Little Girl On the Go

How to Make Hair Flowers

2011-02-08T11:05:00.000-08:00

Hello, everybody!!! My friend Krista showed me how to make hair flowers, so I thought I'd share it with you.
Have you seen hair flowers that are the latest style? Do you see them and think "Oh, that is SO cute!" or, "I wish I had one!" Well, today is YOUR lucky day. I'm going to teach you how to make hair flowers! It saves money and it's fun and easy.
To make these flowers, you will need: 1 glue gun, polyester fabric cut into different size circles (I use four circles, about 4 inches in diameter for the largest, then 3 inches, 2 inch and 1 inch), 1 burning candle, 1 box of hair clips, and beads(optional). First find a empty workspace for your materials and a spot to let your flowers dry. Second, find the color combinations that you like. Choose colors to match an outfit for a special occasion or for daily wear. Next, take your bottom layer (your biggest circle) of your flower and put it next to the flame of the candle. The edges should curve upward and get crinkly and black. Repeat with all of your circles. After you have burned the edges of every layer, glue the layers together with your hot glue gun. Glue the largest on the bottom, and add the rest, largest to smallest. After that, turn it over and glue one hairclip on the back of your flower. Finally, if you would like your flower to have a center, choose a bead to put in the center of your flower and hot glue gun it there. Before wearing, let the glue dry completely. The clip may stick when you want to open it, but if you push hard on the end curving upward it should open. Congratulations!!!! You have made a hair flower!
I like them because they're cute, fun, easy to make and cheap. Besides putting them in your hair, you can give them as gifts,make a bouquet out of them and clip them on apron or jumper straps or coat lapels.Have fun making more hair flowers!
PS I will post some pictures soon of me making hair flowers!

Nutcracker and Christmas!!!

2010-12-11T08:33:00.000-08:00

Guess what? I am going to be in the Nutcracker again!!!!! I am so excited! I was cast as an angel and a caroler. The performances begin in less than a week and I have to be in EVERY show! We have had tons of practices, but I've enjoyed every minute of it. Meanwhile, we have been getting ready for Christmas:practicing for holiday performances, shopping, wrapping, decorating- you get the point. In our town, we have a festival called "The Dickens Festival". It has a Victorian style Santa Claus and every one is dressed up like Dicken's characters. There are lots of shopping booths with interesting items, a food court and lots of entertainment. Every year we go and we play our violins. It was my fifth year to play. I can't believe that! I remember the first time I performed there I could only play Jingle Bells on my violin!

This year we entered the Dickens Festival Coloring Contest, and the prize is $50.00 to spend at the festival. Now WHO won?????? ( drum roll please) West Did!!!!!

He looks very satisfied with himself, doesn't he ?He bought a bow and arrow and a slingshot for himself, and he got a ballet bag and a necklace for me( Thank you ,West!). This year for Christmas, I want roller skates. What do YOU want? Leave a comment and tell me!!

The Egg and I

2010-10-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

Howdy everybody. I'm taking over my Sailor-girl's blog to talk about my recent trip to Oregon. I was invited, along with nine other bloggers, to tour an egg farm in the heart of the gorgeous Willamette Valley. I really wanted to go on this tour for lots of reasons. We all know that eggs are good for us, but they're also one of the cheapest sources of protein, easy to prepare, and yummy in so many different dishes. Most of all, I really wanted to see what an egg farm is really like. I'd read the book The Egg and I, the true story of a young bride whose husband surprises her with an egg farm after their honeymoon. What follows is one hilarious misadventure coupled with constant hard labor. If you haven't read it, RUN-don't walk to your library and check out a copy. It just might be the funniest book I've ever read.

We kicked off the trip with dinner at a winery. Now, I don't drink, so all of the lovely wines were wasted on me. (Sparkling cider, thank you very much.) But the beauty of the process wasn't wasted on me, however. Ancient history is on the side of bread makers, cheesemongers, and grape growers, don't you think? How would you like to live here, with this view, driving around this truck, eating crusty bread and cheese at sunset?

We bloggers had dinner together in the French style farmhouse. I loved meeting other food bloggers. I'm not sure how I ended up with such an amazing, talented group. I felt a bit like the country cousin with this group of successful woman. Everyone was so nice and welcoming-I really feel like I made eight new buddies. I'll end with a link if you want to check out their blogs. The next day, we headed over to the egg farm. We met the egg farmer and his lovely wife and parents. The farm has been in their family for three generations. They care about the eggs, the hens, and their consumers. Even though they run a slick and modern production, it still has the feel of a good old American small business. But let's get into the hen house. First, we suited up in some lovely hygenic garb, hairnets mandatory and went right into the lair of the chickens. Jennifer is going to model our lovely outfit from the fall disease prevention collection. Gorgeous-work that camera. By the way, she was just as calm when a hen roosted on her shoulder. We toured an organic hen house, a cage free hen house, and classic hen house. Each method had clear advantages and disadvantages. If you want efficiency, the classic hen house is the way to go. It's easy to keep clean and is highly productive-which helps feed the hungry all over the world. The organic hen house affords the hens lots more wiggle room, but it's harder to maintain and isn't as efficient. Cage free seems like a pleasant middle ground, as the hens spend their laying hours in cages, and spend the rest of the day doing the funky chicken dance. I buy classic eggs and I will continue to do so...unless I get a coupon for an organic egg. I'm a price-driven consumer, as my name implies. While we're talking about price, did you know that eggs are only about 12 cents apiece? The production room was my favorite part of the tour. Remember when Mr. Rogers used to tour a factory and show you all the modern machinery? Yep, I got the Mr. Rogers egg packing tour. It's incredibly clean and efficient. Get this-did you know that the average egg gets to your super market within 24-36 hours of being laid? It wouldn't get any fresher if you had your own chickens.

After the farm, we headed over for a chat with Mary, a darling nutritionist, about the many healthful virtues of eggs. Bottom line: eggs are good for you. Amen. We also had a couple of cooking demos. Howard Helmer is the Guinness book champ for the world's fastest omelets, and just about the nicest, friendliest person you'll ever meet. I've never felt comfortable making omelets, so I figured that while I had the champ there, I might as well give it a go. He's such a good teacher, we were all able to turn out perfectly respectable omelets on our first tries. I didn't stop there though-I made seven omelets in all. I wanted to make sure I was a true pro while I could still get help. Ta-da! I've made five one-egg omelets in my six inch skillet since I've been home. I think I'll have to post a video demo (on the Quiet Man's new birthday video camera) and show you all how easy it is. Jeffrey Saad, super personable celeb chef, was there to teach us some fast family-friendly egg recipes, including this super fast Pan Quiche. Check out my blog for the recipe. Here I am, in the famous egg chair, with Howard, Jeff, and Mary.

I'm going to leave you with a link to the other bloggers so you can hear about their egg farm tour. Thanks for reading!

She Wears Many Hats

Gourmet Mom on the Go

Savor the Thyme

Lynn's Kitchen Adventures

The Naptime Chef

The Wicked Noodle

Cookin' Canuck

She's Becoming Doughmesstic

Have a great day. Oh, and break an egg. Yuk, yuk, Yuk. I can never resist a good yolk. OK-I'd better get out of here before the corniness becomes unbearable.

Prudy

My mother's on a cooking show!!

2010-08-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

My mothers going to be on KSL(because of her blog)! You'll find a link to her blog if you scroll down. Anyway, here are some pictures of a few things she's made.

Corn chowder,

brownies,

and waffles!

My brother West

2010-08-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers day to all you dads out there! My mom lets my dad choose a dinner he wants for Fathers day. He chose cowboy rubbed steak with chile maple butter. He got a lot of presents, including,a Toy story puzzle, an Ella Fitzgard CD, an inflatable pillow,TWO packs of wintergreen Altoids, Top pop ( Food that has to do with pop: Popsicles, jalapeno poppers, soda pop, popcorn Etc.) I love my dad because he helps me with my math, encourages me to try harder, but most of all, I love him because he's my dad.

PS We have a new friday faves! Heres a link.

Just click on the underlined word, and it will get you to the blog.

HURRY !!!!!! Last minute advice please!

2010-06-02T20:16:00.001-07:00

LAST MINUTE ADVICE NEEDED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to Lego Land on Friday.Please ,( If you have been)tell me what your favorite ride and what park it's in.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Birthday by the Threes

2010-05-24T19:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me, Ivy,and Bella! I can't belive it ! Ivy and Bella turned five and I turned nine! To celebrate,we had a Disney Land themed party. We've had birthday parties together the last couple of years. It's more fun to share your birthday with others. Of course, to make this year's party seem like Disneyland, there was popcorn , cotton candy, baloons, and snow cones . We told every body to come as a Disney character, if they wanted. We wound up with four Minnie Mouses! Here's a picture of two Minnie Mouse birthday girls, waiting for the guests to arrive.My cousin Annabelle came to the party dressed as an adorable Minnie Mouse...but then decided to put on a teeny, tiny 101 Dalmation costume-my Halloween costume from when I was six months old! For games, there were Pin the Bow on Minnie Mouse, Musical chairs Disney guess who
Wishing well( drop the pennies in a jar)

and if you count pinatas( which I do) there was a pinata game. With pinatas, you' ve got the three W's. 1. whacking
2. waiting
I know it's funny but number 3 is wearing the pinata.
My little brother almost fell down laughing when he saw this picture of himself. You've got to admit that it's pretty funny. We had some delicious refreshments, plus Minnie Mouse birthday cakes for the birthday girls, and little cupcakes and a castle cake for our guests. (I didn't get a picture of the castle cake.) Time to blow out the candles!

