Untitled Post.

Okay, so I couldn't think of a good title for this post (for an odd reason, partly because things are kind of really on my mind and partly because I just can't think of a good one). :P

Anyway...above is a photo of my upcoming header. :) I got the image itself from Shabby Blogs (and, I'm just the slightest bit mad at myself because I can't make one on my own), and then I edited it on Fotoflexer (the main editing websites I use are Picnik, Photobucket and Fotoflexer, all basic but good enough to do the job I want) with the photo of my hand. Then I went over to Picnik and edited it with auto-fix/text.

Ya like it? I'm probably going to change it this early summer. :) I like my blog design too much to change it now, but it'll be changed by around in late May or early June - at least, it'll be done before the first day of summer/Father's day. ;)

So, I hope you enjoyed this post, and...thanks for reading! XD

-Hannah-

Someone I Love

(Before I begin my post, I'm sorry that this is my second post for today, but I just couldn't resist posting about *who* I am going to introduce...) :) 

This is someone I love. :)

She is sweet, haughty, annoying, and cheers me up all the time...all at once.

And she's my favorite creature (or something that's, ahem, alive) besides my family. :)

She truly would steal anyone's heart. Sometimes she's snobby. And haughty. And even mean. And SOMETIMES...agressive. (She has teeth and claws, because I'm sure you never would have guessed that.)

But she is still cute - on top of all of that haughtiness, that is.

 Okay, so this isn't the best photo quality, but she truly thinks that she is a princess. I'm not kidding. She is very vain.

You can always hear this cat thinking. And she has emotions, too. When she's sad, she shows it. She just lays around like a wet dish rag. When she's moody, she really shows it.

(Oh, and to prove that she's haughty...she will not go in her litter box because we put Feline Pine litter in it. The litter itself looks like cereal and releases a pine odor when...well, you know. And she doesn't like that; she has to go outside, rain or shine.)

I really love this cat.

Please Pray for My Brother...

I'm starting this post with anxiety - just about 15-10 minutes ago, my brother fell out of a very tall tree in the woods. He will not see a doctor yet but may have a broken/badly sprained rib, so please, please keep him in your prayers. He thinks that he went unconcious for a few minutes after he fell out of the tree.

He fell out of a tree when a branch cracked under his weight and we are very worried about him. He is very scuffed up and is lucky to be alive; he could easily be dead right now.

Please keep in in your prayers, as we really need it right now.

Giveaway...

Yep, I'm having another giveaway here. :)

Surprising? I haven't had a giveaway since June or something like that...this will be my second one. ;)

Okay, so here's what I'm giving away...

I'm actually giving away two of these handbags. ;) It looks SO much cuter, though.

I'm giving away two of those handbags, like the one shown up there! :) (Okay, sorry, because that was VERY obvious.)

It's probably a little small to carry an American Girl doll, but I think that it could handle a doll's size/weight if you wanted. It's also perfect for carrying around normal things like clutches, etc., and it looks much cuter in real life than in that photo of it hanging on our front railing. ;)

Here are some more photos.

 It's got a sweet, hip orange, white and hot-pink plaid(ish) print. :)

It also has some pockets in it, perhaps three or four? - and a really nice snap closure. ;)

Here's how to enter:

1. If you're under eighteen, make sure you have a parent's permission if you win, as you'll need to give out your home address, etc.

2. You can enter only once - although, you can get bonus entries by posting about this giveaway (with a link!) to your blog, your Facebook, or even Youtube? - as long as it has public access to other readers. Just comment telling me if you posted about it, how many times you posted about it, and please give me the links to where you posted about it. :) Thanks.
NOTE: Please let me know how many times you publicly advertised my giveaway online, by posting these all in seperate comments. It would mean a lot to me and would let me sort out entries better. Thanks!

3. Two winners will receive this handbag. Each will receive one handbag, exactly like the one shown above, in like-new condition. To clarify, two will be given away.
4. When you comment, tell me that you have a parent's permission if you're under eighteen, tell me that you want to enter, and please include your or your parent's email address so I may email you if you win.

