Wow...

449... All I can say is wow... I never thought I could get so many views in one month. Thank you all so much. I have no doubt that you all will each 500 before tomorrow.

Hecticness. That is what my day has been like so far. Yesterday my mom lectured to me for an eternity becuase I hadn't asked the yearbook spnosor about senior page details. She made me write down a list of things to ask about. I technically didn't ask about one of them, but I figure I have enough information to live through Christmas.

I also get to be Santa today. I brought all of my friends' Christmas gifts to school and I am slowly giving them out. Technically, I am only giving out three today, but that is the majority of them. My friend, Ellen, and I exchanged gifts first thing this morning. I gave her a Doctor Who shirt that I had made, along with a personality-describing shirt and a Christmas ornament with her name. She got me a TARDIS. We are such Whovians. The tardis is about four or five inches tall and when you pull it back, then let it go, it moves forward and spins and bobbles like the real TARDIS. She says she had to resist the urge to open it and play with it. She supposedly ordered a Dalek for herself that does something similar.

In spanish class, which is my last class of the day, we are going to have our secret santa gift exchange today. I really cannot wait to see who my secret santa is. A couple of people already know who theirs is, but I think that just ruins all of the fun. I really don't care what I get, I just want to see how well this person knows me.

Last period, I sat and talked with my friend, Aymie, the whole time. We spent quite some time on the subject of "adventuring". Personally, adventuring is one of my favorite things to do. Basically, adventuring is going out into the woods or down the road or in an old abandoned house just to see what is there and possibly picking up a cool souvenir while you're there. Its not criminal activity because we don't break anything or damage property in any way. Its just cool to see things like that and think about who might have lived there before or who might have left such an object behind and why.

Its like being an explorer or the star of a mystery novel. Adventuring is something that is best to do with friends, too. No less than one, no more than four. Everyone's imagination is going crazy as you wander through uncharted territory. Everyone is silent for the most part, so any animal noise, a rustling of leaves, or a random shout from a mile away scares the living daylights out of everyone. Its scarier when its dark, but adventuring can be done anytime. The real entertainment is being somewhere that no one has been in quite some time. Occasionally, you find things that lead you to think that someone might be living there now or has been there recently. Sometimes you get yelled at by people who see you, but don't even own the property.

I am absolutely starving right now. I have not eaten anything at all today. I didn't really have dinner last night either. I only have about an hour until I can have food, so maybe I can survive until then.

Tomorrow, I will post the 100th post and my fanfic. I'm not completely finished. I might just have to find a stopping point and pick up at a later date. I really don't know how long this story will be, but I think I will start typing the draft today.

Love,
Elizabeth W.

Screen Printing Success...

So, yesterday, when I got home, I started working on screen  printing immediately. And, though it took a lot of hard work, I was able to finish the t-shirts for myself and my brother. I actually got out the sewing machine and modified mine, since I refuse to wear a giant, loose t-shirt. I basically just made it fitted. The thing was, I didn't use a pattern or pinning or anything. I completely freestyled it. I got to wear it to school today also. My brother refused to wear his because he said it was "too loose" but I think he just didn't want to match me.

Today I get to go out after school and do Christmas-y things. My mom, some friends, and I are going to go to our town's Christmas house touring thing. There are supposed to be like 5 stops, fewer than there were last year, but I'm still excited. Last year, they had wassail at one of the houses to drink. It was like hot apple cider. Strange, but good. I wonder what culinary oddities there will be this year. The Christmas decorations are all rather fancy too. Last year there was a whole mini Christmas town set up in one house. Another (I think it was the house of the mayor or something) had a guy dressed as Santa sitting in a sleigh outside and a person playing Christmas songs on the piano in the sitting room.

Right now I am in the middle of writing a poem. I watched these videos the other day on YouTube that were basically these long poems that rhymed, talking about Jesus and faith. One of them was titled "Why I love Jesus, but hate religion", in case you want to look it up, which I do recommend. Anyway, I started thinking about how it wouldn't be that hard to write a similar style poem since I already know how to write song lyrics. So, after I was done with my work in second period, I started writing it.

Here's an excerpt:

You say I'm strange,

but have you looked at yourself lately?

Living life for drugs

Searching out sex

Can't go a week without being in a relationship.

