Dear Blog,

I apologize for not writing as much as I should have.

That happens a lot, I have noticed.

Looking back, I realize that I have had you for four years now. And a lot has changed since thirteen year old me started writing on the internet.

For starters, I graduated high school. Can you believe it? I have a diploma and everything!

Next, I got my drivers license. Now, I know what you are thinking,

"What are they thinking?!?" 

But, I promise you, I'm a decent enough driver. I've had it for months and haven't had an accident. I may or may not have killed some insects that hit my windshield, but that's another story.

Oh, I have a job as well. You're looking at on of the local Sonic Carhops. Work has it's ups and downs, but in the end I enjoy it.

I joined a martial arts class a few months ago. It's been a whole lot of fun. A lot of pain, as well.
My legs are currently jelly from all the squats. But I am improving in my skill set.

Guess what? I'm starting college on Monday.

I'm being serious.

I'm all registered, orientated, and set. I have my textbooks ordered (they should be here by tomorrow), school supplies at my disposal, and a brand new laptop to boot.

This is the new me. And the new me may just stop in a bit more often to write some posts.

No promises though.

Sincerely,

The College Teen

I'm totally promoting my YouTube channel. Just saying

I went to a leadership workshop (which I will write about later) this weekend.

But I want you to watch something (I have no idea who reads my blog or if it even gets read sometimes.)

If I didn't check my stats every so often I would think I'm just writing these for myself.

But for some random reason I had over 70 page views one day. That was really random.

Oh well.

If you're reading this, check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StgLdZ3yyUo

You are beautful

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.

Confucius got it right the first time.

Some days, I don't bother to get dressed. I brush my teeth, put my hair up and call it good. I don't put makeup on unless I'm going somewhere, and even then I rarely put on more than eyeliner and lip gloss. Maybe some eye-shadow. Maybe.

In fact, I only every do full on, foundation and all makeup if I have a competition or a formal banquet to go to.

I wear jeans and tee shirts the majority of the time. Around the house, I wear shorts and sweats and hoodies. Half the time, by hair isn't perfect and I have ink all over my hands. Some days I forget to brush my hair.

And I'm beautiful.

I am so tired of people letting the world define what is beautiful. The world lies, okay?

Beauty is almost abstract. What is beautiful to one person may not be pretty to the next. And that's okay. We are all entitled to our own opinions. It's a free country.

But what I hate is when people call other people ugly. And weird. And not normal. I hate it when anyone calls anybody any name for that matter. It's just not right.

Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world.

But maybe it would be a little more perfect if we stop letting society tell us what we should look like and who we should be.

Decide for yourself.

Be the you you want to be.

And to whoever is reading this, you are beautiful.

Oops! I did it again

When I first started seeing, I never thought I'd be this good!

My latest formal, and I made it myself! 

The BF

I have a BF. His name is Sam, and I love him.

But we're not dating.

I can hear what you're thinking, all the way through the web and my computer screen.

Didn't she just say that he was her BF?

Why, yes, yes I did.

So why aren't they dating if she calls him her BF?

It's simple really. He's not my boyfriend. He's my best friend. There is a really big difference.

Truth: Sam is good looking. He's got good character, and he's a great guy. Most importantly, he's got a great love for the Lord.

(The first is a bonus, the rest are requirements)

So why aren't they dating?

Because even though I know all those things, it would be like dating my brother. Gross.

(Sam, I love ya man. But eww.)

I think that teenagers today are way to concerned about one meaning for BF that they forget the other.

Sam is amazing. I've known him for more than half my life. He's my twin, the Sam to my Frodo, and I would walk through fire for him. He listens to me when I need him to, helps me out. He's there for me. And I'm there for him.

I think that to many people care about one meaning for BF and, because of this, forget about the other definition.

Someone asked me once if I was Sam's girlfriend. My response was to look at the person like he was crazy and laugh. And then tell Sam who proceeded to laugh with me.

Yes, I am Sam's girl friend. I am a friend who happens to be of the female gender.

And that is totally okay. It's not weird at all.

So don't forget the BF stands for more than one thing. And in my opinion, the version I use is the most important.


<3 br="">

 

2014 Resolutions

Last year when I made New Year's resolutions, it was in April. And it wasn't even for New Year's, it was me trying to write more on my blog.

Here's what I said:

So, I've decided that today marks a new year for my blog. I've posted the occasional thing, book reviews, recipes, devotionals, etc.  My blogs new year resolution is to post at least three things a week. Some of it might be structured, some of it might be random. But I'm going to attempt to write at least three things a week to post.

It might be an article on how the day was, what I did and saw. Perhaps it will be a review. Or I might even post some of my own works. Who knows?

And you know what the funny thing is? I never did manage to write something three times a week.

But that's okay. To be honest, this blog is not as important as some of the things in my life.

Here's a fact: I am not going to write everyday. It's just not possible. I'm busy enough as it is, trying to finish highschool. I don't have the time to write out an article three times a week. I have papers to edit, math tests to take. You get it, right?

Life is not going to end because I didn't post something on my blog.

I didn't have any New Year's resolutions last year. I didn't think that I needed them. But this year, I do.

As I look over the past few years of my life, I feel kind of empty. I had some great experiences and good memories, but nothing was really concrete. Nothing really meant anything to me.

And it wasn't an emotional emptiness, it was a spiritual emptiness.

I grew up in a church. I really did. I can remember going to several different churches in the past sixteen years, but one that has always stood out was FUMC Nashville. This place is my home. I have walked those halls and prayed in those rooms for more than ten years. I grew up alongside some of my greatest friends, with whom I am so close that I consider them my family.

I am so thankful to my parents, who knew that this was the place God wanted us to be.

So, yeah, I grew up in a church. But that didn't mean that I was a Christian.

When I was young, I had a strong faith in God. This was largely due to my parents who made the decision to homeschool me at a young age, and also due to the teachings of my pastor and Sunday School teachers.

