Homemade = happy

Obvious conclusion when mom brings home a 25 pound box of tomatoes!

Naughty, naughty...don't eat the tomatoes! (Ok, I know this is SO lame, but that's like the first picture I've ever gotten with any sort of sun flair, so I decided to post it even though it isn't a particularly good picture of me.)

*drools*

No more pain...

The lady I posted about the other day is now in the arms of Jesus. I am so thankful that she no longer has to suffer pain! Thank God that the battle with cancer is over!

Please pray for the family. Besides the children having chicken pox, the father's dad had a heart attack. This is a very hectic, painful time for all of them. Please keep them in your prayers.

May God Be Glorified

I can still remember Mom's words, "she's pregnant...but there are complications. While she's at the hospital, Cara will be staying here." Cara, my best friend told me that night, "She has cancer . . . I almost fainted when I found out." From there it all news from the family that came from the doctor. "Neither you or the baby will survive." "You need to abort." Gilead Victor was born. God was given glory. "The cancer is gone." God was given the glory. "It's back, stronger and harder." They went to Arizona for a different kind of treatment. Though the cancer was still there, she was mostly healthy. She was doing fine. God was given the glory. "It's time for you to go home." She didn't get worse for some time.

(June 20) "I haven't been feeling as well lately. Most days I have periods of nausea, and I've been losing weight again....Meanwhile, while we hope for healing, I realize that's probably not what's happening."

Her health rapidly declined.

VERY rapidly.

A few days later, the hospice were there. Family was flying in. She was saying goodbye to her friends.

Now is God being glorified?

37 years old. Seven children under the age of 15. She just had her 16th wedding anniversary.
"Why is this happening?" I cried in agony. Cara is my best friend. My parents won't even let me see her. Her mother is dying. A slow, painful death. "God, could this be worse?"

Yes, it could.

Cara came down with the chicken pox. All the children were sent to different homes to keep their mother from getting shingles. Then she got even worse. The pain is terrible. She was sent to a hospice home.

The children are away.

God, let them see each other one last time. Let them have their last goodbyes.

"My heart is breaking," her husband says.

What a testimony this man has! The best pastor I know! His faith has been so strong during this three year journey. Pray that he will keep looking to God, and that he would find daily comfort in His word. Pray for the children. Cara is 14. I know, as a 14 year old, that this is when I needed my mother the most, but Cara won't have hers in the future. She's the oldest child, all the children look up to her. Pray for John. I think of all the children, he is having the hardest time with this. Help him to fill the emptiness in his heart with God's love. Pray for Gilead in the future years. He's so young, he probably won't even remember his mother when he grows up. Pray for all the other children. I heard that all of them understood long ago that their mother was going to a better place. I think most of them, in a way, are ready to give her up, but OH HOW HARD IT MUST BE.

Pray for me, that I would be an encouragement to this family, especially Cara. For reasons I don't understand, I am not able to communicate with Cara much. We get an average of 3 hours per year together, which is hard enough itself, but since I feel obligated to be there for her, it makes it SUPER hard that I cannot communicate with her because of what seems to be selfishness on the part of others.

Please also pray that my spirit would yield to God's will. I do not feel willing to let God take control, and let Him take my friend's mother to Heaven.

Pray that no matter what, I would give God the glory.

Fashion Friday!

Hey everybody! Are you all shocked? I've done three posts in a row! Not to brag or anything, but I've done amazing things this week. I've posted three times, I've written two letters (I usually only write about two a year, and only one of them gets sent. But I finally found some people who might actually write back, so it'll be worth it), And I saved the world from aliens. I take that back. I saved my neighborhood from aliens. We found ourselves surrounded by aliens, and we killed a few, and then I found out how to be invisible to the aliens. It was quite unique, I must say. (It was all my friend's idea. *cough*) But I warn you, they are still about to attack! You can tell during thunderstorms, because you can hear them all running in the sky. Most people call it thunder, but it's really aliens running. Just so you know.

Anyway, last night I took a shower, and I decided to put sponge curlers in my hair. Just for fun. I mean, everybody knows my hair will NEVER curl. Until now. And since I did have somewhat of a curling success, I had to take pictures. And I just happened to be wearing my favorite outfit, and it just happened to be Friday, and I just happen to be on a blogging roll, so I decided to do a Fashion Friday post.

And there just happen to be roses in out back yard. <3

And it just so happens that blogger had decided to be super lame, and not post any more pictures.

Except this one, apparently.

And this one. But it won't let me rotate it. The only fault I've found with Apple. Their iPhoto app doesn't rotate the pictures. LAMESAUCE. So, just turn your head sideways and look at it. =)

Shirt: Thrift store, the brand is Croft & Barrow. And I have no clue how much a paid for it. Prolly only a couple bucks.

Skirt: Thrift store (you're gonna see that a lot), Christopher & Banks. I got it for $6

Butterfly hair clip: Michael's, $1

Shoes: Natural. God gave them to me, free of charge. ;)

Heart ring: Kohl's. I think it's worth around $30, but it was on sale when I bought it, so I don't remember. ;) But I rarely don't wear it, I totally fell in love with it. :p

So. As you all are probably quite aware, I'm really brilliant as far as awkward endings. I never did figure out how to end things, so I hope it looks better to you all than it feels to me. Because every time I end something, it seems really weird to me. =P Just sayin'. So...yeah. Bye! =P

CAMP!

So, as I said in the post before, I'm going to post about what has happened at Grand View Camp in Arizona. First, let me quick explain the properties. There's the Alpine property, which they're currently renting. They're using this for camp while they build on the Grand View Ranch property. This property was donated to them, and all the buildings are brand new. They aren't done building on it yet, but they do have a lot done there. The Grand View Ranch (GVR) property is only several miles away from Alpine, as the crow flies, but unfortunately we don't fly like crows, so it takes almost an hour to get there.

