Cutest Rascal Pics contest winner

Hello, readers! I shall now announce the winners of the Cutest Rascal Pics contest. And the 1st place winner is...
Pic #5, with three votes!

Pic #5

In second place, we have: Pic #3, with one vote!

Pic #3

A tie for 3rd place was met between these Pic #1, Pic #2, and Pic #4!

#1

#4

#2

A new contest: Best of Taryn's Rainbow Loom bracelets! Pictures below.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

Contest ends next Thursday, March 6th. You have one week to vote. Thanks!

Too much snow

Hi readers. Sorry about the lack of posts. Everyone in this house has been sick, including me, and I just didn't have the time or energy to write. =(

But! Guess what. It snowed here again. AGAIN. I mean seriously, it's almost March. I want spring! I want spring! 

Our porch yesterday

Our porch today

Totally off subject, but the Cute Rascal Pics contest ends tomorrow! Please vote! Au revoir, Taryn

Quick update

Hello, readers! For convenience of you overseas who speak and read another language, I've added a translate function so you can read it in your language. (Sorry if your language isn't there. =() 

Anyway, at the top of the page, you'll see a word--Translate. Beneath that, in a gray box, you'll see "select language", and then your language will be in the gray box, which will have extended itself. (BTW, the names of the languages will be written in English.)

To add a translate function to your blog, click on Layout, then on Add A Gadget. The Translate gadget will be right near the bottom of the box. Click on the blue plus sign, go to your blog, reload the page, and the translate box will be right there!

P.S. Mommy told me that I accidentally cursed in French. I'm extremely sorry to anyone I offended.

Naked egg

Hello, readers! 

Recently, I made a rubber, or "naked" egg. It's so cool and weird-feeling! And really easy to make, too. All you need is a large egg, a tall glass, enough vinegar to cover the egg, plastic wrap to cover the top of the glass, and if you want, a rubber band to hold the wrap in place. 

Oh! And I forgot something. You also need a lot of patience.

That's right. Patience. Because the egg has to sit in the vinegar for one week.

Anyway, here are the instructions! (Adapted from Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes, by Steve Spangler.)
  
1. Place egg in a tall glass and cover with vinegar.

2. Look closely at the egg. Are there bubbles forming on the shell?

3. Leave the egg in the vinegar for twenty-four (24) hours. 

4. When twenty-four (24) hours are up, carefully change the vinegar. A good way to do this is gently place the egg in a spare bowl, and dump the vinegar down the drain.
Then, cover the egg with fresh vinegar. Put the egg in a safe place and don't disturb it for one (1) week. Make sure to pay attention to the bubbles forming on the shell, or what's left of it. (Note: if brown gunk appears in the vinegar after a few days, it's perfectly normal.)

5. One week later, pour off the vinegar and rinse the egg with water. The egg looks translucent because you stripped away its outer shell. All that remains is the membrane and the yolk inside. Congratulations! You've successfully made a shell-free egg. Feels weird, right?

A last note: readers, DON'T EAT THE EGG. It still has raw stuff inside.

Oh, I almost forgot! Here are some pics of it.

Top view of the egg in Day Something

Side view of egg in Day Something

Finished product

 
P.S. I named my egg. She's Elena.
 

What I would do in the Winter Olympics

Hello, readers! Mommy gave me another writing prompt. This time, it's which sport I would do in the Winter Olympics. And also what I think it would feel like to win Olympic gold.

If I competed in the Winter Olympics, I would like to compete in slopestyle snowboarding. 

I think this would be what I think before, during, and after my race:

I'm at the starting line. My biggest rival has just gone down the course. The reporters are saying it was the best run they've seen so far from anyone today. I know I have to do better than her.

The buzzer goes off, signaling that I can start. As I go down the hill, I leap up on a rail and turn 90 degrees. I'm now going on the rail with my board perpendicular to it--backwards. When the rail ends, I rotate 270 degrees around so I'm heading down the hill with my best foot forward.

