down home country girl

Snow...

2012-01-12T13:29:00.001-06:00

So it snowed today...for the first time this winter. It dusted once in December, but otherwise it has been a brown winter. But now we have snow. And its still coming down and blowing around. It's pretty and all, but since we had gone this long without snow, why not make it through the whole winter without any? Oh well, I guess we will just have to enjoy it. :)

'becca

pointe

2012-01-05T12:02:00.001-06:00

Another thing that has changed since I last posted: I am now dancing on pointe! I'm not taking classes right now but I love it and I can't wait to get back at it. :)

Have a gorgeous day!

'becca

update

2012-01-04T12:04:00.001-06:00

It has been quite a while since I last posted. A year and 8 months. So more or less a long while. ;) But I'm gonna try to get back at it. I'll share some stories, pictures, whatever I find interesting. Hopefully ya'll will enjoy!

So what do ya think of the new look? I decided since it's a new year, I'd give my blog a facelift.

A lot has changed since I last posted. No, I haven't gotten my camera yet but yes I still want one. Even more so since my little baby camera died on my back in November. I finished all my biology and got an A! I am now a senior in high school. Just 4 months 'til I graduate! It's crazy how time flies. I've been taking college classes this year and they've been pretty interesting. I'm excited for the future but I'm not rushing things! Just taking it one day at a time.

Well, that's my update for now. Who knows what I'll post next. :) But I promise the next post will come sooner than a year from now. ;)

Yipee-i-ki-yay!
'becca

don't you just wanna be there? aww...beautiful

My dream

2010-05-25T08:20:00.003-05:00

I've been wanting to get my own, really nice camera for a while. So I thought I would indulge myself a little and look around. Imagine what I found!

A Cannon EOS Rebel T2i!! I have fallen in love! So for my family, here's a hint: I would really like this camera. So maybe that could be my birthday present? Or even Christmas? Both? I could even settle for one of the lesser ones, I guess. Just a hint. ;) Anyhoo, just thought I would share my dream with ya'll. :)

Until next time, God bless! :)

'becca

Frog, Perch, and Grasshopper. Can you guess what I did???

2010-04-08T08:56:00.010-05:00

Hey everyone!! How ya'll doing??

Now, down to business. Can you guess what I did? I did more dissections!! This time I dissected a frog, a perch (fish), and a grasshopper. They were all very different, but very interesting. I have to say, the grasshopper was my least favorite, but I have never had great experiences with grasshoppers so...but it was still pretty cool. Here are some pictures. Enjoy!! :)

Freddie the frog!! :)

He was a pretty big frog! All the orange stuff is fat. Kinda strange right?

A frog's system is laid out very similar to ours.

That's his tongue. It is attached at the front so he can flick it out and pull it back in quickly to catch his food.

He was pretty stiff so I had to pry his mouth open. That's what happens when you sit around...um...dead (to put it frankly) for a while.

Woo-hoo, the guts! Haha, I am really enjoying these dissections.

Paco the perch!! :)

Paco is waving at ya!!

His eyes were closed so we didn't get to see his eye balls.

This was the hardest one to cut open because you have to work around all the bones.

We cut open left side to see his insides.

Fish are different then the other dissections I have done, and it was cool to see the differences.

Gordon the grasshopper!! :)

He's a waving at ya!!

Grasshoppers...(shiver)...I have to admit, Gordon was quite interesting.

Those are his wings.

Ooops, I broke him. My bad. ;)

Cutting him open! That was the best part!

Quite the interesting little thing, a grasshopper is.

That is his mouth, although you can't see it very well.

It was very interesting to compare the similarities and differences between Freddie the frog, Paco the perch, and Gordon the grasshopper. The frog was similar to the fetal pig, but the perch and grasshopper were different and interesting to examine.

Thanks for reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed it!!

'becca

The Biology Blog

2010-02-22T10:00:00.009-06:00

Hey ya'll!

So...my blog has sort of become all about my biology right now, but I promise that I am doing other things! But right now, my biology dissections seem to be the most interesting thing. So here you go! I hope I don't gross anyone out. You don't have to read on if you don't want to, but here are pictures and steps from my fetal pig dissection.

Taking the pig out of the bag and talking about the steps of the dissection.

Here is the little piggy. It's a girl! Kinda sad, she reminded me of Piglet.

"Hog tying" the sweet little dear to the dissection pan. Which really doesn't work to describe that because hog tying is when you tie all the feet together. But it kept her still while we worked.

Beginning to cut. We started below the rib cage and worked down. First you cut through the layer of skin, then you cut though the muscles to see the organs.

Cutting the skin.

Cutting through the muscle.

All the skin and muscle cut away. You can see the intestines, liver, and diaphragm.

Looking into the mouth. Her tongue was kind of hanging out, like a Dilbert character.

Mom wanted to see more than just the top of my head in one of these pictures.

Starting to cut up toward the neck.

All finished! It is hard to see in the pictures, but I was able to identify (starting from the lower end) the large intestine, the small intestine, the stomach, the liver, the diaphragm, the lungs, the heart, the rib cage, the thyroid gland, and the larynx.

One thing that is very interesting to observe when dissecting a fetal pig is the fact that there internal systems are laid out very similar to our own.

I have really enjoyed the last few dissections I have done. The next thing I will dissect will be a frog. I shall share pictures when I do that!! I hope you enjoyed my post, and aren't too grossed out.

Have a great day!!

'becca

So...

2010-02-02T10:11:00.004-06:00

Hey everyone!

I haven't posted in quite a while! I need to work on that. Here is a quick little update for you all. We just got over an inch of snow last night and that makes all of the ice under the snow very slippery. You have to be very careful when headed out to the barn. Right now I am keeping busy with school, dance and 4-H stuff. I will post some pictures of the projects I am working on soon! I hope you all have a good rest of the week.

God bless!

'becca

Guess what I cut up today? A cow eye!

2009-12-22T18:35:00.016-06:00

This year I am in biology. Yeah, that's right. I get to dissect stuff. As some of you may remember, I dissected a worm a while ago, so I'm not all new to this business of dissection. My supervising teacher came to help me with the process. The pictures pretty much say it all, so I am going explain it step by step with them. Enjoy!! :)

The cow eye, before I did anything to it.

Cutting the muscle and fat away.

Muscle and fat all gone!

Cutting the cornea open.

Removing the cornea.

All taken apart.

I think you can guess what that is. :)

The back of the eye.

Tapetum, reflects light back through the retina.

The lens.

The Pupil

The front of the eye, from the inside.

The back half of the eye.

So there you go. I had a pretty awesome time. Strange, huh? Lots of people wouldn't say that, but I thought it was pretty amazing. And cow eyes are a lot like human eyes, so that kind of gives you an idea of what we see out of everyday. Awesome, right?

God bless,

'becca

I can fly, I can fly!! :)

2009-12-08T11:02:00.003-06:00

Me, Ruth and Luke

I got to ride in the front seat. lol :)

View from the plane.

Thumbs up! Amazing! And we hadn't even left the ground!! :)

Hey there everyone,

A couple of weeks ago, a friend who is a pilot invited me to go on my first ever "real" plane ride. See, I have been on a passenger plane, but to Luke, that is not real flying. Real flying is riding in a 4 seat plane, dipping and turning, taking off and landing. Let me tell you, everything you see everyday looks a whole lot different from the sky!! Let me tell you, that ride was amazing!! :) We flew from home base to a town about a half an hour away and landed there. Then we took off and headed back to home base. On the way back, Luke decided to try following the river, a very curvy river. His sister Ruth, who was in the back and asleep, woke up with all the twisting. It was awesome!! Then we did a touch and go at home base and headed toward the lake and my house. We flew over my church, then over the reservoir. I said, "Hey, my house is that direction!" and Luke said, "Well, let's just go see it!" I called home and told them to look outside. We flew around my house three times. My family was waving and I got to see my house from the air! :) We did a touch and go at another airport then headed back to home base. It was totally a sweet, awesome day! Thank you for the ride Luke!! And thanks to Ruth for the pictures! I was having way too much fun to think about taking pictures. Next time! :) So there you go, a little something about what I have been doing.

God bless,

'becca

New background and header

2009-11-10T11:15:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone,

Olivia came over for my sister Rachel's birthday, and we took a lot of pictures. We did hair, makeup, and messed around with different outfits. I used one of the pictures that Olivia took and made a new header for my blog. I even changed the background! I hope you like the new look and I will have a longer post soon! Oh, and happy birthday to Rachel, who is now a teenager!! :) Have a good week everyone. :)

'becca

Hello everyone - vacation pictures

2009-09-22T17:15:00.012-05:00

Mt. Rushmore

One of the many airplanes we saw at the Air Force Base - photo courtesy of Jonathan's Air Plane Photography

Me - no I can't fly. :)

Devil's Tower

Jonathan and Scott's Bluff

A lighthouse

Jonathan wouldn't walk down the stairs. He crawled down them.

Pony Express rider

A bovine

Pony Express stop marker

Train yard

Pony Express stop

There were fish down there.

Walking bridge

Missile from the Air Force Base

Rachel at Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore

Badlands

Falls Park

USS South Dakota anchor

propeller from the USS South Dakota

Hey everybody,

As I am not finding the time to sit down and type up my entire vacation experience, I am just going to share some pictures. I will try to get an actual post done, but that won't be happening for a while. These aren't in the exact order, but my computer won't let me move them. :( Enjoy the pictures!! :)

'becca

Vacation!!!

2009-09-08T15:53:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone,

I am back from vacation!! :) I will be posting soon, but am still sorting through my pictures. In the mean time, I just wanted to let you know that I had made it back!! :)

God bless,

'becca

The catch-up post

2009-08-25T09:50:00.018-05:00

Well ya'll, I have to say that it is about time for me to fill you in on all that I have been doing in the last few weeks.

