Camille's Blog

The Stylish Blog Award

2012-01-27T18:27:00.000-08:00

By my friend Willa. Thanks, Willa!

And now I'm supposed to name 7 random things about myself. Let's see:

My favorite kind of photography is landscape.
I love chapstick.
I can barely whistle.
Thumb-drives fascinate me.
I got on Pinterest. 'Nough said.
If I collected stuff, it would be dresser knobs. They're so pretty.
Found out last week that flip-flops are bad for you and no one should ever wear them. I'm getting therapy for this one.

And just because it's stupid/funny:

Found on Pinterest. (Where else?!?)

Amazing internet and travels

2011-12-27T17:20:00.000-08:00

I think the biggest thing that's happened in our lives lately is our new high-speed internet!! For years we've had slow and limited internet, so this is absolutely amazing.

A few weeks ago we took a 4 day trip up north to visit friends and go to a Christmas party!

I finally met them! Whoo-hoo! Don't look too closely or you'll see something quite disturbing. :)

Annnnd, unfortunately I didn't get any other pictures from our time up there. On the way home, we took a detour and stopped at the Arch in St. Louis. Most of us had never been there before, and it was a lot of fun.


So, for some reason I just assumed that the elevator we would ride to the top in would be bigger than it was. It was a tad claustrophobic.


But the view was totally worth it, I think.

To see a few more pictures of our visit to the Arch, you can go here.

And to see pictures of another trip we just went on, go here and here!

October Happenings

2011-10-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly, I had never been to Memphis before this month. Strange. Anyway, we were able to go there for a relative's wedding, where we partied and had bonding time in the car. *cough*


No pictures of the ceremony, but the reception was awesome! Real dancing, real food, and classic music.		:)

And, some of it was outside, which was really pretty.

The next morning we stopped by my mom's cousin's horse farm. It. was. nice. So nice, they had a wedding in it once. Now that's what I call a horse barn.


Mom made a friend while we were there.

Back on the farm and a few weeks later, life, school, and everything they include continues.

And for some reason, Daniel really wanted me to post a picture of him. This is the only recent one I could find.

I looked out my window a few mornings ago, happy to see fall colors everywhere.

Ride hay*

2011-10-03T17:14:00.000-07:00


50+ people is a lot of people to fit in a trailor. I like Mr. H.'s quote -"Somebody touched me!"

Autumn rocks for a number of reasons. It's an excuse for things like awesome drinks, time outside instead of in, and lots of fellowship.

To see more pictures of the hay ride, Laura also posted about it here!

THIS title was brilliantly thought up by my own brother, Daniel.

A month and a day?! And I was going to post more often.

2011-09-28T11:16:00.000-07:00


Daniel finds the perfect place to study.


After making stops in India, Germany, Kentucky, and Nashville, my red dress arrived this week! It was totally worth the wait, though. :)

Since my last post, we've started school, and I can honestly say that it's going very well...better than I expected! To see a picture of us on our first day of classes, click here.

Lots of things are on the calendar for the coming weeks and months, so hopefully some longer posts are on the way!

Flair at the Fair

2011-08-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

Title courtesy of Mom. I asked around for a title, and this is the only one I got...from anybody. An alternative title could be "County Fair, 2011", or something else creative like that. But we'll stick with her's. :)

For this year's Grinder's Switch Idol (singing contest), my sister and two of her friends sang As the Deer accompanied by Mr. H. and his guitar. A lot of preparation went into this event, and they did a great job!

The name of their group is The Black-Eyed Susans, so one of their members, Mariah, got some black-eyed susans to go in their hair and on their shirts. It looked so great!

Caroline

Mariah


Anna

The guitarist!

This may be my favorite picture from the night!

He lost a tooth! In which Aunt Christy gave him a dollar. :)

*love* It was a very pretty time of day to take pictures.


We usually hate pictures of ourselves, so we had a good laugh when we looked at this one. "I...like it!"

Lovely Olivia


2 out of 10.

I failed to get a good picture of them on stage. But trust me when I say they looked beautiful and had great stage presence.

We ended the night at the Mexican restaurant with friends eating, talking, and laughing. It was a fun and memorable night, and I'm already looking forward to next year!

Finally, someone who gets it.

2011-07-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

Found on a fellow blog. This sums it up completely.

"Celebrate good times...COME ON!"

2011-07-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

Sometime in June, (I'm already forgetting??) we were super privileged to have one of my aunts and 3 cousins come out and spend the night with us, and the following day have a family gathering, minus 2 of the 20 of us.


Cousins.


