'Twas the Day After Christmas

  It's really the same thing every year, for months I look forward to Christmas with an enthusiasm that can't truly be explained. I put all of my time and energy into creating festive things, from Christmas ornaments, to gifts, to cookies, and various treats. Then, on Christmas Eve I am a-twitter with excitement. The following day is much like a passing dream and then it's all over. Nothing can express the sorrow that seems to flood me throughout the week after Christmas.

  Usually I spend my week after Christmas doing nothing but mourning for the holidays of my past while staring dismally at the ghost of Christmas that lingers everywhere, like scraps of wrapping paper, leftover treats, the empty tree, and everything else that has faded in some way or another.

  But this week after Christmas I was surprised and still am as each day that greets me is actually fresh and full of delightful activities (minus having to do Geometry of course). I wanted to let you guys see what my day after Christmas was like so I shall compose a list. And just in case you are wondering, no, I did not not spend the day after Christmas in my pj's, having a LOTR marathon whilst munching on leftovers. Not that I'd frown upon those of us who have done just that though.


My Day After Christmas


I spent hours reading a book.

I began planning a high tea party.

I got to work on finishing a crocheted lace table runner that I want for my tea party.

I got most of my New Year's goals written down and dreamed over.

I ate part of my mini gingerbread house (it's actually made of graham crackers.)

I read my old diaries.

I poetically daydreamed over my gifts.

And lastly I had a chocolate from a box of delightful things a friend had given to me.


After Christmas fun, is so much better than after Christmas blues!

Simple Woman's Daybook

For today..... Monday, December 19, 2016

Looking out my window..... I see brilliant sunshine penetrating every space outdoors. Tiny patches of snow are quickly melting under the fierce light from the sun, the sky is a lovely shade of blue but everything looks expectant as if waiting upon the arrival of snow.

I am thinking..... That I would most likely not be able to produce a satisfactory post if I couldn't listen to music while I was writing. 

I am thankful..... I am thankful for the ability to love.

One of my favorite things..... While this is not technically a "thing" one of my favorite "things" are The Piano Guys.

I am wearing..... A pinkish burgundy skirt with a black and white peony printed blouse.

I am creating..... I would have said Christmas gifts but I just finished up with all my gift making yesterday.

I am reading..... One of my favorite books, Anne of Green Gables

I am hoping..... That by some form of a miracle that I'll wake up on Christmas morning to see the world blanketed in mounds of feathery snow.

I am learning..... That real love is sacrificial love (no, I am not just saying that to prove I actually listened at church.)

In the kitchen..... Various ingredients are laying on the counters in preparation for making Christmas snacks this afternoon.

Picture thought.....  Diane and I actually set up a tree in our room this year and worked for hours on end making ornaments for it. Though  it may be a touch rustic, I find it absolutely perfect.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Let's talk holiday decorating. On a scale of 1-10 where do you fall? (1=Scrooge and 10= Clark Griswold). What's your favorite corner-room-table-space to decorate? Is it done?

  I absolutely love Christmas decorations but my home is not completely covered with heaps of decor. I suppose on a scale of 1-10 that I personally would fall at a five. Because each year my sister and I decorate our room thoroughly. The house in general only has a Christmas tree but my room has been touched with the Christmas spirit. I have stockings hanging on the wall. I have a cheery painted picture of a snowman on the wall (I painted it at one art class). We have our own Christmas tree laden with homemade ornaments, and we have bowls of pine cones everywhere.

2. Is there a nativity scene in your decorating somewhere? Post a picture or, if it's special to you in some way, tell us why. Or do both-it's Christmas!

  No, we do not have a nativity scene anywhere in the house. I used to want to play with the little people in those scenes though when I was just a wee girl.

3.  Do you live in a social neighborhood? If so are you glad? If not do you wish you did?

  Oh my yes! My neighborhood is such a pleasant and friendly area. Quite frequently we see our neighbors. Not necessarily as in having backyard barbecues but as in the fact that no matter what need anyone has had our neighbors are always there for each other. 

4.  As the saying goes, 'there's no time like the present'. How does that ring true in your life right now?

  Well, I have just recently discovered that keeping a to-do list is helping me massively in not procrastinating any longer. I have also discovered that for some strange reason it is satisfying to get a heap of things done in one day.

5. Do you dread Mondays? Why or why not?

  I personally dread Mondays. The reason why is pretty simple. I have lots of fun things to do during the weekend and after my delightful weekend hubbub, I get to turn to little ole Monday and have to face the rude presence of Geometry again. 

6.  Poinsettia, Christmas Cactus, Amaryllis-which on the list is your favorite holiday plant? Are any of these on display in your home right now?

  I love poinsettias. We don't have any holiday plants in our home. 

7. Share a favorite quote from a Christmas movie.

  I have a thing for ridiculously lame Christmas movies and during the holiday season it's not very hard to find multiple cheesy movies. I watched one recently and had to explode with laughter when this quote was said. "Our library got a new book last month. Pandemonium." The hysterically sarcastic way that it was said made me bubble over and I couldn't help myself.

8.  Insert your own random thought here. 

  It's pretty much official. I can not stand Emma by Jane Austen. I tried to read it so many times and each time I found myself slowly dying inside. It is slow mind-numbing torture. I loved The Three Musketeers and Pride and Prejudice, but for some reason I can't stomach Emma. It's on my list of required reading for this year so I keep plowing through one dreadful paragraph at a time.

Awk + Awe ~ November

  I know that I haven't posted an Awk + Awe in quite some time and the reason behind that is that I was simply far too busy and by the time I had remembered that I needed to make an Awk + Awe post it was already too late. So let's just ignore the fact that it is already December the fifth and continue.

  I believe that most of you already know that I have been part of a home school group for the past few months and considering my natural tendencies to find myself in awkward situations, you can most likely imagine the doozie of a time that I've had at my home school group.



             Awkward

•  I was sitting there quite calmly in my chair at my home school group, busily conversing with Christina and Wade as well as several other of my friends, as you know, I have quite a mess of curls on top of my head and so naturally they were in my way. I reached to sweep my hair back and my fingers caught onto the necklace I was wearing and I nearly choked myself with it. Christina didn't seem to be concerned and Wade definitely wasn't since he burst out laughing.

•   One class that I have at my home school group is acting class. All of us kids were sitting around the auditorium being taught how to project our voices (out teachers find passing a mike around to be sloppy and unprofessional.) I happen to love acting so memorizing my script for our Christmas play was tons of fun. I have this one problem though, it seems that whenever I become extraordinarily excited or nervous, my nose starts to bleed. So imagine this, there I was, I had just finished acting out one of my parts and all of a sudden my nose started to bleed. Giselle, who had been sitting beside me, didn't really catch on to what was happening, but I must have made a scene and a half (which is hysterical since it's acting class) whilst I fled the room to the restrooms. 

