I'm Thankful For...

• ...every horrible musician that ever lived. Don't get me wrong, I love the great ones too, but this is thankfulness for anyone whoever had the guts to try, even if they failed.
• ...my brother. Even though he's a pain in the butt most of the time, I still love him and I'm glad he's around.
• ...ice water. I drink several glasses of it a day. I don't know where I'd be without ice water. My dad grew up on soda. They never drank water. I don't think I could survive on just soda. I need my water.
• ...my mother. She's a fantastic lady and a wonderful mother. I'm glad to have her.
• ...the basic necessities of life that I take for granted. I don't really understand what it's like to go without food or water. I'm blessed to have all those things.
• ...my father. Dad is an amazing guy, who I inherent most of my traits from. He's funny and kind and I'm lucky to have such an amazing guy for a dad.
• ...Readers Digest magazine. I love Reader's Digest. I have a stack of them that reaches from the floor to my knee. Those are some awesome magazines.
• ...all my extended family. Even though they all aren't the best people, they're still my family and I'm thankful that (even though I dread going to some of them) they try to organize family dinners and such.
• ...being homeschooled. I love being homeschooled. Yes, I have friends. Yes, I'm educated, I just do it at my own pace, in my own home. I have a flexible schedule, and I don't have to wake up early. It's a win-win.
• ...my homeschool group. They are a group of fantastic (and some not-so-fantastic) people that enrich my life. I'm so thankful to be able to attend.
• ...all my readers, commenters and followers. You guys make blogging worth it! I love and appreciate every comment I receive. Thank you so much for what you've contributed to my blog.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. In two or three sentences tell us what Veteran's Day means to you.

   To me, Veteran's Day means respecting those who bought our freedom with their lives. Several of my close relatives have served, and that is something to commend them for.

 2. What's your favorite film with a patriotic theme woven into the storyline?

   This is a hard one. I guess I would have to say Molly. It's an American Girl movie about a girl on the home front during World War II.

 3. Flu shot-yes or no? If you answered no, do you plan to get a flu shot? If not, why not? Have you ever had the flu?

   Definitely no. Our family stands strongly against vaccines. I've had the flu before, and it wasn't fun. Sickness is never fun.

 4. I've seen lots of people posting pictures of their Christmas trees up and decorated. Many stores have had Christmas on display since well before Halloween. Red cups are back at Starbucks, sans the holiday decor, and that has some people up in arms. What are your thoughts on all the holiday ruckus this second week of November?

   I don't mind early Christmas stuff. Some people get bent out of shape because 'we're ignoring Thanksgiving' but I don't agree. When Thanksgiving comes, we celebrate it, it isn't as big of an event. I attend several Thanksgiving dinners. Just because Christmas stuff is out, doesn't mean we don't celebrate Thanksgiving too. We just don't put up Thanksgiving trees.
   On the Starbucks cups, I like the minimalistic look. I honestly think people are just overreacting. Whether the cups have the décor or not, the overpriced coffee inside is still they same.

 5. What 'critter' are you most afraid of encountering unexpectedly? Why that one?

   I don't have one that I'm most afraid of. I'm not unnecessarily skittish about snakes and spiders and stuff, but I'm not searching out encounters with them.

 6. Do you like building things? What's the last thing you 'built'?

   I do like building things. I helped my dad install windows last weekend, and though it wasn't really building anything, it was a project that's related to building.

 7. In keeping with this month's theme of gratitude...what are you most grateful for that brings beauty to your daily life? 

 

   An essential oil diffuser my mom bought. It changes colors and emits a cool vapor that diffuses the oils. It adds a little splash of color to our living room and a soothing scent to the air.

 8.  Insert your own random thought here.

   I've recently gotten into a cooking phase. Yesterday, I made Lemon Butter Herb Pasta, turtle brownies and a potato thing. Today, I hope to make something else delicious. I made an All Recipes account yesterday and I'm quite excited to get to use it.

