I'll warn you now. This is going to be a major post. I haven't been posting as much since school started back, so I don't feel as guilty making a long post. =)
The snow came! I didn't go out in it yesterday...I worked on my health, safety, and nutrition project. Blah. But this morning, it looked so beautiful from my front window as the sun was just coming up. There's a road under there somewhere. I hate snowplows. I guess it comes from when I was in public school, when I hated to see them clearing the roads because I desperately wanted a snow day. Now I just hate the way they ruin the perfect snow. Unless it's an emergency, people can stand to be home for a day or two. =)
So I ventured out. I was planning on going sledding, but we don't have many good spots (unless I wanted to go tramping across the farm, which I didn't particularly). The best sledding hill was on the land that was my grandma's, right across the road a ways, but as it sadly isn't in our family anymore, I don't feel comfortable going over there. Anyway, it wasn't as much as we were expecting. Somewhere between 7 and 8 inches, depending on the spot. The wind blew it everywhere, so it's hard to get an accurate measure.
I love the way the snow sparkles! It's pretty magical.
Sometimes some of the prettiest views are from underneath.
Is that sky gorgeous or what? And I am so glad to see the sun shining.
I stomped around a little in the snow, taking pictures until my legs were numb (I didn't exactly dress very warmly...I was only planning on being out a few minutes) and my camera batteries died. Before I deleted any, I had taken 65 pictures! Good grief. =) I also threw a few snowballs at my mom and dad in our driveway.
So I've been doing a lot of reading this weekend. Reading novels when I should have been doing homework. Because I take a break from homework, saying that I'll only read a chapter. Then, that chapter ends so good that I just have to keep reading. I'm a terrible procrastinator. Remember those four books that came about a week ago? I've read them all. I finished the last one last night.
"Once Again to Zelda," by Marlene Wagman-Geller, was pretty interesting. I loved reading the stories behind some of the dedications. But others were just downright depressing. By the end of it, I was wondering if any famous authors lived a good clean life without having affairs, controversy, or substance addictions.
"Havah," by Tosca Lee, makes you think about the creation story and Adam and Eve. I mean, really think about it, more than just reading it occasionally in the Bible. Sometimes it was a little odd, and by the end, there were so many children, grandchildren, and relatives that I could hardly keep up with who was who. But just think of how it would be to have experienced perfect life in the garden...the way that God intended for life to be. And then to make a mistake and have to live for the rest of your life in this fallen world, a dirty reflection of how things had been. How miserable would that be? Anyway, it was a really thought-provoking book and I liked it a lot.
And then there was "The Magician's Elephant," by Kate DiCamillo, which I read off and on in about 2 hours last night. I loved it. I love children's books anyway, and this semester I'm taking a Children's Literature class where I'm not only encouraged but required to read kid's books. It's so great. =) But this book was sweet, sad, happy, humorous, magical, and perfect for reading on a cold, snowy evening. The characters were amazing and incredibly deep for a children's book, and even in this short little story, you felt as if you knew them. Here are two of my favorite parts:
"As the snow fell, Sister Marie, who sat by the door at the Orphanage of the Sisters of Perpetual Light, dreamed, too. She dreamed that she was flying high over the world, her habit spread out on either side of her like dark wings. She was terribly pleased, because she had always believed that she could fly. And now here she was, doing what she had long suspected she could do, and she could not deny that it was gratifying in the extreme. Sister Marie looked down at the world below her and saw millions and millions of stars and thought, I am not flying over the earth at all. Why, I am flying higher than that. I am flying over the very tops of the stars. I am looking down at the sky. And then she realized that no, no, it was the earth that she was flying over, and that she was looking not at the stars but at the creatures of the world, and that they were all, they were each-beggars, dogs, orphans, kings, elephants, soldiers-emitting pulses of light. The whole of creation glowed. Sister Marie's heart grew large in her chest, and her heart, expanding in such a way, allowed her to fly higher and then higher still-but no matter how high she flew, she never lost sight of the glowing earth below her. "Oh," said Sister Marie out loud in her sleep, in her chair by the door, "how wonderful. Didn't I know it? I did. I did. I knew it all along." -Chapter 15
"There is as much magic in making things disappear as there is in making them appear. More, perhaps. The undoing is almost always more difficult than the doing." -Chapter 18
I was very impressed. Now I'm anxious to read more of Kate DiCamillo's stories. I've read "Because of Winn-Dixie" and loved it, and I've heard nothing but good things about all of her books as well.
Well, if you've lasted this long, I thank you and will end here. =) I have some school stuff I need to do. We didn't have church today, and I'm not used to having so much free time on Sundays. I'm so excited for "Emma" tonight (and "Lost" on Tuesday...and "Survivor" on Thursday! But especially "Emma"). I also want to welcome my two newest followers, Emily and her mom!
Until next time,
Kristin (missvintagegirl)
I had to open my window. I love it when I can open one of my windows-that's perfect weather to me. I sat on my hope chest (which is sort of a window seat) near the window and just enjoyed the moment. The breeze was cool and made my whole room smell fresh. It was lovely.
But then the dark clouds started rolling in again.
I know that this is the favorite P&P adaptation of most people, especially those Austen purists. I confess that it does stick very closely with the book. And Colin Firth is good-looking. But to me, this movie doesn't even compare with the 2005 version, starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. Maybe it's because I had just watched that version, my favorite version, a few days before.
She has a huge room. There are wooden floors and high ceilings. She has terrariums everywhere and a corner with stuffed bookshelves covering the walls. She has a tree (see below) and flowers on her walls and these three window-type things behind her bed that look like the desert). She has a wooden swing in the middle of the room!
I love the buttons and lining peeking out from the sleeves. This was probably my favorite outfit, especially the skirt, but it's not a good picture of it.
She does a lot of layering:
Okay. I'm done obsessing over lovely clothes for now. Trust me, just watch the movie. It's so much better than the pictures. Although this one is pretty nice.
And then there's Maya, who is nothing but a little goose (a 2 1/2 year old goose). She is completely beautiful and hilarious, and she knows it. I could write a book about the things she tells me.
She absolutely loves the baby and fawns over her like she's the mother. She also loves to clean with the Swiffer Sweeper (you just detach a few of the metal parts to make it her size), repeat words (today it was "negative," or as she said, "eggative"), play with cars and Batman figures, and listen to Elvis. Hey, someone has to keep the understanding of real music alive. =)
You can't tell from this picture, but the background is a pale pink. I love the fabric...it reminds me of candy or Valentine's Day or something. Forgive the crummy picture. It's really hard to take a picture of yourself wearing a skirt. I'll try to get Mom to take a picture later.
And now, my new suitcase...er, bag. But it's roughly the size of a suitcase. It was so cute in the picture, and it is incredibly cute when it's made. And I'm in love with the fabric. But it's so huge! It's view D of 
Close-up of the fabric and pleats. It has about 6 pleats on each side.
At the last minute, I decided to leave out the zipper pocket (you can still see the fading markings). I made this sort of pocket, which I do in most of my bags, because I use it more often. You can drop lip gloss and pens and stuff down in it without having to worry about unzipping anything. I meant to add a magnetic closure, but I completely forgot and then it was too late.
My goal today was to completely clean my room, even my closet. I told my parents that if they hadn't seen me by tonight, to please come looking. You see, this is what I faced (besides bags and piles of fabric stuffed under my bed):
