March 2017

Woowww, guys. March... is over? Doesn't it seem like I just said how February flew by?! Time doesn't wait for anyone. ;P Maybe that's incentive for me to get on a better schedule, because the last few nights I've been staying up until midnight\one in the morning reading. *sheepish grin* Well actually, I've been doing that for probably much longer than that- staying up somewhat late at least. I'm just a night owl, and pair that with a good book... plus when I tried to go to bed at 11 something the other night, I didn't fall asleep till probably at least midnight anyhow.

*ahem* Long intro. So, time for the March highlights. 

MARCH HAPPENINGS\\

\\ Hanging out with a new friend, and other homeschooled teens.

\\ My siblings found a site where you can play Donkey Kong for FREE, which I've told you about before. This might be the site. (visit at your own risk, I have no idea if it has viruses or whatever... just to be on the safe side. ;) ) 

\\ Went hiking through the wood with my dad and 12- and 14-year-old siblings. We got my dad's game cameras and looked for antler sheds. My dad found an old one and gave it to me. :)

I still haven't posted the pictures I took that day... so I'll have to do that sometime.

\\ Our homeschool co-op finished up last week. I learned some things in the photography class, which is just what I need! I also learned many defense moves in the self defense class and got a certificate of completion. ;) And the biology class was enjoyable. One day there were giant cockroaches, and... eww. Those were gross. ;P

\\ We've had a few thunderstorms and tornado warnings\watches. But spring is here! :)

\\ Practiced parallel parking and 3-point turns. :) I think parallel parking might not be as bad as I thought. I actually got a few\couple good parks practicing on my own. ;)


BOOKS READ\\

I did pretty good this month! *grins*

Love Me Tender by Janice Hanna

Super cute! <3

Faith by Lori Copeland

Enjoyable, but my least favorite this month.

The Lady and the Lionheart by Joanne Bischof

Oh my, really good! Read my review here.

 I'm now reading A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes, which has been SO interesting so far!

ART AND MAKINGS\\

\\ Clay roses

I made these from some regular kid's clay. I like how they turned out, but I don't really know how to harden them...

\\ Calligraphy 

I'm actually not entirely sure if I did these in March... 

I drew something as well, but... maybe not ready to show that yet. ;P I might need to tweak it more.

SIGH WORTHY\\

\\ Watching the latest episode of When Calls the Heart. *gasp* OH MY GOODNESS IT WAS SO GOOOOD! This season is finally getting really good! LOVED THAT EPISODE THOUGH! *sigh*

Jack! <3 <3

\\ The Lady and the Lionheart- I need this for my bookshelf. Look at that beautious cover!

\\ Love Me Tender was also sigh-worthy. And I already have that on my bookshelf! ;)

\\ My blog redesign and re-name *winks*

AWESOME DISCOVERIES of MARCH\\

\\ My Eiffel Tower mug ;) 

\\ This mint green scarf- now one of my two favorite scarfs!

\\You can make quite a bit (to me anyhow) from selling bakery to your homeschool group. *winks* I now have money for my beach trip!

\\ Frozen cool whip + cocoa powder + chocolate chips = delicious!

\\ How to control the white balance on my camera beyond just switching it to "auto", "florescent", "direct sunlight" and all that. So, cool discovery! :)

THE MOMENTS\\

\\ When you answer the phone and have to take a message. When you're as awkward and "clumsy" at it as me... ;P

\\When the sound of your lawn mower resembles a dirt-bike. *blink blink* Definitely something wrong there, haha.

\\ When your biology teacher tries to make you come up in front of everyone (at the end-of-co-op little program thing) and help with demonstrations. *blink* I'm an INTROVERT. You have to tell me I definitely have to go up beforehand. I could've gone up, but they gave up on me too soon. ;P

\\ Not wanting to go to bed until really late at night, and in the morning, not wanting to get up. Why? *face palm* I don't want to go to sleep when it's night, and I want to sleep when it's morning.

\\ When you're in your vehicle at the grocery store waiting for your mom, and some guy drops his cart off... not in the cart thing. Instead it hits your vehicle. People these days.

\\ The two-year-old brother catching all the toads. *winks*

LOOKING FORWARD TO IN APRIL\\

\\ More spring

\\ The beach trip!!

POSTS OF MARCH\\

I did twelve posts this month counting this one! :D

OTHER'S POSTS I ENJOYED\\

Daminika's March Photo Dump

GVM Photography's Evening Walk and some Cat Pictures

LaKaysha's Scribbling Through the Years

Julia's post about Making Cookies on the Wood Stove

Just a few. ;) There were more, of course.

HOW DID THIS WHISPER-OF-A-MONTH GO FOR YOU?

I Changed the Name\\ Chemistry

I finally decided I wanted to change my blog up again. Plus I did something I've only done once before during all my blogging life. Changed the name of my blog.

