{Life and Pictures} Winter Break (Part 1)

I set out with the idea of posting on my blog weekly over winter break. I really do enjoy this assignment, and I thought it would be a good idea to stay in the habit. It was a nice idea. I blew it. BUT I think I'll manage one post before break is over!

This is part 1 of "Tales of a Winter Break". This will mainly focus on the things I've enjoyed at home.

Well, everyone, I finally watched North and South. My family was very gracious and let me put it on the top of the Netflix list when I had finished the book. I have to admit, I waited VERY impatiently! When the first disc FINALLY came, I got my mom hooked. That was pretty much my goal :) We watched it together after that.
I have deliberated over liking the book or the movie better. I'm still a little on the fence. I tend to be on the fence about things. But, I'm leaning towards the movie. Which totally shocked me. Usually, when I read the book first, I like the book better. Don't get me wrong, I really liked the book! The proposal from Henry in the beginning was a good interest grabber. What a "slap-and-a-bang"! I also liked knowing the character's thoughts a little more. And I felt that the book pulled me into the emotions of the characters a little better than the movie. Just a little. But in the middle, I found some of the arguing and conversation got long and tedious. Which probably goes to show that I'm not a "great reader" (Name that quote!)
Just as I'm saying that I like the movie better, however, things come to mind that make me doubt my opinion. FIRST: (this is really petty, it just came to mind first) I didn't like the actor they choose for Henry Lennox or Mr. Bell. (Everyone else was SPOT ON in my opinion. I especially, Especially liked Nicholas Higgins. But I'll get onto that in a sec.)
SECOND: The hint/implication about Mr. Bell having considered marrrying her. Wait, I don't think THAT was in the book, and I didn't like that part. He's her godfather. It just doesn't work.
The little story changes didn't bother me too much. And oh my, the Nicholas Higgins character was my absolute favorite. I loved the actor, and I loved the part. It's a dark movie, and a little devoid of smiles and fun. But it was meant to be that way, and made me really appreciate the smiles when they came, especially from Mr. Thornton. (You know, like at the very end! :) It just tugged at my heart.
It's a great story. I loved that there was another story beyond just the romance. The strike and the characters it brought in was a little different then some other "Jane Austen-ish" movies. I will certainly be watching it again. Maybe I'll even add it to my BBC "movies to own list"! :) If anyone wants to spend three days watching it and talking it over with me, I'm in! ;)


 This would be one of my favorite parts! I could just start to see the glimmer of a happy ending.


Okay, second is eggnog. I really like eggnog, and mom obligingly buys it from the time it appears in stores until it's all gone. :) Eggnog lattes are fantastic as well. 1/2 cup eggnog, 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup coffee, warm it up to desired temperature!

Snow, and sledding! We spent a whole-buncha' time in the woods when the snow was still piled high, working on perfecting the ONE sledding hill on our property. It was fantastic. My little siblings also made snow sculptures. Stormy made hay bales ;) I love that boy! :)

Sleeping in. I love the low stress of not worrying about getting breakfast going. No bustle, slow mornings. It's a fun change.

That's it for now. I'll be back with a year in recap, and another post about my winter break.  I've really enjoyed keeping up with everybody's blog over break!

{List} Things I Like/Things I Don't Like

It seems like I should be posting about Christmas, but I sat at the computer unable to come up with any ideas I could really enjoy writing about at the moment. Oh, well. Plan B. This post is going to be one long list of 50 things I don't like, then 50 things I do like. Maybe I'll write that Christmas post next week. :)

50 THINGS I DON'T LIKE

1. Chickens
2. Cooking main dishes (I'm working on learning to enjoy this... I'm not there yet)
3. Picking up my room
4. Key lime pie
5. Croutons
6. Cappuccino Kefir
7.  Indian summer
8. Baseball
9. High heels
10. Being hot
11. Running chainsaws
12. Bad audiobook narrators
13. Complete silence for long periods of time
14. Dry lips
15. Having dirty hair
16. Sunburn
17. The color red
18. Making decisions
19. Streams of Civilization history classes
20. Pork roast and steak
21. Mushrooms
22. Cats indoors on furniture
23. Allergies
24. Peppermint Altoids mints
25. Old Yeller
26. The 5th Quarter (it's a movie)
27. When the computer's slow
28. Sorting laundry
29. Bad hair days (I don't know anyone who likes those)
30. Staining nice shirts
31. Figs
32. Prunes
33. Cashews
34. Pulling weeds in the flower gardens
35. Most traditional Thanksgiving food
36. Organizing pictures
37. Scratchy sweaters
38. Turtle necks (I always feel like I'm choking)
39. Bundling up
40. Cold toes
41. Cars the movie. I watched that SO many times with my little brothers. I just can't handle it anymore.
42. The original Little Mermaid story
43. The Little Match Seller
44. Where the Red Fern Grows (*tears*)
45. Contrary brothers
46. When I feel like I've failed
47. The smell of apple cider vinegar
48. Dry, windy weather
49. Lab reports
50. Horseradish

