I think this is about love?

     I don't even know how long it's been since I last posted... I just remember leaving off at "C" of my 'blog by alphabets', which I left a half draft in saved, but unpublished. I suppose I got bored with blogging, thinking it was pretty senseless to be typing stuff, putting so much work into it, when it seemed nobody would even see it... but I guess that's what putting your heart and soul into something really means, in which I gave up on. Let's be honest, blogging really isn't "my thing" per say, I just feel it's something I can put out there, how I feel and junk, even if nobody sees it... it's better than my facebook seeing all the things I feel and think, than they'll think I'm just a whine ass. And I guess I've come back to you invisible readers, because I just feel like you, all of you masked by the great internet have been my support... if that makes sense...

     But in the meantime. A lot has happened since I've last posted.. I'm in a different head space, before I was hung up on my ex, and having now realized, that he didn't really love me as I thought... Well, I suppose any kind of love is real love, sometimes the way you need it and how you want it, and sometimes not. But even so, it's the only way that person knows how to love at the moment. It was honestly a lot of me to expect a sixteen year old boy to be in love, I mean really? Seriously. I was all like "oh! Let's get married" (After we'd done stuff like college and junk of course) I understand where he, and everybody else was coming from when they said "What the fruit, you have the rest of your life!". In that head space, I just wanted to be loved, I wanted security in the fact that I knew somebody really did love me. Without really realizing that I already was loved.... I know, but not in the forefront of my mind I suppose... the fact is, before you can love somebody, you have to love yourself first, which I'm working on, with time.....

     Also, further from the fact of love; in my absence from school this past year, out in The Real World, I've finally come to believe what they all say "Friends in high school, often stay in high school" Damn straight! The high school drama carries onto the back scenes of the fast food restaurants with the "He said, She said, but that's not really what happened, but I suppose you'll never find out because you're not In".... I don't understand how people do it for 20 plus years, as I've written in my best friends letter, "fast food isn't a career, it's something to do while you are bettering yourself in life" But I guess you always need those life dropouts to be the store manager, which I'm not talking down to my boss, he's a good guy, but you can just look around, past the fake smiles and see they all wanted something more than tossing chicken into a bucket. I'm getting out of there. That will not be my life. I for one, am tired of smiling and nodding to customers who have money enough to buy 4.00$ side items. And with the end of that, I must go to work now.... Tootles now my invisible support. :)

I Just Thought I'd Post This... I Like It... :)

24 Life Lessons, Courtesy of My Dog

By Emil Caillaux (thoughtcatalog)

1. You can choose not to run to get the ball, but it’s always a lot more fun if you do.
2. Never underestimate the value of a simple plate of food and water.
3. Sometimes it’s all right to roll over and let someone pamper you.
4. Never bite the hand that feeds you.
5. Make sure you stretch thoroughly before you get up.
6. If a loved one is sad, approach slowly, cuddle up to them and wait for them to tell you what’s wrong.
7. There are times you lead, and there are times you follow.
8. Never discriminate. Cats can be a lot of fun to hang out with too.
9. The best place to nap is under the sun.
10. There is no bigger sign of affection and closeness than a big lick to the face.
11. It’s OK to be overly excited about things that pass you by.
12. Wading into water is good. Jumping in is infinitely better.
13. Pick carefully where you go to the bathroom.
14. A good run will always improve your day.
15. Only bark when the situation warrants it.
16. Leftovers are always delicious.
17. If someone enjoys scratching your back, stick with them forever.
18. Always know how to find your way back home.
19. Take good care of your teeth.
20. Loyalty is priceless.
21. Someone hurts someone you care about, you run after them and make them pay.
22. It’s all about opportunities: you’re not there, someone else gets the morsel.
23. Even if you’re alone, there’s someone out there that’s thinking of you.
24. Always go for what you want.

B is for Berenstain Bears

     Many of you, my readers, may remember The Berenstain Bears series as children, so perhaps you shall be interested to learn more about one of your childhood book series.

     Stanley Berenstain and Janice Marian Grant both born in 1923, grew up during the Great Depression in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. They met in 1941 at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Arts. Stan was drafted into the army in 1943, serving until 1946. He was blind in one eye, so he only had limited service, but he spent most of his career as the medical illustrator at an army hospital in Indiana. And during his free time he began drawing cartoons and publishing them in magazines. Janice also had a career with the army, she worked a draftsman for the Corps of Engineers, also as an aircraft riveter, building the Navy's PBY flying boat.
     Jan and Stan married right after the war in 1946, starting a career together as team cartoonists for magazines. Such as The Saturday Evening Post, Good Housekeeping,  Collier's, and McCall. In addition to publishing their own magazine of their cartoons, all featuring focus humor about children and families.

