- LET YOUR SPIRIT TAKE FLIGHT -

at the roller rink

2012-01-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

I always love going to the roller rink. It's a local one, and it's so retro and reminds me of the 60s'. I love going to hang out there and after doing a little race, redeeming my little free soda prize at the snack counter. There is also a prize booth, and a little arcade. It's the best.

I love the sound of the wheels rolling on the polished floor. I like when the faster skaters speed by; and how they always play the YMCA, and all of the girls and boys scream to it. I like the roller rink.

xoxo, dearies!

be whimsical :: part five

2012-01-27T23:22:00.000-08:00

Part five (the final part to the series) // Model: Maddy

Which one is your favorite?

xoxo!

be whimsical :: part four

2012-01-26T19:51:00.000-08:00

Part four // Model: Maddy

I think this is the next to last part in the series! (:

Which one is your favorite?
xoxo!

be whimsical :: part three

2012-01-25T21:19:00.000-08:00

This is part three // Model: Madisen

Which one was your favorite?

xoxo!

when the lights go out

2012-01-24T21:18:00.000-08:00

The power has been out for five days because of the big ice storm. I've felt like I've been camping in my own home... no heat, no Internet, no light, no TV, no fridge, no laundry, no school (for a week), no nothing. I was beginning to go insane. My friend and I have a project due on the 31st this month. We're making a website... and well, no Internet = no project. So over the weekend we went to a local Starbucks to work on it. I also happened to check up on my blog and Facebook while I was there... Good thing I had those last two posts scheduled, or ya'll wouldn't have heard from me for an entire week!

Anywho, so the ice storm: I live out in the woods, so as the ice started piling up on the trees, they started falling. Every time you'd walk outside, you'd hear snapping and cracking and thuds as trees and their branches hit the ground. It was really scary. We didn't know if one would hit our house or not. Actually, one had skimmed our house.

And that's why the power was out. Cause one tree hit the power line. We were living by candlelight, and I had set up a little camp next to the fire to keep warm.

I was at rehearsals (for Beauty and the Beast, which I auditioned and made!) last night when I heard the good news that the power had been restored. HALLELUJAH!

But then of course this morning, as I'm putting the toothpaste on my tooth brush, the power goes out again. So I stumble down the stairs calling for my dog, Teddy, to follow me. I ended up taking a short little nap next to the fireplace for an hour... but luckily, the power is back on again!

xoxo with lights and the Internet.

be whimsical :: part two

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

This is part two // Model: Hailey

Which one is your favorite?

xoxo, with a mug of hot tea!

be whimsical :: part one

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Sunday it snowed, and I was so extremely giddy.

I had already scheduled a photo shoot with three of my friends that day, which I was pretty excited about, but when it started snowing, and I knew there would be snow in the air and on the ground, I was so pumped.

{Now, there are 100+ pictures that goes to this shoot, so, as not to overwhelm you all, I'm going to be posting it in parts.}

This is part one // the group shots.

Which one is your favorite?

xoxo, with no watermark pictures or anything! ♥

it will break my heart when the snow melts

2012-01-17T22:16:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about it as the wind swirled the snowflakes around my face: snow has got to be the most beautiful thing ever. A white blanket draped over the lawns and roads, covering the trees... it's gorgeous. As the trees danced around me, and the snowflakes rested on top of my hair, I marveled at it all, and thanked God for such beauty.

It always breaks my heart when the snow melts. Like today, the sun came peaking over the tops of the trees and I swear, my heart ached. I love the snow, I really don't want it to melt away. It's always very depressing when you start to see patches of grass, or slush on the pavement.

Today I went sledding (on what was left of the snow) with my friends. We then went back to my friend's house and cooked up three boxes of mac & cheese (for all five of us were very hungry). It didn't snow today, but yesterday, and the day before that, the snow as beautiful. I watched from the big windows in my guest bedroom. The flurry of snow swirling and dancing about in the air. All white outside my window.

Tonight it is suppose to snow ten inches. You can imagine how excited I am. ♥

xoxo, lovelies!

stay (be)autif(u)l

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Something I like to say to myself is: stay beautiful. (BE)auit(U)l. I don't want to be someone I'm not. I want to be myself, my crazy, silly, goofy self... and if people don't like that, they can back off. I am who I am. I'm not going to change myself to please them and be "normal". Being normal is no fun, wouldn't you rather be unique and different?

Who are you?

xoxo!

Model: Hailey

project 365; week 1

2012-01-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

That's right, I'm taking on Project 365 this year, and am really pumped since I'm doing pretty good so far... two years ago I attempted Project 365 and failed at, like, day five. So I am determinded to complete it this year. :)

And I present to you... week one (and yes, I know this is really late)

day 1: New years eve party with my best friends

day 2: staying at a hotel in the city with friends

day 3: Teddy trying to get some sleep while I compute

day 4: lots of things going on this month, putting on a play in drama class and history day

day 5: Studying for a math test (with my wanderlust journal), trying to learn my lines for the play we are putting on in drama class, and reading the lovely book Matched by Ally Condie (which I cannot pull my head out of).

day 6: I am craving toasted bagels with cinnamon&sugar lately. SO GOOD.

day 7: feeling creative and went out in the woods to take pictures of vintage things

xoxo!

le happy

2012-01-14T06:00:00.001-08:00

big bonfires in the backyard

being added into a secret project

when friends come home from long vacations

homemade chocolate cake made by mommy

pasta

my crazy imagination

cloaks

cooked bananas stuffed with chocolate chips & marsh mellows

this sign: &

that feeling when you're alone on stage preforming

seeing your name on the cast list for Beauty and the Beast

watching your friends audition and feeling proud

smile lines

when you seriously can't stop laughing

snow (in which we are suppose to get this weekend)

imagining photo shoots in your mind (picture this: red lipstick + a cloak + snow + middle of the road + evergreen trees lining the road)

when your brother show off their lego ninga spinner things

poppy & teddy wrestling, while you pretend to be a sports announcer, announcing their every move

getting paid

lovely-happy comments from all of you dearhearts ♥

xoxo!

do not go into hiding, for He has plans

2012-01-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

Whatever happens, happens for a reason. You just have to have faith in God, and do what He wants you to do, whether it's scary or not.

Do not go hide from the plans He has in store for you. Simply embrace them.

Trust in the plans He has for you. Everything will turn out alright.

xoxo!

let your spirit take flight

2012-01-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a lot lately. About who I want to be. & what I want to do when I'm older.

I want to be a professional photographer. I decided that a long time ago, because I enjoy capturing the beauty in life. And creating works of art that keeps people wondering.

This is what I love doing, and I will peruse it.

And I've realized that in order to get better at photography, I need to work harder at it.

So I've been using my creativity to create shots, and I've been having my friends over for random photo shoots.

& I am so happy. (:

-----

I've also been thinking about this blog. I don't know how to explain this, but I want change the name. To: let your spirit take flight.

The name just feels so right. I am letting my spirit out. Sense of self. I am being myself.

I don't really know how to explain it. Lol.

I hope y'all don't mind (being this my fourth time changing my blog name). I promise I won't do it again, because this is legit.. and I know I said that last time, but this time I really mean it.

xoxo!

because i wanted to do something:

2012-01-12T06:35:00.000-08:00

I went out into my backyard with some vintage props, and took pictures. Because I was feeling semi-creative, and I wanted something to do.

But then I realized, because it's really hard to take pictures of myself with a timer, that I need one of those handy camera remotes. So I will be saving up for one of those soon. :)

Which one is your favorite?

And yes, this was that mini-shoot that I had promised you Saturday,

xoxo!

hailey dearheart

2012-01-11T08:16:00.000-08:00

My friend Hailey came over yesterday after auditions for Beauty in the Beast (more on that later). We took many pictures. 300+, actually. I also took like a 10 minute photo shoot (above) of her before she left with my favorite blanket. (:

Which one is your favorite?
xoxo!

saturdays are cool like that.

2012-01-07T17:13:00.000-08:00

Saturdays call for mini photo shoots in the woods with myself... you know, 'cause Saturdays are cool like that. They also call for alphabet soup and toasted bagels with cinnamon-&-sugar. And book + Bible reading. And GIF making.

Happy Saturday everyone! I'll be posting the mini-shoot later maybe tomorrow! (:

xoxo!

we like to gaze at the lights

2012-01-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

We sit there, huddled together on the tiny cement balcony, over taken by blankets, attempting to keep warm. It's two o'clock in the morning and below forty degrees. We sit there watching the twinkling lights of the pier, and from across the sound. The lights dance before our eyes. The ferries and sailing boats have long been put away, and now, the water is dead silent. All we can hear is the sound of our own voices, and occasionally, the footsteps of a stranger heading home, below us.

