COOL Grandparents.

Tonight we had Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Lynn and Uncle Doug over for a little Christmas dinner.

Grandma wanted to checkout the blogs and Aunt Lynn suggested we watch Derek and Jamee's elf yourself video- Grandma got a kick out of that. She wanted her and Grandpa to have an elf yourself made with them in it. We took the picture for it tonight and I got it onto elf yourself.
All of us had a great time laughing at their silly moves. We watched all of the possibilities for the style of video country, classic, singing, hip-hop, and one other I don't remember... but we came to the conclusion that this one was the best. Make sure your speakers are on for the full effect.

Look at post below this to see the video.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Christmas Music, Traditions, and Shopping

I cannot believe there's only twelve days until Christmas! Usually, by this time, I think I'd be done making or shopping for gifts. This year, I'm just a little behind... I've barely started. I hope to change that tomorrow, we're going shopping. :)

What's your favorite Christmas tradition? One of my favorites is driving around on Christmas Eve with my family, looking at Christmas lights, drinking hot Chocolate, and eating cookies.

I love Christmas music, I enjoy relaxing songs like O Holy Night, The Christmas Shoes, Winter Wonderland, and a song by Point of Grace called Let There Be Light. Mannheim steamroller and Go Fish have fun Christmas albums that get me in the Christmas mood. I like to read while I listen to piano Christmas music. What are your favorite Christmas songs and artists? I'd like to hear about them!

Spinning.........

I mentioned in the last post that I picked up another hobby, and that is spinning! At Osborn in one of the buildings/house there is a room where some ladies spin and some knit. One of the spinners asked me if I wanted to do it, and I said yes (of course!). I liked doing it, and she said she would sell me the roving (the fluffy wool rolled into a ball), and she knew one of the booths on the grounds sold handmade drop spindles. I ended up buying both, and got started in the car. It's a good car activity-keeps your hands busy! they have get some pictures of spinning up. This is what I have done so far, it takes practice to get a good consistency and do it fast. I'm trying! I can't wait to knit or crochet with my home-spun yarn! I think it's gonna be a while though... hopefully not. :)
It takes practice! Notice the drop spindle; suspended in mid-air.
The big fluffy material is wool. SO soft before you spin it, and after, not so much. The wool in that state is called roving. I would love to get fun, dyed roving for Christmas, or my birthday next year!
I found this quote on a website while I was trying to figure out the name roving on google, and thought it was pretty encouraging, cause today I probably dropped it the most! says:

“…and the spindle falls, don’t be discouraged. Just pick it up and try again. Many people will tell you that it is called a drop spindle because it just dropped. Take your time and practice, you will get it with time. It only looks easy after you have learned how. It just takes a few minuets to learn how to spin; it takes a lifetime to perfect the skill.”

-Kathryn of the Hills (whoever/whatever that is....) ;)

Osborn and Backbone Trip '09

Well, somehow my photos are in reverse order of what I wanted to have them... the one above was supposed to be the last one. Oh well, I guess we'll go backwards through the day today. This is at Backbone park, I like the unusual color of the water! Beautiful scenery.


I got to bring Olivia along this trip-she had never been to Backbone (that she can remember). It was a fun experience climbing the backbone (pictured above), and doing a bit more climbing than I remember doing when I was younger... :) A playground for big kids?? I guess you have to be more careful than a park, but still very fun! An enjoyable afternoon outside, getting fresh cool air, looking at lovely scenery, with friends and family.


After we were done at Osborn we stopped for a lunch-ish/snack at Joe's Pizza. It's a joint that really reminded me of a small town LITTLE restaurant... which it was-it's in Strawberry Point. It was somewhat run down but also, "quaint"? Our groups of families (Deeds, Wheelers, Schicks, Kennens, Halls, and us) basically filled the place. Good times with good friends.

Osborne Heritage Days was yummy, interesting, COLD (maybe freezing-literally). I learned a new crafty hobby thing-spinning. I hope it'll be fun enough for me to do it, and the yarn turn out well enough for me to keep at it. I now can at least begin to make my own yarn, I don't know all of the steps to making yarn, but I'm hoping to learn them! I have a drop spin spinner, and non-dyed wool I got at Osborn today. I spun on the ride home, and it's challenging to get it just the right width not to thick and don't let the wool break, etc. I'm looking forward to seeing how the yarn turns out! I'll try to get pictures of it on my blog soon. :D

Christmas- Homemade Gift Ideas?

