Category Archives: Daily Life

Of Frost and Novels. And Vacuuming.

Posted on by
4

It’s late, and I’m tired, and I have to get up early tomorrow, but I feel like writing a blog post, so here I am. ^_^ *bounce*

We woke up to frost this morning. :D I love frost. It sparkles under the sunlight, or, if it lasts throughout the day and into the evening, under the light from the streetlamp. It makes a sort of crust over the gravel, and the mud–so it feels like I’m walking a fraction of a millimeter above the ground. And it gives a really awesome crunching noise as I walk through the pasture. ^_^ Like I said, I love frost.

And I don’t think I’ve ever written about frost in my stories…must do that soon. :P

NaNoWriMo is done! :D I reached 50,000 words on November 29th–a day early–and haven’t touched my novel since. It’s been collecting dust deep in the recesses of my documents. Mwahahaha. However, I just looked at it and unfortunately, I really really REALLY want to edit it/finish writing the showdown. >_> *sigh* Part of me (the part closest to the frantic thirty days of novel-ing) wants to leave that poor document lying there for at least another week. Especially since I have a map of Africa to finish for my World Geography in school. And if I decide to edit, that project will most likely get pushed to the side.

But then again, I do really really want to start work on it again. :P Dilemmas, dilemmas. ::)

Vacuuming. I vacuumed the house today, and felt like putting that in the post title for some reason. XP Vacuuming is strangely…fun, once you get started. ^_^ I like cranking up the volume on my iPod (which I will never allow myself to do normally. I don’t want to end up deaf :P ) and vacuuming to the rhythm of the music. :D

Humdeedum… Have I mentioned algebra is way too much fun? :mrgreen: Oh, and I have a new favorite song: “Hold Me,” by Jamie Grace (featuring tobyMac). I blare it while I do my algebra. That is also way too much fun. I end up hoarse by the end of it, because it’s such a catchy song, and I can’t help but sing (yell) along while solving for ‘x.’

I’ve been getting in the mood for Christmas. B-) I’m pretty sure the fact that the radio station started playing Christmas music literally THE DAY after Thanksgiving helped, though. :P I love this part of the year. Winter is so much less dreary with lights on all the houses. I like the colored lights the best, but it always seems like those are the first to burn out, so we never use them…

So–happy December 6th, and I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week! :) I will–as long as I get both my novel and my map of Africa completed. Ha. ^_^

My Laura Ingalls Wilder Experience

Posted on by
Reply

We gardened on Saturday, like we do every week. But…it was different…

*le gasp*

Okay, no, not like that. :P We did garden on Saturday, and continued prepping for the winter planting. We tore out zucchini and more cucumbers, picked pumpkins, dug up potatoes, fed the sheep, and…

(You can barely see the wheelbarrow under that enormous load of zucchini. o_o)

…we roofed a cold frame.

It was amazing. I totally felt like Laura’s pa, unfolding and securing a temporary roof on their cabin. Except this roof is permanent. :D

Duh duh duh dun…

We got the eighty feet of plastic sheet into position, and hoisted it up, over, and then back down, the structure of the cold frame. ^_^

And here it is all covered over!

The guys still had to pull it tight, but in the picture it’s almost done. :)

This is our harvest, bereft of tomatoes! :D We picked lots of pumpkins, the last of the cucumber crop, and lots of potatoes, too.

On an ending note, it’s Mikah’s eleventh birthday today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LITTLE BRO!

I LOVE MUSHROOMING

Posted on by
2

I had forgotten how much I adore mushrooming. B-) If the drive’s rather long, and it takes awhile to find anything, it doesn’t matter once you actually find the mushrooms.

We went mushroom-hunting for chanterelles yesterday. ^_^ It was SO MUCH FUN! I absolutely love looking for mushrooms. :P But I’m being repetitive. Moving on…

We wanted to find a mushroom-y place to look for mushrooms ( :roll: ) that was closer to home this time around. :D We ended up driving at least an hour or so last year.

After a couple wrong turns, and a couple miles of driving, we definitely found a MyPtLfM (Mushroom-y Place to Look for Mushrooms). XP

We found lots of yellow chanterelles, and some white chanterelles as well. :) Which was cool, since I didn’t even know there were different types of chanterelle mushrooms. ^_^

There was some morning fog, but the sun burned it off eventually… It was really gorgeous.