After county fair was done, I took a little break. Then, on the 14th of this month, I had a dance performance. It was a lot of fun and went very well. After the performance, Olivia came home with Rachel and I and we spent the afternoon hanging out. We decided that we wanted to go swimming but that we didn't want to go to the beach. So Rachel asked Mom if we could walk down to the creek behind our house. Mom said that that was fine, but we had to walk, no tractors because the ground was so rough and full of holes. We headed out, thinking, oh, this won't be so bad. Well, we were sort of wrong. The field behind our house had be burnt off last year and planted with new seed, supposedly some kind of prairie grass. What was actually there was 4 to 6 foot tall thistles. Not so fun to walk through. Thankfully, they weren't real close together, so we were able to avoid most of them. We made it down to the creek, and Rachel jumped in, thinking it was going to be deep (because it used to be). But, most likely because of the flooding last year, the creek is only about 2 feet deep in the spot we had selected. Needless to say, she hit bottom. Olivia isn't great with what she calls "dark water" (actually, you could see the bottom), so it took some convincing to get her in. But we all got in and had a fun time wadding around and splashing each other. We moved down stream and got to where it was deep enough that we could swim a little. After some photos, it was time to head home. We found the trail that me, my Dad, and my brother had made with our old van, and followed that home. The trek home was much easier, to say the least. When we got home, Rachel and Olivia did make-up before dinner, because we wanted to take some pictures. Olivia and Rachel posed at different places here on our little farm and I took pictures. Then we had a wonderful supper of hamburgers and watermelon. After the dancing, hiking and swimming, we were all kind of tired. We decided to watch a movie. We plopped down in my grandparents bedroom and watched "The Count of Monte Cristo". Then it was time to take Olivia home. :( We had a great day. Here are some of the pictures I took. (Olivia might just kill me for this, since she didn't get to "approve" them first.)

Olivia and Rachel in the creek

Splashing each other (Olivia might not like this one)

Picture time

Walking

Olivia

Rachel

Next, it was state fair time. Rachel and I did our Irish Step Dance, "Battle of the Sisters", Sunday for the Share the Fun show. Our family wandered the fairgrounds, saw the big boar, the big bull, and the big horses! Dad, Rachel, Jonathan, and Grandpa went home, but my Mom and I stayed at my great aunts house because I was doing my presentation the next day. On Monday morning we wandered the fairgrounds, then at 1:00 I check in to do my presentation. That didn't get done until 4:30, so we stuck around so we could watch the draft horse show. They had cart, under saddle, and hitch classes. I loved watching all the big horses and the six horse hitch was amazing. The show didn't get done until nine, so we weren't home until eleven, but I say it was worth the late night. (Mother might not agree with me, as she had to drive home) Then on Friday and Saturday, it was time for the Stitch This challenge. This was a 16 hour sewing competition where teams of four took apart a wedding dress and made it into a new wearable outfit. I was the model for The Fab Four. We got a dress with beading on the bodice and really liked it, so we worked with that part of it. We added strips of cobalt blue to the front of the dress, and silver straps. We also made a hat and completed the outfit with cobalt blue jewelry. This competition was a lot of fun and a great learning experience. My Mom and I again stayed at my great aunt's house. On Sunday, we wandered around the fairgrounds because I could pick up my refinished secretary after 7:00 that night. The lady in the 4-h office said it would be better to wait, and that worked out perfect because there was a free concert that I wanted to see. Julianne Hough was the free Sunday night concert. I really like her music. She is a new country singer, but her music so far is clean and a lot of fun to listen to. I didn't get to stay for the entire concert because I had to get all the way across the fairgrounds to pick up my secretary. I got to listen to about 50 minutes of the concert and really enjoyed it. Then my mom and I speed-walked across the fairgrounds. While I went to check out my projects, Mom went to get the van. Getting my secretary out went a lot better than we had expected, and we were on the road by 8:20. We got home at 10:30 and Rachel was still up. She had waited up to show me the cake she had decorated to look as close to the dress I had made during Stitch This as she could without seeing it. She did a great job and it tasted great. Thanks Rachel!!! Then I fell into bed and woke up at 6:45 to a new day, including school. YAH!!! We have a week of school, then we leave on vacation. That will be a lot of fun.

"Battle of the Sisters"

Major face-off time!

Getting ready for my presentation

Doing my presentation

My great aunt's candy apple red trike - love it!!!

Horse show pictures

This horse was trying to "eat" his handlers hand

Stitch This! The Fab Four

The wedding dress we got

Sewing

All done!

After the fashion show

Julianne Hough!!! :)

I hope you enjoyed reading about what I have been doing! I will be putting up more pictures from the horse show, Stitch This, and some other state fair pictures that I have.

Until next time, God bless!

'becca

Southern Belle

2009-08-24T14:59:00.001-05:00

STATE FAIR!!!!

2009-08-24T12:20:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!! I am back from the state fair. I hope to get a post in sometime this week before my family and I head off on vacation. But I just thought I would let you know that I was still around!! :)

God bless,

'becca

Fair week

2009-08-05T07:45:00.005-05:00

Alrighty...fair week. Enjoy everyone!! :)

Saturday, Judging Day

Saturday was the day to take all of my projects in to get judged. I had to babysit for an hour that morning, then I came home and started harvesting the vegetables. Once we had harvested everything, we had to sort them all out. Find so many, same length, stuff like that. Then we put everything on plates and attached the goal sheets and entry tags. Then it was time to load up all the projects. I had put all of my other projects, minus my secretary, in (or beside) a basket. Dad, Mom, and Rachel had loaded up those projects, so all that was left was the vegetables and the secretary. We put the vegetables in the van, but my secretary had to go in our cargo van, because it was too big to fit in with the other projects. My Dad and I loaded it up, I changed into my 4-H shirt and we were off! Judging went really well. I received 9 purples and 23 blues. I had 32 projects in total. Let me tell you, that is a lot of work and a lot to get judged!!! But I did really well and had a lot of fun. And fair had not even begun!! :) When we came home, ready to relax, we found out that Dad had picked beans, so we helped him snap them.

Sunday, Animals to fair grounds and working the Pizza and Pop stand

Since we had beans to can, we stayed home from church. After the canning was done, I went out to the barn to gather all the animal supplies we would need for fair week. After I had packed up the food, rabbit dishes and brushes, and other supplies, I went inside and took a nap. Just kidding!! In actuality, I washed chickens!! That was a lot of fun! (not) I will have a post with pictures on this. When it was getting close to time to go, we went out and loaded up the 9 rabbits and 7 chickens that we were taking to fair. 8 of the rabbits and all of the chickens were mine. Once we arrived at the fair grounds, we unloaded the animals, checked them in, and then put them in their cages. After we fed and watered them, it was time to go volunteer at the Pizza and Pop stand. Mom, Rachel and I worked there for about an hour and a half. For the first part I was getting out the pizza, but then I switched jobs and handed out pop. That job is fun and you don't have to wear gloves! After we were done at the pizza and pop stand, we bought some pizza and then headed home.

Monday, Dog Show, Fashion Show and Tractor Pull!!!

Monday was a long day. A very long day. We had to check in for the dog show by 8:15. Once we got there, Mom stayed with the dogs at the South Arena, while Rachel and I went to get our show numbers and feed our other animals. Then we went back to the South Arena and waited. The show got started late, sometime after 9:15. They had the rings set up so that more than one class could be going. Mine was the last class to run, so I had to wait until after 11:30 to show for obedience. Then, after that class was finished, we moved on to showmanship. Once all three showmanship classes were finished, we got our places for obedience and showmanship. I placed third in sub-novice obedience and third in senior showmanship. Then I, along with some of the other older members of the dog project, set up the agility course. Once that was ready, we got started on agility. That goes pretty fast! Once that was finished, members of the dog project took down the ring while the judges figured out who had won. Then they announced the winners. Fritzy and I won large dog agility!! We went through the course in 21 seconds!! We had a lot of fun. After the dog show was done, my aunt took the dogs home because Rachel and I had to get ready for the style show. When my turn came, I said my name into a much too short microphone and walked back and forth across the stage. After that was done, I went to find some food. Then I watched the queen contest with some friends. After that, my mom, brother and I went to watch the tractor pull. Rachel isn't interested in that so she hung out with a friend. We didn't watch the whole thing, but I got to see a few women pullers. Humm...maybe I should give that a try!! :) We headed home sometime after nine, the first day of fair over.

Tuesday: Poultry Show, Rally Show, Pet Show, Share the Fun!!!

Tuesday was another busy day. I had to be in three places at once, which is, as far as I know, impossible. The poultry, rally, and pet show all started 10:00. Pen of three pullets was the first class in poultry, so that is where I started the day. Mom was in the South Arena holding the dogs, and Rachel was watching the rabbits that we had brought for the pet show. Now, I have a question for you. Who do you think won Champion Pen of Three Pullets??? I did!!! I was totally shocked. But good shocked! After that class, I had a break before I had to show poultry again, so I went over to the South Arena. I had enough time to take a short break before I had to show Fritzy in rally and My Flemish Giant, C.C., in the pet show. After I had showed both of them, I waited for the results of the Rally Class. I won Reserve Champion Senior Rally! Then it was time to run across the fairgrounds, back to the poultry barn to show my other pen of three and my individual. Theses both received blue ribbons, which was very good, because the judge didn't give out any purples. After the poultry show was done, I had the afternoon to relax. I wandered the fairgrounds and got a walking taco for lunch. I had some friends who came out, and I gave them the grand tour of the fairgrounds, showing them my animals and projects. Around 5, Rachel and I went and got ready for Share the Fun. Our dance this year was "Battle of the Sisters". We had ssooooooo much fun!!!!! We were toward the end of the show, then, once everyone had preformed, the judge made her decision. She called all the acts up on stage, then told which acts were her State Fair Alternates and which acts were to advance to State Fair. Watch out, State Fair, here comes "Battle of the Sisters"!!!!!!!!! We had a great time and we can't wait to dance at the State Fair. After we had changed out of our dance costumes, we showed some friends our animals. Then it was time to head home. Day two of the county fair had come to an end.

Wednesday: Make Pie, Rabbit Showmanship, Rabbit Show!!!