     Mr. and Mrs. Berenstain began their family with the birth of their son Leo in 1948, and adding their other son Mike in 1951. Both children being big Dr. Seuss fans, Stan and Jan figured to try their hand at writing their own children's books. They called it The Big Honey Nut, which had featured Mama, Papa, and Small Bear, and was published in 1962 with Ted Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) as editor and publisher. And then it continued for the next 43 years with over 200 books, until in 2005 Stanley Berenstain passed away.

     As the books grew more and more popular, Mr. and Mrs. Berenstain added more characters; making their little bear family grow. Small Bear became Big Brother with the coming of Little Sister in 1974, and then later the arrival of Honey in 2000. The names "Mama", "Papa", "Big Brother", and "Little Sister" were kept for the ease of reading for their young fans, and also to emphasize their roles in the family.
     Jan and Stan kept up the magazine cartooning along with the books until the '80s. Their son Mike had also followed in their footsteps; joining his parents with the magazines and then illustrating and co-writing the children's books in 1992.

     Being one of the most popular children's series, The Berenstain Bears had five NBC seasonal specials, two seasons of Saturday morning cartoons on CBS, and a daily cartoon show on PBS that started in 2002. The characters have also been made into dolls, toys, games, puzzles, computer software, and clothing, just to name a few. During the '80s and '90s there were a number of Berenstain Bear Country attractions at amusement parks. But more recently have become exhibits at museums, one such as the Strong Museum in Rochester New York. There have also been four Berenstain Bear plays and musicals, including the highly successful musical Berenstain Bears Live in Family Matters.

     Jan and her son Mike still continue to write, illustrate, and publish Berenstain Bears books today. They live in Eastern, Pennsylvania, which apparently looks a lot like Bear Country.

     The Berenstain Bears is a series of about 300 books that have been translated into 23 different languages; most recently Icelandic and Arabic. There are more than 260 million copies printed.

     According to The New York Times, the Berenstain Bears were almost the Berenstain Penguins, until the authors decided that bears are more human-like in the way that they stand on two legs and the mothers are very good mothers.

The Berenstain Bears website: http://www.berenstainbears.com/

A is For Armadillo

     This is the start of my fact-based blogs that go from A-Z, and as you can see, this one is about armadillos.

 

     There are 20 varieties of armadillos, 19 of which live in Latin America (North and South America together), but the well known nine-banded armadillo is the only one of it's kind to roam North America. The omnivorous mammal is currently endangered due to loss of habitat and over-hunting. Some cultures in America like to consume armadillo meat, which apparently is much the same to pork as in taste and texture.
     Armadillos live in warm areas that have rain, grasslands, forests, and semi-deserts. And because of their lack of fat storage, cold is their natural enemy, wiping out dozens during a cold spate.

     Most of the species dig burrows and sleep 16 hours, eating beetles, ants, and termites evening and morning when they wake. Armadillos have poor eyesight and depend on their sense of smell to help them out. They also have strong legs with long claws that they use to dig, and long sticky tongues that they use for extracting ants from their tunnels. In addition to insects, armadillos also eat small vertebra, plants, fruit, and on occasion carrion meat (dead and decaying flesh of deceased animals).
     Armadillos can grow to be as little as 3oz, or as big as 120 pounds. Contrary to popular belief, they cannot curl up into themselves; only the three banded armadillo can. Pulling it's head and legs up inside it's tiny armor-like shell, and becoming like a hard ball, confusing predators.

Armadillo Fast Facts 

• The name "armadillo" is Spanish for "little armored one".
• Armadillos average life span in captivity is 12 to 15 years
• Armadillos can be any size ranging from 5 to 59 inches
• Other than humans, armadillos are the only other animal that can get leprosy
• Armadillos can be house broken
• When frighted, armadillos jump straight into the air
• Armadillos can walk underwater
• Armadillos always give birth to four identical babies, all of the same sex

                   

100 Things To Do Before Next School Year; Edition 2

     You all remember how I had that list of things to do before next school year? Well, I've decided to do it again this year :) Except it's called my Goal List... So for those of you who are curious;

