Top Tuesdays: Holland style!

 

Today was an important day for the Netherlands (also known as Holland). Not only was it Queen's Day (a holiday for the country) but Queen Beatrix, who has been queen over the Netherlands for 33 years, abdicated her throne. Her son, Willem-Alexander took over as king. He's the first king Holland has had in a century!

In honor of this, I've been wearing an orange ribbon in my hair all day (you can also see my new glasses!):

I've been decorating everyone in the house with pieces of orange yarn as well (because orange is Holland's color. The royal family is "the House of Oranje" (the House of Orange).

 

 

Rosey was not very happy that I tied so many things onto her fur. But they are all still in and it has been a few hours... she must have forgotten about them.
I was also inspired to do a Holland-themed photoshoot with Kirsten.... but more on that at the end of the blog post.
First, my top nine things that come from Holland!

8. Hans Brinker (or the Silver Skates).
A children's book about Hans and his sister who skate in a contest to win a pair of silver skates. I read a condensed version of this a few years ago (I didn't know that it was a condensed version) and need to pick up the adult version, which is sitting on the bookshelf.

7. Stroopwafels (and other delicious goodies).

 

Mmmmmmm.... Two thin layers of batter with syrup inside.

6. Windmills!

 

 

5. Cool names.
Such as Jaap, Engalina, Luitzen, Jan, Pieter, etc...

4. Tulips!

My favorite flower.

3. Corrie Ten Boom and her book The Hiding Place.
This is a wonderful book. It tells all about how Corrie trusted God when she was brought to a concentration camp during WW2. A true story and a wonderful, wonderful read. I highly recommend this book.

2. GOUDA!!!!!! (Pronounced gow-da not goo-da. Or, if you want to say it in Dutch, how-da.)

 

The best cheese in the entire world.

1. My Grandparents and all my other family members/ancestors that have come from Holland.

 

 

 (My Grama)

 

So there you have it! Now a few of my favorite pictures from the photoshoot I did with Kirsten. Her dress is from a second hand American Girl store which I think is in Iowa.... It is a traditional Dutch dress from either Gelderland (where my Grama is from) or Groningin (where my Grandpa is from).

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Reading from the Dutch cookbook... which is in Dutch.... therefore, we can't actually cook out of it. Maybe someday.)

 

 

 

(Dutch shoes: klompen.)

 



 

(With a book of Psalms - in Dutch!)

 

 

(Dolls in Trees! And Rosey all ribboned up.)

In other news, I finished Camp NaNoWriMo last night! I wrote 4,500 words last night just to finish... I hit the 50k mark just before 10:00 and then spent the next hour writing the ending - which was only 800 words. Hip hip! I'm finished! Now I don't have to look at it again for 10 years.

And finally some exciting breaking news.... Next jaar sometime mijn oma, mijn vader, mijn moeder, en Ik, zal bezoek het Nederland! (next year sometime my grama, my dad, my mom, and I, will visit the Netherlands! I only had to look up one word. =D)



Lang zal ze leven! Hiep hiep hoera! (Long may she live. Hip hip hurrah!)



That big post I mentioned

First, a few days ago it was GORGEOUS outside (and it still is!) so I grabbed Ruthie, Jamie, and Juliet and took them outside for a photoshoot!
Here are some of the best pictures:

Jamie:

(Dolls in Trees! =D)

Ruthie:

Juliet:

Isn't she the most beautiful doll ever?!?!

I had my piano recital this weekend.

Here is the first song I played. It was by memory! I was SO worried about it because every time I play it... I forget a different part. Sometimes it's near the beginning, sometimes it's in the middle, sometimes it's the whole ending! But I played it nearly perfectly and I was so happy!

Here it is: Sonatina in C by Henri Jerome Bertini.

The second song I played was "This Little Light of Mine" arranged by Mark Hayes.

Before going to the piano recital, we stopped at Barnes and Nobles to pick up a Sherlock Holmes book. I already own all the Sherlock Holmes mysteries... But this book was different.

See what it says in the bottom right corner?

Sidney Paget was the man hired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to draw the illustrations for the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. Originally, Doyle was going to hire Sidney Paget's brother, but on accident he hired Sidney. Instead of Sidney's brother drawing Holmes, he became to model from which Sidney worked from.

I saw this book at Barnes and Nobles a few weeks ago and just HAD to have it. I mean, drawings of Sherlock Holmes? ORIGINAL drawings of Sherlock Holmes by the man hired by Conan Doyle? I just could not pass up this book. Especially at $7 (with a coupon!).

Here are some drawings I just randomly opened up to (except the first one, which I had to include).

Here is "The Man Upon the Tor" from The Hound of Baskervilles.

Here's a random picture from "A Case of Identity" (I believe).

Here's a picture from "The Red Headed League."

On the way to/on the way back from the piano recital, I looked through the entire book and just looked at the pictures. They are really great! If you ever see this book, and are a Sherlock Holmes fan, buy it! It's got three of the short story collections, and the entire Hound of Baskervilles book.

It will be a good book to bring with me on my trip....

"What trip?" you may ask.

Well.... Next Wednesday we leave for a cousin's wedding. After the wedding, my mom, grandma, and I will be heading to the East Coast!

I'm homeschooled and I just finished a class on the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and the two World Wars. We're going to visit Revolutionary War sites and Civil War sites (such as Gettysburg) and we're going to Washington DC! And New York City!

In Washington DC we're going to the Smithsonian (at least, part of it), and we're going to try go to the International Spy Museum and The Holocaust Memorial Museum.

In NYC we're going to try get to the Natural History Museum (although someone said that it might be a bit much to go to both the Natural History Museum AND the Smithsonian). We're also going to go to Times Square (to see George M. Cohan's statue) and the American Girl Doll Store!

As you can tell, I'm looking forewords to going to NYC. The whole trip is going to be SO educational and SO fun! I am looking very forewords to it.

I'm bringing the camera and the laptop, so you can look forewords to updates while I'm on the trip. At least, as long as I have internet connection.

I'm not looking forward to staying in hotels... I don't like hotels. Not since we stayed in one and there was black dog hair in the bed...

I'm planning on editing my novel LIKE CRAZY while in the car. I'm also bringing books along. I'm bringing "The Fellowship of the Ring" which I started a few days ago. And I'm bringing "Jane Eyre" which I hope to start on the trip. And, of course, I'm bringing Sherlock Holmes (with the pictures).

And now, I believe, this post is long enough so I shall post it!

Have a great week! =D