Poor, poor, poor, poor, poor Rosey

Poor, unsuspecting Doggy


Torture begins:




"HELP!" (I caught her yawning)


"Pose for the picture..."



"Do I have to?"
"Yes."

Costume

Today my mom and I went shopping for my Halloween costume. Although I don't generally go trick or treating, I still like to dress up. This year I will either be going to a friend's fall festival at her church (which is a costume occasion) or I will spend the evening with my friend who had surgery (who knows, if she's feeling up to it we may walk around her neighborhood and knock on doors to get candy).
Anyway, I am being Tintin for Halloween.


Since there are no Tintin costumes (to my knowledge) for sale, and since I like to make, not buy, costumes anyway, Mom and I hit the thrift shops today and found a great pair of pants that match Tintin's almost exactly and a sweatshirt that matches great too. I have white socks, a trench coat, and brown shoes already. Now all I need is a white collar and a little white dog... Maybe I can get Rosey to be Tintin's faithful companion Snowy?
I still have to figure out what I'm going to do with my hair. I'm obviously not going to cut it and die it. We own a Hannah Montana wig that we might style to look like Tintin's hair, though.
I'll have to show a picture when my costume is fully assembled!

The Blue and the Gray

How do like the new "fall look" of the blog? I personally love it! ;D Of course, I may just be biased because this is my blog.

Today I went to a friend's house (the friend that had surgery - she's doing great!) and we watched the movie "Gettysburg" with our mother's. What a sad, sad, sad day for America that was... It was a horrible battle!
Mom and I had a lively discussion with my friend and her mother about the South and North's reasons for fighting the Civil War. Many people are mis-informed and think that the Civil War was only fought because of slavery. In reality, only 25% of the South owned slaves and about half of that 25% had less than 12 slaves.
The South's reasons for seceding and their reasons for fighting were 1) They wanted to preserve their way of life. Think about it, they were very agricultural and those who grew up on plantations only knew slavery, nothing else. If slavery was abolished, how would the farms with acres upon acres upon acres of cotton be plowed and harvested? I'm not saying slavery is right... On the contrary, I think it's atrocious. 2) Because the South was very agricultural and the North was more industrial, more voting citizens lived in the North. Because of this, the North had more representation in Congress (According the the Constitution of the United States each state will have 2 senators and 1 representative for every certain number of people (when the Constitution was ratified it was 30,000 people, I believe. It has changed since then) and the South had less representation in Congress. The North would make decisions for the whole nation (because they had more congressmen which meant they had more votes) that didn't benefit the South. 3) This is perhaps the biggest reason the South seceded and fought in the Civil War. They wanted states rights. Here is a quote my mom found in a book that I think sums it up nicely:
(Uncle Clay and his niece Deborah had just visited the Yancey farm in the South).
"They (Yancey's) don't own any slaves," she (Deborah) remarked. "Is it because they think it is evil - or are they just too poor?"
"Both I guess." (Uncle) Clay shook his head with a puzzled air. "It's odd Deborah. Buford (Yancey) has told me many times he'll never own a slave, but he's also told me that nobody is going to tell him that he can't own a slave. There are lots of men like that in the South. If it came right down to it, they'd fight for the right to do as they please. That's what state's rights is all about."
(A Covenant of Love, p. 304, by Gilbert Morris)
You have to wonder, if the federal government had left the issue of slavery in the state's capable hands, would the Civil War taken place? And where would our state's rights be as of now, in 2011? Would they be better or worse? Personally I believe that things would be better off for our American nation, because the power would be with the states, where it's supposed to be. NOT with the federal government.
But I'll let you decide for yourself. =)


Here is an American Girl Doll music video I filmed a number of days ago. I would've had it made earlier but I didn't have a computer... I hope you enjoy! It sure was fun to make.



P.S. The pictures in the "Meet the Dolls" section are up!

I have a computer again!

