moved! my new blog is now here

Hi! I have got almost my whole blog up now...still got to add quite a few things, but still. I would love it if you went over to: tangerinetane.blogspot.com ...and follow.
I have a dream. A dream to get all 148 followers back again. (in time, and they don't all have to be exactly the same followers) I hope I get there. Think I will? Well, I'm quite happy with how things are going right now.
God bless!
P.S. I haven't written any posts yet, just a test post.

a fresh start coming up

Hi, my wonderful friends. I have made the decision to move blogs. I'll still have the same title, almost the same design (I think), but the link will be changed to - tangerinetane.blogspot.com - instead of -tangerine-tane.blogspot.com ...
I love blogging, and I look forward to continuing. It's just that I must have accidentally messed around with HTML and CSS and JavaScript way too much, when I didn't even know what they were, and now I am not able to do a lot of things on my blog. So, as soon as I have my new blog ready (It isn't yet!!) I'd love it it you hop over, and follow again. It would mean so much to me. Please? Thank you all for having been my followers for ages. I hope that most of you will continue to follow my new blog. I'm really getting in to HTML and CSS, so it'll be a new, more professional design. I understand that a lot of my followers aren't even active yet, so I'll lose quite a bit. But I'm so happy that I have 148 followers. Let's see how much I can get on my new blog.
I'll carry on posting just the same...and I might post some of my old posts now and then, just for fun.
I'm looking forward to a new adventure. And this may seem silly, but please will you pray that God will be with me while I'm experimenting with web design.

awarded by Noelle

Hi. I feel positively bloggie today. Know what I mean?...well, let's just put it at I am enjoying writing this post right now.
For a while, I've had a no awards, no tags policy... today, I rip it down. Well, for one post. I might not always respond to awards and tags, sorry.

Anyway, I was awarded by the lovely Noelle with four awards (tags)...and here I go. (I've decided to only do two. Sorry, but I don't have enough time right now)



The rules:

1. link the blog that nominated you for the award.
2. choose eleven bloggers to nominate that have less than 200 followers.
3. answer the questions given to you.
4. let the people who you've nominated know when you've done so.
5. you can't nominate the person that has nominated you.
6. create eleven questions for the bloggers you've nominated to answer.
7. you must follow the blog that nominated you.

The questions from Noelle:

1. First concert you've ever been to?: Haven't been.
2. How many followers would you like to be on your blog?: Hmm...well, maybe...300? Is that asking too much? Probably. But I'm happy with the amount of followers I have at the moment.
3. What color is your hair?: Honey brown.
4. What color eyes do you have?: The color of my eyes...grey, I think.
5. How tall of you?: Don't know exactly...
6. How tall do you wish you were?: Only a little taller than I am.
7. Have you read the Hunger Games series?: Yup. Enjoyed it. :)
8. If so, imagine you were in Katniss' position in the last book of the series, would you have made the final decision she did?: I don't know.
9. Have you ever broken a bone in your body?: No. 
10. Snow or sunshine?: We don't get snow where I live, but a lot of sunshine, and I love sunshine.
11. Favorite fictional character in a book you've read?: Cat Royal from the Cat Royal series by Julia Golding.

My questions:

1. Do you like rainy days, or hot sunny days?
2. Do you prefer clothes shopping or accessory shopping?
3. What is your favorite movie?
4. Is your hair curly/straight/wavy?
5. What date is your birthday?
6. Do you like road trips?
7. Do you prefer swimming in the ocean, or collecting shells?
8. Do you dread or look forward to bedtime?
9. What is your favorite quote? (or one of your favorite quotes)
10. Do you like pink or blue?
11. Can you dance?
•••••
Next, the Sunflower Award. (I'm going to award eleven people with all three awards at the end)

Rules:
- Share 11 facts about yourself
- Answer the 11 questions set by your nomination blogger- Nominate 11 bloggers
- Set questions for the nominated bloggers.

