2018 Wrapup

Has anyone every noticed that “wrapup” is such a weird word? 

Oh wait. There’s supposed to be a dash between “wrap” and “up.”

That makes a lot more sense now.

Hey guys, and welcome back to my blog! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Big thanks to everyone who watched my Christmas AGSM as well – if you haven’t watched it, be sure to do that right now!

I did a 2017 wrapup at the end of last year, and it was really fun so I decided to do it again.

And . . . let’s go!

In January, we were introduced to our awesome GOTY, Luciana Vega (who I even wound up purchasing!)

The other big thing that happened in January was the release of one of my series, Travels With Grace. Grace actually went to Washington State with me for Thanksgiving of 2017, but I didn’t release any of the pictures until January 2018.

 

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She visited her cousins Grace, Lea, and Cara, while I visited my cousins S and M.

In February, I did a hilarious How Much Does AGs in Alaska’s Brother Know About AG? post, which had some great results.

I also posted on The Customization of Tessa Elizabeth, where I showed you all how I created my customized TrulyMe doll.

 

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I also launched another series, “According to Crystal,” with my “Valentines Day According to Crystal” post.

In March, I did my first guest post with my rabbit Moe, who was more popular on blog than I thought was ever possible.

Seriously. You guys went gaga for my little rabbit.

Moe is the best! Carrots, Mmmmm! – Faith

Magosh he’s ADORABLE such a bun wow. Ahem. I WUV HIM. – Tess (blackiesunshine)

Moe is so adorable!!!!! – Sapphire

AWWWW! Moe, I have lots of carrots, come hang out with meeee!!!! – Natalie Therese

Aw, Moe!!! You’re so cute!! – Liz

And for good reason, too – he’s adorable!!!

 

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I also did my first collab with my friend Elysium, from Prompted Pens!

I celebrated two huge milestones in March – first, reaching 1000 likes on American Girls in Alaska, and second, my three-year blogiversary on WordPress (I started blogging long before my AG blog, for those of you who don’t know).

In April, we celebrated Easter . . .

 

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And then went to Texas!

I brought back Travels With Grace for that one.

 

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In May, we celebrated Crystal’s 15th birthday!

 

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Then, I celebrated my one-year blogiversary with a tee-shirt giveaway!

Our winners were Dianne and Faith.

June was fairly boring. I went on a hiatus, so that was pretty much it.

In July, I did a Patriotic Photography collab with Chachel from Wild Sketch, which was super-duper fun!

 

 

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In July, I announced the arrival of our adorable Chihuahua puppies, Jaxon and Callie, who my family had adopted a month earlier.

 

 

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You guys, of course, loved them. 🙂

I also did Take 2 of “A Summer Photoshoot,” which I did the year before as well. This time around, I used Lindsey instead of Crystal, but we went to the same park.

 

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Those two photoshoots are still my favorite (and you can bet you’ll see Take 3 sometime this summer! Which doll should I use this time?)

In August, I welcomed a new doll into the family – Luciana Isadora Vega!

 

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And then came her debut photoshoot.

 

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Crystal made another appearance on “According to Crystal,” this time with a back-to-school version!

I was super lazy in September (I’m kidding, school started so I was a little busy), and I only did two posts – introducing Tessa’s rabbit Mischief into the family, and then a photostory about him.

 

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Then came October, when I did an adorable fall photoshoot, “Pumpkin Pals,” with Molly and Luci.

 

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And we had a family meeting, with interesting results.

 

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In November, I promised you guys that I would have an awesome surprise for Christmas! (And I hope I came through on that one!) 🙂

I also shared some of my best non-doll-related pictures.

 

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On Novemeber 30th, Alaska was shaken by a huge 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck southcentral Alaska, 10 miles north of Anchorage.

That’s when I wrote my post “Please Be Praying.”

 

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We’ve had 6,000 recorded aftershocks since then, the last really big one on Dec. 27th (which was a 4.9 at 5:30 in the morning, waking my entire family up as our house shook back and forth for about five seconds!)

I started December off with a ballet photoshoot of Tessa in my backyard.

 

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Crystal returned once again with “Christmas Shopping According to Crystal.”

