Caleb :a documentation

This is Caleb. He's four; cute as a button; smart; funny; and just downright adorable. This is a documentation of who he really is, summed up in nine little pictures. His personality is so fun, and he is quite entertaining! :) The only way I got a real natural smile out of him was to ask him to tell me a joke, and then take pictures as he announced the punchline. He is always busy, a social butterfly, if that's the right words to describe him. He can't last for more than a few seconds in silence.         

        Sometimes, when he is in trouble, we send him to another room to be by himself for a little while, and he can't handle it. Within a few minuets, he's yelling for mom, announcing that "he's happy and better now!" (whereas, the six-year-old will sit in another room for an hour without making a peep, :) Caleb is energetic; he can't hold still, he avoids vegetables, and only hurries while eating dinner if there is dessert. 

        Last night we went down to the river for a impromptu picnic and swim. I decided to take a walk, to just have some peace and quiet and perhaps take some pictures. I ended up with my four-year-old and six-year-old brothers, and we had a blast. They wanted to take pictures of each other, and  these are what Luke (6)  captured of Caleb. (except the last one.) I held the camera for him, and he looked through the viewfinder, and pushed the shutter. I think he captured Caleb quite well! :)

I have the cutest siblings!! :) (Luke and Caleb.)

xx,

103 in 2013 // crossed off

It's been a while since I did a 103 in 203 post, and I thought it would be fun to cross some more things off my list, since, let's face it, I absolutely adore crossing things off lists. Like, it makes me insanely happy. :) just for the record.

28: Journal more frequently.
      i have slacked off over the last few months, mostly because i was so busy while in CA, that by the time that i was done working and ready to relax, i did't really want to think anymore, just read or watch a movie, or eat ice cream. you know. :) 

This picture as absolutely nothing to do with the post. Just posts are no fun without pictures, so here ya go. On a side note, geese are weird. :)

36: Buy a pair of heels.
      check. This one was fun. :) what girl doesn't like heels, right? so i found a simple pair of black heels, 3", and fell in love. the end. :) they'll probably end up on here sometime or another.

This picture also has nothing to do with the post. But I love this city, take me back someday, maybe?

43: Take my brother to Starbucks.
      i was on a road trip back from somewhere with my brother and his girl-friend, and was craving coffee. and i happened to have a gift-card so it was free!!! win-win. :)

49: Go to the Beach
       so, i love the sea, and sometimes i get this strange craving for salt water that just won't go away until i have breathed in that salty-sweet scent of the ocean. i got to go to the beach twice in the last two months, and it was lovely.

53: Go swimming somewhere and not be grossed out with the water.
      my aunt and uncles pool. i really like private pools, 'cause you can see that there are no fish and snakes, and it's not insanely gross like public pools. :)

65: Do a book review on my blog.
      i have done three so far, and am enjoying it emensily. i do believe i will continue. 
      Wuthering Heights
      Interrupted: life beyond words
      Edenbrooke

97: Babysit for someone other than my mom.
      i spent this summer down in CA helping my aunt and uncle out, and definitely did a lot of babysitting. :)

so there, some things crossed off my list, and that makes me happy. :)

what is something that you crossed off your list this summer?

xx,

book lover questions from Hannah Elise

My darling freind Hannah awarded me with the Book Lovers Award! While I am not really doing tags anymore, I decided that this one was too fun and interesting to pass up. :) Thanks, dear!!

The rules:

1. You must tag five people.
2. You must answer the five questions.
3. You must create five more book-related questions for your tagged ones.
4. Tell the people you tagged them.
5. Have fun!

