Strange Thoughts

It's a strange thing when one day you realize that you really like your life. That might sound really awful, I don't mean that I didn't like my life before, it's just now I know that I do like it and I see how blessed I am. Nothing big has happened to change my view, and things haven't gotten wonderful all of a sudden, it's just I see things differently. Almost as a reader reading my life like it's a book and enjoying it. There are always things I would change if I could, but that's part of what makes life interesting. If life was perfect my story wouldn't be worth reading. If love was placed in my lap there would be no quest for it. If I lived in Europe I wouldn't get to dream about traveling there. If I never had to work for things I wouldn't appreciate them and I probably wouldn't get as far. So, you see, those are the things that make life interesting and good and romantic, to be able to dream of travel and love. The flaws make beauty precious and rare. Those are the thoughts that have brought about my change of view, and also the realization that I have the ability to make certain things the way I want them. I've been decorating my room, writing, listening to music, sewing, creating things, and surrounding myself with things that inspire me. I feel as if I could never run out of ideas and excitement. I just love it, I'm finally getting to use the part of me that's been stifled all of these past years of high school. Last year it took over my wardrobe but now it's taking over my life.
I am just so excited about this change and I can hardly wait to see what will come next.

Love,
Clara

hold fast

Hold fast to your dreams!

Within your heart

Keep one, still, secret spot

Where dreams may go,

And sheltered so,

May thrive and grow-

Where doubt and fear are not.

O, keep a place apart,

Within your heart,

For little dreams to go!

Think still of lovely things that are not true.

Let wish and magic work at will in you.

Be sometimes blind to sorrow. Make believe!

Forget the calm that lies

In disillusioned eyes.

Though we all know that we must die,

Yet you and I

May walk like gods and be

Even now at home in inmortality!

We see so many things-

Deceits and wrongs and quarrelings;

We know, alas! we know

How quickly fade

The color in the west,

The bloom upon the flower,

The bloom upon the breast

And youth's blind hour.

Yet, keep within your heart

A place apart

Where little dreams may go,

May thrive and grow.

Hold fast- hold fast to your dreams!

~by Louise Driscoll

Exciting new! The lovely Katherine and I have started a new blog, it's a kind of book club called bookish&c.. I hope you'll check it out, it should be a lot of fun. A little while ago I got these two beautiful new (old) books from the library book sale, it's a bit strange because they're the same book. Yeah, Thelma by Corelli, I just couldn't pick one of them, so I got both. Aren't they pretty? I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Love, Clara

Let me tell you a story, (and ask a tiny little favor of my followers)

Once upon a time, a girl went to Creamer's Field. For a while she read a fairytale to herself, a lovely book about a princess who gets robbed of her crown and becomes a goose girl.

But the day was dreamy and warm, the sky was blue and the leaves turning golden, and they could not stand to be neglectfully ignored. So She closed her book, willing to save it for a rainy day or a quiet night, and set off ready to find her own magic.

The geese were stopping by on their long migration, and it was easy to imagine she was the goose girl. Yet, she wondered where they stayed in the winter. To her they were always flying, North or South, Spring or Autumn, did they ever really stop?

She decided not to linger with the fowl and moved on down a trail into the woods, many a little bird were seen on the path and one fearless squirrel.

The path continued as she was accompanied by a tiny little stream that hardly move at all, perfectly content to take it's time, knowing it would get where it was going when it was meant to.
Golden light whispered through the golden leaves and caught on the few that drifted slowly through the air, getting lost in the light covering that already blanketed the ground.

A bit off the path she saw a pool, the light streamed down through the faint opening in the trees and she became certain it the birch dryad's bathing place. For what dryad could possibly bare to pass up the warmth and beauty of such a place?

And while the slight wandering drew to a close the magic of the walk continued through the rest of the day and that night the girl's dreams were full of golden leaves and golden light.

I would like to again say thank you to all of my followers, I'm sorry I haven't been able to personally visit your blogs and say hello, but either my computer or blogger is having some problems and I haven't been able to see who you are! So, if you don't mind, I would love it if you would leave a comment so that I can meet you and thank you. Could you do that for me? I would be so appreciative. Thank you.

~Clara

The Story Girl

I'm right in the middle of this delicious novel and it's been dreadfully difficult to get other things done because of it. L. M. Montgomery never fails to fulfil my every wish when it comes to the perfect book. My quote book is now a page and a half fuller than it was before I started this book. For example:

"If voices had colour, hers would have been a rainbow. It made words live. Whatever she said became a breathing entity, not a mere verbal statement or utterance. Felix and I were too young to understand or analyze the impression it made upon us; but we instantly felt at her greeting that it was a good morning- a surpassingly good morning- the very best morning that had ever happened in this most excellent of worlds."