Spectacular! ^_^

And then the sun came out! :P

Because Winter is Inevitable

Posted on by
Reply

Well, I think the fact that winter is coming has finally sunk in. Rather grudgingly, anyway. Our garden work changed from weeding summer crops, to taking out the crops altogether, and preparing for new ones. :)

On Saturday, we started work on the beans and cucumbers–getting the last of everything off the vines, and then tearing the plants up and feeding ‘em to the sheep. The sheep were very happy. :P

The beans took up the majority of our time. We had left a good number of beans on the vines a month or two ago, so they would dry and we could use them in stews and such later on. We had to harvest all of the beans (literally hundreds O_O), untangle the vines from the rope supports, and cart everything away.

Wow, that sounds a lot simpler than it really was. :P

But eventually (six *pant* hours *gasp* later) everything was done, and we could pick tomatoes, take pictures, and then head home. It was very satisfying in the end. :D

Out in the main garden, the leaves on our pumpkin plants had withered and died, to reveal bright orange orbs of October-ness! Because pumpkins are rather symbolic of October, wouldn’t you think? :)

So that’s that for the garden update. ^_^ I’m not quite sure what we’re going to plant for winter, but we’ll figure it out soon!

The Story of Courier New

Posted on by
Reply

Courier New is that font on every word processor–that old typewriter-looking one that isn’t used very often. At least, I didn’t use it very often before I started writing in earnest. I always picked those curly fonts with stars in place of dots over the “i”s.

In fact, Courier New was one of those bland, insipid fonts I despised. If I didn’t have to think about it, I wouldn’t. :P So maybe despised is too strong a verb–’cause I didn’t think about it at all.

And, come on? Black words on a white screen? How terribly dull! Purple with a pink background! Neon green on ebony black! :cool: I changed colors till my eyes hurt. :P

But then I found OYAN 1. And fell in love.

With Courier New2.

*happy sigh*

Who can’t love this adorable, monospaced font? Who can’t love those “T”s?

To be honest, my eleven-year-old self rebelled against the uniformity of Courier New for about six months after finding OYAN. True, she abandoned the frivolous Gigi for Georgia, Trebuchet MS, and Times New Roman, but…she wasn’t quite there yet.

And, by the way, nothing is wrong with those fonts. I love them dearly.

It’s just that nothing can hold a candle to Courier New. :P

Six months into the OYAN curriculum, something sparked in eleven-year-old Haniya’s heart. Or her fingers. Whichever. The professional writers submitted their manuscripts in Courier New! The editors preferred reading manuscripts in–*gasp*–COURIER NEW! The other students in OYAN were using Courier New!

If she were to submit her manuscript to the end-of-the-year OYAN contest, she would have to use Courier New.

Wow.

So that’s what she did. And has done ever since. *beams*

  1. One Year Adventure Novel (LOOK WE HAVE FOOTNOTES! I LOVE FOOTNOTES! And Rebecca, if you see this post… XD Be proud this blog now has footnotes. <#) ↩
  2. The most awesome font in the world! ↩

Bangs! =D

Posted on by
2

Unfortunately, this is not the recap post (part 2) that I promised. :P Not yet. I have sat down at the computer, fully intending to write a wonderful post about chicks, and my freshman of high school, and la dee da dee daaaaa, but nothing came. *sigh* So–for now–I’m afraid I will have to write about something I happen to be terribly excited about. That ‘something’ is probably why I haven’t been able to write about anything else, and once I have gotten this off my chest, I’ll be able to write that recap post I’ve been talking about. :D

Anyway.

You’ve probably guessed what I’m so excited about from the title of this post, but bear with me.

I GOT A HAIRCUT! =D WITH BANGS!

