The Woodpile (A Photoshoot)

Hey guys! I FINALLY figured out how to host images for a WordPress site so I no longer have to worry about story space in WordPress! This means more posts with a lot more pictures.

So yesterday I took a bunch of pics with Grace and Molly on the stairs that go to our deck, but they all turned out horribly (there was wayyyyyyy too much sun), so I redid them in a different location with Grace and Lindsey. Enjoy!

Again, there’s been way too much light recently (okay, not way too much, but way too much for good pictures), so I had to use our wheelbarrow to help cast some shadow over the dolls’ faces.

And BTW, I think I’ll be posting once a week on AGIA and once a week on SSASS (my personal blog, for those of you who didn’t get the memo).

Check out this week’s SSASS post here.

Have a great week!

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.

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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.

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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!!!!!!!!

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TTFN!

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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!

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

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

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

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My sisters stare at me blankly.

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Le sigh. “Molly, how about you?”

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

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

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

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

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

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“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?”

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

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“Um, Crystal, how about we-”

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

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And then promptly hits the ground.

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

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

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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.”

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

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

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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!

AGs in Alaska

 

A Day in the Life: Grace Adelaide

Hey, guys! It’s Grace here. Guess what – it’s my turn for ADITL post! Yippee! Continue reading to hear all about why I do on an average day. 🙂

9:00 AM: I know, I know, most of my sisters get up waaaaayyyyy earlier than I do, but let’s just say I need my beauty sleep. Hmm, maybe I’ve been spending too much time around Crystal . . .

10:00 AM: Baking time! My dream is to be a professional baker, working in a pâtisserie in Paris. (I may need to change my wake-up time for this to become a reality, however). For my first treat, I whip up a batch of vanilla éclairs. Lindsey jumps in and sneaks two right out from under my nose – and then shoves them in her mouth. Le sigh. 

12:00 PM: Part of my duty of being the master chef in this house is to make everyone lunch. However, feeding seven other girls is nearly impossible, since they ALL WANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT. McKenna puts in a request for grilled cheese sandwiches, Crystal orders a Caprese salad, and Tessa wants pizza. I decide to make chicken noodle soup with sandwiches. Take it or leave it, as they say.

2:00 PM: I head to Tessa’s first ballet class with her. She’s really excited, since finding her something to do here in Alaska has proven to be very difficult. We’ve tried gymnastics, dog training, etc., etc., etc. I’m hoping this works out for her. I bring along rhubarb crumb bars as a post-lesson snack.

5:00 PM: Dinner time! I cook up some pad see ew, a delicious Thai dish. It’s my family’s absolute favorite. You guys should try it sometime! Bonbon gets underfoot in the kitchen as I spill a pan of water on her. Fortunately, it wasn’t boiling hot water . . . that would have been bad. Instead, the floor gets a thorough cleaning. While Molly is helping me clean it up, she spouts of random facts about how in Israel, the women clean their floors by dumping a pot of water on them, and then all the water flows into a drain on the floor. Which is sort of unhelpful.

7:00 PM: I take Bonbon for a walk, accompanied by Morgan, Chocolate Chip, and Cooper. Because of the Midnight Sun, we can still enjoy sunlight even in the evening hours. However, we’re losing five minutes of sunlight a day. 😦 Soon it’ll snow, and then we’ll have Halloween and . . . Christmas!

10:00 PM: I tuck myself in bed and page through a new cookbook. I’m considering going Paleo, but then I would have to give up real sugar. No can do for me. Good night, guys!

Grace

Patriotic Photography – A Collab With Chachel @ Wild Sketch

Patriotic Photography

Happy Independence Day, everyone! Today is one of my favorite holidays for several reasons – food, family, fun, freedom – and photography!

That’s why I’m teaming up with Chachel from her awesome art blog, Wild Sketch! Chachel, also known as Rachel, does amazing DIY tutorials, shows her beautiful artwork, and posts pictures of her adorable cat, Gosha. Go follow her lovely blog right now!

It’s actually kind of funny. My first photoshoot was a 4th of July photoshoot I did last year, and here I am with another one. Kind of sentimental, when you think about it!

Chachel and I decided that for our collab, we would take patriotic pictures for the 4th. I dressed up my dolls in red white and blue outfits and took them into the backyard for a patriotic photoshoot. Here you go!

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Happy Independence Day! And make sure to check out Chachel’s blog here!

Which picture did you like the most? What are you having for dinner today? Does your town do fireworks? Are you going to check out Chachel’s blog? Let’s chat in the comments!

AGs in Alaska

Travels With Grace #5: Texas

Hiiii, fellow travelers! It’s Grace again, with our last post from Texas! A big thank-you goes out to AGs in Alaska’s Texan friend, who helped her take some of these pics. Now, onto the photostory!

