Happy Easter!!!

Hi!

Happy Easter, everyone!!!  I hope that you have a brilliant day, and that you will remember what Easter is truly about!

And also enjoy your easter egg hunt! ;P

Such a cute little picture!!!!

Happy Easter!

P.S. What do you think of my new siggy?

4 Fantastic Giveaways!

Hey Everyone!

There are four really fantastic giveaways going on right now!

The first one is at Danielle's Blog.

You could win this adorable friendship necklace!  Click here to enter!

The second giveaway is at Six Faraway Friends.

You could win either three lip balms of your choice, five books, or some AG stuff!  Click here to enter!

The third giveaway is at Daydream Doll Boutique.

You could win this adorable outfit!  Click here to enter!

The fourth giveaway is at Forever American Girl.

You could win two adorable AG headbands!  Click here to enter!

Make sure to go enter!

The Winner of the Easter Giveaway Sponsored by Livvy Lee Clay Bakery!

Hi!

I have chosen the winner, and it is time to reveal! :P  The winner is..... Drumroll please.......

...Claire!!!

Congratulations, Claire!  Thank you to everyone who entered, and a HUGE thank you to Olivia!!!  Claire, please be looking for an email from me.  You have until Saturday, March 30 to respond, or I will have to choose a new winner. :)

Have a great day!

~Grace

Easter Giveaway Sponsored by Livvy Lee Clay Bakery! ***CLOSED***

Hi!

Guess what?  I have a giveaway for all of you wonderful followers!!!  I have been sponsored by Olivia from Livvy Lee Clay Bakery with an adorable AG chocolate bunny!

Here is a little bit about Olivia and her shop:

My name is Olivia and I am 15 years old.  I love playing softball, track and field, collecting dolls, and of course, sculpting clay!  One of my favorite things to do is sculpt clay items for myself, my friends, family, and anyone who will enjoy it!  I also have 22 American Girl dolls and often have fun playing with them and photographing them.

Thanks, Olivia!

Now, onto the giveaway!

Olivia has generously donated an AG chocolate bunny from her shop!

Isn't it cute?  You could win!

Here's how to enter:

1. You must be a public follower (via GFC) of this blog, It's My Life.

2. You must have your parent's permission if you are under 18 ~ You will have to provide your address if you win.

3. In your comment, say your name or nickname and that you would like to enter.

4. Go visit Olivia's shop, Livvy Lee Clay Bakery, and take a look around.  Come back here, and let me know what you favorite item is.

5. For extra points:

~Follow It's My Life with Blog Lovin' (+2)

~Follow my other blog, Blog Designs by Grace via GFC (+2)

~Follow Blog Designs by Grace with Blog Lovin' (+2)

~Add my It's My Life button to your blog (+2)

~Add my Blog Designs by Grace button to your blog (+2)

~Post about this giveaway on your blog (+5)

~Pin the giveaway image (+2)

Purchase an item from Livvy Lee Clay Bakery (+10)

If you do any of these things, make sure to let me know and leave me a link in your comment.

Giveaway ends Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 12 midnight pacific time.  I will choose and reveal the winner on Thursday, March 28.

Winner will be decided by Random.Org.

Good luck, and thanks for entering!

~Grace

P.S. Review on an item from Olivia's shop coming soon! :)

Lindsay is Having an Easter Giveaway!

Hey There!

Lindsay is having an Easter giveaway for an adorable Easter necklace over at her blog, Stories By Me!

Click the button to enter!  Hurry, because it ends soon!

Have a great day!

~Grace

New Design!

Hi!

What do you think of my new design???  I really, really like it!!!!  I would love to hear your opinion.  Please comment or vote on my poll!  If you would like a blog design, please visit my design blog, Blog Designs By Grace!

Have a great night!

~Grace

Great Giveaway!

Hello!

Rose at Loving Your American Girl Doll is having a great giveaway going on for a really cute AG headband!  Click here to enter!

Have a great day!

~Grace

Follow Via Blog Lovin'

Hi!

