Happy Anniversary: Year 2!

 Alright! It's been the 2nd year of my blog already :). I've posted about so many topics, from my favorite books to candy to vacation to movies and everything in between! I can't wait to blog in the new year, 2017! Things I have in mind to blog about:

• More book reviews (and more reading in general). I hear Heather Vogel Frederick's Your's Truly is coming out!
• More crafts, based on Holidays and just other simple ones. 
• Candy, food, etc.
• Vacation and trips
• Books, books, and more books
• and more!

 Keep reading next year everyone! And Happy Early New Year in advance (though depending on when you're reading this, it may already be the new year). 
P.S. There's a new joke in the Jokes, Riddles, and Puzzles section.

                       GIF Credit: http://bestanimations.com/Holidays/NewYear/NewYear.html

Polymer Clay Harry Potter + Others

 Finally, now that it's nearly Christmas and school's out for most, one can relax and not worry about anything. I celebrated by watching a few hours of television yesterday (oops...) and this morning I finally got to bake my clay charms. I usually bake about 20 at a time, but this time, I was baking bigger ones, so I did not get to fit that many. Anyways, I did get all the important ones in the oven, so I've got pictures!

Here's the one I did of (from right to left): Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Luna from Harry Potter. I personally think Hermione came out the best :). However, I did make the mistake of using translucent clay for Harry, Luna, and Ron's skin, which actually comes out a bit green :( .

In honor of Beauty and the Beast, here's Belle. I tried to make the dress look multi-layered, so folded each of the two sections just like I folded Hermione's skirt. I think she looks fabulous, no?

That's all for today! Stay tuned to the Arts and Crafts section for updates based on how I made these characters.

Beauty and the Beast

 I'm not usually very interested in watching movies (to me it seems as a good excuse to waste time looking at a screen for hours), but even I know when to give in. 
 The Disney Beauty and the Beast comes out soon everyone. This rocks! 
  Just in case you don't know the story, you can watch the trailer below, as it is hard to explain without giving spoilers away (especially the ending). 
  You may think this is just another Disney remake, but it's not. Well, okay, it is, but I think it'll actually be really, really good. For one thing, there's Emma Watson in it! She's my favorite actress after all the work she did as Hermione in Harry Potter, and I think she's a perfect Belle. In addition, I think the details are pretty good, and I've heard in other websites that they even developed a bit of a back story for Belle. 
  The movie comes out on March 17th, 2017, so I guess I have a bit of a long wait. But I think it'll worth it! 
  Here's the link to the official trailer on Youtube: Beauty and the Beast. Have you seen any Disney remakes before? (I watched Cinderalla with some friends, I'd say it was okay if you like the story, but nothing too special).


Photo Credit

Christmas Ornaments Picture Playlist

 Now that Christmas is on its way, I've decided to put up my tree a bit earlier this year, and along with a tree comes... ornaments! I've made a picture playlist, in no particular order, of ornaments that are pretty cute from Pinterest (all the links provided are from there). I know some people don't celebrate Christmas, but at least they can take part in the joy of the holiday season itself and celebrate the new year coming soon. Enjoy my top five!
1. 

Here are Santa and his little friends, and I think they're so adorable. They look fun and easy to make too!


2.

Here's another Pinterest ornament that looks fun to make. Add some paint, and it's good to go.
3.   

Wow, this reindeer  looks ready to deliver your present right away!



4.  

Awww, these two snowmen will look perfectly happy together on your tree! In fact, I encourage you to look at the link, here.



5. 

Nothing can go wrong with more snowmen, right? 

Well, those are my top 5 for now. What are your favorite ornaments? 

Save the Earth on Cyber Weekend

Check out the new Save the Earth post to help save some sea turtles and have some fun shopping ;).

New Book Review

 The book review of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is now up under the Book Reviews section on the side! What did you guys think of the book?

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

     Hey everyone! I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Parts 1 and 2), after my friend let me borrow it (yay!). I actually really liked it, even though I know it was quite short and wasn't really like any of the other books. There was no real "description" of Hogwarts and the detail was lacking, but it was a play, so I thought it was actually pretty good. Of course, I would prefer a novelization, but at least we have the first seven books to read again and again. I feel like every time I reread a Harry Potter book, there are details I missed out on the first time! Like in The Sorcerer's Stone, I had never realized Sirius Black was mentioned! I even recently reread The Deathly Hallows, and it was more fun reading it the second time than the first, although there was obviously no suspense anymore.
     I'll try to post a book review really soon of the play. Keep reading!

