Home From Georgia, and What I Did There

  The computer was up and running again for a couple of days when I first got home. Then I woke up one morning and it had died. So far I can't get it back on again. I'm having to use Ken's, and it's crap. Luckily the pictures I took for an upcoming review are on Ken's computer.
  If you've been reading the blog, you know I went to Georgia to help my friend, Lori, move. Her sister said she was going with me, but she bailed at the last moment. I thought she would, so it was no surprise really. I had already planned to take lots of music with me to keep me company, some of which I hadn't had much of a chance to listen to properly, and some I hadn't had a chance to listen to for a while. I thought it would actually be nice to have hours to listen to my music, because my computer stopped playing CDs, my record player stopped ejecting CDs, so I've been afraid to use it, and my record player started skipping through the records, so I have been afraid to play any, for fear of scratching them.
  That worked well on the way down. I also had company in the form of Tammy World, who insisted on coming along.

"I didn't 'insist'. You made me." "I thought I told you not to wear that shirt with the unraveled neck again." "What? I can't hear you because of traffic."

  I read just a couple of days before I left, that Georgia is the most dangerous state in the country for Corona virus.

"Good thing I brought my mask." "Uh,that's my mask. Ivy made that for me the night before we left."

  Don't worry. I stayed safe. I wore my mask everywhere I stopped, baby wiped AND hand sanitizered my hands after touching anything. I got hungry and was going to stop and get a Subway sandwich. When I stopped, while still in Ohio, nobody at the gas station/Subway was wearing a mask,including the people making the subs! I turned around and left. It occurred to me later that maybe I shouldn't eat a Subway sub anyway, since the contents are just laying out getting breathed on all day. I haven't been out much during the virus,so I guess I'm slow to think of this stuff. I was looking forward to getting breakfast at Shoney's on my way home, until I remembered the virus. There's no way I'm eating at a buffet right now.
  I said Lori was supposed to be moving by the end of the month. It didn't work out that  way though. Apparently her buyers have been messing her around since May. The people buying their house pulled out, so they pulled out. Then something else happened and they had to put off buying Lori's house. They had the sale going at one point, and Lori even found another house and was buying it, and even had some of her things moved over there, which she had to store under their porch temporarily until she had access to the house. Then her buyers stalled again, and she lost the house she was buying, her things got ruined under the porch, etc. She had to bring everything back home. She felt bad for the people she was buying the house from, because she left them hanging. Then the sale was on again, and Lori had to find another house because the one she had originally bought got resold. She ended up settling for a house that really isn't what she needs, as far as horse and goat accommodations, but she made enough on her house that she hopes to pay for what she needs to be built. Her main complaint was that the house was dirty and needed painting inside. It really wasn't bad though. I thought she over reacted.
  I was supposed to help her move by the 31st. She spent one day calling all the utility providers, changing her address,etc. Then, right after she finished, she got a call from the realtor, saying that the closing had been put off again because the people buyer the house of her buyers couldn't get their money until the 15th of September! She had to call all the utilities again to tell them not to turn off her stuff until the new date. Her buyers warned the realtor that if Lori pulled out or whatever, that they would sue her. And yet they are constantly breaking the contract.
  So anyway, Lori isn't closing on her house until the 16th. Obviously I couldn't stay that long, especially since the 16th is my anniversary.

Me with Ken on our wedding day, 1989. To read the post on how we became a couple,you can go HERE. If you want to read how I accidentally stole Kermit and is Piggy's wedding cake topper, go HERE. And if you want to read the story of my engagement ring, (It's really not boring. Honestly.), go HERE.

