~ MELANIE'S JOURNAL ~

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 22:02:30 GMT

Nothing much has been going on. The snow has been coming down like there was no tomorrow, and still another foot is expected. I love the winter season. Everything is so cozy.

I have not gotten an e-mail from Lt. Reeves in a long time, and I must admit, I am beginning to worry. What is worse, I don't know if he has gotten one from me either. :( For some reason, every time I try to send him an e-mail, it comes back to me saying there was a mailing failure, and please try again making sure the address I have typed is correct. Well, I know the address is correct, and I don't see why it didn't reach him. :(

Our van is in the shop once again, and we have been walking to the store, and taking a taxi to places farther away. They are so expensive though, so we only get them when it is absolutely important. Needless to say we have not been getting out much, and I think it is about to drive me insane.

I have attack my schoolwork with full force the past few days, and at first I was afraid I was trying to go to quickly. Twice in a row I got an 85% I was SO crushed. Yesterday I took two exams and the last one I was So happy to get a 100% on. Such a relief. I thought I would never see one again. I am still very dispersed that my average grade is 97 but I still have a lot of time to bring the score back up. I knew a 99 was to good to last.

I am still searching for a digital camera that records audio and movies, takes good photo's, and still has a price tag that I can afford. It isn't easy. The last digital camera we got didn't have any audio recording. That was a disappointment. Not only that, but the man who sold it to us said it would take up to ten pictures, and we could buy a card for $20 that would give us TONS of storage space. Well... it only takes 3, and I can't afford a memory card right now. We were going to return it, but at the last moment mama decided she wanted it. LOL So at least we have a camera in the family. Even if we can't use it yet. You have to have windows 2000 or better before the software will work on your computer, and we only have windows 98. Mama's school scholarship is supposed to be buying her a laptop soon for her school work though. And it is supposed to have 2000 XP or Vista.

Our Winter Issue of the Rancher Gazette is supposed to be finished next week. :( For some reason I don't feel like putting it together. LOL Actually.... I never feel like putting it together until I have started. Then I can't make myself stop. I love the cover this time, and the articles are looking great. I think I'll be posting a link to it when it is finished. I am surprised that I have never done that before.... or have I?

Still no luck getting in touch with the volunteer service at the hospital. I don't think Anna and I were meant to volunteer. :( Nothing seems to work out. No matter how many times we call, they are never in. It is all this snow, and all the holidays! Grrr..... LOL

We also got a letter from the property managers. They have offered to pay for paint if we wanted to paint the rooms in the house! HURRAYYY!!! Do we! Everything is white... white, white! I want a soft mint green bedroom, a pale yellow kitchen, cream colored living room and dinning room. They won't answer there phone either!!! Eeeeksss! They are off for the holidays and won't be back in till Wed. Unfortunately they are calling for a foot of snow tomorrow, so they may not even be in Wed.!! I don't care. I still like Snow! :P As inconvenient as it may be.

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:28:46 GMT

"Return To The Center Of The Earth"
by Melanie Elizabeth

A Family Photo

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 20:40:44 GMT

A Quick Family Photo

One Day Till NaNoWriMo!

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 18:35:48 GMT

Tomorrow is the last day before NaNoWriMo! I am feeling very nervous at the idea of writing a sequel to a Jules Vern novel. I have a simple easy back up plot just in case something goes wrong. 50,000 words in one month is no easy task, still, I don't see how it can be any harder then last year, and I finished in plenty of time. Last year our whole family shared one computer, it was my first attempt, the plot I chose required endless research and I only hand one main character. This time I will have a computer set up in my room special, I am going to be creating a whole new world, and a large cast of characters. It will take a lot of description.

This year I watched my first World Series and found it just amazing! Josh Beckett is one great pitcher! I still can't forgive them for not bringing him in for the last inning. He deserved to get the last out all he did for the team. :( Such a pity. HAY! Today is the 30th! We are supposed to be able to get that free Taco Elsburry won us today at 2:00 at Taco Bell. I still can't get over the fact that they are giving a free taco to EVERYONE in America. It sure made the game more exciting though. :D

I just got word that the Red Sox are arriving in Fenway Park. Got to go!