• This next awkward moment occurred the very next class after my nosebleed during acting class. I was sitting in another classroom explaining to Sabrina how my nose had bled during acting class. "Oh, so that explains what that stuff was dribbling down your chin" she said with a gag. I smiled, because I couldn't help it, it's not every day I flee an acting class. I could still taste the bitter rusty acid taste of blood in the back of my throat and that terrible taste caused me to cough quite vehemently for a second or two. "Are you okay?" Sabrina had asked with a look of genuine concern. "Yes, I'm fine," I said, and in a British accent I added "I"m just coughing because I had a bloody nose, and a bloody throat, and a bloody face in general." Sabrina chose that moment to scoot back in her chair in mock horror. I suppose my British did get too carried away.

•  Somehow I seem to have the very worst luck with bringing awkwardness upon myself. My most unfortunate moment at my home school group happened during writing class. It was all completely innocent. I was sitting at the table scribbling away at a story, quite fervently too, and a sharp flash of light caught my eye. I looked up to see what it was and it turns out that there was a glitter on Carter's lips. "There's a glitter on your lips" I spoke before I had time to think. He reached up to remove it and then halted, "Wait, why were you looking at my lips?" he asked. I could have died right then and there. Like I said, it was completely innocent, but nevertheless, that was one of the most awkward moments I have ever had in my life.

• I love the Sundays of Advent, and one traditional thing that my church does is to have communion each Sunday during Advent. It's no big deal but knowing me, I still had a chance to provide an awkward moment. I was walking down the aisle, in line behind a lot of other people but right behind a particularly tall man. I suppose I must have become distracted with looking off across the room at some lady tucking up her hair because before I knew what was happening, my nose smacked straight into the extraordinarily sharp shoulder blades of the man in front of me. I have just come to the conclusion that lines are not my thing.

           Awesome

•   As you already know, I love acting, so I found it quite awesome when my acting teachers commended my acting. It was one of those warm and fuzzy moments.

• Right now I am only four days away from the big day at my home school group, known as the night of the play. I am extremely excited.

• Another one of my awesome things is the fact that I am now reading Anne of Green Gables again, I used to love those books and apparently they are still every bit as good now, if not better since I can actually understand what I am reading, so that to me is a pretty awesome thing.

• Something else that I find to be pretty awesome is the fact that I get to bake some desserts to bring to the play this week. I love baking so I'm excited, in fact I have already planned to take chocolate chip cookies and chocolate peppermint cupcakes. I can hardly wait.

Melt In Your Mouth Apple Crisp

  It is now officially Christmas season since all of the other major holidays are in the past for the year. I suppose when you think of Christmas season spent in the kitchen you might envision lots of cookie baking, various pies making, and the whole house smelling like ginger, cinnamon, and various other scents that are somehow labeled to Christmas season, but, no. To me, I see absolutely no reason why I can't still be making my favorite creations even though they are "labeled" in the Summer, Spring, or Fall categories. To me it's a bunch of nonsense labeling certain baked goods to certain holidays.

  Since I was having such fun feeling like a culinary rebel, instead of creating at least a dozen belly-sinking fruitcakes, I have instead used my baking time to create lighter and generally more pleasing desserts than those usually handed out in all of the Hallmark movies. As far as I know, most people in real life can't stomach Christmas cookies, and fruitcake even less so. On a mission, I swept into the kitchen and have been making season defying desserts ever since.

  One of these "rebel" desserts that was absolutely delicious and had enough cinnamon in it to warrant it a spot on a holiday list, was an absolutely delicious apple crisp recipe. I know, you might be thinking, oh, it's a fall recipe. But don't even let that thought cross your mind again, this is a superb recipe worthy of any and every season.

Melt In Your Mouth Apple Crisp

For the streusel topping:

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon (you can add more if you want to channel your inner rebel)
1 pinch of salt
5 tbsp butter cut into small pieces

For the apple layer:

3 large apples, sliced thinly and peeled
3 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch of salt


In a medium bowl mix everything together (it's easier if you use two forks) until you have a coarse crumb mixture. Pop it into the fridge and begin making the apple layer. In a small bowl mix together the flour and the melted butter. Add in the lemon juice, milk, and vanilla, making sure to mix well. Stir in the browns sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Pour this mixture over the prepared apples and toss to coat. Spread the apple layer evenly into an 8x8-inch pan. Distribute the crumb topping onto the apple layer making sure that everything has been covered in a blanket of the streusel topping. Bake at 350 degrees F, for about 30-35 minutes or until the the streusel is a lovely golden brown and bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving with ice cream, or if you let the pan cool to a pleasant temperature you can sit down with the whole pan and have a movie marathon. I didn't actually do that but I know it sounds like fun.

My Dear Diary ~ A Morning Spent Shopping

  I don't know about you, but to me spending an afternoon, or evening, or whenever really, scribbling away in my diary is a pretty perfect way to use up my time and document my life in a pleasing and enjoyable manner. Even though the idea of having my life recorded is terrific, it is the fact that I can write absolutely whatever I fancy at the moment into my diary that makes me love it so much. Plus, my diary is like a friend to me, however strange that may sound.

  Now I did not plan to go about making a blog post consisting of nothing but yapping about my diary so I shall not turn it into that now. My point for writing this post was to tell you about my morning that I spent shopping, I am only giving you a proper introduction to my diary because today you shall get to meet her because I have had a pretty terrific morning that can only be told to you properly if I go and share my diary entry about it with you.

  But, before I begin, there is one thing that you must know about my diary, and that particular bit of information is that her name is Arabella, I don't know why I chose that name but she looked a bit British so I went with it.

  Now that I have given you that vital bit of information I can share my morning with you just as I did with Arabella. Well, everything but my handwriting, which you can be glad you don't have to view since this font is a lot more legible.

Dear Arabella,

  Though it is only 3:27 in the afternoon, I was in the mood to write so here I hideout in my room, secluded efficiently from most of reality. Isn't that terrific?!
  This morning at around nine, Mum whisked Diane, Sean, and I off to to go about some shopping for Christmas supplies and various other items.
  My lower back was doing a splendid job of hurting and throbbing uncontrollably, so that made for an interesting ride into town. I didn't care too much though, because everyone knows that physical comfort is overrated. #sarcasm
  Once we had arrived at the store Mum led us all to the Christmas section of the store which seemed to be branched off as another building. That building had frequently opened doors so lots of cheery birds were flying around chirping incessantly. I was in awe of all the supplies in the Christmas department, we browsed for a while and Mum selected several rolls of wrapping paper and a large container of gorgeous ornaments. I could have spent hours in that department doing nothing but sighing over perfectly darling ornaments and so on.
   Sadly however, we left to finish up the rest  of our shopping . Since it's Christmas season, there were exceeding amounts of elf balloons everywhere. They were floating over shelves, and peeking from behind boxes, and some were basking in the warmth of the ceiling lights. Sean didn't seem overly impressed about them, but that only amused me.
  Mum took us to select winter boots then and I have to admit that I was a touch upset over how Mum made me get a pair of boots suited for orcs instead of a lovely pair that I wanted. I believe as Mum put it "you have to be practical, you're using these outside in the snow, it's not like you're using them to go to church or something." Can you believe that?! I'd much rather be cold and stylish than warm and sporting boots that orcs would fancy.
  However, Arabella, all thoughts of fashion problems were soon forgotten when I arrived to the tea section and was informed that I could select anything that suited my fancy. Naturally I chose the "English Breakfast Tea" knowing that once I arrived at home that Dad and I would have to thoroughly look over the assets of the tea, noting it's flavour notes and so on.
  Once we had checked out and were leaving, the store's greeter took one look at our tub of ornaments and immediately began telling Mum how he decorated his tree with purple ornaments and how the tinsel we had selected didn't actually look that pretty on the tree. Mum tried to politely edge away from all of his excessive chatter but that man followed us right along. I don't know exactly why but he struck one of my many absurd funny bones.


