I have a lot of miscellaneous updates for you guys! :D (Girls, really, and except for my brother and perhaps some relatives, I kind of hope no guys visit my blog.)
Here are all of my miscellaneous updates.
1. i can't wait to go to shopping.
Not exactly "shopping" - more like going on an outing. I live in a place where you can't hop in the car and zoom off to Target or the gas station. You have to get ready (and living with a brother who likes to put gel in his hair and take his time in the shower, it takes an extra 15 minutes), get ready a tiny bit more, and do a little bit of getting ready. Did I mention that you have to get ready? And then you hop out of the car and take a very slightly long drive to wherever you need to stop.
Anyway. About that outing (that we are taking on Tuesday), I suppose that I'm just excited to exit the house for half a day or so, rather than being cooped up working on a new series that I'm making with my American Girl dolls, writing, and listening to some newly-downloaded Britt Nicole music on my (now dead) MP3 player. :P
We get to go to the library (going to the library is one of my favorite parts of the week!). How I love you, library. You are the one who gives me items that provide me with hours of entertainment. :)
Anyway...
2. i can't believe that barnes & noble has an american girl club.
Or, at least my Barnes & Noble does...we arrived a few days ago (I was released from school on Friday) just in time to see an American Girl Club meet. The eldest girl there was probably age seven or eight, quite a bit younger than I am, but every girl (except for the one older sister) was holding an American Girl doll, and I was impressed at how lovely and well-taken-care-of each doll was. However, I basically towered over every one of them.
Still, it was pretty cool to see, and very exciting! :)
{ps. I also got to see the music section, which was bigger than three of my mom's rooms, of which are not small. :) I think I just might have to be buying "Say It" by Britt Nicole there, since it's at a pretty good price.}
3. i can't believe how tired i am.
I think I may have to say goodnight, folks, as I can barely keep my eyes open (well, there's a little exaggeration there...but I'm close to being like that). I hope you enjoyed this post!
Have you ever seen an American Girl club at your Barnes & Noble bookstore that meets up on...Fridays? :)
When did you get off school? If you haven't gotten off yet, when will you?
I hope you all have a good night and a lovely Monday!
-- Love,
Hannah
29 May, 2011
27 May, 2011
fifty followers and an announcement!
Yes, folks (folks, you ask? I am used to calling people "folks" -- not!), I now have FIFTY followers!! : ) It seems just like yesterday I was saying, "YAY! I have...fifteen followers!" and then I reached twenty, then thirty, then forty...and then fifty.
It took just a little over a year for my blog to achieve fifty followers. Speaking of followers and all of that stuff about achieving them, I've learned that blogging isn't about having a million followers and getting a million comments on each post, and I've learned that not every post is going to be happy. Blogging is not someting that you are supposed to be completely devoted to. Well, you have to be devoted to blogging a little bit -- better yet, you have to "pay attention" to blogging a little bit so your blog doesn't turn to dust. ; ) But I think you get what I'm saying.
I don't want this to sound like some long, lackadaisical speech that you're just going to skip, and I don't want this to turn out to be a long paragraph and you to think, "Gosh, how boring. I just want to see the good stuff, like that announcement. If it's not too boring, that is." Well, I can assure you it's not boring. At least I hope you won't start snoring. ; ) (Haha, I rhymed, I think. :-o )
Once I read that the BEST bloggers are the ones who
1. don't post a ton,
2. keep their blog simple and tidy (free of tons of little buttons and blinkies cluttering their sidebars -- it's okay to have up to six or seven of those, but don't clutter your sidebar!),
3. don't use innapropriate language,
4. and don't post continuously about the same thing over and over and over and over. Sometimes you feel like you read the same sentence over and over. Sometimes you feel like you read the same sentence over and over. Sometimes you feel like you read the same sentence over and over. And it never stops! ; )
But I think you get my drift.
If this post is getting boring, don't fret, because I'm going to announce that said announcement! :D
Okay, so what is it?
It's actually that... I am free of schoolwork for the summer. *Crowd is speechless* Today I finished up my schoolwork and am free of schoolwork for ze summer. ; )
I hope that wasn't too boring, but if it was, it was pretty short... : )
So, I guess that wraps up this [perhaps boring (?)] post. ; )
Do you have any blogging goals, like reaching a certain number of followers, getting a certain number of comments on a post or achieving anything else? Please let me know. I love to hear from you! : )
-- Hannah
It took just a little over a year for my blog to achieve fifty followers. Speaking of followers and all of that stuff about achieving them, I've learned that blogging isn't about having a million followers and getting a million comments on each post, and I've learned that not every post is going to be happy. Blogging is not someting that you are supposed to be completely devoted to. Well, you have to be devoted to blogging a little bit -- better yet, you have to "pay attention" to blogging a little bit so your blog doesn't turn to dust. ; ) But I think you get what I'm saying.
I don't want this to sound like some long, lackadaisical speech that you're just going to skip, and I don't want this to turn out to be a long paragraph and you to think, "Gosh, how boring. I just want to see the good stuff, like that announcement. If it's not too boring, that is." Well, I can assure you it's not boring. At least I hope you won't start snoring. ; ) (Haha, I rhymed, I think. :-o )
Once I read that the BEST bloggers are the ones who
1. don't post a ton,
2. keep their blog simple and tidy (free of tons of little buttons and blinkies cluttering their sidebars -- it's okay to have up to six or seven of those, but don't clutter your sidebar!),
3. don't use innapropriate language,
4. and don't post continuously about the same thing over and over and over and over. Sometimes you feel like you read the same sentence over and over. Sometimes you feel like you read the same sentence over and over. Sometimes you feel like you read the same sentence over and over. And it never stops! ; )
But I think you get my drift.
If this post is getting boring, don't fret, because I'm going to announce that said announcement! :D
Okay, so what is it?