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 13:25:16 GMT

I never seem to find time to post in my journal any more. :( Well here is another letter I sent to Lt. Reeves. It is telling about our lovely day yesterday.

Dear Matt,

It is already very late, but I haven't written in so long. Besides, I just had to tell you about my day. :D I am finally 19! Today was just wonderful. We drove down to the sea shore to spend the day. It is really only about an hour drive, but being our very first time, it took us about two hours. LOL We drove up and down the main street trying to find side roads that led down to the beach. Every now and again we would catch site of the ocean between houses or trees, but it was always either blocked by someone’s private property, or it was to steep a cliff to get down too. We have never been to a Maine beach before, and we were told it was VERY rocky. We were growing quite disappointed. It certainly WAS rocky! Some places looked just like a lake with grass hills and a shore line with out waves.

At one stop, we found some post cards with beautiful pictures of a rocky beach, and below it read, "Accadien Park" We had seen that very park on our way into the town. So into the car we climbed, and began to back track. It wasn't long before we came to a sign that said "Acadien Park" Entering we found a huge bill board greeting us with directions to different sites in the park. One read.... "Sand Beach" The little ones began to get very excited, but we tried to calm them not wanting them to be disappointed. Some people had told us that you couldn't find sand beaches in Maine, so we had tried to explain to them that it wasn't like beaches they were used to. There was no sand, and the water was to cold to swim in.

Well... we drove through shady winding lanes, through woods, and found such LOVELY views. The rocks and hills were AMAZING. Finally we came to a big parking lot surrounded by green ferns, trees, and brush. It didn't at all look like the setting for a sunny beach. Pilling from the cars, we made our way through a wooded path. At the end we found a loooong set of concrete steps that led down a steep winding path. Large trees made a canopy over head, and ferns grew on the opposite side of the rail, It was lovely. We were preparing to descend, when I stepped up to the rail and peered through the trees. There, framed in leafy branches, was a REAL honest to goodness beach. The sight really took my breath away. Such a huge blue ocean, the waves rolling up onto a sandy shore, the smell of salty air, and the sound of roaring waves. OH!! It was wonderful! And such a picture!

The little ones crowded around me. One look and they began to squeal with delight. Mama and Anna came over to see, and they just gasped and stood there dumbfounded. It was so hard to imagine finding such a lovely beach in all those woods and greenery. Usually they are surrounded by cities and amusement parks. The little ones waisted no time getting down those long steps onto the shore. Within a minute they had there shoes off and made a strait cut to the water. Anna and I couldn’t resist it either and removing our shoes ran down to the waters edge. We weren’t dressed for swimming, but the little ones didn’t care. They began by letting the waves wash over their feet, and the next thing we knew, they were soaked through. Poor Joel. He has never seen an ocean before. When the wave went back out to sea, he ran after it. The next instant, a second wave came crashing onto the beach, and there was Joel right in the middle off it. Without thinking twice Anna and I plunged right into that cold wave and snatched him up. LOL We must have looked a sight. :D Our skirts never did dry completely.

I really can’t get over how pretty that beach was. It wasn’t very huge, it was…. Cute! LOL It was enough so that you could take quite a looong walk up and down the shore line. But it wasn’t so vast and open either. On either end of the beach, huge boulders and rocks towered high against the sky. The waves crashing against them. We stayed till the sun was beginning to sink low, and it cast such a warm cozy light on them.
Well I REALLY have to close! I’ll try to write more later.

Melanie

Sketches!!

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:25:18 GMT

Today has brought to nice surprises for Anna and I. Anna found out today that she willbegin tap dancing lessons, which she has been wanting for a LONG time, on Tuesday at 5:00pm. You should have seen her face when they told her. She is so excited!

Also, Spruce Run asked me to sketch some wildlife pictures for some thank-you cards they are sending out to their donators. :) It really isn’t anything big, but it makes me feel very happy.

Another hot day today. :( Yikes! I just realized I forgot to eat breakfast again! Got to run!

