My Day... And Pizza

Today started out like any normal day. I woke up, saw the snow with a bit of dismay, and with a greater dismay realized what time it was.  Then I went back to sleep.  That is how my normal day starts.  And then my five year old sister comes up carrying one of my mom's delicious strawberry shakes... "Ruby, do you want this now? Oatmeal is on the table." And I felt a pang of guilt.  A sixteen year old girl who stays up late and gets up late does not deserve a strawberry shake.  But then, do we deserve anything but death? So, I went downstairs and had breakfast.

I read for a few hours.  That's not uncommon.  I was reading Robert Louis Stevenson's The Black Arrow (highly recommended.)  And then I did my math.  After which my mother informed me I was going to help her in the kitchen.  I was told to reorganize the tupperware cabinet, and the pantry.  Then we started making bread.  Mother first made her sourdough starter, which has to sit for seven days, each day having more rye and water added to it.  Something like that.  And then we started making our basic bread recipe.  And mother said something about how she had gotten "that mozzarella cheese for pizza."  I had been cutting up pineapple. Because I love pineapple.  And I said: "Mommy! Can we have pizza tonight??" And she said, "sure, why not?" so she changed her bread into pizza dough, and we looked through the refrigerator to see what we could find.

Actually, we didn't really look through the refrigerator.

We didn't have any red sauce, so we made the alternative.

After the dough had been baked in shape, we rubbed olive oil on the surface.  Next, I placed a few slices of fresh mozzarella cheese (not the stuff mom got for pizza) and some bright red tomatoes.  Then I sprinkles some basil on top of this, and some freshly chopped garlic.  Mother sauteed mushrooms in lots of butter, so I put some of that on, and then bright green broccoli.  Then I remembered that we had apple sausage in the refrigerator, so we chopped that up, sauteed it, and threw that on.

Man, it was good.

Za Pizza.

Sorry they're a bit blurry... I had to take them with my computer, because all our other devices for taking pictures aren't at home. :P

So, that's my post for today.  You should make this pizza.  It was amazing.  Mom and I went on to make another pizza with broccoli, pineapple, sausage, cheese, basil, garlic and mushrooms. They were GOOD! :D

A Puppy!

Introducing... the world's cutest puppy...

Loxley is the world's cutest puppy... in my opinion. :D He's a Rotweiler/Bluetick mix... I wish I could say he's ours, but I can't. :P  He belongs to Peter and Angela... but we had him at our house for a few hours one day.  The kids absolutely loved him, even though he slept more than he played.  Olivia gave up her lunch because he was sleeping on her lap under the couch.  Isn't he adorable though?? 

Tagged

Emma from Literature and Laughs tagged me in the following post. :)  Here goes...

What are six names you go by? Ruby, Rubert, Rubes, Rubix-Cube, Ruby Jean, Rubs.

What are three things you're wearing right now? A shirt, pajama pants, and blankets. :P

What are three things you want very badly right now? Halfchaps, snow, and a willing spirit.

What are three things you did last night/ yesterday? Wrote an essay on early Britain, folded laundry, and cooked meals.

What are two things that you ate today? Black beans with chicken and rice, and chicken soup.

Who are the last two people you talked to on the phone? Mother, and Candice (my riding instructor.)

What are two things you're going to do today/tomorrow? Finish school essays, and books. :D

What are your three favorite beverages? Water... ginger ale... and rootbeer. :D

And now I have to tag people! I tag Chloe at Life In My Strawberry Patch, Jordan at Ramblings of a Princess, and anyone else who wants to do this can say that I tagged them. :) Copy and paste this into a post, delete my answers and put in yours.

~Ruby

Of All The Extraordinary Places....

Home is the best.  I've realized that home isn't where your house is built, but where your family and loved ones are.  The great traveler Richard Halliburton loved to go to countries, and experience everything there is to experience... like sleeping on top of the Kheops, or sneaking into the gardens at the Taj Mahal for the night, or climbing the Matterhorn in the dead of winter... and he almost always rode first class on the train with a third class ticket.  But even he said that traveling only makes one appreciate one's home all the more - it makes him eager to be back home.  As astounding as foreign places are, as wonderful as they seem, everything is nothing compared to the warmth that exists within the family.  I suppose I am talking from personal experience, so please keep that in mind as I continue.