Because I’ve been wanting bangs for years. Seriously! :P But, sadly, my cowardice won out whenever I contemplated this, and I exited my annual hair-chopping-off appointment bereft of bangs each time. But now…

Behold my long-ish sort-of-ish bangs! I could go on about the glory of bangs (and the use of “ish”) for a while, but I’ll spare you that. :P The only downside to my short new ‘do is…well, exactly that. The shortness. I can’t put it back in a ponytail! *sadness* But, my dear friends, I assure you, that is a very minor downside. :P

So. *ahem* Moving on…

NaNoWriMo is in only ONE MONTH! And six days. But who cares about the nuances? :P I can’t wait to start writing! :D This is my plotting face…you can tell I’m busy outlining my third story…and reading great works of literature for inspiration… Bwahaha…

Speaking of great works of literature, I really should read Sir Genius Tolkien again… And what with the upcoming Hobbit movie coming out next year (*SQUEE* Who else CANNOT wait?!)… Yep, I need to visit Mirkwood Forest again. B-)

Also on my reading list: Perhaps a little Sherlock Holmes, as I hope to have a mystery element in this upcoming novel–same as with my last. And Shakespeare. I want to read Shakespeare. I even have Hamlet on my bookshelf. So. *scribbles down* As well as Watership Down, by Richard Adams. <3

Heading back to the subject of NaNoWriMo… I’m really terrible at synopses, but because I promised (see, I’m trying to keep my promises!) to talk about my stories more, I’m sharing the synopsis for my much-anticipated upcoming NaNoWriMo. My apologies if it causes you to wince. :P

After Chloe’s inventor father signs a contract with a ghost-city’s mayor, he’s imprisoned by the very man he just swore to serve. Chloe must figure out what is going on behind the barred gates of the water plant–why her father is so important and why he hasn’t come home–and then stop it, even if it means putting her phobia of water aside.

And now, I’m pretty sure I should wrap up this rambling post. *nod* It might head off down a rabbit trail, and then where would we be?

[Down a rabbit trail. HA!]

Restoring the Ruins (Part 1)

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve been terrible. This blog has gone to ruins! And look at me, having had adventures in Kansas and California, now safely tucked away in my spinny chair at home.

Okay, so, I promise to look after this lovely blog more. *pats blog* And a promise is a promise, right? :D I also have a new resolution! Sort of like a New Year’s resolution, except this one…is random and completely out of nowhere. It needs a home. Let’s give it a home, ‘kay?

The resolution (drum roll please): To write more about my writing. I mean, I realized while in the car the other day, that I’ve been writing about only one part of my life. School and animals. Buuuuut what about my writing and drawing? They have been cast to the curb, nursing their wounds of rejection!

Wow, drama queen moment there. But all kidding aside, I solemnly promise to write about my writing. *nod*

And now, I shall continue in this recap post. :D

My trip to Kansas was the peak of awesomeness, topped with maybe a dozen cherries. No, countless cherries. Thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. S, Auntie, Grandma, Auntie BB, Jenan, my hospitable hosts and cousins, the campus of MNU (it was goooooorgeous), the speakers at the workshop and my friends. <3 I love you all bunches. For those of you who want to know what on earth I was doing in Kansas when I’ve never been east of Montana before–I went to visit Dorothy! :D No, really, I went to a writing workshop. ^_^

My California trip…well, if I were giving out awards for Best Trip of the Year (who knows, I might take that up sometime), it would tie for first with EKT (Epic Kansas Trip). :D The family reunion might have caused an earthquake it rocked so much (I know, I know, I shouldn’t try to crack puns :P ), Yosemite, King’s Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks’ beauty blew me away, the pool was freezing, I got to visit San Franny (plus the architecture and my cousins were awesome), my birthday makes me cry when I think about it–but not in a bad way!–and I really should stop trying to sum up how awesome a trip it was. ;)

And yes, that is the Golden Gate Bridge. Be awed. :P

Thus ends my recap…part one. Bwaha. I shall be back! And to end this post on a very happy note:

You should stay off the walls.

*disappears with a poof*

The Union of Two Beloved Souls

Posted on by
2

Nope, this isn’t about the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton. :P This marriage happened months ago, and I haven’t written about it yet. Well…

Naomi started a sourdough starter after I did (I don’t remember if I mentioned it or not) and with three sourdough starters in the house (mine, Mom’s, and Naomi’s) things got pretty crazy. Organisms were jumping bowls and Mom’s starter, which is from New England, hibernated for a bit. We think the organisms from the other starters launched an attack and sort of overwhelmed her organisms. At any rate, it came back eventually, flying Oregon’s colors! :P

Back to being overwhelmed with sourdough-ness. My starter (Brenda Jean) and Naomi’s starter (Frankenstein) fell in love. <3 Awwwwww. Yes, it was very sweet. And with Mom’s starter the presiding pastor, they got married (a.k.a. combined into one bowl!)!

