So the Easter bunny came a little bit early for me this year... but he(or she) promised that there would be more presents on Easter. I got what I always wanted: the Coraline Carl's Jr. kids meal toys! The pack contains a "Magic" Mirror(it really doesn't do anything but show yourself) container with a puzzle, a War of the Worlds card game, a Tic Tac Toe game, and a Coraline key, which I wear around my neck.

The Easter bunny said that it was the last one on eBay, so that makes me really lucky. I remember seeing the card game at a thrift store but I didn't get them because I didn't know anything about the movie. And then I saw the movie and thought, "Oh my gosh, why did I just pass up the cards? Why???"

You can click on the picture for a larger image. It kind of takes forever to upload pictures to Blogger, so I only did one.

We now have a new kitty condo for Takai. She is having some difficulty getting into it but she still loves it. I had to take some pictures of it with her two very special stuffed friends, Mr. Bear and Miss Mousy, because she was asleep and I couldn't get her up to sit on top of it. But maybe someday when I have the camera in my hands and she's on top of it, I'll download a picture.

We wanted to get a kitty condo that looked just like the one from the shelter, but mom found this one at a yard sale, so we ended up with this one.

I guess you could say that this is one of the daring adventures of Mr. Bear and Miss Mousy, right?

Today I looked in an earlier post and saw that i did a brief summary of Harry and his Bucket Full of Dinosaurs. I remember watching that kid and his show. I remember all the characters and how they were so positive and inspiring[Harry:Mom, do you know why it's so quiet at the library? It's because all the books are holding their breaths, waiting to be picked up... by me!].

Harry is five-years old. He lives with his mom, Nana, and sister Sam. Now Harry thinks he's just the luckiest kid in the world. Why? Because Nana gave him a bucket full of talking dinosaurs that take him to a magical place: Dino World! Every day there is a new adventure, such as dropping all the toys from his room into the bucket, or having mud baths when Nana specifically told him not to!

I decided to put a couple pictures of Harry on this post because he deserves it. I watched that show for two years and they took it off in 2008. Within a year, I was able to find it again on YouTube, only to find out that they were from the UK, not in the USA.

I still love you, Harry!

Happy Spring!

Spring is officially here! I never thought this day would never come, and that winter would always be here. Now I can look forward to warm days and some outdoor fun!

St. Patrick's Day was at least 60 or 70 degrees. It was peaceful, and I spent at least 2 hours out in the sun over at my neighbor's house. Don't worry; I wore green!!!

This morning on the TV listings channel I tried to check the weather for the day, but it only said the temperature that it was, which was 32. I hope it's not going to be like that for the rest of the day! That would be so disappointing. :(

Easter is coming up on the fourth of April. I can't wait! In stores, there are plastic Easter eggs with Play-Do in them, which is kind of cool.

This is a Travel Journal that I made a while back. It's Pink with a small picture of a map that I decoupaged on the front, and two buttons, that are Pink and Purple. On the back, it is painted light blue with a painted sun and clouds, and another decoupage of the map. Inside, it is green and yellow, with vintage Japanese stamps and a little heart that says, "Earth."


Here's how I made mine:

1. I found a spiral bound composition book while thrifting and decided to use it.

2. I got out the paints I wanted, and painted over the cover. I ignored the little golden sticker on the front that had the company name.

3. When the paint dried, I used Mod Podge to paste the map, letter stickers, and earth magnet to decorate.

4. The next day after over-night drying, I painted the left inside flap green and found those cute little Japanese stamps, and I thought, "Since it's a travel journal, I could use these."

5. Over-night drying once again! Then I painted the right inside flap yellow, pasted the stamps, and the heart with the earth magnet on it.

6. And finally, the next day, I painted the back light blue and put clouds, a sun, and decoupaged more of the map, and I had a finished journal!

Well, I guess spring is coming up. Everyone is spring cleaning and flowers are coming up, and the snow is melting. Pretty soon the buds on the trees are going to come up and my favorite flower, the Rose, will be in bloom.

I thought that February would never end and I hoped that January wouldn't end so soon, but I guess when they say "Time flys when you're having fun,"... means that time flys when you're having fun, right?

Here is a small collection of snow globes that I have collected since the sixth of January 2010. I am collecting small plastic ones because I can't stand the glass ones(I broke one once).

My favorite is the green one with the carousel horse in it. It's really pretty.

I broke another snow globe(this time it was plastic) as soon as I got home after thrifting. It was a Seattle, Washington snow globe, and it was perfect for my collection... but then I got it home and saw a little puddle of water and glitter.

Okay, so I said that I would post some pictures of my Avatar and Eleanor Happy Meal toys, so, here they are! Cool, huh?

Right after the post where I said that I would put the pictures on here, I found another Avatar toy and Eleanor's sister, Brittany. The second Avatar toy glows every time you touch it, and Brittany says, "We're the Chimpettes."

Eleanor says, "It's so beautiful!"

This is Takai(pronounced Tah-ki). She is Orange and very, very fluffy, as you can see from the picture. We adopted her from the shelter at PetSmart. She was a little shy at first, but she gradually became brave enough to come out and explore around my house.

She dashes out of rooms and rolls over on her back and plays dead, which is very cute and special for a cat like her. She likes to lick your hand and put her head down on it so it will be clean enough for her to sleep on. She loves to play, especially LOVES to play with the laser light that I got her. And once in a while she will sleep with me but she always sleeps with mom.

Takai, I think, might be a cat who thinks she's a dog, basically because she licks your hand and sometimes chases her tail. She looks a little bit like Dug from Up. Except Dug doesn't have cheeks like Takai.

She has very cute cheeks; so cute that you would want to pinch them.

