Top Ten Historic Advances for Women Now at Risk

1. Women's Right to Vote (1920)

The 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920, guaranteed American women the right to vote, although many women of color did not win full voting rights until 45 years later under the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Currently women surpass men both in the proportion and numbers of women who vote.

Threat:

Instead of advocating a 21st century voting system that is inclusive, conservative legislatures in 30 states are attempting to turn the clock back to the 19th century when only privileged white males were allowed to vote. Newly imposed ID requirements target students, people of color and women. As many as 32 million women of voting age do not have documentation with their current legal name.

2. Social Security Act (1935)

Social Security is the bedrock of older women's financial security – virtually the only source of income for 3 in 10 women 65 and older – and a critical source of disability and life insurance protection throughout their lives.

Threat:

Bills introduced by conservative Members of Congress would gut the current Social Security program and disproportionately impact women's economic security. The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction could propose benefit cuts, such as a reduction in the annual cost-of-living adjustment that would especially hurt women, or an increase in the retirement age.

3. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Taken together, these laws prohibit employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, including pregnancy, and national origin. The Equal Pay Act deals specifically with pay discrimination on the basis of sex. Title VII covers all employment actions, including hiring, promotion, pay, and termination, as well as all of the other terms and conditions of employment. Both have been central to expanding women's economic opportunities and helping women achieve economic and retirement security.

Threat:

Recent rulings by the conservative majority of the Supreme Court have weakened employment discrimination laws, placing women's rights in the workplace in jeopardy and actions by conservative Senators have undermined efforts to restore these acts and strengthen employment protections for women, including filibustering the Paycheck Fairness Act in 2010.

4. Medicare (1965)

Medicare is the nation's health insurance program for seniors and younger adults with permanent disabilities. More than half (56%) of all Medicare beneficiaries are women.

Threat:

The conservative majority of the House of Representative passed a fiscal year 2012 budget bill that will effectively end Medicare and replace it for those now under 55 with a voucher to buy private insurance. It would increase out-of-pocket health care costs, limit benefits and severely restrict the choice of doctors.

5. Medicaid (1965)

Medicaid provides 19 million women access to vital health services at all stages of their lives. In 2007 nearly seven in ten elderly individuals who relied on Medicaid for assistance were women. Additionally, Medicaid covers millions of mothers and more than one-third of all children.

Threat:

Under the conservative House budget, Medicaid was targeted for deep budget cuts and converted into capped block grants to states. Medicaid still faces threats as the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction deliberates and identifies at least an additional $1.2 trillion in budget cuts.

6. Title X, The National Family Planning Program (1970)

Title X is the only dedicated source of federal funding for family planning services in the United States. Title X provides family planning and other preventive health care to more than 5 million low-income and uninsured women who may otherwise lack access to health care.

Threat:

For the first time in history, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to completely defund Title X in 2011. Nine states have reduced family planning funding through legislative action and one (NJ) has eliminated it through the governor's veto.

7. Title IX of the Education Amendments (1972)

Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded education programs or activities. Title IX greatly expanded equal access to college education, professional and graduate schools and dramatically increased equal access to sports opportunities so that today girls and women represent over 40% of all college and high school athletes. Title IX also plays a vital role in increasing gender equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education by improving the climate for women in those fields.

Threat:

A combination of administrative budget cuts, regulations, private school vouchers schemes, and pressure from congressional opponents threatens to weaken enforcement of Title IX.

8. Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision (1973)

In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Roe v. Wade that a right to privacy under the 14th Amendment extended to a women's decision to have an abortion.

Threat:

Anti-abortion Members of Congress have introduced legislation that would make all abortions illegal and essentially overturn Roe v. Wade. In 2011, over 1,000 pieces of legislation have been introduced and 162 bills have been passed at the state level to restrict access to abortion and/or family planning.