So...that brings it together. ;) I hope that you all will enter! I'm sorry that I'm not giving away anything doll-related, as well. Sorry if this giveaway is a bit boring... :)

So, enter away, browse these photos, and dream of this handbag in your sleep...all you like! Hehe ... :)

I hope you enjoy this giveaway. :) I really worked hard taking the photos of it, etc, and it's really going to be hard to give these away because I love these and want to keep them. lol. :)

In Christ,
~Hannah Elise~

ps. Last time I had a giveaway, I had four entries, so I'd really, really appreciate it if you would enter. :) Thanks!

EDIT: I'm sorry for not posting the deadline for this giveaway. It will be March 28th. Thank you very much!

I love...

...oreos.
A lot.
Especially soft ones, miniature ones, or double-stuffed ones. :)

And some other sweets I like are chocolates, macaroons, and a lot more. I have a little bit of a sweet tooth. ;)

However, I haven't had a macaroon is ages (well, not ages, just probably a year or something). And I haven't taken a sip of any Coke since February 1st, so I'm trying. ;)

Have a nice Wednesday! ;)

Posing as a Spy

I haven't posted about my dolls for a while...so now I am! ;) The subject of this post will go with the subject that Abby is posing as a spy - Amber Parker, whose life seems very normal but isn't. Amber is a spy (obviously!), and she goes on many dangerous, frightening spy missions that she must brave. (Sorry if that sounds a bit babyish...XD)

Some of my online friends who are doll lovers as well, like Willow and Lena (Willow also has a Picasa, linked HERE), have been doing doll spy stories, so I've decided to do one myself. :D

My favorite kind of a book is probably historical fiction OR nonfiction (nonfiction events but with fiction characters, such as American Girl books), but I also love contemporary fiction, and then I LOVE the mystery novels/spooky ones. :)

Please keep in mind that the coming story (it will soon be advertised on my blog and will very soon be posted to Picasa) may be scary, containing content such as going inside a dark house to retrieve a stolen object, ect. Amber (Abby) also knows karate, and so there may be some very mild 'violence', but I will keep it very mild, and it will only be in self-defense. :)

So, what are you still doing here? Hello? Click HERE for the preview on my Picasa! :)

In Christ,

Hannah

Peace & Light

Today, for some unknown reason, I felt like sharing just one photo and a few Bible verses with you. I looked up "peace" in the back of my Bible, to go with the above photo, owned by me, of the sunset, and this is what I found...

"Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." -2d Timothy 2: 22

From my 'perch' on my bed in my room and looking out the window, I see our back yard, our driveway, the woods, the neighbors' house, a beautiful, almost-white sky, smooth as silk...all bathed in rain. It looks so peaceful.

Lately I've been reading the Bible more and more, on my bed, listening to the rain falling and the birds' faint chirping outside my window, feeling so close to God as I do that. It really helps when you read His Word - because every hardship that comes my way, large or small, hard or mildly easy...God helps me through those hardships.

Here's something to take with you today...think about it. You are facing a hardship right now. Everyone is, even if the hardship is tiny. You could be going through a deep valley with your family or loved ones, or you could be stuck with a homework assignment.

Whatever kind of trial you have, ask God to help you, and He will. And think...if there wouldn't be hardships, or hard times in your life, where would the mountains/victories be? Would you be able to celebrate your victories if there were not any hardships for you to endure?

The last thing... "Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into this world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." -John 3: 18 - 21

Isn't it so beautiful?

Learning a New Language is...