Please follow me via Blog Lovin'!  It would be super great if I could get my Blog Lovin' followers even (plus even more :) with my GFC followers!  Right now I only have two followers via Blog Lovin'. :(  So, please click the button below!

Thanks!

Have a great day!

~Grace

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hi!

Have a fun day in green!

And don't get pinched! ;)

~Grace

Google Reader is Going Bye Bye :(

Did you hear that Google Reader is shutting down on July 1st?  I was kind of bummed, but then I heard about Blog Lovin', and decided to get an account.  I love Blog Lovin', and it is WAY better than Google Reader, and I'm so glad I got an account!!!!  One of my favorite features is that you can 'Like' posts.  You can go back to the list of your likes, so then you can remember certain things in the posts.  That is a feature that I've wanted on Google Reader for a long time, so I was SUPER happy about that!!!  There is a super easy way to import all of the blogs you follow through Google Reader onto Blog Lovin'; when you create your account, it will ask you if you want to import the blogs you follow through Google Reader, and just allow it to access to your Google Reader.  Just make sure that it has imported all of the blogs, because I had one or two that didn't get over to Blog Lovin'.  All you have to do is search the URL of the blog(s) you're missing, and then click 'Follow.'  Super easy!  I am lovin' Blog Lovin' (sorry, that was really lame :), and you should definitely head over there before Google Reader shuts down!

Have a great day!

~Grace

P.S. Sorry I haven't been posting!  We've had a bunch of rehearsals for a dance show that we had last night, and another one tonight.  I will get back to posting regularly next week! :)

Awesome Giveaway at Dolls on da blog!

Hello!

Dolls on da blog is having a super awesome giveaway for an adorable AG outfit!!!  Click here to enter!

Have a great day!

~Grace

Don't Forget!

Hello!

Don't forget to enter Lindsay's giveaway!  Hurry, because it ends today!  She is giving away a beautiful  journal of your choice from Lacey's shop, ThePurpleLaugh!  Click here to enter!

Have a great afternoon!

~Grace

Great Giveaway!

Hello!

Jodie is having a really great giveaway going on right now for some super cute kitty toys!  Check it out here.

Have a great day!

~Grace

Interview with Sayoko!

Hello!

Today we are going to be interviewing Sayoko from Simply Sayoko!

1. What is your name (or Blogger name) and age (if you don't want to say your age, that is just fine :)?  Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Sayoko Tachibana, and I'm 13 years old.  I love writing, drawing (especially anime/manga), and I've been a gymnast for nine years - four in Japan, five in America.

2. What are your blogs about, and why did you start blogging?

My blog, Simply Sayoko is just a place for me to rant, share whatever is going on in life, and post pictures from time to time.  A few friends of mine: Eriko, Natsuko, Hyun-Ae, Taro, and Nagi-chan post, too!

3. What are your hobbies?

Above all else, I am a writer and a gymnast.  In my spare time (which is rare!) I read, draw, study French and Hindi, and ride my bike.

4. If you are a doll lover, how many dolls do you have, and which ones?  If you are not a doll lover, how often do you go to the library?

Well... if I am a doll does that automatically make me a doll lover? ;)  I have three dolls, Rebecca, Nimi, and Uri.

5. What is your favorite book (or book series)?

My favorite series is A Series of Unfortunate Events.  If you like rather... bizarre books, then you'd like these!

6. What is your favorite movie?

The Help and any "scary" movies.

7. Do you prefer to watch the movie before reading the book, or do you prefer to read the book before watching the movie?

The book first!  Differences from book to movie are annoying!

8. What is your favorite kind of ice cream?

I don't eat ice cream.  But I do like pomegrante-green apple frozen yogurt.

9. What is your most favorite place that you've ever been to?

Two-way tie between Ober Gatlinburg in Tennessee and the Mall of American in Minnesota.

10. What do you like best about my blog?

All of the different pages!

11. What would you do to improve my blog?

Absolutely nothing.  It's perfect! :D

12. What are your top 5 favorite blogs?

(In no particular order)

1. Dabbling Dani
2. Saoirse's Space
3. It's My Life
4. Ushi's Story
5. The Haleyverse

13. Would you be interested in guest posting on my blog?

Of course!

