I got Yarn... and a Sheep?!?

Another awesome present I got this year was this: more yarn. 

I love crocheting, so more yarn is always a good gift idea. These are just the right size, too! They're called Bon Bons, and I'd been eyeing them at the store for months - it was so fun to get them as a present!

Yep, our Christmas Tree is still up. We celebrate Christmas until January 7th. There's so much to do before Christmas, so we like enjoying it (and our presents) for a while afterwards. We'll be saying goodbye until next year tomorrow night, I think. 

Lion Brand makes the yarn. I got the sparkly ones, but there were lots of different kinds and colors.

Anyway, I got some other awesome presents that kind of go with my yarn, too.

I got a SHEEP!

Ok, it's not really my sheep to keep. I've always wanted one, but it would be hard to keep a sheep here in the city! The sheep ornament is for me, and the real sheep is going to go help other people. Then they'll be able to use the sheep's wool to make their own yarn, year after year.

I love that my family thought of things I like to do, and gave me cool presents that would help share that with other people, too!

 I also got a goat, which is cool because I love goat cheese. My cousin has a REAL goat, and I've always been jealous. My family also thought it was funny when I wanted to learn to make cheese myself. It uses just cow's milk and lemon juice (and a stove, so little kids should have help!), and it's almost like magic watching the cheese form! 

Plus, I got a ANOTHER one that is a donation to help kids who are in the hospital. 

The ornaments are fun to get, and I love that they also help other people, too!

I wonder if I'll get another animal next year.

Opening GOTY 2014 - Mini Isabelle Review Time

It's a cold, windy snow day. And, I got Mini Isabelle from Target as a present yesterday.

After shovelling some snow, my sister Anna and I changed to our warmest, most cuddly jammies. We made tea, got our dolls out, and put a movie on. (The Nutcracker!)

Here I am with Julie.

Here's Anna with Molly.

Finally, it was time to open my Mini Isabelle!!!

Isabelle came in a box that looks like a big AG box. She's standing behind a plastic holder for her book, just like the big dolls do. Just like Mini Saige last year, her book is paperback instead of hardback. But, we usually get paperback GOTY books anyway, so that makes her mini book more like the big ones.

Her book looks fun. I like the illustration inside, too, of her at the ballet barre.

I think Isabelle looks nice enough, and I bet a lot of kids will like her. She's blonde (again!) but I don't have a blonde doll with eyes that are her color. Her lips are a very light pink. It's kind of weird, but her character's a dancer, so maybe it's stage makeup? The pink in her hair is one of the coolest parts of her look. I think her pink hair would have looked super cool on a doll with darker hair or skin, too, though. 

Its' blurry, but here's an idea of how they did Mini Isabelle's dip dye. There's a whole hot pink layer of hair near her neck.

You can see the pink better in this picture. I wish there was a little bit more pink, because it's harder to see on my Mini. Colored hair is really popular here, and I can buy clip-ins in almost any color I want at our local hair supply shop. (I have electric blue and hot pink!) So, I wish Isabelle's were a little easier to see. Otherwise, she looks like just another blonde doll.

I love the see-through sleeves on Isabelle's shirt, and the ballerina graphic. But, I wanted to figure out why Isabelle's shirt looks kind of bulky. I mean, it looks HUGE on her compared to the outfits I've put together for my other AG Minis.

They really worked on the neckline. There's a teeny tiny facing there, so the neckline is finished and lays flat. That's also what makes her look kinda like she's wearing shoulder pads.

Argh! I wish I could get a better close-up of that ballerina graphic. I love it!

The pants kind of have a weird gathered elastic waist. It makes her front wrinkly, but I know the gathers also help get the pants on the doll. Her shirt mostly covers that up anyway. She also has real pink undies under the silver sparkly pants. I think that's awesome. On a doll this tiny, that also adds a LOT of thickness to the doll, though. So, that explains part of all that bulk.

I think the biggest bit that makes her shirt look so bulky is the GIGANTIC double tag that is sewn into the shirt. Look how huge that is! One tag just has a number on it, the other has the American Girl logo and "Made in China." My doll herself also has two more even BIGGER tags at her waist, too. One is almost 2 inches long! 

I'd take points away on my review for the huge tags right at her waist. But, I think the law says they have to be there so AG can sell the doll. If they annoy you, it'd be pretty easy to cut them off after you buy her.

I do have a lot of blonde AG dolls already - Julie, Kit, and Kirsten. Then there's also GOTY Kailey, Nicki, Gwen, Lanie, and even McKenna, who also have lighter hair.  I was wondering if Isabelle would look too much like my Julie or Kit. Her face is the same as Kit's, but her eyes and lips are definitely different colors. And her face looks really different than Julie's.

Julie and Isabelle's hair look almost exactly the same. Isabelle's is a little bit shorter, and pulled into a half ponytail on either side. 

Here's my Julie and Isabelle together.

Overall, I recommend getting Mini Isabelle. There have already been a lot of blonde GOTY dolls, but Mini Isabelle is the first blonde mini GOTY so far.  I admit that I sure do have a lot of blonde AG dolls now, and I do hope for a Girl of the Year who's a little different next - I live in a big city, and there are just so many more girls' looks to pick from and so many colors that make for especially awesome outfits on girls with darker skin that all these light-skinned dolls are getting kind of silly!

I love that they're making Mini GOTY dolls now. It makes me want to learn more about her, even if I know I can't meet *big* Isabelle any time soon. It turns out that I really like a lot of her collection, and am starting to want some of her things for me and my Mini Isabelle. And, of course, I want to read ALL of her books!

I really like the idea of her story because Isabelle is also interested in what goes on behind the scenes in performing, just like I am. She loves making costumes! I can't wait to start making some costumes for her, too! 

