Touring AT&T Stadium aka Cowboys Stadium, Ambassadors Trip

Recently I was accepted into the 4-H Fuel Up To Play 60's Healthy Lifestyles Ambassador Program.

Since Fuel Up To Play 60 is sponsored by the NFL, all of us who were selected as Ambassadors where given VIP tickets for a special tour of  AT&T Stadium, where the Dallas Cowboys play.

the golden ticket :)

Even though I don't know much about football, I still had a good time and found the tour really interesting. It was fun to tour it with my new Ambassador friends.

the view after you step off the escalators.

 -We got to see the players' and the cheerleaders' locker rooms, the place where the Cowboys all run out onto the field, the private underground parking for players, cheerleaders, and box owners, and the fancy boxes that people can rent.
-The stadium can hold over 100,000 people- they just filled every seat and box for the last George Strait concert ever, held there. (let's have a moment of silence here, folks. no more new George Strait songs. ever. :( whyyyyyy) Okay, moving on.

-You can actually see where the Texas Rangers play from the stadium. I've been there, too!

 -The stadium has the largest retractable endzone doors in the world, and when the dome's open, it can become an outdoor stadium. Cool, huh? It hosts concerts, (Beyonce,  1D, George Strait) basketball games, bull riding, boxing matches, monster truck, and motocross.

We were all freaking out and laughing. It was so much fun. :)

-To get to the locker rooms we took a freight elevator underground, which was scary but fun. It rattled.

-We also got to go to the press conference room, where reporters ask players questions about the game.

On the press conference stage.

Then we went out to eat at a place called The Mellow Mushroom. It was decorated 70's style and served different types of pizza. I had the baked potato mini pizza and it was really good! Then we went to the hotel and to bed so we could get up early for training the next morning. I'll do a post on training later.

Confessions of a Country Girl/Livestock Show

   Last week was the project show/livestock show. It's a really fun, busy week. I only made one project, but my little brothers showed their animals and I led barn tours, so we were there ALL. WEEK. LONG. :D

  I don't mind, though. I love the atmosphere: wearing boots, slugging through mounds of dust while George Strait wails through crackly old speakers, petting the rabbits waiting to be shown, cheering for friends as they show, balancing precariously on pipe fences surrounding the arena just for the fun of it, even waiting in an hour-long line in the hot sun to buy a snowcone.

Okay, my monologue has lasted long enough. Moving on,

The buckle is silver and turquoise! It's so heavy that it pulls my belt down.

I got this reserve grand champion belt buckle with my kitchen set project!!

I apologize for the galoshes/lack of Western attire; the barns are very, very muddy(I now live an hour from Old Navy, btw). But aren't they cute galoshes?

 Dad taught me how to use the tools and I learned a lot. I had a great time painting the kitchen set, decorating it, and building it. It started with an old desk I found for $40 at a thrift store, and we built shelving underneath. The faucet a nice employee at Lowe's gave to us for $5, as it was a display faucet they no longer needed.
The 'burners' are furniture grip pads glued to a board spray painted silver. The sink basin is a mixing bowl.

I had a ton of fun leading the barn tours this year as well. We had 585 kids come through. We walked them in groups of two classes from station to station, then through the barns to look at the cattle, goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits, peacocks, turkeys, horses, etc. It was such a great experience, but also a very eye -opening experience. When we asked where they thought beef came from, they said the store., or  they thought people 'grew' it.  "A man grows it an' puts it in a truck an' takes it to the store," one boy explained confidently.

   I guess, in the five years I've lived in the country, I've become used to learning exactly where my food comes from. I know where the animals live, what they eat, and  where the plants grow. Not to say I'm an expert at country life; I can barely ride a horse. :)
Still, I've come to think of myself as a country girl, and I'm proud of that!

4-H Food Extravaganza

    Every year I post about the District Food Extravaganza, but this year it's different. I'm a 4-H Senior, this wonderful age  limit between 14-18 that allows us to go to State!! WhooHoo! So, if you place first at county, and first at District, you have a chance at State. Sadly, I placed second. :(

However... I PLACED FIRST WITH MY FOOD CHALLENGE TEAM! WE'RE GOING TO STATE!!