My Letter From 1stLt Matt Reeves

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:46:16 GMT

I actually got a reply from the Marine I wrote to! I was SO Excited! Anna (my sister) logged into my account to look for an e-mail address.... and she told me I had two e-mails. Just like her not to tell me one of them was from 1stLt Matt Reeves. :D

Now I'm a bit confused though. LOL Any suggestions? Should I write another letter? Should I reply through e-mail... or should I just find someone else to write to? I don't know. I don't even know if I am allowed to write though e-mail?????

Dear Melanie,

Thanks so much for the letter. It's really nice to know that many
people, like yourself, are thinking of the military service members as
we serve here in Iraq.

My unit is currently responsible for the
security of a large base here in Iraq. Stationed in Camp Pendleton, CA our unit has been in country for only a month now. The Marines are excited at
the prospect of getting to "be part of the action". Not war mongers or
blood thirsty killers, the Marines of my unit want to feel like they are
serving their country as we fight this global war on terror. I often
equate going to Iraq as a Marine to being a football player finally
getting to play in a game. Although Iraq is by no means a game, this is
what we trained for and volunteered for...this is where we should be.

Again, thank you for supporting us and giving the service members(especially my Marines) so much love and support as we fight this war
to bring freedom and stability to this country.

May God bless you and continue to bless The USA.

1stLt Matt Reeves

It's Been So Long!

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 01:47:16 GMT

It's been two months since I last posted in my Journal. Believe me I have some pretty good excuses. One being that we have moved. I miss our farm so much, but things are finally begining to settle down.

It would be almost impossible to bring things up to date. I don't think I will even try. Instead I am posting a letter I wrote for anysoldier.com. Just a quick simple letter:

July 22nd

Dear Marine,

This is the 10th or 11th time I’ve started this letter, and I am determined NOT to do ANYMORE re-writing. Grrr….. it has crossed my mind to just throw all the beginnings, middles, and almost ends into a large envelope and send it to you, but I’m afraid the postage would be just terrible. Please forgive me, but I am writing this letter just as if I’ve known you all my life, because I can’t figure out how to do it any other way without making it sound so stiff and dry you would fall asleep.

Oooopps! I knew I forgot something important. I’ve written this so many times I forgot you didn’t already know. My name is Melanie Elizabeth DeCastro and I am 18. 19 in September. I have 6 brothers and sisters ranging from 20 - 2. I’m second oldest. There is Daniel (20) Myself (18) Anna (17) Alicia (11) Jennifer (6) Tabbitha (4) and Joel (2)

We moved up here to Maine about two years ago, and lived on some property that we hoped to turn into a family farm. Unfortunately things didn’t work out the way we planned, and here we are in the middle of Bangor. I don’t like the city very much, but I guess you can get used to it.

We live right down the road from the Air National Guard, and we LOVE going down there to watch the huge plains take off and land. It is so very exciting.

Today we had a cookout in the backyard. It is the first day in over a week that the sun has decided to come out and everyone enjoyed it. Tomorrow is supposed to be another sunny day.

Later

I had been sitting here racking my brain for something interesting to write. I could come up with nothing! Suddenly I became aware of a soft trickling sound. (Reminded me a bit like a stream or brook.) At first I ignored it. It has been raining here a lot the past week the sound was so familiar. Then the sound of the bathtub upstairs caught my attention. That was normal too. People do take baths. It wasn’t till a minute or so had passed that I realized the trickling, that now had turned into pattering of rain, was coming from inside. Now THAT wasn’t normal! I jumped up, and went running upstairs. The minute I reached the second floor I found the cause. Or rather it found me. I was standing in a large pool of water that was rapidly heading for the stairs. Peering around the corner into the bathroom, I found my little brother standing there beside a tub completely filled and overflowing as the water cascaded over the side and into the floor. You should have seen me. Most people would have panicked. Not me. I sprang into action. After one quick shriek, I splashed into that ankle deep water shut of the faucet, pulled the plug, and waded quickly into the hall where I snatched up an arm load of dirty clothes and began tossing them into the river. I must admit, I felt rather panicky when the clothes began drifting down stream (that is an exaggeration) but I kept cool. Even when my sister brought the startling news that the hall downstairs was poring rain, I kept sopping up the hall. The bathroom was really half an inch deep in water, and I could hear it draining through the floor. It was then that my mother came in and took over. I hurried down stairs and found my 10 year old sister standing in the middle of a little rain storm holding a little bowl under the drizzling light fixture while the ceiling rained around her. She had dragged in some other towels from the kitchen and we mopped up the floor and placed pots and buckets in different areas. The drizzle soon turned into a steady drumming, now it seems as if it is about to stop. Ah well. It was rather interesting having a water fall, stream, and rain storm in our house. But I guess things of that sort belong outdoors.

