Happy Holidays!/The True Meaning of Christmas

Merry Christmas everybody! Happy Hannukah! Happy Kwanza! And anything else you celebrate this tme of year. This year, my grandparents are comming out for the holidays for once in a long time. We don't see them because they live in California and I live in New Mexico. Which is very cold at the moment. So if anyone is stopping through 'The Land of Enchantment', make sure that you are paking farely warm. We are having a pretty warm winter this year though, so it isn't that bad. Back in San Francisco, cold is something you get used to kind of quick. I don't have any big prefrences for Christmas presents this year. Funny how things turn out that way. You want so much for Christmas each year and after a while, you don't get into the present kind of thing. Maybe that is just me. I already know that I'm getting a lot of clothes because I was the one who picked them out. Christmas is not getting as fun as it used to be. I don't know if this has anything to do with my Dad or not, but I just didn't get as excited of presents this year as I usually do. I might just be going through some wierd fase or something.
But enough about me, how are all of you doing through the economy, budget wise, and the holiday madness? Christmas is the only thing that I am glad that I am not an adult because it is so hard with money and presents. How do all of you moms out there do it? Do you get help from your parents, or do you just natraully do good during this season? I know I would go insane if that was me.
Maybe people keep their cool by remembering that this is Jesus' birthday. And even if they don't know about Jesus, they still have that inner peace that everyone has during this tough time. I always remeber to put Christ in Christmas because that is what this whole thing is about. You know when your driving to work or to the store and you see a Christmas tree lot that has the sign that says, "X-MAS TREES" on it? Do you ever stop to wonder what that means, or do you not even notice? To a lot of people (and I'm not saying that you need to believe this) the X in X-mas is like 'cutting' Christ out of Christmas. Or it's like putting an X right over his name. When I heard that in a homily at church, I thought to myself that that is absolutly true. Society has become real selfish when it comes to thier needs. Like today in Target when we were trying to get a good parking place, people would just try to push thier way to get the best places to park. It doesn't even matter now because your not going to remeber the cool place you had at Target that Christmas in 2008. Why make the big fuss about it? People are so unsensible. But thats not the point. The point is that they don't care about things that you need to do rather than the things that they want to do. Christmas is about Christ. But people don't care about the things that they need to care about (christ) than the things that they want (presents). Do you kind of understand this? I hope so. Merry Christmas everyone and remember Jesus is the reason for the season.

My Dad and the Many Questions

I know many of you are probably wondering why I haven't talked about my Dad that much. I guess it's because I didn't know how to express it to anyone. It is a big shame that my Dad did die. He was such a good man. And since I'm only the oldest of 5, and barely a minor, I can't do too much any way. I try to help around the house, but I seem like I'm just getting in the way. I know that I am helping (sometimes) but I wonder if it gets to be too much. I always think, what would my Dad do? And I find myself saying that he wouldn't want me to be sad and he would want me to be doing something productive. But at the same time, when can I feel sad? I have been so confused lately. That little fact and the fact that what is he like now? I mean up in Heaven? Does he look like himself? Is he just a little ball of light floating around? Does he fell happy? How about all the things that he never knew and that he knows know? Does he mind them? If you fell happy in Heaven, then when you learn the truth, are you still happy? I haven't felt peace within myself for a while. If anyone can help by answering, that would be great. But even with those out of the way, there are just so many questions I still have that I have not already mentioned. Why must this be so difficult?

Albums of the Fab Four

The Beatles came out with a lot of just amazing songs and albums. Some albums that were really great was Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, the White Album, and Revolver. But of course,since we are talking of the Beatles, there are many opinions on that matter. I really enjoy just listening to different songs rather than just different specific albums. I don't enjoy too much of the newer stuff. I know what you are thinking. 'Newer' albums, well what is she talking about? I mean things like Love or even 1. They aren't bad, its just that to me, the original is better than a copy. That may explain a few things regarding my appearance =0 !! Just kidding. In the album Love, there aren't as many 'original' songs as there is on 1. But understand this. There is nothing wrong with a new song. But when you start messing with the Beatles, well, that's another story. Its just not the same.

I don't get too much into the Beatles Albums as much as i do with the actual songs. I just like the Beatles in general. All of the Beatles songs on my play list are all the songs that I like and that are classics. I invite you to listen and enjoy. Does it bring back any memories?

WANTED-Ideas

I need some help learning some ways to memorize a whole play in Italian. I have the page on what I need to memorize, but it's so long that I don't know how to memorize it all. I need to know it by November 17/18. I've been just reading it out loud to myself and to my family to get used to the idea of reciting it to my teacher. I started writing it out and memorizing half of it at a time but nothing seems to sink in. Any suggestions would be greatly accepted.

As most of you all know, my father is very ill. So far, I have helped make the Steelers blanket, I helped make a pillow case with his favorite animal, the deer, on it. Currently, I'm going to make him a sketch of a "Forgotten Ford." But I feel that I could make him something else. What should I make him? I feel that I have made him everything I could make him. I even made him a get well card. Anything that is not too expensive will do. Thanks for ideas!!

