Hello and happy new year, everyone! say ‘twenty-ten’. I’m gonna have to get used to writing 10 on my papers instead of 09. speaking of papers, school starts this monday.

THE HORROR!!

yeah. but it’ll be nice to get back into routine.

I went to my friend Olivia’s house on New Year’s Eve along with my other friend Elodie. We played games and chatted and ate junk food and did sparklers. I gave them my blog address, so if you’re reading this, friends, double hello! twas a blast. Then I went back home around 9, and my family watched the ball drop on TV. We toasted with Martinelli’s sparkling apple cider (no alcohol). it’s a tradition. I was so happy, I felt like I had wings! I practically flitted around for the 15 min. after midnight.

any resolutions? not really. ok, one: i’m going to dig into Scripture EVERY DAY. I’ve been slacking off, and I’m gonna read at least one chapter a day and THINK about it. ooh, ooh! on that subject, there’s this site called YouVersion. It’s an e-Bible that recently came up with some reading plans. Check it out:

http://www.youversion.com/

and, my brother found this site called Kiva. you have a certain amount of money, and you lend it to Kiva. Then the money goes through a certain organization, and then to an entrepreneur in need. then, when they earn enough money from their business, they pay it back to you. tis Cool! read more here:

http://www.kiva.org/

yah…

and merry belated Christmas! Here’s a Christmas gift for all to read.

The Child King

O come let us adore him…

They sang as they went rushing by.

Let us bring him silver, gold!

They shouted as they ran on by.

Gifts for a king,

The holy One?

Do they mean

The Messiah’s come?

But where’s the parade,

The castle and stuff?

‘Cause I was told

The king’d be tough

And chase those Romans out of town.

But the night is silent. So’s the town.

A bleating noise falls on my ear.

Hey, what’s that crying sound I hear?

I quickly run to a stable near:

And what’s a baby doing here?

Sure enough, the ox and lamb

Are standing by his pap and mam.

And the baby’s sleeping in a manger.

This keeps getting stranger and stranger.

Is this the King? He’s just a child!

Sure, he’s tender, sweet, and mild,

But where’re his subjects, his castle, his riches?

His palace is a stable with cobwebs in the niches

(And it’s kind of smelly). His subjects? Oy,

His parents, a cow, a shepherd boy,

A handful of peasants, a donkey, um….

And a drummer boy?

Pa-rum-pum-pum-pum.

Not a lord or lady or palace in sight.

Hey, look, there’s a camel out there in the night!

There’s a bunch of guys with three presents:

Some gold, some myrrh, some frankincense.

There’s the treasure…but where’s the king?

Whoa, wait a minute. Did I see a wing?

That baby must be one special guy

If God sent some angels to fly in the sky

And tell people of this wonderful birth

So they could tell others and bless the earth.

Then Jesus woke up, and I looked at his face—

It was filled with love, God’s goodness, and grace.

I knew he was perfect, so pure and holy,

The mighty God, the Child so lowly,

And yes, the King who would save us all.

But I had no gift…okay, something small.

It wasn’t a lot, but at least ‘twas a start.

Right then and there, I gave him my heart.

I asked Mary and Joseph, “Can I sing a song?”

They nodded yes, and the drummer played along:

Silent night, holy night

Son of God, love’s pure light

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus, Lord at thy birth,

Jesus, Lord at thy birth.

And when I was done, he smiled at me!

The Prince of Peace, the Child king,

He smiled at me and the boy with his drum.

He smiled at us. Pa-rum-pum-pum-pum.

Emmanuel, Emmanuel,

He smiled at me.

Pa-rum-pum-pum-pum.

~

Happy New year!!

ibby out.

here is a joke I thought was really funny.

There was a man who was driving down the road in the middle of the night. He was really tired, so he pulled over and checked into a hotel. he was trying to get some sleep when a bloodcurdling scream scared him. He went to the lobby and asked the manager, “What was that scream?”

The manager says, “Do you really want to know?” the guy says, “Yes, i want to get some sleep!” the manager says, “I can’t tell you, you’re not a monk.”

So the man says, “what do I have to do in order to become a monk?” “you have to go into the forest, build yourself a hut made of toothpicks, catch your own food and live off the land for 30 years.” so the guy does what he says, and 30 years later comes back to the hotel. “Okay, I did what you said. what was that scream?”

The manager asks, “Do you REALLY want to know?” “Yes, I just wasted 30 years of my life!”

So the manager takes him into a secret room that has a magic closet and a secret door. they go into the secret door, and there are stairs that go like this:

/\/\/\/\ (all along the corridor)

S0 they go

up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs

and they come to a huge hole in the middle of the floor. the manager says, “oops, i forgot the magic bridge!” So they go back

up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs,

into the secret room. the manager opens the magic closet, gets the magic bridge. they go

up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs, across the magic bridge, up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs.

