Blue Skies -- Rio Rancho, NM

Well dear faithful readers--chiefly, Rebecca and Seriah-- I have long been overdue in making this post, but nothing much worth writing about has happened! I mean, there was Seriah getting her Learner's Permit, and a little early Sweet Sixteen adventure, but I wasn't there for those, so I'll just have to wait around for something else interesting to happen. Right now in sunny New Mexico it's a balmy 70 degrees, with blue skies in every direction. Just right to bike to the library or maybe hide out in the new houseplant. Shhhhh....

-- XOXO Tsarmina

December 13, 2014-- WV

 Hello everyone!

Today, Rebecca, Hannah, and I walked around in town going Christmas shopping. We hit the bookstore first (of COURSE!), and then checked out a couple of antique stores just for fun. There's not a whole lot of shopping options around where we were, so that's about all we went in to. Most of our gifts are homemade, anyway.

Rebecca and I in our matching scarves from Seriah
Recognize this background, Seriah? :)

Rebecca's sister Hannah

She got mad because we took her picture,
so started speed walking away. Hehe. We caught up.

Then we met up with the rest of Rebecca's family at the train station and took family pictures for our Christmas cards. We came home, and I got into these lovely goodies that a nice lady at church made!

Mousey! Chocolate-covered cherry body, Hershey
kiss face, marshmallow ears, and sprinkle eyes and nose.

Well, I'm off to go wrap Christmas 

presents. I'll post the Christmas card photos soon!

-- xx Tsarmina

November 26, 2014-- WV

9:30 a.m.
It's only been snowing for two hours,
and it's still going strong!

 Hello, all! As you can probably see, I am back up in the mountains of West Virginia with Rebecca. They called off school today, so I get to spend the whole day with her! We're planning to do an American Girl photo-shoot out in the snow today. And go sledding. And work on super-secret Christmas stuff. And listen to Christmas music. And play with Rebecca's new baby brother, AJ.

Wish we could send you some snow, Seriah. I'll be posting again soon!

 

Love,

 

Tsar

 

The NM Happenings:

Tsarmina back here. Just thought I'd pop in to list all the things that I've been doing with Seriah lately, before I head back to Rebecca's for the Holidays.

-Babysitting, lots and LOTS of babysitting...

-Filming an action movie

-Riding horses

-Cleaning and organizing (those words should strike fear into your heart!)

-Attending birthday parties (sorry, I forgot the camera...)

-Trying to order a bag. And return it. Long story.

-Lots of Britt Nicole and Francesca Battistelli ♥♥♥
 (Here's a  little bit of what's Seriah's been listening to all day long:)

-Making origami boxes

-Sewing Christmas presents

-Watching a few SHERLOCK episodes!!! (with Mom and Dad) I don't think it's really very necessary to say how much Seriah likes them. She finds them quite enthralling, for come weird reason...

-Trying to get Seriah unstuck from her Writers' Block. She just had to delete and re-write about 5 or 6 pages of an already slowly coming along story and she's not too thrilled about that... :P

-Making lots of Cake-In-A-Mug (check out the Recipe Tab for the instructions!) It helps the Writer's Block. Or at least that's what Seriah says.

Toodle-pip and Cheerio!
Tsarmina, Signing off.

The Chocolate Book Tag

Seriah here! (Sorry it's been so long since the last post!!! We've been suuuuper busy.)
Even though I don't have my own blog, Rebecca said I could participate in this lovely tag on Tsarmina's. :)

#1: Dark Chocolate (a book that covers a dark subject)
And Then There Were None (or Ten Little Indians) By Agatha Christy

WARNING: Do NOT pick up this book if you have anything at all planned for the day. They will not get done. You will be glued to these pages until the very last one, when you gasp with shock and horror at ... well, I won't tell you. (How nice of me, I know.)
Considered the best mystery novel ever written by many readers, And Then There Were None is the story of 10 strangers, each lured to Indian Island by a mysterious host. Once his guests have arrived, the host accuses each person of murder. Unable to leave the island, the guests begin to share their darkest secrets--until they begin to die.
Obviously, this is for people who like edge-of-your-seat, drive-you-batty-with-suspense kinds of books.

#2: White Chocolate (a lighthearted and humorous read)
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place Bk. One: A mysterious Howling, By Maryrose Wood

It is quite wordy, with a whole burrowful of rabbit trails. (Really the term "rabbit trail" does not mean to actually dig oneself a hole in the dirt, but to meander through topics not really related to what you are writing or speaking about. Like rabbits.) But, is fun and enjoyable! Definitely the best one in the series.

Jane Eyre meets Lemony Snicket in this smart, surprising satire of a 19th-century English governess story. A witty omniscient narrator speaks directly to modern readers and follows 15-year-old Penelope, recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, to British country manor Ashton Place, where she encounters more than she bargained for with her new pupils! Were the three children REALLY raised by wolves? Humorous antics and a climactic cliff-hanger ending will keep you turning your pages and HOWLING for more.

I would recommend this to those who like classics, witty wording, and a splash of mystery.

#3: Milk Chocolate (a popular book you're dying to read)

Ummm... Do I have any interest in most popular books? Will re-visit later.

#4: Caramel Chocolate (a book that made you feel all gooey inside)

Understood Betsy, By Dorothy Canfield Fisher

This was a read-aloud for school, many, many, moons ago. I have re-read it several times since--it is just that great. A little bit like Betsy-Tacy books mixed with Little House on the Prairie and Pollyanna.
Pale, orphaned Elizabeth is sent to the country to live with the Putney Cousins, who really aren't as bad as her aunt made them seem to be. What will Betsy learn about life out where the roads aren't paved, the school is one room, grades don't matter, and you've got a a kitten for your lap and checkers for your evenings?