We tell each other stories; in which each word, a cloud of steam comes from our mouths. One of us tells the story of her friend's parents, who lived on a boat for ten years. She tells us of how madly in love they were. They traveled around in their little boat and loved each other.

We sit there in silence for a while, then begin talking again. On and off. We glance up to look at the stars, who are faintly shining, but realize there is another balcony above us; so instead, we peer around the balcony and try to make out a shooting star. Finally, we give up craning our necks to see, and make do with the twinkling city lights, which are just as beautiful.

We could have sat out there on the hotel balcony for hours and hours, if only it hadn't been that cold. I don't think we'll ever forget that night where we sat and watched the flickering lights on the balcony, wrapped in blankets, talking of two people falling in love on a boat.

xoxo, lovelies!

the new year.

2012-01-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

Wow. Wasn't it just January 2011? I just got used to writing 2011 on my papers... (actually, just the other day I wrote 2010 two times). And now 2012 is upon us...

and I'm kind of freaking out.

I know time is going to speed by me this year, so I need to make the best of it, and not waste anymore days.

I am going to live in the moment. Continue to not have my face shoved in my phone, spend less time on the computer, create more, experience things, get to know God better, be myself, be a kid & have fun, learn + improve, complete project 365, etc.

I was planning on writing down my goals for the new year, but I basically just summed it up right there, so yeah. :)

I hope you had a wonderful start to the new year! After the countdown my best friend and I ran around my friend's house screaming and making videos of us being insane. (: Happy new year to all!

xoxo with confetti & screams!

good-bye Christmas. see you next year!

2011-12-28T10:50:00.000-08:00

The Christmas season has left, just as soon as it came. I am telling myself to embrace it, because I'm disappointed that I didn't get to do and make all of the stuff that I wanted to for the holiday. There's always next year, right?

At the moment, our house is being swept of it's Christmas spirit. The tree has been stripped of it's decorations and stuffed back into the holidays storage closet underneath the stairs; all of the wrapping paper and biscuit pieces from the dog's bones they got for Christmas have been vacuumed up; and the Christmas music has been played on the radio for the last of the year.

Although my mom is still leaving the winter decorations up, I still feel sad that the beautiful Christmas tree was disassembled.

I wish we owned the Grinch movies, the cartoon and the one with Jim Carey. The one with Jim Carey is one of my favorite Christmas movies... and we didn't get to watch it this year, which breaks my heart, cause now I have to wait a whole nother year to watch it.

I think I shall watch it as early as possible next year. Like, December first, because this year it took me awhile to get into the hoilday mood. I don't know why... /:

xoxo, with a big Christmas tree ontop + the Jim Carey Grinch!

(p dot s, like the new background + header + button? I like it a lot, but I think I still have to get used to it. :))

a very merry christmas

2011-12-26T16:38:00.000-08:00

Our family's Christmas Eve was very nice. Mama was baking in the kitchen, as usual, so the house smelled amazing. My dad brother and I went & delivered all of our friends presents we bought them, and took the dogs to a dog park, where we ran them around and "trained" them; then went to my grandma and grandpa's, as we do every Christmas eve. Ate egg salad sandwiches and finished our split pea soup, then opened up our presents. We watched A Christmas Story and played down in the basement with my cousins.

^^ Me and my daddy! (:

The boys got pogo sticks from Grandma & Grandpa!

Christmas day, my brother had set his alarm clock for 7:30 AM, so after he woke me, and I had brushed my hair and teeth, washed my face, and pulled up my hair; we rushed down stairs to wake up our parents and waited anxiously until my mom and dad and uncle finally got ready. We then opened up presents and had a great time. :)

^^I knitted my mom a scarf. ♥

At around four o'clock we went to my aunt & uncle's house for dinner.

^^ Me being the hipster I am in my new headband. ;)

The whole day I tried so hard to think of and remember Jesus. I prayed to Him the night before to help me focus on Him. Happy birthday Jesus! We love you!

Merry Christmas! ♥

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2011-12-25T20:34:00.001-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas day!

Happy birthday Christ the Saviour! ♥

two more days // and of course instagram

2011-12-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

Can you believe this? Only two more days until Christmas.

Where did the time disappear to?

I had so many plans to make and do stuff before Christmas, but eventually ran out of time. I realized that I am the kind of person who plans stuff out perfectly, and figures it won't take too long. So I put it off until the last minute and then suddenly, I've run out of time and the thing I wanted to do actually takes a really long time.

Yeah, it stinks. So that's why I've decided that I will prepare for things very very early from now on. Yay me!

Anyway. I am very excited for Christmas... I've gotten all my family members gifts, and finally, (thanks to the family shopping trip we had last night) I got all my friends gifts too. I am prepared and so excited to see them open their gifts. :)

Also, I'm kind of obsessed with Instagram (hit me up: ohellosunshine)... iloveitalot. ♥

^^ in order from across ^^

// 1. Friends and I at youth group // 2. The nutcracker decoration in my bathroom // 3. My youth group's Christmas-Thanksgiving dinner, doesn't it just look lovely? // 4. Teddy sleeping // 5. My lovely sweater // 6. We had to write down or draw pictures of what we are thankful for at the youth group dinner // 7. Curled my hair for our family's Santa picture! // 8. Poppy tore up a toilet paper roll while I was brushing my teeth // 9. I liked my curly hair ^w^ // 10. Yes, I got new knee high socks from my friend. I've always wanted something whale-y for my feet, whether it was rain boots, shoes, or socks // 11. My new penguin hat I got from the gift exchange at my 4th annual cookie party // 12. Poppy is pulling my sock off... //

xoxo, I hope you have a lovely Christmas Eve! ♥

christmas things that make me happy

2011-12-21T01:13:00.000-08:00

001. Christmas caroling at an Alzheimers home. It touched me when they started to slowly sing along... and of course, being the sensitive person I am, started crying, and got my caroling paper all wet and salty when I tried to hide my face.
002. Paper snowflakes, which I have slowly been making.

003. Decorating pen pal and friend's letters with red & green and Christmas doodles.

004. Making presents and wrapping them up all nice and cute (:

005. Sitting on Santa's lap at the mall and shopping (which my family will be doing tomorrow)

006. My dog's red and green jingle bell collar/necklace. So cute to hear them trotting around and jingling.

007. The movie ELF, which will continue to crack me up. (:

008. My red & white winter/Christmas sweater. ♥

009. Getting a glass green-tea bag ordiment from mommy. ♥ ♥

010. Carol of the Bells is my all time favorite Christmas song.

011. CHRISTMAS BREAK is soamazingandcheeryandwonderfulithinki'llfaint!

012. Getting together with our family friends and getting home at 12:30... boy does time slip away from us!

013. Christmas count downs and anticipation.

014. Christmas lights are the best.

015. Christmas/Thanksgiving dinner with youth group on Sunday after caroling. It was wonderful and so happy. (:

xoxo with jingle bells and reindeer! ♥

perfect end to a day.

2011-12-16T23:57:00.000-08:00

Sipping hot coco out of mugs and looking around at all the sparkling lights. Letting mom and dad steer you while you're wearing the light distorting glasses (cause you can't make out a single thing). Taking pictures. Watching a starfish crawl down the glass intently in the aquarium. Bundled up in warm clothes. Eating peppermint and Oreo blizzards while making up Mad Libs on the way home. Couldn't have been a more perfect end to a day.

Monday, my family and I went to a light show at the zoo. I have gone there once before a couple of years ago, and the lights are always stunning. I can't even imagine how long it took people to put up so many lights around the zoo. Ahh. They were so beautiful.

Now I'm off to go sing carols to people at an alzheimers home with my youth group! Isn't Christmas time just wonderful?(:

xoxo, with sugar plums and eggnog! ♥

oh boy, you should have been there...

2011-12-16T23:46:00.000-08:00

You should have seen me. When I covered my lens with these cool light distorting glasses, I was so extremely giddy with excitement. I was practically bouncing up and down. Ah ha, oh wait, I was.

This family has a Christmas house at the top of our neighborhood and they always have one night where all of their sponsors come, and the fire trucks drive up with Santa Claus and there is free hot chocolate & ice cream and goodies... One of which are these cool rainbow light glasses. Seriously, they're amazing. I'm stunned every time I look into them.

