renee's ramblings

template giveaway!

I have hereby decided, that it is time for me to give away another template. But first, here are the rules of the game.

1. You can make whatever changes you want to to the template, but please do not take the original template credits off of the credits section.

2. In order to be entered, all you have to do is leave a comment! Anonymous comments will not be counted. You must leave a link to your HSB blog.

3. If you would like to be entered more than once, you can post about it on your blog, then leave another comment telling me you did so.

Those are the basics rules. Any questions? If so, please-- feel free to ask!

Now, this will be open for entrants until September 23, 2008. That gives you a whole MONTH to enter, folks! Here's the link to where the template is on display...

HTMLandStuff  

If no one enters, then this template will be sent to RecycledTemplates.

If you would like a custom template, please visit my main template blog, TemplateTIdbits.

Thanks!  

www.prolifeteenagers.com

Turn the music on my blog (at the bottom of the page) and take 30 seconds to watch this video. It really opens your eyes as to just how badly we need to make abortion illegal. A new generation is dying.

Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks....

Please go to www.prolifeteenagers.com and sign the petition. They have a goal of 10 million signatures, and I'm only the 60th. =(

--Renee-- 

Writing Challenge #1~Seasonal Poems

My assignment this week, was to write a poem about my favorite season. So without further stalling...

...These are a few of my favorite things (about this certain season)...

When Jack Frost bites your nose,

And you get frostbite on your toes--

That's my favorite time of year,

A time of joy, and a time of cheer.

A time of feasting,

and a time for laughing;

A time to wear layers,

Whether you want to or not.

This time of year is my favorite,

because here in Texas,

It's not too cold and it's not too hot. =)

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

Okay, so the last few lines didn't rhyme... But other than that, what did you think?

--Renee--

celebrating the life of "Dozer" Drews

Please, please lift up your prayers for the Drews family in Texas. Their 3year-old boy passed away unexpectedly this past week. Little Dozer went to be with in the arms of Jesus. I haven’t met Marshie personally, but I am sure she is a wonderful mother, and my heart is aching right now for her and her family. I can’t imagine what she is going through. Please pray for comfort for this family. Please pray for them. Just pray.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Father,

Please bless this family as they go through this hard time. Please keep your arms around them, and remind them that You're there. You're always there, You'll never fail them. I ask that we don't forget to include them in our daily prayers, Father. Thank you for everything.

In Your Son's name we can pray,

Amen.

HSMWT-- Homeschool Agendas

Where to start? To make this easier on you (and me), I'm just going to do my extra-curricular activities. I know this isn't quite an agenda, but it'll do, right?

MONDAY--

Flute, 8:30-9:00AM

School, 9:30AM-2:45PM

Drive to choir, 2:45-3:25PM

Choir, 3:30-4:55PM

Symphony, 4:55-6:30PM

Drive home, 6:45-?PM

TUESDAY--

Start school, 8:00-9:45AM

(the following happens during Tuesday School)

Art class, 10:30AM-12:00PM

Lunch, 12:00-12:45PM

Help with science 3/4--school, 12:45-2:00PM

Help with science 5/6--school, 2:30-3:45PM

(end Tuesday School)

Mom teaches piano, 5:30-7:30PM

WEDNESDAY--

School, 8:00AM--whenever-I'm-done

Dinner at church, 5:30PM

Youth group (8^/), 6:45-7:30PM

Worship, 7:30-8:00PM

Light meal/snack at church, 8:00PM-whenever

THURSDAY--

Start school, 8:00AM-12:00PM

Emma's choir/ I do school, 12:30-2:00PM

Mom teaches piano, 3:00PM-6:30PM?

FRIDAY--

(all happens at Friday School)

Pre-algebra with Mr. S., 8:30-10:20AM

Latin IA, 10:30-11:30AM?

Lunch break/school, 11:30AM--12:30PM

School, 12:30-1:30PM

Physical Science with Mrs A, 1:30-2:30PM

(end Friday School)

Rest/finish up school, 3:45-whenever

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

There you have it! We're hoping to throw in some horse lessons somewhere in there if budget allows, but still haven't found someone close enough. =(

Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom! I know it doesn't seem like much, but when you've gotta' drive 15-45 minutes to all of these places, it can get pretty hectic!

The Simple Woman's Daybook Day 1, 1 day late

Outside My Window... I see the neighbor's yard, which has a slide and a swing. =)

I am thinking... That I should probably do my Bible reading for the day.

I am thankful for... My family, who blesses me each day.

From the kitchen... I see a yard that I should offer to mow, but I don't know how. =(

I am wearing...A red shirt, with creamish shorts and brown shoes.

