Random Fun Fact

    Sloths can hold their breath longer than dolphins can! By slowing their breath, sloths can hold their breath for 40 minutes but dolphins can only stay underwater for about 10.  

Here's a Rare + Beautiful Name

                                                                         Adalie 

               'God is my Refuge' 

Fun Fact/Safety Tip

 If your ice does not float in your glass (for example your at a party) then DO NOT DRINK IT. Something is in it. 

Some Books on My Bookshelf

 Hey there! Happy September 15th! 

    Here are some of the books I'm currently reading! 

The Last Book in the Universe-Rodman Philbrick (for school) 

The Blue Castle (L.M Montgomery) 

Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien) 

Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) 

10 Things to Do this Fall

 Happy September 14th!!!! 

    Here it is getting colder and darker and more autumnal each day. 

            There's actually so much termination dust on the mountains right now! 

Here's a short list of things to do this fall that are either fun and/or helpful!

     1. Deep Clean your Room...I like to do this at the beginning of each season) 

    2. Decorate your Room...all the fall

    3. Make Fall Recipes...pumpkin bread, London fogs, chicken dumpling soup

    4. Go for a Walk...the best time to walk is definitely in fall

    5. Art project...there's something about fall that makes you more artsy. 

    6. Spend more time with your pets...idk, but especially in the fall  I love playing soccer with the dogs, riding the horses, running around with the kitty etc. 

    7. Make Leaf Rubbings...I admit it, I love making leaf rubbings. 

    8. Experiment with a new drink...London fogs and chai tea lattes are so good in fall

    9. Start a new habit...drinking more water, going for a daily walk, daily Bible time etc. 

    10. Add some fall clothes to your wardrobe...scarves, plaids, carhartt, cute boots etc.

I hope you enjoyed this list! 

A Simple Guide to Character-Building pt.1 [The Writer's Segment]

 Welcome back to the writer's segment! 

    I love building the character's of my book. After many not great attempts at creating my characters (they were unorganized, messy, vague etc) I figured out a system! Well, actually I do it two different ways depending on the character I'm writing. 

    my first way is to use five different categories. This can be very detailed if you want. This is the format I use and some short examples: 

            Character Name: Adeline Noell

               Physical Attributes: wispy light blonde hair...

               Personality: quiet and calm, but her mind is constantly working through inventions

              Quirks: she cracks her knuckles, chews her bottom lip when worried

                Other: she wants to be a inventor but her family doesn't approve

               Changes During the Story: realizes that she is stronger than she thinks, self confidence

Those are just brief examples, obviously, but you can add a lot of detail in this format. 

I'll share the next format soon! 

Basic Writing Prompts for Any Writer

 Welcome back to the writer's segment! 

here's some writing prompts that will hopefully inspire you!  I hope you enjoy!

• Write a story where the character's life changes drastically over the course of one meal ( I love this one!)
• Write a story where the character finds comfort in a specific person, place, or thing. 
• Write a story where the character can see everybody's darkest secrets. (so many good ideas!) 
• Write a story where the character has 48 hours to figure out a mystery-but from the past of his/her own life.
• Write a story where someone has to travel somewhere to figure out something :) 
• Write a story in which a little girl has a superpower that can make or break humankind.
• Write a story about a dog that can see the future (and consequently tries to keep his owner from...)
• Write a story about a city girl who finds a secret library. 
• Write a story about a country girl who stumbles upon a grave in the woods...but it's her future grave. 
• Write a story about a dandelion that possess some magical secret...a kid blows it and it spreads all over the globe. 
• Write a story about an eraser that, instead of erasing, shows the truth behind a choice. 

How do you like these? I, personally, had tons of fun with these; my favorites are basically all of them! Have fun with these! 

Tips on How to Write an Engaging Title [pt. 1 of the writer's segment]

 Welcome to The Writer's Segment. So...I am very passionate about writing and thought it might be interesting to start blogging a little bit of what I'm doing, how I'm doing it or tips and tricks. 

