Friday, July 19, 2013

New Furnishings, New Neighbors

At last I have a chance to blog again!  I've been ever so eager to share what's been happening around here, but getting to the computer has proven difficult this week with all of the comings and goings in the house.  I never know when a little miniature Beast'sbelle is going to come flying out of her room!  And with three of them to watch out for, one always has to be on one's toes, so to speak. ;)

As you might have guessed from the title, we have some new furniture in our home on top of Beast'sbelle's curio. :)  Beast'sbelle and her mother have been looking for some sort of shelving for us for a while, and this past week, all their searching finally paid off!   

Here's our home as it looks right now.

Robby and I are sitting on chairs that Beast'sbelle made for us using this tutorial from My Froggy Stuff.  She ended up using an oatmeal container but cutting it smaller and taping it together so the chairs wouldn't be huge. ;)

Here's a better look at what the chairs look like when completed:  
Overall they're fairly comfortable, although I find them a bit rigid and upright.  Eventually it would be nice to find chairs that were not quite so tall and stiff.  Still, these are definitely better than the tins we've been sitting on. ;)

Here is the lovely green shelf that Beast'sbelle found for us at Goodwill.  Isn't it just perfect?  We're still working on filling the shelves...I'm not 100% satisfied with the result...but it's getting there. ;)

And this cute little blue shelf with a very similar style was found by Beast'sbelle's mother at an out-of-town Goodwill.  (This one really needs some help with the knick-knacks on the shelves!) :}

You'll notice that Emilie is still clutching her favorite dolls?  Her love for Beauty and the Beast has increased even more in the past weeks.  We finally let her watch the movie, and Beast'sbelle spilled the beans that Robby and I are based on the main characters.  Now Emilie just gazes at us in wonder, amazed that her mommy and daddy are Belle and the Beast. Ugh.  I've tried to explain that we're really not the Belle and the Beast from the movie, but I don't know that it's really sunk in yet.  Thanks a lot, Beast'sbelle. :{

Although, I must confess, Beast'sbelle has her good points, too.  She made us this cute little lamp using this tutorial (again from My Froggy Stuff).  It doesn't actually work, but it looks the part. ;)

And now that we have a coffee table (which was formerly one of our seats), our tea set looks especially elegant.  I can't wait to have Rapunzel over again!  

Hmm...although now that she has so many children, perhaps a porcelain tea set isn't the smartest idea. ;)

The thing I love about the way we've arranged the shelves is that it gives the illusion of a separate room for Emilie.  She's loving the new arrangement just as much as we are. :)

There are still things to do.  We need to hang up our pictures again, and I'm also hoping that Beast'sbelle will be able to hang up our Christmas lights.  It's nice having some soft lighting at night time.  

So those of you who read Beast'sbelle's blog might be aware that she has a couple of new dolls from a completely different line.  You also might know from the picture below (used on Beast'sbelle's blog review of said dolls) that Rapunzel and I met them rather abruptly a week or so ago.


Honestly, what you humans put us through!  I realize that you have to do your "doll reviews" and all, but have you ever considered how awkward it is to be plunked down next to a couple of dolls you've never met before and then proceed to pose next to them in photos for an hour or two?  It's not the most ideal way to meet someone.  At least Beast'sbelle wasn't doing one of her *shudder* articulation posts.  I mean, the only possible way to make the situation more unbearable is to be undressed and posed in the nude next to the newbies, who are usually in the same humiliating position.  Really, it's quite indecent of you.  Just something you might think about the next time you do a review.  Couldn't we at least wear a bathing suit and retain a small shred of our dignity?

But I digress.  Since our meeting with the new dolls was rather abrupt and less than ideal, Rapunzel and I decided that the neighborly thing to do would be to go and officially introduce ourselves.  Beast'sbelle had found a new home for her latest dolls across the room, so it wouldn't be much trouble to get there.  We decided to have our hubbies watch the children so we wouldn't overwhelm our new neighbors with all the little ones running around underfoot. ;)

Once we'd made all the arrangements, we traveled across the room, climbed up the tall dresser, and pulled ourselves up in front of the newbies.  But imagine our surprise when not two but four new faces were staring directly at us!