50 THINGS I LIKE

1. Pecans
2. Winter
3. Audiobooks
4. Sledding
5. Lemonade Pie
6. Dark, DARK chocolate
7. Twirly skirts
8. Playing with hair-especially braiding
9. Spoons
10. Sweatpants
11. Pretty notebooks
12. My mom's trail mix (it is perfect EVERY TIME)
13. Oranges
14. Jersey knit sheets
15. Limestone houses
16. Feather pillows
17. Miss Fannies' Hat (it's a book)
18. Unloading Firewood
19. Cameras
20. Dusting
21. Biscuits and Scones
22. Photography
23. Hoodies
24. Watching fire
25. Baby goats
26. Polar fleece socks
27. Trying new recipes
28. Cookies- I haven't met many cookies I don't like...
29. Chit-Chatting
30. Pretty colored paisley patterns
31. Mountains
32. Early Mornings (okay, only sometimes)
33. Strawberry soup
34. Polka-dots
35. Bright colors, ESPECIALLY yellow!
36. Family gatherings
37. Blueberry pie
38. Watching movies- family movie night
39. Rubber boots
40. Playing in the woods
41. A good story
42. Sleeping in (that contradicts the whole "early morning" thing...)
43. The story of Esther 
44. Volleyball
45. Playing in the woods
46. Sitting in front of the fireplace
47. "Abide With Me" by Indelible Grace
48. Bethlehem Revisited
49. Egg Nog
50. The story of Daniel

{Movies} "Epic" Review

My family actually sat down all together and had a movie night Sunday. We watch movies often, but not all together. We actually rented it off Amazon instant video. It was so fun! We watched Epic, and I'm going to share my opinions :)

Epic is an animated children's movie about Mary Katherine, or as she likes to be called, M.K. The audience gathers from the beginning of the movie that her parents separated when she was young, and M.K. lived with her mom.  Now that her mother has died, however, M.K. is going to live with her dad. She obviously has some worries over what her life is going to be like. Her dad's house is out in the middle of nowhere. (As the cab driver says:" That's not a house, it's termites holding hands.") When M.K. arrives, he isn't even home. When he comes in, he's in a rush over some activity his cameras mounted around the woods picked up, and doesn't even notice M.K.

As it turns out, he's spent his whole life trying to find enough evidence to support his claim of an "advanced civilization of tiny people" in the woods. To M.K., this sounds delusional, and crazy. So she plans to run away (she points out that she is almost "old enough to be on my own"). Just as she's leaving, her dog runs off into the woods. While trying to find "Ozzie", M.K. sees something falling through the air. When it lands, she curiously peers at the small-- human! The tiny person hands her a small flower pod, which changes M.K. into an equally tiny person.

The rest of the story is an adventure, er, epic about the chivalrous and noble "leafmen", M.K., evil "boggans", and the importance of the small flower pod. The leafmen are the knights of the forest civilization. They're good, kind, and amazing in battle. Boggans are evil villains living in a black tree stump, who blacken and kill everything they touch. M.K. is trapped in a tiny body, trying to help save the forest creatures. The flower pod is the only hope to stop the black poison of the boggans from taking over the whole forest.

Epic has the usual evil villains, and noble knights. Although it was very predictable, I still enjoyed it. I got into the story a lot, surprisingly. When our TV stopped the movie to load RIGHT DURING THE BIG ACTION, our living room erupted in "NOO!" and "AWWW!" "Why just NOW?!"

I really enjoyed the animation and forest-people costumes. The leafmen warriors have green, leaf armor that was just awesome for my fantasy-loving brain. And they rode hummingbirds...(My littlest brother, who is big into Narnia-like battles with swords, shields, and bows, really enjoyed the leafmen/boggan war.) The queen also had a dress that was flower petals :)

The humor of the story was courtesy of a slug and a snail. (Mub and Grub) There was definitely some fun parts. Some quotes to add to our "movie quote library".