Mom and her sister are SO similar in a lot of ways, it's entertaining just to watch. :)

And we're all of the opinion that Uncle B. (left) looks incredibly similar to Daniel (middle).

So, for July 4th, our little town had some fireworks the night before the 4th, and at the last minute about 10 or 12 youth decided that we should drive into town and see them. When we pulled out, they were going to start in 15 minutes, but it takes 20 minutes to get there. Or something like that.

ANYWAY, turns out that we didn't make it in time to see the fireworks. So, we went to Sonic instead,wore 3-D glasses, made a whole lot of police jokes, talked to strangers out the car window, and just generally had a great time.

Without further ado, here a few pictures that don't really do the night justice, but are fun nonetheless.

A huge thank you goes to my mom, the driver and chauffeur for the night.


And for those wondering, I did get her permission before posting this picture. That's how cool she is - she said I could! :)

i
The glasses got passed around...a lot.


The straw rapper blower. My neck still has a welt on it. :P I gotta learn how to do that.

Over and out for now. Thanks for reading!

Life.

2011-06-21T16:07:00.000-07:00

     In the last several days I've kept thinking, "I should really post something on my blog!" Unfortunately, no pictures for this post. I have been taking pictures, but our laptop is out right now, so I haven't put them on a computer yet.

     Life right now consists of several things; the end of a few things, and the beginning of others. The school year is gradually coming to a close, one subject at a time. I'm done with all time consuming subjects, which leaves me with a lot of time to...

     read! Right now I'm reading a very captivating autobiography on George W. Bush. Doesn't sound very interesting, but I'm learning a lot of things about our nation that I never knew, and it's so neat to read about events like 9/11 from a very different perspective.

     Another thing that I've been able to do a few times has gone swimming. We've had a ton of fun swimming and jumping off of a creek bank into some friend's swimming hole. Why, just yesterday afternoon a friend and I jumped off and waved at each other in mid air, just for the fun of it. T'was very lame, but very fun. I almost drowned because I couldn't catch my breath, caused by laughing so hard. (Only partly joking.)

We've been praying for rain, and within days we were blessed with several small showers and one huge downpour. Earlier today I went outside to take pictures, and every drop of water on the leaves was gorgeous. Or maybe I'm just weird. Either way, I enjoyed it immensely.

   In the mean time, let's all enjoy the summer by eating chocolate, laughing, and getting incredible sunburns.

    Thanks for reading. Ciao for now!

Parties can be fun!

2011-06-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

And I think this one will be.

I found out about it from Olivia's blog, and like Olivia I rarely participate in these "blog parties". However, there are some sweet prizes and such, so why not?

So now I answer a few random questions!

What are two songs that describe you? Um, wow. Never really thought about it. One that I really like is " The Lucky Ones", which sort of applies to me/us. Nothing else comes to mind, though.

What do you most fear? Snakes, heights, huge spiders, getting my feet caught in a fold-up chair. Not that I would know anything about getting feet caught in a fold-up chair.

What color(s) dominate(s) your wardrobe? Blue. And it's not intentional.

How do you normally do you hair? Lately I've been wearing headbands, for no reason whatsoever. I really need to become more creative!

Do you prefer milkshakes or smoothies? Um, hello? Smoothies are healthy.

Do you like the color pink? Nope, although I still wear it.

What is your favorite flower? Roses. I'm so original. :P

How many states have you been to? Not very many. *sniff*

What is your favorite thing about June? It's the beginning of the end of school, and all the liberating awesomeness that comes with that.

(And we must not forget all of the random summer photoshoots including random burnt paper!)

Describe your "dream wedding location." Some place spacious, big, and preferably either really old, or really old looking.

There ya have it. And any guy who made it through this thing, I commend you.

Tootles!

2011-05-31T13:04:00.000-07:00

For a little over a week now, we've had the privilege of hosting some really special friends of ours'. Despite missing absent family members, it's been a lot of fun.

Homemade strawberry lemonade has became a favorite.

I think it's safe to say that it's officially hot here. And I think it's safe to say that cold water feels really, really good.

Faces of late/Daily dose of randomness

2011-05-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

This isn't actually of late. I just like it too much not to post.

This is the "Oh my goodness my ears are finally pierced and it didn't hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would and I'm biting my lip for no reason" look.

I like this one.

one week and counting...or piano recital.

2011-04-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

This post has been a draft for a week now. But wait no longer, for here it is!

Last Friday Mom had a recital for her piano and voice students. It went very well, it's over, everyone did a great job on sewing dresses and playing and singing, and it's over!! Did I already mention that? Sorry. I'm kind of glad. Being in front of people is not my thing.

