Just a Thought

   Today I was went shopping with my mom and brother. While we were in the checkout lane, I saw the little lip balm tubes stuck in their little plastic rack. I couldn't help but notice that one of the flavors was Mango Sunrise. Seriously? I want to know what sunrise tastes like. 
   I couldn't help but laugh at the craziness of it all. I like mango just as much as the next person, but I wouldn't buy that lip balm just because of the over zealous name that accompanies it. Another thing I would like to know is what other fancy names of products deceive consumers into thinking something is greater that it actually is?
   A few days ago I receive a candle that said it smelled like turquoise sky. Nether of those things have a smell. I had shower gel entitled beautiful day. It smelled like apples. Because of course, when you think of a nice day, the first thing that comes to mind is apples.  And I can guarantee you that fresh cotton doesn't smell anything like cotton, stale or fresh. To throw into the mix, I have a bright green candle called hocus pocus and I no idea how to describe that smell.
  
 What's something that you have discovered that has an over exaggerated name?  

20 Things Tuesday

   First off, I apologize that I haven't posted at all this last week. I've been busy and couldn't think of anything to post, so I didn't really make an effort. But, I'm back and ready to post so here is another 20 Things Tuesday.


Right now:

1: The gentle smell of smoke floating delicately through the air.
2: The tranquility of our porch, from which I'm writing.
3: The billowing gray clouds that coat the sky.
4: That after-rain smell.
5: A comfy, oversized shirt that I found in my room today.


Today:

1: Cleaning my room. I have so much to work to do there!
2: Going shopping with my mom and brother.
3: Visiting with my grandma and uncle and playing with his dog.
4: A delicious French Vanilla Cappuccino.
5: Watching several episodes of Brain Games.


Tomorrow:

1: Going to the trail to exercise and visit with my friends.
2: Going out to eat, then visit a store, going out to see 2 movies at a drive in theater. I'm very excited.
3: Cleaning more of my room.
4: Eating the special snacks we bought for the drive in.
5: Posting a Wednesday Hodgepodge.


This week:

1: Cleaning my entire room. :) I have a moderately sized room and I haven't deep cleaned it in a while. I am thinking about painting it and rearranging my room.
2: Starting work on my new school year.
3: Deciding on some new ideas for my room.
4: Sleeping in a tent that currently sits in our living room.

The last thing I leave for you to answer. What's something you're enjoying or looking forward to this week?

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

 

 

1. June 23rd is National Pink Day. What's your favorite something pink?

   When I was little, I adored the color pink. Now, I can barely stand the color. I would have to say that I love pink flavored stuff. It's usually strawberry or cherry, and I love both those flavors.

 2. What did you enjoy most about gym class when you were in school? How about the least?

   I'm still in school, and I'm homeschooled, so when we meet our homeschool group we have a gym class. My favorite part? Winning, beating other people, reigning victorious over the other peasants. :) I'm very, very competitive. My least favorite part is having a bad team captain. Erg. The unorganized chaos of a bunch of untalented kids running around a field without a clue. It's depressing and aggravating.

 3. What memory is brought to mind by the smell of roses?

   Hmm. I don't believe I have any specific memory brought on by the smell.

 4. Do you prefer to read or write?

   Depends on my mood. I love them both.

 5. Sam Keen is quoted as saying, 'Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.' Would you agree? Is laziness ever respectable? How will you be lazy this summer?

 

   I don't agree. Laziness isn't respectable. I'm not saying that you have to work like a dog every waking second, but there is a difference between laziness and relaxation. I probably will relax by laying in my room, working on random books, projects and the like. But I do hope to do some school during summer.

 6. The Florida Keys, Disney World, or a resort somewhere on the Gulf Coast...which Florida destination would you choose (and why) if the trip were today?

   Disney World, probably. I think it would be cool to go there.

 7. What question do you hate to answer?

   Do you play basketball/volleyball? I'm tall, but that doesn't mean I'm athletic. A few people even ask if I'm interesting in modeling. Seriously? I'm not even that tall. I'm sure the people who ask mean well, but still.


 8.  Insert your own random thought here.

   I recently organized my school cabinet and I think that I have a problem with notebooks. I love notebooks. We can get them on sale for like 25 or 50 cents at Walmart so when I see them, I always pick on or two up. I love to write and draw and notebooks are perfect for doing just that. So I was trying to get rid of some and I couldn't bear to rid my shelf of the perfectly lined paper. Sigh. I'm running out of space for my school notebooks.

20 Things Tuesday

   So here we are with another 20 Things Tuesday. I'm going to cut to the chase, because it's getting pretty late.