9. The Violence Against Women Act (1994)

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) created the first U.S. federal legislation acknowledging the severity of crimes related to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and violence against women.

Threat:

VAWA will expire at the end of 2011 unless it is reauthorized. The law needs to be updated and strengthened, including the addition of provisions that will help protect students on campus who are consistently subject to sexual harassment, assault and violence. Despite this, no action has yet been taken to ensure VAWA is reauthorized.

10. The Affordable Care Act (2010)

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) covers maternity care, eliminates pre-existing conditions and prevents health plans from charging women more than men for the same coverage. ACA also covers well-woman preventive health services, such as an annual well-woman visit, contraceptives, mammograms, cancer screenings, prenatal care and counseling for domestic violence, as basic health care for women at no additional cost and includes the first federal ban on sex discrimination in health care programs and activities. Combined with other provisions, the ACA is an historic step forward for women's health and economic security.

Threat:

The House of Representatives voted to repeal the ACA. Conservative senators, state legislators and governors have also pledged to repeal ACA and deny women, of all ages, critical preventive care services.

Penelope Hayes

Penelope Hayes by sarah37 featuring gold diamond jewelry

Diana Holland

Diana Holland by sarah37 featuring engagement rings

Elizabeth Holland

Elizabeth Holland by sarah37 featuring cameo necklace

The Luxe

Yes, I guess you could say I'm sort of obsessed with this series right now...

Now that I've finally finished the last book and started adapting the first one into a screenplay (what? It's summer, I'm bored, and Hollywood's too slow).

Well, it's true. Seriously, where is Hollywood? These books should be movies by now...

Though I wouldn't completely mind if they held off on the moviemaking til I graduate so I could play Elizabeth Holland... (What do you mean I can't play Elizabeth Holland? I think I'd be an okay Elizabeth Holland...)

Anyway. This begins my very long series (since I have nothing else to blog about) of polyvore "artwork" on each and every Luxe character I can think of. I apologize in advance for boring you.

 

This reminds me. I haven't been able to find the new series I've heard about, Bright Young Things, and Barnes&Noble or the library. It looks good and its set in the 20s. Any ideas?

Sour cream chocolate chip sponge cookies

Rather; sour cream chocolate chip sponge cookies, at least that's how the person who made them said it, with an emphasis on sponge.

Relax, I will explain. It seems like a long time ago now, but once we had an extravaganza in creative writing. Not a party, but an extravaganza, because parties in school aren't allowed but apparently there's no rule against extravaganzas. Anyway, someone brought in these magical cookies that were so good I can still taste them if I concentrate. Sort of. They were really soft and chewy and you couldn't taste the sour cream which I guess is a good thing.

Unfortunately, I don't know the person who made them very well and I don't see this person very often, so therefore I can't ask for the recipe. Though I just remembered I did see and talk to this person at set strike last week. But I guess I wasn't thinking of cookies then.

So I've been left to search the world wide web for similar cookies. Here's one recipe from allrecipes.com:

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (actually, probably more than 1 cup...)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil or baking parchment.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in eggs and sour cream until well blended. Sift together flour and baking soda; stir into the butter mixture. Mix in  chocolate. Drop dough by tablespoons 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
3. Bake 13 to 15 minutes, until lightly colored. Let cool on wire racks.

They look good but I admit I haven't tried them yet. I will soon, I promise!

Oh yes. That's just how they looked! They're kind of thin and cakey and delicious!

Popcorn, please.

Hello! Sorry I haven't written in a while, (a looong while) but believe me when I say not much has happened! In reality, a lot has happened, actually. Just nothing I felt like writing about, til now.
I apologize if I've confused you...

Now, for our feature presentation...
I saw Midnight in Paris Wednesday night, the first movie I've seen in a while, (a looong while), (kidding), and it was actually really good. We were originally supposed to see a special advance screening of The Help because my mom got free tickets and it doesn't actually come out until August... but we got there kind of late (you shouldn't be surprised) and the theater was full because they gave out more tickets than the theater holds, thinking a lot of people wouldn't come, it being a Wednesday night, only a lot of people did come and we didn't get in in time. And it looked really good, too. Well, at least now I get to read the book before seeing the movie!