Isabelle's collection is also really cool - I dream of getting her sewing machine, craft closet, and dress form for myself! Maybe I'll have to start saving up for it now.

There are mix-and-match outfits that have some neat pieces, even though I'm not a serious ballet dancer. I take Ukrainian dance lessons, which use some ballet, and I know I'd especially like some of her practice things for when I practice, if I didn't already have Marisol's practice set. But, I have some friends who REALLY love ballet, and I know her things will be popular with them

Mia's coral sweater looks especially comfy as something cuddly to wear after dance class, or even to school.

Have you seen her pjs, though?

I think her pjs remind me of Mia's - they have a "faux wrap" design just like hers. Only Isabelle's are on the pants, like this: http://store.americangirl.com/images/F7331_main_2.jpg

And Mia's looked like this: http://americangirl.wikia.com/wiki/Mia%27s_PJ%27s_Set

Which do you like better - the Purple ones or the Periwinkle ones? I can't decide which is my favorite!

Anyway, I'll be back later with more reviews. 

Have a great day from me, Anna, and some of our Minis!

Game Reviews

Remember how I told you that the whole family gets together to play board games after Christmas?

What I didn't tell you is that there's a relative who gets new board games every year. It's always really fun to see which ones they've brought.

This year, there were: 

Seven Wonders

Ticket to Ride:Asia

and

King of Tokyo

We loved all 3 of the new games.

My favorites were Seven Wonders and Ticket to Ride: Asia.
Well, neither of these games are brand new, but they're new to me!

Here I am at the end of Ticket to Ride:Asia

(I'll add my actual reviews in a bit!)

Ok. So, what did I like about each of these games?

I liked Seven Wonders because:

 I like history, and each player plays as one of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World. You can play with a lot of people, or just a few - it's 2-7 players. So, you can play with family, or at home with just a friend (or sister!).

The game is for 10 and up, and is also really easy to learn. On each turn, you pick cards to get goods, armies, science, and buildings. And, you can decide to build your "Wonder."  At the end of the game, which is played in 3 ages, you see who has the most points.  It's especially fun because it's always possible to do *something* on each turn, so everyone gets to play during the whole game. 

(find out more here: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/68448/7-wonders)

The other new game I really liked this weekend was Ticket to Ride: Asia.

The game is played like original Ticket to Ride. You get tickets that challenge you to build trains between cities all across the map. You get points for building more trains and finishing more tickets. Whoever has the most points at the end wins. But you can play this version in teams!

I thought it was going to be fun to have a partner to play with, and then I learned about the twist in the rules. You can't actually talk to your partner about the game, and you only get to show your partner one of your tickets. So, you're working together, but you don't know where your teammate is trying to go!

It feels really crazy to see your partner put a train on the opposite side of the board from where you want to be - but I still had a lot of fun playing this game!

This game was also super tough because I didn't know a lot of the names of the cities in Asia. Well, I do now. But, I had to work pretty hard to find them on the map!

I think I want to play the Europe version next!

(more: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/106637/ticket-to-ride-map-collection-volume-1-team-asia)

Here's Dell!

 Here's Dell!!!

Dell is a Hearts for Hearts Girl, who is from Appalachia, USA.

We like Dell because she is from the Appalachain Mountains down South in Kentucky, and the Applachian Mountains also go through Pennsylvania, where we live. The Appalachian Trail actually goes right through the center of the Central PA town we were visiting. The restaurant in town has a big sign up in spring and summer that says "Welcome Hikers!" in big letters, and you can see people walking right down the street with big hiking packs on their backs.

Dell looks so beautiful by the Christmas tree! Dell's camo hat was a big hit!

The house I was visiting over Christmas was right now is outside of town - 'down by the crick in the holler," as folks would say. I also have relatives who were coal miners, so it was fun to read Dell's story and learn that her dad was a coal miner. Back in the '60s and '70s, a lot of mines and factories were closing in Northeast PA, so people like my grandparents moved away to find work, just like Dell's family in the book. Things can still be tough for families in the mountains in PA today, but it's often a whole lot tougher in coal mining areas in Kentucky, where Dell is from. Both here and there, folks love to help each other out. Dell brought a little book that told a little bit about her. Then, we loved reading Dell's diary online, where she told about all kinds of things folks up here like doing to help out, too - from baking pies and sharing food to using our knitting and crocheting skills to make warm things to share. You can find it here: http://www.hearts4heartsgirls.com/the-h4h-girls/ (along with info from the other Hearts for Hearts Girls.).  Dell reminded me that I'm almost done my own crochet project - a blanket to send to friends in Central PA to give away to people in need. We love that she shares a story of kids in the USA in need and has great ideas for how folks in a community can help their neighbors.

Dell came with her Camo Hat, Earrings with removable flowers, a pink and a green stretchy bracelet, and a flower necklace. Her pretty flowered shirt looked great with her cutoff jean shorts - a great way to recycle worn-out hand-me-down jeans into a perfect pair of shorts! You can see her yellow Mary-Jane style sneakers here.

We took Dell outside, to get some light and to explore our neck of the woods.

Dell's hair came mostly in a side ponytail... with a little bit that wasn't attached. It could all be let down, but we're going to just rubberband the loose bit into the existing ponytail.

Dell also came with a code that allows you to play games online. I tested out some of the games. Lilian's mini game didn't work quite right, so I kept losing the game and it was frustrating. But some of the games were ok. You can play a game to help Dell make deliveries to folks in the mountains. My favorite is a game that's made up of a lot of mini games.  There were quizzes, too - you can learn which style of world dance you're most like or you can see how well you know the meaning of Appalachian sayings.  

I really liked that the doll company donates money to kids in need. They also feature stories of real girls who work to do good in their communities.