Actually, I blew out the candles three times this year. Once at the group birthday party. Once on my actual birthday. And one more time at home with Grandma and Grandpa and my Tuinei cousins.
I made my own birthday cake at home. (My very favorite cake is Texas Sheet Cake. I mean, really, who can resist it? My Grandma R wants to rename it Illinois Big Cake, but if I called it that, you probably wouldn't know what I was talking about, now would you?)

I got so many wonderful presents! I got some birthday money from Oma and Opa and Grandma and Grandpa R, plus a Castle needlepoint set from Aunt Catte and Uncle Paul, a beauty set from Aunt Heidi and Uncle Mikey, an Ivy and Bean and a necklace charm set from Aunt Mary Kate and Uncle Adam, and my dad sent me a teddy bear and balloons on my actual birthday, and then later I opened a new dress with matching headband and bracelet, plus a Minnie Mouse doll and a new bike! What a happy day!As long as you can spend time with people that you love, you will always have a happy birthday and happy days all the year through.

Hugs and kisses to everyone who makes me smile everyday of my life!

More Roses with Little Miss Girl on the Go

2010-05-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

This is Sailor's mom. Hiya folks. I'm assuming that I know just about everybody that reads this blog, right? (Thank goodness for relatives to support your kids.) Yesterday Sailor posted, unbeknownst to me, about roses. She wrote the text and uploaded the pictures all by her little lonsome. While I' not pleased about her roaming the Internet, I'm happy that she's able to accomplish a few things independently. Especially since she may have to wait a decade if she wants my help with anything. But folks, Sailor had just picked roses from our yard for our neighbor Ramona for May Day. I had a great collection of pictures that she could have put into the post-had I known she was going to post. I thought I'd sneak in here and post a few. I wonder how long it will take her to find out I've been here....

And by the way Happy Mother's Day to all.

Stop and smell the roses

2010-05-07T11:30:00.000-07:00

I love flowers.

A year or two ago ( when we moved to a new house),our dad planted some roses. We have orange, pink, and even purple roses ! If you walk around our neighborhood,there are even more colors, like, yellow, white, red, and light pink! I love roses .Do you?Leave a comment to tell me!

Speaking of roses , time to get some for your mother!

Tom and George

2010-03-01T08:43:00.001-08:00

Here's a copy of my latest History essay for school. I hope you like it!

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were both great patriots. In this essay , I will be comparing and contrasting there abilities , their roles in the American Revolution, and their attitudes.
Washington and Jefferson had distinct backgrounds that shaped their abilities. When Washington was little, his older brother took charge of the farm. When his older brother died, Washington learned to be a good leader and manager. He developed a love of discipline that later served him as an officer and President. Jefferson was a skilled writer and famous thinker. He went to college and law school, and studied mathematics, philosophy, and politics. This came in handy when he was needed to explain our reasons for separating from King George and Great Britain. Both Washington and Jefferson were great Presidents, and their separate abilities were both needed.
Both Washington and Jefferson were called to work in the American Revolution. Washington began as an officer in the army, and later took control of the army. He brought discipline and respect to his soldiers. Jefferson was not particularly skilled in warfare. Instead, he was involved in politics as the Governor of Virginia. He helped begin the Revolution by the power of his words in the Declaration of Independence. They both helped create this great free nation.
Washington and Jefferson had similar ideas and attitudes about government. They didn’t want a King to rule. They wanted to create a country was free where people could choose laws and leaders for themselves. When they were in office, they treated all citizens as equals.
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were alike and different. Washington was more skilled in warfare, and that is important because our country needed a great leader to help us defeat the British. Jefferson was a great writer and that was important because we needed someone to write The Declaration of Independence. They both supported the cause of freedom. They were both great Presidents of our country.

Are You a Brace Face Too?

2010-02-11T17:09:00.000-08:00

Groovy and GorgeousHi there strangers! It's been quite a while since I wrote a post. Every day I wake up and think that I will write a post, and then poof! It's time for bed. They say that time flies when you get older, but I'm only eight and it already flies! What will it do when I'm twenty? Rocket off into space? I won't even try to catch up, except to say that I am happy and having a good time with my homeschooling, dance, voice, acting, violin, and repeated visits from cousins.

And one more thing....

Guess what? I got BRACES ! I got them almost three weeks ago and I'm finally getting used to them. At least, I'm getting used to the feel of them. It was hard the first few days because I couldn't eat any thing except soft, mushy denture-wearer food, like peanut butter, milkshakes and Jell-o. I still haven't gotten used to the look of them. Whenever I look in the mirror, I want to wipe them off. I feel like groovy Marcia Brady, who goes to bed without supper because she feels too "ugly, ugly, ugly!" I will have my braces on for about six months, and then I'll wear a retainer....and a couple of years later I'll get braces again. Oh, Joy! Just what I wanted. Thank goodness time flies, because before you know it, I'll have straight, white chompers. It does help to know that I'm not the first, last, or only one to have train tracks all over her pearly whites. Did you have braces? A retainer? Or were you blessed with perfect teeth? Leave a comment!

Here are some pictures that you can laugh at. It won't hurt my feelings, since I'm laughing too!

PS OH MY GOODNESSSSS! I just googled "Marcia Brady braces" and a picture of me from my Mom's blog showed up. How embarassing! My face is red just thinking about it!

The Princess and the Frog

2009-12-10T17:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Mr. Reeve Michael show ,featuring Miss Sailor as his assistant ."Welcome, one and all . This is Reeve speaking, so you better listen!The big guy is watching, so you better be good and do this for me!(Cut to Miss sailor)The" Princess and the Frog" is coming out tomorrow ,so you better go see it ! " In a nut- shell,a Princess kisses a Frog and the Princess turns into a frog, too! ( cut to commercials) During this jolly but sugary season,make sure you use Crest for PURITY ,and for bad breath after kissing frogs!(cut back to show) "Well, that's all for tonight folks, but have a happy holiday!"

Please leave a comment saying what you want for Christmas!

Thanks for Thanksgiving.........

2009-11-23T06:34:00.000-08:00

Well, hello dear readers. How was your week? I've had a very very busy week with more cousins visiting. One of these days I will do a post about some of the plays and recitals that I have been in, but not today. However, one of the best things that we've done lately is to see a wonderful play TWICE. Have you ever seen A Year with Frog and Toad? The music is lively and fun and the play has lots of sweetness. My favorite character is a slow moving snail that tries to deliver a letter throughout the entire musical. You can check out a commercial for the Broadway play here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gEsl6xQB0o (Our local version was just as good! At least I think it was. I've never seen a play on Broadway.)

Well, this week is Thanksgiving, a time to focus on gratitude. This year I'm thankful for.....

1.Books

2.clothes

3.family

4.art

5.food

6.water

7. YOU!

What are you thankful for? Leave a comment!

Happy ( almost ) Birthday Mom!

2009-11-11T15:00:00.000-08:00

This month is such a special one it's birthday time for you. Let's sing a song that we all know........Happy birthday,to you! In my family, November is a special a very special month. It's FULL of holidays,and especially birthdays. First there's my uncle Roy's, then Aunt Leslie, Mom, Baby Paul, and Aunts Heidi and Catherine. Aunt Mary deserves to be in this picture....She's getting adopted into the November B-days, and if you look closely, there are 2 of the Nov.B-days, Heidi and Leslie.

Even if you don't know everyone in my family, wish them a happy birthday in your heart...or in the comment section!

Holiday Helper for Halloween

2009-10-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

Hello! I'm doing a holiday helper for Halloween. For those of you who don't know what "holiday helper "is, I post about little crafts or recipes you can do to help you celebrate.This time I will teach you a craft my mother (visit her blog here http://prudencepennywise.blogspot.com/ ) in the past when she was a school teacher,used to do with her pupils.You will need :paper,glue, scissors,and a picture from a favorite Halloween book.

Choose a full sheet of background color, then trace your design onto scraps of colored paper. You can use wax paper to copy a design that is hard to trace. Lay it over the page in the book and trace the design. Then you can staple your waxed paper to colored paper and cut our just the right piece. Try to find the simple shapes in your chosen picture. Cut out the shapes on colored paper and glue them on a background. I chose to copy Tillly Witch. West chose the back cover from Shake dem Halloween Bones. Glue the pices together and Voila! A Halloween literary masterpiece!