You can come up with a caption for this one.

Might interest you to know that at least 6 of these dresses were homemade!

I LOVE THESE PEOPLE!! And J's face kills me.

Lovely Caroline

"Posing like this is so awkward."

Our cheeks were hurting.

Daniel - without him, the whole night would have been a flop. He is SUCH a great sport!

My lifelong dream of getting a bouquet of red roses partially came true last week. I got TWO! Only 10 more to go. :)

Ciao!!

sweet saturday

2011-04-09T13:13:00.000-07:00


Perhaps this picture is just really, really random. But one of my favorite times of the day is right before a meal, when the table is set, people are milling around the kitchen asking when we can finally eat, and all the busyness stops as we sit down together. Now I've gone and made myself cry.

Domino says hi to all of the people he knows will look at this picture. :)


It would be awesome if we could have fresh flowers in the house all year round. They make me happy. Speaking of flowers, what do y'all think about the new header? Dislike; like? I can take constructive criticism...really!

I was enjoying a nice chat with Mother on the deck...

2011-04-02T12:38:00.000-07:00

...and then he got me. I felt a little water on my head, so I jumped up and turned around. And then he proceeded to dump the rest of a 5 gallon bucket of freezing water on me. Did I mention it was breezy outside?

We're still on [pretty] good terms, in case you were wondering. What he doesn't know, is that payback is comin'.

Blogger hates me...

2011-03-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

...so I gave up on trying to get these pictures in order. Please excuse that.

Last week was a timber frame raising at some very good friends' of ours. It was an all day event, and 3 friends as well as myself had our [Nikon] cameras in hand almost all day. I think I took the least out of everybody, and I still took 250-300! To see more pictures of the awesome, memorable, and every-other-positive-word day, go HERE!
--------------------------------------------------------------
Important note: The hardworking men who put this together DID lift the first frame up without a crane. (Sadly, I wasn't there yet.) Why is this a big deal? It weighed 2000 pounds.

So, I only have pictures of the crane putting the frames up. BUT REMEMBER, they DID lift one without it.

Ok, now that that's out of the way, we can proceed:

If you were there, this is something that you probably saw...a lot. :)

The frames were high up. I got nervous just looking at the guys up on them.

This cutie has the best. faces. ever. Period.

*ahem* These pictures are out of order. Obviously, the first frame was up...first. But since Blogger is out to ruin my life, I'm not going to fix it.

My third cup. I got one, then lost it. So I got another one, and it disappeared. I thought it was picture worthy that I actually had a cup at the end of the day.

These three gorgeous girls were getting mistaken for each other all day! From the back, they look almost identical!

Beware.

Thanks for stopping by...come again soon!

Preview

2011-03-11T12:16:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with great happiness I give you the link to my brother's senior pictures.

Please go check it out. I'd love some feedback. :)

Daniel's Senior Portraits

-Camille

Self Explanatory

2011-02-25T20:37:00.000-08:00

Weekends Are For Working

2011-02-19T06:19:00.000-08:00

Whew! We can breath when we go in our room now. It's been looking like a tornado went through it for a long time, so Caroline and I finally decided to do something about it. It took a good part of the afternoon to get it clean, but we both agree that it's really worth it.

We write lots of notes and letters, so someone had the idea of putting together a stationary basket. Btw, does anybody have a favorite stationary brand? We love Vera Bradley. (All of their stuff, actually.)

Dresses, dresses

2011-02-17T11:05:00.000-08:00

I'm not the creative one. My sister has made many pieces of clothing with no patterns, and figured things out that would have completely confused me. Yesterday she whipped out a dress, added a belt, and had a really cute outfit.

Guys, you may want to stop reading now. This is a girly post. :)

Needless to say, yesterday a photo-shoot was in order. The sun was out and there was an awesome breeze. We had a lot of fun - that is, until I ~~fell in~~ walked across the creek and got water in my dress shoes.

This is the one she made yesterday...

And this is one she made a while ago.

He ran out and joined us. (FYI, I die daily from his cuteness.)

To see more of her work visit her blog, Simple Stitches and Life on a Farm.

Stuff

2011-02-01T14:56:00.000-08:00

I now have 2 cameras hanging 'round my neck!

We finally got a decent family picture. Many thanks to a great friend for taking it!

These are good.

Domino remains adorable (embarrassed about a bad haircut, but adorable).

Epic times

2011-01-11T13:30:00.000-08:00

Daniel was ready.

The best part of the day for me was being pulled by a 4-wheeler while sitting on the hood of a truck. It was totally awesome! I'm pretty sore today, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

I have to admit that I was pretty surprised my mom wanted to do it! She was great!