It's actually that... I am free of schoolwork for the summer. *Crowd is speechless* Today I finished up my schoolwork and am free of schoolwork for ze summer. ; )
I hope that wasn't too boring, but if it was, it was pretty short... : )
So, I guess that wraps up this [perhaps boring (?)] post. ; )
Do you have any blogging goals, like reaching a certain number of followers, getting a certain number of comments on a post or achieving anything else? Please let me know. I love to hear from you! : )
-- Hannah
24 May, 2011
one photo in one week - week 1
I've decided to do OPAW (One photo a week) this week. :)
A lovely photo I took of our friend (who is a horse..yeah, call us crazy!) on the second of May, 2011. The sun was shining behind him and I got an interesting sun flare. The photo is out-of-focus, but it has interesting character, too. ;)
What was the story of how it was taken?
When I went walking one morning, the sun was shining brightly behind the horse as I approached him from the front. I had my camera along, so I decided to take a picture.
Did you edit the photo? If so, which program did you use?
I edited the photo with GIMP. All I added was the watermark in the corner, so yeah, I didn't really edit it at all. >blush< You can add sun flares in GIMP, but this sun flare was natural. :)
I hope you all have a good Tuesday!
-- Hannah
What was the story of how it was taken?
When I went walking one morning, the sun was shining brightly behind the horse as I approached him from the front. I had my camera along, so I decided to take a picture.
Did you edit the photo? If so, which program did you use?
I edited the photo with GIMP. All I added was the watermark in the corner, so yeah, I didn't really edit it at all. >blush< You can add sun flares in GIMP, but this sun flare was natural. :)
I hope you all have a good Tuesday!
-- Hannah
23 May, 2011
one photo in one week - week 1 starts soon!
EDIT :: Now I am starting link-ups that have to do with this. Are you interested in linking up and participating? Go ahead and check out my new page all about this to find out all about this program and how you can participate!
Recently I've been thinking about having one of those things where you take a photo a day and then post it. Some people who take a photo a day for one year (most people...) call them "Project 365's" because, obviously, there are 365 days in a year and they're doing a project that is going to be going on for a year. :-)
I think it'd be a little hard to take a photo every day, probably edit it, and post it, for 365 days. If you miss a day, say Tuesday, you have to do two posts on Wednesday or three posts on Thursday, and so on.
That sounded a little tedious, and besides, it'd be strange to start doing that at the end of May. Most people I know who have started Project 365's have started in January (but please don't repeat this; I'm a beginner when it comes to all of these photo projects and stuff! ;-) ), and have snapped photos year round, of holidays, etc. It'd be fun to get a lot of snapshots of Easter, the 4th of July, Halloween, Christmas/Hanukkah, and all the other special days that are celebrated each year. :-)
Anyway, I was thinking of putting a 'twist' on it. Each week -- not day -- I take a photo and edit it later on, whether it's a touch-up and a watermark or just a watermark. Or maybe I won't edit it at all. Sometimes I think photos are too perfect to be edited. Every photo could use a touch-up, but sometimes (not always!) I feel that it's best to just leave a photo alone.
Then I'll post it sometime during the week, and perhaps (just perhaps. Maybe.) talk about how I edited it, or the story of how it was taken. It could be an older photo taken a month ago, or a photo I took just ten minutes ago. It all depends.
Do you like this idea? I think it'd be fun to do throughout the summer. There are a lot of photo opprotunities in every season, but especially in the summertime: there's vacation, and that alone is enough. :-) Last year in the summertime, I got some amazing shots.
So, I think that next week I might start doing this. I don't know how long this will go on for, but I think that it will be fun. Hopefully it will not turn into something that I'll dread doing and something I'll want to put off. ;-) Seriously.
I guess I'll see you guys (I doubt that guys read my blog...but who knows?) later! ;-)
-- Hannah
Recently I've been thinking about having one of those things where you take a photo a day and then post it. Some people who take a photo a day for one year (most people...) call them "Project 365's" because, obviously, there are 365 days in a year and they're doing a project that is going to be going on for a year. :-)
I think it'd be a little hard to take a photo every day, probably edit it, and post it, for 365 days. If you miss a day, say Tuesday, you have to do two posts on Wednesday or three posts on Thursday, and so on.
That sounded a little tedious, and besides, it'd be strange to start doing that at the end of May. Most people I know who have started Project 365's have started in January (but please don't repeat this; I'm a beginner when it comes to all of these photo projects and stuff! ;-) ), and have snapped photos year round, of holidays, etc. It'd be fun to get a lot of snapshots of Easter, the 4th of July, Halloween, Christmas/Hanukkah, and all the other special days that are celebrated each year. :-)
Anyway, I was thinking of putting a 'twist' on it. Each week -- not day -- I take a photo and edit it later on, whether it's a touch-up and a watermark or just a watermark. Or maybe I won't edit it at all. Sometimes I think photos are too perfect to be edited. Every photo could use a touch-up, but sometimes (not always!) I feel that it's best to just leave a photo alone.
Then I'll post it sometime during the week, and perhaps (just perhaps. Maybe.) talk about how I edited it, or the story of how it was taken. It could be an older photo taken a month ago, or a photo I took just ten minutes ago. It all depends.
Do you like this idea? I think it'd be fun to do throughout the summer. There are a lot of photo opprotunities in every season, but especially in the summertime: there's vacation, and that alone is enough. :-) Last year in the summertime, I got some amazing shots.
So, I think that next week I might start doing this. I don't know how long this will go on for, but I think that it will be fun. Hopefully it will not turn into something that I'll dread doing and something I'll want to put off. ;-) Seriously.
I guess I'll see you guys (I doubt that guys read my blog...but who knows?) later! ;-)
-- Hannah
19 May, 2011
please read...
Lately, I've been thinking about my blog and what the posts are like. If my readers like them, why I get such different numbers of people on my blog each day, etc.
Then I thought...maybe my posts are really boring. Maybe my readers don't like them and they are just too shy to tell me, or are afraid they'd hurt my feelings. Well, that's understandable. I probably would be a little shy, too, and afraid to hurt someone's feelings, because it'd be easy to if you used the wrong words.
