Nanea's Adventures

A wonderful surprise arrived today. Nanea got a pretty new pink party dress. I dressed her and took some pictures to share.  We need to go someplace fancy now. This is the site ( Lidi Designs ) where the dress came from. Aren't all the dresses cute and adorable? Nanea loves them all! Mahalo Nui

We went grocery shopping yesterday. Pineapples were on sale. They are usually $4.00 but they were selling for half of that. So we bought 6 of them. Mommy knows how much I love pineapple. I asked her to make pineapple upside-down cake and pineapple smoothies.

Nanea lives on Oahu with her family. K nown as "The Gathering Place" it is  the third largest of the  Hawaiian Islands . It is home to about two-thirds of the population of the  U.S. state  of  Hawaii . The state capital,  Honolulu , is on Oahu's southeast coast.   I was browsing all the wonderful places there are to visit on Oahu.

This is the second book about Nanea's adventures.  Everything has changed because of the war.  Nanea had hoped that going back to school would make things seem normal again. But it didn't.  Her friend Donna is gone but there is a new girl, Dixie, in class who is getting all of her teacher's attention. The worst is that her big brother talks about joining the army. She can't bear the thought of him leaving. She is also worried about the army wanting to take  Mele, her dog, away, to help with the war effort.  With all of this, Nanea turns to Hula to try to lift every one's  spirits especially the soldiers. That makes her forget, for a while,  about all the other changes.   Nanea learns more about what Aloha spirit means. Her Mom explains that "The Aloha Spirit means we share each other's joys and sorrows no matter what".  That made me cry. We also read about Nanea celebrating her birthday. That was lots of fun! Mahalo Nui

Nanea has been taking hula lessons from her grandmother since she was 4 years old. Her beautiful hula outfit and her love for hula got me very interested about the history of hula and what the hula means. I found this at " GoHawaii " In ancient Hawaii, a time when a written language did not exist, hula and its chants played an important role in keeping history, genealogy, mythology and culture alive. With each movement – a hand gesture, step of foot, swaying of hips – a story would unfold. Through the hula, the Native Hawaiians were connected with their land and their gods.   Before the arrival of Western missionaries, the hula was danced for protocol and social enjoyment. The songs and chants of the hula preserved  Hawaii’s history  and culture. Many believe hula was born on the island of Molokai, but other legends tell of Hula originating on Kauai.  For many years following the arrival of missionaries, the hula as well as the Hawaiian language and music were suppr

I love Nanea's Hula outfit.  Enjoy this fun video review . I love playing Hawaiian music and watching Nanea do her hula dances! Nanea has been taking hula lessons from her grandmother since she was 4 years old, and she loves the rich and beautiful tradition. This set includes:  A red top A faux- ti -leaf skirt that rustles like the sounds of real hula skirts A lei  po'o  that she wears on her head A yellow  lei  made of faux plumeria bloom; Nanea made it herself before her performance Two  kupe'e leis  she wears on her wrists Two  'uli'uli,  pretend feathered gourds she holds and shakes for rhythm during the dance In this picture you can also see all the things from her accessories set: Nanea and her sister, Mary Lou, bring these items when they go to hula class at Tutu’s. The set includes: A  lauhala  bag made of faux  hala  tree leaves, to carry the implements An  ipu  gourd used as a drum Items tapped together for rhythm during the dance:

If you are not getting American Girl  Magazine  you should put it at the top of your birthday (or Holiday) gift list. Its the perfect gift for celebrating  King Kamehameha I Day  (which is celebrated around June 11th in Hawaii). I'm learning so much about Hawaii!! I adore the stories, crafts, games, letters and so much more! Apple Harvest Triple Treat !  (From AG newsletter) Mahalo Nui

Guess who is on the cover of the newest American Girl Catalog? I know that's a silly question since you all know who this blog is about.  The  first  10 pages are  pictures of Nanea and all her wonderful outfits and accessories.  Mahalo Nui

This is the first book about Nanea's adventures.  I loved the book and can't wait to read the next one. The story begins in the fall of 1941. Nanea is 9 years old and lives on the island of Oahu with her family. Her full name is Alice Nanea Mitchell. Nanea means delightful & pleasant. She also has a cute dog whose name is Mele. Nanea wishes she could be older and not thought of as the baby of the family. Her sister, Mary Lou is 15 years old. Her brother, David, is 17 and works as a bellboy at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Her Papa works as a welder at Pearl Harbor fixing ships.  All the children were born in Oahu.  Lily Suda is Nanea's oldest friend. Their families are very close spending holidays, having meals and living near to one another. Donna is another girlfriend whose family moved from San Francisco three years ago so her father could work at the Pearl Harbor shipyard. Everyone calls the girls (Nanea, Lily and Donna) the "Three Kittens". Nan