She gets up on the table while we're doing things and watches the chickens next door. She loves to watch chickens!

And she snores. She always snores. Even if she's awake or her eyes are open, she'll snore.

And we absolutely love her.

Takai, we love you!!!

Tomorrow night is the big night: The Academy Awards(the Oscars)! I can't wait! I watch it every year. I guess it's a tradition...

Also coming up in March is the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards. I made my votes this morning. I voted for Lady Gaga as favorite female singer, Selena Gomez as favorite TV star, and Up as favorite movie! I hope my votes win!

Yesterday I went to Watson lake with my friend Keli and she said that the next time we go there, I should take my camera and take some pictures because that place is just so beautiful. If you get on some of the high rocks and look at the lake, you'll think the same thing I did: Boy this lake is HUGE!!!

So maybe tomorrow I'll post some pictures of the cat.

I'm going to the goodwill today. I go every Friday(unless bad weather like rain or snow, but on the windy and sunny days I go).

Last time I was there, I found a McDonald's happy meal toy for the movie, Avatar, which glows every time you speak; a happy meal "Chimpettes" toy from the Alvin and the Chipmunks sequel(named Eleanor); and some finger paints because I am painting boxes and journals now.

The goodwill by my house used to be a furniture store, but now it's a thrift store with a wide selection of clothes, clothes, clothes; a small room for the plastic toys(which I happen to always go to first); magazines and book racks; and furniture.

I really don't know what I'd do without the goodwill because that's where I found my Coraline paperback edition of the book.

I'll post some pictures of the Avatar and Eleanor toy soon. I promise. Also, I'll do some pictures of my new cat, Takai(pronounced Tah-kie).

P.S. Thanks to my friends, Dan, Nana, and Harry for commenting! I appreciate it!

Apologies from a Coraline fanatic.
Don't ignore the title. I do have an apology to make and I am a Coraline fanatic.


First off, I am REALLY REALLY SORRY that I ignore you for nearly two years. I just got a little uninterested after the Charlie and Lola post and called it quits. I said that I would come back, but then two years passed and I had a dream about me writing this apology letter(and when I woke up I said to my mom, "I wonder if I should start blogging again???").
Well, now I will be blogging again, I promise. I swear, I am telling the truth. Are you listening... whoever you are?


A lot has changed since two years ago. I stopped knitting(I told everyone that it was a two year break but my conscience keeps telling me that it isn't true), my yarn store was "bombed"(there's too much stuff in there now), and my beloved cat, Whyndam, was put to sleep. :-(


Now, if you have payed attention and are reading this paragraph that I am typing right now, it's time to go on to the second part in the first paragraph:
CORALINE.
So, on July 25, 2009, I was immediately turned into a Coraline fanatic after my first viewing of the movie. I read the book first in February, and I have to admit, it was a little bit dark and creepy. But in the movie, the director, the wonderful Henry Selick(director of James and the Giant Peach and The Nightmare Before Christmas), stuck some to the book and wrote some more to make the movie suitable for kids.


The book was written by Neil Gaiman, the author who's last book, The Graveyard Book, I absolutely loved.


So, if you haven't seen the movie yet, here's what it's about:

Coraline Jones(voiced by Dakota Fanning) and her parents, Mel(voiced by Teri Hatcher) and Charlie(voiced by John Hodgeman), move from their comfortable lives in Pontiac, Michigan to the Pink Palace Apartments in Ashland, Oregon. Her parents are busy with a gardening catalog, which leaves them less time for their daughter. At the apartment, she is bored and tries to make friends with her new neighbors, Miss Spink(voiced by Dawn French), Miss Forcible(voiced by Jennifer Saunders), who are two washed up actresses living in the down stairs apartment with their three Scottie dogs; Mr. Bobinsky(voiced by Ian McShane), who is a retired and eccentric circus mice tamer; and the landlord's grandson, Wybourne "Wybie" Lovat(voiced by Robert Baily Jr.), who is a little "psycho" for Coraline, even after he gives her a doll that looks just like her.


After the second day at the house, Coraline finds a little door that leads to a whole other world at night, but in the day, it disappears. In this other world, she meets her "other" Mother and Father(also voiced by Hatcher and Hodgeman), and other versions of the neighbors including Wybie. They all have buttons for eyes, which is the creepy thing about them.


Then, on the third visit to the otherworld, Coraline is given a "surprise" by the other parents: A box that has two large black buttons inside and a needle and thread(Other Mother: "Black is tradition. But if you prefer pink,
or, Vermilion, or, Chartreuse - no, no, you'd make me jealous."). Coraline rejects, and runs back upstairs to go to sleep(every time she falls asleep, she is transported to the real world). But when she wakes up, she finds that she's still in her other room.


The other Mother tries to get her to stay, and turns into a hideous witch. She traps Coraline in a mirror prison, until she learns "to become a loving daughter". There, she meets three ghost children who explain that the other Mother sewed buttons into their eyes and ate up their souls. Coraline promises that she'll find their eyes, and then the other Wybie(the other mother removed his ability to speak due to Coraline's frustration of the real Wybie's habit of talking too much) frees her from the prison and takes her back to the real world.


Coraline soon discovers that her real parents had been kidnapped by the other Mother, and so she goes back to the otherworld, finds the ghost eyes and her parents, and the other Mother fails to keep her forever. After the rescue, her parents have no recollection of the kidnapping but only remember about their gardening catalog being published.


That night, Coraline has a dream that the ghost children tell her that the other Mother will find the key to the door and take Coraline's soul. She decides to drop the key down the well, but the other Mother's hand fights with her, and then Wybie arrives just in time and together they destroy the hand.


The last scene in the movie is when Coraline throws a garden party for all her friends.