It's the Avengers! {guest post by David}

A lot of us are excited for the Avengers movie coming out on May 4th of this year. Since some of us don't know who Hawkeye (Clint Barton) is, I'll explain that here.

 As with most superheroes, Clint's parents die while he is a young age. He and his brother Bernard (AKA Barney) are sent to a orphanage, and then they both run away to a circus, Carson Carnival of Traveling Wonders), where he was trained by "Trickshot" (Buck Chilholn) and and the first "Swordsman" (Jacques Duquesene).

He sees Swordsman robbing from the circus, and Clint is asked to join him but he refuses and has a fight with him, which Clint loses and is left for dead. He then wanders around the country, until one day he sees Ironman in battle and is inspired to fight crime.

Clint decides to use the persona Hawkeye, but is mistaken for a criminal and ends up fighting Ironman. Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff, who is then working as villain) convinces him to join her so she can kill Ironman (Diana wishes she would have!).

But while in the act of doing so he changes his mind. He then decides he want to be an Avenger and breaks into the "Avenger mansion" in the hopes that he can join; Ironman vouches for him and he becomes an Avenger.
The movie seems to have changed the his history a bit, however.

As with other Marvel films, it will probably have a sneak peak to a film coming out next year.
Prophecy: at the end of The Avengers there will be a sneak peak to The Wolverine!

Go to my blog (http://tahdas.blogspot.com/) to participate in my upcoming character discussion of Captain America.
Thanks to Diana for letting me guest post!  

{sources: here and here.


Thanks for guest posting, David!
Love ya, can't wait until MAY 4TH!
~ Your sister

Psalm 1

 ¹Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

 ²But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

 ³And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

 ⁴The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

 ⁵Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

 ⁶For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

little importance

Just things of little importance I photographed around my house.

Why? Because I have a weakness for taking weird close up shots.

Why cupcakes? Because a) I made them yesterday and b) they're delicious.

Why mini cupcakes? Because I ran out of large cupcake pans.

Why an Orangina bottle? Because I like to drink water out of it. And yes, we did get snow this morning.

Why a silicone potholder? Because as I mentioned in this post, I love them. Plus they're a pretty color.

Why a closeup of a throw pillow?

No clue.

Why take photos of the globe? I just like maps, that's why.

Why is my heart broken? Because Picnik is closing in April. How will I edit my photos? *sob*

Why are my sheep pawing the snow? Again, I have no clue.

Why is my little sister playing Christmas songs on the piano? Because her teacher told her to. Hmm.

Oh, and in the time from the duration of my last post, I watched Jaws (scary and amazing) re-read A Wrinkle in Time (terrific book) and read all three books of The Hunger Games trilogy on my iPod. (first book was great, second book was a hot mess, and third book was depressing, moving and emotional).

In the real, non-frivolous world, I'm going to get my working papers next week so I can get a real job, and am researching cob houses ( am reading this book), dreaming about building one, and planning on educating myself about different methods of education. (i.e., Montessori, John Holt, John Dewey, Waldorf, etc.) So that's life.

Have a great weekend! 

16 before 16: small goals

These lists seem to be all the rage in the   blogging world. For once, I'll hop onto the bandwagon and make one, completely ignoring the fact that my last birthday was over 4 months ago. Because I'm cool like that.

my list: 

1. Learn to drive a car.

2. Learn to shoot a gun.

YEAH!

3. Finish Algebra 1. Yuck.

3. Write a novel. 

4. Buy something from ModCloth. I love their clothes.  2/12

5. Go to Glacier National Park in Montana, and/or hike (part of) the Appalachian trail.

 two photos of Glacier Nat'l Park in Montana.

6. Get a job.

7. Learn to shear sheep! (or groom dogs)

{via}

8. Be an artist.  Do something drastic.

The Magpie by Claude Monet.

9. Witness the birth of an animal. 

10. Do a real finished painting or drawing and frame it.

11. Improve my relationship with God: stop resisting and let Him be in charge, rather than me.

12. Read an at least 600 page book.

13. Decide if I want to be a veterinarian or not.

14. Make a baked Alaska. And have it turn out right!

{via}

15. Make macarons.

{via}

16.  Stay out really late and identify constellations.

{via}    This is a close-up of Orion.

