Thankful Friday ~Homemade Vitamin Water

Wow, we have been BUSY!!! Hence the reason there's such a gap between these posts. =)

So, there's this REALLY cool website called Pinterest and on it, it showed how to make homemade Vitamin water. I really, really, REALLY like vitamin water, but hate paying for, well, water. So I decided to make my own.

                                                       

              ~Cast of Characters~

Strawberries, Mint, Rhubarb, Water, Stevia, Cherries, Raspberries, and more mint.

I made 2 varieties, Strawberry Rhubarb Mint and Cherry Raspberry Mint. 

I'll show you how to do Strawberry Rhubarb Mint first. 

 It's ingredients are: Strawberries, Rhubarb, Mint, Water and Stevia. Pretty simple. This ain't rocket science, folks. ;)

First, wash the Strawberries, Mint and Rhubarb.

Then chop them up.

Then plonk the chopped up herbs/berries into a mason jar and fill with water.

I then set it aside and started on the Cherry flavored water.

 Here are the lovely ingredients: Mint, Cherries, Raspberries, Water and Stevia.

Repeat all the above steps. Wash, chop, put in jar and fill up with water.

Then once the jars are filled up with water, I like to add a few drops of Stevia. 

Then you let them sit and infuse for awhile, about 12 hours or so.

And there you have it!!! =)

~Thankful Friday~

                                 I'm thankful for cameras.

                                                               

I'm thankful for my brother who brings flowers home from work (He delivers flowers to stores)

I'm thankful for friends who push me to do things that "I don't waant to!"

I'm thankful for my awesome siblings.

I'm thankful for my parents.

I'm thankful for the bulk buys we do.

I'm thankful for Fruit! And Chocolate! And Flowers, and Hair!

I'm thankful for music, It's SUCH a blessing.

I'm thankful for my blog readers (you guys are awesome!) and photo editing software/sites. 

What are you thankful for?

~Gracie

Awkward and Awesome! {1}

So, I've been seeing some people doing these lately, and they look like a lot of fun! So here goes:

Awkward~

Riding home in the car with two of my brothers and 2 guy friends from Fellowship, and having Tom look at me and loudly exclaim "WHOA! GRACIE!! YOU'RE GROWING A MOUSTACHE!!!!!!"

Bad hair days... 'nuff said.

When you make really awesome recipes all week long, and then at the the church potluck, you mess up and bring something that looks related to canned dog food.

That awkward silence when you innocently say something, and the other person takes it the wrong way, and looks at you funny, and you don't get why they're looking at you funny, until 9:57 p.m. and you realize what they thought you meant.

Seeing a guy with dreadlocks longer than your hair. That's just wrong.

Those "nerd" glasses people seem to like nowadays. Seriously, we WANT to look like dorks? wow people, us Americans are mature! not. (all of you readers being an exception, of course)

Dancing with a guy who's scared of girls and steps on your toes.

Awesome~

Learning a new song on the guitar! 'Tis a wonderful feeling...=)

Driving down the road on a rainy day, in a 15 passenger van, eating prosciutto and grapefruit with mom on our way to get me new clothes =)

Salted carmel mini-biscotti. TO DIE FOR!!!!!! I seriously don't know how I was able to go for 15 years of my life w/out this stuff.

Brothers. Almost everything they do is so awesome. =) They've taught me soooo much. How to laugh at myself, be kind, throw a football, various self-defense moves, what a guy means when he says "Nothing", etc etc. I'd be a wreck without them.

Cooking and listening to slappicking guitar music.

Going to the library and getting about 30 books, ranging from cooking to praying to music to beauty, compared to my brother's 3 books about guns, motorcycles, and spys. love it! =)

 English Country Dancing! And getting a dance partner who isn't scared of girls and can actually lead.

TTYL!

~Gracie

Modesty: views of it from the guys

Hey Everybody!

So, I've been studying about modesty lately, and I've had some questions (I'm sure you've had them too) about modesty. But I wanted the guy's opinion. So I went on to The Modesty Survey and read a whole bunch, got my questions and thought that you girls might want to see the results too! I'm going to write a Question and then answer it based on what the guys said.

Q. Do Guys notice whether a girl dresses modestly or not?

A. We most certainly do. I personally appreciate it when a girl is visibly making an effort to be modest. It heightens my respect for that girl greatly. 

Q. Is Modesty an important quality for your future wife to have?

A. I feel that it is important to me to get to know who she is as a human being, and person in Christ, rather than how she looks. And it helps a lot if she wears modest clothing that way I can focus better on what she is saying and how she is acting.

