A Long Lost Blogger is Back! ;)

So here I am. I've been telling myself that I'll sit down and get a post written for a few weeks now, but it just hasn't happened- obviously. But, here I am! Since I've been gone a while this post will just be a mixture of random stuff. ;)


The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan. These are some great books! I finished the latest one a couple of days ago and now have to wait a month until the last one comes out. Waiting can be so hard! But, it's not like it left on a cliff hanger. The last book is going back in the series, and the tenth one ended with a good, final ending. Still, I really wish I didn't have to wait for this one. Have you read the books?

Captain America. We went to see it a few weeks ago, and it was good! I really liked it. It far surpassed the other superhero movies I've seen in theaters this year (Thor and  Green Lantern). Can't wait until it comes out on dvd. :)

Baking is fun. People, let's face it, I'd bake something everyday if I could. A few weeks ago I made a Blackberry Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake. Judging by the way it was gone in a few days I think everyone liked it. The other day I made brownies. Homemade brownies are so much better than the mixes you get at the store. And, yes, the brownies are going fast, too. ;)


The Eagle. We got the movie from Netflix about a week ago and I really want to watch it! I might watch it later. If I do Josh will probably watch it with me. I hope he does because watching movies by yourself isn't any fun. Have you seen it?

I'll be the first to admit, this isn't the most interesting post. But it's a post, and right now I just need to get one up. I will leave you with a few of the pictures I've taken lately. Have a good week!

Which is your favorite?

~Haley

Saturday Fun

Last Saturday Mom, Lindsay, Josh, and I went shopping. I usually don't take money with me when we go to Target or the bookstore or wherever. Just because, if I have it there to spend, I'll more than likely find something to spend it on. So, it's not very often that I actually have some with me to spend... if I want. ;)  And, as you'll see, Saturday I brought money with me... and spent it. ;)

First we went to Hastings where I got these:

I know I could have gotten them cheaper somewhere else, but I loved the cover art! Especially Waverley's. :)

Then we went to Beall's, where I got these:

Okay, y'all need to know that two pairs were $6.00, one was $7.20, and the last was $3.00!! Yes, they were having a big sale. I am very happy with my purchases. Cheap purchases, I might add. ;)

On the way home we stopped at Sonic for Happy Hour, and the fun day ended with my all time favorite meal- hamburgers and French fries. So good! :)

Did you have a good weekend?

~Haley

Yes, I rearranged my room. And, yes, I have pictures.

Last Friday night, while cleaning up my room a little, I started thinking, "Hmm, what would it look like if...?"  So, I tried to picture my room with the furniture rearranged and decided that Saturday I was going to rearrange everything. Saturday morning I went up to my room armed with a plan and a vacuum cleaner. ;) I ended up trying a few different arrangements before settling on the one I'd tried first. After everything was in its new place it was now time to change where the pictures hung. Okay, so let's just say I'm not very good at hanging pictures. It usually takes me a few tries to get it straight. So I went and asked Lindsay if she would help me and she refused to have anything to do with it (she was probably thinking of the time she put about 10 holes in the wall for one picture. And, no, it wasn't that long ago ;) Yes, she very well may be worse than me when it comes to picture hanging. ;) So I went and tackled it by myself. And you know what? I did much better than I thought I would. The only thing I wasn't able to get up is my corkboard because I'm going to need some brackets for it and we don't have any at the moment. Soooooooo, that's what I spent last Saturday doing. And here are the before and after pictures-

Before-

In the before pictures my room's pretty messy because I'd already started moving things around ... a little... but mostly just because my room was messy to begin with.

After-

The monkeys are the only ones who survived the stuffed animal cut. ;)

I'm really liking it. It's a nice change! :)

But now I must ask:

Do you like it? Let me know!! :)

~Haley

Yes, So Far It's Been A Very Busy Summer

Well, I am very sorry for abandoning my blog like I've done the past few months. I don't have an excuse, but a good reason for letting it go like I have. That reason being: blogging takes time and I usually don't have time for it. I have more important things to do. But, I do miss it. :) So here's an update on what's been keeping me so busy. :)

I started taking guitar lessons. I am very excited about that and am enjoying it a lot. So far it's proven to be very fun and I am looking forward to being able to play some cool songs. ;) Right now I can only play the first 3 strings, but, hey, you gotta start somewhere! I got a new one (I was using my Mom's old one that was like 30 years old and was too small for me) last Friday and am absolutely loving it! Maybe I'll post a picture of it soon.