The American Girl Spirit channel on YouTube is my favorite place for amazing videos of all the American Girls. There are lots of new You Tube videos of the WellieWishers.  This is the newest one about the  Birthday Cart and Treats play set. Cute! But back to Nanea Mitchell! Lots of YouTube videos New American Girl Nanea Mitchell Doll Review. (Rachel's Place) First Look at Nanea's Collection. Say Aloha to Nanea Mitchell. New American Girl  Nanea  Mitchell Doll Review. (Baby Gizmo) Z's New Short: Nanea's Hula Whodunit  (I LOVE this stop-action story called:             " Nanea's Hula Whodunit" The  official American Girl video about Nanea Mitchell's herstory. Peek into the past - Nanea Mitchell Story.  Hear from Dorinda Nicholson, a Nanea advisory board member, as she shares her story of witnessing the the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Learn how Nanea’s stories reflect the experiences of children living in Hawai

I love this cute shorts, shirt and sandals outfit. What do you think? She's wearing her shell necklace and holding her palaka handbag. 

Nanea brings these lovely things almost everywhere she goes!  Aren't they the cutest? A gorgeous necklace of pretty speckled-blue faux nerite shells.  These are small, often brightly colored shells belonging to the large sea snail family.  So pretty!  A cloth handbag made of  palaka,  a popular fabric worn by Hawaiian plantation workers. The ID pouch made from the same fabric. An ID card with Nanea's name, address, and fingerprints—all islanders had to carry these during the war An “airmail” envelope and letter from Nanea’s friend Donna, whose family had to return to the mainland.  Pretend money; during the war, money in Hawaii had the word “Hawaii” stamped on one side Two special pins. One with her name and the other that says "Remember Pearl Harbor". The cute orange bag was a special gift that was given on the Saturday celebration for Nanea. I'm so glad we went to the event                                              

I love this beautiful Holoku dress. This type of dress has been worn in Hawaii since the 1820s.   A long sleeved, yoked, loose- fitting floor-length dress without a waistline, the Holoku- today is nearly identical to the original design and is worn for mostly formal occasions. The Holoku expresses reverence for Hawaiian culture by showing the styles popular during the days of the Hawaiian monarchy. It is still worn today in modern Hawaii. Nanea is also wearing a  maile lei ,  or lei made from maile leaf, worn for special occasions and an orchid hair clip. The maile   leaves are believed to protect the wearer, bestow good luck, and even possess healing powers.                                                         Mahalo Nui Loa

In her stories, Nanea loves to help out at her grandparents’ Hawaiian market! Its a 1940's shopping experience. So many fun things with pretend food and also  souvenirs to arrange and play with.   It is so much fun to setup the market in different ways.  The store swings open in the back so that Nanea can manage the store from behind and also use the cash register. Samantha loves shopping at Nanea's Family Market! Nanea loves working in the market! When Samantha and Nanea get together they have so much fun. A 1940s-style cash register with a drawer that opens and numbers that pop up. Paper dollars that looks so real with "Hawaii" printed on the back just like the real thing during WWII. As you can see, from the sign, the store is open for business. The other side says "Closed". I adore the little postcards. There are 5 different cards. The display rack fits perfectly on the checkout counter. Aren't these the cutest shopping bags

August 25th weekend was the big celebration at  all the American Girl stores when Nanea Mitchell was finally released to the world. It seems like a year since American Girl announced that she would be the latest BeForever doll. From the day she was announced I knew that I wanted to have her.  We went to the Nashville store that weekend for the big celebration.      "Celebrate the debut of a girl whose aloha spirit runs deep—Nanea Mitchell! This event will introduce girls to Nanea’s world in 1941 Hawaii, with hula troupes performing the authentic Hawaiian dance, a fun free craft, and a yummy island-inspired treat. Girls will even get a doll drawstring bag giveaway and a chance to win a Nanea doll of their own! To add to the fun, come dressed up in your best Hawaiian-themed outfit. Treat and giveaway are available while supplies last." When Mommy and I arrived the first thing we saw were the pretty little hula girls dancing outside the store entrance, in the mall,