Good Morning!

You are probably wondering why I titled my post "Good Morning"... it is because today I am up at 6:30, and I am going to try to do my resolution and get my work done EARLY. I want to see how well I do. The longest topic for me is typically math, so right after I post this and feed my dog, that is what I am going to do.

Speaking of my dog... he has really gotten "spoiled" lately! He expects food WHEREVER and WHENEVER he sits himself down next to you and mooches, and it is really bothering me. He never used to be like that! I know that my dog deserves the occasional treat or two, but this is getting overboard! And if you don't give in to him, he waddles around following you until you DO give him something. It's pathetic.

Right now, he is sitting outside for that reason! He knows that for me, he has to do his "pee-pee" before he gets breakfast. But he thinks that I will just let him in and feed him, and then let him out AGAIN so he can do his business. I will probably let him out after anyway, but he has to do his morning job that way he doesn't pee in the house. My question for my readers is this: What does your pet do that annoys you? If you could change ONE thing about them, what would it be?

Maddie

Sick

I know, I didn't blog yesterday- but I had a very good reason. I got sick again and almost passed out in the morning. From there, my back started aching as did my legs and I ended up bedridden all day. It was quite annoying for me. You get tired of staring at the same wall all day after a while. At least I had my iPod with me so I could talk to my friends and listen to music.

But today, I am feeling 110% better, and I am very happy! No more bed, no more slouching! I am ready to blog and get my work done and then make fudge! Yes, fudge- and the best fudge ever, too! I will put up the recipe below and tomorrow will post a couple of pictures (hopefully). Here's the recipe. It can often be found on the back of Marshmallow Fluff tubs:

You Will Need:
5 cups of sugar
10 oz. of evaporated milk (two small cans)
1/4 lb butter or margarine
1 16oz. jar of Fluffernutter (marshmallow fluff)
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 12 oz bags of semisweet chocolate chips

Prep:
Combine first 5 ingredients in a 5 qt saucepan. Stir over low heat until blended. Bring to boil over moderate heat, being careful not to mistake escaping air bubbles for boiling. Then boil slowly, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. (use soft ball test). Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate and vanilla until chocolate is melted. Pour into 2 buttered 9x9 inch pans and cool.

Yield: 5 lbs of chocolatey goodness!

There is the recipe- give it a try and tell me how ya like it! Til' next week,

Maddie

Poetry

It's been awhile since I have done ANY poetry, and I was inspired by something my Dad said in the car. So here is a poem:

Go

I've gone to other places,

I've taken quite a roam,

but after all I've seen,

My favorite place is home.
No honking cars, or traffic,

Backed up to my door,

Just a perfect mountain,

With peace at it's core.

I've seen the sights,

I've heard the sounds,

And now I want to go.

Go home,

to where I'm happiest,

Back to the place I know.

Ok, so that was shorter than I expected, so I have to think up ANOTHER poem. This may take a minute..... here we go:

The Seasons of Life

In spring, so young and happy,

Bouncing here and there,

The trees, filled with new life,

Flowers in the air,

The summer, slow and carefree,

Such sadness when it ends,

Wishing you could go back,

And start it all again,

The fall, as trees are aging,

the leaves slowly die,

and one by one, they fall down,

twirling through the sky,

then finally comes winter,

with all its snow and ice,

The ice falls heavy on the trees, 

and slowly,

they fall down.

Absolute Animals Is Back!

I have not blogged on my animal blog in FOREVER, so when Dad gave me an animal to do the other day, I decided- why not get my blog back on track?! I gave it a whole new look, and there is a fresh new post up, and by the end of the day today, there will be 3 more! I hope that my readers will take a moment and click here to check out the new version of Absolute Animals! I worked hard on it and will be more often now. If you do check out my blog, please take time and contribute in the little "survey" I am running in the top right corner of the site.

Not much has really been going on other than that- me and my sister are sick again, but that isn't a big surprise- OH! Me and Dad have been playing Skyrim (an xBox game) and have discovered we like being thieves a lot. I am trying to level up my pickpocketing skills, while Dad is just starting to learn how to steal stuff (I help him a lot). For any of my readers who play Skyrim, here are some thieving tricks (if you know these and know some others, please leave them in the comments. It is highly appreciated).

Check the barrels.
In many Skyrim towns, no one cares if you rummage through barrels. Most of the time you can raid barrels in buildings like inns as well- just make sure there isn't a red 'steal' caption on it. The barrels often contain food and, if you're lucky, coins.

Close the doors.
If you want to successfully raid an inn or a convenience store, go into a room with a door and close it. Before starting your raid, make sure that the store clerk doesn't come upstairs and catch you (this happened to me in Riverwood and I had to restart my game), and make sure the store keeper doesn't open the door. A way to avoid being on the "suspicious list" is to be careful- if you knock over a pot or something, the store owner will start following you around.

This post is getting quite lengthy- so I will end it here. I hope those tips help you.

Maddie

RIP Fighter

Today I am very sad... my toad, Fighter, passed away. Since we came back from NJ I noticed he was sick, and today I went to check on the toads and he was lying on the dirt dead. I am SO upset right now... I don't know if he wasn't eating, or if he got too cold, or if he got a disease or what... all I know is he is gone.

If you have ever lost a pet, even a small one, you know how I feel. I know Fighter was "just a toad".... but he was my toad and I loved him. He lived for about a year, which is longer than he would have lasted in the wild. Now, I have moved Baby (the blind toad) in with Stripes (my sister's toad) as the big aquarium is empty.

That's all I am going to blog for today.

Maddie

The Birthday Chart has been updated. More recent pictures will be up within the week.

I'm Back!

I am back again.... I took a blogging break as I went up to NJ to visit my family for the holidays. I know that I have been kind of lazy with my blog and my new year's resolution is to blog more frequently for my readers. I know I am always forgetting to post (usually on Mondays due to my class) but this year will be different!!!

Speaking of a new year.... how many of my readers made resolutions? Here are the ones my family made:

My sister resolved to clean the floors and play. (?!)
My Dad resolved to not make any resolutions.
My Grandma resolved to take more time for the Lord and get her work done on time.
And I resolve to start getting up earlier and getting my work done faster- so I have more time to spend with my family.

What was your New Year's Resolution? Leave it in the comments, no matter how silly or strange it might be.

Maddie