Anyhow, my sister left right after easter to go help out at this camp. It just so happened to work out that she had to be there before the rest of the staff, so she spent a lot of time cleaning and preparing for summer camp. But, as more of the summer staff started arriving, other things were arriving too. Such as wild fires.

And by the time staff training had begun, smoke filled the air. Like, really bad. In fact we had haze here in Colorado because of the fires in Arizona. The fires started getting closer and closer to the Alpine property, and the smoke was so terrible that some of the staff kids were starting to get sick. They decided to evacuate to the GVR property. Right after they decided this, they were mandatorily evacuated. As they drove away, they watched some towers that were 6 miles behind the property burn to the ground.

This was all very disconcerting to me. I could not concentrate on anything, all I could think about was the fires. Did my uncle, aunt, and cousins still have a home, or had it been burnt down? There was another family that hadn't even had enough time to pack before they left, so everything they owned would be gone.

And then they were evacuated from GVR. International Baptist College opened up their dorms to the staff, so they went there. Well, most of them, that is.

While evacuated, they had many chances to minister to others. It was exciting to see all the chances they got to share the gospel with others!

During this time, my uncle went to the Alpine property, and found that all the buildings were there. I'll post a link to his video at the end of this post. At the end it shows how the fire went in between all the buildings, but never touched them. The video shows how close the fire got, but God protected each building.

But the fire danger wasn't over yet, and they still didn't know if GVR still stood. Everything was up in the air as the fire returned to the Alpine Property.

But God would still show Himself real.

And I'm gonna cry about now.

But a while later, the neighbors next to the GVR property called.

The fire split in two "like the Red Sea" and went around the property.

And met again on the other side.

And not one of the buildings was touched.

And the Fire Dept. Said that they weren't going to let the fire get to the Alpine property again. They said the fire had to stop there, because there's a town right behind the camp.

And not one of the buildings was touched.

Well, I take that back. One building at GVR was burned down afterwards. Some flying embers got to the cabin, and it burnt down completely. But it just so happened to be the one old cabin that was there. An old cabin that they wanted to burn down anyway. But this way, insurance paid for it. ;) Speaking of insurance, they also paid for the first two weeks of lost revenue because the fires held back camp for a few weeks.

But they were able to start camp soon after they got back onto the property, and I'll be there week after next! I'm SO excited to be there! It's the best camp I've ever been to! I can't wait to see how God works in my life. And I'll be sure that you all hear a lot about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCjuXolNUW8 (During the part that they are evacuating, it's in the middle of the afternoon, but the smoke was covering up the sun. The smoke spread here to Colorado as well, and was so thick that we could look directly at the sun without hurting our eyes.)

My God is an awesome God!

My fail.

Oh, my followers will be so happy! Thought I. I'm going to have a wonderful post with lots of pictures of the beautiful Rocky Mountains, and they're gonna love it! I said to myself. They might even enjoy the hike as much as I did! I didn't think that. I just now came up with that. Wow, what a perfect post this will be! Yeah, I thought that too.

On the mountain: Oh, a columbine! *snaps photo* I wanna pick that pretty purple flower!! (Don't worry, I didn't.) *snaps another photo*

*something flashes across my camera screen*

Out of memory.

What?! How can this be?! I just dumped my camera onto the computer! This is impossible!

*turns camera off and on again* (My epic way of fixing most anything.)

Out of memory.

Maybe my memory stick got locked by accident.

*opens camera to pull out memory stick, and finds that there isn't one*

Yes, somehow I left the house without my memory stick. My bad.

Next day:

I'll take some nice pictures of my sister's birthday celebration and post them on my blog. I guess it's better than nothing.

*puts memory stick in camera*

A few hours later:

*snaps a couple pictures of my sister opening gifts*

*something flashes on camera screen*

Out of battery.

So, in other news, I got three new ADORABLE journals. I'll use them for writing letters, because the paper in them is SO CUTE. And I got some of my Christmas shopping done. And my grandparents are coming for my brother's birthday next week, and then I'll be going to camp.

CAMP!!!

*slams head on computer desk*

I have a post coming soon about what has been happening over at camp! My sister is there this summer as a waitress, and my aunt and uncle happen to work there, so we've heard a lot about what's been going on.

It's amazing.

My God never fails to astound me.

I do believe in miracles people, 'cause I've seen a couple happening.

Well, I didn't see it. But I heard an awful lot about it.

So yeah, look forward to a couple better posts soon! =P

~Lizzie the Lame Blogger, and Photographer of Fail

P.S. Stephanie, Andrea, Hannah, and other people: Yes, I changed it, so it doesn't say on the top of your screen that I'm 13. Are y'all happy?

Life actually did something!

So yeah, I'm actually POSTING, because I have something to post about! I figured you guys didn't want to hear about adding like terms and such, so I never posted. But now that there's something OTHER than adding like terms and such, so here I am! I feel bad for not posting, despite the fact that nothing has been happening, and hopefully I will get to doing some devotional posts and some other things that don't require any sort of excitement (such as those Fashion Friday things I've been wanting to do for a long time).

So, last Monday the doorbell rang, and there was my neighbor carrying a bucket full of dirt, grass and seven ADORABLE baby bunnies! (We're guessing they were about a week old, but we aren't sure.)

He found them at work while he was digging with a tractor. Since Mamma bunnies don't usually come back after their nest has gone through dramatic change - such as being dug up with a tractor - he brought them here, so we could take care of them. And since I was the one that was most excited about it, I am the one who gets to take care of them. (Trust me, feeding seven bunnies takes time, and it's extremely uncomfortable to sit in the same bent over position for that whole time.)

But no matter how sore my back is, how tired I get because I woke up at 6 AM on Saturday morning (SATURDAY MORNING, PEOPLE! SATURDAY!) to the sound of ALL of them trying to dig through the cardboard, or how freaked out I get when one of them has been missing all day and hasn't gotten any food, I do think it's worth it. Because they are SO. CUTE.

Unfortunately, it isn't very common for all of them to survive.

