{ Lanie's Garden Harvest }

Well hello everybody!!!  I decided to start a garden this year!  I knew it would be a BIG commitment but I was up to the challenge.  So, in early May I planted all my little seeds; tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, yellow squash & cabbage.  Everyday after school, I'd go and check my little seedlings to see how much they'd grown while I was at school.  I loved watching my little seedlings grow.  SO. MUCH. FUN.  As the weeks passed and school ended, almost everything I had planted had grown SUPER well.  My squash plants were the exception.  They grew only a few squashes (BUT, they were SOOO delicious) and then those nasty Squash Bugs arrived and just totally ate up my squash vines!  Now, you guys know that I normally love bugs - really I do!  But good golly, not those bugs!!  I was so mad at them for killing my squash plants.  Then after my squashes died, the same thing happened to my cabbages!!  I wish I had taken a photo of the cabbages to share with you guys.  The cabbage worms made the leaves on my cabbages look like Swiss cheese.  Yessiree, holey Swiss cheese!  And I was pretty sure no one wants to eat cabbage that looks like that so I had to toss them in the compost pile.  Grrrrrr!

Anyway, today I picked a tub-full of cucumbers and potatoes!  Whoo-hoo!  There was only one tomato ready today so that is going to be all for me.  

Just look at all my cucumbers and potatoes! I have red potatoes, white potatoes and golden potatoes.  My favorites are the golden ones - they are called Yukon Gold.  (Hee hee, every time I say Yukon, I think of Yukon Cornelius from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, lol!!)  Those Yukons make the BEST mashed potatoes ever!! 

So, I'm going to head inside to the kitchen to wash all my veggies.  I want to have some fresh cucumbers and tomato with my lunch today!  Let's go cause this tub is super duper heavy!

Washing all the cucumbers and potatoes was a big job but I finally finished and got them in bowls.  Then I washed my one lonely tomato and sliced it.  I added a slice to my cheeseburger.....and then I ate the rest right off the cutting board ~ YUM!

Just look at those fresh cucumbers!  I have so many that I think I might make some refrigerator pickles or maybe some of my granny's cucumber & onion salad.  Ohhh noooo, I cannot decide!  Golly gee, you know what?  I might not have to decide......I just might have enough to do BOTH!  That's a good thing cause I am not so good at trying to choose between two things like that.....it like totally stresses me out!

My sweet Lulu was with me in the kitchen and all of a sudden she started hopping up and down to get my attention.  She ADORES cucumbers and I could tell she REALLY wanted one bad!  She knows I could not deny her one and since I had so many ripen at the same time, I figured I could spare one for her.  :)

Lookie how cute my little Lulu is!  I just love her to pieces.  She sat up to beg for her cucumber!  Awwwww. ♥ 

Finally, I can get to my own lunch!  I added my final touch of fresh cucumbers to my plate and viola, here is my lunch!

Yesterday, I brought in my first watermelon from my garden.  It was a fairly small one but I picked it anyway.....I was a little impatient since I'd been watching it grow for months and months.  It had the longest vines you've ever seen!  I really didn't realize how much space a watermelon plant would take up when I planted that one little seedling.  So anyways, I cut it up and put it in the fridge to have for today.  I like watermelon best when it's really cold so I put it on ice and set it out on the side table.  That way if any of the other girls come to the kitchen for lunch, they can have some too!    

Aren't these slices just the prettiest color?  I love the contrast of the red flesh with those big dark seeds.  You might wonder why I didn't grow a seedless variety.  Well, think about it!  That would have taken all the fun outta having seed-spitting contests so it's a good thing mine do have seeds.  I know Trey will especially enjoy spitting seeds with me! And he might be a boy but I bet I'll win.   :)

Lulu, the bouncing fluff ball, begged yet ANOTHER cucumber from me!  Darn her - she knows full well I cannot resist her cuteness!!  I gave her one more but good golly, her little tummy would have popped if I'd have given her anymore! Silly Lulu. 

 
Hey, before I go, I wanted to share just how excited I am about my potatoes!  I got them all washed at the same time as the cucumbers.  Now I need to get them all peeled cause I want to make a humongous bowl of potato salad for dinner tonight at the dorm.  Most all of us here love potato salad.  I like to put eggs in mine.  Do you?  Some people don't like to do that cause it makes the overall color a little yellow, from the egg yolks.  Gosh, it doesn't bother me one bit!  I think it's all yummy together - especially when you mix it all together with my favorite mayo - DUKE'S!

