Meet Ruthie

So I realize I've had Ruthie for quite a while. But I never did get around to introducing her to the blog. I bought her right before I moved, never even took her out of the package because I knew I was leaving, and then took her out when I got to my destination.

I got a really amazing deal on her too-I got the doll and all of her collection except her meet accessories in one purchase. I also have a few Kit outfits that are designated for Ruthie-Kit gets her original school outfit but Ruthie gets the pink skirt set since Kit would turn her nose up at it anyways. Once I purchase the original overalls outfit for Kit, the new chicken keeping set will belong entirely to Ruthie along with the pink Valentine's Day set, the flouncy summer dress, the yellow and pink photographer outfit, and the striped nightie. That's what I love about BeForever-I take a lot of the reimagined outfits and reassign them to the Best Friend characters that have limited wardrobes.¹

Anyways, welcome Ruthie!

Melody Release and Other Shiny Historical Things

This past weekend, I took a break from my job. I'm enjoying it but it is literally swallowing me whole. I'm on salary for the first time ever so there is less of a clear cut start and stop time for me. I can show up as early as two hours before the official start of the day, stay as long as I want, and then take things home if I wish. The problem is that I haven't exactly worked out a good system for forcing myself to leave in a timely manner. The to-do list never seems to get shorter because as soon as I cross one thing off, five more get added.

But I took my break and headed down to the Orlando store to pick up Melody. We made a weekend trip out of it, wandering around the Florida Mall, getting sushi (well I watched my husband eat sushi while I ate a marshmallow "egg roll"-you can't eat raw fish while pregnant), going to Downtown Disney. We watched a movie where they also served us dinner-I had the best donuts ever. I really needed this trip.

Anyways, here are all the cool things I saw while down there!

I'm Here! I'm Alive!

Wow, its been over a month since I've posted anything! Almost two months! For everyone still checking and reading this blog, thanks for sticking with me!

I wanted to get on here and assure you all that I'm still alive. I start a new job today that I am super excited about, I am currently 18 weeks along in my pregnancy (second trimester) and starting to show/outgrow all of my regular clothes, and doing super well.

I also received my stuff from the military movers so I should be starting to post again soon! Once I straighten everything and get my dolls on display, my life will return to normal. This will be the most demanding job I've ever had (first full time job!)  and of course I have the pregnancy but I do intend to start posting again, likely starting this week.

Felicity and Elizabeth: Ready for Summer!

It is getting way too hot-and pregnancy just makes it worse. I've been doing various things to keep cool-worshipping my AC units, getting used to the sound of a fan at night, and trying to wear cooler clothing.

Of course, whenever I think of  the heat I always wonder how people kept cool in the past. I'm not really talking about the lack of AC. I've lived without AC before-in Florida of all places. I know all about that. I'm really referring to the clothing people wore in the past. Women especially wore several layers of clothing-the chemise, stays, and petticoats (or panniers/hoops for more formal occasions-see Felicity's colonial undergarments). Women truly labored under heavy materials.

Eventually though there came a call for lighter, more relaxed clothing styles-Felicity's simple white gown tied with a ribbon and paired with a straw hat evokes this movement. That is what I wanted to discuss today, along with one of the women who made these styles very popular. Arguably, she had the greatest impact on Western fashion during this time.

Samantha's Middy Outfit

Wow! It has been over a month since I published anything to this blog! 

I do have some excuses though. My husband is getting out of the military in a little over a month. That means we also have to move away from the base he works at and back to my hometown. This involves packing up all my American Girl dolls, our clothes, our furniture...and, most complicated of all, two elderly cats that have absolutely no interest in moving. 

My husband will be going to college while I work. That means I need to find a job that makes roughly the equivalent of what he made in the military (plus the cost of housing-the basic housing allowance is not included in the salary since it is an allowance) and that will also give us decent health insurance. I think I have found that job-I'll give more details once it is set in stone. As part of getting that job, I am traveling back and forth between the state we currently live in and our home state. It is exhausting.

So that's a lot right there-transitioning back to civilian life, becoming the breadwinner, moving several states away. 

Oh, and, by the way, I'm also pregnant. 

Felicity's Spring Gown with Pinner Apron

Happy belated birthday, Felicity!

Looking good (and fashionable!) for being 251 years old

I realize that I haven't been posting on here lately and that I haven't been active on AGC either. I've been busy. My husband is getting out of the military this year and so the breadwinner baton has passed to me. He will be going to college (and I am so proud of him, because there were people who thought he'd never get there because of some of his teenage behavior-never give up on kids, because look at him now) and since it has been so long since he's been in school, I don't want him to work all that much if I can help it. I've seen otherwise good students be crushed under the weight of 40+ hours of work on top of their 15 credit hours (I've also seen students rise to the challenge like champions but it does make it harder). 10-20 hours is plenty. But that means I need to find a better paying job-and I think I have! In between that, preparing for the move, working, and traveling to Charlotte for an early anniversary, I just haven't had a lot of time. I intended for this post to go live on her birthday but that didn't happen.

Maryellen's Poodle Skirt Outfit

Ah, the 1950s! Soda shops, drive in movies, sock hops...but also of course horrible racism, sexism, and McCarthyism...The 1950s...

The time period that, more than any other, tends to incite the most nostalgia from white Americans. American Girl was inundated with requests for a 1950s doll and they finally delivered in the form of Maryellen Larkin, a charmingly rambunctious kid who gets into all sorts of trouble in the course of her book series.