Now what can I talk about? Grrr…. Not enough goes on here to make an interesting letter.

July 23rd

Today is a beautiful sunny day. I love sunny days, but then, who doesn’t?

This morning I woke up, and found both bathrooms already occupied so I hopped on the computer to check my e-mail and my message board. You should see my message board. I created it all myself. “Lupine Ranch” that is its name. It is set up like a Ranch back in the 1950’s and all the members are called Ranch Girls or Little Ranchers. We have a lot of fun, and a lot of imaginary adventures. The forums are different rooms in the Ranch House, the stable, and Town. At the moment we are having a square dance in the game room, a Rodeo in town, a round up at Black Cliff Canyon, and an exciting Mystery out in the stable.

Next April I am hoping to have a new message board. The RMS Titanic! It was my mothers idea. :) I set up a website where people can book there passage on board the “RMS Titanic” On April 10th I send everyone an e-mail welcoming them aboard with there log in name and password. Once on the message board, the “Passengers” will be able to tour the ship going from one forum to the next. The Message Board will have 1st class, 2nd class, and 3rd class staterooms, the dinning saloon, café Persian, Boat deck, Promenade deck, Gymnasium, Squash Court, Grand Stair Case, and other exciting rooms that were really on board the Titanic. As the days go by, the passengers can get to know each other as they leave messages around the ship, and I post daily bulletins on the bridge from Captain Smith.

In the wireless room, the “passengers” will have access to sending telegrams and post cards to their friends (I love making E-card Centers) and meeting the famous wireless operators, John Phillips and Harold Bride.

The last night on board I am going to open up a chat room in the dinning saloon at the same time the 1st class passengers had their dinner (I’ll have to look up the time, I forget) and they will be able to meet Bruce Ismay who is hosting a dinner party for the Captain. So of course Captain Smith will be there too. :)

Then, following the time line of the last hours and minutes, I will be posting bulletins of the ships sinking on the bridge

On boat deck, “life boats” (new topics) will appear. As the boats are lowered, a new Forum will be placed on the message board called the “Atlantic Ocean” and anyone who got on a life boat will then be placed in that forum and will not be allowed to post again on the ship only in the life boats in that forum. Unfortunately, all those who refuse to get into a life boat, will be banned from posting a minute or so after the ship sinks. And they will only be allowed to read the posts from the other passengers. Around the time the Carpathia arrived on the scene, the “passengers” in the life boats will be directed to a new message board called the “Carpathia” and there they end there adventure till next year.

I’m wanting to see if I can make any money off this by having the passengers really pay when they buy there ticket. Say $5.00 or $10.00. If not, I’d still like to do it just for fun.

Oh dear…. All the room I have taken up with this. :( I hope you were not board. I always go on to much about my websites and message boards.

Later

We just got back from driving out to the Air National Guard. We park beside the rode near the huge mettle fence that surrounds the landing field. We have a very good view of everything. For the past few days nothing much has been going on there. Usually we see at least half a dozen plains taking off. Anna really likes plains. In fact, she can really drive you crazy. Every time a plain flies low over our house (which is quite often living so close to the air port) she streaks through the house to the closest window or door, and stands ranting on and on about how amazing plains are. She has come a long way. When we first moved here all she would say was.... "How crazy! How ridiculous!