"I thought there were only two of them," I whispered to Rapunzel, wondering if I was beginning to lose my mind.

"There were," Rapunzel calmly whispered back, though I could tell from the slightly startled expression on her face that she was just as surprised as I was.  "We shouldn't whisper in front of them, though...we don't want to make them feel like we're talking about them."

I almost responded with "But we are!" until I realized this was rather obvious and not at all helpful.  So instead, I simply nodded.  

With what I hoped was a friendly smile, I directed my attention to the most familiar of the faces and said, "Hi, I'm Belle, and this is my friend Rapunzel.  We met the other day during Beast'sbelle's blog photo shoot."


"Oh yes, I remember you," the doll with long, black and purple hair responded in a voice that was surprisingly juvenile.  "I'm Raven, and this is Maddie."  She gestured to the shorter doll next to her, the one with purple and blue curls and blue hands.  Then she turned to her other side.  "And these are our newest friends Apple and Briar.  They weren't here when you met Maddie and me."  

"Nice to meet you," I said politely, trying all the while to keep from thinking about their odd-sounding names and outlandish clothing and hair.  I also noticed that each of them was held in place by a rather uncomfortable-looking plastic doll stand.    


"It's so great to officially meet you!" Maddie suddenly burst out.  "Of course, we met before, but it was so rushed and strange...all that posing and standing with no talking...is Beast'sbelle always like that?  She certainly has odd habits...either that or she's just plain bored and can't think of anything else to do.  Who ever heard of taking that many doll pictures?  Peas and crackers!  Is there any coffee around here?  I could definitely use a cup...but I can't seem to find any or even smell any...it's quite tragic."


While Rapunzel and I tried to process this whirlwind of a one-sided conversation, Raven gave us an apologetic glance.  "Maddie's...um...super excited to meet you.  You'll be able to follow her a little easier once you get to know her better."  She gave her friend a little wink, as if to show that it was all in good fun.  

Maddie just laughed, obviously unaffected by her friend's comment.  "Yes, everyone always says I prattle on far too much...but I can't help it!  My thoughts carry on so...it's all I can do to keep up with them."

Something in her conversation struck me as odd.  "Wait a minute," I said slowly, "did you say you wanted...coffee?"

Maddie nodded eagerly.  "Do you know where I can get some?  I've been dying for a cup since we got here!"

"No, I'm sorry...I don't think Beast'sbelle or her husband drink coffee," I said.  "But, forgive me for asking, are you sure it's coffee you want?"

"Of course!" Maddie giggled.  "I think I'd know what it was I wanted."  She gave me a suspicious glance.  "Why do you ask?"

I blushed.  "Oh, nothing...I just...you kind of seemed more like a tea type.  I thought I heard Beast'sbelle say you were supposed to be the daughter of the Mad Hatter."

Maddie laughed.  "Well, yes, Madeline Hatter from Ever After High is a huge tea fan.  But I'm not the Madeline Hatter, silly.  I'm just me...a Madeline Hatter doll.  And this doll likes coffee."

All at once, I felt quite sheepish.  I of all dolls should have understood this concept, especially since I was currently dealing with the same thing with Emilie.  

Rapunzel must have noticed my discomfort, because she gave my elbow a reassuring squeeze.


At that moment, the blonde doll named Apple leaned forward and locked eyes with my best friend.  "I just have to say," she said eagerly, "I love love LOVE your hair!!  How on earth do you maintain it?  It's so incredibly long!!"

Rapunzel smiled in her gentle way.  "Beast'sbelle helps me with it.  And sometimes Belle will.  Even Eugene, my husband, has learned how to braid.  It's a relief that I don't have to take care of it myself."

Apple clasped her hands together.  "Do you think, that is, would you mind if I played with your hair sometime?  I ADORE playing with hair, but mine is absolutely impossible!"

My friend looked amused.  "Any time you like," she agreed.

Apple looked like she might attack Rapunzel's hair right then, but she managed to restrain herself.  "Thanks so much!!  Maybe we can set up something for this next week!"