So when my dad suggests that I put them over the lens (cause he's a very smart daddy), I wigged out. The pictures are absolutely gorgeous! ...Why had I not thought of this before!?

^^ This one is actually my overhead light in my room...

And have I ever told you that I fall head over heals for bokeh shots...? Well now you know.

Oh, and you should have seen me when I remembered how to swirl the lights. I was freaking out when I saw these shots! ♥

Christmas lights are the very best. ♥

xoxo with pretty lights and a mug of hot coco.

p.s. eight more days. :)

"fear is just a lie..."

2011-12-11T09:55:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking a lot about fear lately.

Fear of monsters or the Grudge (yeah, my imagination likes to play tricks on me); or maybe of tests at school; or rides at a theme park; or of all my paranoid thoughts, because I have a lot of those.

Every time I get scared, a lyric from my favorite song pops into my head, "fear is just a lie, so open up your eyes..." It always manages to calm me a bit.

But I've realized over this past year, that I need to give all my fears and paranoid thoughts over to Him, because He will take care of me. I have to trust Him that everything will be alright, because He will protect me.

I need to talk to Him, and He will sooth me and protect me.

xoxo my lovely friends! ♥

feeling festive.

2011-12-06T21:28:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come all too fast this year. Even though it's my favorite season of the year, it still came way too early for me. I've been having a tough time excepting that it's Christmas for some reason. Maybe it's because I can remember the last Christmas perfectly like it was yesterday. I don't know.

So in order to get into the spirit of Christmas, I bought the cutest sweater that just makes me want to leap for joy. I love it so much. I wore it today, along with my cute little snowmen earrings my friend made for me last year.

I felt very festive and jolly. :)

// sweater: Aeropostale (50 some dollars, but 60% off, so I got it for 21 some dollars!!) // jeans: papaya ($15) // socks: unknown //

^^ I had my tri-pod out and asked my mom to snap a couple photos for me. I had no idea there was an artsy photographer side to her. Look at that amazing picture she took up there. Stunning. Love you mom! :)

Doesn't that sweater just make you feel Christmasy inside?

xoxo!

p.s. Thank you for all of your prayers for my friend, I'll be sure to tell her I have a whole bunch of people praying for her when I visit in the hospital. ♥ Ya'll are the best. (And yes, I'm not from the south, but sometimes you just got to use that word, am I right?! :))

those Christmas lights

2011-12-05T20:33:00.001-08:00

I'm in love with the Christmas lights. Those beautiful multi-colored lights that are strung up on top of roofs, wrapped around trees, or decorations. They're simply gorgeous and always manage to make me feel cheerful and Chirstmas-y. Remind me to add "lights" to my mental 'favorite things about Chirstmas' list.

^^ We be crazy. ♥

Also, my friend just went into a pretty serious surgery today. They had to break one of her ribs and other details in which I cannot remember. She has really bad scoliosis. She is probably one of the bravest people I know. Her surgery is over with now, and she is doing fine, but it'd be so nice if you'd pray for her recovery. She loves cheer and dance, and sadly, she is not able to do those things for a couple of months. So brave. ♥

xoxo with colorful Christmas lights!

p.s. happy birthday blog! :3

i love days like these

2011-12-04T20:16:00.001-08:00

Here I am, sitting with a mug of green tea with the lights turned down semi-low, typing away. The Christmas lights are glowing outside my window, all beautifully strung; whites, reds, greens, oranges, and blues. My dad made our flag pole look like a big colorfully lighted Christmas tree at the end of our driveway.

I sit here cautiously sipping my tea, for it is very hot, and pondering over what cookie to make for my fourth annual cookie party. I have found a few good ideas in the newest addition of Bon Appetit magazine. I'm thinking about making the chocolate macaroons with orange ganache. They look lovely. :)

I sit here reflecting on what a wonderful day I had. Church in the morning, where we learned the story of how John the baptist was born, shopping with my three friends, taking silly pictures in the photo booths, trying on dresses and swearing to go dress shopping together next year for Homecoming, even though Taylor will be going to a different high school than us.

Today was a good day, full of laughter and smiles. I love days like these. My heart is full of warmth and happiness.

I am thankful for today. ♥

come to visit

2011-12-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

I love when my little cousins Madilyn and Lauren come to visit. They're always so much fun, and super duper adorable. I had to bring down my camera, because of course I couldn't go the night without taking pictures of their cute faces. They are such sweethearts!

When their parents came to pick them up, Lauren said something about Darth Vader, and of course, we just happen to own a life size cardboard cut-out of him, so we brought him out to for her to see him. She wouldn't go too near him, because, quite frankly, he is very scary.

xoxo, Darth Vader & a cup of tea!

christmas time is here

2011-12-03T12:14:00.001-08:00

I adore Christmas time. It is by far, my favorite time of the year. I love the lights, the jolly music, the atmosphere. Everything is so wonderful. My heart is always so lovely-happy this time of year.

It's amazing how fast Christmas has snuck up on us. Why must time insist on going so fast? I seems like only yesterday that November started. Actually, last year's Christmas is also too vivid, like it happened just two months ago.

Oh dear.

xoxo, with a mug of hot chocolate! ♥

happy december, y'all! {sponsor swap & FAQ}

2011-12-01T07:44:00.001-08:00

I hope you all have a very lovely first day of December, the start to our 25-days-till-Christmas count down. :)

And since it's the first day of December, I was wondering if anyone would like to do a sponsor swap with me. It's where I'll put your ad on my sidebar and you'll put mine on your sidebar. Love it? Email me: dinosaur774 [at] live.com

And... You voted on the poll that said if I had a FAQ page, you would ask me questions... so I've decided I'll make one. ask away! :)

xoxo, dearhearts!

november in review

2011-11-30T18:43:00.001-08:00

This is a new little thing I'm starting. At the end of each month, I'll be posting my favorites from that month. Sound fun? :)

Favorite blog posts I loved & enjoyed:

dancing! at the disco @ The Cupcake Dictionary
can you help me out with my chemistry? @ Sisters in Savior
what would you be without Him @ Click and Capture
gratuitous nail polish collection photos... @ The Dainty Squid

Exciting happenings:

Learning how to knit with my little 'Knifty Knitter' loom.
Discovering how to make apple chips.
Reaching 254 followers! ♥
Watching someone getting to know Jesus, which has to be the most beautiful thing ever.
Going to the movies with my best friend, whom I have known ever since I was a little baby.
Getting an A for the semester in algebra, which was on my 2011 to do list, so cross that off the list right there!
Almost being able to get over the vault in gymnastics.

Thankful for list:

// Poppy and Teddy // my goofy friends // body mist and perfume // my drama class // my gymnastics team // nail polish tutorials // pinterest.com // inspiring blog posts // God and his wonderful healing power // my dad, who has plexi glass handy in our garage // board games, which I believe bring people together // mint chocolate chip ice cream // talking with my cousin Jillian // my mom and her wonderful decorating skills //

Favorite songs:

What are your November favorites?

xoxo!

new room arrangement, prehaps?

2011-11-28T20:54:00.001-08:00

I have been begging my mom, for maybe over a month now, to help me organize my room. Sunday we finally got around to it after she finished helping my brother color organize his giant mound of Legos (which took a couple days, as you can imagine).

I was so excited, even if we were just moving a couple bits of furniture here and there, and organizing my selves. I am lost when it comes to placement of my things. It just does not come easily to me.

I am a very clean person. I cannot go to bed at night surrounded by a mess. So even if it takes me until eleven o'clock, I will not rest if my room isn't in order. That's just who I am; so luckily, cleaning, and picking up wasn't an issue.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Notice: Pillow is now on the ground by my bed; bed is made; no more blanket on my window seat; "Keep Calm and Snap On" poster I got for my birthday (eep!) is hanging on the wall.

Notice: Bookshelf has been moved to under my whiteboard; heart lamp has been moved onto my latter-self-thing; ladder-self-thing has been re-organized.

Notice: My "Dream" sign is on top of my desk/closet looking thing; the inside, and outside of my desk is re organized.

Notice: Colorful heart banner I made that reads "Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:8"; vintage vanity that we pulled in from our guest bedroom; new chair, that is really nifty and folds up; the new vintage self, which my dad kindly cut plexi glass (which he had handy in the garage) to fit in there so I could neatly store my nail polish.

