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... :)

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! ;)