Changes Competition

You may or may not have noticed some of the changes that have been going on here recently. I have changed some major stuff and some minor stuff.


Your task:

Figure out what I changed!


There are two easy ways to enter this competition.

1. Comment

2. Contact Me Directly

(You may want to contact me directly if you think you know the answers and you don't want anyone else to steal them. If you comment then anyone else is freely allowed to steal your ideas.)


There is a prize for the winner...


The Rules.
There are (to give you an idea) at least 7 separate things I am looking for. The person with the most right will win.
There is no official deadline. I reserve the right to change, modify and close the competition when I see fit. It's likely to be ended in a few days time. If I were you I'd get in quick.
The winner's prize instructions will be emailed to them.
If you need help (or don't think I changed anything) then email me and I just might give you a hint. Or two. ;)
Cheat at your own risk.
Each of the changes were made on Sunday the 30th of March 2014. Any changes made before that date will not be counted.



Have fun!

Sunday Inspiration

All images from here.

5 Brilliant Hide-And-Seek Strategies

1. Hide just inside the boundaries.

We often play hide and seek just down our hallway and in the bedrooms and make the garage outside the boundaries. This makes the jacket (coat) wall a brilliant place to hide because it's right next to the garage door. Because it's so close to the boundary, the searcher will often walk right past you when you are crouching behind a hook full of jackets!

Our jacket wall is a little more crowded than this one....

2. Be a Box

Oh, this is a fun one. You probably have beds in your house that don't have anything underneath them, right? They become the places to hide. Here's a secret. Hide under a bed that has stuff underneath it. One of the bunk beds in our house has a whole row of boxes underneath. So here is what you do. You first push all the boxes out a little so there is room for you behind them. Then you wiggle in and hide behind them. If you can get someone else to help you, get them to push the boxes back in as far as they will go to avoid suspicion from the searcher. You'll find this works really well, because the searcher will expect there to be just boxes underneath the bed, not boxes and people!

Under these beds would not be a good place to hide.

3. Evasive Strategies

If you are stuck for a brilliant place to hide, don't worry. Move around. You can always tell where the searcher is because they will make noises. No matter how quiet they try to be, there will always be footsteps, breathing etc. Hide in one room to begin with. When the searcher has searched through several other rooms, sneak out of your current hiding place and position yourself in one of the rooms that has already been searched through. When the searcher has combed every room and still not found you, repeat the move because they will probably make a second search.

4. In Trees

Most of the time we play our Hide-and-Seek games indoors. However, if you feel so inclined to play outdoors, welcome the idea. Outside is way more fun. There are usually more places to hide. (Even better is to play an indoor and outdoor game!) A good example is inside a tree. If you are lucky enough to have mature, clime-able trees in the area in which you desire to play a game of Hide-and-Seek, then your problems are over. Unless the searcher has been reading my blog post, they probably won't think to look high in trees. 

I have no idea where this tree is, but it would be awesome for hiding in.

5. Use Camouflage

It may go without saying, but wearing a bright pink t-shirt when you are trying to hide in a tree is just asking for trouble. Wear dark colours or camouflage like the army. If you can't (or won't), then I would suggest you either find a place to hide in that does not require camouflage clothing (such as under a bed surrounded by boxes) or be the searcher. :) Someone must hunt out those camouflaged hiders.

This cat has flawless camouflage.

What are your foolproof hiding places and strategies?

3 Great Ideas

Accidentally close a tab on your browser? No problem! Hit ctrl-shift-T and the page will pop up again.

Need to open a page in a new tab? Instead of right clicking and selecting "Open in new tab", save time by clicking on the link with the middle button on your mouse. If you don't have a mouse with a middle button you can hold down the ctrl key while clicking on the link. 

When cooking with oil place a pop corn kernel in the oil. You'll know your oil is hot enough when the kernel pops. 

Forgive Me!

Forgive me.... I've just realized that I never posted on the 24th of March saying Happy Birthday to Abbie!

So here's the post now instead.

Happy 17th birthday, Abbie!!

(Sorry it's two days late!)

Guest Posters Wanted

I don't know if you remember, but in this post I mentioned as one of my goals for 2014 that I wanted to have 5 guest posters posting here this year. I have so far had one.

So, what do you think?

Should I try and get four more intrepid volunteers?

I have actually already asked two people. One has said that she will do it... it's just a question of how long it will take. So I can wait for her post. That's okay. The other person I asked said she can't make any promises because she's really busy at the moment. That's also okay.

However.... I would love it if someone else would volunteer as well! Preferably more than one person! Let's go for ten guest posters!

I honestly don't care who you are or what you say, (provided it's interesting and of course I will preview it first to make sure it's appropriate!) Anyone who can write will be joyfully hailed with much anticipation!