Toy Story Double Feature

2009-10-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my Tuinei cousins from Provo, Grandma and Grandpa, and my family went to a new restaurant called "The Brick Oven" for pizza, followed by a movie. At our movie theater, a Toy Story double-feature in 3D was playing. We had such a good time and I really wanted to recommend the movies to my fellow readers .I 've loved Toy Story since I was a baby and I was so excited to see one and two in one sitting. I love all the characters, especially Buzz., Woody, and Little Bo Peep. (When I was four I was Bo Peep for Halloween and my little brother was Woody.) Toy Story is a great movie for all ages:kids love the cartoon animation;and grown-ups love the hilarious jokes. I had never been to a double feature before. I would recommend getting free refills on your popcorn! Oh, and don't miss the fun trivia questions and bits that they show during intermission.

What's your favorite part from the Toy Story Movies? Leave a comment!

One of my favorite parts is when Tour Guide Barbie is getting worn out saying good-bye.

Bye, Bye now.

Hurry!

2009-10-15T11:53:00.001-07:00

My mom is hosting a give away at http://prudencepennywise.blogspot.com Click here to leave a comment and enter!It ends midnight today! Happy Halloween!

LG on the Go's Friday Faves

2009-10-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

La la la...Warm woolen mittens, bright copper kettles, and brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things.... Those are pretty good, but I happen to have my own favorites.

Finally, I am taking after some of my aunts and doing Friday Faves. So, as the song says, these are a few of are favorite things:

If you've ever been on the Disneyland ride Toy Story Mania, then you'll love this new 3D game for the Wii. It's got loads of games. My favorite is Ham's Movements, where you mirror Ham's actions. It's hilarious!

I'm enamored with the Fablehaven series. Thanks, Aunt Michelle for recommending these exciting books by Utah author and NYT bestseller, Brandon Mull.

In a nutshell, two kids spend the summer with their reluctant grandparents, only to find out that their grandparents are caretakers for magical creatures. Mischief and misadventure are inevitable.

Yoplait Whips are out of this world. OK, so they're not chocolate candy, or french fries, but for a healthy treat they go down nice and smooth.

Here's a family classic:

If you've never seen Arsenic and Old Lace, then get ready to laugh yourself silly. Mortimer Brewster has just written a book about how horrible marriage is, so of course in the opening scene....he's getting married. And that's just the beginning. Get ready for murder, suprise, mayhem, insanity, and lots of deep belly laughs.

My Report on Roanoke Island

2009-10-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

Do you like mysteries? History contains many of the world's best mysteries. For example, consider the mystery of Roanoke Island. What happened to the English colonists of Roanoke?

Actually, we know quite a bit about Roanoke Island before the settles disappeared. The 177 colonists arrived in 1587, too late in the season to plant crops. Their organizer was Sir Walter Raleigh, but he only dropped them off on the tiny island in North Carolina. However, he left John White in charge. White was an artist and mapmaker who had been to Roanoke before. This time he brought his daughter, Eleanor Dare and her husband.

The settlers were last seen in late August. John White realized that they would not have enough food, so he sailed back to England to get more supplies. Right before he set out, his daughter Eleanor had a baby named Virginia Dare. John made a plan with the settlers that if they moved on to a different area they would carve a message on a chosen tree. Little did John know that war in England would delay his return.

Three years later, John was startled to find that the settlers had disappeared. His only clue was the letters "CRO" carved on the chosen tree. John White never saw any of them again.

What happened to them? Where did they go? Well, one possibility is that they could have starved. But that is unlikely because White would have seen skeletons and other signs of distress. They could been attacked by the Spanish or the Indians, but then they would not have been able to carve CRO on the tree. The most likely theory is that they joined with Indians and went to Croatan Island. Actually, a few years later, light-eyed Indians were found not far from Roanoke Island. They could possibly be descendents of Virginia Dare and John White.

Nobody has ever solved the mystery of Roanoke Island, but it is still fun to learn about. Maybe you could someday solve the mystery of Roanoke Island, or one of history's other mysteries.

A flying house guest, plus a video

2009-09-15T14:47:00.000-07:00

Bam! Crash! Boom! My scooter fell taking me with it. Mom dropped our groceries and came running. “What happened’? cried Mom. I had swerved to avoid a dead humming bird and gotten my scooter wheel caught in a rut in the gutter. I looked down and saw dirty black smudges on my dress. I looked even farther and saw that my foot was bloody and scraped up. It hurt very badly. As Mom walked me into the house she said that next time I should just run over animals in road. But how could I run over a beautiful peaceful hummingbird?

Two weeks later, I was playing on the computer and a bird got in. Not just any bird. A hummingbird! It flew in the back door and flitted to our front door. Now by our front door we have tremendously high ceilings and a big iron chandelier with a metal chain. The bird went to the top of the chain and stayed there. Mom got a ladder, our tallest broom, and every ball that we could find. She took a four- square ball and started throwing it near the bird, to try to get it to come down. The ball landed on a high ledge of our ceiling and we couldn’t get it down. It happened over and over again with all the balls. Pretty soon all of the balls were caught on the ledge. Mom climbed the ladder and started tapping and hitting the chandelier with the broom. The bird fluttered like a broken fan, but flew back to the highest chain. My brother and I tried throwing socks and shooting Nerf guns near the bird, while Mom desperately called Dad at work. A few minutes later, Dad came home. In a split-second, he had taped a butterfly net to our tallest broom. He stood on the ladder and scooped up the bird with the net, as easy as scooping up an ice cream cone. Daddy and I took the bird outside and we cheered with happiness as we let it go.
We went to bed that night happy that we not only got the hummingbird out of the house but that we did it without hurting it. Hummingbirds are sweet and peaceful. I will always try to save them.
You can watch our whole adventure below.

I'm Still Alive and Well. Just missing in action.

2009-09-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting!! You probably thought I was vacationing again . No sir. Just the same old adventures .Well, here are some pictures of Nantucket like I promised. There are lots more below also.

I promise to post again THIS WEEK. We had a little animal visitor in the house and I'm dying to tell you all about it!

More pics from Nantucket Island

2009-09-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

Back from Boston

2009-07-05T19:02:00.001-07:00

Hello! I'm glad to be back. I have been away on a family reunion. Then, I had to drive across the country with my cousins Carolina (aka Canos) and Georgiana (aka Georgie). But first things first. My family started our vacation in Rhode Island. We went to Providence, the steeple lined city and then to Newport where we collected shells on the beach and went on the mansion walk. We even got to see the house from the movie Great Gadsby. My dad got a tick on his pants, but it was only sitting there doing nothing. Even still, it scared me for the rest of the trip. Next we went to Boston, where we walked the Freedom Trail which I absolutely loved. I'm already a real history lover. I especially liked visiting the cemeteries, the Old North Church where the lanterns were hung to alert the minutemen of the redcoat's arrival by sea, and Paul Revere's house. Next we went to Concord, Massachussets, town of Emerson's home, Louisa May Alcott's house, and also Walden Pond. I loved seeing Louisa May Alcott's house because I love the book Little Women. Her house is very pretty.

Next stop: Plymouth, Massachussets. We got to see the famous rock and the Mayflower.

After Plymouth, we caught a ferry to Nantucket Island. I'll be back to write about that sometime later this week.

Happy 8th Birthday to me in pictures

2009-05-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes one day is not enough for a birthday. Here's my two-day birthday.
This is me, laying beside the bed at my Aunt Heidi's house, waking up with balloons and a book, watching special Agent Oso with some of my cousins, having a graduation party, jumping and sliding at Kangaroo Zoo, having a birthday dinner at Chili's with one of the other birthday girls, holding baby Sunny (a real birthday treat since we're not allowed to hold her yet until she gets bigger). The next day at the party..... the boys played soccer, we had birthday cake, and sang the birthday song to the big group of spring birthdays in my family,

played games,

and Uncle Adam did some face painting.

See you soon with more news. We're having some big parties this weekend for memorial day. I also want to share my latest and most favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Here's a picture of my cousin Jake for you to enjoy!

Odds and Ends plus Fast Food Results

2009-04-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

The results of the Fast food survey are in. Sorry it took me so long to get them up. We've had a computer virus. I bet you guessed that Mc Donalds was the most popular fast food. If you did, you were right on. Younger children like Mc Donalds the most of all. (I'm in that group, too since I adore their french fries.) Next favorite was Little Caesers, then Wendy's, followed by Taco Bell. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Moving on....

We've had lots of cousins visiting. We had my cousins Annabelle and Paul for Easter, and then Annaliese, Adam, Jacob and Bella for the last weekend, and now we have Kaden and Rider and Brooklyn and baby Grayson. It's been lots of fun and I'm still trying to keep up with my studies and instrument practice. Today I had to buckle down and work really hard to stay caught up. Our good friends the Bradleys moved here recently from California. They popped by this weekend and brought along their new pet, Sketcher. Can you spot him on my shoulder? I'm getting pretty brave around reptiles and amphibians these days. I guess it will be good practice for when I'm dating. (It's just a joke, so don't worry Dad and Grandpa.) Here's Sketcher in my hand. And here he is again with my cousin Annaliese. See you soon.