But, as I got older and grew up and began to understand more of the world that we live in, I started to question my faith. I wondered why God would let people suffer when he could do something to stop it. I was young, and I didn't understand what I do now.

One thing that I wanted was acceptance. Because of my homeschooling, (even though it is the best thing that ever happened to me) I felt isolated. Separated from my friends. More than half the time I only saw them on Sundays, and as I began to hit my teens I felt really different. From them, that is.

And at that time in my life being different wasn't okay.

Whenever they talked about school, I would have nothing to add to the conversation. I had no idea what they were talking about. I would just have to sit, and listen, and try to be a part of them even though, to me, I wasn't. I hated it. I felt like there was this wall between us that I could never climb.
It wasn't their fault really. They didn't understand, and I never explained how much pain they were causing me.

I just really wanted to fit in, but it was like no matter what I did, I couldn't.

In my mind, I was all alone, and I was hurting. And instead of turning to God, I turned away from him. People may think that I'm strong in my faith, but at that point in my life I wanted nothing to do with God. I went to church because I had to. I prayed because I had to. My heart wasn't in it any more.

This continued for a few years. Then I attended Disciple Now, a local weekend worship session that was run by some of the churches in our town. Those three days changed my life.

It was like I went through spiritual reawakening. The things they said, it seemed like they finally made sense to me. It clicked in my head. I finally understood what everyone had been trying to tell me all those years. I got it.

The night of February 26, 2011, I knelt in front of the stage and truly gave my heart to the Lord.

But, unfortunately, it didn't last that long. Things happened over the past two years, and nothing really changed. I thought that it would, but it didn't. I still felt, and still feel, separated from my friends. It's not their fault, and it's not mine, but there are times when I wonder if we are still even friends.

And then my grandmother died.
And then my youth pastors and people that I've known for years decided to leave the church.
And then my other grandparents moved states away.

It just seemed like nothing was really different and every time I turned around I was being hit by a battering ram. I let it knock me down. I let my insecurities get a hold of me, and just like when I was younger, I began to drift away from God. I was angry, and in pain, and I just seemed like nothing could make the bad stuff go away. I should have turned to Jesus, but I didn't. And there was the spiritual emptiness.

Then a friend said something to me. It was something like, "You are one of the most Godly people that I know."

I wanted to laugh.

Godly? Me? That is one of that last words I would have chosen to describe myself.

But for some reason, that night I took a look at myself and realized that the path I was letting myself walk on was only going to lead to more hurt as long as I let myself stay on it. I realized that I was just living a lie by walking the walk but not talking the talk. If there was one thing pounded into my head by all my spiritual leaders, it's that to be a Christian, you have to be a Christian. Outward signs of faith get you nowhere.

And I was going nowhere, fast.

I was in spiritual death.

And I hated myself for it.

So I started to pay more attention in church. I listened to my youth pastor more closely. I read my Bible a little more, trying to understand what I understood so easily when I was younger. Jesus knew what he was talking about when He said, "Let the little children come to me."

And I think I get it now. Somewhat.

Jesus Christ, God on Earth, made the choice to come to earth in the form of Man to be the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world. For my sins. For yours. He loved us enough to suffer humiliation before dying a terrible death. I didn't deserve it. You didn't deserve it. And we never will. But that just increases the beauty of His sacrifice. He didn't care, because He loves us. For Him, it was worth it.

And I will never be able to thank Him enough for it.

So, as a result of this,  here are my New Year's Resolutions:

1) Read my Bible once every day no matter what.
2) Pray more
3) Be a Christian on the inside as well as the out.

It's not going to be easy. True Christian life never is. And it's not all going to change at once. The world is not going to turn in another direction, and all of my life problems aren't going to be solved in the next instant.

And that's okay.

I'm still going to feel separated from my friends. I will still feel alone sometimes, but I'm not truly alone. I never was.

I'm still going to feel pain. I'm going to hurt. But He will be there to share in my pain, and to wash away my tears once the storm has ended.

I will still be terrified about what the future holds for me. But He is next to me, holding my hand, and suddenly my fears are gone.

And I'll be okay.

Fair Ground Class

This morning I spent several hours teaching kindergarten students (around 200) all about the fruits and vegetables that are grown in the garden.

This week is our county fair and we always set up booths manned by our local 4-H & FFA members to raise awareness for ourselves and the farmers that make the fair, and indeed most of our lives possible.

It was wonderful to see the childlike innocence in their eyes as they learned about gardens, livestock, milking, soil, dairy, fruits, vegetables, meats, and pretty much anything else that can be associated with our farming industry.

We had a few rowdy kids, but most were well behaved.

I was especially funny when I told them that my mother made brownies with squash, and that even though they said they hated tomatoes they still loved them (due to the fact that they enjoy eating pizza and ketchup).

Having to shout over the fans in the barn made my throat hurt after a while, and I kept calling Samuel (the boy who was helping me teach) by his older brothers name, and I couldn't help but laugh when the kids asked silly questions, but I had a lot of fun teaching them about what comes out of our gardens.

Firsthand

Firsthand is a smart, honest, and deeply felt journey that invites you to leave behind handed-down beliefs and find authentic faith.

"Our goal is to help you replace secondhand religion with a meaningful relationship," write authors Ryan and Josh Shook. "We want to help you get from a religion that you wear on the outside to a faith of your own-one that is authentically yours all the way through."

The brothers tell about growing up in a church only to realize that, "how things are supposed to be" had stopped working for them. So they set out to find what makes a young person's Christian faith stick-or not-and in the process, asked hundreds of other people, young and old, some really hard questions.

Like:

• If God is real, then why do I feel empty?
• Why should I even try to follow God when I fail so often?
• How do I experience a connection with Christ that's more than surface level?
• Can I ever get past a "checklist Christianity" of do's and don'ts?
• Is it possible to have authentic faith when I'm full of doubts and questions?
• Can I really discover my purpose in life through a relationship with Christ?

In these pages, the Shooks talk candidly about their struggles, and she the life-changing answers that they have discovered. Each chapter is designed to spark a discussion with friends, and comes complete with personal inventories, teachings from Scripture, small-group discussion questions, and links to original video.