I am creating... in the process of creating the front of my sketchbook for art class

I am going... to church tomorrow, to begin the youth group.

I am reading... "The Cat of Bubastes" by G.A. Henty

I am hoping... That I'm doing this all right.

I am hearing... My mother teach piano lessons.

Around the house... is carpet.

One of my favorite things... horses.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:

Finishing up my schoolowork, and finishing up organizing my room.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

(enough said.)

HMWT-- All About Me!

     My name's Renee, and I'm in the 7th grade. Towering above all my friends at 5'8" I am the tallest girl in my Sunday School class, and I enjoy it. =) My hair is brown, and its length is below my ears, above my shoulders. I have brown (almost black) eyes and I've got braces.

     My family consists of dad--Scott, mom--Marie, sister--Emma, cat #1-- Precious, and cat #2-- Hershey. I thank the Lord for all of them, and for what they do for me. My cats crack me up and they even know how to climb the ladder! In fact, Hershey's sitting on the top right now. =)

     My family and I use Tapestry of Grace, and I am currently reading "The Cat of Bubastes". It is a good book so far, but not quite what I expected from G.A. Henty, but it's a good book!

     I keep up with two blogs, and am in partnership with one. I love it here on HSB, and blogging takes up a majority of my free time... Which I don't have much of, mostly because I'm completely engulfed in school, plus One Day Academy twice a week. I've got choir, flute, symphony, school, symphonic band, piano, and tons of other random stuff. =oP Oh well, we manage. =)

      Some of my other hobbies include reading, crocheting (though I don't do it much anymore...), fiddling around on the piano & flute, drawing, working on improving my HTML skills, making templates, etc....

      ... What else? I guess that's just about it... All that I'm allowed to share with y'all, anyway. *evil laugh*

Just Henry

     I am StoryGirl's new partner-in-crime, er... sidekick. hehe... Here's the first story I wrote, there's a description of my new "segment" of her blog at the bottom. =)

    “Henry, please come here!” Momma called.
    “Yes, Momma?” Henry answered, wondering if he was in trouble.
    “Henry, what did I tell you about bringing snakes into the house?” his mother said in an irritated tone.
    “Don’t bring any snakes in the house, especially the ones with rattles.” replied Henry in a downcast tone.
    “Well… This looks like a snake to me, and it sounds like it’s rattling!”
    “But Momma-!”
    “No ‘buts’! To your room immediately, young man.”
    “Yes, ma’am.” As Henry stomped up the stairs he began to think of what he’d done. He wondered if he should feel sorry for the snake, or sorry for brining it in the house. He opted to feel sorry for bringing it in the house, in fear of further frustrating his momma. "She may be my momma, but she can’t keep me from helping out the things God’s created," Henry thought, while he was holding back his tears. Once he got to his room, though, he couldn’t hold them back any longer. He broke down.
    "They make it so clear—they don’t love me, they think I’m just a nuisance… I’m not going to stay here if they don’t want me. That’s it! I’m gonna’ run away! That’s a great idea! Then I can open up a veterinary clinic and help all the animals," he thought. That’s exactly what he did. He ran away from home. Lots of children have ideas to do such a thing, but most of them don’t ever do it.
    But Henry did. His parents wept when they read the note he left behind… it read the following - "Momma and Pa, I have decided to run away, and I don’t believe I’ll be coming back anytime soon. You can chase after me if you want, but you won’t find me. I’ve run far, far away. I left at midnight, when y’all were asleep. I believe that y’all are glad I’m gone. Y’all didn’t want me or my slimy, slithery friends… especially the ones that have a musical instrument built-into their tails. Bye-bye… forever, --Henry ".
    They immediately sent out a search party, but had no luck for a week. What Henry was doing for that week is rather surprising! "Alright, I’m gonna’ need an axe, a hammer, some nails and screws, and a screwdriver…" he said to himself. He went down to the local hardware store’s dumpster and found an axe, a hammer, some nails and screws, and a screwdriver that the store had discarded. Now all he needed was some help…
    But who was gonna’ help a kid who had run away from his family? Then one day, he found someone. It was a gentleman, who was sitting on the side of the road. Henry walked up to the man and started a friendly conversation, like you would have with one of your old pals.
    “Hello, old sir!” Henry said with a smile.
    “Well hello, young sir!” The gentleman said as he laughed.
    “How are you today?” said Henry to the gentleman.
    “I’m doing just fine.” he said in reply. “Might I interest you in some employment?”
    “How much does it pay?” “Hmm… That all depends on how long it takes…”
    “Why, whatever do you mean?” the man said curiously.
    “I’m going to open a veterinary clinic, and I need somebody to help me build the building. Would you be willing to help?” Henry asked.
    “Well, sure! I got nothin’ better to do!” cried the old man.
    “Great! Follow me!” So the Henry and the gentleman set off to the site that Henry had been clearing.
    “Here she is!” Henry said, beaming.
    “Son, you don’t have a foundation laid or nothin’!” the old man cried in a tone of dispair.
    “A… foundation?” Henry asked , shakily.
    “Yes, son," replied the old man. "If you don’t got a proper foundation, your building’s gonna’ shake and rattle whenever a heavy wind comes ‘round!”
    “Oh… Well, we can chop down some trees real quick, come on!” said Henry as he scurried to get the axe.
    “No, son, you gotta’ use concrete. By the way, where’d you get such a nice axe, anyway?”
    “I found it in an alley behind the local hardware store.”
    “You do know that’s considered stealin’, right son?” asked the old man.
    “No, it was in the alley, by the trash can," Henry said. "So I figured they didn’t want it anymore! That’s where I found the hammer and the nails and screws! Did I steal those, too?”
    “Look, boy," said the old man, in a softer tone, "I don’t know where you come from and I don’t know your name, but you’re a thief. Where are your parents?”
    “Back home,” Henry replied, looking at the ground as he spoke.
    “What do you mean, ‘back home’?”  asked the old man. Henry explained the whole story to the gentleman and here’s what their verdict was… “First off, you need to go return those things to where you found them. Second, you need to go back home. I bet your parents are worried sick about you!”
    “No, sir, they’re not. They don’t like me,” Henry said.
    “Oh, son, what makes you say that?”  cried the gentleman.
    “They don’t let me take my snakes in the house,' Henry replied, trying not to sound like he was going to cry.
    “Son, that’s just for your safety!" the old gentleman said in  soft tone, as he took Henry into his arms.  "They want what’s best for you. All they want is for you to have fun—and stay safe at the same time.”
    “Alright, sir," Henry said, wiping his eyes. "I’ll go home and ask ‘em if they missed me.”
    “Good for you," the old gentleman said. "By the way," he added as Henry walked down the street,  "what’s your name?”
    “Henry,” Henry replied. 
    “Just Henry?” the old gentleman said, eying him curiously. 
    “No, but that’s what I like to be called," Henry said. "Just Henry.”
    After leaving the old gentleman, Henry returned the stuff to the hardware store. The he went home. It turned out that his parents did miss him, and that they only wanted what was best for him.
    "Guess that old man was right…" Henry told himself as he lay in bed that night. "I wonder what his name is…?" and he drifted off to sleep with the question still ringing in his mind.