This video below is a video my Italian teacher showed us. Do you ever find that this is how you feel wether you are in a different country or your trying to learn a new language (if you havnt't already seen it, then you'll find out in a minute)? I'm taking Italian as an Elective in high school. And this is how my peers and I feel about this whole language thing. Currently I am trying to find a local news report from Australia about an oil ship and how its front end fell off. Don't be intimitated by "Mikes" face on the front. This is a 'G' rated film. To take the music off at the playlist, go to the list and push pause. When your done, just push play on the list and it should start playing again.

One Semester of Spanish - Love Song

The Project

This is the project I have been working on for the past day. But as you can see, I had some help. That is my sister helping me knot the ends of the blanket. My dad is very sick in the hospital. I know what he has, but I can't say. But you can know that it isn't as serious as it may have been. What he has is very common now a days. He will live though (thank God!!!).
This project is very easy to do and kid friendly. No sewing needed. All you have to do is have two fleece fabrics ( the same size) one on top of the other. No need for ironing. Cut the edges 3 inches long and 1 inch wide, all the way around the whole blanket. Then knot the two strings (the one on top and one on bottom) together twice. That makes a double knot.

Give it to anyone. They'll love it.
My Grandma gave this idea to us a few years back. We all got one for Christmas, and everyone loved them. My mom has made one or two of them. This is my first one that I have made almost by myself. Everyone can help. In my situation, my sister, my brothers, and even thier friend helped too. I guess that just goes to show how much fun it is to make it.

Peace

Why isn't there any peace?

No love, all just put to lease.

Can't we get along?

Sing one happy song?

Haters are the gators.

And love is for the dove.

Were only ment for good.

And if only we should,

ever go for more,

what would reach the shore?

A hug, a high five, a smile, a good release ?

I don't know.

But what I do know,

this is Peace.

Author Unknown

This Weeks Groovy Recipe #2

This weeks Groovy Recipe is Toffee Apple Dip. In this recipe, you can add almost anything to it. You can eat it plain (without toffee bits). It tastes pretty good both ways. But don't just take my word for it. Try it yourself.And the best part about it is that it takes only 5 minutes to make. No cooking needed.

Toffee Dip

Ingredients:

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 8 oz. block cream cheese (1/3 less fat)softened

3/4 cup toffee bits (Skor or Heath Bars) 4 oz.

Directions:

Combine the first 4 ingredients. Beat at medium speed with mixer till smooth. Add toffee bits and mix fairly well. Cover and chill.

Apple Prep:

Slice apples thin(well enough to scoop with) and coat with pineapple juice. This keeps apples from turning brown. Serve with dip.

Story Time!!

Yes, you've heard it folks. I have more music on my play list. And not just two or three. No. It's like, 44 new songs!! The first 20 or so is the Beatles(finally, because I couldn't find their music. You have to put the song in, not the name of the band.). I am really happy. And who wouldn't be? I have a story behind how I started to enjoy the Beatles.

I used to be a really mad person. I would get mad at everyone and everything. I would listen to really hard, heavy rock/alternative music. I went to therapy(and still do) for a while. I took things out on myself, even though it wasn't my fault. I would hurt myself. I wanted to kill myself.

Then I discovered the Beatles. I don't know how I did it, but I did. They changed my life. My mom liked that I started to enjoy listening to them. Since I'm Catholic, I guess it's better to listen to them than what I had been listening to. And now that I am a fan of them, I'm not angry anymore. I'm not hurting myself anymore. I'm not going to kill myself =). I still listen to the same rock music, but not as much. I know more about the Beatles than any other band. And relatives give me Beatles things.

My dad went on a business trip to Oklahoma (kind of far from where I live). And he came back with one of the early, original cassette tape of the Beatles No. 1 hits. I was so happy that I got something so old! My mom bought me a Abbey Road tee for back to school. My Uncle gave me a collectors edition box set of the Beatles great hits. In this CD, there are different types of takes on different songs (ex: Being for the Benefit of Mr.Kite take 1, or being for the benefit of Mr. Kite take 7). I think it is really interesting all of the different takes.

I'll give you all a quiz. On my play list, lets see how many songs you can find that have a few additions added in them. Don't worry, you can hear it. Good luck and God bless!

The Sickness of School

Today were "Down With the Sickness". Well, my sister is. I have a few friends that are sick too. Not only that but I feel it coming to me as well. I can not afford it to get to me because we just started school (which was great by the way). If I get sick and stay home from school it will be really hard to catch up all of that work. Not only that but it's not easy getting my absence
'excused'. I also have to worry about getting the rest of my supplies ( paper towels, hand sanitizer, tissues, latex gloves, etc.). I quoted my moms friend when she said, " It is ridiculous on what the teachers are asking for this year...... What's next, toilet paper?!?! Hey teacher,can I go to the bathroom? Let me get my roll of toilet paper out of my cubby!" I found that funny because it's true! Sometimes we didn't have to bring it in, and I probably wouldn't. But I probably would have thought twice when it came to allergy season.=)

Well for some good news, I have a lot of new 'Groovy Recipes' I can't wait to share with you. I'll give everyone enough time to get each recipe. I hope you enjoy them. They're not mine if you don't like them. =)

This Weeks Groovy Recipe

This Weeks Groovy Recipe is a "Philadelphia 'Fruit Smoothie' No-Bake Cheesecake."
Prep: 15 min. Total: 4 hours 15 min.