Lately I've been reading other people's blogs and noticing that they're blogging about what interests them and what they like. For example, I like photography, American Girl/American Girl dolls, A Life of Faith, studying the Bible, music, blog/web design, and reading. It's the truth. That's what I like, and it's who I am.
Then I thought, does my blog show that? I looked at the posts, and it does show I like American Girl and photography, and all of that. But I haven't been posting enough about the things I love. And I haven't been telling people about the things I love enough.
So, in very early June, I am going to redesign my blog, and I'm going to start sharing what I love more. I think I'll start posting a lot more, like once, twice, or even three times a week, and I will try to make this blog me. I made my own header and background for my blog for the summertime, and I'm going to make the color scheme blue, grey, and black, of course, for the text, since the color black is what basically everyone uses for the text.
So, I think you get my drift. ;-) I am going to make my blog more 'me' and will start making more posts of what I've been doing, the photos I've been taking (I had my camera away from me from almost three days, all because Dad and my brother Eric took it on a fishing trip, and whenever I thought of my poor camera, tears came to my eyes. Just kidding!), my dolls, and what I've been up to lately.
I suppose that wraps it up . . . There's not much left to say except farewell.
Farewell.
Hannah
Then I thought...maybe my posts are really boring. Maybe my readers don't like them and they are just too shy to tell me, or are afraid they'd hurt my feelings. Well, that's understandable. I probably would be a little shy, too, and afraid to hurt someone's feelings, because it'd be easy to if you used the wrong words.
Lately I've been reading other people's blogs and noticing that they're blogging about what interests them and what they like. For example, I like photography, American Girl/American Girl dolls, A Life of Faith, studying the Bible, music, blog/web design, and reading. It's the truth. That's what I like, and it's who I am.
Then I thought, does my blog show that? I looked at the posts, and it does show I like American Girl and photography, and all of that. But I haven't been posting enough about the things I love. And I haven't been telling people about the things I love enough.
So, in very early June, I am going to redesign my blog, and I'm going to start sharing what I love more. I think I'll start posting a lot more, like once, twice, or even three times a week, and I will try to make this blog me. I made my own header and background for my blog for the summertime, and I'm going to make the color scheme blue, grey, and black, of course, for the text, since the color black is what basically everyone uses for the text.
So, I think you get my drift. ;-) I am going to make my blog more 'me' and will start making more posts of what I've been doing, the photos I've been taking (I had my camera away from me from almost three days, all because Dad and my brother Eric took it on a fishing trip, and whenever I thought of my poor camera, tears came to my eyes. Just kidding!), my dolls, and what I've been up to lately.
I suppose that wraps it up . . . There's not much left to say except farewell.
Farewell.
Hannah
18 May, 2011
lucia's blog design giveaway
Lucia (From Under My Little Umbrella) is giving away the Photographer’s Special package (worth $60!), from Beauty Blog Designs, Hannah Rose's blog designing site! :D So go over to her blog and enter – and be sure to take a look at the rest of her blog too! You won't be disappointed. :)
17 May, 2011
new american girl historical characters!
Yes, that's right! The title says it all!
It appears as though, from what I saw on American Girl Fan and Doll Diaries, that American Girl will soon be releasing two (2) new American Girl historical characters.
One is named Cecile, and the other is named Marie-Grace.
Here is a photo.
It appears as though, from what I saw on American Girl Fan and Doll Diaries, that American Girl will soon be releasing two (2) new American Girl historical characters.
One is named Cecile, and the other is named Marie-Grace.
Here is a photo.
**I do not own photo!**
Left - Cecile Rey --- Right - Marie-Grace Gardner
I hear that their books will be in "first person" (different points of view!), and that they will live in much different social classes.
I'm really excited for the new historicals to come out. Both of the new characters look very sweet and pretty, and I know they'll look even cuter as dolls. ;)
However, I had a thought that bothered me: as all of you American Girl fans out there know, Addy is the only African-American historical doll. This is just a thought I have, and I hope that I'm wrong, but what if American Girl is bringing out a new African-American doll just so they can retire Addy? Or what if they just retire Addy anyway? I'd be heartbroken if they retired Addy -- girls especially need to learn about the civil war era, and Addy is a really sweet character. As I said, I'd be very sad if they did that to Addy or to any other doll, for that matter, but it's up to them.
Anyway, what do you think of the new historical characters? Do you want to find out more about them? Go ahead! Click HERE to find more info at Doll Diaries, and HERE to find more info at American Girl Fan. (Thank you, everyone, for providing the info! It means a lot!)
What I think about them - ~ Personally I think that they are each very sweet characters, and I've always wanted an African-American American Girl doll (did I just use "American" twice? Huh.) and Cecile (whom I think is the African-American doll) seems like an interesting character, as does Marie-Grace. However, I don't really like the name Marie-Grace, and I'm not exactly crazy about the name Cecile, either, so if I got either one/both, I'd probably rename them.
I've been saving money for forever, and now if I keep saving until they come out (they're expected to appear in the summertime, I think, or otherwise next year (?) ) I might have enough money to buy both. However, I was saving for a camera, so I'll have to see which one I want more. ~
So, again, I'd love to hear your opinion on this! :) Are you excited about the two new characters? Do you want to buy one of them? I know I do. :)
In Christ.
Hannah
14 May, 2011
new book club! (book-lovers, please read!)
So, the title says it all. I just created a book/writing/book review club for anyone who wants to join. Period.
A few people have done this, and I've decided to put a 'twist' on it.
Here's what you may be wondering...
"How does it work? How can I enter?"
Once entered in this club, you can do a lot with books. First things first - you need to like to read, and you need to be able to use good grammar; you also need to be descriptive. I also will **NOT** allow you to participate in this book club if you use ANY improper language in your posts that take part in this club.
In this book club, you can
1. review books,
2. read a book and time yourself how long it takes from start to finish,
3. connect with others who are reading the same book as you are and review the book together,
4. list your favorite books and authors,
and much more! Sound good? Okay.
