Counting puppies

I must admit I am Quite Amused watching Momma make a fool of herself over the new BeForever girl, Maryellen. (I was very surprised that Sissy didn't get her!)

Momma is the same age as Julie, but eras can blend easily when you're raised in a small town. Momma relates a bit more to the 1950s than she does the 1960s for many reasons, including the wearing of hand-me-downs from her older cousins. 

But one of the things Momma likes best about Maryellen is Scooter.

Scooter is Maryellen's lovable dachshund dog. He's short and stout with soft tan fur and sweet brown eyes—and he's always looking for a comfortable place to rest.

And with Maryellen's Sofa Bed Set,

In the 1950s, autograph books took on a new form—as stuffed animals! This set also comes with a dachshund-shaped toy dog printed with the names of Maryellen's classmates.

Momma's family has had dachshunds for as long as she can remember. (Girl of the Year Lindsey has always been one of her favorites, but she was disappointed Mr. Tiny was never made.) So you can imagine her excitment when she spotted the new Counting Puppies pajamas from Target. Even the turquoise and pink colors are nearly perfect for Maryellen.

I'm detecting a couple of trends here, aren't you?

One in a million

I went off to find my friend Ivy after leaving the indignity of the restroom.

Harumph.

I found her hanging out with our friend Julie in 1974.

Ivy was greatly astonished to find several doppelgängers of herself standing around. I comforted her by saying there was an opportunity to be found in clones.

I demonstrated by taking her into the 1864 room (I think of AGPLA as one, giant TARDIS) and tried to waken my doppelgängers from their stasis.

Mwahaha. 

Dozens, nay hundreds, of Addys at my command!

Too bad it didn't work.

Momma said it took more than my half-dime to wake them from their slumber.

So now I am saving up. In the meantime, my Big Sister's Addy is amenable to my plans.

One down....

 

Bluestocking? No. Blackstocking? Yes!

Inquiring minds have been asking about the status of my library in the sky.

So far I have mini copies of:

• Meet Kaya
• Meet Felicity
• Felicity's Surprise
• Very Funny, Elizabeth
• Meet Caroline
• Meet Josefina
• Josefina's Surprise
• Meet Kirsten
• Kirsten's Surprise
• Meet Marie-Grace
• Meet Cécile
• Meet Addy
• Addy's Surprise
• Meet Samantha
• Samantha's Surprise
• Nellie's Promise
• Meet Rebecca
• Meet Kit
• Really Truly Ruthie
• Meet Molly
• Molly's Surprise
• Brave Emily
• Meet Julie

I also have nice little copies of:

• A Charlie Brown Christmas
• A Christmas Carol
• Horton Hears a Who
• It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
• Mother Goose in Hieroglyphics
• The Night Before Christmas
• Olivia Saves the Circus
• Peter Parley’s Book of Fables
• The Quest of the Missing Map
• Robin Hood
• The Tales of Peter Rabbit
• The Wizard of Oz
• Woodworth's Cabinet Library

Please let me know if you have any mini suggestions - or donations!

Oh my darling, Clementine!

While Momma's busy geeking out over Julie's Car Wash Set (yup, $350!) I'm eyeing this new cutie.

I think it's time I got a new sister to adventure with, don't you?

What do you think of the name Clementine?

And who wants to bet on who gets her first, me or my Big Sister?

Cute as a Bug on a rug

American Girl

Momma is seriously geeking out this week.

American Girl leaked that one of its new releases on June 28 is Julie's Car Wash Set ... featuring a Volkswagen Beetle!!!

The Volkswagen Beetle, officially called the Volkswagen Type 1 (or informally the Volkswagen Bug), was an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen (VW) from 1938 until 2003.

Momma's parents got their first (yellow) Bug while she was in Kindergarten (1969-1970). It was quickly followed by a pale blue Bug.

