MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Help TG!

Hey ya'll!

There's a wonderful magazine for Catholic girls called TG! (True Girls, True God, Truly Gorgeous). The mag has been going through some tough times lately and subscriptions aren't enough to keep it going. They need more advertisers. So if you know of somebody who would like to advertise in TG! email Heather, the editor-in-chief, at this address: advertising@tgmagazine.net
Send up a few prayers as well!

Thank you!

-Katie :)

Contest over at the Real Katie's blog!

Winner gets to be a Guest Blogger on here! YAY!

So, go over to Shakespeare & Showtunes and COMMENT!!

Good Luck!

Lussekatte Recipe!

Here it is!

1-1/2 sticks butter
2 cups whole milk
50 grams of fresh yeast (almost 3 cubes)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1 gram saffron, crushed
5 cups of flour
Raisins if you like them


-Melt all of the butter and then add all of the milk to it

-When the butter and milk are at room temp., smoosh the yeast into small pieces and stir until all the pieces dissolve completely in liquid.

-Add sugar, salt & crushed saffron. Stir.

-To make the dough, start off by adding 3 cups of flour (and raisins if you want) to the mixture. Once flour is mixed thoroughly, add another cup.

-Keep adding flour & mixing/kneading dough until it no longer sticks to your hands.

-Cover and leave to rise for 45 minutes.

-Roll our small balls of dough (small meatball size) into snakes. Curl borth ends to meet in the middle, like an "S" shape (this is called lussekatt in Swedish).

- Let buns rise for another 40 minutes or so.
-Brush with egg and bake for 5-8 minutes at 375 degrees until they are light brown.

The buns turn out best if they are baked on a light-colored pan; dark pans seem to burn the bottoms.

Happy St. Lucia Day and The Poll is Closed!!

And the Poll says that you want more REVIEWS!!! So, Katie, GET REVIEWING! :)

Today is St. Lucia (AKA St. Lucy)'s feast day. In Sweden, The oldest girl in the family wakes up early to make the rest of the family coffee and St. Lucia Buns. Also known as Lucicata (sp?). Then the girl dresses up in a white robe and puts a wreath with candles in it and serves the Lucicata and coffee to her family. Every year, my family makes yummy Lucicata and one year, when I was younger, my mom and I woke up early so I could dress up than my mom jumped back into bed and I brought up coffee and Luciata to my parents. :) We have some polaroid pictures of me and my Kirsten American Girl Dressed up in the Swedish St. Lucia garb.

Here is a picture of Kirsten, the American Girl, dressed up as St. Lucia!


Later, I'll post my mommy's yummy recipe for Lucicata. They are SOOO yummy! :)

St. Nicholas

O good holy Nicholas,
you who brought joy to children,
put in my heart the spirit of childhood
about which the Gospel speaks.
Teach me how to sow
happiness around me. Amen.

Picture and prayer taken from Catholic Greetings website.


Today is St. Nicholas' feast day. There is an article about him at americancatholic.org.
This one is interesting; St. Nicholas and the Origin of Santa Claus. You might want to check out the rest of the site as a way for kids to learn about St. Nicholas and the customs and traditions surrounding his feast day.

According to legend, St. Nicholas would sneak into someone's house (some say through the chimney) and put money in their shoes. So in my family, we kids always put our shoes out the night before Dec. 6. St. Nicholas fills them with candy during the night. :) We usually get chocolate coins, a candy cane to signify a bishop's crozier, and one or two other things. What do you and you family do on this special day? The same thing, or something different? Tell us about it!

Happy Saint Nicholas' Day!

UPDATED

I updated The Demon Scarab. She wrote some more and changed a few things in the middle. Go check it out!

Interview with Rosemary

This is my very first interview! So if it isn't very good, blame it on inexperience. :)

I interviewed my friend and fellow booklover, Rosemary. My questions are in blue, her answers are in purple.

Hi Rosemary! Thanks for doing the interview! I haven't thought of many
questions so it'll be very random. Just bear with me here. :-D
So, who is your favorite author?