Don't they know they aren't supposed to be able to do that?" After a time it changed to...."Oh, how wonderful! They'd better be careful up there!" Now it is.... "I wish they'd land and take me on. I would go! I know I would!" And she won't stop waving to them. At the landing field today she insisted on waving to everyone who drove by the landing field. A number of them were in uniform, and she spent the whole time gushing over how wonderful and exciting it all was. It wouldn't have been so bad, but NOTHING was happening! The plains were parked far on the other side of the field, and everything was still except for an occasional truck or car driving by. LOL

I think I had better close now though. This is getting so long, and I wanted to get it out in the mail today. :)
I'm sending a picture of myself., hope you like it. Notice it is in black and white. It gives you a better complexion. LOL And my hair isn't naturally curly.

Sending good wishes and thoughts your way,

Your friend,

Melanie Elizabeth DeCastro

Ps…. I’m sorry this letter wasn’t handwritten. My friends tell me when I write in pencil it is too light to read, and pens make me nervous.

Inspirations

Fri, 11 May 2007 23:31:39 GMT

I have finished my latest website, and would like to invite you all to see it! It is new, so please forgive any mistakes etc. and let me know about them if you will. Here it is.... I call it ♥ Inspirations

URL:http://www.freewebs.com/inspirations-/index.htm

Thu, 10 May 2007 18:33:56 GMT

The weather is just TOOOO hot! I didn't complain when it was in the 70's nor in the 80's.... but 90's!!! That is too much. Especially for northern Maine. How do they expect you to acclimate when winter is freezing cold, and summer burning hot. It just seems quite unfair.

The house is very messy. No one feels like doing ANYTHING. grrrr. I remember the time we would just flip on the air conditioner at the slightest sign of summer. LOL

I am creating a new website. This is crazy! I have so many, yet I always want to design another. What would I do without HTML? I find it so interesting and exciting.

I am on facebook and have been having an interesting time exploring all its nooks and crannies.

Mon, 07 May 2007 14:08:29 GMT

Such a pretty day today! Temperatures in the 70's and SO sunny! We are going into town, and I just have time to stop in and leave a link to my own e-card center:

http://www.freewebs.com/easycards/

Also I have been wanting to post up my own movie ad. LOL Sounds better then it is. But I did it all myself.

You can get to it by going here ( http://www.freewebs.com/lupineranch/ )and clicking on the link "Watch Our Lupine Ranch Movie Ad"

Or just going here:
http://www.freewebs.com/lupineranch/LupineRanchFlashMovie.htm

I'm A Ranch Girl!

Fri, 04 May 2007 22:49:02 GMT

The past two weeks have been very busy. We had to go away for a week, and that is no easy task with so many of us!

Just the other day we found out that the hospital in town is begining a volenteer program for girls our age. Anna and I are awful exited. We wanted to do it back in PA but we found out they made you get shots first. Here they don't. It won't begin until Summer though, so who knows what may change. :( We have never done ANYTING like it before. I'm not sure if we could handle it!! YIKES!!

The weather is slowly turning warm. It is very nice, but with each warm day, the bugs come closer and closer. I'm not looking forward to bug season in the least! Grrrr.....

Here are some pictres I have been meaning to put up for a while. 1 is of all of us children, the others are of our last BIG snow. :)

We helped the little ones make a snow train:

The two babies Joel (3) and Vicky (3):

Cold weather....

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 19:23:30 GMT

The past few weeks have been SO cold, (-30)and we have all come down with the flue. This week has been the coldest, especially since we have run very low on firewood. :( We have all been sleeping in the living room around the wood stove, and last night a few of us slept in coats. I didn’t mind though. I wore mama’s fur coat. That was so nice. :D Makes you feel rich. LOL

Daniel has become awful stingy with the firewood. I guess he is afraid we will run out. There is only a few small loads, and they are trying to figure out what we are going to do. It gets pretty funny though. We open the flue, Daniel closes it. We open the vent, Daniel closes it. We pile wood into the stove, Daniel takes it back out. We beg for more fire wood, Daniel hands in a few stick. LOL He complains we burn the wood even before it gets a chance to dry enough. (It burns a lot better dry) Today he brought in two huge un-cut logs. We asked him why he would bring in such big pieces. They would never fit in the stove. He says it isn’t supposed to. He brought them in to dry. We said, but It could dry cut up just fine. He said…. Not before you guess burn it. :D The mean smart thing.