The first big jump approaches. I fly over it, and in the air, I pull off a double backflip, while holding both ends of my board. It's a fun and easy trick. Good for warming up.

I stick my landing and approach the second jump. Grabbing the front end of my board, I do a single front flip, and when I come out of it, I add a 540 twist.  I nail the landing and hear the commentators talking about how hard a front flip is but I can't concentrate on them right now.

I do a few more jumps and tricks, but the last one is the hardest: a 1080 backflip corkscrew. I'm scared. Then I look at the jump ahead, picture myself landing it, and suddenly the butterflies in my stomach vanish. 

The jump is closer now. I launch myself over it. Lean into the backflip. Upside down, I spin 1...2...3 times. Then go back to right-side-up. And stick my landing.

The crowd goes wild as I cross the finish line. I scream happily, knowing it was an awesome run. The judges give me an excellent score. I wasn't the last to compete, but one of the commentators say that I won't be beaten.

I end up winning the gold, and getting the highest score ever recorded for slopestyle. 

Standing up there on the podium feels amazing. I hold up my gold medal, and the crowds cheer. They love me. I love them too. 

I see my family in the crowd. Mommy is crying because she's so happy. Daddy and Kathy are cheering. I wave to them. Everybody waves back.

That night, I sleep better than I ever remember, clutching my medal. And I dream of doing that all again.

   


Which sport would you compete in? Tell me in the comment box. --Taryn

Cutest Rascal Pics contest

 Update: Pic #5 is the 1st place winner! Thanks for voting!

Hello, readers! I'm going to use my sister Kathy's idea and have a cutest picture of my pet contest. You will be voting for pictures of Rascal, my cat.

Rules:

• You have one (1) week to vote.
• No voting for more than one (1) picture. Also, once you have voted for a picture, you cannot vote for it again.
• Please leave your vote in the comment box.
• Votes will be counted by Taryn. The picture with the most votes wins.

 All right, here are the pics!

#1. Rascal says, "The camera is cool, so I'm gonna look right at it."

#2. Cuddles is in the bag.

#3. One word: awwwwwwwwwwwww!

#4. Did I mention that he loves Girl Scout cookies?

#5. And seltzer.

P.S. Please share this post! Or better yet, my whole blog.

 

Happy President's Day..and another birthday!

Hello, readers! I know, I know, too many February birthdays. But today, it's Mommy's birthday, and this is a gift for her. She's forty! Yay!

Oh, it's also President's Day. The public-schooled kids are supposed to get a holiday, but where I live, they've had so many snow days they have to go to school today. 


Wow. My town hasn't gotten this much snow since the last Winter Olympics. Hey! Maybe they're a good luck charm!

In case you were wondering, I gave Mommy a homemade infinity scarf, Kathy, Daddy, and I gave her a Macbook Pro, (well, okay, Daddy bought it) and the cats gave her two poop bags. =) We also ate cheesecake for breakfast.  

The Jewelry Badge

Hello, readers! I haven't mentioned this before, but Kathy and I are Girl Scouts. (We're in different levels. I'm Junior, she's Brownie.)

That's right. We are in an awesome homeschool troop that is lead by Mommy and Maria's mom. We sell cookies and march in parades and go camping...one time, we had an overnight at the church we used to meet at. (That story deserves its own post.)

Anyway, I'm getting a little off track, aren't I? This post is titled The Jewelry Badge, so I'm going to write about that.

So far, my troop and I haven't made a lot of progress. We are going to tour a jewelry shop, though, and Mommy and I have decided to make Pakistan-inspired jewelry to go with our World Thinking Day project. (We're doing Pakistan.) 

On Wednesday, I'm going to teach my fellow Juniors how to make some GORGEOUS AND SUPER SIMPLE bracelets. 
You can find a tutorial here.

While we're on the subject of badges, the last step of the Flowers badge is to "send a message in flower code". Here's a website I found for that. 

