Grateful

        Thanksgiving seemed ideal to express my gratitude on how wonderful an experience this blog has been for me as a learning experience and also as something fun in my life.
      You readers and followers have been such a blessing to me and I was blessed with such a wonderful bunch that the sweet number of you guys TOTALLY out-ruled the haters. :) I think for every negative remark or e-mail or comment there were 5 positive ones!
       This span of time writing on here has improved my capacity to understand a community online, meet new people and write and take photos. This has truly been one thing I will not forget. Racing home to write a post or take pictures or read other blogs had been such an enormous highlight that shined on.
     So thank you. All of you. Every single hair on your head deserves the highest of praises for giving me such a feeling of love and welcoming and friendship.
    I know that even though my time writing these posts were ultimately numbered (and my gaps in between posts has been apparent) in that this blog is going to retire.
      All blogs, as dolls do, have a point of time when they must just be an archive, something to look back on, something to remember.
         I know we always consider when a doll retires something sad. Their time as a girl's toy being able to be pulled off the shelves has been ended, but ultimately there is always a new generation of wonderful new dolls that follow giving more insight, more info and more enjoyment.
This is my archival.
       I am realistic about this in that I'm sure a very limited number of you will be reading this as I have neglected this sight for so long and haven't been involved that my page-views and followers have plummeted.
But that was always going to happen. I know that there would always come a point with a final breath, a final wave, and final "goodbye, friend."
     And of course, as Dr. Suess says "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
I am beaming that I was able to impact people, that I had a voice people took the time to listen to, that I improved so many of my life skills that I will hang onto forever because of this wonderful, wonderful blog.
      "My American Girl" became "Your American Girl" and I am SO grateful for that. Honest to goodness I am so grateful that I was able to do this all the way up until the year 2013. For three years! THREE YEARS!
     I am grateful I was able to do something I loved and make it my own while connecting with readers like you. That you could make this your own as well.
       I started small, with a few cruddy pictures here and there and I BLOSSOMED. I grew with the page-views and I grew with the readers and I grew through the mean comments and the harsh emails and I LOVED you ALL. Remember that.

 I want my last few words on here to convey not GOODBYE but THE END, because this has been one long, beautiful, lovely, amazing fairy tale that was unimaginable in the first place but the unimaginable HAPPENED. And that gives me HOPE.
    So thank you. Thank you from the very, bottom of my heart. Even to the ones who called this blog "crap" and "stupid" and "****" and whatever else because it was MY "crap" and "stupidity" and my "****". You taught me to dance in the rain, haters. Ha.
    I've put so much blood and sweat and tears into this but also so much love and laughter and passion into here.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.” -Buddha

So this is my final hurrah. My last wave. This is the time I felt was right to archive "My American Girl". You can look back at old posts and old photos to your heart's content and I hope you liked your time here as much as I did. 

And Happy Thanksgiving, and Merry Christmas, Happy Easter, Happy Halloween and a Happy New Year for every year to come. I love you all so much, but I'm stepping down. I'm letting YOU be my successors. 

     I know you all can be wonderful, beautiful people that I know you can be and I hope that as one door closes (mine) that one door opens (yours).

   So my dolls will take a rest from the limelight on a special spot in my closet and in my heart. One day soon they will be something my sisters can play with and love and enjoy, but in the future they will belong to my daughter someday, for her to think "Cool! My mom liked dolls once too!". That's a future to look forward to for those dolls. :) Someday I hope I have a daughter or niece or somebody to pass on this love and treasure that was once mine but can become theirs.

So you guys are the future, the heirs to the throne, the beautiful AG community I have so much faith and respect and love for. I dare you to dream!

And I hope you all live Happily Ever After. 

THE END

Dolled Up!

Wow! It's been a while. (BIG understatement, I know. :} ) But, I have some fun stuff to tell you about!!
I was recently contacted about a new beta-testing, and I got to try out Dolled Up. Dolled Up is where you can rent AG accessories and clothing, and I'm pretty impressed! I think it has turned out very nicely. The ship you a box with the items you ordered inside, neatly and nothing was broken! Once your month-long rental is up, you stick on the prepaid label back on the box with all the items inside and ship it back. Cool, am I right?
Anywho, I think it's a smart idea for kids who want to play with certain items but not have to purchase it. I think it's also a great way for AG Youtubers who want a certain amount of props or outfits for just the one shoot. This way you can still use accessories or outfits without having to pay full price! On month is plenty of time to enjoy the AG items of your choice. My sisters and I each ordered one item to play with for the month and then we ship it out and pick out something else! Since we are beta-testing the service is free, but once it is officially released to the public you may have to pay a small fee. So far on their website, you only have to pay $15 for 3 outfits for a month long rental. Just contact them using the email on their website. Here are the pictures!

