Toys and Collectibles

Childhood Dreams Realized

| marandarussell

You know one awesome aspect of being an adult who collects toys? You can make your childhood dreams come true by buying yourself the toys you wanted most while a kid but never got for one reason or another.

One doll I desperately wanted as a little kid was a Kid Sister doll. For some reason, it just wasn’t meant to be way back then, but I have one now! Just bought this little beauty on Ebay – a rare splurge for myself!

89734850_137702814314252_7873808753135452160_n

Were there any toys you wanted badly as a kid but never got? If you came across it today would you be tempted to get it for yourself?

A Few More Favorite Christmas Gifts From the Hubby

| marandarussell

Hi everyone! I already showed you my adorable stuffed Scar, but thought I would share a few other favorite gifts from my husband (Steve) this year.

First, we have this Halloween wreath that he actually made for me (for years I have been telling him I wanted a Halloween wreath):

IMG_0135

The best thing about this wreath is that all the decorations are removable, so you can redecorate it or swap stuff out whenever you want. He got me a bunch of other decorations (skull lights, creepy flowers, more spiders/cutouts/etc.) to use with it if I so wish.

He also got me this Anubis prayer bead necklace and Anubis & mummy statue set (the mummy actually goes inside the Anubis sarcophagus):

IMG_0136

Steve bought me several books, all of which I like, but my favorites are these two:

81136634_2928396220528051_4575085900563742720_o

80830089_2928397087194631_2062283144798666752_o

Both of these books are very thorough reference materials for two of my favorite subjects – world mythology and world literature! I especially like that both of these do not just center on Greek/European/American history, but are more expansive than that.

So there you have a further peek into my Christmas haul 🙂

 

New Paradise Galleries Reborn Doll – Meet Kat!

| marandarussell

Yesterday I got my newest Paradise Galleries reborn doll in the mail. These dolls are higher end baby dolls with limited number produced, but they are still mass produced, so they aren’t one-of-a-kind reborns. I chose this doll because I loved her face and the slightly sad expression she has (plus she has brown hair and blue eyes like me):

70304125_708570542922488_1250604097598390272_n

I named her Katerina (Kat for short). I bought this new Halloween outfit for her at Target recently and was waiting for her to arrive to try it on:

70946871_2523951340981626_8989157557419376640_n

I know some people might think collecting dolls like this is a weird hobby for an adult, but I don’t care. It brings me happiness and it gives me an excuse to shop for all the cute little stuff in the baby section of the store, without all the hassle of actually taking care of a real baby lol. All the cuteness, none of the work!

 

Jobs I Wish Existed

| marandarussell

68453600_401101410536162_3925063413725659136_n

I have a lot of amazing talents (thank you, autism)…now, if only more of those remarkable abilities were marketable! Here is a list of things I am awesome at that I wish I could get paid to do:

  • Sudoku Master
  • Snake Spotter
  • Hidden Pictures or Spot the Difference Finder
  • LEGO put-together-er
  • Build a Bear Expert (no, I do not want to work in the busy store, I just want to be paid for collecting/playing with Build a Bears and knowing a lot about the brand lol)
  • Video Game Babysitter (I am awesome at babysitting on video games, I’ve gotten a promotion twice in the past week on my new Nintendo DS game)
  • Online Medical Information Gatherer and Hypochondriac
  • Dance Moms super-fan  (I’m way too obsessed with that show)
  • The ability to quote The Lion King (the original of course) from beginning to end – every spoken word, every song lyric.
  • Cartoon character/toy identifier
  • Unicorn admirer

Loving My New Nintendo 2DS

| marandarussell

So I decided to treat myself to the new Nintendo 2DS with Super Mario Bros. 2 pre-installed. Am loving this handheld so far. It reminds me so much of the consoles I grew up with, but with much better graphics and cool internet connections of course.

68669964_2455943651111044_8910059751774093312_n (2)

One semi-sad aspect of my own gaming story is that after my sister died 6 years ago, it was really hard for me to play Super Mario and many other games without tearing up or getting really emotional because it reminded me so much of all the hours I spent playing Nintendo with my sister growing up. It was probably the one thing we spent the most time doing together. Now that sadness has finally passed some and I can actually enjoy playing games again and just have fun. The only downside is that playing can become addictive, so I have to make sure I don’t neglect the things I need and want to do and just play games all day!

Another great thing about this particular DS system is that it is only $79 with the game installed! Not a bad price at all!

Now, if I could only meet some other Mii people in the Mii Plaza via StreetPass! Where are you all???

Video: Nostalgia Crate Subscription Box Unboxing!

| marandarussell

For the other 80’s and 90’s children out there like me, I thought you might like revisiting memory lane with me by watching me unbox the new Nostalgia Crate toy and nerd fandom subscription box I am trying out. Of course, this particular box is geared specifically to my interests and cherished memories, but that is the fun of the box in the first place!

Hope you enjoy! Feel free to follow my YouTube vlog if you want to as well!