Sorry for lack of posts... My computer broke, AGAIN! It keeps getting annoying viruses. Luckily a man at church knows how to fix computers and how to get rid of viruses. =D

The other day I took my dolls outside and took pictures of them all to put on the "About the Dolls" place on my blog. I haven't gotten them downloaded onto the computer yet... Maybe tomorrow. Keep your eyes peeled!

I also did a photoshoot of my doll Juliet. Here are a few pictures that stand out.


She's one beautiful dolly!

I'm still alive

Don't worry, as the title says, I'm still alive! I've just been at a loss at what to post but I figured I'd better post something.

My friend who had surgery is doing pretty good! She has been up and about walking and eating and such. However, they have been hitting some road bumps with her pain medication. Her road to complete recovery will be long. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

As they days go by, I grow more and more excited for a movie coming out in December called "Tintin, the Secret of the Unicorn."
Tintin is a Belgium comic written by Herge (A.K.A. Georges Remi). The comic features Tintin, a young reporter; Snowy, Tintin's loyal dog companion; Thompson and Thomson, two bumbling police officers; Captain Haddock, a grizzly old sea captain; Professor Cuthbert Calculas, a professor who is "a little hard of hearing".
I have read and loved Tintin since I was about 8 years old and am very excited for the movie that is coming out December 21st. Their are numerous trailers out (both in English and different languages) and each one keeps getting better! I can't believe that we Americans have to wait until the end of the year to watch the movie while people in Europe get to watch it in a mere 6 days...
The movie is based off of three Tintin books. "The Crab with the Golden Claws," "The Secret of the Unicorn," and "Red Rackham's Treasure."

Today I went back to the orthodontist to pick up my new retainer. It's lime green, although it looks dark green in this particular picture.


Silly Rosey knows she's not allowed to lie on the brown blanket so whenever she sees the chance - however small it may be - she decides to break the rules....


"What are you lookin' at?"


With the help of Mom and Dad I finished the puzzle I got yesterday!


"Live long and prosper."


I have exciting news... I finished filming my American Girl Doll Twelfth Night! Now I need to finish the editing, which I have already started and then I will be DONE!
Here is a small clip from the final scene I shot (although not the final scene in the whole movie):



My friend's surgery went fine! Her mom called to let us know that she is in recovery asleep. Thank you SOOOO much for all your prayers and concerns and support.

Lots to report on!

I'm finally un-busy enough to get a blog post up! Yay! =D

First order of business... I got my braces off! =D
Before picture:


After picture:


The dentist gave me a bag of candy because technically, your not supposed to eat hard or sticky candy while you have braces.... Shhhh, don't tell my orthodontist but I ate the hard candy with braces anyway....


And here is an assortment of cute/lazy Rosey pictures.






Today Mom and I went to two local thrift stores where we hoped to find some much needed pairs of jeans for me. Luckily, we found two pairs at the first store!
We decided to check out the second thrift store anyway to see if we could find some long sleeved shirts.
Instead we found two comic books (Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes), a book about Star Trek, a Star Trek version of the game "How to host a murder" (with all the pieces!), and a 300 piece Star Trek puzzle. Mom and I counted the puzzle pieces and somehow ended up with 306... We must have miscounted. Oh well, having more puzzle pieces is always better than having one or two missing!


I've already started on the puzzle, although I have only assembled Kirk and Spock's faces.


Now some good news, THE MIGRAINE MEDICINE THE DOCTOR PRESCRIBED WORKED!!! =D On Monday night, nearing midnight, I started to see the visual symptoms I see before a migraine comes on. Panicking, I took two Advil and the anti-nasua medicine we got from the ER and within an hour I was fast asleep and was able to go to class the next day! Praise The Lord!!! =D

On Tuesday was the discussion for Uncle Tom's Cabin. I never did finished it... But I was able to participate in the discussion anyway.
Since our teacher's lecture went a little long we only had about 15-30 minutes to discuss the book, it went pretty well. We talked about the different characters and why Harriet Beecher Stowe chose to portray them they way she did. We also talked about the morality of the book and the integrity - or lack of - in the different characters. I wish we had more time to talk more in depth... Perhaps I will ask if we can discuss it some more next week.

