Sometimes It Doesn't Pay To Be Frugal

You may find it hard to believe (others certainly do) but somehow I had never heard of American Girl dolls until about a year ago. I went from blissful ignorance to sudden bombardment.

Then my girls discovered American Girl. Sarah Grace started reading the Samantha books, then the Addy books, and on it went. At some point, she became aware that there were actual doll characters to go with each of these books.

And then she and Elizabeth made a friend who has several American Girl dolls.

Naturally, for Christmas all my girls could talk about was wanting American Girl dolls.

However, being the penny pincher I am, I couldn't see forking over the moo-lah it took to own one of these little dolls. So I started researching and became armed with an embarrassing amount of information concerning Madame Alexander, American Girl, Our Generation, and a few others. I knew about issues with arms and hair and stuffing and eye movement. I opted to get one each of two different brands that were considerably less expensive that American Girl.

Woe is me! To recap this story quickly, there is simply no substitute. My girls were pleased as peaches with their dolls, but the quality, or lack there of, was obvious straight out of the box.

By the end of February, I knew that Sarah Grace and Elizabeth would be getting American Girl dolls for their birthdays. The dolls I had so carefully researched and purchased for Christmas were obviously not going to hold up.

I set about figuring out what American Girl dolls were the girl's favorites and then bit the bullet to be sure that Elizabeth's doll arrived in plenty of time for her birthday. To keep Elizabeth as in the dark as possible, I had the doll delivered to a friend's house.

The day finally arrived and I wrapped the box in bright, cheerful paper. Elizabeth was so thrilled! I took pictures, but we are experiencing technical difficulties and I cannot find/access the pictures of that wonderful moment in her sweet life.

The same friend who allowed me to have the doll shipped to her home also put a lot of thought into her family's gift to Elizabeth. Here are Elizabeth and Julie modeling the sweet little pajamas that Auntie Erica lovingly sewed for them!


Julie rarely has time to herself. She changes clothes several times a day and her hair is carefully kept tangle free. She is very loved.

The girls are already planning an American Girl doll tea party with all of their friends after Sarah Grace's birthday. They are also asking for both dolls and themselves to all have matching dresses. They haven't totally discarded the dolls they got for Christmas, but Julie is the definite favorite of the bunch.

Stay tuned to see who Sarah Grace's American Girl will be!