My team

 It was so much fun and I can't wait for State! My team is super nice and I think we all work together well.
We couldn't believe it when they called our names. We were clapping, and then Katelynn said,"Wait-that's us! We won!"

All the people from our county who participated. We were up against a lot of competition.

Playing Games With Nursing Home Residents

So, my 4-H group and I recently volunteered to play games at a local  nursing home. I learned many new skills, the first being wheelchair bowling. You begin by setting up plastic pins in a triangular shape, and then roll a plastic ball into them. My job was to chase the plastic ball, bring it back to the bowlers, and keep score. The bowlers were so precious! One, obviously certain Ella, Elijah, Lainey, and  I were incompetent, would direct  us on everything from how to add the scores to how to set up pins - "one first, the two in the middle, three, and four in the back". One lady wanted to hold Ella and show her how to bowl. And one good-natured woman just laughed when she made a mistake and clapped when she got a strike.

 We set up pins, set up pins, and set up pins. And while that may seem redundant, those ladies NEVER got tired.

Meanwhile, Christopher, Andrew, and several other kids played checkers with some of the other residents. They played endless rounds of checkers and Wahoo, and, I must add, were excellent sports when one woman was caught cheating. (!) They simply grinned and kept playing.

I also re-learned how to play Spoons. My cousin Charles had taught me a long, long time ago, but I promptly forgot. So Abigaile and Colbie, these adorable little sisters in our group, took it upon themselves to teach me. (Thank y'all!) After playing with the nursing home patients for nearly 2 hours, it was time to go. We bade our new friends goodbye and went to Icrave, a delicious frozen yogurt place. It was awesome! I had key lime yogurt and  white chocolate mousse yogurt with white chocolate chips. Oh...It was so good.
Then we headed to Youth Church.

Goodbye for now!

I'm back!

It's been too long, dahlings! Here's what's been going on in my life lately:

 I participated in my 4-H's County Food Show. I made homemade Chicken Pot Pie, and I placed first in my category, so I'll be advancing to District,then hopefully State! At the same Food Show, I also participated in a Food Challenge(Think Iron Chef or Chopped). My team made the delicious meal below and gave a speech on it to a panel of judges.

My team!

I've also been gearing up for the Academic Rodeo Fashion Show. Instead of modelling a dress, you wear a specialty outfit. So I chose an outfit a female lawyer might wear. I prepared all the paperwork and now just have to model.

 I also wrote an essay on "Good Deeds" for the Academic Rodeo. If I win, I'm eligible for scholarships. Fingers crossed!

My 15th birthday!

I had an amazing birthday! My friend JoGail came over and hung out, I got lots of cute and thoughtful gifts, and a general good time was had by all. :) (love that  phrase! It's so old timey- newspaperish.)
On my actual birthday, I worked in the surgery department, so I opened gifts when I got home. Then my family took me to Chuy's. I love that place. Then Saturday, I worked in the volunteer's concession stand to raise ,money for 4-H. I got some delicious cheesy fries. Then JoGail came over and we had a party!

JoGail!!

We did our nails, played outside with my brothers and their friend, and talked for forever!  My mom made me a delicious coconut cake with fluffy white frosting, which was really good.

I was rather spoiled this birthday:
My super amazing friends I volunteer with at the hospital got me a ring. A real ring! It's so cute. I just love it. You can see it in the picture at the bottom.
I got the book Secret Letters, about Sherlock Holmes' daughter. It was epic. You should read it!

I received a lovely pair of chic brown slacks and a scarlet blouse, orange flower earrings and bracelets. Also two adorable journals, a purify water bottle, candy, and an Amazon Gift Card. My lovely relatives sent money which was greatly appreciated. I'm saving it for college. Medical school isn't cheap. :)

So now I'm 15. Everyone asks if I feel older. Not really, but when people ask me my age and I say 15, then it hits me.
15!
Woot Woot!