We definitely made some great memories.

2011-01-06T16:01:00.000-08:00

"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg, even though he knows that you are slightly cracked."

Christmas Day...

2010-12-30T14:50:00.000-08:00

we awoke to snow. It wasn't much, but it was the first white Christmas in our area in 17 years, so I heard!

It's her birthday!

2010-12-15T20:25:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to an amazing, talented, hilarious person...my own Mom! I hope I can be half as awesome as her some day.

First snow of the season

2010-12-13T11:37:00.000-08:00


Not much, but it made for a pretty day while it lasted! (Photo credit goes to Dad.)

I will live.

2010-12-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, I've been off of gluten for a few weeks now. And in that period, it's been somewhat of a challenge to find things to eat beyond an apple or a banana. Thanks to an awesome cookbook a friend gave me, and some unusual ingredients, I have found it. I've found the muffin that will be my snack and my comfort.

The sun will rise in the morning, folks, BECAUSE I HAVE SOMETHING FOR BREAKFAST.

Reformation weekend...

2010-11-17T15:44:00.000-08:00


was also Daniel's birthday! Here he is being an awesome piano student

The day started out with a really cool scavenger hunt.

Listening to instructions. This scavenger hunt wasn't easy, folks. WE HAD TO USE OUR BRAINS.

Here we have a picture of my team building "a church that will stand" out of spaghetti and marshmallows. They did a great job. :)

Some of the requirements to get to the next step were just a leetle bit...different? Definitely entertaining, though!

Here is the winning team!

And the rest of us, otherwise known as losers.

Lunch was tons of chili. (And by tons I mean 10+ crockpots full.) It was also a chili contest, and Mrs. H. was one of the winners!

After lunch, the Highland games began!

Moving on to that night, we enjoyed laughing our heads off during the variety show! We started by watching "Farmin". An awesome video made by some of our own people.

Sunday evening we had a community hymn sing. I played violin along with several other friends, so I don't have many pictures of that event. It was wonderful to hear over a hundred voices praising the Lord!

To see more pictures, go here.

And so ends the tale of a very happy weekend, spent with some very special people.

Randomness - from my life.

2010-10-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

Simply because I'm using high speed internet, and can upload pictures. It's incredible.

I'm a bit obsessed with mirror pictures.

Don't you love it when your brother replaces the computer desktop with a picture like...

THIS?!?

I know I do.

She's way more tame.

NO editing done - I promise!

Like I said.

Okay y'all, I had NO idea there existed a place this beautiful any where near where we live! We found it and spent hours just taking in the beauty. DEFINITELY a place we'll visit again. (Btw, see the people on the dock? That's us!)

Not.

The view outside our window.

A baby blanket Mom and I made!

Finally!

2010-10-13T18:40:00.001-07:00

Rain, and the leaves changing colors, all in one day!

My favorite kind of weather.

2010-09-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

I clicked the "New Post" button without a single idea of what I was going to post about. But, I feel it is my duty, and I have an obligation to the people who read my blog, to say something. So here goes.

Guess what? I'm sick! Since Monday evening I've had a swollen throat, congestion, and a headache. This cold seems very random, and I'm so hoping that it goes away soon. (Because I really don't want to miss speech class on Monday. :P)

Yes, you heard right! SPEECH CLASS!! Can you imagine me giving a speech? I can't either. Along with speech, I'm also starting Bible and writing classes. I'm eager to see how they go, to say the least.

It has come to my attention that I have 29 subscribers to this here blog. Let me repeat that...twenty-nine. I cannot imagine twenty-nine people who would find this blog that interesting. SO, (this is when you stop reading, because this post is getting way too long.)

Still there? Awesome! As I was saying...SO, my question to you, my subscriber, is who are you?

You have no idea how cheesy I felt typing that out.

Seriously though, I'd be tickled pink to know who you are! It's just kind of cool that 29 people read my blog.

I think I'm done. I shall now sign off and return to sniffing, hacking, and doing what sick people do.

The first of the first!

2010-09-02T17:24:00.000-07:00

A week ago today, I did my first real photography job! Real as in I get payed. Yeah, that was my reaction, too. It was easy peasy and pretty fun.

I took pictures of an adorable little restaurant on the town square. I shall leave you with my favorite two pictures of the bunch.

The lighting in there is THE BEST! I just adore it.

And why I'm not posting this on my photography blog, I have no idea.

Happiness is...

2010-08-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

rain,Izze drinks (all natural!),
and people who just radiate joy. har, har.

