Dolls

The other day I was digging out the cords to my sewing machine and Fina said, "what are you going to make? You should make me a doll!" Since I hadn't decided what I was making, but i did have a doll pattern bookmarked that I had been wanting to try, I obliged. I actually made 2 dolls because I have 2 girls and I figured if i didn't then Eloise would be super jealous.

Both dolls:

Fina's doll:

Eloise's doll:

I did the head/hair on Fina's doll first and I wasn't quite happy with it, Eloise's has the same style of hair except that I cut the loops and I made it longer so that it could either stick up like a topknot or lay down on her head.

They're best friends. I don't really like how they turned out, but the girls are happy with them. I think they're the perfect size for Eloise, she likes to play with hers and love on it. Fina has played with hers a little bit, but not near as much as Eloise. Mostly Fina just knows that it is hers and carries it around and asks John, "doesn't my dolly's hair look boyish?"

If I was going to use the same pattern again, I might enlarge it slightly so that they don't end up so weirdly proportioned and pointy limbed. Also I would find maybe peach flannel or doll fabric for the heads instead of the peach cotton that I used this time. And maybe buy some white paint and do their eyes a little differently.

Stylin Fina

I don't know why she is obsessed with these socks. I bought them to make fuzzy sock monkeys and opened them in desperation last winter when our house was freezing. I tell her not to wear them but she always finds them and puts them on.

She was being silly and hamming it up for me.

Note the dozen barrettes on the top of her head:

Bonus picture of Eloise, who was making this face in every picture I took of her today. I guess it was just serious baby day. (Or she's disappointed that I let fina out of the house looking like that)

Well Shit.

I guess I celebrated prematurely. Apparently this is "the CA apartment" so since we no longer wish to be cas, liz is kicking us out of family housing.

Relief

John said we can resign from the stupid CA job, even if it means that I have to get a "real" job to support us. No happier words have ever been spoken. Now I don't have to be fake nice to the terrible terrible neighbors.

Sparky's Overnight Hike

Uh, this one kind of embarrasses me. Oh well, I suppose it was an outlet.

Sparky carefully packs her backpack.

("1 2 3 shove!")

Lucky presents Sparky with the 25cent amulet of power.

Amanda arrives, and they wait half an hour for Angel to arrive.

Then Angel arrives.

They then meet with the Bozeman girls to drive to camp. (luckily Sparky is separated from Angel.)

("Do you have a backpack I can borrow?" next page "You can come with us." "Yay!")

They arrive and begin setting up camp.

Then they cook dinner.

("Does anybody have a tent stake I can borrow?" Thought bubble "Ahhh, finished." next page "Does anybody have any tinfoil I can borrow?" Thought bubble "yum yum")

Jessica says that Sparky can sleep in their tent, and Sparky agrees.

So of course Angel has to invite herself too.

(First page thought bubble "Only if you don't hug me again." next page "Can I sleep in your tent? I couldn't set mine up." "There's not enough room." (She takes this to mean yes).)

At the campfire, they all sit around and make nice comments about each other. (but sparky refuses to talk.)

They go to bed and Jessica attempt to tell scary stories.

("And I think he found a body. But I'm not sure...")

Having failed miserably, they attempt to go to bed. (Angel fails this attempt at sleep.)

Sparky is awakened by Angel talking in her sleep.

("I'm cold! Does anybody have a blanket I can borrow?" "You can have my towel." next page "Does anybody have a brain cell I could borrow?")

They then prepare for the hike.

They get up to the lake and eat their lunch.

("Does anybody have a canteen I can borrow?" next page "Does anybody have some food I can borrow?")

They get down and prepare to go home. Angel wants to go to Sparky, but Jessica rescues her.

They arrive at the church where Sparky's family is waiting.

("Sorry. Have to go home with the same person you came with." next page "Is that your brother? He looks just like you.")

Sparky goes home and goes to bed.

And Oinker plays on.

A Lucky Sparky Christmas

This one has pretty bad crayon bleeding problems, I cleaned it up a bit in paint but you can still see that it is pretty bad. Also it has a gigantic grease spot on the last couple pages.

On Christmas eve, Lucky and Sparky hung their stockings and went to bed.

("Smell this." "Smells like Christmas to me.")

The next morning when they got up they found Santa had come.

It had snowed so they went outside and built snowmen.

("I got an orange and some fake coal. What did you get?" "An orange and some stamps.")

idkwtf

Then they decorated and outside tree for their bird friends to eat.

They went inside and had hot chocolate.

(Bird says "thanks!" Lucky on the next page says "yummy."

They exchanged the presents they had gotten each other.

They were very surprised.

("Here, take this." "You too." next page apparently they are talking in unison saying, "Wow, a homemade book. How shocking.")

They try on their sweaters from Aunt Ulga.

Then they were tired and went to bed.

(Lucky is saying "uy, que feo!" and Sparky says, "does this sweater make me look like a fat mouse?" The next page is "Boy, I'm tired." "Me too.")

And Santa played on.

("Hey, that's my job!")

Lucky and Sparky go to work

I recently came across the surviving Lucky and Sparky adventure books. I wrote these when I was embarrassingly old to be writing paper and crayon books, but I don't care.

One fine Saturday, both Lucky and Sparky had to go to work at ten

They clocked in and washed their hands.

Then they went up front to take boring orders.

Then someone spilled a drink. Luckily Lucky was not busy and could clean it up.

Then a busload of foreigners arrived.

(Lucky's thought bubble says "This is not my lucky day" and the smaller word bubble from the bus says "Let's try and mess these guys up!")

After the bus Lucky and Sparky went on break.

Then they went back to work.

(In the first panel Lucky is of course saying, "Hey, people put food there!")

Then Sparky went back to get cups,

and Lucky got to mop again.

Then they got to go.

Lucky drove home.

Lucky and Sparky went to bed exhausted.

And Oinker played on.