[Story] The Great Christmas Card Migration

Mommy: "Are you almost done with your cards Tama-chan?"

Tamayuki: "Yah, I just want to put on just one more sticker."

Tamayuki: "And maybe this one too..."

Mommy: "Ok, but no more after that. We need to get these mailed before 2014!"

Tamayuki: *scratches his head*

Tamayuki: "Um... little birdie, where did you go?"

Mommy: *giggles* "Its in your hair silly boy."

Tamayuki: "You're not supposed to sit in my hair sticker birdie even though you are really cute. You can sit right here on this sticker cookie house so you can munch on it if you get hungry."

Tamayuki: *drops the whole pile of cards on the bed* "Whew, those are heavy."

Tamayuki: "Naiomi, could you help me put these in the envelopes? Mommy went to get them because she already wrote the addresses on them. I'm glad I didn't have to do that part."

Naiomi: "Wow! That's a lot of cards. I didn't know you had so many to make. Sure I'll help you stuff them in the envelopes."

Tamayuki: *whispers* "But there is one more thing we have to do."

Tamayuki: "Each one has to have a hug squeezed into it to make sure it has lots of love in it."

*Naiomi bites her lip so she doesn't giggle at her adorable brother and make him feel bad*

Naiomi: "Sure Tama-chan, that's a very important thing to do. We want all of our friends to be happy and feel very loved."

Mommy: "Rainie, are you ready to help open our Christmas cards from the card exchange?"

Rainie: "I'm not Rainie."

Rainie: "I'm Harvard, the Christmas Elf!"

*Naiomi snickers at her little sister*

Mommy: "What??"

Naiomi: "She is trying to work on her spy disguises."

Yuriko: "Me first Mama! I got this great hat and scarf. Don't I look stylish? How did Amara77 know what Daddy's favorite color is? She even sent me some sugar cookies with red and green sprinkles!"

Naiomi: "Miss Kale sent us the leaf hair clip and this adorable strawberry necklace. I really like it but I already have my favorite necklace. Is it alright if we just put it in my costume trunk for now Mama?"

Mommy: "That's fine. I'm sure you'll find a perfect use for it later. It is very cute."

Rainie: *attempts to speak in as manly of a voice as a little girl can manage* "Ah, I like this flower very much. It matches my elf hat. Er... my hat."

*Dolly starts cracking up at Rainie's voice and the wiggling mustache*

Tamayuki: "Mommy here are the two cards from Nyanko Sensei, the Boys Club, and HON, but you forgot the box they came in."

Mommy: "I didn't forget. They are being saved so you can open them Christmas morning."

Naiomi: "Mama, can we ask miss Archangeli for this dress pattern? I want to make one like that."

Mommy: "Not everyone sews Naiomi but I'm sure you could figure out how to make it if she doesn't."

Yuriko: "Hey Naiomi, Manami wants more pretty pictures of you! Let's get right on that!"

Dolly: "Stupid pin! Give... me... my... hat!" *yanks on the hat trying to disconnect it from the pin unsuccessfully, kicking over DefectiveAngel's card*

Rainie: "Commander Rainie isn't available for comment at the moment, but I will convey your message miss Littlebearries."

Tamayuki: "Look at the cute little tree hiding inside! I like the button ornaments because they are little too! Thank you Nyanko Sensei and everyone!"

Yuriko: "Oh goody! More fashion accessories! RedLion knows how to find pictures of cute girls too!" *claps happily*

Naiomi: "She has a darling face Mama. Do you think PlasticFantastic would let her act in my theater troupe?"

Mommy: "Naiomi, you need to have a theater first...  and besides I don't think she would want to move to the states."

Dolly: "Why is there a bunch of pics of girls in these cards?"

Rainie: "Hello Averis' girls. And what do you want for Christmas?"

Naiomi: *whispers* "Rainie, you sound like a creepy old man."

Tamayuki: *giggles* "Tee hee hee. Sticker Santa is reading all the letter's that Vegablack's girls wrote to him."