This first segment is about writing an engaging title for your story or novel etc to grab people's attention. But first of all, this does not at ALL have to be written first. In fact, it is easier and more effective to figure out the title after the book is finished and/or in progress. Why? Well, you know the story much better and that might mean the title doesn't fit the story as well anymore. You also know all those tiny little details and clues that really subtly draw out the meaning. Perhaps, in the book your protagonist is on a search for someone who may or may not exist, but the character needs to find him for some reason or another. Instead of something like The Missing Clockmaker maybe the missing clockmaker was actually disguised as another person and at the end reveals his true character and a more intriguing title that also ever so subtly points to the resolution of book; The Revealing... or something similar. 

You need to grab the attention of people. 

You should have it somewhat unique from other titles. 

It should tie into the rest of the story or secretly reveal some of the plot/resolution. 

Another helpful hint, is to be able to relate to your readers. If, for example, you are writing a book where the main character is a sophomore in high school, try to have the title reflect shared emotions, feelings, or actions that other high schoolers can relate to.  

The title should accurately express the type of story you will be reading. For example, The Hunger Games, is very accurately named because that is what the story revolves around. If you are looking for a cozy read about the love between a dog and his owner that title will have an entirely different approach and sound to it. 

That's all for now! We'll see how this goes!

It's Officially Fall

 It's officially fall (we saw a dead porcupine on the road) 

My favorite season! 

    Keywords of autumn: school, sweaters, chai tea lattes, pumpkin spice, chicken dumpling soup, candles, books, cozy. 

    I'm thinking about needing to make pumpkin bread or something like that today. :) 

Life Lately

Life Lately | July-August  

What an absolutely crazy two months! 

But also, how wonderful! 

On July 15th my aunt had her twins and it was so amazing. For the past five weeks or so, I've been going over to their house after work on Tuesday evening and staying to help out while my uncle was working across the inlet, till Saturday or Sunday afternoons. It was really tiring but really good! 

I ended work on August 30th. I can't believe it! It was my first 'actual' job-cleaning with your mom doesn't really count. And it was a good work season! I learned so so much and really enjoyed it in the end. 

The rain has been incessant all through August! We've got a couple nice days but, along with all the tourists, I've been remembering how this is my second least favorite month!

The horses. Yes, we've gotten another! His name is Zebedee meaning 'gift of God' (he was an actual gift!!) and he is an Icleandic gelding. He is 12-13 hands high which is so fun. He came to us with not great manners (he's very pushy and verrrry food oriented) but he's funny and spunky and we love him. Promise and him are getting along pretty well which is nice too! We are in the midst of building a barn for winter, and it seems to be coming along steadily. Yesterday we had a big outside work day where we were able to get quite a lot done for the process. 

We got a kitten in early June. Her name is Willa. She's the cutest, sweetest, funniest little thing and we all have different nicknames for her. She's so little still! But she's caught three or four voles and shrews so far! She's an outside/barn cat but is super friendly and loves following me around while I do the chores, hanging out with the horses (especially riding on Zebedee's back :), and being silly. She and Lucy do not get along but it helps that Lucy is an indoor cat and she's not. 

What have I been baking...chocolate baked doughnuts with chocolate glaze. Really really good!! 

What have I been cooking...kinda. I made our homemade pizza yesterday. For one of them I made a pesto, chicken, mozzarella pizza with a few grape tomatoes on top. It was delicious!!!

What have I been drinking...I made the best homemade iced coffee in July! All you need to do is put a measuring cup of coffee in a bowl or ice cold water for a few minutes to make sure that it doesn't melt your ice cubes/make it watery. Turned out superb, especially with some milk froth on top. 

Thanks for reading and sorry for the lateness! 

School

 Hey! Long time no see... 

    I have been so busy and realized I hadn't blogged since June *audible sigh*. 

I decided to blog a segment about something I'm very passionate about!... 

                                

                                                                  ...school...

