How I Customized My Blog For The Holidays

Hi, everybody! Oh my gosh, Christmas is in TWO WEEKS!!!!! Eek! Who’s excited????

You may have noticed something different about my blog, or at least I hope you did. If you didn’t, then you’re a very bad child and should be put on Santa’s naughty list. 🙂 XD

Okay, if you haven’t already noticed, I redid my blog in honor of the Christmas season. It literally only took me three minutes, but I couldn’t figure out what to post today, so this is what you get.

First, I went to my WordPress dashboard and clicked Customize. Don’t click Themes, which is right next to it, or it will just take you to your different theme options.

Next, go to Colors and Backgrounds. I clicked on Palettes for my green color, but instead of having white on the side of my blog, I went to Manual and chose the red color that they had displayed. Then I clicked on “Pick Your Own Color” and changed the dark red they had to a brighter shade of red.

I then slected the little photo button up at the top to choose my header image. I found a picture of Molly with a present and cropped that to fit. Guys, if you have the same theme as me, you probably understand how hard it is to find a picture that will look nice in that tiny little space AND not make the words unreadable, especially since you can’t change the font color. Unless you can and I haven’t figured it out yet.

Lastly, I clicked “Publish” and went back to my dashboard. Then, I clicked Settings. In General, there will be a button that will make it snow. You change that to ON and then your blog will have snow! It’s really super easy, I was expecting it to be a lot harder to do that. But nope!

I hope this tutorial helped in case you were wondering how to do any of these things, which you probably weren’t, but if you wanted to make it snow and couldn’t figure out how, then maybe this helped you!

Alright, that’s all for now! CHRISTMAS POSTS START ON THURSDAY!!!!

Also, real quick, Emmie is hosting an awards “show” called the Emmie Awards! Please check it out here, and if you think I am worthy of any such nominations, please nominate me! https://pheonixamericangirlworld.wordpress.com/2017/12/10/introducing-the-emmie-awards/

Do you like my new holiday sign-off? I did it on Canva in three minutes. 🙂

Advertisement

While I Was Away . . .

Prepare yourselves, people. This is going to be one big blog post.

Remember how I had all of my posts scheduled for the month of November? Because of that, I was unable to do tags or awards. Now that’s it’s December, I can do the SIX awards and tags I’ve been nominated for!!!!!

That’s right! SIX!!!

Like I said, long blog post.

However, there is one tag I will not be doing until later on this month. It is The Holiday Tag, and I was nominated for it by the Blogging Doll Sisters. The reason I am not doing it today is because it involves having holiday decorations up and mine will not be revealed for another week or so.

Because I have five entire tags/awards to do, I may not be able to nominate/tag the specified number of people for each one. Sorry about that. I’m aiming to select two-three people for each.

Without further ado, let’s get started with the Blogger Recognition Award!

Here are the rules:

Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
Write a post to show your award.
Give a brief story of how your blog started.
Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
Select (up to 15) other bloggers for this award.
Comment on each blog to let them know you nominated them and provide a link to the post you created.

I wwas nominated for this award by Bella. Bella is a super-sweet blogger, and I love to read her posts! If you haven’t already checked her blog out, it’s definitely worth your time. 🙂

I started American Girls in Alaska right after I finished my previous blog. I really wanted to have a blog, so I got my mom’s permission and started thinking about what kind of blog I wanted it to be about. I was trying to decide between a pet blog or a doll blog when Loren from Happy House of AG inspired me to start a doll blog! I realized how fun it would be to do one.

My two pieces of advice are  . . .

DON’T let blogging take up all of your time. You can easily get sucked into your WordPress reader and notifications bar, replying to comments and whatnot. Get all of your schoolwork/chores done FIRST.

DON’T let other blogger’s blogging styles make you feel like you should change your own. Don’t compare your pictures, writing styles, etc. to yours. You are a unique blogger – don’t change!

The bloggers I choose to nominate are . . .

The Blog Dolly!

and . . .

Twintastic AG!

Congrats, girls!

My next one is a tag. It’s called the Fall Themed Tag, and I was nominated for it by The Blog Dolly. Thank you so much, Jenna! Jenna has an awesome blog that just got a new customization, so definitely go check it out. 🙂

Here are the rules:

These are the questions Jenna is asking me:

Q: What is your favorite fall drink?

A: Vanilla Chai tea. I drink this year round, but it seems to fit best for fall.

Q: Apple cider or pumpkin spice?

A: Pumpkin spice!

