To You

Dear Cally,
Hi. Sweet is the best word for you and I like that you both know that and kinda don't. I'm not very good at composing good blogger-girl comments, so may I just say: I like your blogs posts. XD Someday I will send you that book and when I do, there will be chocolate with it that to make up for my tardiness. What's your favorite kind?
~Love,
     Becca 

Dear Adelaide,
Hi. I feel kinda sneaky putting this here, since you're not a follower, so I'm kinda like a ninja. You have gotten me utterly hooked on The Hunts.  And it is terribly frustrating because they don't have nearly enough songs for me to find and listen to. Other than that, it's fun to hear about you through the grapevine.
~Love,
     Becca 


Dear Lady Em,
Hiya! I still feel both a bit proud and bad for the April Fools prank I pulled, but hey, had to be done. I beat my old weight for the backsquat at CrossFit this evening, and tied with Cori. If I were to add a new color to my wardrobe, one that I don't already wear often, what should it be?
~Love,
     Becca


Dear Cameron,
Please forgive me. Really.
~Love,
    Becca 


Dear Embers,
Hi. You're just plain old neat. I always admire those who can wholeheartedly and unabashedly love what they love, and still be rational human beings. Doctor Who, etc. So good job. I don't always comment on your blog when perhaps I should, but I promise I read them all and enjoy them. What's a song I should listen to?
~Love,
    Becca 


Dear Jordy,
So I was at the store the other day and Mom was taking forever shopping for plants or something, so my sisters and I were in the section with paper and things. And I saw these stationary cards with foxes on them, in a style that I very much thought you would approve of. On a completely different note, when's your birthday?
~Love,
      Becca


Dear Everyone Else,
You're important too, I simply didn't have as much to say to you here as these others. *grins*
~Love,
     Becca 


p.s.
Been gone for a while. Trying to come back.

p.p.s.
See my new header? Autumn painted that. 

Life.

Hello, all. I haven't posted in some time, so here is what I have been doing instead:

We hosted a Christmas Ball! It was essentially a Christmas event, in honor of me and Cori's birthdays, which are three days apart.

(Most of these pictures were taken on a phone, so they're rather blurry.)

Daniel and Sarah, doing Virginia Reel

Korobushka

This, folks, is a photographic example of exactly how much harder I laugh at things than anyone else.

I even got this guy who went to community college with me to come! And since he and Cameron are both huge geeks, he even had someone to hang out with, besides me. 

Virginia Reel

Hannah Joy came to visit us and helped with putting up our Christmas tree, among other things.

Having the tall person put our Captain America star up. 

I also had a birthday.

At the restaurant we went out to.

Yes, Autumn is wearing a top hat. 

Yup. 17 years old now.



Insect update!


Mom got me three Glorious Scarab beetle larvae for my birthday.

And my Hercules beetles have grown quite a bit and should be pupating within the next few months.

Hercules

Mom also gave me cocoons for both Polyphemus moths and Promethea moths, which should emerge sometime between May and June. All very exciting. 

Other than that, I survived my first term at community college and even got all A's. *pats self on back*  We have been swamped with orders for blacksmithing forges from our home business, what with people buying them as Christmas gifts. And the first calf was born this morning! A healthy, 80 lb heifer. 

Also, Christmas shopping, music-ing and CrossFit. 

SO. That's my life.

p.s

Christmas music+Owl City= this

Thankfulness Tag

Stolen from me Mum

I have been tagged by Hannah Joy for this Thankfulness Tag. Ignore the silly coloring, Blogger is being mean today. 

Here we go:

1.  What is your favorite quote or verse that reminds you to be thankful?

Mmmm.... Difficult one. I love all of the letters Paul writes in the New Testament. But I'll go with this one from Hebrews. 

“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,

a son of man that you care for him?

You made them a little lower than the angels;

you crowned them with glory and honor

and put everything under their feet.”

