scarborough faire.

"Are you going to Scarborough Fair? // Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.

Remember me to the one who lives there // She once was a true love of mine."

Today, I took a trip back in time, to the time of jousting and castles and lords & ladies.
To the sixteenth-century Renaissance.
To Scarborough Faire.

My sister (left) & her friend. I guess she was a princess?

Some shops & people. 

Scarborough Faire (besides being a nice Simon & Garfunkel song) is a Renaissance festival some hours away from my house. My mother, sister & I traveled up for the day, because the fourth-graders play their recorders there every year. The weather was nice early on but it got pretty hot later. Regardless, it was a fun experience. I've been twice before but it's always entertaining to see everyone in their period garb and all the authentic shops set up.

A parade of people.

Needless to say, I took some pictures.

The children in their costumes with their recorders. (Unlike them, I didn't dress up this time.)

After listening to them play, we walked around the Faire. We saw a multitude of interesting personalities, like this jester


And went on some rides, like...an elephant? I didn't do this, but my sister LOVES elephants so she was really excited.


We also went on some little rides that were not animals. This one is hard to explain, but basically you sit in this circular wooden thing and then you spin around. The girls were screaming as we spun; it was pretty funny. Also resulted in this, which I like a lot:


Love those expressions. Anyway. Fancy some tea? I love this pottery set. There's something about the handmade / homemade that's so pretty.


I'll leave you with one last picture... of FOOD. My favorite. ;) I had chicken on a stick and French fries for lunch (yeah, I know, I pride myself on being healthy) and then later on I had this for a snack. It's basically Italian ice (strawberry flavor) on an orange. This is with all the ice licked off, hehe.

I think the colors are the best part. They look like a vibrant sunset (or is that just me being weird? :P).

I've always been a history buff (sort of) (I think it started with Little House on the Prairie) (but I really have no idea) so I love 'stepping back in time' and seeing everyone dressed up in full-length skirts with corsets and saying 'thee' and 'thou' with accents. I think it's fun; it's the closest I'll ever come to time travel, I suppose, so it'll have to do. I'd love to go to other places like Colonial Williamsburg someday and see a different era be brought to life.

Have you ever been to a Renaissance Festival, or any other type of historical re-enactment?

-Kendall

the bookworm.

Obvious statement of the day: I like to read. I've liked to read ever since...well, I learned how. (That was anti-climactic.) Anyway, I just thinking about this because something has come to my attention: I've read seven books since Saturday. I'm oddly proud of this fact. I guess when you don't have much else to be proud about, devouring books counts for something.

Anyway, part of the reason I've been reading so much this week is because it was TAKS week. For you non-Texas, TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) is a sort of torture device inflicted yearly upon school children. The tests are all insanely easy for anyone who knows how to read but also maddeningly boring, as you may expect. They make us stay in our classroom until 12:30 (we had 2 one-hour classes in the afternoon), even though everyone's finished by about 10:30 , and the only things you can do when you're done are read or sleep. Thus, I read. ;) I must note, too, that the freshmen only had one test ('mathematics' as they so formally call it) this week, but we had to remain in a 'testing environment' while the other grades tested, so that means even more reading time.

They've been books about murder trials and romance and adventures in the jungle. About a prison in the future and dreamers from the past. Books set in country manors in England and in the wild Amazon, and, oddly enough, two set in Switzerland. I've also read a magazine, National Geographic. Gotta love those photos.

I also read when I'm home, under the covers before bed or at the table with an afternoon snack, like a homemade smoothie. Delicious. Have I mentioned before how much I love those things? Peanut butter, chopped frozen bananas, chocolate powder, milk and ice cubes. Sounds kind of gross, but trust me, it's good. Perfect for breakfast or before soccer practice.

Also, I want to thank ya'll for all your sweet comments on my last post. It's always nice to know you're not the only one who feels like that, isn't it? They made me smile and a lot of you made some pretty good points, too. :)

Have a great day! See you later.

-Kendall

being green

In regards to being green, I don't mean the eco-friendly type. Or the Kermit the Frog kind, either. I mean jealousy, envy, etc. etc. etc. That little green monster.