Q: Pumpkin pie or apple pie?

A: Apple apple apple!

Q: Red, orange, and yellow or yellow, white, and orange?

A: Yellow, white, and orange.

Q: Scary costumes or cute costumes?

A: Definitely cute.

Q: Your favorite part about fall is…

A: The chill in the air, promising that snow is just around the corner.

Q: A football game or football shaped cookies?

A: Since football is less interesting than watching paint dry, I’m going with cookies.

Q: Favorite fall outfit?

A: A cozy sweater and my favorite pair of jeans, with some fuzzy socks.

Q: Do you love the colors or the scents of fall?

A: The scents.

Q: Pre-made fall crafts or DIY ones?

A: I’m not super crafty, but I’m going with DIY.

Q: What is your AG dolls favorite fall outfit?

A: The one Emily is wearing here.

Okay, that’s alll for the questions!

I have decided to tag The Blogging Sisters and AG Doll Adventures and Lizzy!

Have fun, you guys! Your questions are . . .

1. What is your favorite color of leaf – red, orange, yellow, green, or brown?
2. Have you ever done a fall photoshoot?
3. What is your favorite doll sweater?
4. What is your favorite part about Thanksgiving? That is, assuming, you live in the US.
5. Pumpkin pie, apple pie, or pecan pie?
6. Did you know that there was no pumpkin pie until the second Thanksgiving?
7. Do you like Halloween or Thanksgiving better?
8. What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?
9. Did you go anywhere for Thankgiving?
10. Did anyone visit you for Thanksgiving?
11. Was there snow on the ground where you live for Thanksgiving?

Okay, that’s all for the Fall Themed Tag!

And now, we’re moving onto the New Blogger Tag!

I was nominated for this by AG Doll Dreams. Thank you so, so much! The rules are:

1. Thank the blogger that nominated you and link their blog

2. Answer the questions they gave you

3. Nominate at least 3 new bloggers

4. Ask at least 5 or more questions for them to answer

Her questions are:

1. What do you like most about AG dolls?

Their hair and facial features, as well as their unique personalities.

2. Why did you decide to start a blog?

I have blogged before, and I love connecting with my followers!

3. Do you shop on Etsy?

No, I never have. But I have checked it out before.

4. Do you follow any non-AG blogs?

Yes.

5. What’s your favorite jungle animal?

Cheetah!

6. Indoors or outdoors?

In the summer, outdoors. In the winter, indoors.

7. Do you like being tagged?

Of course!

I am tagging:

Kaitlyn

Dazzling Dollies

The AG Homeschooler

My questions for you three are . . .

How do you come up with ideas for posts?

What is your favorite type of post?

Who/what inspired you to start blogging?

Is it difficult to manage school, family stuff, chores, and blogging?

Why is blogging important to you?

Have fun, girls!

Now, onto the Blue Sky Tag! I was nominated by The AG Homeschooler – thank you so much! The rules are:

Thank the person who nominated you.
Answer the 11 questions.
Tag 11 new people.
Give them 11 new question to answer.

Q: Do you like Lab Rats? If so, what’s your favorite episode?

A: No, I have never seen it.

Q: What are you wearing right now?

A: My PJ’s.

Q: Would you rather have the power to rewind time or pause time?

A: Rewind! Definitely rewind! I would go back and fix embarrassing mistakes and relive happy moments from my childhood.

Q: What job would you be absolutely terrible at?

A: Politician/President of the United States. I am really not very commanding and I don’t like to hurt people’s feelings.

Q: If you ruled your own country, who would you get to write the national anthem?

A: I would probably write it myself, since I’m a writer.

Q: Would you rather have a unicorn horn or a squirrel tail?

A: Oh, geez. A squirrel’s tail, because I could probably hide it.

Q: What one thing can you not live without? (Besides the necessities)

A: Books! BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS!

Q: Would you rather be an adult your whole life or a kid your whole life?

A: Wow, this is a really hard one. I’m going to have to say a kid, because you have less responsibilities.

Q: Would you rather be locked in an amusement park or a library?

A: I think this was pretty much covered in the one thing you cannot live without question. XD 🙂

Q: What’s the grossest food combination you can think of?

A: Froot loops, milk, and ketchup.

Q: If you were challenged to a duel, what weapons would you use?

A: A sword, and probably a long-handled broom.

Okay! Those were really fun to answer! I have decided to tag:

Sam

Clara

You get the following questions to answer:

What is your favorite thing to drink?

Hors d’oeuvres or a five-course meal?

