Sunday Thoughts Part IV

I love neighbors who put their Christmas lights just a few days after Thankgiving. It's foggy tonight, which makes me happy. I love fog. Those were two very random things, but they go together so well.

My lovely sister Susanna after my mom did her hair this morning for church.

The bookshelf in my room. I certainly haven't read all of the books pictured. And I probably won't get to them all. I do know however, that my meeting with Augustine is pretty certain. Can you spot The City Of God? Bleak House and The Gulag Archipelago will not be finished any time soon. Books from other shelves in our house often end up on this shelf. What can I say? I occasionally pick them up. I'm not really into any books now. (I start a new school book tomorrow.) What books are you all reading? 

A photo of piano keys I took while at my relatives' house this past week. My cousin started taking lessons this past year....I have a feeling he will catch up with my brothers and I soon:)

Brick-polaroid! I'm obsessed with textures and soft colors. Sorry.

A few years ago my dad bought the dog you see sitting on our front porch. Funny thing is, it kind of looks like Lucy when her wool is short. (And no, she is not a sheep.)

Thus ends Saturday Thoughts Part IV. I hope you all have a blessed week!

I'll be doing a few choir-related things like singing at the mall and at a church. If I haven't told you already, the gospel choir I sing in is part of my school not my church. I'm loving it, but not exactly looking forward to practice tomorrow since I confirmed this morning that I'm still unable to sing high notes. Although this unfortunate state of affairs should teach this bad alto not to join the sopranos when she can't remember her own part. Ahem, Natalie. 

AND......the Cousin Party continues on next week when aforementioned relatives come down to OUR house to watch a big college football game. 

Thanksgiving Report

There are some people in my family who say they "don't want to go home." These people gripe about saying goodbye to grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and food- but when they actually do arrive home, they act like crazed madmen who haven't seen their own house in years. It's not that they forget how much fun they had, of course.

We've been up and down this street countless times before. Thanks to my cousins' treehouse (courtesy of my grandpa) it is possible for my family's tan suburban to be spotted before we near the house.

Yesterday, after we arrived, the pyromaniacs built a fire:

 After dinner, we had a talent show. 

I'd like to introduce you to something new now. This is Nellie:

Nellie, if you have not guessed already, is in reality my brother Louis dressed in a dog suit. I'm not sure how much talent it takes to mope around in a fuzzy costume- but at any rate, he was upstaged by a multitude of children dressed in pink leopard print leotards and sombreros who put on a rousing show. 

I am so thankful for my aunt and uncle who had all of us over and enjoyed the chaos. Next year my family will host Thanksgiving at our own house, which will be a whole new adventure.

Well, I guess I'll end this post...I should go get some extra sleep and ditch this nasty little cold/laryngitis thing I picked up earlier this week. I thoroughly enjoyed myself the past few days even though I carried advil and cough drops around with me all the time:) Thankfully I got it this week instead of next week since I have three singing performances I wouldn't want to miss.

Blessings,

Natalie

Thankfulness

I woke up this morning and started to make two caramel pumpkin pies. Though the crusts shrunk a bit, I burned the caramel, and splattered pumpkin on my face- I finally ended up with two lovely pies that will be transported up to my relatives' house tomorrow. 

I thought it was easy to throw away burnt caramel. It certainly isn't. It's like trying to pry melted, bad-smelling taffy out of a saucepan.

I love Thanksgiving food. Once our turkey went up in flames, but that is another story for another day....

You might wonder why I'm posting more pictures of tree branches and leaves, instead of food. Truth is I didn't bother to take any kitchen pictures today, and the trees outside just begged to be photographed.

Fall is such a glorious season.

There are so many things I'm thankful for. I could go on and on- if I get to specific this post would be ridiculously long! This upcoming Thanksgiving Day is a reminder to me to be thankful at all times. Society today would have us eat a nice dinner, then rush on to the next shopping holiday. But I like how King David put it:

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; 

his love endures forever.

Let Israel say: 

"His love endures forever."

Let the house of Aaron say: 

"His love endures forever."

Let those who fear the LORD say: 

"His love endures forever."- Psalm 118

I could spend hours outside taking pictures. However there are more pies to tend to, clothes to pack, and stuff to clean up.

I hope you all have a lovely rest of the week!