Countdown To Fall

     I can't believe fall is almost here! Honestly, the fall must be my favorite season. I'm sort of excluding summer because of the whole break, because then who wouldn't choose summer? 
     Fall is awesome though because it's like a transition from summer into winter. There's hot chocolate here and there, leaves changing color to be super pretty, awesome fashion, and the weather isn't too bad either- just the perfect mix of rain and shine. Also, fall almost begins the start of holiday season, and don't even get me started on that fun!
     Technically, fall begins on September 22nd, meaning I still have a bit of waiting to do. It's totally worth the wait though.
     What's your favorite part of fall? Vote now in the poll!

Back-to-School

    It's only been a week of school, and already there's so much homework! I already have some quizzes lined up for this week, and an essay as well. I guess I didn't expect so much when I got back, but I suppose that's just school for me :)!
     I totally wish it was summer right now, but I guess this 3-day weekend will have to do. Ah, the weekend! What would we do without it?
     How was your first day back to school? And if you haven't started school yet, what are you excited for?

The Taj Mahal

 Hi everyone! The reason I haven't really been posting is because I just came back from vacation! Sometimes I didn't really have an internet connection, but since I'm back, now I can blog about my vacation!
 So basically, I went to the Taj Mahal!
The Taj Mahal is something everyone has heard a little about, so my introduction will be pretty brief.
The Taj Mahal was constructed in 1648 under the emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb of marble (though not all is made of it) for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. He actually started a black Taj Mahal for himself, but he was imprisoned by his own son, who wanted the throne, and that was the end of that.
 Personally, I would not build my own tomb under any conditions. Just to put that out there.
 Anyways, we hired a guide to show us around, because we wanted to make sure we got the full history effect, and I was REALLY impressed. The architects and Shah Jahan thought of literally everything! Let me explain.

1.  The Taj Mahal is symmetrical to the millimeter. Standing in a straight line on the middle of the lake, it looks exactly the same from the left to the right. That's really good for the technology they had back then!
2. They installed a lightning conductor in case lightning struck it. Most monuments don't have one, especially one since the time it was built.
3. After they buried the emperor and his wife, they made faux tombs directly above the real ones, so people wouldn't walk over the originals (to not act disrespectful).
4. They planted cycas plants, the slowest growing plants in the world! According to an article by Lynn McKamey http://www.rhapisgardens.com/sagos/, "The fastest rate observed in South Texas...under 30% shade is three new sets of leaves and an increase of 1" (3 cm) of height and trunk diameter per year".  1 inch of growth per year for the fastest type means they are still around from 1648! 

I had a lot of fun at the Taj Mahal this summer! What about you guys? What did you do over the summer?

Happy July 4th!

 Happy 4th of July everyone! I have a riddle for you all to celebrate today!

Q: Is the US the only country that has a 4th of July?
A: Of course not! Just because other countries don't celebrate it doesn't mean there isn't a 4th day in July there!

The Hatchlings

 Hey everyone!
 Have any of you guys watched "The Angry Birds Movie"? I haven't watched it yet, so tell me about it below, but...
     I did see some trailers! I laughed a lot at the part of the Eagle's so-called "Lake of Wisdom" lol! Tell me in the comments if you know what I'm talking about!
     I also saw some clips of the Hatchlings, and let me tell you, they are ADORABLE! EXACTLY like little kids! I wanted to share some of their other videos (3 of them), not connected to the movie, since they're sooo cute! (PS. I don't own these videos, I just found them on Youtube).
Easter
Mother's Day
Season's Greetings
Enjoy! Just click on the 3 links above to see them! Happy watching!
PS (again sort of :)). There is a book review up of The Iron Trial, a super awesome book I just finished!

Heather Vogel Frederick's Giveaway!

 Guess what everyone!
 Heather Vogel Frederick, author of The Mother-Daughter Book Club series, is hosting a giveaway from her blog!
 I know I've talked about the series before, and for you guys that read this series, this is a great opportunity to win some of the books!
 Get ready to enter! All you need to do is post a trivia question about the series! Here's the link to her blog:
 http://www.heathervogelfrederick.com/blog/2016/06/see-you-in-hadley-a-giveaway/#comments

#MDBCgiveaway

Brownie in a Mug!

     Guys, I've totally found a yummy, easy-to-prepare, 5 minute DESSERT, that's so, well, YUMMY!
     This brownie takes 5 minutes to whip up, as mentioned before, gets baked in the microwave, and you don't even need any fancy bowl or ingredients. 
     You can just eat this right out of the mug!
     I'm seriously recommending this to any inexperienced baker like myself. I made one right after I found the recipe yesterday, and it was so good! 
     I'm posting a link to the recipe by number 2 pencil here. This is the one I used.
     Try it out! It's really cool!
     Tell me how you liked it in the comments.

courtesy of: http://www.number-2-pencil.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/brownie-in-a-cup-1.jpg
(It looks so good...)

