The Wind in the Willows ~ On a Monday

Hello!

Thank you so much to my new friend, Jenny!

How do you like my Halloween blog design?  I think it's a lot of fun!

So, Storyteller posted "The Wind in the Willows" today.  Here we go:

1. Do you want to watch The Odd Life of Timothy Green--if you haven't already--?  And if you did watch it, why did you not or why did you like it?

Yes, I would like to watch it.

2. Are you excited for The Hobbit?

???????

3. Do you know what Pinterest really is?  If you do, explain it, please.

I think Pinterest is basically an online bulletin board that you 'Pin' pictures on that you like.

4. What would be your ideal job?

I'm not sure yet.

5. Who is the person that you've gotten to know the most (who you don't already know) through blogger?

I'm not sure...

6. What is your favorite story?  (Bible stories don't count, the Bible doesn't count, etc.)

Are you kidding me???  That is waaaaaaaay too hard!!!  I read so many books, and I have so many favorites!

7. What's your favorite blog name?

I don't know!  I like lots of blog names!

8. Why did you choose your blog name that you have currently?

I chose it because my blog is about my life, and I really like the Bon Jovi song "It's My Life."

9. Have you ever changed your blog name?  And if so, why?

I have never changed my blog name.

10. Do you like Riley Poole from National Treasure ("Delicious jams and jellies??") better or Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings ("I can't carry the ring, but I can carry you!") better?

I have never seen TLOTR, but I HAVE seen National Treasure, and I LOVE THAT MOVIE!!!!!!  So, Riley Poole.  (BTW, Riley is HILARIOUS!!!)

Thanks, Storyteller!  Those were great questions, and I had a lot of fun!  Have a great night!

~Grace

P.S. Thanks for tagging me, Storyteller!  Post coming up soon.

The Fantastical Giveaway Winner!

Hello Everyone!

First, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who entered my first giveaway!  This was so much fun!!!  I used Random.Org to choose a winner.  Now, it is time for the big reveal!

The winner is...

...Jess!  Her suggestion for my blog...

"A suggestion: Maybe make your sidebar a bit bigger, it looks a little bit squashed at the moment.  Other than that, I can't think of anything else and love your blog as it is"

Thanks for your suggestion, Jess!  I made my sidebar bigger, and it looks a lot better!

Congratulations, Jess!!!  Please be looking for an email from me!  You have until Sunday, October 28 to respond to my email with your mailing address, or I will have to pick another winner.  Thanks so much!

~Grace

The Cool Pup and a Snowy Update!

Hello!

Thank you for all of your entries to my giveaway!  I will be revealing the winner tomorrow.

Lindsay has these glow-in-the-dark glasses that she received from the library as a prize for completing her reading goal this summer.  We put them on my dog, Kooper, and he looked ADORABLE!!!!  He doesn't like wearing them very much, though. ;o)  I came across them today while going through some stuff, and I just HAD to show you!  Here is the 'Cool Pup':

Isn't this funny?  He is such a sweetie, and he was very good about me putting these on him, and getting a picture.

Now, for the snowy update!  It snowed a little over a foot last night!  It's so beautiful!  Since this morning, it has begun to melt just a little, and it has compacted down.  Tonight is supposed to be the last stormy night for a little bit, and it will warm up this weekend.  All of the snow might melt!  Isn't that terrible?!?!  I'm so bummed!  I know that it will be back soon, though.  Here are some pictures that I took this morning:

A lot more snow than yesterday!

LOTS of snow!!! 

In this picture, I was trying to capture the clouds coming into the snowy trees. 

 Don't the clouds look like they are rising right out of the lake?

Have a great night!

~Grace

It's Snowing!!!

Hello!

Thank you to my new friend, Betty!  I now have 35 friends!!!  Thank you so much everybody!

Today is the LAST day to enter My Giveaway, so if you haven't entered, click here!

It's snowing!!!  This is our first snow of the season, and I am so happy!  It started snowing around midnight last night, and it hasn't stopped.  We have about 6 inches so far, and counting.  It's so pretty outside with the snow on the trees, and it is very special because all of the Aspens are still yellow and orange, so they look absolutely beautiful with the snow on them!  

