Our Vacation in the Adirondacks (July love)

Hi guys, I'm so behind in my posts, that I hope you're forgive me! I still love doing my monthly round ups as it's a way for me to document my own family's little adventures and memories.  Today's post is just a quickie of our week-long vacation to our usual spot in the Adirondack Mountains called Long Lake, NY.

Saying goodbye to Daddy for the week (he was unable to take off this particular week as his job is very busy in the summer.)

We brought Henrich along who is my new favorite.  He's an 80's Hot Rockin' Fun Ken and he just makes me laugh. Love his get-up!

That glove....

He was able to relax for a few minutes until the girls found him. :) 

So we had a great week.  The girls are 4 and 7 now and things are so much easier than they used to be when they were babies.  My cousins also go and their kids pretty much take care of mine so it's a win situation for me! :)

My sister and her finacee decided to do a few nights of camping at a nearby state park called Lake Eaton instead of staying at the Motel Long Lake with the rest of us.  This particular day that we went to visit them was totally gorgeous!

The water is really shallow and warm so we had a blast!  

At night the whole beach glows red because of the large sign that spells out "MOTEL" that you can see from across the lake.  It's so retro, I love it.

This was the cabin that the girls and I stayed in.  This was the first year that my mom didn't stay in the same cabin with us.  (She was in the one right next door with my aunt.) I'm sure she appreciated having her own space! :)

This is looking across one part of the lake towards the Adirondack Hotel.  Farther to the right is the Town Beach and then a bridge/waterway that takes you to the left part of the lake.  The lake stretches even farther to the right quite a few miles down.  I think it's about 14 miles long in total! "Long Lake", lol.

Each night we sat on the screened in porch after the girls went to bed and chatted and caught up with cousins, aunts, uncles and family that we only see a few times a year.

Most days were just spent relaxing on the beach doing nothing.  :) 

Earlier in the week, we had our annual "ladies night" at the Owl's Head Pub, and this year we gave my sister a fun little bachelorette party!  So many good laughs!

My sister to the left with her toliet paper veil and me on the right.  We got a kick out of the sign behind us, haha.

I played darts for the first time since college, ha! 

 And got a bullseye! 

The weather stayed beautiful and perfect thoughout the week. The girls had a blast swimming, exploring, climbing and being with all the other cousins.

Looks like Daddy showed up on the beach on the last day! (Clothing optional?) 

As sad as it is to leave and say good bye to everyone, I am so thankful that I have this to come back home to.  :)
I hope you enjoyed the photos and see you in the next post!
Here are a few of our past vacations to LL from earlier years:
Long Lake 2015: 
Long Lake 2014:  1 and 2

XO Farrah

Hearts for Hearts Girls on Amazon for Pre-Order

UPDATE as of 10/14: They are restocked on Amazon!  See the link below. :)

UPDATE as of 10/12:  It appears as if they have sold out on Amazon already, but I found them here on Pixie Faire and if you order one, it comes with 4 bonus patterns to make them clothes!

Hi everyone!
I came across this on Facebook tonight so wanted to share with you all.  It appears as though the re-released Hearts for Hearts Girls are up for pre-order on Amazon as of today.

Here is the link on Amazon: Hearts For Hearts Girls 

There are four of the original girls available:  Dell (from the USA), Consuelo (from Mexico), Nahji (from India) and Rahel (from Ethopia).

 Dell 

Conseulo 

Rahel

They are available for $39.99, which is up from their original price of $24.99 (I think that's what it was..I can't remember...)
NIB on eBay, these dolls are listed at close to and even over $100, which is crazy!

They will be released on November 20, 2016.
If you guys were fans before, you may remember that these dolls can have a tendency to sell out rather quickly, so just wanted to share!  Hopefully, with the new company that bought them, they have increased their productivity so that there are enough for everyone that wants one.

I just pre-ordered Nahji as she was one of the ones I never was able to get (and her eBay prices were atrocious!)

Thanks for all the sweet comments regarding my last post.  More doll stuff coming soon!
xo Farrah

Disclaimer:  Amazon links are included in this post.  If you order something with that link, a small commission (like less than a dollar, lol) is generated to support this blog.  Thank you for your support! :) 

My 18 inch Doll Collection

Hello, and welcome back to the blog!  

