Moving From NJ

If you are wondering why I didn't blog all of last week... HERE IS YOUR ANSWER! I was in NJ for the week- both for Easter AND to move things out of my Grandma's house. Almost all the furniture from my Grandma's house is gone, and is now in NH. In fact, I have a (semi) new desk! I finally cleaned off my old, scratched up desk, and Dad let me have the one from my Grandma's house. It is bigger and MUCH better than the other one.

Everything was moved in today- most of it is boxes upon BOXES of paperwork and- stuff. I can barely walk down in the basement, and much of the garage is also filled with moving items. Aside from this, NJ was great- I went to the movies with my Dad, I saw a puppet show with my sister and Dad, and went to the park NUMEROUS times. Easter was great- I made a bunny cake, but unfortunately got no pictures of it. 

Come to think of it, I barely got ANY good photos this trip! But then again, I was busy- going to the library, going to the park, going to lunch, going to dinner, and watching movies with my sister throughout the day. This post is getting lengthy, so I am going to end it here- I hope everyone had as good an Easter as I did.

Maddie

P.S. I should be back on my regular blogging schedule now- remember to check back every day!

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

3 Types of People I Don't Like

Today I am going to do a post about different types of people I do not like, or should I say traits in people I do not like.

#1- The Whiner
I absolutely hate people that go on and on all day if something doesn't go their way, or if they don't get something they want. These people have nothing better to do than complain constantly to other people about whatever happened to "go wrong" for them. Below teenage years it is kind of acceptable to whine (though you SHOULDN'T do it), but above 13, you shouldn't be constantly whining over small little things. If it is something big, I understand... we all have bad days.

#2- The Liar
We all tell lies a few times in our life- there's no way around it. But it's not the people who tell little lies to handle everyday life that I am talking about. The people I cannot tolerate are the people that lie very consistently just to cover their own behind. I could do a number on sneaks, but in my opinion, liars are the same as sneaks, so I'll leave it as is. The worst kinds of liars are the bad ones- the ones that cannot tell a lie successfully but then, upon confrontation, refuse to admit to the fact they were lying, even though it is obvious that they were.

#3- The Bully
The bully is my LEAST favorite of these people. Bullies have nothing better to do than to poke fun and push around other people, especially people smaller than them. We all have our bad days, but even on a good day, a bully will still persist and bug you. In my opinion, there is NO excuse for being a bully. The only time you should be allowed to hit anyone or speak disrespectfully to anyone is if they have hit you or been disrespectful first.

Those are the three traits I do not like in people. This article is not meant to be hurtful in any way, it is just my opinion. If it does hurt anyone, I apologize ahead of time. Leave a comment down below telling me a trait that you don't like in people.

Maddie

Promotion For My Dad's Website- Basset Hound Hideaway

The First thing you need to know is that this site is about you. Given that's the case, there are three special rules you need to know in regards to how I choose the dogs that are in my Hall of Honor and in my blog articles. I call them my every day specials...and there are three of them.

Special #1

If you volunteer at a Basset Hound Rescue or you provide foster care for Basset Hounds email me at wayne_nef@yahoo.com. Your dog or dogs will automatically be included in the Hall of Honor and I will write a short blog article introducing your pet to the community. I believe your hard work to help Basset Hounds should be recognized and I am happy to do it.

Also, if you work at a Rescue and you have a dog up for adoption that you want highlighted please let me know and I will try to put a nice introduction into the blog for the dog in question.

Special #2

I have a link on the right hand side of the page for the Mid-Atlantic Basset Hound Rescue donation page. If you make a donation to the Rescue (minimum $5) I will add your dog to the Basset Hound Hall Of Honor. To get your dog recognized in the Hall is really easy:

1. Click the link below or to the right.
2. Donate at least $5 (preferably more) via Paypal
3. Forward your PayPal receipt to: wayne_nef@yahoo.com along with a picture of your dog, your name, your dog's favorite hangout (ie your local dog park, hiking trail, etc.), and the dog's favorite treat.

Mid-Atlantic Basset Hound Rescue Donation Page

Special #3

Buy something from our store (hosted by amazon.com) or through our advertising banners and email me what you bought along with a picture of your Basset Hound and some playful facts about your dog and I will feature them in a short blog article. Each article will include a picture of your dog and a few sentences. Please send those emails towayne_nef@yahoo.com and put Basset Hound Boutique article in the title. Please note that I may email you back for more info on your dog if it is needed.

This is my Dad's ad. I just copied and pasted it to my blog. If you'd like to check out his blog and get your dog featured on the hall of fame, please click here. You have to make a donation and have a basset hound to be featured. Look for more dog hideaways on the way soon!!!

Now on to my normal blog post. Our new stove arrived yesterday, so I have been baking, baking, baking. I have made bread, chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting, roast beef, and a DELICIOUS apple pie. Yum. I will write a paragraph on each and finally rate them at the end.


Bread-
First things first, the bread was starchy from the beginning. Second, it was also hard to knead. Hmmm... wonder how it'll turn out. Me and Grandma made it and kneaded it and baked it, and from all our labor all we got was a small, rock solid, disgusting little lump that was barely worthy of the title "bread". It almost broke my teeth, and was heavy and yucky in the center. The only thing that made it taste better was about a pound of butter and a gallon of jelly.

Chocolate Cupcakes w/ buttercream frosting (homemade)
"Those are the best cupcakes I have tasted in all my 74 years!" That was a direct quote from my Grandma after she tasted one of my delicious chocolate cupcakes. I used Pilsbury Dark Chocolate Cake Mix, and a recipe for frosting that came on the back of a WalMart icing pump. It was sooooooo good.... and the cupcakes came out perfectly moist.

Roast Beef- didn't make it, but it was rare and juicy and delicious- best I have ever tasted in all of my ELEVEN years.

Apple Pie-
The apple pie was delicious. Even though I was CONSTANTLY being told I was doing it wrong while I was making it, it came out delicious anyway. I added some maple syrup to the mix and also used brown sugar instead of white sugar. What a difference in flavor- so much better. The crust, which I made at home instead of buying one, came out crisp and buttery as well.

P.S. I know I promised you guys new stuff in my store each week, sorry I haven't had the time to do it! By Saturday, I promise!!!

Maddie