At this point, Briar, who had kept quite the entire time, leaned forward and caught Raven's eye.  "Hey Raven, are we still on for Wednesday?"

Raven nodded eagerly.  "Can't wait!"  Noticing our confused glances, gave us a self-conscious little grin.  "Briar and I are working on a song together.  We found out that we both love music, and we thought it would be fun to either write something or just sing together."

Rapunzel gave me a sideways glance.  I pasted on a smile.  Wonderful.  More singers.  "Well, you'll probably be happy to know that a bunch of the Disney dolls around here do these sing-a-thon things every few weeks."

Raven's eyes lit up.  Then the excitement in her face was replaced by uncertainty.  "Do you think they'd let us join them?"  She twisted the bracelet on her wrist.  "We're not Disney dolls."

I gave a little laugh.  "They'll take anyone who can carry a tune...which would explain why I'm not usually invited."

Briar looked confused.  "But you're a Disney doll," she pointed out, as if I wasn't aware of the fact.

I shrugged.  "Maddie drinks coffee instead of tea, I can't sing.  We aren't always exactly like our characters."

"Point taken," she replied with a grin.

I felt that this was a good opportunity to end our visit.  "Well, Rapunzel and I should get back to our families.  It was nice meeting you all."

"You too," Raven said, looking at us a bit wistfully.  "Feel free to visit us anytime."  She glanced down at the doll stand that held her captive.  "As you can see, we're a bit limited by our mobility at this point."

I nodded.  

Rapunzel gave Raven a sympathetic look.  "We'll come when we can," my friend assured her.

And with that, we made our escape.  Not that I wanted to escape or anything.  They actually seemed pretty nice.  Even if two of them were singers.

"I don't think Maddie needs any coffee," Rapunzel suddenly observed from beside me.  

I thought of the hyperactive, over-talkative doll and had to laugh.  "No, I think caffeine is the LAST thing she needs.  Maybe it's a good thing Beast'sbelle doesn't drink it."

We went our separate ways, and I gave Robby the basics about our meeting, finishing with the fact that two of them were singers.

The instant I relayed that fact, I wanted to kick myself.  I glanced nonchalantly at Robby to see if he reacted at all.  But either my husband was too kind to say anything or had missed the reference completely.

I still haven't sung to him.  I know I need to...but working up the courage for that "perfect moment" has been a lot harder than I thought it would be.  Every time I think of it, I either talk myself out of it or find some imaginary excuse.  It's quite ridiculous, and he's been more than patient...

Maybe I need to plan a special night and just MAKE myself do it.  It's time.

Well, that's all for now, my dearest readers.  It's late and I'm exhausted. What do you think of our new neighbors?  Any suggestions on our home?  Any ideas on a special singing opportunity for my Robby?

Until next time... :)

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've been waiting for this post! Those chairs are so cute! Very modern.

Lol! My Maddie has the same coffee craving! That's all she talks about until Raven calms her down! And they both agree that those stands are very uncomfortable, so they don't wear them much.

My friend Daph has Apple, and something must've gone crazy in the factory, as she is incredibly vain (Apple, not Daph)

I hope I'm not wording this in an offensive way! :(

(I cannot seem to write short comments!)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Rose Grace, thanks for commenting. :)

Glad you like the chairs...we're pretty happy with them too.

Huh, how funny that there are at least TWO Maddies with coffee cravings. I wonder if there are more of them out there?

And a vain Apple? That's a role reversal! ;) I guess that's just the way it goes sometimes with dolls...

There's nothing offensive about your comment, dear...no need to worry. ;)

Have a nice day!

Belle

Sunny_Harper1994 said...

Belle you're alive and finally updated!!!! Yay!!!!! I just love your new chairs! Very chic and one of a kind.
I love the newcomers, I want to get a Raven and a Maddie but there isn't a Justice where I live and the online prices are terribly high. *sigh* do you think they'll be released in other stores like Target? I hope they're not exclusives.
I always wanted to ask you, how do you sleep without a bed?

