Looking Back

This afternoon for some reason I decided to get out my old journal from 2003. I was eleven when I started writing in it. It's so funny! When I look at old pictures of myself I tend to think of myself as pretty much the same, just younger looking. That (quite obviously) is not the case. My old journal, in a way, is more interesting than the one I keep now, because I really wrote down what I felt, instead of what I wanted to remember. I could be very dramatic at times! Things were so important then that I hardly think about now. I go from talking about some deep secret to writing that I got new "Juicy Apple" shampoo and conditioner, to commenting that the fish we had for dinner was "edible" to worrying about money. Some things I wrote are surprisingly deep, some are interesting, and some are just funny! I had so much fun with it that  I thought I might share a few quotes with you. (Original spelling!) The funniest things are, I'm afraid, a little too personal to post. :)

"I would rather have Nanny and Granddaddy come tomorrow than be the First Lady and a Billionare when I grow up!"

"When I turned 11, my Whole prospect of boys changed. Don't tell anyone about this, OK"?

"there are no words to discribe how I feel about spring."

"Once he called and talked to everyone and when we said goodbye we both said "I love you" and neither one of us thought the other was weird."

"Courtney is coming tomorrow!  I can't wait! I wont be able to write to you for awhile because she will sleep with me like she always does. (Halelewya!)" (Courtney is my cousin)

"I wish asking someone to go home was good manners."

"Its a very long story but the bottom line is that he is an annoying little brother who gets mad when you want time alone with your best friend even if you and your best friend have been playing with him all day and he gets you SO mad that you get him in a choke hold  and then he tells your Mom and Dad and you have to come in for the rest of the afternoon and your so upset that when your dad tells you to come turn your light off and you're getting out of an E-mail and then he tell you to hurry up and you yell I'm Coming and he thinks it's ment to be disrespetful so he sends you to your room and gets really mad. See what I mean?" (I somehow imagine that that whole scenario was slightly different than I described it... :) )

"Just so you know, my life is not a boring as it sounds. I just don't write about EVERYTHING because I just don't have enough time!"

On the subject of tea, and etc...

A cup of tea and a good book. It sounds so very appealing! Several months ago I was very definitely NOT a tea drinker. I'd tried it once or twice, and I thought it was gross. My friend Kara was very much a tea person. She talked all the time about how wonderful it was! It sounded like fun, but when we were together I'd always drink hot chocolate. Then one afternoon (I had had a very hard day.) I decided I needed a cup of tea. I'm not sure why, I just did. I had a vague idea of how to fix it, because Kara showed me once. Soon I was sitting in my chair with a cup of raspberry tea, and lo and behold, I liked it! Go figure. Tea and I are now great friends. I'm also falling in love with teacups, and I've started collecting them. Here are some pictures of my favorites. (Actually, most of my collection.)

My chicken miniature tea set. It makes me smile.

My newest addition, a beautiful cup and pot set.

I got this one a long time ago.

This one is an antique demitasse cup that once belonged to my great (and possibly great great?) grandmother. The baby in the background is me!

I got this miniature set when we went to Colonial Williamsburg.

This belongs to a set I got for my 9th birthday.

My friend gave this to me for my 8th birthday.

Here's the whole shelf.


And here's Kirby. :)

Post #100!!!!!!!!!!!!

100 facts about myself, in honor of my 100th blog post!

1. When I watch a movie where people speak with an accent, (English, Scottish, Southern, etc) for the next day or so I automatically think in that accent.
2. I don't like onions, and I HATE cottage cheese.
3. My family has bad allergies. I don't have many food allergies, but I am allergic to cats. I used to be allergic to dairy, but I grew out of that.
4. Fall is my favorite season, I love snow, and Christmas is my favorite holiday.
5. I have never been out of the country.
6. A frisbee is the only thing I can really throw; I am NOT athletic.
7. I think I'm a bit ADD.
8. I have 8 cousins, and the 4 youngest were born in the same year.
9. I always sleep under my big fleece blanket, even in the summer.

10. When I was little, I drew a picture of my dream room. (lavender walls and a loft bed) That's what my room has now.

11. I have been in 20 something states, but have never left the country.

12. I LOVE history! Especially medieval history.

13. My knitting business started at our old church's choir Christmas party.

14. I don't mind snakes at all, (unless they're poisonous) but I HATE spiders! I've held a snake as big around as a softball, but I scream if I see a tiny spider. (Much to the delight of my brothers)

15. When I'm nervous, I giggle. This often proves to be very inconvenient.

16. I have a weakness for blankets, fleece, purses, and stuffed animals.

17. When I was little, I collected everything, from old bandaids to toothbrushes. Now I collect teacups, stamps and postcards.

18. I met THE Donut Man, and he gave me a hug!

19. I ate dog food once, I think before I could walk.

20. I really like Broadway music, but CYT music is the best.

21. I enjoy way too many things, and I have a hard time limiting myself to a reasonable amount of projects.

22. Math and I do not get along. At all.

23. I have AMAZING friends and family, and I love being with them.

24. I love to talk with friends! However, when I'm in large groups of people I'm usually pretty quiet, especially when I don't know everyone.

25. I love to read, but have trouble making time for it sometimes.

26. I LOVE taking pictures, and going back and looking at them later. I have a sneaking suspicion that my friends groan inside when they see me with my camera. That is, unless it's my friend Kelsey. She groans out loud. (I love you Kelsey!)

27. I think Les Mis is the most amazing story ever!

28. I can't stand doing only one thing at a time. If I'm knitting, I'll listen to music, if I'm watching a movie, I'll quilt, and so forth.