 

Bits and Pieces

   I've never liked to cook or bake, but last weekend I was watching Food Network. I marveled at how wonderful the food looked and how simple the recipes were. I was inspired to cook, so I grabbed a favorite recipe book and started flipping through the pages. I decided on Chicken Tetrazzini.
   I started making it, and only then, did I remember, how much I disliked cooking. I continued with the recipe and threw it in the oven. I cleaned up the kitchen and set the table. Fortunately, it turned out okay. Though now, I've decided that Food Network isn't the channel for me.

 

/\/\/\/\

 

   The weather is beautiful today. It's so lovely and enjoyable. We have the windows and doors open, letting the fresh air in. It's also inspired a small cleaning spree that's freshened up the indoors, too. Everything's cleaned up and fresh. It truly is a wonderful day.

 



/\/\/\/\

 

   Yesterday, I had a hair appointment. It was a rather late birthday gift that we never got around to doing. My appointment was at twelve and we didn't leave until 4:30. My reddish-brown hair is now a very dark brown with blue and orange streaks.

   I love it, but I must say, it doesn't feel like my hair anymore. The shampoo from the salon made my hair crazy soft, and it still smells vividly of flowers. It's also several inches shorter, which makes it all the more different. It feels weird to see a lock of hair hanging beside my face appear orange or blue, but I truly do like it.

 

/\/\/\/\

 

   I've been enjoying the leftover Halloween candy that we didn't give out to the trick-or-treaters. We have a few that come around our area and we always buy candy in excess. We don't celebrate Halloween, but we did go trick-or-treating for a few years when I was younger.

   Mom hated doing it, so she made a deal with us: we don't go trick-or-treating and she would buy us a bag of candy. That's been the tradition ever since, and I have to say, I'm too old to go trick-or-treating, but she still buys us a bag of candy regardless.

 

 



Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. October 21, 2015 is Back to the Future Day. Did you see the movie? The sequels? In the second film, Doc takes Marty into the future to prevent Marty's future son from making a mistake. They leave 1985 and land on a 'skyway' on October 21st, 2015. So tell us, what were you doing in the fall of 1985?

   I've never seen the movies, though my mother says I would probably enjoy them. I wasn't alive in '85 and I applaud those who remember what they were doing 30 years ago in the fall.


 2.  If time travel were possible, would you want to go to the future? The past?

   This is a discussion my friends and I have had several times. I would go to the future, if I could. I think it would be fun. Time travel seems very risky, though. If you go to the past, one little thing could distort the whole future. If you go to the future, you could find out something terrible you would try to prevent, and you could mess up things even more. I think it's best that time travel hasn't been discovered yet.


 3. We're not flying cars, but some of the technology imagined in the 80's film has indeed come to pass in real life 2015-flat screen TVs on the wall, tablets, fingerprint recognition, video conferencing, online banking, 3-D movies, motion controlled video games, drone cameras, and smart glasses (Google glass).  Do you worry technology is growing at a rate so fast we'll soon be unable to keep up with it's demands? Do you think the Internet does more harm than good? 

   Technology is growing at a very rapid pace, and I think that is both a good thing and a bad thing. The internet is convenient, but it also is the dumbing down of our nation. So I guess its beauty is in the eye of the beholder.


 4. Your favorite dish prepared in a slow-cooker? Your favorite fast food?

   My favorite food prepared in a slow cooker is macaroni and cheese that my mom's friends makes. It's wonderful. My favorite fast food is sausage burritos from McDonalds with hot picante sauce.


 5. No time like the present, down time, face time, pressed for time, in the nick of time, make time, mark time, or just in time...which timely saying most relates to your life right now? 

   Either no time like the present or down time. On Sunday, I removed a dresser from my room. I had no plans to get rid of that dresser anytime soon. I was sitting on my bed strumming guitar when I decided that I wanted it out. So I removed all of its contents and pushed it out into the hall. Long story short, there was no time like the present.
  On the other hand, I've had a lot of down time recently. No deadlines and only one early morning. Quite the opposite of pressed for time.


 6. Tell us about a place you went as a child or younger person that's no longer there or is now something else. How does that make you feel?