Sunday Thoughts Part II

You know those children's books with all the detailed drawings of cities and towns? They've always fascinated me. Whenever I sketched or painted, I was never very interested in creating large portraits or scenes.  I'd pencil out minuscule buildings and hand draw every single brick. (If I was feeling lazy I'd just draw plank siding- so much quicker.) My cities were always neat, orderly places with lush trees, charming window displays, and of course- plenty of bricks. Occasionally a pile of garbage would make an appearance, but I don't ever recall drawing ugly buildings, angry drivers, or aggressive transients. Not that I was terrible opposed to "normal" city life- I just didn't bother to include all the chaotic trappings.

Because I love little details, I greatly enjoy street photography.  I'm not afraid to shoot strangers, provided they are a good distance away.

This might sound disturbing, but as far as I know, no one really cares.

Don't ask me why I like this. Certainly isn't the, er- message on the sign. I think it's funny because the guy obviously didn't notice me. Come to think of it, he didn't seem to notice anything.  And I think he just might be whistling. 

But you know what? There is one thing I really wished I would have included in those old drawings- buskers. That's right, the folks who position themselves on busy street corners and sing or play musical instruments. They are absolutely fascinating to me.

I saw the three men depicted above when I was in Seattle for a day this summer. I think they were singing gospel music- or something of the sort. I wasn't the only one enchanted, as you can see:

Every time I look at these I notice something new. New faces pop out of the crowd, mysteriously hinting that there is more to the story. There is more to the story, but pictures are only pictures- and I'm satisfied with collecting mere snapshots depicting ordinary things.

Back to the gospel singers.

Their feet tap the ground outside a busy Starbucks that is quite possible one of the very first. They have pleasant voices that blend together in a lovely way. 

Moving down the street I see these street musicians. The banjo player has a scruffy white beard and is wearing a Hawaiian shirt and tattered overalls.
His band is less polished than the black gospel trio- but enjoyable nonetheless.

P.S. Thanks to my sweet blogging friend Sarah from Sarah Elizabeth Photography who awarded me recently! I'll be filling out her tag in the next few days. Yes, I know I'm rather tardy- you know how it goes..... I'm figuring cramming more into this particular post would be sheer madness;)

End of Fall

Hello friends. Today I bring you pictures.

But not just pictures. I always like reading every one's Wordless Wednesday Posts, but I can never post a picture without a few words. (Actually more than just a few words, but I digress...)

I've probably said this before- but I just love fall. This year I was especially sad to see all the beautiful leaves drop from the trees and get shoveled into heaps by loud backhoe-type machines that terrorize the neighborhoods every November.
Actually I should rephrase that- I was glad those machines paid me a visit yesterday. Begone slimy, rotting leaves!

But they are pretty.....

Winter is somewhat dull where I live. We don't get copious amounts of snow or debilitating ice storms. This is not to say I live in the tropics. Living in a valley, we get tons of rain. I like rain. Not when it interferes with my plans, of course.

Though I love rain, I also love those November mornings when you go outside and the sun is shining and the air is crisp and clean. I certainly don't like getting up in the morning, but once I'm up I'm generally happy.

I raked leaves outside this morning before my brother and I left for classes. It was a glorious morning. These pictures were taken a few days ago but I think they capture the feeling of these last few days of fall. 

Concerning other things.....

I wish I could really and truly participate in this. But seeing how certain people read this blog, I can't reveal too much about my projects;) 

That said, I will probably have more pictures in the next few days concerning homemade Christmas items. I've spent the last few days baking and packaging dipping cookies for a Christmas bazaar benefiting a local pro-life resource center. Thanks to my mom, we also have plates and boxes full of cookies and other treats that will be dropped of tomorrow morning with my biscotti. I hope to get some shots of our projects and post them on here for your enjoyment.

I also want to do a few posts on wrapping paper substitutes- stay tuned! (Now for some good natural light!)

Sunday Thoughts-Part II

[My new rubber boots, which have absolutely nothing to do with this post.]

I love Sundays. Every third Sunday my church has a potluck. I might have said "communal meal," but some might mistake me for a Spartan, a communist- or both. 

    There are some excellent bakers at our church, and this particular Sunday, someone had made a beautiful apple pie. It tasted excellent, and as soon as I tried it I made an offhand remark to my friends that it seemed to contain alcohol. Nobody believed me. I said it was probably vodka. They still didn't believe me.

