Happy Thanksgiving!

Hooray for Thanksgiving! 

   It's the day we set aside to celebrate the Pilgrims' bravery in coming to the New World, and God's amazing protection and providence in their lives. God blessed the Pilgrims and He also blesses us! Now that is something to be truly thankful for!

   Sadly, this simple truth is often stricken from school's history books. Many don't realize that the Pilgrims' steadfast belief in Jesus Christ enabled them to succeed in the unfamiliar, strange America. Barbara Rainey, author of the book Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember, says this:

   "The Pilgrims sailed to American because of their faith. They wrote the Mayflower Compact based on God's Word, and they signed it by faith. They persevered in the harsh climate because of their faith. They befriended the Native Americans, also because of their faith. Their uncompromising belief in God and His Word became the cornerstone of the colony, and in turn, of the new nation."

   We're not saying that you should stop having fun and enjoying good food on Thanksgiving... definitely not! But we shouldn't lose sight of the true significance of this holiday, and what it was founded upon... God and His Word.

   Happy Thanksgiving!

-Kirsten

Hello, everyone, this is Sylvia. I love what Kirsten just said, it was wonderful! But I'm sure you'd like to know what we did for Thanksgiving, too!

   First, we took some pictures outside. 

Kirsten wore an adorable dress that she had made herself.

I wore an outfit that I bought from Target. :)

Kirsten is so pretty... she looks like a Pilgrim girl!

Then our mom took us with her to a relative's house and explored their beautiful garden.

I'm standing in front of a pomegranate tree.

Kirsten really liked these old-fashioned pink flowers.

After dinner, we had some delicious pumpkin pie, of course!

Mmmmmm.

So, what did you do for your Thanksgiving? We'd love to know!

-Sylvia

Pajama Time

Today, Mom took Sylvia and I shopping for some autumn/winter pajamas. There were many beautiful choices at the store! Here are some pictures of what I picked out.

I chose this nightgown with a delicate leafy pattern.

This little bow was a lovely addition!

Here is a close up of the leaf pattern.

I think it suits me wonderfully! I'm very excited to have a new nightgown for the autumn and winter.

-Kirsten

Hey everyone, this is Sylvia! Kirsten just showed you her new pajamas. Now I'll show you mine!

I picked out this set that included a cute nightie top and a pair of pink leggings.

The nightie top was sprinkled with a sweet rosebud pattern. 

It also had this adorable little ruffly button thing... I love it!

Isn't the rosebud pattern so sweet?

And then there were the leggings.

The material is very soft!

The hem is sort of fluted, too.

Here is how I look when I wear them!

I think that these pajamas are perfect for me! I love shopping. :) 

   Oh, and please comment and tell us which pajamas you like better: Kirsten's or mine. We can't wait to hear from you!

-Sylvia

Rainy Day Reading

Hello, everyone, Kirsten here. It's autumn at last... that perfect time to curl up on the couch with a blanket and a good book, and read, and read, and read! Here in California, November is when it first starts to get chilly, and so, consequently, that is the time when I am most inspired to read. Today, I wanted to share with you my favorite books. Well, at least some of them. I have so many that this post would be way too long if I told you all of them!
   First of all: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series, written by J.R.R. Tolkien.

This is probably the most amazing series that I have ever read. 

It is so well written and full of adventure! The history of Middle Earth (where the books take place) is realistically complex, yet consistent, and full of little things that you only notice after reading it twice or thrice.

Sylvia's favorite book in this series is the last one, The Return of the King.

My favorite is the first book, The Fellowship of the Ring, in spite of the fact that 

many people complain of the first half being so boring and slow. It may be slow, but all the information in it is crucial for understanding and appreciating the other two books! After a while, you grow to even love the "boring" parts.

My other favorite series is The Chronicles of Narnia, written by C.S. Lewis.

You can tell that I love it. :)

This series is comprised of seven books: The Magician's Nephew, 

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, 

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle. 

Personally, I like them all equally. 

Right now, I'm reading The Horse and His Boy.

   So, this autumn and winter, I encourage you to pull out a new book, or an old favorite, and simply read it. Imagine... a crackling fire warming your toes, a cup of hot chocolate at your elbow, and a good story... ahhhhh.

-Kirsten

  

Sylvia's Sewing Project

A couple years ago, Kirsten gave me a really cute vest pattern for my birthday. But later, I somehow forgot about it and it sat in one of my desk drawers, just gathering dust. Today, I was organizing my desk (I know... surprising, right?) and I came across the pattern. I had nothing else to do, and it looked very fun! So Mom let me pull out her sewing machine and I got to work.

Like how it turned out?

It fits me so nicely!

I couldn't believe how easy it was to make the vest! It really changed my opinion on sewing. So you may be seeing more projects like these in the future!

-Sylvia

Trip To Lake Isabella

Yesterday, our mom took Sylvia and I with her on a road trip to Lake Isabella. She was going to visit a friend there. Due to the drought in California, the lake was very low, and rather dismal-looking, so you won't be seeing any pictures of that. But there are plenty others.

First we stopped at Starbucks. 

Sylvia took a moment to pose for this picture, and then went back to deciding what drink to order.

So many choices!

At last we managed to get back on the road.

The autumn landscape was very pretty. 

I could have watched it for a while, but Sylvia was becoming restless. 

So she got out her MP3 and turned on some Scott Joplin ragtime! 

And she danced. In the car. Yes, that's Sylvia for you!

At last we arrived at our destination. 

After being introduced to Mom's friend, we explored the big yard.  

We walked around for awhile, enjoying the cool weather.

This is Sylvia in a tree. She kept begging for me to climb it, too. 

"It's so nice... you can see everything from up here!" she kept on saying.

So I gave in; it was actually not too bad up there.

 I had more fun smelling the beautiful flowers!

Eventually, Sylvia came down from her tree and smelled them, too.

A gorgeous, almost-sunset sky was the perfect end to our wonderful day!

-Kirsten

Yes, folks, Kirsten described our day pretty well. For once, I can't think of anything to add! So I guess that's all for now.

-Sylvia