Game Day

November started out wonderfully. We had our big senior basketball game against our cross town rivals; on our home court. Posters, balloons and a pep rally prepared us for the big game. Needless to say, I was super excited. These are the things that make school a little worthwhile. It was near the end of our season and we were ready to go out with a bang. 

Our cross town rivals are, needless to say, a little competitive. Well, so are we. We lost to them in an exhibition game but beat them the last two games we played them. Could we do it three times in a row? It was time to prove to them that we deserved to win. Apparently they said they were prepared to draw blood. I said, we were prepared to break bones. It was uncharacteristically competitive of me, but I was ready. This was our game.

...... I just didn't intend to break my own bones. 

It was the 3rd quarter and things were getting intense. I was playing pretty well… according to me. We were up, but we kept pushing. The entire school was there, my parents, and even some of the other school made their way over. It was like a "High School Musical" moment. It was in their end and it happened quickly. One of their players and I both went up for a rebound. She ended up getting it, but as I said, it was ‘our game’. I ripped it from her and she apparently fell because of it. She wasn't hurt but I wasn't paying attention because I went up and got a basket. Yeah, it was only one, but that was good enough for me. Right away we were back on defense. I was playing a hard man to man. Ready to pounce. One look at my purple and scraped knees would tell anyone I wasn't afraid to dive for a ball.

Then, one of their players fumbled the ball. She got away with it and got it under control. A bad pass caused another fumble. I spotted an opportunity of a loose ball and wasn't going to let it go. At the same time, another girl spotted the same opportunity and intended to redeem herself. We both dove for the ball and a micro-second before, I realized we were going to collide. I closed my eyes preparing myself for the impact and BAM! 

I felt my nose shift. 

 

 I am trying to bring this shabby blog back to life. I intended to start from scratch but I realized just how much effort it would be and I am a lazy person I am sorry to admit. So.... what have I been up to? I have been experimenting with instagram and flickr and that that good stuff. I have become addicted  to pinterest (isn't everyone?) and getting cool ideas for my humble blog.

Fall always puts me in a weird mood. I feel somewhat depressed due to the weather and super crafty due to the weather. Which then makes me want to mope and then go on pinterest which makes me want to pin and do crafts. That leads to wasting time resulting in putting off my homework which leads to me being stressed. Yup. Its a vicious cycle!  And that about sums it up. So why not put all that wasted time on the internet into action and make use/waste of my time by trying to revive my blog?

Will it work? Highly doubt it. But oh well.

Survival in the jungle

Day 1 and I survive..... barely. I woke up to a cloudy morning with no sun! It seemed fitting for there seemed no hope either. 

And yes. It is official. It is a totally of four years that I have cried on the first day of school.

And again the moment where you have to voluntary stand up at the top of your driveway and wait. You dry your tears so the bus driver won't question you. You try to squeak out a cheerful "Good morning!" and plop down in your seat hoping you didn't sound too sarcastic to give yourself away! You plug in the head phones and try to listen to the lyrics but are distracted in a sea of self pity and worries. You see the same people get on the bus, looking the exact same as school left them, yet secretly expecting them to have changed dramatically in two months. Once the building is in sight your stomach knots as you prepare yourself for the road ahead. Your friends will come later so you have to find your "acquaintances" and  pretend to be busy talking to them while checking the door every couple seconds wishing your actual friends will appeare. It is getting close to the morning assembly time and still no sight of your friends. The group you were with closes the gap so you awkwardly stand outside of the circle smiling and nodding. Finally the heads of five girls trample in the door way as you rush to fight against the oncoming traffic of people to great them. You hug and do other girly things. You find your homeroom and get that single sheet of paper that dictates whether your will have a stressful year or not: your timetable. You glance through it and complain and then hope your friends are in the same class. The bell rings and you rush to your first class. You sit nervously repeating to yourself "Its not too late to change!". You get to your next class late enough not to find a seat with your friends and sit next to someone who probably didn't want you to sit there. Lunch time comes. Your friends awkwardly stand in the doorway of the cafeteria deciding which table to sit at. You decide and eat. Next two class go fairly smoothly but you are tired, overwhelmed and have a head ach. 

I don't know what that citation was for... But anyway, that was my day. 

A summer night.

Alright,

This is the first entry of my summer and on my new iPad, ( still trying to figure out if it was a wise purchase or not!!) I am currently out in a tent in my backyard enjoying the moon and stars and the various music from the parties around the river. When I think about it, not much has happened on the (actual) river side. I have been enjoying my summers the way I know best: alone under the stars and writing unfinished novels. Well, I haven't been totally secluded from the world, I have had a few friends over! 