Hey Katie! Random sounds good to me! :)
My favorite author- that's really tough! I'll say Shannon Hale, because
I've
read almost every book she's written! Regina Doman is a close second.
(By the way, books is an awesome theme for this interview! Books are
basically my life. XD)


Regina Doman is great! I've never heard of Shannon Hale, what are a couple of things she's written?


GAH! You've never heard of Shannon Hale?! She ROCKS! She wrote The Goose
Girl, which is a retelling of a Grimm fairytale and the first book in a
totally awesome series (Enna Burning is my personal favorite from that
series)! She's also written Book of A Thousand Days (a retelling of a very
unknown fairy tale and set in Mongolia), Rapunzel's Revenge (a graphic
novel set in a fantastical wild west setting), and The Princess
Academy (which I, sadly, haven't read yet).


Forgive me for my ignorance! Her books sound great. I think I've heard
of a couple of them. I'll have to look her up.
So I know you've read Emma and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
What do you like about them?


A lot! I love the wittiness of Jane Austen's writing, and I love the
characters she made up! Elizabeth and Emma are both so realistic! And
Knightley, Darcy, and Bingley are all so sweet! And rich too. ;D


Yep, well that was important!
You probably know about the big controversy over which P&P movie is
better. Colin Firth or Matthew McFayden? Which movie interprets the
book/follows the plot line better? Etc, etc. What's your opinion on all
that?


Well, that's a tough one. I think that since the A&E (Colin Firth) version
is longer, it got to tell more of the story. But, the 2005 (Matthew
McFayden) version does a better job of showing Mr. Darcy's shyness, and it better shows the reasons why Charlotte Lucas married Mr. Collins. I think
the 2005 movie did a good job of telling the story, but got a bit too far
away from the book at times. For example, the second proposal scene, out in
the misty field? Sweet, but rather unrealistic. I think it was probably an
excuse to make another beautifully filmed scene. That movie is awesomely
filmed! The A&E version did a better job of showing Mr. Darcy's character
growth though. I think it's all really a matter of opinion. I prefer the
2005 version because it's soooooo pretty! And much shorter than the A&E
version. XD


I could go on and on about the differences between the movies, but the 1995
version is my fave, even though it takes FOREVER to watch, lol. And
Colin Firth is the best Mr. Darcy EVER. In my opinion. :)
So, have seen any of the film versions of Emma? If, so which one?


I've seen the Gwyneth Paltrow version, and I liked the parts with Emma and
Mr. Knightley together, but I felt like they changed the other characters a
bit too much. Mr. Elton wasn't handsome at all! =P


That's the one I've seen. It's so funny! And Emma and Knightley (isn't
his last name so perfect?) are so sweet. But I was really disappointed
by Mr. Elton. They could have cast him better. Mrs. Elton, however, was just right. XD
If a movie or a play was made about your life, who would you want to
play you? How about some of your friends?


Hmmm . . . Anna Paquin is probably the actress closest in looks to me. For
my friends, Anna Sophia Robb would be a good Emily, Maria would need to be
played by someone with long curly hair and blue eyes (Emmy Rossum with
contacts?), Dakota Fanning would make an okay Maria Grace, Miley Cyrus would be a good choice to play Denise (Because Denise is a big Hannah Montana
fan!), and Shailene Woodley would be a good Gabrielle!


Cool! What kind of movie would it be (comedy, musical, drama, etc.)?


A musical? That would be hilarious, because I can't sing AT ALL. XD It
would probably be a comedy, since nothing very dramatic has happened to me .
. . . . . yet. *Looks around nervously*


haha. What is your favorite thing about being a Catholic?


Always being right. XD No, really, I love knowing that Jesus founded the
Church, and that he still takes care of it, and he's not going to let us
mess up. I mean, we're the One True Church! :)


Yayeth! What's your favorite prayer?


The Anima Christi! :D


That's a great one. Who is your favorite saint and why?


St. Anthony, because he was such an awesome guy, and because he's the patron
saint of lost things, and I lose stuff a lot. XD He's going to be my
confirmation saint! :D


Anything else you want to say before I go post this on the blog?