Guess which one died that night? :( I was actually kinda glad it died, though. It had a miserable life. You know how it is when you get the stomach flu, and you are STARVING, but everything you eat comes right back up? That's how that rabbit's whole life had been. =( Another one died yesterday morning, but the rest are pretty healthy. There is one that's smaller than the rest, but it isn't half as bad as the other two that died, so we're hoping it does ok.

We bring them outside for a while each day so that they can get some fresh air, and get used to the outdoors, and eating all the yummy stuff in yards. ;)

Usually they just snuggle under the box, or in some little corner, or try running away so we will never see them again, or hide behind thorn bushes. No trouble at all. (I'm serious, they DO run away. Mom had to grab one by its tail before it got away.)

Now they're getting bigger, and we'll probably let them go soon. But taking care of them has been so much fun! (Except for getting up at six on a SATURDAY MORNING!!)

Update, and randomness.

1. Thank you all so much for your prayers! We can see that they definitely are helping! Dad has been doing very well, and moving around a lot! I also wanted to share with you what my uncle thinks happened.

{Just so you know: this is what my uncle THINKS is what happened, but we're not really sure. Mom said not to preach it as gospel truth. Just so you know. But I'm like 90% sure this is what happened.}

My uncle is EMT trained, and when the accident happened, his first assessment was that Dad had a punctured lung. In fact, with the symptoms Dad had, that was pretty much the only thing that could have happened. The paramedics said the same thing. By that time, we had a ton of people praying for us, and by the time he reached the hospital {which wasn't for several hours} they said he only had a bruised lung. I believe God healed the punctured lung during those few hours! If we didn't have so many people praying for us, I doubt that would have happened!

2. My mom just walked up and wished me a happy day-that-isn't-my-birthday...thanks Mom, you too...

3. I had a VERY happy Monday. Mom was going through my school schedule, and pointing out that I was two weeks behind in math, and four weeks behind in science, ect ect ect. And then... "Wait a minute...how many math lessons did you say are in your book? But I have eighteen more than that written down here." So basically I've been AHEAD in math the whole time when I was sweating it because I had to do three lessons a day. =D =D

4. I have to pick which movie we watch tonight, which really stinks because I like all the movies that my sister hates, and I want both of us to be happy...but I've been dying to see Sound of Music again. **SIGH** I wish my sister liked musicals.

5. There's a nice dusting of snow today. That makes me happy, cuz incase you didn't know: I LOOOOOOOVE SNOOOWWW!!!!

6. My little brother's breath smells really bad, so he just came and breathed in my face. **rolls eyes** Very different from my mom's morning salutation.

7. So, my dad has been out of work since December, and now he can't really GET a job, but a family from church just moved, and gave us a bunch of their food. Now usually when that happens, most of the food ends up being given to somebody else, or thrown away, because we try to eat healthy, so we don't eat sugar, and try and stay away from white bread, ect. Well, apparently one of the people in this family has diabetes, taking care of the sugar problem, and they gave us a bunch of whole wheat oat bread {which is our favorite kind}. It was such a blessing to receive all that food, and most of it was food that we can actually eat!

8. ONE MORE THING:

Which one??

Well, TTYL folks! ~Lizzie

Another Update

Dad is home now, and doing well. He's been walking around a little, but mostly just hangs out on the couch. I think our biggest worry is our cat right now. She likes to jump up on people's chest's, which is obviously NOT good for somebody with three broken ribs. =P He also has had little phlegm stuff in his throat {sorry, I just HAD to spell that word!!!}, which is perfectly normal, but he can't really cough it up, which tends to be rather annoying. =P And he sneezed yesterday. OMGOODNESS, I FELT SO STINKING BAD FOR HIM! He just sat in the chair clutching his chest, groaning for five minutes. It was awful.

I saw these questions from a blog party, and thought I'd put them on my blog, so here we go:

How would people describe your personality? (If they could only use ONE word.) Are they right? Weird. Yeah.
What celebrity/celebrities would create a “Star-Struck” feeling if you saw them in real life? *cough* *tries to think of a GIRL I would like to meet* Let's see...ummm...girl...Logan Bartholomew...oops, that's a guy...oh, crumb...Hannah Ours. After all, she's bound to become famous some day...=P And of corse, Hannah S. But we'll be famous together, right?
Who is your favorite blogger? Why? I don't think I really have a favorite blog. But it asked about bloggERs, so...can I just say my BFF, cuz I love her so much?
What is your comfort food/drink? Chocolate. =P
Be brave – tell us something very random and weird about yourself. I play with my food. Especially asparagus, it's SO. MUCH. FUN.
Do you have a strong desire to do something you’ve never done? What is it? Meet my best friend. =P
Movies: Action, Drama, Romantic Comedy, Documentary, Comedy? What are your favorite genres? Action, Drama, and comedy.
Books: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Romance, Biographies, True Stories, Self-Help, Devotional/Study? What are your favorite types of reading material? Fiction, and Bible. =P
Music: Funk, Rock, Country, Jazz, Classical, Film Score, Blues, Classic Rock, Crooner, Alternative, Heavy Metal, Techno? What are your favorite types? Sacred and hymns.
If you inherited a million dollars, what is the first thing you would do with your money? Invest it. =P And then prolly give some of it to a family I know, give some more to missionaries, and then buy that new building for our church. And buy chocolate.
If you could live anywhere at all (and take all your loved ones with you), where would you go? Steamboat Springs.
Strange Talent? Can you juggle basketballs, put your legs behind your head or perform some other strange feat? I can "accidentally saw at my finger with a steak knife." Yes people, some advice for you: if you have a choice between using a cutting board or your hand, spare yourself the pain, and go with the cutting board. But seeing that was {hopefully} a one time thing, I guess the only strange talent I have is...I can balance a spoon on my nose. =P
What’s something you consider yourself to be good at? (Don’t worry, it’s not bragging, it’s acknowledging a God given gift). I sing. I think I'm good at it, anyway...nobody's told me otherwise.
What is one of your favorite things to catch a whiff of? Chocolate and cinnamon rolls. And coconut. And garlic. And mustard. And my shampoo. And...food in general, I guess. =P
When you leave a social gathering, do you wish: You would have talked more or You would have talked less? Ummm...I would have talked more about godly things, and less in general. =P
What is your greatest fear or strange phobia? I don't really know...I have a hard time with fire, I guess. =P I mean, I love camp fires and stuff, but if it wasn't on purpose, or burnt something it wasn't supposed to, or got out of control...it makes me feel sick to just hear about it.
What is your greatest accomplishment? I can balance a spoon on my nose. JK! I don't really have a greatest accomplishment...OOOH, LAST WEEK, I WENT AN ENTIRE DAY WITHOUT WRITING ON MY HAND!! **GASP**
What are your favorite animals? Dogs, horses, my brother, geckos, and zebras. I was just kidding about the zebra. =P
Are you a hopeless romantic? *gigglesnort* No. I'm hopelessly anti-romance-for-young-people. Or something like that. Just ask Hannah Ours. {Blog link above. Not here due to extreme laziness on the part of Erin. =P}
What movie or book character can you most relate to? IDK...prolly a mix between Emma from Emma by Jane Austin, or Jo from Little Women by Luoisa May Alcott. Why am I a mix between a stupid character {no offense to people who like Emma - she's one of my favorite Jane Austin characters too} and a character who is socially awkward??? =P