Our dogs love the snow, so they are very happy, too!  Our German Shepherd, Kaptain, LOVES to play in the snow!  He runs around, plays with his sticks that he finds, and does other doggie things!  Kooper loves the snow, too, but he can't go out too much for two reasons:  1) He gets snow and ice all balled up in his fur that are hard to get out.  The 'snowballs' cause him pain (they pull at his fur), and make him super cold!  We just groomed him, and I got him a sweatshirt and jacket, so hopefully that will help.  2) He loves to eat the snow.  This wouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that he has potty accidents in the house after eating so much snow.  We're hoping that this year, he will not be so obsessed with eating snow, and that he will be able to go out more!  

Here are some snowy pictures:

We use our deck railing as a gauge of how much it's snowed!

My 'slipper-prints' on the deck! :D 

When it rains or snows (particularly snow) the sky gets very ominous, so you can't see the lake all the way across.  I call it the 'Ocean Effect.' :o)

I love the snow in the trees! 

I was trying to capture the snow coming down, but it didn't work that well!  You can kind of see it on the right a little. 

An Aspen tree with a little bit of snow on it; isn't the color beautiful against the background?

Has it snowed at your house yet?  Have a great day!

~Grace

We are Officially AGTubers!!!

Hello!

Guess what?!?!  My sister and I have a YouTube channel called FantasticalAGStudios!  It is all about AG, and we just uploaded our first video!  Please go check it out here!  Do you have a YouTube channel?  Please comment and leave me a link so I can check it out!  Have a great day!

~Grace

The Wind in the Willows!

Hello!

Storyteller started something called "The Wind in the Willows" on one of her blogs, Rubberboot Girl.  Basically, she makes up questions, and then you can do a post about it on your blog, and answer the questions.  It's kind of like "Wednesday Hodgepodge" from This Side of the Pond.  She is hoping to make it an annual Thursday thing.  So, I decided that it would be fun to join in!

Here are the questions (and my answers!):

1. Who do you think should win the presidential election?

My political views are still in development at the age of 13.  I'm working on it.  :D


2. Republican or Democrat?

Same answer as above.


3. Outside or inside?

Outside!!!


4. Random blog or story blog?

Both, for sure!!


5. Christian or other?  If other, what is your "other"?

I'm Christian. :o)


6. Abigail Jane Applegate or Jessie Bender?  (if this gets passed along and there's some confusion, people, they're right on this blog so why you're at it you can read up, eh? :D  Or you can skip this question... only if you're really irked at me.... :D)

Jessie Bender!


7. Sweaters or sweatshirts?

Definitely sweatshirts!


And that's the end of "The Wind in the Willows" for today!  Thanks for starting this, Storyteller!



Have a great night!

~Grace

The Single Track!

Hello!

Thank you so much to my new friend, Julianna!

A few days ago, I got my school done early (1 P.M.), so I was able to go ride my bike on a single track trail with my dad.  In case you don't know what a single track is, it's a narrow dirt trail with rocks, tree roots, branches, trees, and many other 'obstacles.'  It's a type of mountain bike trail.  It was my first time on a single track, and I loved it!  We started with a fairly easy beginner trail that we had walked before, and it was great!  There were a few times when I ran into things, and almost fell, but I didn't fall, and it was a lot of fun!  In one area, we went through an aspen grove where there were a LOT of tree roots sticking up out of the ground.  I hit some of them wrong a few times, but mostly, I made it through pretty well.  I went over one tree root in a narrow spot in between two aspen trees, and my handlebar hit one of the trees.  That threw me off a bit, but I was fine.  It was really fun when we got going fast!  One thing that was kind of scary was when I couldn't see what was ahead of me.  There might have been a turn that blocked my vision, or even just tall grass or a tree.  Also, when I was going up hills, I found that sometimes I would lose traction because it was slippery.  I am still practicing sharp turns, and I need to work on going over things (such as rocks, tree roots, and logs), but overall, I think I did pretty good for my first time, and most important, I had a lot of fun!  Here is a picture of me:

Do you like to ride a bike?  I would love to hear about your adventures.

Have a great night!

~Grace

P.S.  Don't forget to enter my giveaway here!

I'm "Jessie Bender" and Some Bloggy Stuff!