But I'm still the strange one

I still believe God's there

Still say Jesus saves

Won't give in and say "Happy Holidays"

I say I'm strange because thats how God made me

Told me "don't follow the trends"

After he saved me...

I think I may make it into a YouTube video eventually. I based it on those strange looks I get in the hallway and the comments I get about being different and reacting differently than others. I had a run-in with a guy the other day who basically was scoffing at my reaction to a friend in discussing how excited we were over the gifts we were getting eachother. He basically was stating that we were being strangely overdramatic and just too wierd. It bothered me a lot then, and it still does bother me a little.

The closemindedness of some people just astounds me. I can't believe how stupid they are in saying "my beliefs and my actions are the only ones that I can accept". People think that a teenager reading fairytales is wrong and that making your own clothes is a strange idea. They're all just robots, following what the world says. I know that God will love me no matter what, and so will my family. I think the world should be minding it's own business instead of telling me what to think, how to act, and what to look like.

I am not a robot

I am not a clone

You are not my puppetteer

And I am not a drone

I got a new master and I follow him alone

I want a good life 'til I'm gone...

I won't say that I've always been this way or that I don't occasionallly follow a trend in some way, shape, or form. I just try not to do it to impress other people. I know that I am an individual and that God put me here to be a person who others notice has something different. If I can show the non-believers that I am different simply by dressing and acting like I do, I will. I don't want to dress like I'm trying to get the attention or a boy, because I know that I will only attract bad attention. I don't care about having a Coach or Gucchi purse, I just want to have something that fits my personal style. I also feel that the way I dress and act reveals the childlike Joy that God has put in my heart. I have never wanted to "grow up" exactly. I just wanted to stay me, even as I got older.

When I was in about the fourth grade, I wrote a letter to my future self as an assignment in class. Everyone did it. I can't remember everything that I put in there, but I remember stating that I hope my future self doesn't do drugs or anything bad like that. I want to be that person, the person that I know my younger self would be proud of. My younger self didn't care what other people thought, and she wasn't mean or involved in drama. She was imaginative and smart, the way I strive to be today. It just makes me sad that I have no way of going back and seeing what exactly I was like back then, I can only rely on my memories. Darn it, why can't a tardis appear out of nowhere so that I can go back and see...

If you can't tell, I've started watching Doctor Who recently on Netflix. I'm still watching the last few episodes of the 9th doctor. I can't wait to watch more.

Well, ta ta for now.

Love,

Elizabeth W.

Working Working Working...

I am working toward all kinds of goals right now. Today, I failed on one. Yesterday I came one step closer to completing another. Life is just wierd.

I taught a lesson in FCA today. However, I thought it was absolutely horrible. I wanted to do the message of salvation, but there were no non-christians there that I knew of. In fact, there were very few people there at all. So, I tried to transform the lesson into more of a how-to-share-the-gospel type of message. It really stunk. I mean, there were a few points that were really good. However, I don't feel that it was one of my better lessons. Then, the bell rang and I had to awkwardly cut my ukulele thing short. I guess I'll have to make up for it week after next. I plan to do a Christmas lesson.

The main reason this lesson was so terrible was that I didn't have any inspiration to use. The sermons at church were just really dry. There was nothing inspirational or interesting that could lead me to a lesson. But next time I won't rely on church. I want to tell the Christmas story and expand upon it. Tell how we can apply it to our lives. I have two weeks to get it together. Pray that it goes well.

The goal that I started working toward yesterday was making my first screen printed shirt. It has a quote from one of my very first videos. It will say in big black letters:

SECRET
BRITISH
COWBOY
GANGSTA

I think that it will turn out quite well. I haven't finished making the design on the screen though. I drew it out with pencil. I painted the drawing fluid on the screen. Today I have to squeegee the filling fluid in. Depending on how long it takes to dry, I may be able to wash off the drawing fluid either today or tommorrow. As soon as that is done, I can start making the shirts. By the way, if you want one, contact me. I want to make however many of this kind I need before I wash off the design and screenprint something else.

If you have any ideas for a shirt or would like a specialty one printed, simply tell me. You can e-mail me or facebook me or talk to me in person or text me. However, talking to me in person, on facebook, or by text are the most reliable means. I don't check my e-mail as often as I should. I will probably charge about fifteen dollars for a shirt right now. If you bring me the tshirt that you want me to print it on instead of making me use one that I have to buy, I'll only charge ten. I might work you out a discount somehow, since it is the holidays. And, if you help me screen print it AND supply the tshirt I will only charge you five dollars. You can buy the shirts for yourself or people on your Christmas list.