What is happiness to you?

iWant.

2010-08-23T09:54:00.000-07:00

I mean, really. That's a pretty cool t-shirt!

My birthday's only 8 months away, y'all! *smile* ( Size small, please. )

I've been a terrible blogger,

2010-08-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

but I'm here to make it up to you!

Ok, so a few weeks ago, we processed chickens. Most people think that it's very gross. And while it is a little on the unclean side, it's not nearly as bad as you would think. Plus, it's FUN! Yes, de-gutting chickens ( I don't do that job) and getting blood and feathers all over you can be enjoyable! When you do it with good friends, and laugh the whole time, it's not bad at all.

*edit* go HERE to find more great pictures of our chicken processing!

Daniel, cleaning up for breakfast.

Before they know their terrible fate...^

And, um, after. ^

The eviscerating table. In the background is the killer. The one who did the dirtiest, cruelest job. *tear.* It was so harsh, so undeserved.

But then again, they do taste amazing...

The packing and weighing table!^
DON AWESOME! Good to see you again. You were missed. Daniel may think otherwise. Not sure, though. ;)

For those who woke up at 5 o'clock to come help, thank you! And for those who sat and watched (and gave us emotional support) thank you, too.

Y'all are the best!!

Giveaway

2010-07-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

Head on over to THIS POST to win a Marie-Madeline Studio giftcard!

My Cry Ascends

2010-07-20T18:05:00.001-07:00

For those of you who haven't had the privilege of listening to this album, I would highly encourage you to buy it - now!

My Cry Ascends is a collection of beautiful, uplifting songs sung by artists such as Michael Card, Steve Green, Nathan Clark George, and many other voices who have put together a masterpiece of old hymns with a different flair to them, and Psalms with amazing instrumentals.

Oh, and the Celtic feel that many of the songs have is really neat, too.

I hope that this CD will encourage you as it has my family and me. Click here to go to the website and download My Cry Ascends!

July 4th.... a little late.

2010-07-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

For July 4th, we enjoyed swimming with friends in the creek. (After a big meal, of course.)

The sunset was extraordinary.

Conversation of the week

2010-06-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

Dad: "Tonight we're reading from Ecclesiastes 11."

Daniel: "After working with corn all day, I'm all ears."

Mom: "Aw, shucks."

Chris: "That was a kernel of a joke, Daniel."

Daniel: "That was dirty, Chris."

Caroline: looks confused

Summer is here...

2010-06-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

and we're enjoying it!

"HI!!"

2010-05-21T10:24:00.001-07:00

Is it just me, or does it look like he's smiling?

Flood of 2010

2010-05-06T06:23:00.001-07:00

All of the flood/tornado/not having electricity going-ons have caused us to spend more time with friends (none of us mind that!) and meet some of our neighbors! It's really great to see a community pull together at a time like this. Without further ado, here are some pictures!Sunday morning we spent hanging out in a dark house with friends/neighbors, while it poured rain outside. Games helped to pass the time quickly.
Napping did too.

This is definitely one of my favorite pictures of the week.
The picture below was taken Monday, while (I believe) several neighbors congregated to have dinner. You would think not having electricity would effect the quality of food...it didn't! Everything was awesome.

My gorgeous friend

I think this was taken Monday. Already, a good deal of the rain had dried up.
Once all of the rain had stopped, it was interesting to see how the creek had changed courses and formed new waterfalls.
Below is what used to be field.
A four foot gate, almost completely under water.

Damage from the tornado
It's amazing how strong wind is.

Another field...that turned into a lake.
The road washed out! That's weird.

Daniel didn't like what he saw; which was...
the soccer field and farmers market almost completely under water. See the green thing on the right? That's a pavilion.
Like I said - fellowship was not lacking.
This is a baseball field, or what use to be one.
T'was quite strange to see an entire school under water.

Progress is being made, and as the mayor of Nashville stated, "Nashville will recover"!

One day the sun is shining,

2010-05-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

the next day it starts to rain {and thunder, and lightning}, the day after that the power goes out (with that the water goes too) the day after those days it keeps raining, and the day after all of those days houses, cities, buildings, etc. are all flooded.

And so, the Flood of 2010 happened. Compared to a few bigger cities, we're really blessed. We may not have electricity and things that we think are necessary, but we still have a house, and cars that weren't washed away. We're all alive, which I'm very thankful for. We also survived a tornado that was only a mile from our house. And we didn't even know it happened until it was over.

Pictures from our neck of the woods {hopefully} following.