Have you ever flown first class?

What was the scariest thing you have ever experienced?

Do you blog on a computer, phone, or tablet?

What is your favorite part about your blog? (Comments, design, post types, etc.)

How many followers would you like to have by the end of the year?

What is your favorite type of shoe? (Heel, sneaker, flat, pointe shoes, flip-flops, etc.)

What is your favorite sport?

What is your favorite holiday, and why?

Do you think it’s okay for older teens/adults to like dolls?

Have fun with the questions, everybody!

Lastly, I was nominated by Jenna, The Blog Dolly, for the Versatile Blogger Award! (VBA for short.) Thank you so, so, so much!

The rules are as follows:

Thank the person who gave you this award.
Include a link to their blog.
Select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly.
Nominate those 15 bloggers for the VBA.
Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

Okay, I cannot nominated fifteen people, so I’m going to do as many as possible, and then anyone else who wants to do it is welcome to.

Madi Grace

Stuffie Adventures

Emmie

Samantha

Jewel

Olivia

AG Doll Dreams

Bella

Okay, everyone! That is it for now. Wow, this post took a long time, and if you read it all the way through, A HUGE CONGRATS! And if any of you are unable to do any of the tags, my feelings will not be hurt. If any of you who weren’t tagged/nominated want to participate, go right ahead. 🙂

I’ll be back on Monday! See you guys soon!

-AGs in Alaska-

The Big Birthday Bash (A Photostory)

Morgan, Grace, and I stroll briskly down the sidewalk. We’re on our way back from returning some books to the library. I would rather not be running errands today – it’s my birthday, and walking outside in Alaska in November isn’t the most fun thing to do. Especially not when you’re finally a teenager!

“Why’s it so cold?” Grace moans. “I want it to be summer again.”

“Well, it is the middle of winter,” Morgan points out. “Technically it’s still fall, though, but whatever.”

We walk up the street and turn the corner until finally we reach our home.

The three of us step inside the house. We’re greeted by a blast of warm air . . . and very dim lights.

All of a sudden, the lights flicker on and our sisters jump out of the shadows. “Happy birthdays!”

My sisters and I, jackets hanging half off of our arms, can barely process what just happened. Is this a . . . surprise party???

“Wait. Did you just say birthdays? As in more than one?” Grace asks, confused.

“We sure did,” Lindsey explains. “Today, we’re celebrating all of our fall birthday girls. You know – Emily’s birthday is November 28th, and she’s thirteen, Morgan’s birthday was October 3rd, and she’s thirteen, and Grace’s birthday was September 15th, and she’s twelve.”

Molly, Lindsey, and Crystal walk forward and place crowns on our heads.

Each crown is light pink and has our names spelled out on the fronts.

We’re lead down the hall into the next room, where a huge surprise greets us.

“Oh my goodness!” we gasp.

A huge sign proclaiming “Happy Birthday!” in giant lettering is taped to the wall underneath a table with a couple of presents on it.

“Do you like it?” Lindsey asks.

“I love it,” I tell her.

“We have presents for you guys to open,” Molly explains.

“And you’d better be quick about it too, or I may have to open them for you,” McKenna warns us.

Lindsey hands the first present to Morgan.

She pulls out a flowery green frog. “Aww! It’s so cute!!!” she exclaims. “Thanks, guys!”

“This one is for Grace,” Molly says, handing Grace something wrapped in pink tissue paper and tied with a silver ribbon.

Underneath all the wrapping is a pretty throw pillow. “This’ll be perfect for my room!” Grace tells us. “This is so sweet of y’all. Thanks!”

“Just one more present,” Crystal informs us.

“Yes. Close your eyes, Emily,” Molly adds.

I happily oblige.

“Open,” Crystal commands.

Standing in front of me is my eldest sister holding a beautiful pair of bright white ice skates wrapped with a taffeta bow.

“Wow,” I breathe, after Crystal places the skates in my lap. “I’ve been wanting a pair of these – thank you, thank you, thank you! This has been the best birthday ever.”

“And I’m about to make it better,” Lindsey says. “Who wants cake?”

End of photostory!

I feel like a terrible doll mom – I completely forgot about Morgan’s birthday – October 3rd – and Grace’s birthday – September 15th. Fortunately, I remembered Emily’s and decided to do a three-in-one birthday post. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Also, don’t forget to wish them happy birthday in the comments!

In case you were wondering why I’m doing a Tuesday post, it’s just in honor of the birthday girls. I will still be here on Thursday.