 So I had to help out with whatever I could while I was there. I helped load the car and take a bunch of stuff over to the new house, where we stored it in a shed. I helped paint the new master bathroom and bedroom, and patched dents in the walls from the doorknobs. At the old house I packed boxes of stuff for the move, took down the million windchimes, dug up the bush and the baby crepe myrtles she wanted to take with her, and things like that. I brought some plants down for her: a couple of Rose of Sharons, a couple of lilac bushes, a dogwood tree, and a rose cutting. We aren't sure it will all grow in the Georgia heat, but we'll see. It's in buckets, so I kept it watered while I was there. I took home some kind of flowering myrtle, which may not survive our winters. We'll see how that does too.
  Lori had taken a few days off to move, but she was supposed to be moving on Sunday, so she went back to work on Monday. So I was there by myself all day Monday and Tuesday, and part of the day Wednesday. So, while I did all the things I mentioned above, plus chasing two goats all around the yard, trying to get them back in the pen when they escaped, I did a few things for myself while I was there too. Lori has two big pecan trees in the yard she's leaving behind. I helped myself to a big bucket full of them.

Tammy World, capturing pecans in the wild.

  Lori hates them anyway.
  I went into the nearby town of Sylvester to check on something, and made a quick visit to an antique store. I found this little chair.

It isn't actually old. It's from the early 2000's 'Bunnies By the Bay' collection from Hallmark. It still has the tag on it. It's a votive candle holder. I'll need to make a seat for it.

Tammy World was enjoying the peaceful quietness out on Lori's porch.

"No I wasn't. It was about a million degrees out there and you could cut the air with a knife."

  I also got this little wooden drawer thingy at the same time. It is old.

It has Scottie dogs on top. They look like inlay, but they're not.

Both drawers open, but the bottom one makes a strange sound when it's pulled out. I think it used to play music.

  Ivy is very into making pottery. The dirt in Southern Georgia is, in a lot of places, pure clay. The last time Ken and I were in Georgia we talked about taking home a bucket of clay for Ivy. We didn't have a bucket with us, and we didn't know where it would be okay to dig up some clay/dirt, so we didn't do it. This time I brought an extra bucket with a lid, in addition to the ones I took Lori's plants down in, just for bringing home clay for Ivy. Lori scouted me a place to dig it up, and we took care of it. Free clay for Ivy. I'll let you know if she ends up being able to make something out of it. We had to find clay elsewhere, since most of Lori's property is sand.

Tammy World played in the sand, just like I did at my grandparent's house when I was a kid. You can't tell, but she's started a sand castle there. She needed some water.

So she just buried her feet instead.

   Another thing I did while I was there was look for pralines. I'd had them before and they're delicious. Georgia is known for pecans, so I figured pralines would be everywhere. Not so much! Lori and I looked everywhere and she even called a few places. I finally found some at a couple of places on the way home, and then was very disappointed. They are terrible. The caramel isn't the chewy, stretchy kind like the pralines I had in Texas. It's just sugary stuff. Bleh.
  One good thing I did get was Chess Squares. They're a cream cheesy sweet dessert thing. Everybody loved them. I should have bought more of them. Instead I bought a load of those crappy pralines.
  Lori and I had a 'fun day' the day before I left. She got off work early that day, and we went on a search for pralines and stuff. We also went to the antique store we went to when I was down both other times. I bought this.

The statue looks like a bronze piece, but actually it's plastic or something! It looks amazingly convincing though. I've been wanting a bronze statue, but I know they're too expensive for me. This one was only $20, and no one will ever know, including me! (I mean, I know, but I can't tell from looking.) The lady who worked at the store picked it up, with the force it would take for a bronze, and shocked herself because it was so light.
 I also bought this little pose doll.

  Ken had me search for yellow corn. It's the only kind he'll eat, he loves it, and it's almost the only vegetable he eats, period. He's had a really hard time finding it this year. It's been pretty hard for the last several years, because Ohio has almost nothing but white or bicolour corn nowdays, which Ken hates. This year, we had such a rainy Spring, that the corn went in very late, and he has had even more trouble finding yellow corn. That could be because it takes longer to ripen than white or bicolour, and after getting a late start, the farmers probably figured they didn't have time to wait on yellow corn. Lori and I found him some yellow corn in nearby Albany proper. (She lives on the outskirts.) I found some more on the way home. He ended up getting 22 ears from Georgia, and has already eaten all of them, (They were pretty small ears.), plus some he managed to find here in town since!
  I got up with Lori while she had breakfast on my last day there. Then she had to go to work. I boxed up the last of the glasses, repacked some stuff I wasn't satisfied with, had breakfast, washed all the dishes, loaded the washing machine with the bedding I had used, made the beds back up, (I had tried both guest beds, but they were both too hard and made my hip and back hurt. I ended up sleeping on top of pillows.), wrote 'Happy birthday' on the October pages of both of Lori's calendars, and Merry Christmas on the December pages,(Which I had done when she moved the first time.), watered the plants in the buckets, packed up my coolers with the corn and my water and food I had left, popped in a CD, and Tammy and I took off.