I am wondering what are some favorite homemade Christmas presents that you have given or received in the past. Or do you have some great ideas for this year's Christmas presents? I'd love to hear about those too!

I like to make my gifts because it's more meaningful to me. Plus I think it's more fun that way to do the crafts yourself- sew, knit, crochet, paper crafts, etc.

Looking forward to getting started on making presents. :p All ready!

Please comment, and leave your ideas for homemade gifts.

We're playin' Voll-ey-ballllll, we're playin' voll-ey-ball!

I've really enjoyed this year's volleyball season with the Waterloo Christian Regents. Our coach is trying to emphasize not only to play your best volleyball game, but to be bright light and have a great attitude even when we loose. I want to see when I get to heaven, what impact we're making on the spectators and the players, by encouraging one another and picking each other up, and smiling-no matter what.

It seems to be a ministry opportunity for us when we play games. At home games we give the visiting team our girls locker room, and a fruit basket. I hope the teams we play will see something different about our team on and off the court.

I love playing with you girls! Thanks for making this season a great one. We won a game for the first time in about 2 years it was a lot of fun, but winning and losing doesn't matter as much as the impact we're allowed to have on others' lives even if it small, through volleyball.

Summer? Where?

Hey everyone,

I can't believe it's basically time to start back into school! I'm going into my sophomore year. (that sounds sophisticated!) ;0) I'm looking forward to not having algebra as a subject, biology, and I'm kinda looking forward to American Literature.

I was so busy this summer vacation (1 1/2 weeks), IRBC (for 4 weeks!), detasseling (1 week). So, I've just had a few days of the summer relaxing days. It's nice to be home.

Volleyball started 2 days ago and our coach is working more on conditioning it seems more than the actual playing part. I'm pretty sore, it's been great exercise! I like the team aspect of volleyball. You're with your team almost every weekday for 2-3 months; training for games.

I have facebook now so I haven't been updating the blog this summer but I'll try to keep it up somewhat... :) Look me up on facebook!

Mud facial masks, and other escapades at the creek.

The creek is a great mini vacation to an Iowa beach, to one of the best spas around, and an adventure-filled wading pool! I went there last night and had a double mud facial with a couple good friends, there's hardly anything that's more fun. The sad thing is we all forgot our cameras... ;0) Our skin has to be in better shape because of all of that natural goodness, so carefully slathered onto our faces. We tend to get a little wetter than we intend to when we go plodding through water, the unstable creek bed takes care of that. Sploosh! But that the fun part, the surprised screams of sand (or mud) sinking friends, is so hilarious. So we end up with a great fun filled work out- laughing is great for your abs, and wading really gets your legs working.

Praise God for creating creeks, and letting me live so close to one, and for friends that don't mind getting muddy. :D

Sure Spring Scent

Dad, Anna, and I stepped out of the pick-up truck tonight our noses were hailed by a wonderful, and surly welcome smell: fresh turned soil. It was greatly invigorating to breath the aroma of the beginning of the planting season into our outdoor, callowness, deprived lungs.

We have a field right behind our backyard; and even though sometimes our whiffers are greeted with a quite different odor than entailed tonight, because of the way farmers fertilize around here; I'm actually thankful that there are farmers close by. By digging around in the field that farmer helped me wake up my senses to God's miraculous creation.

Tonight I'm immensely thankful for spring after winter, and the wonder of God showing His handiwork: the stars twinkling in the twilight. Sometimes we need to have little reminders to take a moment out of our computer crazy, busy working, hectic, chaotic day; and take a peep outside. Enjoy what God has given you in your own backyard. You and I have heard the little saying many times before; but we tend to over- look it in the literal sense to "Stop and smell the roses" *or in my case the grand, earthy, perfume of Iowa in the first stages of the vernal equinox season. (YES!) ;)

"Praise Him from whom all blessings flow," even for the seemingly "small" things in everyday, ordinary, normal, life.