Facts...huh. Never was good at those.
1. I hate putting my hair in a ponytail.
2. I don't like coffee...at all. But I do like coffee flavored things. And coffee milkshake.
3. I love skirts, but I don't like wearing them.
4. Out of a hot dog or a hamburger, I'd so much prefer the hamburger. (at least that was a little random. But I guess most people would prefer a hamburger)
5. I love to draw tribal patterns (and other patterns) with my felt tipped pens. 
6. I think Persian cats are just a little...ugly. No offense to them. We have one and he's so sweet. <3 But ugly.
7. My two top favorite colors are blue and purple.
8. I like a twist at the end of a book.
9. I love to dream at night. If I wake up and I didn't have a dream to ponder on, I'm all like...aww. :(
10. I love fizzy drinks. But not Coke.
11. I love this crazy cartoon called "The Amazing World of Gumball". (You may or may not have heard of it)

Now, a whole other set of questions for my nominates... (I'm choosing to do 5)

1. What song makes you feel happy?
2. Do you like tie dye shirts?
3. Are you a chocolate lover?
5. Are you quick to cry in sad movies or books?

And I have to answer some questions from Noelle again.

1.  Who is your biggest role model? - My Mom.
2.  What is your favorite Olympic sport? - Swimming? I'm not really so updated on Olympic sports.
3.  Instagram or Snapchat? - Instagram, because I don't know what Snapchat is. ;)
4.  Who is your favorite Avenger? - Tony Stark (Ironman)...or Captain America.
5.  Are you a prankster, or more likely to get pranked? - More likely to get pranked. Oh dear.
6.  What grade are you in? - Grade six, but soon to be seven.
7.  Writing or reading? - Oh my, I love them both so much. Can't choose.
8.  Would you rather read a fictional book, or non-fictional? - I'm afraid to say, fictional. 
9.  Are you always asking people for advice, or do you usually give advice? - Both, I think.
10.  What is a quote you live by? - "If you have the power to make someone happy, do it. The world needs more of that." (or at least I'm trying to)
11.  Boy-bands or solo artists? - Solo artists.

Sorry for doing my questions before answering Noelle's. 
And now...I tag...


Now you know some more about me...and now I need to say thank you to Noelle and goodbye to you. Have a wonderful Monday, everyone - I hope today is a great start to your week.

attraction • shadow dancers

I'm a huge fan of these people. They're really talented, and the stories they tell by shadow dancing are beautiful.





You might have already seen this...but even so. It's gorgeous. I hope you enjoyed it.

happy birthday to...

...my Dad. He's a hard-working, super awesome, very intelligent, generous, God-fearing, wise, strong man who is so good at handling hard situations. I'm so blessed to have him, and so is my family. He's away today because he's working, working so that we can have a roof over our head, great food everyday, lots of unnecessary luxuries as well as all the necessary things, clothes, pets and each other. Happy birthday, Dad, you're really the best.
It also happens to be the birthday of my wonderful older sister, Perrin. She's a professional chef, a determined, beautiful, smart, honest, talented (in so many ways...), able-to-do-a-lot-of-things-I-could-never-understand-how-to-do-myself person. Someone who got up and went to work today, even though she was sick. And today, she is eighteen. So, happy birthday to the most lovely 18 year old sis I could have asked for, and to my awesome Dad who deserves a lot more then the credit I've given him. :)
Wanna see pictures of these two birthday people? Just look on the 'My Family' page.



^On a special day like this...there's no such thing as too many sprinkles. (Image photographed and edited by me.)

don't give up



via

"What now?" she asked in a voice that quivered a little, her lightly freckled face still smeared with a few tears that had fallen not so long ago.
He turned to her. "I can't tell you what now. I can't tell what you should do. But do you know what you're not going to do? You aren't going to give up. There might me a lot of mountains that need climbing in the future, but I know you can do it."
He set his gaze on her, and she looked into the deep blue eyes that made her feel comforted.
"Promise me you'll never ever, ever, give up."

She lifted her face and managed a smile. "I'll do my best."