Bye for now!

-AGs in Alaska-

 

 

Grateful (A Photostory)

Happy Thanksgiving, lovely virtual friends! Today is a day of joy and celebration, of food, and, most importantly, thankfulness. Today I challenge YOU to list . . . hmm . . . twenty-three things you are grateful for, since it’s November 23rd. I know you have at least that many. Here’s my list:

• Jesus!
• My blog
• A computer to write on
• Essential oils that smell amazing
• All of my friends I have from blogging
• My dolls
• My rabbits
• My dogs
• My chickens
• My family
• Living in the beautiful state of Alaska
• I have a camera to take pictures of beautiful Alaska with
• My house
• My warm, cozy room
• My warm, cozy clothes
• Books
• Delicious food
• The outdoors
• Pretty pictures of the outdoors
• Cute clothes for my dolls
• School
• Friends
• Orange-scented bath products

That last one was a little random. Sorry.

Now, let’s get on to the fun part of this post. I have for you my first-ever Thanksgiving photostory! And, at the end, a little bonus behind-the-scenes explanation of the making of the photostory.

Enjoy!

“Thanks for dinner, Grace. It was delicious,” Morgan tells my younger sister.

“Oh, you’re welcome. It was my pleasure,” Grace responds.

“I have an idea,” Molly begins. “Why don’t we go around the table and say what we’re grateful for and why? For example, I’m grateful for my education because I’ll be able to get into a good college. Now McKenna can go.”

“Oh!” McKenna exclaims, looking a bit surprised that Molly picked her to go next. “I’m grateful for my gymnastics coach and teammates. They inspire me and help me to work harder. Um . . . Emily.”

“Me?” Emily squeaks. “Well . . . I’m grateful for my piano and flute because . . . I love music. Morgan?”

“I’m grateful for Chocolate Chip and the other dogs,” Morgan tells us. “They make me so happy and bring me so much joy. Crystal.”

“I’m grateful for my beautiful clothes, because when I look good, I feel good,” Crystal says. “Grace?”

“I’m super-duper grateful for all of my baking supplies,” Grace says. “I love being able to surprise people with yummy treats. What about you, Lindsey?”

I look across the table at the shining faces of sweet Morgan, intelligent Molly, shy Emily, and fashionable Crystal.

I glance over to my left at spunky Grace and sporty McKenna.

“My sisters,” I finally say. “I’m grateful for my sisters.”

-End of phostory-

I hope y’all enjoyed that photostory. And now, onto the behind-the-scenes of Grateful (A Photostory)!

First, I placed two chairs across from each other in our hallway downstairs.

 

I placed benches on either side of the chairs.

Next, I placed books on the chairs.

I then took this yet-to-be-set-up chicken ramp . . .

And set it on top of the books.

Voilà! The perfect Thanksgiving table setup! Since the set took up the entire hallway, it was a bit difficult to get back and forth to either side, but I managed by squeezing behind the narrow gap between the dolls and the wall and climbing on the benches. Of course, that mussed up their hairstyles a bit, but it wasn’t too terrible.

My original photostory idea was to have them eating and then praying and then sharing what they were grateful for, but I could not make doll food, so I had the photostory take place after dinner.

I want to know how your Thanksgiving went. What did you have for dinner? What are you grateful for? What is your favorite Thanksgiving food and/or tradition?

Happy Thanksgiving!

-AGs in Alaska

Happy Dolloween! (A Photostory)

Happy Halloween to all of you who celebrate it . . . or Happy Dolloween to all of you who celebrate it with your dolls!

Also, I did not post on Monday for a very special reason. You can read all about it on Thursday’s post.

I myself do not partake in the spooky traditions of this hallowed holiday. Personally, it kind of freaks me out. In my family, it’s tradition to watch a movie and spy on trick-or-treaters on the evening of October 31st. And that’s exactly what this photostory is about.

Enjoy!

I sigh contentedly and flip open my brand-new, hot-of-the-press American Girl magazine. I just got it in the mail today, and it’s definitely a cause for celebration.

“Hey, Crys!” Grace exclaims, skipping up to me. “What are you planning on doing tonight? It is Halloween, after all.”

“Nothing much,” I reply. “Definitely not trick-or-treating, that’s for sure. I’m waaaaaaay to old for that.”

“Well, then,” Grace says. “Would you like to join me in a little game of . . .” her eyes twinkle mischevously. “Spy on trick-or-treaters?”

I blink. “Yeah, no thanks.”