"Firsthand faith is the only kind that lasts because it's centered deep in your own mind and heart," write Josh and Ryan. "Sure, it's still a work in progress, but it's yours. It's you. In fact, firsthand faith is so real and personal that when hard times hit, it just gets stronger."

Taken from the inside cover of Firsthand.

The Shook brothers take a topic that many can relate to and yet none really discuss, and dive right into it. They explain how a "Secondhand religion" is not going to work out for people in the long run.

So, you're a teenager who's been going to church since you were born, you were baptized, you have memorized tons of verses and bible stories, you know the Book inside out, you know how to pray properly, you are the perfect example of what a Christian should be. You're textbook. Momma and Daddy taught you to believe in God and Jesus, so you believe in God and Jesus. You practically grew up in church.

That's wonderful, that's amazing. But that's common. That's something that has happened to most of the people who call themselves "Christian." But let's face it, you aren't experiencing true faith. You are riding on the faith of your parents, your pastor, your youth leader, and members of your congregation. You don't really have a religion of your own. Maybe you say that you've accepted Christ, but have you really? Or did you just do it because others expected it of you.
That is what secondhand faith is. It didn't belong to you from the start, a faith handed down to you.

The Shook brothers shake you. Firsthand explores why this secondhand faith happens, and how to prevent it, and then explains in such a way that teenagers and young adults can clearly understand and relate. The questions are answered, and backed up with experiences from outside sources. At the end of each of the eight chapters, there are comments from other people explaining how second and firsthand faith affected them. And then after that there are suggestions and links to websites and videos that might help the reader branch out on their own.

Every teenager should read Firsthand. I read it, and found myself relating to so much of the content. I had to take a step back and really examine myself. Firsthand made me look at things, and at my faith in a whole new light, and it truly changed my perspective on so many things. When I finished reading I asked myself, "Do I still want secondhand faith?" The answer is no. But you should find that out for yourself.

http://firsthandbook.com/

State: Day Three & Four

 All of our meals on Thursday were hosted by the campus. That is, we were allowed free reign of the cafeteria. There were more competitive events and workshops until lunch, and after lunch we could either attend a meeting with university staff while they talked about college admissions, or tour the campus.

At three o'clock we had our first assembly, during which we had speakers, door prizes, and elections.

After assembly #1 we were left to ourselves during dinner, and until seven pm, when the last assembly was held. This assembly was similar to the first, but we also had election announcements, an awards ceremony for all the 1st place winners, and recognition of our new, current, and retiring 4-H ambassadors.

And then we had the traditional Ceremony of the Jackets.

Our 4-H State Officers are given a uniform, and part of the uniform is a green dress jacket. As they retire, and the office is passed to someone new, the old Officer gives the jacket (temporarily) to the new officer who has just been elected. It's an emotional time for all of us, as we say goodbye to old friends.

After some tears we all headed over to the Arkansas Union, where our last dance was being held. We stayed there for two hours, and many of us attempted to stay the song stopped playing, screaming the lyrics so that it wouldn't really end. You gotta love us.

Curfew was a twelve again.

There's really nothing to say about Friday, other than it was filled with, "Goodbye's," and "I'll see you soon's,". None of us really wanted it to end. But, all things do end eventually. We all packed up and headed home.

And so ended the Fayetteville 4-H invasion. See you next year!

State: Day Two

The schedule for State O'Rama, Day Two, looked something like this. Technically speaking, it was the first official day of O'Rama, even though several counties arrive early on Tuesday. (Like mine did.)

Registration began at 9am and lasted until 12:30. During this time we picked up our tee shirts, received our information packets and name tags, assisted several of our friends as they campaigned for various positions on the Arkansas 4-H state officer team, ate lunch which I believe was provided by the U of A Bumpers College, and just generally hung out and had a bit of a catching up period with all of our friends, some of whom we hadn't seen in a while.

Also during this time up until the first round of competitive activities we had a live aquarium viewing provided by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, as well as county pictures and judges orientation.

The first round of competitive activities began at 2pm. Those of us who were not competing attended various workshops, such as:

• Bumpers College Student Showcase
• Scholarship and Financial Aid
• 4-H Yoga for Kids
• Salsa Dancing
• Make a stand against Bullying
• Community Service
• Electric Car

Nothing else was scheduled, and we all hung out until it was time to prepare for the Awards of Excellence banquet, given in honor of certain 4-Hers who have been awarded scholarships and/or been given a State Journal award.

Those who were scholarship or journal winners departed about an hour before the rest of us to attend the banquet reception.

Also during this time the annual Governors Award nomminees were announced, and they were Sarah Mills, Meredith Williams, and Janee Shofner.

Their video profiles can be found at these links:

Williams:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBBNqoGKfL4&feature=youtu.be

Shofner:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-eF11y6vK8&feature=youtu.be

Mills:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBYnVb0xXCo&feature=youtu.be

I believe that Janee ended up being the recipient, however.

After the banquet the entire O'Rama attendees were given free reign of the Jones Family Center, located in Springdale, AR.
We could ice skate, swim, dance, watch a movie, all while eating pizza. Big thanks to the Jones Center for letting us do this for free.

 Curfew was at midnight, although many of us stayed up much later.

Squash Pickels

I spent the afternoon in the kitchen.

Cleaning up, and pickling some of the many squash that came out of our garden. Believe it our not, we still have six big ones left even after I did a double batch.

I used a very simple recipe that only required mustard & celery seed, vinegar, squash, and onions.
Want the recipe? Go to this link:

http://www.food.com/recipe/bread-and-butter-squash-pickles-11208

I double the batch an got six pint jars out of it. They tasted pretty good to.

State: Day One

After a rather long drive with several stops, we arrived at the U of A Fayetteville campus. Once there, we checked in, received our keys, and hauled our luggage up to our room. Which are very nice, we're staying in the Maple Hill dorms. While the livestock judging team practiced for their competition, the rest of us hung out in one of the living rooms in the dorms.