Dorothy, in all her adventures in Oz, though it was all exciting and wonderful, yet said in the end: "There's no place like home."  As awful as "the witch" (I forget her name before the dream) seemed, Dorothy was more than happy to go home, and find everything the same.

"Home is where the heart is."  It's true that the people we've grown up with, the people who have seen us through everything and have been there through all our failures and mistakes... not just the bad times but also the best times we have.  These are the people we know the best, and love the best, and where they are is where we long to be.  When my older brother left home to go work down in TX, and later in FL, I felt like one of my limbs had been torn out.  And how happy we were when he came home! What joyous, happy times! I wish they would always come back, but the fact that they won't makes the memories all the sweeter.

We went to London in September, as all of you saw by the posts I did while there.  And we missed home very much.  It was exciting and adventurous being in a different place... a country with history hundreds of years older than ours.  (Meaning that Jamestown was founded in 1607 and everything... though Columbus visited there in 1400's, and Vikings before that... there was hardly anything going on before the English came.) It was thrilling.  And today, I found myself wanting to go back.  There was so much we hadn't seen... but then I thought, there is so much we saw for real that a lot of people haven't seen.  We were blessed by that trip.  When we saw the moist atmosphere above North Carolina on our way home, I thought: "Ah, America.  How lovely to be home!"  And then Philadelphia... And all the security people smiled and said: "Welcome home."  And I thought... No matter where I go, nobody from that country will say "Welcome home" to me... Nobody who works in the airport and is a complete stranger.  Because that's not where I belong.  It's here, in my country, with my family, and as long as my family is together, as sappy as it sounds, there will always be joy.  And being together will help us all to get through anything.   If we ever moved, we would still all be together, so who cares where we are?  This is a huge conviction for me, especially since I don't like Cleveland all that much.  But in spite of it all, I am happy, and I do have my siblings, and both my parents... what cause have I to complain?

I love being home.  I love visiting places, and I love coming home and sleeping in my own bed.  It's one of the most wonderful things in the world.  I love coming home and talking with my dear family for long, long hours. (Well, I love doing that anyways, but there's something especially special about it when you come home.)  I just absolutely love it....

Oh, do you know that the BEST is??!!

FAMILY VACATION! :D

Reformation Festival

To see pictures of the Reformation Festival, please visit this link:

Adventures of the Hopkins Crew

Reformation Day Prep!

This was sorta a cool picture... I like to play around with the color effects on the camera. :)

Tirzah organizing sand-paper.

Our little Sweeper. :)

 

This past week we've been preparing our house and garage and yard for our annual Reformation Festival that we celebrate in lieu of Halloween.  The event is tomorrow night - I will be sure to post pictures, though how soon after I don't know. :)

More coming!

The Oldest Place My Young Person Has Visited

 The Roman Baths!

 I forget when they were "made" but I know it's pretty old... forgive me for not be up-to-date on my... dates. :P

 

 The Royal Crescent, built in the 18th century, is a crescent shaped building that's a bunch of joined houses. This picture only shows half of it. 

 

Tagged

Emma from lovingbigsis.blogspot.com has tagged me... So basically what I have to do is write 10 things about me.

1. I read the whole Lord of the Rings series every autumn. (I started this last year.)
2. I read the whole Narnia series every time I get sick. (I've gotten sick once...jk)
3. My eyes are blue.
4. I work on a horse farm with my brother.
5. I have trouble pronouncing new words. (And old ones, like bagel, Taylor, or Stuart.)
6. I have a blog.
7. I dream of writing on a Scandinavian hillside.
8. I went to the UK this fall.
9. My favorite animal is a milk cow.
10. My sister's telling me what to write, but since that isn't about me, I'm writing what my sister is telling me to. :)

And I'll tag:

Chloe at Holy Magnolias!!
Jordan at Ramblings Of A Princess

I know there are more of you that I'd like to tag, but I forget your blog addresses! *whoops* don't worry, I have them stored somewhere... In which case, anyone who wants to be tagged, can be. :)