PS If anyone sees the Earth Day movie, let me know how you like it. I can't wait to see it!

Fast Food Survey

2009-04-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

I'm conducting a survey for math. To participate in the survey, you must be between the ages of 5 and 11 years old. Please leave your answer in the comment section. (You can still leave an answer in the comment section if you aren't in the right age group. I just won't be able to count it, since my sample population is elementary school age kids.) I'll let you know the results of my survey in a few days!

What is your favorite fast food chain?

Choices are McDonald's, Wendy's, Little Caeser's or Taco Bell.

I won't tell you my favorite, since I don't want to create a bias! See you soon with the results.

Metamorphic Rock Cookies

2009-03-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

For science, I'm learning about all sorts of rocks. I have a whole kit full of all different kinds or rocks, like sandstone, granite, and quartz. My favorite is pyrite because it looks like a big chunk of sparkly gold.

Even though there are many different kinds of rocks, they can be grouped into three main categories. They are sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic. Sedimentary rocks are formed by pressure and cementing, igneous rocks are formed in volcanoes and wherever magma can flow, and metamorphic rocks are formed when rocks are subjected to pressure and heat. If you are interested in rocks, you should come visit Utah. It is a rock lover's paradise.Part of my science experiment was to make metamorphic rock chocolate cookies. Don't worry-there won't be any real chunks of rocks in the cookies! Thecookies are like metamophic rocks because you form soft cookie dough into balls that you squeeze with pressure. Then, when you put them in the oven they are subject to heat-just like metamorphic rocks. The cookies change from soft dough to hard rocks. Well, not too hard, but definitely solid. It's always fun to try a new chocolate chip cookie recipe, especially if it's part of your science lesson. I always like a school project I can eat up when I'm done.

Metamorphic Rock Cookies

2 and 1/2 T butter

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Stir in flour, then ships. Form into about 20 (one inch) balls. Bake them for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy your rock cookies! That's all for my tasty science show. See you next time!

Hee Hee Hoo Hoo Ha Ha-Irish style

2009-03-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

Take two minutes and watch this. It'll make you laugh! Turn off the music from my blog and then click on the link below.
Watch Danny Boy

The Fairy Tea Party

2009-03-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

This last week I've been visiting my cousins up north. My cousins and I have a springtime tradition of attending the Fairy Tea Party. (I'm the fairy on the top right with the gigantic green wings.)My Aunt Michelle waits in line in the snow to buy us tickets, so everybody should give her a round of applause. Hip hip hooray for Aunt Michelle. The fairy tea party is held in the top floor room of a beatiful library near Brigham Young University. It's for girls only---except for a few special men, like the King of the Fairies, Grandpa Renouf, and a few little boys that dressed up as leprechauns. All the little girls dress up as fairies, with wings, glitter and even a bit of makeup. We have a little tea party snack plate, watch fairy ballerinas, and sit with the Fairy King and his court. You have to be three years old to come to the party, so my little cousin Lavender couldn't come. I don't think she really minded at all. Don't worry, Lavender. Soon you can join the little girls. And before long, you will be a big girl fairy. Mostly it is just fun to dress up and be together with friends and family. While we were in Provo, we also got to visit the BYU Art Museum, the Bean Museum, and Scera Theatre for the Frog and Toad Musical. Have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day. See you soon!

My Great Grandpa Bud

2009-02-25T15:31:00.000-08:00

I'm back to my blog after being away unexpectedly. Two weeks ago, my Grandpa Bud died. I felt very sad because he was the last great grandparent that I had left. I will miss his funny sense of humor. He liked to tell jokes and sing songs. He used to go to church in a nice dress shirt with a tie, and a cowboy hat and cowboy boots. We liked to take him out to get an ice cream.

We went to South Dakota for his funeral. It wasn't too sad, thank goodness, because everyone told funny stories about Grandpa Bud. Now he can be with his wife that died seven years before him on the very same day. Once Grandpa Bud saw a rattlesnake and told Uncle Rob to run back to the house and get Grandma's hoe. When Grandma saw Uncle Cam she said, "Where are you going with my hoe? You come back here! Don't you break my hoe!" Well, of course Grandpa broke the hoe killing a rattlesnake and Uncle Rob had to go back to the house and tell Grandma.

Another time, Grandpa fell in a well during a blizzard. He doesn't remember much, but he somehow ended up on the ground outside the well. Angels were looking after him. His hand was badly damaged, and he wasn't able to use it much after that. He couldn't even fiddle anymore. But my brother and I got to play our fiddles at Grandpa's funeral and a lot of people said that it reminded them of Grandpa Bud and his fiddling and that he was in heaven feeling proud.

I'm glad I got to South Dakota so that I could see Grandpa's farm and see Oma and Opa and Uncle Rob and Daddy's Aunt Marilyn, Uncle Steve, Uncle Gary, and Aunt Desiree. I met some long lost cousins and we built a crazy cup castle. I read lots of Laura Ingalls Wilder books. She knew a lot about South Dakota. We also went to Mount Rushmore, which was very snowy but very impressive. My little brother wasn't impressed because he thinks it should be bigger. We told him that the eyebrow of George Washington is really longer than six feet, but it doesn't look that way from the ground, so he doesn't really believe it.

It's good to be home, but now I am busy catching up on all of my work. I made lots of Valentines to post about, but I'll save them for next year.

B is for Books

2009-01-29T11:00:00.000-08:00

There are book worms and there are BOOK WORMS. I'm not a bookworm, I'm a BOOK WORM. (Why is everything about worms lately????) I love books so much, that I decided to write a little rhyming poem about them. I hope you like it.

"B is for Books" by Little Girl on The Go

B is for Books that will make your imagination fly.

Be a princess, or a dragon and soar high into the sky.

Climb up Rapunzel's hair

Or run and play with Baby Bear,

Feast with naughty Goldilocks

Or shriek at Red Riding Hood's wolfy shocks.

Save Snow White from the wicked Queen,

Trade a cow for a magic bean.

Help Aladdin find the lamp,

Look for gold at a miner's camp.

Take care of a book and share a book

(But please be careful of Captain Hook!)

If you want to go here or you want to go there,

Books can take you everywhere!

I promise to be back soon with Valentine's Day ideas! Have a great weekend.

How to Make a Kaleidoscope

2009-01-27T06:26:00.000-08:00

For science this week, my little brother made a kaleidoscope. I could barely stand it! I wanted to make one too, but the only thing I've been studying for science lately is worms. I know a lot more about worms than I ever wanted to know. If you ever want to know anything about worms, worms, worms, you can ask me, since I'm becoming a reluctant worm expert!
So after school and all my worm-studies, I gathered up all the kaleidoscope materials I needed and made my own. I'll show you how, too. Unless of course you'd rather study worms. Nah! Here's what you'll need: a toil paper roll, tissue paper, cardboard, markers, pencil, scissors, ruler plus some tape and glue. You'll also need some metalic paper OR some mylar to create a mirror. (You could even use mylar from a popped balloon.) We used silver paper film from the scapbooking store.
First, cut 3 rectangles measuring 4 and 1/2 inches by 1 and 1/2 inches from the metallic paper and ANOTHER SET from the cardboard. Glue the metallic paper on to the cardboard to make it sturdy. When the glue dries, tape the three metallic/cardboard rectangles together, metallic side down. Then fold it into a triangular tube, metallic side in and tape it shut. (This will create your kaleidoscope, since the light will bounce off the reflective surfaces and create lots of images.) Scoot the tube into an empty toilet paper roll. Create an eye piece by tracing a circle the size of the toilet paper roll top. Trace a smaller circle inside. Add a few tabs to make it easier to tape down. (The eye piece isn't really necessary, but it will help your eye to focus.)Cut it out and attach it to the top of your kaleidoscope. Cut a sheet of paper the size of your toilet paper tube and decorate it for a covering. Your kaleidoscope is all ready and you can use it anywhere. For fun, you can also make a brightly colored drawing with markers on tissue paper and hang it in a window to use with your kaleidoscope. Wouldn't it be fun to make these for your friends for Valentine's Day? I'll be back soon with more fun ideas! Have a great week.

Disney World Memories

2009-01-16T07:20:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm back from my DisneyWorld Vacation. Of course you can already guess that I had a great time. Here are some highlights from our week long adventure.

My whole family went on a river rapid ride, but wouldn't you know it, only my Dad and I got soaked. Look at this picture to find our just how sopping wet we were. Front.... and Back.....

Here's a picture with me and Snow White. I spent almost an entire year dressed as Snow White every day. When people used to ask me what my name was, I would answer, "Sailor Snow White." (I kind of wish I could still be Snow White every day, but I'm not exactly two years old anymore.)