On Wednesday, I got up early so that I could make my peach pie for the pie contest the next day. I made it in the morning so that I didn't have to come home right after the rabbit show. Once my pie was done, Rachel put hers in. Then we waited for a friend to come. Her sister was dropping her off and we were taking her to the rabbit show. Once she got here, we headed out. When we reached the fairgrounds, we did our animal chores, then I sat down to study the Standard of Perfection for the showmanship test. Then, when 10 o'clock had rolled around, I took the showmanship test. This test has two parts, a written part and a handling part. Once I had completed that, some friends and I went to wander the fair grounds. Then at 1:00 the rabbit show started. I did very well. I won Champion Heavy Weight Meat Pen and Best of Breed New Zealand. All of my other rabbits received blue ribbons. Once the show was done, the superintendent announced the winners of showmanship. When he came to the seniors, he said that we had a tie. The tie was between me and a friend of mine. Know, ya'll are like, huh, that's nice. But wait, there's more. This was the third year that we have tied!!! When there is a tie the judge asks a tie-breaker question. I won the first year, she won the second. I won Senior Rabbit Showmanship this year! Now I can't win again, so it's my friends to win next year! Our county fair rules are that you can only win showmanship once in your age group - I've won it as a junior, intermediate and then this year as a senior. After the show was done, I went and got ice cream with another friend. Then I hung around with a few other friends. I watched some of the horse show and the Bill Reilly Talent show. Then I headed home. Wednesday, the third day of the fair, had come to an end.

Thursday: Presentation, Bring home rabbits and projects, Fireworks!!!

I had given my presentation "Step it Up: A History of Irish Music and Irish Step Dancing" for a judge earlier in July, and it was selected to go onto State Fair. Since I had received an excellence, I had the choice to give it at the county fair. It was a lot of fun. Then I went to check my pie in at the pie contest. After that, I wandered the fair grounds, bought a lemon shake-up, laughed as some of my friends tried to rig a "spider" to drop on people in the rabbit barn, and just had a heck of a lot of fun. Around 4:00, I went to listen to the results of the pie contest. My pie placed 1st in the youth peach pie division and won most visually appealing pie. I received a high heel pie server for that award! Then I went to get pictures taken with my State Fair projects. My secretary and my write-up on my Italian meal are both going to State Fair. After that, I went and helped my dad get our animals loaded up to go home. Then I went and got inducted in the Youth Council, then it was time for the awards show. After that I wandered the fairgrounds with another friend and we got some ice cream and just hung around. At 8:00 it was time to get our projects out of Montgomery Hall. Then we went and watched the fireworks. They were amazing. The fair was over for spectators, but not for 4-Her's.

Friday: Animal Auction

Since my meat pen was champion, I had the option of selling those rabbits at the auction, which I did, sort of. I got there at quarter to nine and put my bunnies in a carrying case. Then I took them up to the auction ring and waited for my turn. My rabbits sold for $25 a piece, so I made a total of $75. Then the man who bought them told me to take them home. So I got $75 and my rabbits back. So now I am fattening them up to sell again!

All in all I had a great fair week. I received three trophies (Champion Large Dog Agility, Champion Pen of Three Pullets, and Champion Senior Rabbit Showmanship), 4 plaques, 9 purple ribbons, and 34 blue ribbons, along with 2 clothing event honorable mentions and clothing event participation, a participation for my bucket of flowers and 3 selected for State Fair ribbons, 1 Reserve Champion ribbon (senior rally), and 1 Champion ribbon (meat pen).

I will have a post with pictures soon. I hope you enjoyed my fair week post!! :)

'becca

Alrightly Everyone

2009-08-04T07:40:00.002-05:00

Hey everybody,

Soon, very soon, I will have a post about fair. The last few days have been spent recharging, so I have been VERY busy! ;) But I will have pictures to make up for my absence. Sorry it has taken so long everyone. :)

'becca

I survived judging day!!!!

2009-07-25T20:13:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to let everyone know that I survived judging day!!! I received 8 purples (if I got another one, I'll let you know) and 24 blues. No red ribbons this year! (That is good!!) Thanks for the prayers and comments!! :)

'becca

More project pictures

2009-07-24T07:26:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone,

Here are some more pictures of my 4-H projects. Judging is tomorrow, so I am busy getting everything ready. Please pray that I don't get stressed out.

Enjoy!!!

'becca

Jill and Glenn's footstool

Peach pie (This isn't the one I am taking!)

Giving my presentation. It is going to State Fair!!

My dress

2009-07-16T10:47:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone,

Here is a picture of the dress that I made as a 4-H project this year. I also made the matching jewelery.

'becca

Secretary

2009-07-15T21:47:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone!

I am not going to be doing posts that involve a lot of typing because I have been typing up the write-ups for my 4-H projects. But I will be sharing some pictures with you. Starting with my secretary. I hope that you all will enjoy them, and I promise that after fair I will go back to longer, more descriptive posts.

God bless,

'becca

Before - (ignore the bad hair)

After - Thanks Dad and Grandpa for all the help!! :)

Sorry Everyone

2009-07-13T17:52:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone,

I am so sorry that I have not posted. I have been quite busy between getting ready for fair, dance and other things. I will have an update soon, but until then enjoy this picture and God bless!

'becca

Water+Sand+Chips+Rock+Portland=Concrete

2009-06-11T19:36:00.013-05:00

As I said before, I have been helping Dad and Grandpa pour concrete in our basement. Yesterday we did the last section. One step closer to my room!! While we were working on pouring the concrete, my mom came down and took pictures. So I thought, "What a wonderful thing to share with all my blogosphere friends." Great idea, huh? So here you go, enjoy!!

Me measuring the cement into a bucket

Same as above

Dad dumping a load into the wheel barrow

Rachel putting water into the cement mixer

Rachel measuring chips, Jonathan sand

Me with a bag of cement. I have a strange expression in this picture. Maybe because the bag weighs 94 pounds.

About a fifth of the way done. (I am guessing here and my guesses are not always accurate)

Grandpa screeting (leveling)

We had an assembly line of sorts going, Rachel putting the water in the mixer and filling a bucket half full of chips (small rock, not the kind you eat. Just thought I would let ya'll know), Jonathan filling 2 buckets half full of sand (making it easier for Dad to dump it into the mixer), and me filling 2 buckets just over half full with rock (again, for ease of dumping) and one bucket 3/4 full of cement. Dad would dump it all in the mixer, then when it was mixed, dump it into the wheel barrow and push it into the garage, where Grandpa was leveling it all in. I helped level it at some points, but Grandpa did most of it. All the work went really well and we were done in just over two hours. And then we got donuts!! How cool is that?!? :) After it set for a few hours, Dad went over it with a trowel to give it a nice finish. I will get a picture of it all finished and the size of the area that we poured for ya'll soon. But until then, enjoy the pictures and may God bless.

In Christ,

'becca

I received an award!!

2009-06-09T16:09:00.002-05:00

Ok Lucie, sorry it has taken me so long to get this up, but here it is: The Narnia Lover Award!!

Thank you!! :) I award anyone who reads my blog and is a Narnia fan!!!

Lots to say...enjoy!!!

2009-06-06T14:20:00.009-05:00

Hey there ya'll!! I have returned and have a lots to write about. So let's get right to it! This all isn't going to be in order, so sorry about that.

My burn is healing up very nicely. The green scab came off and now it is pink. I will have a scar, but I am glad that I never got an infection. It was a pretty bad burn!

Now that school is done, I have been working hard on 4-H projects. I am in the process of staining the secretary that I am refinishing and have cut out the fabric for the dress I am making. I am sorting through pictures, reupholstering a stool...the list goes on and on!! But I enjoy the work it takes to make something beautiful. I am training my dog and that is going well. My New Zealand doe had kits, so I will be able to show a meat pen and single fryer at fair. One thing I need to do is start practicing my presentation!! I will try to do a post with pictures on all my 4-h stuff soon.

We went fishing in our pond a couple weekends ago and caught ten catfish, cleaned eight of them and threw the other two back (they were small). I caught the largest cat of the day, a whopping 2 1/4 pounds!! Ok, so it isn't the biggest fish ever (not by a long shot!!) but considering we put these cats in two years ago and they were around a pound, that is a good sized cat. After the fishing was done, it was time to clean the fish we kept. I washed off the meat after dad cut it off. I smelled like fish and let me tell you, that smell is hard to get rid of!!!

We have had two Irish Step Dance performances in the last couple weeks. They both went very well. I did Single Jig solo at both performances. That was my first and second time!! It was a lot of fun and I did very well. The other dances went well too. Well, most of them... :) During the last dance, I rolled my left ankle off of the stage (it is about 3 inches off the ground) so my ankle is sore and the outside of my calf is tight. I have the week off from dance, so it will be better soon.

I went to the horse barn on Thursday. I got to lunge Holiday (for those of you who don't know what that means, it is having the horse walk, trot and canter in a circle. The person lunging stands in the middle and has the horse move around him of her). I also got to sit on Sha, a horse that is at the barn for breaking in. He is a two year old, but he is so gangly he looks like a yearly! He is going to be tall when he is done growing. I enjoyed my afternoon there and am going back next week.

For the last month, we have been getting ready and pouring the concrete for our garage floor in our basement. We have two sections left to do. I helped my dad and grandpa pour on Saturday. We sent up a assembly line of sorts, filling buckets so Dad could dump the bucket in and know he had the right amount. I was in charge of putting cement and rocks in buckets. I also helped to screed the concrete to make it level. It was fun to help and it puts me one step closer to having my own room!!!

My birthday is coming up soon! My cousin is taking me to a movie and we will have family over. Other wise, I don't really have any big plans. I am planning on saving my birthday money because I would like to get an ipod. I also would like to get a few things for my bow, like a new rest, an arm guard, stuff like that.

Well, I think that is about it. Hope ya'll enjoyed reading about what I have been up to. Sorry it took so long for me to post again. I will try to post more often, but I am not promising anything! I will do a post about 4-H stuff with pictures of some of my projects soon. Enjoy the rest of your day!

'becca

I will return!!!!!!

2009-06-04T06:34:00.002-05:00

Hey everybody!!!!

Sorry I have not posted in so long. I have been very busy. Which means that I have a lot to post about!!! So sometime in the next couple days I will sit down and type it up for ya'll to enjoy. And let me tell you, there is plenty to read!! Again, sorry for the long pause in posting. I will have a new post for ya'll very soon.

In Christ,

'becca

The painful start to my week

2009-05-21T07:43:00.006-05:00

On Sunday, our 4-H club had a craft project meeting. There were four projects to chose from and you could do any number of them. The projects were: tie-die, recycled bags, puppets, and soap. And since we had duck tape for one of the other projects, we also made duck tape wallets. So, all the projects went really well, and we were cleaning up and taking stuff out to the van. We had three irons for one of the projects and I was picking them up to take them to the van. The cords were all wrapped up, so I figured that all of the irons were cool. I grabbed one in my right hand, and then set one on my right fore arm. OUCH!!!! That iron was VERY HOT!! Just turned off, kind of hot. Let's just say I picked it up very quickly!! But I have quite the burn on my arm. It does not really hurt anymore, just stings a little when I put aloe vera on it. But I am defiantly going to have a scar!! Sorry if I gross anyone out, but I wanted to share.

