Out By The Flowers

It's a sunny day here, and Jasmine/Lina/Jocelyn (her name is all over the place, as is her "personality") took advantage of the warm (VERY WARM) weather. ;P
The garden is slowly wilting in the summer heat and most of the flowers have had their reign, but a few remain.

There's been a major heat wave as of late, making for miserable times. The temperature I could maybe handle, but it's the humidity that really zaps the energy right out of you. Especially when you live where temperatures rarely get over 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer!

But, even with the heat, I have newfound inspiration for taking pictures, so stay tuned!

Adventure in the Woods

circa April, 1854*

Lina and Kirsten quickly scampered outdoors, having just finished their chores. The two were practically inseparable when they were together, though they usually couldn't spend much time playing. Lina lived on the farm over from the Larsons and worked as a servant girl with her family. She was busy on the farm and had to work most of the time. The Larsons' neighbor, who owned the farm, was Johnathon Rhodes, a rather mean old man. He didn't let Lina off of chores very easily. The two still maintained their friendship, though, and were now, on a rare occasion, off to play.

It was a beautiful day, and they walked over the field, which was dotted with colourful wildflowers. The two girls giggled and picked the blooms as they approached the woods. They made their way into the cool shade and cover of the trees where reality seemed to disappear. After slipping off their boots and stockings, Lina and Kirsten splashed in the creek and played various games during the sunny afternoon. Too bad it couldn't always be this simple...
~*~*~*~*~

*As stated, this short story (which is poorly and quickly written) takes place in the 1850s. Sorry for the mild hints of slavery/servantry (more servant than slave!). I don't mean to offend anyone or get political, etc.
Minnesota, where Kirsten is said to live in the stories, was technically a free state, but it wasn't admitted into the Union until 1858. With its admittance to the Union, it was a free state, but I supposed there could have been some form of slavery or at least servants years prior. I have been writing about Lina and Kirsten on/off for a while, and thought I'd share.

Happy Earth Day! :D
-Brooke
PS: Sorry for the other dolls/myself taking over Avery's blog. I promise she IS alive, though there hasn't been any photos of her (and many others) since Valentine's Day... :( My poor, neglected dolls!

Jasmine, and looking back

Beautiful #26... She's been with us almost a year! She came from American Girl Place Chicago, handpicked, on January 2nd, 2009, along with her friend, Sonali Matthews. This poor girl, her name and story have changed so many times... She's been named Noelle, to Sasha, to Jocelyn, and now Jasmine. She hardly has a story, and even so its always changing as well. Lately she's been hanging around with Kit and Ruthie, but now she's becoming modern again. This girl needs to make up her mind! She needs to tell me where she fits.
I've been intimidated by her hair and haven't done much with her, only changing her clothes once every few months. But now she is ready for the holidays! :) This picture was taken in front of our Christmas tree (more holiday portraits coming soon!) She is wearing the Sparkly Plum dress from American Girl. I think the purple color suits her, and really sets off her lovely skin-tone and eye color. #26 really is a beautiful doll, her hair is just a pain! I've hardly touched her (she's been a "sit and look pretty" display doll) and her hair is SO frizzy! I guess I'm just not used to it, but even so, she is my favorite JLY doll. Her look is so unique, and those gorgeous amber eyes are to die for!

Well, that's my spiel about this stunning dollie!
And, guess what, this blog is almost a year old! It was created on December 27th, 2008. Looking back at all the posts, I can see how much myself and my dolls have changed! My photography is loads better (partially thanks to a new camera), my blogging style is different, etc.
It's crazy to think its been a year since I started sharing Avery's story with the world! :) I'll be having a huge post on the 27th to celebrate.

Happy Holidays,
-Brooke

PS- I've added music to the blog. It's Christmas music (Carol of the Bells) and Harry Potter (Hedwig's Theme). I tried to make these appropriate for everyone, but if you wish not to listen to them, most computers have a "mute" button ;)

Being a favorite doll...

Because of my blog, Brooke is almost forced to take lots of pictures of me, develop my personality, etc. I'm the one that Brooke does things with. Where as other dolls hardly get any attention! Jasmine, our #26, isn't "played" with too much, and neither is Ruthie, Julie, Marisol, or Erin (#12). I feel guilty when I'm out every day getting my clothes changed and picture taken, when they've been sitting in the same spot for months. I'm worried that Brooke might start selling some of us. I doubt she'd sell me, but she's been talking about getting rid of some of my friends.
But at the same time, she was watching the QVC show today and said she wanted Gwen, Chrissa, Molly, #23, #27, and #28!!! Uhhhh....

On another note, I have to go back to school tomorrow. I'm having trouble adjusting to my new routine/schedule. Plus, I've been putting off my homework til the last second, so I better go do that now...

~Avery~

Photo shoot with Kit, Ruthie, Jasmine, and Emily

Today Kit, Ruthie, Jasmine (#26), and Emily got to have a photo shoot! They're the resident 1930's-1940's doll, so they got dressed up in their appropriate clothing and went outside for some summer photos! I got to help Brooke take the pictures. I'm really interested in photography. It was a lot of fun to take some pictures of them. They're all so pretty! :) They all look like models in the pictures we took. I Ruthie and Jasmine's hair. It's so curly! I've always wanted curly, or at least wavy hair. At least my hair isn't as straight as Julie and Ivy's. I feel bad for Ruthie though, she did a face plant in the dirt! Luckily, she's okay, no major damage. Enjoy the pictures!

Just a note:

Brooke will be on vacation starting tomorrow! She'll be gone July 3-5. I'll STILL POST, even though Brooke's not here. There is an option where you can schedule posts. So, there will still be posts, I just won't be on the computer and won't able to reply to comments, read blogs, etc. Thanks!

~Avery~