  That was only an excerpt from my diary but I believe it served to tell you about my morning spent shopping. You see, sometimes I can explain things better to Arabella than anyone else.

Blackberry Cheesecake Doughnuts

  I have always had a certain fascination with pretty desserts. Not just the sweets that grace high end patisseries but the simple little things that look delicious and pretty to boot. In fact I remember every Christmas time once the Christmas Swiss Colony catalogue came round, I would always flip through to where their cheesecakes were. I had such an obsession with cheesecake and honestly still do. I would just sit and stare at those rich and creamy desserts swirled with various fruits and want to eat nothing more than cheesecake.

  A few days ago I came across a recipe for cheesecake stuffed doughnuts and I knew I had to make them. I have made a few tweaks and added my own little spin on the original recipe and after sinking my teeth into one I just knew I had to share the recipe. Even though they taste delicious, it was the fact that they looked so pretty that made me like them so well.


Blackberry Cheesecake Doughnuts

For doughnuts:

1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 tsp yeast
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp softened butter
1/4 cup heavy cream

For cheesecake filling:

8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
a pinch of salt

For blackberry topping: (You can just use jam but I wanted to have a homemade topping.)

1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups blackberries (If frozen allow to thaw)


  Starting with the dough mix the warm water, zest, vanilla, yeast, eggs, and sugar till well combined. Add in the butter and the cream mixing it lightly. Add in the flour and salt, mixing gently. Knead the dough for a few minutes and then transfer to a lightly greased, covered bowl and allow to rise for one hour, or as needed till it has practically doubled in size.
  Once risen, transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll out to a half-inch thickness. Cut out rounds and allow to rise on a covered parchment tray for half an hour, or till puffy. Bake at 350 for ten minutes. While they are baking grab a bowl and combine half a cup of sugar and anywhere from one teaspoon of cinnamon to a tbsp depending on your personal preference. In a small saucepan melt five tablespoons of butter. Once the doughnuts have baked, dip them into the butter and then roll them in cinnamon sugar. (Please note that this step is completely optional but I found it to be a delicious addition.)
  For the filling beat everything together. (That was blunt!) Spoon the filling into a piping bag fitted with a long circular tip. Poke a hole into the sides of the doughnuts and fill.
  To make the blackberry filling combine the water, sugar and cornstarch on medium heat. Add the butter and the blackberries. Bring it to a boil stirring gently. Boil the mixture, stirring constantly till thickened. You'll want the mixture to have thickened to the consistency of soft jam so that it does not run all over the place when you garnish your doughnuts.
  Allow the berry mixture to cool (it's a good idea to make this while your doughnuts are rising, that way you don't get impatient and eat all of your baked doughnuts while you are waiting for the mixture to cool.) Pipe a "nest" of cream cheese filling on the center of each doughnut and spoon a dollop of blackberry filling into each "nest." These doughnuts are the best served on the same day as they were made so feel free to serve them along with dinner, as an after dinner snack, and for a midnight snack if necessary.

Simple Woman's Daybook

For today..... November 7, 2016

Looking out my window..... I see the golden rays of the sun creeping down past the hills and the barn roof.

I am thinking.....  That there is only one country song that I can stand, and it's not really that country anyways.

I am thankful..... For music. How bleak would the world be without music? It's unfathomable.

One of my favorite things..... Since it's fall I should name some fall thing, but the truth is, at this time of the year I love to curl up under my favorite blanket with a good book and a cup of hot cocoa. The very act makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

I am wearing.....  A simple pleated black skirt and a silk shirt with the map of Middle Earth printed across it.

I am creating.....  A book. It is not top notch or anything but it serves to be a stimulating past time. My mom read some of it and said it reminds her of Jane Austen. I would say I have to agree since my usage of bigger words in my book is a bit excessive. I enjoy that though and it brings a smile to my face.

I am reading.....  Emma, by Jane Austen. Those classic novels delight me. Though they are a touch hard to comprehend at times that doesn't keep me from enjoying them. In fact, if anything, I would say they are consequently becoming easier to read. I'm not saying my brain is capable of great comprehension but rather that I don't feel quite as much like throwing the book into our furnace every time I sit down to read classics.

I am hoping.....  That the Christmas play I am in will go by smoothly without a glitch. There is just something about reading my lines and so on that makes me feel so festive and puts images of holly and evergreens in my mind!

I am learning.....  How to project my voice. My acting teacher has given me many pointers because on the night of the play all of us have to act without microphones. Since microphones are clumsy and not professional.. So far I can say a pretty noisy hello but not much else.

In the kitchen.....  There are cupboards and a stove, and for some completely preposterous reason there is a fridge! Would you believe it?! (All sarcasm aside, I have nothing special in our kitchen to note.)

Picture thought.....  A few days ago, being inspired by reading a sweets blog, I decided to make blackberry doughnuts and since they turned out so well I will be sharing the recipe with all of you tomorrow.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What would you say is your strongest sense? 

  Probably smell, sure, it would be fun to say I could see twice the length of any human, and hear twice the distance of everyone, but the truth is that my strongest sense is smell. My nose seems to be able to pick up the slightest smells and intensify them. It's all fine and dandy when I smell popcorn, but skunks? Torture.

2. Do you believe in the idea of a 'sixth sense'? Why or why not?

  Oh, definitely. The reason why is simple really, I believe everybody has certain capabilities that they might not even be aware of but still possess.


3. When do you most feel like a slave to time? Explain.

  Everyday towards evening it's crunch time for me to get all of  my day's plans wrapped up. The answer to your question is every evening.

4. Have you ever worked in a restaurant? How would you rate the experience? If you could own a restaurant what kind would it be? 

  I have never worked in a restaurant (though I used to want to be a waitress when I was younger.) If I could own a restaurant it would be french. But not just your average filet mignon and souffles, no, I would have the quaintest delights from France gracing the tables at my restaurant.

5. Ever traced your family tree? Share something interesting you learned there.

  I have not ever traced my family tree but my Mom and Dad say my ancestors came from Germany and Switzerland.

6. What did your childhood bedroom look like?

  Ah! Boy I miss that room! It was a rather large bedroom compared to the room I have now. It had white walls,  a bunk bed Diane and I shared, and a spacious walk in closet. Along the line of decorations I don't think we had any. Did I care? Of course not. I was far more concerned about taking care of my little doll Katie Lynn than I was about how many knick-knacks adorned my bedroom wall.