To be completely honest, Mom’s starter was thrown into the mix too. So, now, Mom’s starter, Brenda Jean, and Frankenstein all live happily ever after on the counter.

The End.

Crazy Things!

Posted on by
2

We watched Tangled Wednesday afternoon. :D It was. so. awesome. Really cute, funny, sweet, absolutely quote-able, and huh, what-do-you-know, AWESOME! :mrgreen:

Rapunzel: Something brought you here, Flynn Rider. Call it what you will… fate… destiny…
Flynn: A horse.

We have been singing the soundtrack non-stop ever since, and Mom even joined in the fun when we re-watched it last night! She said she was going to read her book and watch Tangled at the same time but… she didn’t seem to be doin’ a whole lot of reading. :P Sorry, Mom! ;)

My favorite characters are Maximus, Rapunzel, Mother Gothel, and, of course, Flynn Rider. From the soundtrack, my favorite songs are “When Will My Life Begin,” “Mother Knows Best,” “I See The Light,” and “Kingdom Dance.”

Flynn: All right, Blondie.
Rapunzel: Rapunzel.
Flynn: Gesundheit.

Baba was gone on work stuff from Tuesday morning until this afternoon, and we did some crazy things! Watching Tangled, for one, and also going to see Soul Surfer in the theater after evening milking on the same day! Phew. :P Mom made pizza for dinner, chocolate chip cookies for dessert, and off we went. Soul Surfer was really good–and the theater we saw it in was definitely small-town compared to other theaters we’ve been to! :P

AnnaSophia Robb, the girl who played the main role of Bethany Hamilton in Soul Surfer did a great job. :D I like her as an actress anyway, though! :cool:

Είμαι πίσω

Posted on by
Reply

The title of this post is Greek for “I am back.” :D

Well…where to begin. :P Miracle is the most adorkable (love that word!) baby goat EVER. I know I say that every time we have a baby around but it’s true! ;) She’s grown a bit and jumps on everything. If you sit down somewhere, you’re liable to have a baby in your lap in about five seconds. And once she’s in your lap, she plunks down and starts chewing her cud.

It’s seriously CUTE. :D

She also climbs into the hay rack and snoozes in there. And she comes into the people area of the barn. She’s small enough that she fits through the holes in the cattle panel fencing. ;)

In other news, Gracie is doing excellent! She’s giving 30+ cups of milk a day. Practically 2 gallons. And her calf, Mercy, is wonderful too. We lock Mercy up with Fiddlesticks and Miracle in the baby stall every night so Mercy doesn’t drink all of Gracie’s milk during the night. Because of that, Miracle and Mercy have become great friends. :)

Let’s see what else… Oh, my novels are coming along great! :D I got a ton of work done yesterday on my fantasy novel and hopefully I can accomplish as much, if not more, work today as then. I’m praying! Freedom Trek, which, if you’ll remember, is the novella I finished in 2009, I’m editing again. It’s currently on its 3rd edit and…yeah. I’m waiting for Naomi to finish reading/critiquing it so I can wrap it up! I’m also working on a sequel for Freedom Trek, but that’s on hold as of a couple weeks ago. Basically right now I’m putting all my novel energy into finishing my fantasy novel, which I’m bringing to…

…KANSAS THIS SUMMER!

I don’t know if I told you, but my OYAN class has a summer workshops/reunion annually in Kansas. I wasn’t able to go last year, which was the first time it was held, but my awesome auntie and super grandma ( ;) ) are taking me this year.

So anyway, I need to finish my fantasy novel so I can get it critiqued when I go.

One last thing, I think. I should get my braces off in a couple months! :D I know it was six mouths away in August but since my top 12-year molars decided to be tricky, my time has been extended. :( Still, as long as my last molar to come in comes in well and fast, they should be off soon! I’m so excited. :D June 24th, 2011 marks my 2-year anniversary of braces so I’m hoping to have them off by then. :P

Ooh, and that’s my signal to wrap this up! My laundry is beeping!