Update on Dad 2

Hi again! Dad has been doing SO MUCH better, and it's POSSIBLE that he can come home tomorrow. He is still in a little pain, but he can sit up now, and he even walked a little today, but he said it was really hard, as he's still a little shaky.

He does NOT have a punctured lung, it's only been bruised, but he still has a little trouble breathing. As you know, the three ribs above his heart have been broken, two of which are broken in two places. They won't be setting any of his ribs, because that would make things worse. His sternum is also fractured.

Thank you all so much for your prayers! I'm sure things wouldn't be going half as well as they are with out you guys! <3

~Lizzie O.

{Gah, I know I'm forgetting something....}

UPDATE: Dad's coming home today!!!! The only problem they are seeing is a "bubble". I really don't know anything about this, and if it's in his lung or not...BUT, they said he's well enough to come home!!! =D =D =D He will still have to be on oxygen.

Please pray that Mom would get more rest, and continue to pray for quick healing for Dad. THANKS SO MUCH!!!

Update on Dad

'Ello, people's! Dad is in the ICU right now, but they will probably be taking him out today, unless he randomly takes a turn for the worse {let's hope that doesn't happen}. Mom got to see him last night, and right now she's driving to the hospital. Before she saw him, all we heard was that he was in major pain, and having a hard time breathing, but when she saw him, he said that on a scale of 1 to 10, his pain was about at three and a half. Uncle B. said Dad's being himself and joking around. =P

Because of his punctured lung, he's {obviously} having a hard time breathing, so pray that it wouldn't be so painful. But praise God that even though all the ribs around his heart were broken, his heart has remained undamaged!

The only worries right now is that his lung would collapse, or he would catch pneumonia. But, I have to go. Thank you all so much for your prayers!

EDIT: Dad is either out of ICU right now, or getting out very soon.

Emergency Prayer Request

Sooo...I really don't know how many hours ago this was, or if it was just a few seconds...everything seems so muddled.

I was in my sisters' room watching them play a game, when Mom came down and asked them to "pause their game". I was figuring it had something to do with our discussion about when we were going to town or not, but to my shock, it was about Dad. He left before the break of dawn yesterday morning to go snowmobiling in the mountains with his brother, and some of their friends. He drove into a ditch that was covered with snow, and the handlebar of his snowmobile rammed into his chest, causing a few broken ribs, and most likely a punctured lung. His oxygen level was low, but not low enough to be concerned about. He is in stable condition, but my uncle said it's serious enough that Mom has to get up there as soon as possible. We don't have four wheel drive, and the mountains are all snowy and icy, but our {wonderful} pastor in letting her use his Jeep. So, the last however long this has been, has consisted of running {PAUSE: Mom just walked in the door. Uncle B. called and said they might fly him out here to a better hospital. All the ribs over his heart are broken. Mom's trying to decide whether she should stay and wait to find out where he's going or staying...she decided to leave again - she can come back if she needs to} any way, the last however-long-this-has-been has consisted of running up and down stairs, finding things for Mom to pack, answering the phone that had been ringing off it's hook {thank God for Church Family!} and answering the door to find a neighbor who wanted to go with Mom, lots of prayer and Bible reading, and tons of tears. Seth only seems to understand that everybody else has been crying, and something is wrong with Dad.

Please pray that Dad would stay in stable condition - or better, and that if Mom does have to drive all the way up there, that she would be safe. Soo....I have to go now, but please pray!

All in God's hands.

~Lizzie O.

UPDATE: They are flying Dad closer to us, where the hospitals are better. They said it wasn't necessary, but because of the nature of his injury, they did it as a precaution.

**ahem** THREE SECOND LATER UPDATE: Emily just got off the phone with my Aunt, and it sounds like Dad is waking up.

This picture, or that picture for my template?

1.
2.

Randomness

Here are some random facts, just for the sake of posting again. =P

1. I watched Enchanted, and thought it was...interesting...a couple awkward moments there...

2. I like this tissue box cover:

2. I hope everybody has a GREAT valentines day! {And that nobody gets sick.}

3. I have a post coming up about ... marble runs... yeah, VERY exciting, I bet you guys can't wait.

4. Chocolate.

Just saying.