"Ohio or bust!"

  I didn't go far though. I stopped in Sylvester, which is about 15 minutes away. Lori works at the vet's office there. I had to stop at the butcher shop and pick up---gross!---ox tail for Ken. I don't eat or normally even buy meat, but I did it for Ken. I got the icky tail, and stopped to fill up with gas and buy ice for the coolers. I had to do some rearranging in the coolers so the tail got it's own separate cooler and ice. Then I headed back toward my exit for the road home. I passed the 'mantiques' store that had been closed the whole time I was there, and it was open. So I had to stop. I only spent $2, and bought this..

...and this.

I'm not quite sure about those weird black eyes. Maybe they'll grow on me.

  Then Tammy World and I headed home. Not long on the road and my CD player stopped working! I tried the whole way back to get it going again, but it continued to insist there was a disc in there when there wasn't, and refuse to take another one. I had to resort to the radio for music, which meant I spent most of the time in quiet thought, if you know what I mean.
  Apart from stopping to look for yellow corn a few times, get gas twice, pull off the highway to shop for pralines at a pecan place, and a Stuckey's gas station, stop at a rest area to potty and make a sandwich, scour a couple of Goodwills and one huge antiques mall...

This vintage magician poster for The Great Sorcar was one of the coolest things I saw.

... and get an Impossible Whopper for dinner, I drove for about 14 hours non-stop. (Okay, that was a lot of stopping in between. It really didn't take me that long though.) I left Sylvester about 10:45, and got home about 3AM. Then of course, two of the cats got out! I brought Jimmy Stewart in, but had to get Fuzz back up out of bed to hunt Joey down, because Fuzz is the only person Joey will come to. All cats in safe and sound, I was finally able to take a shower and go to bed. Umm, that is, after I cleaned the bathroom sink. It looked like an art room sink when I got home. I found out that that was because Ivy had done what we had been talking about before I left, and painted a mural on her bedroom wall.

She obviously washed the brush out in the bathroom.
  Once home I had to post the posts that were supposed, (Su-post! It's a pun!), to go up while I was gone.  I have another review to finish, and soon I'll be receiving the latest from Maru and friends, which I will also be reviewing. So stick around. Things are going to be busy here!

What Happened to That Post?

  Some of you may be wondering what happened to the review post on the Kid Activist doll by Lottie. Some of  you will not have seen it at all. Don't worry. It will be back. The truth is, it wasn't even meant to be posted yet! It wasn't finished. It got posted by accident. I will be finishing it and reposting it. So if you read the unfinished version, please revisit the final version when it's reposted. Lottie Dolls provided the doll, and I'm sure they would appreciate it if you give the post another chance!
  As for my trip to Georgia, that will be covered in a post very soon. Stick around.

Farewell Dame Diana Rigg

   I was sad to learn today of the death of Diana Rigg. Although she most recently appeared in the wildly popular "Game of Thrones", and although she would probably resent it a bit, she will always be remembered as the catsuited, butt kicking "Avenger", Mrs. Emma Peel.

Diana Rgg getting the best of the bad guy as Mrs. Peel in "The Avengers". You can watch the great opening and closing credits of the show HERE.