   I don't really have this problem. I guess I'm still too young for this, with not being alive in '85 and all. I can report that one of our gas stations is being torn down to be rebuilt into an IHOP. How do I feel about that? I'm feeling invigorated. Excited. I feel like it's about time we had America's favorite pancakes nearby. Sarcasm heavily implied.


 7. Describe your comfort zone.

   I don't really have a comfort zone. There are things that I won't do, and things that make me uncomfortable, but there is no definite line that clarifies what's okay and what's not.


 8. Insert your own random thought here. 

   Question #6 reminded me of a word I learned a while back. Hireath is a Welsh word that has no direct English translation. It's closest English meaning means 'longing for a home you can't return to, or never was'. It's a beautiful word.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. It's October so let's get this out there first thing...have you jumped on the all-things-pumpkin bandwagon? How so?

   I haven't jumped on the pumpkin bandwagon. Firstly, because I don't like pumpkin and secondly because you can get pumpkin all year round. Not just in the fall. It's ridiculous. Yes, pumpkin is harvested in the fall, but a lot of pumpkin things use canned pumpkin. Not fresh.


 2.  "We have more power than will; and it is often by way of excuse to ourselves that we fancy things are impossible." Francois Duc De la Rochefoucauld  

What's something you once thought impossible, but in hindsight see as more a matter of lack of will?

   Math? It's not impossible, even though it feels like that, but I also hate it, so my lack of will doesn't make it better...


 3. The rose is America's National Flower, but every state also has its own (click here to see the list). Are you happy with yours? If you were in charge what would you declare your state's flower? If you're outside the U.S. what bloom would you like to see labeled as your country's national flower?

   Our state flower isn't my favorite, it's nice enough, but if I was in charge, I would make it Forget-Me-Nots. I like the little blue flowers.


 4. What have you lost interest in recently?

   I don't think I've lost interest in anything recently, if anything, my interests have been growing.


 5. In your opinion, who's the best living musician?

   I couldn't pick just one. I think every musician has something different to bring to the table, because everyone has different taste and style. I love the fact that we have a ton of different artists out there with the same goal (making music) that each one is achieving differently. Though I like some more than others, I couldn't pick a "best".


 6. S'mores-love 'em or no? Ever make them indoors? Last time you sat around an outdoor fire? Are making s'mores and sitting round a fire pit on your autumn bucket list? Do you have an autumn bucket list?

   S'mores are okay. We've made them indoors before, but they're not as good as campfire-made ones. I typically don't have a s'more when we have campfires. A few weeks ago was probably our last campfire. I don't think we will have another one this year. Our family isn't the type to think, "Hey, let's go outside and sit in crappy lawn chairs that are falling apart. We'll build a fire and pretend we aren't freezing our butts off!" I don't have an autumn bucket list, or plan on making a bucket list just for a season.


 7. Your favorite small town? Why?

   I don't have a favorite small town. I live in a small town surrounded by other small towns. It's not really a competition.


 8. Insert your own random thought here.

   The changing of seasons has brought my mind into the past. I remember, when I was younger, my brother used to bring his roller skates, skateboards, pogo sticks, scooters and occasionally a bike into the house during the winter. Amazingly, mom tolerated a lot of it.
   At one point, we only had one pair of roller skates, which wasn't bad because I couldn't roller skate with both of the them on. I still can't. Anyway, he would take the left skate and I would take the right, and we would skate around the house, pushing off with our bare foot and gliding on the skated one.
   The skateboard was also fun. One of us would sit on the skateboard and the other would push. It was horrible when you had your fingers ran over. The scooters were fun to ride too. I still can't believe mom tolerated everything in the house, but looking back, I'm glad she did.