Upon the completion of their practice, the entire Howard Co. group, (minus Lauren who was participating in State Officer activities) went to the mall to kill some time. We stayed there until around five thirty, then headed over to Mama Z's (an Italian restaurant in Tonitown) for some dinner.

While we ate we discussed several of the things we could do until we returned to Maple Hill. Unanimously, we all decided that we wanted to watch a movie, and the movie was The Great Gatsby. (Which, although it wasn't very true to the book, was still pretty good.)

We returned around nine and are now hanging out until it's time to go to sleep.

Can't wait to see the rest of my brothers and sisters at registration tomorrow!!!

State Begins!

Well peoples, Howard Co. has arrived!

Today begins the annual State O'Rama, the competition that senior AR 4-Hers have been prepping for all year.

There will be competitions, a banquet, dance, State Officer elections, activities at the Jones Center, community service projects, and so much more!

State O'Rama is usually the last full week of July, and it is a week that all 4-Hers get ready for with much anticipation.

The question is though, is Fayetteville ready for this 4-H invasion?

Canning Day

It was raining really hard early today, so my mom told me, "Today would be a good day to make some salsa!"

Since we had thirteen tomatoes just sitting on the counter, I agreed. (There are no longer any tomatoes on the counter.)

We used a really simple, one pint jar recipe (which I doubled to get rid of all the tomatoes).

Recipe:
6 medium tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped onions
2 tbs. diced cilantro
1 pinch salt
3 pinches pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
4 tbs. vinegar
2 tbs. bell pepper
3 oz. tomato paste (in addition to doubling all the ingredients, we quadrupled this one. That is, instead of using 3 oz., we used 12)

I sterilized three pint jars, and set up my canning bath before I did anything else. Then I got all of my cooking supplies out.

Mom bought me a set of canning supplies. I love my new toys!

Once I washed all of the veggies, Alex (my brother) and I chopped them all by hand. (Oh, I peeled the tomatoes before chopping them. I stuck them in some boiling water for about three minutes until they split then dunked them in ice water.) Mixed al the ingredients and let it simmer for about five minutes, stirring it constantly. We put the mix into jars (it made a little more than two pints), put the lids on, and dropped the full jars in the canning bath (which is just  large pot of boiling water, where the water covers the jars by about an inch.) Once it boiled, I timed it for fifteen minutes, and once that was done I removed the cans That's all it took and even with all of the cutting we had to do it only took about an hour.   Now I just have to remember to get the pickling supplies next time we go to the store. We have at least ten zucchini squash sitting on our counter waiting for me to get my hands on them.

4-H Kids in the Kitchen

I have spent the past few days at the our counties Extension Homemakers building (in which the majority of Howard Co. 4-H meetings and activities are held) assisting with a cooking class designated towards 4-H juniors. (In 4-H, you are a Cloverbud from ages 5-8, a Junior ages 9-13, and a Senior from 14-19.)

We taught, or were taught basic cooking skills, manners, and how to apply both.

The first day of the class we began by handing out items to all the people who attended. We received wonderful goodies such as cooking supplies (oven mitts, measuring cups a spoons, peelers, cookbooks, etc.) an insulated lunch box, a lunch container, pencils and activity books, among other things.

After going over the basic rules for the workshop we were all given aprons and sent to the kitchen, where the first thing we did was learn how to properly measure ingredients and use knives. (I have to admit, I was a little scared about this, as I am very well acquainted with some of the younger boys who attended the workshop, however, all of us managed to make it out of the session alive.)

Then, we got started on the cooking. The way this worked is that we had several recipes per meal/snack. (Usually three or four recipes per cooking session.) Our first cooking session was a snack session.

We made:

Let me just say before I list the recipes that we slightly altered them to suit our tastes, but these are the original, unaltered versions.

Symphony of Fruit Pizza
1 English Muffin
2 tbs. whipped fat-free strawberry cream cheese
1/3 cp. sliced strawberries
1/4 cp. red grapes, quartered
1/4 cp. canned mandarin oranges, drained.

Toast the English muffin until golden brown. Spread cream cheese on muffin. Arrange fruit on muffin and enjoy! (Serves one)

Veggies & Dip

1 cp. Ranch Dressing
6 cps. assorted fresh vegetables (We used red bell pepper, carrot and celery sticks, and sugar snap peas, cutting up the bell pepper and celery)

Serve vegetables with ranch. (Makes about 6-8 servings)

*Trail Mix
1 cp. small pretzels
1 cp. sunflower seeds
2 cps popcorn, optional
1 cp. toasted oats cereal (we used plain Cheerios)
1 cp. dry fruit
1 cp. fish-shaped cheese crackers

Mix all ingredients and serve.

*Lemonade
1 cp. sugar
2 cps. water
1 1/2 tbs. lemon juice

Warm sugar and 1 cp. water until sugar is dissolved, making a syrup. (Store in refrigerator). Mix 3 to 4 tbs. syrup with lemon juice and remaining water. Pour into an ice filled glass. (Serves one)

Next we had a workshop on the MyPlate method, our personal calorie needs, and how to plan a healthy plate. For more information about the MyPlate method, go to http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

Next we made lunch.

*Corner Kick Pita Pockets
1/2 cp. spinach leaves
1/4 cp. cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/4 cp. shredded carrots
1 tbs. mild salsa
1 tbs. fat-free ranch
1 pita pocket
4 oz. extra-lean ground beef
1 cp. cantaloupe, cubed

Combined the first five ingredients, mix well. Cut pita in half and slowly open it with your finger so as not to tear the bread. Divide the beef and veggie mix in half and place each in pocket half. Serve each half with 1/2 cp. cantaloupe. (Serves two)

Barbecue-Bacon Party Spread
2 pkgs. cream cheese (8 oz.)
1/2 cp. barbecue sauce
1 pkg. fully cooked bacon (2.1 oz.), chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
1/2 cp. chopped green peppers
3 green onions, sliced
1 cp. shredded cheddar cheese

Spread cream cheese on a platter, drizzle with barbecue sauce. Top with all remaining ingredients. Serve with thin crisp crackers.