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I got the "Lemonade Stand Set" (which didn't come with the actual stand...hmmm...), my sister got the "Feel Better Kit" and my other little sis got the "Bitty Bath Seat".

The Feel Better kit came with everything and is super cute! It comes with everything, even a cute little pamphlet. I would recommend not using the stickers if you use the rental service, since it's hard to put stickers back for another use. :) 

The bath chair is sooo cute! I wish it came with accessories, like a fake shampoo and soap, (but that's AG's fault.) My sister thinks its adorable, and makes little "swooooosh" sounds when using the attached little hose.  So sweet!

And my cute little lemonade set! The pitcher is cute, it has little ice cubes that clank around in the cup, which is a fun little addition. The piggy bank is SUPER adorable, and it as well makes little "clackety" noises when rattled. Makes it feel much more realistic!

Since the lemonade set I recieved from Dolled Up didn't include the actual STAND (again, ???) so I used it other ways! Here Laraina and Felicity are having a summer snack!

I keep all the small items I got in jars so I dont loose any. Remember, you must return the items (ALL of them) so keep track! :) 

I hope you all give Dolled Up a try, it's a great new service I think you all will love. It's a great new idea I plan on using again and again! 

And this is aside from Dolled Up, but I am soooo thankful for all of you. You kept with me between my gaps of busy-ness, and I've never had any haters or people tell me I'm weird. Thank you for staying with me, for not giving up, and for keeping me going! Know I'm telling the truth when I say that you guys are my inspiration. I have a lot going with my life right now, so my posts will almost guaranteed be spaced out. But know that I think of you all the time, that I haven't given up on you guys, and that I hope you don't give up on me!  

In fact, I'm thinking maybe school gets out I could do a mini-series with my dolls on Youtube....??? Tell me if you would watch that! 

Love love LOVE you all.

Happy Birthday To My Little Sis!!!!

 My little sister just got her 1st AG Doll!! So monumental... She is so excited to get her favorite, Molly! :D

Yay! So cute!

I think this is so funny, she's waving!

Finally getting a real look!!!!

Carefully, ever so careful...

Awww, that cutie!

I remember when I got my first doll... I named her Emily because it sounded like a longer version of "Emma". And it was also the name of my BFF. ;)

Ever, 

So Long, Farewell, auf Wiedersehen, Adieu

There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall
And the bells in the steeple tooAnd up in the nursery an absurd little birdIs popping out to say, "Cuckoo"Regretfully they tell us but firmly they compel usTo say goodbye to youSo long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, good nightI hate to go and leave this pretty sightSo long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieuAdieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieuSo long, farewell, au revoir, auf wiedersehenI'd like to stay and taste my first champagneSo long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbyeI leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye, goodbye... 

 I have some things you deserve to know.

I think I am being unfair to you all by holding off so long. I'm going to be completely honest with you all- I can't blog on here anymore.
This has NOTHING to do with my interest with AG, I still really love it, but I can honestly not keep up. My life has taken on a new level of busy, fast-paced and never slowing. With my average day being filled with homework, piano, swimming and more homework, sometimes I have no time to check my e-mail let alone take pictures and post! I feel its unfair to all you to always have my posts apologize for lack of updates or taking so long. I feel guilty that it's approaching almost a month since I have last posted. I keep promising that I can do better, that I can post more often or that I can make time to do doll photo shoots. But I can't. I have too much stress for essays or I have to rush off to a swim practice. It's not that I don't care about my blog or you, it's quite the opposite. I am writing this (sorta painful) post so that I can let you know that I can't post as often as I wish I could. It's so that I don't always leave you haging, because that's unfair to all you readers.

Just because I am going for a break doesn't mean I will never be back. I will still post if I have time, but there are no guarantees, and it's likely posts will have a gap of months in-between. A lot of thought has gone into this post, and the thing I wish most was the I would never have had to write it. But it wouldn't be fair to you to keep writing short "sorry for taking so long" or "I will post more in the future" or apologies that will happen again and again with promises I can't keep. It wouldn't be fair to you not to tell you how it will really be: that I will have to go away for a while. This blog has been an incredible journey for me, as it started out as just a spot for a girl (me) to muse about AG, and has turned into a place for all sorts of differnet girls from all over to meet and talk and laugh and obsess. I am so proud to be a part of the AG Blogger Community, and to get to know so many girls just like me.