5. I love classical music

6. I can't wait for bible study and prayer meeting tomorrow! HAPPINESS!

7. I can't wait until voice lesson tomorrow either. Mostly because I just got a music sheet that I've been DYING to have!!! =D =D =D

8. Is gonna watch the rest of The Parent Trap with the fam in a few minutes...

9. So, I must tell all my dear followers goodbye for now.

10. Goodbye!

~Lizzie

{What would you like to see me post??}

LAME BLOGGER

{Please read, despite the title, this does have some interesting information}

Yes, I'm such a lame blogger because I'm sharing another giveaway link, but I have a post coming up with *pictures!!* I also forgot one of the biggest changes I'm making. =P When I made THIS POST, I was sitting in front of the computer thinking and thinking, because I KNEW I was going to change *SOMETHING* else! Anywho, I'm going to be changing my link, because...really...the one I have is LOOOOOONNNGGG..... so, this Saturday, I'm changing it to lizzieo19.blogspot.com. Just so you know. =)

So, the giveaway. I kinda HAD to enter this one, because one of my AwEsOmEcHoCoLaTe friends is doing it. =) Anywho, go on over, check it out, follow her {for the sake of awesome bloggers} and don't enter so I have more of a chance to win that ADORABLE locket!!

CHAO! ~Lizzie

This post shall remain untitled forever more.

Hello, all! I have tried and tried to post the pictures that I'm considering for a background, but...I'm gonna have to try something new. I'll post two pictures each post, and ask which one you like best. I'll be editing them a bit, so they aren't quite as bright.

Changes, giveaways {I KNOW, I'M DOING IT *AGAIN!*}, and other news

ALOHA, OH DEAR FOLLOWERS OF MINE! As the title would suggest, I'm going to be making a few changes.

1. I'm going to be making a few changes on my side bar. I'll have blog buttons for blogs that I enjoy, and a few more pages for my blog.

2. BIG CHANGE: I'M GETTING A NEW TEMPLATE FROM KENDRA!!! I will hopefully be posting pictures for template backgrounds, so you guys can help me choose, but it's not working right now. =(

3. Also, I will hopefully have a few of my own buttons, which really isn't *THAT* much of a change, but still...=P

And the giveaway: Libbi, at The Funner Life is doing a sweet 16 giveaway! Be sure to check it out!

As far as other news...well....I AM SO SUPER HAPPY! One of my hobbies is to make cards, but alas...I ran out of paper. And I don't have the $25 dollars it takes to buy card stock. So, with tears in my eyes, I was forced to put away my card making things for a while. BUT, we were at Michael's, and GUESS WHAT THEY HAD ON SALE FOR *SIX DOLLARS*?!

Please note: in each of those piles is an average of 5 pieces of paper! AAAAHHHH!!! SO HAPPY! And there are a couple others that you can't see, by my feet. And notice that AWESOMELY cute box I can put them in!!! So, yeah...I'm pretty much VERY happy with this!

I'm also very happy with the fact that I won THESE EARRINGS!!! HAPPINESS!

Anyway, I've been on too long...I should go. Actually, I'm kinda using that as an excuse because I stink at ending things. =P So, BYE, MY DEAR FOLLOWERS!

DUNDUN DUUUN!!!!

Yes, my hair looks orangey-green... it's actually an incredibly dark brown color. And ignore my cheesy grin in a couple of the pictures that I am sharing with you today. =P BUT, BEFORE MORE PICTURES, LET ME TELL YOU A STORY! A true {{cough ISH cough}} story about an experience that I had.

I got out of the carriage, prepared for the battle. A man, holding beer in his hand was watching me the entire time. Who knows how many mugs of beer he's already had? I walked into the building, continuously wanting to go back. A large, dark-haired woman greeted me in a cold manner. "Are you sure this is what you want?" She asked me. I nodded my head, still wondering if I should really go through with this. "Come right over here." She said. I quietly followed, wanting to turn back, but not willing to humiliate myself so. She armed me with the necessary equipment, and then said, "Now, don't look up." I looked straight down. No turning back.

*snip, snip*

That was my over-dramatic version of getting a hair cut. I really got out of my blue man van, and the guy with the beer...the hair salon just happens to be right next to a liquor store, and the man was just getting into his car with his alcohol in hand, and yes, he WAS watching me. And I won't go into detail about the "large" woman, but she wasn't particularly nice, and she did poke my eye twice. I think she forgot I was human. And the don't look up thing...well, she actually said, "look down." Yeah... anyway, I got between 7 and 8 inches of my hair cut off. I really really really like my new hair cut, just not the way my hair sits... =P

Like I said, ignore the dorky smile... anywho, I hope you guys...liked this post. =P Have a great week! ~Lizzie

POST!

I POSTED, but alas...the time thing was all screwed up, so it's way down there. BUT, since I'm so nice: HERE'S THE LINK!

I also have a couple more coming...don't miss them. Or else. I will...not do anything...=P

I *WILL* POST!

Sorry guys! I was JUST about to give you those posts that I promised, when my mom said I couldn't be on the computer until I was caught up in math. So, I couldn't post...BUT, I PROMISE you, you will have at least ONE cool post by the end of the week, maybe two. Or three. =) I would do one now, but I'm wasting my time doing THIS instead, and I g2g take a shower, and then I'll eat supper, and then go to prayer meeting. So, I REALLY g2g, BYE!!! ~ME!

DRAGONS ON THE LOOSE!

PLEASE post this if you know someone who has been eaten by dragons. Dragons are nearly unstoppable, and in case you didn't know, they can totally breathe fire. 60% of people WON'T copy and paste this because they have already been eaten by dragons. 38% of people are sitting in the shower armed with fire extinguishers. The remaining 2% are awesome and will re-post this.

{Might I add, those percentages are only estimates. They forgot the 0.2% that was sitting at their computer, waiting for a dragon to come, so they could train it...=P My friends, Hiccup and Toothless are here to help me.}

{BTW, GRACE. DID YOU SEE THAT?! IT MEANS I *DO* HAVE AN IMAGINATION!!!}

Camille's Giveaway!

Cammille is having a giveaway! I can't wait to see who wins! She's giving 12 adorable prizes! Be sure to go check it out!