 Some of you long time readers may remember my post on the death of Patrick Macnee back in 2015. We were all fans of the 1960's series "The Avengers" around here. The series starred Patrick Macnee and his occasionally changing female secret agent partner, the second of which was Diana Rigg as Emma Peel. Ken and I both watched the series as kids, and both remained fans of the series throughout our adulthoods. I got very excited when I found our local library had almost the entire series on video,(Remember video?!), in the early years of our marriage. We watched them all. When our kids were little, we watched it with them. Emma, in fact, was at least partially named after the character 'Emma Peel.
  Dame Diana Rigg, born Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg on July 20, 1938 in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, lived in India from the age of two months to the age of eight years old. Her father was a railway executive, and Diana grew up speaking Hindi as a second language. She returned to England, to boarding school, and later attended the Royal Academy of  Dramatic Art. Between 1959 and 1967 she performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company. From 1972 to 1975 Diana was a member of the National Theatre Company in London.  Diana performed many roles in London's West End, and on Broadway, where she earned four Tony nominations, one of which she won.  I was lucky enough to see Diana Rigg in a play called "Wildfire" in London in 1986.

  Diana Rigg was Patrick Macnee's second female partner on The Avengers, after Honor Blackman left to be "Pussy Galore" in the James Bond movie, "Goldfinger". There was one more partner after Rigg, Linda Thorson, as Tara King. Diana Rigg is by far the fan favourite though,and appeared in more episodes of The Avengers than either of the other two. Beginning in 1965, Rigg appeared in 51 episodes.  Her character, Mrs. Peel,  frequently found messages from Macnee's John Steed reading, "Mrs. Peel, we're needed." In her second season as Mrs. Peel, Diana demanded more equal pay to her male counterpart, a fairy unheard of thing at the time. Rigg left the series because she was uncomfortable with the lack of privacy  the role caused her, and with being considered a sex symbol. (The character's name even came about because the producers wanted a character with 'man appeal'. The office memo's, reminding everyone of this, shortened the message over time to "M appeal",and the name 'Emma Peel' was born.)  Rigg tried to disassociate herself from "The Avengers" for years, but did eventually come to terms with that part of her career.
  There was also a TV series called, "Diana" in 1973, starring Diana Rigg. It didn't last long, and I was only 11, but I do remember seeing at least one episode of it.

  Diana Rigg also had a movie career. She appeared as James Bond's only wife in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", which unfortunately is the all time least popular Bond movie and George Lazenby's only appearance as Bond. (It was the only appearance of James Bond's wife too, because---SPOILER ALERT!--- she gets killed at the end of the movie.)

Diana Rigg and George Lazenby in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".

My kids were very familiar with Diana Rigg's role in "The Great Muppet Caper".

                                                            "Miss Piggy stole my necklace!"

  She replaced Vincent Price as the host of PBS' "Mystery" series. But people these days may know her best from her four time Emmy nominated role on "Game of Thrones".

  Diana was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, (CBE),  and eventually became Dame Diana Rigg. She had one child,at the age of 39. Her daughter is actress Rachael Stirling.

In 2013 they appeared together in an episode of Doctor Who.  Rachael gave birth to Diana's only grandchild, a grandson, in 2017.
  Diana Rigg was diagnosed with cancer in March, and passed away today.

Doll Book of the Month Club: The Dollhouse Caper

  Okay. This post didn't go on either, so it's now 4 days late. Let's get caught  up.
  This month's Book Club entry is The Dollhouse Caper, by Jean S O'Connell.



Our copy has no dust jacket, and has only a plain black cover. So I'm showing you a stock photo.
  The book tells the story of two families: a human one, and a doll one. The human family owns a dollhouse, which only comes down for use at Christmas time every year.

  The family has three sons, who have always loved when the dollhouse is brought out for the year. This year though, the oldest son feels he's too old for dolls. The middle son follows the oldest's lead. The youngest son still loves playing with the dollhouse, (Unfortunately for the dollhouse family, that frequently involves sticking Dollhouse Dad's head in the toilet and leaving him there.),but the dollhouse family begins to fear what will happen when even the youngest gets 'too old' for the dollhouse.
  The family is planning a ski trip. The house will be deserted while they are gone. Only the dollhouse family know that crooks are watching the house,waiting for the family to leave, so they can rob it.

