My newest edition of the Barbie Collector Catalog came in the mail last and I just had the chance to sit down and look through. This is a never a good idea because I'm such a Barbie Fan and I always end up wanting just about the entire contents of the catalog to add to my collection. This time is no different. It is times like this where I wish I had an endless supply of money of worked for Mattel with a really great discount so that I could afford these beautiful dolls. The monetary total this time comes to just under $794! And that doesn't even include tax or shipping and handling.

My favorites you ask? Well, did you just set yourself up. :o)

1. 2009 Holiday Barbie, pg. 5, $44.95

2. Original Teenage Fashion Model Babrie (1959), pg. 11, $39.95; 2nd reproduction/
50th Anniversary (My mom and dad had an original that belonged to my Great Grandma Marney. She used it make barbie clothes for my mom and aunts. One day it will be mine, but I still want this one, too.)

3. Brunette Bubble Cut Barbie (1962), pg.11, $39.95; 2nd reprodcution/50th Anniversary

4. Twist 'N' Turn Barbie (1967), pg. 12-13, $39.95; 2nd reproduction/50th Anniversary

5. Malibu Barbie (1971), pg. 12-13, $39.95; 2nd reproduction/50th Anniversary

6. Superstar Barbie (1977), pg. 12-13 $39.95; 2nd Reproduction/50th Anniversary

7. Barbie and the Rockers Barbie (1986), pg. 12-13, $39.95; 2nd reproduction/50th Anniversary--(I have this one, of course she is no longer in her box or original outfit becuase I played with her all the time. However, I do still have the original outfit in a bag full of other Barbie fashions I've accumulated over the years of my adolescents.)

8. Hershey's Barbie, pg. 14, $43.00; Silver Label (This one is for my great love of chocolate! :o))

9. Harley-Davidson Barbie, pg. 19, $44.95; Pink Label (I think this is ones I want the most! Including any and all ethnic Barbie dolls. So Mom, Dad, if you are reading this could you go to the Barbie Fan Club site, get a membership and buy me this doll for Christmas??? Pleeeeaaaassseeee!?!?! She has three stars next to her in my catalog, by the way.)

10. Empress of the Golden Blossom Barbie, pg. 22-23, $150; Gold Label (She is so gorgeous! There was one in the past year of so that is similar and I would love to have both! But I don't know if the other one is available anymore.)

11. Scarlet Macaw Barbie, pg. 22-23, $100; Gold Label

12. Babrie as Aphrodite, pg. 22-23, $114.96; Gold Label

13. Amazonia Barbie, back cover, $26.99: Pink Label

14. France Barbie, back cover, $26.99; Pink Label

15. Scotland Barbie, back cover, $26.99; Pink Label

16. Barbie as Goldie Hawn, pg. 14-15, $44.95; Black Label

Now you want to knwo what the color labels mean, right? Well, it is a way that Mattel has classified thier Barbie dolls.

Pink Label-Anywhere that Barbie is sold you can find these dolls and it is an "invitation to collecting".

Silver Label-less than 50,000 dolls produced in the world.

Gold Label-25,000 or less produced in the world and may be available at certain selected retailers. These dolls are also numbered.

Platinum Label-less than 1000 produced worldwide and they are numbers in sequence and may be available at certain select retailers.

Black Label-these dolls are made specifically for the adult collector because of the contents of thier clothing or little there of or other factors like body art.

I have many pink and silver labels, 5 or so gold, maybe one platinum but I'm not positive and currently no black labels. There aren't too many black lable Barbies, though. The Cher doll was the most recent black label doll, but I'm not such a big fan that I had to have her. The Goldie Hawn doll is a black label because she is fashioned after the go=go dancer she portrayed in the segment in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In "The Mod, Mod World". I love Goldie Hwan. She is hilarious and just has this magnetic personality, I think.

Okay, so now you know, if you didn't already, that I'm a major diehard Barbie fanatic and collector. I think I have about 50 collector dolls already and I got my first Hard Rock Cafe doll a couple years ago. Each year they have a new one. I think I have the 2007 one, so I need another one of those again. They are available at any Hard Rock Cafe souvenir store. :o)

I"ve rambles on enough about that, I think. I'm sorry if I bored you, but I had to get it off my chest. :o)

I can't believe it, I didn't post anything for weeks and all of a sudden I have a post two days in a row. Go figure.