In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Hebrews 2:6-9

2. Who are you thankful for?

           Well. My family, obviously. And most everyone, for one reason or another. But in particular my friend, Cameron. I've known her since I was... Oh, about 10, and she's been ever constant. She moved to Alaska for a couple of years and still actively sought my friendship, despite the distance. She's listened to me complain, she's comforted me, she's told me I'm an idiot when I need it (which is almost always) and she has basically always been there for me. And also my cousin Brenna, she is the only other person always there when you need her. Love ya darlings. :P 

3. What live events are you thankful for?

My entire upbringing has been something to be thankful for. Between homeschooling, exceptionally good parents and generous grandparents enabling us to live on farm, I've pretty much had it as good as you possibly could.

4. What is something you are grateful for but don't oftentimes don't think about?

Gravity. ;)

5. What are you going to do to show people your gratitude for them?

I shall bake them lots of pumpkin pie and feed it to them. 

But really, I think what Hannah said on this pretty much covers it. You don't necessarily have to DO something to be grateful, but you can always act selflessly. 

Happy Thanksgiving you lot! Go hug someone you're thankful for or somefin. 

Unbelievable

In Which I Turn Robber

reading: Psalms.
- I'm in chapter twelve right now
- Help, Lord, for the godly are no more; and the faithful have vanished among men (12:1)
- which is the distinct feeling I get after interacting with the humans at community college
- But I will trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. (13:6)
- good thing I have that too

enjoying: big storms and power outages
-I love it when the house is dark
-so you cook on the wood stove
-milk your very favorite cow by the light of a dying flashlight
-and write terrible poetry in front of the fire
-also, bugs.

listening to: I of the Storm By Of Monsters And Men
-mostly because of that one line
-Bastille, always
-Phantom of the Opera. always
-Josh Garrels always
-pretty much everything always muhahaha

writing: haaaaaa
-you don't wanna know
-but really, mostly essays and stuff
-some bad poetry but mostly essays

excited for: Christmassssssss duh
-we're having a Christmas Ball
-for me and mah sista's birthdays
-but we're only telling people it's for Christmas
-which is funny to me
-snow
-guys, someone died for you
-

watching: uh, youtube?
-yeah, youtube
-when I have time

learning: how not to die
-no, i'm failing at that
-how not to forget what I'm here for
-how very broken this world is
-but also that there is comfort for the broken
-what kind of courtship ritual crane flies undergo
-the males grab at any other legs they feel to see if it's a female
-if it feels like a male or is the wrong diameter, like a wire (which researchers offered them) they let go
-c'mon guys, don't try and tell me that's not amazing
-...

stealing: the idea for this post from Cally Declan
-kudos and many thanks to her
-just typed cooties instead of kudos and it made me giggle
-k bye

p.s.

Source

I don't have time for all this

That's what I think.

There are things to see, places to go, bugs to find and people to love. And I don't have time for all this extra stuff.

And then Someone tells me I have time. All the time in world.

So I believe Him and breath again.

p.s

This is the result of starting community college and stressing and dying and praying like crazy about it and finding it to be nowhere near as bad as you expected it to be. And having fresh memories of wonderful times doesn't hurt either.

p.p.s

It's a Bastille kind of evening

The Play

I'm tired and I need a change of scene

This play is good, but it is old

A new character might be the thing, 

Someone kind and maybe bold

I've tried to move but stuck is what I get

This play moves all around me

Can someone please change the set?

I don't seem to be able to

Whisk me backstage, change my costume

While people in black rearrange the place I know

Remove the furniture, hang up a moon

Once it's made new, then out again I shall go

Things have been busy around here, which is why I haven't posted so very much. We just finished making all the hay on our road during the sunny weather, and still have several more fields to do a few miles away. There are now 95 tons of hay in our barn and us kids even got some money for our work. 