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Sunny, it's always nice to hear from you. :)

I'm glad the chairs are such a hit...and of course, Beast'sbelle will be thrilled that everyone likes them. ;)

I overheard a conversation between Beast'sbelle and her mother, and from what they said it sounds like the Ever After High dolls will eventually be released in other stores as well. They're not sure exactly when, though. Probably sometime this fall. That's all I know, though. ;)

We have a blanket and pillow that we roll out every night. I think I mentioned it in my first room post here: http://belles-bulletins.blogspot.com/2013/06/this-past-month-and-what-future-holds.html

We have been known to sleep without beds in the past, though. As dolls, we can pretty much sleep wherever if we have to...we're rather used to it. ;) Beds are definitely preferable, however. ;)

Belle

Cachetas said...

Hey Belle, we've missed you! Asendi Caselotti here (as in Adriana Caselotti who played Snow White { me} in the movie). I hope that you sing to Robby soon, because you know he'll love you just as much. Lucky duck you are!! I'm still waiting to drop my crazy curly hair down the tower for Prince Charming, wait. Whoops! Wrong story. :}
It's upsetting you're leaving the blogging world, but you have a beautiful family now, so I understand. ;) Emilie must feel so proud her Mommy is a Disney princess. If you really think about it, that's a little girl's dream! She's just amazed at your awesomeness. ;]
~Asendi C

Anonymous said...

Wouldn't it be so awkward if Mattel released the daughter of beauty from Beauty and the Beast?

Beastsbelle would be sure to pick it up, and it would kinda be your daughter! Like she would be modeled after the character that is "your" daughter!

Barbie (daughterofthefairies from wordpress) said...

Oh oh! Your new neighbors sound quite nice! Human has been going on and on and on about getting a Raven Queen doll, and also a Briar Beauty doll. I hope that whenever they arrive, they will not be vain!

Anonymous said...

(I hope this doesn't get super confusing)

I wonder what would happen if Mattel made a daughter of beauty from "your" movie! Beastsbelle would probably pick it up, and it would kind of be...your...daughter...aside from your actual daughter Emilie, (who is super cute, BTW).

Okay, wow. I am so weird. I don't know if it would be connected, because the Ever After High dolls aren't based off of the Disney movies, but Apple is the daughter of Snow White, and Briar is the daughter of Briar Rose...

Sorry I just had way too much sugar.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Oh, how fun to have so many lovely comments waiting for me! :)

Hi Asendi...what a lovely name. :) I do need to sing to him soon...I just need to figure out the best way to do it. :}

I'm sorry your Prince hasn't turned up yet. My best advice would be to never give up hope that he will come along. At the same time, though, try to enjoy the fun and freedom of your single life right now. I wasted so much time pining and waiting around instead of enjoying the stage I was in. ;) And finding the right guy is definitely worth the wait, so don't settle for less. ;)

Lol...It's kind of weird thinking that Emilie feels that way, but I know what you mean. I've always been a little self-conscious about the whole "Disney Princess" label, and now it's staring me in the face again through the adoration of my daughter. Hopefully I can convince her of my normality without crushing her excitement. ;)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Whoops! Published too early and forgot to sign my name! :}

Anonymous and Rose Grace, how funny that you had the same thought! :)

Hmmm, having a "daughter" of Beauty and the Beast doll around would be rather odd and awkward. I'm not sure how I would feel about that. Maybe she'd end up being a distant cousin or something. ;)

And Barbie, if your Human's Raven is anything like the Raven we have here, you shouldn't have any problems. She seems like a real sweetie. Of course, from the comments we've seen that the dolls can end up being a bit vain, so I guess you'll just have to wait and see. ;)

Thanks again for all of the comments, everyone. :)

Belle

Rapunzel (Punzie) and Lauren said...

Hello Belle and family! I'm happy to say that, after finding your blog yesterday, we're completely caught up!! :D

I'd just like to apologize in advance for the long post. It feels like we've known you for such a long time, and want to get all our emotions out there!
And, also, sorry for the "big words" I might use. I've never really done this before, so my language seems to come out a bit like Ben's sometimes.