I wrote last when I had one last exam to write. Well it went well and then it was summer time. And that meant time for camp. It seems so far away now when I write about it, but those weeks went by so fast! I don't know if it was as "amazing" as last year, but I learned just as much I feel. I learned that I always will be learning from here on after. I was humbled and at times I had to sallow my pride and move on, I learned what it felt like to be really small (again being humbled!), I learned to trust God completely (whether it be for words or just to rely on Him), and I learned to see beauty in the broken. Every year I seem to learn exactly what's need to learn, especially for the upcoming year. 

And now it's that time of year again; the leaves are already turning colours on the maple tree and the "Back to School" sings are up in the stores. It's the time of year where I really struggle with my contentment. It's that time of year when I feel society is draining everything they can from me, (translate that to English: putting and end to my freedome). 

But I am learning. And I suppose I will still be learning. 

For now, however, I am enjoying these astronomical objects before me! A.k.a the moon and stars! 

One More

One more.

One more exam stands in my way of freedom. It's crazy to stop and think that it's been a year. This blog kinda documents the ups and downs of how I felt about school. I'd come one here to rant about how much I hated it.... to by the grace of God... I'd come to realize that he is in charge and I'd be alright with school. I still remember praying and thinking and shedding some tears.... and siting on our dock 10 at night with some apple bread and a blanket watching the moon rise. I was really stressed out and needed some time to think.

This year, I learned to rely on God. I stepped out of my comfort zone and started to talk to people and make some new friends beyond my little group I had. I learned a lot of lessons this year.

I may.....
              have possibly.....
                                           just a little, teeny bit......
                                                                                   just a tad bit.....
                                                                                                               may have enjoyed myself.
                                                                                                                * on rare occasions* 

Oh my. One more. One more exam till my freedom. Then off I go to camp for three weeks! It will be great and emotional to back to the place once again that changed my life. 
Back to studying for now.

One more.

One More

One more.

One more exam stands in my way of freedom. It's crazy to stop and think that it's been a year. This blog kinda documents the ups and downs of how I felt about school. I'd come one here to rant about how much I hated it.... to by the grace of God... I'd come to realize that he is in charge and I'd be alright with school. I still remember praying and thinking and shedding some tears.... and siting on our dock 10 at night with some apple bread and a blanket watching the moon rise. I was really stressed out and needed some time to think.

This year, I learned to rely on God. I stepped out of my comfort zone and started to talk to people and make some new friends beyond my little group I had. I learned a lot of lessons this year.

I may.....
              have possibly.....
                                           just a little, teeny bit......
                                                                                   just a tad bit.....
                                                                                                               may have enjoyed myself.
                                                                                                                * on rare occasions* 

Oh my. One more. One more exam till my freedom. Then off I go to camp for three weeks! It will be great and emotional to back to the place once again that changed my life. 
Back to studying for now.

One more.

Trip to the past... and a well deserved break!

Heavens! I didn't realize how long I have neglected my duty to write!!! I usually say that I am busy... but really... this time it wasn't an excuse! Soccer and homework and being sleep deprived has robbed most of my free time! I was beginning to forget what the outdoors looked like! I felt like I was a salve to school! 

And thats where the purpose of this post comes in! I went over to my neighbours farm and fully enjoyed myself for a bit! I hadn't just gone out 'exploring' in a while and it did me some good! Here are just a few pictures I took! It was splendid lighting for the most part! I have more to put up! 

            

 

The landscape reminds me of Ireland somehow.... have I ever been there? Well no, but thats what I imagine it to be like.... Anyway! Hope you enjoyed a piece of my childhood. I honestly felt like a little kid again. This basically sums it up! This was one of my havens I would go to to escape reality. Enjoy the rest of your day! 

No, I am not dead....

Well it has been over a month since I've posted and its really weird because it hasn't felt like that long at all.... Anyway.... I have been busy making two dresses and a skirt! Plus I feel like now there is a never-ending pile of homework plus my sports on the side. Craziness. Then they (Blogger) decide to change on me. On thing about me.... I hate change. So now I have to get use to this! Well I have things to do tonight... like clean my room and watch a movie... maybe have a tea! I hope to be a tad bit more consistent and put some pictures up! And so no, I am not dead; I have just been busy!! Enjoy your Friday night!!

*my goodness.... how many ellipsis did I use in this post?!

Spring!

Well, I guess all good things come to an end! So as I conclude to my Spring Break,

Spring emerges! Oh hallelujah!! I am so happy! This definitely lifts my spirits!

Don't believe me? Here is proof!

It actually reached 20 degrees!!  

The ice is slowly, but surely, melting!