Right now:

1: A delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
2: Conversation with my family.
3: The feeling of having a whole new year of curriculum waiting to be completed.
4: That feeling you get when you're in the middle of a good book.
5: The softness of my bed.



Today:

1: Talking to some friends I haven't talked to in person for a while.
2: Hot Chocolate Freeze.
3: Bouncing in a bouncy house.
4: Starting to read a new book.
5: Discussing some bands with one of my friends.



Tomorrow:

1: Visiting the nursing home to do activities with the residents.
2: Hopefully finishing the aforementioned book. Aforementioned. What a long word.
3: Working on some school. I love school so very much. Then I hate it all at the same time. Sigh. I don't believe that I'll ever not have the conflict.
4: Reading some Reader's Digest. I love that magazine.
5: Throwing away 7 things.



This week:

1: I'm going to try to make time to clean my fish tank.
2: Enjoying these last days of June. Time is flying so fast. Almost half way through 2015.
3: Brushing my cat once again.
4: I'm going to try to form some book ideas into a more solid plot design, if that makes any sense.
5: Doing my makeup all fancy. :)

Playing Guitar

   I love to play and sing music. It's one of my very favorite things. My dad knows how to play the guitar so he's been teaching me some things. I have small hands so it was hard to stretch my fingers at first to where they needed to be. The worst part was when, at first, my fingertips got so sore from pressing down on the strings. After a while they calloused and that was a relief.
   A little while ago my dad mentioned about wanting to play Lord I Need You by Matt Maher. So I looked up the chords on Google to surprise him with being able to play it. I didn't know all the chords so I had to look some up, but after a few practices I got them down pretty well. I still have trouble with the D/F# but it's easier than before. The same day I learned the gist of it, I played it for him as kind of a rough draft. He was impressed and said that by the next time I played it for him, it would be perfect.
   So from that point to now, I've been working on it on and off. Today I really worked on it and I think its sounding pretty good. I'm going to see about playing it for him tonight. Do you play any instruments or do you prefer to sing? What kind of music do you like? Feel free to answer in the comments. I play violin, guitar, ukulele and piano. I like pretty much all music, except for classical and a lot of country music.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

 

 

1. June is National Great Outdoors Month. Have you spent any time appreciating the great outdoors this month? If so where, and if not do you have any plans to enjoy the great outdoors before the calendar turns?

   The great outdoors and I aren't the very best of friends. I'd rather be inside most of the time. I haven't really spend any time outside appreciating the outdoors except for when my mom, brother and I go for evening walks.


 2. What's a current hot button issue for you?

   A current hot button issue for me would have to be Alaskan TV shows. I don't mind TV shows set in Alaska, and I have nothing against Alaskans. But I hate how many TV shows are set in Alaska. If you live in Alaska, you practically get your own television show. They could make a separate channel just for TV set in Alaska. I find that annoying. There are 50 states in America and Alaska is hogging all the programming time.


 3. What's a food or treat that 'disappears like hotcakes' in your house?

   Canned green beans. I make sure we never have any leftovers. I love them.


 4. How hot is too hot?

   I don't really have a problem with heat, it's humidity that kills me. It can be 70 degrees and humid and I would prefer 90 degrees and dry.


 5. Do you have an artistic outlook on life? What does that mean to you?

   I think I do have an artistic outlook on life. What does it mean to me? I'm not sure I can answer that entirely, but I can give you an idea. The view of life to see the individual colors of the rainbow instead of just seeing the rainbow itself, metaphorically. An artistic viewpoint can see the bigger picture, all while noticing the details. But an artistic outlook doesn't always have to be overly positive. It's truly just a more creative, innovative outlook than a normal life outlook.


 6. What's one question you'd like to ask your father, or one you wish you could ask your father?

   I truly don't think that there is anything I would want to ask my dad. When I talk to him it's typically casual conversation and there is nothing I would like to ask that I haven't already.


 7. Something you learned from your father?

   I learned a lot of stuff from my dad. Mostly outdoor stuff, like how to fish or how to operate a lawn mower. Nothing to prevalent.


 8.  Insert your own random thought here.

   I honestly couldn't think of anything to write, so I grabbed two meme's off the internet and decided to improvise.
  

  

 

 

 

Until next week, Hodgepodgers!