Peeling, peeling and MORE peeling!  Then chopping, chopping and MORE chopping!  It's a LOT of work!  Whew.....it's like I have a bottomless bowl for my potatoes!  I haven't even started on the rest of the cucumbers yet.....I'm gonna be here for hours!

So, I'll say goodbye now since there really isn't much more to say except that my hands are gonna be super sore after all this peeling and chopping.  That's okay though cause it feels really good after you have accomplished a big task like this.  And it's especially rewarding when you get to eat yummy food after all that work!  I think it makes it taste even better, don't you?

Thanks for stopping by!  I am hoping to have a few pumpkins from my garden this year too!  They are still not ready to pick but soon!  ~Lanie ☼

18 Inch Doll Outfits & 18 Inch Doll Accessories by:

Lanie is wearing Kit's "Hand-Me-Down Bib Overalls" by American Girl®

Lanie's Tye Dye print Tee Shirt is from the 2012 Hiking Outfit by American Girl®

 

Be sure to visit us on YouTube!!!

{ More Head-in-a-Hole Fun for Christina! }

Hello Peeps!!  For those of you who are new to our blog, my name is Christina.  I'm, well, sort of known more my my nick-name; Crazy Christina.  If you want to know why, well you'll just have to read over the stories on our American Girl doll blog that include me and that should explain it pretty good indeed!  I don't know why it should be classified as crazy though.....I just like to do fun things but sometimes I guess they might be considered a bit crazy too!

So, we were at the beach a couple weeks ago and you know me - I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE those standin head-in-a-hold cut out thingies.  Two years ago I found two of them on our beach trip.  You can read about those two silly ones here.  I didn't find any last year and I was super disappointed.  So, this year I was determined to find at least one of them to pose in so Cindy could take a picture of me in it for my scrap book.

It was getting close to the end of our vacation and I still had not found one.  We needed some cookies for beach snacks so we headed out to the grocery store.  As we pulled in, I squealed (rather loudly) with excitement.  My poor sister!!  You'd think she'd be used to me startling the heebie jeebies outta her by now but oh, no......Cindy jumped and screamed out loud herself.  "Christina!!  Can you NOT??"  she huffed at me.  I pointed out the window and when she saw what I was pointing at, she rolled her eyes and was like; "Really?  Have you not grown out of that obsession yet?"  Um, no and I don't plan on it.....it's fun!  And the best thing about this one was there was actually TWO literally right beside each other!!  SCORE!  So, I hopped out and scrambled up the deck, climbed up the cut-out and stuck my head in it.  These were two characters that I have never done before and I just knew they were going to be a super addition to my scrapbook.

Here I am as a rather portly ole pirate!!  Argh and ahoy, matey!!

And check this out!  It's a SHRIMP, lol!!  How crazy is this one?  Hey that reminds me of a shrimp joke I heard just recently; Why wouldn't the shrimp share her treasure?  Are you ready for the answer?  **Because she was a little shellfish.**  Hahahaha!!!!  Get it?  I know, a little corny but funny anyway! 

All though I only found two head-in-the-hole stand-ins this beach trip, I was SUPER excited!  Have you ever had your photo taken in one of these?  I bet you have!  What was the craziest head-in-a-hole character you have ever seen?  ~Christina ♫

18 Inch Doll Outfits & 18 Inch Doll Accessories by:

Christina is wearing the 2015 Flamingo Dress Outfit by American Girl®

 

Be sure to visit us on YouTube!!!

{ Lanie's Sea Glass Collection }

Hi guys!  Lanie-bug here.  Shew, it's been soooooooooooo long since we have shared on our blog!  We have each been super busy.....I bet you all have been too!

Today was SUPER hot outside and normally I don't give a rat's patootie if it's hot outside but today was different.  I was extra tired and decided to have a stay-inside kinda day.  Only problem was, I was so totally bored just sitting inside!  I started thinking about my very special beach on the Chesapeake Bay where I find my favorite things to collect - sea glass!  I have not been able to go yet this summer and it's looking like I might not be able to go at all.  This made me a teensy bit sad so I started day-dreaming about all the fun times that Trey, Isabelle and I have had on our last few trips to the bay.  You can read about those trips here, here and here!  With sea glass on my mind, I decided to pull out my entire collection and look at it all.  So I braved the heat and went outside to my camper cause that's my special hangout where I keep my treasures - and, well, also some snacks that I don't want the other girls to find!  Ssshhhhh, you gotta keep that a secret between you and me! 