The dolls have to protect their home. They try desperately to think of a way they can warn the family of what is about to happen. Obviously, being dolls, they can't talk to the family.
  Do the dolls manage to save the day? Will their place in the home be secured? It's an exciting and satisfying ending. But I'll leave the details for you to read yourselves.
  I read this to my kids when they were little. I think we may even have read it twice. The recommendation is for kids ages 9-12,or grades 4-6. It's a short chapter book, and fairly easy to read.
   The illustrations are by Erik Blegvad, who illustrated some of my favourite kids' books,such as "The Swing in the Summerhouse",  He also illustrated another bookI likes, "The Finches Fabulous Furnace",as well as  "Bedknob and Broomstick" and the less common version of "The Borrowers". I like his illustrations. They always seem homey and comfortable. Maybe that's just because I read so many books as a kid that had his illustrations.
  That's the book for this month. I'll be back soon with a review of the latest from Maru and Friends.

Playsets: Cookie Topper's Cozy Kitchen

  I have to apologize for the lateness of this post. It was scheduled to go on while I was gone, but it didn't publish. So I'm publishing it by hand. My hand, as you can tell, is back home from Georgia, which I'll tell you about soon. I'll catch you up on the Doll Book of the Month Club tomorrow. But first, this month's play set is,I think, Topper's Cozy Kitchen.

   It looks very similar to the Deluxe Reading Dream Kitchen. (Click the link to see mine.) The colours and design are similar. There's a good reason for that. Topper and Deluxe Reading were the same company. Deluxe Reading was the parent company, and they sold toys under various names, including Deluxe Topper, Deluxe Toy Creations, Deluxe Reading, Topper Corp., Topper Toy Group, and Topper Toys.

It says Topper right there.

  There is one major difference between the Deluxe Reading Dream Kitchen and the Topper Cozy Kitchen though: size. The Deluxe Reading Dream Kitchen is 1/6 scale, or Barbie/Fashion doll size. The Topper Cozy Kitchen is tiny. It's more 1/12, or dollhouse scale. The pieces are 4 1/2 inches tall.

Cookin' Goodis Tutti, forsaking her own white stove for Cookie Topper's Cozy Kitchen. You can see Tutti with her own stove in my post, HERE.

  It makes a good play kitchen for Tutti, or a regular kitchen for dolls like Dolly Darlings or something else short. I'm pretty sure it would be too short for Dawn though. What confuses me is, I've seen it on line as Penny Brite's kitchen, and it's way too small for her. She's even bigger than Tutti. Besides that, Penny Brite had her own kitchen set. (Oddly enough, Dawn's Apartment used the same stove mold as  Penny's kitchen, even though Dawn was way too small for it. You can see my post on Dawn's Apartment, which also shows you Penny's kitchen, HERE.)
   Here's a picture of the Cozy Kitchen set in the box. As you can see, the set originally came with the stove, sink,fridge, a table and chairs, and  a chandelier.

You'll notice that the pieces aren't always the same colour,although the same colours are used in the set. 

    And who is 'Cookie Topper'? As you can see, it is called 'Cookie Topper's Cozy Kitchen'. I assume there was a doll called 'Cookie Topper'. I can't find anything on such a doll though. If you Google 'cookie topper' you get sprinkles and icing decorations for topping cookies!
  I bought this set second hand. I originally had the table too, (Mine was pink.), but it had gotten separated from the set. I didn't know what it went to,and it was broken. The corner was missing, and it only had three legs,so, in a rare moment of common sense about such things, I threw it out or put it in a bunch of things for donation.
   Unlike the Dream Kitchen, none of the doors open. They're just hollow plastic pieces.

   The 'chrome' is worn on all the pieces.

The stove top, (and sink top), is a solid piece, although it is a separate piece from the rest of the stove. 

The hole and piece of plastic on the upper shelves are where there used to be non-removable plastic plates,as you can see in the picture of the boxed set, above.

 That's the playset for the month. I'll see you back here tomorrow for the Doll Book of the Month Club.