~The Story Girl

There's another one that I'm planning to share with you as well, a bit later. I also thought I'd show you the scones I made, paired with orange rhubarb jam. They were so good. I need to wrap this up now, but, as always, I will try to be back soon.

Lots of love,

Clara

Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments, I did have a nice weekend and though parts of it were non-stop I did get to end it curled up on the couch with scones (I did make some!), tea, and one of my favorite movies, Penelope (Pride and Prejudice didn't happen). The only other thing I actually did on my list, besides the scones, was go thrift shopping. I went on Monday because that's when they had the 50% off sale at Value Village, and I did pretty well if I do say so myself. Every time I go shopping I end up with more skirts than anything else, this time I got two and a slip, which I'm not sure counts as one or not. The blue plaid is a lovely Pendleton wool that reaches past my knees, I've begun to really get into longer skirts, they're easier to live in and they have a sort of sophisticated air that I love. The other skirt is shorter and thin and flirty/floaty I can hardly wait to wear it.

Words can not express how exciting it was for me to find this belt, I have been wanting a wide braided belt for a long time and this one surpassed my expectations. Plus, I got it for only five dollars!

Also I found a bunch of crocheted lace, I thought it a bit over priced, but I decided to get it anyway. I'll definitely use it.

This isn't a very good picture. Am I the only one that finds photographing shoes very difficult?
These are sadly a bit too small, but they were just so beautiful I had to get them! I'm hoping to start an etsy shop soon so they'll probably end up there.

I got the awesome girl award again this time from Jemima and Maddy thank you so much girls!

I love you both! So the one from Jemima was a slight bit different than before, I'm supposed to state ten things about myself that are useless/interesting so here we go,

1. I collect some of my thoughts on scraps of paper and keep them in a big mason jar on a shelf.

2. I haven't painted my fingernails in almost two years.

3. I've never seen The Little Mermaid, which is absolutely ridiculous, I know, but some how it just hasn't happened.

4. I love musicals, I'll enjoy almost everyone but my favorites are the completely crazy and impossible ones like Hello Dolly and The Music Man.

5. I hate making little decisions such as what I want at a restaurant, big decisions however HAVE to be made by me.

6. I want to be an artist, a gypsy, a writer, a collector, a lover, a costume designer, and a gardener.

7. I love feet. Bare feet, stockinged feet, and feet in shoes. Guess what my favorite Dr. Seuss book was?

8. I believe in Miracles.

9. I go through phases with baking. For a long time all I'd bake was different kinds of biscotti, now I think it's going to be scones.

10. I'm such a slow blogger, it's taken me three days to complete this list.

Whew, I did it. Jemima also gave me this little award. Thank you darling!

I really love her idea of giving it to people who fallow her blog, so I'm going to steal it. :) Thank you so, so, much you guys, I feel so blessed by you all. It was only a few months ago that I didn't have any followers at all and now I have six. wow.

I'm not going to say much else because I want to get this posted, but I was wondering if any of you might have suggestions of books or movies I might like. I'm always looking for new books to read and good movies, so I'm open to almost anything. You can look on my profile to see what kinds I love best. I hope you all have wonderful weekends and I hope I can be back soon. Thanks to everyone again.

with Peppermint and Pine cones,

Clara

Woohoo! Three day weekend! I just finished watching seventeen again, and I really liked it. What can I say? I'm a sucker for movies with a moral message, and it was very sweet and funny. I was laughing just about the whole time. The rest of this glorious weekend I hope to:

Bake heart shaped scones

Hang up pictures in my room

Start the fingerless mittens for my sister

Thrift shopping

Dye some clothes (I hope!)

Art journaling/book making

Watch Pride and Prejudice

And that's about it. I don't want to overwhelm myself or try to do to much, I probably won't do half of my list and end up doing lots of other things, but that's okay. My main goal is to relax and have a break before the real plunge of school begins, I haven't had a real break in a long time since I've done school all summer for the last three years. At least I should be able to graduate on time though, so that's good. The picture above is completely random, sorry I didn't feel like putting a ton of effort into this post. I'm so tired. I'll try to be back this weekend, we'll see what happens. I love you all!

Love, Clara