***

Don't ever give up. Things work out better when you don't. There are some situations where we aren't allowed to give up, and some where we choose to give up or not. Choose to not. Just don't give in. Failure will follow you if you do - he'll haunt you for the rest of your days. Sometimes it's a light case of failure, but it's still there. So, just keep going. You can do this. God didn't make you a quitter. He knows that with His help, you can persevere.

chasing rainbows

when I was young
I tried to catch a rainbow
I ran as fast as I could
but I never got to it
so I stood and watched
the beauty fade instead
the rainbow was like
brush strokes in the sky
so perfectly painted
I knew there could only be One
who was the artist
I wasn't after the pot of gold
though that would have been nice
I just wanted to touch the rainbow
the rainbow that made me believe
there was something else out there
so I chased it
I wanted to ask it
what it would be like in the end
I thought that maybe it would know
but I couldn't catch it
so I stood and watched
the colors fade
but I never forgot
the day
when I chased that rainbow
and I had to let it go

Just one of my early childhood memories...

2 blogging tips of the day


^ These tempting roses made me feel as if I had to take a photo of them in all their glory...so I did.

Hi there. It's so nice to be sitting down and typing this blog post.
Apart from starting in a home schooling choir, starting art lessons (I'll post some of the stuff I've been doing there), getting my dreaded maths and other school (the other school not dreaded like maths) done, taking photos for fun (no important or really good photos at the moment...), putting together a poem in my head and doing necessary things that are needed for breeding guinea pigs, I've been working on my blog. I've recently discovered that I like programming and web designing, so I've been getting into that as well.
Anyway, this was meant to be a post on two small blogging tips that you might like to know about, not exactly and update on my life. Oh well.
You know that really annoying thing that sometimes pops up on other peoples' blogs when you're trying to comment, the thing that wants you to prove you're not a robot? Unless you've already turned it off on your blog, or know how to, or have decided not to, you're probably not aware that other people have to go through that to comment on your own blog. Even if you are aware, here's how to turn it off.

1. Go to your blogger dashboard.
2. Go to 'Settings'.
3. From there go to 'Posts and comments.'
4. Look for 'Show word verification' (so that's what the annoying thing is called...).
5. Select 'No.'

Click save settings and you're done!
Also, here's another little tip that might just help. To turn on comment moderation (you'll get all comments in your blogger dashboard before they're published), follow up the directions up till 3. Next, look for 'Comment Moderation'. You can choose 'Always', 'Sometimes', or 'Never'. You can also change the amount of posts shown on your blog on the same 'Settings' > 'Posts and comments' page. Though most of you probably already know those two. But in the beginning of my blogger experience, I didn't know about them.
I hope you have a brilliant Sunday...I'm planning to.


worth it

There is something so peaceful about looking at a picture like this and wondering what might be coming your way

^ Image via Pinterest. NOT MY OWN.

I stood on the railroad, turning my head from right to left again and again. Both ways the track looked like it went on forever...a never-ending hard, long, bumpy journey. And the grey, dull clouds covering the sky to make it worse. Just like my life seemed at the moment. I didn't know how I was going to make it. I couldn't make it.

You can make it...

What's the point of it all, if it goes on anyway, and I can't see the end?

Push away the negative thoughts. Like they say, life isn't about waiting for the storm to end, it's about learning to dance in the rain. It'll be worth it in the end, and God is with you all the way.
It may look hopeless. It may give you the urge to say no way.
But just think about something for a moment. Who is someone special in your life? Someone who you admire? Someone who you think has a beautiful soul?
Now think about this. They are also dealing with the ups and downs of life. They also have things that bother or hurt them. But they still manage to shed some light on other peoples' lives.
When Jesus was on the cross, He still turned to the person next to Him, and let the guy know that he was going to join Him in paradise.
Even when you're going through your darkest moments, try to be a comfort to others, and cut down on the complaints. Because in the end of it all, it will be worth it. Encourage others to see that as well. And keep telling yourself...


