the blog is finished, so you'll still get to see glimpses of my life after October.  And up until I finish the blog, I hope to post more regularly...depending on what I have to write about. ;)  I'm also announcing this several months ahead of time so you'll all have time to get used to the idea.  I didn't want to drop this sort of news a few days before it was to happen. :}

I want to thank all of you for your support over the past three years.  You've made this the most wonderful, incredible journey, and I will never forget you.

But that's enough of that sort of talk for now...I'll save my nice, long tearful speech for October!! ;)  For now, let's just enjoy these last few months together.  Who knows what the coming weeks will bring?  

The very last picture taken on our old shelf! ;)