And then . . . dun dun dun . . . I revealed my HUGE CHRISTMAS SURPRISE!!!

It was a holiday American Girl Stopmotion, which I posted on my brand-new YouTube channel!

Click here to watch it! https://youtube.com/watch?v=VJHUWoYy314&t=47s

And that just about wraps up the year!

But wait – lastly, some stats! (As of December 27th, when I wrote this post.)

5,984 views

1,774 visitors

81 posts published (including this one)

1,162 likes

Views from 10 countries

136 followers

1,064 comments

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH for such an incredible year! You are all AY-MAY-ZING and I can’t wait to have another great year of blogging, and the occasional YouTube video, shared with you guys!

Much love from the AGIA family!

– AGsinAlaska, Crystal, Lindsey, McKenna, Morgan, Emily, Molly, Grace, Tessa, and Luciana

 

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Merry Christmas! + The Big Surprise Reveal

MERRY CHRISTMAS GUYS!!!

I cannot believe it’s been another year already! Where did the time go?

Okay, okay, enough of that. I know that you all want me to hurry up and reveal The Big Surprise already, so . . . here you go.

I STARTED A YOUTUBE CHANNEL!

AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, I MADE A CHRISTMAS STOPMOTION!!!

I have been working for HOURSSSSSS on this project and it’s FINALLY complete. Here’s a link so you can go check it out rightnow.

I know it’s not the best AGSM you guys have ever seen, but PLEASE WATCH IT IN HD TO GET THE BEST EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE!

Oh yeah, and subscribe while you’re over there. 🙂

Sorry about the caps lock. I’m really, really excited.

Anyway, I hope you guys have an AMAZING Christmas and a very, very happy new year!

P.S. – I made the channel specifically for my stopmotion video, so don’t expect many more videos to follow. I may make some, I may not. 🙂 My blog is, and will continue to be, my main focus. 🙂

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

 

 

Christmas Shopping According to Crystal (With The Unwelcome Input of Grace)

Disclaimer: This post is written satirically and Crystal’s advice should most definitely NOT be taken – that is, when it comes to Christmas shopping. 

Crystal: Why hello, people of the universe! It is I, Crystal, here to grace your presence-

Grace: Did you say Grace and presents?

Crystal: No, Grace! Now, go away! I’m doing a blog post here!

Grace: *sighs* Fine.

Crystal: Now, where was I? Oh yes, today I’m here to give you a few tips on Christmas shopping. As we all know, the holidays are all about shopping – I mean, what else would they be about? If you’re not planning on spending all your money on yourself at Bath and Body Works-

Grace: *cough* Crystal *cough cough*

Crystal: GRACE!

Grace: Sorry!

Crystal: *sighs* As I was saying, if you’re not going to spend all of your money on yourself, Christmas shopping for others is such a fun thing to do. And when you have eight sisters, they all want presents, for some weird reason.

For your best and most favorite sister – that would be Tessa, in my case – some nice jewelry or a fancy scarf should do the trick. If you have any doubts, follow this helpful tip:

Tip #1: When in doubt, buy the most expensive pair on the rack. 

Expensive clothes always impress girls, whether you’re a guy shopping for you girlfriend or a girl shopping for her sister. Expensive=meaningful!

Grace: That would explain your Tiffany addiction.

Crystal: ARGH, GRACE! GET OUT OF HERE – RIGHT NOW!

Anyway, let’s move on.

When you’re shopping for your least favorite sister – that would be Lindsey, due to some unfortunate shoe-burning – don’t be afraid to give her ketchup packets or pencil stubs.

Tip #2: When in doubt, wrap anything you find lying around your room.

Next up – shopping for your parents/person who writes blog posts about you. Put some thought into this gift – after all, this is the person who spends hours photographing you, writing up cute posts, and then gaining a ton of followers because she did a nice job on your hair – oh yeah, and because AG bloggers are super nice people.

Tip #3: It’s totally okay to copy present ideas! The original person won’t mind, usually.

And, last but not least, shopping for that special someone.

Basically, there’s only one piece of advice I can give you –

Tip #4: Boys are impossible to shop for. Just go to your nearest Safeway and grab any old hoodie off the rack. Since boys don’t care about clothes, it doesn’t matter what it looks like. Hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?