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I am Grace, the fearless adventurer

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Today I am on a search

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A search to find a dangerous beast of Texas

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The beasts are hiding today

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I must remain silent and still

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And creep stealthily

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They hide amongst the shadows

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And stalk their prey

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I remain unnoticed

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Waiting and watching

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Every snap of a twig

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Is an animal’s footfall

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Every breath of the wind

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Is the pant of a beast

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I am Grace, the fearless wanderer

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Out on a search

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A search for a wild animal

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Where are they today?

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Still hiding

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I am unable to find a wild beast of Texas

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And so I will return

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Aha! What is that I spy?

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A wild beast of Texas!

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Grace, the fearless adventurer, has succeeded in her mission

And so another journey ends, my friends. We have returned to Alaska. I hope you have all enjoyed “traveling” with me, Grace – the fearless adventurer.

Grace

Travels With Grace #3: Texas

Heyyyyyy, guys! Yes, we’re still in Dallas – and this time at the Dallas World Aquarium. There are so many cool animals here! Anything from manatees to sawfish to tarantulas . . . okay, those weren’t very cool. In fact, I avoided eye contact completely.

And to brighten your day, some funny things AGs in Alaska said on this trip!

“We have to pay sales tax here!” (There’s no sales tax in Alaska.)

“I’ve forgotten what it’s like to see houses with no driveways.” (Those aren’t really a thing in AK, either.)

“THOSE TREES ARE GREEN!!!!!!!” (And this one is pretty self-explanatory.)

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Underwater rocks
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Sting ray
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An alligator
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Very loud flamingoes
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PENGUINS!!! Cute but smelly . . . 
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Toucan!
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A parrot?
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Turtles and sting rays!

 

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Some shark . . .
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Manatee

 

I hope you enjoyed this post! There may or may not be a bonus post this weekend – AKA, the last post for the Trials of Tessa!

Grace

Travels With Grace #1: Texas

Hola, y’all! Grace here! See how I combined a Spanish word and a southern phrase into one sentence? I’m so cool!

Scratch that. I’m actually really, really hot right now.

Why?

We are in Texas!

As you hopefully already got from the title of this post.

I got such an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm from my last Travels With Grace series, in which I went to Washington State, that I decided to do the exact same thing for Texas!

Instead of staying in one town, AGs in Alaska and I will be traveling to several parts of the state. We just got into Dallas today after a total of eight hours in a plane. (AGs in Alaska hasn’t slept since the day before yesterday, but she’s wide awake. It’s beyond me.) I’m going to keep the other cities a surprise for now, but until then, you can view my adorableness in these epic pictures AGs in Alaska took!

Aquí!


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So, those photos were taken in the backyard of the house we’re staying in. I hope y’all liked them!

One more quick announcement about this series: unlike last time, where I was in all of the photoshoots/stories, I am going to be more like a tour guide this time, and post lots of pictures of what we do. There will be more photoshoots of me, I promise, but also lots of pictures of the cool stuff we go do.

Bye for now!

Grace

From AGs in Alaska: I sincerely apologize for the no posting on Monday, I was super busy getting ready for vacation!

He Is Risen (A Photostory)

“Good morning, church family,” Grace says. “Happy Easter! We are gathered here today, instead of going to an actual brick-and-mortar building, due to an inconvenient cold that has afflicted two of our sisters.”

“That would be us,” Linsey says.

“We’re going to start off by signing “Amazing Grace.” Will you please all stand and join us?”

We all stand and clear our throats.

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind but now I see.”

“And now we would like to welcome Morgan to the stage. She is going to be our “pastor” for the day,” Grace announces at the end of the song.

“Thank you, Grace,” Morgan says, standing up. “Thank you all for joining me today. As Grace mentioned before, we are gathered here instead of at our usual church. It is allergy season, after all.”

“Thanks, Morgan,” Lindsey says.

“I have a very special message for all of you today,” Morgan tells us. “Did you know that on this day, long ago, Jesus rose from the dead?”

“Yep, that’s right. He defeated the grave! Death couldn’t hold God’s only son down.”

“On Good Friday, Jesus died. His followers were heartbroken. But, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus rose three days later.”

“That’s why we celebrate Easter every year! While the bunnies and Easter egg hunts are fun, the real reason for our happiness is Jesus’ resurrection.”

“The most amazing this is that, if you are a Christian, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside of YOU. Will you pray with me?”

“Dear Lord, we want to thank You for Your grace and compassion, that you sent your only son to die in our places. While we deserved punishment, You took mercy on us and sent Jesus as a sacrifice. We are so thankful for what you did. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”

“He is risen!”

“He is risen indeed!”

“Happy Easter from the AGIA family!!!”

-End of photostory-

Happy Easter, everyone! I hope you enjoyed that photostory. Do you believe that Jesus is alive today, and will forever be alive? I do, and I hope you do too!

Here is a bonus picture to make you smile:

Trying to carry all my dolls downstairs . . .