2017 Wrapup

Well, well, well.

On June 1st, 2017, I (AGs in Alaska) published my first post. Since then, amazing things have happened.

I have 45 followers.

I have published 80 posts, including this one.

I have gotten 2,932 views!

I have views from these countries:

• United States
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Spain
• India
• France
• Kenya
• New Zealand
• Greece
• Ireland
• UAE
• Brunei
• Romania
• Indonesia
• Japan

And I have done some pretty epic photostories/shoots!

In June, I did my first tutorial on how to make an AG stopmotion.

In July, I did my first-ever photoshoot feauturing Crystal. Here are my favorite pictures from that:

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I was also nominated for my first award by the AG Homeschooler!

In August, I did my first photostory with Lindsey and Morgan. Boy, was that a mess. It was raining and my mom’s iPad was getting all wet. 😦 That was the day of the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse!

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In September, I celebrated 20 followers!

I also participated in the Back-To-School Tag (thanks, Kaylyn!)

In October, I started doing Day in The Life posts, beginning with Crystal.

The girls also celebrated Halloween with a ridiculous spooky prank!

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In November, we had a epic birthday bash!

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The girls also celebrated Thanksgiving!

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I also did my first Q & A! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Then, December got a little bit crazy.

I worked crazy hard to get the Twelve Days of Christmas done. Here are the highlights of that:

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And, on Christmas Day, the AGIA family welcomed Tessa Elizabeth into the family!

 

And now . . . it’s New Year’s Eve????

Seriously, that does not seem possible. Just yesterday I was ringing in 2017. And now? It’s almost 2018, people!!!!

I want to give a HUGE thank-you to every one of you amazing people who read my blog! I am inspired and impressed by each and every one of you guys daily. I want to give a few special shout-outs to:

• Kaylyn
• Madi
• Ava
• Hope

You guys are amazing and I could not do this whole blogging thing without your support and encouragement. When I first started blogging just six short months ago, I never imagined that I would make such amazing friends as you guys.

Happy New Year from the American Girls in Alaska family! I hope 2018 is wonderfully blessed for you with all of God’s grace and love!

Love,

AGs in Alaska, Crystal, Lindsey, McKenna, Morgan, Emily, Molly, Grace, Tessa, and . . . Coconut, Grace (the dog), Cooper, Chocolate Chip, Yank, Bennet, and Bonbon

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

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Doll Stuff I Got For Christmas

Hello, everyone!!! There has been a lot happening in the AGBC with Luciana’s upcoming release, Truly Me boy dolls, and whatnot. But I won’t be discussing that right now, becuase . . .

In this post, I will be showing you what I got for Christmas that is doll-related! I am not trying to brag. I just want to show you what I got, because I am super excited about it!!!!!

First off, we have Kit’s Photographer Outfit. I think this thing is so darn cute. My grandma got it for me, just like she got all of the other AG outfits I will be showing you today.

Here is the Blue Rhinestone Studded Dress. I like it a lot, except the hemline is a little short. Some leggings could fix that, but I was being lazy and not wanting to dig through my AG clothes.

This is the AG Graphic Fashion Tee! I think it’s adorable, personally. Since I don’t care for Em’s PJ shirt right now, I think this will be her new one. It matches the pants perfectly!

This last outfit is Z’s Sightseeing Outfit. IT’S SO CUTE!!!!! It looks adorable on Tessa. The dress is gorgeous with and without the shirt.

My best friend got me these two pairs of glasses. Tessa can be a movie star OR a nerd!! Can it get any better???? Which pair do you think looks best on her?

The same friend also gave me this super-cute pattern for AG pajamas!!!

Lastly, my father bought me this AWESOME TRIPOD!!!! IT IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED!!!!! The pictures of the dolls and presents above were taken using the tripod, and they look so much better!

I will be getting Tessa’s profile up hopefully today, so check back soon for that!