Notice: I can store stuff in my new vanity! :)

Yeah, not gonna lie guys, but I kind of feel like a vintage queen sitting at my little desk-vanity (up above). It makes me feel so happy. :)

And, is just me, or does the word after and before look really foreign now? /:

xoxo, pretties!

kool kat socks

2011-11-27T20:39:00.001-08:00

entering in this photo challenge.

Aren't these just the bee's knees? I'm in love with these socks. :)

Now all I have to find is a nice skirt to where them with!

Guess what lovelies? I just re-did my room and I really can't wait to show you tomorrow. I squeal inside every time I look around. ♥

xoxo!

it's always nice taking short little hikes

2011-11-26T16:16:00.000-08:00

I like going on little hikes with my mom and the dogs. It's nice and peaceful and lovely when you bring your camera along.

We actually let Poppy off-leash yesterday and I was very impressed. I thought she'd run off and I really didn't want to have to go chasing after her, but she did alright and walked along with us. My mom says that she'd be too scared to leave our side. I guess she was right, Poppy did look really nervous. Sometimes I worry about her... I thought dogs were suppose to be care-free when they went on walks. Not with Poppy. When we bring out the leashes she huddles in a corner and shakes. But gradually begins to be happy when she starts walking.

Yeah... she's kind of weird. /:

xoxo, with a cup of raspberry tea!

oh, thanksgiving.

2011-11-25T20:05:00.001-08:00

This year's Thanksgiving consisted of board games, learning how to knit, yummy food, food fights (o joy -_-), cousins & family, thankfulness, apples to apples, sleeping in late, and happiness.

Although Thanksgiving didn't turn out like I had expected it might, I still had such a wonderful time with my family. In the morning my brother and I played some board games together, which I always won. :) Then at four-ish, we went over to my aunt & uncle's house, along with my grandma, and had a big turkey dinner. My cousin taught me how to knit with my plastic loom, and now I am making a scarf. :)

My poor grandpa missed Thanksgiving this year because of his Walmart job. My dad and I thought it would be nice to go wish him a happy thanksgiving and say hello. So we get up to the Walmart, and it was crammed full. My dad and I had to squeeze through carts and giant masses of people. Two children were lost, so they sort of locked down the store. I can't even begin to describe how utterly crazy it was. This is why my family doesn't go black Friday shopping.

I hope you had a lovely thanksgiving!

xoxo!

i am thankful for (part iii)

2011-11-23T21:34:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for...

1. Sleep. {Sleep is really important to me right now. I am always so tired. Like today, I almost fell asleep in math class. It took everything to urge myself back into reality.}

2. God's unfailing love. {I cannot even explain how thankful I am for His love. He always provides for us. I've been praying and thinking a lot about this one thing, and He is finally working his miracles. He is so amazing. :) }

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3. Board games with family. {I think board games bring a family together.}

4. Christan music. {I am starting to listen to Christan music more and more each day. I heard someone tell me to try listening to Christan music only for thirty days. Apparently it really changes your life. I am taking this into consideration. Christan music is so powerful and the words can really speak to you.}

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5. Thanksgiving. {It makes me reflect on a lot of things I'm thankful for.}

6. Lotion. {Without it, my hands would be very rough.}

6. Playing with my dogs. {I am so happy when I rough-house with my dogs. I have so much fun, and I laugh a lot. I love seeing their cute little faces smiling up at me when I hold the toy up high. When Teddy gets upset and frustrated that he can never get the toy, he always throws his head up and barks and/or howls. It's so darn cute. And Poppy's cute little monkey face cracks me up every time.}

7. My brother's laughter. {I love hearing, and watching him laugh. It's so real and joyful. His face distorts when he laughs hard. One eye crinkles up and his grin is so cute. I love him.}

8. Phone calls. {So happy phones were invented, because I love talking with my friends and cousin.}

9. My friend, Hailey. {Know matter what Hailey can always always always make me laugh and crack a smile. Met her last year on the first day of school and we've been best friends ever since. In the last two weeks we've had two people assume we have been life long friends. Ha. :) She's the best friend I could ever ask for and I love her to pieces. She is so silly and goofy and crazy and spastic and lovable.}

10. Blankets and jackets. {I would be so extremely cold without them. I am so thankful for my warm blankets and jackets.}

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And since I probably won't be posting tomorrow, I wish you a very wonderful Thanksgiving full of family and laughter!

xoxo lovelies! :)

i am thankful for (part ii)

2011-11-22T20:10:00.000-08:00

Today was a half day, which are the best days ever because you get to see your friends, and go home early. Got home: made more apple chips, because my mom and I are kind of obsessed; watched some Malcom in the Middle; played around with some settings on my camera and figured out some stuff; took pictures; made dinner with mom; played Trouble with the family in the dinning room. I am thankful for those nights where we play board games and laugh together. They make my heart so happy. :)

I am thankful for...

1. My math teacher and calculators. {I so very thankful that I got into my math teacher's class this year! I have always really struggled in math. My worst subject. My enemy. And now, I am making friends with Math. My math teacher is helping me understand it better! And calculators have to be my best friends in that class. Without them, I would take double, maybe triple longer than I normally take. /: }

2. Tea. {Tea is the most wonderful drink ever. I soothes me and makes me feel all homey and relaxed. I really love tea... I almost freaked when I came down to my last packet the other day. I am thankful for my mom, and that she got me more tea packets. :) }

3. My youth pastor. {He has really helped my eyes open up to Jesus. He has taught me so much and I am just to thankful that God put him in my life.}

4. Rain. {It rains a whole bunch here... and sometimes it can get pretty annoying and depressing, but I am thankful for it. Without the rain, our trees and plants wouldn't be so green and thick and beautiful. I like the sound of the rain, especially when it's pouring hard. Rain droplets also make wonderful pictures. :) }

5. That I am healthy. {I am so so thankful that I am healthy. I could have been born with a disease... but I wasn't. And I am so grateful for that.}

6. My trampoline. {It's the best trampoline ever and I love it a lot. :) }

7. My cousins. {My cousins are the best ever. I love how crazy, hyper, and cute they are. I am thankful that I can be super close to a few of them.}

8. Jillian. {Jillian is my cousin... but she's more like my best friend. I can tell her anything and she'll listen. We always have good laughs over funny stories we tell each other. She is only a couple months younger than me, so that makes us even closer. We have so many inside jokes and I love her to death. I am so thankful she is able to come down each year to spend the summer with me.}

9. Blogger. {Without Blogger, how could I share my thoughts and pictures? If Blogger suddenly shut down, I would be very distraught.}

10. My clothes. {This girl Sofi, whom I have never met, always gave me all her hand-me-down clothes before she went off to collage. I am so thankful to be supplied with such cute clothing. I am so lucky.}

xoxo, with many rain droplets!

i am thankful for (part i)

2011-11-21T20:34:00.001-08:00

For the next three days I'll be posting things that I'm grateful for (in no particular order), in celebration of Thanksgiving. :)

- - - - - -

I am thankful for...

1. Food and water. {Sometimes we take our good food and clean water for advantage. A lot of kids don't have what we have and are starving and drinking dirty water. I am so blessed that I am supplied with food each day and that we are fortunate enough to have clean, fresh water.}

^^ My attempt at bokeh. :P

2. My camera. {I must be the luckiest girl alive to have my very own DSLR. I'm so blessed to have this camera, not many girls my age have their own camera.}

3. That I have such a great hobby that I love and enjoy doing. {Which is photography, if you're new here. I'm so happy I discovered photography. It makes me so happy, and I'm glad I am able to share it with you on this blog.}

4. My family. {My family, is seriously the best family ever. They are always there to support me and are so kind and loving. I'm so glad I have them in my life. They are so great; I love my mom, dad, and little brother to death.}

5. God and his love. {I am so thankful for all that God has done for me and that he loves us so much. I would be so lost without God's guidance, and I am grateful for such a good relationship with Him.}

6. My home. {I am so blessed to be living in my house. Some people are on the streets, with no roof over their heads. I am so grateful for a warm, bright home.}

7. My two dogs, Poppy and Teddy. {Even though those two can be pains, I still love them forever. They're so cute and I love having them for company. They can always manage to make me smile and cheer me up. And they can, and always will be able to make me laugh. Those crazy dogs. :)}

8. Music. {Music can always make me feel good. It can help me realize important messages that will stick with me, and it makes me happy. And when I'm alone, it always drowns out the silence.}

9. My great, wonderful, beautiful friends. {I am so blessed to have my friends. They are so wonderful and they care so much about me. They always make me feel so good about myself. I am glad that I can be myself around them, and that no matter what, I will always have a good time with them. I love them so much and I am just so thankful to have them in my life.}

10. You. {I love you guys so much. Yeah, my readers, you. You all seriously make me so happy every time I get a comment or a new follower. Thanks for reading and supporting me. You all rock.}

What are you thankful for lately?
xoxo, with a cherry on top!

i hope you like it

2011-11-20T22:05:00.001-08:00

New blog name (yes, i know, but this name struck me today and I thought it fit my blog perfectly. Sorry I keep changing it. This is the one. Promise.) New design.

