On a rainy, windy Wednesday my mom, sisters and I took a trip to Washington D.C. We were going to D.C to meet up with a homeschool group at The Museum of Natural History to solve a mystery by studying somebody's real bones. Also we were going to The National Building museum to learn about different roofs. It was a very nice experience.
The day started with the alarm clock ringing. Tired and hungry, I got up and turned the off the beeping alarm clock that now read six o' one. I went to my closet and found my outfit for the day. I put on my clothes, and grabbed my socks, shoes, and purse. I made my way to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and washed my face. Then I headed to the kitchen and ate breakfast. A little later we made our way out the door and drove to the metro to ride the train to the D.C.
Taking the metro was an interesting ride. It was real amusing to watch all the business men and women stare at their cell phones the whole time and act like they were so important. The ride took a while because of all the stops, but it was very enjoyable. Once we stepped off the metro, we made our way up the escalator and into the rain with only one umbrella for the four of us. Luckily there were a few men selling small umbrellas. My mom asked if any of us wanted one so I said yes and she bought me one. After that we were on our way to the first museum. When we arrived at the museum of Natural History we took a look around and waited for the rest if the group. A little while later a few more homeschool students and parents showed up, so we made our way up the stairs and into the room were we were going to study the bones and solve the mystery of the body that was found. The class was very fascinating. We had to look at the bones to see if they had any injuries, study their teeth to find out their age, look at their thigh bones to find their height, study the bones around their bladder to find out their sex, and look at the artifacts around the bones for any clues.
Once all the kids and their parents were done at each station the leaders had us all compare notes and then they told us what really happened and we were right about what we found out. The teacher explained how the bones were found and how scientist did exactly what we had just did to solve the mystery. Then once the mystery was solved the scientist gave some of the bones to this program to help kids learn about bones. After that experience we went to the cafe in the museum to eat lunch. Then we were on our way to The National Building Museum.
Once back in the rain we took out our umbrellas and walked zero point four miles to the next museum. It took us a while but eventually we found the museum. When I first entered the museum the first think I noticed was the big fountain in the middle of the room. In front of that fountain was a desk. My mother went up to the desk and signed us in, then we all walked over to our new group. Everybody was already there so after we arrived all we had to do was wait for the teacher and then get started. The teacher show up about five minutes after us so we started pretty quickly. We started off by talking about the history of the building and why it was built. Then we talked about the different roofs the builder wanted to put on it and why they didn't work. One of the roofs the builder wanted to put on the building was a dome. A dome is like a big bubble roof like on the top of The Taj mahal. Some people even live in geodesic domes. After learning about geodesic domes we had the chance to build one out of metal rods and rubber connectors. The whole group worked together to build this huge dome and it was very successful. Once the class was finished with the life sized dome the teacher put out a bucket full of gumdrops and a bucket full of toothpicks. Then she handed out some paper with some instructions. All of the supplies she handed out was for a gumdrop dome. It took me a while to build the gumdrop dome because I thought it was complicated but a lot of other people finished their domes pretty quickly. A little while later about the whole group cleared out. The class was over. So we collected our stuff and decided to take a look around the museum. My younger sister wanted to go to the lego exhibit so we made our way up the steps and to the lego exhibit. Later on we all became tired and wanted to go home. Soon we were back in the rain and on our way to the metro.
The ride back from D.C was just like the ride to D.C, with people too busy to do anything except look at their phones. Then when we hopped off the metro we went over to the parking garage.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Vanilla Cupcakes
Vanilla Cupcakes are nice treats to enjoy with friends or satisfy your sugar cravings. Last week I enjoyed those fluffy warm homemade cupcakes with some friends. My mother found this recipe online at cooks.com. So if you would like to savor these delicious cupcakes for you and your family you will need these ingredients.
For the frosting.....