It has been a strange week in that there have been quite a few celebrity deaths. Tuesday morning, I read the news and Ed McMahon had passed away. I knew he had been ill for some time. I remember watching him on "Star Search" and the Publisher's Clearning House commercials growing up, but that is about as much as I remember about him. It wasn't until I read about his death that I learned about his work with Johnny Carson. He had quite a career.

Wednesday, my body decided to catch Jenna's cold that transformed into a sinus infection. A really bad sinus infection. It has made the last few days miserable. I've sturggled with breathing, headaches, horrible sinus pressure and a sore throat that turned into an ear infection. I have been loading up on Day/Niquil for the cold and Tylenol Sinus for the sinus infection, along with orange juice and chicken noodle soup. I have drank a whole gallon of orange juice in two days. The last day or so, it has been eaiser to breathe and I have been sleeping a lot. i'm trying to be sure to be sure I use a lot of steam to break up the mucus.

Thursday afternoon, when Jarom returned home from work, he told me that both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson had died. I wasn't very surprised at Farrah Fawcett's death with her battle with cancer. I had hoped she would pull through and the cancer would go into remission, but even that was a small glimmer. Today, they are running Charlie's Angels reruns in honor of her on WGN. As far as Michael Jackson goes, I don't know. It just didn't ignite a spark at all. I wasn't saddened, but I wasn't surprised. I don't know what I felt, I don't think I felt anything. He had some great music during my adolescent years, but he was just weird. I feel for his chicldren, though, they are so young. And, I'm so tired of hearing about him. Enough already.

Friday night, Jarom and Jenna went to see "Transformers", but returned home 20 minutes after leaving because of the line. Last night they tried again. Turns out the line wasn't for getting tickets, it was the line of people waiting to get their seats. They thought is pretty good. I didn't go because I just still don't feel well, but at least I'm starting to sneeze and cough some, which is helping to break everything up. They said it was a pretty good movie.

This afternoon when I emerged from our room, Jarom told me that Billy Mays died. Even though he can be annoying, it was a shock. Jarom and I enjoiy watching "Pitchmen" with him and Sulley what-his-name.

Once again, there is not much going on here. We've had tripple digit heat with 107 yesterday and with this miserable heat I'm fighting this miserable sinus infection. We are just such an exciting little group of people.

It is has pretty much uneventful around here lately.

I'm on a new anti-depressant and just waiting for it to build up in my system so I can see the difference. For the most part I'm sleeping a lot. It is hard to not be on anything to starting a new medication and waiting for it to build up and start working. But, Jarom has been sleeping a lot, too, when he gets home from work and on weekends. However, since I have been sleeping so much, I actually never went to bed last night and I'm really going to try to stay busy today and not nap, so that I can go to bed at a normal hour and get on a good schedule again.

This morning, when I went out to water my plants, a little hummingbird came to visit only I didn't know it until I turned around. Upon my turning around he flew up into the tree.

One of our little hummingbirds




My plan today: blog, paint my toe and finger nails, cookie dough to freeze for another time and I just may bake a batch of oatmeal cranberry cookies for Jarom. Also, make a few dinners to eat this week and freeze for later. Keep you finger crossed I can stay awake and get it all done.

Jarom and Jenna have been working on the lattice work in the backyard. They are replacing some boards and lattice and painting the new one white. Jarom cleared it with the manager and we can take whatever money it costs out of our payment as long as we include the receipts. They did the same thing last month when Jarom found some broken sprinklers. I think they allow us to do it because Jarom knows how, plus it saves them money because they don't have to pay someone to do the labor on top of whatever they need to fix the problem.





We did have an awesome thunder and lightning storm. The thunder was really booming and the lightning was like flash bombs going off in the sky. They were bright and lit up the sky and the dark house. It was pretty cool, even if it was 3am. I love a good thunderstorm any time!

We have been spoiling the dogs a lot. We haven't been putting up the baby gate on the stairs to keep them downstairs, so they have been upstairs in the our bedroom with us at night. They have even been allowed to sleep on the bed with us a few times. Last week, Miss, as usual slept near Jarom's side and Gus cuddled with me for once. He hasn't cuddled with me like that for some time, usually he has been going down to the end by our feet. He stayed cuddled with me all through the night. It was so sweet.

