Hello, this is a random post...read with caution=)

Hello! Yup, it's me again. I can't really think of just one thing to blog about, so be prepared for some major randomness!=) Well let’s see...nothing much has happened that's very interesting...hmmm. Ah yes, the toilet overflow...I guess you could call that interesting (but more like gross. )I was out in the kitchen when it happened. My brother was gone on a play date with a friend, and my parents were out on a walk. I was checking e-mail, when all of a sudden, I hear Hannah in the bathroom yelling for help. I walked to the bathroom to see what’s going on, and Hannah starts screaming, "The toilet! The toilet! It's overflowing! Help!" Hannah opened the door, and it was a sight! Water was gushing out of the toilet at a fast rate, like a small waterfall and Hannah was jumping up and down, and trying to figure out how to turn the water off. It was kind of hilarious, in an ironic sort of way. Thankfully, my mom had showed me how to turn the water off to a toilet, and I quickly did so...or so I thought! I accidentally turned it the wrong way, and even more water gushed out! I finally figured out how to turn it off. After I did this, I quickly ran though the inches of water that had collected on the floor and ran to go grab the camera (I love taking memorable funny pictures!) sadly though, I never got a chance, because just then, the doorbell rang, and I set down the camera to answer the door. It was my parents. They weren’t too happy about the situation with the toilet, but everything worked out! I’m kind-of upset about it, though. I never got a picture! Wouldn't it have been hilarious though?
Okay, random story, I know. That was about the only extremely exciting thing that has happened to our family! We have gone to the k-state rec-center a few times this week, and that has been a blast! Two times we went with friends to play volleyball, and the other was to play wally ball as a family. (for those of you who don't know what wally ball is, its basically volleyball in a racquet ball court, and you use the walls to ricochet the ball of of, and on to the other people's side.) Hopefully by next year I will have setting down, and will be able to make the ball go where I want it to go! LOL!
I decided on Sunday to fill out an application for a camp called cyia (Christian youth in action) and hopefully, it will be accepted! Hopefully,  I can send it out by Wednesday!
Okay, it's getting late, so I should probably get to bed! Sorry for the extreme randomness. I hope someday, you will fully recover from it!=)

Vacation

Hi! Yes, We're back from vacation (okay, not really vacation because we had to do school....=( )  Finally. For those of you who don't know, we've been in Arizona for a couple of weeks. We stayed in a 900 square foot house, and by the end of the time, I was getting pretty homesick. I slept on the couch, my sister, on the floor on a mattress, and my brother on a air mattress. It was pretty tight! It felt like we were living on top of each other... But during the end of the trip, I began to realize how blessed we were to even have a place to stay. While we were traveling, we saw lots of people who lived in makeshift homes that looked like something we could have built in a day. We also saw people, pushing shopping carts full of their only possessions. It was really sad, and I began to realize how much I take for granted. Food, cloths, a roof over our heads. I go by every day, not even thinking about how blessed I am, I feel  entitled to it. I guess it was different not just hearing how we are blessed, but seeing it first hand, and what other people go through to survive. Another thing that was different about living there was there were lots of Spanish speaking people (most likely because we were 60 miles from the boarder) and Spanish stores/restaurants. One grocery store we went in had lots of Mexican items (tortillas, fried things rice etc...) and the signs were almost all in Spanish. Hannah and I were trying to decipher the signs, but due to only one year of Spanish, and one year of forgetting half of it, we never figured them out.=) My favorite part of the trip was either hiking, or going horseback riding on some trails...it was really cool! Anyway, the trip was interesting...and fun. The desert was...well, very desolate and cactusey (is that even a word???)  and I don't think I would want to live there. I'm more of a home body! I'm so blessed to live where we are, and to have so many great friends. =)

12 things to do on a day where your snowed in, and have finished school.

Ask  your mom if she has any books you would like (reading is always a great way to spend time!) and curl up in bed and read!

Clean or organize a space in your room…it may not be very fun, but it’s a good way to spend time.

Create a game and play it with your younger siblings. (they always love it when you play with them!)

Help your mom bake  something for dinner(my mom always loves extra help in the kitchen…and It’s fun!)

Write an encouraging  note to someone you’ve been thinking about. I personally love getting notes, and it lets people you are thinking about them.

Pull a game out of the game drawer, and find someone to play with you.

  Have a photo shoot, and take pictures  of a sibling in your favorite room. Cloudy days can be perfect lighting for a great photo!

Decorate a notebook for school.

Doodle a toooon!

Scrapbook

Look on pinterest for  a fun idea for a craft. Pinterest has lots of great ideas for  gifts, crafts, you name it!!!!!

Bake  a fun snack and give some to the neighbors.