1. 3 3/4 cup of powdered sugar (may use homemade)
2. 1/2 cup of butter
3. 5 tbsp. cream of tartar
4. 1/4 tsp. vanilla
and water to make a stiff mix
Combine all of the ingredients in a large electric mixer bowl and blend it well. Don't forget to experiment with the frosting by adding things like lemon extract, vanilla extract, and more. Next store it in the refrigerator. To use, remove the frosting from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature to soften. Then your frosting is ready to go.
Now for the cupcakes you will need the following........
1. 1/2 cup of softened butter
2. 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar
3. 2 eggs
4. 2 tsp. of vanilla extract
5. 1-1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
6. 1/2 tsp of baking powder
7. 1/4 tsp. of salt
8. 2/3 cup of cold milk
Preheat the oven to 350 0F
Cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Then stir in the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients. Next add to the butter mixture; stir in milk.
Bake time: 18-24 minutes.
Yield: 12 cupcakes
After the cupcakes are finished wait about 20-25 minutes before frosting.
Being a new baker, I did not read the whole recipe. What I did was put all of the ingredients in the electric mixer in including the eggs at one time. The whole thing turned out just fine. We put the cupcakes in front of an open window to cool before we frosted them.We even put food coloring on the frosting to give it personality. The cupcakes were fantastic, even though the frosting was a little too sweet for me, and I could barely finish it. But it didn't matter as long as I had a great time with my friends. So if you are just in the mood for cupcakes or are hosting a party these homemade cupcakes are just the right snack to have. Enjoy!
For the frosting.....
1. 3 3/4 cup of powdered sugar (may use homemade)
2. 1/2 cup of butter
3. 5 tbsp. cream of tartar
4. 1/4 tsp. vanilla
and water to make a stiff mix
Combine all of the ingredients in a large electric mixer bowl and blend it well. Don't forget to experiment with the frosting by adding things like lemon extract, vanilla extract, and more. Next store it in the refrigerator. To use, remove the frosting from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature to soften. Then your frosting is ready to go.
Now for the cupcakes you will need the following........
1. 1/2 cup of softened butter
2. 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar
3. 2 eggs
4. 2 tsp. of vanilla extract
5. 1-1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
6. 1/2 tsp of baking powder
7. 1/4 tsp. of salt
8. 2/3 cup of cold milk
Preheat the oven to 350 0F
Cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Then stir in the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients. Next add to the butter mixture; stir in milk.
Bake time: 18-24 minutes.
Yield: 12 cupcakes
After the cupcakes are finished wait about 20-25 minutes before frosting.
Being a new baker, I did not read the whole recipe. What I did was put all of the ingredients in the electric mixer in including the eggs at one time. The whole thing turned out just fine. We put the cupcakes in front of an open window to cool before we frosted them.We even put food coloring on the frosting to give it personality. The cupcakes were fantastic, even though the frosting was a little too sweet for me, and I could barely finish it. But it didn't matter as long as I had a great time with my friends. So if you are just in the mood for cupcakes or are hosting a party these homemade cupcakes are just the right snack to have. Enjoy!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Day of Play
Everybody has had an exciting day or moment in their life. One of my exciting days was going to Nickelodeon's first annual World Wide Day of Play. The World Wide Day of Play is a day where Nickelodeon stars come to D.C to play and have fun with their fans. That morning I woke up at seven o'clock, and put my best play clothes on. I put on deodorant, brushed my teeth, brushed my hair and ate breakfast. I was so very excited and ready to have a good time. My sisters, my mom, and I headed out the door ready to play while my dad stayed home to work.
We live in Virginia and the Day of Play was being held in Washington D.C so we were not far from the event. On the way there we made up stories about things that could possibly happen while we were there. Once we finally got to Washington D.C it took us a long time to find a place to park. Most of the the parking garages where either full or closed, but we managed to find one not too far from the event. We were on our way to the park where the Day of Play took place and I could feel the happiness in the air. We were so close to the park and I was so ready and anxious to get there when all of a sudden my older sister said she had to use the bathroom. When she said that we all had to turn around and go to the bathroom.