I just love school. SO MUCH. And I'm very, very excited for September (that's when we're actually starting). This year will be a lot different as I will not be doing Classical Conversation's Challenge program but will be doing a homeschool co-op. There's pros and cons to both but for the most part I am excited! I am also excited because this year will be so much lighter than last year! Here's what I'll be doing: 

    Economics (RC Sprout Jr.) 

    Visual Latin (Dwane Thomas) 

    Algebra (CLT + Saxon) 

    Creative Writing (Sharon Watson)

    Shakespeare 

    Marine Biology (Exploring Creation with Biology) 

If you know me well, you probably know which one I am soooo excited for and the one I am sooo not excited for. 😂 

I am doing Visual Latin by Dwane Thomas with Compass Classroom which I am pretty excited for (well, at least excited to not be doing Henle Latin :) 

Marine Biology, Shakespeare and Creative Writing are with the co-op-which I am looking forward to! 

Anyways, thanks for reading! 

My Morning + Evening Routine

 Hey guys! Here's my morning + evening to routine for school year '22-'23 as a homeschooled sophomore in high school. 

for Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays 

>>Mornings<<

5:30 am- rise and shine! 

5:40 am- (while listening to my Bible in One Year day) make bed, brush teeth, get dressed, do hair, wash face

5:50 am- workout 

6:20 am- shower + skincare 

6:40 am- coffee and Bible time 

7:05 am- start math 

(we eat breakfast as a family at around 8:30-9) 

for Tuesdays + Thursdays

>>Mornings<< 

5:40 am- rise and shine! 

5:50 am- (while listening to my Bible in One Year day) make bed, brush teeth, get dressed, do hair, wash face + skincare, tidy room

6 am-pack bag, pack lunch + waterbottle

6:15 am-eat breakfast 

6:30 am- coffee and Bible time 

7:00- start on a school subject 

on Tuesdays I go to Seward to study with a friend while my little sister and mom go to CC (classical conversations) and on Thursdays my brother and I go to a co-op in Seward. 

>>Evenings<<

this is very flexible and fluctuates often. also, it really depends if my dad is working days or nights. 

8:30 pm-  drink a cup of tea and journal, tidy bedroom (if it needs it), get in pajamas, brush teeth, wash face, put out outfit for the next day, listen to music

8:50-family time + prayers

9:10-read in bed 

9:30-sleep! 

Basically, this is so flexible that these are the things I would be doing for my evening routine but the times are apt to change night to night. 

Also, on Mondays every week my brother and I go to YoungLife in Seward so I don't really do this evening routine then.

Thank you so much for reading! 

How I Make Morning + Evening Routines

 Hey there! I absolutely love routines for many different reasons. They are so helpful because they really start and end your day on the right foot and are make you much more efficient and productive and happier. Here's some tips on how to form your own personalized and unique morning and evening routines. 

First, list off all the things that are important for you to include. This can be anything from washing your face to brushing your teeth to journaling or reading the Bible. If needed, you will have to narrow down the list to things that are feasible. If you're having trouble picking and choosing, the next step will help. 

Second, figure out the time you will have each morning and evening to complete the routine. It might be fifteen or twenty minutes or an hour depending on how early you wake up and everything you need to do for the day. During the school year I wake up at 5:30 and start my first subject (which is before breakfast) at 6:45-7 am. So that gives me quite a bit of time for my morning routine but part of the routine includes a workout and shower every other day. In the evening I have about an hour. 

Third, time yourself doing each action that you want included in the routine. You can either time each individual action or from start to finish. Always add five-fifteen minutes to the whole routine for buffer-depending on your sleep habits, tiredness in the morning, etc.; it adds leeway and helps you not feel rushed or stressed out!

Once you can accurately see how much time it will be you can easily estimate what time you'll have to wake up. You'll have to make sure it lines up with what time you need to start or leave for school! 

So that's my favorite way to make a morning and evening routine! 

Helpful Hint: Start using your routine at least three-five days before school actually starts! This will help you start getting in a good groove and make it a lot easier.