And that’s all the time we have for today! I hope this post was helpful and inspiring. May you all have long lives and wear fashionable clothes!

By the way, don’t you just loveeeeee my hair? AGsinAlaska did it, with the assistance of some sparkly twinkle lights! #ThisIsHowISparkle

Grace: Is there no end to your vanity, Crystal?

Crystal: GRACEEEEE!!!!!!!!

TTFN!

The Wintry Ballet (A Tessa Photoshoot)

Ah, finally! AGsinAlaska is posting wintry pictures!

Well, not exactly wintry . . . considering that it’s currently 34 degrees outside, everything has melted, and our backyard smells like dog pee (you know what I mean if you live anywhere that has a mud season). Just one problem – IT’S NOT SPRING.

According to my whiteboard calender, it’s only December 3rd. Plenty of time for Christmas posts, I guess?

I also realized while taking these pictures that the Trials of Tessa never came to any sort of conclusion – well, in case you didn’t know, Tessa’s a ballerina. 🙂

Don’t worry, my next post will definitely have something to do with Christmas, I promise.  And I can’t wait till Christmas Day (when I reveal my Big Surprise!)

Also, I just wanted to thank you all for your heartwarming support after I wrote my earthquake post. You guys were so sweet and kind, and I really appreciate it. I mentioned in my post that schools would be closed until Wednesday, but that has now been extended to December 10th. The damage is quite severe, but your prayers and kind thoughts are what keep us up here in Alaska going strong! So thank you. 🙂

Peace out.

Did I just say peace out? *Cringes*

On Being Thankful (Poems and Pictures)

Hey, guys! I hope you’re all having a fantastic Thanksgiving. Honestly, I feel like I was just doing this – as each year passes, the time flies faster. If you’re not in too much of a food coma, I hope that you’ll take a few minutes to read this post. The poems are not mine, and I’m not quite sure who wrote them exactly, but I thought they would be appropriate for today.

I’m accompanying the poems with pictures I took of things other than dolls. Quick warning, though – they’re completely unedited (except where I blurred out the info on Jax and Callie’s collars). 🙂 So if you dare to look, go ahead . . .

Mom and Dad and all the folks

Who sit around the table

Railroad tracks in Girdwood, AK

All give thanks to the Lord above

For the fact that we are able

 

Taken from a float plane but I have no idea where we were at the time 🙂

To have the food and shelter 

We all need to survive

And have the love of family

That makes it good to be alive

Lord, as we bow our heads to pray

We celebrate Thanksgiving Day

 

Homer Harbor in Homer, AK

Help us have the right attitude

As we turn to You (sic) in gratitude

 

 

 

Fireweed in Homer, AK

Thank you for our festive food;

Thank you, Lord, for this good food;

On the beach in Homer, AK

Thank for blessings great and small;

Thank you, thank you for it all

 

 

Near Nikiski, AK

So grateful for the whispers

Of loved ones departed

 

Kachemak Bay, Homer, AK

Still here to warm our hearts

As we gather ’round the table

 

Kachemak Bay, Homer, AK

So grateful for the right now

With loved ones by our side

 

For another chance to laugh and share

And speak out loud

 

University of Texas Campus, Austin, TX

Our thanks

For one another

 

 

Let me know what you thought in the comments, and tell me all about your Thanksgiving traditions and feast!

 

 

 

 

Credits: Thanksgiving Blessings by Joanna Fuchs

 

The Most Awesome Christmas Post Ever

Hey guys. Before you begin another yawn-inducing week at school (or incredibly thrilling, if that’s how you feel), please take the time to read this post!

For my big Christmas post this year, I decided to do something a little bit different and very time-consuming. So if you don’t notice many posts from me in your Reader, that’s why.

However, this does NOT mean I’m going on hiatus.

*Again*

Instead, I will be posting maybe once every couple of weeks until my big Christmas spectacular, since I will need lots of time for that.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. I’ll see you all in my Thanksgiving post, if not before that.

To make it up to you, please admire this adorable picture of my Chihuahua.

Have a great week!

P.S. If you have not been reading my posts on my website, please take a minute to hop on over there right now. I made a couple changes to suit the fall season.