*Perry quietly pulls out the strawberry necklace and looks at how sparkly it is*

Yuriko: "Mama, these are cookie trees. We need more of them."

Naiomi: "There are also pictures of sweets on the wonderful letter that Aquilla429 wrote."

Dolly: "Dude, this cat is even bigger than Mr. MooseMoose! I think he ate Luminei."

Rainie: *talks quietly in her own voice* "Miss Nekopon sent a snowflake necklace?"

Tamayuki: "Look Mommy, Jezrah sent me tons of stickers!"

*Perry gently hugs the 'I believe in Santa' pin*

Yuriko: "This had Tama-chan's name on it, but I think SakuraSylph & DJStarStryker would like how it looks better with my yukata." *giggles*

Naiomi: "What a wonderful picture on AerisAquata's card! Maybe Papa will let me hang it  in my room next Christmas."

Rainie: "Now I have a necklace just like my big sisters." *sniff*

Dollie: *quietly talks to himself* "I'll give this one to Rainie. She can add it to her spy files, and what Innocentsake doesn't know won't hurt her. Tama would give it to her anyways."

Tamayuki: "This one can go right here..."

*Perry puts some little presents under the tiny tree*

Daddy: "Um Harvard, you have the wrong card. That's Rainie's card." *chuckles*

Rainie: *talking in her manly elf voice again* "Uh... I'm keeping it safe until Commander Rainie can retrieve it." *hugs the card*

Yuriko: "I'll just put my card in my new bag with my other goodies..."

Naiomi: "Papa, look at the cards Shinegamix sent us! We each have our own and then one for the whole family. They are all so pretty!"

Tamayuki: "A cute baby kitty! He's so cute and fuzzy so I have to give him a hug!"

Dolly: "And this must be mine..." *RIP*

*Perry sets out sugary sweets for Santa*

Dolly: "Santa decided coal was too expensive and gives scum instead!" *snickers*

Yuriko: "If its candy, it's mine!!"

Rainie: "What? I never got that memo."

Tamayuki: "Mommy, I don't think this is Japanese..."

Mommy: "You're right it isn't. Coffee & Migon sent it all the way from Sweden."

*Hello Kitty sneaks in to see what Perry is up to*

Naiomi: "Thank you to all of our wonderful friends around the world who sent us a card or gifts. Each one of you have given us the best Christmas we could have asked for. This hasn't been an easy year for Mama and Papa so looking at all of these cards and photos make them very happy. And to all of our friends on the forums, thank you for helping make everyday something to look forward to this last year. We love all of you."

Dolly: "Fleece Navi's Dad!"

Rainie: "Merry Christmas!"

Tamayuki: "Happy Holidays!"

Yuriko: "Pleasant Yuletide!"

Naiomi: "Joyeux Noel!"

[Story] Many Thanks

(Originally posted Nov 24, 2012 on the Dollfie Dreams forums)

Mommy: "Are you guys ready for Thanksgiving? Daddy had to work last night so we will have dinner when he wakes up."

Tamayuki: "Can I help cook?" *claps his hands excitedly*

Rainie: "Yuriko and me are going to have a video game tournament. Daddy said we could."

Yuriko: "Do we get snacks? I want snacks with lots of sugar. And maybe some popcorn because Native Americans used to eat that. How about caramel corn? Nah, just skip the popcorn and give me the caramels."

Naiomi: "What is there to do now that the Thanksgiving Day parade is over?"

Dolly: *Whispers to Iron Man* "Ready... aim..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  A little while later...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tamayuki: "There, that looks like it is mixed enough."

Naiomi: "What are you up to Tama-chan?"

Tamayuki: "I'm helping make a pie. It will be little just for us! Mommy said I'm old enough to learn to cook. When she was my age, Grammy Pammy had her doing lots of cooking."

Tamayuki: "Mommy even started decorating cakes when she was as little as me and Rainie. She said that they weren't very good, but it was still fun. Are you going to help cook Naiomi?"