Then they come to a huge storm in the middle of the room. manager says: “Oops, forgot the magic umbrella!” So they go

up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs, across the magic bridge, and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs,

back into the magic room. the manager takes out the magic umbrella. then they go back

up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs, across the magic bridge, up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs.

The two men float across the storm using the magic umbrella. They continue

up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs

where they come to a huge door. “Oops, I forgot the magic key!”  ( *groan* ) So they go

up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs, across the magic storm with the magic umbrella, up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs, across the magic bridge, up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs back into the magic room.

The manager goes into the magic closet, but he can’t find the magic key. Then he snaps his fingers and says, “Oops, it was in my back pocket the whole time!”

*GROAN*

So they go…

up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs, across the magic bridge, up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs, across the magic storm with the magic umbrella, up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs to the huge magic door.

The manager asks the guy, are you SURE you really want to know what that scream was?”

The man says, “YES! You just dragged me up and down stairs and the suspense is KILLING me!”

“…are you REALLY sure?”

“YES, I’m REALLY SURE! Just Open it already!!”

So the manager inserts the magic key into the magic door,

turns it,

the tumblers click,

the knob turns,

and the door opens,

and the man finally finds out what the scream was.

…do you want to know what it was?

…

…

…

…do you REALLY want to know what it was?

…

…

…

…

…

…okay, I’ll tell you what it was.

…

..

…

…oh wait. I can’t tell you, you’re not a monk.

…

I KNOW, isn’t it hilarious!

yeah, the majority of you who read this will think that I am the most annoying person ever. Maybe two of you will think this is the funniest joke ever. Spread it around. Enjoy the annoyed looks on other people’s faces. I only wish I could see yours.

Merry Christmas!

Ibby out.

Whoo, it’s Christmas break! No school! Sleep in! YAY.

We had a concert for an hour @ our school. There was the choir and orchestra and some drama classes. twas fun.

Guess what, we moved! We were in an apartment, and we moved to a townhouse in the same complex. We arent fully moved in, but we’re almost there.

Wanna hear a joke? Okay, here goes:

Why did the Korean man cross the road?

To get the Korean newspaper!

…Do you get it?

…

…

…Neither do I. I get the New York Times.

Hoo boy. It’s December, but its sunny!! I just wanna lie on the carpet and soak up some sun. I’m really tired.

We have lots of Christmas goodies: cookies, chocolate, nuts, even homemade croutons (which are exceptional, by the way). In Gourmet Cooking today we finished our gingerbread (aka graham cracker) houses. We made the icing, and used it to glue on lots of candy.

I’ve been listening to Christmas jazz on itunes…

chestnuuuts roastiiiiing on an ooopeen fiiiiiiire….jack frooost nipping at your nooooose…

we three kings of orient are bearing gifts we traverse afar field and fountain moor and mountain following yonder star…woah-oh…

frosty the snowman is a jolly happy soul…with a corncob pipe and a button nose and two eyes made out of coal…

by the way, what does auld lang syne mean? I’ve heard of it but have no idea how the song goes.

Ibby

Aahh, I sprained my ankle!

See, it was my brother’s birthday today, (Happy b-day, Andrew!) so he and three of his buddies and I and our parents and my mom’s dad all went to a place called Sky High Sports. Basically it’s a bunch of trampolines connected to each other, with a separate foam pit and dodgeball area. you jump on the trampolines and play for an hour or so.

I took my shoes off and jumped on the trampoline arena for a good three minutes (:D) before I fell and hurt my ankle. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but i think it had something to do with the yellow pads in between the trampolines. I might have tripped over one, or jumped on one accidentally, or something like that.

So I went down, and my ankle hurt really bad, and my dad and this staff person came over to help me up and get off onto a bench. My ankle swelled a lot, and I cried, and I got an ice pack, and I sat out for the rest of the hour.

Yah, it looks like my knee. But that round oval thing on the side of my foot is actually a swollen ankle…and the white thing is my sock…

So I was asking my parents all kinds of questions. “How am I going to sing on Sunday with my choir?” “How am I going to go to school on Monday?” And the most pressing, “How will I get to the car?” Mom answered, “You have a big daddy. He’ll help you.”

And I thought, ‘I’ve got an even bigger Daddy too, and I know he’s gonna help me.’ Why does it take hardship for us to recognize and appreciate things we often take for granted? Thank you, God, that it wasn’t broken or anything worse.

So I got a piggyback ride out of Sky High, and afterwards we went to a restaurant, and my ankle was better but I couldn’t put weight on it, and it  hurt if I turned it too much. Then Dad made a doctor’s appointment, and at 7:30ish we headed over there.

I hobbled out of the car and a security person asked if I wanted a wheelchair, and Dad said yes. He wheeled me into the waiting room and told the lady @ the desk, “We’re here for the 7:30 showing of ‘Fix My Ankle.’ She laughed, and i did too. Dad’s so funny. He always tries to make me smile.

