Disney Store Animator's Collection Merida and a Quick Diet Update

   Just a quick update on the diet. After back sliding around Ken's birthday I am not just back to the 10 pounds I had lost, but slightly below it. (Being sick the last couple of days has made not wanting food easy.) Tomorrow is my birthday and we're eating out at an Indian restaurant Ken and I ate at for our 25th anniversary last year. They have an all vegetarian buffet. Yay! I hope I feel up to it. And I'll try not to be too bad...
  I made a great find at Goodwill a couple of weeks ago. I actually gasped when I saw this Disney Store Animator's Collection Merida on the top shelf.

Yes, she did look pretty lousy and was going to need some work. But I have been wanting one of these for ages. She's even the original version with the dark green dress.

 She had marker earrings...

...and toenail paint...

...and fingernail paint and a ring.

As well as, not one, but two ponytails and a braid in her ratty hair.

  Her hair looked so bad I wondered if I might have to just cut it and one-of-a-kind her into a boy. That would have been incredibly cute actually. I have seen lots of the Animator's Collection dolls redone, and some of them are amazing. I haven't seen a boy though, and Merida would make a wonderful little boy.

  She was also pretty dirty. So the first step was a good bath...

She was none too pleased about the bath.

 And then a soak in conditioner.

In fact, she looked pretty peeved about the whole thing.

Then came the hard part for me: dealing with that hair. If you read the blog you'll know I don't do hair. (Even my own!) I just never acquired the talent, much to my daughter's dismay! And I know you're supposed to use fabric softener for doll hair, but I don't even use it on my clothes, so I don't have any around. I could buy some just for the dolls, but I can't stand the smell of the stuff. Conditioner usually seems to work pretty well.
  So it took quite a while to get that hair detangled and the part rewoven. I don't know how many episodes of the Great British Baking Show Ken and I watched while I did it, but it did give us a chance to get caught up!
  And the bad news:

She lost a pretty good sized wad of hair. You can't tell from this, but it's huge. Luckily she had a lot of hair to begin with!
  And the good news:

Ta Da!!

 Most of her toe and finger nail 'polish' came off. The earrings look here to stay though. I just managed to pale them a little.

Fortunately, as bad as her hair was,the original ringlets were still fairly intact.

  The ringlets have started to fizzle a bit by now, so they could really use a set and spray. But as I said, I don't do hair. I'm not even up to ringlets!
  But I'm glad I have her. From other dolls I've managed to find at Goodwill in the last year I thought someone who donates shops at the Disney Store. I was hoping Merida would show up some day. Luckily I was there the day she did!