Here's me dressed as Belle taking picture with everyone's favorite cartoon cowboy. I have to admit that it is really fun to walk around DisneyWorld in a princess costume. They make you feel like you really are that princess. Some tiny girls really thought I was Belle and that made my day! Maybe when I'm a college student, I really can be a princess at Disneyland.

In this picture, I'm next to a little statue of Minnie Mouse. I collect costume Minnie Mouse dolls. Maybe I'll even post about that next, since I got two new Minnies to add to my growing collection!

Here's a giant alligator we saw by the side of the road when we were driving out to Kennedy Space Center. I loved seeing it.....at least from the inside of my car! It made me a little nervous when my Dad got out of the car to snap the picture. Be careful Dad-this isn't Disneyworld anymore!
Here's a shot of my brother and I at Coco Beach. I think I like the beach as much as DisneyWorld. Especially if you can collect shells, swim, and build 14 sand castles, like we did.

That's all for now. I'm planning all sorts of fun posts for the next few weeks, including some fun ideas for making Valentines! Have a great day!

An After Christmas Tree

2009-01-06T22:20:00.000-08:00

Can it really be January already? I hope you all had a nice Christmas! I'll tell you a little about mine.
Waiting for Santa was exciting. Those are reindeer ears on my head and a mural that my brother and I made behind me. My dad always takes a picture of me asleep, waiting for Santa. ZZZZZ! That's my new Minnie Doll sleeping beside me.Christmas day was magical. I'm playing with my new McDonald's cash register and foods.

It's the happiest day of the year for children. On New Year's Eve we went sledding....and then stayed up till midnight to ring in the New Year. But now it is over. In January, we have to make our own fun. We start by making an After Christmas Tree for the Birds. This year it was extra special, since my cousins were here to help. First, get some pine cones and attach some pipe cleaner to the top to make them into ornaments.
Coat the pinecones with peanut butter. Some people use a lot of peanut butter. Some people use a little, like me.Go ahead and get a little more.

While you're at it, why don't you taste a little. Mmm, peanut butter! I sure hope that pinecone was clean.
Roll your peanut butter pinecone in some birdseed.
Hang your ornaments on the tree and watch the birds have a little After Christmas Feast. I'm off to make some more January fun. There's no way I'm getting the holiday blues. In a few hours, we're heading to Disneyworld! I'll tell you all about it when I get back. Have a great week, everybody!

Polar Express Party

2008-12-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

If you have time this week, try having a last minute Polar Express party. I got the idea from my super fun Aunt Heidi. Pass out homemade tickets that say Believe on them. Everyone should wear their pajamas. We built a train from chairs and my brother put on a conductor's hat. Our guests were Grandma and Grandpa. Of course, you must watch the Polar Express movie during the party and read the book, too. The book is actually better than the movie, but it's a lot shorter. Move to the dining car for hot chocolate...and popcorn!Enjoy your Polar Expres Party!It's almost Christmas! I'm so excited!

Easy Gifts: Simple Homemade Fudge

2008-12-13T08:07:00.000-08:00

My favorite gift to make for my dance teacher, voice teacher, violin teacher, and church teachers is homemade fudge. I have a very easy recipe that I will share with you today. You can make the whole thing in five minutes. I like to make it in little loaf pans, and then pop it out of the pans and wrap it in cellophane with a little plastic knife so it's all ready to eat. You can add into the fudge whatever you like, nuts, candies, marshmallows, dried fruits, even cookies. Save a little extra add-ins so you can even sprinkle the top with extra decorations. The best part of all is that this fudge is really scrumptious! Make a little extra because you will want to eat some too. If you have any questions about this recipe, you can leave me a comment and I will help you. This is one candy that I'm an expert at making!
Easy Homemade Fudge

3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

4 tablespoons butter

Optional add ins: 1 cup of any of the following-frozen mini marshmallows, chopped nuts, dried fruits, cut up candy bars or cookies

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large microwaveable bowl, combine chips, milk, and butter. Heat in microwave for 2 minutes. Stir and return to microwave for 30 seconds at a time, until everything is melted. Add any add ins and vanilla and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and glossy. Pour into 1 foil lined 8 by 8 inch dish OR 4 mini loaf pans that have been lightly coated with cooking spray. (If you don't add any thing into your fudge, you might only be able to get 3 loaf pans full.) Later you can easily pop the loaves out of the pans and wrap them in cellophane.

For White Oreo Fudge:

3 cups white chocolate chips

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons butter

20 oreos, crushed

Follow directions above, omitting vanilla. Add oreos after fudge is smooth. GREASE pans very generously as this fudge sticks a bit more.

Enjoy your Holidays!

The Museum of Play

2008-11-24T12:09:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody! I've been in New York for the last three weeks visiting my grandparents. For two of the weeks that I was away, my mom and dad were in Europe. The rest of the time, mom was with us in upstate New York. I always love going back to New York. We used to live there when I was a little toddler. I love seeing Oma and Opa and swinging on their porch swing and playing in their backyard. I love going to the library on the Erie Canal and stopping at the candy shop next store. I love playing with all the neighborhood kids in the backyard.

For the last couple of years, we've been going to the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester. Doesn't that sound like a fun museum?

They have a Sesame Street Land. You can put on a puppet show or pretend to be on a Sesame street movie or visit Big Bird's house.

They have a fairy tale land with pirate ships, giants, mystery rooms, and even a Cinderella pumpkin.

They have a train, post office, airplane, hotel, construction site, a car assembly line and all kinds of places to pretend to work like a grown up. Our favorite place was the grocery store. You can work in the bakery, or the butcher shop. You can even pretend to be the manager and send out a message for the whole store. You can shop and then you can even ring yourself up. Best of all you can film your own cooking show. My little brother was the camera man and my mom watched the whole thing in the next room on TV.

Visiting New York is always so much fun. I already miss reading with Oma and eating her popcorn. I also miss Opa's warm homemade bread! New York is full or wonderful things, but it's great to be back home! Happy Thanksgiving to everybody!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T05:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everybody!

Tonight is the night that every child has been waiting for! Hooray! We have been so busy getting ready for Halloween. I carved my gigantic pumpkin this week. I bought a Disney carving kit with my birthday money and carved a Snow White pumpkin. It's hard to see in the picture but it really does look like Snow White. Last night we had our violin Spooktacular concert in costume. Here's me as Belle. Last weekend we had our vocal concert at the Opera House. That's me on the right end. Today is another happy busy day. We are going to two Halloween parties, plus trick or treating tonight, of course! And early tomorrow morning, we are leaving on a plane to go to New York. I'll be sure to write you from there, but in the meantime, have a very Happy Halloween!

And here's a question for you: What is your favorite Halloween Candy?

Mine is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

One of my favorite books....

2008-10-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

"All day the storm lasted. The windows were white and the wind never stopped howling and screaming. It was pleasant and warm in the house." In the book, On the Banks of Plum Creek, no matter what happens the Ingalls family seems to stay happy. The story begins when little Laura Ingalls moves from Indian Territory to Minnesota. She and her family, Ma, Pa, Carrie and Mary, have to live in a dugout until they have enough money to build a house. In the meantime, they run into fires and snowstorms and other setbacks. But they have a happy time swimming, going to parties, and celebrating holidays.

The story takes place in Minnesota in the late 1800s. Laura thinks that living in a dugout is fun. Ma worries that anyone can walk over the house and not even know it's there. Someone does. A cow, and his leg falls right through the roof! Laura loves the creek and the beautiful morning glories.

Laura Ingalls Wilder is the little girl in the story and author of this book. She has brown hair and brown eyes, but she wishes she could have blue eyes and blonde hair. Laura loves her doll Charlotte and her little sister Carrie. She also loves to play with Mary, help Ma, and listen to Pa's stories. She thinks that life in the dugout is outstanding. Laura is very smart and her parents can count on her to be brave, but she can be naughty sometimes too.

Mary is Laura's older sister. Mary has blue eyes and blonde hair, just like Laura wants. Mary tries very hard to follow all of the family rules. Mary is not as brave as Laura, but she is always lady like. The two girls love to play by the creek and laugh and take care of little Carrie.

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in a log cabin in 1867 in Wisconsin. Laura's family traveled across the country many times looking for a good home and place to make a good living. Laura wrote The Little House Series about her childhood on the prarie. She married Almanzo Wilder and had one daughter named Rose and a little son who died before Laura could name him. She didn't write the Little House books until she much older. Rose helped her since she was already a famous writer herself.