{posts are STILL coming soon!}

Post{s} on the Way!

Hey! I have two posts coming up! One is about me, and my life story. I'm about 3 sentences away from being done, but I need to take some out, because it became an absolutely ENORMOUS post, and it will probably be VERY boring. The other will be about a very . . . umm . . . let's just say it will be about an experience that I had. =P EDIT: Oh, and I'm not sure if this has annoyed anybody else, but I DO realize that there is no "newer" and "older" post buttons on my blog. I'm trying to get that fixed, along with a couple other things.

It's all a part of me, and that's who I am

Yellow! This is for anybody who WASN'T satisfied with reading JUST my profile. After all, those things can only hold so much information. I guess we'll begin with my life story. Well, what has occurred so far, that is.
I was born in Steamboat Springs, CO, and lived there for the first 7 years of my life. It was/is pretty much the awesomest place on earth. Well, I say that, because it's home. And because the country around there is BEAUTIFUL. I used to live right under a mountain. "The Sleeping Giant" to be exact. Well, other boring people call it "Elk Hill" but there's little scope for the imagination in that name, right? Anyway, my life there was really awesome. Climbing hills every day, tubing and snowmobiling in the winter, going down the road and wading in streams, and having picnics, ect. Like I said, it was pretty awesome. I forgot to mention: I have two older sisters, one five years older than me, and one four years older, and I was/am/probably will be homeschooled all my life.
Anyway, I had one friend who I loved VERY much. I always looked forward to Sundays and Wednesdays when I could see her. We were like pickles and mustard. Don't ask HOW we were like pickles and mustard, but we were. ANYWAY, we were really close. Like bread and butter, I guess. But then, bread and butter are only close when you PUT them together . . . sooo . . . we were like THIS. **crosses fingers** One night, a college group came over to our church, and did some fun stuff with the kids. The church was small enough that we didn't have, or need a regular children's programme {I LOVE THAT SPELLING!!}. At the end of the bible story, they asked if any of us wanted to come forward to accept Jesus as our Savior. I knew I hadn't done that, and I didn't see the need then, but I remembered my friend had said that SHE did it, and since we were best friends, we were supposed to do everything the same, right? So, I went and said a prayer, just to be like my best friend.
Well, a couple years later, we moved. Dad didn't really like his job, and so he decided to get a new one. In the city. Sorry to all you city lovers out there, but I really, really, really don't like it. In fact...I can't really name anything good about it. So, if you can help me see something cool about cities in general, PLEASE TELL ME!!! And in the middle of the great move...Mom had a baby. My dear little brother, Seth. <3 After a few months, we joined a very small church. When I say VERY, I mean very.
By this time I was really lonely. I had two sisters, who "lived" in the basement, and I was on the second floor. We pretty much only saw eachother during meal times. I felt like I wasn't really wanted in my family, because I didn't have any real friends at home. And I'd moved away from my best friend, and both of us pretty much hated writing, so we couldn't keep in touch that well. I got yelled at a lot, too. I guess I annoyed my brother. Like, a lot, and his annoyance annoyed everybody else, and they never realized how hard I tried to be a better sister. So, because Seth was always upset with me {sometimes for no reason}, I always got yelled at for every little thing, even if I had NOTHING to do with it. And since my sisters were always having a blast together, I felt left out, and useless.
After a couple years, our church moved to a place that was about 2 minutes from my house, and a few people stopped coming, including the family of one of my few real friends. So, it became a VERY EXTREMELY small church.
But there was somebody new there. An elderly lady, about 80 years old, who happened to have a bible club for kids in her house. Like, 4 houses down from me {and she'd lived there the WHOLE time...if that tells you anything about how social our neighborhood is}. So, I started going to the club.
One night, at the end, she asked all the kids to raise their hands if they knew they were saved. I'd been telling them I was truly saved for a LONG time. I started to think about it. What was being a Christian? What did it really mean to let God be your King? Was I going to heaven? I realized that I wasn't. I'd lied to myself - and everybody else - for years. That night, I made a choice. I chose to humiliate myself in front of all the people there, and not raise my hand...I chose to go into her kitchen, and I chose to pray. I chose to accept Jesus's free gift. I chose to let God take over my life. I chose God. March 26, 2007. That was the day I stopped dying. That was the day I started living. And looking back at that day, all I can say is: PRAISE THE LORD!<3!<3
About a year after that, we left our church for certain reasons.
I really didn't want to do that. Even though I didn't like the kids there, I DID NOT want to start looking for a new church to go to. I had memories of going to a new church, and if anybody DID talk to me, they had a "I'm-so-way-cooler-than-this-girl" attitude. There was one church that I really liked, but my family didn't. We started visiting different churches...boring churches. I thought the people were boring, the music was boring, and so were the sermons. But I was used to boring services, I only cared about the hard chairs. One week, Dad and Mom {how come people always say "Mom and Dad"??} decided to visit a church we'd tried to go to when we first moved here. When we first went we weren't impressed with it, and walked out. But since then, my sisters had gone to camp. They didn't go with a youth group, so they got put in with a random one. The one that happened to be from that very church. And my sisters said that it was the best youth group they had ever seen! Everybody seemed so hungry for God, and were focused on the right things.
So, we went there. The music was amazing. The congregational hymns had FEELING. Like the people actually meant what they were singing. The choir made mom cry. And I'm pretty sure the floor was vibrating on account of the orchestra. {Random fact about me: I can't say "vibrate" or any tense of the word. I always put an "a" in there. "viabrate" yeah...} I still can't get over the preaching. For the first time in my life, I couldn't get my attention OFF of the sermon! Pastor S had my full attention. It was the first time I remember kneeling before God, convicted on my sin at a church. And then Sunday school. I walked into the door and all the girls greeted me with smiling faces. They GREETED me. Of their own accord. And my Sunday School teacher actually seemed interested in me. I never knew what I'd been missing until I went there. And afterwards, my sisters told us about the youth group. Some of the kids formed their own little prayer groups. Of their own accord. {Without outside intervention, as my dictionary says.} So, eventually, we joined the church.
I was baptized at that church, and we're still attending there. And it's still as amazing as ever. Unfortunately, I had to leave my AWESOME Sunday School class, but I love my youth group, even if I miss the good old 4-6th grade class! I had an awesome time at camp in 2009, and 2010, and I got some things straightened out in my life, and got rid of a LOT of the bitterness I was carrying around in my heart. So here I come to 2011, and even though I'm not even a month in, God has been working a lot in my life.
So, this is pretty much where I am right now. =) I hope you enjoyed it! But I'm quite afraid it was probably very boring for you all. BUT, if any of you want more, I'll tell you random things about me.