What do you think? I think it's a little more general now, instead of just being about photography... since this blog is now an "everything" blog. But it still has camera in there, 'cause that's a lot of me. :)

And I still have the same sort of colors, because I like them. 
*winks*

It's more simple now, more clean-feeling. I like it! :)

~

So, why does everyone hate chemistry? (yes, this is very random) I'm doing it this year and... it isn't hate-able. Probably because I do it through Westfield Studios, I think it's called. Chemistry 101, which is very interesting and easy. *winks* So if you haven't done chemistry yet- do this one.

One of my recent assignments was doing a pH indicator experiment thing. I boiled purple cabbage and poured it into different substances to see if it was acidic or alkaline. I think the cooler colors means more alkaline, and if it's warmer colors it's more acidic. 

It was actually quite fun. ;D  

This was egg whites- a lovely green. And the plain cabbage juice is on the right. ;) I think it was alkaline.

Bananas are acidic. An mayonnaise, it appears. (I'm pretty sure the one on the bottom right was sugar...)

This was interesting. The filtered water was more acidic than the normal tap water. It makes sense because bleach is on the alkaline side, and they put bleach in city water (what we have). But I think normally water is supposed to be neutral, so maybe sugar and oatmeal are more neutral too... since they're purple.

So. Hope you weren't bored with my nerdy chemistry stuff. *laughs at myself*

ANY SUGGESTIONS WITH MY BLOG DESIGN? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF CHEMISTRY?

Photo Gallery: Springtime...

 You can see a few springtime pictures I took HERE on my photography site! :)

 I hope you enjoy it!

Book Review: The Lady and the LionHeart

MY REVIEW

This is the kind of historical that has a magical feel! It was a wonderful story, unique and feeling. Loved it!

Ella is a nurse with a scarring past, living her life with a safe wall around her heart. Then one day an intriguing man from the circus, Charlie Lionheart, bursts into her life, and she is compelled to care for his sick little girl. Thus the two people from vastly different worlds and both baring dark scars and secrets, form a friendship that steadily deepens.

But will Ella be able to rise above the deep darkness of her past? And will she accept Charlie when he reveals his secret- the binding sacrifice he made for one little baby? 

This book was beautiful! It was feeling, and healing. The romance was so lovely. It wasn't instant love, and I like that! I like it to take a while for the two characters to fall in love- to realize that they love the other (or at least for it to feel like it takes long ;P). That makes it more real and more touching. The romance between nurse Ella and lion-taming Charlie... that was a beautiful story. :)

The circus... I have a new view of it. It was really intriguing and magical! The gypsy's, the whole lifestyle. It was so cool. There were lion-tamers, aerialists, flyers, elephants, exotic birds, caravans... and lively dances while the circus traveled to a new town. But there was also some terrible things that went on too. A lady who only cares about money, putting unusual people on display like animals, and I won't tell you everything because it's a spoiler. ;)

Charlie Lionheart. Was. Amazing. <3 Seriously. He was kind of mysterious, and charming. He was tall darker-skinned. *sighs* Gentle and self-controlled. Teasing, so sweet. <333 Him and his top hat. Brave with his lions. Please forgive my fangirling. ;P But yes, he is the guy. I'd definitely join a circus if there was a Charlie Lionheart there. *winks* LOL!

I liked Ella too, and cute little Holland. <3

The end was really lovely! It all worked out beautifully, and it was a book that I would recommend to all those 15+ who love a meaningful historical romance. It's worth the read!

IF YOU'VE READ THIS, WHAT DID YOU THINK? IF NOT, DO YOU WANT TO READ IT NOW? ;) 

Mint and Red Spring Outfit \\ My Eiffel Tower Mug

  I haven't posted since six days ago. *gasp* Almost a week... that's a serious record-breaker for lately. ;P

  I have an outfit to share, which I wore to church this past Sunday. :) One of those rare days when you can put together a pretty cute outfit without digging through your drawers and closet for hours. ;P But when that happens I probably don't end up with anything amazing anyhow...

  Anyway. Here it is.

 A white shirt tucked into a slightly past knee-length "flow-y" brown skirt. My amazing new mint green scarf, and red heels. <3 Oh, and my cute brown hat in the pics below. I should wear it more often. 

 I called it a mint and red outfit, but it probably would've been more accurate with brown in the name too. ;)

(don't like how my scarf is laying in this. Ugh, oh well ;P)

My new picture ^^  ;)

So, guess what I found at a K-Mart closing sale the other day?

This lovely Eiffel Tower mug! It was two dollars, and I just had to get it because... Eiffel Towers. ;P It's sort of vintage looking too. But since only the cupcake is in focus, you may not be able to see it clearly.

Doesn't it go well with the cupcake though? :)

So March is seriously flying by...? O.O HOW? Every month has seemed to go by so fast.

But maybe that's good for now, because me and my sisters are going to the southern coast next month! We're meeting family there, and it's going to be so much fun! :D

Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this post!

THE TAG OF HAPPINESS re-do

I was tagged for The Tag of Happiness by Daminika @ Walking in the Sonshine, Dancing in the Rain. :D I did this tag once back in 2015... you can see it here.