Now, I have decided to do a little thing on here for each week. If anyone has a picture they think is neat or a picture of something they saw, please send it to me, and I will make a story out of it. If you have an incident that happened in your life, tell Rachel what it is! She will write a story based on that. Does that sound ok? Please... send 'em in! You can go to Rachel's blog and leave her a comment telling her you have an incident that happened to you or a friend and ask her how you want her to contact her. (her blog is linked above.)

I'm looking forward to your pictures, and I'm sure Rachel's looking forward to your incidents!

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

TemplateTidbits hasn't had very good business, so I thought I'd do a little advertising. *evil laugh* Don't worry, I'm just gonna' put up the bloggy button I made for it, and tell you it's got a new look. =)

days 5-6; August 5th & 6th

Have you missed any of my previous posts about our *journey* to Colorado? If so, please see the links below...

day 1-- August 1, 2008

 day 2-- August 2, 2008

day 3-- August 3, 2008

day 4--August 4, 2008

   Yesterday, we went horseback riding through The Garden of the Gods! It was so much fun, but now I have two bruises on my inner thighs. =P

     I rode a horse named, "Strawberry", my sister's was called, "Li'l Bit", and my dad's was, "Dreamer"... ;)

(Strawberry and Me)    

     We rode two hours through the GOTG, and then headed back to the stables. My mom drove us around GOTG, and then we headed over to lunch. We ate lunch at a restaurant called, "Pancake and Steak" and I got a burger. ;)

     After that, we went over to a *spooky voice* ghost town *evil laugh*...

(it says...

"The Horse and Buggy Days"

-Horse Weights-

Carried in buggies to drop on the ground and tie the reins to when leaving the horse *insert word here*)

^^General Store^^

(hehe... it looks kinda' like my room! I'm just kiddin'...!!)