If you want to post on my blog, please contact me here.

Please!!!!!

The Rope Braid

For all you girls out there reading this, I wrote a hair tutorial. This hairstyle is one which I love doing because it looks so cool! You may or may not have heard of/seen it before: the Rope Braid. I love it because it looks a bit cooler than an ordinary plait, yet it is still easy and do-able.

For this tutorial, I took Sophie as my model. Thank you, Sophie!

1. Brush hair well. 

2. Divide into two equal(ish) parts.

3. Now comes the fun/tricky part. Cross the left section over the right section (or vice versa, like I did).

4. And start twisting. I twist the hair from the left to the right.

5. Keep crossing each section over and twisting each section as you do so.

6. It should start to look like a rope. See the twistiness?

7. Don't give up! You're nearly there!

8. When you think it is as long as you want it, fix it in place with a hair tie. When I first did it, I thought it would all un-twist itself when I tied it with the hair tie. But it didn't!

Oh, and by the way. You're done. :)

Optional (a.k.a Extra for Experts)

For a very glamorous-looking bun, twist the rope braid up and pin it. In my humble opinion, this looks way more awesome than a normal bun.

Oh - and Sophie, you're an awesome model!

Let me know what you think in the comments. :)

He Saw Me

This is such a wonderful song. My current favourite.

Castle Cake + Smiles + Lego + Sam + Origami + Butterflies (I think that covered everything!)

It was a rainy and wet Sunday afternoon when Cyclone Lusi hit Canterbury. What do you do on rainy and wet Sunday afternoons? You take photos of your adorably cute wee sister who just turned 6 weeks old that day, of course! Also among the collection of photos are just random photos from this afternoon and photos from Lydia's birthday a few days ago.

Lydia's cake, made by Sophie.

Caleb, Ben and Johnny

Sam the springer spaniel

Whoever thinks only little dogs can be cute are completely wrong.

Butterfly hairbands = awesome birthday presents for little girls

A big 8 year old now!

A collection of Sophie's origami projects

Jana lying in the bouncinet

I spent SO LONG trying to get her to smile for the camera... literally. This is the only one I have. Excuse the funny eyes.... but isn't she cute? She smiles lots now (but not much for the camera)!

What are you looking at?

Cuteness overload for your last picture. :) You're welcome.

Lovely Poem from the Word for Today

The Word for Today reading for today (March 16th) had this lovely poem about the Bible in it. I enjoyed it and I know you will too.


Though the cover is worn
and the pages are torn,
and though places bear traces of tears,
yet more precious than gold
is this book worn and old,
that can shatter and scatter my fears.
When I prayerfully look in this precious old book,
as my eyes scan the pages I see;
many tokens of love from the Father above,
Who is nearest and dearest to me.
This old book is my guide,
'tis a friend by my side,
it will lighten and brighten my way.
And each promise I find
soothes and gladdens my mind,
as I read it and heed it today.

(unknown author)

Fun with Favicons

So you know what a favicon is, right? That little icon to the left of the tab you have open?

From this website:

================================

Favicon (Favorites Icon) is the small picture (usually 16px x 16px in size) you see beside some some site's name in your browser's address bar. Having your own favicon with a nice graphical reminder of your site beside is a good way to get visitors attention. Blogger users can add a custom favicon for their blogs going to the Layout section and by clicking on the Edit link on the "Favicon" element.

Step 1. Log in to your Blogger's Dashboard, go to the Layout and click on Add a Gadget link

Step 2. Click on the "Edit" link on the "Favicon" setting above the navbar element.

Step 3. A popup window will open where you can search for an image in your hard drive to replace the default favicon image. Click on "Browse" button and search for your favicon (it should have the .ico extension) - then click on "Save".





Step 4. Now you should see your own favicon instead of blogger's default favicon.

It might take some time until your new favicon will appear in your Browser's tab or window.

====================================

So that's all good, right? Thank you to Blogger Help for hosting that little how-to. (Actually, I lifted it off their page).

When I decided to get a favicon, I knew I wanted one. Every cool blog had a favicon. Except mine. So I researched how to do it, uploaded the picture I wanted... or tried to. Do you know how hard it is to find a favicon that fits in with your colour scheme? This blog has an awesome favicon that works really well for their blog and colour scheme. (Oh, and so does this one.) So since I couldn't find a picture that I liked, I just found a picture I didn't like. Hence the use of this picture for my favicon.

Isn't it a lovely picture? It's a beautiful violin... and would be a beautiful picture for a favicon for any blog really. Except I don't think it quite works for mine.

What should I do? Should I leave it how it is? Or try and find something that works for me better? Or change my colour scheme to suit the favicon? Opinions, please!

My Confession

I confess... I have done something terrible... it is awful, I know.