Here are the rules.
1. You have to be 7+ years old to be in the club. I know how to feels to be thrown out on behalf of my age; I've always been younger than my friends. I don't have one friend who is younger than me. One. All of my friends are older than me. And I don't mean to be nasty or to seem like I'm ignoring younger kids, but you must be over seven years of age to enter. And please be honest with your
2. As I mentioned before, you must be descriptive and must use good, acceptable grammar (like instead of putting, "I like you're sweater," as so many people do, put "I like your sweater"). I'd prefer it if you knew how to use 'big words'; at least a few basic ones, like "lackadaisical," for example. I don't mean to be mean or snobby, but I'd appreciate it if you used proper grammar and described a little.
3. While reviewing or doing any sort of a post that takes any part in this club, please link up to my site. I'd like credit for this.
4. This is important. For your membership, you must email me (just go to "contact" on my drop-down menu or on my page menu) and state your name, age (if you can share it-- if not, just say that you're over seven, and please be honest), why you're entering (i.e. "I really love to read, and I have several books I'd love to review!"), your reading level (PLEASE BE HONEST WITH ME. I will not make fun of you if you tell me your true reading level and I won't share it with anyone!) (i.e. "medium") and that you have a parent's permission. << THIS IS IMPORTANT.
~ ~ ~ ~
So, that about wraps it up!
Here are some reminders (please read!!):
1. If you can't give away your email in a comment (if you can give it away, though, please do so in a comment!!), you can email me privately. Just find my email on my sidebar, email me with all the required information above, and send your email. **Please keep in mind I may not answer your message right away.**
2. You must read quite a lot to be in this book club. For example, I read at least two or three hours a day, and I'd appreciate it if you were accustomed to reading a lot.
3. When you email me, PLEASE give me your blog's URL (or, in other words, your blog address) so I may check over your profile and posts just to make sure that you are who you say you are. For example, my good friend Leanna (I think of her as my good friend, anyway!), I think, is who she says she is, and I doubt she isn't who she says she is.
If you are, say, somebody I don't know that well at all (like someone just out of the blue emailing me), and if your blog has some improper language on it, I will not let you join my book club. I'm sorry, but I don't want anyone like that in my club.
***
Okay, so that about wraps it up! If you have any questions or want to enter, don't hesitate to leave a comment!
Once you send me an email, I'll explain to you what to do first, what you will be doing, etc.
Hope you have fun and please enter!
A few people have done this, and I've decided to put a 'twist' on it.
Here's what you may be wondering...
"How does it work? How can I enter?"
Once entered in this club, you can do a lot with books. First things first - you need to like to read, and you need to be able to use good grammar; you also need to be descriptive. I also will **NOT** allow you to participate in this book club if you use ANY improper language in your posts that take part in this club.
In this book club, you can
1. review books,
2. read a book and time yourself how long it takes from start to finish,
3. connect with others who are reading the same book as you are and review the book together,
4. list your favorite books and authors,
and much more! Sound good? Okay.
Here are the rules.
1. You have to be 7+ years old to be in the club. I know how to feels to be thrown out on behalf of my age; I've always been younger than my friends. I don't have one friend who is younger than me. One. All of my friends are older than me. And I don't mean to be nasty or to seem like I'm ignoring younger kids, but you must be over seven years of age to enter. And please be honest with your
2. As I mentioned before, you must be descriptive and must use good, acceptable grammar (like instead of putting, "I like you're sweater," as so many people do, put "I like your sweater"). I'd prefer it if you knew how to use 'big words'; at least a few basic ones, like "lackadaisical," for example. I don't mean to be mean or snobby, but I'd appreciate it if you used proper grammar and described a little.
3. While reviewing or doing any sort of a post that takes any part in this club, please link up to my site. I'd like credit for this.
4. This is important. For your membership, you must email me (just go to "contact" on my drop-down menu or on my page menu) and state your name, age (if you can share it-- if not, just say that you're over seven, and please be honest), why you're entering (i.e. "I really love to read, and I have several books I'd love to review!"), your reading level (PLEASE BE HONEST WITH ME. I will not make fun of you if you tell me your true reading level and I won't share it with anyone!) (i.e. "medium") and that you have a parent's permission. << THIS IS IMPORTANT.
~ ~ ~ ~
So, that about wraps it up!
Here are some reminders (please read!!):
1. If you can't give away your email in a comment (if you can give it away, though, please do so in a comment!!), you can email me privately. Just find my email on my sidebar, email me with all the required information above, and send your email. **Please keep in mind I may not answer your message right away.**
2. You must read quite a lot to be in this book club. For example, I read at least two or three hours a day, and I'd appreciate it if you were accustomed to reading a lot.
3. When you email me, PLEASE give me your blog's URL (or, in other words, your blog address) so I may check over your profile and posts just to make sure that you are who you say you are. For example, my good friend Leanna (I think of her as my good friend, anyway!), I think, is who she says she is, and I doubt she isn't who she says she is.
If you are, say, somebody I don't know that well at all (like someone just out of the blue emailing me), and if your blog has some improper language on it, I will not let you join my book club. I'm sorry, but I don't want anyone like that in my club.
***
Okay, so that about wraps it up! If you have any questions or want to enter, don't hesitate to leave a comment!
Once you send me an email, I'll explain to you what to do first, what you will be doing, etc.
Hope you have fun and please enter!
13 May, 2011
my birthday (which was yesterday)!
**Notice: I wrote this post last night on Microsoft word since Blogger was down/not working properly. Hmph. Mean Blogger. Just kidding! :D
But since yestery was my birthday, I hope you won't mind pretending that you're almost back in time to 5.12.2011... XD**
Today --- May 12th, 2011 --- was my birthday. It’s 8:29 at night, and in almost exactly three and a half hours, my special day will have ended, and I will be _ (my age) for three hundred sixty-four more days. (Three hundred sixty-three days now...)