P.S. I will be getting a new sign-off on January 1st – and I am thinking about revamping my blog’s design!!!!

The Christmas Tag

Hi, guys. I hope you are recovering from Christmas yesterday, whether that involves coming out of a food coma, cleaning up wrapping paper, or lounging on the couch in your pajamas. 🙂

Jewel tagged me for The Christmas Tag, which I promised I would do yesterday, but I wound up being kind of busy and it sort of slipped my mind. Sorry about that, Jewel.

Here are the rules for the tag:

– thank the person that nominated you with a link to their blog
– add the picture in your blog (the red one above)
– copy these rules into your post
– add a link to the original post (https://foreveramericangir.wordpress.com/2017/12/21/christmas-tag/)
– answer the ten questions (you can add extra Christmas-related questions if you want)
– tag at least three other bloggers with links to their blogs
– have fun!

These are the ten questions!

What is your favorite thing about Christmas??

I love picking out presents for everyone, wrapping them, and placing them under the tree. Also, I love the spirit of the season and how everyone seems really happy. Plus, there are Christmas parties to go to!

-What is your favorite Christmas memory??

Hmm. Let me think about that . . . okay, this isn’t my favorite memory, but looking back on it is kind of funny. In 2012, I had really wanted McKenna’s loft bed. I was looking through my mom’s email for something (I really wasn’t snooping, I was actually looking for a specific email that pertained to me, I just can’t remember what it was), and I came across an email to our neighbor. Well, since I was much younger at the time and had no self-control whatsoever, I read the email, and as it turned out, my neighbor was keeping McKenna’s bed at her house until Christmas.

Although now that I think about it, that was for Hanukkah.

-Do you have any Christmas traditions?? 

Yep! We always get pajamas on Christmas Eve, and then wear them while we drive around at look at Christmas lights! It’s really fun!

-What is your Christmas wish??

Well, I really wanted to get a tripod for Christmas, which I did!!!!!!! *squeals* 

-What is your favorite Christmas dish??

I make a really yummy pie called a Double Musky pie, plus my dad makes prime rib, which is really good too.

– What is your favorite Christmas decoration??

This year my mom hung garlands above our window and strung lights through them. I looks really pretty. (But of course the tree is lovely too.) 🙂

 

-Whats your favorite Christmas song?

I love O Holy Night and Hallelujah.

-Where do you usually celebrate Christmas?

In our living room. 😉

-What does the Christmas spirit mean to you?

I think it means to set aside your differences to come together as a big family. Amidst all the hubbub, I think we’re trying to slow down all the hubbub and remember the important things in life.

-Out of anyone in the world would you want to spend Christmas with?

I honestly have no answer to this question. 🙂

Okay, that’s all for the tag. Since Christmas is over, I will tag anyone who wants to do this. Sorry I didn’t get to this yesterday!

Twelve Days of Christmas, Day #12: Surprise! (A Photostory) + Giveaway Winner

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!!

It’s Christmas! Finally! December 25th, 2017.

I hope you all are having a very merry Christmas. Please, chat away in the comments. Tell me what you got, what you’re having for dinner, how your family celebrated, traditions, etc.

And now, onto the epic Christmas photostory I promised you! (Apologies in advance for any blurry/dark pictures!)

“Can we open presents now?” Lindsey begs.

 

“Why not?” Crystal replies. “It is Christmas, after all.”

“I think this one is for you, Lindsey,” Molly says, handing Lindsey a bright red bag.

Lindsey unwraps the present.

“The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict!” she squeals. “Thank you thank you thank you!!!”

“This one is yours, Grace,” Morgan says sweetly, holding up a brown box tied with a bright red bow.

Grace opens the box. “Earrings!”

“This one is for you, Morgan,” Emily tells her sister softly.

“Aw, a chew toy for Chocolate Chip! He’ll love it – thank you!” Morgan exclaims.

“Now, here’s your present, Em,” Morgan says, handing Emily a Santa Claus bag.