I hope you like it...

because I really do. :)

xoxo, with lots of tea!

chance of snow

2011-11-18T21:11:00.001-08:00

Snow makes me really happy. It will always brighten my mood. I love that feeling I get when I wake up in the morning and trudge drowsily downstairs to find myself looking out the window at a white landscape. It makes my heart happy when my brother and I get bundled up and go play out in the snow.

I remember one time we had both pretended we were polar bears. We had been crawling around the yard for some time so we had flopped down on our stomachs, so our faces were at ground level. As I was studying the snow, the bright cloudy sky just made it visible enough to see: a tiny snowflake. The decorative patterns fascinated me. It's design was so intricate and beautiful. I had thought to myself, how can every snowflake have a different pattern? It seems impossible that no snowflake is exactly the same. My brother and I had peered at it for minutes, squinting in wonder at the spectacular patterns and designs.

((yes, doesn't have anything to do with snow, but is still very pretty, right?))

It is suppose to snow from two to eight in the morning tomorrow. I hope and wish with all my might that it will snow a lot... but I know it won't be heavy. It will probably just sprinkle a little bit and melt away, by at the latest, ten o'clock in the morning.

I hope it does snow though, because snow days are my favorite.

inspire me tuesday

2011-11-15T10:00:00.000-08:00

This is such a lovely photo. ♥

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I want a sofa in my backyard. :)

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Take me here please. :)

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This would be such a magical train ride. ♥

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Vintage floral tea cups are my very favorite. I put down one of these on my Christmas list. ;)

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Cat-eye glasses, moleskin journal, pencil, iPhone, and my camera... oh yes please. ♥

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I adore lovely things.

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I would also like some of this for Chirstmas. ♥

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Which one of these pictures inspire you?

xoxo!

apple chips

2011-11-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness. These apple chips? The best ever. :) They're super easy to make and so extremely good.

Ingredients:

-cinnamon & sugar

-two apples

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

2. Core and slice apples as thin as possible, then lay them out on a cookie sheet.

3. Sprinkle cinnamon & sugar over the apple slices (personally, I like a lot of cinnamon & sugar on mine)

4. Bake for one hour.

5. After one hour pull out and turn all your apple slices over and sprinkle more cinnamon & sugar on.

6. Bake for another hour.

7. Leave on racks to cool, then store in air-tight plastic sandwich baggie.

8. You're done! Enjoy your apple chips! :)

hope you enjoy, dears! :)

xoxo.

thank you, solider

2011-11-11T12:50:00.001-08:00

Dear solider,

Thank you for everything. Thank you for being so brave and courageous. Thank you for protecting us, and fighting for our freedom. You are amazing and so very heroic. I wouldn't have the guts to go out into war. That's why I look up to you, because of how passionate you are about this country. You are fearless. I am so thankful for you.

With much love, Hayley

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xoxo lovelies! (:

awkward and awesome

2011-11-10T19:40:00.000-08:00

Would you like to hear about some recent awkward stuff that's been going on?

-Being so thirsty on Halloween night that I was thinking about licking the dew off the grass in other people's yards while I watched my best friend drink out of someones lawn fountain.

-Attempting to make a scarf with a loom and trying to read really complicated instructions on how to do it, which doesn't make a blink of sense.

-Having a teacher come to your friend's birthday party.
-Falling on your face while doing a push up.
-Someones monologue about this dude getting in a car crash and losing his arm and, since they didn't have any bionic arms, he got a giant blade for an arm. I was cracking up once I confirmed this. (;

^^ I know this is random, but pretty, right?(; via

Would you like to hear about some recent awesome stuff that's been going on?

-Green tea loveliness.

-Playing Barbies with your friends.
-The weekend (which started after school today since we don't have school Friday!!).
-Hearing your gymnastics couch tell you that you have very long, straight legs and that I'm going to be a natural at the front hand spring on the vault(front hand spring say whattttt?!?? O.o I can't even do a cartwheel, let alone a handstand where you have to spring up on!)
-I was asked to take a family's Christmas card photo (which I am very nervous about).
-Making apple chips. :)
-Sitting by a warm fire in a freezing house.
-visiting the city
-"If this was a movie" written by Taylor Swift sung by Madi Jane. (She is amazing!)

xoxo my lovelies!

when i see an elephant fly

2011-11-09T22:37:00.001-08:00

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1. yearning for the weekend

2. happy how good the apple chips I made turned out (recipe soon)

3. excited to practice the vault tomorrow in gymnastics

4. my silly little bro singing a line from an AC DC song: "the best darned lady i ever did see" (( I thought he was singing "when i see an elephant fly" from Dumbo, but with different words. So when I asked him why he was singing to a tune from Dumbo, he had looked at me with an obvious expression on his face and told me it was an AC DC song. Duh, I should have know that. *smacks self in face*))

5. loving my new design

6. super pumped for Friday, where I'm meeting up with four of my friends to play Barbies together. Nobody is too old to play with dolls. ;)

♥

i am really scared of airplanes

2011-11-08T18:47:00.000-08:00

Yeah. Airplanes are really freaking me out at the moment.

I had this really crazy dream where I was the only sister in the show Malcom in the Middle ( my favorite show :3 ), only it wasn't a show, the family actually existed. And then the setting had suddenly changed into an airport. I was waiting in line with my real mom and we got on this giant plane. I loved planes; so I had settled myself down in one of the seats next to my mom with a nice, thick book. And as we're up in the air, I notice that you can see over the rows of seats and instead of facing a wall (where the pilots are behind) I find I'm looking out of a great, giant window.

And that's when the plane suddenly swerves, and drops. My stomach lurched, and I watched, to my horror, as the plane dropped out of the sky, heading very quickly back toward earth.

But even though we crashed (right in the airport runway O_o) we were still alive.

It was very, very scary. And now every time I think about riding on a plane (which I used to love), I get very sick to my stomach, thinking about plummeting back down to earth.

I said to myself, I really never want to go on a plane again. But how am a going to be a travel bug and not ride on a plane? After all, I want to visit Paris, and Japan, and Australia. I want to go to a lot of places that require planes... lucky me. -__-

But as I was thinking about my fear, I had a sudden realization. I need to trust in God. Next time I go on a plane, of course I'm going to be scared, but I have to put my trust in Him, because He will protect me. Just like the Bible story we learned about this Sunday. The one where God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son on that mountain. Abraham had to believe and trust Him, even though he knew it meant killing his son. But I think that Abraham knew God wasn't that cruel, and that somehow, everything would turn out alright. And it did. God sent an angel down to tell Abraham (right before he was about to kill his son) that he didn't need to sacrifice his son anymore, because there was a ram that had it's horns stuck in some type of bush above them. I think God was testing Abraham's faith.

I remember the high schooler that was telling the story, asked us the question, Did you ever have to trust in God? Yes, we all have. Just like Abraham had to trust in God that everything would turn up fine.

Maybe God was sending me a message to put my trust in Him more, instead of being afraid that natural disasters, scary monsters (yes, my imagination goes wild a lot), ghosts, crazy people, and all that "good stuff" is going to harm me. I remember my dad telling me to trust in God when I told him my imagination was going to play tricks on me after I watched a couple previews to scary movies. And that's exactly what I plan to do: Trust in God.

xoxo, my lovelies!

little baby face

2011-11-07T18:47:00.000-08:00

My little baby cousin Madilyn is the cutest thing ever. This is kind of my first time taking pictures of babies, and it was really fun! :)

Every time I pulled out my camera and put it to my face, her eyebrows would scrunch up and she would look up at me with the most peculiar face... and I can't blame her. When the camera is pressed up against my face, my eyes disappear and are replaced with a giant lens that is moving in and out. It would scare the heck out of me if I were a baby.

So to get her to smile in a picture, I had to have my camera in my lap and make her smile, and as she was smiling up at me, I would quickly pull the camera to my face and snap the photo, just before the confusion came back into her eyes.