It's been a while since my last post, and to be honest, it was hard to get going again, because I didn't know where to start, but I'm back and wanted to share one of my collections with you all.  

As I try to organize my dolls, I figured I'd show you guys what I've accumulated since I started collecting in 2014. 

The photos below are a bit outdated as I have gotten rid of one of those dolls and added 2 additional AG ones, but I still wanted to use these for a blog post, so the photos weren't wasted, (lol) so here they are!

The twins. 

These are two American Girl Elizabeth dolls that I purchase used on eBay in early 2015.  I originally got them for a custom project I wanted to do, but never quite got around to yet. They sort of remind me of Holly and Poppy O'hair from Ever After High.

I got the one on the left first and she was in good condition, except for her wig, wonky sleepy eye that doesn't totally close and red smudge on her nose (which I think is cute.)  The one on the right was second and I couldn't resist her little bob haircut.  Little Button likes to play with these two, so that's partly why I haven't taken their wigs off to customize! (That and just being lazy). ;)

These are the blue-eyed gals.  

I wasn't originally going to get Caroline, but once I found out she was being retired, I figured I better so I didn't regret it later.  I ended up buying her brand new from the AG website while they had a sale for free shipping.  I actually got her at the same time as I got Samantha.  (Hello tax return!) She's a gorgeous doll, but I haven't fully "bonded" with her if that makes sense.  Her hair seems high maintenance.  I can't decide if I want to keep her, but I did a nice photo shoot with her which I will share soon!

The blondes. 

I got Julie in late spring 2015 from an eBay seller.  This was right after the BeForever upgrade and I really wanted a "Classic" outfit Julie.  I got her brand new in box for $99 with free shipping, so I thought that was a good deal! 

Brown eye'd gals.  

Samantha has my favorite hair out of them all. 

Here's my two classic face mold ladies.  

I think I prefer brown eyes with the classic mold. 

Dolls that I purchased "new". 

Historical AG's 

The Josefina molds.  

These three beauties have my favorite of the two molds so far (and I have since added Grace as of Dec last year).

The "others". 

The first is a 2014 Harmony Club doll named Lyric, then there is Journey Girls Meredith and Our Generation Kendra.   I have since sold Lyric as I just didn't bond with her.

Karito Kids!

Araceli (Pita) was the first large doll I bought.  I got both of these gals in used condition on Ebay and they are still some of my favorites. :) I need to repaint Pita's lips at some point and I'm thinking of trying a "downy dunk" with Ingrid's (Zoey) hair to see if I can make it softer again.

Group shot of "the others." :)

Group shot of the whole gang.  

So, since this photo was taken, the only doll I have sold is Lyric.  I have since gotten two more American Girls (Grace and #59) with Lea on the way that I purchased this week!  

I also have a My Life doll in her box still that I would like to do a review on, but I believe she is from 2014 so it would be a "retro-review" at this point. ;) 

Some day I would love to build a larger scale doll house with a kitchen, living area and bedrooms to display everything.  I really like Hannah's AG rooms from Never Grow Up and Flo's from Say Hello to My Little Friend's blog.   I love how they both decorates them and I think it's such a creative way to display your collection.  Lovely! 

As for larger scale accessories, currently, the only things we have are the Our Generation diner (which is amazing!) as well as 2 doll beds.  I would LOVE to build up a larger collection of these things, but it's all about squeezing it into the budget. I really love the musical instruments that AG comes out with, such as the guitar, violin and now Melody's keyboard (squee!!).  My favorite room decor is from Mary Ellen's line.  I love her whole living room set.  I also love most of the BeForever accessories (especially the beds.)

What about you guys?  I know quite a few of you collect larger scale dolls, but do you have a favorite in your own collection? 

Thanks for sticking around during my little hiatus.  I am still backing up photos to my hard drive, but now that my sister's wedding is over, I feel like I have more time to blog again.  Horray!  