Then on Monday, I went to the orthodontist. Yippee!! I got two new wires and skipped a step on both of them!! I also got chain rubber bands on the sides of the top to pull my teeth together to fill in the hole where I had teeth pulled. On the bottom I have offsets to pull the two pointy teeth (bicuspids) forward. So my mouth is quite sore!! I have been eating alot of yogurt and soft food. My teeth are feeling a little better today, but there are not going to feel normal until next week. Oh well, at least my smile is straight now!!

'becca

p.s. - My burn turned green because I have had it covered in aloe vera. :)

Bow happy!!!

2009-05-05T08:35:00.006-05:00

Me and my bow. It's blue!! My favorite color!!

Pulling it back

I missed the first time, but I am still working on my aim.

Trying agian

Watching my shot

YES!! I hit the target!

Ok, so that may be a dorky title, but it is true!!! I am now the proud owner of a PSE Elite Laser Magnum compound bow! It is very nice and I am really excited to have it. I got it about two weeks ago, and have been meaning to post about it, but have been quite busy (I have been doing more than just shooting my bow!!! Dance recital was last week, so we had practice almost every day.) My target, for now, is some flakes of old, moldy hay that our horses won't eat, tied together with some twine. I am still working on figuring out how to site, but practice makes perfect. It is different the closer or farther you are from your target, but figuring out the correct distance takes some hit and miss. We have some paper targets that I can attach to my hay bale, but I am going to work on hitting the bale before I try to hit a bulls eye!! I am having a lot of fun, and with some practice, I will get much better. Enjoy the pictures!!!

Random Ramblings from a rambling girl

2009-04-24T16:15:00.003-05:00

Hey there everyone!! Sorry I have not posted in so long. But I want to get you all caught up on what I have been doing. So, to start.

I get done with school next week!!!!! All I have had to do for the last few weeks is history and literature, but I can not wait to get done. More time for 4-H projects, helping Dad and getting some much waited for reading done. I have not gotten to do a whole lot of that lately. I will still have writing class until the middle of May, but that's ok. Although I am not really looking forward to writing my paper on CRP. Oh well, this is the last tri then it is all over.

Dance recital is next weekend, so I have stayed very busy with rehearsals, pictures and all those other things that go into a dance recital. Although it keeps you hopping, all the prep work has been a lot of fun. I am in 8 dances, a first for me, since I am taking ballet again this year. The last few years I have just taken Irish, so I have been in one, maybe two dances a recital. This year's recital is going to be amazing!!

I have been working on 4-H projects for the last few months, but now is the time to really crack the whip since school is almost done. Today I finished stripping the paint off of the secretary that I am refinishing and took the fabric off of a foot stool that I am reupholstering. Last week I finished my scrapbook of my trip to New York City, although I still have to do the goal card. I have picked out my pattern for the dress that I want to make and am planning on starting that as soon a recital is all over with. We have gotten our garden started and have plants growing in the green house. I can't wait for farm fresh veggies!!!! I have my meat rabbits bred so they are due at the correct time so I can show at least one meet pen at the fair, if all goes well. The chickens are growing up. We started them on layer feed this week. The horses are doing well. I am going to start training them to pull a cart, although they probably will not go to fair this year. I have started working with Fritzy, practicing all of her amazing obedience skills. I was actually quite surprised at how well she did the first time we practiced. Goes to show you how smart my dog really is!!!

I have been helping my dad fix things up around this place, but that is a post of it's own so I will get back to you on that.

Also, I have been going outside for a run (and some walking first to warm myself up and then to cool down at the end) every morning. Fritzy likes to come with me, although she stops to sniff and has to catch up.

Well, I think that is about all I have to say. Catch you all later!!!

Granita di limone recipe and Italian dinner pictures

2009-04-09T09:07:00.008-05:00

Hey everybody!! I am going to share with you all the recipe for Granita di limone, or lemon flavored ice. This stuff is amazing!! I don't know if any of you have ever had a lemon shake-up (we get them at our county fair), but Granita di limone tastes just like one. So here is the recipe:

Ingredients

2 cups of water

2/3 cup sugar

juice and rind of 2 lemons

Equipment

saucepan

grater or zester

lemon squeezer

plastic tray or bowl

Squeeze the lemon juice and grate the lemon rind. Set aside.
Boil water and sugar in a saucepan for 5 minutes, stirring to make sure the sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat, add the lemon juice and grated lemon rind, and leave to cool.
Pour into a tray or bowl that can be put in a freezer. Place in the freezer for 3-4 hours.
Stir every 30 minutes to scrape the ice crystals into the mixture. This makes a softer, finer water ice.
You can try making other flavors with different kinds of juice or even coffee. Italians really like coffee!

Makes approximately 6 servings

Recipe from A Taste of Italy by Jenny Ridgwell.

I hope you try Granita di limone. It is very good and very easy to make!! Now, some pictures.

Making Tiramisu

Tiramisu all done! Doesn't it look great?

Ravioli dough

Ravioli ready to cook

Jonathan putting together fruit and cheese

Barley Soup with Sausage

Our menu!

Enjoying the meal and fellowship

l to r - Carol, Phyllis, Me

l to r - Dad, Jonathan, Rachel

If anyone wants any of the other recipes, I would be glad to pass them on.

'becca

Our Italian Dinner and the After Dinner Entertainment

2009-04-04T19:36:00.005-05:00

Last night, my sister Rachel and I, along with help from my mom and brother Jonathan, hosted an Italian dinner. We invited two older ladies from church to come and enjoy a meal with us. Well, they enjoyed it, but we had some unexpected after dinner entertainment. But we will talk about that later.

Rachel and I started at 9:00 in the morning with the desserts and things that need to refrigerate for some time. We took a break around lunch and then were back at it. Jonathan kept us informed with how much time we had until our guest arrived and took care of all the "we are not going to get done in time" stuff. One less thing for me and Rachel to worry about. I will not go through the whole cooking process because that would take WAY to much time to type. But I will tell you what was on the menu:

Appetizers -

Fruit balls with cheese and vegetables

Bruscette with tomato and basil

Main Course -

Barley soup with sausage served with garlic bread sticks

Ravioli with tomato sauce and Focaccia herb and cheese bread

Fettucine Alfredo

Dessert - Tiramisu

Granita di limone

Aftter dinner -

Biscotti

To drink -

Sparkling Mineral Water

Sparkling White Grape Cocktail

Sparkling Red Grape Cocktail

Lemonade

Italians drink wine with their food, but we stuck with non-alcoholic drinks. Also, I made a coconut custard pie, just in case the Tiramisu did not turn out. We had never made it before, so we wanted to make sure we had something good for dessert.

So we had gone through all our courses and mom was warming up water so we could have tea with our Biscotti and I was sitting at the table, looking out the window. I had turned away and then saw a blur out of the corner of my eye. I look out and running right for the road is Thunder and Lightening!! I know what you are thinking, "Again!! How can she put up with these pea-brained mini horses!?!?!" But I took off out of the house, went into the barn and grabbed the halters and ropes, jumped in dad's car and took off. Rachel was already headed down the road, so we stopped to let her in. Just down from us, some folks have four horses (3 horses and 1 pony actually) and our horses saw them and headed that direction. Well, that was a gift from God, because a car was able to herd them up those folks' driveway. Thunder and Lightening ran toward the other horses, but the fence comes to a L shape, so they were stuck. Rachel , Dad and I had made it up there by this time, so Rachel and I went and put their halters on. Now at this time you are asking "What about the other one? Where is he?" Well, let me enlighten you. We get Thunder and Lightening on ropes and head for home. As I start down the driveway, I see what I think is Storm moving toward the road. To back track a little, when I got the halters and ropes, Storm was still in the pen. I figured that Mom or Grandpa would come out and put him into the barn. Well that is not what happened. Now you are gripping your seat really hard, filled with suspense. Grandpa to the rescue it is. He had gone out and was able to catch Storm and put him away. YAHOO!! So Dad and I are walking home with Thunder and Lightening, while Grandma (did I forget to mention that she had brought Jonathan down in her car?) took Jonathan and Rachel home to help catch Storm, whom we thought was still loose. By this time though Grandpa had them and everybody was safe. So we walked the bad boys home and put them into the barn and now are going to board up the fence so they can only be in front of the barn for a while. But until that is done, they will be staying in the barn. We will walk them around some but they are not getting taken off the ropes until the fence is fixed.

So there you go. The ladies very much enjoy our meal and even the "after dinner entertainment" as they called it. We were going to do an Irish Jig (yes, I know that is not Italian) because they had never seen us dance, but that got put off until next time.

Excitement. That is what you come to expect when you have three mini horses. And, since you all read my blog, you get to partake in the excitement. Hope you enjoy!!

'becca

Icelandic Ramblings

2009-03-31T11:20:00.005-05:00

For the last, um, almost 2 weeks I have been researching Iceland for a research paper that is due tomorrow. My paper is done (let us pray that the teachers like it!!) but I wanted to share some interesting facts that I learned. So here we go, enjoy:

Iceland is the western most European country, 650 miles west of Norway, 200 miles east of Greenland and 1100 miles northeast of the UK.
Iceland was settled by people from Norway, Scotland, Ireland and England during the late 9th and early 10th centuries.
The official name of Iceland in Icelandic is Lydveldid Island (Republic of Iceland)
Iceland boasts the worlds oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930.
Iceland was an independent country until 1262, when Norway gained control. Denmark ruled Iceland from 1380 on. Iceland did not gain her independence until 1944.
Reykjavik is the capital and largest city. Folklore warns that if Reykjavik and its two neighbors ever physically joined, an earthquake would follow. Icelanders take their folklore seriously and will likely preserve the physical distinction between the towns.
Iceland is slightly smaller than the state of Kentucky.
Iceland is sometimes called the Land of Fire and Ice because of the close relation of glaciers, hot springs, geysers and volcanoes.
Another name for Iceland is the Land of the Midnight Sun because it is light for almost 24 hours at a time in June and dark for that same time in December.
Fishing is the main industry in Iceland
Most goods, cars, appliances, grain, have to be imported, and because of this the cost of living is high.
Iceland was named by an early explorer who was mad at seeing coastal waters choked by ice after a long and cold winter.
Most Icelanders live in coastal towns and make their living from the sea.
Almost all Icelandic exports are fish or fish products.
Iceland is a republic, the people elect the president and Althing members.
Most Icelanders speck Icelandic, although there is no official language.
Icelanders use a patronymic or matronymic naming system by law, which means adding -son or -dottir to your fathers, or occasionally your mothers, last name. So if your father's name was John then you would be Liam Johnson or Leah Johndottir.
Women do not change their last name when they get married.
Because so many people have the same names, telephone books also list a person's occupation to help you find who you are looking for.
Icelanders eat more lamb and fish than any other people. Hot dogs are even made of lamb meat.
Iceland's education system is different than America's, but I won't go into all the details right now.
There is very little land that can be used for growing crops in Iceland. 0.07% to be exact.
Icelanders enjoy many outdoor activities. Snowboarding, skiing, snowmobiling, horseback riding, white river rafting, dog sledding, hiking, rock climbing, fishing, just to name a few.

