Dress Up!

In our home, after we watch a new movie, the kids like to 'become' their favorite character from that particular film. Elijah especially loves to play and dress up. We recently watched Big Hero 6 and Elijah wants to be Hiro. That is how he came to be wearing a long sleeved shirt on a 90 degrees afternoon in the middle of summer. His helmet is made from a cardboard box covered with construction paper. 

Newsies!

On June 5, my mom, grandmom, and I went to see Newsies at DPAC. We had a great time. For those not familiar with the show, I will post a sneak peek video below.

Sadly, we forgot to get a picture in front of the poster so this is in our hallway :)

And here is the sneak peek!

Best Blogging Buddies Award

I apologize for not posting in so long. 

I don't usually do this type of post, but there is a first time for everything.
Bekah over at Bekah's Scribbles (http://rebekah.burroughstribe.com/) tagged me.

The Rules:
-You must make a post to show your award on your main blog
-You must tag tag the person who nominated you in your post (Also take the cute owl above with you)
-You must nominate all of your best buddies, and those you want to become best buddies with, who, to your knowledge, have not been nominated this award.
-You must ask your buddies at least 15 questions in your post.
-You must answer all of the question your buddies ask you on your post

The Questions:

What has been your favorite book this year?
That is a tough question...I really enjoyed A Tale of Two Cities, Pride and Prejudice, and The Hiding Place, but I'm not sure which one is my favorite.

Why?
They are all such great reads and the stories are captivating.

What is your favorite Hymn, or any other song?
My favorite Hymn has always been In the Garden. A few other songs that I really like are Elya by Silverwind, Cinderella by Stephen Curtis Chapman, and When We're Together by Mark Harris.

What is a goal you have for this year?
I would like to improve my cooking skills and get a lot of school done.

Do you think it will happen?
Probably...I am already spending a lot more time in the kitchen than I used to. School shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish either.

What is your favorite part of history you have read?
Well, I really enjoy reading about the French Revolution (especially since I can watch a bunch of great movies about that time period and label it as school :D), but I also enjoy learning about WWI and WWII.

Favorite cereal?
That's a tough one. Probably Lucky Charms or some other sugary junk cereal.

What is something awkward that has happened to you this week?
I really can't think of anything at the moment, which is interesting since I am someone who tends to find herself in awkward situations fairly often.

Write a nonsense poem five lines long.
Ugh...I am no good at poetry, but here goes:

Chairs are for sitting on
I'd like to eat a Cinnabon
I read about a kid named Don
Who liked to think of pointless puns
And now my silly poem is done.

Here are my questions:

1. What is your favorite musical?
2. Do you like to sing?
3. What is your favorite novel?
4. Do you enjoy baking, or cooking?
5. Would you rather read, or listen to an audio book?
6. What is your favorite time period?
7. Are you right or left handed?
8. Are you a Dicken's fan?
9. How many times have you moved in your lifetime?
10. Do you prefer sweet or salty?
11. When it comes to ice cream, chocolate or vanilla?
12. Would you rather wear heels or flats?
13. Do you enjoy crafting?
14. Would you rather sew, knit, or crochet?
15. What is your favorite holiday?

I don't know who to tag, so anyone who wants to can claim this.

Thanks for reading!

November 11, 1918 - Armistice Day

The First World War (1914-1918) was ended on this day 96 years ago. At 11 o'clock on the 11th day of the 11th month, peace was declared between the Allied nations and Germany.

In 1919 the First Official Armistice Day was held at the Buckingham Palace grounds. Many other countries followed suit.