Parking

   This past Friday and Saturday I was privileged to strap on an orange vest, Muck boots, and receive a special dose of authority. Braving the cold and rain that October brought, I ventured out into the early morning light for a new adventure. For today was the day I was going to be directing cars where to park for one of our local festivals.
   Typically, they ask the public schools for kids to come out and park cars. No one signed up, even though the pay was great, you received free lunch and admission and it wasn't supposed to be super busy, unlike other years. The lady who directed it came over to our house, asking if my brother and I could help, and if we knew anyone who'd like to help as well.
   My mother sent out an email to our homeschool group. She received one response from a lady who said one of her kids could help. Mom said she could do it Saturday only, Dad and my brother said they could help on Friday only, and I could help both days. We also recruited one of my cousins for both days.
   So came Friday morning. I woke up at 6:15 and ate a bowl of Macaroni and Beef for breakfast. It was good. I had picked out my clothes the day before, so I wouldn't be running around like a nut trying to find clothes. A pair of leggings under a pair of black pants and a tee shirt under a long sleeved shirt with a winter coat over that. I pulled a hat over my head and socks over my feet. I stepped into my boots and got in dad's car.
   Mom picked me up a Starbucks Frappuccino at a convenience store, so I drank that. The lady assembled us and gave us places to be. I was assigned parking people in the first main lot with my dad, my brother and another boy. We formed a line and directed people to where they needed to be. Another girl joined us in the line as we worked. Parking people in the first main lot went fast. Once we filled that lot, we started in on the next field.
   When we switched fields, I lost track of my brother and the other girl who was with us. This was a bigger field with more space for us to mess up the lines. And mess up the lines we did. The first line we did went very crooked. We were starting to fix it when this crazy lady with a parking vest came and started directing everybody everywhere. I felt bad for the first car she did, because she was yelling at them and being a utter whack job. The boy we were working with actually went and apologized to them when she wasn't looking.
   Crazy Parking Lady might of lacked class, manners and tact, but she could park cars. She fixed the crooked lines and made it work well enough. After a while she left, and I didn't see her again. We broke for lunch and then returned to our post to find our positions obsolete. No one was parking in our lot. After that, we walked around the festival, saw what we wanted to see, and then after a while, we left. Some of my brothers friends came over for dinner, and by the time they left, the day was spent.
   Saturday morning was pretty much the same as Friday morning. I ate Macaroni and Beef for breakfast again and then dressed in the same clothes. Unfortunately, I forgot my parking vest so mom had to turn around and get it. Luckily, we weren't far from the house when we realized my memory lapse. I was assigned the same place as before and did the same work as I did on Friday. Everything went well. After we finished, we had go home immediately because we had a wedding to attend that afternoon.
   If I learned anything from parking people, it would be that people are ridiculously self-centered and rude. Everyone has their own opinion about how I should be doing my job. The one lady almost ran over my foot in her torrent of unkind words. Now don't think that everyone was a complete diphthong, there were kind people too, but the rude people made the job more interesting.
   Another thing I realized is how self-centered I can be. People would get mad at me for doing what I was supposed to so. I had orders to park everyone as close as they could be so we could fit more people in. People were so inconvenienced by pulling forward another foot. What? Did they think I was pulling them in there just for fun? So I could ruin their lives? No, I was trying to fit as many people as possible in. I was under orders. If I was in the driver's position, I could be irritated by something that stupid. But why? It wasn't a big deal. It was pulling in a few more inches. Sigh. It's really something to think about, isn't it?
   Overall, I hope I get to help with parking next year, because it's interesting enough to do and you receive people skills only difficult people can teach you. I enjoyed parking, got paid and learned something from it. What's better than that?

Graphic Novels

    My latest reading obsession has been one of graphic novels. A graphic novel is pretty much a lengthened comic book. One day, I hope to write my own graphic novel, but until that day, I will just enjoy reading them.

   The first graphic novel I ever read was the Big Nate books. They aren't full graphic novels, more like novels with graphics, if that makes any sense.

Here's what I mean:

 

 

 

   So those are some examples of what I mean. Big Nate, Dork Diaries and Diary of a Wimpy Kid are all written similarly. Normal graphic novels are written more like comic book in those regards.

   Our library has a small selection of graphic novels, so I cleared a shelf and started reading. I've read several now, and the best one I've read so far was one about Dracula. I never thought I would love a book about a vampire before I read this one. I was even tempted to not read it, but the way it was drawn compelled me, so I did. Graphic novels don't take me long to read. I finished Dracula in a half in hour.

    Have you ever read a comic book or a graphic novel? Would you if you had the chance? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

Until I think of something else to post about,

Kat