I would recommend Epic if you're looking for a fun family movie. There was some combat between the leafmen and boggans. Because we don't have really little kids at our house, I wouldn't be able to say if it would be too scary for little kids. I think it really depends of the person.  There was also a small romance-y bit between one of the leafmen and M.K.

The idea of team work (The leafmen's motto is: " Many leaves, one tree. We're all individuals, but we're still connected. No one's alone.") , and, in the end, M.K. and her dad's relationship was a big theme in the movie. It had a sweet ending, of course.

We aren't going to put it on our family's "to buy" movie list, but Epic is a fun.... epic.

{Life and Pictures} Adventuring in Missouri and Other News

I was born in Hannibal, MO. For the first six months of my life, I lived in a TINY little house in Curryville, MO (about 30 minutes from Hannibal.) Mom's been wanting to go back and visit our friends there for awhile. I think she has in her head that Tyler's going to graduate, leave, and we'll never see him again. I know better :) The first time he has to do laundry, he'll come back :) But anyway, we finally made it back for a visit last weekend.

Since we moved back to Kansas when I was only six months old, I have NO memory of our friends in Curryville. It was really strange meeting people who knew me, that I didn't recognize. I heard the phrase "You have grown up!" so many times! :)

While we were there, we visited our old babysitters (and their family. Who were SO, SO nice. They let ALL seven of us stay with them. That is a seriously big undertaking!), our old house, our old neighbors, our old church, and (the big one for me!) the CAVES behind our old house. Really, there was multiple (I think 4?) caves that can be explored near there.

My dad really loved the caves, so he wanted to be able to show us all. We tracked down the owners of the land (who graciously let us walk around in their woods), geared up in orange (we were tramping through the woods during Missouri deer season.), and explored the caves.

The first one was not so pleasant. It was basically just a rock jutting out that you could crawl under. Dad lost me at "Watch out for snakes. There's rattle snakes around here. They love caves like this." If we were brave enough to get wet, we could've crawled on hands and knees through water and reached the other cave, ladder cave. However, it was under freezing, so we opted for walking to the above ground entrance of ladder cave.

This was my favorite of the two. You climb down a a 20 foot, narrow ladder (which was the same ladder my dad put in 15 years ago-scary thought?) and wiggle your way between two walls to an open passage. It was much warmer in the cave, but the air was stale. We walked a little ways, then bent double to cross under a rock ledge. (More splashing!) The rest of the cave was really easy to walk through and just amazing.

At one point, dad turned off both the headlamps. It was the most complete darkness I have ever been in. So scary/interesting.

There was one freaky part.  I was innocently looking around the cave, when I noticed all my family staring at the ceiling 1 foot above my head. My dad said, "Look above you!" I just about screamed! There was a cluster of 6 bats right above me! *shivers*

Here's some pictures of the caves:

The first cave

Climbing down in ladder cave

End of the exploration

There's a bat near the right corner

Other news from the past week:

I have new baby goats, and some kittens showed up at our house. I do not like having cats... but when they just show up, what can you do? Obviously, I have pictures of that, too ;) (I'm realizing there's a lot of pictures in this post. Sorry :( I really enjoy pictures.)

"M" in front, "And M" in the back :)

Marshmallow

O'Malley...3

Gerdy

{Journal} Re-do

In class on Tuesday, our journal assignment was: "Who would you meet if you could meet anyone?" IN class I completely blanked out. Then when people started sharing who they wrote about, my mind started working again. SO for my blog this week I'm going to re-do that journal assignment, now that I've  had time to straighten out my thoughts.

I'm very indecisive, so these so unspecific questions are extremely difficult for me. I start worrying about not choosing the right thing. I don't want to "waste" my one person! As a result, these are just a few of the people who have come to mind as I've thought it over. In no particular order,  here they are:


I would really enjoy meeting Nate Saint. Actually, any of the five missionaries or their families involved in that venture. They obviously just wanted to follow Christ and His call with their whole lives. I enjoyed every book I ever listened to about that mission. They're story, but more importantly the story of how some of their families continued to minister there is amazing. On the other side, I would like to meet the tribe they were trying to reach. Specifically the man who is alive and was involved in the attack on Palm Beach. To hear his story of how God changed his life would be so special.