It seemed like fifty years until we finished using the bathroom and made it to the Day of Play, but when we got there there was a big line but it passed by pretty quickly. So as soon as we got in we were standing along a barricade and saw two tents, one with snacks inside for the stars and one where they were watching t.v. Every once in a while a star or two would go out of the tent to use the bathroom. After a while, they came out of the tents to go walk by the fans and shake their hands on their way to take pictures. I was getting tired of standing there in the muddy, smelly grass watching nothing. Then it happened, a band called Big Time Rush walked by where my sisters, my mom, and I where standing and shook our hands. My older sister got it on tape and we were all extremely happy. After a while the staff closed the path where the stars where walking and we decided to go to where Big Time Rush was going to perform.
Once we got there we could barely see the stage because it was crowded. We tried to make our way to the front but mom didn't want to. Then we spotted a partly empty spot behind a barricade off to the side with an obstacle course in front of it. We headed over to that spot and sat on top of the barricade and waited for the concert to begin. We sat for a long time just waiting and waiting while the D.J tried to keep us occupied. During this time two stars of the Nickelodeon's show Victorious had walked by and greeted us, and a few others at the barricade, with a hello. Then Big Time Rush went on stage and performed about four or five songs and then went back off stage.
Immediately after the concert, the whole crowd literally turned around to where we were standing and crowded around the barricade. With that crowd was a eighteen year old girl who screamed and shouted the whole entire time with her brother. She was screaming that it was her birthday. We were all squished and sweating against the barricade with the sun beating down on us watching and waiting for the stars to come out and do the obstacle course. It smelled really bad especially with strangers breathing on the back of our necks. Finally, we spotted Victoria Justice, star of the Nickelodeon show Victorious, in a helmet talking to the staff.
Everybody started screaming and shouting her name, including the eighteen year old. She started screaming for Victoria Justice to come over to her and so did all the other fans. Victoria Justice just acted like she didn't hear them so she didn't have to go through the whole crowd or hurt anybody's feelings by not going to one part of the crowd. Eventually she left, but the crowd didn't die down. We noticed a few more stars stroll out of hiding to get ready for the obstacle course. By this time we were tired and sweaty and had lost our personal space because of all the people huddling around us. Then the eighteen year started screaming "GET THE GAME STARTED BEFORE I DIE!" over and over again. The only thing that kept us there at that point was our view of LeBron James passing a football around.
When the game had finally started a whole lot of guards rushed in front of the barricades and blocked our view. We could only see a third of the obstacle course and we had became tired and hungry. Eventually this lady came by to hand out three balloons to blow up that says" GET YOUR GAME ON!" My older sister got one from the kind lady and was clearly happy. Then a boy reached out grabbed the balloon. My sisters and I yelled at him to let go, he didn't, so I had to take this matter into my own hands, literally. That's right I slapped his hand, hard. As I said before we were tired, hungry,sweaty, annoyed even, so we decided to leave. We held hands turned around and started to leave.
As we were leaving, a whole lot of people tried to take our spot in the front row. One lady had the nerve to get in our path to get to our old spot. My older sister was so pissed off because of the lady she pushed her out of the path. Did the women ever get to our old spot? I don't know but I doubt it. There were alot of people rushing to get to our spot so she might have took too long. But I hope the person or people who got it enjoyed it. When we left we went to the parking garage to get our car. Once we got our car we went to Wendy's. We enjoyed our food and then went home to our father. When we got home we explained the whole story to dad. He laughed at our whole experience in D.C. I know if dad went with us he would not have been able to take the crowds and screaming fans. Even though the whole event was chaos and with out a doubt hectic I would like to go again next year for the second annual Day Of Play.