Happy Valentine's Day...and Happy Birthday, Maria!

Hello, readers! Today is a double celebration day. The first thing to do is say Happy Valentine's day to your  loved ones. The second? If you see Maria, wish her a happy birthday. Today, she is nine. Hooray!

My favorite movies

I know there's a place on my profile for favorite movies, but I don't want to keep updating it. I'm going to update this page instead! Note: my movie reviews do NOT tell the whole story. Even if they don't sound exciting, will you try watching them? For me?

Anyway, this is the list! Like all the ones I write, it's in no particular order.

I like love:

• Wreck-it Ralph. Ralph is the bad guy in the most popular game in the arcade, but everybody treats him like one, even outside the game. Ralph decides that he'll show everyone he can be a hero by finding a medal, but can he do it?

• Despicable Me. Gru is a villain who plots to steal the moon, but Vector, a grudge-holding criminal, and adopted girls get in his way. Will Gru be able to pull off "the crime of the century" (moon theft), or will Vector get there first?

• Despicable Me 2. No longer a moon thief, Gru is dedicated to being the best dad he can. When Lucy Wilde of the AVL (Anti-Villain League) kidnaps him and asks him to help find the location of a dangerous serum in the mall, Gru agrees. But the holder of the serum is not the true villain.

• Frozen. Elsa, soon-to-be queen of Arundel, was born with powers to create ice and snow. As she grows up, they become more dangerous and uncontrollable, and she accidentally lets them loose at her crowning. Angry at herself, Elsa runs away from the kingdom, and her sister, Anna, embarks on a journey to find Elsa.

• Coraline. Coraline feels neglected by her mom and dad, who are too caught up in their work to pay attention to her on most days. Coraline explores the house, and finds a miniature door in the wallpaper, which she unlocks, only to find a brick wall. At night, however, the door opens...what will Coraline find?

• The LEGO Movie. Emmet is an ordinary construction LEGO figure, but "Wyldstyle" tells him a prophecy that the president plans to end the world as the LEGO people know it, and Emmet is the only one who can stop him. 

Another happy birthday...

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Di, happy birthday to you!

My awesome friend Di is turning eleven today! If you see her, wish her a happy birthday!

P.S. Tell me when your birthday is, your favorite color, and how old you're turning in the comment box, and you'll receive a post on Taryn's Travels in your honor.

Sleepovers

Have you ever been to a sleepover? Maybe you and a friend stayed up until sunrise for a movie marathon, given each other mani-pedis, played board games in the quiet of the living room while snacking on microwave s'mores? If so, I am very happy for you. I have never done anything like that. 

For example, with the movies: I can't stay up the entire night. Also, Mommy makes me and my guest get in bed by eleven p.m. Argh!

But sleepovers are still fun. 

The first ones I ever had was with my bestie Zelda. Minecraft and/or a movie was always involved, and often dessert. Kathy's friend Maria would generally come over on the same night when my family hosted, and we would argue over who got the computers first. 

Once, Zelda made a...unique sundae, adding so many sprinkles that it turned a disgusting green. Nobody wanted to even take a bite because it was so horrible-looking, and the ice cream was all melted anyway. 

                     <photo of gross sundae should be inserted here>

I am now having sleepovers with my friend Di. When I go over to her house, we play games on the computers forever (usually Minecraft, and most recently, Animal Jam. No complaints there), taking short breaks to eat dinner. After her little brother has gone to bed, the two of us head upstairs to watch Doctor Who with Miss Dawn. When that's over, Di and I walk up to her bedroom, with barely enough energy to change into our pj's and brush our teeth. 

Ah, that's always fun.

I made a resource pack

Hello readers! I apologize for the lack of posts. I'm working on a series of stories/posts about Nashville, but I'm still trying to figure out what should get its own post, and what should be included in the Day 1 and Day 2 etc. posts. And how much detail I can go into without it being boring, and how much I can go into without being vague, and...you get the idea.