My birthday plans were to go to Landa Park, open presents, and then go to Cici’s and have lunch, stuffing ourselves full of pizza, pizza, and a little more pizza. And some dessert pizza, of course!
Instead, we stayed home and opened presents during a severe storm looking out of the dining room window, and ate nothing but Boston cream pie (that Mom baked) while opening presents.
I was very disappointed and a little depressed at first. My plans were ruined, and we were reduced to staying home and sittin' 'round the table eatin' cake and openin' presents while Eric (my brother) filmed with his iPod touch.
But I realized it then --- my birthday was really cool, and it was awesome and a blessing that the very-much-needed rain poured on my birthday. Of course, it’s every day --- especially your birthday! --- that you hear a tornado warning on the news, large and dark thunderclouds are everywhere, rain is pouring hard, and there’s a chance of hail. (That was said sarcastically, of course…)
So I’m glad my birthday fell on a day that it rained. I’m very grateful that we got rain at all, and God was very good to us all to give us rain, which we needed.
The first present I opened (*cough, cough* in my pajamas on the couch) was a good amount of money from my parents. As my mom explained, they wanted me to start managing, spending, and saving larger amounts of money so I could learn to be responsible, et cetera. So far, with the money from them and my savings, I have quite a bit, but I am not being foolish (as I usually am) and not waiting to save more. I will be saving more money, I guarantee, and I will not be spending any (except for a few items which I have really been wanting lately!) money for a while, until I save enough money to buy my precious Kodak Easyshare Z981. <3 XD
The second present I opened (this was at the table with the rest of my presents around me, and the cake, and my mom and brother (since my dad was at work), and et cetera, and *cough* with me wearing my normal clothes…) was an American Girl doll outfit. I’m really excited about the American Girl items I got, and can’t wait to share photos of ‘em with y’all! (I promise you that I am not trying to sound hickish. And if I do say so myself, even though I’m from Texas, I do not really have a Southern accent.)
The third present I opened was the doll I got’s accessories. I really love them, and they’re really sweet and historically accurate, for the most part.
The fourth and last present I opened was…my doll. When I first saw her, she was laying down in her box, comfortably asleep with her eyes peacefully closed and looking very content and not wanting to be disturbed. (She told me so later, and that she was miffed that we bothered her. ;-) ) However, we (my mom and I) defied her wishes and opened the box and took her out. I love her TO DEATH and I’m sure I will continue loving her until I have a daughter of my own someday and my new doll will be pretty old. Somehow, though, I have a feeling that she will maintain her youthful looks... XD
My birthday was an awesome one, and one I’ll never forget. It was a special one, and I will always remember it in my heart. :-)
Love,
Hannah
ps. On my Picasa (which you can access HERE), you can see teaser photos of the new doll I got as well as photos of my birthday and the storm!
But since yestery was my birthday, I hope you won't mind pretending that you're almost back in time to 5.12.2011... XD**
Today --- May 12th, 2011 --- was my birthday. It’s 8:29 at night, and in almost exactly three and a half hours, my special day will have ended, and I will be _ (my age) for three hundred sixty-four more days. (Three hundred sixty-three days now...)
My birthday plans were to go to Landa Park, open presents, and then go to Cici’s and have lunch, stuffing ourselves full of pizza, pizza, and a little more pizza. And some dessert pizza, of course!
Instead, we stayed home and opened presents during a severe storm looking out of the dining room window, and ate nothing but Boston cream pie (that Mom baked) while opening presents.
I was very disappointed and a little depressed at first. My plans were ruined, and we were reduced to staying home and sittin' 'round the table eatin' cake and openin' presents while Eric (my brother) filmed with his iPod touch.
But I realized it then --- my birthday was really cool, and it was awesome and a blessing that the very-much-needed rain poured on my birthday. Of course, it’s every day --- especially your birthday! --- that you hear a tornado warning on the news, large and dark thunderclouds are everywhere, rain is pouring hard, and there’s a chance of hail. (That was said sarcastically, of course…)
So I’m glad my birthday fell on a day that it rained. I’m very grateful that we got rain at all, and God was very good to us all to give us rain, which we needed.
The first present I opened (*cough, cough* in my pajamas on the couch) was a good amount of money from my parents. As my mom explained, they wanted me to start managing, spending, and saving larger amounts of money so I could learn to be responsible, et cetera. So far, with the money from them and my savings, I have quite a bit, but I am not being foolish (as I usually am) and not waiting to save more. I will be saving more money, I guarantee, and I will not be spending any (except for a few items which I have really been wanting lately!) money for a while, until I save enough money to buy my precious Kodak Easyshare Z981. <3 XD
The second present I opened (this was at the table with the rest of my presents around me, and the cake, and my mom and brother (since my dad was at work), and et cetera, and *cough* with me wearing my normal clothes…) was an American Girl doll outfit. I’m really excited about the American Girl items I got, and can’t wait to share photos of ‘em with y’all! (I promise you that I am not trying to sound hickish. And if I do say so myself, even though I’m from Texas, I do not really have a Southern accent.)
The third present I opened was the doll I got’s accessories. I really love them, and they’re really sweet and historically accurate, for the most part.
The fourth and last present I opened was…my doll. When I first saw her, she was laying down in her box, comfortably asleep with her eyes peacefully closed and looking very content and not wanting to be disturbed. (She told me so later, and that she was miffed that we bothered her. ;-) ) However, we (my mom and I) defied her wishes and opened the box and took her out. I love her TO DEATH and I’m sure I will continue loving her until I have a daughter of my own someday and my new doll will be pretty old. Somehow, though, I have a feeling that she will maintain her youthful looks... XD
My birthday was an awesome one, and one I’ll never forget. It was a special one, and I will always remember it in my heart. :-)
Love,
Hannah
ps. On my Picasa (which you can access HERE), you can see teaser photos of the new doll I got as well as photos of my birthday and the storm!