If everyone read Jane Eyre the world would be a better place! That's it.
Thanks for interviewing me, Katie! :) *Hugs*


Thanks Rosemary!



[Note: Rosemary, if you're wondering, I edited some of the things I said to make them shorter. ;)]

Send a Christmas Card to an American Soldier!

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington , D.C. 20307-5001

When sending your Christmas cards this year, take an extra card and send it to this address. If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful special people who have sacrificed so much would get.

Movie Review: Bella

Name: Bella
Director: Alejandro Monteverte
Starring: Eduardo Verastegui, Tammy Blanchard and Manny Perez
Rated: PG-13
For: Thematic Elements and Brief disturbing images
Brief summary:Bella is a story within a story within yet another story. Jose is at a beach in present time reminescing of a time 4 or 5 years ago when he shared a life-changing day with Nina, a waitress that worked at the same restaurant as he. During that day, he comes to face yet even another story that haunts him from his past. Nina is facing a tough decision and when Jose' shares a tragedy that affected his life and how his family helped him cope, Nina is also transformed. Nina is then able to make a decision that will forever link her life to Jose's beyond even romance. (from IMDB.com)
Age level: 13 and up
Cautions: ***SPOILERS!!!!*** Mentions of sex outside marriage, a little girl is killed in a car accident (they show the body briefly and there is blood), a woman talks about having an abortion.
If you like this movie, you might also like . . . Juno? There's not really another movie to compare with Bella....
Personal Opinion: Wow. I saw this movie in theaters and cried my eyes out! It is Sooo beautiful! When it was out on DVD, my sister and I decided to buy it for my mom for Mother's Day. We never watched until tonight, November 16th. It's not a movie you can watch everyday, it's a movie you have to reflect on. I'll never forget the way I felt when the lights came on in the theater. I was shocked, touched, and in love. with a movie.
Entertainment: 10/10
Truth factor: 10/10
Random tidbit: Eduardo Verastegui (who played the main character, Jose), is actually a pro-life Catholic in real life. During the forty days for life, he went to an abortion clinic in LA and prayed the Rosary outside it. And two nurses came out and asked for his autograph. He gave it to them, than told them he was praying for him. Wow....

THE POLL IS CLOSED!!

And our patron saint is...




ST. GIANNA MOLLA!

Here's a bio for ya'll to read 'bout her. ;)

Gianna Beretta was born in Magenta (Milan) October 4, 1922. Already as a youth she willingly accepted the gift of faith and the clearly Christian education that she received from her excellent parents. As a result, she experienced life as a marvellous gift from God, had a strong faith in Providence and was convinced of the necessity and effectiveness of prayer.

She diligently dedicated herself to studies during the years of her secondary and university education, while, at the same time, applying her faith through generous apostolic service among the youth of Catholic Action and charitable work among the elderly and needy as a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. After earning degrees in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Pavia in 1949, she opened a medical clinic in Mesero (near Magenta) in 1950. She specialized in Pediatrics at the University of Milan in 1952 and there after gave special attention to mothers, babies, the elderly and poor.

While working in the field of medicine-which she considered a “mission” and practiced as such-she increased her generous service to Catholic Action, especially among the “very young” and, at the same time, expressed her joie de vivre and love of creation through skiing and mountaineering. Through her prayers and those of others, she reflected upon her vocation, which she also considered a gift from God. Having chosen the vocation of marriage, she embraced it with complete enthusiasm and wholly dedicated herself “to forming a truly Christian family”.

She became engaged to Pietro Molla and was radiant with joy and happiness during the time of their engagement, for which she thanked and praised the Lord. They were married on September 24, 1955, in the Basilica of St. Martin in Magenta, and she became a happy wife. In November 1956, to her great joy, she became the mother of Pierluigi, in December 1957 of Mariolina; in July 1959 of Laura. With simplicity and equilibrium she harmonized the demands of mother, wife, doctor and her passion for life.