Naiomi: "Papa told me to be a big help to Mama today, and I asked her if I could do anything. She had me open a can of olives. After my cooking at Halloween she doesn't want to trust me in the kitchen with a spoon."

Tamayuki: "Yay I did it and it didn't rip!"

Naiomi: "Good job Tama-chan!"

*Somewhere in the background shouts erupted*

Yuriko: "Rainie, quit playing sniper on me! We are supposed to be on the same team since we are both stormtroopers!"

Rainie: "You only think I'm a stormtrooper when I am really part of the rebel forces. My disguise is flawlwss!"

Dolly: "Hurry and grab that frag grenade Rainie! Chuck it at her before she can run away."

*a loud boom proceeds the two young combatants fit of giggling*

Naiomi: "Are you supposed to poke holes in the crust? Won't the filling leak out and make a mess?"

Tamayuki: "If you don't poke holes it will get bubbles under it and spill out all the filling. Pie crusts are kinda silly that way."

Yuriko: "If THAT'S how your gonna play... Take this!"

Dolly: "Incoming!"

*another loud boom sounds*

Rainie: "Medic! Where's my medic pack?"

Naiomi: "Here is the rubber scraper."

Tamayuki: "Thanks. What kind of pie do you like best Naiomi?"

Naiomi: "Hmmm... well on Thanksgiving it would have to be pumpkin. But if it wasn't a special holiday it would be lemon meringue. Or maybe cherry, but then there is peach too... and rhubarb! But how about Mama's chocolate peanut butter pie..."

Tamayuki: "Grammy Pammy made a thirty-two pickle pie once."

Naiomi: "Pickle pie? Ewww..."

Tamayuki: "She made it for Grandpa Day and he liked it because she used sweet pickles. Sounds like something Rainie would want. She put pickles on her pizza last week."

Naiomi: "I don't know what is wrong with that girl. The only thing that makes her seem like a girl is her long hair and she wears skirts sometimes. What little girl doesn't like dresses and frilly things but instead would rather play in the dirt? Once I found her digging up worms and asked her if she was going fishing. She said that she was relocating them to a safer location so they wouldn't be hurt during her spy troop training."

Tamayuki: "I bet that didn't make the worms happy that they had to find new homes." *takes a deep breath to yell into the kitchen with his tiny voice* "Mommy, I'm done making the pie!"

Mommy: "Ok dearheart, I'll get it in just a minute."

~~~~~~~~~
  Dinnertime
~~~~~~~~~

Mommy: "Rainie, you need to eat some veggies. Ask Yuriko to pass you the peas."

Rainie: *talks with a mouth full of food* "But Mama, I have pumpkin rolls and olives. They are veggies. And there is apples in my cider so I have fruit too."

Yuriko: "All that cranberry sauce is mine! I'm a sweet-atarian so I have to eat all the good stuff."

Dolly: "Gimmie lots of that turkey!"

Tamayuki: "That's not turkey, Dolly. Mommy and Daddy are vegetarians. It's pretend meat that Mommy made from garbanzo beans and some wheat stuff. I like it a lot because it is yummy."

Dolly: "What's Thanksgiving without meat? And leftover turkey sandwiches with lots of mayo?"

Naiomi: "Don't worry Dolly, I can make us some hamburgers or turkeyburgers tomorrow."

Tamayuki: "My favorite leftovers are smashed potatoes, pumpkin rolls and cranberry butter!"

Daddy: "The best Thanksgiving dinner is fake meat sandwiches on pumpkin rolls dripping with gravy!"

Dolly: "Whoever attacks the pie first gets the biggest piece!"

Tamayuki: "Wait, I have to take a picture of my pie first!"

Daddy: "What kind do you want Rainie?"

Rainie: "Um... I want both."

Naiomi: "Do I eat pecan pie now and save some pumpkin for tomorrow? If I do will Yuriko eat it all before I get any? Pumpkin pie is better the second day but it doesn't quite feel like Thanksgiving without it."