Oh yes, and I'm finally reading The Hunger Games. Pretty good so far, well-written, although part of me wonders why they don't have any guns, for Pete's sake...

I'll do a review once I finish reading it.


Adios....

sheepish

Sheepish antics.

{via}

 If you've never raised sheep before, you probably think of them as boring, rather stolid balls of wool, who happen to possess tasty loins. All of this is true; but there is much quiet joy and peace in their very stolidity. Hang out with a flock of sheep for a while and you can't help but realize the overarching rhythms which make up the animal world.

photo from gopetsonline.com

{via}
Sheepish actions never change. The things they do now (eat, breed, poop, give birth, play) are not new, and they aren't going  to change anytime soon.

{via} Babydoll Southdowns--AKA the cutest sheep ever.

And yes, sheep do play. They jump around, run and leap up with all four legs off the ground for no apparent reason, like a carefree young child on a beach. 

This is very amusing to watch. Not so amusing is the crazed rush of every single animal towards you when you're carrying their food....

{via} Irish sheepz.

{via}

Source unknown. I have this photo as our laptop background.

Ram playing 'king of the hill' in the Faroe Islands. {via}

Also for no apparent reason, I write out a sheep essay and post in on my blog.

I love sheep.

My two Katahdin ewes, with their goat friend, Billy.

Sadie the Ewe.

My girls. <3

"The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs."

~  Psalms 114:4 

L. K. F. part one

little known facts:

0001.  Old fashioned egg beaters make great stress relievers. Weird, I know.

0002. I'm hungry.

0003. Velociraptors are exceedingly interesting. 

{via}

{via}

This was a great book, but definitely not for younger readers.

                            0004. I really love these pot holders. So fun to play with  use.

{via} Nor my photo, unfortunately....we only have two.

0005. I really hate when people have music on their blogs. Very annoying!

0006. I wish I was more than 1/8 Scottish. Kilts, bagpipes, haggis, cool accents and sheep are oh-so-awesome. Except I don't understand Robert Burns very well.

not my picture. source unknown.

The Macfarlane (my maternal grandfather's last name) tartan.

0007. Let sleeping dogs lie.

0008. I'm hungry.

0009. If anyone has any post ideas, I would be greatly indebted if you'd leave me a comment. Inspiration is running dry.

0010.

0011. “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

"Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well."

“To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?"

HAMLET SPAM. Booyah!!!

0012.  I promise to post something better soon. 

0015. Ducks.  

~ ~ ~ finis ~ ~ ~

homeschooling myths: a guest post by Evelyn

Hello, all you inhabitants of the blogging world! I'm Evelyn, crawling out from my rock because Diana asked me to. :D More specifically, because she asked me to write a guest post on homeschooling myths.
As homeschoolers, we are often judged by unfair myths, passed down from skeptic to skeptic. I am here to set the record straight.



Homeschooling myth #1: Homeschoolers are not properly socialized.


My answer: Oh, that's right! Thank you for correcting the error of my ways! I remember now... The entire point of public school is the social aspect! Duh!


Not. If I, or any other homeschooler, were enrolled in the public school system, it would be to gain an education.
I will admit that it is true: The AVERAGE homeschooler probably does spend less time in the same room as peers. Notice that I say "In the same room." 


Homeschoolers have about the same time for active socilazation as children in the public school system.
Is this a bad thing that they spend less time in the presence of their peers? Let's look at this for a minute.


We have two students, the same age and gender, studying for the same lesson. Let's say that they are fourteen-year-old girls. One is homeschooled, one is not.
The homeschooler is at home with her mother and four brothers and sisters. The younger kids get noisy, and the girl retires to her room to study.
Then, she needs additional assistance from her teacher, usually known as Mom. She is only competing with four other students for the teacher's attention.
Now let's switch to the public schooler.