School. Enough said. I am all but done with 10th grade and then will go directly into 11th. We take our long break during the holidays, so we're working through the summer. I actually think doing school in the summer and taking a break during the holidays is pretty nice. It's SO hot during the summer, so you're usually stuck inside and bored, but around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years your always busy anyway, because that's probably the busiest time of the year. And without school to worry about, it makes that time of year much more relaxed. Just my opinion. ;) Plus, I'd rather go out in the snow than  100 degree weather. And, no, I'm not just saying that because it's summer. ;)

My brother has been taking swim lessons for a while. That's every morning Monday- Thursday. Sometimes my sister and I go swim laps while he's taking his lesson. Swimming is fun and such good exercise! When we were little (like Lindsay 8 and me 6) we were on a swim team. Lindsay was really good! :) Yes, I'm bragging about my sis. ;) Lindsay loves to swim, but I like to. It's fun, but certainly not my favorite thing to do. Well, I'm more of a goof off in the pool, so swimming laps isn't as fun to me as just playing in the pool is. ;)

Reading. Okay, so y'all probably already know how I love to read- it's like my absolute favorite thing to do. So, yeah, I've been pretty busy reading. I thought it would be cool to keep track of all the books I read this year, so whenever I finish a book I write it on a list, write the author's name, and the date I finished it. Yes, I'm cool like that. :) Just kidding. But, yeah, it's been fun to see the list grow and grow. Plus it keeps me reading every day. I mean, I want to write as many books on that list as I can before the end of the year. Yesterday afternoon I got a book I'd been waiting for in the mail. I started it at about 6:00 p.m and read the first four chapters. Then I took a break and came back at 9:00, got in bed, and read the last 24 chapters. Yeah, I turned my light off at 1:45 a.m. It was just so good. I couldn't put it down until there was nothing left to read in it. ;) I'm sure y'all know what I mean. ;)

My family and I took a day trip to a nearby lake last Saturday, which was a lot of fun. We took a picnic, hiked, and drove around. I love doing that kind of stuff. I'm not a super outdoorsy kind of girl, like I don't think I would like camping  (which I've never done), but I love hiking and having picnics and stuff. And I love the scenery where we went. It was beautiful! I'll post some pictures soon. Promise.

"I promise.

And when I promise something, I never ever break that promise.

EVER!"

- Rapunzel from Tangled

Sorry, couldn't help but put that in. For some reason it just popped into my head when I promised y'all I'd post some pictures. ;)

Just a sneak peek of what's to come. ;) One of the pictures I took last Saturday.

Soooooooo, that's a little of what's been keeping me busy. I have to go now, though, so see ya sometime soon! Hopefully soon. Yes, I will post again soon, don't worry. ;) And, no, I don't blame you if you don't believe me. ;)

~Haley

just more rambling

Strawberries. Okay, these are my favorite fruit and we got some the other day. Can I say good? They're delicious all by themselves!  :)

The other day I got out one of my sister's puzzles and now I'm almost finished with it. Maybe I'll post a picture of it when I'm finished. But, just to let you know, there's a border piece missing.  I don't know how it could have gotten lost, but it did.

Food Network. Okay, let's just say that, along with my mom, sister, and brother, I watch way too much of Food Network. I guess our favorite shows would have to be Chopped, Dinner Impossible, and Chefs Vs. City, because those are the ones we record. But as of last night The Next Food Network Star is thrown into the mix and I know that's going to be a favorite also. Lindsay and I recorded and watched it last night. I got a feel for who I may want to win and quickly decided who I don't want to win. Oh, one of the people I really didn't want to win got eliminated last night, so yay! On to other things...

Klondike bars are really good. I had my first one ever a couple of weeks ago. So far my favorite is the cookies and cream bar. The perfect warm weather dessert. ;)

And last but not least "Mean", by Taylor Swift. This is on the radio all the time right now. At first I didn't really like it, but now I do. I like the music video, too. ;)

Okay, so in this post I covered food, fun, TV, more food, and music. I've got school to do, though, so have to be going now. Talk to y'all soon!

~Haley

A couple of days ago...

We got a Wii. My brother has wanted one for a really long time, and his two year dream was finally fulfilled when Mom brought home his Wii the other day. ;)  He was ecstatic. So excited!