Almost Mama Day!

 Most of you guys know that it is almost Mother's Day (on May 8th, to be exact)! Whoo! Go moms! Sorry dads, but your day is coming soon (June 19). Mothers day is always a really sweet day to celebrate, with lots of flowers and light colors around. I was looking through some cards at the pharmacy for, you know, inspiration. I even found some nice ones online!

Cute:

awwww....
courtesy of https://www.pinterest.com/pin/406238828860238264/

Acrostic:

courtesy of https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f6/7e/b9/f67eb9c662b7e38a433b9a746922de81.jpg

Self-centered (of you, not mom):

Lol!!! What a "nice" card.
courtesy of https://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/6100528/il_340x270.364383333.jpg

 Hope you enjoyed! Happy Mother's Day to all mamas! Ho Ho Ho! 
(That doesn't have to always be for Santa. He likes Mother's Day too! Who else is going to buy Mrs.Claus some goodies?)

April Fool's

 Hey everyone! Happy April Fool's Day! I personally didn't really do anything today, mainly because I TOTALLY FORGOT it was April 1st! Can you believe it? Although honestly, I never know the date anyways (which is why all the dates in the corner of my papers in school are always mixed up). But...I did find a site for some practical jokes!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/awesome-april-fools-day-pranks-your-kids-will-totally-fal#.il7aoDoYz

Enjoy!
And don't forget to tell me all about your pranks played in the comments (and rate them in the poll!)

Keep Calm and ...

 Hey guys. I've been finding a lot of those "Keep Calm and..." phrases, and one of my friends even has one with her name in it! I learned the 1st one said to "Keep Calm and Carry On", which was by the British Government. They were preparing the people for World War 2. 
Anyways, since I've seen so many, I wanted to share my favorites with y'all out there.


Look at cookie monster's face! LOL!
Source: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwiNi-uigL7LAhUBwmMKHdMaDMoQjB0IBg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk%2Fp%2Fkeep-calm-and-eat-a-cookie-134%2F&psig=AFQjCNFOivnDSerYx9w6Gecj0t_mWGIfAw&ust=1457970068265087

Yummy! No problem!
Source: http://anthropologicalmum.blogspot.com/2015/06/yayyy-menopause.html

Sooo calm. 
Source:https://www.pinterest.com/latoshacreal/unicorns/

Well, that's it for today. 
Keep Calm and Read Da Blog!
:)

Clay turtle!

 OMG guys! I found this really, really, really, cute sea turtle that you can make out of clay. Click here for the video I found on youtube (the image is from the video). And the image is so cute, right? I have started making one. Better go finish it...
 

Days of the Week

 Today, I thought of labeling the days of the week as how they really seem like to people. Doesn't Monday seem like a drag? And isn't Friday really the best? I labeled all the days based on their personalities below!

Monday: should be dubbed messy day! Everyone is all over the place, and no one can recover from the loss of the weekend!
Tuesday: Eh, today is more nerve-wracking than annoying. Usually papers come back on Tuesday, and that includes tests and quizzes and stuff. Plus, you now have to start on that project due Friday you've been putting off...
Wednesday: Stuck in the middle! Who's side is this day on? Well, I'll say Wednesday are more of those days you don't really have too much planned out, maybe a bit of studying or whatever, but mostly good!
Thursday: Thursday is really a countdown to Friday. Just one more day! Yay! Actually, you can kind of compare it to Sunday, which are really both countdowns to the next day.
Friday: Yes! Finally, the weekend will start, once school/work gets out! What do we do in the evening, hmm, maybe go eat dinner at a restaurant, or attend a party....
Saturday: Ah, Saturday. Today's totally booked. One word, readers: relaxation. Block your calendars everyone, because we have an emergency case of I've-just-had-a-long-week-so-give-me-some-space!
Sunday: Yup, and now is our last day of enjoying. Time to start that list of chores in time for Monday. No one can really enjoy Sunday because I think everyone's really sad about Monday.
     Well, that's my interpretation of the week. What do you guys think? What's your favorite day of the week?