Well, there you go, some random facts about Iceland and her people. I hope you enjoyed reading and learned something that you did not know before.

'becca

My Busy Weekend, Take 2

2009-03-24T10:43:00.005-05:00

Well, sorry about the delay in posting. But I have a lot to post about, so let's get right to it.

My busy weekend started on Friday. After school, I went down to the shop and worked on my secretary. Earlier this week I had finished stripping the paint off and was on to washing it. First, you put on a light coat of stripper, let it set and then scrub it off. Any places were there is still paint, you scrap until the paint is all gone. Once all the paint is off, you wash it off with lacquer thinner and then wipe it dry. I got about half of the cabinet done, so I am quite happy with the way it is turning out. After that, I had a physical therapy appointment. And then after that, I went to my friend Ruth's house to help her prepare an Irish meal for her youth group. I got to her house about 3:30 and was cooking until 6:30. The food was delicious, if I do say so myself! Then we sang all the Irish songs that we could find in the hymn book, plus some others. We had dessert (Irish brownies and mint chip ice cream!), did some more singing and then it was time to go home. Ruth's sister took me to her house, which was closer for my mom to pick me up. But my mom heard the address wrong and spent 20 minutes driving around until she found the right place. I was sure I gave her the right address, but she found me, so that's good.

On Saturday, I had to babysit(at 6:20 a.m.) Then, when I got home, I went outside to help my dad. We were moving junk so that we could cut down our cedar trees. They cause cedar apple rust, so they have to go. Once we had the junk moved, we went and had lunch. Then it was time to cut down some trees! Rachel, Jonathan, and I got cameras so that we would have photographic evidence. We have 9 cedar trees, but we only cut down 5 to start. Dad did the cutting, and Grandpa had the tractor to help the trees fall in the right direction. After that, Rachel and I started cleaning the barn. We got the rabbit/horse side done, but still have to finish the 2 storage rooms.

Starting to fall

Really falling!

A stump

Another stump

On Sunday, after church, Dad wanted to get some of the branches cut off the trunk, in case it rained on Monday, so we could burn them. We are planning to burn the branches and are going to use the ash on our garden. First, Rachel, Jonathan and I loaded apple branches onto the trailer while Dad cut them up. After two loads of apple branches, we moved to cedar branches. We started by just dragging the branches to the pile, but since we still had the trailer, we decided that hauling them in that would be much easier! We hauled branches for 3 hours and then we were done!

There you go, my busy weekend. Enjoy reading! I have some other things to post about soon, so be watching for those!

'becca

I HAVE TO DO WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

2009-03-13T12:52:00.010-05:00

Nice title, right? For those of you who are complete city kids, you might not want to read the rest of this post. Just warning ya!!!!!

Yesterday, my family's supervising teacher came out for a home visit. And guess what we were doing?? DISSECTING WORMS!! Yes, I am not making this up. We had to dissect a worm. So I was ok with this. Not something I really want to do everyday or anything, but once, that's fine. Rachel, well, let us just say that she was not thrilled. So our teacher tells us all about worms, what they do (live so you can attach them to a fishing hook!! Just kidding, that's not their real purpose.), and what we would be looking for once we cut our worm open. Then we got our worm and pinned it(another thing I learned, one worm is both girl and boy) to the dissecting tray. Then we had to cut it open. Rachel would not, so I did. You start about an inch behind the clitellum, the smooth part behind the worms head and work toward the head. Alot of fun. I know you are wishing that you could be doing this with me! So once I had cut the worm open, we had to pin it down. My mom said that Rachel had to help, but she did not want to. But mom made her, so Rachel put on some gloves and, very carefully, not touching the worm, she helped me pin it down. Once it was all pinned down, we could now see the inside of our worm. Great fun, I know!!! We found the hearts, a worm has five, the brains, two of these, the dorsal blood vessel, the ventral nerve cord, pharynx, crop and gizzard, the ventral blood vessel and the intestine. After we had found all these wonderful body parts, I decided to cut it down the rest of the way. All you find is the intestine, ventral nerve cord, the dorsal blood vessel, and the ventral blood vessel which all run the length of the worm. So, to Rachel's great relief, we were done!! Now, a short essay on the purposes God gave the worm. God created the worm to reproduce, because the more worms there are, the better our soil is. Worms create castings(waste) which gives the soil added nutrients. One other purpose God gave the worm is tunneling. A worms tunneling loosens the soil so plants can grow better. There is my account of worm dissection. I know, you probably enjoy some of my other posts better, but I thought this would be an interesting post. I want to know what you think, so please leave a comment, if you would be so kind. Enjoy the pictures, if you can.

'becca

Sorry everyone

2009-03-09T13:58:00.003-05:00

Hey everybody sorry I have not posted in so long. So this post is not anything exciting, just the results of my polls. So here they are:

What would you most like to read about?

My day by day life: 11 votes (61%)

Chores: 0 votes (0%)

School and what I am learning: 0 votes (0%)

Trials that I face: 2 votes (11%)

My Animals: 3 votes (16%)

What I am reading: 2 votes (11%)

So I looks like I am posting about the right stuff!! That's good.

Do you enjoying reading my blog?

Yes: 9 votes (90%)

No: 0 votes (0%)

Maybe: 1 vote (10%)

The maybe was my sister Rachel. :)

So there you go. I will have a better post soon. I was asked what the theme of my book that I am writing is, so I think I will do a post and reading.

'becca

Blog Award and Tag

2009-02-27T16:47:00.011-06:00

Hey everybody,

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted. Life shifts into high speed and slowing it down is not the easiest thing to do. So let me get you up to date with what has happened since I last posted.

I have received a blog award!! I received Excellence in Blogcasting from Rachel M. and J.J.!!! Thank you so very much! I am very happy that you enjoy reading my blog and I hope it blesses you in some way. I give this award to Anne, Rachel H., Ellie, Olivia, and Sarah. I am pretty sure that everyone else has this one.

Also, I was tagged by Josh from While I am Waiting. I have to write up to fifty things about myself. So here it goes!!

I am a Bible believing Christian.

I am in 4-H.

I love animals and being outside.

I love taking pictures.

I am working on improving my photography skills.

I enjoy horsebackriding.

I wish I had a horse of my own. Right now I have three mini horses.

I raise meat rabbits. New Zealands, actually.

I show rabbits at our county fair every year.

I am almost done with my freshman year of high school. I finish next month.

I am refinishing a secretary as one of my 4-H projects.

I am a fan of the Chronicles of Narnia.

I would like major in architectural design when I go to college.

I enjoy target shooting.

I have never been hunting.

I go fishing every summer, at the near-by lake or in our pond.

I would like to have my own room. My dad says that should happen by my 16th birthday.

I have my learners permit.

I have not gotten to drive a whole lot lately because of bad weather. But it is getting nicer.

I would like to have a truck when I am older.

I enjoy dancing. I take both Irish Step and Ballet.

I love spending time with my family.

I am trying to decide what language to take next year.

I enjoy writing. Creative writing, that is.

I am writing a book in my spare time.

I am teaching myself to play guitar.

I enjoy Irish music.

I am going to build my dog, Fritzy, an agility course out of PVC pipe.

I entered a homemade apple pie in a contest and placed third.

I have had my braces for 8 months.

I really miss Snickers candy bars and Blizzards.

I wish I knew how to sword fight.

I am watching Prince Caspian and that triggered my last remark.

I am finding it hard to make it to fifty. But I will make it.

I helped my dad load a dump truck full of wood on Wednesday. I will have more on this.

I enjoy helping my dad with all sorts of projects.

I would like to, one day, have a farm.

I am part of an Irish Step troupe that performs at nursing homes and retirement centers.

I need to post more often.

I enjoy baking with my family. No-bake cookies are my favorite to make.

I like lifting heavy stuff.

I am strong for a 14 year old, says my dad.

I need just a few more, almost there.

I have glasses but never wear them.

I have had a refinished rocking chair and a clothing selection outfit go to the state fair.

I have won agility with my dog, Mandy, at the county fair.

I miss Mandy, who was hit by a car almost two years ago.

I am shy.

I am an alto in choir.

I enjoy driving farm machinery.

There!! I made it to 50!!! It is all a bit random, but I hope you enjoy reading it!! Thank you Josh for the tag! If anybody needs anything clarified, just let me know. I will have another post soon about what has been happening in my life.

'becca

Chicks

2009-02-19T19:30:00.004-06:00

So, today I was doing school, and about 8:45 our county extension office called to say that chicks we had ordered through them had come in and we could pick them up anytime after 10:00. So mom says to stop school and go get everything set up. Well, I am already half a day behind because I got a cold and did not do much school yesterday, so now I am a day behind. But I will catch up. So, back to the chicks. Rachel and I got out the metal tub, and the feeders and waterers. Rachel filled up the feeders while I went out to the barn to get the heat lamp. I brought it in and hooked it up. Then we went out and got the bag of ground corn cob to use as bedding. I mixed up the water and then everything was set up. My mom, Jonathan, Rachel and I piled in the van and set off. We had to stop by the local hardware store to get a new thermometer because our old one had broken. We went to the fairgrounds and picked up our 13 California Whites and headed home. Jonathan kept telling the chicks to be quiet, but they don't listen to directions very well. :) When we got home, Jonathan, Rachel and I took the chicks and dipped their beaks in the water. Then we left them alone and I went back to school work. We put the thermometer in and I went down later to make sure that the temperature was at 95. It wasn't quite there, so I moved the lamp down a little. After that, the temperature was fine and the chicks are happy. Or at least sleepy!