Banana Milk Shake
1 ripe banana
1 tbs. sugar
2/3 cp. cold milk
dash of salt

Slice banana into bowl and mash with fork. Add all remaining ingredients. Beat until mixture is foaming. If you like, place a scoop of ice cream in the glass and then pour in the milk shake. Serve.
(Serves one)

Crunchy Munchies
1 1/2 cps. chow mein noodles
1 cp. mini marshmallows
1/2 cp. peanuts
1 cp. butterscotch morsels
1/2 cp. creamy peanut butter

Combine first three ingredients, set aside. Microwave butterscotch and peanut butter on high for one minute or until the butterscotch melts. Pour over noodle mixture, toss to coat.
Drop mixture by tbs. onto waxed-paper lined cookie sheet, chill until firm. Store in refrigerator.  
Yield: 3 dz. cookies.

We concluded Day One by making peanut butter cookies as a group, and then cleaning up the kitchen.

Day Two began with breakfast.

Ready, Set, Go! French Toast
2 1/2 cps. Granny Smith Apples, cored and diced with skin on
3 tsp. Splenda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tbs. skim milk
2 eggs
2 egg whites
butter flavor cooking oil spray
6 slices whole wheat bread
6 tbs. reduced-calorie syrup

In microwave safe bowl, combined apples, Splenda, and cinnamon. Mix well, and microwave for 1 minute. Beat milk, eggs, and egg white together in a shallow bowl. Spray cooking pan with oil. Place on burner over medium-high heat. Dip bread into egg batter coating lightly but completely on both sides. Place in pan and cook until golden brown on both sides. Place two slices each of toast onto plate, cut in half and serve with apple mix and 2 tbs. syrup. (Serves three)

*Cheese & Fruit Kabobs
1 pkg. (8 oz.)  Colby & Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 16 cubes
16 seedless red grapes
16 small  strawberries
4 kiwi, peeled and quartered
1 4 oz. container vanilla pudding
1 6 oz. container strawberry low-fat yogurt

Arrange one each cheese cube, grape, berry, and kiwi chunk onto 16 small straws or wooden skewers. Serve with pudding and yogurt as dip. (Makes 16 kabobs).

Frosty Orangeliciousness
1/2 cp. fat-free vanilla ice cream
1/2 cp. orange juice
1 orange, peeled and frozen
1 tps. orange zest, optional

Place all ingredients in a blender and enjoy!

Between breakfast and lunch we had a manners lesson and conducted an experiment involving fruit perseveration techniques. We dipped an apple wedge and banana slice into salted water, lemon juice, pineapple juice, and sprite, and left one slice and one wedge 'untreated'. After several hours, we went back and observed the changes that had occurred to each one. It was rather interesting, although I didn't really see the results since I started to clean the kitchen.

Lunch was the last meal that we cooked.

Cool Quesa
cooking oil spray
1 whole wheat tortillas
1/4 cp. reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/3 cp. each tomatoes, green bell pepper, mushrooms, and onions, all finely chopped

Spray frying pan with cooking spray and heat for 1 minute on medium. Set aside 2 tbs. cheese. Place 1 tortilla in pan and spread remaining cheese on top. Sprinkle with vegetables and remaining cheese. Top with second tortilla. Press down with spatula to help the cheese melt. Turn over and cook 1 minute. Cut into quarters and enjoy!

*Summer Salsa
5 tomatoes, cored and diced
1 small red onion, peeled and finally chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 jalapeno
1/4 cp. chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 tsp. cayenne (if you like it spicy)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbs. lime juice

Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before eating.

Spanish Rice
non-stick cooking spray
1 small onion
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups salsa

Saute onion in skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Add rice to skillet and toss with onion. Add salsa and mix with onion and rice. Heat thoroughly. Makes four 1/2 cup servings. 

Bottoms-Up Cherry Limeade
3/4 cup lime juice
Sugar substitute equal to 1 cup of sugar
2 liters lime carbonated water, chilled
1/2 cup maraschino cherry juice
8 maraschino cherries with stems
8 lime slices

In a large bowl, combine lime juice with sugar substitute. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, stir in carbonated water. For each serving place 1 tbs. cherry juice in a glass with crushed ice. Add about 1 cup of lime juice mix and garnish with cherries and lime slices. Yield: 8 servings.


Later on we were given certificates for the completion of the course, and door prizes were awarded. we received things such as 13x9 inch pans, knife sets, a colander, mixer, breakfast tray, and many other things that could be used in the kitchen. There was one for each of us.

We managed to come out of the workshop virtually unscathed. (I will not name names but a certain blogger did cut herself again.)

The kids had a lot of fun learning and I had a lot of fun assisting. We definitely did not go home hungry, and I hope Howard Co. continues this workshop annually.

Live Without Regrets

Regret:


Feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over (something that has happened or been done, esp. a loss or missed opportunity).



Noun


A feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over something that has happened or been done.

Everyone has regrets in their lives, no matter how young or how old. It's how we let those regrets define us that makes us who we are.

It is impossible to go through life without regrets, for we all are human. We all make mistakes. It's how we take those mistakes and learn from them that defines us. For if we choose to wallow in the regret for the rest of our lives, we learn nothing but self-pity. But if we take that mistake that led to the regret and learned something from it that made us better people in the long run, isn't that better? Aren't you glad that you made that mistake then so that both yourself and other people could learn from it?

If you are given the opportunity of a lifetime, and you only had one shot, would you take it? I would, because I don't want to not take it and then regret that choice for the rest of my life.

So I guess what I'm trying to say here is to live with a few regrets as possible. You're going to make mistakes, and truthfully that is one of the few ways that we learn who we are, but don't make to many.

Do what you want. Live how you want. Don't ever apologize for being who you are. Live each day like it's your last, and live it without regrets.