The Family Meeting (A Photostory)

Soo . . . I know these pictures seem to look the same. That’s because I did this in my backyard, which was NOT a super great place to take pictures because it’s super cluttered and has too much out-of-proportion junk in the background, so I zoomed in a lot. Plus, for this photostory, the dolls don’t move much, which resulted in not-so-great shots . . . which is why I haven’t posted this yet. I took the pictures a month or so ago, and I wasn’t really happy with it. But the script is pretty funny, so maybe you’ll like it anyway.

Also, you guys were so sweet in the comments in my last post! I’m glad to be back from my never-announced hiatus. In case you missed my announcements, I am now a part-time public schooler, meaning I am not as home as much as I used to be. Plus, skiing just started today, so I don’t get a whole lot of free time this year. I will try to post as much as possible, though!

And now . . . onto the photostory!

“Hello, everybody, and thanks for coming to the family meeting!” I greet my sisters.

“You’re welcome,” McKenna replies. “Can we hurry this up? I have gymnastics practice in an hour.”

“Um, sure,” I say. “Who has anything they would like to share with the family?”

My sisters stare at me blankly.

Le sigh. “Molly, how about you?”

“Oh, I got an A++ on my calculus quiz!” Molly shares exuberantly.

“What a shock,” Crystal yawns, leaning back on AGs in Alaska’s pallet fort.

“Okay,” I intervene. “Lindsey? Did you hear back from that police officer?”

“Chill, Morgan,” Lindsey sighs. “I’ve got it covered. He said he deals with rowdy teenagers all the time.”

“Great,” I say. “How are you doing, Tessa? Anything to share?”

“Excellent!” Tessa replies. “Dance classes are great, and I even decided that I might want to take music lessons as well. Maybe Emily could teach me?”

“Ooh, speaking of music,” Crystal interrupts, before Emily can reply to this. “I got a guitar. Want to see?”

“Um, Crystal, how about we-”

Too late. Crystal runs into the house at the speed of lightning, returning with a turquoise guitar haphazardly strung around her neck.

And then promptly hits the ground.

“You okay there, Crys?” I ask, concerned. The poor dear will prombably start complaining about her smudged makeup any second now . . .

“I’m fine!” Crystal answers, popping back up. “Ready to hear my song?” She begins to sing rather off-key. I grimace.

The rest of my sisters are having the same reaction.

“Will you knock it off already?” Molly groans. “You sound worse than my Intro to Musical Arts professor.”

“Please, Crystal!” Luciana begs. “My ears can’t take any more!”

“Maybe some voice lessons or something . . .” I mutter.

Crystal ponders this for a moment. “Yeah, you’re probably right, guys. Emily?”

“Yeah, sure, Crystal.”

-End of Photostory-

Belive it or not, I’ve had Tenney’s guitar since April, when I visited the AG Place Dallas. Since then, I’ve collected a few more musical instruments, which may appear in upcoming posts . . .

I’ll check back with you guys later. Have a great Sunday!

 

Pumpkin Pals (A Photoshoot)

Happy fall, guys! I think the last time I blogged it was still summer, so I’ve really missed all of you wonderful blogging people. The last time I blogged it was still summer, so things have definitely changed around here. Birch leaves scatter the ground, Halloween decorations are on display, and we’re now accustomed to the mid-to-upper 40’s weather.

I’ve been meaning to do this photoshoot for a few weeks now. Since it appears that it’ll be snowing within a week or two, I decided that now was the time to act. Fall photoshoots are the best, yes?

 

Spider!!!

 

I actually took this picture upside down, and then flipped it over!

See you guys later! Have a great week!

Review of Luciana’s Flight Suit

Hey guys! I hope you’re all having a fantastic weekend. Whilst I was writing my review of Tenney’s Spotlight Outfit, I realized how much I love writing reviews. I recently purchased Luciana’s Flight Suit for a project I am doing and decided to do a review on it.

You can buy the outfit here.

All pictures from American Girl.

The outfit is adorable, needless to say. It is a one-piece blue jumpsuit that zips all the way up to her neck. As you can probably imagine, the suit is a bit difficult to get on the doll. It took me a couple of minutes to put it on her. It is tight, which makes the doll unable to sit up straight in the jumpsuit.