 This is Max. He is my dog and my best friend! He has a brother, but Max 

and I just seem to click! We go for walks together, we have little adventures, and he 

sits with me when I do my cross stitch! Hopefully, he will make more appearances on my little blog! 

Enjoy SPRING! FOR IT IS HERE!!!!!!!!!! 

Spring Break

Well, I am FINALLY on my spring break! I kinda wasted today with naps and what not!

Anyway, yesterday was my birthday, not that anyone cares out there, but besides that fact

I had fun and enjoyed my cake very much (thanks Mum!)

Well I got this as a present from a friend...

A Cross Stitching Project-thing

Its very different form just regular embroidery... but I suppose I shall get use to it.

Goodness though, there are a lot of symbols and rules and THREAD! A ton of 

thread! It is kinda intimidating! I'll try to show my progress... but I kinda misplaced

my key, and if you have cross stitched before... you kinda need it. (By 'kinda'

I mean you really really do need it!!) Well I guess I'll find it eventually! 

*Get off of the computer and stop looking at blogs and take a walk!!! It is beautiful outside! (Well at least where I am!) None the less, I see less and less people walking, so do it. Just go out an walk! Enjoy the spring!*

O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

I have had the wonderful pleasure of being introduced to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. At the beginning I found it quite disappointing. There was a lot of crude and awkward moments reading it aloud in class. I thought to myself, "We view Shakespeare as the epitome of love, and yet he is crude and makes fun of romance."

Well, I was quick to judge. VERY quick.... and just hadn't quite reached the right scene where the famous writer exercised his lovely verse. The part where Romeo first set his eyes on Juliet was where my heart melted inside of me. Lame I know and rather girlish, however, the words are like a song the way they flow and the meaning behind it. I know they are suppose to be like 12 and 14, but once you move on from that fact, a beautiful love story takes place. When young Romeo enters the Capulet's party and first sets eyes on fair Juliet, he comments how he never saw true beauty till that night. Now that I think about it, it makes me wonder if that is what Adam thought of Eve when he first laid eyes upon her.

A friend and I were talking about how if a boy came up to us and started reciting Shakespeare, we'd be "in love"( however shallow that may sound.) But what is it about Shakespeare that has us so captivated, that makes us swoon? I mean, honestly, if you read it, no one really has a clue as to what they are trying to say. I think that once, you look beyond the words, you find such a beautiful lesson. In the play, Romeo tells Juliet, he is not worthy of her, he asked her permission before he kisses her, and he just respects her. Now, I am not saying I want a guy to spill out empty words to me about how he is unworthy and all that, but the fact he asked her permission before he kisses her, I find that is the romantic part. Young Romeo realized Juliet's worth and treasured her for that.

That is why I swoon.

Bird- Nest Necklace tutorial

Bird-Nest Necklace

   Alright.... so I was browsing shops on line for a cool vintage necklace when I came across a bunch of these bird-nest type necklaces. They seemed pretty popular so I thought, "Hey, it would be so simple to make one!" And since I didn't have to spend a penny and I have wanted to do a tutorial for a long time, I thought this would be a good one to start out with. Sorry for the poor quality/lighting. I was doing this in the evening, and not even a Nikon can compete with my poor kitchen lighting!

 Materials you will need are the following:

- wire (I used a 22 Gauge, if you don't have some I am pretty sure 

you can get some a the Dollar Store)

- Needle-Nose wire cutters

- 3 small beads (ones that look like pearls look the best) 

  Start be cutting a 10" piece of wire

Use the wire cutters to start winding the wire

Keep winding... you can use your hands for this

Gradually make it into a funnel shape... but don't make it too deep

 Cut another piece of wire the same size. Thread it through.

 Continue winding, threading it through in order to connect the wire and to make sure it

stays in place. You can repeat this process to have a total of three pieces of wire.

It should look something like this when you are done. Make

sure that none of the wire ends are sticking out where they could scratch you! 

Time to take your beads. I made this necklace twice and used both

sizes of beads shown above. I found the bigger ones looked better

but it's up to you which size you prefer! 

 Take a separate piece of wire about 3" to 4". Thread the bead onto the wire

and bend it so it doesn't slip off.

 Add another bead

Once you have your beads, bend the wired to make a 

triangle shape.

Take the whole piece and thread it into the nest near the bottom

 Pull it through till it till the "eggs" are snug in the nest. 

 Flip the nest upside down and bend the wire sticking out in place. 

Make sure the end is not sticking out anywhere where it can scratch the person wearing it.

 And your done! I had a silver chain and just threaded it through one of the wire

"loops" that make up the nest. If the nest doesn't lay right, try carefully making the base of it flat

using your fingers.

Enjoy and have fun! 