1. Read 10 books
2. Go sledding
3. Set up lava lamp
4. Ace a test
5. Go on a collage tour
6. But a sweatshirt
7. Save 100 dollars & not touch it
8. Make my bed
9. Go to the fair
10. Go on a bouncy house
11. Eat popcorn
12. Drink marble soda
13. Plant m&m's
14. Meet somebody new
15. Get a T-Rex
16. Water gun fight
17. Eat salad
18. Make a rainbow out of Starbursts wrappers
19. Clean my shoes
20. Play tic-tac-toe
21. Wear feeties with someone
22. Watch a movie
23. Appreciate somebody
24. Pay it Forward
25. Color
26. Pay off the library
27. Watch a foreign film
28. Make cookies
29. Eat a candy cane
30. Draw with chalk
31. Find pastels & use them
32. Collect 300 pennies
33. Write 26 factorial blogs A-Z
34. Get a book from the library
35. Not lie
36. Have a snowball fight
37. Go swimming
38. Use bananas as phones
39. Go to church
40. Draw 
41. Complete something
42. Clean the bathroom
43. Do at least 5 pages in my book
44. Write a poem
45. Wash a floor
46. Work maximum hours
47. Eat candy
48. Go to the mall
49. Go for a walk
50. Do homework
51. Melt crayons
52. Talk to an old friend
53. Buy clothes
54. Help with the Free Sale
55. Write on a sidewalk in mustard
56. Eat cotton candy
57. Eat a Popsicle
58. Listen to a new song
59. Take a really good picture
60. Work out
61. Play in the rain
62. Hug somebody new
63. New pen pal
64. Learn a new sentence in a language
65. Drink Kool-aide
66. Cry
67. Wear earrings
68. Paint toe nails
69. Draw a new animal
70. Spring collage 2013
71. Apply to LTU
72. Buy a laptop
73. Go to an art show
74. Sleepover
75. Wear a dress
76. Go to the Peanut Shop again
77. Be nice
78. Do some math
79. Keep a positive attitude
80. Paint
81. Sharpen pencils
82. Be the best I know I can be
83. Quotes
84. Clean under my bed
85. Wash sheets
86. Start a portfolio
87. Learn a new word
88. Write an essay
89. Blog
90. Lose a balloon
91. Blow bubbles
92. Do something not selfish
93. Pray, for no reason other than to do it
94. Try your hardest
95. Volunteer
96. Apologize with action
97. Find green underwear
98. Listen to an old song
99. Try something new
100. Buy someone lunch
101. Sing
102. Don't give advice
103. Play I spy
104. Have a tea party
105. Watch a movie in theaters
106. Not cut
107. Empathize
108. Eat french fries
109. Get new shoes
110. Go to camp
111. Win an art scholarship
112. Be serious
113. Garden
114. Detail Burger Head

     And that is so far, but I think I forgot a few... Anyways, I hope this catches on! :D The only rules are you don't set out to do it, it just happens, and once it's written down, you can't erase it, doesn't mean you have to do it, just that you can't erase it. Thanks for reading! :D 

It's Not Kindergarten!

     So, as you, my followers.... (Mom, Jeff.) and those of you who just happen to come across my page, have known for a bit that I have gotten a job :) My first real job :) And while I'm excited.... it'd seem that my parents are more excited O_o which is understandable, but they act like it's kindergarten lol.
     I got home from getting my work permit signed by the appropriate people (in which they made me run from one side of town to the other for; get permit from school, take permit to work to have them sign it, then bring it back to school for them the to sign it, then, finally, I can bring it back to work for them to file), and it was raining outside. So I'd walked home from the bus stop in the rain and I get my uniform from the car to bring it in, they're all like "Try it on! We wanna see you in it! :D " They say they want pictures.... and I remind them that it's not kindergarten... but they reply with "But it's your first job!" lol so, yeah, I may be exaggerating this a bit, but for real, it happened, at least the jest of it.
     Reflecting on this episode only makes me think of what it'd be like when I move out, or go to college, or make my first Pixar film, or anything... I guess it'd be the same as when I see the people I love do great things, and move up in the world, like growing up... We all avoid it, we avoid responsibility and growing up as teenagers, but we know it's coming, we know we have to do it, and while at the same time we are desperately looking forward to it, it's only mostly because we don't want to have somebody say for us anymore.
     So guess when I start? Tuesday. Guess what Tuesday is? My seventeenth birthday! Which wouldn't be so bad, but I really wanted to see The Lorax (which I heard hasn't gotten the kind of attention they want it to, but for real, if that certain person is reading this, I think that movie is great, just by the previews, and I really really want to see it!) at the library with my friends... but I can't... very sadly... perhaps my parents will rent it for me! ^_^
     But just in case anybody cared, I will tell you what I want for my birthday:
Birthday Dinner: Spaghetti with Italian sausage and cheesy garlic bread
Wish List: Headphones
                Cool Socks
                New York Times Newspaper (they have amazing pictures that I would love to cut out! :D )
                A Plastic T-Rex from Meijer
                Hello Kitty underwear :3
                Gum
                My own thing of ice cream :D
                Cracker Jacks
                AAA Batteries (for my mp3 player)