Q. Are Character, intelligence, and personality are more important than physical beauty?

A. Hollywood and cultural imply that the dumb blondes are the most sought after, and perhaps they are sought after by some, but not the kind of guy you are hoping to attract.

Q.Girls can be modest by layering,  even if some of the layers would be immodest by themselves.

A.I like when girls do this. It covers them and I have heard that with fashion trends coming and going it can be tough and if it works to layer and wear two shirts for one to become modest, go for it.

Q. Are Jeans are generally immodest, even if they aren't tight?

A. If you have a lot of curve, pants will draw attention to your hips. I think of jeans subconsciously as being masculine, so when you wear them, your shape stands out as different. Capris, on the other hand, are uniquely for women and therefore are not a stumbling block for me. I'd say capris are the most feminine pants there are.

Q. What is the primary difference between something that is attractive and something that is immodest?

A. Girls, put modesty above "attractiveness" and you will find that guys will truly be attracted to YOU instead of your short skirt. Also, the type of guys that will be attracted to you will be different; they will tend to be the type of guys who notice that you are making an effort to care for them. They will tend to be the guys that put striving for godliness above personal lusts. One last encouragement, find like-minded friends! That has been the greatest encouragement as I have made changes, striving for godliness. Many a time is has been said that you can judge a person by their friends. That is completely true. Pick your friends wisely!

I didn't put very many questions in, if you would like to see more Q&A, click on The Modesty Survey up at the top of the page.

I hope that this encouraged you and answered some questions! Have a wonderful day!

~Gracie

Update!

So, I decided I'm going to make a few changes to this blog. Instead of being COMPLETELY about hair, I'm going to post about just about everything in my life. Things I do, things I've done, clothes I make and wear, The Bible, Modesty, post random pictures of my life, put up jewelry and hair tutorials, and post cute stuff I've seen from other websites. 

No, that's not me. In case any of you were wonderin'. This is my sweet 7 year old sister whose picture

I took and was having fun on picmonkey with. (Thanks Danielle!) =)

  This is a picture of my toes (I think you know that though...)in the wet grass in a homemade floor length denim skirt.=) Almost all of my favorite things.

This is Cowboy.  He didn't want to put his head up so y'all

could see his stunning good looks, so I took a pic through the fence. He's kinda mad at me at  the moment 'cause I tie him up every night so he can't nurse.

A *ahem* "Secret" path in our woods leading to a blackberry patch.

One thing that I'm excited about is that with spring comes BERRIES!!!! None of our berries are ripe though. This type of berry is called a 

Salmonberry. They're really good if you make 'em into jam and put them on your toast. 

There is NOTHING that compares to the smell or beauty of Lilacs after a rain.

And these, my dear friends, are Goose berries. 

And more Gooseberries. These are really good too, they

are kind of crunchy, like grapes, and they have a similar taste to grapes too.

And here is my kitty, Princess, hunting a bird. She did't catch it though, it's so funny because

she missed the bird and when she saw me watching, she put her tail in the air and stalked off

with a "I-meant-to-do-that" air about her. Cats can be so proud sometimes. =)

And these are, uh, um, I forgot. Senior moment. sorry. Turn 15 and your memory starts

failing on ya left and right. Old age,*sigh* Oh, they're called Serviceberries! (Thanks Daddy!)

  

And these are Mountain Huckleberry's. They're really good too, but they're teensy. 

And these are purple headed aliens that landed in our backyard, so we stuck them in the dryer

and they turned out like this...=) No, they're actually Chives. The flowers are really spicy, and add a nice kick to salads.

"And sighing, she lifted her face up to the Sun" from Life of A Strawberry Blossom 

{not really.}

Blueberries!

Regular Plums.

Elderberries. I'm going to try and use them and make a syrup this year, I'll post the recipe when I do. 

 Mint's and Lemon Balm

 The Lone Tulip

 Close up on the preetty fringed petals.

 This is called Loveage. Apparently monks who were lovesick ate this and got their hearts restored. huh.

Tastes like celery but w/out the kick.

California Plums

Mulberrys!! These are so pretty and good! When they're ripe they turn maroon and they taste like a 

cherry/blackberry cross.

If you're from around here, you can look outside on your lawn and see this exact picture.

I call this one Wars between the Weeds and Herbs

Honeyberries! These are REALLY REALLY good too. {I say that a lot don't I?}

One of my gourmet cook friends told me this is called Sorrel. It's got a tangy/sour taste to it.

My skirt after walk around the premises.

The Torture Rack. aka "Exercise bars". I think the first name fits best.

I've discovered that I have fairly curly hair, so I'm going to go 6 weeks w/out brushing it, and that should help the curl to form. You comb it in the shower but that's it. I'll post pics each week, this is Week 1.