After World War II, the name was changed to All Veteran's Day (later shortened to Veteran's Day) in the US. This was in order to honor the veterans in WWII and other wars that followed.
We are eternally grateful to those who gave their lives for our country.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_Day

Cousin's Camp 2014

Last month, our family traveled up to New Jersey to visit family and friends. Dad, Mom, Anna-Rebekah, and Jenna Beth stayed with a cousin on my mom's side, and Timothy and Ethan stayed with Mee-mom and Uncle Jake's house. Matthew, Susannah, Elijah, and I stayed with my Grandfather and Grandma-Diane at their shore house. Each year they take some of the grandkids for a few days to fish, swim, climb the lighthouse, and just have a great time with our grandparents and cousins.
We drove up on Wednesday making pretty good time. We left around 7:30 am and reached New Jersey around 3:30 pm.
It was probably the quietest car ride we have ever had since Timothy, Ethan, Anna-Rebekah, and I had our earbuds in and the little ones listened to Doctor Doolittle.

Jenna Beth

Anna-Rebekah, myself, and Susannah 

(btw, that's Matthew photo-bombing in the background)

We stopped at the Stafford Diner in Manahawkin, NJ for dinner. 

Matthew, Jenna Beth, Elijah, and me

Dad and Ethan

Timothy

Anna-Rebekah and Susannah

Mom and Susannah

When we arrived in Waretown dad dropped off the four campers -- Matthew, Susannah, Elijah, and me.

         On Thursday, we woke up bright and early to get ready for a fishing trip. We packed lunch, ate breakfast, loaded the boat, and slathered everyone with sunscreen. 

Elijah caught the first fish of the day - a fluke! Sadly, it was not big enough to keep.

I caught a second fluke - also to small

I caught a small blue fish that was a keeper, but we did not get pictures.

On Friday, we visited the Judge's Shack on Long Beach Island State Park. 

Breakfast time

Ready to walk out to the shack

On the way to the shack

The Judge's Shack

Cousin Noelle, Susannah, me, Elijah, Matthew, Grandfather, and Cousin Evan

After visiting the shack, we drove over to the bathing beach

Back at the house, Matthew, Susannah, and Elijah went crabbing in the lagoon. Matthew caught four crabs in the trap.

Playing Michigan Rummy, a Cousin's Camp tradition

Friday was seafood night!

Saturday was the day we climbed Barnegat Lighthouse.

\

Ol' Barney

We made it to the top!

Our family came back to retrieve us on Saturday evening.

Jenna Beth and Cousin Noelle

Family photo!

(Elijah, Grandfather, Jenna Beth, Dad, Matthew, Mom, Timothy, Susannah, me, Anna-Rebekah, Noelle, Evan, and Ethan

Sisters

Me and Noelle

Evan, Elijah, Timothy, Ethan, and Matthew

On Sunday, we visited a church in Sicklerville and met up with one of my mom's cousin.

Outside of the church with Mee-mom and Jake

Anna-Rebekah took this picture

I took this one

We spent the afternoon with some good friends, then drove home. We left Woolwich, NJ around 7:30ish and arrived home at 2:30 am. 

Thus ended our trip.

Susannah's Birthday Party

My sweet sister Susannah recently turned 10. I was put in charge of planning her party. Of course, being myself, I decided to go all in and do elaborate preparations. I had seen a really neat cake on Pinterest that had polka dots on the inside. I really wanted to try it so I begged my mom to let me make it. She said I could as long as I started it a few days before the party, thereby giving me enough time to make a plain vanilla cake should it flop. The recipe called for a cake pop pan to make the polka dots, but I didn't have one so I improvised. I made regular sized colorful cupcakes and then my ingenious older sister shaped them into balls with an ice-cream scoop.  Thankfully it did work and although I had to stay up till midnight the night before the party to finish last minute preparations (such as decorating the cakes), the party turned out to be a great success. 

The party table, decorated by Anna-Rebekah

The polka dot cake!

The little girls made bookmarks and coffee filter butterflies

They also played a game called Pass the Parcel in which a present, wrapped with as many layers as there are participants, is passed around while music plays. When the music stops, whoever is holding it unwraps a layer. You keep repeating that until there are no more layers. The gift usually goes to the last person to unwrap it, however we put a bag of m n m's for everybody to share.

The moment of truth....it worked!