7. Anyone who knows me knows I love_______________________?

  This is awful, how can I possibly choose only one thing for the allotted blank! LOTR, would be one thing, owls would be another, crochet is yet another, and the list could honestly go on for several more paragraphs before I'm done here.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

  I'm excited because last weekend my Grandma taught me how to crochet her famous bib and baby bootie set! Since arriving home from our visit I have filled my room with tons of yarn fuzz from the heaps of pom poms I have been making to add to the little booties. You know, I hadn't realized you could get callouses from making pom poms!

I Went on an Adventure

  For a while now we (as in my family) have been planning to go to a home school group where a lot of my friends go. Last Friday was the first day of this semester and I was unbelievably nervous upon arriving at our church where the group meets every week.
  Though quite a lot happened on my first day, I will only be sharing the highlights of my day with you. The highlights not as in only the best of the "good" moments but as in the best of the awkward moments as well.

#1. Upon first arriving, there was only one other family at church so I walked over to the girls from that family. The one girl (I will be calling her Christina) Christina, and I struck up a conversation and she pulled out her phone to show me the pictures of all the people that would be arriving momentarily. Upon seeing that she was confused at how I knew who so many of the people were I told her that my friends on facebook shared lots of  pictures of those people. Later on then, Christina introduced me to Zeke, who was one of her friends. This is how she introduced us, "Zeke this is Rose, and Rose meet Zeke." That was all peaches and cream but then with a big grin Christina turns to Zeke and further says, "Zeke you don't know Rose but she knows you because she stalks everybody on facebook." I was all like awkward grin and thanks a lot Christina.

#2. Christina and I were hanging out later on and just as I was opening my mouth to say something she decided to do a dramatic hair flip and after pulling out her hair from its position stuck in between my teeth I noticed that it tastes like dusty fruit.

#3. I was wearing a navy blue t-shirt with the words of "What's taters, precious?" printed across the front, so when everyone started arriving Giselle walked past me and she stopped short when she noticed my shirt and after a few seconds her eyes opened wide and she said "Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew." I'm supposing you can all guess that we struck up a conversation after that.

#4. There was an absolutely adorable little baby girl named Gabriella that I got to help babysit alongside Christina for an hour or two, that little human melted my heart.

#5. I don't know why but for some strange reason my poor curls were constantly being tugged at by random people. To the point where I threatened to hiss at whoever tugged my curls again. This statement made Christina laugh and so she purposely tugged my curls just to see me hiss.

#6. At chemistry class (a bunch of games based around the periodic table of elements) while seated at my table I looked down at the home printed game currency that was being distributed by a little boy and looked over at my recently acquired friend Sabrina and we suffered from anxiety attacks together from how lopsided the currency was cut out. OCD problems.

#7. While still at chemistry class Wade turns to Sabrina and I and asks if we can whistle with our hands ( he demonstrated a bird whistle by blowing into his hand in some technical method ) I laughed at the very idea of me being able to whistle and at his questioning look I tipped up my head and demonstrated my inability to whistle.

#8. At writing class we did improv and while Kat got to be a clock, Diane was a cherry (poor her), Callie was an alien, Sabrina screamed every time someone said "and", and Lacey was a braid obsessed maniac, I got to be a country girl. Have any of you ever heard my southern imitation? It's hysterical. 

  I'm sure that tonight I will have to sit up abruptly in bed and be like "Aw man, I could have written about this experience too" But since I can't think of what exactly "this " experience is I will just end this post with a hearty southern accented Goodbye.

To Cry or not to Cry

  I mentioned yesterday that I would talk some more about my experience while watching The Hobbit; Battle of the Five Armies. So here I am preparing to bare my heart to all of you.

  All of the Hobbit movies were so vividly acted out that it was impossible not to be taken on a journey right along side Bilbo, Thorin, and the rest of the company of fourteen. So naturally I grew to be very attached to all of the dwarves with their charmingly blunt ways of going about their adventure.

  My emotional ride all began when Bard the Bowman was reunited with his children after surviving the Dragon's fire. It was an obviously touching scene that served to soften me up, which I later discovered was just exactly what Peter Jackson (the director) wanted so that everyone was good and ready to shed a tear or two when Kili gives Tauriel his promise (the stone) to reunite with her.

  I thought that the single tear that I had shed over Kili and Tauriel's parting would be it for the movie, and especially thought so after Thorin became a maniacal, gold-obsessed king. But no, after ages of Thorin becoming more and more crazed to the point of actually threatening his own kindred, which caused them unbelievable grief, Peter Jackson wanted us to become even more emotionally distraught so he went and made Thorin come to his senses just when the company had had it and were about to desert Thorin even though he was their king. Naturally everyone was holding a sob in their throats when Thorin marched out onto the battle field alongside his friends, his brothers in spirit, to help them fight their battle. I had thought my world was okay then but no, just after Thorin came to his senses and became closer than he had ever been before to his companions, Azog  went and killed Fili, right in front of Kili at that. (They were very close brothers, young and always laughing together as it was their way of making it through all of the darkness.) It was at that moment that I knew Peter Jackson and the world in general was very, very cruel. How could you possibly dare to break a bond so pure as brother's?!

  It took me only seconds to fill with a venomous hatred for Azog, how dare he be so unbelievably evil and feel no remorse? It was astoundingly awful. Once again I was blind to Peter Jackson's plot. I had just felt love, kindness, sorrow, and hatred. But was Peter Jackson done? No, once again, of course not.

  Bolg (brother of Azog) went and attacked Tauriel, Kili, upon hearing Tauriels cries rushed to her aid caring only for her safety, his love towards her was so great. Absolutely nothing I had ever experienced before in my existence even came close to the horrible, soul paining anguish I felt when Bolg turned around and killed Kili, right then and there, in front of Tauriel. Tears were streaming out my face and I almost choked with sadness when Kili, the whole time that he was dying, gazed steadily at Tauriel with nothing but complete, pure love in his eyes, all the while she was sobbing but never broke her gaze from his eyes either.

  After that I felt empty, there was nothing left in me to stop the tears from  rolling down my face. Kili was never supposed to die, he was supposed to live happily ever after with Tauriel, his love for her was supposed to protect him from harm, but it didn't. It defied everything that was right in this world having him die right then and there. And it served only to prove to everyone that happy endings are only real to the person who hasn't lived.

  He had previously dragged us all through various heart wrenching scenes of sadness and then a monster of some sort was just about to kill Thorin when Legolas (an elf, not as in a short and wart covered little man with pointed shoes, but a tall man with long blonde hair and blue eyes) turned around and killed the monster by throwing his sword into it. (It was quixotic feat in real life, but elves are extremely impeccable marksmen, and everything else really.) Thorin stood on trembling legs and drew the sword from the monster and spent a moment looking at it - he had previously held an irrational hatred towards elvish crafted swords- but there he was, standing brave and turned to fight Azog himself. My realization at Thorin's acceptance of elves caused a wobbly smile to show through all of my tears that were still pouring out from previous traumas.