This book is one of my favorites and it also won a Newberry Honor Medal. I love this book becuase it tells how the Ingalls family lives on a farm and how they make everything themself. I hope you will read it for yourself. I think you will enjoy it, too.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend our family went to the pumpkin patch and bought our pumpkins for the season. Mine is so gigantic that I think I could carve three of the sides. It's bigger than our computer. My brother's is pretty big too. We buy our pumpkins in a little town. We've been getting our pumpkins there for five years. A famiy has a farm and they sell their pumpkins on the front lawn. After we get pumpkins we stop and get lunch at a little hamburger joint. Some years it is cold and rainy, but this year it was actually snowy. We stopped to play in the little bit of snow that we could find. It felt like Halloween and Christmas rolled into one. Have a great weekend! I hope you find your pumpkins soon too.

Crafty Crows

2008-10-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

I've got a fun Autumn craft for you all. This week I made a family of black crows. All you need are some tiny cups, paint, googly eyes, and a little bit of craft foam. I added a few extra details with ribbon and buttons. I found this craft on Amanda's Crafts, so go on over and get the directions and other great ideas. I'm hoping to make the scarecrow this week. But I really don't want him to shoo my family of crows away from me.
Here's a funny story. When I was about 3 years old, there was a stuffed scarecrow at our grocery store. He would say, "Shoo, Shoo, Get Away" whenever someone walked by. I used to come home from the grocery store and cry because the scarecrow didn't like me. I though he was saying "Say-Say, Go Away."
Here is the Mother Crow fretting over her burnt corn muffins. Here is the Father Crow. He's watching a baseball game and no one, not even a Scarecrow can stop him.

This is the baby chomping on his corn syrup dipped-pacifier.... Have a great weekend everybody!

Toe Shoes: A Special Report

2008-09-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

The following is a report that I just completed for school. I hope you'll enjoy it.

The graceful music carries a pretty dancer out on to the stage. She is wearing a pink tutu, and floats in on toe shoes, balancing on the tip of her toe. It seems impossible. But what are those pointy shoes? Where did they come from? How do they make them?

Toe shoes are ballet shoes with a hard piece so you can stand on pointed toe. They are made of satin and look delicate, but they are actually really sturdy. When a dancer first starts on toe shoes, usually around age 11, she feels like there is a rock in her shoe, but she'll get used to it with practice.

I used to think that toe shoes were made like regular ballet shoes with bricks at the bottom. Actually, they are like regular ballet shoes, but there is a hard piece of cardboard in the toe. Toe shoes have been the made the same way for about 150 years. The method hasn't changed much since the Middle Ages.

Ballet did not start out with toe shoes. In the 1500's, ballet was the dance of the court. At first, only men were allowed to be in the performances. No fair! Soon women began to surprise audiences by putting on tights and joining in. Maria Taglioni was the first known dancer to put on toe shoes. People were amazed that she seemed to float in on the tips of her toes. That's when ballet really began to take off.

I've been especially interested in toe shoes, since I'm practicing for a part in the Nutcracker. I'm only seven, so for now I'm in regular pink ballet shoes. When I see the older ballerinas standing on point, I can't wait for my turn to float onto the stage on tippy toe, too.

It Worked!!!

2008-09-24T20:22:00.002-07:00

I really must be Wonder Woman, and you my wonderful readers, are my Justice League. Your advice worked and I didn't even have to use my magic lasso. I followed a little bit of everyone's advice. I made a big batch of chocolate chip cookies to share with the class (Tante Shell), said a prayer before I left (Uncle Cam), and had some haughty comments in my arsenal just in case (Mary Kate). My mom walked me into class and gave Z her icy teacher look, and I walked straight past some of the worst teasers, ignoring them as suggested by Aunt Margaret, Aunt Catherine, Uncle Cam and Aunt Michelle. Since I showed up with a plate of cookies, no one seemed to be able to remember to tease. All they could think was butter-sugar-flour-num,num,num. It seems like the whole teasing episode is forgotten. If it happens again, I plan to stand firm (like Blonde Duck said), tell the teacher (Annie Laurie) and get out my lasso (Aunt Heidi). I really love you all so much. I felt so good knowing that I have so many friends and family who care about me.And now Wonder Woman is off to bed. Even Super Heroes have to get some rest. Big Yawn. Big Happy Yawn.

Advice Needed: Help!

2008-09-21T20:59:00.001-07:00

This week, during my group voice class, something terrible happened. There is one boy in my class named Z. He is sometimes funny, sometimes obnoxious, but very plain and odd all the time. Well this time, when I got to class, everyone started teasing me that I have a crush on Z. Even my best friend P was teasing me. I felt like I could burst into tears, but I tried to be Wonder Woman and hold it all in. I asked them to stop as nicely as I could and they stopped for a little while. After a while, they started teasing again. What hurt the worst was that my friend P was still teasing, even though she saw that I had tears starting to form in my eyes. What should I do? Please give me advice. Class is on Wednesday.

Should I....

A. Ignore it. It's no big deal and everyone gets teased.

B. Talk to the teacher and tell her what's happening.

C. Find a new friend in class that doesn't tease.

D. Move to a new voice class.

E. Activate my Wonder Woman powers and lasso the whole class (except the teacher.)

F. Wear a disguise to class next time.

Send help fast, because this is really affecting my super powers! Love, Sailor

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-09-16T07:40:00.000-07:00

Whenever we visit the library, I always bring my coin purse in case they have an interesting old book for sale. This time when I went to the library, I found an old cookie cook book. It was only 10 cents and it has 34 cookie recipes, plus the name of the author was PRUDENCE YOUNGER. I guess my mom is PRUDENCE OLDER. Ha ha. I had to make my first batch as soon as I came home. I made it all by myself, right before I left for dance class. I had a couple of mishaps, like I accidentally dumped out the brown sugar and spilled the vanilla, but it turned out OK because these big cookies were delicious.
Giant Chocolate Chippers
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (I left these out)
1/2 cup coconut (I left this out too)
1/2 cup chocolate chips.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, soda and salt. Add chips, coconut and nuts if you want. Divide into 12 balls and place on two cookie sheets. Bake each cookie sheet for about ten minutes.
Don't you just love my brother's face?

Science Experiment: Decomposers

2008-09-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers:
A couple of weeks ago (in August), I did a science experiment about decomposing. There are three types of living things on Earth: producers, consumers, and decomposers. Producers are living things that make their own food inside, like plants. Consumers are the ones that eat producers or even other consumers. A rabbit is a consumer because he eats plants, and a coyote is a consumer because he eats rabbits. Consumers can be herbivores (plant eaters), carnivores (meat eaters), or omnivores (plant and meat eaters.) Most humans are omnivores since we eat meat and other animal products. All humans are consumers-even farmers-because we can not produce our own food inside of ourselves. Have you ever seen a mushroom or toadstool in you lawn? Then you've seen a decomposer. Decomposers help recycle nutrients and carbon back into the earth. They can be tiny, even microscopic and they break down living and non living matter.
In my science experiment, I placed some soil in an empty water bottle with the top cut off. Then I inserted some foil, spinach, paper, egg shells, orange rind, bread and saran wrap. Next I made a chart and tried to predict which items would decompose, or break down and leave behind good nutrients. I covered the bottle with saran wrap and left it in the shade for two weeks.
What do you think happened?????
If you guessed that the spinach, bread, and orange rind decomposed, then you're correct. The paper and egg shells were beginning to decompose, but the saran wrap and foil didn't even change a bit. Don't litter these items, because they will be on the ground for keeps.
Try this experiment at home, if you want to watch some decomposers in action! Coming Soon:
An Excerpt from my History Record Book: Isaac Newton

Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

2008-08-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

I found a new candy bar recipes with all my favorite things inside of it. It's like crunchy fudge, with three layers of crispy rice and chocolate and peanut butter. The recipe comes from the Rachael Ray magazine, but my mom found it on Cookie Madness. It was really easy to make, with no baking time. You do have to chill it for a little while, so plan ahead. If you like Reese's peanut butter cups, then you'll definitely like this. See you soon with a science experiment!

You'll only need five ingredients. We made a half batch in a loaf pan.

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 sticks (8 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
One 16-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
3 cups crispy rice cereal
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, melt half of the chocolate and 1 tablespoon butter over low heat. Remove from the heat; stir in 1 cup peanut butter, then 2 cups rice cereal. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan; refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Wash out the saucepan.2. In the saucepan, combine the remaining 2 sticks butter and the salt; melt over medium heat, stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining peanut butter and the confectioners' sugar. Spread half of the peanut butter mixture over the cereal layer. Top with the remaining 1 cup cereal.3. In a small bowl, microwave the remaining chocolate at medium power until melted, 1 1/2 minutes. Stir into the remaining peanut butter mixture. Spread evenly on the cereal-topped peanut butter layer; refrigerate until set, about 45 minutes. Cut into 16 pieces.