I have good news and bad news for you.

The Good News First.
There has been a grand total of exactly.....






*drumroll*









20,000 views on my blog!!!!







*Bows, turns, pauses, bows again and waits for clapping to die down*

The Bad News Second.

It was me.

*Bows head in shame*

When I saw my blog had seen a total of 19,998 views, I viewed it twice myself just to make it that awesome number of 20,000. I freely confess my sins and hope that you will forgive it in light of the great achievement that has been achieved.

What do you think? Was it terrible? Or right? Let me know in the comments.

Sunflower Award

You know those awesome moments when you find new blogs and you just read through them and then you find links to other blogs and then you read through those and before you know it you've travelled all over the world via blogging?

I love that. :) Anyway, today I was doing just that. I found (among many other awesome blogs) this one. The author of that blog got tagged in a Sunflower Blogger Award a little down her page of posts and she ended it by saying that anyone who was reading it was tagged. So I consider myself tagged.

These are her questions, which I will now proceed to answer.


1. What would you title your autobiography? Oh help, I would have no clue. Probably Bonnie's Blessings because I just really like the alliteration of that. And the fact that I have lots of blessings. :)

2. How would you describe your feelings to a person who had never experienced love before? What kind of love? The love of God? It is warm and wide and vast and deep and holy and wonderful and pure and merciful and sacred and touching and sweet and melodious and strong and comforting and tough and stands-the-test-of-time and compassionate and peaceful and beautiful and awesome and amazing and oh dear, how on earth can I describe it???

3. The sun is setting, it's your last day on earth. How did you spend your last day? Wow, tough question. I spent a lot of time with my family saying goodbye and stuff like that.... I spent a lot of time with my Heavenly Father.... I spent time doing the sort of stuff you would expect (sorting out my will lol)... and now the sun is setting and I'm just going to enjoy watching the sun set... It's a beautiful sunset. Wait, did that sound totally weird? Probably. Sorry!

4. Your happy color. Passionfruit. The cross between pink and orange and yellow and peach.

5. Your favorite flower is in bloom, do you a. pick it, b. let it grow and slowly fade and dry the petals c. find a way to extract seeds so you can plant even more next year. Pick it and enjoy it.

6. Your worst fear has come to pass. What just happened?  I've been turned into a spider. 

7. Though a series of events you suddenly find out you are a princess, how do you handle this? Do you resign and go back to private life, or believe that some people are born great and others have greatness thrust upon them, and that this is your duty come what may. This. Is. My. Duty. And. I. Shall. Enjoy. It. 

8. What animal have you always wanted to keep for a pet that you are sure no one would let you keep? A dog. When I am older I want one of those adorably cute dogs that sits in your lap for hours and lets you cuddle it and doesn't want too many walks. ;)

9. You get a chance to live overseas for one year, where would you go and what would you do? These are really good questions! Well, I'd probably go on a world trip (if money was no object). I would go everywhere and do everything and see everything. Europe, Africa, Asia, America, everywhere. 

If that's not allowed then I would love to go help somewhere (an orphanage in Ethiopia) or someplace where I could really be a blessing. I don't know... a mission or something like that maybe. A Mercy ship.

10. You fall asleep and wake up in your favorite childhood storybook. What are you going to do and how are you going to get out? What I am going to do: Wake up. How I am going to get out: Arise from my slumbers. :P

11. Do you multi-task? Does it hinder or help you? Yes I multi task. I have been known to listen to my ipod and read a book at the same time, believe it or not. ;) At my job we have to multi task a lot. I quite enjoy it actually. Although I suppose it depends on what the two tasks are!

That's it! Now I am supposed to tag 11 people and then pose 11 of my own questions. If I missed you out and you want to be tagged, then you are tagged!!

And your questions are the 11 above, because I am lazy and can't be bothered thinking of my own. :)

Tagging:

Danella

Dmitri

Rhoda

Daniel

Philip

Abigail

Matthew

Sayna
Aarathyn
Tiffany
Raptor

(You don't have to do it unless you feel like it... but I think it would be cool. I'd love to see how you answer those questions!)

March 13th 8 years ago....

Today Lydia is 8!

Happy birthday, wonderful sister!

More Photos from the Bike Trip

Should you want to see the rest of the photos, see my earlier post here.

Spying out the land

What lies around the corner?

"What's in the pannier?"

Cyclist's leg

The natives

On the first day lunch stop this butterfly landed right beside Caleb's foot.

The River "We're there!"

A boy simply must throw a stone into a river.

The campsite. Complete with flags. And bikes. One of our party had a hammock stretched between two trees (with a tarp overtop, of course) in that foresty thing in the top right corner of the picture. It was so cool, the rest of us were jealous.