  To see Thorin die then by Azog's doing left me completely exhausted and gave me a frightful headache. After that movie ended my life didn't feel the same, I didn't feel the same. My views on about pretty much everything had changed and my surroundings seemed so fickle, so superficial, it couldn't be explained. But all of it, all of the horror that I had just endured was to blame on Peter Jackson. He was/is to blame for my hollowness!

...    ...   ...   ...   ...   ...   ...   ...  ...   ...

Disclaimer: Even though I suffered emotional trauma, I'm sure I will watch it again, because I really love the entire Hobbit/LOTR series.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What would you say is the best and worst thing about moving house?

  I think everyone will agree with me that the worst thing about moving is packing. The very thought of having to pack or unpack makes me want to shudder. My favorite part of moving is literally to be done with moving.

2. What's moved you recently?

  Sighs, absolutely everyone of my followers probably knows that I love LOTR, (goodness knows I yap about it enough) but oddly enough, I had never watched "Battle of the Five Armies" before. That is until last Sunday. It was an awful experience really, but I'll wait to give you my story about it until tomorrow.

3. Do you feel your life is moving forward, backward, or is on hold? How so?

  Oh it is very easy to say that I feel my life is moving forward, it almost feels as if it is just beginning to get started really.

4. On the move, move mountains, get a move on, it's your move, or bust a move...which phrase best applies to some aspect of your life right now? Explain.

  "Get a move on." I have been wanting to do several craft diys, bake several new recipes, and write several stories but I just wasn't getting it done. However, I realized that it is just about time to get a move on it if I want those things done before I say goodbye to life. (I'm not about to die soon, I was just giving you an idea of how much of a procrastinator I am.)

5. What song makes you want to get up and move?

  The title of this song is pretty much obvious enough "Make a Move" by Royal Tailor. It is definitely on the upbeat side and has been listened to by Diane and I frequently while we clean up supper dishes.

6. Your favorite snack to grab when you're 'on the move'?

I love to grab a granola bar when I'm  on the move. We make homemade granola bars that are quite tasty. My second choice would be carrots.

7. What one accessory makes your house feel like home?

  The one accessory that makes my house feel like home? I don't think there is one. Being surrounded by my family always make me feel as if I were at home, even if I'm not. So no, I do not have one accessory that makes this house of mine feel like home, I have my family.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

  A few days ago Diane and I made our own Walnut ink, it was quite the interesting experience, one that served to stain our fingernails and make our clothes smell like rancid smoke. On the bright side, I now have almost a pint of ink to use for calligraphy!

For the Love of Books

  Books, books, glorious books! Though I love settling down to watch a good movie nothing comes close to replacing to a good book. A truly wonderful book captivates me and is the subject of my daydreams. Fortunately my parents are both book lovers and we have a huge home library. I have read quite a bunch of captivating books and believe that my writing style - which you get to experience every time that I make a post - is due largely to the books that I have read.

  Today I will be putting my own spin on the usual Wednesday Hodgepodge since it doesn't exist this week. Today I will be answering book related questions. Without further ado....

#1 Would you rather read only trilogies or stand-alones? 

I love both of them equally. Sometimes I wish there were more books to whatever I'm reading and then other times I wish that there was only one book in the series that I'm reading.

#2 Would you rather read only male or female authors?

  I do not prefer one over the other. I was prepared to say I prefer female authors until I realized I loved all of the books by Louis L'Amour, and the books by J.R.R Tolkien. So yes, I stand firm when I say I do not prefer one over the other.

#3 Would you rather shop at Barnes and Noble or Amazon?

   I would definitely prefer to shop at Barnes and Noble. Actually getting to see, smell, and touch the books in front of me is a priceless thing and can't be replaced for me by an online store.

#4 Would you rather have books become T.V. shows or movies?

  I would rather have books turn into movies that way you have the whole deal right in front of you instead of fretting "when will the next episode play?"


#5 Would you rather read five pages a day or five books a week?

   Now this is an easy question. Obviously I would rather read five books a week!

#6 Would you rather be a professional reviewer or an author?

   If I was a professional reviewer I would be sent free books to review; if I was a professional author I would get paid enough to buy my own books.... Yep, I would rather be a professional author.
And sorry by the way, that you had to experience my thought process.

#7 Would you rather read your top twenty favorite books over and over again, or always read new ones you've never read before?

  I would rather always read new books that I never read before. Even though I have favorites I enjoy rereading, it would be sad to devote my reading time to only twenty books.

#8 Would you rather be a librarian or a bookseller?

   I would much rather be a librarian. Being surrounded by books all day. Helping others find that perfect book to read. 

   Confession time .... I think it would be so much fun walking around with my nose turned up, busily tut-tutting at noisy people. And perhaps I would start a "Stop Abusing Books" program, telling people dog ears are for dogs, not books.

#9 Would you rather read only your favorite genre(s) or anything but your favorite?

   Is this question even real?! Why in the world would I want to only read my least favorite genres? This question is so infuriatingly obvious I'm just going to stubbornly turn up my nose and walk away.

#10 Would you rather read only physical books or e-books?

  I don't think anything will ever replace real physical books for me. I love everything about real books. From smelling the pages, to crying onto them, to stuffing them into a freezer for a while because they are just too scary for me and I need a little time to prepare myself to continue reading.

Portrait Art

  I have a few possessions that mean a lot to me; one of those possessions is my old tattered art book that I received when I was about twelve. I dug that book out of a stack of random objects this morning and almost felt like crying just looking at it. The poor thing is now so tattered and it won't be long before my pages of art start falling out. The cover is loose and ripped in various places and the binding is twisted and banged up.

  I very hurriedly started making plans to slip all of those pictures in protective sleeves once they fall out. It simply won't do to let my hours of time and effort go to waste. I was relieved when my dear mumsy went about scanning my favorite pictures for me and printing out copies of the others.
Now I don't feel quite as heartsick whenever I look at my art book.

  I was cheered up a little though to see the progress I made in my art over the past year or so and now I am inspired to bettering my art some more because I am still not anywhere near as good at drawing as I would like to be.

  Here are two of my favorite drawings.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Have you ever been to and/or lived near the desert? What did you think? Travel and Leisure lists the 'coolest' American desert towns as-

Palm Springs CA, Virgina City NE, Bend OR, Winslow AZ, Marfa TX, Grand Junction CO, Silver City NM, Moab UT, Taos NM, Yakima WA, Borrego Springs CA, Terlingua TX, and St. George UT, and Tubac AZ

Have you been to any of these? Would you like to visit a desert town? Which on the list would you most like to see?

   My Mom says I have already been to Taos, NM, but I don't remember anything about it because I was just a little girl. I have never had any particular desire to visit deserts but if the opportunity arrived I wouldn't say no.

2. What's a plan or project you've deserted in the past year? 

   I had dreamed about being capable of reading crochet charts so I eagerly printed out a sheet of the symbols, but since then I have washed my hands of that horror. Exactly how does one keep his wits about him trying to read those charts?!