Graham Cracker Crust:
1.5 cups of graham cracker crumbs
.25 cup or .5 a stick of butter, melted
2 Tbsp. Sugar

Cheesecake Filling:
4 pkg.(8 oz. each) Neufchatel Cheese, softened
.5 cups of sugar
1 pkg. (12 oz.) frozen mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc.) thawed, drained
1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed, divided

Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil to were the ends overlap the edges. Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter, and the 2 Tbsp. of sugar. Press crumbs firmly on bottom of the pan. Refrigerate while making filling.

Beat Neufchatel Cheese and the .5 cup of sugar in a large electric mixing bowl till blended. Smash berries with fork; stir in the cheese mixture. Stir in 2 cups of whipped topping. Spoon over crust and cover.

Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm. Use foil handles to remove cheesecake from pan before serving. Top with whipped topping.

Makes 16 servings.

We made this for my brother's 10th birthday cake. This is the original recipe. My mom sometimes changes the recipe a little by using different types of berries or cherries. So feel free to change it up a little. Thanks to "Kraft's Food and Family Magazine", summer 2007 edition. pg.25.

A Very "Fishy" Problem

To any of you that can't handle a sad story, I advise you to stop reading this immediately. Because if you don't, you may find yourself upset. I feel that this is my duty to tell you that. Consider this your warning.

We have wonderful neighbors who gave us a pretty, small aquarium with 3 fish in it. There is one pink fish and we had two brown fish. Notice how I said "had". Yes, the two brown fish died. The bigger brown fish's name was " Sasquatch" and the smaller one was " Stanley". Stanley died Saturday, the 19. Then Sasquatch died Sunday, the 2o. There are no pictures of them, unfortunately.

So the pink one was still alive ("Pinky") but all by her self. She is the one in the picture. So we went to "PetSmart" to see why they died. We got all of these chemicals to clean the water. We also bought this cute, black fish we named "Raider". And now today (the 24) little Raider has died.

None of us know why. If anyone knows anything, do not hesitate to give me advice, info, etc. It would be greatly appreciated. I am starting to get a little sick of seeing dead fish!!!! And if you are crying now, you can't say I didn't warn you. Thank You!

The Greatest Band in the World!!!!

This is the legendary band, " The Beatles!" This is one of my favorite bands from the 60s. These are some of my favorite pictures. If you were to ask me what my favorite song by them was, I'd tell you what is yours? I don't have a favorite song; I like them all. I like the early Beatles, mid Beatles, and even the late Beatles. This is one band that really followed the style. Some say that they made the style, and I couldn't agree more. Ringo is the only one that still looks the same. John and George will never "still look the same". And speaking of Ringo, his birthday was July 7th. He is now 68. I will let you know when the other Beatles birthdays/deaths occur.


This is a picture of the Beatles that I did on a long car trip to Sacramento, California ( and where I'm from, that's far!). This is from the album "One". This is the record of "Hey Jude" and "Revolution". This is probably the most colorful picture I have drawn. The album "One" was the first CD I bought after Christmas 2007. I would like to thank my Uncle for giving me the money that Christmas to buy my first introduction to The Beatles.
These two pictures also both came from the album "One". The red one is the album "She loves You" (on the left), "I want to hold your hand" and "I saw her standing there" (on the right). My Dad said that he thought that the one on the right looked like if they were cartoons. I would like to thank my family for supporting me on my first Beatles drawings. Without them, I probably wouldn't have continued to draw my favorite band.





This is my 2nd Beatles album I have bought. I also bought this after Christmas 2007. This time I'm thanking all of my step mom's family for giving me the money to save up to buy this album. This is the album cover 'enlarged'. This was on my agenda this year. On the back of the agenda was like the back of the album. I was complimented a lot by my classmates on this one. I guess I'm complimented on all of my pictures.

These aren't the only pictures I have, but they are the only ones I could fit on here. I will update these once in a while.

My Intro

Hello, my name is " The Young Artist". I am Kitty's daughter. You can see her blog at "Kitty's Korner" as some of you may or may not already know. I am the older sister of 4 energetic kids, if you will. I have many hobbies. Some of my favorite hobbies is riding my skateboard, talking to my friends, playing my guitars or bass ( pronounced as "base"), writing my own poems, or drawing as you may have noticed already by my name. I draw a lot of different things. I draw "Beatles" albums, "Serendipity" characters, people, the weather, just about anything. Later in the blogging business, I probably will show you some of my pictures. But for now, you can look at some of my images.