This isn't our field and my mom is the one who took it but I am using it anyway. :P

We have also been insanely busy with making blacksmiths forges, something our family does as a business. After a popular Youtube guy published an interview with Dad and Cori, everyone went and bought a forge (right after they left some comment about Cori's muscles. Weirdos.)

Zack, working on forges

Last Friday, there was a folk dance. These dances we go to are awesome and full of other homeschooled, Christian people, for the most part. But this one was particularly fun for me, because in addition to awesome, high-speed dancing, the host family's son and his wife brought their six week old baby, who they were kind enough to let me hold for like 30 minutes. I don't get to hold infants very often, so I enjoyed that.

  

The dance

So that's a little bit of what I have been up to lately. What about you?

dance me into the night

Insects and Fairs

Klickitat River

        This weekend was by far the most fun I've had in a lonnngggg time. I was invited by Arthur Dunn to go on an butterfly collecting trip with him, one of his naturalists friends and a lepidopterist, Caitlin LaBar on Saturday. Needless to say, I was a bit excited. 

        

There were lots of butterflies, as well as some very cheeky crickets Arthur and I took the time to catch. I didn't take many pictures, but here are a few

Swallowtails 

Pale Swallowtail

We also saw a rattlesnake facing off with a squirrel. The squirrel was antagonizing the rattler and he seemed to have had about enough of the squirrel and was leaving. 

The rattlesnake. See it?

Caitlin, Arthur and Marianne

A deer that died sometime in the winter. No beetles underneath, sadly.

So yeah. Best day evah.

THEN on Sunday, my family had a booth at the Mother Earth News fair for the blacksmithing forges we make. While nowhere near as much fun as Saturday was, it was still an enjoyable day.

Cori blacksmithing

Lady Em from The Life and Times of Emily C. 

Yours truly, sunburning.

Cori, giving a lesson to this year's guy-who-stays-and-watches-literally-the-whole-time. There always is one.

Mom

Also, I  home with two chicks. Because they're adorable. Their names are John Carter and Jay, even though they're both females. Autumn bought two as well.

Jay climbed up there on the way home,

And then was joined by everyone else. I was so tired and sunburned at this point.

Autumn's face here about sums up how all of us were feeling by the end of the day. 

That's what I've been up to. What about you? 

Dun dun dun

All I Ask Of You

Our art school, Master School Of Art had it's revue on the 28th and I was in drama this term. The scene I did was from The Phantom Of The Opera, Raoul and Christine's duet, All I Ask Of You. Daniel Steely played Raoul. 

This was a difficult performance for me, because of my naturally loud and powerful voice. So I had to work hard to match Danny's volume.

Hopefully this video works...

Song

Playing Dress-up

 
                   This isn't the sort of thing I'm going to be blogging about on a regular basis, but I think this event was unusual enough to justify it. If you don't think so, then ignore this post. XD

                   So, we attended a Disney themed homeschooler prom held by a family from art school (MSOA), held at what was essentially a mansion/castle.

Here.

I really wasn't sure I wanted to go when we first heard about it. Actually, I was quite sure I DIDN'T want to go. Because what good, self respecting homeschooler wants to have to admit to having gone to prom?? However, Mom bought a ticket for me anyway, and she and my sisters convinced me to go. Besides, my two friends were going to be there. So I agreed. Even wore a pink dress.

My cousin/friend Brenna. Putting a scarf over my face. 

 I am so very proud of my face in this picture.

                                      That extra girl is April, she rode with us.

Though Cori's is pretty good in this one. 

My lovely Cameron. She's one of my favorites. 

Me and two of my sisters. 

         Apparently, proms are mostly about dressing up and taking pictures. Not sure why. *shrug*
       

Sister Cori. Blacksmith extraordinaire.

Sister Cassie. Seamstress extraordinaire.

Mom made me wash. My. Feet. AND paint my toenails. AND wear heels, ghastly things. 

                  And in the end, I'm actually glad I went.  It was something worth doing once in your life.