This outfit is made of high-quality material, which I was extremely pleased with. I was a bit nervous when I opened it for fear of finding and outfit made with cheap fabric, but I was actually very happy. The shoes are ADORABLE and very simple, so they will go well with other outfits.

The jumpsuit has several patches on it. There is a “Space Camp” patch, a “Space & Rocket Center” patch, and a patch that has Luciana’s name on it. The patches are not made of . . . whatever real patches are made of. Thread? Anyway, they are more like iron-on stickers, minus the smooth sticker feel.

On the right arm, there is a “Mars” sticker and a “NASA” sticker. On the left arm there is an American flag patch (not shown).

Overall, I give this outfit a 4/5. My only complains are that it is difficult to get on the doll, and she can’t sit down in it. Other than that, I was impressed by the high quality of material that AG chose for this outfit. I highly recommend it if you like NASA-related things. 🙂

Have a great weekend!

The Dog – Wait, No – Bunny Blog: Mischief

Morgan: Why hello there, peoples of the universe! It’s Morgan here with a VERY special edition of The Dog Blog – this time featuring not a dog, but a bunny! Everyone, please welcome Mischief, Tessa’s rabbit. We’re making AGIA history here, folks!

Mischief: Hello, everybody. *twitch twitch*

Morgan: So, Mischief, you’ve quite new to the family, huh?

Mischief: That’s right. I’ve been here for a couple weeks now.

Morgan: And have you liked it here so far?

Mischief: Yes, everybody is so friendly. The girls – well, most of the girls – are gentle and always handle me with respect.

Morgan: You said most of the girls? Which girls aren’t gentle with you?

Mischief: Well, I don’t want to name names, but . . . *cough* Lindsey *cough cough*

Morgan: I see . . . I’ll have to talk with her about that . . . moving on . . . I thought you would be able to bring some new ideas to the table, since most of the animals I interview are dogs. Now, I love dogs, but all they want to do is play fetch. What activities do you most enjoy?

Mischief: Cuddling is great! Tessa is so nice about giving me lots of pets and attention. I also like it when she lets me out of my cage so I can run around. It’s so nice to stretch my legs and do binkies.

Morgan: Binkies? What are those?

Mischief: Here, take a look . . .

 

Credit: Gfycat

 

Mischief: They’re great for releasing pent-up energy after being in a cage.

Morgan: So to you, is your cage a jail cell, or a home?

Mischief: Definitely a home. Sometimes, I’ll hop right back into my cage because I’m not in the mood to play – I’d rather relax in my house. Besides, Tessa keeps it so clean, why would I not want to be inside?

Morgan: Right? Now, Mischief, we got a lot of comments on our post about your great escape. Can you tell us what led you to jump out of your cage and attempt to run into the road?

Mischief: What can I say? Freedom . . . not that I don’t love this family, though. I just saw some yummy dandelions, and I just had to go.

Morgan: *chuckles* I get it. What about your favorite foods – do you have any of those?

Mischief: Oh, all sorts of veggies. Carrots are my favorite, of course, but those are so high in sugar, so I only get them once a week. Instead, Tessa feeds me celery, dandelions, and bell peppers.

Morgan: Is all you eat vegetables?

Mischief: Oh, no. Timothy hay is extremely important for roughage in bunny diets. In fact, 80% of a bunny diet should be hay. 10% is veggies, and the last 10% is hay-based food pellets.

Morgan: Fascinating! One last question: are you friends with Moe, AGs in Alaska’s rabbit?

Mischief: We’ve hung out a few times, and let me just say that that rabbit has . . . a lot of personality. I’m sure we’ll get to be good friends, though.

Morgan: I sure hope so. Thank you so much, Mischief, for joining me today!

Mischief: Thanks for having me. I’m very excited to be a part of this family.

Morgan: That’s all for now, folks! Let us know in the comments which pet you would like to see featured next!

Disclaimer: AGs in Alaska is not responsible for your rabbits nutrition – the bunny diet above is what she feeds her bunnies. Please take your veterinarian’s advice in choosing what to feed your own rabbit.