I would really enjoy meeting John Bunyan. He is most famous for his book Pilgrim's Progress, but recently our church finished reading his own account of his life called Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. He has an amazing talent for putting into words his thoughts and feelings.


I would really enjoying meeting Esther. Her story has always been one of my favorites from the Bible. When I was younger, it was mostly because it is about a princess and a kingdom, you get the point, basically everything I love in fictional stories. But as I've gotten older, I began to realize how much faith she had. She risked her life for her people, when, from  her point of view, it didn't really do much for her. The "risked her life" is something I've heard before when learning about Esther, so it sounds like old news. But when I think it over, I've got to wonder, would I have done it? If my situation seemed safe, would I risk my life for others?

Those are just a few, and once again, I'm left sitting here with a blank mind. :) Who would you like to meet?

{A Few of My Favorite Things} A Roundup

Winter. Guys, these freezing mornings make me think it's finally here. I love winter. Go ahead and call me strange. :) I don't like freezing cold, stormy days when there's nothing to do outside. BUT the snowy, cozy days outweigh the "bad" days of winter for me. Don't worry, fall brings up a VERY close second.


TAZO "Wild Sweet Orange" tea. I am not a tea fan. Not even sweet tea. I just don't like that "tea" taste. But wild sweet orange tastes more like wassail. I add a little liquid stevia to mine. It's a wonderful alternative if I want something not as sweet or filling as hot chocolate!


Waiting. I am [not so patiently] waiting for my goats to have their kids. I go out there every morning expecting new babies. I was so convinced it would be one of these cold mornings. Nope. I think maybe I should try going out their thinking "There is absolutely NOT going to be baby goats this morning." :)


Painting. I'm making my mom a burlap wall hanging as her birthday present. Artsy and crafty things aren't generally an area I excel in, which means I don't try it very often. But, with a goal in my mind, it's been fun to try an artsy project. I used this picture (from pinterest) as one of my ideas. I'll post a picture when mine is done.

Bobby pins. I saw these bobby pins on (yeah, go figure) pinterest a few days ago. I love them. I can't explain why, but I think it's just so beautiful. So are these bobby pins.

Avery sent me this picture the other day. I laughed so hard. That kid's face, and the idea, It's just perfect and so true!

This dress. If I ever have a million dollars, and need to go somewhere formal, I think I'll wear this. OR, if I EVER see this at a thrift store or garage sale, I am absolutely buying it. No question ;) Doesn't it just look like a fairy?

This guy's  amazing ideas and pictures. Oh how beautiful! God does amazing things in nature! I am so glad someone uses technology to make them all the more amazing!

Ok, last thing. Have I ever mentioned I am VERY ditzy and absent-minded? Things go in and out of my head in just a few seconds. As a result, I often have notes written on my hands. It's not a fool-proof method if I was my hands too many times. So I think I need some of these :)  Wearable sticky notes. It's better than pockets!



What has excited you/what have you loved this week?

{Family} Family

I woke up sick last night, so I got left home this morning. My family split between a workday at the Beacon Center and picking up bountiful baskets (a food co-op we've been trying). SO, it seemed like a good time to write my blog for this week. As I said, this will be one last post in my {Family} series.

First of all, my family is very competitive. (Tyler and Sam would be the slight exceptions. Tyler's competitive in a quiet way. Sam is competitive until she gets distracted with a butterfly, or a pretty flower.) We compete with each other on a day-to-day basis. By "day-to-day basis" I mean things like racing to see who can get in the shower first, or read the most books, etc. "Last one buckled in is a rotten egg" is something we hear a lot. Outside of our family, we are also competitive whenever we get the chance. Playing games, playing sports, pretty much any opportunity. :)

Board games :)

Family volleyball tournament 2012

Second, my family tends to enjoy dangerous activities. (The exception here is my mom. She DOES NOT like dangerous activities.) Some of my favorites are our zipline, where you jump off a platform in a tree and ride handle bars across the creek. It's not REALLY dangerous, just sort of :) Sledding on a truck hood in our field is also fantastic. That's only really dangerous when you try things like jumping the hood over a tree that's fallen down. We used to have a a tire swing that we could drag up a ladder, then jump off. I never got the hang of it because the tire was heavy enough, it would pull me off the ladder if I went too high. Or just playing sledding demolition derby on an icy hill. The point of that game was to knock as many people off their sleds before you reached the bottom of the hill. All of the above activities are courtesy of my dad. He knows how to have fun! ;)

Blanket swings, inside. My mom's face shows her ideas on "dangerous" activities :)

Hood sledding

All-in-all, I couldn't ask for a better family. It's easy for me to forget how blessed I am by my family and their characteristics. These blog posts have been particularly helpful in making me think through what I appreciate and learn from in each family member. It's been a great exercise in thankfulness!