It was much fun. :)

Isn't she just the cutest!? :)

Which photo is your favorite?

xoxo!

volkswagen buses are for hipsters

2011-11-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

When I own a car, I wish to drive a Volkswagen bus. An old one, with some character, and the somewhat round shape, and round little lights. I don't like the newer ones much. They're too box shaped for my liking.

I prefer an old hippie van. Because they're the cutest, most happiest looking cars in the whole wide world.

I just wish they weren't so much money. *tear*

So: The day we carved our pumpkins, my grandpa, dad, and I drive down in grandpa's old evergreen colored VW bug. We drive just a little ways and pull into a used car lot, where grandpa shows me a beautiful green Volkswagen bus, just sitting there!

It was the coolest thing ever, and my first experience actually being in a VW bus. It was for a really great price, according to my dad. I was so in love... and I'm not much for cars, but I go coo-coo for these buses. I'll be a hipster driving around in this baby. :)

But it was sold four hours before we came.

Bummmmer. :(

But I will not give up hope. I will have my Volkswagen bus and I will be a hipster driving around in it. (;

xoxo, my lovelies!

tea is on the brain

2011-11-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

I just finished my second cup of tea today. Did you know that tea is good for your health? I was curious, so I looked it up on the Internet about thirty minutes ago and what do you know? I am truly fascinated by this article I just read... ( that just made me sound like a scientist. O_o ).

The school gymnastics season has just started up and I'm pumped. Last year I didn't really get anything done, and although I had my mind set on doing a beam or vault routine at a meet, I never actually did. But this year I am absolutely determined to do the vault at at least one meet this year. I'm not sporty, at all. And I so wish that I was. So that's why I'm pushing myself in this sport... and it also explains why I'm joining swim in February next year. I am so excited. :)

I've been a read-o-holic lately. I just finished Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It's such a queer book... and yet I absolutely love it. :) The strangeness of it all draws me in and gives me such inspiration for stories of my own. I should get writing soon. (:

Oh my goodness, why can't I stop thinking about how lovely tea is. It's 10 o'clock at night and I think I shall go brew myself a third cup right before I go to bed.

Good-night lovelies!

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hello november

2011-11-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

October has come to an end, along with all of it's lovely colors, which will soon disapear, leaving tree branchs bare. November is now upon us; it will sweep away autumn and bring cold, chilly days. So goodbye, yellow, orange, red, and brown leaves and cold, semi-sunny days. We love you.

^^ I finished Mockingjay, the last book in the Hunger Game series this weekend. Almost cried at the end. :) Most amazing series ever. I highly recommend you read it, if you haven't already.

This weekend I also went to my grandparents house for pumpkin carving, which is always really fun. :) This year the grand kids were very independent, and almost didn't need any help designing and carving pumpkins!

Of course I had a blast with my seven cousins, jumping and playing super hero games on the trampoline, swinging on the swing set, and taking pictures.

^^ My brother and Teddy. How sweet is this? :)

^^ One of my cousins was wearing a Santa hat. I'm just as confused as you are... but isn't he just adorable?

Aren't our finishing pumpkins lovely? Mine is up in the far right corner. The really simple, traditional one with only one tooth. And my brother's is the one that looks like it's going insane. You know... the one with that huge grin and all those teeth on the left. :)

As for Halloween night? I dressed up as a rock star, because really, who doesn't want to take advantage of a night collecting sweets in a silly outfit? ;) I went with a few of my best friends and trick-or-treated throughout the whole neighborhood. The air was frigid, so by the time we got back to the house, our fingers were about frozen to death. It was so nice to get inside and finally count our candy and warm up. I don't think I'll ever get too old for trick-or-treating. ;)

How was your Halloween? Dress up as anything?

xoxo!

lovely colors

2011-10-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

I am swooning over all these beautiful colors right outside my door. Why can't the trees always look this lovely?

This year I truly began to recognize autumn's beauty. I had never really realized all the wonderful colors. But this year my eyes really opened up and fell in love.

Now autumn is my favorite season. :)

^^ I think I'm in love with black&white photos now. I really need to start editing more photos like this.

Have you noticed all the bokeh peppered throughout these photos? They're gorgeous and I am in love. Bokeh is amazing. ♥

I've seen a lot of blogs that have these pictures with beautifully colored trees against the sky... and I was so happy when I saw these colors over some rooftops in my neighborhood. I had grabbed my camera and followed the trees until I came to an open space where I could take as many pictures as I liked. :)

Which picture is your favorite?

xoxo!

water colors are my favorite

2011-10-27T18:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday consisted of four cups of tea, reading Mockingjay, painting with water colors, television, computer time, and taking pictures. I was home sick again yesterday. But today I went back to school left with just a sore throat.

I love painting, even though I don't do it very often... which I should. My favorite type of paint is probably water colors, because water colors just give the painting such a happy, light feeling. I love it. :)

So yesterday I decided to paint a little. I've had this vision of multicolored trees in the back of my mind for the longest time. I even tried painting it with oil paints, but that didn't work out too well.

And, well, I painted something that looked sort of like my vision.

My work station...

^^ I have my green tea (new flavor, which I love!) and tea pot, paper, bagel & my mom's homemade cream cheese, two water color sets, napkin for drying brush, water to wash brush, Mockingjay and a poem I had to memorize underneath that, chap stick, for my chapped lips, and two paint brushes.

Tea is super lovely ....and see that pretty hot pad? My grandma made it for me. <3

Above is my first copy, which I shortly threw away because I messed up.

And the finishing product! I'm really happy with it. :)

What is your favorite kind of paint, if you have one?

xoxo!

drinking jasmine tea

2011-10-26T10:44:00.000-07:00

Sitting on the couch watching cartoons... another day at home, recovering from sickness. I just put some water on the stove to boil for tea. Wondering what kind of tea packet I should use.

The kettle is whistling. I think I'll just have my usual, jasmine green tea. Yesterday I tried pomegranate raspberry green tea, which I've been wanting to try for such a long time. Loved it. <3

Sad that I'm missing crazy hair day at school. This day comes once or maybe twice a year (once last year)! Last year I kind of had a bad crazy hair day experience... I had been running late so I put my hair up in a tight bun and stuck two chopsticks in there. During passing period some eighth graders had called me racist and then somebody pushed me. O_o Yeah... not the nicest class of eighth graders.

I'm reading Mockingjay, the third book in the Hunger Games series. Page twenty-five. :) Catching Fire was such a great book I almost died at the ending though. I hope Mockingjay is good, cause I've heard it's not as good as the other two, but my mom said they were all equally great. :)

I'm watching Codename: Kids Next Door. <3 This is such a great show, I love it so much.

I'm rambling a lot aren't I? ;)

And for your entertainment, some pictures I took a few weeks ago:

I love the bokeh in this one. I was so thrilled when I was looking through eyepiece and saw the beautiful background and the gorgeous raindrops on the spiders silk. Lovely. :)

Which picture is you're favorite?

xoxo!

the pumpkin patch

2011-10-24T21:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our family set out to pick out our pumpkins. Every year we go to a different farm, and this years' was like a little carnival. With pumpkin & corncob cannons, a barn full of animals, pig races, tether ball, haunted woods, slides, funnel cakes and roasted corn, face painting. Jungle gyms and a bouncy parachute, hayrides, and of course, monster truck rides. Yeah, you read that right, monster trucks. My brother, dad, and I all got a ride in the ginormous truck, which drove through tons and tons of mud. It got everywhere.

Pumpkin patches with the family = happiness. :)

Then Friday a few of my friends and I went to fright fest at the nearby theme park. I had such a blast riding all the rides and goofing around with my friends. We even went into the haunted house, The Scream Factory, and believe it or not, I actually made it through without screaming... Which is a big accomplishment to me because last time I went into the fright fest haunted house, I screamed my little head off throughout the whole thing. Hahaha, so I'm kind of proud of myself. ;)

And today? Got sick and left school ten minutes before it let out... so I've been lazing around ever since I got home.

xoxo!

{ P.s. Thank you guys for your lovely comments on my last post! }

major changes

2011-10-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

Hello! As you can tell, there have been major changes made to this blog. For instance, *cough cough* the name, the design, the button.

Yeah, they've been changed. If you're wondering why I would change the name of my blog so suddenly, I will tell you.

*ehem*

I didn't feel like "fish flakes" fit my personality. It didn't relate to me personally at all. I had just thought it was a cute name. So the new name "blackberries & clover" fits me good.