So we saw Midnight in Paris instead.

Here's my summary as follows:
       This guy's in Paris with his fiancee and her parents, only the fiancee's kind of a jerk. And so are her parents. He's a sceenwriter in Hollywood but now he's trying to write a novel. He loves Paris and wants to live there, she doesn't. He keeps talking about how he'd rather live in Paris in the 20s, in the rain, she doesn't see what's so great about it. They fight a lot.
       One night he's walking the streets of Paris alone when an old fashioned car pulls up beside him and the people ask him to join them. Only the people inside are dressed like the 20s. They arrive at this party and everyone there looks like they're from the 20s. Then he meets actual people from the 20s and thinks it's all a joke. Cole Porter is playing the piano. F Scott Fitzgerald is there, so is Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Picasso. Gertrude Stein says she'll read the novel he's working on, he leaves to go get it, and when he turns around, he's back in the present day. But the next night...
       The clock strikes midnight, the car pulls up, he gets in, its the 20s again. Eventually he falls in love with someone from the 20s, only it turns out she'd rather be living during "la belle epoque," France's Gilded Age, according to my French textbook was the late 19th century to WWI. Yes it is summer, but the textbook's still online. Anyway. They go back in time even further to the belle epoque and she wants to stay there and never go back to the 20s. He realizes that it's better to just live in the time you were born in, and goes back to the present day. That's all I'll tell!

Picture time! (Ok, really I just like her dress.)

4th

Happy Fourth of July to all you Americans out there!

Here's my day: Parade now, Cookout soon, Fireworks later!

Hope you have a good red white and blue day!

I love those exploding bursts of fire.

That's all for now!

Bye.

Slowskys

 THE SLOWSKYS ARE BACK. AND PLUS ONE.

My other favorite is Piggy.

That's all for now, I'm afraid. Though I just have to let you know: being backstage before a show when NO ONE ELSE is around is really fun. Also, hayrides.

Sorry. Now I've confused you and I don't have time to explain. More later!

Yep

So I decided to change my template seasonally. This one is from now through Independence day (also known as 4th of July). Then the paper lanterns will be back, I promise. Maybe.

Well, that's funny. I did a google image search for paper lanterns and found the exact picture that my background was. EXACT SAME PICTURE. You can tell because the pink one is flowery.

Hm. That's it for now. Talk to you soon!

For Good - Wicked

 Kind of my new favorite song.

Graduation

For those of you unaware, graduation was Thursday night. Am I the only one who is a little sad? I'll miss all the seniors, even though I didn't know too many of them. Most of them I'll probably never see again. There are a few that I hope I'll encounter in the future, those who weren't really friends but acquaintances who I only knew a little bit but will miss nonetheless.

Following is my tribute to the seniors that made an impact on my life. Maybe that's a little too dramatic. Let's try again. This is a recognition of those seniors I knew in some way and will miss (first names only because I don't want them to hunt me down).

• The French Clubbers: Jillian, our fearless leader, you might have been a little hard to get along with, but you made French club fun, especially the middle school trip; Christine, treasurer, even if you never sent the emails you were supposed to, the crepe-making ingredients you bought were yummy; Lexi, caroling with the old people was fun!
• The Seniors in my Creative Writing Class: Thanks for being nice to me, guys! Little first-semester freshmen really don't need to be intimidated by you!
• All the theater kids but especially Alisha and Rett: It was great getting to know you all backstage at Anything Goes! (Even if you don't know me...) Again, thanks for being nice to the freshmen! Alisha, wasn't that quick change fun? (ha.) Sorry about that zipper. Thanks for being nice to me anyway. Rett, you crazy person. Thanks for the 'constructive criticism' in creative writing, and for being the first to say you like my writing and actually mean it. It was fun hanging out with you at Anything Goes, even when there was zipper drama! I'll be seein' ya backstage!