Yuriko: *chuckles to herself* "I have the first course of my dessert right here..."

Daddy: "And here is my piece of pie..." *takes the whole people sized pumpkin pie*

Mommy: "Hey, I wanted a piece of that too you know!"

~~~~~
I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. I had such fun doing this photo story, especially knowing that I'd be able to share it with all of you. Originally I had planned on doing a more extensive Tamayuki and Naiomi cooking show style of story, but my back problems really started to act up. I'm sorry that Rainie looks weird without a faceup or a mouth. She has technically been around since Tamayuki got here. Since she had to miss out on Halloween (because of her face) she wasn't going to tolerate missing another holiday, especially one that is all about family. I thought it might be interesting for those who don't celebrate the holiday to see a little of what Thanksgiving can be like. There is so many little things in here that remind me what it was like when I was a kid. I was always helping my mom with small cooking chores (never pie crust though), me and my siblings tried to stay out of the kitchen because we would almost always be in the way, until mom hollered at us to help. Every holiday after my brother got his NES he was constantly playing it in the background, often me being the backseat gamer because he wouldn't let me touch it.

A lot of work was put into getting this done and still being able to celebrate the holiday, yet even days later my heart is still full of happiness. I was really unsure what it would be like spending Thanksgiving with our DD instead of my rowdy family (I just couldn't deal with people after stress from school.) It was so much fun that I don't regret it at all. I had hoped to get more of a complete story in, but it just gives me more to look forward to next year when I will have a better idea of what I'm doing and more space. Every time I do these stories I find out more about my kids, and see how each one of them reacts. For way too many years, any holidays seemed to be more effort than they were worth, but now with our DD I have a reason to care. Never before have I found such a rewarding and worthwhile hobby. <3

[Story] Belated Halloween Mini Story

(Originally posted Nov 12, 2012 on the Dollfie Dreams forums)

Mommy: "Are you all ready for Halloween Tamayuki?"

Tamayuki: "Yep and I'm all dressed up too! I get to wear my kitty ears as long as I want! I have to be careful not to step on my own tail."

Mommy: "How about you tell everyone who you are dressed up as."

Tamayuki: "Kitty Maowser, M.D.! Kitties are better than doggies any day. I even have glasses, a clipboard, and a big coat like doctors are supposed to."

*Tamayuki quickly shifts his hand from his pocket to his mouth*

Mommy: "Are you eating something?"

Tamayuki: "Um, I thought I had to cough." *fakes a small cough* "See, that one was a surprise."

*Dolly quietly sneaks up undetected*

Dolly: "BOO!"

Tamayuki: "AAAHHHH!" *In surprise Tama dropped his clipboard and a small rainbow fell from his pocket when his hand jerked out* "Dolly, you scared me!"

Dolly: "It's Halloween dude! I had to trick someone. Stupid Yuriko didn't even scream when she found my bug plague in her hair this morning."

Mommy: "Tama-chan, I thought you weren't eating anything."

Tamayuki: "Um..."

Dolly: "Alright, Candy! That one's mine! Stupid eye holes, quit moving around so much!"

Tamayuki: "I was only following Doctor's orders Mommy."

Dolly: *Trips on the sheet and does a faceplant* "Ouch. I still call dibs on that one over there!"

[Story] A Halloween Recipe

(Originally posted Nov 03, 2012 on the Dollfie Dreams forums)

Naiomi: "Hello and welcome to my festive cooking show. Normally I'm too busy to cook everyday so I make sure to do something special when the holidays come around. Since today is Halloween, I have dusted off an old crockpot to use for that old world ambiance and mystery. First I'll add these grade A+ brains, in perfect condition and such a pretty rose pink."

Naiomi: "In they go!"

*the ominous pot boils*

Naiomi: "Now add two robin's eggs."

Naiomi: "Make sure they are added whole, otherwise they will dry onto your cookware and it would take an ogre's strength to scrub it off."