Back to Homeschool Magazine Review

 

I've been a big fan of BTH magazine for a year now, and I write many articles for it. But today, I realized something very important. I forgot to tell my lovely followers of this! :)

The magazine is free, and sent straight to your email bimonthly. It's filled with stories, book, movie, and game reviews, jokes, poems, essays, and educational articles all written by homeschoolers JUST LIKE US! You can submit anything you've written to it. I write for the magazine's writer's board, which is a neat oportunity.

One of the main reasons I recomend it is that there is a wide variety of articles. The magazine always has a theme- fairy tales, sports, famous people- so there's always something for everyone. To read back issues before subscribing,  click here. The magazine is totally free, and there are no ads.

4-H State Roundup

Thursday I went to State 4-H Roundup at Texas A&M University. It was HUGE. There are 254 counties in the state of Texas, and at least one   4-H club from that county is at State. So, of there are ten kids from every county, that's 2,540 4-Hers. Which makes for a crazy, hectic, and fun week. :) I participated in a Healthy Lifestyles Invitational Contest with two really good friends of our family.

My Healthy Lifestyles team with our prizes! 

The Healthy Lifestyles contest is when you study 8 classes of facts, and place them.It's like Livestock Judging or Consumer Decision Making in a way. I'll explain:

You study things like teen driving safety, the My Plate, how to understand a nutrition label, things of that nature. Then you have a scenario you place. For example:

John is not supposed to drive past his curfew, which is midnight. Which one of the following should he do if Bob wants a ride home, and it's 11: 30 p.m ? He doesn't want to break the law!

Confusing? You bet! But, luckily, if you've studied the packet, you know which laws are important for him to follow depending on his age and what he should do. You place all the classes according to what you feel are the best options. So if you think option 2 is the best, 4 is okay, 1  is poor, and 3 is bad, you'd bubble in 2,4,1,3 on the scantron. Then your team has to give a speech.My team placed third, and one of the boys on my team won 1st high point individual! I'm  so  proud of my team, and I hope to try this contest and more again next year!!

God's garden

Our church youth group is starting a garden. In the summer, when the plants are ready to harvest, we'll take fruits and vegetables door to door and witness to the people. Our youth group is pretty small, averaging about eight kids every Sunday. But the "Fabulous Five", made up of my brother and I, My friends JoGail and her older sister Grace, and my brother's friend Brandon, are the main"youth".  We attend all the church functions and help with the church garden. We get together almost every week to make rows, plant seeds or seedlings, water, hoe, and mark rows with string, and sometimes just to talk about plans for the garden. It's been really fun getting to watch the garden grow! After we finish working in the garden, we play games and talk . I  love my youth group and my church!

Vaya con dios, Jackie!

don't ask...  : )

Jackie and me being silly at the Food boot camp

*Vaya con dios is a Spanish expression meaning "Go with God"


(wails) "Well, our wonderful 4-H agent Jackie is leaving meeeee!*sniffles* *sobs*"


Okay, I'm being melodramatic. They don't call me Drama Queen for nothing! But, really. Jackie is moving  to a new job! Who else will explain the mysteries of 4-H to me? Jackie was more than an agent, she was a friend. In the year and a half she was here with  our 4-H Jackie taught the 4-H groups about Food Show, Fashion show, Roundup, and everything else 4-Hish. She also put up with lots of phone calls from confused 4-Hers and their parents. She loaned me her laptop for my PowerPoint on Roundup, she drove cars filled with us 4-hers , and she would come over to my house and cook with my Mom.  She's an awesome agent, and as my friend Anna and I say she's :"The best 4-H lady ever!" She's a great influence, has a good heart, and is simply a really fun person! I hope she has an amazing time at her new job and that everything works out for her! Good luck Jackie! I'm praying for you! Love ya girl!!