OK, on to the tag! :)

SOME MOVIES THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

How to Train Your Dragon

Pride and Prejudice

Holiday Inn

When Calls the Heart (TV show)

Cinderella (2015)

Miracle Maker

Tom Sawyer (1938) So funny! :P

SOME BOOKS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

Ilyon Chronicles

Viking Quest Series

Love Me Tender

The Golden Braid

Ashburn

SOME SONGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

Fireflies by Owl City

Fireflies by Jessa Anderson

Would You Go With Me by Josh Turner

SOME FOOD THAT MAKES MY HAPPY

lasagna

sweet and sour + fried chicken

cheese cake

ice cream

lemonade

hamburgers

fruit bowls

chocolate

burritos (Chipotle- style)

rolls

pizza

Thai food

chicken Alfredo

aka everything!!! ;P

SOME WORDS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

beach

friends

family

vacation

redeemed

azure

cascade

dreamer

adventure

laugh

joy

moonbeam

whimsical

OTHER THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

Going on vacation

Hanging out with friends, cousins, and siblings

Taking a good picture :)

Doing spontaneous, fun things

Getting letters

Watching favorite shows :)

Eating good food ;P

I tag:

Sam @ Books and Arrows

and anyone else who wants to do it!

I hope this was enjoyable, people! :)

March 2017\\ Currently

Wow, halfway through March already! And time for my currently post. :)


RECENT HAPPENINGS\\

~ Went to a teen thing with fellow homeschoolers. We played games, and it was pretty fun. :) We even had some... adventures on the way due to a glitch in the directions. ;P

~ Had a day with my older sister and a new friend! We went to Chick-fil-A, where I got a meal: spicy chicken sandwich, waffle fries, and lemonade. <3 Spend a bit too much of my already-low money. :P
Then we went bowling, then shopping. :) It was a great day!

~ We... got snow. Pretty much our first REAL snow this winter, and it didn't last long. Now it's cold outside. Just when spring was coming. The weather is unpredictable. 


~ Continuing on with homeschool co-op and driving. :)




CURRENTLY READING\\


I just finished...

Faith, by Lori Copeland 

Now I started...

The Lady and the Lion Heart by Joanne Bischof

CURRENT CHILDHOOD RE-VISIT\\

Donkey Kong! :D We used to have that old Nintendo something, and Mario and Donkey Kong were the best. My sibling found a site where you can play them for free! =D It's such an fun game, and I love hearing the familiar music and sounds. *grins*


CURRENTLY WATCHING\\

Well, we watched a few more episodes of When Calls the Heart, season 4. :)  


RECENTLY BOUGHT-RECEIVED\\ 

~ (See the second "Happenings") We went to Cato's- my first time going there, I think, and I found a scarf on clearance for $2! A new scarf! :D Sorry, don't have a picture.

~ Me and my sister are doing a "Secret Sister's" monthly gift exchange with homeschool teen girls, and I got my gift the other day...

Some fun artsy things...

And this lovely little box of Proverbs to color! <3 So fun. :) 

THE MOMENTS...\\

~ When you're the model for your fellow photography "students"... talk about awkward. :P

~ Hysterically laughing while playing a dirt-bike video game with your brother... because I was trying to crash him while he raced, and I was on free ride. :P I get crazy when I'm playing games LOL.

~ When you live in an old house and the toilet starts having problems... and you have to use buckets of water to flush it at midnight. Yea. xP

~ When you're mad at the guys coming to work on your house because they come so "early" and you have to get out of bed. :P


WHAT'S THE MOST AMAZING THING YOU'VE DONE THIS MONTH SO FAR? EVER PLAYED DONKEY KONG? 

Photo Gallery: Random Photos

I posted a few random photos I've taken for my photography class on my site recently. 

See them HERE.

I hope you enjoy!

London in the Dark Blog Tour

  Hey all, today I am part of the blog tour for Victoria Lynn's new release, London in the Dark! I really enjoy her blog, Ruffles and Grace, so I thought I would take part in the tour. :) 

  So check out London in the Dark, and don't forget to enter the giveaway! 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

London 1910

Budding Private Detective Cyril Arlington Hartwell has a conundrum. London is being ravaged by the largest run of thefts in recent history. His hunch that it is all tied together may put hi and those he loves in more danger than he could have reckoned.

Olivia Larken Hartwell is just home from boarding school for the summer anticipating time with her adoring parents. She misses her absent brother, Cyril, hoping for the day he will finally come home. But tragedy strikes, causing upheaval for all concerned and changes her life in a way she never could have imagined.

Olivia, Cyril, and their friends must bring the hidden to light, seek to execute justice, and dispel the darkness that hovers over London... and their hearts.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Victoria Lynn is in her 20s and if she's not writing, she is probably sewing, singing, playing the piano, washing dishes, creating something with her hands, or learning something new. She has a passion for serving her Creator, encouraging others and being creative. She blogs at www.rufflesandgrace.com about writing, fashion, modesty, her walk with God and life. She lives in Michigan with her parents and 8 siblings. 

GIVEAWAY!

Enter to win HERE!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

London In The Dark

by Victoria Lynn

Giveaway ends March 17, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter the Giveaway