Review Time! Lottie Dolls' Fossil Hunter Lottie

  Hey! Today is a review post. I have to say beforehand that I took complete unboxing pictures,but they are on my computer. I can get it on as far as the pictures, but no internet. That means I can't send the pictures to Ken, and put them on his computer. I also have a bunch of things to do before I go to Georgia, so I don't have time to retake them. This will have to do.
  I was recently treated to two dolls for review by Arklu, who make Lottie dolls. Today's post is the first of them. Even though I received the dolls for free, I will be honest in my review, and tell you exactly what I think of the doll.
  First, let me tell you a bit about Lottie dolls in case you don't know. Lottie believes in letting kids be kids. I think kids grow up too quickly these days, and Lottie doesn't encourage precociousness with big lipped, over made-up, scantily dressed dolls. The dolls' bodies are "based on the average proportions of a nine year old child rather than an adult woman". The website also says, "Lottie dolls celebrate childhood and promote the empowerment of children by encouraging kids:
*to be themselves
*to play--imaginatively and adventurously
*to have fun!

Kids - in all their glorious, heart-warming and life-affirming diversity - inspire us every day:

• Kids who refuse to be put into boxes
• Kids who aren’t going to wait until they’re grown up, to change the world
• Kids who’ve decided that the moment is now!

And we want to encourage all kids – regardless of gender, ability or ethnicity - to follow all their dreams."    e toys and dolls are one in the same.

   Here's another quote from their website that I love.
"The reason why we have three male dolls in the Lottie Dolls’ collection? We want our toys to be representative of real kids’ lives and have lots of real-life boys and girls have fun playing together! Our boy dollhouse is the same as our girl doll house, all of our boy doll clothes fit our boy and girl dolls. We believe action figure toys and dolls are one in the same."
   I love that they encourage kids to use their imaginations, something I don't think kids do enough in these times of video games and such things. I like that they are dolls that are children. Kids try to be too old now,and having a child doll to see themselves in, rather than an adult, is good for them. Some of their dolls are based on ideas sent in by kids.Another thing about Lottie dolls is, they offer dolls that are not only ballerinas and princesses. Their dolls represent all sorts of things kids might be interested in, and encourages girls to be interested in things usually associated with boys' interests,like today's doll.
  When I was a kid I LOVED dinosaurs. I still do! I was always fascinated by history and science. I considered being a paleontologist or an archeologist  when I was little. That's not common amongst girls though. Girls have traditionally steered away from science and math. It was (stupidly) assumed that females couldn't be as good as males at things like math. These days it's been realized that girls can and should be encouraged to be involved in STEM activities. (STEM stands for science, technology,engineering, and math.) The old stereotype is being fought,but sometimes there are backtracks, even in toys.  Remember the controversy over Talking Barbie from the 1990's saying, "Math is tough."?  (For the record, math was my best subject in school. It's not 'tough', it's just boring.)  I like that Lottie encourages STEM interests. (I think the character of Ellie Sattler in "Jurassic Park" probably helped little girls realize they could be a paleo-scientist too.) Fossil Hunter Lottie is an example of a doll that encourages STEM interests.  Her box says she's from the 'Gold Collection'.

I'm not sure what that is. It also has the Lottie slogan,"Be bold. Be brave, Be you." I like that slogan. Everybody should feel they can be themselves. The box has a handle, for carrying. There are little side windows in the box so she and her things can be seen well. The back of the box shows what she comes with. Her box was sealed with two small tape circles,which peeled up easily. The insert slid out with no problem. The shaped plastic that held Lottie was only taped on the back of the insert. What really held Lottie in was elastics around her neck and ankles. They can be broken when pulled,and the feet can be pulled out of the ankle one,so kids won't need scissors. Her accessories were taped to the insert. The plastic bags were taped closed. Easy to open.
 Fossil Hunter Lottie is a kid interested in fossils. To quote "Jurassic Park", she's "a digger". She has her tools: a rock pick...

... a trowel...

...and a magnifying glass.

The best thing about the tiny magnifying glass is, it actually works!

And she has her fossil finds.

  Also included are small cards telling the story of  Mary Anning.

Mary, born in 1799 is described by Wikipedia thus: "an English fossil collector, dealer, and palaeontologist who became known around the world for finds she made in Jurassic marine fossil beds in the cliffs along the English Channel at Lyme Regis in the county of Dorset in Southwest England."
  Also included is a paper with information about female paleontologists,

On the back is various information, including advice on hunting your own fossils.