Ah, the memories. Getting a bit misty-eyed. I think I'll stop now, but before I go I absolutely have to quote Wicked. Please read, and listen, because it's amazing:

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good...

It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend...

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?

I do believe I have been changed for the better...

And because I knew you,
Because I knew you,

Because I knew you,

I have been changed for good.

 

(Sorry it's from glee, but it's the best one I could find)

Well. That's that. Have a great summer people! May I remind you that the word 'commencement' actually means 'beginning'? Happy new beginning.

(I've always wondered if they get their caps back after they toss them in the air. Do they catch the same one or just keep the one they catch?)

Faithful

I just found out that one of my favorite books ever is becoming a series!

Faithful by Janet Fox is the first book. I first read it last summer and then a couple times since. The Faithful summary from goodreads.com follows:

"Sixteen-year-old Maggie Bennet's life is in tatters. Her mother has disappeared, and is presumed dead. The next thing she knows, her father has dragged Maggie away from their elegant Newport home, off on some mad excursion to Yellowstone in Montana. Torn from the only life she's ever known, away from her friends, from society, and verging on no prospects, Maggie is furious and devastated by her father's betrayal. But when she arrives, she finds herself drawn to the frustratingly stubborn, handsome Tom Rowland, the son of a park geologist, and to the wild romantic beauty of Yellowstone itself. And as Tom and the promise of freedom capture Maggie's heart, Maggie is forced to choose between who she is and who she wants to be."

The second book, Forgiven, was released June 2nd, and I didn't know about it until now. Summary follows:

"Kula Baker never expected to find herself on the streets of San Francisco, alone but for a letter of introduction. Though she has come to the city to save her father from a cruel fate, Kula soon finds herself swept up in a world of art and elegance - a world she hardly dared dream of back in Montana, where she was no more than the daughter of an outlaw. And then there is the handsome David Wong, whose smiling eyes and soft-spoken manner have an uncanny way of breaking through Kula's carefully crafted reserve. Yet when disaster strikes and the wreckage threatens all she holds dear, Kula realizes that only by unlocking her heart can she begin to carve a new future for herself."

(Kula also happens to be a secondary character in Faithful.)


 Book Three (which I guess is still in the writing/publishing process) is called Moll:

"'Book 3 is set in 1925, and the protagonist is a girl caught up in a net of lies and mysteries revolving around her father's dream of getting rich through running alcohol during Prohibition. It's set in New York City. I'm calling it a "noire romance" because she does fall in love - but like all my stories it's also about something deeper, in this case the mystery of life after death.'"~ Janet Fox

Interesting. Doesn't seem to have any of the same characters...

And it appears Book Four is already in the works, too. Paradise:


"The forth book in Janet Fox's historical fiction series, called Faithful, is set in the 1930's in Montana. The children of the characters in her first three books will return and unite in Paradise."

COOOLL! 

Methinks I can't wait to get to Barnes and Noble.

While I'm here, I might as well tell you about goodreads.com, which is an online literature sharing/rating/ book website. I don't know how to explain it, but join please because I don't have any friends.

Sorry those pictures are so small. But you get the idea. SO. Even if you don't like historical fiction, I would DEFINITELY RECOMMEND reading Faithful. I promise it's REALLY good. I would call it my favorite book ever, but right now I'm still kind of obsessed with Water for Elephants and ESPECIALLY the fabulous The Other Boleyn Girl. Read those, too.

The new Faithful series is only the beginning of my summer reading list! I absolutely HAVE TO read the rest of Philippa Gregory's books, as I'm really fascinated with that time period after Boleyn Girl. Also, I never finished Anna Godbersen's The Luxe series because I could never find the 4th book... but I just found out she has a new series, Bright Young Things. I may have to turn into my friend who reads while walking through the hallways at school. Though that seems dangerous, since you can't really watch where you're going.