I got my recipe book yesterday. It looks just as nice as I imagined. I can’t wait to fill it with recipes. :) I already put one in.

Well I’d better run. I’m not feeling to good. I have a headache. :(

This and that....

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 15:56:57 GMT

I don’t write very often any more. There doesn’t seem like much to say. I haven’t been reading any books, I haven’t been doing anything creative or exciting. Just the same old everything. Watching children, cleaning baking. I’d better face it. That is what my life is about, and if I am going to write something, that is what I am going to have to write about. :-)

I baked a two layer chocolate cake this week. It turned out just scrumptious. :) Yesterday we went shopping, and came back with a new dress for each of the little ones. They look so cute in them! It felt very strange buying them instead of making them. So easy! Yikes! That can be habit forming! I rather liked it. :)

Mama bought me a pretty recipe card book the other day off Ebay. The said they would be shipping it Friday. I can’t wait till it comes. I have been wanting one for some time.

We have been getting a LOT of snow lately. It seems winter decided to come just in time for spring. We got about two feet out there before it started to melt. Now there is only an inch or two. Tomorrow they are calling for another storm. About 7” or 10” I love snow. People keep asking me why. I never go out in it. I’m just not the outdoor kinda person. I like the indoors. I like enjoying a snowy day through the large picture window in the living room. Pulling back the curtains on all the windows, and watching the snow fall. In summer I like throwing all the windows open, and enjoying the fresh air from inside. No hot sun, no bugs, no dirt. Only what you wanted. The fresh air!

Spring is coming though. :) The temperature has been above freezing at least twice this week. It is so nice! Yesterday was 39!! Amazing! I thought spring would never come.

We had so much trouble with water pipes this year. We were without water for a month once. All our water pipes froze. Daniel was carrying us water from Grandma’s house. There was one time when EVERYONE on the farm was without water. We were melting snow. Although…. I still say they had it easier then us. Every time we turned around we had to pull the children away from the tubs we had sitting around the stove. They wouldn’t stop eating it! We finally got our water back when they gave up, and decided to cut the pipes under our sink, and run a hose through the house to it. They hid the garden hose pretty well, but the other day, when it got above freezing, the pipe thawed, and water went pouring out every where. I had to plug the dike until they came and glued a cap down.

Well I had better run!

Oh! I almost forgot! I wrote a letter to a soldier! :-) It was very interesting, and I’m not sure how well I went about it, but it has been in the mail for a couple of weeks now, and I’m quite sure they must have gotten it by now. I haven’t gotten a reply, but I’m afraid I won’t. My cousin wrote a letter also the same time I did, and she included some stationery and a self-addressed envelope. May be she will show me her letter when it comes. http://anysoldier.com

A Desktop Background/ My Favorite Movie

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 21:32:17 GMT

I was looking at pictures of my favorite movies, and found all these great pictures from "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" I wanted to save them all, and decided to put them together as a desktop background. Every time Daniel gets on I'm sure he will be changing it over to something else though. LOL :D

Desktop Background

And here are my favorite quotes from the movie:

Jefferson Smith: No, sir, I'm afraid not, no sir. I yielded the floor once before, if you can remember, and I was practically never heard of again. No sir. And we might as well all get together on this yielding business right off the bat, now.

Jefferson Smith: Now, I had some pretty good coaching last night, and I find that if I yield only for a question or a point of order or a personal privilege, that I can hold this floor almost until doomsday. In other words, I've got a piece to speak, and blow hot or cold, I'm going to speak it.

Jefferson Smith: I wouldn't give you two cents for all your fancy rules if, behind them, they didn't have a little bit of plain, ordinary, everyday kindness and a little looking out for the other fella, too.

Jefferson Smith: Because of just one, plain, simple rule: Love thy neighbor. And in this world today, full of hatred, a man who knows that one rule has a great trust. You know that rule, Mr. Paine, and I loved you for it, just as my father did. And you know that you fight for the lost causes harder than for any others. Yes, you even die for them, like a man we both knew, Mr. Paine.

Jefferson Smith: Either I'm dead right, or I'm crazy!
Another Senator: You Wouldn't care to put that to a vote, would you Senator?