The Questions

1. Did you make a goal for the number of books you’d like to read this year?
   I didn't make a specific goal, but I do have the number 200 or more in the back of my mind. I was planning to keep track of every single book I read this year, but that is kinda not realistic for me, because I read so fast, and  burn through so many books. :)
2. Do you have a reading list?
   Yes and No. I started on on Good-reads and one on pinterest, but I haven't started reading through them yet. Mostly because I was away from home for awhile, and was just reading the books my aunt had.
3. Who’s your favorite author, and how many books of theirs have you read? 
   Charles Dickens, or Alexander Dumas, I think. It's so hard, though to pick out just one or two authors. Because I have so many favorites. But I will just list those two as a couple of my many favorites. :) I have read two by Dumas, and 10 and 1/2 by Dickens. :)
4. Do you think that you have to read every book by every author you love, or do you think you can just wing it the way you want to?

   It depends on the author, the books, and my mood. :) Some authors I fall completely in love with and feel like I need to read everything the every wrote to take in all the loveliness that they created, other authors I feel no need to read anything else by them, and others I am content to read as many as I can, but not stress about reading all of them right now!! :)
5. Do you prefer to read first person or third person fiction?

   I have agonized over this question, and while I do like third person, because it switches from different POV's, I have to say that first person is easier to follow, and I do prefer it a little bit more. I have found that i do prefer to write in first person, too.
6. Since the above question has inspired an extra one (which you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, since only five were required), have you ever read a book written in second person?

   After googleing it to figure out just what second person really is, I must confess that I have not. But I am extremely interesting in doing so, so any suggestions of good second person stories?
   
   I must confess that I had no plan to actually do the tagging part of this tag. I know, I should be ashamed and feel extremely lazy and horrible... I don't. I really just wanted to answer the questions. :) 
   
   

   Hope you have a lovely rest of Sunday, and that Monday isn't to horrible and depressing. :)

   xx,
   
   

interrupted:life beyond words // Book Review

Interrupted: life beyond words by Rachel Coker

After reading Ms. Coker's blog for over a year, I was extremely excited to be able to have the chance to read both of her books. {in only two days. :)}

          I was both excited and hesitant about her books. After all, she did write Interrupted when she was only 14, and lets face it, most 14-year-olds wouldn't be able to write a book to save their lives. But I was pleasantly surprised. Interrupted was a interesting, fun read, and well written, and not at all what I was expecting. 

          Allie is a young woman who has to deal with more than most girls should ever have to. Her mother is a little strange, but Allie loves her and cares for her through out her illness anyway. Her mother dies, and she is sent to Maine and adopted by a rich woman. Allie withdraws into herself and rejects those who try to reach out to her. She finds a friend in Charlie, a girl she met in Maine, and the two grow close. And then Sam shows up, and threatens to shatter the coldness in her heart.

          Interrupted was a delightfully sweet book, and was definitely worth the read. Being that it was Ms. Cokers debut novel, there were some typo's, and some vagueness, but overall it was beautiful, and I would definitely recommend it to everyone. 

8 out of 10 stars

colorless

 

 i. lamp light. :)

ii. my auntie bought me flowers about a week and a half ago. and they're cheery.

iii. the family that nobody wanted.guys, i've read this book so many times. because it's just so darn cute. :)

iiii. the odd collection of things that have ended up on "my nightstand." :) cd's, soap, earrings and assorted jewelery, mousse, home phones, etc. :)

iiiii. the flowers again, because they're just pretty. :)

this is a strange mix of photos, and really, they're more of snapshots. i was extremely tired and bored the other night, and decided to get my camera out and play with it a bit. because the lighting was pretty awful and i was having trouble coming up with interesting low-light subjects, i opted for black and white shots. so there's not really any special story behind any of these, or as the group as a whole.

i'm planning to return home this next week, (if all goes according to the plans, that is. :) and it should be interesting. i've never been away from home for any extended time before, (basically the only time before was weekend trips, and i did spend a week down here once before, several years ago.) so it's gonna be really hard and interesting to settle back into the 'normal' routine. i'm not sure how i'm gonna adjust back. i mean, it's just strange, and weird. and i'm probably not making any sense... anyway.

how has your summer been? and i'm serious, i want to know. :) what's been the highlight? or your most memorable moment this summer?

xx,