In September 1961 towards the end of the second month of pregnancy, she was touched by suffering and the mystery of pain; she had developed a fibroma in her uterus. Before the required surgical operation, and conscious of the risk that her continued pregnancy brought, she pleaded with the surgeon to save the life of the child she was carrying, and entrusted herself to prayer and Providence. The life was saved, for which she thanked the Lord. She spent the seven months remaining until the birth of the child in incomparable strength of spirit and unrelenting dedication to her tasks as mother and doctor. She worried that the baby in her womb might be born in pain, and she asked God to prevent that.

A few days before the child was due, although trusting as always in Providence, she was ready to give her life in order to save that of her child: “If you must decided between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child - I insist on it. Save him”. On the morning of April 21, 1962, Gianna Emanuela was born. Despite all efforts and treatments to save both of them, on the morning of April 28, amid unspeakable pain and after repeated exclamations of “Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you», the mother died. She was 39 years old. Her funeral was an occasion of profound grief, faith and prayer. The Servant of God lies in the cemetery of Mesero (4 km from Magenta).

“Conscious immolation», was the phrase used by Pope Paul VI to define the act of Blessed Gianna, remembering her at the Sunday Angelus of September 23, 1973, as: “A young mother from the diocese of Milan, who, to give life to her daughter, sacrificed her own, with conscious immolation”. The Holy Father in these words clearly refers to Christ on Calvary and in the Eucharist.

Gianna was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 24, 1994, during the international Year of the Family.

Interview with Nicki

Katie's questions are in red and Nicki's answers are in blue.



If a Broadway show was being made about your life, who would you want to star as you and why?



If only Kristin Chenoweth was younger! -le sigh- I love her. With the people who could still play teenagers, though... I'd have to go with Lauren Zakrin, the current Elle Woods understudy on the Legally Blonde tour. Not only does she have a powerful voice, but the girl has some spunk!





Out of all the books you've read, which ones have had the most impact on you? Why?



Well, Twilight seems to have taken over part of my life. ^^ For impact, however... probably Anne McCaffrey's DragonRiders of Pern series. I had always loved reading, but I had never picked up one of them until the seventh grade, and they were my dad's favorite series ever. (He died of leukemia when I was seven.) So when I finally found a box of them downstairs and started reading them, I found a connection to him that I hadn't had before, and I suddenly fell in love with dragons and other fantasy concepts.

If any book/movie could be made into a Broadway show, what would it be and what would the songs be called?

NOT TWILIGHT. ANYTHING BUT TWILIGHT. ^^ Sorry, rumors on Broadway Secrets made me spazz... although it is very music-oriented.I'd rather see more original Broadway musicals than a spin off, but if I had to choose... pssh, I can't think of any that would transition nicely besides perhaps Twilight, but I'd rather not see that overdone. (And I'd cast Oliver Tompsett as Edward. I love that man.)The songs? Oh dear... I don't know. XD I'm not very creative at songs and such; I'm a better writer than name-er

When you're not reading or blogging, what do you like to do in your spare time?

I admit it, I'm an iPod addict. I'm usually never without my iPod. I also like roleplaying, breathing, eating, and sleeping in my spare time, three of which are required for me to survive.I also seem to clean a lot. O_o

If you could have any accent, what kind would you have and why?

Oh, English, in a heartbeat. My mother would kill me if I had an Irish one (she hates Irish accents) and the Australian one just isn't as amazing as the English one. English = very awesome. :D

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I love New York City. :] But if I had to pick an exotic location, it would probably be Tuscany, Italy, because that's my mother's dream place - and I'd bring her with me.

What inspires you to review the books and songs that you do?

If I don't let out my opinion on how I think about something, my friends and family tend to get half hour spiels about each thing. This lets me say what I want to say with people who actually want to hear it, and without annoying the shiznits out of some of my friends. Besides, it's fun.

What would you say "contributes" to your love of books?

My love of books is... my love of books. Good books feed into that, bad books take away from it, but I keep reading because I enjoy it. (It also doesn't help that, at school, I'm the go-to girl for book recommendations.)