I'll post a few photos from her wedding soon.  It was sooo beautiful! :) 

Thanks for reading!
xo Farrah 

My 18 inch Doll Collection

Hello, and welcome back to the blog!  

It's been a while since my last post, and to be honest, it was hard to get going again, because I didn't know where to start, but I'm back and wanted to share one of my collections with you all.  

As I try to organize my dolls, I figured I'd show you guys what I've accumulated since I started collecting in 2014. 

The photos below are a bit outdated as I have gotten rid of one of those dolls and added 2 additional AG ones, but I still wanted to use these for a blog post, so the photos weren't wasted, (lol) so here they are!

The twins. 

These are two American Girl Elizabeth dolls that I purchase used on eBay in early 2015.  I originally got them for a custom project I wanted to do, but never quite got around to yet. They sort of remind me of Holly and Poppy O'hair from Ever After High.

I got the one on the left first and she was in good condition, except for her wig, wonky sleepy eye that doesn't totally close and red smudge on her nose (which I think is cute.)  The one on the right was second and I couldn't resist her little bob haircut.  Little Button likes to play with these two, so that's partly why I haven't taken their wigs off to customize! (That and just being lazy). ;)

These are the blue-eyed gals.  

I wasn't originally going to get Caroline, but once I found out she was being retired, I figured I better so I didn't regret it later.  I ended up buying her brand new from the AG website while they had a sale for free shipping.  I actually got her at the same time as I got Samantha.  (Hello tax return!) She's a gorgeous doll, but I haven't fully "bonded" with her if that makes sense.  Her hair seems high maintenance.  I can't decide if I want to keep her, but I did a nice photo shoot with her which I will share soon!

The blondes. 

I got Julie in late spring 2015 from an eBay seller.  This was right after the BeForever upgrade and I really wanted a "Classic" outfit Julie.  I got her brand new in box for $99 with free shipping, so I thought that was a good deal! 

Brown eye'd gals.  

Samantha has my favorite hair out of them all. 

Here's my two classic face mold ladies.  

I think I prefer brown eyes with the classic mold. 

Dolls that I purchased "new". 

Historical AG's 

The Josefina molds.  

These three beauties have my favorite of the two molds so far (and I have since added Grace as of Dec last year).

The "others". 

The first is a 2014 Harmony Club doll named Lyric, then there is Journey Girls Meredith and Our Generation Kendra.   I have since sold Lyric as I just didn't bond with her.

Karito Kids!

Araceli (Pita) was the first large doll I bought.  I got both of these gals in used condition on Ebay and they are still some of my favorites. :) I need to repaint Pita's lips at some point and I'm thinking of trying a "downy dunk" with Ingrid's (Zoey) hair to see if I can make it softer again.

Group shot of "the others." :)

Group shot of the whole gang.  

So, since this photo was taken, the only doll I have sold is Lyric.  I have since gotten two more American Girls (Grace and #53) with Lea on the way that I purchased this week!  

I also have a My Life doll in her box still that I would like to do a review on, but I believe she is from 2014 so it would be a "retro-review" at this point. ;) 

Some day I would love to build a larger scale doll house with a kitchen, living area and bedrooms to display everything.  I really like Hannah's AG rooms from Never Grow Up and Flo's from Say Hello to My Little Friend's blog.   I love how they both decorates them and I think it's such a creative way to display your collection.  Lovely! 

As for larger scale accessories, currently, the only things we have are the Our Generation diner (which is amazing!) as well as 2 doll beds.  I would LOVE to build up a larger collection of these things, but it's all about squeezing it into the budget. I really love the musical instruments that AG comes out with, such as the guitar, violin and now Melody's keyboard (squee!!).  My favorite room decor is from Mary Ellen's line.  I love her whole living room set.  I also love most of the BeForever accessories (especially the beds.)

What about you guys?  I know quite a few of you collect larger scale dolls, but do you have a favorite in your own collection? 

Thanks for sticking around during my little hiatus.  I am still backing up photos to my hard drive, but now that my sister's wedding is over, I feel like I have more time to blog again.  Horray!  

I'll post a few photos from her wedding soon.  It was sooo beautiful! :) 

Thanks for reading!
xo Farrah