Naiomi: "Next we have a little bit of sugar. You simply can't go wrong with sugar. It makes sweet things sweeter, bitter things better, and it has all the essential nutrients that DD's need. It's just basic nutrition my dearies."

Naiomi: "Woopsie daisy! The sugar bowl wasn't supposed to fall in. I guess I'll have to fish it out later. For the viewers at home, a spoonful of sugar will do just fine."

*mumbles*

"I hope that doesn't affect my recipe too much... Oh well, that's just part of the fun in cooking!"

Naiomi: "Next we have some rainbow colored bone sprinkles kindly donated by my little brother. Why sprinkles? Can you think of a single reason why not? No? Neither could I. Make sure to sprinkle them into the pot so they don't stick together. Or was it you're not supposed to sprinkle them so the do stick together? Maybe sprinkle half, and then throw the rest in all at once."

Naiomi: "Oh, now I have the dish leftover. I'll add that too so the sugar bowl won't be lonely."

*The pot makes a large belching sound*

Naiomi: "Oh my! Well, that was a bit unexpected. Now don't be afraid to improvise with new recipes as long as you keep the general idea in mind. If it calls for a certain portion of an ingredient, like swamp moss, don't replace it with half as much of sea sprite spit or the recipe will never work."

*The pot burps again, spilling foam down the side*

Naiomi: "Next comes the shrunken skeleton. In most areas these are only available for a short time during the autumn season so grab them before they are sold out for the year. Bring an umbrella with you to the supermarket to fend off those old hags who cut in line last year just so they could keep the best skellies to themselves."

Naiomi: "In you go pipsqueak."

Naiomi: "Now for a little something I've been keeping under my hat."

Naiomi: "Be a nice little fella and hop into the pot."

Tiny Frog: *makes no move that may look like jumping and instead stares at the lovely green clad witch*

Naiomi: "Please?"

Tiny Frog: *pointedly he scoots in the direction away from the pot*

Naiomi: "Oh, well that's all right. I can just save you for later."

Tiny Frog: *happily he croaks* "Ke-ro-ro-ro-pi."

Naiomi: "Now, what was that last ingredient..."

Naiomi: "Ah yes, here it is! It's my secret ingredient! If you have your own special ingredient, this is the perfect time to add it."

Keroppi: *croaks*

Naiomi: "No, the box is not the secret ingredient my little fellow."

Keroppi: *croaks again and looks meaningfully at the box*

Naiomi: "But if I say what's in the box it won't be a secret. Shush now, I'm trying to make a cooking show."

Naiomi: "At last, everything is in the pot and almost ready."

*The pot begins to boil aggressively, spilling even more froth over the sides*

Keroppi: *croaks nervously*

Naiomi: "Take your strongest spoon and stir vigorously for half a minute in one direction and two minutes in the opposite direction."

Keroppi: *quickly retreats*

Naiomi: "My goodness! What happened to my spoon? It was rated for 5000 miles and had a warranty for up to ninety days, but that expired three weeks ago. Well, perhaps I can use it for a prop wand?"

Naiomi: "It seems a bit long but it could work as a gentleman's cane as well. "

Naiomi: "Oh bother, not again. I was sure this was the recipe for kettle corn. At least both my pots are the same size now."

Naiomi: "Well folks, now you know a foolproof way to shrink those heavy cauldrons into a more convenient portable size."

Naiomi: "Fancy that! It is like a crackerjack box with a prize inside. I wonder what it could be."

Naiomi: "An adorable little... apple? Well anyway, I'm sorry to say that our time is up and I hope you can join me next time. Have a Happy Halloween!"

*mumbles to herself*

"How in the Great Pumpkin does an apple come from all of that? I was sure that the gent in the grocery store said how no one could make kettle corn like his granny. The recipe did seem a bit odd, someone had doodled in the margins but they weren't a very good artist. Perhaps it is a candied apple now with all the sugar. A sweet, perfectly red little apple."

Keroppi: *suspiciously watches the remains of the mysterious spoon*

As for the stick-like spoon, it astutely maintained it's wooden expression.



... To Be Continued?