11 May, 2011
updates {and, yes, a doll post at last!}
It's 8:32 right now, but I'm doing a post anyway, since...hm...I guess I just feel like posting. I guess I'm in a posting mood! ;-) {Everyone gets in those moods...}
I have a lot of updates for you all. A lot. Well, maybe just two. :P
Still.
My first update is that my mom and I "redesigned" part of my room. Yesterday, we moved my first desk shelf down so I could display my dolls on it. Before we moved the shelf, my shelf was too small for displaying dolls so they could stand. My mom suggested making them sit down, but I was like, "Well, yeah, but I play with them so much, and it would be a little bothersome to go and take them off the shelf and all of that, and it would be easy for stuff to get in the way. I don't want to bang my elbow on something like my lamp!" Okay, I'm kidding about the elbow part. But still.
Well, just yesterday we remedied that. With my brother's help, because one of the metal hinge things that held up the shelf was kind of stuck, we moved the shelf down enough so my dolls could stand on it. And now, they are standing on it!
So, now they can be displayed without me having to reach up super high and get them. Almost nothing can get in my way when I grab them. Best of all, it's tall enough for them to stand and they look really sweet being on display. I still need to clean my desk up because there's a lot of junk on it...like hair accessories, books, stuffed animals, my piggy bank...my ballerina snow globe...the list goes on and on! *sigh*
I would share some photos with you now, but when I tried uploading, the server rejected my photos... :-/ So I'll try to edit this post later and post some photos soon! {So sorry for the inconvenience!}
The second update I have is...tomorrow is my birthday. Carolyn at Snow Globes in my Wardrobe sweetly wished me a happy {early, but, well, who cares...?} birthday in her most recent post! Thank you so much, Caro. :-)
Tomorrow {my birthday} we will buy the cake and ice cream, and go to the park to celebrate and open presents. Like Mystery Doll. I can't wait. :-)
Hopefully the doll I'm getting for my birthday {read more about her HERE} won't be miffed that, after her long journey, she will be opened up in a park and say, "What? I traveled ALL the way from China to Texas, and this is where I am? Golly!"
Well, that's about it for tonight, so I guess I should be wrapping this post up...
I hope you have a great evening! {Night, really...so I should probably be saying good-night...}
Yours truly,
Hannah
{ ps. No, if you're wondering, I haven't grown out of my dolls. I still do like them! And in case you're a bit miffed/sad I haven't done a doll post lately, I've been pretty busy, but I can assure you I have not grown out of dolls. Why else would I be getting one for my birthday? ;-) }
I have a lot of updates for you all. A lot. Well, maybe just two. :P
Still.
My first update is that my mom and I "redesigned" part of my room. Yesterday, we moved my first desk shelf down so I could display my dolls on it. Before we moved the shelf, my shelf was too small for displaying dolls so they could stand. My mom suggested making them sit down, but I was like, "Well, yeah, but I play with them so much, and it would be a little bothersome to go and take them off the shelf and all of that, and it would be easy for stuff to get in the way. I don't want to bang my elbow on something like my lamp!" Okay, I'm kidding about the elbow part. But still.
Well, just yesterday we remedied that. With my brother's help, because one of the metal hinge things that held up the shelf was kind of stuck, we moved the shelf down enough so my dolls could stand on it. And now, they are standing on it!
So, now they can be displayed without me having to reach up super high and get them. Almost nothing can get in my way when I grab them. Best of all, it's tall enough for them to stand and they look really sweet being on display. I still need to clean my desk up because there's a lot of junk on it...like hair accessories, books, stuffed animals, my piggy bank...my ballerina snow globe...the list goes on and on! *sigh*
I would share some photos with you now, but when I tried uploading, the server rejected my photos... :-/ So I'll try to edit this post later and post some photos soon! {So sorry for the inconvenience!}
The second update I have is...tomorrow is my birthday. Carolyn at Snow Globes in my Wardrobe sweetly wished me a happy {early, but, well, who cares...?} birthday in her most recent post! Thank you so much, Caro. :-)
Tomorrow {my birthday} we will buy the cake and ice cream, and go to the park to celebrate and open presents. Like Mystery Doll. I can't wait. :-)
Hopefully the doll I'm getting for my birthday {read more about her HERE} won't be miffed that, after her long journey, she will be opened up in a park and say, "What? I traveled ALL the way from China to Texas, and this is where I am? Golly!"
Well, that's about it for tonight, so I guess I should be wrapping this post up...
I hope you have a great evening! {Night, really...so I should probably be saying good-night...}
Yours truly,
Hannah
{ ps. No, if you're wondering, I haven't grown out of my dolls. I still do like them! And in case you're a bit miffed/sad I haven't done a doll post lately, I've been pretty busy, but I can assure you I have not grown out of dolls. Why else would I be getting one for my birthday? ;-) }
10 May, 2011
tomorrow, my blog will be...one.
The title says it all - tomorrow, my blog will be turning one. (That makes me think that my blog is...um...a person...)
I can't remember when I created this blog and named it and all, but I posted the day before my birthday, and tomorrow is the day before my birthday. (I'm really excited!!)
I wrote a lot differently than I do now. Sometimes I'm tempted to go back and edit a post, and make it sound better. But, as my mom says: that's what the past is for. I'm glad that I learned to use better grammar and how to spell correctly, and I'm glad that I learned from that. When you make mistakes, you're supposed to learn from them, right?
When I used to blog, my posts were pretty boring and I can understand why not many commented. I never used to edit my posts that much. I'd use spell check, but I wouldn't rephrase anything as much as I do now, if I rephrased anything at all. I used a lot of exclamation points, too. Now I can't stand to use a lot of them.
This was the average picture I took back then:
Then my photography improved a lot, and while I'm still not a pro at all, I think I've gotten reasonably better. I know about shutter speeds and all of that now, and if I had the money, I'd seriously consider buying a Canon EOS T1i Rebel. That would be a dream. A true dream.
Besides my photography improving, as I've mentioned before, my writing has improved quite a bit, too. Here's a small excerpt from one of my old posts.