 

 

20 Things Tuesday

   I'm here again with another 20 Things Tuesday. I always have trouble with these introductions. What do I say? I know what I want to say, but somehow, I can never find a way to say it here without sounding stupid. So I'll just start the 20 Things now. :)


Right now:

1: The peace and quiet of the house, seeing that my brother isn't home.
2: The cool, air conditioned air that sets the house at a refreshing temperature, considering how terribly hot and humid these last few days have been.
3: The clarity of the world through my glasses. I haven't been wearing them recently and now that I've put them back on, it's a vivid world once again.
4: My kitty sleeps on our glider beside me and her soft, sweet snores are incredibly adorable.
5: Explaining to my mother the world of Divergent.


Today:

1: Working on my portfolio.
2: Reading assorted stories.
3: Talking to my best friend.
4: Eating rice with refried beans.
5: Cauliflower with ranch dressing.


Tomorrow:

1: Going to the trail to get some fresh air and exercise.
2: Hopefully working more on my portfolio. It's been going well so far.
3: Playing the guitar. I've been working on a song for my dad and I hope to have it down better soon.
4: Giving my mother a pedicure. I like painting nails and stuff so it's enjoyable.
5: A lot of humidity will be gone by tomorrow morning, which is good. I hate humidity.


This week:

1: Reading some new Reader's Digest I just received from my uncle. Oh, how I love that magazine.
2: Finishing my portfolio. It will be such a relief when I have that finished.
3: Grooming my cat. She has really long fur that takes a lot of maintenance and I enjoy brushing her.
4: Wednesday Hodgepodge. I was surprised how much I missed even though I've only been doing for a few weeks.
5: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I used to not like them, but recently I've been wanting to eat them all the time.

Vacation Bible School: The Second and Third Days

   So here we are again with more VBS stuff. It's truly been a joy to have some fun with my VBS kids. They're such little blessings. I can proudly say that I know every child's name. I was incredibly disappointed when I discovered that I couldn't be there for the last day. So tomorrow is my last day. Good thing is, I'll be blogging about something else! :)
   Yesterday was a pretty simple, easy day. The children were rambunctious as always, but the day flew by. The Bible story was about how Adam and Eve sinned, and how that separated them from God. Their craft was a broken heart, which they glued words that described bad actions on to it, like lying or stealing. Cause that's what every parent wants glued to their fridge. :)
   Today was a happier craft. We made a nature press, though I don't think it had anything to with the lesson. Today's lesson was about how God loves us even though we sinned and that he sent Jesus to save us. It was a nice lesson. The kids seemed to like it. My cousin came over and she came to Vacation Bible School with me. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go, but she decided to go anyway. When she got the car, she was very glad she went and wanted to come back again the next day. I'm glad she enjoyed it.
   It's crazy how fast the year has been speeding by, from VBS almost over to close to half way through 2015! How time flies!

20 Things Tuesday

   So this is the second 20 Things Tuesday. I'm actually enjoying doing this so far. It reminds me that I always have something to love no matter what. So here we are again.


Right now:

1: Captain America :) We just watched the movie.
2: My lovely silver bracelet that I wear everyday.
3: One of my favorite dresses: a long, flow-y, sunflower dress that I've had for many years. It's a tad small, but I love it all the same.
4: The house is a really nice temperature right now, and I love that.
5: The thought of going to bed. I am rather tired right now. :)


Today:

1: Another great day at Vacation Bible School.
2: A fun day hanging out with some of my best friends.
3: Winning 2 volleyball games with my friends. I'm maybe a little tiny bit competitive. :) Okay. I'm very competitive. But no one complains when we're winning.
4: Relaxing on the couch after a very long day.
5: Macaroni and cheese. Need I say more?


Tomorrow:

1: More Bible school.
2: A visit from my cousin. I'm excited to have her over.
3: Practicing the guitar.
4: There is a movie that I want to watch and I hope to watch it tomorrow.
5: Pencil sketching.


This week:

1: Finishing Bible school. (I'm beginning to feel redundant here, starting everything with something about VBS.)
2: A trip to an amusement park that we've (meaning my whole family) been looking forward to for a while.
3: Reading a few more books that I haven't been able to start, due to all the busyness of recent.
4: I'm hoping to polish my piano keys at some point. I enjoy doing that, as crazy as it is.
5: I have child care during church this week, and that is always fun.

