Haircut

I'm definately spoiled. Though it was very nice to go out with my mom for a while.

Finger painting

One word: messy.

Gingerbread House

When it's been sitting on top of a cupboard for a while, it gets kind of hard.

Word Lore

Call me a nerd, but I love Scrabble. I played a game against my mom and totally creamed her. Man, does that ever feel good. I think that is the first time in the histroy of our Scrabble games that I've ever won. Although, my first word was 100 points. That's right. Though, half of the score came from using all my letters, but that's besides the point.

Hurray for Scrabble! And for kids adding random letters to the board.

Merry Christmas

We went to visit my opa and oma yesterday - it was so nice. And we learned that my uncle had a baby yesterday too, a girl named Anneke after my oma.

December has been an amazing month.

Saturday Fun

So ... I did groceries this morning and saw a gingerbread house kit. So I bought it. We, four of the kids, sat around the dining room table and made a gingerbread house. I held control over everything with the icing, and Norah Marten and Didi decorated. I was surprised that Didi didn't eat all the candies right away, but my surprise and admiration faded towards the end with a constant crunch beside me.

I then decided to make cookies - the one I didn't make last week. Have I ever told you about the banana bread incident? Let me tell that one first: Mom had decided to make banana bread on the day a lot of company was coming over. We had many rotten bananas, and the best way to get rid of them is by putting them in the bread. Unfortunately, we had too many bananas, not enough flour, not a big enough bowl, and we couldn't find the mixer. We took the largest bowl we could find, made it fit (barely - it was literally up to the top), and used a "mixer" that is usually used for mashing up baby food in small quantities.

That's kind of what happened today. Too many ingredients, and too small of a bowl, with flour going all over the place, including all over me. But now the third and final batch is in the oven with a house full of the smell. Mmmmmm.

Last day

"I'm doooooooone!" (quote from Nadine's dream)

I think I am sick of chocolate and candy canes already.

To Do List*

Learn ...
( ) how to play guitar
( ) how to play violin
( ) sign language
( ) morse code
( ) braille
( ) how to fly a plane
( ) how to play harp

Visit ...
( ) England
( ) Scotland
( ) Ireland
( ) drive across Canada
( ) France
( ) Greece
( ) might as well just make it an entire Europe trip
(x) Dominican Republic**
( ) ride the Polar Bear Express

Misc ...
( ) write a book
( ) own a little house on the east coast
( ) complete the BBC's Big Read Top 200
( ) retire
( ) sky dive
( ) attain a british/scotish/irish accent

*list subject to change
**thought that I should add some short term goals in there

Effort required

Interesting how so much work goes into some presentations, and so little into others. I suppose it also depends on the teachers, whether they require much effort, or very little. Par example: english (little) vs. history (I even added a sound clip to the presentation).

I think I'm an extremist. English I kinda winged the entire thing, and then history I'm slaving over.

Art Club

Warning to all those interested in art: never spend three hours with paint on top of a scaffolding with two giggly girls on top with you. Bad combination.

Doesn't allow for a very good work ethic either.

Butter Fiasco

I spend 20 minutes chopping up chocolate in order to make cookies, when lo and behold: we have no butter in the house.

Figure that one out.

Concert

I just went to one of the most wonderful concerts of my life:

http://www.andrerieu.com/site/index.php?id=home

Andre Rieu, (Louis Riel, according to my opa) violinist. It was incredible.

The music resounds throughout the entire Roger's Centre, to the point of being deafening, but it just sweeps you along into it. His humour is cheesy, yet it it adds to the atmosphere. The orchestra was brought to the stage via horse and carriage. The set was a Venetian Castle. On either side was a small skating rink, and above the orchestra was a balcony where waltzes and ballet was performed.

They also played Nadine's favourite love song from the Titanic. It was a credit to the 250 people who set up the entire thing.

During the Blue Danube many people were waltzing in the aisles. Sleigh Bells is another that comes highly recommended.

And people sitting in the front (with the very expensive tickets) got snowed on. I'm jealous. :)

The concert was supposed to end at 10:30. There was a 20 minute encore section. At one point, he started to play O Canada which was very nice. Then, while everyone was still quiet, he pointed towards the rear of the auditorium. Bagpipers came from everywhere, all the professionals from all of Ontario. Once they were all on stage, Rieu on his violin, a man on the penny whistle and a lady playing the bagpipes played Amazing Grace. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe8FyzW2aiM&feature=related It was the best rendition I have ever heard. The bagpipes lend such a haunting mood to the tune that makes it seem to come so much more alive, and the whistle soared over it all.


But now I really have to go to bed since it is 1:30 in the morning, as you can tell from my ramblings.

Stress

Proverbs 19:21 "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

How often do we forget that and go on our own seperate way, thinking that we can do all things on our own?

Being an English nut, I like how it is a man (general) but the Lord (specific). There are so many men, and only one Lord to watch over us in numerous amounts.

How amazing is that?

Ipods

Interesting how many songs you can fit on them. And how many songs you don't actually know. I discoverd Bubble Toes by Jack Johnson on there today.

theories

I am officially sick of John Locke and his theories about the tabula rasa.

Who gives a ... care?

Homework

Why is it that in highschool even nights that no homework is assigned you still end up with work to do?

Unfortunately, I have learned some bad procrastination habbits, most likely due to close proximity to those in Latin (with a t) class (and others too - I can't lay the blame all on one scapegoat).

Christmas Trees and Homework

Why do the two never mix?

I sit in in anticipation of my dad's arrival with the Christmas tree stand so that we can set it up ... I suppose I could be doing my homework now.

Oops ... guilty conscience now.

Praise and Thanksgiving

My oma finally arrived home from the hospital on Friday. For those who don't know what happened: she had a bladder infection which went septic and was admitted into the ICU of McMaster Hospital within 24 hours. The doctors didn't expect her to make it. That was six weeks ago. All of my aunts and uncles arrived in Hamilton ... for the first time in many years. About a week and a half after being admitted and having multiple system failures, she woke up. She was later transferred to a normal ward, where the doctors said she would not be home before Christmas. Now, just over two weeks before Christmas she's home.

God works in such marvelous ways.

In our Guido Bible Study we were discussing the power of prayer relating to Daniel. He had complete faith in God, even when faced with death ... a horrible death in the lions' den. Yet he was not afraid. He had complete trust in God.

One of the most amazing parts about prayer is the communion of saints and their influence. There were so many people praying for her, and continue to do so. People from Africa, Australia, and all across Canada. It is such an encouragement.



Thank you.

Square Dance

Yes, erm ...


well ...

whipping cream in your ear is probably one of the weirdest feelings ever. And hair.



That was disgusting.

Post One

A clean, figuratively speaking white page - how exciting. Just like getting a new notebook.