Movie Trailor
(begins after a short ad)

Movie clip
(my favorite part!)

A Picture!

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 20:22:36 GMT

Yesterday was so busy! The little ones put on the play they have been practicing for over a month, and it turned out very well. I was extremely proud of Alicia. She sang her songs through just the way she practiced it with me. I was so sure she would be to shy and nervous. They all did splendid. I helped them out with a bit of it. They wanted to do a play on the movie The Court Jester, but there were quite a few parts we had to change. :) Here is the poster I made for them:

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p243/Lady_Melanie/PlayPoster.jpg

They wanted pretend names, but I put their real names below it. :)

Today is so beautiful. Barely cold at all. Anna has the children outside right now. It is such a shame though. They can’t really enjoy it because the ground is so icy. It is very hard to walk on, and rather dangerous if you ask me, and I have to go down at knight to feed the chickens this evening. Down hill most of the way. *gulp*

Well, this was just a quick post. I am awful busy lately. I am getting things together for me to start selling old Radio Shows on e-bay. Anyone interested in Lux Radio Theater? What about War of The Worlds, Or Les Miserables. Mercury Theater? I’ll will probably have a link here to my e-bay sells. :)

New York Times!

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 21:04:48 GMT

Well what do you know! I have made the New York Times. In a round about way that is. This is a proud moment! LOL Now how did they put it?

"Shortly after the clock struck midnight on Thursday, the result for this year were in: Nearly 13,000 of the writers reported making it to the finish...."

Wasn't that a pretty good write up? And New York Times at that! No, you didn’t miss anything…..I am one of those 13,000 writers. :) LOL May be my name wasn't mentioned directly, but that is pretty good for the New York Times! I can't expect better in such a big newspaper. You can read the whole thing here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/02/books/02novel.html?ex=1322715600&en=8ff3a78f20f3d17e&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

They say 80% of the people who signed up, never finished.

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:03:19 GMT

Here it is the last day of November, and I expected to be writing NaNo like crazy. I’m so glad I got it finished early. I don’t think I would have been able to take it.

Beginning Dec. 1st there is a long list of Birthdays in our family. First it is my cousin Lisa’s, on the first, then Anna (my sister) on the 7th, Pearl Harbor Day. Then comes Katie’s (my cousin) on the 13, I think, after that is aunt Bonnies, Aunt Eileen’s, Tabbitha’s (my little sister), and last of all Caroline, (my little cousin) It is a good thing that we don’t celebrate birthdays, or we would be either broke, or sick of birthday cakes. LOL

The weather has been so dull and drizzly the past two weeks. I’m getting so tired of it, but Friday, they are calling for a winter storm. I hope we get a lot of snow!

That reminds me, anyone wear a size 6 and want to buy a snow suit? LOL
http://cgi.ebay.com/BOGNER-Womens-Snow-Suit-sz-6_W0QQitemZ140058738831QQihZ004QQcategoryZ63862QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I want to go skiing this winter!

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 04:41:44 GMT

I did it! I finished NaNoWriMo! And this was my very first year to try it. :) It is such a relief to be finished, and now I have a 50,622 word novel. I don't think it is so bad. Not with the way I have heard many people talk about there first NaNoWriMo Novel. In fact, I think I will go through, do a lot of editing, and send it out to publisher. LOL The least they can do is say no. :)

I have excerpts from it in my profile. I'm Lady_Melanie.

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 04:30:21 GMT

Today has been a very nice day! :) It began with Daniel and Uncle Ricky fixing our door, and we finally have a door that swings on it's own hinges nice and easy, and doesn't grate on the ground so we have to move the carpet every time we open it.

I baked chocolate cupcakes today that turned out very nicely. I frosted them with vanilla frosting and added colorful sprinkles all over the top. I let Joel eat a little piece before going to be, and he looked so cute trying to take a bite with out getting covered in frosting. Of course after the first few bites he gave up and got very messy.

I also made butter, and managed to write 3,000 words for my NaNoWriMo Novel. I am now half way finished! Actually, I am 1,000 words in to the last half of my novel. How wonderful it will be when I can say it is complete.