Emily pulls out the wrapping paper.

“Oh, a music book!”

“Thank you, everybody.”

“Hey, Crystal, here’s yours,” Molly tells Crystal, holding up her present.

“Oh, for me?” Crystal asks. “Thank you.”

“Eek! A fairy costume! Hold on, let me go put it on!” Crystal shrieks.

She returns a few minutes later wearing the glitzy costume.

“McKenna, this one is yours,” Lindsey says.

McKenna opens the box excitedly. “A FITBIT!!!!”

“It fits perfectly!” McKenna exclaims. “You guys are da best!”

“Here, Molly,” Grace says, holding up an owl bag. “I think this one is yours.”

Molly pulls out the tissue paper, practically smothering herself.

“SAT Secrets! It’s just what I wanted!” Molly exclaims. “Thank you so much!”

Lindsey snorts ungracefully.

Emily elbows her. “Lindsey.”

All of a sudden, the doorbell rings.

“Hey, who’s going to get that?” McKenna asks. “We’re all in our pajamas.”

“I’ll get it,” Crystal answers. “I’m the only one not in my PJs.”

“Um, Crystal, maybe you shouldn’t-”

Crystal ingores her and jets up the stairs in her fairy costume.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“Oh, my apologies,” Crystal says, sliding her fairy mask on top of her head.

“Is this the American Girls in Alaska family?” the girl asks in a Southern accent.

Crystal nods. “Yes, it is. I’m Crystal.”

“Hey, who’s this?” Grace asks, bounding up the stairs.

“I have no idea,” Crystal replies.

“I’m Tessa,” the girl says in a Southern accent.

“Hey, I’m Grace,” Grace introduces herself.

Molly suddenly appears out of nowhere. “Hello. I’m Molly. Sorry we’re all in our pajamas.”

“It’s fine,” Tessa says. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hey, who’re you?” Lindsey asks rudely.

“Lindsey, be nice,” Morgan chides, appearing behind Lindsey. “Hi, I’m Morgan, and this is Lindsey.”

“Are you our new sister?” McKenna asks. “Hi, I’m McKenna.”

“And this is Emily,” Morgan says, prodding Emily forward.

“Why don’t you come downstairs?” Crystal asks Tessa.

“Alright,” Tessa agrees.

Back downstairs, Morgan says, “We’re so sorry, Tessa. We don’t have a present for you.”

“Yes, you do,” Tessa tells her. “You’re my new family. And that’s the best thing I could ask for.”

WELCOME TESSA!

-End of Photostory-

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I GOT A NEW DOLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tessa Elizabeth is a customized Truly Me #24 doll who I bought off of Ebay. I purchased a wig from Beautifully Custom, the Cocoa Caramel Swirl wig. Isn’t it gorgeous????

Anyway, I love Tessa sooooo much, and I hope you’ll all welcome her into the American Girls in Alaska family.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for . . .

The giveaway winner!

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Kaylyn!

Congratulations, Kaylyn!

I will be contacting you shortly to get your shipping address.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered!

If you would like to enter another giveaway of mine, never fear, because I will be doing one shortly. I am thinking about doing one for my 100th post, which is very soon.

A big thank you to AG Doll Dreams for her amazing Fitbit tutorial and to Micah @ Mixiepixie7 on YouTube for her mini book tutorial. Go check out AG Doll Dreams blog here and, if you’re allowed to, check out Micah’s channel on YouTube.

Okay, everyone! That is all for now! I will be back later today with The Christmas Tag, which I was nominated for. But until then . . .

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Twelve Days of Christmas, Day #11: Christmas is . . . Caroling

Okay, everybody! This is it! The last TDOC post before Day #12 – Christmas!!!!! Can you believe it’s just one day away???

ONE. DAY.

I can’t believe it, either. In the meantime, here’s a very, very short photostory!