(As a side note, if you're wondering how in the world I can be on the computer, we're able to have running water, a few lights, and internet because of a generator that some wonderful friends let us borrow. Making it MUCH easier to function!!)

April fun

2010-04-10T14:09:00.000-07:00

I've taken tons of pictures lately. Dancing, flowers, going to the park, visiting with family, etc. So, I thought it was about time for a picture post!
( And as a side note, I have no idea why this is underlined.)

^ Sunday, we danced! Do you know how long it's been since we've danced?? Almost a year! ^

^ We started out with the good ole' Virginia Reel. Daniel and I did it successfully (together, that is) for, I believe, the first time. ^
^ I love this picture so much. Doesn't it make you wanna smile? ^

^ Learning to waltz. I sat safely on the sidelines. ^
^ This one makes me laugh every time I look at it. ^

^ Some people knew a line dance! How cool is that? ^

^ a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e ^

A few days later, we went to Nashville to visit family that were visiting for the week. Above is Domino (and Chris) at the park when all of the tulips are in bloom. And yes, our dog has a tie on.

^ Our yearly portrait. ^ Click here to see last year's.

^ "You're not supposed to pick them!!" ^

^ While shopping in the mall, Mom met the most charming fellow. ^
^ Meet J. and Uncle B. Yeah. ^

^Earlier today we went down to a gorgeous creek. I didn't realize my shadow was in this one until I put it on the computer, but I rather like it that way. ^

Have a fantastic Lord's Day tomorrow, y'all!

Awesome!!

2010-03-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

If you know me well, then you probably know how much I love Anne of Green Gables. Needless to say, I thought it was so cool to get the KINDRED SPIRITS award from Sarah Elizabeth!! One of the best awards ever! I'm suddenly feeling a tad dramatic.

I shall award Emma, Livvy, Kaliste and Claire.

Click here to read the "rules".

Thank you, Sarah!

Happy birthday, Dad!!

2010-03-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

Dad is a very hard worker. So much so, this is the only picture I could find where he wasn't bent over a project! I love him lots!!

Hear, hear!

2010-03-08T08:51:00.000-08:00

Being the person that he is, he probably doesn't want be to do this post...but I'm gonna do it anyway. *smile*

My oldest brother {Chris} has opened a blog! Unlike mine, his purpose is to write about political subjects, government, etc.

Freedom Check

Thankful

2010-03-06T12:36:00.000-08:00

Today the weather is gorgeous. The kind of weather that makes you happy down to your bones. The kind of weather that makes you want to wear flip-flops again, go swimming in a creak, have a photo shoot, and eat ice-cream. The kind of weather that makes everything seem just right. It's a peaceful kind of weather.

Despite sickness, these last few days and weeks have been simply wonderful. I use the word simply because nothing extraordinary has happened. Nothing amazing or unusual has taken place. It's just that on days like this, I feel deeply grateful for the simple life I have. I don't do much physical labor outside, but I'm so happy to live on land. And even though all 15 (that's an estimate) pairs of my shoes are covered in mud, I wouldn't trade dirt roads for anything. Strange as it may sound, I love not having concrete around for miles.

I spent all of yesterday in a city of over 41,000 people grocery shopping, clothes shopping, and errand running. And while I'm ALL for getting new clothes, I realized how much I don't miss being out in the world. There was a lot of stuff that I'm not use to seeing or doing. (Like eating out twice in one day...that was weird!)

All that to say, I really, really love our little home. I love breezy, spring time weather, clothes on the line, ruining chocolate cakes that were supposed to be for Sunday lunch, and mud.

It's simply wonderful.

An Attempt

2010-03-04T12:57:00.000-08:00

I'm attempting to make this post interesting. I understand that some people don't look at blog posts unless they have pictures. So for you people, I'm terribly sorry. Check back in the future.

Remember when I mentioned we were sick in this post? Well, we got it again! {Two or three of us, that is.} Worse than last time, in fact. I do believe we're on the mend though. All that's left is the "you sound like you're dying" cough.

I sit here...stare at the screen...type an entire paragraph...erase it all because it sounds stupid...stare at the screen some more...rack my brain for anything interesting we've done lately...nothing comes to mind...I give up.

Whose idea was it to come up with blogs, anyway?

My attempt failed. Sorry.

SNOW!

2010-02-18T09:16:00.000-08:00

^The hill that we sledded on was pretty cool.^

^LOL^

^It was fun watching the parents sled...^

^This is one of my favorites^

The weather this winter was more unusual than any of the winters I've seen since living here. Snow isn't something we get to enjoy very often, but after a few weeks of cold weather, I'm ready for some sunshine!