There really is nothing else I can think to post about that doesn't involve Nashville, except I created a resource pack!!!!!!!! In case you don't know, a resource pack is something in Minecraft that makes your blocks and animals and items look different, and add different sounds. But doesn't add anything new. (The mods add new things. You can read about them here.) Does that make any sense? Here's a link to the Minecraft Wiki page on resource packs.

Papercraft! Part 2

Hello, readers! Have you read my post about Papercraft? If you haven't, here's a link.

I took a break from making the paper figures for a while. But I've restarted and downloaded an app where I can e-mail files to myself and print them out, just like that. (If you are interested in downloading it too, I will warn you: it's four dollars.)

My favorite thing about the app is that I can print out a Minecraft skin (read this article) without having to wear it, unlike with the Papercraft website. 

Here are some of my creations:

This is Cookie Monster Girl. SHE WANTS COOKIES!

Melon girl. I named Melanie. Get it?

Bacon girl. She's my current skin.

Rainbow bunny girl. Isn't she cute?

 Note: this post will probably keep updating. So don't pick a favorite yet. 

Groundhog facts

So, I did tell you my birthday is Groundhog Day, right? And this year, it fell on Super Bowl Sunday. So Punxatawney Phil (I hope I spelled that correctly) gets practically no attention. Poor guy. I mean, he's super important, right? He's the weather predictor! =)

Anyway, I'm getting a little off track, aren't I? Here's a link to the groundhog facts. 

Update from Kayla and Flu: Movie Night!

 

All set for movie night at Taryn's house. --Kayla and Flu

Happy birthday to me!

Hello, readers! Guess what. It's my birthday! I'm eleven! YAY! No, being eleven doesn't feel different from being ten. But I love thinking knowing that I'm one year older.

Interesting fact: when you turn eleven (or twelve, or ten, or any age), it's actually the END of your eleventh year, not the start. Wonder why? Think of it this way: when you were born, you weren't one, right? You were zero. So at the end of that first year, you turned one. Am I making any sense? No? Sorry. Ask a parent to explain it. Note: This means I am officially one day into my twelfth year! Awesome!

Here's a list of what my family and I have done so far to celebrate.

 The night before: We did a campout in the living room and lit a fire. Mommy made cinnamon rolls.

Birthday morning: Once everyone was awake, we lit another fire and had the rolls. They were my "cake"--here's a picture. 

No, I'm not going to tell you what I wished for. I forgot to make one (gasp!) and if I told you, it wouldn't come true.

After cinnamon rolls/cake, I opened my presents. I got:

 THE. MOST. ADORABLE. STUFFED. OCTOPUS. EVER.

Her name is Ollie, and she says hi. Well, in actuality, she says dsfergjuyhklo;po89.

Another GIANTmicrobe: Giardiasis. (Many thanks to Aunt U. and Uncle K.!)

He says hi too!

Okay, okay, fine. He actually says hgjhgbvfdrtyuhjgfdert786545.

A cute shamrock necklace. On the package, it says: "wear this necklace and luck will come to you".

A pan for "Treatwiches". I think they're supposed to be like rectangular whoopie pies. 

My own rock climbing harness with raspberry-color accents. (I've come a long way since Sportrock. Subject for another post.) 

And last but most certainly NOT least, chocolate with sea salt and bits of toffee. It even came in a cute box!

Later, my maternal grandparents came over and we had some cinnamon rolls. From them I got a book about bird watching and some Shakespeare stuff.

A little while after they left, I went out selling Girl Scout cookies with Kathy, Mommy, and Daddy. When I got back, there was a birthday card from my paternal grandparents, and a bunch of happy birthday e-mails. Also a video e-card (thanks, Miss Dawn!). 

For dinner, we're going out to Ariake, that sushi restaurant where my taste buds traveled to Japan.

I have had such a fun birthday so far! Whoever sent me something or did something to make this day special, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.