'becca

I am back!!!

2009-02-17T12:13:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone,

Our computer is still having problems, but I can use my grandma's laptop. So I will be posting. I will have an actual post for you later, but I just wanted you to know that I am back.

God bless,

'becca

For your information

2009-02-13T15:24:00.002-06:00

To let everyone know, our computer is taking a trip to the doctor!! It is bogged down with anti-virus and other programs. So I will not be posting for a few days. :( But I will have much to post about when I get back! I will be back in a few days. Until then, God bless!

'becca

Trees

2009-02-13T07:24:00.003-06:00

My mom said that since I had talked about trimming trees, why not post some pictures. So here you go, apple trees. These are not all the same tree, but this will give you an idea what it takes to get a tree trimmed up.

What it looks like before we trim anything

A partially trimmed tree

A finished tree

Now you know what we are working with.

'becca

My Busy Weekend!!

2009-02-09T12:55:00.001-06:00

Ok, be ready for a long post!! Since we had such nice weather this weekend, it got to fifty on Saturday, I was outside alot. Trimming apple trees, splitting wood, riding my bike, that kind of stuff. So, for my post today, I will give you all an outline of my weekend. My weekend starts as soon as school is done on Friday, so I will start there.

Friday:

Around one o'clock I got done with school and headed outside. I got my bike out and road around on our driveway. We have a pretty long gravel driveway, so it was a little muddy from all the melting, but Jonathan, Rachel and I had fun. I have some pictures but they are still on my camera. I will put them on soon.

My dad got off work early, so when he got home we started pruning apple trees. We have to do this every year, but all of them, we have 25 or so although there are a few that don't produces, have not gotten pruned in the last couple of years, so we have some catching up to do. You just start "hacking and whacking" as my dad says. First you take out all the sap wood, the stuff that won't produce apples, then you start shaping the tree, making sure that it won't be too tall, short or wide. After your all done with a tree, it looks kind of weird because you are use to more branches. But the trees grow better apples pruned up. Once the leaves come in they look fine. So I help Dad trim one. He says that if we trim one a day, we will get them all done before warm weather. So, once we were done with the tree we went inside and had supper. Leftovers, my favorite!!! Actually it was ok, I had some stir fry, so that was fine with me.

Rachel and I went out and did animal chores. The ponies were really dirty because they had been rolling!!! But they will just have to be dirty for a while. Once it gets warm, and stays warm, I'll have to give them baths. Showers, actually. That is a lot of fun!!! When I do it, I'll post about it.

So, then we had Bible time and all went to bed because we were tired. Including Fritzy!! She had been running around a lot.

Saturday:

I made blueberry muffins for breakfast. I had the batter a little thick and filled the muffin cups kind of full, but they still tasted good.

Rachel and I went out and did morning chores. The ponies had been left out and they had gone down to the pen. But the run was sheer ice, so they were having a hard time getting back up to the barn. So we helped them up and I built a make-shift gate. It consisted of their hay feeder, which is half of a plastic barrel screwed to a wooden frame, and three lead ropes. We set it up next to the barn, blocking the ponies from going down the run. So now they are confined to the area right in front of the barn, but not for long.

Rachel, Jonathan and I did a little more bike ridding after chores.

Next, I helped my dad split wood. I really enjoy splitting wood, although I am still working on my aim. But I am getting better. So I split while my dad cut up the big logs with the chain saw and Rachel and Jonathan stacked the wood in the greenhouse.

Then I had to go in and get ready for ballet rehearsal. Rehearsal is from 11:00 to 1:30. That went really well and I had a lot of fun.

Then I came home and helped my dad trim another apple tree. This one was a Golden Delicious. One of my favorite apples. After you do the first tree, you remember that you just start chopping, no need to take hours over one tree.

I am trying to remember, it seems like I did something else on Saturday but I just can not think of it. Oh well, I tell you if I remember.

I remembered! My dad got out his Lever Action 22 and we did some target shooting. We only had 9 shots, so each of us (my sister, brother and I) had three shots. I got to go first and shot just a little to high. So, for you information, we were shooting at a milk jug. My second shot I winged the jug. On my last shot, I hit the jug. I was the only one, but we all had fun.

Sunday:

My mom made hash browns and bacon and my dad made eggs for breakfast. It was all very good.

Rachel and I went and did chores. The ponies wanted to go down to the pen but the run still had a lot of ice on it, so that was a denied request.

My family and I then headed off to church. The sermon was very good and Sunday School was very interesting. I am in the adult class right now and we are talking about the sovereignty of God. Quite thought provoking.

We had steak for lunch, but my teeth were quite sore because of my braces, so I had a hot dog. I know, not the best thing for you, but I wasn't really hungry.

After lunch we had a few things that needed to get done before it rained today. I climbed out my bedroom window onto the roof, which is a level down from my bedroom, and took the Christmas lights off. This is one of my favorite jobs. I don't mind heights at all. I have fun up there.

Then I went down and helped my dad, grandpa and sister stack wood in the greenhouse. We have a wood burning stove that heats the shop. So now we have plenty of wood to last for quite a while.

Then my dad let me split the last log. I really am getting better at my aim and very much enjoy swinging a splitting maul.

Next, my dad and I went down and trimmed a Harlsen apple tree. It did not take that long, because, as I said, then more you do it the faster you get. Now we have three done, just a few more to go.

After supper, Rachel and I gave Fritzy and Carlie baths. We also brushed their teeth and clean their ears. Not a whole lot of fun, but they are clean now. Now I have to clip their nails and brush them.

Monday:

So not part of my weekend, but I thought I would tell you what I have done so far today.

I got up at about 6 o'clock. I grabbed some cereal, then got on the computer to polish my essay. I don't have to turn it in until Wednesday, but my mom has someone coming to take the computer and clean it out. It has all these software programs that are slowing it down. So I got that done and then Rachel and I went out to do chores. I got a little of my school done, then I had to go to the orthodontist. I now have pink and black rubber bands. A little twist on Valentine's Day colors. When I got home, I finished my school. Now I am using my Grandma's laptop to type this post, even though our computers still here, but Rachel is using it. It is now raining outside. It has been a long time since I saw rain!!

So there you go, my weekend. Hope you enjoyed the post.

'becca

Blog Awards!!!

2009-02-04T19:44:00.004-06:00

I finally figured out how to get the pictures of the blog awards!! Now don't laugh, because I might not know how to do it right a way, but I usually figure something out. So here they are.

From Marissa and Lucie

From Lucie and Ellie

The Silver Linings Award

From Joshua

Thanks guys for the awards. I already awarded the first two to people, so I give the last one to: Anne for always finding the best in things, even injury, Rachel for being who she is, and Sarah for making me laugh at her stories and the great pictures on her blog. I am pretty sure the rest of you already have these awards.

Thank you everyone!!

'becca

Update

2009-02-02T16:15:00.008-06:00

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting. I have been very busy since I last posted. So to give you all an update:

I have received two blog awards.

I went to our 4-H club's sledding party on Saturday and had a great time. I also got to ride a snowmobile for the first time and loved it!

Today I worked on the secretary that I am refinishing as one of my 4-H projects.

My Mom made me take an AMC test to practice for when I have to take the real test.

I have been writing a really hard essay for the class I take through the homeschool program we are part of and have been having a very hard time (hence the delay in posting).

I have am amazing Mom who helped me by reading and re-reading my essay.

I gave my presentation for my 4-H club and at our homeschool group's music fair.

I finished my 4-H award application and turned it in before the deadline.

I am having a great time at the dance classes that I take and am learning a lot.

My Dad said that sometime soon we can take my bow in and get the weight reset. And get arrows so I can actually shoot something at the target, not just pretend.

I have officially decided that my sister is very weird. Just check her blog and you will understand what I mean.

I have very much enjoyed my experience as a blogger and am looking forward to being one for a long time.

My blog is under going some changes, so please bear with me.

I have been tagged!!

Well, I think that is about all. To elaborate a little:

I received the "creative blog" and the "your blog is fabulous" awards. I can not get the pictures onto my blog and I am sorry about that. I give these awards to Anne, Sarah, and Rachel. Ellie and Olivia, I think you have these already, but if you don't, I award them to you also.

The sledding party was a lot of fun, although none of the kids my age showed up. I went on my very first snowmobile ride and absolutely loved it. My dad says I'm crazy, but I still think it was cool. Now I really want to go again.

The secretary is a lot of work. The last owner painted it green, which means that I have to strip all the old paint off. Also, since it has been sitting up in the barn for quite sometime, it needs a lot of gluing. That is all done, so now it is stripping, sanding, and staining. I like refinishing and my grandpa is teaching me. It is a lot of fun working with him.

The math test, no fun. Enough said.

The essay is on character analysis in short story and it is a lot of work and not any fun. I am better at creative writing than at assigned work. Some of it is o.k., the things where I can be more creative, but this topic does not give you much leeway.

My Mom is amazing and that is all I can say. Yes, she made me take the math test, but she did that for my own good. God blessed me with amazing parents and I would not trade them for anything. Not even that horse I really want.

My presentation is Step it Up: A History of Irish Music and Irish Step Dancing. Giving it at my club and at the music fair went really well. Now I am in the process of memorizing it for the county level 4-H competition.

This is the first year that I could apply for area awards. I chose just to do one area, although you can do two. I applied for the rabbit award. Later this month, I have an interview!! That will be my first experience in that area.

Dance is going really well. I am taking advanced Irish Step and Ballet IV/V. I have a lot of good Christian friends that dance at the same studio as I do, which is a great encouragement to me. I am also a Teacher's Assistant for three classes, which is a great learning experience for me.

I have had my bow for over a year, but the poundage is set a little too high. So, we are going to take it in and see if they can make it a little easier to pull.

Rachel's blog is Pure Country Kid. It is in my "girls I dance with" blog list. Check it out and you will understand what I mean by wierd. But I still love her.