Happy summer reading! Though can someone please tell me why I only seem to read historical fiction???

 

Hmm

Guess what? Three more days of school left! But they're finals :(  Hm. Well, at least we get out early! I thought finals were only supposed to be on the second half of the school year, but my English teacher made it on the entire year. That means I have to study 6 novels, 2 analytical essays, and archetypes in mythology. The test itself is 7 essays. But luckily, my French teacher gave us pretty much all the answers to actual questions from the test!

The seniors are getting less and less creative. I only heard about two senior pranks this year, and they weren't that great. One was all the seniors gathering in the window hall and not moving (which made me late to math class!) and the other was greasing one of the staircases, which was really dangerous and not at all funny.

In other news...
I am now addicted to Japanese Botan Ame rice candy. Especially because you can get it at Wegman's. We had it for a chorus project we did on Japanese music, and bringing in food was extra credit. We had sushi too, and I'm kind of obsessing over sushi too. All weekend I've been asking my mom if we could get sushi but she says no because she doesn't like sushi. We had pizza instead.

Anyway, this candy comes in little boxes and there are also stickers in the boxes. Who doesn't love stickers? I'm not sure what flavor they are - either strawberry or watermelon - but they're really good. They're individually wrapped in plastic, but under the plastic is a rice paper wrapper which you eat. All day Friday I was giving them out to people and I got a lot of suspicious looks from people who doubted the rice paper.

 In need of inspiration?
 

"Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives." - C.S. Lewis

To thine own heart be true.

#letlovein 

http://felldowntherabbithole.tumblr.com/ 

Oh happy day

Sorry I haven't been able to get this news to you before now, but.......... I got a part in the Fall Play!!!!!!!! That's why I'm happy and it's a happy day. I didn't want to broadcast the fact that I was auditioning just in case I didn't get in. The audition was last Tuesday and I found out late Thursday night! I'm going to play a blind girl, and I'm only in one scene, but that's ok! I still get to be in it!

The play, in case you haven't heard, is The Miracle Worker. It's about Helen Keller, remember her? We learned about her in elementary school, she's one of those people like Harriet Tubman, only not. The show is in November, actually it's right after my birthday. The shows are the 3rd, 4th, and 5th. There's a really long rehearsal on the 2nd, my birthday, from 5-10pm. There goes my birthday weekend! But that's ok!

In other news...
Our French Club trip was last night! It was at The Melting Pot, which is a fondue restaurant in Philadelphia. If you haven't been, you should go! Right now! It's really good. All they have is fondue. We got 4 pots of chocolate fondue. One was plain milk chocolate, one was s'mores, one was bananas foster, and one was the Flaming Turtle, which was chocolate, caramel, and pecans. Each pot came with a big plate of stuff to dip in the fondue, like strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, pound cake, and brownies. There was also cheesecake. The best part was when the waiter put the fondue pots on the burner and set them on fire, or "flambeed" them. Also, we found out for sure that my friend and I are going to be co-presidents next year. Now we have to figure out how to deal with Madame.

8 more days of school!

Happy summertime!

Happy unofficial summertime! Happy June!

I thought the old blog could use a little freshening up for the summer, you see? It looks prettiful now! It only took me an hour and a half to pick out the template!

I got paper lanterns for my room for Easter so that's what inspired this template. I'd post a picture for you but I'm a bit technologically challenged when it comes to uploading pictures from my camera. You'll just have to take my word that they look pretty in my apple green room! And you can look at the lanterns on the screen!

In other news...
Actually, there's not much other news.