^^General Store^^

^^General Store^^

^^Blacksmith sharpening an axe^^

^^Jail Sign^^

^^Convict^^

^^Printing Press^^

^^Desk in the Newspaper Office^^

^^Desk Containing Type Sets^^

^^Barber Shop^^

^^Drug Store^^

^^Mom and Emma with Old Buggy^^

^^Bank^^

     I have lots more pictures, but I don't really wanna' fill this whole post with pictures and make this page a mile long!

     After all of the touring around, we stopped by a local grocery store and picked up part of our hearty dinner of Hot Pockets and leftover pizza. =P

  :::::::DAY 6-- AUGUST 6th::::::

     The very first thing we did this morning , was go visit the Indian Cliff Dwellings!

^^My mom with the ti-pi^^

^^my sister and I in front of the Indian cliff dwellings^^

PLEASE NOTE: that these Indian Cliff Dwellings are NOT originals, they were reconstructed.

^my sister and I on the balcony^^

^^we got to climb in and around the Cliff Dwellings!^^

Then we got to watch the Indian Dancers!

^^the father^^

^^two sons^^

^^eldest son^^

^^pay attention to his shadow, it's supposed to look like an eagle^^

    We also went to a gold mine that was 1.000 feet underground! How did we get 1,000' under the ground? An elevator. The elevator of death, as I call it. They shoved 8 people into a (at max!) 3ftx3ft elevator. We were packed in there like sardines! Three grown men, one grown woman, and 4 kids. All shoved into that space for 2 1/2 minutes. Ugh! But once we got down, it was super fun!

     About halfway through, we took a little ride on this little train. Its brakes were a pile of rocks at the end of the track. =P

   And that's the only *good* picture I've got from the mine. But if you'd like, you can visit the website:

http://www.goldminetours.com/

   It has the history of the tour, some photos, and much, MUCH more! It's a neat little site... ;)

That's what's been going on in the past few days, I'll post about today's adventures tomorrow sometime.

day 4--August 4, 2008

   Have you missed any of my previous posts about our *journey* to Colorado? If so, please see the links below...

day 1-- August 1, 2008

 day 2-- August 2, 2008

day 3-- August 3, 2008

     I forgot to write this yesterday, so I'm just gonna' write it now. =)

     Yesterday, we went to three different stops. The first one was the Air Force Academy...

     It was very... interesting. After we looked around the gift shop for a little while, we headed up (and sometimes down ;) a little trail...

     ... that led to the chapel...

(you can see how massive it is thanks to the people exiting the chapel. =0)

     I don't know why, but for some reason I found the inside spooky.

     I didn't like it... all except for the organ. =)

     Then we visited the Catholic temple...

(we only got pictures of the windows... Sorry!)

     Then the Jewish one...

      They also had a two-hundred year old Torah (the first five books of the Bible)...

      Then the Buddhist one...

     I did not wanna' go into the Jewish temple, but reminded myself that Jesus was Jewish. And I didn't wanna' go into the Buddhist temple either, because I thought it was wrong to have a Buddhist temple and a Protestant one in the same building. Silly, I know, but, again, I reminded myself that the Buddhist people are lost, and that we need to pray for them. =)

     After the AFA, we went over to Focus on the Family! ( http://www.focusonthefamily.com ) First off, we visited the slide...

(my picture didn't turn out well, you just see my knee and my hair. =)

     ...then ate some lunch, and then we walked around Whit's End, and took a few pictures...

     ...after that, we visited the gift shop and went home. The very last thing on our agenda, was to take the cog up to Pike's Peak. It was very fun, and it lasted over 3 hours!

(I caught my sister when she was doing something to my dad. She was havin' a good time. =)

Pictures we (I ;) took...

(the sign says, "WINDY POINT/ELEVATION 12, 129")

(believe it or not, this building is completely level)

It says... "Commemorating the Contennial of the Country's Favorite Anthem...

"America the Beautiful"

Katherine Lee Hates conceived the words on July 22, 1893, in Colorado Springs after visiting Pike's Peak that day. She was inspired by the majestic background of the Rocky Mountains and the vast western plains spreadin below the 14,110 foot summit.

This one says...

O beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain.

For purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

from sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet

Whose stern impassioned stress

A thoroughfare of freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America!

God mend thine every flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law!

(of course, the one time you get an "okay" picture of me, Emma's making an awful face. ;)

(caught dad by surprise on this one!)

That's it!

day 3

    Have you missed any of my previous posts about our *journey* to Colorado? If so, please see the links below...

day 1-- August 1, 2008

 day 2-- August 2, 2008

      I am writing from the state of New Mexico!