The happy birthday girl

Pearl Blossom Boutique

For a while now, my sister, Anna-Rebekah, and I have been crafting away in our dining room, striving to open an Etsy shop. We have finally achieved that goal! I am excited to introduce Pearl Blossom Boutique. Each flower is handmade by Anna-Rebekah and I. I cut them out, and she singes and assembles them. We work together to produce these beautiful singed flowers. 

  

To see our complete collection, please visit https://www.etsy.com/shop/PearlBlossomBoutique?ref=l2-shopheader-name

You can also follow us on Twitter: @PearlBlossomBtq

Or Instagram: PearlBlossomBtq 

 

 

   

SurveySavvy

I have been a member of Survey Savvy for about a year or two now. When you sign up for surveysavvy, you will receive emails that give you an opportunity to complete a survey and earn an incentive. The incentives usually range from about $0.50 to $10 plus if you don't qualify for a survey, you are entered into a drawing. You can view their privacy policy when you visit:
https://www.surveysavvy.com/how_it_works

To sign up today, please go to:
http://www.surveysavvy.com/?m=5517047

Thank You!

Survey Savvy
Intelligence adds up

Pearl Harbor Day

December 7, 1941 was an infamous day in American history. It was the day that Japanese bombers flew to the naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and bombed. This attack was what triggered America to declare war on Japan. America had previously not been involved in World War II, but on December 8, 1941 the USA entered the war.
The war against Japan lasted until 1945 when Japan finally surrendered on August 15.
As we remember the attack that was made 72 years ago on this day, let us thank God for the heroes that gave their all so that we could be free today.

Raising the flag on Mt Suribachi, Iwo Jima

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We did. We had a quiet day with just us because my older brother Josiah just got back from a six month internship with the National Center for Family Integrated Churches (NCFIC). We had all missed him a lot so it was nice to have him home.
We had the typical feast with turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green beans (YUM!), and brussel sprouts. And lots of PIE! Pecan (YUCK), Apple, Pumpkin, and Cream pies.
Below is a video of us preparing and enjoying our feast--and no, you don't have to worry. It is only about 3 minutes long.
Hope you enjoy!

Ebates

I have recently joined an online shopping benefits site called Ebates. Ebates gives you up to 26% cash back when you shop online at your favorite stores including Amazon, Target, Home Depot, Walmart, Kohls, JC Penney's, and many more.
Membership is free and all you have to do is sign up and shop. It's that easy!
Plus, when you refer a friend, you get a $5 bonus.
Simply go to http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=mDOCHzY3uwrOr9B%2F4pMKZw%3D%3D and sign up today.
Please put my email--eorrjunkmail@gmail.com--into the referral box.

Happy Shopping!

--Eleah

Old Journal

I was on my mom's computer and I came across an old journal from when I was 5 or 6. I just thought it would be cute to post it.

My Day At The Water Park

By: Eleah Orr

Yesterday we went to a Water Park with Grandfather and Grandma. There was a splashy water pool. I got to splash in the splashy pool. I got to stand in the 2 ½ foot pool and the 3 foot pool. Grandma played with me in the 2 ½ foot pool.  I went down the Water-Slide. It was fun! There were cones that filled with water, that you stand under, and when they were all the way filled they dumped water on your head. There was a swing set, 2 Pirate ships, a castle, a train, a army truck, and a tree house to play on. I liked the fireman-poles. After the water park we ate at Joe’s pizza parlor. Then we went home.

Happy Independence Day!

We celebrated the 4th of July with a neighborhood picnic. We invited all the neighbors on our street and surprisingly all were able to come with the exception of one or two families. It was a blast! We had hot dogs and ribs and other delicious picnic-y foods and then once it got dark enough, we had a terrific show of 'fireworks'. Almost everyone brought some fireworks so it was a big show. Some of our favorites were  'Pink Ice', 'Mad Dog', and 'Surfs Up'. It was a great opportunity to get to know our neighbors better and celebrate our freedom. Hope everyone else had a great 4th of July too.

Anna-Rebekah and me

Fireworks!

Susannah and Matthew playing with their sparklers

Jenna Beth playing with her sparkler