Grandmomma learned to drive stick-shift on the yellow Bug while driving Momma to kindergarten. (Grandmomma and her best friend once drove from Ohio to Florida in one of the Bugs with four kids!) Ten years later Momma learned how to drive stick-shift on the same yellow Bug.

Sadly, Momma killed that poor yellow Bug in a car accident in 1982. (The fire department had to cut the roof off to extricate Momma, briefly creating the only VW bug convertible owned by her family.)

So while I'm busy creating a fake driver's license for me, Momma is praying the price for Julie's Car Wash Set will lower than the rumored $350.

Gulp.

If so, we'll be looking for one in the salvage yard.

Happy birthday, Julie ~ May 1, 1966

Happy birthday, Julie!

Julie and her best friend, Ivy, find a baby owl in Golden Gate Park—and it needs help. At a wildlife rescue center, Julie meets Shasta and Sierra, two bald eagles that will be caged for life, unless money is raised to release them back into the wild. For Earth Day, Julie thinks of a unique way to tell the public of the eagles' plight.

When Julie learns the eagles she’s been caring for will be set free on her birthday, she plans a party at the beach to watch the big event. Julie finds the perfect outfit for her special day.

Oops! I did it again

I discovered this morning that I forgot my friend Rebecca Rubin's birthday yesterday.

Oops.

It's a good thing I can time travel. She'll never know I forgot it!

!יום הולדת שמח

Rebecca's family would likely celebrate her birthday with a mixture of Russian, Jewish and American traditions.

In Russia, birthday parties would be celebrated on or after one's birthday, not before. And never give someone birthday wishes before their birthday!

If you're Russian, you may receive a birthday pie with a birthday greeting cut into the crust instead of a cake!

Jewish boys become bar mitzvah on their 13th birthday. Jewish girls become bat mitzvah on their 12th birthday (or sometimes on their 13th birthday in Reform and Conservative Judaism). This marks the transition where they become obligated in commandments of which they were previously exempted and are counted as part of the community.

And finally, a listing of all my friends' birthdays (including mine!) so I don't forget again!

• Kaya ~ Summer, 1755
• Felicity ~ April 21, 1765
• Elizabeth ~ November 5, 1765
• Josefina ~ March 19, 1815
• Marie Grace ~ March 3, 1843
• Cécile ~ May 28, 1843
• Kirsten ~ June 8, 1845
• Addie ~ April 9, 1855
• Addy ~ April 9, 1855
• Samantha ~ May 26, 1895
• Nellie ~ October 15, 1895
• Rebecca ~ April 4, 1905
• Kit ~ May 19, 1923
• Ruthie ~ August 22, 1923
• Molly ~ April 22, 1934
• Emily ~ September 29, 1933
• Julie ~ May 1, 1966
• Ivy ~ February 28, 1966

Cruising for a bruising

Sheesh, apparently it is as easy as falling off a bicycle.

hbbcinc.com

Momma went out for a bike ride on her new cruiser with my Big Sister yesterday.

And managed to fall once. Sigh.

She later calculated it had been at least 16 years since she last rode a bike.

I guess I'll have to borrow my good friend Molly McIntire's bike to show her how it's done.

When she wasn’t roller skating outside in the fresh spring air, Molly might have ridden a sturdy bicycle just like this one. Based on a two-wheeler from the early ’40s, Molly’s bike is equipped with working light, a rearview mirror, a wire basket, and a handlebar horn to toot” to friends. The toe clips keep her feet secure as you wheel your Molly doll around.

Momma's new bike is a lot like Molly's. Cruiser bicycles, also known as beach cruisers, combine balloon tires, upright seating posture, and single-speed drivetrains and coaster brakes.

The bikes, noted for their durability and heavy weight, were the most popular bicycle in the United States from the early 1930s through the 1950s, and have enjoyed renewed popularity since the late 1990s.

(Momma admits to having a bike nearly identical to Julie's when she was a girl, only hers was turquoise.)

I wonder if Momma will get me my own steam-powered bicycle?