If you could be any character in any book or movie (or Broadway show) who would you be and why?

Jacky Faber from the Bloody Jack - she's sooooooooo... amazing. She's funny and smart and witty and good with a sword, and she has guys at her beck and call. Even if I did get into the scrapes she did, it'd be fun! Or Elphaba from Wicked - she has her problems, but she's so interesting.If you could be any animal, what you you choose and why?Hmm. I love wolves - they're very free spirited and the essence of wildlife. Dolphins are fun and free. Of course, I'd like to fly, so there's always the hawk, beautiful and soaring to new heights. I also love horses, the essence of majestic...So I'd be a shapeshifter! ^^









Thank you, Nicki! :)

Nicki's blogs are BEAT for teens and WORD for teens. Now go check them out! :) She's the one that inspired me to review books. :D

OUR FIRST INTERVIEW

Molly, age 17 from Michigan





The Real Katie's questions are in purple, and Molly's answers are in red





If you were a crayon, what color would you be and why?



that is debatable. I don't think i would be any set color. Because then I would always be the same. Which I am not. So I guess I would be chamellion color. Not because I change because of my surroundings. Just because I change. XD



Very cool. If you could be a character in any book or movie, who would you be and why?



Proally a saint. maybe Faustina. Because it would be cool to have that concrete knowledge that Jesus/God exists etc. But then I loose some of the gift of faith. XD



I love Saint Faustina!



me too! I've been meanin to read "Divine mercy in my soul" forever. But me+reading online=buge eyed. haha. so its taking awhile



Haha!If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?



ITALY! hands down. because #1 the pope #2 relatives #3 pizza. What mroe could you want in life.



Nothing.



Nothing? XD



If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?



a chamelion. So that I can better be that crayon.



If you could have any job, what would you choose?


High school religion teacher


And why?


because its what I'm interested in. Why am I interested in it? because its interesting. Why is it interesting? That is an entirally different topic


what are some of your favorite things to do?


hang out with friends, love concerts, listen to music, all the norms.


What do you want in a guy?


aside from all the normas "good catholic guy, bringing him, i and our kdis towards holiness, etc" I'd like a guy who enjoys deep discussions, ice-skating, music, and doing dishes because I'm nt a fan.


if you could have any accent, which one would you choose and why?


Italian. No reason.



The Katie and Katie Blog Thanks Molly for being so gracious!

Interviews!!

OK

Katie doesn't know about this either (but now she does!)

But, let's do weekly interviews! If you would like to be interviewed by either me or Katie, please comment and say your preference. :)

The Demon Scarab

(echo effect please)
(dun dun dun)

A friend of mine who is nine years old is writing a story entitled "The Demon Scarab". She prefers to remain anonymous but consented to my posting it here.

The Demon Scarab

Professor Henry Ashcastle was a young entomologist. He was working in the lab when his friend, Prof. Ralph Shrift, walked in with a package which contained some new species, including a nine-inch scarab from Mongolia. After many weeks of studying the giant insect they finally named it Magnae scarabaeidae (great scarab). As soon as they had all the information they needed, Prof. Shrift went to mail it to the museum. He was going out the back door of the laboratory when the box started to vibrate. He saw black wings covered with emerald shining thorns. Suddenly, there was a blood curdling shriek. Upon hearing this horrific sound, Henry rushed outside to find that the box was empty and that Professor Shrift had vanished. He put on his coat and brought out his horse. He rode down the dirt road and into the streets, frantically asking people if they had seen a giant beetle with a man about thirty. But just as you might think, they all thought he was crazy. He rode up to a barn and sat down on a hay bale. After a few minutes he heard yelling from inside the barn. He took out his pocket knife and rushed inside. To his surprise he saw Professor Shrift lying on the ground. There was blood on the top part of his left sleeve and his face was pale.
"Ralph, thank goodness you're all right! What happened?" said Henry. " I am not really sure" said Ralph.