3. Desert-dessert? Share two or three words you find yourself having to think twice about when it comes to spelling.
 
    I often find myself  stumped how to spell ridiculous, and then there is opportunity, and Mediterranean. In fact, I never fail to get a headache by trying to spell Mediterranean,  I spelled it incorrectly even while I was writing this and had to resort to my History book for the proper spelling.

4. High and dry, like watching paint dry, dry run, dry as dust, not a dry eye in the house...which phrase can you relate to currently? Explain.

   Dry as dust.... Have you ever read the Dottie Dimple books? They are the worst books that have ever had the gumption to disgrace paper! You know how when a little kid is bad and they are sent to have a timeout, yeah, well my parents sent me to read a page or two of the book every time I deserved a time out. Talk about being punished.

   I opened the book to a random page this morning and here is the first paragraph:

   Horace wished the conductor had been in that car, so he could have seen Miss Flyaway trying to prop her mother's head against her own morsel of a shoulder - about as secure a resting-place as a piece of thistle-down.

   Dreadful, isn't it?

5. How often do you frequent the dry cleaners? Starch or no starch?  

   I have never stepped foot inside of a dry cleaners. My clothes also are never starched.

6. What's a food or beverage you enjoy that's named for a place? 

   I love Philly Cheese steak sandwiches, I think they are the best thing that Philadelphia has ever invented.

7. Do you need solitude? 

   While I don't usually need solitude, every time my sister's friend comes over I get to dance around the countryside by myself. I enjoy that time, nothing but me and the great outdoors as I run to one of my favorite little places in the world - A woodland path covered in ferns and sunlight, that I call Glass Road because of the sunshine glinting off of millions of little glass shards - my solitude really is the stuff of daydreams.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

   Today my world is enveloped in a blanket of fog, its damp creeping chill seems to have permeated the walls of my  home. Because of that I decided it is the perfect day to bake some apple desserts to chirp up our surroundings and fill our home with the scent of warm cinnamon.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Thursday (September 22) is the first official day of autumn in this part of the world...how will you welcome the season? I know some of you have been celebrating way too early, but it's official now so permission granted. House Beautiful recently listed ten ways to make your home smell like fall (you can read the list here) What's a scent you love this time of year and how will you add it to your home?

  I absolutely love Fall but somehow it seems to have arrived way too early and I am in season denial about right now. However, since I love Fall I have been attacking the kitchen and filling the house with apple pie bars, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies, and apple cider brown sugar cupcakes.  Yes my friends, I love fall desserts!

2. Apple pie or pumpkin pie? Apple cake or pumpkin bread? Warm apple cider or a pumpkin spice latte?

  Concerning all of those questions, I prefer apple everything. Why, you might wonder? Well because it tends to taste cleaner and fresher, almost crisp, in most scenarios.
 

3. Do you suffer from what is sometimes referred to as an afternoon slump? What helps ward it off before it hits and/or tell us what helps you shake it off once it's here?

  Yes, sometimes I suffer from an afternoon slump, so what I do to ward it off is simple, I go to my living room and crochet like a mad woman. Especially in my slump am I quite productive!

4. Ladies-how have your friendships with women inspired you or made you a better person? For the men here today- how have your friendships with men inspired you or made you a better person?

  Friendships, are undeniably a blessing. My friendships have served to brighten days. Though I cannot point out just one particular thing that my friends have done to inspire me. You can rest assured that they have helped to make me life sweeter.

5. Are you a people pleaser? If you said yes, do you think that's a good or bad thing? If you said no, do you wish you were more of a people pleaser?

  I am not sure what exactly I am. Do I try to be as pleasant to people in general? Yes. But I'm not sure that overexert myself to please them though.

6. The seasons are a-changin'...share a favorite song relating in some way to change (not necessarily seasonal change, it could be change of any kind).

   This is a song by Billy Boyd, it was generally made for LOTR (Lord of the Rings) Funny side note,  the first time I saw LOTR I though it meant laughing on the roof. Since the song is just so beautiful that it made me cry (twice, I shouldn't have watched the video again) but I had to share it anyways. It does not specifically say change but it implies it so therefore.... I'm choosing it to share today.

                        

7. What do you wish would never change?

  My life with my family, I love being surrounded by all of them so it's a little hard to accept that someday my siblings will all be going their separate ways and we'll have to grow up. Growing up really stinks sometimes. Now if you'll excuse me I think I go upstairs to jump on my bed, and do various other age defying acts.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

  Did you know dead butterflies smell like rotten seafood? It is a horrid surprise. I suppose I just assumed that something so beautiful had to smell of rainfall, flower petals, and honey. Not like rotten seafood...

Asparagus

    These past few days I have been reflecting back on the A-Z challenge I had participated in. and decided to review my blogging idea list for the challenge to see the options I never wrote about and today I decided it was time I delve into it and choose one of them to share here.

  When I was a very young girl, (I'm guessing anywhere from 3-5) My parents had needed someone to babysit me and so after one of my relatives agreed I was dropped off at their home and my parents went to wherever it was that they were going.

  The relatives in question were very nice and caring people, and I always had fun around them, except for the time I am now telling you about.

  Though I don't remember a single other thing from that day, I vividly remember lunch. There we were, all seated around the table in their sunny dining room. My bare feet were swinging merrily under the wooden table. After bowing our heads in silence for grace, my dear Aunt got up and went about preparing my lunch. She placed a small dish in front of me. I timidly scooched forward in my chair and peered into the little dish. Whatever name grownups might have for the grayish green glop that resided in that dish hardly did it justice. I wrinkled up nose and stubbornly refused to take a single bite of whatever that earthly abomination was.

  My Aunt, though quite pleasant and kind would not tolerate me not eating my food so she rose from the table and hovered over me and told me quietly but firmly that I had to eat at least one bite. Quite grumpily I took one small bite and almost keeled over at how horrendous it tasted. "It's asparagus, it's good for you" she coaxed further to absolutely no avail.

  Seeing she couldn't get me to eat any more of it she removed my dish and scurried off to the kitchen. When she returned I was even more horrified. She had taken that glop of canned, mushy asparagus and stirred a bunch of crumbled crackers into it and mashed everything together. The moment she said I'm supposed to eat it now I knew there was no hope left for me and I was left to do nothing but shove spoonful after spoonful of awful, dripping with slime asparagus and cracker blobs into my mouth.

  Even though that day was so dark to me back then, the memory now serves to only bring a smile to my face. But, if I have to be completely honest I have to say that to this very day I can't stand asparagus, whether it's roasted, grilled, fried, and especially canned.

Ten Things ~ Fave Actors

  I hardly think I am the only person that gets that insanely bubbly, warm and fuzzy kind of feeling by watching their favorite of very favorite actors doing what they do best in all of that person's favorite movies. I have collected quite a list of favorite actors over the years so having to make a list of only ten of my favorite actors kind of posed as a problem to me but I have eventually picked my favorite of favorite actors to name in this post.


