And suddenly I have three Crissy dolls. The one on the far left is my original Growing Hair Crissy, the one I've had since age 3 or 4. Don't ask me why I still have her. Usually she lives under my bed and when Amanda came to sleep over a few weeks ago, I pulled her out and Amanda was smitten, hinting several times that she'd just looooove it if Crissy could come live at her house. Since I hadn't come up with a good birthday gift yet, I went on eBay and eventually found a still-working Crissy for under $15 (the one in the middle). When she arrived she smelled strongly of cigarette smoke so I put her out in the patio storage closet in a bag with baking soda for several days and managed to get most of the smell out. But after washing and brushing her hair it became apparent that some kid (or maybe a weird adult) cut off far too much of it, and then the growing hair mechanism stopped working. Back to eBay, where I found another working Crissy for about $10. She arrived two days ago and thankfully is in fabulous condition.

My Crissy is wearing pants she's had had since 1973 and a top graciously donated by Amanda from one of the dolls she brought with her to the sleepover. Middle Crissy arrived in a baggy dress that I suspect was made to fit an American Girl doll (same height, thicker 'round the torso) that I washed and plan to fix so it will fit better. In the meantime she is wrapped in a little crocheted jacket that I think Grandma Hedstrom made for a baby doll. Last Crissy arrived naked and is now wearing an aftermarket outfit I also got from eBay after unsuccessfully bidding on a few lots of original clothing. It's very cute and very Amanda-ish.

This photo also shows the strips of clear packing tape on the edges of my living room chair which have been applied in a futile effort to keep Koosh from ripping up my furniture. Oh, well. The two chairs cost me $50 each so it could be a lot worse.