Nutcracker News

2008-08-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

I know it might seem early to be thinking about the Christmas Ballet, the Nutcracker, but here in my town this weekend was audition time. I was really nervous about auditioning. The night before I almost changed my mind about trying. I felt tears come into my eyes when I was even thinking about it. I wanted to, but I didn't want to either. I was afraid of being with strangers and going to a different studio, and scared that I might get asked to a dance step that I didn't know how to do. On Friday afternoon, we went down to the studio and I got in a very long line to get measured and assigned a number according to my height. I was number 58. There were about 60 girls my size that were trying out, but only 16 parts. Little girls my size can audition to be one of Mother Ginger's little bon bons. If you have ever seen the Nutcracker, then you know that the littlest girls hide underneath the mother's gigantic humongous skirt, like in this picture. I had fun auditioning and I really wasn't that scared. I tried to smile the whole time, but I really didn't think I would get a part since there were so many other little ballerinas there. Well a couple of days later, we checked on the website, and I did get a part! I really did! I felt so overjoyed-except that I was really sick with the stomach flu. Thank goodness that I wasn't sick on the day of the audition. Now, I have to perform six times in December, and I'll have lots of practices before then, too. I feel very lucky that I was chosen and I'll try my very best to be a good little bon bon.

Coming Soon:

A Delicious Homemade Crunchy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Candy Bar

Ballet Positions

2008-08-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

Bon Jour! I am Madame Sailor. Welcome to your first ballet lesson. Today we will be learning the five positions of classical ballet. Hold your head high, stomach and bottom tucked in tight and we will begin. Une, deux, trois!
First Position from the front and back: Second Position:Third Position:Third Position close up on the feet:

Fourth Position:

From the Side: Fifth Position:

That is all for this class. Tres bien, mes amies. A bientot!

How to Host a Last Minute Tea Party

2008-08-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! When my cousins were visiting this summer, I got the idea of hosting an afternoon tea party. I made some handwritten invitations and passed them out to Eloise, Antoinette, Claire and my little brother, West. I asked everyone to wear a pretty dress (except my little brother, of course). I set the table with a dainty tablecloth and nice China dishes with tea cups and saucers. Then I get busy in the kitchen making some miniature cookies. My cousin Eloise loves bite sized cookies. I laid out fingerfoods like goldfish crackers. chips and dip, M &Ms, candies, popcorn, and cupcakes. We didn't drink real tea, but Koolaid made a good subsitute. After our little feast, we dressed up in Disneyland costumes and did a parade around the house with music from all the Disney movies. We also did a gruesome Haunted Mansion parade, dressed in black, but my mom says the pictures are a little too eerie to post here. Let's just say that we got a little carried away with the pretend swords and light sabers. Hey, we can't be perfect little princess tea party girls all the time!Host your own tea party before the summer is over. Better do it fast.
Coming Soon:
Ballet Positions

Darling Diving Dolphins

2008-08-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

Last week, I spent some time in Southern California, where I was born. One of my favorite things to do is hit the beach. I could spend all day splashing in the water, building sand castles, and looking for seashells. My favorite animals are sea animals, too. I had my eye out for dolphins, but I didn't get to see any. Maybe next time. I did study dolphins last year and wrote a little report. Read along and learn about the cutest animal in the sea. (Stay tuned for a shark report in the near future, too.)

Splish-Splash! A dolphin is diving. Wait! He seems to stay up on his tail. He looks like he is smiling at you. Do you know anything about him? Here are some things you can learn.
Dolphins are beautiful animals. They have a long sleek body and two flippers. A triangle back fin and a flat tail fin help them to swim fast. A blowhole on its head is for breathing. Their teeth are shiny white. He looks like he is always smiling.
Dolphins eat all day long. Dolphins eat octopus, eel, squid, small fish, and shrimp. In fact, they eat about 20 pounds a day. That’s a lot of seafood! Dolphins use echolocation to find food. They send out a clicking sound that bounces. It can go for many miles. Dolphins can even find their way in the dark. Can you find your way at night without a flashlight? Dolphins can. Dolphins have enemies, too. Sharks and killer whales want to eat dolphins. By accident, sometimes people can kill dolphins, too. Men use nets for tuna fish and dolphins get caught too. Poor dolphins! I hope you've enjoyed learning a little about these gentle animals of the sea. Maybe you'll get a chance to see one the next time you hit the beach.

Homemade Raspberry Sorbet

2008-07-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

I miss raspberry picking in New York. We can't do that here in our desert town. But, at the store last week they had six pints of raspberries for $12. We ate through the whole box and had to go back to get more three days in a row. Daddy barely got any at all. I usually like to eat them in a bowl, plain or with a little vanilla yogurt. I also love raspberry sorbet but I'd never made my own! I tasted it at Disney world and I really wanted to have some again. My mom helped me to find a recipe in the Joy of Cooking. It's easy and you'll love it if you're a big fan of raspberries, like me. We also added some key lime juice, but you could also use plain lime or lemon juice.

Raspberry Sorbet

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 cups raspberries

1 tablespoon lime juice
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Cool. Process berries in blender until smooth. Press through a sieve. Combine all ingredients in ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's directions.

Coming Soon:
A Report on my last Two Vacations-California and Utah

The Praying Mantis

2008-07-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

For some reason, my family has been thinking about praying mantises lately. First of all, we saw the movie Kung Fu Panda, which had a super fightin' kicking mantis. Later my brother wondered if we had any mantises in our southwest town. Then suddenly, a mantis appeared in Daddy's red wheelbarrow. I found it, so ten points for me!:) We ran out with the camera and took some pictures and then I started to get curious. Who was this holy little green guy in the wheelbarrow? Here's what I found out...

Praying Mantis is a carnivore. He likes to eat moths, grasshoppers, and flies. He may not be able to do karate, but he can nab his dinner with a quick flick of his front arms. Don't be tricked! He's not really praying-he's getting ready to kung fu his supper! Hi-Yah!

Praying Mantids are bigger than the mantises. They can be the size of a teacup. We found a big one at our old house.

Praying Mantises live for only about one year. In that year the female will lay an egg sac with over 100 baby mantises inside. Don't ask me to babysit!

Praying mantises have excellent vision. They can see up to sixty feet away. And I bet their moms don't even make them eat carrots.

The neatest thing about praying mantises is that they are really good at camouflage. Except in red wheel barrows. Don't ever try play hide and seek with a mantis; you'll lose for sure. For more information, check out National Geographic.

Coming Soon:

My week in Provo and a Puppety Surprise...:)

A Meme Tag from Mom

2008-07-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

My mom tagged me with a meme, so here goes....
1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATRE? WallE. I liked especially when WallE and Eve were together, especially when she ate a plant and he was trying to hold her hand. "WALL-E!"
2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING? Any book I can get my hands on. I have six new Nancy Drew books from the library.
3) FAVORITE BOARD GAME? Clue and Monopoly.
4) FAVORITE MAGAZINE? Family Fun and The Friend, and the American Girl catalogue
5) FAVORITE SMELLS? Fresh salsa, warm chocolate chip cookies, the pavement after the rain
6) FAVORITE SOUNDS? Violin, singing, the rain dropping on my umbrella, my mommy reading to me.
7) TELL ME ABOUT FOOD. I’m a bit of a picky eater, but I adore French fries, salsa, and chocolate chip cookies. And if you buy fresh raspberries, watch out. I’ll eat pints at a time.
8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE? I feel like I have a fresh new day and a happy start. I try to read as much as I can before my mom calls for me to wake up and start practicing the piano. 9) FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE? Mc Donald’s for the crispy hot fries.
10) FUTURE CHILD'S NAME? Nancy Elizabeth for a girl, and I like Reeve Michael for a boy.
11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D......save up for a mission and school, go out for fast food at Mc Donalds and go shopping in the toy section at Target. My cousin Annaliese got a stuffed white cat at Target and I really want to find one, too.
12) DO U DRIVE FAST? Only on my princess bike with my helmet on, of course. I always tell my mom to slow down in the car.
13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? I have a 26 Minnie Mouse collection, and I choose a different one each night.
14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY? Just like my mom, get out the butter and flour, I love to bake during storms. I also love to play in the rain.
15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? I don’t have one yet, unless you count my wiggle car. I really want a light blue convertible like Nancy Drew.
16) FAVORITE DRINK? Root Beer Floats or Cold milk.

17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD…Read books all day, Make homemade French fries, and have more friends over to play.
18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI? I don’t eat any part of broccoli. Blah.
19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE? I hope I don’t ever dye my hair.
20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN? I was born in California, moved to New York and now I live in Utah.
21) FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? I don’t like watching sports, but I love to play tennis and swim. Do you count dancing? I love to watch and do ballet.
22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Prudence Pennywise is a great mother and cook. I hope she’ll make me some homemade French fries for saying that.

23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED? Pink princess slippers, the comic section from the newspaper, and a stack of novels.
24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN? Yes, unless I could be my mom.
25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL? I love the mornings and I always have a bright feeling in my heart when I wake up.
26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP? I feel the same way about eggs that I do about broccoli.
27) FAVORITE PLACE TO RELAX? In my bed with a book.
28) FAVORITE PIE? Brown Bag Apple pie or Raspberry
29) FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Vanilla with homemade Hot Fudge, just like my Grandma Renouf

I tag Annaliese
The Littles
Brooke
Eliza
McKenna

Books by the Bushel

2008-07-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a nice Fourth of July. Here's West and I with our patriotic bikes.My mom thinks I'm a book worm because I can't get enough reading. Today I read three long books and the day is not over. I just really love to read, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite reads from this summer. Please tell me one of your favorite books that you have read this summer. Leave your answer in the comment section.