Recommended for those of you who like simple, lovely stories, with strong characters with their hearts in the right place.

#5: A Waffer-less Kit-Kat (a book that surprised you)

 The Sisters Grimm Bk, 7: The Everafter War, By Micheal Buckley

 In the 7th book of this phenomenal series (seriously, go read them all!), there was a surprising plot twist that through me for a loop. I seriously sat there with my jaw gaping open, then looked up, then looked back down, then yelled, "WHAAAAAAAT?!?!?!"

There's no description, because since you're going to go read this *cough cough* you need this to be a surprise. Really. You'll thank me later.

Personally, I recommend this for anyone who really likes Retold fairy-tales (and I am super picky with these), action/adventure, humor, surprise, and a sprinkle of romance. And I might add that the last book is one of the best ending to a series I've ever read. Ever.

#6: Snickers (a book you're going nuts about)

Keeper of The Lost Cities, Books 1 & 2, By Shannon Messenger

First of all, aren't the covers just awesome?! The look WAY better in person. (Reason #1 for you to go read these.) These are really great books and the third one comes out November third! (Just in time for you to read the first two beforehand!)

Book one: Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath—someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.
Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.
Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.” 
There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.
In this page-turning debut, Shannon Messenger creates a riveting story where one girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world, before the wrong person finds the answer first.

This is really for anyone who like fantasy, sci-fi, adventure, and mystery. GO READ IT NOW.

#7: Hot Chocolate (A book you turn to for comfort)

I'll have to agree with Rebecca--definitely the Bible. What's more comforting than that?

#8: A Box of Chocolates (something for everyone)

The Mysterious Benedict Society, By Trenton Lee Stewart 

I think this is a great series for everyone, kids, teens, and adults. There are Riddles, Humor, Puzzles, Action, Adventure, Mystery, Wit, Espionage!!! (Ok, maybe not romance, but the books make up for that!) I have read these books three times each... and the prequel twice. I'll let that speak for itself. :)

Well, that's it folks, I'm off to bed, and you are off to the library. Off you go now! 

Ever Yours,

Seriah Getty

September 6th -- Rio Rancho

   Well, I'm finally back!!! 
   Now I'm in NM again with Seriah, who just got to help serve for a Downton Abbey tea. (You may have heard of Downton Abbey--it's a popular British TV show). Her friend McKenzie, who was also the Costume Designer for TSC, invited her to come and help serve with a tea that her old Sunday-School teacher was putting on. It was set in the Edwardian Era, and you could dress up to come. Of course Seriah said "Yes!"

   The tea was on Saturday morning, so Seriah had to get up very, very early in the morning. Thankfully she did not need to wake me up until later--I am NOT a morning cat. We got to the church where the tea was to be held a little late because of roadwork, but when we got there, McKenzie wasn't even there yet. So we went in and Seriah introduced myself to Ms. Allison, McKenzie's old third-grade Sunday school teacher. She is actually British, and Seriah was in seventh heaven just listening to all these ladies with their real British, Irish, and Scottish accents! (she had a hard time not slipping into one as well).

   Once people started arriving, Seriah and McKenzie were really kept on their toes. Re-filling teapots, serving cups of water, re-filling teapots, fetching silverware and re-filling teapots. 
   I got to hang out at one of the tables with extra seats, doing what I do best: Guarding the sweets!

   (I know what you're thinking, but really--someone had to guard those scones and cookies!)
Afterwards, McKenzie and Seriah stayed to help clean up and move all the furniture and tea-decorations. There were a lot of decorations, but they still had time to pose for some pictures:

   McKenzie and her wonderful mom drove Seriah home, and they had the most brilliant idea to stop at Starbucks on the way. 
   "Hey! Let's go in, and order with British Accents," suggested Seriah.
   "Yes!" agreed McKenzie. So they did. To be honest, they got weirder looks from the customers than from the employees. :)

Idlewild!

 

Rebecca's family went to Idlewild this weekend! Taking photos was hard, since it kept raining and I didn't want to get the camera wet. So there aren't many pictures.

 

Rebecca and her dad took turns riding with the twins, since they aren't tall enough to ride by themselves, and Joshua and Hannah were buddies for the day. I tagged along with whoever had room for me.



Hannah and Joshua

We rode on several of the rides, and then it started raining again. Only this time it rained pretty hard, so we ran for the pavilion. We grabbed our picnic stuff from the back of the Suburban, and dashed back. By the time we finished lunch, it had mostly stopped raining. So we changed into swim suits and headed for the Soak Zone.

 

We played in the water for several hours. Rebecca took Hannah and Joshua up the four big slides. Two were body slides, one was a tube slide, and one was a mat slide where you raced down on foam mats. I lost track of how many times we went down the slides!



 Mom and the twins went to Raccoon Lagoon, which has rides for younger kids. Meanwhile, Rebecca, Hannah, Joshua, and I waited in line for the Wild Mouse roller coaster. It was thrilling, but not quite worth the forty-five minute wait, in my opinion. While waiting, I saw this tree:

 

 

Yes, that tree is covered in layers and layers of who-knows-how-old gum that people waiting in line have stuck there over the years. It was oddly intriguing.



Levi and Rebecca, hanging upside down on The Spider.

 

Rebecca and I shared this container of Dip 'n Dots. They are the most marvelous, delicious sweet things in the world!

 

I also discovered that amusement parks at night are very beautiful.