She is studying in a room of, oh, let's say twenty-five other students.
To her left is her best friend, excitedly whispering the latest juicy piece of gossip into her ear.
To the right and behind her is the boy who has recently chosen her as the perfect target for his pencil-throwing skills.
 Directly in front of her is that oh-so-cute boy who has managed to catch her eye.
The girl finds herself distracted. Too bad for her, as she can't leave the room.
Then she has trouble understanding some of the material in her lesson. Again, too bad. So do fifteen other students, and she must wait her turn.

Homeschooling myth #2: It's illegal.


Not so! As long as the student meets the requirements for his or her state, it is perfectly legal.
Some states are harsher when is comes to homeschooling than others. The state of Missouri requires 1,000 hours of instruction during the official school year, with at least 600 of those hours falling within the basic subjects of reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science.

In Minnesota, a homeschooled child must be given an annual assessment with a nationally standardized achievement test to ensure that he or she is meeting all requirements.

Besides, homeschooling parents still pay school taxes. Either way you're getting our money, so get off our backs. :P

Homeschooling law #3: Homeschoolers can't get into good colleges. (Or any college at all.)


A valid concern. However, once you do your research, you may consider this myth busted.
Nowadays, many colleges actively seek out homeschoolers.
 Abilene Christian University, in Abilene, TX.
Alaska Bible College, in Glennallen, AK.
Albion College, in Albion, MI.
All homeschooler-friendly colleges. Do a Google search and you can find very extensive lists.

And while there are many more myths out there, (don't even get me started on prom) it would take much too long for me to bust them all, and you would get bored.
So thank you for reading, and thank you to Diana for letting me write this!
-Evelyn


Thank you, Evelyn! Great post.
~ D

forgiveness

Not my picture.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."

Isaiah 1:18 

“To err is human, to forgive, divine.”  

~ Alexander Pope

guest post by Savanna

Hey! I'm Savanna, you may know me from my main blog Pandas, Lightsabers and Cameras, oh my!! Diana kindly asked me to do a special guest post for her. Obviously, I accepted this honor. Today I'm going to talk about how I got into blogging and why I love Star Wars so much.


In May of 2011, I joined The Lakehouse Forums and became very well acquainted with the group of girls over there. Almost everyone on TLF had blogs and discussed Star Wars on their blogs. In June, I decided to join the pack and create one to keep up with all the girls and talk about my favorite things in life. My good friend Fallon suggested the name "Pandas, Lightsabers and Cameras, oh my" because I love each of those things so much. In the beginning, I just wrote about silly things in my life and complete randomness. After reading more professional blogs, I soon realized that my random blogging was dumb. It didn't express my personality correctly.


I sent out emails to a few different voice-actors and actresses from The Clone Wars in early August. Since I'm such a big Star Wars fan, I thought it would be fun to ask them some of my questions and make an interview post. My first interview success was with the voice of Ahsoka Tano and creator of Her Universe, Ashley Eckstein. It was such a joy to hear directly from her. As of right now, I've completed 11 interviews with various actors, voice-overs, and artists involved with Star Wars.


Through these interviews and other frequent posts, my blog has become more "professional" with just enough of my personality in there. Blogging has taught me so many great qualities. I've learned how to be patient during the interview process, kind to others when I get nasty comments, and overall...just a really happy person. I love meeting people in the world of blogging that share the same interests as myself. Since I've gotten such positive feedback from awesome people like Diana, I'll probably be blogging for a very long time.


Now, to the more interesting question....why do I like Star Wars? Well, as Fallon once said, "what's not to like?  I mean, COME ON!  Heroes with dysfunctional families in SPACE???  How can you be human and NOT like that?!" She's very right with that statement but I also love the saga because it's so pure. Good, clean fun and adventure. I was raised on these movies so they hold a dear place in my heart. Star Wars also inspires me to dream big, like Luke Skywalker. He was just a simple farmboy in Episode IV but became a powerful Jedi by the time Episode VI was finished. Plus, all the different characters and planets are fun to explore. My all time favorite character is Cad Bane, from The Clone Wars. His Western gunslinger look is just simply epic. I also like Han Solo for the similar reason...since he is a scoundrel. 