To satisfy your curiosity

2010-02-18T09:10:00.000-08:00

See that? It's snow!

Waaaayyyy overdue

2010-02-03T12:42:00.000-08:00

Um, hellooo? December is over. So is January. Needless to say, I'm behind on an update.

At the beginning of December we were privileged to go to the premiere of "The Mysterious Islands"! It was a pretty interested film, and I would highly recommend it.

Mom had a birthday in the middle of December. Her favorite dessert is flourless chocolate cake, so I ventured to make one! I've never made one before, but I really liked how it turned out. AND, I got the recipe at Whole Foods website, which means it's healthy. Right?
Speaking of Whole Foods, Caroline got an adorable little chocolate strawberry cake for her very own enjoyment. Whole Food's cakes are the prettiest things e-v-e-r. And they taste wonderfully amazing, too.
I LOVE this sign that Mom got! Isn't it cute?

Well, a dear friend told me that by downsizing pictures they upload much faster. I tried it, and instead of waiting for minutes and minutes, all of these pictures only took about 2 minutes to upload! All of them, I tell you! Now, I do believe that I'll have the ability to post more pictures with less internet space. Life is good.

I did take pictures of all the fun we had sledding, so hopefully I'll post those sometime in the future.

Today

2010-01-29T14:53:00.000-08:00

Guess what? It's snowing! Not just the little flurries that fall and melt in 5 minutes, but the real kind...the kind that sticks to the ground and doesn't leave! It's amazing! For you northerners, I'm sure it's no big deal. We, however, are not use to this, and I find it amazing, really. I do believe we have at least 3 or 3 1/2 inches.

Tomorrow, (if it's still here) we plan to go outside and have some fun playing, so hopefully I'll get some pictures to post while we're at it.

Lyrics of the week

2010-01-20T14:54:00.000-08:00

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises

One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He’s ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One, bringing
My Savior, Jesus, is mine

Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me) - Casting Crowns

Sickies and Foodies

2010-01-09T09:57:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's that time of year again; colds in full force, just enough snow on the ground to make you slip, and plenty of movie watching opportunities.

Almost everyone in our family has had the dreadful cold, but hopefully we'll be 100% a-okay soon. As I speak two of my siblings lie on the couch looking quite pitiful.

Speaking of movies, I saw one that made me want to be a Foodie! Has anyone else seen "Julie & Julia"? With ClearPlay, I thought it was pretty cute! Both Julie and Julia make cooking look like soooo much fun, who wouldn't be inspired to become a chef? Just watching it made me feel stuffed.

Ta-ta for now!

Happy birthday, Caroline!

2009-12-18T15:24:00.001-08:00

I'm so glad you're my sister!

And another...

2009-12-17T18:42:00.000-08:00

...tag!

There are no rules for this one, except to pass it along.

And I shall tag these truly lovely ladies:

Happy birthday to the best mom in the world!

2009-12-15T12:34:00.000-08:00

I love you!

Tag & award

2009-12-14T12:49:00.000-08:00

Yay! I have the pleasure of being tagged AND awarded by Livvy! Thanks so much!

Here is the tag:
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Name six names you go by: Camille, Anna, Cami Stou, Camilia, Cami, and that's about it.

Three things you're wearing right now: I always find these kind of questions weird, but I'll go ahead and answer it anyway: a really different blue, green, and white shirt, brown skirt, and an apron.

Three things you want very badly right now: Nikon D500, (or D90...I'd be happy either way.) Red cowgirl boots, (didn't I mention this in an earlier post?) and a Vera Bradley backpack.

Three things you did last night/yesterday. Went to a concert, school, and ate KIWI!

Two things you ate today: CHOCOLATE and bacon. Hmm. Essentials to any good life.

Two people you talked to last on the phone: I avoid the phone at all costs...but I believe the last two people I talked to were Kenan and my Dad.

Two things you are going to do today/tomorrow: School? I'm already done. I suppose I'll wish my Mom another happy birthday, sample some chocolate cake, and sit around eating bon-bons and reading a good book. :P

Your three favorite beverages: Water, carbonated water, and orange juice. I'm completely against drinking beverages with high fructose corn syrup in them.

And the moment you've all been waiting for...will you be tagged? Look below to see!

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And an award...thanks Livvy...again!

The rules:
Thank the person who gave you the award.
Copy the Award.
Post it in your blog
Tell us 7 things that your readers don't know
Link 7 new bloggers as recipients
Notify winners of award with comment on their blog
Keep being awesome

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7 things you may not know about me:

I love red hair.
I love big band music.
I have a problem with pronouncing some words.
I really, really, really don't like Lord of the Rings. Sorry, y'all.
I've been informed by family members that I am indeed not short. Yee-haw!
Although I have a guitar, I can't really play it.
It occurred to me the other day that I really shouldn't be ecstatic about finishing my math book, because once I do finish it, I'll just have to start another one.