I hope you guys like it, because I really do.

Sorry this was such a quick post,

xoxo lovelies. :)

p.s. I'm going to be making improvements on posting too. Juss sayin'.

autumn beauty

2011-10-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

I love taking strolls around my yard, especially when I have my camera with me. :)

^^ Remind me never to walk outside barefoot again... by the time I came back inside, my feet were numb.

xoxo!

if you took my dogs out for a walk...

2011-10-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

You may be a little overwhelmed at first.

You'd be grasping the leash for dear life, because Teddy would be pulling and tugging and lunging forward. No matter how fast you're walking, it's never fast enough for him.

You'd be very confused at why Poppy is shaking and why her tail is drooped. I know I am... I guess she's just scared of the leash, which is weird. /:

You'd be untangling the leashes, and sometimes yourself because both dogs are constantly changing positions and getting the leashes entwined.

You'd be trying to get Teddy to be quiet because he barks at every single living/ or moving thing.

You may just get a little be frustrated and take it out on the dogs, although they don't even know they're doing anything wrong.

Teddy on left, Poppy on right.

Because I know I am.

xoxo!

i am fourteen and the happiest girl alive

2011-10-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

October 7th was my happy birthday. Probably the best birthday ever.

I had a great day at school; all my friends were so nice and wished me a happy birthday. Four classes sang to me, which made my cheeks burn. I also was surprised to have four or five gifts given to me from my mom, who had given them to my best friend to give to me.

After school a few friends and I walked to the yogurt shop just a mile away from school and bought some yogurt. Tart with mini dark chocolate chips, for me, as always.

After we finished, we were taken home and I then went out to dinner with family. At a Japanese grill, the places where they cook right in front of you. :) When the waitresses sang to me, they made me stand up and dance for them, and the whole restaurant.

We then go to a coffee shop next door to open my last present, which my mom had tricked me by telling me it was for her friend and that we were going to drop it off on the way home. But no, it was for me.

And I literally died when I opened this final gift from my parents. The best gift in the whole world. My dream came true.

I got my very own camera. The Canon EOS 50D! :)

I was so overwhelmed with happiness, I started crying. It still doesn't even seem real that I have my very own camera.

I didn't think I'd actually get it, but I did. I love my family so much:

We get home, and as I walk into my room, my closet door bursts opens and out comes four of my best friends screaming SURPIRSE! So what do I do? I scream, collapse on the floor outside of my room and begin crying. It wasn't a sad cry, it was a happy cry. I was so overjoyed. :)

Then they're like, "Hayley, look! We decorated the playroom for you!" They basically drag me to my feet and lead me into my playroom and I find four more of my best friends pop out. I continue to cry. :) Actually, I cried a lot during my party because I was so touched they would do this for me. ♥

And another surprise I got? My mom made the most amazing cake ever!

I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful family and such great friends! ♥

I must be the happiest girl alive. :)

new winner!

2011-10-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

We get to draw again for a custom blog button donated by MK Designs!

And the winner is....

Acacia!

Congrats Acacia! Please email me at dinosaur774 [@] live.com to get your prize!

winners of the triple giveaway!

2011-10-06T16:59:00.000-07:00

So, it's October 6th already (tomorrow is my birthday! epp!) and the triple giveaway has come to a close.

And I have winners to announce. :)

The winner of the custom blog button donated from MK Designs is Francesca!

The winner of the 5x7 photography print from Click and Capture is Mackenzie!

The winner of the classy headband from Janelle is Savvy!

Congratulations winners! Please email me at dinosaur774 [@] live.com.

Thanks to everyone who entered, I loved reading all your comments about your favorite things about autumn! (:

**If winners do not reply in 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

and yeah... sorry this post looks so confusing, I didn't really think it through. lol(;

xoxo!

time needs to take a chill pill - three more days

2011-10-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

Three more days until I'm fourteen. Only three. more. days.

Isn't it crazy how time just passes us by. It makes me really sad, actually. I don't want to grow up, I really don't. But at the same time, I do.

Funny how that works, huh?

I wish time would just slow down and take a chill pill. You know what I mean?

Well anyways: I'm excited for my birthday on Friday. It's going to be very enjoyable (<< lol, that's such a fun word.). :)

http://pinterest.com/pin/276766356/

xoxo!

(p.s Don't forget to enter my giveaway! Ends on Oct. 6th!)

le happy

2011-10-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

milk and cookies

birthdays (mine is in a week!)

frozen yogurt

The Hunger Games

drama class

the pokemon theme song (;

vintage journals

after school football games

the rain

weekends

sleep

baggy sweats

that feeling when you're ahead on your assignments for class

strawberries with powdered sugar

laughing with friends

Jesus Freak - by DC Talk

sleepy dogs

the market

the month of october

{linking up with Jocee @ The Cupcake Dictionary!}

xoxo!

(p.s. don't forget to enter my giveaway!)

triple giveaway time!

2011-09-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
It's time for a giveaway! :)

The first prize we have is a yellow, black and white classy headband, donated by the Janelle @ J.P Photography!

^^ This extremely cute handmade headband will go to one lucky winner! :O

The second prize is a beautiful 5x7 photography print from Kiley @ Click and Capture!

^^ Kiley's photos are gorgeous, and one lucky winner will get to choose one photo print from her shop! (:

And our third prize is a custom blog button donated by Megan @ Megan Kristine Designs!

^^ Megan's blog design is great, and one lucky winner will get a custom button for their blog, how great is that? :D

WANT TO ENTER?

Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

The winner will be announced on October 6th. If the winners don't respond in 48 hours, I will choose another one.

I will be using random.org, so it'll be fair. (:

REQUIRED ENTRY:

tell me what you love the most about autumn.

EXTRA ENTRY:

+follow Fish Flakes & have button or link on your blog

+follow Megan's blog

+follow Kiley's blog

+follow Janelle's blog

+blog, facebook, or tweet about this giveaway

good luck to you all! (:

this is a miscellaneous post.

2011-09-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

First off, my birthday. Yeah, it's in two weeks and I'm sort of freaking out. How did time slip away from me so fast?! It feels like I had my thirteenth birthday party just last month! How is this happening, why does time insist on moving so quickly?

I officially love autumn. I'm going to make it my favorite season. I love the weather, the leaves, that fresh-crisp air, the multicolored leaves, the rain, the wind, the colors. I love it all! My mom has already broke out all the fall decorations, so every time I enter the house I get in this kind of 'fall mood'. I can't exactly explain it, but it makes me feel warm and happy inside.

I have no clue what to be for Halloween. I thought about being a musketeer with two of my other friends last year... I also thought about being Finn from Adventure Time ( ilovethatshowalot <3 )... and that's about it. Any suggestions?

Guess what? Giveaway coming up soon. Be excited. :)

Every time I turn on my iPod to jam out to some music, Taylor Swift is constantly playing. I listen to it every morning, for at least an hour when I'm getting reading for school, and I listen to it sometimes before I go to bed. And I'm still not sick of Taylor Swift, even though all of her songs have been on replay since the beginning of September.

I just baked some chocolate chip cookies... yay! I'm finally getting into baking! Hopefully I can get into some harder recipes soon; anyone have a cookie or sweet treat recipe they'd like to share with me? -insert excited grin here-

I am very tired. I don't think I've recovered from that sleepover I had on Saturday. Yeah... I stayed up 'till six o'clock in the morning. I think we only got a couple hours of sleep before everyone started waking up. -__-

^^ Notice my new water mark?(:
xoxo lovelies!

about me (abc style)

2011-09-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

A. Age: Thirteen, almost fourteen.

B. Bed size: I have a twin bed!

C. Chore that you hate: I hate loading and unloading the dishwasher, along with actually cleaning the dishes.

D. Dogs: I have two dogs, we think Poppy is mental, no joke. And Teddy is normal, he just loves to bark and howl when he gets excited, which is like, all the time. I love them both so much!

E. Essential start to your day: Brushing my teeth and changing those horrid bands they make me wear.

F. Favorite Color: Robin eggs blue and a kind of soft yellow. :)

G. Gold or Silver? Gold, I guess. I only have one pair of 14 carrot gold earrings, and I think they're really pretty!

H. Height: Um, I don't check regularly, but the last time I did, I was 5' 1.

I. Instruments you play: I used to play the flute, but I stopped after sixth grade. I have bongos and I really want to learn how to play them.