We live in Virginia and the Day of Play was being held in Washington D.C so we were not far from the event. On the way there we made up stories about things that could possibly happen while we were there. Once we finally got to Washington D.C it took us a long time to find a place to park. Most of the the parking garages where either full or closed, but we managed to find one not too far from the event. We were on our way to the park where the Day of Play took place and I could feel the happiness in the air. We were so close to the park and I was so ready and anxious to get there when all of a sudden my older sister said she had to use the bathroom. When she said that we all had to turn around and go to the bathroom.
It seemed like fifty years until we finished using the bathroom and made it to the Day of Play, but when we got there there was a big line but it passed by pretty quickly. So as soon as we got in we were standing along a barricade and saw two tents, one with snacks inside for the stars and one where they were watching t.v. Every once in a while a star or two would go out of the tent to use the bathroom. After a while, they came out of the tents to go walk by the fans and shake their hands on their way to take pictures. I was getting tired of standing there in the muddy, smelly grass watching nothing. Then it happened, a band called Big Time Rush walked by where my sisters, my mom, and I where standing and shook our hands. My older sister got it on tape and we were all extremely happy. After a while the staff closed the path where the stars where walking and we decided to go to where Big Time Rush was going to perform.
Once we got there we could barely see the stage because it was crowded. We tried to make our way to the front but mom didn't want to. Then we spotted a partly empty spot behind a barricade off to the side with an obstacle course in front of it. We headed over to that spot and sat on top of the barricade and waited for the concert to begin. We sat for a long time just waiting and waiting while the D.J tried to keep us occupied. During this time two stars of the Nickelodeon's show Victorious had walked by and greeted us, and a few others at the barricade, with a hello. Then Big Time Rush went on stage and performed about four or five songs and then went back off stage.
Immediately after the concert, the whole crowd literally turned around to where we were standing and crowded around the barricade. With that crowd was a eighteen year old girl who screamed and shouted the whole entire time with her brother. She was screaming that it was her birthday. We were all squished and sweating against the barricade with the sun beating down on us watching and waiting for the stars to come out and do the obstacle course. It smelled really bad especially with strangers breathing on the back of our necks. Finally, we spotted Victoria Justice, star of the Nickelodeon show Victorious, in a helmet talking to the staff.
Everybody started screaming and shouting her name, including the eighteen year old. She started screaming for Victoria Justice to come over to her and so did all the other fans. Victoria Justice just acted like she didn't hear them so she didn't have to go through the whole crowd or hurt anybody's feelings by not going to one part of the crowd. Eventually she left, but the crowd didn't die down. We noticed a few more stars stroll out of hiding to get ready for the obstacle course. By this time we were tired and sweaty and had lost our personal space because of all the people huddling around us. Then the eighteen year started screaming "GET THE GAME STARTED BEFORE I DIE!" over and over again. The only thing that kept us there at that point was our view of LeBron James passing a football around.
When the game had finally started a whole lot of guards rushed in front of the barricades and blocked our view. We could only see a third of the obstacle course and we had became tired and hungry. Eventually this lady came by to hand out three balloons to blow up that says" GET YOUR GAME ON!" My older sister got one from the kind lady and was clearly happy. Then a boy reached out grabbed the balloon. My sisters and I yelled at him to let go, he didn't, so I had to take this matter into my own hands, literally. That's right I slapped his hand, hard. As I said before we were tired, hungry,sweaty, annoyed even, so we decided to leave. We held hands turned around and started to leave.
As we were leaving, a whole lot of people tried to take our spot in the front row. One lady had the nerve to get in our path to get to our old spot. My older sister was so pissed off because of the lady she pushed her out of the path. Did the women ever get to our old spot? I don't know but I doubt it. There were alot of people rushing to get to our spot so she might have took too long. But I hope the person or people who got it enjoyed it. When we left we went to the parking garage to get our car. Once we got our car we went to Wendy's. We enjoyed our food and then went home to our father. When we got home we explained the whole story to dad. He laughed at our whole experience in D.C. I know if dad went with us he would not have been able to take the crowds and screaming fans. Even though the whole event was chaos and with out a doubt hectic I would like to go again next year for the second annual Day Of Play.
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