I am a crazy doll-lover. So far I have Kirsten Larson, age 9, American Girl brand doll, Samantha Parkington, age 9, American Girl brand doll, Hailey Johnson, age 9, Our Generation brand doll, Julie Albright, age 11, American Girl brand doll, Abby Smithson, age 9, American Girl brand doll, and Elsie Dinsmore, age 8, A Life of Faith brand doll. That totals to 6 dolls. Elsie is the youngest, Julie the oldest. The rest are 9-year-olds.
I don't think the first sentence was too bad, but the next sentence is a little too long. The rest of the paragraph is pretty obvious information.
My blog has come a long way since May 11th, 2010. I am older than when I was before. I've gotten more dolls since then, and I've gotten a lot more followers (not to brag about these two, and I mean it). I've come a *lot* farther in blog designing and HTML. My writing style and photography style have changed, too.
Lately I've noticed...mabye some of my posts are kind of boring. Maybe they aren't interesting. Maybe I should 'spice them up' a bit.
So, with that being said, I'd really appreciate it if you had any recommendations for me to post about. For example, do you want me to post about a certain thing? Which is my posts do you like the best?
Some friendly critism is very welcome, and I'd appreciate it. :)
Thanks for reading and have a good Tuesday!
In Christ,
Hannah
I can't remember when I created this blog and named it and all, but I posted the day before my birthday, and tomorrow is the day before my birthday. (I'm really excited!!)
I wrote a lot differently than I do now. Sometimes I'm tempted to go back and edit a post, and make it sound better. But, as my mom says: that's what the past is for. I'm glad that I learned to use better grammar and how to spell correctly, and I'm glad that I learned from that. When you make mistakes, you're supposed to learn from them, right?
When I used to blog, my posts were pretty boring and I can understand why not many commented. I never used to edit my posts that much. I'd use spell check, but I wouldn't rephrase anything as much as I do now, if I rephrased anything at all. I used a lot of exclamation points, too. Now I can't stand to use a lot of them.
This was the average picture I took back then:
My photography back then was okay, but not that great. That was normal, though, since I didn't really like taking photos as much as I do now and didn't really care if I took photos with flash or if a photo was a little blurry. Now I care, but back then, I just didn't like taking photos as much.
In fact, my interest in photography started when I saw several bloggers display their photos and talk about what camera they used on each one. They talked about shutter speeds, ISO settings, and aperture, and I didn't know what they were talking about at all, but it still was cool to me, and so I started taking photos a little more seriously. That summer, I got a new camera, a GH point-and-shoot.
Besides my photography improving, as I've mentioned before, my writing has improved quite a bit, too. Here's a small excerpt from one of my old posts.
I am a crazy doll-lover. So far I have Kirsten Larson, age 9, American Girl brand doll, Samantha Parkington, age 9, American Girl brand doll, Hailey Johnson, age 9, Our Generation brand doll, Julie Albright, age 11, American Girl brand doll, Abby Smithson, age 9, American Girl brand doll, and Elsie Dinsmore, age 8, A Life of Faith brand doll. That totals to 6 dolls. Elsie is the youngest, Julie the oldest. The rest are 9-year-olds.
I don't think the first sentence was too bad, but the next sentence is a little too long. The rest of the paragraph is pretty obvious information.
My blog has come a long way since May 11th, 2010. I am older than when I was before. I've gotten more dolls since then, and I've gotten a lot more followers (not to brag about these two, and I mean it). I've come a *lot* farther in blog designing and HTML. My writing style and photography style have changed, too.
Lately I've noticed...mabye some of my posts are kind of boring. Maybe they aren't interesting. Maybe I should 'spice them up' a bit.
So, with that being said, I'd really appreciate it if you had any recommendations for me to post about. For example, do you want me to post about a certain thing? Which is my posts do you like the best?
Some friendly critism is very welcome, and I'd appreciate it. :)
Thanks for reading and have a good Tuesday!
In Christ,
Hannah
08 May, 2011
happy mother's day!
{this is just a random photo of felicity i took on friday. it was placed here for no specific reason.}
Happy Mother's Day!
Moms deserve a day dedicated to themselves. Moms are wonderful.
Especially my mom. She works hard, does a lot of good for our family, helps me and my brother, listens to us, cares about us, and is very kind. No, my mom is not at all perfect, but she is still a really, really awesome mom.
Having less than twenty dollars, I made my mom a card and so did my brother, as we usually do.
(What else can I say...?)
So, I'm so grateful to have a mom who
Generously gives me Oreo cakesters, as she did a few minutes ago,
Listens to me talking even when I sound boring,
Teaches me God's Word,
And most of all...
Loves me and cares about me and what I do.
I love you, Mom. Happy Mother's Day!
{What did you all do for Mother's Day? :) }
02 May, 2011
how to make your own blog button!
Have you ever wondered how so many bloggers get all of those "cool" blog buttons? Have you ever thought, "I'd like one of those!"? Have you ever wondered how to make one yourself?
This is my one-hundred-something post (maybe one hundred fifth post? I don't know...) and my first-ever tutorial.
So, here's how to make your OWN custom blog button!
This is my one-hundred-something post (maybe one hundred fifth post? I don't know...) and my first-ever tutorial.
So, here's how to make your OWN custom blog button!
1. Start out by creating your image. You can make it anywhere and in any way you want. Just make sure to make it no more than 200 pixels wide so it'll fit on the average sidebar. (You can always tinker with the size later if it's too large or too small afterwards!)
2. Save your image and then upload it to a photo hosting site, such as Photobucket
3. In another tab, log into your Blogger account and click on "Add a Gadget" on your sidebar, and
select "HTML/Javascript".
4. Copy the code below, and then paste it into the content box:
5. Once you have that code, go back to Photobucket (or wherever you are storing your button), copy the URL/direct link, and paste it into both places where your HTML code says "YOUR BUTTON LOCATION." Erase from the "http://" to the ".jpg" and stop erasing from there, and then paste in your direct link/URL where your image is being stored.