• French Club is going on a field trip on Saturday! (Well, it's the closest we've had to a field trip in a while!) This is how we spend the money that we make by selling crepes; we go to a restaurant and eat crepes! I guess we have to spend the money somehow! I'm hoping that my friend and I are French Club co-presidents next year. Our current president is graduating and Madame won't let the one girl who wants to be president be president because she's not taking French next year. That's Madame for you!
• My aunt and uncle are having a surprise party on the 26th for my cousin who turns 21! Yay! They have a pool at their house. My mom just realized that we'll have to send her a card and present on the 19th, her actual birthday, so she doesn't think we forgot her birthday!
• We're going to Cape May for my grandmom's 80th birthday! We get to stay for the whole weekend! And my dad's not going because he doesn't want to spend a whole weekend at the shore with my grandmom and my aunt (and my mom and me). Cape May is my favorite New Jersey beach town, though my favorite beaches are in Maine and California.

Countdown - Days of school left: 10!!!!! (Actually I'm not sure if we have to come to school on the 16th or not...)

Animal crackers

Really funny.

Waiting for the great pumpkin

We've all seen It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, right? It's the one where Linus believes a Great Pumpkin will visit the "most sincere" pumpkin patch and bring all the kids presents? It's Halloween and he convinces Lucy to stay with him all night and wait for the Pumpkin (which never comes) and she gets really mad?

Well, that's kind of like what happened to all the people that thought the world was going to end on Saturday. As you can see, it's Sunday and we're all still here. And the world isn't being slowly destroyed. We're all fine. No one was "raptured." And I wasn't surprised. But thousands of 'believers' were. They truly thought that something was going to happen yesterday at 6pm, and nothing did. (Hahaha, losers.) So that's why I'm comparing them to Linus and the Great Pumpkin.

I, for one, am immensely glad that the world did not end. Of course, I didn't want to do my English homework, but I had plans for today! Today is our theater banquet! And by 'banquet' they mean 'potluck in the cafeteria.' But, even still, I'm looking forward to it. I baked mini chocolate cupcakes.

Hey, by the way, you know what's really good? Wegman's raspberry lemonade.

Something I never thought I'd hear my bio teacher say

"So, who saw Modern Family last night?"

Water for Elephants

I finished reading Water for Elephants reeaallly late last night!!! It was AMAZING. All I can say is read it, read it now! It's just really really really good (as long as you can handle the graphic parts). It's the kind of book that made me want to read it all over again as soon as I finished it. I didn't, of course, but I know I'll definitely re-read it. And eventually I'll get around to seeing the movie. But for now, READ IT!

Just another tuesday

I kept taking naps between the sections of the biology test. Power naps, I like to call them. I don't think I was alone. Why do they give us tests first thing in the morning? Why does school start so early?

I had to go to the nurse for screening today. It took the whole period and I missed choir. Which is not a good thing. They used to call you down one by one and it would take 5 minutes and you'd do everything at once. NOW, you go in, wait with 10 other people, and get your height and weight taken. (They told me I'm 5'2 but really I think I'm 5'3 or 5'4. Also, apparently I gained 9 pounds in 8 months. Is that normal?) Then I had to go and wait again until they took my blood pressure. I've never had my blood pressure taken in school before. It was weird. Then I had to wait again for a really long time. Then I had my vision and hearing checked, and I had to put on my librarian glasses, which I never wear. It's amazing how much more I could see. But I still couldn't see that 7th line she wanted me to read...
 
I saw a poster for a plant sale at school. I think it's probably the botany classes or something. Maybe horticulture club. Anyway, I think I should buy my mom a plant. You know, to be nice.

My lunch today consisted of a chocolate cupcake. Don't ask.

This looks like fun.

Books.

We have to do a "genre project" in English class that involves reading books in the genre of your choice. I chose historical fiction. May I suggest a few titles?