1. I say random things in the middle of sentences. You might have already caught on to that.
2. I <3 food, ESP pickles and mustard. And I often go by the name "Anteater" because I eat ants...I really don't gross out easily, and I love holding bleeding worms in my hand. =D
3. I took a year of piano, a year of violin, and now I'm taking voice. I loved all 3, but voice is my favorite!
4. I don't have a favorite hymn - I love them all.
5. I don't listen to rock, jazz, rap, pop, or country music, even if the word "Christian" is in front of it.
6. I hate hats. Ok, I don't hate hats, in fact, I think hats are SUPER cute, but I can't bear to wear them.
7. I prefer dark chocolate over milk, but I love them both. My three favorite chocolitey things are chocolate chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate covered coffee beans, and dark chocolate with {dried} blueberries inside. <3
8. When it comes to berries {and grapes} I like them about 75% better when they're frozen. Even in the winter.
9. I've only found 2 pairs of comfortable pants - a pair of black shorts, which go just to my knee, and a pair of American Eagle jeans, which are only semi-sorta-kinda comfortable. So, I mostly wear skirts.
10. I prefer barefoot to any kind of shoe. And I rarely wear socks and/or slippers.
11. I am NOT sportsy. At ALL. I have three favorite games: Chain tag, do you know your neighbor, and trench dodge ball. All others are pure torture.
12. Speaking of games, I <3 CATCH PHRASE!!
13. I love, love, love, love, love <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 to IM. It's like...ya know, only the best thing EVER!!
14. Two of my very best friends live VERY, VERY far away. I currently hate Arizona, because it has taken away a few of my awesome friends, and I love Canada, because it holds amazingness condensed into one girl. {HEE, HEE, I LOOOVE YOU, HANNAH!!!}
15. Notice I said "very best friends". I have four "very best friends" and everybody else is my best friend. =) Believe it or not, one of my VBFs is 15, and another is 10. =P
16. I'm writing a book. I'm getting very close to the end, but it needs a LOT AND A LOT AND A LOT AND A LOT of editing. I'm also helping write a series about Narnia.
17. I am often called "The Girl With a Million Names" because I have a ton of nicknames. Lizzie, Lisa, Rachelle {the Random}, Elsey, {those two come from the books I'm writing}, anteater, mustard, zebra, Mr. Collins {AHHHH}, Thommy {Thom}, Angelica Marie {Angie}, T-Marie, TM, Trademark, Erzi, Erroneous, Lizzie-Lou, Peach Nuzz {don't even ask}, Penelope {still confused about this one. My brother calls me this, and has me call him Tim....I think it has something to do with airplanes, and ghosts}, Chicken {as in "MOOOO"}, Cocoa, Incon {as in inconceivable} , and a ton more. Take your pick, or make a new one. =P
18. I am not a cat lover. At all. There might be one or two good cats out there, who knows?
19. I <3 jewelry. And sweaters. I have a weakness for them.
20. Because of #19, Kohl's is my favorite store. They have AMAZING sweaters, and lovely jewelry.

That's all for now! I hope you weren't bored out of your minds! There's a lot more to know about me, but you will probably find out about it later. TTYL! ~The Girl With a Million Names { P.S. Tigger is my favorite Winnie the Pooh character, and I love the old Tom and Jerry shows!}

AHHH!!!!

Can anybody say "AWESOME GIVEAWAY"??? THIS GIRL did. TWENTY SIX things. WOWZERZ. So, DON'T GO ENTER THIS!!! I WANT TO WIN SOMETHING!!! ;-P Ok, ok....head on over and .... **sigh** I GUESS you can enter, if you REALLY want to. *wink* TTYL!! <3 style="text-align: center;">

Life is Sweet

1. Sweaters. I have WAY too many of them, and I love every single one to death2. Chocolate covered coffee beans. Need I say any more?? 3. Barefoot. Nothing is more fun than having people stare at you because you are barefoot {or wearing sandals} in the snow, while wearing your sweater. And I've only caught a cold from it once.4. Friends. And awesome rhyming convo's we have together. 5. My Creator, comforter, BFE {Best Friend Eternally} ECT. 6. Long skirts. Again, I just love it when people stare at me because I'm wearing a long, modest skirt. 7. SIIINGINGG!!! Words can't describe the feeling I get when I sing. 8. Forcing myself to read, and then getting to lost in another world, it's almost impossible to pull myself away. 9. Whipped cream on coffee. <3>10. Hair. *cough* Yeah, hair...have you ever realized what a comfort hair is? When I get mad, or really sad, I just go brush my hair. Or when I get bored, I style it, or cut it and rip it out. And REALLY ... it's even useful when trying to cover up the outcome of my chocolate covered coffee bean addiction, which is scattered all over my forehead right now... =P
Oh, and there's SO MUCH more!

I have awesomely amusing friends

HAHA, I was chatting with my amazing friend, Andrea, today, and somehow, we ended up {trying to} make everything rhyme. This is what we came up with:

(Some of it has been edited out, like links, or certain *special* words that have a *special* meaning that you all won't get, and aren't necessary to the conversation. But I did leave one)

me: *giggle* I'm back.

=P

I'm a yak.