Proverbs 17:17

A friend loves at all times, and a brother [family] is born for a time of adversity.

{Recipes} Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Our freezers are really, REALLY full! Between garden produce, and a huge amount of beef, it is packed. So mom's been working on cleaning it out. The new motto: "Cook with what we have" :) It's amusing to unearth things from the forgotten depths of the freezer. And you know what we dug out? Pumpkin!


I loved getting to pick and choose recipes (from pinterest, of course) that I could bake with some of the pumpkin we froze last year! I found a recipe for pumpkins snickerdoodles, and tried it, but I wasn't completely pleased with the results. I had just enough thawed pumpkin to try again! The second trial even gotten positive reviews from Tyler, my most severe critic.

Although Tyler is my most severe critic, he isn't the best. Dad is the one who gives truly helpful information on what he does or doesn't like. So dad tells me what could be done to improve the taste, and mom suggests techniques that will accomplish that goal. BUT, my dad doesn't like pumpkin. I have no idea why not. So I was on my own to improve this recipe. So far they've gotten THUMBS UP!

A note:
-I used pumpkin we had cooked and frozen. Therefore, if you used canned pumpkin, (which is often thicker) you might want to decrease the flour

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
The original idea came from The Six Sisters Blog, I adapted their recipe.

1 c. shortening
1/2 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 egg
4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

SEPARATE:
1/2 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 400o and LIGHTLY spray a cookie sheet. Cream shortening, sugars, egg, pumpkin, and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Chill dough in the freezer for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, mix the separate sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Once dough has chilled for 10 minutes, remove from freezer. Scoop the dough into about 1 inch diameter balls. Roll the balls in separate sugar mixture until evenly coated. Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Flatten the top of the dough balls if you want a flatter cookie (Like the one in the picture above). Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the edge of the cookie is firm, and the middle is just starting to become firm. Makes about 40 large cookies.

{Family} Dakota

This is my last individual family member blog post. I'm going to do one more after this of my family altogether! Then I'll have to be creative with a new theme. NOT my strong point! ;)


Dakota (Kota) is my littlest, baby brother!

He has the cutest, baby-ish giggle. It melts my heart every. single. time.

AAWWW! I LOVE this picture! ;)

To sum up Kota's personality in one word, I would probably say competitive. He loves to play sports, outside group games, or board games. Actually, just any game. He will stay engaged in LONG, difficult, and strategic board games. His favorites are "Risk" (A LONG, LONG, complicated war game), "Scrabble", and "Aggravation". If there's no on to play with, Kota will sometimes resort to a game of tackle football or tic-tac-toe with himself. :)

Although Kota loves sports and games, he's always been interested in farming and equipment as well. I don't think his interest goes QUITE as far as Storm or Tyler's, but he still enjoys playing with tractors, and dreaming about operating huge machinery.

If I were to pick a phrase to describe Kota, I would say "reckless abandon". He tends to be sorta' (okay, VERY) reckless. Which is usually just fine. (My family really isn't very safe, as a general rule). He's gotten some really crazy injuries over the years. He's also NOT gotten hurt when he was doing crazy things. For instance, when he was jumping on the trampoline and decided to run from one side to the other then go flying OFF, and land rolling. He told mom he was going to do a FLIP off and land rolling, but she said "NO!" :)

Sledding stunts :)

He IS on a trampoline in this picture :)

 Sports, playing farm, being reckless, or just doing school, Kota and Storm are NEVER far apart. If you watched them play, you would never think they were best friends. They fight, really roughly! Any game you play with those two ends up being a wrestling match over this-or-that! They're crazy brothers!

They were playing "alligator" in the mud!

So, to sum up Dakota in one sentence, I would say: Dakota is my crazy, competitive baby brother!

(He also says the GOOFIEST things. Like this one, talking about what he wants to do when he grows up:
"I plan to fight in the navy for a few years. Then, if I don't die in the navy, I will work at Taco Bell until my death." WHERE did he come up with that?!)

{Life and Pictures} Volleyball is Over...