Hi Everybody!

Thanks for all of your entries for my giveaway!  I just wanted to let everybody know, that if you comment under 'anonymous,' and you don't give me a name or nickname, I will not be able to enter you in my giveaway because I won't have a name to enter, or a way to contact you.  So, if you entered under anonymous, please reply to your comment and tell me your name.  Also, please remember that this giveaway is in appreciation of my public followers.  Thanks!

I made a couple changes to my blog.  Instead of having my favorite blogs on the side of my blog, I  now have a tab for it instead.  I swapped out the movie tab for a "Fantastical Blogs" tab.  I decided that I didn't really want to do the movie tab anymore.  I kind of felt like it was cluttering up my blog, and I'd like to be able to put more buttons and "decorations" on the side of my blog.  I also made my font size larger, and hopefully easier to read.  I will keep in mind more photos, and the "Caption That Picture" idea.  Thank you for all the suggestions so far; please keep them coming!

Storyteller writes stories, featuring four different characters she's created.  She created a really cool quiz that you can take to determine which character you're most like.  Click here to take the quiz.

Here are my answers to the quiz questions:

1. D
2. D
3. D
4. D
5. B

So...

Thanks for the awesome quiz (and the great stories), Storyteller!  That was a lot of fun!

~Grace

P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway here!  Please tell your friends about it.

A Fantastical Giveaway! ***CLOSED***

Hello!

Ok, so the giveaway that I've promised is finally here!!!  I reached my goal of 30 friends (I actually now have 33!) and I am so excited and happy to present this giveaway!

I want to say thank you so, so very much to:

Asmita

Brea

Claire

Danielle

Emma

Eriko

Grace

Hannah

Hannah

Jess 

Jessie

Kassidy

 Kathy

Kylee 

Lexie 

Madeline 

McKenna 

Meg

Mia 

Michelina

Mysti

Natsuko   

Robin

Samantha

Sarah

Sayoko

The Spurlock Girls

Storyteller

Summer

Tanya

Taro

Vivy

I am giving away a matching set of hand-crocheted scarves for you and your doll, plus a doll-sized knitting basket!  Each of these items are handmade by myself or a family member.

Pictures:

Here are all of the items! 

                       

I came up with 

2 ways for the

scarf to be worn;

 can you think of more?

The scarves are made of this beautiful yarn!  It is a fun hot pink color with some metallic strands woven throughout.

Your scarf!  This gorgeous scarf was hand-crocheted by my grandmother.

Your doll's scarf!  This beautiful scarf was hand-crocheted by my sister, Lindsay.

  

 Your doll-size knitting basket!  This basket and everything inside was handmade by me.

There are 11 skeins of colorful yarn in the basket that can be removed or rearranged by you! 

It comes with 2 pairs of knitting needles... 

...and a pouch to hold them! 

Isn't this cute? 

The basket can also be used as a picnic basket, or anything else that you dream up! 

The basket was hand-woven and assembled by moi!

To Enter:

~First, if you are under 18 years of age, please have your parent's permission, because if you win, you will have to give me your home address by email!

~You must be a PUBLIC follower of my blog!

~In your comment, say that you would like to enter, and provide a suggestion about my blog!

~For an extra entry, you can advertise my giveaway on your blog with the button on the right side of my blog!  Please leave a comment to let me know!

~I can only ship to the U.S.A. and Canada!

~The last day to enter is Monday, October 22, 12:00 P.M. Pacific Time!

~Thanks for entering, and good luck!!!

~Grace

Happy Birthday To Moi and New Clothes!

Hello!

I celebrated my 13th birthday last week, and I had a fantastical day!

In the morning, I opened my gifts, and had a beautiful breakfast of cinnamon rolls, chocolate crepes (made special by a close friend especially for me), scrambled eggs, bacon, and fruit.  It was delicious!  

After breakfast, we went on a bike ride with our friend.  It was a very nice bike ride, and we were blessed with beautiful warm, sunny weather.  After our bike ride we went to sushi.  The food was AMAZING, and I had a lot of fun!  They even brought me a special birthday dessert with Mochi (a Japanese ice cream dessert) and a fried banana!  It was super tasty!  My favorite kinds of sushi is salmon and tuna nigiri.  Nigiri is a slice of fish on rice.  Do you like sushi?  What is your favorite kind?