There’s a knock on the door. I rush over to answer it.

It’s carolers! (Sorry this picture is so dark.)

“Hi,” I squeak nervously. I’ve never been very good around people.

(Also, now you can see how amazing Em’s hair looks!)

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly. Fa la la la la, la la la la!” they sing merrily.

“Troll the ancient yuletide carol, fa la la la la, la la la la.”

“Thank you so much!” I cry. “Merry Christmas!”

Okay, that was it. This post is super short because I HAVE to get to work on my Christmas photostory. It’s going to take a long time to do, so I’ve gotta go!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Countdown to Christmas: One day!

Twelve Days of Christmas, Day #10: Christmas is . . . Holiday Hairstyles

Day #10???? Say what now????? 

Yep! It’s Day #10 of TDOC here on American Girls in Alaska. Today I will be doing my first ever hair tutorial! I will be showing you two cute holiday hairstyles, as modeled by Grace and Emily!

Style #1: Flipped Braid Bun

Step 1: Braid your doll’s hair.

Step 2: Grab the braid by the end and pull it up. (My mom is holding it here, Grace’s hair is not floating.) 🙂

Step 3: Tuck the elastic part under the braid.

Step 4: Bobby pin the braid so that it stucks to the doll’s head.

Ta-da! Simple and chic!

Hairstyle #2: French Twist Braid

Step 1: Seperate a small section of hair from the doll’s head.

Step 2: Seperate that section in two.

Step 3: Cross the left section over the right section.

Step 4: This is a bit hard to explain, but you’re going to take hair from the rest of the doll’s head and add it to the the section on the left (the one that is hanging down).

Step 5: (Sorry, this one is a little blurry.) Pull the left section over the right one. (Like you’re twisting it, which is technically what you are doing.)

Step 6: Continue to grab hair and add it to the section hanging down before twisting that section over. If you know how to French braid, this should be very simple.

Sadly, my picture of the side of her hair would not upload, but it looked really cool! 😦

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you try these styles, send pictures to americangirlsak@gmail.com!

Just a friendly reminder, tomorrow is the last day to enter my giveaway. 🙂

Countdown to Christmas: Two days!

Twelve Days of Christmas, Day #9: Christmas is . . . Ice Skating

Day #9 already!?!? Can you believe it?!?! I can’t wait for Christmas!!!

And, in the spirit of the season, I did an ice skating photoshoot of Molly! If you like this photoshoot, check out AG Doll Adventure’s ice skating photoshoot here. Coincidentally, we did ours on the same day!

The poem, Frozen Floor, is one I wrote myself. I hope you enjoy it!

A mirror

With no reflection

Step, glide

Wind in face

Thrilling

Exhilarating

Slice of blade

On frozen floor

Swish, swish

Free

Flying

Not wobbling

Soaring

Skating

Arms, legs

Flying free

Twirl, spin

Can’t fall down

Cold air

Can’t breathe

Graceful

On the frozen floor

Did you like it? I wrote the poem about a month ago, but I never realized how well it would fit with this photoshoot.

Quick story, when I was skating, there was this boy there who was like, “Mom, there’s this girl taking pictures of her doll.” Why is it that people don’t think that dolls are for bigger girls, too??? Amiright???

See you all tomorrow!

Countdown to Christmas: Three days!

Twelve Days of Christmas, Day #8: Christmas is . . . Charity

Okay, everyone! It’s time for Day #8 of TDOC! I can’t wait for this one!

“Hey, everyone, it’s Emily. I’m breaking out of my shell today to lead TDOC Day #8. Why? This post is about a topic that is very important to me!”

“Some of you may know about Operation Christmas Child (I’ll call it OCC for short). OCC is a great organization led by Samaritan’s Purse that gets shoeboxes full of little presents to children in foreign countries. Some of these children are very poor, and the shoebox you pack and send to them may be the only present they get on Christmas. Today, I will be showing you how to pack your shoebox.”