This isn't your typical farewell from an AG Blogger, though. From the ones I have read it was signaling that they were gone, that they were un-interested and have moved on from their dolls. But I am not leaving forever, and I am not abandoning my blog, or dolls, or moving on. I could never sign of forever. Because I will never sign off of AG, or my dolls, or you, or all the happy times and laughs and thrills and tears and love I poured into this blog. This has been such a blessing in my life, and I will never abandon it. YOU have been a blessing in my life, all 129 beautiful, wonderful, fantastic, awesome, heartfelt, sweet and followers. No, scratch the follower part, you guys have been my sisters, my BEST FRIENDS. I love you guys with all my heart, and I will never sign off completely from you.

McKenna Shoots for the Stars!

Wow, it took me forever but I finally was able to watch the McKenna Shoots for the Stars movie! For the most part it was enjoyable. :)

I am just going to say that I haven't read the books (how unlike me! seeing the movie before reading the books...) so I am not sure if it was true to the real storyline or anything. This is just what I thought about it.

         So, McKenna is a die-hard gymnast, who's big dream is to compete in the Olympics. I think it's good that they have a girl with a set dream, showing girls that it's okay to dream big as long as you keep working towards it. I was really really disappointed in Toulane's personality, though. She would constantly lash out on McKenna, make fun of Sierra and all the while act like she wasn't being mean or anything. I just don't think that's a realistic friendship... :[

 McKenna is pretty relate-able, and my little sisters liked her a lot. She's a sweet girl who is figuring stuff out, and learns a lot of lessons along the way.

 The storyline is a really good one, and I liked watching what would happen next. The outcome was really nice, ( I won't say what it is just in case any of you haven't seen it yet) and it ended the story well. It is a nice story about a girl with big dreams who makes mistakes along the way but fixes them. I was disappointed in Toulane's rudeness, though, and the whole time I just didn't get how they stayed friends. It was what I was expecting, and it was really cute! I would think girls mostly 6 to 10 would like this show most, and I would give it a rating of a 7.5. :)

What did you think of McKenna Shoots for the Stars?

Caroline is RELEASED!

Caroline Abbott has been released! She is a very pretty girl, but I don't think she will be a purchase anytime soon. These are my thoughts on some of her stuff:


Caroline is super cute, I just wish they had been a bit more creative with the look. Is it just me or does she look a whole lot like Lanie? I have noticed a bit of a surplus of new dolls with curly hair... But her dress and outfit is cute, but OH SO PINK! :)



Okay, OH MY GOODNESS. This is sooossooosososososo cute!!!!!! Love the buttons and the deep blue together!! Caroline here looks excellent in blue.



Wow, again, this is an adorable outfit! Very elegant, and the Regency look to it is great.


This dress is a pretty color, but I'm honestly not a huge fan of the pattern. The headband is super cool, I like how it makes it easier to give her hairdos since her hair is so curly.




This dress is very pretty, but again, the PINK. I think Caroline has a color scheme going. I was a bit sad that all the pieces are separately sold, but whatever. The bonnet is to die for!



This is a pretty nightgown! The light blue looks nice on her, even if it is her jammies. :)



Honestly, Inkpot looks too much like Licorice.


Cute to look at, but I can pretty much tell it won't hold up too much rough play. Looks kind of like an enlarged Lego boat. But who knows, this is just the stock photo, it might be better in person.


This bed is really cute! I LOVE canopy beds. I thought for a second the design on the blanket was a peace-sign, then saw it was just a criss-crossy circle. :)

Well, there you have it! Caroline from the eyes of me.

P.S. Oh, and if you were a winner for the stuff, I AM SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY! I've been so busy you can't imagine, (Schedule: Go to school, go to swim, go to work, go do homework, chores, and repeat cycle.)
So I will try super hard to get them sent this week. Sorry again!

Giveaway Winner For Crafts and Tee!

The giveaway winner for the crafts are........ (drumroll).......

I randomly picked this out of a hat and the lucky girl is:


LAURA ASHLEY C.!!!!!!!

Congrats, Laura! E-mail me (it's emma.myamericangirl@gmail.com) for more information.

 
 
 

And, last but not least, the random drawn winner for the tee shirt is:

{Another drumroll}

Sophie Amelie Moreau! 



CONGRATS YOU TWO!

Just e-mail me so I can give you all the info you need. :)

This has been wonderful, and I was amazed at the over 50 entries I received!! Thanks again for being phenomenal readers, followers and supporters. Love you!