Idaho

Ok, ok I know I haven't been to faithful for a while to my blog, but hey better late than never! Quite a few things have happened since I last posted like a trip to Idaho, hurricanes, and the general may hem of staying busy! I'll start with being in Idaho.

Once apon a time... Well maybe it wasn't that long a ago but it has been a few weeks ago now that we were on a plane for about a two week vacation to visit family and friends in Idaho. Lotsa fun! My grandparents live a there so thats the only time we get to see them since that aren't able to make it down here now.

Wow look at the rockies from up here. They don't look quite as tall from up here.

and these are the farms we passed. I love the way they "dot" the landscape!

My grandma LOVES to garden so when we go out there I usually do quite a bit of weeding, which I like to do. But it makes you wonder sitting out under that hot Idaho sun, if things don't start going to your head. . . or on them.

I must say they have some pretty interesting hats out there, or would that be the people that wear them?

Scrapbooking

Here are a couple of pages I did a while back. I have yet to get the journaling done on them though.(ugh!:) The journaling part isn't my favorite. The pics were taken last year when, as part of my birthday present, Lauren invited me to her house for a very special time. Everything was so much fun... from spa night, shopping, a tea party her mom surprised us with, to the very special surprise... a night at the orchestra. She wanted to do my hair in a curly bun, which is what the first page is about. The second is when we went swimming in her grandmother's apartments at night when we where the only ones in the pool.

To see the picture up close click on it.

For more crafts go to Chari's blog.

Blueberry Picking

Well, today we went blueberry picking! Dad, Mom, Chari Regina, the girls, and me. It was really fun although it can get pretty hot, even in the middle of the morning. Gracie enjoyed finding the "humongous" one's:)

Here's Gracie and Me with one of our humongous one's

Fathie enjoyed eating the blueberries while we did all the picking. Being a princess is such hard work :)

Gracie picking blueberries

Mom and Regina helping Gracie find one's that she can reach

Chari taught Fathie how to find the blue berries:)

Watch out Gracie's behind the wheel!!!

Recital

Well, I had my recital last night, and I'm so glad it's over! Recitals can really stress me out, but I've been doing better the past few years as far as the stress goes.

The recital was at a beautiful recital hall. I had my recital there last year and it is really a neat place to perform. Chari will have a video clip of my song. I think I did pretty well. The song is called Georgiana, and is from the Pride and Prejudice movie. I really like the new one they put out with Keira Knightley in it. We would get it from the library, but last night my family gave it to me! I was really excited about that!

Here I am at the nine foot Steinway grand piano. It has a really good touch, and is fun to play when I'm not so nervous.

Mary came and gave me these really cute daisies. I love them!

Here is me, Ashlynn, and Kaelin. You can see the piano and stage pretty well in this picture.

Here is my teacher and her happy little girl!

E.T.A. Chari's video clip won't work for her blog because it's too big. Sorry!

Twosies

Well, I did it again, I haven't written in over a month! Where does the time go! Oh well, better late than never I suppose.

Chari nominated me for this one.

The Two's
Two names I go by:
1.Angie
2.Angela


Two Things I Am Wearing Right Now:
1.My London England shirt
2.a jean skirt

Two of my favorite things to do:
1.Hang out with friends
2.Go shopping:)

Two things I want very badly at the moment:
1.To be done with school for the summer
2.To have an easier way of seeing friends and family that I don't see very much

Two pets I have/had:
1.Scamp-dog
2.Turpy-turtle

Two people you would like to fill this out: (if you want to)
1.Mellisa P.
2.Jenae

Two things I did last night:
1.Played in my recital
2.ate ice cream afterwards

Two things I have eaten today:
1.Cap'n Crunch
2.Part of a Pop Tart (aren't I healthy today?:)

Two people I last talked to:
1. Mom
2.Dad

Two things I am doing tomorrow:
1.Going to church
2.Singing in church with our trio

What was my longest car ride:
1.East Texas to Idaho via California Coast (I was only 10 months at the time so I don't remember it too well:)
2. East Texas to Seattle, WA

Two favorite holidays:
1.Christmas
2.My b-day( wait a minute thats not a holiday is it;)

Two favorite beverages:
1.Does starbucks frappucino count?
2.limeades

Two things I have done today:
1.Got up(now there's an accomplishment:)
2.blogged

Iv'e been tagged!!!

Wouldn't you know it somebody actually wants me to write on my blog. hmmm... now isn't that strange;) Yep I'm still alive! Actually things have been pretty busy around here, and I'm just too lazy to write a new post:) Well I got tagged by Chari so here goes!

1) What I was doing ten years ago:
Well I would have been 6 years old at the time and can't remember a whole lot of what I was doing, so I'll talk about my case of the chicken pox. We found out I had them when we went to Branson for a vacation. On the way there I started feeling sick, and needless to say I really didn't see much of Branson outside of our hotel room. Chari, Mom, and Dad would take shifts taking care of me, and would bring me back something special.