Scientific Names

      Hey everyone! What's up? Today, I'm going to introduce a little bit of science along with our blog post. But don't worry, it's really brief. Many of you guys have seen scientific names of organisms and wondered "what on earth does that mean?" (Or is that just me?) There is actually a really specific meaning to those names.
     The first word, or organism's genus, is given to all organisms that similar and closely related, like all birch plants start with Betula. The second part describes one specific feature of the organism, like if it has thick, red fur. 
     I think these names are totally interesting, don't you? I mean, what if all humans had scientific names? Not homo sapiens, I mean new, individual names! Like, maybe I could be Shristicus blogius, after my last name and blogging. I know it doesn't sound that cool, but I still would want to know. And what would my friends' names be? Hmm....
     What is your scientific name? Comment below. And don't forget: italicize the whole thing, and only capitalize the first letter!
     Oh, and also, I am so sorry that I forgot to put up the craft. I wrote it and published it, but I didn't file it under the category. It's up there now, though, so check it out!
     Keep reading!

Happy Valentine's Day!

      Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Any big plans? I don't really have anything planned for the evening, maybe just dinner at a restaurant. Next year, I'm totally going to surprise my family. I'll wake up early and decorate a table with little hearts and buy little presents (like gloves and lip balm) for everyone! I got the idea from a book I just read yesterday. Anyone surprised their family yet?
     P.S. I put in a new book review, so check it out!
     P.P.S. I also posted a yummy treat in the Arts and Crafts!

Music time! (Updated with new book review)

 Hey everyone! Before we get onto the real topic of this post, I just want to thank the few people so far who gave some feedback. The ideas were great, so I'm now going to post pictures of the crafts and review The Mother Daughter Book Club series! I would still appreciate more comments on things, and the polls I've been talking about should be up soon! Speaking of which, do you guys have any suggestions for poll topics? Post below! And finally, if you didn't catch my pretty recent post, please scroll down to see it! It talks about the specific areas you want me to add to or improve. 
 Anyways, I've been blogging about this blog so much recently I haven't talked about what's really going on! Today, my school played music at lunch, and when it started, you were supposed to talk to someone new! Pretty cool, although I was a bit nervous. I totally said I wouldn't do it, but then I realized there were a lot of kids who probably ate alone at lunch! Can you imagine spending the best period of school ;) alone? So I decided to at least say hi to a few people. It was good fun and all, especially when everyone just had fun and danced to the music near the end. 
 What is your favorite music? What can get you moving no matter what? Tell me all about it below!
Update: Just updated the jokes, riddles, and puzzles section!
Update 2: Posted a new book review!

Favorites

 I'm thinking that to go along with this makeover of the blog, I should take out and add a few new sections. I'd love to hear what you'd like me to keep and which pages I should take out. I might make the polls last more than a week so everyone can get a chance to vote this time (oops), and add a little list of favorites on the sides. Actually, depending on when you're reading this, that last part may be done already! 
 So tell me what you guys think. Should I keep the book reviews, or do something else with books? Add more crafts, and put more stuff under Save The Earth? Update the Jokes, Riddles, and Puzzles section? It's all up to you guys, and I'll try to accommodate everyone's wants! 
Now, there are two ways to do this. One way is to vote on the poll(s) about favorites and (unfavorites). This is really quick, and totally easy, too. I'd really like this one, but if you have any specific requests, this would not be the best way to go. Instead, to the 2nd option and please comment under this post. You can tell me everything, because I'm all ears!
 I'd totally love your feedback, and stay tuned!

Makeover!

 Surprise! Were you expecting this? The blog has undergone a makeover! Yup! I now have decided to spice things up a bit, and the pink looks really pretty, doesn't it :) ? 
 How do you like it, guys? Tell me below!

Super Bowl Weekend!

 Ah, yes. The time of, well, the week everyone loves: the weekend! Whoo! The only problem: I can never get anything done! I'm not even kidding! Besides homework, I'm really busy with classes and other stuff. And this weekend is ESPECIALLY busy because of the Super Bowl! It's so cool! I'm going to someone's house to watch it, too. I really need to pick up some lingo so I won't be left out ;) . Are any of you guys going to a Super Bowl party? Post in the comments below! Can't wait!

Book series

 Have you guys read The Mother Daughter Book Club? It is actually part of a series, and the 7th book is coming out in May! I am totally excited, and I don't think I can wait that long. The author actually posted a giveaway for the Advanced Reader Copies (3 of them), but unfortunately I didn't find out about it until the giveaway was over! And since May is kind of far away, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there's another giveaway!
 It's really funny, but I don't know any other authors who actually do giveaways of their books. But they totally should, because who doesn't want a brand-new book given by the very author of it? I can't imagine how I'd react if I won a giveaway like that!
 Anyways, you guys should totally start reading the series, since you will be able to finish in time the 7th and final book comes out. 
 Keep reading! 
                                                              -Not a Prima Donna Girl