Volunteering @ the Special Needs Kids Egg Hunt

Hello! Long time no post! Sorry about that. I've been busy. But don't worry, darlings- I'll fill you in on every fascinating detail of my life. :-)
    Last Friday I got to volunteer with my 4-H group at the special needs egg hunt. Two school buses full of the most adorable l kids ever came, and as soon as they got off the bus we volunteers were paired with them. I was paired with the cutest little girl named Aleyah. The instant her teacher said "This is Laura Ashley. She's going to help you hunt eggs" Aleyah ran and gave me an enormous hug, then grabbed my hand and led me towards the big field where they'd hunt Easter eggs. She was so sweet! We had so much fun together, as she would carefully open each plastic egg, then hand them to me to be closed just as meticulously. She loved this! We opened and closed easter eggs for a good ten minutes! Then I got to visit with  a girl named Kylie. She was in a wheelchair, but that didn't stop her from gathering lots of eggs. My friend's little brother, Ben, was so hilarious! When some of the eggs the kids were getting rolled under a fence, he jumped the fence, handed them the egg, saluted,and walked off. It was very funny! I had a really good time helping the kids.I've gotten to do so many awesome volunteer opportunities that I never would have got to do without 4-H. This was amazing, and I definitely want to help again! Everyone was so nice. I can't wait for next year!

Church

Today was church, and the high school girls Sunday School teacher, Ms. Sally, made all of the girls (including my 8th grade class!) these adorable bouquets. She also served us breakfast-pigs in a blanket, fruit, and  breakfast burritos. Wasn't that sweet? (I feel compelled to mention that there are no longer any candy hearts, and the tootsie rolls are half-gone. Just saying.) But, really, my church is awesome. Our other teacher,Mrs. H, is so encouraging, and she really makes the Bible come alive. Today, for instance, we did a skit on God's word and patience. It was fun, but it wasn't so silly it took away from the lesson, if you know what I mean. That's one of the things I like about her. Oh, and look at this!

Ms. Sally's friend made them for us! Nice, right?! I love it! Now I leave you with this:

Credit goes to http://img2.etsystatic.com/000/0/6351714/il_fullxfull.342041326.jpg

1 thing you absolutely MUST do

You MUST go to this blog:
The young quilter
Seriously, people. One of my BFFs, who just happens to be the most amazingly talented person ever, writes this, and it's SOO good. click the link. You'll be glad you did.

I got tagged by Purple Pixie!

The title pretty much says it all..:) I have to answer these and make up 11 of my own ! Check out Purple Pixie's blog: http://theunsocializedhomeschooler.blogspot.com/

1)Do you like One Direction? Uh... they're okay. 
2) If you answered yes to #1, then who is your fav out of the band?N/A If not, then who is your favorite celeb? Taylor Swift!! <3 13 <3
3) What is your favorite TV show? I like Dog with a Blog, Phineas and Ferb, and Property Brothers. (Okay, that's a really weird combo, but, I digress.:)
4) What is one of your favorite books? Tricky! I like tons. Hmm... I guess the Nancy Drew or Little House   series!
5) What is your favorite sport? Basketball.
6) What do you do for fun?Read, play with my cats, volunteer as a candy striper, 4-H. Play on my Kindle, blog, write friends, go to Sunday school.
7) How do you post on Blogger? (mobile app, laptop, desktop, etc) Desktop. 
8) Who is your favorite actress? (not actor or singer) For kid actress I guess it'd be Shirley Temple! OR Brenda Song- I miss when she played London on Suite Life On Deck!
9) Taylor Swift or Selena Gomez? Taylor. Of course. (BUT I think S. G. is pretty cool, too. I like Round and Round and Hit the Lights.)
10) Cat or Dog? CAT!!!
11) Bird or Horse? Depends on the type of bird,I guess. I actually think our chickens are sweet.

1. Fave Movie?
2. Would you rather go back in time,or go into the future?
3. What is your favorite blog?
4. What's your favorite thing to cook?
5. Which is better,pink or purple?
6. Favorite Musical?
7. Favorite Disney Princess?
8. Nancy Drew fans, who would you rather be, George or Bess?If you haven't read ND, who is your fave book character?
9. What do you do when you're bored?
10. Favorite TV show character?
11. Would you rather wear a clown suit or dress in a giant banana costume?

Now I have to tag people. They have to answer these 11 questions, make up 11 of their own, and tag  more people!!