2) Things on my to-do list today:
Well, since to day is half over I'll tell you some of the things I've already done. I went to church this morning, and came home and had a really yummy dinner. I'm blogging right now, and I'll be going to church tonight

3) Snacks I enjoy:
turtle chex mix
ice cream
Chocolate!

4) If I were a billionaire I'd...
Give money to the church
go on a mission trip
give to the orphanage our church supports
travel
save
GO SHOPPING!!!

5)My 3 worst habits are...
procrastination
not drinking enough water
not saving my money

6)Places I have lived:
TEXAS!!!!!!!

7)Jobs I have held:
bread maker
babysitting
cleaning lady

8) People I would like to tag
Brittany
Jenae

So getting caught up on the current events. I've added a playlist to my blog, I like all kinds of music, but one kind I really enjoy is Celtic music. Are my Irish roots showing or what? I also like Josh Groban and Michelle Tumes,who are both on there. BTW Orinoco Flow is done by Celtic Woman not Enya like the pic says, and the ones that are listed under bluestnow are also Celtic Woman. Anyway, I'm really excited about the playlist. Well, since Chari has blogged about most of the things that have been happening lately, I'll show pics from when I went to the zoo. I haven't been there for years, so it was fun going back. Lauren,Dustin,and a friend got to come down, so I got to be with them. Now are you ready to tour the zoo? I'll be your tour guide for this trip, and there will be so much info that you will probably go from my blog with your head spinning. So read carefully and slowly to make sure you get it all.

Our first animal, I think this is a white tiger. It is really big kind of like a big house cat, but I wouldn't suggest petting it.

Next,I have no idea what these birds are, but they have really long, flat bills and are pink. Are you able to keep up? If not start with the big house cat and review.

and here is another type of kitty cat I wouldn't suggest petting, I think they call it a lion.It has a big mane and pretty much likes to soak up the sun, although it generally doesn't prefer the beach.

this is called an elephant. It tried and tried to think of a way to stuff the whole bale of hay in his mouth at once, but he finally had to give up. I think his eyes were a little bigger than his mouth!:)

and finally we come to the monkey exhibit, just kidding(I think:) me, Lauren, Dustin, and Dan is the friend that came down with them.

Hope you enjoyed the tour, and if you have any questions leave a comment:) Thank you and please come again!

East Texas Squirrel Revival

Wow! This morning Chari was teaching Sunday School when she looked up to the door and gave a startled gasp. There was something crawling under the door. Then it started running to our part of the room! It was a flying squirrel! We're used to these little creatures in our back yard, and have spent some fun times seeing them come to eat out of our squirrel feeder, but I have never seen one in the church!!! Needless to say things got pretty exciting around there! He seemed to like the dark keyboard cover, but he kept on wanting to escape through the door which was now blocked. I just started laughing because I could just see this in a scene in a book. Chari thought it was pretty funny too. Poor thing he was so scared! He was running all over the room trying to get find a way out and away from the two laughing giants. We finally got him cornered and into a coffee can, and outside were he belonged!

here he is posing for the photo shoot

Where's the squirrel?

Here's one of the ones that would come to our feeder. They are only about 4 in. or so from the head to the bottom of the tail, and are nocturnal. They will make these high pitched noises and we didn't know what it was till about a year ago. They have this flap of skin between each leg they spread out when they "fly"( you can see it in the picture), and they'll glide from limb to limb which gives them the name flying squirrel.

they are really cute!
(this isn't my picture I got it off a google search)

Train of Courage Part II

It's been a while since I posted part 1 of the short story I wrote for my writing class. I am finally getting around to posting the rest of it. Hope y'all like it!

Emma turned sharply, and stormed down the path to the cottage. By the time she reached the cottage, she was worried and angry.

“Grandmother! Please fix me a bottle of warm milk. Slade’s been shooting on our property again. He killed the doe and I couldn’t see her fawn anywhere around. I’m afraid the shot scared her and she ran off without knowing where she was headed,” Emma said, frantically putting supplies into a basket.

“I don’t much like the outlook for tonight. It’s getting mighty windy and cold out there. I’m not sure I like the idea of you going out there tonight… looks like it could snow,” speculated Emma’s grandmother.

“I have to go,” Emma said with determination. “The fawn could be caught, and the wolves will be out anytime now, with it getting dark.”

“Well then, get your cloak on and here is a thermos of hot tea, and be careful,” her grandmother warned.

“I will. I’ll be back before you know it.” Emma tried sounding cheerful, but she had reservations about going out on such a stormy night.

The wind started pounding Emma as soon as she was out the door. Grandmother was right - it was snowing and hard. The howl of the wind was deafening, as Emma pulled the hood of her cloak over her head as far as it would go. The snow seemed to be a million little daggers all directed at her.

Finally she saw a clump of brown through the snow, Emma forced herself to move faster. There was the fawn, a mass of fur barely moving. She heard a whistle of a train coming around the side of the hill. Emma froze. The fawn was on the track. Everything inside Emma started screaming Go back now! Memories started flashing through her mind. She could hear the screams, and feel the pain.

“Mommy, I’m scared,” the little girl clung to Elizabeth Carter’s hand. With the other she clutched a small rag doll.

