Oops.

Oh hey, look at that! Almost a month has passed since I last posted. I'm sorry guys. I just never seem to have anything to write about anymore. I'm going to see if maybe I can make a list of possible topics to write about, and then make myself write at least once a week.

Shout out to my new followers; Hi there! Thanks for deciding to subscribe to the most uneventful and least updated blog around! I promise to try and reward you with more action. Maybe.

Life here in Alberta has been pretty mundane. School, chores, whatever amusements I can find for myself. Here, I drew this a little while ago.

I don't even LIKe Katniss, I drew this because the lighting was sort of simple and it seemed easiest to draw.

I also finished two THG fanfics! I'm sort of proud of myself. My profile link is in my sidebar, under the "all around" tab, but here are direct links to both stories: 

• Twice the Pain
• The Lullaby

Personal opinion, the second one is better. I find the shorter a fic is, the better it is, especially if I'm writing it. Usually, the longer a story drags on, the harder it is to stay true to the original story's...flavor, I guess. Reviews and helpful criticisms mean the world to me, so please, if you read them, let me know what you think! 

Summer is just around the corner. I'm so excited. I'm dying to get a job, and since I don't have schoolwork in the summer, I'll have more time. I also can't wait to start going to the private lake by our house. It's the closest I'll come to the ocean for a while, I think. But it's got a beach, and the water's relatively clean, so I'll take what I can get! 

One last thing; I'm going to be doing a giveaway around the second week of June, if I can get enough sponsors! So check back for that!

Happy Birthday, Septimus!

Okay so before I start I'd like to mention that this new Blogger thing is annoying the living daylights out of me and I've never written a post with this new layout so if things end up looking screwy, I'm SORRY.

Happy birthday to my youngest brother, baby Septimus! Although I suppose, he's not a baby anymore. He's one year old! Be still my poor beating heart!

See that precious boy? A year ago, I was sitting on this blog, typing out my excitement and waiting desperately for my parents to come home so I could meet my newest sibling.

In the past year, he has taught me many things, including how darn cute tiny children can be. He is now walking almost all the time (although he still wobbles quite a bit), he has lots of teeth, and he's started toddling after Mummy, holding onto her skirt and giggling/squawking/screeching/mumbling; "Mamamamama! Mama!"

He gives kisses now (only after a lot of begging), which involves him leaning forward, poking you with his tongue and then running away laughing.

He has blue eyes that positively sparkle, the chubbiest cheeks and the fattest feet I've ever seen.

We've nicknamed him "The Precious." If he's fussing, or if one of us wants to hold him, or whenever we're referring to him, we say, "Where's the Precious? Why is Precious crying? Let me hold the Precious."

Mum isn't altogether pleased that he's been named after the Ring of Power, but we've informed her that he isn't, he just happens to be precious.

Happy Birthday, Precious boy! STOP GROWING!

Katniss-Braid; Hair Tutorial

The following tutorial was inspired by THIS video, which I reccommend watching before you read this, just to make things a little simpler. Anyway. While I thought it was better than most (and it had the actual hairstylist from The Hunger Games movie!) I still didn't think it looked exactly right. AND I don't know how many people have money to go out and buy that fancy hair kit. I know I don't! So, (to sound horribly cliche) without further ado, I present my very own tutorial on how to braid your hair like Katniss!


What you'll need:

• A hair elastic
• A curling iron
• Basic knowledge of french braiding and/or dutch braiding (see THIS video)
• Some hair pins (just in case)
• A comb
• A reference picture (optional. try THIS one and THIS one.)

Step One: Turn your curling iron on. Part your hair on the right side, using the comb. This was a bit weird for me, since I have a natural left part, but after some combing and pinning (just to press my bangs into submission), I made it work! 

Step Two: Take a small piece of hair from the top of your hair, and twist it, so it looks like this;

Make sure to twist it tightly, but not too tightly, if that makes any sense. :s
Pick up your curling iron, and wrap the twisted piece of hair around the barrel, holding it there for eight to ten seconds. Let go.

Repeat several times, twisting and curling pieces all around the top of your head. 

Le result:

Yes. Yes it looks weird. Hang on.

Step Three: Gently finger-comb the twisty-curlies. I did it a bit too hard the first time, so they got horribly tangled at the ends. Actually, I'd say that you're better off separating them into two or three different pieces, instead of finger combing.

result:

Still looks strange, yes I know.

Step Four: Take a medium-big-ish sized piece of hair from the left side of your head, and separate it into three equal pieces. Start dutch braiding; cross the pieces under each-other, picking up new pieces of hair as you go along.

Step Five: As you go along, instead of making the braid travel diagonally across your head like most tutorials show, wind down past your ear and around your head.

Step Six: Keep braiding until the braid reaches the right side of your head, and you start running out of hair. Once all the hair has been gathered up, finish off the braid normally, only remember to keep crossing the pieces underneath one another.

Step Seven: Tie the end with an elastic, and pin back any big twistys that are sticking out. Katniss didn't wear hairpins, but I had a few huge bits of hair sticking out all over the place. Just make sure to tuck the pins under your hair, so they can't be seen.


The Finished Product;

Ideally, the braid would be tighter, but I was in a hurry AND too lazy to do the braid over again. Anyway. This is my first hairstyle tutorial, so tell me if it was helpful (or not)! :)


I could probably take requests too, if the style is simple enough. I'm thinking about doing Clove's Training Center hair, or Prim's Reaping hair.

Good Friday

"For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting."  -- John 3:16

There really isn't much else to say.

Can we all just take a moment

To appreciate the genius of this video? Yes? Okay good.

\

• I read more books in a month than most kids with assigned reading lists do in a year.

What can I say? I love books!

• I have definitely used the phrase "Hey mom? Can I take a break from school?"

Probably more often than is healthy.

• I'm usually still working on a few subjects of school in the summer.
• I've done two days of schoolwork in one.

Although, never so we could leave early for vacation. Usually it was because there was a fun activity planned the next day.

• I actually thought that The Passion of The Christ was the first R movie I saw, but then I found out that Gladiator was R. 

This almost counts.

• My parents did indeed skip over the parts in classic Disney movies where there was a part involving an evil witch. 

But this was only when we were wee little.

• I actually don't have many non-homeschooled friends, but I am used to being asked why I don't go to "real school."
• I know what the Silmarillion is.

I'm actually hoping to start reading it sometime soon.

• I am filled with fear and dread when I hear the word "Saxon."

Saxon math and I are old enemies.

• Having fun isn't hard when I have a library card.

If only we didn't have such crabby librarians.

• My parents did sit us down after first watching The Wizard of Oz and explained to us that there are no such thing as good witches.
• Harry Potter is a tricky subject in my family.
• We weren't allowed to watch Power Rangers.

And I don't even know why.

• I have laughed quietly at the "home-school equals home-work" joke. 

Waaay too many times.

• I can quote The Princess Bride.

Although this is actually fairly new.

• For the longest time, I couldn't remember the last time I ate fast food.

But then Costco was built in our town and now we eat it once every few weeks.

• I know what a jean jumper is.

And I'm sad to say, I wore quite a few.

• I actually finished the video. 

About three times.

How many of these apply to you? Are you homeschooled?