Vacation Bible School: The First Day

   Every year, I help one of my aunt's with her vacation bible school. I truly enjoy helping. She teaches the Preschool-Kindergarten class. Today was the first day of VBS. The entire Bible school consisted of 47 kids. Our class had 21 kids. I'll let you do the math. It was a large class. We had my aunt, myself and two other ladies helping, so it was manageable.
   We started our by making a comet for our craft. You pretty much take a foam ball, spray paint it silver, (this was done previously, as you can probably guess,) tie together some curly ribbon and then cut of the tails of the ribbon where you tied it, poke a hole in your foam ball, fill it with glue, then push the knotted end of the ribbons into the hole. Let dry. Viola! Your very own comet. It's not rocket science. Rocket science, comet. Ha, ha, I'm hilarious. :)
   Anyway, after that, we had a bible story about how God made the world and how he loves us. The kids Bible verse was, "God made the world. God made people." I couldn't help but smile at the abridged version of the original verse. So very blunt and childish, all the while being God's word. They learned what happened on each day of creation. I found it interesting that plants and vegetation were created before the sun. I love how that even I'm in a class for 4 year old children, I'm still learning interesting things.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

1. What's something you're looking forward to in the month of June?

   My family and I our going to an amusement park for my grandfather's birthday, and I am very excited to go.


2. In what way have you come full circle?

   I seem to come to a full circle every year with piles of school. I start off so well, but as the year continues, I get so sick of it. I try to love it, but here I am once again, hating school as I finish it.


3. Lonely Planet lists 10 spots in America you should see in 2015 and the reasons why. How many on the list have you seen? Which one on the list would you most like to see?

Queens NY, Western South Dakota, New Orleans, Colorado River Region, North Conway NH, Indianapolis IN, Greenville SC, Oakland CA, Duluth MN, and the Mount Shasta Region CA

   I've never been to any of those places. I looked at the site and I think that I would most like to see Oakland, CA. Food trucks and art galleries on a Friday morning. Sounds like a vacation to me! :)


4. A song that describes your mood right now?

   Good to Know -- Francesca Battistelli


5. Strawberry ice cream, strawberry short cake, strawberry pie, or strawberries right off the vine...your favorite?

   Oh, man. What to choose, what to choose. The only thing I don't like on that list is strawberry ice cream. I love strawberries and we have a whole garden devoted to growing just them. I probably will have to say strawberry pie (with LOTS of whipped cream.)


6. Aesop's birthday is celebrated on June 4th, although there is some disagreement as to whether or not that's accurate, or if he was even a real person. Regardless, the name Aesop is associated to this day with many well known fables. Which of the following best applies to something in your life right now? The Tortoise and the Hare (Slow and Steady wins the race), The Ant and the Grasshopper (Be prepared), The Fox and the Goat (Look before you leap) or The Crow and the Pitcher (Necessity is the mother of invention)?

   The Tortoise and the Hare. This morning I went to our local bike trail and about died running. I have a love/hate relationship with running. I tried to keep a steady pace and it paid off. I ran more than a mile. I wish I could give a inspiring quote about how endurance makes you stronger, but all I have is: my hip hurts.


7. The answer is yes...what's the question?

   Would the world stop spinning if macaroni and cheese didn't exist?


8. Insert your own random thought here.

   My little cousin is here visiting and I enjoy having her here. We made some pottery in the morning and then went to the trail for some exercise. After we returned, our pots were still damp, so we let them sit longer. I went to check on the pots and found that my pots (I made 4) had large gashes in the bottom in the shape of my first initial. At first, I was furious. I went upstairs to where my brother and cousin were, and asked who did it. No one confessed. I went downstairs and repaired the gashes and calmed down. After gaining some more information, I went up and asked again. My cousin confessed. I'm honestly still a little peeved, but it will pass. Patience is a hard virtue to master.

20 Things Tuesday

   So I had an idea inspired from reading another blog. I wasn't sure how to modify it with my own twist. I started typing and thinking and I ended up with this: 20 Things Tuesday. A list compiled of 20 things I'm loving, enjoying or excited to do. I'm going to try to post it every Tuesday. So here we are: the first 20 Things Tuesday.


Right now:

1: The adorable stretched out position of my kitty who's relaxing on our recliner.
2: The serene atmosphere of our living room.
3: My wonderfully calloused fingertips. (I've been playing the guitar a lot recently and this is wonderful news.
4: My currently clean inbox. I hate a messy inbox.
5: The feeling of being freshly showered. :)


Today:

1: Playing the guitar.
2: Working on my homeschool portfolio.
3: Funny conversations with my mother.
4: Blueberry muffins.
5: The beautiful, dreary, rainy weather.


Tomorrow:

1: Spending some time with a very special cousin.
2: Going for some refreshing exercise in the morning.
3: Visiting with my best friends.
4: Making a craft with my cousin.
5: Eating macaroni and cheese. :)


This week:

1: A visit to a friends house.
2: Reading a good book series.
3: Watching Thor and other movies.
4: Painting.
5: Replanting some of my flowers.