Yesterday afternoon, Jarom came home early from work...well, he was sent home...and everyone else at the High Tech. There is construction for their new building going on right next door to their building and a gas line was broken in the morning. Everyone was ushered outside at 9:30. At 11:00, once PG&E and the fire department showed up, they were told they could go back in and go to work, but that the line would take pretty much the rest of the day to fix. The Chief didn't want to take any chances so she sent everyone home for the day.

It was nice to have him home, but we took a big long nap and Miss got to join us. It was nice. We all cuddled together, with Miss right next to me-her head right next to mine and all cuddled up to me as I snuggled up to Jarom. I wish I had thought to grab the camera to get a picture of all us together-both times; when both were with us and just Miss. The camera is even on my nightstand, ugh.

My flowers are beautiful in the back yard! I took some pictures to share-the big yellow calla lily is so beautiful. Each year the plant grows but doesn't bloom. I planted the bulbs three years ago and each year the leaves of the plant grow, but no flowers. I was starting to wonder if I had another "cucumber with identity issues" again. Jarom and I picked up some cucumber seeds a couple years ago and instead of cucumbers, we got tomatoes! I had started all the tomato seeds inside to transplant later. It was crazy! Anyway, about my yellow calla lily-I am just so excited about seeing it actually bloom. Some of my calla lilies have bloomed since being planted a few years ago but they have not grown as big as my beautiful yellow one...you can see for yourself.

White Day Lilies & Purple Calla Lily


Yellow Calla Lily


Yellow Calla Lily


White Day Lilies


Purple Calla Lily


Morning Glories starting to climb


Disneyland Rosebuds popping up all over


We have had some hummingbirds coming around. Jarom cleaned the hummingbird feeder and filled it with sugar water. We have had some with little red breasts. Not only do they like the feeder but the hanging basket with the little purple flowers that is right next to it.

Hanging basket the hummingbirds like in addition to the feeder


All three of us played Raving Rabbids on the Wii together. I was the loser-and I lost bad, but it was fun. And, I have been maing meals the Weight Watchers way. I've never really cooked unhealthy with fats. I use olive oil and cooking spray when I cook. I have to watch out for the dairy and carbs in the meals and focus on the portion sizes. Last week, I made us mini pizzas on whole wheat pita pocket bread with pizza sauce, low fat mozzarella and turkey pepperoni, and for only 4 points a piece! For 6 points a serving, I made cheese tortellini with fat free marinara sauce. And instead of seperating the chicken breast, I just cut it up and added it to the pasta; I made garlic-parmesan toast too.

Now, I'm off to get some work done that I can check off my list today. I added a couple really special photos on my blog homepage on the left hand side-be sure to check them out.

Oh, thank you Natalie for my little took kit pouch. I think I'm going to use it for my craft tools. Thank You, Natalie!

I'm on a new medication for my depression, but it taking longer than I thought for it to build up in my system-it's been a week now and I'm not seeing a lot of change. I've only had a couple days of no or little sleep, instead I'm finding myself sleeping a lot.

On a good note, I started Weight Watchers again. This time I WILL be successful in my weight loss journey.

Jenna has a job at Kohl's, this is her third week, but it is just part-time. She isn't being scheduled with many hours, but she is being called in quite often above an beyond her scheduled hours. She was hired for merchandising, but she is also trained as a back-up cashier.

My flower pots are blooming like crazy. All my lilies are in full bloom and I noticed another calla lily yesterday-a yellow one. Most of my calla lilies are purple, so the yellow is a nice surprise. My day lilies are huge and very tall. Each year they get taller and bigger, I'm going to have to transplant them next year, I think. I have a lot of other things sprouting or blooming, including all the plants Jarom bought me over Mother's Day.

Yes, they are taller than I.




Miss has this new fascination of sleeping under our bed where there is a missing drawer. I don't know how she can stand to lay under there with that metal bar, but she will sleep under there for hours. Jarom was able to get some cute pictures of her while she was under there the other night.





I had a nice girls night out with Amy and Sydney a few weeks ago. We had dinner at Dos Coyotes and then went to the cinema to see Angels & Demons. It was a great movie and a great evening with friends!

Other than all that, we are pretty boring. Last friday, Jarom said, "We have to be the lamest people we know...sitting on our bed with our laptops playing Mafia Wars and Street Racing on Facebook."