Henry helped his friend out of the barn. He looked down the road and saw a cab driving up. As it was driving past the barn, Henry signaled the driver to stop. He payed the man and helped Ralph inside. Ralph sat down and told the driver to take him to the York Motel and Suites. Henry said that he would take his horse. Noticing the blood on Ralph's shirt the driver asked, "Is everything all right sir?" Afraid he might think them crazy, Ralph skipped the story and just said, "Yes, thank you." After he got there Ralph got up, stepped out, thanked the driver and went to the stable where he met Henry tying up his horse. They went inside the building up to Henry's room. They sat down on the sofa and were silent for many minutes. Then finally Ralph spoke up. "Maybe I should change my clothes." Henry walked up to his dresser and pulled out a white shirt with a grey checkered vest. "Here, take these. While you get dressed, I am going to go down stairs to get a cup of coffee," he said. When Henry was back up stairs Ralph had changed and was sitting on the sofa. Henry sat down in a rocking chair in a corner in the room. "Do you have any idea what happened?" asked Henry.

"Well, I was on my way to the mail box when the box that held the beetle almost seemed to be moving. And then I saw what looked liked a cross between a flying lizard and dragonfly and it had sharp fangs. Then I found myself in a dark room and I kept hearing these awful sounds. Something sharp hit me on the arm. And then I saw you standing in the doorway of an old barn." said Professor Shrift.
"The beetle could not have possibly been that demon you say you saw," said Ashcastle.
"Let's just take our minds off the subject for awhile," said Ralph. But Henry could not just take his mind off the subject. "Meet me here tomorrow morning at seven. We are going to look for the insect. I just hope that it does not do anything before then," he said. Ralph cleaned up his arm and left. Henry changed into his nightclothes and laid down on the bed. He could think about nothing but the scarab and if it really was this awful creature his friend was talking about. But eventually he went to sleep.



He and Ralph were walking through a field. All the grass was dead and the sky seemed grey. Then they heard something that sounded like the sound a fork makes when scraped across a plate. They paused. Then suddenly a demon with wings and white froth around its mouth was on top of Henry, snarling and showing its vile teeth. "Ralph!" he screamed. "Ralph!" He woke up, and rubbed his eyes, desperately trying to reassure himself that it was all just a dream. Then he looked at the clock. It said 6:33.
"Well, I had best be getting ready," he said, sitting up in bed. He got out of bed, changed his clothes, picked up his coat and went downstairs where he met Ralph Shrift, who was standing outside. It was cloudy and chilly. In the distance Henry could see the fog like a grey sheet over the English countryside. "Perhaps we should take along a revolver or a knife. I always do when I go down there," said Henry.
"Go down where?" asked Ralph.
"Why, to the pine woods at the bottom of the hill of course!" answered Henry, as if it were obvious.
"I am not going into those woods," said Ralph.
"Why not? What better place for a demon to hide than a dark wood!" said Henry excitedly. "Exactly!" said Ralph.
"Please Ralph," asked Henry.
"Has it attacked you yet?" said Ralph angrily. "Well no, but what do you think would happen if I went alone and it did?" said Henry. "It would be your own fault," answered Ralph.
"Well that is why I am bringing my pocket knife. Do you have a gun of any kind?" asked Henry.
"Yes, I believe I have some pistols in a chest in the attic," replied Ralph. "Let us go get them," said Henry. Before they knew it they were riding down the hill with pistols at their sides. As they were nearing the woods the two horses suddenly reared, throwing the men to the ground. Henry looked up; The Demon was approaching at a low glide. Henry leapt to his feet. He picked up his pistol that had fallen out of his holster when he fell off his horse. Staring straight at the beast, he fired. It hit the beast in its side. The creature weakened but did not stop. It was within twenty-five feet of him when Henry fired again. This time he hit it in the chest. It took a few more steps, then collapsed, dead. Ralph stood up. "Henry, you're the bravest man I ever met," said Ralph. After taking The Demon back to the laboratory they compared the beast's blood with the beetle's in every way, many times. It matched. "Its impossible!" exclaimed Ralph. "But it's true," said Henry. "Now let's get back to work." So they did, as if nothing had happened.