6. Replace the words "YOUR BUTTON LOCATION" with...well...your button location. ;)
7. You can adjust the size of the box below your button by adjusting the numbers 4 (rows) and 22 (columns). You don't neccesarily have to, but you can if you'd like. :)
8. Save the HTML code and you're done!
So, that's about it. If you'd like me to modify anything that I might have forgotten to add, don't hesitate to comment and let me know, and I'll try to add it!
If you're having a problem or have a question about this, as well, feel free to contact me in a comment. :)
I hope this helps you while making your very own blog button! And if you followed this tutorial and finished with success, congrats. ;)
our trip to the lake
On Saturday, my Dad, brother Eric, and I went to the lake.
This photo makes the lake look almost...ugly. There were actually sailboats out there, but unfortunately my camera couldn't capture them, and even when the boat wasn't running, I couldn't zoom in and get a photo of them because the rocking of the boat made my hand shake slightly, making the photo blurry.
My brother and I water-tubed a LOT. Water tubing ain't easy, especially when you're doing it for your first time. You have to put your entire body on the tube and lean back. You have to make sure the back of the tube doesn't go underwater, and you have the hold up the front and keep the back above water at the same time. It's tough, but worth it.
Every once in a while, when I wanted a turn tubing, my brother would signal Dad to stop the boat. Then he'd jump off the tube and swim back to the boat. Then I'd jump into the water, swim out the tube, get on the tube and signal for Dad to take off.
I was very cautious, and so I urged Dad not to go fast. When I finally was able to get on the tube, we were going extremely slow. Then I told Dad to "maybe just go a little faster". Then he went faster. A lot faster.
This is probably the best photo I got of Eric tubing. It's still just okay, but I tried.
( Sorry that it's sideways...)
The largest tragedy was that my brother lost his extra pair of sunglasses. They flew off when he was on the tube and are now at the bottom of the lake...
I actually took this photo while we were moving a bit fast, and am surprised it's not blurry.
The lake wasn't small. It was very large and very beautiful. The water ( even though it may not look like it in photos ) was a beautiful blue. In different lighting, it was aquamarine, which was just as lovely. And it was so calm. What I'm used to are choppy waves and wild winds whenever we go on the water. But it was absolutely perfect this time.
We saw a lot of sailboats, jet skis, wake boarders, skiers, plain old boaters and fisherman. There were a lot of people there.
-my brother eric tubing-
We went just for some time to relax, swim, tube, and water ski. (And to have an excuse to eat sweets. LOL, just kidding!)My brother and I water-tubed a LOT. Water tubing ain't easy, especially when you're doing it for your first time. You have to put your entire body on the tube and lean back. You have to make sure the back of the tube doesn't go underwater, and you have the hold up the front and keep the back above water at the same time. It's tough, but worth it.
I was very cautious, and so I urged Dad not to go fast. When I finally was able to get on the tube, we were going extremely slow. Then I told Dad to "maybe just go a little faster". Then he went faster. A lot faster.
To wrap up this post, we had a really great time. It was so much fun tubing and skiing and just plain swimming. I think if I could pick my favorite part of it, I'd have to say just swimming. Just cannonballing off the boat and having a lot of fun.
Now I really wish we could go back.
Anyway, that about wraps it up, I guess! We had an awesome time for the most part, except I was very worn out after that. I really enjoyed it, though, and it was an extremely enjoyable trip. :)
This has, in my opinion, been one of the best weekends ever. It started out with going on a small shopping trip on Saturday, and then we got to go to the lake. The next day, I managed to make my blog look a little better ( read my post below ), and then my mom got a new bed for my parents' room, which now is set up and looks very nice. It takes up a lot of the room, but we'll get used to it. ;)
In Christ,
Hannah
ps. If you read through this entire, extremely long post...thank you. Thank you very much!
01 May, 2011
so...
Yes, I know. My blog looks terrible. And the worst of it?
I don't know how it happened.
First I tried moving the sidebar to the left. Then I tried adding this code and adding this. Before long, my blog looked lovely. And all of a sudden, I made a mistake with the HTML - and it looked horrible.
I don't know how I will get my blog 'back on its feet.' It's REALLY messed up. The whole layout is just like a messy room that needs serious renovation. And the people renovating it are not pros at renovating, but can do it with hard work. However, they just don't know where to start. EVERYTHING is messy.
The fonts are messed up. The layout is just plain wacky. It's not normal. You see, I know HTML. I'm not an absolute pro, but I am good with it. I know how it works. No, I can't sit down and make a blog look like it's a different site in just an afternoon, but I do know HTML.
I will get my blog fixed. No doubt about that. And I'm very sorry for its messy, horrible appearance at the moment. I know it must be a dread to visit.
This blog will get back on its feet. It will. Trust me, though; it will take a while. My blog needs to get back on its feet. It needs to straighten out. After a while, it'll be a lot better.
In Christ,
Hannah
I don't know how it happened.
First I tried moving the sidebar to the left. Then I tried adding this code and adding this. Before long, my blog looked lovely. And all of a sudden, I made a mistake with the HTML - and it looked horrible.
I don't know how I will get my blog 'back on its feet.' It's REALLY messed up. The whole layout is just like a messy room that needs serious renovation. And the people renovating it are not pros at renovating, but can do it with hard work. However, they just don't know where to start. EVERYTHING is messy.
The fonts are messed up. The layout is just plain wacky. It's not normal. You see, I know HTML. I'm not an absolute pro, but I am good with it. I know how it works. No, I can't sit down and make a blog look like it's a different site in just an afternoon, but I do know HTML.
I will get my blog fixed. No doubt about that. And I'm very sorry for its messy, horrible appearance at the moment. I know it must be a dread to visit.
This blog will get back on its feet. It will. Trust me, though; it will take a while. My blog needs to get back on its feet. It needs to straighten out. After a while, it'll be a lot better.
In Christ,
Hannah