  My Favorite Actors. (Just a note, I have listed them in random order, it would be too hard to summarize which is my favorite actor from all of my other favorite actors, if anything that I just wrote made sense.)

#1. Viggo Mortensen ..... First of all to explain his name, (which I happen to love saying) he is of Danish origin so that explains that. Why is he one of my favorite actors? Well he is a pretty awesome actor and always takes the movie-watcher on a very surreal journey. He truly becomes Aragorn, for example.

#2. Martin Freeman ..... Need I truly give a reason?

#3. Sean Astin ..... He is an undeniably magnificent actor and somehow he makes me feel all of his 'acting' emotions right along with him. How many actors can do that?

#4. John Rhys-Davies ..... Now this one is obvious, he is a riot to watch and never fails to bring a smile to my face. (He is Welsh by the way.)

#5. Billy Boyd ..... He is also an insanely good actor, you know it's kind of hard trying to think of different ways I can compliment all of these actors. (He is Scottish.)

#6. Dominic Monaghan ..... Naturally I couldn't possibly list Billy Boyd without putting Dominic right beside him. (He is German, born to British parents.)

#7. Lee Pace ..... He played Thranduil, and was insanely epic in his own right, My mom actually abhors the person he portrays but she just doesn't appreciates his graceful malice like I do.

#8. Lily James ..... I like her best for her role as Cinderella, breathtaking really. (She is British.)

#9. Rachel Khoo ..... Though she is not technically considered an actor, she was a TV personality and was far too awesome to overlook. Besides I absolutely love her on her former shows Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook, and  Little Paris Kitchen.(She is British.)

#10. Julie Andrews .....  I have to be honest and say that I thought there were two famous Julie Andrews up till just a few moments ago when I discovered that both my beloved spunky governess in The Sound of Music and stately former queen in Princess Diaries are both played by Julie Andrews. Yes, I am momentarily at loss for words. (She is British.)


  Somehow this list left me feeling empty, it feels completely barbaric to list only ten favorite actors, but you know the saying, "You made your post, now post it." Actually I just made that up but whatever, it works.

Bits and Bobs (Yes that's a British Phrase)

  I know I have slacked on blogging lately but I have a relatively good reason why. You see I have been busy with school, French studies, and lots of writing, just not here on my little blog.  Even though I don't have enough information on a single subject to give you a delightfully long and juicy post, I have have a sufficient amount of information on multiple subjects to give you a delightfully fluffy post consisting of Bits of Bobs.

  If you are wondering what is up with my strangely confusing choice of wording today, I have a very simple explanation. This morning after school I watched several re-runs of Good Eats. Need I say more? In fact I could give you lengthy paragraphs on how Curry is actually only a stereotype Indian food but I shall refrain.

  Now because I went and named this post "Bits and Bobs" before I even started writing I suppose it only makes sense that I should now divulge some Bits and Bobs of information from my life.

  A few weeks ago my second cousins came over to visit and everyone (other than my Mom and Diane who stayed home to prep dinner) went down to a nearby trail to hike. The vehicle that we were using as our means of transportation (My Dad's F-350) didn't have enough room to fit everyone inside so my second cousins, Eldon, and I were left to climb into the back of the truck. It doesn't sound like much of a problem at all, and actually kind of even sounds like fun, right? WRONG!! I was wearing a black skirt so having to hunch in the back of a dirty truck surrounded by a bunch of your guy second cousins was no picnic trying to remain properly ladylike. Once we left for the trail I thought I would be fine but naturally I wasn't. The wind was strong so my hair came out of its neat little bun and starting flying all over my face making that I couldn't see a thing, and because of all the excessive wind, my cheeks were flapping around like an old hound dog.  Besides that all of those guys I spoke of earlier immediately launched into a lengthy discussion of what kind of truck they prefer, and how many horsepower they guessed a certain truck had and other utterly boring factoids.

  Yesterday while walking to our barn across the road I stepped on something on the grass that popped like a large pimple. Curious, I crouched down, pulled the grass apart and went screaming all the way up to the barn after seeing I had just squished a little frog.

  Do you know what my friends? I feel victorious because I have finally finished The Fellowship of the Ring but 'ere break of day' I had started reading The Two Towers. Who am I kidding, I don't feel victorious, I feel helpless. As much as I love Lord of the Rings movies, and I do enjoy a lot about the books, they are heavy, slow reading.

  On the subject of school I have an interesting tale to tell. My Vocabulary Professor, upon looking at him, appears to the average person as a normal, middle aged, kindly, guy. So picture this. There I was at my desk, notebook and pen in hand, ready to become the next genius of the century, and he begins his half hour lecture. He opens his mouth and begins yapping about Procrustean people, factotums, and various other horrors I truly don't care about. You know how the average person gestures with his hands for emphasis while speaking? Well he starts talking about how his teaching will broaden my mind and then BAM!! His legs bend, and he half lunges, half squats. Not sure if that really just happened I straightened my back and opened my eyes a little bigger and then BAM, once again his head disappears from view. One hundred and eighty five times did he bounce across his classroom. I wasn't sure I could possibly stand another one of his cardio sessions this school year but then he goes and says his love for words first began when his father read "Lord of the Rings" to him as a boy, and then my friends, all was well and I shall continue enjoying his class.
 

Beauty, It is Found on the Inside....

   Though I am pretty much known for writing things on the "fluffier" side, considering that recently a few negative things were said to a person very dear to me I have decided to bring up the subject we have all heard about time and time again, true beauty is found on the inside.

   I have a few pretty solid beliefs about what beauty looks like and because I have the opportunity as of right  now, I shall tell you what I believe...

   There are plenty of different opinions on what is considered to be really pretty, but have you ever noticed that the girl with braces, braids, and a lisp  but is always smiling and offering a kind word to every person she meets, she cares for everyone and has quite the reputation for being sweet tempered and friendly, is really beautiful. The beauty in her soul oozes out and to anyone who knows her, sees only beauty. She lights up other people's lives where ever she goes. While on the other hand the pretty person has a vulgar tongue, bitter heart, and doesn't think twice before saying something hurtful. When worded bluntly like that it is quite obvious who the most beautiful person is and too many people forget what true beauty looks like.

   My Mother, in my eyes is very beautiful, not because of her physical appearance but because of how she cares for all of my siblings and I, and always has a ready smile for my Dad when he comes home from work, she makes a wonderful listener and advisor, she cares for us, always helping us through every trouble we might be having, and has quite wisely (with the help of my Dad)  taught us all about God so that when anything ever goes wrong we can not only turn to our parents but to God as well. Her laughter, her love, her kindness, and really everything that she is, makes her one of the most beautiful people in the world.

   I have developed a list of how I view people.

It doesn't matter how thin a person is if she doesn't have a big heart.

It doesn't matter how sweet a person looks if their words are rancid.

It doesn't matter how much a person diets if she doesn't restrict her tongue.

It doesn't matter how clean-cut a person is if God views her soul as dirty. 

It doesn't matter how often a person works out if she stores bitterness within.