See ya soon!

Clinging to the Cross,

~Gracie

Hey everybody!

I'm sooo sorry for taking so long! I've been experimenting with different ways to do curls, so I'll have them up as soon as possible!

See ya!

~Gracie

Tagged!

I've been tagged by dear Becca at Heather on the Moor! If you want me to tag you, just speak up!

Since apparently tag backs are allowed, I'm actually going to tag Becca and Danielle at Love Lifted you and Me, and I'm also going to tag Jordanna at Quilted Cowgirl!

 So, the Rules of the game:

1. Post the rules 

2. Post 11 random things about yourself. (Though this can be optional)

3. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you in their post.

4. Create 11 new questions for the people you ask to answer.

5. Go the their blog and let them know you've tagged them.

1. I was born in California

2. I love LOVE love  horseback riding! 

3. I'm a secret gourmet cook at heart

4. I think that rattlesnake is Delicious. Hey! it can be gourmet!

5. I play 3 instruments, the Irish Whistle, I just started guitar, and I can play the piano fairly well.
6. I LOVE singing! I can sing alto, but I'm generally a 2nd Soprano
7. I love bluegrass and Irish music, and hymns and folk and some country music. Just about any type really.
8. I'm an herb girl through and through! My little siblings never know whether to dread or look forward to my latest concoction....:-)
9. I like my knife, <3. It's so useful. I also like guns, I prefer rifles, but I can do pistols.
10. I hate it when my computer freezes or crashes. :p
11. I'm very curious. Why are there 11 questions? Why not 15 or 10 or something even?

On to Becca's questions:

1. What is your favorite activity?

Horseback riding! Of course! Then I'd saying playing my instruments.

2. Chocolate or vanilla?

Chocolate! Vanilla can't compare to it. Especially if there are little clumps of chocolate....

3. Do you like to hike or camp?

I like both, (particularly if it's a hike with a camp at the top) but I think I like hiking better.

4. Is there a skill you are really good at?

Ummm, I'm kind of a a Jill-of-all- trades-master-of-some. I guess it would be whistle playing. I can organize things really well too. 

5. Would you ever want to act in a movie? 

YES!!! If I didn't have to compromise my standards, of course! I've been doing skits and small movies my whole life! I even had an acting company with some friends it was called Gremroca

6. Is fashion important to you?

Somewhat. I like to look nice, but I don't spend my time scouring through every fashion magazine I can get my hands on.

7. Do you have any pets?

Oh yes. At the moment I have 2 cows, 1 dog, 3 rabbits, 1 cat, and various frogs. (that live outside) 

8. If you got to go on a vacation were would you go?

I don't know. anywhere with my friends and family.

9. If you could go skydiving would you?

Scary! But I think I would, If I could go with somebody.

10. What is one of your favorite books?

I really don't know. My Bible, and the Redwall series, and anything by C.S Lewis. 

11. Who is one person you wish you could visit right now?

Mya DeLano. 


Now my turn to think up questions:
1.Have you ever gone skiing? Did you like it?
2.Strawberries or Blackberries? Or ? Have you ever had Mulberrys?
3. Where were you born?
4. What's you middle name?
5. Do you like acting?
6. What's something you've never done that you want to do?
7. What's one of your dreams?
8. What's on animal you would love to own? (Fantasy or real)
9. Do you have a favorite type of music?
10. Where's one place you would LOVE to go?
11.  Who do you want to visit right now?

Enjoy the sunshine! (If you have it!)

Love,

~Gracie

No, I haven't died....

Hi everybody! In case you wondered, I haven't died, or eloped or anything ridiculous like that. However, I've met a very nice guy and we've been hanging out a lot. He has a beautiful voice and we sing duets all the time. My parents, family and friends all heartily approve. His name is Gunther Schimdt, and he's the reason I haven't posted in so long. He's not very tall, but he's very handsome.( though a little wide...) And now because you're all probably mystified enough right now, I'll tell you who he is... he's my new guitar!!!! Yes, I really did name him Gunther, I name EVERYTHING! I named my older brother's guitar too!  (But he doesn't know it....yet....;-) ) 

Anyway's I hopefully be posting soon, I've been trying to figure out what hairstyle to do next. I'll hopefully have one by the end of this week, sorry for taking so long!

There's a bluegrass jam session every 1st Saturday of every month down the road from us, and I went with my brother last night. I have re-fallen in love with bluegrass. <3 <3 Do you like bluegrass?

Enjoy Spring sunshine and Jesus's Resurrection!

Love,

~Gracie