Okay. It's alright. I know now. It'll be worth it.


introducing April



She's cute, fluffy, curious... my ice cream sundae guinea pig. With a super pink nose. This is April. Or, as my older sister calls her...Fluffet. 

how to remove link underlining for blogger blogs (plus- italics on hover for links)

Okay, so I'm gonna do a tutorial post. Trying to make it so that all the other people out there who want what I wanted don't have to be frustrated because they can't find the answer, until, they finally do. Whether it's here or somewhere else that you found what you were looking for, I just hope you do.
My blog used to have underlining on all the links every time I hovered over them...and I hated it. Then, I did some researching (lots of researching) and found out how to get rid of them.



Do you also want to have underline-free links? Well, here's how.

NOTE: First, you're gonna have to change your template to the Simple template if it's not already set on it...

1. Go to your Blogger Dashboard. (Blogger Home)

2. Click on  'Template' which is the second last choice when you hover on the drop down arrow that is in between the 'New Post' and 'View Blog' buttons.

3. From there click on 'Customize'.


4. Now go to 'Advanced.'
5. Then click on 'Add CSS'.
6. Copy and paste this code into the CSS box:

body a:hover {
  text-decoration: none !important;
}

7. Click 'Apply To Blog' and enjoy your new underline-free links.

As for the Italics on hover...

Follow up all the steps exactly the same, until you get to the CSS section, unless you're already on the CSS section. If so, (when you get to the CSS) just paste this code below the other:

a:hover { color: normal; font-style: italic;

text-decoration: none; }


Click 'Apply To Blog.'

If you want your links to be a different color when you hover on them, just go to 'Customize', then 'Links' and change the last color box (That should say 'Hover Color' on top) to whatever color you want it to be when hovering.

Of course, if you don't want the underlining on your links to leave, just don't paste the first code. And if you don't want italics on hover, don't paste the second.

But I hope this helped you, if you needed help. :) I'm planning on doing more blogger tutorials, when I can, if I can. If you have any questions, need anymore help, just speak your mind in a comment, and I'll what I can do for you.

never stop hoping

Hope is the little voice that whispers, "maybe,"when the whole world is screaming, "no!". Hope is a beautiful thing. Hope is what allows us to believe that there's still a chance - there's still life, there's still love.
What would this world be without it? Would that one little thing that made all the difference have happened if no one hoped for it? Hope is that beautiful, ethereal place between it couldn't be possible, and a celebration because it happened. Hope is when you think it's all over, you have a feeling it's not. Hope can make things brighter.

^ My own picture. <3 There was a really pretty sunset the other day...You're welcome to pin, but please don't steal.

I wrote this post the other day, and saved it instead of publishing it. Then, later on that day...I saw that a blogger called Anna had posted this post...so, just saying, I'm not copying or anything. :)
God wants us to have hope and have heart, so please, whatever you do, never stop hoping.

"But as for me, I will always have hope." - Psalm 71:14

we will succeed

Rain for me

^ Image credit - via Pinterest. NOT MY OWN. Though I hope to capture a beautiful picture like that someday...

You know when you make a decision in your mind, that you're going to do something, you're going to do it right, and you're going to keep it up till the end...and then you don't. It gives me a horrible feeling of failure. It makes me think very bitter thoughts. I end up saying, "It'll never happen. I can't possibly..."
Well, after that, I sort of give up on my dream, what I wanted for the future, what I thought I could get if I did this or that. It happens to me often. I often don't prevail.
I've got to tell you something...I don't know if you already know by now, but I'm quite a negative person. I'm not so optimist. So I'm very otherwise when I fail. But I really like to be positive when I'm writing...
Back to the subject. You want to succeed? I do. Read these verses:

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. - Psalms 37:4

We need to be focused on God, and He will help us to succeed in getting what we desire.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:13
Always remember this. Alone, we are nothing. With Him, who can do all things when He strengthens us.