I would just like to say congrats on your home! It seems really nice, to have your own place to call "home". I do have my own bed and such, but because of tight living space, I share the desktop table with a Merida doll. (Lucky me that we're friends, though!!)

I'm happy to hear Emilie is enjoying "your" movie! I can only imagine a little one's love for a Disney Princess movie, especially since I wasn't around when my human friend--Lauren--went through that stage. Luckily, she'll still have movie parties with Merida and I so we can watch Tangled and Brave. Of course, because of this, I still believe Lauren thinks we're the ACTUAL Rapunzel and Merida. Of course, we have our differences--though, considering she's the one typing this up right now (I'm new to keyboards), I won't let on too much. ;)

We're also sorry that you're ending your blog in a few months! Although we've known you for such a short time, we wish we could have known you for longer. Of course, things happen, and I completely understand that your life needs to be more important than updating us all.

Thanks for giving Lauren and I something to do together!
Sincerely (there I go again with the "big words"!!)
~ Rapunzel and Lauren

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hello again, Rapunzel and Lauren! It's great to hear from you. :)

I'm glad you're all caught up. It must be quite exhausting to read my entire blog "at once" (and I'm sure you've found numerous typos and flaws...I keep meaning to read over things again and keep an eye out for things that need to be corrected). :} I'm so glad you've enjoyed sharing my journey with me, though.

I'm sorry to leave you so soon, but I really feel I'm making the best decision for this season of my life. Of course, the blog will still be here, and I'll still respond to comments. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I'll also keep my Facebook page up, so you'll still have little glimpses of my life even though I'm not blogging extensively about it. ;)

It sounds like you and Merida have fun with your human. Do be patient with her if you can. It took Beast'sbelle FOREVER to figure out that she couldn't orchestrate my life or predict everything in advance since I wasn't THE Belle. In fact, I think she's still learning. ;) Overall she's been pretty good to us, though, so I suppose I shouldn't complain. ;)

And please don't ever worry about using big words like Ben. I don't mind. :)

Until next time!

Belle

Anonymous said...

I feel kinda weird writing this, but what if some CRAZY AWESOME LIFE IMPACTING THING HAPPENED?

Would you write about it on your blog, or on your Facebook page, or both?

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hmmm, that's a good question. I suppose if it were life-altering enough, I might consider blogging about it. I don't want to make any promises, though... ;)

Belle

Anonymous said...

Your new furnishings look so cute, Belle! Especially that little tea set. :)
Something tells me you may have some interesting adventures with your new neighbors... ;)

--Kate :)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks, Kate. :) I love my tea set too. Apparently it's one that Beast'sbelle has had since she was a little girl. :)

I think you're right about our new neighbors...who knows what they'll do next? That is, if they can ever get free from those horrid doll stands... ;)

Belle

Anonymous said...

I bet as soon as they get free it's gonna be different. Hopefully they don't go all teenager on you! ;)

Maybe you could try to free them when Beastsbelle wasn't looking... ;)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Lol...good idea! Maybe we should have a "rescue party". ;)

Hmmm...going "all teenager"? THAT could be interesting... ;)

Belle

Anonymous said...

Do you have any new posts in the works belle? I'm not trying to bug you or anything, I'm just very interested to know what's going on in your life. Um, in a NONcrreepy way. Hehe.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Lol, I totally took that comment as non-creepy, Anonymous. ;)

I do hope to get a post up soon. Things have been quite chaotic around the house with Beast'sbelle's daughters starting school again and Beast'sbelle preparing for the art class she's teaching. Once things have settled a bit, I should be able to sneak out to the computer and get some blogging done. ;)

Thank you for your patience! :}

Belle

Anonymous said...

Hi belle!
I love, love, love you guys new set-up! The only thing is I wish that you and Robby had a room of your own:( . Oh well maybe eventually! But anyway the house looks very nice and you guys are doing a great job with it!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks, Anonymous. :) We'd like that too, but for now this will have to do. ;)

If you read my more recent posts, you'll see that we've rearranged things a bit, so now the sitting room is more separate from Emilie's room. It's still not an actual room for Robby and me, but at least we have a little more privacy. :)

Belle