   We asked the maker of the pie. Sure enough- it contained a small amount of vodka. VINDICATED. Now I would like to make a few things clear to those who gave me funny looks:

• Yes, I have tasted vodka by itself before. It was vanilla flavored.
  
• Yes, I have Lithuanian ancestors. And we all know that Lithuania, for all practical purposes- is RUSSIAN. Just like Canada is really North Montana. At least Lithuania not as obscure as Kyrgyzstan.
  
• No, I am not a closet drunk.
  
• Also, am not any sort of alcoholic whatsoever. 
  

The only alcohol I can really tolerate by itself is wine. (Which, being underage- I do not drink. Communion and an occasional sip at home are not the same as as a full glass.)

I probably don't need to say this, but my family is not opposed to alcohol. (Although we are most definitely not in the habit of drinking vodka and whiskey.) Medio tutissimus ibis. Or, in plain English- moderation in everything.

Back to Russia:

I was somewhat alarmed upon learning that the word "vodka" is a diminutive of the Russian word for water- "voda."

That explains a lot. "

Recently rumors came out that Russian leaders are not adverse to having vodka toasts in the morning.  But we already knew that, right?

Drink your orange juice, please. If you do you will earn the eternal thanks of your Lithuanian friend who likes poking fun at Russians. (I will not apologize to the Russians, but I do beg pardon of Canadians everywhere. I have grossly insulted you tonight and trust I am sufficiently 

penitent.)

On another note (quite literally)- I saw a musical version of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn this last Friday. It was thoroughly charming and delightful. (I am in awe of good actors and good music.) My mom, two brothers and I went with Andre's English class. It was a long show, but so much fun to watch. I love theater.

I think that's all for tonight.....hope you all have a productive week!

Sunday Thoughts-Part I

Note: I must admit I'm somewhat copying the delightful Miss J.B., who posts a weekly "Saturday Stream Of Consciousness." Hope you enjoy my version.

   Right now I'm lying on my bed, enjoying this peaceful Sunday evening. Well, mostly peaceful. My two-year-old brother Jerome  (depicted above) decided a short while ago that it would be a good idea to join my little sister in the bathtub while wearing polar fleece footed pajamas. A few minutes later, he was a wet, angry, boy standing on the floor mat in a soaked garment. Life can be so disappointing.

  On another note- I've been driving with my dad. I got my permit a few weeks ago, and have been trying to accumulate hours so I can get my license next summer.

   I hate the DMV. I was willing to "bring proof of school attendance" to get the permit as the handbook instructed- which for me was a signed document from the county Homeschool/Truancy Department stating that I'm in compliance with state testing laws. But no- it was not enough. We were forced to LEAVE THE DMV office and drive to another bureaucratic institution to pick up a special little slip of paper the handbook never said I had to bring.

   The other thing I hate about the DMV is sheer inefficiency of the whole thing. My local DMV office is full of tired looking moms, teenagers, and immigrant types all needing important things. But the desks are staffed by irritable people who move very slowly and plan coffee breaks while everyone else in the room just sits.....and waits.

  So, thanks to bureaucracy- I spent three hours in Dante's circle of Hell. (The fact that people seem to think homeschoolers and truants are related further irks me.) No, I do not stay in my pajamas and watch Hannah Montana all day.

But you know what? I was being a sort of truant that day. I could have been home working on an essay on Virgil- but no, instead my mom and I had to sit and listen to elevator music (am I the only one who calls it that?) and a DMV employee telling a perfectly normal looking middle-aged woman next to me that she can't have her license because of issues with the "Department of Homeland Security."

  I appreciate institutions like the DMV- but what kind of service can you expect from the government?

  When I learned that under the new federal heath care plan (which passed in the House yesterday) health insurance will soon be available at DMV- I was ticked.

  Speaking of the bill- we watched c-span coverage last night. My mom remarked to my brother that it was somewhat of a historical time. She told him someday he'll be able to remember what he was doing the night the government officially plunged the country into unfathomable debt. I am not ashamed to say at the time I was stuffing myself with licorice and drinking peppermint tea. I probably won't remember that, but then again- I'm pretty sure what kind of oatmeal I had the morning of 9/11.

I think I'll go to bed. But I might possibly have nightmares about this kind of situation......