Tower Of London and Mozart's Requiem

So yesterday we went to Tower of London. Mainly to see the memorial of Lady Jane Grey, which we found is non existent. :P They asked us why they would have a memorial for a traitor. ??? She wasn't a traitor hello! Became queen against her will, was dethroned by Mary I, and thrown into the Tower. Her life was to be spared, but an uprising in her favor caused by Sir Thomas Wyatt and her father caused Mary to think she was a threat to her crown. And that's why Jane and her husband Guilford were beheaded.

How hard is that?

Oh well.

Last night we went to see Mozart's Requiem performed at St. Martin-in-the-Fields.  The church is between 3/4 - 1 mile down the road.  So we walked... and Chloe and I survived, even though we wore heels. Typical girls.  But anyway, the Requiem was So amazing. It was really astounding. And I didn't know when it started whether to sob, or keel over and die, or just gape.  The music - the voices were overpowering. When the soloists started, Chloe and I were about ready to faint. Sorry for such a dramatic summary, but really... it was amazing.  Oh yeah, the soloists... There was a soprano, a metzo-soprano, a tenor, and a bass.  Chloe and I especially liked the tenor's voice.  It was so full of emotion, and so nice to listen to.  The soprano's voice was like a trill whenever she sang - it was lovely.

My favorite part about the requiem was when the choir would stand up, and even though the strings were playing piano, you would know that something big was going to happen, because you could see the choir on their feet, and the horns were all getting ready, and then suddenly there would be a huge tsunami of strings, horns, and voices, all playing fff!  It was gorgeous. And then my other favorite part was when the choir would sing... the basses would start, so deep you wondered if the church would fall apart, and then the tenor's would come in, and then the altos, and then the sopranos - all singing untranslatable Latin about judgment day... All singing different tunes, and yet blending perfectly...

It was really glorious.

Again, I am on the wrong computer. But I get internet on my computer on Monday, so I'll be able to upload pictures of the Tower then. :)

Jetlag

 

Chloe seems fine, but really she's just psyched and hasn't slept for thirty six hours. That's all.

Journey To London: Third Stage

So we have reached the third stage of our journey: Airport. Destination: London. (:-O)  We have a nonstop flight. I got through security OK.... *sigh of relief* Except, the beeper thing kept going off whenever I went through it, and the security guard decided I had way too many bobby pins in my hair.... So he had to call for some "female assistance" to make sure I wasn't... um... carrying anything suspicious. They decided I was fine, and we were allowed to proceed. But that was the only eventful thing. The last time I went on a plane, I was three. And it wasn't a big deal to me then. And now we're about to fly, and I have butterflies in my stomach at the thought of even taking off. :) I am excited.

 Sisters. Fellow Pilgrims. (not). But.... Fellow Travelers. (yeah). :)

 For my Daddy. :)

The above picture was taken and posted because of a name my dad has - "Broo HopHop." And we thought it was funny, especially since dad's such a coffee person. :)

 Continue to pray!

Sweet Sixteen

Today I turned sixteen.  Everything's gone by so fast, but there's not really anything you can do about it... So. I'm sixteen. :)

Miss Ellie was so kind... Somebody told her before we
arrived that it was my birthday.  She greeted me this morning with a huge grin, a happy birthday, and a hug.  And after lunch, she announced that since it was a special day, she had a "special dessert". 

 So it's been a good day. And what better way to celebrate than spending seven and a half hours on your way to London?!

Journey To London: First Stage

 I'm sorry for the long lapses in between posts... It has been a busy month. Some of you who read my sister's blog at Holy Magnolias, may have seen there that we are effecting a trip to the UK on Sunday.  Long story, but flights were much cheaper out of Philadelphia, so we have to be at that airport on Sunday. The first stage of this journey to London is over.  We are staying at my Nana's house in Lewisburg, PA.  Yesterday, daddy drove Chloe and I halfway, and Nana picked us up and drove us back. A very uneventful trip.  Granddaughters do what they love best: talk.  Talked about the latest happenings, and filling Nana in on every single detail.