     But this is the cake I want:

            I don't care if we don't have enough jars for everyone, I'm getting a cake in a jar, and that's that.
Here's a copy and paste of the recipe from http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/04/08/rainbow-cake-in-a-jar/

Rainbow Cake in Jar

• 1 box white cake mix made according to package instructions
• Neon food coloring in pink, yellow, green, turquoise, and purple
• 3 one-pint canning jars
• 1 can vanilla frosting
• Rainbow sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly wash and dry the inside of each canning jar. Spray the inside of each jar thoroughly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Scoop about 1/2 cups of cake batter into five small bowls. It doesn’t have to be perfect, don’t panic if you get a little more of less of one color than another.  Tint each bowl of cake batter with the food coloring until very vibrant.

Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the purple batter into the bottom of each jar.  Spoon equal amounts of turquoise batter, then green, yellow, and pink.  Place the jars in a shallow baking dish, add about 1/4″ in water in the baking dish. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Remove jars and allow to cool completely before scooping a small portion from the top of your cake and adding a hefty dollop of vanilla buttercream to the top. Sprinkle & serve, or cover with a lid and store in the fridge or pop into the mail & surprise someone you love!

POST EDIT: Several commenters have indicated that the cake is not cooking all the way through in the 30-35 minutes indicated in the recipe.  This was enough time for our cake, but I’m cooking at high altitudes, and my oven tends to bake hot.  So, I’d recommend baking the cake for 40 minutes, then return it to the oven if it still doesn’t spring back to the touch when you check to see if it’s finished.  As for the cake puffing up and out of it’s bottle, ours did that a bit, as well.  Easy fix. We just scooped a bit of the cake out to make room for the frosting and wiped the outside of our jars clean.  Several people have indicated that the wide-mouthed mason jars work a little better for this purpose.  I’ve not yet baked with wide-mouthed. What you see above is what was baked in my kitchen according to the recipe instructions, and what came out of the oven when it was all.   Of course, if you’re feeling wildly impatient, you can also zap the cake in the microwave for 2 minutes.  It’s going to bubble up, for sure, but you can scoop the top part of that cake out, frost it, and no one will ever be the wiser. Good luck, everyone! This is such a fun cake. My kids went nuts over it, and I hope it works as beautifully for you as it did for us!

Bacon is Really Good :)

     I think we all agree, bacon is damn good! But I was thinking earlier, the little baby piggies are cute too... but it's okay, because they don't kill the babies. :) They wait until the pigs are fat and gross, or until they feed them enough chemicals to get fat and gross... :S Gosh, we eat a lot of chemicals...

     So one of my neighbors are having their second baby on Tuesday :D I'm so excited! I can't wait to see a brand new baby! My other neighbors are hoarders... for the most part... They keep giving us stuff; blankets, coffee cups, which is all nice, but all of these things are ugly as f*ck! Sometimes they buy us stuff too, they bought my sister some face wash, and they bought me some neonish nail polish, it's like hunting orange *gross face*, which I'd like to use it, but come on, the color is gross, plus I can't really paint my nails, because I just got a real job! It's nice that they buy us stuff, thoughtful and all that junk, but for real, I don't really use nail polish as it is, and Taylor didn't need chemically intoxicated face wash, we make our own, and it works well. Well, at least for me, 'cause she uses either that or store-bought face wash. She really needs to make a for sure decision which one she's going to use, because for one; it's annoying, for two; her indecisiveness is going to make her break out more. 

     So, if you were wondering, the mixture we use for our (or my) face wash is a half and half combination of  Pure Olive Oil (you can get that at just a regular grocery store or whatever), and Castor Oil (which you can buy at any drug store). The olive oil cleans your pores or whatever and also moisturizes your skin as it needs in a natural manor, and the castor oil dries up bad oils and sucks out impurities...I think... but either way, it works. Just give it like 2-4 weeks to do it's thing, and you'll hardly have to wear cover-up when you go out! :D