...hard.
Especially when you're learning the language of HTML.
Right now, I'm STILL in the Beginners' Class when it comes to HTML. So far, all I've done by editing my blog HTML is changed the text to "Century Gothic". I REALLY love that font. ;)

I plan to start getting advanced with my blog HTML, and I plan to make some custom designs - all of these plans end with "sometime in the future". So I'm still a beginner, but I hope to do some cool stuff soon! ;)

Do you design blogs? Do you have any HTML tips, or expierience with HTML or CSS editing/blog designing? I'd love to hear from you, even if you don't have any expierimence. :) I adore comments, if you didn't know! ;)

Talk to you later,

Hannah

Gratitude Straight from My Heart

(Up there is a photo collage that I made on Picnik (the editing website I use all the time;) for no particular reason...)

I felt like posting one of those "Once a Week Thankfulness" things that I used to do a long time ago. (Okay, not so long ago, but weeks ago.) I apologize for stopping that. I've been writing in my gratitude journal for ever since, ABOUT, the beginning of January, but I haven't actually done Once a Week Thankfulness (or Twice a Week Thankfulness) for a long time. So, I am truly sorry.

It just slipped from my mind. I am really busy these days when it comes to the Internet, and I really mean it this time. (Not that I haven't meant it before, though!)

So (this is NOT what I wrote this morning for what I'm grateful for), five things I'm thankful for (wow, a lot of "th" and "f" used there!):

1. Hot chocolate. :) (Or coffee, sometimes...I'm not a huge fan of coffee, but on really cold days it's delicious.) ;)

2. Target (the store, of course) - where else would I get doll accessories, my camera that I want...and so much more?! I wouldn't have my bedspread if Target simply didn't exist. XD

3. Photography. I am not extremely good at it (if I wanted to take good photos, I'd save up for a Canon EOS Digital Rebel, but not really...) - however, I love it, as it's just one of my hobbies. It's never something I'd consider as a, well, career, but it's a strong hobby that I love. And what really made me love it was reading about cameras and flipping through the photography magazine my mom got me! LOL.

4. People from Russia, Germany, Hungary, and a lot more foreign countries visiting my blog. About every day, I check my stats on blogger, which also means that I'm checking who goes to my blog, where they come from, how they get to my blog, etc.
(When I showed my dad how many countries I got that had people visiting my blog, he was really surprised!) hehe...

5. How can I put this, I ask myself, without seeming repetitive? I guess I could say the A Life of Faith dolls, that they exist and that the A Life of Faith website, books, and products exist. Without them, I truly don't think I'd be as strong a Christian. They have taught me so much about God. You don't have to be a Christian to participate in their website or play with their dolls, however. I have all the dolls (not trying to brag here AT ALL!) but I wish they'd come out with more, like one that lives in the 1700's era. :)

Check out their website right HERE! You'll love it, guarunteed! :)

I guess that'd all for today...or, for now, since I have millions of things to be grateful for. ;) (Truly, though, I do have a lot to be thankful for!)

What are you grateful for? Is there a special thing that you really appreciate, daily? I'd love to hear. :)

-Hannah-

PS - I've been hoping so much for some comments lately, so I'd love it if you would take the time to drop me something. ;) Also, I'd love it if you would check out my Valentine's Day post below! Thanks!

Just to Wish You All...

...Happy Valentine's Day!

Last year on this day, my family and I were livin' at the beach...aaah. *sigh* :)

At this moment, I can list so many things that I did today just to show people that I love them.

The day didn't start out so great this morning, and it wasn't, ahem, exactly lovely (which it was supposed to be) in the late morning/early afternoon, either. But it was okay. ;) We went to visit an elderly friend of ours...brought her some of the Valentine Treats my mom and I made:) I did about half of the work, and my mom did the other half. I'll 'half' (LOL, I know it should be have;) to show you the recipe sometime.

Because miniature candy cane lolipops and white-chocolate-dipped-peppermint Oreos are much too good to keep to yourself. ;)

Oh, and just to let you know, my family and I do not (usually) majorly celebrate the following 'holidays' with presents, ect: Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day...um, we don't really exchange gifts on Independence Day, either...:) You get the idea.