And they can all be carried in Fossil Hunter Lottie's back pack. The back pack is made of felt. It has straps with buckles, but they are just for looks. Seems to me it wouldn't have been much harder to just make the buckles usable. Even as a kid, I liked realism.

The bag closes with Velcro.

On the positive side of that subject, the  backpack has tiny real side pockets, and Lottie's things can actually go inside.

Lottie is 7 1/2 inches tall.

  She wears a blue shirt with a pink insert at the neck, and a picture of her fossil find on the front.    .

She also has khaki cargo shorts.

The pockets on the sides are real,not just for looks. She could really put stuff in them. Small stuff, but stuff.

Both close in the back with Velcro. I like the Velcro Lottie Dolls uses. It's thin, so there's no giant lump on the doll's back,(or between the back pack and flap, for that matter), and yet it holds really well. Why don't all doll manufacturers use this kind?
  Lottie's other large piece of clothing is her vest. It's green, with a yellow lining with white polka dots.

I like most of the clothes on Lottie dolls. They're cute, and well made, and even use cloth with a weave that's actually in scale in most cases. I like the look of this vest, but it doesn't lay well. It wants to hang open and looks too bulky to fit properly. I think it's lining is too thick or something.

Her shoes are brown ankle boots, the type worn for hiking,etc.

She has orange and white striped socks too.

The socks make the boots fit very tightly. They're hard to get on and off. I was afraid I was going to break the doll's leg trying to get her boots back on. (A kid might really do it.) The boots could have done with one of those slits up the back that make them easier to get on and off.
  She has a khaki hat too, It fits on her head well, and stays on.

The doll has a very cute face, with a tan skin tone, big brown eyes,and long, straight, dark hair.

With her big eyes, she reminds me of an anime character.

Lottie dolls don't come with combs or brushes,but this doll's hair is easy to comb. And even I can't mess it up!

Her knees bend, but not much. It would be nice if they could bend a bit more, but this type of doll leg just doesn't. Even Barbie's don't bend much any more. Back when they bent very realistically, the plastic contained dangerous chemicals that made it more pliable. That was stopped, which is a good thing, but that's why they don't bend as well these days. Lottie's legs bend enough for her to look okay sitting down. I guess that's all she needs.

Her legs can also move out to the sides. Her arms swivel too, so she has quite a range of movement with them.

She can wear her backpack, and carry all her stuff in it.

  I wish her arms bent so she could use her accessories better. I don't think kids would have a problem with her though. She offers plenty of play possibilities.
  You can find Fossil Hunter Lottie on their website HERE. All in all, she's a cute doll, with fun accessories, and a great idea behind her. I like her clothes. I like that this doll arrived in a smaller box, with less packing than the Sammi doll I received a few years ago. She's cuter than the blonde Lottie I have. You can see her, and read my review of Junior Reporter Sammi by Lottie Dolls HERE.  I still think the $24.99 price is a bit high for a small doll and accessories,but the reason could be that the company is based in Ireland. The unusual themes of some of the dolls make the price seem more worth it. I would have bought this doll for Fuzzy way back when. Of course, what would have happened would have been that Fuzzy's Fuzzy the Doll would have stolen the accessories.
  You can go to the Lottiia Dolls website HERE. Sign up with your email and receive updates about new doll releases. Your kids will be allowed to take part in competitions and suggest ideas for new dolls, accessories, and activities, Your child can also receive free printables weekly.
  That's this review finished! I hope you enjoyed it. I was trying to get things done early because I had to leave for Georgia to help Lori move.. I was worried I wouldn't get the month's play set post in time, or the Doll Book of the Month Club post done before I left, since I would be gone when it was due to be posted But I worked my butt off, and got all three posts done before I left, and scheduled them to go on while I was gone. Then, of course, none of them posted like they were supposed to. but now I am all caught up.There will be another review post  soon, a post on my Georgia adventures, and very soon, a review of the latest from Maru and Friends. Stay tuned!