Chloe seems to be a little... confused as to which country we're visiting...

 

Anyways, I hope to continue posting while I'm in London - maybe you shouldn't count on it, but I hope to.  I have my camera, and my laptop, and everything I'd need to do it, so hopefully.

We are going to London because my aunt who is a professor at a college, is leading something called Bucknell (the college she works at) in London.  She's there for the first semester, and has her own flat in zone 1 of London.  So... we decided we needed to go visit her for a few weeks. :D

Pray for our safety physically - and spiritually (as this will be our first time in a socialist nation :-|).

The Post With No Name

Hey y'all!

It's been awhile since I posted... Sorry 'bout that. At any events, I've found some things to post about....

On July fourth a lot of families met at the Clarkes to have a time of fellowship with each other. Even though the knights in shining armor decided that the damsels needed to be in distress, thereby "helping" them into the cold pond, the damsels were quite forgiving as they readily saw that the knights in shining armor were under-aged and yet in training. :D

Peter agreed to "bounce" the kids on the trampoline. Or, using his weight to bounce them with force high into the air...

This picture was the best yet of the activity... Click on it to see Rachel's expression. :D

Daddy and Mommy found this little baby bunny on a walk. Actually, they were on a walk and Asher the dog "found" it, and they rescued it from his jaws.... It was a cute little thing, although awfully shaken up. She liked sleeping in the pocket of my hoodie, though. The Connor family took her home to care for her. As for as I know she's still alive, and named Miss BunBun. :)

Well... What can I say! Chloe and I were terribly hungry late one night... And would you imagine it? The only thing to eat was ice cream. Unfortunately, the ice cream was unopened.... Problem easily solved: open the ice cream. We at it not be taking scoops, but by shaving off thin layers. Then we carved on the surface: "Chloe and Ruby were here" so that Gabriel, the ice cream police, would not have to go searching through the house finding the culprits. :D

A Week Of Work!

Note: This was written on Saturday, June 6th... We actually got home on Wednesday June 10th. But the pictures weren't uploading there, so I had to wait until I got home. :)

The Trip...

I am currently sitting in a nice chair at my aunt's house in Lewisburg, PA... Most of you probably haven't heard of this town, and so if you haven't, you may want to look it up. ;) Jk, I won't make you do that. It's somewhere near Williamsport, PA. Right outside of town there's a bunch of mountains, and the air is always fresh and clean here. Anyways. On Wednesday, Gabriel, Tirzah, Chloe, and I traveled up here by various ways....

First our beloved Father drove us halfway to New Wilming

ton, PA, which is where his mother lives. She met us, and drove us half way to Lewisburg. Our dear cousin Conrad met us there, and drove us to Lewisburg. Even though it was roundabout, we had a great deal of fun - especially since from the time we left to the time we arrived at our destination, it rained nonstop. It wasn't the kind of rain that would let up for a few minutes, but rather, it would pour, and then lightly rain for a few minutes instead of letting up. So we had fun with that :D.

My grandma recently bought a new car...

Our grandma's ride...

One funny story involving this car is that she had parked it in the church parking lot one day, because she was doing stuff in the church. Westminster college is right there, and the students aren't supposed to park their cars in the church parking lot. When the policeman saw the fiery red car, he inquired inside the church to find out whether it was one of the college students, and if so, to give them a ticket... Imagine his surprise on finding it was my 83-year-old grandma's!

At last we arrived safe and sound. One thing that makes me say so was this incident...

Gabriel: "Conrad, are you a good driver?" Conrad: "Oh, Heavens! no!" :P And also... Conrad: "Whoa!" Chloe: "What happened? Did we almost die?" Conrad: (cheerfully) "Yup!" But part of this was because the roads were awfully wet and slippery. :P

The Visit...