Andrea: YAY FOR YAKS!

me: YAY FOR THE YAK PLAN, AND MAY ALL EPIC CANADIANS HAVE IT!!!

AND MAY THEY NEVER FALL INTO A PIT!!

Andrea: :D YAYAYAYAYAYAAAAAAAAAAAAYY!

me: And may all kind horses have much hay.

Andrea: :D are you ok?

me: I keep rhyming, if I may.

Andrea: {link}

I have green hair!

and part of my eye is green as well, but who cares?

4:21 PM me: It won't let me see it.

Andrea: really!?

OH NO!

ALL THE YAKS SHALL DIE!!!!!!!

me: I hope my friend, Kirsti isn't high.

Andrea: oh my!

Is Kirsti high?

Oh me oh my!

I feel as cheesy as swiss on rye! {SHE WAS}

me: How should I know? Her middle name isn't Joe...

Andrea: IT ISN'T JOE!? OH NO!

me: (Your rhyme was lame). I'm glad I don't have much fame.

Andrea: ERIN! SHAME! My rhyme was only slightly lame.

me: OUCH. MY EYES, MY EYES!!! THEY ARE IN PAIN!

Andrea: I'm sorry your eyes are in pain. But still, my ryhmes are not lame.

me: oh, STINK. Lame and pain only SLIGHTLY rhyme...

BUT, maybe I will rhyme better this time.

=P

My eyes are better now. I'm very glad they aren't the size of a cow.

Andrea: Silly goose! Weird, now I feel like Dr. Seuss... esquire.

me: And how was your day, may I inquire?

OMGOODNESS! WHAT SHALL I DO IF I HAVE TO GET GLASSES? AND THEN I'LL MATCH THAT GUY THAT SMASHES...

=P

You don't know that code..

word.

Andrea: My but I do hope you're insured.

me: Yes, but hopefully my eyes are completely cured.

Andrea: But for the moment, that is completely unsure.

me: OMSTARS, I'M LAUGHING MY HEAD OFF!!! I hope I don't come down with a cough.

Andrea: :D Then you'd have to go to the doctor's. But if you're uninsured, you're sure to fall out of stock. (???)

<--- ers

me: That made no sense, and had no elegance.

Andrea: I'm sure, Ms. Party-Pooper.

me: You've left me rhymless there, Ms. Andrea Trooper.

Andrea: :D I'm laughing breathlessly, but are you sure you're ryhmelessly

me: Do you mind if I post our chat on my blog? I'm growing tired of this city smog...

Andrea: Continuing in sorrow?

:D City shmog? City smog? There I ryhmed! You may post on your blog.

me: I will wait until tomorrow.

If you wish...

EW, I HATE RAW FISH!

Or may I do it today?

Andrea: I'm sorry, but I love chips and salsa and must decline to eat anywhere without... CHIPS AND SALSA!!!!!!!!!

(that was really bad, i know)

4:34 PM me: I don't have TV, so I can't watch that show.

4:37 PM Where is my rhymer? Did she go to check the cookie timer?

Andrea: Something along those lines. That cookie timer, which does not exist, was put on a blog, much like this.

me: What are you babbling about? I feel like letting out a shout.

Andrea: Don't do that! You would scare the rats!

me: Mother and Father are home. Our house isn't the shape of a dome.

Andrea: :D I love to eat icecream, especially when it's in a cone.

(HA!)

me: I have three new {lovely} skirts, and they are not hand sewn.

Andrea: :D i can't think of anything to rhyme right now.

anybody want a peanut?

me: MOOOOO. Did I sound like a cow?

Andrea: *smacks head on hand*

me: STOP DOING THAT, IT'S HIGH KING PETER'S COMMAND!!

Andrea: poor high king peter

me: We'll have to test his patience with a meter.

Andrea: :D and then he'll have to jump off a cliff when he fails anger management classes

me: But at least he doesn't have to wear glasses. Like that guy who smashes...

Andrea: ORANGES!

me: We've been here before. In our email. I bought those skirts on a 50% off sale.

Andrea: :D lol

me: My cat just meowed.

*that rhymed with "loud"

Andrea: you're really desperate, aren't you?

me: No, I'm not. Extremely warm = hot.

Andrea: If you're so hot, jump in the oven and be a tater tot.

me: You fail. Don't put a teddy bear in a pail.

Andrea: The pail is full of water right? I just hope it hasn't frozen through the night.

me: Yes, water indeed. For the African Children in need.

Andrea: I was going to say something, but it wasn't need (ed)

me: You could have said, "I was going to say something, but you weren't in need." AND STOP RHYMING WITH THE SAME WORD!

Andrea: :D

read the email

me: It is a trap into which you are being lured.

Andrea: :P Your language is not pure.

me: That didn't even rhyme. Try again, then suck a lime.

Andrea: It did too rhyme! You go lick... a rhyme!

HA!

me: See? You fail at this...and when I aim at a target, I miss.

Andrea: check your email.

me: I have an ugly finger nail.

I need to go. My sister needs the computer, and I don't want to shoot 'er.

Andrea: I'm sorry, but you really fail. If your nails did look like pails, they might be ugly, but they aren't, they're only sudsy. So sudsy are they, you could wash dishes all day, then eat some salad and hit the dishes with a mallet. You'll hit them with a mallet since your nails are tired of scrubbing. And all because your nails aren't ugly, all they are are sudsy! {see? She couldn't even make them rhyme!!!}

me: BYE!!

Andrea: bye!

me: AND DON'T GET HIGH!!

Andrea: I WON!

me: ON HOT KOOLAID!

me: AND I DON'T NEED AN EXTRA MAID!

Andrea: :P

me: <3

These messages were sent while you {I was} were offline.

5:05 PM Andrea: see ya! wouldn't want to be ya!
ME: STOP. RHYMING WITH SAME WORD. I NEED TO GO DO ...I think I should use a DIFFERENT rhyme... OH! OH! I have a friend who's a nerd!!