J. Job title: Student. :)

K. Kids: When I get married I plan on having some!

L. Live: I live in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! (;

M. Mother's name: My mom's name is Karin. :)

N. Nicknames: Some people call me Hay or Hayhay, or sometimes even Hail (which drives me insane). But mostly they just call me Hayley. lol.

O. Overnight hospital stays: Yeah... I had some sort of weird stomach flu thing and went to the hospital at around 11 o'clock at night, and went home maybe around five or six. The doctors never did figure out what was wrong with me.... /:

P. Pet peeves: I hate when my brother bites down on his fork or spoon. Drives me CRAZY.

Q. Quote from a ~~movie~~ tv show: "If you love something, throw it away." - The misadventures of FlapJack. hahaha, I just came home from a birthday sleepover and my best friend and I stayed up until six o'clock in the morning watching Pokemon, The Misadventures of Flapjack, Adventure Time, and Barney ( yeah.. we're freaks :P ). When the character said that quote we started cracking up! :D

R. Right or Left handed: I'm a righty!

S. Siblings: I have one younger brother, Luke! I love him to death, no matter how annoying he gets.

T. Time you wake up: I wake up at 6:06 exactly in order to get ready and catch the bus in time. On the weekends I wake up at around eight-ish or nine-ish.

U. Underwear? : Um, yeah. I wear underwear. lol. /:

V. Vegetable you hate: I don't really like spinach much. I can eat it in my mom's strawberry-spinach-salad, as long as there are a ton of strawberries in there, cause that makes it taste better.

W. What makes you run late? : If I happen to miss the bus, its most likely because my hair took longer to curl/crimp/straighten than usual.

X. X-rays you've had: I don't know if I've had any. I think when I had that stomach flu thing I got a CAT. But I don't remember anything cause I had fallen asleep.

Y. Yummy food that you make: One of my goals is to start getting into baking and cooking. And once I do, I'll be posting my creations! :)

Z. Zoo Animal: I love the new little clouded leopard cubs living at our local zoo. They're adorable.

the dolphin bite

2011-09-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

Want to read a skit I wrote for my drama class? ... and yes, it actually did really well, my class got a big kick out of it! :)

_____________________

WARNING: This skit may confuse and/or alarm you.
*rawshminkled: badly hurt or injured [ and yes, i made that up :P ]

THE DOLPHIN BITE

Panic - Mary Ruth: Doctor! Doctor!

Calming - Doctor: Whatever isthe matter? You seem nervous and upset… as if someone you love and care aboutjust got badly *rawshminkled…

Urgent - Mary Ruth: Get me to room 207!

Questionable - Doctor: What do you mean?

Panic - Mary Ruth: What do YOU mean?!?? Justget me to room 207!

Calming - Doctor: Are you okay?

Urgent - Mary Ruth: OMG, my sister just got checked in herebecause she was bit by a dolphin!

Questioning - Doctor:What kind of dolphin?

Annoyed - MaryRuth: I don’t know!?BOTTLENOSE!?

Creepily - Doctor:The one at the aquarium petting zoo,named Gilbert. Correct?

Suspicious - MaryRuth: Um, yes. How didyou know that?

Offended - Doctor:Because I know things….

Annoyed - MaryRuth: UGH, JUST GET ME TOROOM 207!!

Statement - Doctor: As you wish….

(beat)

Confused - MaryRuth: Why aren’tyou moving?

DUHHH - Doctor: Because it’s April Foots dayand my fellow workers glued my feet to the floor.

Confused - MaryRuth: Is that some sort ofFoot Holiday or something…?

Statement - Doctor: Indeed it is.

Urgent and annoyed - MaryRuth: PLEASE get meto my sister!!

Statement - Doctor:What is her name?

Statement - MaryRuth: Roseanny T.Mugglebird.

Snobby - Doctor: What a pretty name… for a MUGGLE!

Offended - MaryRuth: HOW DARE YOU!!!!

(slaps doctor)

Hurtful - Doctor: My face!!!!!!

Angry - Mary Ruth: TAKE ME TO MY SISTER NOW!!!

Statement - Doctor:Okay fine, it’s the one with thedolphin bite, correct?

Urgent - MaryRuth: YES!!!!

(walks into room 207)

Worried - MaryRuth: ROSEANNY!!! ARE YOU ALRIGHT,DEAR SISTER?!

In a lot of pain but trying not to show it - Roseanny: Mary Ruth! I thought you’d never come. I amdoing just fine.

(Roseanny coughs)

Surprised - Roseanny: Oh dear, it seems as if I havejust coughed up blood. But it’s quite alright.....

Scared - MaryRuth: NO, it’s not! Oh Roseanny, I’m so sorry thishad to happen to you.

Suddenly - Doctor: THAT POOR CHUM!!!!

Annoyed and angry - MaryRuth: Get out of here doctor,you’ve delayed me from seeing her and now she is dying…

Urgent - Doctor:You don’t understand! This poorchum is turning into a dolphin!

Crazy - Roseanny: Nonsense, no dolphin of mine will everturn to a dolphin on a dolphin in a dolphin…. DOLPHIN.

(Mary Ruth begins crying)

Doomful - Doctor:Stage one is well over with… shecannot stop thinking about dolphins. Stage two is when she turns INTO adolphin.

Scared and Urgent - MaryRuth: Don’t just stand there! Helpher! She is dying!!

(Roseanny gurgles and slurresand wriggles around on the floor)

Dead serious - Doctor: In order to save her, we must findthe dolphin who bit her… and kill it.

Happy crazy *like laughing gas* Roseanny: DOLPHINS!DOLPHINS IN SOUP. DOLPHINS!

Hopeless - MaryRuth: We can’t possibly find thatsame dolphin in time and kill it!!

Serious - Doctor: Ohyes we can…. The dolphin is inside of….

(points down to Roseanny)

Panic - Mary Ruth: ROSEANNY!?

Honestly - Doctor:Indeed.

Demanding - MaryRuth: ROSEANNY! SPIT UP THATDOLPHIN THIS INSTANT!!

(Roseanny spits up)

Mysteriously - Roseanny: Hurray! I am saved from that evil torture-istotherwise known as Gilbert dolphin. The dolphin will for-never live inside ourhearts until the dawn of time for if it did, we are as dead as gold. If onlythe dolphin had not bitten me, we would all not have rallied up all thissplendid trouble. Stop crying dear sister. I am alive and well. Thank youDOCTOR.

_______________

the end :)

fall is beautiful

2011-09-16T20:04:00.000-07:00

Just last week was when I really started to notice that summer was turning into autumn.

My two friends and I were biking down this abandoned trail that we never see anyone walking on. We didn't know where it lead to, so we decided to be adventurers and find out. We biked a while under the canopy of evergreens, dodging all the rocks along the narrow path and those bugs that kept flying into our faces. We then came out onto a wide smooth paved path that is almost big enough to be a one-way street. We rode a while along that road, making sure not to hit a random bump or anything like that. As we were riding along I noticed the beautiful dead leaves littering the path. I can hear the crunch of leaves as we pedal over them. The trees are leaned over the path, in sort of an arc, that goes on for a while, like a tunnel. You can see pathes of sky, which sunlight shines through brightly, dappling the paved road ahead of us. It was all very magical to me; and I promised myself I would go out there and take a ton of photos, because it was just so beautiful.

That's when I first noted that fall was arriving.

Of course I had seen the leaves slowly begin to change color and fall to the ground, but I had just dismissed it and completely forgotten about it. For some reason, my brain kept telling me it was still summer.

via

I love fall. The colors; the crisp leaves; the fresh chilling air. Everything about it is beautiful.

One of my favorite things is when I'm walking along the road, or a path or something and you spot a perfectly crisp leave and you bound over to it and intentionally leap on it just to hear the brittle leave crunch beneath you. I absolutely love it. :)

mason jar love

2011-09-08T22:10:00.000-07:00

Guess whose grandma just gave her a bunch of mason jars?

Yup, that's right, it's me. :)

I was over at my grandma's house the other day and I suddenly hear from the kitchen, "Hayley, did you hear that? Grandma has a whole bunch of mason jars in the garage." -- and my eyes lit up.

I had forgotten about them by the time we were in the car driving home, but my dad says, "Hey, grandma has something for you in that bag." I immediately grab it. It was full of mason jars; but the two that really made my eyes pop were the two in the photo above. The extremely old ones. I absolutely love them. :)

I cleaned them out once I got a good shot of them, and they're so pretty. Such a beautiful blue color!

xoxo lovelies! have a wonderful weekend!