I still wish to finish Uncle Tom's Cabin but since the book discussion yesterday I have read one and a half books.
The first was "The Penderwicks at Point Mouette" by Jeanne Birdsall. It's the third and newest book in the series and I LOVED it! I recommend the Penderwicks trilogy for anyone in need of a brain candy books about four sisters and their adventures.
After finishing the Penderwicks in one afternoon/evening I started reading the sequel to the book "Uglies" by Scott Westerfield which is called "Pretties". It's super good! Or as the Pretties would say, "Totally bubbly."

The last bit of news I have is... My novels have arrived! We ordered four copies and they came in. They look so nice! I'm really happy. Unfortunately, because I have my pictures and last name on the front cover, I can't show a picture. Oh well....

I hope everyone has a good week!
Until next time....

P.S. I have a prayer request for those of you who are Christians... One of my best friend is having back surgery tomorrow. She has bad scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and needs a rod put in her back. It's a 3ish hour surgery and she is supposed to be on bed rest for two weeks after that. There is practically no chance of anything going wrong, but she would still appreciate prayer. Thanks!

Busy, busy, busy

I have been very busy over the past few days with schoolwork.

I am trying to finish reading Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe by Tuesday morning. So far I am about half way through....
It's a very intriguing book and I am thoroughly enjoying it.
On Tuesday morning in my Civil War class we will be discussing the book. I will take notes to share on my blog.

Today I filmed two of the remaining three scenes in my doll Twelfth Night. =D It's nearly finished, YAY!

Now I must get to reading...

One Lazy Dog

Yes, I have a VERY lazy dog. She alternates between the couch, her dog bed, her kennel, below my computer desk or Mom's, under various cabinets and tables, and lying on the plain old floor. How can dogs sleep SO much?

Today I did schoolwork all day and got quite a lot done. I also finished the second Diary of a Teenage Girl book which is good because now I can focus on getting Uncle Tom's Cabin done for my history class. The book discussion is next week and I'm only on chapter 9 of 30+ chapters! Yikes!!

Today I leaned a valued lesson in self control. My best friend called me the exciting news that they're were Breyer horses (a type of play horse models) at the thrift store! Naturally I wanted to head right over to check them out but Mom reminded me that my passion isn't horses, it's dolls. Although I still wanted to go and just look at them, as a family we decided it would be too great a temptation for me; I would no doubt want to buy them. So, we stayed home and instead Dad and I played our new Star Trek board game. This time, instead of being the Federation, I am playing the Klingons. Our game isn't quite finished yet, I will let you know tomorrow night who came out victorious.

P.S. Five days until my braces are off! =D Just in time for Halloween to...

6 Days...

Six days until I get my braces off.... But who's counting? :P I'm getting my braces off on Canadian Thanksgiving, I definitely have a lot to be thankful for! Too bad we won't be able to have a Thanksgiving meal, Mom and I are going to a "homeschooling through highschool" type seminar thingy. I'm looking forwards to it.