It doesn't matter how stunning a person looks if she sports an ugly, displeasing attitude.

   And always remember that God made you just the way you are and in His eyes you are viewed as beautiful, and in heaven you shall be as exquisite beings.

Awk+Awe~July

  I am a few days late with my Awk+Awe post, but for a relatively good reason.
  On Monday we started school again so I have been very busy with Inductive reasoning in Geometry, and various other atrocities.

  Some how I didn't really have any awkward moments this last month so in place of Awkward, I will have "Awful" instead.


Awful

Sitting down to Geometry with high hopes that are immediately bashed when the phrase "Inductive Reasoning, Egyptians/ Babylonians" fills the computer screen.

(This is not as awful as it is creepy) Turning around outside to see a cat's brilliant green eyes glowing out of the darkness.

Having to go to bed at 9 so that I can get sufficient sleep, it's like constant crunch time around here.

Burning my thumb while removing Blackberry Cobbler from the oven.

Having only half of my earbuds actually working. (It makes for a terribly strange experience.)


Awesome

Finding out that some of my favorite french songs are sung by the Chipmunks.

Getting to walk out onto our waterfall ledge with Diane.

Watching "The Avengers" with one of my friends.

Discovering a pretty amazing, relatively unknown french artist, Louane

Being evaluated in my French studies and being told I am now 24% fluent.

Finally being happy with my handwriting.

And last but not least, I didn't really know what to mark this as because it wasn't awesome, it wasn't awkward, and it wasn't awful... Walking about a mile to deliver mail to our Amish neighbors. (Their little boys that had been playing outside and leaped through their windows when they spotted us coming. It was one of the funniest sights ever!)

Sticky Notes

Curly Girl Handbook

  I had mentioned yesterday that I would be making a post about how my hair saw the light a few weeks ago.

  It all started on a sunny morning when my Mother handed the fateful Curly Girl Handbook to me. I somehow instantly felt that my life would be changed. I took the book and curled (sorry) up on the couch ready to read the book. And read it I did, every single last page.

  I felt as if I had just opened my eyes to caring for my curly hair. That night was the first time I gave my hair what it deserved. I threw out all of my shampoos and started anew following every direction the book gave me, from identifying what hair type I have, to how to wash that type, and how to style that type.

  I was smart enough to take before and after pictures so that you could see the amazing results too.

  This is a picture of my hair BEFORE I started the hair care program, on one of my better hair days.

  And this is a picture of my hair AFTER I followed the hair care program.

  Just in-case you would like to find out more about this book, here is the link.

Disclaimer. No one asked me to review this book, I just felt I needed to spread this wonderful thing to the world because I know there are girls out there who are not happy with their curly hair, and because I know just exactly how it feels to hate your hair. I wanted to let everyone know that there is a way that you can heal your hair and learn to love it, just like I did.

Simple Woman's Daybook

For today.....  July 25, 2016

Looking out my window.....  I see one of our tennis rackets leaning against the porch railing waiting for someone to play with it.

I am thinking.....  That music and blogging go very well with each other.

I am thankful.....  For fans that keep me from dying in this heat.

One of my favorite things.....  My purple pair of earbuds that I am using right now.

I am wearing.....  A white summer dress sprinkled with blue and purple flower print. A royal blue butterfly top, and a pale blue flower crown that my sister made.

I am creating.....  A book filled with my favorite eccentric words.

I am reading......  Since I am not the fastest reader, and I really don't sit down to read that often I am still reading " The Fellowship of the Ring."

I am hoping.....  That it won't be quite this hot (96) tomorrow when some of my friends are coming over.

I am learning.....  How to work with crochet thread, it really is impossibly horrendous.

In the kitchen......  I'm wanting to make Cowboy cookies, but I don't like the thought of heating the house up more.

Picture thought.....  Though I don't  have the pictures for it right now, tomorrow morning I will be showing you my hair transformation from horrendously frizzy curls, to the much prettier defined curls I have after applying things I learned from a guidebook I got a few weeks ago.

Idea Generators

  I have had my blog for a little more than one and a half years now and throughout that amount of time I  have had an unbelievable amount of writer's block. That's why when I discovered a blogging idea generator I was excited and pretty sure my blogging career would be changed for the better.

  I excitedly opened the generator and followed its direction of writing a topic into an empty space and hit enter to reveal a blogging idea. I was both a bit frustrated and a little amused at the same time. The blogging ideas that they suggested were hysterical. Take these for example: My topic was back to school, their ideas were; 11 of the most inspiring back to school bloggers, 21 events about back to school you should definitely attend, where back to school companies fail, and what Spock would say about back to school.

  I was thoroughly amused and their suggestions are even funnier when you give them a strange topic such as toenails, 19 toenail books you have to read, what Abraham Lincoln would say about toe nails, 29 toe nail influencers you should follow. And if all that isn't weird enough their lists go on and on, and on, and on.

  I actually found that I would quite like to read some of those blog posts that the generator suggests as in what exactly would Abraham Lincoln have to say about toenails? It truly is a riveting idea.

  Just in case you would like to check out the generator yourself I am including the link. Blog Post Idea Generator

Sticky Notes

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 1. Do you find yourself influencing your world, or is it more the other way around? 

   I don't think I become influenced by the world that easily so I would say I'm the one influencing the world, one day at a time. Not through monumental things, but through the little things, a smile here, a word there.
 

2. July 14th is National Tape Measure Day...the device was patented on this date in 1868. When did you last use a tape measure? Do you always know where to find one in your house? Tell us one way in which you feel blessed 'beyond measure'.

   Though this may sound a little strange, I last used a tape measure to measure the spring factor of my curls, it was because I am following "The Curly Girl's Handbook" and I had to determine what hair type I have.

  I feel blessed 'beyond measure' because of my family, and friends, and my life in general.

3.The Plaza Hotel (Eloise), The Land of Oz (The Wizard of Oz), Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia), The Hundred Acre Wood (Winnie the Pooh), Wonderland (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), or Never Never Land (Peter Pan)...which storybook land (on this list!) would you most like to visit and why? 

   I positively love The Plaza Hotel from Eloise, it just happens that "Eloise at Christmas-time" is one of my favorite movies.

4. Where and when do you get your best ideas?

   I always get my best ideas when I'm laying in bed at night thinking.

5.  So what have you been watching on TV this summer? Anything good?

    I am enjoying watching the Christmas in July tradition that Hallmark has.

6. 'Don't swim for an hour after you eat', 'Dog days of summer', 'Knee high by the Fourth of July'...choose a summer saying from the list or share one of your own, then tell us what image or memory comes to mind when you hear it spoken.
 
  Now this is hard since I have a bunch of favorite summer sayings. I suppose one of my favorites is "Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability."

7. In a single sentence, sum up one life lesson you've learned. 

   I don't care what people think about me.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

   I love summer. I love how compared to winter when everything is violent, and compared to spring when everything is busy awakening, and how compared to fall where it feels like the world is restless, that summer is where the very world seems to relax and enjoy simply being.