The End

Don't you love the names? I mean, Henry Ashcastle! It sounds so distinguished and British and cool! It's something right out of a Sherlock Holmes mystery or Jane Austen. I just love it!

Help us out!

Hello!
So if you've been following this blog you've probably noticed that there hasn't been much to follow. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure what we should post on here! So please leave a comment and tell us what you'd like to read on the one and only Katie and Katie blog!
And Freddy (the real Katie) and I will try to each post at least once every week. (I haven't actually informed her of that yet but now she knows! muahahaha)

-Katie the Koolest

P.S.
Thanks for voting in the poll! Looks like there's some favorites. Can't wait to see which saint we choose!

Book Review: No Promises in the Wind

No Promises in the Wind
by Irene Hunt

Summary:
Josh Grondowski is 15 years old during the Great Depression. When things at home get tense, he decides to strike out on his own. The book is written from Josh's point of view in the first person and narrates his and his brothers' experiences as they fend for themselves in a frightened America. It tells of their journey south, begging and trying to stay warm and fed. It tells of the friends they make along the way, including a beautiful clown named Emily, a kind dwarf, a fatherly truck driver and his pretty yet tomboyish niece.

Personal Opinion: I really liked this book! I knew about the Depression and the terrible things that people then went through, but it didn't fully hit me until I read this book. Sometimes the book is really sad, other times it's very sweet. I almost couldn't put it down.

Age Limit: I'd say 14 and up.

Cautions: Kids being exposed to extreme hardship (danger of starvation, little to no protection from the elements, etc.). One character is violently killed (sucked under wheels of a moving train, described as just "disappearing"). Mild language in one or two parts. Josh and his brother are attacked and robbed once. Josh hits his brother once.

About me

*Waves*

Hiiii! I'm The REAL Katie (whatever you do, DON'T believe the "other one". I AM the Real Katie!!!)

Anyhoo, I love to read, write, blog, act, sing, and all that fun stuff. I've been homeschooled my whole life, and met Katie... nine years ago. Wait... NINE YEARS AGO!? Holy mackarel!

Um, yeah. I'm Catholic. Catholicism is cool.

OK, I'm gonna tell you a random story. When I found out a girl named Katie was moving to my town, I was soo excited. So, I decided to make a card. With my amazing artistic skills, I drew me, with yellow hair, and Katie, with black hair. And all over the card I put my favorite Barbie stickers. I was soo excited to give it to her when I met her! I remember meeting her and being soo surprised. She had blonde hair. I was so embarassed, so I didn't give her the card. On the way home, my mom asked me, "So, did Katie like your card." And I began to cry and said, "No! I didn't give it to her! She doesn't have black hair! And she's not allowed to play with Barbies!" I was soo distraught. My mom said, ".... You could have given it to her anyway!" And I replied, "NO! I would have hurt her feelings! *SOB!*"

Sigh. Memories.

Later, dudes!

Poll!!

Make sure you vote in the poll! *points* -->

About Moi

Sooooo Katie thought we should introduce ourselves a little better. If you're that interested in learning about me, click on my profile. Anyways, I'll do a quick bio here:
*ahem*
My name is Katie (duh). I live in Texas and have 7 siblings. We're all homeschooled, except the littlest ones who are 6 months and 2 years old. I love to read, bake, read, play music, listen to music, read, act (in my room), sing (in the shower), and read. My favorite authors are Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Beverly Lewis, David Eddings, Gail Carson Levine, L.M. Montgomery, C.S. Lewis, and a few others. My favorite Shakespeare play is The Merchant of Venice, but Macbeth is a close second, not to mention A Midsummer Night's Dream. I seem to like plays beginning with M... and btw it's all Katie's fault that I'm a Shakespeare nerd! But it's my fault she's obsessed with Beverly Lewis so I guess we're even.

Love,
Katie the Koolest

Note: To help you keep track of who is who, I go by the nicknames of KatieK, KK, and Katie the K or Katie the Koolest. Occasionally we call each other by our real names, Katherine (me) and Katlyn (her).