(sorry I'm not in the picture, I was taking it. I don't know why the sign looks crooked... =P)

     It feels very weird having an extra hour added to our day, but, on the bright side, I get to stay up an hour later tonight! =D

     I miss my home state of Texas, but  ost of all, I miss my cats. My friend, Micah (10), is visiting them every other day to feed them, give them water, and change the litter. =) (thanks, Micah!)

     We just drove by some dinos made of concrete! =) Sorry...

     Less than an hour left 'til we get to Colorado! 

----------

     The land of New Mexico is so hilly and mesa-eey... but it's so beautiful-- feed lot! Of course... the wind is blowing --> that way, so that's a blessing-- whoa, I smell it now! Okay... the thrill is all over and we can get back to important matters...

----------

     Here are a few scenic photos...

(I took this one after climing up the trail on the side of the volcano!)

----------

     We visited the volcano, Capulin, and it was a-MAZING! We climbed a trail...

     ...to the highest point and looked down to the center...

     ... and we looked across to the rim...

     .. and then climbed back down. =) The volcano was nothing like what you see on cartoons. It had trees and it wasn't all smoky like. At least not when we were there.=) But it's a dorment volcano: meaning it's *sleeping*. 

We're in Colorado!

...and my ears just popped.

day 2-- August 2, 2008

Did you miss any part of *the journey* so far? If so, please click on the below to read the first part. =)

day 1-- August 1, 2008

     It's 12:30PM, August 2 and we're on our way to a Mexican food restaurant for lunch. We just finished *socializing* with my Aunt and uncle after that wonderful breakfast that I was looking forward to. =)

     There was bacon, eggs, pancakes, fruit (cantaloupe and strawberries), with milk, water, orange juice or coffee to drink-- I had OJ.  ; )

     My sister was able to go today to my Aunt and uncle's house. My cousing Sam was very happy. =) Now, let me clear something up...

Na-Na and Grandpa Steve had Aunt Martha Jo and and my dad--

Aunt Marth Jo married Uncle Robbie and they had two children--cousin Sarah and cousin Clint.

Cousin Sarah married a man named Tim and they're in the process of adopting.

Cousin Clint married a lady name Kristin and they had three kids; Sam (7 1/2), Reed and Riley (41/2--twins).

Sam, Reed and Riley are my cousins and Aunt MJ and Uncle R are their grandparents.

     Understand? So... Sam is our "cousin once removed" and he LOVES Star Wars! My Aunt and Uncle have Tivo or somethin' where they can pause live television, fast-forward, rewind, etc... There were these 3 Star Wars commercials all in a row and he kept rewinding back to the beginning of the first one, watching all three of them and doing that over, and over, and over, and over. =) It was so cute. =0)

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

     We're on our way to the pool! Lunch was great, I orderd sour cream chicken enchiladas with a side of rice and beans. It was very good! Three stars, I'd say. ; )

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

     Ah, it felt so good to hop in that pool... Though I only swam for 15 minutes or so... =}

     Once we were done changing, we played with my cousin's action figures and we (I, mostly...) invented a little "drama" with them. Once Sam's parents arrived with his brothers (Reed and Riley, the twins-- I couldn't tell them apart except for their pants. =) Riley was in gray and Reed was in red.), we put on 3 productions of this new drama. =) It was quite funny...

     After we played some more, and a little more, it was time for us to return to the motel. It was a bitter-sweet goodbye, since we only get to see them every once in a while. =(

     One of the twins gave Emma a hug, but he didn't give me one. =( But I got about 3 from Sam. ;) Of course, I was in Sam's *presence* longer than I was in the twins'. Ah well... We might get to see them again on Friday on our way back.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Now for some *extra* things. =)

    Have any of you done those puzzles where there are only nine peices, but it's SO hard? Well... I did four today! ;) They were very fun and my Aunt said I was the first person she knew of who could actually do one... Much less four! But I decided to only post a picture of one. =)

(sorry it's not the best picture... but I think you get the idea.)

     And I decided that it's finally time you saw what I look like. (this one's for you Sarah (desi) so you can see my new hairctu! ;) Trust me, she cut ALOT of hair.)

(not the best picture... I have a cookie in my hand with a million sweets in front of me... ;)

And here are a few pictures of my sister and the cousins. =)

(I don't know if you can see it or not, but Sam is making a really funny face!)

Now some random pictures...

Grillin' up the burgers!

Goldie, the dog. They had another one, but I can't find the picture. =( She looked like an overgrown dachshund, though. But she was so beautiuful!

(back row, left to right-- Sam, cousin-by-marriage Kristin, cousin Clint. Front row-- Reed and Riley.)