I really like blogging and am enjoying posting on my life. I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog and will continue to enjoy reading it.

I am trying some different things with my blog, like changing my background and header, which still needs some work, and adding music. So as these changes happen, please bear with me.

I have been tagged by Marissa! So here are my answers to the questions:

A book I read: The Ballet Companion. I am still reading this book, and enjoying it very much. Thank you Anne for letting my borrow it.

A moment I will always remember: When my dance teacher awarded me with my buckles.

A new skill I acquired: I am learning how to drive!!

A movie I watched: Prince Caspian

A lesson I learned: When you are going through hard times, you find out who your friends are.

A new place I visited: New York City and Minnesota, including Lake Superior

An inspiring verse or quote: Read the Bible and you will find many. I don't want to just pick one.

I tag Anne, Ellie, Rachel, Olivia, Sarah, and anyone else I missed who has not done this.

I hope you had fun reading my long post. I will try to get the pictures of the blog awards and of my secretary up.

'becca

Escape of the Blond

2009-01-29T19:37:00.004-06:00

Lightening: The Blond (one among many other nick names)

Cool title, right? Now for all you blonds out there, this is not about you. This is about my mini horse, Lightening. What does that title have to do with a mini horse? Oh, you'll find out!! So, to begin. On Saturday evening, my mom asked of I could take Snowflakes tray out to the barn and dump it out. Now who is Snowflake, you ask? Snowflake is one of my New Zealand rabbits. I will post more about her later. She is getting old and the really cold weather was really wearing on her. So my parents said that I could bring her in from the barn. She has been living in the basement about a month now. So I said that I would takes out her tray, sure. I go down and get the tray out and tell Rachel to fill up the water she needs and asked her to fill up the five gallon bucket for me. The water heater for the mini horses broke the day before the temperatures plunged below zero. So every morning and evening, I have to carry out hot water, break the ice on the water tub, take out two buckets of cold water (since you can not get five gallons out in one draw), and dump the hot water in. But I don't mind to much. I'll tell you all my chores some other time, how about that? So, back to the story. Rachel said she will fill up the water and I TRIED to get out of the door. But the tray was to wide and since it was full of rabbit droppings I could not tip it, so I had to go out the garage door. I get to the barn, around which goes a fence so the ponies can go straight from the barn to the pasture and vise versa. I slid the tray under the gate, open the gate and go in. Now the gate is ten (or maybe twelve) feet long, so it is heavy and long and does not close well. We are still working on that. So I thought I had gotten the gate closed and went to take the tray in. But, alas, I had made a mistake. The gate was not closed and Lightening, being who he is, had to go check it out. So he pushes and the gate swings open!! I grab him, because if he gets away it is not fun. I also manage to grab Thunder. Storm goes out and finds a little something to munch on. I know he will not go anywhere, so I move to take Thunder and Lightening in. But Lightening twists, steps on my foot and gets away. FREE!! That is what he is thinking as he trots off. I quickly put Thunder in the barn, calling for Rachel. I never remember it taking so long to fill up two gallons of water and a five gallon bucket. I grab a lead rope and am coming out of the barn when Rahel finally decides to show up. She looks at me, the rope, sees Storm and asks "Where are the other two?" "Thunder's in the barn, Lightening's somewhere", I reply. She sets the water down and I tell her to get some horse treats. I rope Storm around the neck and put him in the barn. Next the blond. By the way, for those of you who don't know, Lightening is blond. I put the picture on to inform you of that fact. I come out of the barn and here comes Lightening, trotting down from the yard, tail held high, feet up, having the time of his very short life. I'm telling you, every time he gets out he goes strait down the driveway, right for the road. And, sure enough, that is what he does. But this time he circles the pond and heads back for the barn. I yell at Rachel that I'll get behind him, and we'll try to steer him into the barn. She goes between the barn and the shop, and while she is out of my view, Lightening trips her on some ice and she falls. She's o.k. now, just a little sore. Lightening goes right past the barn and heads for the yard again. Then he comes back down the driveway and Rachel and I are able to steer him into the fence. Rachel shuts the gate and I grab Lightening and put him in the barn. The Escape of the Blond has been cut short. Every thing is good now and everyone is still alive. Better yet, this happened without anyone inside the house finding out!! So we feed and water the rabbits, I go get the hot water for the ponies then realize that I still have to dump the rabbit tray. But it doesn't fit through the barn door! So I dump it in a bucket, dump the bucket, and head for the house. My very simple evening chore routine has really had an amazing twist tonight!! But everyone survived and we did tell mom and dad (but not grandma, because if we did, she would start on her whole "we need to get rid of the ponies" speech. Which we do not need to do, because everyone needs something cuddly like a mini horse. Or maybe you just need some excitement. Everyone needs some of that. So my exciting night ended and Lightening is just waiting for the next chance to escape. I have some really good stories about him. I'll have to post some others.

I hope you enjoyed the story. The picture is not the greatest, but I will get a better one for you all.

'becca

Doggy Pictures

2009-01-23T16:55:00.007-06:00

Hey everyone! Here are the pictures I said I would post. Jonathan, Rachel and I were outside for about 45 minutes as it is cold and windy here, but we had a good time. My aunt's dog, Bella, was over today. She is gray and a Golden Doodle. In February, our family is going to babysit her for 10 days. Three dogs in the house!! That is going to be an experience. But Bella is a good dog and she and Fritzy get along very well. Enjoy the pictures!!

My doggy, Fritzy, Jonathan snowboarding

Charlie, who will lick you to death. O.k., so you won't die, but your going to be wet. Rachel in a pine tree.

My aunt's dog, Bella. Me and my "toy", the tennis ball launcher.

(the closest thing to a working bow I have)

P.S.- I am wearing sun glasses because it was very bright out today. I have great fashion sense too!! O.k., so the outfit doesn't look that great, but I stayed warm and did not become snow blind.

Tug of War

2009-01-22T20:16:00.003-06:00

Fritzy, my Black Lab/Akita/almost every other breed a stray mother and father can have, and I were playing tug of war this evening. Fritzy is a house dog so we were inside playing. Not outside, it is still really cold here. But back to tug of war. Fritzy is a really big and strong dog. My Dad and I are the only ones who can play with her without being pulled across the room. My brother, Jonathan, likes to try to play with her, but he usually gets pulled around a lot. So we were playing and Fritzy likes to make a lot of noise when she plays. So she's growling and pulling and we are just having a ball. In the summer we like to go outside and play catch. But Fritzy likes to play with logs, not sticks. At the moment, though, most of the logs are under the snow. So we mostly play tug of war inside in the evening. We have a lot of fun. To bad I did not get any pictures, but since I am the one pulling on the rope, I can't really take pictures.

In November, I bought a Crazy Dog tennis ball launcher. It sits on your arm and works sort of like a sling shot. I'll take a picture of it later, so you can see what it is. Fritzy and I have been having a lot of fun with that. When she catches the ball, she grabs it so hard that, after a few catches, the ball is broken. But they still work and Fritzy does not care if they are broken. Charlie, our other dog, doesn't catch on to the whole 'run and catch the ball' so he just sits and watches. He's getting old and got sick a couple years ago, so he doesn't move as fast or as much as Fritzy does.

They are both very good dogs. I'll get some pictures tomorrow and put them up for all of you.

Hope you enjoy!!

'becca

Basement

2009-01-17T19:05:00.002-06:00

Today, my dad, sister, brother and I started cleaning out the basement. That moves me one step closer to having my own room. How our house is built, the basement has two garage spaces, and then an apartment. I get the the apartment, or, at least part of it. At one time, the apartment was partially finished, but that was a while ago. In the last, ah, fifteen years or so, it has become storage, filling up with boxes and old furniture. Right now, my sister and I share a room. But we are completely different (aren't most sisters?). Rachel is very messy, and I like clean. Rachel leaves piles all over, I put everything away. So, now that the basement is cleaned out, or almost cleaned out, we can start working. The bedroom of the apartment is still storage, and will be for awhile, so we will be finishing the "living room". It has to be rewired, heating put in, new windows (or a door. I don't remember what Grandpa said), insulated, new flooring, and the bathroom redone. A lot of work, but my grandpa built houses and my dad helped, so they know what to do and I am learning. I will keep you posted on how this goes.

My feet!! Foot actually

2009-01-14T13:27:00.003-06:00

I finally found this picture! I could not figure out what folder I had put it in!! I am actually standing on Pointe, but in Irish hard shoes. My little brother Jonathan took the picture. Isn't it great? It has taken me about a year to break in my hard shoes so I can actually stand in Pointe. But it was worth the wait because it is really fun!!

'becca

Snow - A lot of snow!!!!

2009-01-14T12:33:00.006-06:00

"Am I standing on land or ice?" My sister Rachel trying to find where the pond starts.

Fritzy enjoying the snow, Charlie keeping watch!! Charlie is the one sitting and Fritzy is slightly blurry, but this was the best picture!!

Deep snow!!

Rachel says Hi!!

It isn't as deep here, but still deep enough.

Last night, I had to let the dogs out before bed. When I got them up, they had already fallen asleep, and out the door, it had started snowing. I woke up this morning and it was still snowing!!! No choir today, sorry Anne!! I was thinking positive!! After everyone else got up, I went out to do the animal chores with Rachel and Jonathan, my siblings, and then we shoveled the driveway. After that, Rachel and I got my camera and a ruler to see how much snow had accumulated over night. We had gotten about eight inches of snow over night. That is on top of a couple of inches that we got on Monday, and the ice that was left from last week. In some places there is over a foot of snow because of the drifts. It is a lot to walk through when your carrying five gallon buckets of water for your horses. Our water heater broke, so now I have to carry out hot water so the ponies have something to drink.

Also, it is very cold here. The windchills are in the 20's and 30's below zero. That's cold, for sure!! We had to bundle up and keep moving to keep from getting too cold. I don't want frostbite, that's for sure!!

I hope you all are staying warm!! Keep safe!! Enjoy the pictures!!

'becca

p.s.- In the first picture, it really wasn't that dark, but I had the flash on so it made it look dark.

State Quarter Collection

2009-01-08T19:46:00.005-06:00

Way back when I was 5 (1999), my aunt Ginny gave me a state quarter collectors map for me to fill up as the quarters came out. Now I have all the quarters! When I got it, I had figured out that I would be 14 when it was done and, whoa that is old!! Well, I'm not that old but I did have fun collecting the quarters. Thanks, Aunt Ginny!! Jonathan's finger is in the first picture, but it was the best one!!