We got it set up last night and we've all had fun on it since. I myself especially like bowling. ;)

(We got a black one like that)

Fun stuff.

~Haley

Sharpe's Tiger

I read Sharpe's Tiger last week and loved it! It was beyond great! It was fantastic! :) Here is my review on it.

Sharpe's Tiger, written by Bernard Cornwell, is the first book in a 24 book series.  The year's 1799, and Private Richard Sharpe is in India fighting in one of the Napoleonic Wars.

He's sent into the enemy's city as a spy. If he accomplishes his mission he'll be promoted to sergeant, but if he fails and his enemies find out who he really is he'll be killed by brutal executioners or thrown to the man-eating tigers.

This book is action-packed and full of suspense. I stayed up until 12:45 a.m. last Thursday to finish it. Okay, my light is just about always out by 10:45, so for me to stay up until almost 1 a.m. is saying something. ;)

Although this book is really good, it's definitely written for older readers. There's a lot of bad language, quite a few graphic parts, and mentions soldiers sleeping with prostitutes. Most of the soldiers in it have a very small conscience and even less morals. But if you're looking for an accurate portrayal of the life of an English private in that time period, it's definitely the book to read.

Most English privates in that time period were the kids that had grown up on the street, in an overcrowded orphanage, or some other less than desirable atmosphere. Most of them were illiterate, thieves, and only joined the army after committing a crime they knew they would be suspected of. They were rough and not very respectable, but they made good soldiers.

So, to portray the life of an English soldier like that you have to put in the language and other not so good things to make it realistic. They talked like that and did those things.

All that said, this is a great book. One that immediately grabs your attention and that you won't want to put down. I greatly enjoyed it and can't wait until the next few come! 

~Haley

Whoopie Pie Recipe

Yesterday I made some whoopie pies. They take a while to make, but are so worth it! I got the recipe from the wonderful Miss Jen. I'd made them once before, but decided to make them again after watching an episode of  Throwdown With Bobby Flay on Whoopie Pies. ;)

Pictures taken by Lindsay. Thanks!!

Whoopie Pies

Cakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch-processed

cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1 cup packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter

(1 stick), softened but still cool

1 large egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

Filling

12 tablespoons unsalted butter

(1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon table salt

2 1/2 cups Marshmallow Fluff

For the cakes:

Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in egg until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and beat in one-third of flour mixture, then half of buttermilk. Repeat with half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining buttermilk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Using rubber spatula, give batter final stir. Using 1/3-cup measure, scoop 6 mounds of batter onto each baking sheet, spacing mounds about 3 inches apart. Bake until cakes spring back when pressed, 12 to 16 minutes, switching and rotating pans halfway through baking. Cool completely on baking sheets, at least 1 hour.

For the filling:

With electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt. Beat in Fluff until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate filling until slightly firm, about 30 minutes. (Bowl can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 2 days.) Dollop 1/3 cup filling on center of flat side of 6 cakes. Top with flat side of remaining 6 cakes and gently press until filling spreads to edge of cake. Serve. (Whoopie pies can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 3 days.)

~Haley

Miscellaneous Ramblings

I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I'd update everyone on what's been going on around these parts.

1. Sickness. Yes, we've been sick the past couple of weeks. It's really no fun being sick. Mom got sick first, then Lindsay, then I got the sniffles, but I was lucky and never got any sicker than that. Josh was sick last Saturday, but he only had like a 24 hour virus. Now, this weekend, Pop's sick.

2. School. We'd just gotten back with it when we got sick. Last week I did school, though, and I'm in one if those stages when I really like it. I read Johnny Tremain last week for history and loved it! I liked it so much I read it all in one day! ;) I spent the next few days of history just answering questions and stuff. Now I'm reading Carry on, Mr. Bowditch for history. I actually read it last year, but liked it, so I don't mind reading it again.

3. Our microwave has been broken for the past week. You never realize how much you rely on it until it breaks on you. I mean, really. That's how you defrost and cook chicken, heat up leftovers, pop a bag of popcorn.  It's sad how much you rely on it. Someone's supposed to come out Tuesday to look at it, and hopefully fix it.

4. Yesterday Lindsay and I groomed Toby. It was ridiculous. The whole day it had been really nice- not too cold, but not too warm. Then we go out there and  (1) The hose water is freezing, so Toby got a really cold bath (and Lindsay accidentally sprayed my pants like 3 times), (2) After the bath it was really windy and it got cloudy. He was shivering most of the time, and Lindsay and I ran in and got our jackets about halfway through. Gees, that was a long three hours.