Thanks so much, Sayoko!  I really enjoyed your interview!

If you'd like to be interviewed, visit my 'Interviews' page here.

Have a great night!

~Grace

Breaking the Barrier

Within the past year, my family moved to a new place.  We had lived in the place before for nearly my whole life, and I had some really, really good friends there.  I was all for this move, and I don't regret it in the least.  I love where I'm at, and I wouldn't change it for the world.  Being the 'new girl' at the age of 13 is super difficult.  The girls here already have their groups of friends, because they've grown up together. Plus, being homeschooled is kind of a disadvantage.  Don't get me wrong; I love homeschooling, and I definitely wouldn't change it.  It's just extra difficult, because I only see the girls at dance, and the 'socialization period' is very short; before and after dance for maybe 10 or 15 minutes at the most.  How do I become 'involved' with these girls' lives?  How do I make friends?  It is really difficult for me, because I am very shy.  I know that being shy can be taken the wrong way sometimes.  What if they think I'm stuck up?  What if they think that I think I'm better than them?  I don't want that at all.  I just want to be friends with them.  I'm really, really trying to create conversation, but what do I talk about?  What do we have in common besides dance and skiing?  I don't know.  I'd like to ski with them, but most of the girls don't ski where I do.  I try to smile, say 'hello' and 'goodbye', wave, make friendly gestures.  My mom keeps encouraging me to be friendly, and talk, but it's just so hard.  It's so hard to figure out how to break the barrier.  Sometimes a lot of times, it gets lonely.  I have my friends from where I used to live, and I keep in touch, but it's not like I can just hang out on the weekends.  This is one of the reasons that I love blogging so much.  You guys are my friends.  Even though I haven't met you in person, face-to-face, you are my friends.  I hope you feel the same way.  So, once again, the question comes back, lurking constantly in the back of my mind.  How do I break that barrier?  How do I ask if they want to hang out sometime? How do I ask that without it being totally awkward?  I. Don't. Know.  I need your help.  Have you ever been in a situation like this?  How did you get through it?  Can you give me some tips?

Oh How Pinteresting Wednesday ~ 10

Hi!

Here are some of my favorite pins from the week:

Hahaha!

Seriously.  It works.

Soap Box + Post Its + Crayons = On-the-Go Crayon Box!

What?!

Cut a noodle and tie a rope through it.  Put it around a rubbermaid bin, and you have a floating ice chest!

The marshmallow was first made to help relieve a sore throat.  Just eat a few of them when your throat is hurting and let them do their magic.  I wonder if this works...

Worth a try!

A standard mason jar will fit most blenders, turning it into a magic bullet type of contraption.  Cool!

I hope that you have found tons of fun pins this week!

~Grace

Sailing Cat!

Hi!

Claire showed me this really funny video, and I wanted to share it with you.  It is only 36 seconds long, so make sure to watch it all the way through. :D

Isn't that so funny?!?!  The music just makes it so much better.  :P  I love it!

Have a great day!

~Grace

Claire is Coming!!!

Hi!!!

Guess what???  My very, very special friend, Claire, who moved away last summer, is coming to visit us!!!!  We are SO SUPER EXCITED!!!!  We are picking her and her mom up from the airport a little bit later today, and we can't wait to see them!  My mom and her mom are also very, very good friends, so it will be a wonderful reunion!  Lindsay and I have prepared a little welcome party for the AG's (Claire is our special AG friend), and we just can't wait!!!  I will show you pictures of our party later.

Have a super fantastical day!!!

~Grace

Super Exciting!!!

Hi!

Guess what?????  I won a giveaway for a beautiful personalized necklace over at Danielle's Blog!!!!  

I am so excited!!!  This is the first giveaway I have ever won, so I'm pretty psyched. :D  Yaaaay!  Thank you Danielle!  Make sure to go check out Danielle's blog here.

Have a great day!

~Grace