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - My friend lent this to me and told me I had to read it. I did. It was amazing. Definitely a different take on Nazi Germany/World War II. Girl named Liesel goes to live with foster parents, learns how to read, fall in love with books and proceeds to steal them from wherever she can. But life in Nazi Germany is dangerous and some stuff goes down. Literally. Read it.
• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - Now a major motion picture. Which I have yet to see. And I hear it's not that good. But the book's pretty good, so far. Good read for animal lovers. Jacob joins the circus as a veterinarian. Falls in love with Marlena, whose husband happens to be the cruel and abusive animal trainer. Go Rosie the elephant!
• The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory - Medieval times and royalty. Quite intriguing. The librarian in the school library kept telling me how great it is. Based on a true story. Anne and Mary Boleyn are fighting for the attention of King Henry VIII of England, who happens to be already married to Catherine of Aragon. If you recall, we learned about King Henry and Catherine in history class, and how they changed the laws so they could be divorced.
• The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel - There's a Hallmark movie based on this that my mom and I LOVE. We LOVE this Hallmark movie. Hopefully the book's just as good. Again, World War II. Livy is forced into an arranged marriage with farmer Ray because she's pregnant and the baby daddy is off at war. They weren't even married anyway. Anyway, Livy went to college and wanted to be and archaeologist and travel the world, but when you think about it it's her own fault she's Mrs. Farmlady instead.

Good reads. If you have any spare time. If not, consider this your summer reading list!

Hello.

Hello. I've been really busy lately. All my teachers seem to be assigning projects and papers and homework at the same time. But it's almost the end of the year!!! I don't know whether to be happy or not. On one hand, I could really use a break. I'm really not looking forward to finals. But I think I'll really miss school, freshman year specifically. I'll miss all the seniors who I don't really know anyway. They're going away and NEVER COMING BACK. I can't imagine what it would be like to go away and never come back. Honestly, I can't imagine what it would be like to not be a freshman. Guess I'll find out in September!

There will be a lot that I'll miss. Bulleted list follows:

• I'll miss my all-girls English class. Things get done a lot more efficiently when it's all girls. This is weird, but I heard that someone in my class is having an end-of-the-year-English-class-party. It sounds a little strange. I can only hope she doesn't invite Mr. Lloyd!
• I'll miss walking through the courtyard on a nice sunny day like today. Okay, I've only done that a few times, but you know what I'm talking about. That general sense of freedom and calm happiness. I mean, how many schools have courtyards that you can use as a hallway? I like going outside during the school  day.  Though somehow my teachers don't seem to think it's a  good idea to have class in the courtyard.
• Wandering. I'm a wanderer. I enjoy roaming the hallways. It actually makes the school seem smaller. Remember how big it felt on the first day? My study hall teacher lets us wander around. He doesn't believe in hall passes. After school today, my mom was going to pick me up outside the media center door. You know the greenhouse that the botany classes use? I couldn't help noticing that the door to it was open. Yesterday it was locked. I knew I wasn't supposed to, but I went inside. It was really hot and humid inside. There were a lot of plants. That's all I noticed before I left, because I thought someone would come in and yell at me. You know Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania? It's this big botanical gardens place. We usually go there around Christmastime every year. They have a great big conservatory with pretty plant displays, but behind the scenes is probably all greenhouses. I think I'll take botany senior year and if I like it maybe I'll work at Longwood someday. 
• Theater people. Theater people are really nice, about as nice as choir and band people. Maybe it's a music thing. Sports people aren't all that nice. Well, actually I guess it depends on the sport. And the person. ANYWAYS, I like being part of the theater crowd. Or family. Whichever you prefer. Which reminds me, our theater banquet is next Sunday! I'm excited. It's only a potluck in the cafeteria, not a real banquet. I have to figure out what to bring... probably dessert :)

That's all for now. Passe une bonne temps. Casse une jambe. Bon voyage. Whatever.

Update on the Cake

Oh yeah, so that cake? It was delicious.  :)

Chocolate Biscuit Cake!!!!!