I have a guide that I keep up on my bulletin board in the camper that tells me which colors are more rare to find.  I got out all my little pieces and organized them by color on my camper table.  I don't have many rare colors but I do have a couple very small pieces of red which I am very, very proud of!  I have lots of browns, whites and greens.  Even though the greens are quite common, I still love that color - probably because of where they came from.  Did you know that most of the green colored sea glass comes from old Coca-Cola bottles?  Yep, they sure do!  I still have not found any orange or purple.  Those are super rare and I'll probably never find either one of them but I will continue to look cause the hunting is just as much fun as the finding!! 

What about you guys?  Do you have a special collection of treasures?  If so, what is it?  ~Lanie ☼

18 Inch Doll Outfits & 18 Inch Doll Accessories by:

Lanie's is wearing the 2012 Hiking Outfit by American Girl®

 

Be sure to visit us on YouTube!!!

{ Horseback Riding on the Beach! }

Cindy here!  I have wanted to share this with you guys for over a month now!  Whew, time just gets away from me!  This summer, while visiting the beach on The Outer Banks of North Carolina, Saige, my sister Christina and I did something we have wanted to do for many years.....horseback riding on the beach at sunset!  Since we knew it would be super windy on the beach, we all decided to braid each others hair to keep it out of our faces.  Christina joked that we looked like triplets, lol!  While Saige finished up Christina's braids, I decided to put a braid in the black horse's tail.....omgosh, it looked so cute! ☺

Saige chose her jet black horse, Jasper, for me to ride.  She said he would be perfect for me since he was a really laid back and easy-going horse, perfect for a first time rider.  He was such a sweet guy and I have to admit, I totally fell in love with him!  I hoped he'd forgive me for putting a braid in his tail.  At least I finished it off with a blue bow, right? ☺ Saige rode her other horse, Picasso and Christina got to ride Jackson. 

We had a blast walking and trotting down the beach and even into the surf!  All three horses seemed to love the sea spray and would snort and throw their heads as if they were giggling!  They all seemed to pick up their feet a bit higher too when the water broke against their legs.  Part way down the beach, Christina asked if we could stop to give Jasper, Jackson and Picasso a break.  She said if she had to carry 135 pounds on her back, she'd want a little breakie too!  Silly Christina!

 

During our little rest, Saige told me about some of the wonderful adventures she has had with Jasper.  She said he loves to go trail riding in the woods, especially in the fall when the days are cooler and all the leaves crunch under his hooves.  She also shared that some of his favorite treats are carrots and apples - I laughed and told her mine too!  However, I do like my carrots with a little bit of mayo on them and I bet Jasper would not like that at all, lol! 

  

Soon we were back on the horses and heading on down the beach.  Even though it was pleasantly warm, the wind was quite brisk coming off the ocean and I wished I had worn jeans.  Who would have thought to pack jeans to go to the beach?  As we rode along the surf, the sun was dropping quickly and the colors were simply amazing.  We all talked about how quickly the sun was disappearing behind the dunes and soon it would be gone! 

Even though we had been riding for an hour, it didn't seem like it.  The evening was quickly coming to a close - much to our dismay.  We all agreed that soon we were going to have to turn around and head back so that we could be back by dark.  We really hated to have such an amazingly perfect evening come to an end - but then, we were hungry and we were pretty sure Jasper, Jackson & Picasso were too! 

I bet you guys have had an activity that you didn't want to end.....what were you doing?  Was it with friends or your family?  I know that Christina, Saige and I are still talking about our amazing horseback ride on the beach and how we want to do it again on next year's beach trip.  But in the meantime, fall is coming and I'd love to see Jasper prancing in the crunchy autumn leaves!!  ~ Cindy ♥

18 Inch Doll Outfits & 18 Inch Doll Accessories by:

Cindy & Christina are wearing shorts by Sparrow and Wren Merc - Formerly Janie Jumps
Saige is wearing American Girl of the Year Lanie's meet top American Girl® Doll

 

Be sure to visit us on YouTube!!!

{ A Chesapeake Bay Kinda Day }

Hello everyone!  Isabelle here!  I am so excited to share with you about my recent trip to the Chesapeake Bay for the day with Lanie and Trey.  If you remember, the two of them took a 'bay day' trip last year.....you can read Part I here and Part II here.  Now, when Trey and Lanie got back last year and went on and on and on about how much fun they had, I asked them to pleeeeeeze let me come the next time they go.  Well, two weeks ago they told me to mark my calendar for a very special day and I knew it was a trip to the bay!  So, Oreo and I counted down the days until our 'bay day' arrived.