ACT NOW! THIS OFFER WON'T LAST FOREVER!

I think I may use this particular design as a Christmas gift for several people. Its cheaper and easier than trying to think up something special. And, I did make it myself.

I have lots of Christmas stuff coming up that I have to do. I have a Christmas house tour thing to do with my mom either today or tomorrow. Then, on Friday, I have a Christmas type party to go to with some of my friends from church. Then, I might go to another party on saturday. Maybe. It depends. I'm just feeling the Christmas spirit right now. Learning Christmas songs on the Ukulele. Hearing them on the radio. Making and buying gifts for people. Getting gifts. Going to parties. But Ramses is not dancing, he does not dance at the party.... Sorry, that popped into my head.

Well, wish me good luck. I have a spanish test today. I also have a Government test tomorrow. Whoooo.

Love,
Elizabeth W.

Early Christmas Present!

So, my uncle gave me some money on thanksgiving, and told me that I could buy whatever I want, and that would be my Christmas present from him. Well, this weekend, I went shopping with my mother and ended up spending that money. The cool part is what I got.

My favorite thing that I bought was the materials to start screen-printing my own t-shirts. I got an actual screen printing screen, along with a squeegee/scraper thing. Then, I got all of the different filler and drawing inks along with some paint, and the cleaning solultion for cleaning the screen. I got a small sketchbook also, so I can sketch out my shirt ideas before I actually make them.

I think the first thing that I will screen print is a shirt with my new youtube logo on it. I haven't officially released it on the internet, but it is basically an image form of my username. I think I will make a couple, that way I can give one or two away or sell them. I now know why screen printed shirts are so expensive, however. In charging $20 dollars each, I would only be making about $8 or so profit. Thats not a lot. Once I get going, though, I can take orders and do specialty shirts.

A while back, my spanish 3 and 4 class discussed ordering screen-printed tshirts. We haven't done it yet to my knowledge. If I can get a design drawn out, and everyone to bring about ten dollars, I can buy a shirt for each person and make them. At Walmart, colored shirts are about three or four dollars each, plus I have to pay for the paints and the effort put into them. I might be able to get the people in my class to get together and make them with me. That way, I won't be making ten or fifteen shirts on my own. We could do an assembly line type thing. It would work best if the design was only one color, though. I don't want to have to line up the screen again to put more paint on the shirt. I'll need to experiment with my own designs and figure out how it all works first.

This could be such a great money saving and money making tool. I just have to get good at it. It doesn't seem that complicated. I will probably need to get more tshirts to screen print on, so I might do that with any money I get for Christmas. But think about it. Lets say I make shirts. All of them with different things on them. They cost $5 for each shirt and $5 for the paints. I charge a little for the time I put into it and the use of my equipment. I easily make $5 to $10 dollars profit. Of course, much of this will go to pay for maintenence of the equipment. Sometimes you need new screens or more of them. More solution to clean them with or more drawing and filling inks. New paintbrushes. Plus, I will need to be saving up money for college. I can't just go out and spend it all willy-nilly. Is that how you spell that?

Anyway, I got some clothes this weekend also. I got this bright red jacket and a frilly white tank to wear when I take senior pictures, AKA tomorrow. I got a blue infinity scarf too. I got all of this from a store called Maurices. Its a clothing store for women, but the sizes range from Juniors size zero to a womens extra extra large. I like it because both my mom and I can shop there for clothes and shoes and accessories. I almost got my mom to buy me some boots too, but there weren't any cute ones in my size.

Two random items that I purchased this weekend are a unicorn backpack and a book called "The Action Bible". I got the unicorn backpack from Michaels for ten dollars. It literally looks like a stuffed unicorn. I wanted to use it at school today, but I can't fit my headphones in it, so I'll probably use it like next week or something. The Action Bible is basically the comic book form of the bible. It takes all of the bible stories and puts them in chronological order with colorful illustrations and speech bubbles and boxes like a comic book. I think its pretty awesome.

Well, time to wrap things up. Its almost time to go to my next class.

Question of the day:

If you could have a t-shirt that said anything or had any image on it, what would be on it?



Love,

Elizabeth W.