5. It's been snowing most of the day, but it hasn't been cold enough to stick. About an hour ago, though, it started snowing pretty hard and sticking, so... we may have some sitting around in the morning. Who knows around here.

I took that picture when we were in Baton Rouge and have always liked it. :)

~Haley

Happy Birthday, Sista!! :D

Today is my sister Lindsay's 18th birthday! Lindsay, you are now officially a grownup. That's weird. ;) 

You are such a good sister. We have so much in common and have such a blast together... especially when we get silly. :) I love you!

 Me and Lindsay in September of 2010

Loving
Intelligent
Neat and orderly (usually) ;)
Delightful
Sweet
Adorable ;)
You are great!!!

Okay, I had to compromise on the "y", but doesn't everyone when there's a "y" in the name? 

I hope you have a wonderful day! Be sure to go tell her happy birthday! :)

Love you so much!!

~Haley



Birthday Recap

Last Thursday was a really fun day. It started out with donuts for breakfast, which was a surprise and real treat. I went crazy and got one chocolate with chocolate icing and sprinkles and two chocolate glazed ones. Gees!  After breakfast Mom went to the store and Josh and Lindsay wrapped my presents (that's when I did my Sweet Sixteen post).

After they got done we played Monkey Ball together. We played monkey bowling and monkey golf. It was tons of fun! ;)

After that we watched Toy Story 2. We hadn't seen it in years, so that was really fun, too.

Mom got me some roses while she was out. They're really pretty and smell so good!

Picture Time!!

For supper I picked hamburgers and French fries- my absolute favorite meal. Mom made it.  It was SO good! Thanks Mom! ;)

After supper Mom and Lindsay cleaned the kitchen while I fed the pets their supper. Then I opened presents. Some of the things I got are-

Books- Sherlock Holmes Volumes 1 and 2, Pearl Maiden, Lysbeth, Homer's Odyssey (about a cat), Dewey (about a cat), and Huck (about a dog)

Finding Neverland DVD and Master and Commander soundtrack

Pajamas. They're SO cute. They are purple and have sock monkeys on them. ;)

Picture frames. I really needed some to help decorate my room, and the ones I got are so pretty!

 After opening presents we had cake. I got an ice cream cake. It was chocolate cake with chocolate icing and mint chocolate chip ice cream. *happy sigh* I just wish we had more. ;)

My birthday plates. C-U-T-E. :)

And that pretty much brings an end to my day. I had a geat one!

~Haley

Sweet Sixteen!

Today is my sixteenth birthday, y'all! :)  Okay, so for the past few months I've planned on doing a sixteen random things about me post. So last night I sat down and was going to write it out so I wouldn't have to spend so much time on the computer trying to think of things. Now that it's morning, though, I think I'll make a new list. Here I go:

1. I always write in script. Whether it be school, letters, lists, etc... I always use script.

2. The cutest dog ever follows me around all day, every day. Really, he does. The only reason I can come up with as to why he does is that I'm the one who feeds him.

3. When I have some, I chew a piece of gum almost every day. Bad habit, I know.

4. I think it would be so cool to have a real pair of cowboy boots. Ya know, the $200 kind? Oh, and a hat to go with it, of course.

5. I am not a plant person. I like them, but just don't like taking care of them. Maybe that's why I don't have a garden or anything.

6. Sometimes I love school and sometimes I really don't like it.

7. I listen to music about 10 hours every day. When I'm doing school, cooking or baking, doing chores. About the only time I don't have my heaphones on is when I'm wathcing TV or reading.

8. Because of #7 I have to charge my ipod at least once a day, sometimes twice.

9. This year I'm writing down all the books I read. So far I've read eight, almost nine.

10. I love these earrings. They are totally me.

11. One of my favorite songs right now is "Temporary Home" by Carrie Underwood. Definitely one of my favorite songs of hers.

12. My favorite soundtrack composer is Hans Zimmer. Love his music!

13. I've been sitting here for an hour. So much for my other list to save time.

14. I'm a total country girl and don't like big cities at all.

15. When I'm done with this I'm going to play Monkey Ball with Lindsay and Josh.

16. I can't wait for Inception to get here. It's coming from Netflix and will probably be here next Monday or Tuesday.

I. Am. Done. That took way too long. It was fun, though.

~Haley