It's so easy for me to become jealous. Reading blogs, scanning photo-streams, I see what other people have and I covet it. Questions swirl around in my clouded mind, like: Why don't my photos turn out that well? How did they get so many followers? And, of course, why isn't my life as 'good' as theirs? It seems like they spend their days taking photos, drinking tea, watching the rain. Reading books, baking cakes, laughing with friends. Traveling around the world and buying things on a whim. They can post at any time of the day, are not inhibited by school or chores or parents.

Why can't my life be like that? Why am I not that happy? Yes, I am not proud of it, but I will admit it, because it is a very human emotion: I get jealous. I'm always weary of the people who say things like, "Oh, I don't get jealous." How very lucky for you, then. Do you not get sad either? 

Once again, this cat is not mine. His name is Woodrow and he is my neighbors'. So cute!

Even though I would like my life to be one big weekend, the truth is that it is not. I have to make do with what I have. I may not be the girl who's constantly jetting off to Paris, or even the one who's got a lot of friends to write to. Maybe someday, but for now, no. I'm just little old me and that's okay. I don't need for my life to mimic someone else's, just because it sounds like fun. I shouldn't need a vast array of camera lenses or a thousand followers to be happy. I can be okay with the happy things I do have, like library books and ice cream bowls and fluffy shedding cats and the seventy-four awesome followers I do have.

I don't know what I'm really trying to say with this post. Maybe it's that I shouldn't compare my life to other people's. Or that that instead of wallowing in what I don't have, I should be appreciating what I do.

I mean, life still goes on, regardless of your attitude.
But wouldn't you rather enjoy it?

-Kendall

P.S. I finally made a new header. You like? Is it big enough? It took forever to upload because apparently I've used up all of my photo space on Blogger. I knew this day would come but I didn't think it would be so soon! I've deleted some old pictures from old blogs and I'm probably going to start uploading through Flickr now. I was prepared but it's still so frustrating. Have any of you had this problem?

P.P.S. Also, you can now contact me via email. ;)

happy easter!

Easter, a most joyous celebration of the renewal of life...

The holiday that heralds visits from the Easter bunny.

And dyeing eggs.

And an egg-hunt & potluck with neighbors.

Confetti eggs are fun.

Hope you've had an egg-cellent Easter! Ha. Sorry for a mostly wordless post; there'll be more words next time. :) Until then, have a nice day!

-Kendall

shiny, sparkly rambles

Yesterday was one of the most miserable days of my existence. For reals (or should I say, fo' realz?). I felt sick when I got up but I went to school anyway because I didn't want to be behind on my classes. Bad idea. Every class passed by sooo slowly and all I could think about was going home and going to sleep. When I finally got home, I laid in bed and fell asleep. I was too sick to even turn on the computer. That should give you an idea of how terrible I felt. When my mom got home, she took my temperature. It was 104. So we went to the doctor & it turned out I had strep throat, which my sister'd had earlier this week. They gave me some medicine and I felt better but still, you know, sick.

Great story, huh?

Anyway, I am still a believer of Looking on the Bright Side of Things, finding the shiny and sparkly bits amidst all the rubble, so even though yesterday was miserable, there have still been some happy things in my week.

1. Like nail polish. Shiny.






2. And iPods. Also shiny. Speaking of iPods...my mom just bought herself an iPhone yesterday. Oh dear. My family has now owned every type of Apple product (desktop computer, laptop, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, regular iPod, iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle. Whew). Not all at the same time though...

3. Reading + fairy lights = bliss.

4. I got these in the mail yesterday. I won a gift card to this shop in a giveaway, and these are what I picked out.

Pretty cool for someone who never wins anything. ;) (Well, actually, I once won second place in a coloring contest in fourth grade and got an Amazon gift card through that. I bought a treasury of the Chronicles of Narnia with it, I believe.)

5. Ice cream. It is not shiny but it is delicious and that is close enough for me. Yes, my mom finally caved in and bought us Girl Scout cookie ice cream. Eep!





6. Not sparkles, but sprinkles. I love me some unhealthy, processed, full-of-sugar cookies. Occasionally.






7. I made a few changes to the blog, like changing the font (Times New Roman) and editing some things on the sidebar. Nothing major but I like it.