After five minutes we were shown into the doctor’s office where a nurse got some basic info from us. Then we waited for a while and I read my book. oh-by the way, this sign was on the garbage–

oops, didn’t mean to make it that big.

so then the doctor came in and looked at my ankle, and she said I needed x-rays. Then Dad and I waited some more, and Jeff the X-ray Guy came in. He wheeled me into the x-ray room and told jokes. I asked if I would feel anything, and he said ‘Only as much pain as you feel when you’re talking on the phone. Or standing by the microwave.’

‘Should I take my glasses off?’ I wondered. ‘No, only if your ankle goes up into your head. Then we’d have to take your braces off, too. That would be kinda painful, cuz all I have are some pliers.’

He took 3 x-rays and Dad wheeled me back. Then the doctor came back in and gave us some papers and looked at the pics with us and said I sprained my ankle. Then the nurse came and gave me crutches and a boot/splint/thing.

Now, i’m in good humor and my ankle only hurts a teeny bit.

Night, everybody! Happy Belated Thanksgiving.

ibby out.

Yay! One more days until we stuff ourselves with goodies.

About my last post…where we made all sorts of pumpkin delights in Gourmet cooking? At first, everybody was saying, “Oh, yeah, this looks so good!” And afterwards we were all groaning because it was SO much pumpkin and SO much sugar. Almost no one finished their plate. But a lot of people got hyper. I started laughing and I couldn’t stop, and another girl at my table complained that she was dizzy. Eli, a boy in my group, said, “Try spinning around slowly” as a joke. But Sreevidya didn’t know he was joking and did it anyway. Funny! And Eli was the Dishwasher and I dried the dishes. He filled the empty cups with water and stuck utensils in them and gave them to me to dry, saying, “Here’s your martinis. Oh wait, did you order the cherry martini?” I nodded, playing along. He filled a cup with “pumpkin water” (because the dishes had been washed in the tub and turned orange) and put a fork or two in their and handed it to me. “Here you go!” And I just started to crack up, mostly because I was hyper, and partly because he wasn’t this hyper normally either. It doesn’t sound very funny here, but it was there, mostly because I was hyper.

Today I’m going to attempt to make Iced Pumpkin Cookies for a Thanksgiving celebration tomorrow. I’m going to my grandparents’ house with a bunch of other relatives and we’ll play and eat and have lots of fun.

ibby out!

yes, this post is about food. We all made potatoes in GC (that’s Gourmet cooking, but I say home ec sometimes too) for our Thanksgiving Website. 3 kinds: red, sweet, and mashed. My favorites were the mashed potatoes. the rule is that each dish must include a fruit or vegetable or whole grain. students pick recipes and we all vote. Desserts are next. Pumpkin pie? yes. pumpkin gingerbread trifle? yup. Pumpkin ice cream torte with ginger crust and caramel and hot fudge topping? absolutely! drop by room 150 if you want a taste.

what else should I say about food…um, i might have to make a new post about something else. :0)

er, um…food…what’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish? I wish I could poll you, but i don’t know how to use the poll button. aah! if someone knows how, please comment and help. thank you.

So we finished our snack unit in Home Ec class. We had lots of yummy snacks including nachos, spam sushi (which I didn’t care for), mini pizzas, onion rings, caramel apple witches, bruchetta (my favorite!) and balsamic strawberry sorbet. That one sounds weird but tastes really good. Our new unit is Thanksgiving/seasonal dishes. Everyone finds a recipe that fits the theme and contains a whole grain, fruit, and/or vegetable. Then they type it up and we all vote on 5-7 recipes. My recipe was Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges. It’s really simple-it’s just sweet potato wedges tossed with sugar, salt, red pepper and black pepper, and then you bake it @ 500 degrees.

Oh man, it was SO hard to get out of bed this morning! Speaking of which, we got a bunkbed! yay! I’m on the bottom and Andrew (lil bro) is on the top. It feels like we’re sleeping in a cabin or someone else’s room.  But very cozy!

Ibby out.

Guess what, everybody? November is National Novel Writing Month. There’s this really cool website where you write a novel in a month, and I’m participating in the Young Writers Program that they have. Check it out!

http://www.nanowrimo.org/

And one for the Young Writers…

http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/

Happy writing!

Ibby

tum tee tum…la la la…tra la la…whee…

Ah, it’s Saturday! The day when I can do nothing…except breathing, eating, sleeping, staying alive, etc…

la la la…oh, yesterday we had a Club Faire at our school! There was a juggling club and a tech club and poetry club and a drama club and an electric moose club (that’s industrial tech) and many, many more. I signed up for a school magazine club. we meet on Wednesdays, except I forgot what room…

I’m learning Spanish at home. And Russian, too. Spanish because we’re going on a mission trip next year to Nicaragua, and Russian because I’m half russian and I want to learn the language.

Toodles,

Ibby