Book Review: Love Comes Softly

Name: Love Comes Softly
Author: Janette Oke
Others in the Series: Love Comes Softly, Love's Enduring Promise, Love's Long Journey, Love's Abiding Joy, Love's Unending Legacy, Love's Unfolding Dream, LoBooe Takes Wing, Love Finds a Home
Brief summary:Marty is a young pioneer woman, recently widowed and pregnant with no place to live and no means to go home. Clark Davis asks her to be his wife of "convenience" since he needs a caretaker for his young daughter, Missie, and Marty needs food and shelter. Not at all interested, but desperately in need, she accepts. This first book explains the first 6-8 months of this strange marriage. Marty is determined to pull her weight and do her time until Spring when Clark has agreed to pay her way home. The book is wholesome, funny, suspense filled and holds the reader's interest from cover to cover. (from Amazon.com)


Grade/Age level: 13 and up
Cautions: They talk about Marty being pregnant, the loss of a husband or wife, a girl says she is pregnant to marry a "bad boy", a girl is beaten to death.
If you like this book, you might also like . . . Any book by Beverly Lewis
Personal Opinion: WOW! This is the best book I've read in a long time! I loved everything about it! The characters, the writing style, the plot, everything is perfection! I was crying, laughing, and sighing along with the characters. The writing style was really descriptive. Oke used this awesome phrase I've never heard before: Dad-burn. I am SO saying that in my everyday life now. What I also loved about it was that she wrote exactly how they spoke. So, when Marty and Clark say just, In the book it's put as "jest". Or your is "yer". So, Your cow is just fine was "Yer cow is jest fine." It's such an awesome book... I'm already begging my mom to take me to the library so I can get the sequel!
Rating: 10/10


Random tidbit: There was an AMAZING movie made a couple of years ago with Katherine Heigl... It's REALLY good. It was directed by Michael Landon, Jr. (Yes, Michael Landon's son. He directs the best inspirational movies..) So, go watch it!

Brownies recipe!

Well, we have to start with something. I told Katie that she needs to post some of her book reviews here. Hopefully she'll do that soon. But for now, here's a recipe for brownies. Take these to a party and watch them disappear! This is slightly adapted from a recipe my mom found in a Readers Digest. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup of butter, softened (2 sticks)
2 cups of sugar
1/3 cup of cocoa
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Grease a 9x13" pan, or a 1" deep baking sheet. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix first three ingredients. Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Add flour and salt. At this point I usually add some melted chocolate chips. This makes for extra fudginess (muahaha). If you want to do this, take about 1 1/2-2 cups of chocolate chips (any kind you like) and heat them in the microwave for 35 seconds at a time, taking them out and stirring them before putting them in for another 35 seconds. This should melt them fairly quickly. Add them to the batter and stir it up! You can add anything you like, chocolate chips, nuts, etc. Play with it!

Put them in the oven for about 20 minutes. (If you added the melted chocolate be sure to add another 5 or 10 minutes).
They should be done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Happy baking!

Hi There!

Hi!

I'm The REAL Katie. :)

I hope ya'll enjoy our blog. :) But like Katie said, it'll probably be like a newsletter... but whatever..

Anyway, just a couple of extra rules.

Do not be rude to anyone! It doesn't matter if you don't like them! Think of them as God thinks of them!

Do not say anything bad about anyone. How would you feel if someone did that to you?

Don't say anything against the Catholic Faith. GOT IT??

Anyway.. Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to the Katie and Katie blog! We're a pair of Catholic homeschooled girls, both named Katie, who have been best friends since we were six. This will probably be more like a newsletter than a personal blog; we read a lot so there'll be book reviews. We'll also post stuff like recipes, tips, and random cool stuff like that. :-D We love feedback so feel free to comment! However please refrain from any profane or disrespectful language and misuse of Our Lord's holy name. Thank you!

-The Other Katie
(who is really the real Katie but has been deprived of my true title. it's all a big evil plot...)