To end the day off just right, I ate cupcakes, and watched the last half of Twelve O'clock High! Keith is so sweet. I can hardly decide who I like better. Gen. Frank Savage, or Keith.

Better run. It is getting Late!

Before I forget! Yesterday I finished my newest quiz! Which Actor Are You. I don't have time to put it up on my quiz page yet, but here it is:

http://h1.ripway.com/Simplicityol/actor/WhatActorAreYou.html

I was Gregory Peck :)

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 22:29:23 GMT

I go "Twelve O'clock Hight" today! I was so exited. We are planning to watch it soon, although I wanted to watch it right then and there. :)

I have been playing around with the different styles for my journal. I can't decide whether I like this one or not.

Finally, I am at 20,000 words in My Novel for NaNoWriMo. The only problem is I am supposed to be at 22,000 today. :( I find it getting harder and harder to get myself to write, but once I have started it goes SO FAST!! Which reminds me, I really need to start it.

:)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 15:57:27 GMT

I have been so busy the past months. This month I am trying NaNoWriMo for my very first time. I spend most all my computer time trying to reach 2,000 words a day. It isn’t easy. I try the best I can to keep up with things like my website, emails and my message boards. I have at least three windows open when I get on. Usually 4. I open my yahoo mail, and while that is loading, I open gibson girls message forum, them my Lupine Ranch forum, and last of all my Novel. And as one page loads I jump around trying to get everything done. When I am finished with NaNo, if I ever am, I want to redo the look of my journal. I thought maybe a winter scene would be pretty.

The weather has been rather dreary lately, and getting cold. We have been doing our yearly winter move of furniture. Trying to get the things safely away from the wood-stove. I like the way things have been arranged this time. It seems to have given us more space in this tinny trailer.

A few weeks back I sent some cereal box tops off in the mail to get a free DVD of Twelve O’clock High with Gregory Peck. I have never done anything like that before. I wonder if they will really send it. :)

I have a lot to do this month. Along with NaNOWriMo I am supposed to get our Simplicity Newsletter out, and Edit the Gibson Girl Mini Newsletter. This is going to be very interesting.

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 21:42:20 GMT

These past two weeks have been very different. My our uncle from California came to visit, and for two weeks we have spent building our new addition tot he traitor. It is going to be another bedroom. It has gone up so fast! It is exiting to watch. The walls and floor are up, and the roof is being put on now. I can hear hammering from my brother and father on the roof now. Maybe I will be able to put up pictures soon. The doors are on, and the window frames are in.

The weather has been very pretty, and on Sunday we had our first family picnic in Maine. It was just like old times. We used to go to the near by parks back in PA and have a picnic and play games. Now we can do it in our own backyard. It was so nice. Trees all around, fresh green grass, a large picnic table overflowing with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, olives, pickles…. YUM!! I made a zucchini cake, and there were pies. Afterward we had square dancing. It was quite fun. We each took the little ones for a partner the first two times, and then we older ones got to dance together. The evening ended with we girls helping to bring in all the dishes, and clearing the tables, then we sat around in grandma’s traitor talking. It was quite pleasant.

Uncle Gil returned home on Wednesday. We miss him. :(

Well it is almost sundown, and I still have quite a bit to do! Better Run!!!!

LATER
My baby brother just swallowed a penny! Poor baby. He is all right though. He didn't choke on it.

New Quiz?

Tue, 05 Sep 2006 18:49:54 GMT

I want to make a personality quiz for "What Actor Are You?" That would be very fun to take I think. :D But I am having a dreadful time trying to figure out all the personalities, and deciding, of all the actors, which ones to use. I know I want Gregory Peck for one of them, but there is room for five more actors at least. Any suggestions? It would be wonderful if you could include a description for each one also. I am only looking for the classic stars. And Gregory Peck.... what is so different about him? He isn't extra handsome.... he isn't extra funny, or jolly, or shy, or serious, or anything. So what is his character?

Just A Few Quiz Results....

Sun, 03 Sep 2006 22:11:52 GMT

You are Diana Barry! Loyal and loving, your friendship is a true and precious gift.

I don't see how I got these results! They are completely the opposite of each other, and neither of them sound like me.