State O'Rama Consumer Judging

At the 4-H State O'Rama, which is usually held in the last full week of July (this year it's the 23-26) you are allowed to participate in one or more activities. This year for my main activity I chose Fashion Revue: Constructed. (Meaning that I'm modeling a dress that I made myself.) When I say main activity that means that I worked for my spot in the competition at State.

I competed at the County level, and placed first, which earned me a spot at District. At District I also placed first, but at District if you place in the top five (this varies depending on the activity) and you are a senior in 4-H (14-19) then you are permitted to go to State in that category. Now, you can also select a secondary activity to participate it at State. (We're up there for the better part of a week, you honestly think that they're going to let us run free for a large amount of time?) My secondary activity this year will be to participate in the Howard Co. Consumer Judging Team.

What is Consumer Judging you may ask? I have absolutely no idea. So I looked up the definition (I'm seriously addicted to search engines), and according to www.buisnessdictionary.com consumer judging is:

Process by which (1) consumers identify their needs, (2) collect information, (3) evaluate alternatives, and (4) make the purchase decision. These actions are determined by psychological and economical factors, and are influenced by environmental factors such as cultural, group, and social values.

In the judging classes I am taking I'm learning to organize my thoughts, defend my decisions with oral reasons, and the principles and standards I should have in order to evaluate consumer products. As a judge, you should always be objective, never subjective. Don't make your decisions based on what you personally believe is the best choice (or what you would pick for yourself), but make your decisions based on the situation and what best fits it. And always make sure you can defend your choices with logic and facts. Saying "I picked it because I thought it was the best one," is clearly unacceptable.
In the actual competition you have several stations with four products at each station. You are not allowed at any given time to converse with your team members, to do so results in immediate disqualification. Each individual will rank the products on his or her scorecard, with the first number being what he or she considers the best buy, and the last number being the worst. (Ex, 4 2 1 3, with 4 being the best and 3 the worst.) They have five minutes at each station. After turning in their scorecards, a member of the team is selected to give oral reasons for the team. He or she explains exactly why the rankings, in order, were chosen.  Points are given based on how the products were ranked on the scorecards, and how the oral reasons are presented.

Here's hoping the Howard County Consumer Judging Team does well this year. I'll update this post after State O'Rama to inform you of our placing.

Teen Leader Conference 2013

I am an avid member of Arkansas 4-H.

Now, for those of you who don't know what 4H is, here's an explanation:

• 4-H is first and foremost, my family. Not the organization, of course, but the people within the organization. I joined when I was about nine or ten, and let me tell you these past seven years in 4-H have been some of the best of my rather short life.
• Second, 4-H is just that: four H's.

1. HEAD
2. HEART
3. HANDS
4. HEALTH 

• Third, it's an organization throughout the USA (I am not sure at this point if it's an international thing, but knowing it, it probably is.) An after school program that specializes in, well, EVERYTHING.

Think I'm exaggerating?
4-H has programs in every field imaginable. I know this because I have participated in almost every single one.
Some of the stuff that's been done over the years is:

• Archery
• Cooking classes
• Babysitting courses
• Anything related to Agriculture (Everything related to Agriculture)  
• Fashion
• Public Speaking
• Shooting Sports
• Animal Showing
• AND SO MUCH MORE

Like I said, 4-H is a national thing. However, for the most part everything we do is limited to county, district and statewide level. We have a lot to do at the national level as well, but so far the farthest I have gone is to state.

One of the things we participate in is TLC, or Teen Leader Conference. It's usually in the middle of June, and it is an annual conference, much like our state competitions.

TLC is a very important part of the year for AR 4Her's. Not only is it educational and fun, but it is during TLC that the Arkansas 4-H holds the annual Ambassador interviews. To be selected as a country Ambassador is one of the highest honors a senior 4Her can receive in their 4H life, second only to being elected as one of the State 4H Officers.


TLC usually goes like this.

TUESDAY

Tuesday is the set up day. All current Ambassadors and State Officers report to The Vines Center (where most, if not all, of the State 4-H camps are held). Their objective is to prepare the Center for TLC delegates. They set up the workshops, prepare the schedules, assign rooms and teams, and so much more. Not really sure what all hoes on during this day, and I'm not to sure I want to know everything.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday is the day all delegates (those not currently Ambassadors) arrived. Some arrived early in the morning, that is, the ones who were applying to be 2013-2014 Ambassadors. The rest of us arrived in the afternoon, after lunch.

I don't know exactly what goes on in the interviews for the Ambassadors, since I've never attended one. But, I can tell you what happens to the rest of us delegates.

After our arrival and check-in, we are given a name tag with a group key, a room key to our dorm, a schedule, and a "Who's Who" ballet. Orientation begins around one.

During orientation, we preform rather silly songs, the Code of Conduct is explained through a hilarious video prepared the day before by our Officers and Ambassadors. The rules for TLC are looked over, and we are told what to expect if we do not adhere to them. The first of our to speakers for TLC are introduced, and after a rather fun speech we are dismissed to join our separate groups (there are six with about 20-25+ people in each group) and after about an hour of activities we are free to do whatever we want until dinner. We spend most of the time catching up with our friends, many whom we have not seen for quite some time.

Dinner is a banquet given in honor of the 2013 Teen Star award winners. After the banquet there is a presentation of the actual awards to the recipients. Dress is formal, and it is one of the highlights of TLC. Afterwards, with about an hour in between them, we hold a talent show. To preform, you must apply with a video of your talent, and attendance to practice is mandatory, otherwise you are not permitted to preform. During Teen Star we have talent presentations between groups of award winners. The evening has been a full one, and we are very tired by this time. We hang out until curfew at eleven.

THURSDAY

Thursday is a full day that is comprised mostly of workshops that cover topics such as dance, Debate, community service, Internet safety, and world affairs. The intention is that the Delegates take what they learn from the workshops back to their individual counties and teach it to the people there.