We went because my aunt had so many "to do" lists that never got done. Our cousin had just gotten back for the summer from Hampshire college, hoping to transfer to the college here where my aunt, his mother teaches. They are a very busy family, hence, why her to do lists kept adding up instead of decreasing. So she thought we could come help her out for a week. We cleaned furiously, passionately, wildly, lazily (only sometimes, and that's because we were tired from cleaning [the three previous adjectives]). Unfortunately, the only thing we hadn't been disciplined in was going to bed on time. Wednesday we were incredibly tired from our trip, but did some work before going to bed, and when we did we were so tired! Of course we never meant to get up at ten the next morning ;)... Thursday night we went to bed around eleven, but woke up at ten.... But Friday night everyone went to bed at two, and got up at 8:30! If you asked why, I wouldn't be able to tell you....

Sew, Sew, Sew, Sew....

A dexterous sewer...

Chloe's job was making slip covers for an overstuffed chair and couch... Later in the week we are painting the living room and hall! From yellow to a lightish blue! Yay! All these changes are so exciting! So Chloe's been sewing her poor young brains out....Gabriel built a scratching post for the cats, Teacake and Agnes, to distract them from the new upholstery. :P He also washed all the hardwood floors, helped clean the garage out, and helped Tirzah clean the bathrooms. In addition to all this, we re-organized the kitchen, have cooked many amazing meals, and have had a lot of good laughs and fun times. :D

...can only do things like this :D (for more pictures, go to here.

The Only Thing That Taints Your View Of Nature From The Inside Of Your House....

...Is dirty windows.

You see this newspaper?

...This is what it's for!

Thursday and Friday I cleaned every single window in the house... Windows which hadn't been washed for a few months at least... It was quite a job, but SO satisfactory to clean all the grime off, and know that your washing away dirt and making something clean! (Much like what Christ does to us...) I learned that we were not to use what most people use - or, Windex and paper towels... but hot water mixed with vinigar and a rag to wash the windows, and newspaper to dry it... Well, I suppose one is always learning new domestic tricks! My aunt informed me that she had at first been skeptical of this new method, and I was the same way when she told me of it. However, I was proven wrong. The newspaper (even though the ink comes off on the hands... :P) leaves the windows without any streaks, something which paper towels will do, and absolutely clear so that you almost feel as though there's nothing between you and the outdoors. :D

And that's it until I figure out my next post! :)

Go Figure...

Adrenalized With La Rochelle

So, yesterday Rachel came to visit! (Oh, and I call her La Rochelle because... I do...) Actually, she came up because she participated in something called National History Day. She wrote a paper about Thomas Edison, and went all the way to the State Competition, won first place, and is going to Nationals in Washington DC in June! Hurrah! But anyways, there was this reception for the National History Day people in Cleveland, and... uh... she came for it and took advantage of the opportunity by staying with us! (Hurrah, again!) Right now she's hugging me saying, "I'm so happy I got to stay with you guys!" What can I say!

So anyways, whenever we two are around each other, ever single care that we've had is entirely abandoned, because of the immense encouragement we are to each other. But this goes really far... I mean, we get not just hyper, but adrenalized. I've posted some pictures of her visit so far. As most of you know, she's an amazing photographer, and so I posted some examples of her amazingness. :P



Talk about red lips... :P

Isn't she sooooo cute??

Um, no comment?

Rachel seems to have a talent for taking pictures of people when they're in the middle of doing something... Like, chewing an apple. :p

My little boy Boo! :)

Okay, so the only reason that I posted this blurry picture is because one of my eyes is blue, and the other is green. I just thought that was weird/cool!

Aw...

This picture is amazing... She's so sweet and "innocent" in it... I just wish it was like that all the time. *huge wink*

I don't know what it is about Tirzah... She's so photogenic and I can't help posting pics of her. :)

And the only reason I post pictures of me is because this is *my* blog. ;)

I *love* Rachel's face! It's so classic!

Is that really what I look like when I read my emails?? I need to smile more. :P

On the way to the Western Reserve Historical Society for National History Day reception. :)

Wow... Talk about beautiful.

Okay, so I love this picture of Rachel. She hates it. :P

aw...

She's so unbelievably adorable...

Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters...

LOL! Olivia's face is hilarious!

And WHY do I post embarrassing pictures of myself on my blog? I don't even know. My self-esteem level has dropped 40%.