“But, Crystal!” Grace whines. “Please? It’ll be so fun! Lindsey already said yes.”

“Perfect,” I tell her. “You have a partner already.”

“But I want you,” Grace whines. “Pleeeeeeeeeeeeee-”

“Fine!” I snap. “I’ll spy on trick-or-treaters with you.”

“Yipeee!” Grace squeals. “I gotta go tell Lindsey!” She races out of the room at full gallop.

I sigh. I’m so going to regret this.

At six o’clock, I join my sisters in the living room. Grace and Lindsey are peering out the window excitedly.

I stand next to them and peer out into the fading light.

We don’t have to wait long. A little girl, dressed as Laura Ingalls Wilder, walks up our drive and rings the doorbell. I can’t help myself, I giggle.

When the trick-or-treater realizes she’s not going to get any candy at our house, she walks dejectedly down the driveway.

The three of us keep a close eye on the street. A few minutes later, we’re rewarded with not one, but two trick-or-treaters.

One of the girls is a librarian, and the other is supposedly a hospital patient – but you never know, she could actually be sick.

We peer through the screen over the window as the two girls walk/roll away.

The next trick-or-treater shows up in a tap-dancer costume that she must be FREEZING in. She waits on our front porch for, like, ten minutes.

We have to cover each other’s mouths to keep from giving our positions away.

An hour later, we decide to call it a night and start to head off for our rooms.

All of a sudden, the lights flicker off.

“Um, was that you, Grace?” I ask. She shakes her head no.

“It’s a serial killer!” Lindsey shrieks. “Help! Help! HELP! I’m too young to die!!!”

We clutch each other tightly. “Is there someone in the house? Do something, Crystal!” Grace begs.

And, just as quickly as they had gone off, the lights come back on again and four mischievous girls pop out from around the corner. “TRICK OR TREAT!”

We stare at them, stunned. “It was you?” I ask, incredulous.

“It sure was,” Morgan confirms.

“And we got you goooood,” McKenna squeals. “You were all like, ‘It’s a serial killer! I’m too young to die! Crystal, do something!'”

We stare at each other for a moment, and then burst out laughing.

“You did get us,” Grace admits. “Happy Halloween!”

-End of photostory-

I have one quick announcement for y’all. I am actually not going to be participating in NaNoWriMo. I am too busy working on a different novel. However, I am considering doing Camp NaNoWriMo this summer.

What’s your favorite kind of candy?

What was your costume?

What was your doll’s costume?

Does your family have any Halloween traditions?

-AGs in Alaska-

The First Snow (A Photoshoot)

Sooooooooooooooooooooo . . .

It snowed!

Actually, it’s still snowing as I write this (Saturday). And I’m hoping by Monday (the day this is supposed to publish), there will be even more snow!

Because I can still see you, evil leaves. Autumn is no more, and the clouds shed their frozen tears upon the Alaskan landscape! Mwaa ha ha!!!!!!

Wow, I just realized how dramatic that sounded.

Fall to winter here is really weird. It’s like, leaves, leaves, leaves one day, and the next, it’s twenty degrees and it feels like Christmas!

Like I said. Weird.

Anyway, I really, really wanted it to snow by Monday (which, by the time you read this, is today), because when I planned out ALL of my October and November posts, I told the weatherman that he needed to predict snow by the twenty-third.

Actually, I just screamed at weather.com.

Just kidding. I didn’t do that, either. I’m not a crazy person.

By six o’clock, I realized that it was getting dark and I needed to go take pictures before the snow melted. Because it does that. A couple years ago, it snowed in September, melted, and then didn’t snow until exactly one month later.

*Sigh*

I got Morgan all ready to go outside for a photoshoot. I was actually inspired by Loren to do a snow photoshoot. You should really check her blog out, if you haven’t already. She’s actually the one who inspired me to start my own blog.

Okay, this is the longest introduction I have done before a photoshoot, so let’s get on with it!

Presenting . . . The First Snow!

Morgan!!! WHY ARE YOU NOT IN FOCUS???

Alright, guys! That’s it for today! But, never fear, I’ll be back on Thursday. Until then, au revoir!

Wait, wait, wait! I almost forgot!

I HAVE THIRTY FOLLOWERS!!!

Thank you so, so, so much for supporting me and my blog! The girls and I love you all. XOXO 🙂 🙂 🙂

Has it snowed where you live?

Better question: does it snow where you live?

Are you excited for the holidays?

-AGs in Alaska-