Each workshop is about an hour long, with 15 minute breaks, lunch, and a recess in between. They are taught by the Ambassadors and Officers, with supervision from the attending adults. The groups that we are placed in are an attempt to meet new people. You are hardly ever placed in the same group with people from your county, and most of them end up being people you haven't met yet. I was lucky. Two of the people in my group this year were from my county, and another was a good friend of mine from Union Co. 4-H (of which I have been declared an honorary member by all of my friends there).

On Thursday at dinner, just when we thought all the workshops were done, we were proved wrong. Given a slip of paper at the door, we were separated based on the symbol on that slip, into three groups. Three groups, which we learned, represented the Upper, Middle, and lower classes. While the State Officers gave a speech about hunger and poverty in the world, some changes were made. An Upper Class "family" (all those sitting at that table) lost their jobs and had to move to lower class. A boy in a girl in Lower Class got married and went to work for the Upper Class, serving them their dinner. I was in the Middle Class, and after my "mother" received a promotion we were moved to the Upper Class.

The Upper Class had their dinner brought to them. The Middle Class had to get their food for themselves, and the Lower Class was served bowls of rice that they had to share and eat with their fingers. Which grossed many of them out since they had had no idea of what was happening and, because they were sitting on the floor had leaned on it and touched it with their hands. No Germ-X was given to them. Many of them used their name cards to scoop the rice. We in the Middle and Upper Classes were not permitted to share with the Lower. I felt rather sick at the reality, because that is the way it is for many families especially in Third World Countries. I didn't eat much that night.

Once the announcement of what dinner was to be for each individual class, one of the Lower Class men snuck around our current President, and stole a bunch of bananas which he then distributed to the masses. VIVE REVOLTION! 

The highlight of Thursday is the dance that starts at nine. Remember the "Who's Who" ballet? The completely filled out ballet is our admission ticket into the dance, or alternatively the movie held in the auditorium. We put people down for things like "Most 4H Spirit, Most Likely to be Remembered, Funniest, Best Smile, Biggest Redneck, Biggest Flirt, Mr. & Mrs. 4-H" with a female and a male for each category. We spend the next part of the two hours, "Cranking that Lion King" among other dances, including some country ones, but leaning more toward pop line dances. One tradition we have is that the Officers lead us in the "YMCA".

After the dance ends, it's curfew and we all head back to our rooms. Typically, we stay up very late on the last night talking and hanging with our roomies. Hey, most of us don't drive ourselves home, so we sleep in the car. I know I did. 

FRIDAY

Friday is always starts with coffee. And is very sad, as we say goodbye to all of our friends. It's especially sad for those of us who are graduating and this was their last TLC. Most of us packed before we hit the sack, so we could spend as much time as possible with our friends.

We eat breakfast, clean the dorms, and go to our closing assembly for final remarks, a slideshow, and our final speaker. Once we are dismissed, well, we head home.


One last thing I would like to mention before I end this post. The slideshow is always awesome. And you are supposed to laugh at the ridiculous pictures, and to shout out the names of the people who are doing something that looks stupid. It's an unspoken tradition. 4-H is filled with trigger happy camera people. One of them being Caitlyn Kinder and whoever she allowed to use her camera, as evidenced by the fact that they took nearly 1,000 pictures over the course of four days. Don't believe me? Check out this link:

https://www.facebook.com/arkansas4h/photos_stream

Also, if you want to know more about 4-H, since this post was just about TLC, check out this YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdyKxZvpy4M

College Worries

I'm a junior in high school. I have one more year before graduation.

This is where I typically start to panic. Right when I hit the end of this thought.

There's so much to worry about it seems.

1. Earning all of my credits before next summer
2. Applying to all the scholarships and financial aid programs that I qualify for
3. Crunching the numbers to see which school I can afford
4. Making sure the schools I can afford are the ones that I wish to attend
5. Making sure those schools have the required courses for my intended major
6. Insuring that the school I end up going to isn't that far from home
7. Looking for the proper living situation
8. Affording the proper living situation
9. Checking out the meal plan
10. Applying for marching band
11. Applying for music scholarships

You know, I could keep going. The list is really endless. But, for the sake of my sanity, let's just stop there.

There's so much to worry about, so much to do. I can't really wrap my head around it. I'm still having a hard time believing that I'm graduating next year. 

But every time it seems like I'm about to lose it, I remember this verse:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding,
in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your path straight. 

That's from Proverbs, the third chapter, fifth and sixth verses.

We don't have to worry about this stuff, whether it's college, work, our home lives. God will see us through.

So my anxiety doesn't even really exist anymore. I still get worried, I mean come on, I'm human. But I've got someone looking out for me who takes all my worries away.

Technology Through The Ages: The Light Bulb to the Television

 Yes, I know that I haven't been doing very good on the whole "three posts a week thing." In my defense, I had to do extensive research for this post to keep it accurate, and that took about a week. I also had school, and we just got back from a family vacation and I had forgotten to post this before we left, so I had it done in time, I just didn't get it posted. My apologies for making you wait.
 

Okay, so you're ten yeas old and you have a laptop, iPod, Facebook, and a Blackberry........................

Dude, when I was your age I had one thing to play with

It was called, "OUTSIDE".

The actual definition of technology is:

The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, esp. in industry: "computer technology"; "recycling technologies".

Machinery and equipment developed from such scientific knowledge.

 

You will notice that I underlined the second statement. Perhaps you have derived or assumed from such a bold display that this is the aspect of the definition that I wish to place the most emphasis on. If you have assumed this, you are indeed correct.

In other words, I'm going to write more about the second definition than I do about the first.  

If I really wanted to go in deep on this, I could write a timeline of important inventions since the beginning of time, however I don't want to still be writing this post next month. Let's just cover some of the more recent technological advances, with a specific focus on technology that has majorly affected the American home-life.

I would suppose the best place to begin from here would be with the light bulb.