“It’s all right, Emma. I’ve ridden on a train before, and it’s the fastest way to Grandfather and Grandmother’s for Christmas. Oh, Here comes Papa with the tickets.”

“What’s wrong with my little girl?” Jonathan Carter picked up Emma and twirled her around in front of the train depot. Usually when he did, she would giggle and beg for to him to do it again, but not this time. Instead, a troubled expression started to form on the four year old’s face.

“I don’t want to go, and I don’t want you and mommy to go either.”

“Why not?” Jonathan’s eyebrows raised in concern. Emma usually wasn’t so adamant about things. Oh, she would sometimes have a stubborn streak or two, but she was normally an easygoing child.

“Because I’m afraid something bad will happen if we go.” As she was saying the words, they could hear the train’s brakes squeal as the engine roared up and halted in front of the depot. The next few minutes were a flurry of action. Everything seemed to fly past Emma, as she was hurried into the mouth of the black beast. She walked down the aisle of the train, and climbed up into the seat, without saying a word. Both parents exchanged worried glances. Emma would normally drive them crazy with all sorts of questions about such an adventure, but she didn’t this time. The train started out and finally got up to speed. Both parents tried to ease the little girl’s fear, as well as their own uneasiness. Suddenly the train started tipping. Screams erupted throughout the train as metal clashed against metal. Emma looked up and saw the panicked faces of her parents. She felt something slice her leg. Everything started spinning round and round. Then blackness.

Emma shook herself to the present. She could now see the train coming around the corner, barreling toward her and the helpless animal. She raced as fast as she could, in the driving snow, to reach the fawn. Pooling her strength, she grabbed the trembling fawn and dashed to the edge of the woods, just as the train sped by. Collapsing by a tree stump, Emma tried to comfort the forlorn creature. She realized they both didn’t have parents to take care of them, but the fawn had her and she had her grandmother.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you now.” Emma cooed to the fawn. “I know what it’s like to be afraid, but it’s all right, I’ll take care of you.”

Emma smiled to herself…she had faced her worst fear, and conquered.

Potato Soup Anyone?

I have a really good recipe I thought I'd share with y'all. It's fast, easy, hot, and very good! (If you think you can top that I'd like to have the recipe:) This is one of my favorite soups, and I love to have it for an easy lunch on a cold afternoon. (It's also good if you have just had braces put on:) Here's the recipe:

Cheesy Potato Soup

1 pouch of Betty Crocker four cheese instant potato flakes
1 cup of coffee creamer
1/4 cup of bacon bits
1Tablespoon of parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried minced onions
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Before you rush off to the kitchen to make it make sure you use Betty Crocker Four Cheese Mashed Potatoes! We usually get this at Wall-mart. It does not work as well with the Greater Value four cheese potato flakes TRUST ME! I also use less cayenne pepper than it calls for, probably about half, it just depends on how hot you like things. What is cool is you can make it up and store it till you need it. I also prefer the Betty Crocker bacon bits, but its not as big of a deal.

Now for the rest of the directions: Boil 3 cups of water, and right after it starts boiling add the mix and stir with a whisk. turn down the heat to where it isn't boiling,(I turn ours to about low) add about 2/3 cup of milk and let it sit for 3 minutes.

here's all the supplies I used for the mix

here is the mix before I added it to the water

Right after you get the soup in your bowl put grated cheese on top so it melts, and I like to add more bacon bits for more of a crunch.

Enjoy!

Braces

Yesterday I got braces on. Ugh! They are very sore right now, and I can't eat anything but very soft food. But, hey, I don't have to do school right now so that's a plus:) It's kinda weird though because they didn't start hurting until a few hours after I got them on. Oh well, I guess I'll survive;) Here's a picture of me after I got them on yesterday morning.

Exciting Weekend

I have had a very fun weekend! My friend Lauren came down for a visit as part of my Christmas to her. The first night we stayed awake till about 4:30. The next day we went shopping, and went to a scrapbook workshop. When we finished with that, we went to Mark and Chari's for a dual birthday party. That night was Ryan's(Mark and Lauren's brother) birthday, and Mark's birthday was Sunday. We had a lunch/party for him after church. Sunday night, Lauren and I stayed up till about 4:00 o'clock Sunday night(or Monday morning) Scrap booking. We got up Monday morning and dad went and got us donuts. Then Chari took us to Hobby Lobby to get scrap booking paper. Then for the highlight of the week we went to see The 5 Browns. They are totally amazing! They are 5 brothers and sisters that play five Steinway grands at the same time. There are some solos, duets, etc... they are incredible pianists ranging from age 20 to 27. We got to get their autographs and talk to them, which was a real highlight for me! We went out for ice cream afterward. Then we stayed up till after 6:00a.m.! (:yes we are crazy:)

Here's me and Lauren

me, Lauren, and our friend Mary

the signed program

Lauren and me at an antique shop(we like to get funny hats and try them on at the stores)

oh yeah, and I taught Lauren a simple crochet stitch on the way to drop her off

here is a video from you- tube of the Browns - we weren't supposed to take pictures during the concert