This post happens to tie-in to the play Dad, Anna and I went to see tonight entitled "Modern Anxieties" at the Lamp Post Theater. It was rather different than the stereotype play, for example it was high tech using over-head projectors, and three laptop computers for some of the scenery it-self. Pretty cool, it felt like you were watching the guy walk down a street, or looking up in the star-studded sky. They had some comedy mixed in with the story too; so, it turned out to be a good night with the fam. (at least some of them). Daddy espically could relate to it, I think it was geared more for adults; but Anna and I still had fun. :D

I hope to talk to you soon!

Fun Quiz (Do those two words belong in the same title???)

I got this in an email from a friend; but I thought it'd be fun to share on my blog.

Where is your cell phone?

nonexistent

Your hair?

down

Your mother?

Vicki

Your father?

Mark

Your favorite thing?
my Bible (and then crafty stuff, ipod...)

Your dream last night?

Something about water slides FUN! Summer get here soon. (or was that the night before...?)

Your favorite drink?

coffee type...

Your dream/goal?

Christ-likeness

What room are you in?

Downstairs

Your hobby?

Organizing/jewelry/card making/knitting/photography/READing...........lots more too!

Your fear?

fish in murky water (*EWW*)

Where do you want to be in 6 years?

college

Where were you last night?

Getting --Are you ready for this-- Ninety-seven cent boots at Old Navy! I was extremely exuberant over them.

Something that you aren't?

exercising (well, maybe my fingers are getting a workout? ;)

Muffins?

rasberry nutalicious :D

Wish list item?

notebook maker (for crafts) :D

Last thing you did?

chatting

What are you wearing?

Jeans and a sweater socks and two rings

TV?

Pretty big

Your pets?

none :(

Friends?

phenomenal

Your mood?

content

Missing someone?

Naomi (a friend that moved to Singapore)

Drinking?

nothing

Your car?

none - Ah Darn.

Your favorite store?

Hobby Lobby (T J Max, Barnes and Noble, Anthropology...)

Your favorite color?

Purple, white, and green, and I'm starting to like a slate blue with say... mustard yellow? I LOVE color!

When is the last time you cried?

about a month ago (Anna says)

Where do you go to over and over?

bedroom

My favorite place to eat?

Ed Debevics in Chicago

Place I'd like to be at right now?

Sisters house

I filled this out yesterday, but I had to go eat supper and I never got it posted. ;D

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Is so totally ready for spring!

Hey guys,

Am I the only one that is pining for the sweet smells of spring? (Not to mention the warmth...) My plans for the summer include: working at camp IRBC, MAYBE detassiling for a little while, hanging out with my friends, playing volleyball, Family camp, and Senior High camp! Just thinking about summer gets me pumped.

I want to get into running when it gets warm enough... so those of you that like to run; keep encouraging me! I think it would be cool to say that you ran 6+ miles that day, and feel great cause you got a lot of exercise!

For now I'm stuck inside working on Algebra, science projects, and writing/researching for a huge World Literature project, on and on it drags..... But I only have 8 more classes of World Lit. and I'm done with English for the school year. I have 50 more Algebra lessons though. mmm


Well, all for now!

In the News. Feburary 22, 2009

The World Literature extension class, that I'm in is displayed in the Courier (our local news paper) today. One of my friends- Joria Wheeler is featured on the front page! That's pretty exciting. If you want to read the article you can check it out at http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2009/02/22/news/local/11022713.txt.

That class is fun, because you're forced to read books from different genres than you're used to reading from. Right now (as you'll find out in reading the article) we're reading "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Believe me I wouldn't read this book on my own; it's basically a horror book, but it's well written with colorful sentences and vivid words. Speaking of words Mrs. Hoard gives us a myriad of vocabulary words (uh, yes myriad was one of them). It's tough to study all of them for tests/quizzes; but good for ACT prep. Plus we sound particularly more studious if we actually use the big words...

Just wanted to fill you in; have a great week!

~Cally :D

Spring......

Man, it's been a while since I've posted! This year has been fun so far with Science, World Literature, MHE (our homeschool group), Algebra, 4-H club, and volunteering at a couple different places church and a Bible study.

Oh yes, it snowed -again- last night. I want spring so badly. But I'm finding things to do inside, I've been knitting; and I also got back into making jewelry lately. Mommy has been making homemade bread for a couple weeks, it's SO yummy. You should stop by and have some. Anna is into drawing; she has also been knitting, Anna gave mommy a scarf she knitted for mom's birthday. :D

I'll try to post more often...... ;)

~Cally