As soon as we got there, Lanie had to pick out the best place to put her towel and cooler.  I forgot my towel (I know, right?) but sweet Lanie offered to share hers.

Being the outdoor-sie girl that she is, Lanie brought her sun screen.  Ugh, I forgot THAT too!  I guess I was so excited about going that I forgot some of the most important things to take to the beach.  But again, Lanie lent me hers to use...thank goodness, cause even though it was later in the afternoon, I really, really didn't want to get a sunburn and look like a lobster!

Trey caught up to us and plopped himself down on a log next to Lanie's towel.  "Sup girls?" he asked.   "Well, the sky of course, Trey!" Lanie chirped back, followed by a muffled giggle.  At first Trey just sort of stared at her and then looked up to the sky with a puzzled look on his face.  "Good golly, Trey!  It's a joke!" gushed Lanie.  "I, uh.....I knew that!" Trey shot back in the most confident tone he could muster.....but it wasn't convincing, Lanie and I both knew that he really didn't get it at first.  :)

After about an hour had passed, the sun was getting low so I decided to go for a walk along the beaches high tide line.  Lanie said that was the best place to find sea glass.  Even though I walked quite a ways on my own, I didn't find any sea glass or sharks teeth.  This was probably because I had to constantly keep my eyes on Oreo who insisted on not staying with me and running on ahead.  Still, the early evening was absolutely perfect so I was happy even though I didn't find any treasures!

When I got back from my walk, we all spent time talking and just hanging out together.  It was so relaxing and fun.  Oreo finally stayed beside me after I bribed him with a few treats.  Lanie and Trey were sorry I had not found any sea glass or sharks teeth but both agreed it sure was fun just hanging out together on the bay.

Turned out, Oreo wasn't satisfied with one or two treats.....ohhhhh no, he kept coming back for more and more and more.  He might be a silly dog but he sure is smart when it comes to his treats!  And it doesn't help that I am a total sucker for his cuteness, lol.

We spent about another hour chatting and telling jokes.....and I spent it handing out treats to Oreo to get him to stay with me and not run off down the beach.  It was just a perfect, perfect day and I didn't want it to end.  Now that I am back home at the dorm, I really cannot wait to go back.  I sure hope they let me go next year! 

I was wondering; are any of you going to a beach this summer?  Or, maybe you have already been to one!  I'd love to hear what you liked about it!  I know next time I am going to be sure to bring my towel and sunscreen!!!  :)

  18 Inch Doll Outfits & 18 Inch Doll Accessories by:

Lanie is wearing the Floral Swim Outfit by American Girl®

Isabelle is wearing the Boho Beachy swimsuit by American Girl®
Trey's awesome outfit is by Minipparel ~ Etsy®

 

Be sure to visit us on YouTube!!!

{ Super Duper Doll Mag Award! }

Howdy to all our blog peeps....long time no see, right?  Seriously, we are so sorry about that!  Our girls have all been soooo busy with all the end of school year stuff that we didn't have any extra time for even a blog post!  BUT, we are finally out of school now so it's time for some fun!!

So, we are super psyched to share with you that we received an award from Doll Mag!  If ya'll don't know who they are, well, you had better go and find out!  Doll Mag is a cool blog and all though not exclusively devoted to American Girl dolls, it's got a LOT of interesting articles on AG and other brands of dolls!  Whats more, they publish an online magazine with all kinds of neat stuff in it.

The May-June 2015 edition was their first "Doll Blogger" issue.  They held a contest for various top blogger categories including; Most Stylish, Best Newcomer, Best Crafts, Best Photo Stories, Best Reviews, Best Photos, Best Non-AG Site and Best Posts From A Doll's Perspective.  The voting was open to all of Doll Mag's readers.  We didn't even know the contest was goin' on!  So, you can imagine our surprise and excitement to find out that the Doll Mag readers voted Dolly Dorm Diaries to receive the award for the Best Photos category! Yipeeeee-yaaa-whoooie!  We are SO honored!!!  And, congrats to the other category winners as well.....there are some amazing American Girl doll bloggers listed!

Below is the cover of Doll Mag's first "Doll Blogger" issue and here is the link directly to the online issue:  Doll Mag May/June 2015

Also, be sure to check out their blog as well!  