“You can pick up your OCC shoebox at places like your church. At this time of year, it is too late to do an OCC shoebox, but this may be helpful for next Christmas.”

“When you pack your shoebox, make sure to include a “wow” item. My “wow” item is this cute flower purse. Then, you can pack the rest of the box with personal care items, or smaller toys. I am including a box, a pencil, some hair accessories, and a comfy pillow.”

“However, do not pack candy; toothpaste; gum; used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives, or military figures; chocolate or food; seeds; fruit rolls or other fruit snacks; drink mixes (powdered or liquid); liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snow globes or glass containers; aerosol cans. This information has been taken from the Samaritan’s Purse website.”

“Now, pack your shoebox!”

“My box is all packed!”

“Once your box is packed, take it to an official drop-off location. You can find the locations here.”

“Remember, this shoebox may be the only present a child in a foreign country gets for Christmas. Do you part and help make a child’s Christmas special!”

“Alright, that’s all for now. My sister will be back tomorrow with a super-cute photoshoot!”

Hey, everyone, it’s AGs in Alaska. I just wanted to let everyone know that I did not mean to offend anyone with my giveaway rules post. I hope no one thought I sounded too harsh, I promise I was just trying to make sure everyone who wanted to enter could get the chance to. I am super excited for the giveaway, and I want as many people as possible to enter! So I’m very sorry if I offended you. 😦

See you all tomorrow!

Countdown to Christmas: Four days!

happy blogaversary to you… {Giveaway}

Emmie is celebrating her 1-year blogaversary! She is giving away a guest post, and you should totally enter!!!

This Site Has Moved!

AnThe lights dim until they’re dark enough to be off, the only light coming form the candles. The cake spells out HAPPY BLOGAVERSARY AGW in cursive letters. The blog’s owner, EmeraldPhoenix, AKA Emmie, leans forward to blow out the candles, a wish forming in her brain–

And then I blow out the candles for her and eat all the cake and yada yada yada.

Maryellen here. As you can tell, today is just another day to pretty much everyone, but to AGW its the one-year-blogaversary, and all that stuff–

HEY! GIVE ME THE COMPUTER ELLIE–You’re just gonna get all sentimental about stu–NO I’M NOT!!!

Anyways…

AMERICAN GIRL WORLD!! HAS!! BEEN!! AROUND!! FOR!! ONE!! ENTIRE!! YEAR!!!!!!

The top commenters are:

1. Barkley’sBlog with 192 Comments

2. EnniMorgan with 72 Comments

3. Kaylyn Grace with 61 Comments

4. Hannah with 39 Comments

5. Lizzy with 23 Comments

The most popular day and…

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I Have No Idea What To Name This Post

So, I don’t know what to call this post, but I have a few short announcements about my giveaway.

For any of you who missed it, I am giving away this doll dress:

Several of you have entered and completed all of these:

• You must be following my blog.
• You must be 18 or older OR have a parent’s permission to enter the giveaway.
• You must live in North America.
• You must actually want to own this dress, and are not entering just to win something.
• You must reblog this on your blog.
• You must enter by Sunday, December 24th (Christmas Eve). I will randomly select and announce the winner on Monday, December 25th (Christmas Day).
• If you are not yet following my blog, make sure you click “confirm subscription” in your email after you click the follow button, or it won’t count.
• If you win, I will send you an email asking for your home address/P.O. Box.

However, a few of you have reblogged my post, but have not commented saying you are going to enter, and some of you have entered, but haven’t reblogged the post. These are the key steps in entering the giveaway:

• You must be following my blog.
• You must reblog this on your blog.
• You must comment on the original post here to tell me you are entering.

If you reblog my post but don’t tell me you are entering, I cannot count it as your entry. The same goes for those who tell me you are entering, but don’t reblog the post. (You can also write your own post about the giveaway if you don’t want to reblog it.)

Thank you, everyone!