I tag:

Piper  @ Earbuds are a girl's best friend

Storyteller @ Storyteller of Weston County
Ireland @ A Pearl of Great Price
Ali @ Ali's Adventures
Emma Kate @ The Ramblings of Emma
Rachel @ Stand Out, Don't Fit In
Poem Girl @Poetic Meditations
Erynn @ Adopted by The King

Master Wellness Volunteer

I'm training to become a Master Wellness Volunteer. What is that? It's where you receive 40 hours of education related to wellness, nutrition, childhood health, food safety, healthy food preparation, public speaking and much more!
The training is conducted by County FCS (Family and Consumer Science) Extension Agents and health professionals who teach information in the area of health and wellness.
In return, you are asked to give 40 hours of volunteer service to the Texas AgriLife Extension Services health and wellness program.

The MWV symbol is an apple.

There are tons of Volunteer opportunities-giving presentations for local community groups, assisting with healthy cooking demonstrations, distributing information at health fairs, working with schools and after school programs, and tons of other things. Our FCS agent Lauren,  who is super nice, is letting me train to become a junior volunteer. She also lets me give speeches to the group! I've been having a lot of fun learning new things!

4-H Food Show

We recently had our 4-H County Food Show, Quizbowl, and Food Challenge.

 For the Food Show I made Easter Quiche. It has summer squash, bacon, and mozzarella in it, plus a homemade crust!

First, I made my dish at home. Than, I prepared a two-minute speech on the nutritional values of my dish and how it is healthy for you. Then, we went to the Food Show. County  is almost a practice. District, if you advance, is the best from each county. We're going to District.

 Then we practiced our Quizbowl, which was a little nerve-wracking when you didn't know the answer, but, when you push the buzzer and answer correctly  and see the judge put  another tally mark on the board, it's a pretty awesome feeling. My team won. Then it was food challenge time! Our team:

Hi Guys!

Hi, everyone! Emma over at Everyday Emma is having an amazing giveaway with some super cute prizes- a bracelet  any ring from Nautical Nonsense, and so much more! Go check it out!

Our Mysterious Package!

So, I love getting things in the mail, especially if they're from far away! So I was super excited to find a package in the mail from my fantabulous Aunt Lisa, who was on vacation in Vienna, Austria.(Plus, I had just finished reading the Nancy Drew Captive Witness, which takes place in Austria!) We opened it, and there was a yummy cake inside! There were also a lot of little brochures with pictures of Austria. The cake is from the Hotel Sacher, which is apparently very famous for these cakes, or "torte" as they call it.

The cake was REALLY good with whipped cream. It was a little bitter because it's dark chocolate, but I liked that I got to pile whipped cream on it!

The cake

Charlotte's Web play

So I auditioned for Charlotte's Web and got the part of Goose. At first I was a little(okay, a lot) upset, because I REALLY wanted Charlotte's.*Sniffle* Plus, I thought it would be a teeny part. But once I started looking at the script, I saw that:

1. I have a good part with a lot of lines!
2. It's a really fun part! I get to repeat random words over and over and honk a lot!
3. I Googled  "Goose from Charlotte's web costume"- and there were some adorable costumes!

I'm  beginning to get really excited about the part. I hope that through this I've learned that although I can't always get to be my favorite character or may have to be a part that's out of my comfort zone, that's what acting is. We wouldn't be very good actresses/actors if we were only parts that we wanted to be, would we?

So, that's why now I'm happy to be Goose, and I wouldn't change my part! 

What I'm learning in science

I'm learning the layers and functions of the skin. The four main functions are:

1. Skin cools your body with sweat from your sweat glands.
   
2. It protects your bones and major organs-if it weren't for your skin, you'd constantly break your bones every time you tripped. Another reason it's important it protects your bones is that your bones contain calcium.
3. It warms your body.
4. It senses things such as extreme heat-say you touch a hot pan-and sends a message to your brain for you to let go.

There are many, many layers of skin, but the main layers are the dermis, the epidermis, and the fatty glands directly below them. To keep your skin healthy, eat a balanced diet, cleanse your skin daily, and get lots of vitamin D.

P.S Please check out my giveaway post below!