For those of you who have not met my family, they are extremely competitive, loud, playful, and rather spontaneous at times.=) Starting off, there is my dad. He is an extremely hardworking man, who works hard to provide for us. Although he is busy working two jobs, he always makes time to play with us. Whether it's fishing, baking with my sister, photography with me, air soft gun wars, botchy ball down the hallway, or running all over the house, screaming loudly with my brother while playing nerf gun wars, he always finds time out of the day to spend time with our family. Next, there is my mom, an amazing woman. As many of you know, she homeschools all of us kids, which takes up the majority of her time. She also teaches a boy's writing class for my younger brother and his friends, and a Christian worldview class for Hannah, I, and a few other girls our age. As if that wasn't enough, she is also organizing a recovery ministry at our church, and although she is busy, she makes time with us a priority. Next is my older sister, Hannah. Hannah is a bubbly, bouncy young lady, who strives to honor God in her relationships, and school. One of her many gifts is encouragement, which she has used on many occasions to build up her friends, and always brightens everyone's day.  One of her favorite hobbies is baking, which she is excellent at. Whether it's freshly baked rolls, soft pretzels, bagels, cinnamon rolls,  or delicious experimental soups, she always enjoys blessing her family, and friends. She also is musically gifted, and enjoys playing piano.  Lastly, there is my little brother, Blaize...wow. How do I describe him to you? He is a ball of energy. He enjoys playing football, watching it, playing with lego's, running around outside, shooting his airsoft gun, and annoying his sisters. Another thing about him is that he is always making some sound, usually some sound effect to something he is doing ( like walking, playing with his lego's, etc) which drives us all crazy sometimes, but  he always knows how to make us laugh.

Favorite things to do at sleep-overs

Favorite things to do at sleep-overs:
I love sleep-overs because it gives you fun memories with your friends, and tons of time to hang out, talk, and get to know the person better.
Here are some of my favorite things to do at sleep-overs:
-Go shopping! (although it can be hard to get out sometimes!)
-I love playing sardines in the dark. It's sort-of scary, but also loads of fun, (especilly if you're in a giggly mood!)
-One of my favorite things to do, also, is roast mini marshmallows over a candle, and put them in between chex cereal with a chocolate chip! Walla! Mini smores!  Yummmmmm!
-I also enjoy baking, whether it's supper, or a fun desert, it always makes it more fun to do it with friends!
-Another fun  thing to do is pop some popcorn and watch a movie!
-Just hanging out is fun too!
-Play a fun game (ever played the game quelf? It can be hilarious! How about dutch blitz, or spot it? fishbowl, psychiatrist, and signs are also fun games=)
-paint nails
-Do hair!!!! (so much fun!)
-Star gaze...
-Make hot coco, (it the winter)  sit by the fire, and tell jokes/funney stories!
-Giggle, laugh and talk!

Christmas tree memories

  Hi there everyone! Here are some of my favorite Christmas tree memories:

One year, we picked out a really CROOKED Christmas tree. When we got it home, it wouldn’t stay upright. My dad rigged up a thing where he attached the top of the Christmas tree to a string, and then the string to the wall. =)

We used to put up candy canes on our tree…but the tradition sort-of stopped for a while.  It turned out my little sugar loving  brother (about four then) had been taking them off, licking them, then sticking them back on.

Another time we got a pretty nice tree…until mom decided the bottom of it was “uneven.” It was kind-of a vicious cycle. She would cut off one branch and say “hmm…now this one is uneven.” Then cut off another and say, “now this one is uneven.” When I came out of my room and walked past, about a third of the tree was gone (I’m not exaggerating! Ask my dad!) It looked absolutely awful. We had a pretty ugly tree that year!=)

Another time, the star for the top of tree broke. Mom went out and bought this angelic sort-of girly angel.  My dad came home and was not very happy. He doesn’t like angels on top of the Christmas tree, I guess because apparently he had this “awful, hideous angel growing up.” (I just leaned this!) Mom said it looked kind of like a “goofy sort-of joker in a kings court with wings.”  Anyway, after that, we haven’t bought another angel. Besides they aren’t very realistic. They don’t say “Don’t be afraid” for no reason!

One year after Christmas, mom decided the best way to get rid of the Christmas tree was to “throw it over the deck, over the hill and into the woods/ brush beside our house. Except…it didn’t go that far. It stopped in our yard…then sat there for about a month until my dad told my brother to drag it over to the brush pile.

Introvert Survivel: How I Survive in an Insanely Extroverted Family.

Being the only introvert in an all extroverted family, it can be hard sometimes to find space, or quiet, especially when my younger brother and dad have Nerf gun wars, your older sister is playing piano, or when your mom is singing in the kitchen. It’s also especially hard to focus on school work when all these things are happening simultaneously. The good thing about it is I have learned to block everyone out so I can focus, which is especially
helpful in classroom study settings, where people are talking. The bad part about that is, I sometimes don't here my mom calling...okay, let me rephrase that. I usually don't here her calling, or my little brother trying to get my attention, even though he is yelling in my ear ...whoops.  But despite all that,  I usually find time to myself, walking alone on our trails, listening to the radio up in my room, or reading. It also really hard sharing a room with someone who is the exact opposite of you. For example: I'm introverted, she's extroverted. My side of the room is fairly (you might say a bit messy) organized (basically, I know where most stuff is) and Hannah likes her's spotless, where as I don't really care. I love games, she doesn't. She loves to cook (especially experimenting) I don't LOVE baking...I like it. Okay...so you get the point. We were driving each other crazy for a while, when mom came up with the idea that we should split the room in half and each one get's one side. That worked out a lot better. Thankfully, I have a somewhat understanding family, who knows when I need space, and will leave me alone when I need my "alone time." But despite all our differences, I love my loud, crazy, playful  family, and wouldn't trade them for anything.