Well, volleyball is now over. It really went faster than I ever remember. My JV team had a winning season (I don't know our record). We finished on Tuesday with a win. Here's some highlight pictures:

:) Oh I love this

Wearing Tindall Orthodontics shirts :)

Manhattan CHIEF tournament

Chloe posing for the camera :)

Nachos? Who knew they could be so exciting??

Mr. Weddle and his 2013 CHIEF varsity team

{Family} Stormy

Here's the fifth installment of my family blog posts. It's worked so well, maybe I could continue to my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. Then again, maybe not ;)

I met Stormy just after he turned four.

Homeschool Tuesdays at the art museum.

He was the cutest little kid ever. Because Stormy wasn't the baby (Kota), and wasn't my future little sister (Sam), I don't think I paid as much attention to his personality at first. But, seven years later, that's changed. I remember a few things about Stormy vividly. First of all, my parents met them about a week before Tyler and I got to, so they told us about what they were like. I remember them saying Stormy had been somewhere and was so thrilled because he'd gotten a doughnut. Second, I remember that he was really, REALLY hard to understand. He couldn't say "s", "l", "r", or "g". ("s" was "t", "l" was "w", "r" was "w" or "m", and "g" was "y"). He would say "yamma" instead of "grandma". My most prominent memory of Stormy is how much he loved keys. Oh my. He would do anything to carry them around (he had several of his own he had with him constantly.) They totally fascinated him. In his profile, it warned about not leaving keys in vehicles. Thinking about it now, did he really have a tendency to START things and DRIVE OFF?! :)

 

I can totally see how these personality things I remember about Storm have stayed as he's gotten older. He still loves doughnuts :) Actually, he loves food in general. Even if he doesn't like something, he'll eat it, and never say a word.  He loves to help cook as well. Pastry chef in the making, I think. ;)
Although he pronounces everything correctly now, Storm has to focus really hard on communicating what he wants to. It takes patience to listen to him. It's just so much easier to finish the sentence when you KNOW what he wants to say!
And the keys? Well thank goodness he eventually started not taking them everywhere with him, but his fascination for equipment is absolutely still there. Stormy would hop in anything and drive it off if he was allowed to. (and he probably wouldn't wreck. He's talented and pays attention to things like that. He'll so be driving before me.)

Sam was having trouble getting the back of her hair dried, so he did it for her. *heart melted*

Storm is the middle child through-and-through! He's not even bossy like me. He will happily do whatever you tell him to, as long as he gets to be with someone. He loves to deliver firewood with Tyler, or help mom clean the kitchen. He always seems to be the one with extra chores, because he's so handy and ready to help. He can also get anywhere he has ever been. According to my family, when I am actually allowed to drive by myself, I will take Stormy everywhere with me so I don't get lost. :)
The last thing about Stormy is,  he is so, so sweet. Sometimes I wonder how someone with such a kind, caring personality got put in our family of rough, "think it say it" people. He's probably a good influence on us!

{Family} Samantha

I took a break last week from my posts about family. There back again now. (Starring the first younger sibling I've written about.)

Samantha (we call her Sam, or "Bug". I'm not really sure about the "Bug". I think it's because she used to go galloping through the house saying "Bug-dig-u-bug-di-gu-bugdigubugdigubugdigu" over and OVER and OVER.) first came to our family when I was nine.

That was the first picture  I saw of my little siblings. I stared at it SO long trying to figure out what they really looked like.

The first time I met them was at a park. I played with Stormy and Dakota, and they played with us. I don't really remember Sam, except that she wondered off to the opposite side of the park, and my dad went after her. I also remember that she had a bug zoo case she was carrying around.

In the months after this, we met them frequently to play, and they were eventually permanently placed in our home. This was a really, really difficult several months. We were trying to do school, and mom was adding "triplets" to her schedule, and just wasn't able to spend the same amount of time we were used to with us.  (Our grades dropped.). It was a lot to get used to very quickly. At nine-years-old, I wasn't prepared for some of the difficulties. I remember spending a lot of time crying and being sick, half the time just because I was so stressed.

Playing dress-up with my mom and aunt's old prom dresses :)

Sam has always been the boy's big sister. When they first came to our house, Stormy even called her Sissy, which was so adorable. (But he couldn't say "S", so it came out "Titty") She's always loved bugs, and animals in general, but especially birds. What always surprised me about Sam is, as much as she likes creepy crawly things, she like "girly" things as well. (dress-up, hair, make-up, fingernail polish, and crafts. She's WAY more artsy than me :)) Recently she has taken an interest in volleyball as well :)

Our official court date.