After sushi, we went to Taylor Creek to watch the Kokanee Salmon spawn.  It was so amazing to watch them.  We went home, and watched "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs."  It is a really cute movie, and I love to watch it - my sister checked it out for me at the library.  I had a delightful desert of cheesecake, and it was SO yummy!  There were 4 different flavors: Belgian chocolate, caramel, turtle, and red velvet.  My favorites were turtle and Belgian chocolate.  I had a great day!

These are the gifts I received for my birthday from my parents, sister, and grandma:

1. Camelbak All Clear UV Microbiological Water Purification System

2. Weekend Fun Outfit for Dolls + Charm

3. Casual Chic Outfit + Charm

4. Pretty Pink Coat Set + Charm
5. Snowy Earmuffs for Dolls

I also received the "Star Hoodie Outfit for Dolls" (one of the AG meet outfits from a previous year) from my very special friend Claire.  Thank you so much Claire!  You are so sweet!  Please check out her blog here, and her YouTube channel here.

{Reviews of the AG items to follow later.}

Yesterday, my mom and I had a shopping day together.  I really needed some pants, because I didn't have a single pair that fit anymore and it is definitely beginning to get cooler.  For the last year or two, I have had issues finding clothes.  I haven't fit in the junior's section, but I don't really care for the stuff in the kid's department.  Has this happened to any of you?  It has been frustrating.  I was very successful at Target a few weeks ago, and I found a lot of great shirts.  I didn't find any pants, though; and it's getting cold!  After going to Target, plus many other mall stores, we finally went to Abercrombie Kids.  Honestly, my mom was hoping we'd find something somewhere else first, which is why we went there last.  But... Abercrombie Kids was the only place I actually found anything that fit (and I liked - and I wasn't being overly picky).   I only needed jeans and sweatpants, and I was successful!  I got 2 pairs of sweatpants; 1 pink and 1 black.  I got 1 pair of yoga pants with a green band on the top, and 2 pairs of bootcut jeans.  I like all of the pants a lot, and the jeans a super comfy!

So, you're probably wondering about the giveaway I promised.  Details coming TOMORROW!!!  Sorry about the delay!  Have a great night!

~Grace

Happy Thursday!

Hello!

Happy Thursday!  I hope that everyone is having a great day!

First of all, I want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH to all of my friends who helped me reach my goal!  I reached my goal by October 2nd, and I AM having my giveaway!  Details coming soon...

Also, thank you so much for your entries for The Fun and Fantastical Dictionary!  Please keep them coming!  I think this is so much fun, and I've loved your words!

 Once again, THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone!  Have a great day!

~Grace

An Autumn Photoshoot with My Sister!

Hello!

Happy October!  Thank you so much to my new friend, Robin!

The other day, I asked Lindsay if she would let me do a photo shoot with her.  I got to choose some outfits for her, and one of the outfits I chose for her included dangly earrings.  She was super excited about that, because she had never worn dangly earrings before.  I also put a little bit of mascara on her, curled her eyelashes, and applied a little bit of lipstick.  She is a girly girl, so she was pretty excited about that, too!  I got some great pictures, and I think you will see that we had a lot of fun with this!

Here are the pictures:

Having fun!

I love this one!

Sassy!

These are the dangly earrings that she was so excited about!

I was so proud of this hairstyle that I did on her!

Beautiful!

We had a lot of fun with the bubbles!

We thought it was funny, because we had to keep changing directions because of the wind!  It was super windy!  All of a sudden, a HUGE gust would come in, and we would have to turn away because otherwise, we would get pine needles that were blowing off the trees in our eyes!

I got super lucky on this one, because I was having a really hard time getting a good "bubble picture!"

Cute!

Lindsay was having way too much fun with her scarf, and was being kind of silly!

Opening the umbrella!

She also had a ton of fun with the umbrella...

...and the hat!

She has rockstar hair in this photo!

Little actress!

Congratulations if you got all the way through that!  I think that they are all adorable!  I actually took 206 pictures, believe it or not!  Obviously, I narrowed it down!  Have a great day!

~Grace