Adios, amigos! Stay tuned for more updates! By the way, I'm posting from Colorado. =)

day 1-- August 1, 2008

     It's 3:12 PM, Friday the 1, and it's been an exciting day so far! My sister wasn't feeling well when we first started off, & has only eaten a bite of bread since 10:00AM. Trust me, we've got food, but her tummy can't handle it. =(

     My sister was doin' fine, just sitting there while she watched, "Finding Nemo" on my mom's laptop.

     Then... she *burst* (I'll try to make this as UN-gross as possible =} ) The contents of her tummy flew all over the back seat... and all over me. =( Of course... it also landed on my mom's laptop, poor Dory... It was one of those times when you start wishin' your car had a leather interior. =P My sister and I had to change our clothes after we had gotten cleaned up.

     Worst part is... we didn't have ANY wipes! So we had to use water and paper towels to clean ourselves up. We stopped at a gas station about five minutes after the accident and we purchased 20 Ziploc bags. Thanks Heavens for Ziploc! So far she's used two. I'm assuming you know WHAT she used them for, so I won't go into any details. *applause* =D now, noto more pleasant matters...

     Well, we've passed aout a ba-JILLION windmills. Here are a few pictures...

(sorry they're not very high quality, I was in the car when I took them.)

(They looked like an army...)

(haha, look! It's a windmill family!)

(Where's David? He needs to get out here and fight Goliath!)

     I told my mom, "Hey mom, you know how in compter games they have those weird settings where the game takes place? This could be one of those places."

*--*--*--*

Alright, well, the original plan was to stay at my Aunt & Uncle's house but since Emma's not feeling well, we have to spend the night at the hotel instead. This is turning out to be quite the vacation!

*--*--*--*

EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Rising gas prices have Americams on the edge of their seats! i mean--this is crazy!

*--*--*--*

     Well, it's 9:52 PM & I just got finished brushing my teeth. Emma's still not feeling well, but she managed to stomach some Jello-O and some homemeade mashed potatoes (provided by my Aunt!) while my dad and I were at my Aunt and uncle's house. 

     Speaking of which...

     By gosh, the meal my Aunt prepared for us was a-MAZING! Roast beef-- cooked to the perfect tenderness, green beans with a buttery flavor =),  mashed potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, rolls, gravy, salad, and ice cream with cookies/brownies for dessert!

     I'm looking forward to tomorrow's breakfast!

Happy birthday, Melanie!

Melanie's 16!

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday, dear Mellie!

Happy birthday to you!

And many more...

___________________________

Hello, Mellie! Welcome to your birthday party! Here's your chef for the day...

Even though he's got no thumbs, he makes delactible (sp?) food!

Wrong slide!

That's better...

__________________________

Now that y'all are *almost* full, onto the cake!

I told the chef that your favorite food was watermelon, so he made a watermelon out of strawberry cake! I believe the seeds are chocolate chips. =)

______________________________

Now, for the gifts! Your sister and I have been PMing each other, and she asked me to make you one of these, but I made two so you'd get a choie. =)

You can use whichever one you'd like (or both), or none at all-- it's your decision.

If you'd like to get Melanie a birthday gift, please leave a comment telling me what you'd like to give her. I'll find a picture and add it to this post. =)

Thanks for joining me! Adios!

a few prayer requests...

First off, my dad's "catalytic converter" went out. The part alone is $1200,  $500 to install.

the joys and woes of bedroom renovation...

For the past few weeks, we've been renovating my room. After selling all of my furniture at the garage sale, I spackled my walls and we were ready to paint the next day. We painted it a lovely blissful blue...

Due to individual computer monitor limitations, colors seen here may not accurately reflect Sherwin-Williams paint colors.

Then, we assembled the dresser...

You're probably wondering where the bottom drawer is, correct? Well, we got three of the wrong kind of screws, so we couldn't put the track on the other side of the drawer... But we went and got 'em today, so I'll have six drawers by tomorrow! Yay!

After that, my dad and I assembled my desk...

(sorry it's blurry! and please note, the laptop's not mine, it's my mom's-- I just put it there to make my desk loook more "complete".)

Then, we assembled my bed! Personally, this is my favorite part...

ta-dah!! It's a loft bed-- therefore saving space in my teeny-tiny room!!

And now, for a close-up on the wall color with the bedspread...

I think we did a pretty good job!

One last thing... I made this light switch at my birthday party to match my room. I finally got to put it up!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

ta-dah! ... again! I like it very much! Too bad I only got to make one... =)

Yep... that's what we've been up to! Along with rearanging (sp?) my sister's room. She gets new furniture when she's 12 1/2, don't worry. :)

I also had the opportunity to make a bag, recently. All by myself! It's one of the first things i've actually sewn by myself.