8. Kitty says 'Happy Earth Day!' This cat (gender & name: unknown) is my neighbors', but I just thought it was cute. :D

Have a Good Friday! (Wow, nice pun, Kendall. #fail)

-Kendall

on poetry & pastel skies

The other day I was going through this magazine full of poems and I suddenly felt the urge to write my own poetry. So I cracked open my (as of then) empty composition notebook and started writing. It felt so good... I hadn't written in so long but the words, even the bad and ugly ones, flowed so evenly; it was like releasing my soul, if that's not too cliche.

So I sat there on my front porch. It was like ninety degrees but it didn't feel bad. It felt distinctly Southern to be sitting on my front porch with a ice-cold glass in my hand, watching my neighbors walk by with their dogs or their babies in strollers. Apparently up North they don't have quite as many porches as we do...Where do they sit with their notebooks and just write? :P If I'm being honest, 'just writing' isn't 'just' writing. To me, at least, writing is about 10% actual writing, 10% crossing things out, and 80% just sitting there waiting for the right words to come.

Sometimes they came naturally and other times they were forced and awkward. But that did not matter. As long as I was writing, I was good. My poems aren't the best; they aren't much of anything. Just some words scrawled on a sheet of paper with a pen that says 'Canada' on it. But writers, you will know what I mean when I say that the feeling of getting it out--of releasing your thoughts and turning them into words--conquers any worries of imperfection.

At least, that's how it is for me.

pink lemonade sunset

I sit and I search for something meaningful to say
something poetic to write
as I watch the sun sink beneath the canopy of trees.
The sunset tonight isn't anything spectacular,
just the subtle pink-orange hues of the sky
as the sun races to the other end of the globe.
I admire it, tasting the soft pastels of the clouds,
those wispy veils that turn cartwheels on the horizon.
Like cotton candy, I marvel,
as the world turns darker around me.
Like pink lemonade.

-Kendall

spring cleaning.

I recently got around to sprucing up my room: weeding out the things I haven't used in years, picking up things off my floor, putting up some festive lights to brighten things up. Just the little things like that which make it look altogether nicer.

With that done, I thought it'd be a good time for a little room tour. Now, my room isn't very stylish, especially compared to some other bloggers. But it's a constant work-in-progress, so that counts for something, right?

Starting with my bed. {You've seen this before.} The quilt is made by my grandmother & the map is one I got for my birthday a while ago. I just love staring at all the countries I will one day visit...

 Here is one wall... Still pretty messy but better than before. My bedside table is like a rat's nest--no, it's worse than that. The drawer is just full of all sorts of junk--jewelry, Post-it notes, pens and pencils, figurines, coins....everything. Then there's my dresser, pretty self explanatory. And my desk.

I think you've seen this before, too. One day, one day! there will be a laptop in the middle there. Until then, sheets of music while my music stand is MIA.

My window. Notice those lights?

 I have too many stuffed animals, but I'm too sentimental to get rid of any of them. Thus, there they sit...


My closet. I rather hate those ugly curtains.

That's better.

I have to say, I love these lights.

So, that's pretty much my room after some spring cleaning. Doesn't it feel good to get things done? Hehe.

I think I'm going to go read-slash-paint my nails. {This was written last night, so...} I really wish we had some frozen treats that could accompany me during those tasks, like, oh, I don't know, ice cream. Hint, hint, mom. I heard they're making Girl Scout cookie ice cream... Pretty please? Ice cream would be perfect in this heatwave. Oh, who am I kidding, ice cream is perfect all the time.

love,
Kendall

what sundays are for

 Nice, bigger breakfasts...

...while reading the Sunday comics

Going to church {happy Palm Sunday, everyone-who-celebrates}.

Looking longingly out the window...if you're a cat, that is

Wishing on 11:11

 Having soup for lunch...

...or maybe pasta. {This picture is from last week.}

So, my guitar recital went well. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had thought in my mind it would be. There was a lot of waiting, hours and hours to play four songs. Nearly fell asleep listening to everyone else play. I haven't gotten home until after ten for the past two nights and I haven't slept in past seven-thirty either. My sleep reservoir is fast depleting, so you can imagine my relief/euphoria that we don't have school on Friday. It's our last holiday of the year, though. Sadness. Anyway, I have a few things to share with you coming up soon. Nothing big but I'm happy. :)

Have a great rest of your day!

love,
Kendall