29. I love to play the piano, especially when I'm playing from my Scarlett Pimpernel or Phantom of the Opera songbooks!

30. I hate change.

31. If you look up the word "unathletic" in the dictionary my picture will be beside it.

32. I've always wanted a pet of my own, like a bunny, but all I've ever had is a fish. (Besides Kirby, obviously.)

33. I love the mountains, only mountain roads make me nervous.

34. I have one pet. Kirby is my dear, sweet, wonderful goldendoodle.

35. I have an odd fascination with putting half finished knitting projects on Kirby's head and taking pictures.

36. Before Kirby, I had one other dog. Buffy. Buffy was a Dachapeekapoo.

37. My favorite dishcloths to knit involve more than one color.

38. I took tap dancing for two years when I was little. Do I remember anything? Nope.

39. I always wanted a horse when I was little.

40. We have lived in this house for 8 years. We lived in two other houses before this one.

41. I love fresh tomatos, but I detest cooked tomatos.

42. Red roses are my favorite flower.

43. I've been homeschooled from kindergarten on. I went to preschool at my church.

44. I love to read.

45. I drew out my first idea for a dishcloth pattern backstage during a CYT rehearsal. That was over 2 years ago.

46. I can crochet a little, but I learned to knit first, so I never did much crocheting.

47. I hate movies with lots of blood and gore.

48. I like happy, sentimental movies.

49. Dust is the bane of my existance.

50. I am very excited to be halfway through. Will I make it all the way? We'll see.

51. Every morning I have a piece of peanut butter toast for breakfast.

52. I hate storms.

53. It is my dream to wear a hoop skirt someday. Civil War fashion is my favorite.

54. I own several coloring books.

55. I'd rather talk in person than on the phone.

56. I wish I were a better writer than I actually am.

57. I dislike bright orange.

58. I love fruit.

59. I'd love to go to Europe someday. (Who wouldn't?)

60. The two most unusual things I have knitted have been a hammer cozy and a high five mitt. Long story.

61. I listen to different music than most people my age.

62. I want to have a craft shop someday.

63. If I ever have kids (and I hope to.) I want to homeschool.

64. I'm quickly becoming addicted to sock yarn. (Not good, considering how long it takes me to knit a pair of socks!)

65. Every time I have tried to start a garden it has been a failure.

66. I love watching the little birds at our bird feeder.

67. Hot weather stinks.

68. I have shelves in my room anywhere they will fit.

69. I grew up listening to Adventures in Odyssey. I still do.

70. I made a total of $5.00 profit at my first craft sale.

71. When I was little, 8 was my favorite number.

72. I am beginning to wonder if I will ever make it to 100.

73. Furthermore, I highly doubt anyone will ever read all of this.

74. 72-74 were kind of cheating. Whatever.

75. When I was little I always spent my allowance on Beanie Babies. I still remember the thrill of having a new one.

76. I love to swing! It feels like flying.

77. Rain isn't so bad, but I hate storms.

78. I wish I could fly like Peter Pan!

79. By this point I can't remember what I've said, so I've probably said something twice.

80. I have dreams of a celery green nursery decorated with old fashioned Winnie the Pooh things....

81. I'm terrible at long projects, because I get bored with them after awhile. I always come back and finish them though.

82. During the final stretch of the last 2 CYT plays I was in I injured my big toe and had someone step on it. (I'm getting desperately random)

83. I'm really quite terrible when it comes to anything technical.

84. My nose was squashed when I was born, but it unsquashed after awhile.

85. When I was 18 months old I could sing the 50 states in alphabetical order and sing all the books of the Bible.

86. I totally missed my second blogoversary. (Did I spell that right?

87. I'm quite fluent in pig latin.

88. My 3 year old cousin pointed out that my knees are bigger than his.

89. When I was little I'd find books that I'd like and read them over and over and over and over.... I didn't branch out much.

90. I got glasses when I was 3.

91. I first sang in church when I was 5. It was a duet with my little brother, who was 3 at the time.

92. When I was 12, I was scared to death to be part of my little churches Christmas play. Now my best memories are from CYT. (Christian Youth Theatre)

93. The Berenstain Bears book, "The Bad Habit" got me to start biting my fingernails. Sister Bear did it, and I thought it sounded cool. (I don't anymore!)

94. Reading Emerson's Essays was my worst school experience this year.

95. I'm not at all a fan of texting.

96. I adore painting ceramics. I painted a plate last year that took 8 hours.

97. I wear my great great grandmother's engagement ring.

98. Olive Garden is my favorite restaurant.

99. I tried to write a book when I was around 12. It's the most boring thing I've ever read.

100. I'M DONE!!!!!!!!!

Myrtle Beach! (and a LYS)

This past week I went to the beach with my family. We had such a wonderful time! The weather was almost perfect, with the sad exception of the storm that destroyed my aunt and uncles tent. We spent our days on the beach and in the pool, and our nights visiting and playing cards. It was all so very special. I didn't do much knitting there, but I did read quite a bit! I read all the way through Anne of Avonlea, and started Anne of the Island. Here are just a few pictures.

Gilbert, the hermit crab.

Cousins!

On the way home we stopped in the most perfect LYS I have ever seen! To me, it was magical. I was like a kid in a candy store. For an hour, I walked around and looked at all of the amazing yarns, and finally settled on a very pretty skein of sock yarn. If you're ever in North Myrtle Beach, you should stop by! It's called "Knitting Up A Storm".