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. - Proverbs 16:3

It's very important to commit things to God. I believe it helps you in everything, reminding yourself that you're doing it for Him. And isn't it awesome what is said next - your plans will be established. They WILL be established if you commit your work to the Lord.
But one more thing. Try and make sure that your goals aren't all earthly. 

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? - Matthew 16:26
It says in the bible to set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.

I think it's good to succeed with our goals on earth, but we mustn't forget to always be thinking this one simple question: What would Jesus do?. That way, we are thinking of the things above, not only of here on earth. There is so much more to life than earthly pleasures.

And we will succeed, with Him leading us. Maybe we won't always, because of stupid mistakes and issues on our side, but we can always depend on Him being there for us. Even when it thunders, you can see Him in the crystal clear, cold raindrops - even when fire burns, you can find Him in the warmth it gives on a cold night - even when darkness enfolds, He will come, as the light of the world.


valentine's day~nine pics that should make you smile

Hi, all of you lovely people. :) I'm sorry to say I haven't posted for quite awhile...so, sorry. But I'm back with some artwork by my Mom, Perrin (my older sister) and I. Theme: Valentine's Day.

My Mom's:



^ Beautiful illustration of two blue giraffes.



^ Clover with heart shaped leaves.



^ Another wonderful illustration - one of my favorites. <3



^ Creative word search with sketch-style pink flowers.

Perrin's single:



^ Now, I don't know if you can categorize this as a Valentine's Day artwork...but it's definitely gorgeous. (the reason why there is only one of Perrin's drawings, is because this is the only one that is sort of suited to Valentine's Day. Stunning, isn't it?

My own works:



^ Popcorn, my faithful Cockatiel, who fancies himself a romantic. :)



^ Just something I drew for fun.



^ A paisley heart.



^ If you don't have a valentine...don't worry. Cupcakes are always available.

I hope you were a little inspired, and that at least one of these made you smile.
You can visit my store here, my Mom's here, and Perrin's over here. Thanks for reading this. ;)

the overthinker


via pinterest

Me. I am an overthinker. The thing is, I don't need to be. God holds my tomorrow.
Have you ever had the feeling of panicky chaos caused by thoughts running madly around your head? So many things to do. So many things to worry about. Stress seems to follow where ever I go. And I know; I can't do it all by myself. Sometimes I just freak out.
Falling to my knees...tears come and I just don't know anymore. And always, always, somehow, He helps me out of it. Helps me to my feet and lifts me out of a deep hole of anxiety and worry. Someway He sends a message or a happening to make me feel free again. I'm so thankful for that. Because, some days, it's really bad. And I am NOT ashamed to say, my God is truly, deeply amazing. He has a way with things that words can't describe. So, get back on your feet again, know that Jesus is with you in your thoughts, mind, heart and soul. You don't have to worry about tomorrow or ever over think anymore, He is with you.

sister photoshoot - Grace and I

My reason for these pics -  my poll's highest vote was for me to post more photography, so here are some photos that Grace (my younger sister) and I had fun taking last Friday.



^ Two portraits of Grace, taken by me. Check out her blog HERE.




^ Yup. Those two are of me.



^ We have very different hair...



And with that bright smile of Grace's- the photos end. :) It was fun. Which is your favorite?

take flight


I don't know if anyone can relate with me- but from young I have always wanted to fly. It is an undying wish of mine. 
Maybe I will. Maybe I'll take flight in a way that will satisfy, inspire and full me the same way it would if I were flying. But until then, I'm waiting to take flight. To fly and feel the wind blow across my face, to soar with birds, to pass over oceans. And yes, to fly off into the horizon.
Now you know how I wish I could fly. Well, thanks for reading the post that just blurted out...not sure if blog posts can do that, but this one did.

pretty in pink

Hi all. I put up a poll on my blog a while ago, asking what I should post more of. Well, the winning vote was photography...so here's a picture of a pink hydrangea flower.



These pretty flowers have been blooming all December...they're gone now, but this one is captured in a photo taken by me.
Hope you enjoyed it. :)