So, you know that cake I was telling you about! I'm making it today for Mother's Day! It's in the refrigerator right now and it should be done in about an hour. I'm really excited!!!!! It looks really good! I'm going to give you the recipe and you have to make it! As I mentioned before, it doesn't bake in the oven, you just put it in the fridge. Interesting fact: the eggs are raw, but the chemical reaction of the sugar and the eggs actually cooks them and makes them safe to eat! I went to the store yesterday to get the special pan you need to make the cake, but they only had a 9 inch pan instead of the 6 inch one that the recipe calls for. So I actually had to double the recipe and it looks super delicious!!!!! This is the doubled recipe, do not double this recipe!!!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp. butter , for greasing
• 16 ounces Rich tea biscuits
• 2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter , softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup dark chocolate , for the cake (I used semisweet chocolate chips)
• 2 eggs

• 2 cups dark chocolate , for coating

Directions:

To make cake: Lightly grease a 9" x 2 1/2" cake ring and place on a tray on a sheet of parchment paper.

Break each of the biscuits into almond-size pieces by hand and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until the mixture starts to lighten.

Melt the 4 ounces of dark chocolate and add to the butter mixture while constantly stirring.

Beat the egg into the mixture.

Fold in the biscuit pieces until they are all coated with the chocolate mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake ring. Try to fill all of the gaps on the bottom of the ring because this will be the top when it is unmolded.

Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

To coat and decorate: Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it stand while you melt the 8 ounces of dark chocolate.

Slide the ring off the cake and turn it upside down onto a cake wire.

Pour the melted chocolate over the cake and smooth the top and sides using a palette knife.

Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature.

Carefully run a knife around the bottom of the cake where the chocolate has stuck to the cake wire and lift it onto a plate.

It's actually a lot easier than it sounds, I promise! Happy baking!!!

The Royal Wedding

Sorry I've been absent for a little while! I've been busy, if that's a good excuse!

Is anyone else slightly obsessed with the Royal Wedding? I am. I really wasn't excited at all until Thursday, the day before. I find royalty fascinating, especially since Kate Middleton is (was) a commoner. Also, people on TV were calling it the "wedding of the century." Also, my middle name is Catherine. So then I started getting excited. I found my Princess Diana Remembrance Beanie Baby in the box under my bed and proudly sat it on top of my bookshelf. I got a $9.99 replica of the famous sapphire-and-diamond engagement ring at Michael's. I found the recipe for Prince William's delicious looking Chocolate Biscuit groom's cake. I plan on making it soon. You can find the recipe here: http://www.oprah.com/food/Chocolate-Biscuit-Cake-Recipe/ Okay, so I'm really excited about the cake. It's made with butter cookies ("biscuits") and chocolate and doesn't require baking.You just need a special pan and put it in the refrigerator for a few hours. It looks delicious. They said this is what would be served when Princes William and Harry would have tea with the queen when they were little. Here's a picture!

Yummy deliciousness. So, I dragged myself out of bed before 6am Friday morning. Thursday night I was at an event for my mom's work and it ran late, so I didn't have time to finish my English assignment which was due Friday. It was the perfect excuse to go to school late! I got up at 5:45, just in time to see Kate Middleton driving to Westminster Abbey. My dad was making fun of my mom and me for watching the wedding. He wanted to watch CNN like he does every morning, but then he realized the wedding was on CNN, as well as every other channel. The ceremony lasted from 6 to 7, then I finished my homework. It's kind of hard to do homework at 7am, in case you were wondering. I don't recommend it. But I was really happy because I got to see Wills and Kate and the rest of the royal family when they came out on the Buckingham Palace balcony at 8:25. I came to school halfway through 3rd period. It was great. I wish I could do that every day, then I'd never have to go to Bio or Gym! We watched the wedding all over again in French class.

In case you've been living under a rock:

live the green life

live the green life by (Sarah) featuring patent leather high heels

purple living room

purple living room by (Sarah) on Polyvore.com