Enjoy!

'becca

The Sullivan Brothers Museum

2009-01-08T19:18:00.007-06:00

Last Friday, my family and I went to the Sullivan Brothers War Museum In Waterloo. The Sullivan's were five brothers from Waterloo that served and died together on the U.S.S. Juneau during World War Two. When you walk into the museum, you are standing under a replica of a P-51 Mustang. At the start of the museum, you get a dog tag and as you go through the museum, it tells you the story of someone who served, starting at the Civil War and going right up to Current Conflicts. I enjoyed it very much. We also took the GPS that my Grandma got for Christmas, and I figured it all out. It was great to spend some family time together.

Happy New Year!!!!

2009-01-01T09:14:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year everybody!! I stayed up 'till midnight and even felt time stand still for that one extra second of 2008. Ok , so maybe not, but I did have a good time. Rachel, Mom and I watched The Final Season and Nancy Drew. Then Mom went to bed and Rachel and I watched Amazing Grace. For the last half of an hour Rachel was sitting on the couch with her mouth hanging open trying to keep her eyes from closing. It only took her like two or three minutes to fall asleep. Fritzy stayed up with us and, when we went to bed, she fell asleep on my bed and stayed there the entire night. Then I woke up at 6:50 to Rachel's alarm!! She had forgotten to turn it off before she fell asleep!! So I did not get much sleep last night so I'll have to go to bed early tonight. Happy 2009 everybody!!!

Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, but Today is a gift. That is why they call it the Present.

'becca

I've Been Tagged!!

2008-12-31T08:45:00.003-06:00

I have been tagged by Ellie for 15 things that I am not afraid to admit. I don't know if I can get 15 things, but I'll try. Here it goes.

I love to dance!
I enjoy ridding horses
I consider taking pictures my hobby
I raise meat rabbits
I want a horse
I am an alto in choir
I wish I played an instrument
I am in 4-H
I have stood on a moving snowboard for about 5 feet
I can lift 50 pound bags of rabbit food
I am writing a book in my spare time (if I find any)
I have great friends (all you out there, you rock)
I want to run my own business
I wish my friends lived closer to me (or me closer to them)
I can't get a background on my blog!

I got to fifteen. I now deserve your congratulations. OK, you don't have to congratulate me, but I hope you have learned something new about me.

I tag Anne, Rachel, and Olivia.

Just to clarify, the snowboard was a cheap one from Menard's and once I had gone the five feet, I fell over and twisted my ankle. That was last year.

Enjoy!!

'becca

Snow Pictures

2008-12-27T14:24:00.004-06:00

Here are some of the snow pictures that Rachel took on our "snow day". The mini horses loved following the sled around.

Enjoy!!

'becca

Christmas Eve Vet Visit

2008-12-27T13:41:00.003-06:00

It is the morning of Christmas Eve and Rachel and I are out doing morning chores. My dog Fritzy likes to go down and chase rabbits out of our junk pile with our older dog Charlie while we are outside. We had finished chores and were bringing in the sleds that had gotten left out, when Rachel yells to me, "Fritzy has a really big cut on her side!!" So we take her inside and I see that she is missing a triangle shaped piece of her hide. Rachel and I clean the gash up as best as we could and then we get Mom. Mom says to show it to Dad but she will probably have to go to the vet. Dad says yes, she needs to go to the vet. So we jump in the van and back out of the garage. But my dad had not cleared that part of the driveway and we got stuck!! So we got out and jumped into the Jeep. Once we get to the vet, the assistant says that Fritzy will have to stay. After the vet's other appointments, they would put her to sleep and stitch her up and we could come get her around 5:30, when the vet comes to do evening chores. Not exactly the way Fritzy had planned to spend the day!! So after she was stitched up, which took 21 stitches, Fritzy was definitely ready to come home. She spent the rest of the evening sleeping very close to her "people". The gash only cut into the fat, no muscle, so Fritzy will heal up fast. If we can keep her calm, that is!! She is very energetic and does not like to say still for long!

Christmas Break

2008-12-22T12:12:00.009-06:00

The next two weeks I am on Christmas break. My dad says that I should be doing school so I don't forget what I've learned, and I might do a little, but a small break is good. So what do you do on Christmas break? I like to catch up on my reading list. I don't get a lot of reading done while school is in session, because high school work keeps me busy. Of course, wrapping presents is always on the agenda. If it is nice out (which it has not been for the last few days) I like to go sledding. Call me a kid, but I think there are many who will agree with me that sledding is still a lot of fun, even when you are a teenager. Let's see, what else do I like to do? Catch up on sleep!!! I also enjoy spending time with my family as we celebrate Christ's birth.

Oh!! I almost forgot!!! Baking!! I love baking cookies, bars and fruitcake. Just kidding, I don't make fruitcake. I don't think that anyone in my family would eat fruitcake!!

I pray that you all have a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year!!

'becca

Cold Weather

2008-12-19T15:16:00.003-06:00

I enjoy cool weather, but sometimes it gets a little to cold. On Monday when my sister and I went out to do chores, it was -8 with a wind chill of -28. Now that is cold!!! We piled on layers and were still very chilly when we came inside. The next morning was not quite as cold. The wind chill was only -15!! Last night, it sleeted and made the hills perfect for sledding. After school my sister, brother and I went outside to have some sledding time. Rachel took some pictures, so I'll have to ask her if I can put some on. I hope that you all have a very merry Christmas and an happy new year.

'becca

The Flood

2008-12-19T11:58:00.004-06:00

In honor of it being just over six months since major floods hit the midwest, I would like to post my flood poetry. I hope you enjoy it and please tell me what you think of it.

The Flood

The flood came with rushing water and many a tear,
And undid the work of many a year.
It searched and found our weakest places,
And added wrinkles to many faces.
It changed the plans of many people, both young and old,
And even sent some out into the cold.
It reformed our view of how a river moves,
And gives us many new paths to chose.
But we can make to through them all,
And come out standing very tall.

The Flag

A flag hangs suspended from a flooded home. Its tail, once so graceful, is now swallowed by the murky water. But above the water the stars of this American flag are visable to our eyes.
Nevertheless, the stars blink, as if they were winking at us, because of tears. Tears that have filled our eyes for many days. However, the flag remained through it all, the rushing water and floating garbage. This flags graceful beauty, like that of a dancer, even when it is being pulled by the current, it is a reminder to us all that we can make it through this trying time.

Enjoy!!

'becca

Living Window

2008-12-13T18:00:00.003-06:00

Last week I posed in a window for a Christmas celebration. The studio that I take dance lessons at has had this Living Window for the past few years. This is the first year that I had the opportunity to pose, and I had a lot of fun! I am one of the older dancers, so part of my job was to keep the younger dancers in line! But that job was not to hard, they all behaved. Enjoy the pictures!!

Christmas lights!!!

2008-11-30T15:21:00.003-06:00

I have soo much fun putting up the Christmas lights every year. I climb out my bedroom window onto the roof so I can hook them onto the gutter. My Grandma always freaks when I do this. She thinks I am going to fall and hurt myself. But I have not fallen yet and don't plan on it. I love Christmas. Enjoy the pictures!!

Supermodels!!!

2008-11-30T15:13:00.003-06:00

Here are pictures of my brother and sister modeling for me. It is near impossible to get my brother to sit still long enough to take a good picture! I did get some good pictures, though. I have a few more to put on later.

Ponies!!

2008-11-24T12:13:00.002-06:00

Here are pictures of my families ponies. They are American Miniature Horses. The first and third pictures are of Thunder. The second picture is of Lightening. The last two pictures are of Storm. Thunder is a pig, Lightening is a blond (100%), and Storm is a little shy because he did not spend much time with people when he was little. I have them trained to lead and am hoping to train them to pull a cart. They are a lot of fun, most of the time. This morning when my sister and I were taking them out to the pasture, Lightening bit my finger!!! They get really furry in the winter. I have pictures of them from this summer and they look very different! No where near as much fur. I hope you enjoy the pictures. This winter I will put on some of them rolling in the snow!!

New York City!!!!!!!

2008-11-20T13:47:00.006-06:00

Last month I went to New York City with my Mom, sister and Grandma. I had so much fun!! We saw the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, the Statue of Liberty, Madison Square Garden, Macy's, Central Park and lots more. I took about 700 pictures!!! I really enjoyed seeing the American Museum of Natural History. That is where the movie Night in the Museum was filmed. Rexy was a big attraction. We took a carriage ride through Central Park. That park is huge!! The horse's name was Shaggy and for those of you who know me you know that I love horses. Time Square was amazing!! So big and full of signs and people. It is amazing to see the city all lit up. We took a night time bus tour and saw the New York skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge all in lights. The Empire State building was lit up in purple. We went shopping at Macy's, M+M's, Hershey's, Capezio's, the American Girl store and lots of souvenir shops. We stayed in a very upscale condo with doormen!! Seeing the sites of New York City was a lot of fun but it is not a place that I would want to live!! I hope you enjoy the pictures. More to come!!!

Ceile!!!

2008-11-15T11:18:00.002-06:00

Last night I went to a ceile. What is a ceile, you ask? A ceile is an Irish party. I had alot of fun. My dance teacher and some other girls from class were there and we preformed Easy Jig to one of the songs the band played. I very much enjoyed the music and dancing. The first song was a waltz and I got to dance with a very nice young man. His mom made him dance with me!! I hope that I get to go to another ceile soon.

Braces!!

2008-11-11T12:45:00.001-06:00

I had my braces changed yesterday!! I now have red and white rubber bands. I choose these colors for Canada but the assistant said they are candy cane colors. Whichever you chose to call them, my favorite part about my braces is choosing the rubber band colors. The bottom wire is tighter so my teeth are a little sore, but I will survive. I have had my braces since June 30th. I can really feel the difference, too!!

My vacation

2008-11-08T16:41:00.000-06:00

This picture is from vacation this summer. My family and I went to Minnesota, Canada, and Wisconsin. We had a great time, but there was a lot of driving involved!!

I have a blog!!!

2008-11-08T16:32:00.000-06:00

This is so cool!! Check back for lots of stories and pictures to come!!