Well, I finally did get my box! After tantalizing me on the mailroom shelf for a grand total of 6 hours, the staff changed shifts. I met my Bible Study group next door to the mailroom and told them my woes. They all agreed I should go politely and ask the new worker- who happily gave me the box! Everyone at Bible Study was very sweet and pored over the items and catalogue.

So, here's what I got:

Marisol's Dance Duffel & Cat: This is really cute! The bag is pretty roomy and will fit her ballet slippers and several other things in it. The phone arrived with the correct time and date! I love the little ID/ charm tag; they're really darling. I'm thinking of getting the Marisol club charm so I can put it on her bag as well. The water bottle and energy bar are so-so. They're cute little additions but that's about it. The ace bandage doesn't stick very well to itself and would probably snag anyway, so I'm just going to leave it rolled up. I don't know if the band-aids are stickers or if they're like Colorforms (reusable). I don't want to peel them off in case they are stickers. Does anyone else know? Rascal is cute. His face is a little smushy, but hey, he's Himalayan, right? I like him. [img]smile.gif[/img] Grade: A-

Marisol's Practice Outfit: A keeper. I haven't tried giving her a bun yet, so I don't know if it has enough pins to work, but I do have all the bobby pins from the Doll Hair book/brush set I got last year. The leotard is nice- I love that there is no velcro to snag. It was a little snug putting over the arms since it has no closure/opening, but it's very nice. The skirt is cute and fits well, I just wish it had been pressed. The tights are cute, they're higher than I expected. When I danced, footless tights were verboten, but I like how I can pull her cargo pants right over them w/o the tights showing. The slippers come w/ little cardboard inserts. Are those supposed to stay in or not? The shoes are very shapeless. I don't like the placement of the strap, but that is just because I was trained to be a stickler on elastic strap placement. [img]smile.gif[/img] Grade: A

Marisol's Spotlight Outfit: The pointe shoes have hard soles/ points! Nice! I got this outfit in case I wanted it later, because I don't really care for the color scheme. I figured if I liked it down the line, I'd be sad I didn't get it for regular prices before post-retirement eBay markups. The leotard is cute, but I'm worried it will snag on its own velcro (it is the new "safety" velcro). The sleeves are pretty tight. The scoop-neck back is pretty but definitely shows the neckstrings, especially with her hair up. The skirt was a PAIN! The little snaps will not stay shut and the skirt was packed so that it is very oddly shaped and doesn't lay nicely at all. I put a hairtie around it to see if I can reshape it, but I will be calling customer service tomorrow to see if I can get one with better snaps. You can see how the snaps are slightly scrunched, especially in comparison to the snaps on the skirt from the practice outfit. I didn't expect much from the choker- but it's great! It's snug enough that it doesn't look non-chokery and the velvet is pretty. I do wish this outfit came w/ the tiara because I don't want the spotlight stage. I can always find one at Wisconsin Craft Market, though. Grade: B

Rectangle Glasses: I lost the first pair in our summer move. I had to replace them because they're so cute! My Marisol wears glasses. [img]smile.gif[/img] Grade: A+

And my eBay purchase.... Thank you so much everyone for PMing me and helping me get this outfit, y'all!

Wood Fairy Outfit: This languished in my shopping cart until it one day disappeared upon retirement. Argh! This outfit reminds me of the fairies in Midsummer Night's Dream, one of my favorite ballets. I had to get it for Marisol, so she can play Peaseblossom! The color combination is really cute, especially considering she got it when she was wearing the Go Anywhere Outfit. The detail stitching on the leotard looks a little like snags, but up close they are leaves. The headpiece is so darling! I have no complaints except that the shoes are so tight that the little "cuffs" lie flat against Marisol's ankles instead of slightly flaring like on the model. I'm so happy I got this!!! Grade: A

And finally...
Alphabet City Ballet: I got this "original" Marisol book from our public library. I'm so glad I read it because I didn't care for the style of her first book at all. Although this one has more mature themes, I LOVED it. This Marisol has a real personality; I especially loved how she overcame her prejudice toward her immigrant friend from the shelter. This made me love her character much more than I ever did based off the Gary Soto version. DP works at Border's and gets a discount, even on out-of-print books, so I will be buying this one. Grade: A+