I'll award/tag:

Laura
Kenan - although she doesn't have a blog, I'd like to give her a gift anyway. From me to you, darlin'!
Caroline

It says to award 7 people, but the only other people I can think of probably wouldn't want to do it. If you DO though, just comment and consider yourself awarded!

Happy December, everybody!

2009-12-07T18:45:00.000-08:00

Have a great Christmas season, everyone!

And for your enjoyment, here is a completely random picture:

Reformation Day...part 3

2009-11-27T16:22:00.000-08:00

The Reformation Trivia Competition was extremely interesting and entertaining to watch! This is the only good picture I got...Mr. B had an awesome set up!

The guys played some football...
Joshua was cute...
And some of the girls enjoyed watching the football game.

I. love. shadows.

And folks, that brings us to the end of the Reformation Day 2009 series! Thanks for looking and come again soon!

"There's so much to be thankful for..."

2009-11-23T08:27:00.000-08:00

"Thankful"

Somedays we forget
To look around us
Somedays we can't see
The joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give.

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

Look beyond ourselves
There's so much sorrow
It's way too late to say
I'll cry tomorrow
Each of us must find our truth
It's so long overdue

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And every day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

Even with our differences
There is a place we're all connected
Each of us can find each other's light

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though this world needs so much more

There's so much to be thankful for

-Thankful, Josh Groban

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Happy birthday, Chris!

2009-11-21T13:18:00.000-08:00

Love you lots!!

Gutters, randmomness, life.

2009-11-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

I have been requested to post on my blog. I was told that gutters are interesting, so lets see what I can think of to say about them.

Did you know that the gutter by our front porch is crushed?? A few years ago, I think a car ran into it, resulting in a gutter that looks like a piece of metal that is...crushed. It's a sad gutter. I'm not sure if it actually helps any. We have another one on the side of our house that is NOT crushed, and it works. It's a good gutter.

MOVING ON, here are some quotes from the last few weeks around our house.

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" You didn't know that Google Reader is the eighth wonder of the world?"

"Epic fail."

"Score!"

"My name is Wenneveria."

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Recently, I found out that sitting in broken chairs does not end very well. It almost seems like one second I was at the dinner table, and the next second I was on the floor. Not sure what went wrong.

To the person who said I should post, I hope you enjoyed this. Thank you.

Reformation Day...part 2

2009-11-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

Favorite picture of the day. This one turned out so. adorable.
Second favorite.

Love this shot...even if it's not a Nikon. :)

Saturday started off with a turkey shoot...I wasn't planning on shooting, but it turned out to be lots of fun!

Next up, part 3!

Happy birthday, Daniel!

2009-11-03T13:49:00.001-08:00

I love you!

Reformation Weekend...part 1

2009-10-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

There were several contests through out the weekend, one of which was the Diet of worms for the younger children. Hannah wasn't quite sure if she liked it or not.

Since Blogger has such a weird way of doing pictures, it will probably take several posts to cover everything. Next up, Reformation Weekend part 2...hopefully longer than this one!

Ode to click pencils

2009-10-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take a moment to praise whoever was so genius enough to invent the click pencil.

Although quite simple in looks, the click pencil has many intricate details. For instance, who would have thought of a slot to replace lead, so that you never run out? Brilliant.

Who would have been so keen to realize that we all have trouble holding our pencils, so therefore we need a rubber grip handle to help?

The pencil also has a feature that not many writing materials have. If for some reason you ever need to use the eraser and not the pencil, the eraser COMES OUT. I'm serious.

If you feel bad about using a black pencil, don't fear. The click pencils come in many different colors. It's a rainbow of pure genius.

When the algebra lesson just seems like too much, the click pencil helps remove the tension in your hand, helping you to relax and enjoy the process.

The click pencil has one more advantage. If you can't hold your pencil and need somewhere to put it, it comes with a sturdy plastic thingy to clip to papers, notebooks, or pockets.

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But seriously, I really love these things!!

Did you know?

2009-10-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

For some reason the link won't work, so just google "vision forum 2010 essay contest" and you can find out more about it!

Welcome to the new and improved blog!

2009-10-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

To my faithful readers, here is my new blog that has been under construction for a little while. Blogger has more options, so I made the transition.

Become a follower, if you like!

{Camille}