Believe it or not, Edison did not invent the first actual light bulb. There were at least twenty inventors before him who all created some form of electrical light or a similar device.
In 1802, Humphry Davy created the first incandescent light by passing the current through a thin strip of platinum. It was not bright enough nor did it last long enough to be practical, but it was the precedent behind the efforts of scores of experimenters over the next 75 years.
During the majority of the 19th century, other inventors would use various combinations of material to create lights, and several of these creations were even patented.
In addressing the question of who actually invented the incandescent lamp, there is a list of  22 inventors of incandescent lamps prior to Joseph Swan (Who managed to create a working light a year before Edison, sadly it had a very short lifetime) and Edison. They conclude that Edison's version was able to outstrip the others because of a combination of three factors: an effective incandescent material, a higher vacuum than others were able to achieve and a high resistance that made power distribution from a centralized source economically viable.

The next invention is going to be the telegraph, followed by his twin the telephone. What were their parents thinking when they named them?  

The first form of telegraph, known as semaphore lines, or semaphore telegraphs date back to 1792 when they were invented by Claude Chappe. Semaphore lines were the mother of the telegraph. They were far faster than the current (for the year) methods of long distance postal services, but they were also expensive and less private than the  telegraph lines which would eventually replace them. Semaphore lines were optical, employing the use of light beacons and sometimes smoke signals to send a message.
 The first telegraph used for regular communication was the electromagnetic telegraph in 1833, built by Carl Friedrich Gauss and Wilhelm Weber.
However, the man in America who made the telegraph famous was Samuel Morse.  His telegraph was also electrical and sent messages in a form of clicks. The length of the click determined whether it was a dot or a dash, and a certain pattern of dots and dashes were put to the alphabet in what is known as Morse Code. However, Morse was not the one who invented the code,  instead it was his assistant, Alfred Vail. 

And now for the telephone. I really don't know where to start here, since there are so many different inventors all creating the same thing at almost the exact same time.
The earliest version of the telephone that I can find, however, is the tin can or lovers phone in the late 1600s. Have any of you ever strung a string between two cups or cans? That's what I'm talking about here.
Credit for the invention of the actual electrical telephone is often disputed. Charles Bourseul, Antonio Meucci, Johann Philipp Reis, Alexander Graham Bell, and Elisha Gray, among others, have all been credited with the invention of the telephone. However, the only one of these who was able to obtain a patent for his invention was Alexander Graham Bell. He is the one most often credited for the invention of the first practical electrical telephone.
Since the tin-can phones, the telephone has definitely come a long way. Once upon a time you had to be hooked up to wires and switch boards and the actual telephone was wall mounted and big. Very few people had them in their homes.
These days you can't walk down the street without seeing someone holding a phone to their ear, or typing out a text message. Most phones are now wireless, and only require your being in a certain location and an acceptable battery level to work. And they aren't limited to talk and text. You can surf the web, take pictures and video, use a GPS, play games, and so much more all on that one little box.
I wonder what Alexander Graham Bell would think if he saw the phones of today.

I've done the light bulb, the telegraph and telephone, and even snuck in a bit about cell phones. I suppose the next thing to cover would be the radio.

The radio was a device that transmitted sound. Simply speaking, it was a telephone without the ability to respond. You could hear noise come out of one end, but you were not able to talk to the person on the other end.
Now, as for the inventor of the radio, that is the question. (Look up The Great Radio controversy people. No, not the song by the album by the rock band Tesla.) The actual work that led to the invention of the radio was started by Hans Christian Orsted, and continued through several other scientists.  These investigations concluded with the development of the complete theory of electromagnetism by James Clerk Maxwell.
After this some people dabbled with wireless communication, and it is thought that the first EM (electromagnetic) transmission was performed by David Edward Hughes around 1880, however, the first actual systematic and unequivocal transmission of EM waves was done by Heinrich Rudolf Hertz and described in papers published in 1887 and 1890. Reginald A. Fessenden was the first man to send an audio signal by means of electromagnetic waves.
Since Orsted, Maxwell, Hughes, Hertz, and Fessenden, the radio has developed. Now it is completely wireless, compact, and portable. Some radios can fit in your pocket, while others are as big as some tables.
I would attempt to explain the components and how the radio actually works, but unfortunately I was not gifted in technology and all of that is above my learning level. I would fry my own brain just by reading about it.

What is one thing most American homes have? (No, not the telephone, I already covered that.)
The television, of course!

Pretty much everything that I've covered so far all leads up to the television. The light bulb is one of the reasons why we have electricity today, the telegraph and phone both involve sending signals over a distance, and the radio involves audio. The only thing we're missing is the big picture!

When was the television invented? Good question. Let's find out, shall we?

Ideas leading up to the television began in the 1870s, and took off from there. But the first actual television to produce moving pictures (audio wasn't available for a few years) was made by John Baird. That is, if television is defined as the live transmission of moving images, which he first achieved privately on October 2, 1925. But strictly speaking, he had not yet achieved moving images. The scanner Baird used worked at only five images per second, which is below the threshold required to give the illusion of motion, usually defined as at least 12 images per second. By January, he had improved the scan rate to 12.5 images per second.

Like the other inventions of its time, the television has come along way since its day of birth. These days, you don't even need a television to watch television. Many portable devices made in the late first and second decades (the only decades for this century) of the 21st century are capable of streaming or playing television shows and movies. Wonder what Baird and the other early inventors of all these devices would think of that?

You walk down the street and I guarantee that you will see someone with a phone, computer, or other portable device. Owning them has become the norm these days.

But once upon a time, these things didn't exist. Kids didn't come home from school, do their homework and plop down in front of a TV, or a game system. They didn't spend hours texting or IMing one another. You wanted to communicate, you wrote a letter. You wanted to see your relatives in a different state, you didn't hop on Skype, you actually went to see them.

Yes, technology is a big help to many people. Instead of it taking weeks to speak to family far away, it now only takes seconds to get a hold of them. Instead of hearing news months after it happens, you can hear it less than five seconds later. But I wonder what the world would be like today if we didn't have this technology.

I say this as I'm using my laptop to surf the web while writing this, and I'm listening to my iPod which is hooked up to my stereo, and have my nook hooked up charging. But really, think about it.
What would your life be like without technology? Just a thought.