Today I had my classes. In the Civil War history class I am auditing, we learned about the four turnings which are exactly that, four turnings that America has been going through since the start of our nation. Each turning is about 20 years long and the complete cycle takes roughly 80-100 years.
The first turning is the high which is an upbeat era where people and communities come together, the strengthening of institutions, and the weakening of individualism. An example is the '40's-'60's when all the stuff with World War II brought the nation together.
The second turning is the awakening which is a passionate era where new values attack the civil order. An example is the '60's-'80's when people were just... weird.
The third turning is the unraveling which is a downcast era strengthening individualism, crumbling civil rights, weakened institutions, computers, the "Me" generation.
The final turning is the crisis era where values are challenged and replaced with a new order. As of now, we are in the crisis period.
We also leaned a bit about the Lincoln-Douglas debates and talked a bit about them.
We also read and discussed the supreme court's ruling in the Dread Scott case.
Dread Scott was a slave who, with his owner, moved to a free territory. Really, Scott should have been free because he was living in a free state, but he wasn't. Friends suggested he sue the government because he should have been freed and Scott listened to them. In the circuit court (local court) he won his case but then it moved to the supreme court where they said he wasn't categorized as a citizen so he shouldn't have even won his case in the circuit court. The things you read in the supreme court ruling... It just makes your blood boil. I wanted to get up and start yelling at no one in particular during class, but of course, I couldn't do that.

Moving on. In my second class, which is Youth and Government, we did a lot of Parli-Pro (Parliamentary Procedure) which features the introduction of bills, debate about the bill, introduction of amendments to the bill, debate about the amendments... IT'S SO FUN!!! =D I LOVE government and debate!
Next Spring everyone in my state who is taking Youth and Government will be going to our state capitol and we will present bills that we wrote and we will debate them over a four day period. I seriously cannot wait... It sounds like so much fun, although my class has a long way to go before we're ready to go to congress. It's a good thing we have a few months to practice proper Parlo-Pro!

Expect more from me on the subject of Youth and Government, but for now I must go to bed as it is nearing 10:20 PM.

I yield the floor.

Fishtail Braid

I had seen a tutorial on Youtube on how to do a fishtail braid on your American Girl Doll. The video can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZqH-YIdbb0&feature=channel_video_title
I have been wanting to do this hairstyle on Kaya because she has super long hair. I finally decided to tackle this task tonight.
Here is Kaya, dressed in her Shakespearean costume, before the braid. Look how scary long her hair is!!


After a few false starts and after having to re-do the second half I finally managed to finish the braid in about an hour. Here is the finished product:

Not too bad if I do say so myself... This is my first fishtail braid.

I had my first piano lesson with a new teacher today. It went great!
My two weakest points in piano are theory and technique and my new teacher told me that he focuses a lot on those two areas. Hip hip!
I am going to be learning jazz, classical, ragtime, and improvisational piano.
Other news in my musical world... Because I want a degree in music when I go to college, because it's my passion, and because I feel like God is calling me to music, I am going to spending a lot of time working on my instruments. At least an hour a day on piano, maybe more; half an hour or more on saxophone; and singing each day. I am also thinking about taking up the clarinet and flute because they are similar to the saxophone and because my sax teacher teachers both those instruments as well.
All this music, plus my regular schoolwork, means I won't be spending a lot of time on the internet, although I still plan to update my blog every day or every other day.

I finished the book Uglies this morning...
Me- *reads reads reads reads reads and then turns to the last page* WHAT?! It's OVER?!
Mom- Come on, let's study.
Me- Just a minute! I have to put the next book on hold!!
Now I am anxiously awaiting for the library to get Pretties in. While I wait, I am reading the second book in the Diary of a Teenage Girl series. I also have some Sherlock Holmes mysteries to read. =D

P.S. A friend of mine said to me today, "You need to put pictures in the Meet the Dolls section!" Don't worry, I haven't forgotten... I am planning on putting the pictures in after I finish filming my doll movie which should be soon, I only have about 4 scenes left to film! =D Of course, then I have to edit it... I am planning on filming one or two of the scenes this week. Stay tuned for more updates!

The Fierce Mole Hunters

For the past few weeks we have had a mole making it's way through our yard...


But don't worry, we have Rosey!!



Yesterday afternoon Daddy set out a mole trap and after we got back from church this morning we found this...



It was pretty exciting! I don't think I have ever seen a living... ok, maybe no living... I don't think I have ever seen a dead mole before.
Now Rosey won't have anything to do!

P.S. Do you like the blog's new look?