You can find them here:  Doll Mag Blog

{ An Easter Rumor! }

Hello peeps!  Since many of us girls were going to church and then to visit family on Easter Sunday, we decided to have a little kitchen get-together on Saturday to celebrate together before we all went our separate ways.  Several of us either brought or bought baked goods and tasty tidbits to share.  And it was so sweet that Isabelle brought us a big bowl of Oreo cookies even though she couldn't stay to enjoy them.  Before leaving, she helped me make some watermelon punch and also set up an egg dying table for added fun!

Pretty soon after Isabelle left, Lanie arrived with her pet bunny, Lulu.  Oh boy did Oreo get excited! He ran up to meet Lulu immediately....I could tell he was super excited to have a play friend but I am not so sure if the feeling was mutual!

Hope and McKenna were already there before Lanie arrived and had pretty much set up camp at the egg dying table.  They were having loads of fun dipping and combining colors.

As soon as I had a quiet moment, I leaned into Lane and in a low voice said "I heard something exciting that I have been dying to tell you!"  Lanie's eyes widened as she leaned in. 

But just then, Oreo started pushing his food dish across the floor and he totally distracted me!  I walked around to see exactly what on earth was going on and saw something I totally didn't expect to see....Oreo was pushing his dish with his paw over towards Lulu. 

And just when I thought he couldn't get any more stinkin' adorable, he started using his nose to get it closer and closer to where Lanie had tied Lulu up at!  My heart just melted right there on the spot!

So much cuteness - too much to bear!  BUT, I remembered what I wanted to tell Lanie so I made my way back over to her as she was picking out a cupcake.  "Good golly, Saige.....tell me what you heard that is so exciting.....pleeeeeeeeze!"

"Well" I replied, "Come closer as I don't want to get anyone's hopes up if what I heard ends up being wrong."   I whispered the rumor in Lanie's ear and as I did she squealed with excitement.  "Shhhh!" I shushed.  But it was too late.  McKenna swung around and said, "What's so exciting, Lanie?"  And, McKenna's comment caught Hope's attention - who was now looking at McKenna.  Oh boy.  Now what was I going to do?

Hope immediately jumped on McKenna's comment; "What did Saige tell Lanie?  Did she mention a vacation?  Are we all going on a fun trip or something?  Should I go and start packing?  Is it far away?  Oh, should I pack clothes for warm weather or cold weather!?!?  What....."  "Hope!" I chided, "Shush and let me tell you before you have us traveling to Istanbul or some other far way land!"  Sorry but I had to cut her off as she was getting really carried away with this! 

So, in a low, soft voice I said; "Now you guys keep it down and no squealing like little Miss Lanie-bug did, okay?"  They all agreed, nodding anxiously.  "Okay, here we go.....I heard that Grace is going to be coming to live at The Dolly Dorm!"  They started to squeal and I reminded them; "Silent cheers please!!!!!" Thankfully, they tamed their squeals down to a whisper.  Lanie, McKenna, Hope and I were so excited about the possibility of Grace coming soon that we pretty much didn't talk about anything else for the rest of the get-together.  We all wondered if it was true and if so, then when would she'd be coming. 

Hope said she was so excited that she needed a chocolate bunny to calm her down.  Oh boy, that's a first. I thought chocolate hyped you up!  But hey, who was I to argue with her?  I decided to agree with her and chose a cupcake instead because it was the best of both worlds; chocolate, cake and icing!  Yum!

Even Oreo got in on enjoying the food.....somehow he had gotten his little doggy snoot on a bunny cookie and was giving it to Lulu.  Ack!  More cuteness overload!!! 

We all - including Oreo and Lulu - had a fun time and we speculated on when and where and how we might meet Grace.  We have heard that she went to Paris and was in some sort of baking contest.  It all sounds so exciting!

And in the end, I believe that Oreo definitely won over the affections of Lulu.  He showered her with food and friendship....why wouldn't she like him, right?  :)

How about you guys?  Do any of you already have Grace living at your house?  If so, I bet you are having fun with her!!  We can't wait!!

  18 Inch Doll Outfits & 18 Inch Doll Accessories by:

Lanie is wearing her Meet Outfit and Saige is wearing her Sweater Outfit...both by American Girl®

McKenna is wearing her Warm-up Jacket by American Girl®
Hope's adorable outfit is by QTPieDollClothing ~ Etsy®

 

Be sure to visit us on YouTube!!!