The inside...

A close-up on the handle...

So.. we've been really busy over the past few weeks, and tomorrow I'm going to camp. =)

Adios!

Of Beauties and Beasties... &^}

On Saturday (July 19) we went to a local park to see a production of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast", which was wonderfully presented! I have decided to share with you the story outline and my thoughts. I edited this post on the 22nd at 4:10pm Central Time!

Pros:

- Everyone had such beautiful voices, and they delivered their lines so well!

- There were redeeming characters (Belle and the Beast in particular) that grew as the musical went by.

- It was very funny and enjoyable! (see the very bottom of this post for some funny quotes. =D

- The costumes... Oh, the costumes... They were so wonderfully done! The beast actually looked like a beast, and Cogsworth's, Lumiere's, Chip's, and Mrs. Potts' costumes, along with all of ther others' looked so real! =)

- I think the people that cast the characters did a wonderful job, because over 200 people auditioned!

The Dreaded Cons: (dun-dun-dun, dun!)

- This show cost them $200,000 to put on!!! Aye!!

- There was some mushy stuff that kinda' grossed me out... But it wasn't too bad. &^}

- I can't really think of anything else!

- Oh, I got one-- it was packed, so packed! The theater is located on a hillside, with the stage at the bottom of the hill. It's a beautiful stage, but you get ants in your pants and bees in your food. =(

(everything in this post that is in the smaller font was copied from the park website, and everything in the smaller font was written by moi. =) 

Disney's lavish stage musical about a strong-willed yet kind-hearted and misunderstood young woman, Belle, who breaks the spell that turned a handsome prince into a monstrous beast.

After warding off the affections of the local village's pompous hunter, Gaston, Belle sets out to save her beloved (but eccentric) inventor father who got lost in the forest. After finding her father imprisoned by the Beast in his enchanted castle, Belle agrees to become his prisoner forever in order for her father to be released.

Once inside the Beast's enchanted castle, the members of his court -- who have been transformed into household objects like clocks and candlesticks -- decide to play matchmakers to try to break the spell.

As the Beast begins to fall in love with Belle, he becomes progressively less beastly. But the spell can only be broken if the Beast can get Belle to love him in return. And time is running out.

Beauty......and the... ...Beast

Molly W. as "Belle" and Dan S. as "Beast"

Leslie H. as "Lumiere" and Scott S. as "Cogsworth"

Mick D. as "Maurice"

Blake Y. as "Gaston" with Kathleen F., Claire M., and Karen O. as the "Silly Girls"

Laure P. as "Mrs. Potts" and Ben C. as "Chip"

Emily B. as "Madame de la Grande Bouche" and Leslie H. as "Babette"

These are the "major" characters-- last names left out. =)

Overall, it was a wonderful musical! It was even better than the movie! =D Of course, it always is! Here are some of my favorite quotes:

Belle: Will you dance with me?

Beast: Well, I don't know if that's such a good--

Cogsworth: (interrupting Beast) DANCE WITH HER!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chip: (after he's been changed back into a boy) Momma, do I still have to sleep in the cupboard?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gaston: How do you read this? There's no pictures!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(these probably aren't the EXACT quotes, for I can't remember very well.... =P)

i should be doing something more productive... like... cleaning my room... =D

Okay, guys, I promise a real post is coming soon, but first we have to get the bed built. =D

1. Do you like blue cheese? No, but one time Sarah's dad tricked us into eating it. And we ate it... What? He said it was ice cream!

  
2. Have you ever smoked heroin? No, and I don't see it happening in the near--or far, for that matter-- future. At all. 

3. Do you own a gun? Does a water gun count?

4. What flavour do you add to your drink at Sonic? ice cream-- to my Coke. ;)

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Should that be "doctor's appointments"? Oh, uh... What kind of doctor's appointment?

6. What do you think of hot dogs? My favorite! Especially with chili and ketchup on top. =D 

7. Favorite Christmas Song? Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Chocolate milk. =)

9. Can you do push ups? Yes, but usually I *cheat* by only doing them about an inch down. &}

10. Are you a great friend to all? No.. Some people I can't stand...  

11. What's your favourite piece of jewelry? My "EST ENDS" necklace that matches with Sarah's "B FRI" necklace.

12. Favorite hobby? I've got lots! But you can just read the "Interests" section of my profile.

13. Do you work with people who idolize you? Um... Well... it's hard to say, 'cause I don't have a job, and I don't know what "idolize" means.

14. Do you have A.D.D.? Not really... Actually, not at all! I just have trouble con-- I never noticed the little parrots on the top of the computer!

15. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? The way I hunch over all the time and never stand up straight. 

16. Middle name? Renee. No, really, and that's what people call me!

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: What's for dinner? I'm starved. I wonder when dad and Mr. D will be done installing the new toilet... (and last but not least) *in a whiny voice* When can we get my bed put together? Whaa! ;)

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday: How 'bout things I bought today? A bed, a dresser, and a desk. =D 

19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink: Milk, Milk, and water.

20. Current worry right now?That I'm gonna' accidentally close this window and lose everything I've typed up!

21. Current hate right now? Let's see... AAH! A SPIDER! That spider. Blech.

22. Favorite place to be? On a horse.

23. How did you bring in the New Year? We were playing our friend's Wii... hehe...

24. Where would you like to go? Narnia, or at least to the set of Narnia, or maybe to a dude ranch, or maybe... RENEE! Get a hold of yourself!

25. Name three people who will complete this: I, D, K!

26. Whose answer do you want to read the most? Bob's?

27 What color shirt are you wearing? Blue, with a big Superman symbol with a J instead of an "S" that says Heroes Camp underneath it with HHBC Summer 1008 at the top.

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Satin sheets? Why don't you just use cotton?

29. Can you whistle? Yes, just not very well.
30. Favorite color(s)? Sky blue, sage green, sunny yellow, coral, and navy.

31. Would you be a pirate? Absolutely! I had an opportunity last year, but I didn't take it up... 

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? Why do you want to know so much about my personal life? 

33. Favorite girl's names? Malory Anne, Esther Nicole, and Amelia Marie.

34. Favorite boy's names? I have no idea. Matt? Noah? Isaac?

35. What's in your pocket right now? Let's see...A crochet hook, I know, it's not very safe... A "Help us improve!" brochure from IKEA®, a small pencil... and some lint. =D 

36. Last thing that made you laugh? Laugh? That question. No, wait, my answer!

37. Best bed sheets as a child? Again with the personal questions! No, it's okay, I don't know!

38. Worst injury you've ever had? Gee... When my cat scratched me? I don't know...

39. Do you love where you live? Yeah, but i wish it was in the country!

40. How many TVs do you have in your house? Two.

41. Who is your loudest friend? More like friendS Katie, Rachel, and Vicki, but they're all so SWEET! 

42. How many dogs do you have? None. =(

43. Does someone have a crush on you? That's their probolem. ;)

45. What is your favourite book? "A Series of Unfortunate Events" book 13.

46. What is your favourite candy? Life Savers gummies. Yum... If you shove, like, 8 in your mouth at once and then suck on 'em it tastes REALLY good. *anyways!*

47. What is your favourite sports team? I can't tell you, 'cause that would give away my location.

48. What song do you want played at your funeral? I don't really care, because I'll be dead.

49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Sleeping, I think...

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Precious. She's so... Precious!

She's Ba-ack!

"Who's back?" you ask? Jennifer from templates4Him! She's decided to reopen her template-making business, as have I, but... Alas, she has no clients! If you'd like a custom template made, just leave her a comment with the following questions answered:

What is your theme?

Whatt are the colors (I need at least 2, and at most the 4)?
What pictures do you want (I can usually find some if you want them)?
Do you want icons in your background?
Do I need to save anything on sidebar?
Anything else???

She's a super-sweet girl and makes wonderful templates! Please stop by if you're in need of one, or else she might close again.

yes, another entry!

For those of you who are on my mailing list, I'm so sorry for cluttering your inbox...

*this was copied from TemplateTidbits-- my template blog* 

As some of you may know, I was pondering whether I should close TemplateTidbits or not. I put up a poll to see what the majority of my readers thought, and here are the results:

No, please don't!= 32%, 7 votes

It's up to you...= 55%, 12 votes

I don't really care.= 9%, 2 votes

Yes, but finish my template first.=0%, 0 votes

Yes.= 5%, 1 vote

There you have it. But I didn't base my decision on that poll. The poll was just for me to see what others thought. Without further ado, I will tell you my decision! *crowd cheers*

I will not be closing TemplateTidbits permanently or temporarily, but will have some rules regarding templates.

1.  No movie themed templates,

2. I will only be working on 2 templates at a time,

& 3. Please understand that I'm going to be extremely busy this coming year and won't be able to get your template done as quickly as I could. Those who have been through 7th grade probably know how I feel. ;-)

momtoplhni, ReadsAlot92, & Scooter, I haven't heard from y'all in a while, do y'all still want templates? IMPORTANT! If I do not hear from y'all in the next week, I will disregard your order, because I need those spots to make templates for others who want them.

There you have it, my final decision...