However, today my dad came home from work with a few little gifts for the rest of his family. ;) ('The rest of his family' are just the following: Mom, Eric, and moi. And the two pets, Krispy the cat and Sunny the dog if you count those.) Let's see...he brought home a miniature teddy bear that said 'Only You' or something like that (he does that every year). *wink* Then he picked up some cards for my mom and I. From my mom (this was a bit suprising, not because my mom is not generous, but because we don't react to Valentine's Day as Christmas, I guess I could put it), I got a little doll outfit from Hobby Lobby. She got it on sale (or with a coupon, whatever!) and I already knew about it, LOL, but I didn't exactly expect it. It's really cute; it includes a really sweet white, short-sleeved blouse, a little blue (I think) plaid skirt, and a cute curdoroy-ish brown jacket with a big pink heart on it. :D I had to provide some silver flats for the shoes, but otherwise...oh yes! And it came with a purse to match the jacket. ;) Overall, I LOVE the outfit.

[Oops, and I made a card for my dad when he came home from work. Sometimes people just need cards...]

Ah well. I guess that wraps up the post. But hey, sometimes people do need a bit of cheering up. A bit of care. A bit of love. And today is the perfect day to share it...although, remember 1st Corinthians 13; it's lessons in love. Can we all make each day Valentine's Day?

I think that'd be great.

Think about how much different the world would be if we thought about 1st Corinthians 13.

New Signature!

Hello, girls!

I just made a new post signature on Picnik, a free photo-editing website that I use along with Picasa 3 (it's free minus using premium, which many will want and do use; also, Picnik Premium is helpful if you want to go advanced with editing options, though I do not use Premium and simply cannot afford it on behalf of the reason that I am saving for other things). It (my signature) was created to match my blog design, and took...hmm...about ten or fifteen minutes. ;-) I love it! Do you? What are your thoughts on it?

Lanie...

I just felt like sharing a photo of my new(est) American Girl doll with you all, Leanne Holland. I renamed her Leanne, but I still call her Lanie. :-)

I'm sorry for not posting about my dolls much lately, too...I'm desiging lots of new stuff for my blog, so I have been a little busy, but I still play with my dolls very often. :-) I'm starting to create a band for them, but I don't know what to call their band. I want it to have the word "Angels" in it. Julie is pushing for "The Groovy Angels" but I just don't know...do you have any suggestions? I'd love to hear them! :-) You can drop me a comment in the comment box below with your suggestion. Thanks. ;-)
(And in case you were wondering, for sure Abby is going to be the main singer and Lanie is going to sing vocals, but I don't have any instruments for Felicity and Julie to play (they may also be in the band). I'll have to start buying/making some!)

Have a great February 10th, girls! Four more days till Valentine's Day...Can you believe it? My mom and I are going to make some Valentine Lolipops for our neighbors and ourselves:) No coke this month; absolutely none...I haven't touched a bottle of Coke (in other words, I haven't drunken a bottle of Coke) since the first of February. I plan on not drinking Coke for a LONG time, and to be honest, I do not miss it. It's amazing. I thought I'd miss it dearly! XD

I'll see you later, guys! :-)

Love,
Hannah

My Blog Design...

Hello, girls! Lately I've been having some trouble with my blog design. You can see that I just changed it to a blue theme (I LOVE the color blue!) and I changed the title to 'Inside Hannah's Heart' [I created it on Picnik, though, and for some reason the image changed to "Hannah/"]. Well, now I'm liking 'Hannah, Herself'. :-/

(That photo at the top is what I'd most likely use for my header if I changed it to Hannah, Herself.)

Which blog title do y'all like best? 'Inside Hannah's Heart' or 'Hannah, Herself'? I'd love to hear your opinion. I think that I might set up a poll asking the same question, so if you could, please vote AND comment so I could see which title got the most votes. I'll make the decision, of course, but I'd love your opinion. :-)

It's kind of weird about me; I'm almost always changing my mind. This time, though, when the final decision is made about my blog design, I will keep it and no change it for a while [I mean about the title; the colors will occasionally get updated, but the title will most likely stay the same!].