The Candy Shop Wars

Four neighborhood kids get mixed up with an evil candy maker with magical treats.
26 Fairmont Avenue

Tommie De Paolo was a great artist, even when he was a little boy. He even got to chalk pictures on the walls of his new home.

Danny the Champion of the World

Danny and his Dad figure out the secret to become the best pheasant poachers. I also like Fantastic Mr. Fox, Matilda, Boy, and The Witches from Roald Dahl.
Little House on the Prairie Series

I love the sounds of the food in all the Laura and Mary books. I love to snack and read. the Ingalls family make prairie life seem fun.
Nancy Drew Detective Series

Nancy has thrilling exciting adventures as she tries to solve mysteries and stay out of danger. Start with the Secret of the Old Clock.
Judy Moody

Judy's moods change very often, but that's what she's famous for.
Junie B. Jones

Junie is hilarious, especially when she messes up her grammar.

Cobble Street Cousins

Lily, Rose, and Tess are three cousins that live with their Aunt while their famous parents tour the world.
Jack and Bunny
You'll love these stories about the two funniest detectives around. In Case number three, Jack tries to make Bunny a cup of cocoa, but he ends up knocking over the milk, spilling the marshmallows and dumping out the chocolate. To top it off, he has a marshmallow stuck to his backside. Hee Hee!

Mrs. PiggleWiggle

She can solve any child's bad habits and phases with very fitting cures.
Pippi Longstocking

Pippi is a crazy-fun redhead, especially when she defeats the strong man at the circus. I think Tommy and Anika are lucky to have her for a friend.

Call it Courage

A boy that was afraid of the sea faces his fears on an island of cannibals.

Autobiography of Bill Peet

A Disney illustrator tells about his childhood and times working for Walt.

Coming Soon...

A Closer Look at the Praying Mantis

Holiday Helper: Fourth of July

2008-07-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth of July! Here are some easy and fun crafts for Independence Day, plus a yummy pie recipe. Let's start with a basic bead bracelet. I like to make my bracelets on pipe cleaners, since it helps the beads stay put. You can buy bead sets and pipe cleaner at Walmart for about 1 dollar each. This is a good craft for boys and girls.Next, I'll show you how to make a patriotic candy necklace. You'll need candy, cellophane or saranwrap, and some ribbon. If you want to take your necklace outside, don't use candy that will melt. I used patriotic taffy and my brother is using York Peppermint patties. Miniature Nestle Crunch bars would be good, too. Cut your cellophane or saran wrap into a piece about 3 feet long and six inches wide. Place your candy along the long side, one piece about every two inches.
Cut some ribbon in about six inch pieces.
Roll the candy up in the cellophane and tie off each section with a bow.

Close the ends together with a ribbon and TA DA! Open it up and share the candy with friends.Now for the recipes:
Use your favorite pie crust recipes or buy some ready made pie crust at the grocery store. Cut out a round circle and press it into a ramekin. Mix together some berries and sugar and flour. (I used 3/4 cup raspberries, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon flour. My brother used a combination of raspberries and blueberries.) Pour into your ramekin. Cut some strips to lay across the top. Weave the strips over and under to make a lattice top pie. It's really easy on a small ramekin. Just lay the first crust strips across like a T and go from there. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

For another great recipe, use your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, but replace the chocolate chips with patriotic M and Ms. Press the M and Ms into the top of each cookie right when they come out of the oven.

Have a Great Fourth of July!Come back tomorrow for a very quick sparkly firecracker craft idea.

All you need: red, white and blue construction paper, glue, ribbon, and glitter.

Craft Craze and French Donuts

2008-07-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody! I promised I'd be bringing you my latest craft craze and here it is. You can buy these sequin art kits at the dollar store. It comes with a little pencil shaped wand for placing each sequin in its exact position on the printed black sheet of paper. Each paper takes about 20 minutes to complete. There are dolphins, crabs, butterflies, snails and seashells. They're really fun so head over to the dollar store and pick some up!

My mom came back from her business trip to New Orleans and she helped me make some french donuts. They're really called "beignets." Mom brought me a mix, so I could do everything except the frying. They're really yummy and we're going to make some more soon since my dad didn't get any.

Mom also brought back some masks and beads. We'll use them for Mardi Gras next year. Coming in a couple days:

Fourth of July M and M cookies

and some Fourth of July Craft Ideas

Wonderful Western Hoe Down

2008-06-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

Here's the real cowboy West and his fiddle and hat.For the last night of our Family Reunion, we had a cowboy party. Aunt Laurie planned some fun pass the cowboy/cowgirl hat. I played the fiddle and whenever I stopped, whoever was holding the hat had to say some kind of western word. "Yee haw," "move along little doggies," "round up them cattle," and "howdy partner," and "there's a snake in my boot," were just a few of the things that were said. Can you think of any more? Leave a comment!We had a cowboy dinner, followed by square dancing with a real caller. My partners were my cousins Jacob, Reeve, and Sam, and my Uncle David. It was very hot outside and we only had five minute breaks. But it was sure fun. The little boys weren't too interested in dancing, but they piled into a wagon and pretended to be settlers. It was a great night!Come back in a couple of days. I'll show you how I made french donuts and I'll share some souveneirs that my mom brought from her trip to New Orleans. I'll also post some pics of my latest craft craze. See you soon! Enjoy this cute picture of my cousin Lavender!

Fabulous 50's Party

2008-06-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

If Aunt Laurie and Aunt Leslie are on the planning committee, you know the party is going to be fun. They were both in charge of our fabulous 50's party during our family reunion. My Grandpa rented out a hamburger joint for a big party. Everyone wore their 50's duds, like poodle skirts, or rolled up jeans and white T shirts, hair scarves, or cat glasses. On the menu were hamburgers, french fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes. My favorite were the french fries dipped in lots of ketchup-yum! Laurie and Leslie decorated a picture corner where each family could come be in a photo. We had a hula hoop-off, doorprizes, a bubble gum contest, and lots of dancing. Grandma and Grandpa were voted the Fabulous 50's Prom King and Queen. Thumbs up for another fabulous party. Coming Soon:

Family Reunion Western Hoe Down

Camping Party

2008-06-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

Pictures from the Family Reunion...
Grandpa and cousin Jacob

My cousin Katie and her family

Little beauty Georgie
The Top Pops

Aunt Laurie makes everything fun!

Sailor and Grandma reading together...
My baby cousin, Lavender
Little brother West with his popsicle
My cousin Cammy and her little girl Avenleigh
Aunt Lisa and her Truly

Each day of the family reunion, we had a different type of theme party. On Sunday, after church, we headed up to the mountains for a hamburger cook out and camping style party. We celebrated Father's day by crowning each of the dads with a "Top Pop" hat. (Aunt Laurie and I must have read the same magazine! I gave my dad all kinds of "Pop" presents that morning-POPsicles, POPcorn, soda POP, lolliPOPs. and jalapeno POPpers.) We played freeze tags, threw rocks in the river, sang campfire songs, toasted marshmallows, and had a wonderful time spending time with each other. One of the funniest moments was when the Zuniga children, broke a picnic table bench during a rowdy up and down song. It was purely accidental and very funny!

Here's a fun song to share!

One of our favorite family songs is a "round song"

I come a zimba, zimba, zion

I coma a zimba, zimba, zay

I come a zimba, zimba, zion

I come a zimba, zimba, zay

See him there, the famous warrior

See him there, the Zulu chief

(half of the group repeats the word chief while the other half repeat the song)

Check back in a couple of days for the 50's party!

Family Reunion Kicks Off

2008-06-14T21:27:00.001-07:00

Aloha! Our family reunion began on Friday with Reeve's Surf Birthday Party. There were over 40 cousins there! Saturday night we had another party with a dunk tank, a popcorn machine, a snow come machine, a swim party and dinner from Cafe Rio. I sat up on the dunk tank, and my little cousin Kate came along. She threw the ball right on the target and WHAM! SPLASH! I landed in the water.

Father's Day is tommorow and I wanted to wish all of you a Happy Father's Day, especially to my dad, Grandpa Big Stuff, Opa, and Grandpa Bud. I love you all very much. I'm sending big hugs and kisses your way.

Welcome to my Blog!

2008-06-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

Hi! Oh boy, am I glad to see you!
I am Sailor and this is my new blog. You will find snippets of my favorite hobbies and interests here, like art, dancing, history, science, violin, piano, reading, baking and spending time with family. Would you please stop by every week, look around, and leave me a comment? I hope you enjoy the music, too. See you soon.