I often feel cheated when I think about not knowing Sam as a baby, or as she grew older. It's just different to be part of a family from the time your born, and to know nothing else. It's a feeling of discontent that I constantly war with. It's like many other things that I KNOW God  has a plan, but I still struggle with the sin of not trusting completely.

{A Few of My Favorite Things} A Roundup

Time for a roundup! This is so fun for me! I have to think through what has blessed me this week, little things to big things. It's a good exercise in thankfulness! ;)


My team got second place in our last tournament. It was a miracle, honestly. Because of how the tournament was set up, it came down to a three-way tie for second place! We won based on the number of points we scored throughout the day. I loved getting to have a full day of volleyball!

Photo credit: HLC Photography

I seriously love this picture! @Avery :) (HLC Photography)

I've gotten to pull out sweatpants and sweatshirts. This might be a little premature, but I like to pretend that it's freezing cold outside ;) I've also started making oatmeal for breakfast. We don't eat oatmeal in the summer, so I eagerly await cool mornings. What about you? Are you "love it or hate it" when it comes to oatmeal?


I worked on taking my siblings "school" pictures this summer/early fall. It's one of my favorite jobs. It's easier to take pictures of them when I have mom backing me up :)

This shirt. I really, REALLY like it! (thanks Avery) Plaid AND yellow? That combination would win me over every time;) I don't know what it is about plaid. I really like plaid shirts.

I'm hoping to try this delicious looking recipe soon. I think my dad would really like it. (He's a fruit and cinnamon vs. chocolate and caramel kind of person. Strange...)

If you have a few minutes of extra time today, watch these girls do some serious jump roping. It amazes me every single time. How do they do it?

I've been reading through Job (I have always like the story of Job, but reading through the speeches between him and his three friends never thrilled me. So I'm trying again to see if I can appreciate more of the book than I have previously.) and these verses really stuck out at me:
⁹ “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. ¹⁰ “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹ But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” (Job 1:9-11) 
This pretty much amazes me. When I feel like I have a "hedge around" me, I am more likely to FORGET that it is God I should be thanking and worshipping. But Job still feared God. And this one:
  In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. (Job 2:10)
Another one that impresses me. I can't even get through one day without sinning in my speech. But Job got through horrible tragedies without sinning in his speech? Wow.

I've been reading back through the journal messages I sent my parents while I was gone this summer. (which is fun. I'm glad I wrote so much about my days.) Here's one of my favorites. I must have felt dramatic that day:

Checking in with your daily report from the north. I sure enjoy writing about the highlights in my day, thank you for being my patient audience! Today, here, the temperature topped off at 62. Aunt Leslie says it will be cold enough in the morning to fire up the stove. I am making ice cream cinnamon rolls, and white chocolate dried cherry cookies. Previously this week I have made no bake and grill desserts. That has tided me over. My camera is back in full working condition!! Happy day!!  Jena got to have a friend over tonight, and I was not very sympathetic to her excitement. So, this friend, lilli (yes, spelled that way), reminds me so much of Gracie.[Gracie is one of my other little cousins] She's little and gangly, with long straight blond hair. She talks the same, and they have very similar eyes. She's really nice, and she gives Jena a break from me and Jack! 
 Or this one(yeah, I really enjoy writing dramatically):
Qotd[Quote of the day]: (Jena, behind Jack, who's behind me on the fourwheeler) "it's okay, Jack. I'm holding onto you really tight!" Seriously? Was my driving that bad? It was a beautiful day in the Alaskan wilderness. It didn't even reach eighty, and there was a generous breeze to make the mosquitos slightly more tolerable. Slightly. Last night was one of the more memorable nights in my experience. I woke up at two am because I had mosquitos that buzzed right by my ear. Continuously. I spent half an hour trying to figure out someway to keep the mosquitos off without swaddling myself in a blanket. (Our room was hoooot) at two thirty Jack got up almost in tears because the mosquitos were bothering him. Turns out Jena was up too. We were all up at least two more times trying to solve the mosquito problem. I ended up putting one ear against my pillow and covering the rest of me in a sheet. If I listened to a book, at least I couldn't hear the buzz from outside. Everyone took a rest today... It was such an eventful night.


That's it, I'll sign off for today! What are you enjoying this week?