So, can you please drop me a comment in the comment box below and vote on my future poll? I'd really appreciate that. :-)

As I end this post, it is 11:59. Go figure. :-P

-Hannah

Winner...

Yesterday, I realized that I needed to draw the winner for The Crazy Doll Lady!!'s and my giveaway, so I wrote down each and every name, however many times each person entered, and put them in a bowl. The bowl was quite full and heavy, and my fingers were quite tired from writing the names, when I was done.

But, now we have a winner............

[drumroll, please!.....]

Frankie!!! ;-) Yup, Frankie is ze winner! [Ze = my version of "the".] Congratulations, Frankie! You will receive a pair of doll crocs and a miniature doll Bible.

[On behalf of the fact that I used cut-up Post-It notes for the name tags, the top, sticky parts of the Post-It notes stuck together and I had to try one or two times not to get a name that wasn't sticking to another name...]

Well, thanks so much for entering, girls!! :-) And thank you, The Crazy Doll Lady, for interviewing me. I appreciate that SO much. :-)

Love,

~Hannah~

of snow, more snow, frozen ponds, and cold

This moring I woke up upon beautiful snow all over the hill country. I took about a million photos, too.

Here's Kirsten making a snowman! Yes, now the snow is melting, but my brother and I are going to have a snowball fight soon. ;-)

We went up to the huge, long, steep hill near our house with our skim board (skim board = a wooden boogie board, about the size of a doll surf board only wider, that you use at the beach) and then we had at least an hours' worth of fun total sledding down the hill. My dad was driving to his work this morning just before daylight when, on the snowed-over, icy roads, he all of a sudden slid, skidded, and nearly busted our truck into a telephone pole! His truck also did a one hundred and eighty degree turn-around, which obviously means spinning completely all the way around. It was scary, but he made it, thankfully.

Then he, my brother and I went to the pond near out house. It's fed by a natural spring underneath, but it froze - it was a skating pond! My brother whooped and screamed that he was going to go skating or something like that, and he started to get on the ice, but my dad said that our Goldren Retriever, Sunny, should test it first. Sunny ran across the pond and the ice immediately cracked! Poor Sunny was frozen, but he dried off mostly in just an hour or so, and then he ran out with my brother and I as we took in all the snowy fun. We got about 1 1/2 - 2".

I'm so excited that it snowed here!! It was such a miracle. The next time it will snow is probably when I am about thirty, LOL!

I've had such a fun day, more than words can describe, and I will enjoy it even more now because I've discovered really just how amazing God is when He gives us even small blessings such as snow! You northerners, please don't take your snow for granted. It hardly ever snows where I live, in the Texas Hill Country. ;-)

That's all for now!

I'll see you later,

-Hannah-

Couldn't Let the Day Pass...

...without saying Happy Birthday to my friend Jasmine from Dancing on Clouds!

Happy Birthday, Jasmine! I hope you had a great day today, one that you will and did cherish! :-)

~Hannah

hands high like a roller coaster...

[This is just a photo of Julie, one of my dolls, that I took a few weeks ago outside...]

Those song lyrics have been on my mind for forever. And so have some lyrics from "Headphones" by Britt Nicole. And if you were wondering, yes, the lyrics "hands high like a roller coaster" are from "Welcome to the Show" by Britt Nicole.

So this was really just an update post...but on the weather forecast, it said that we might, we could, that there is a very large possibility that we Texans here in the Hill Country may get snow. It's been nearly twenty years (I think) since this area of Texas got snow. There's a very high chance of snow flurries to come blowing our way tonight, and we may have a light sheet (not blanket) of snow on the ground tomorrow morning. Don't worry, my mom will have picked up some batteries for my dead camera by then! ;-)



So, goodbye! I'll try to post tomorrow if we get snow. I hope.


Hannah