Coming soon....

Alright I have been busy and actually been using my time to be productive! I will get those things up soon!

One of my absolutely FAVOURITE things about blogging is give aways! Check out this one! Scroll down  and there should be instructions on how to enter!

Behind the cover.

I have recently re-discovered my love for reading. I took a break from it for a while because I couldn't or just didn't find a good book to read. And it has to be a good book. I want to be swept away in the story, I want to "play" the heroine in the book, I want to be transported to the scene right then and there. I want a book with good morals and make me humbled. It's very hard to find book like that now-a-days. Anyways that is why I have begun to re-read my bookshelf. As I have mentioned before I re-read An Old Fashion Girl, now I am re-reading books by Grace Livingston Hill. She is an absolutely wonderful author! I was at a Christian book store and being my "cheap" self, raced over to the sales. There I found books of hers for like 90 cents. I picked up four or five of them. I fell in love with them.

Sure it has something to do with the author's way of writing, but I like to read (especially 1800s) books because I get  to experience the life I never had. That is to say, life in the 1800s. Though I may try to mix the two worlds I fail miserably, I can get that thrill and life experience in a book. I guess thats part of the reason why I want to be a writer. I love the way words can tell an elaborate story without pictures or someone actually explaining it to you. The way you can analyze someone's behaviour. Once one opens that cover you have a chance to tell them a story. Your story. My goal is to one day write a novel. About what, I don't know. The plots never quite have a finished ending. I guess its the same for all authors to be.
I long to write those first "words":

                                                               Chapter 1

Reminiscing....

Well second semester FINALLY started. All I can say is that I am going to have absolutely no life for the next 5 months. :( Sad day. Oh boy. I had a lovely weekend though. I had a dear friend come for a visit. She lives about 5 1/2 hours away so we don't see each other often. She used to live near me and we saw each other nearly every single day that was possible. But, once I was 5 years of age, she moved. Moved away. Far away. I cried everyday for a year after she left, or so I am told by my mother who had to deal with all my tears. However, even though we were young we kept in touch. We wrote letters, we had long phone calls, and when the internet became available for us to use, we did so to our advantage. We shared a love for God, horses, painting, sewing, and anything old and British. She and I are so alike in many ways, I am always surprised how much we have in common when she comes to visit. It is amazing to have someone so alike yourself and who is so creative and so talented!

This beautiful painting by Pierre Auguste Renoir pretty much sums my dear friend and I. 

The blond and the brunette. 

Another thing.... yesterday was the Queen's 60th year on the throne! Amazing! My, I would love to visit England in her reign! I only fear that by the time I have enough money (well, money at all!) to go to England, she will have passed the crown to another! I guess we will just have to wait and see!

Alterations

Like it? I usually don't like change... but I don't mind this one! I messed something up in a the body of the blog, but I suppose I will have to get use that it! I find it little more, shall we say homey? More my own. It was indeed a snow day so thats why I have wasted the entire day online and making changes to my blog. I haven't come up with any projects yet. I better get to cleaning my room. And studying. And possibly putting these muscles to work. Enjoy your day!

Observations

I am hooked! Hooked on blogs! I love to look at everyone's ingenious blog and blog designs! Some people are just too creative! I scanned through my blog and realized that I practically write novels! Well, I suppose some people may be more dedicated in the fact that they have on-going projects and cute little crafts and cute pictures of their quaint lives. Me on the other hand, I rant and complain and have a self pity party. I think I am also redundant because I believe I have posted something like this before. I do however have an excuse:
-School
-Currently school exams

                                       ........... I suppose we can add laziness to that list too.

Well I am all studied out and tired of being lazy. I want to maybe start a project too. But I'm not telling what it is. Heck, I may not even do it. We'll see. I need something to spice up this little thing I have here. Something different and quirky  ( < it me like ten times to try to spell that....). If tomorrow is a snow day I shall brain storm.



"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord." Jer. 29:11

What I do with my time

     I received a gift from the parents today, as well as a distraction from studying! Acrylic paints! I have always been fascinated with water colours and quite skeptical with acrylics.... however I realized that I like thick acrylics and not cheap thin paint.  I found out through art class at school that I did like how the colours flowed! 

 ~ ~ ~

   

    There is something quite thrilling when squeezing different colours of paint on a clean white canvas. Something exciting when taking a damp brush and with a beautiful colour and gracefully run it across the paper. The sense of accomplishment when your finish product was exactly what you dared to expect. 

Well, I got the "thrill" and "excitement" but the "accomplishment" didn't quite follow! But that is to 

be expected. I suppose I should actually study since I have wasted the morning! I do dislike exams ever so much!