Well, that wraps up this guest post. I hope you enjoyed reading a little bit about me, my love for blogging, and Star Wars. Don't forget to check out Pandas, Lightsabers and Cameras, oh my for all of this and more! God bless and may the force be with you. 


Thank you so much, Savanna!  I really appreciate you taking the time to write all this. :D
To any lurking readers, if you would like to do a guest post  shoot me an email at dilbertina(at)gmail(dot)com.
~ Diana

unexciting update

So I went ahead and changed the layout. Don't worry, I'm leaving the poll up so you can still vote  on your favorite header. I enjoy designing them, but always struggle with getting Blogger with cooperate and not make the post titles a dumb color..... *teenage eye roll* I'm a novice at this.

But not this type of novice!

Any thoughts on blog designing? Do you like the newest format? Is it too busy? I don't blog for my readers, or for money (how I wish), but I'm open to suggestions and advice!





School started today.  I read a-bunch-of-stuff. I have to ease into math and science slowly. *insert another eyeroll*


“Hope humbly then; with trembling pinions soar;
Wait the great teacher Death, and God adore.
What future bliss He gives not thee to know,
But gives that hope to be thy blessing now.
Hope springs eternal in the human breast:
Man never is, but always to be, blest.
The soul, uneasy and confin’d from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come.”

—	Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man

“That we should establish ourselves in a sense of GOD’s Presence, by continually conversing with Him. That it was a shameful thing to quit His conversation, to think of trifles and fooleries.”

—

Brother Lawrence And I helped stack wood.  Exciting, I know.  <---- I resisted the urge to write "third eyeroll" there.Sorry, for a lame, unexciting post......next time, I will be blogging about {CENSORED}. Ya'll (I'm not really Southern, sorry) should go check out my little sister's blog, a puppy's bone. She writes about our Lab's various escapades. With photos, even. :) *radio voice* And so, blog readers, I leave you, but not without a GIF of Yoda, in all his The Empire Strikes Back glory, and a neat WW2 poster. Yoda is so awesome. Luke: eh....not so much.

Lol!

letters to superman

be prepared for intellectual cotton candy. *click read more*



 disclaimer: i'm not super familiar with most of the superheroes here, but i'll do my best.

random pic of African elephant because I watched a how about elephant hunting today.

dear Ironman,

please get off my television screen.

with very little love,

supergirl

dear Captain America,

sorry, but Thor was a better movie.

 and genetic enhancement is wrong.

love,

annoying film critic

dear Superman,

umm....lose the tights. please.

i think aliens are cool though, even if they look like 

mild-mannered reporters with bulgy muscles.

stay super,

miss-i-never-saw-the-movie

dear Batman,

you annoy me.

 but you have the coolest gadgets!!!

stay away from Poison Ivy.

no love,

the egoist

dear Thor:

sheesh. i hope you learned your lesson. 

i really like the hammer; it is awesome! 

handy tip: coffee is better than pop-tarts.

Odin is my favorite though.

love,

i-saw-it-at-the-movie-theater-my-brother-made-me

dear Robin (Batman's sidekick)

buzz off. 

sincerely, 

d

dear spiderman,

you are my least favorite superhero. 

go marry MJ already and get out of the way!

ugh,

UGH,

UGH

dear ESB Yoda,

maybe you're not a super, but i like you best of all. 

you are cute, short, and and never-failing dispenser of wisdom.

teach that doofus Luke Jedi skills!

love,

an original trilogy fan

dear X-men,

God help us.

love,

triple ugh

dear Wolverine,

you're killin' my vibe with that helmet.

love,

miss-i-didn't-see-this-one-either

dear Men in Black,

you are hilariously cheesy, but please quit

a. swearing (although i'd swear too if aliens exploded on me)

b. making sequels

one was enough.

love,

Elvis

oh no! lowercase letters have invaded! 

If you want to write letters to superheroes on your blog, leave comment and let me know; I'll make a blog button!

It would be great to see letters from the perspective of a fan. Which I'm not.


I have a wonderful guest post coming up...soon.

Oh, and Happy 2012 !