Hi everybody!

My cousin Cadie Belle is going to do a guest post:

Hi I'm Cadie Belle, and I am playing Monopoly and I am beating Laura Ashley! :) I am over here because my pitching coach had to do something and I wanted to come here because my mom asked me if I wanted to come over here and I said yes.My favorite color is pink and I love swimming!My favorite books are American Girl Series and Diary of a Wimpy Kid! :)

So, that's Cadie Belle!

Pictures for the 4-H Photo Contest...

"Frosting Flower"

"Beauty"

"See you in the Funnies"

"Christmas Tree"

"Vintage Details"

"A rose by any other name..."

"Pink"

We've been preparing for the 4-H Photo Contest, and I took a zillion pictures. Which one of these is your favorite?

Treasures of the Snow Book Review

Treasures of the Snow is a wonderful book about faith, forgiveness, and friendship. When a lonely and misunderstood boy named Lucien accidently causes little Dani Brinker to fall off a cliff, Dani's sister Annette vows she hates Lucien and will never befriend him or forgive him. The next day, Lucien, wracked with guilt, runs into the woods instead of going to school and meets an old man. The man tells Lucien he, too once did something wrong. He gambled his money away, robbed a bank, and was put in prison. His wife died while he was in prison and he hasn't talked to his two now grown-up sons. He tries to help Lucien by teaching the boy how to make a beautiful toy ark and animals for Dani, who is badly hurt. When Lucien, eager to apoligize, brings the toys to Dani, Annette confronts him at the door, smashes the ark and tells him to go away. Dani finds the toys admist the shattered ark and loves them, deciding that fairies must have made them.Lucien, with advice from the old man, carves a wooden horse for the school's project show. He lays it on the balcony one night when his mother calls him. Anette, who is walking by, sees the horse. She doesn't want Lucien to be happy because she is unhappy that Dani can never walk again. SO, she breaks the little horse. Lucien doesn't enter the carving contest and is very sad. He hears of a famous doctor who has come to town and askes the old man if he thinks the doctor can heal Dani. The old man says he thinks so, and gives Lucien his life's savings to pay the doctor. In the middle of a blinding snowstorm, Lucien sets off. He arrives at the office, faints, and nearly dies. No one can believe he came through the snow but they realize he did.

Read the book to find out what happens next!

My Blog...

So, exactly one year ago today, I started blogging. I love blogging because it helps me improve my writing skills, take better pictures, work on my computer skills,and share what I'm doing with friends and family.  I think I've come a long way since My First Post. I hope you like my blog. Which post has been your favorite?

Consumer Decision Making

We competed in  4-H's Consumer Decision Making and I got 4th place! We had no idea what Consumer Decision Making was and entered because we thought it was something else. But it turned out to be really fun. Basically, you go in a room with a bunch of other kids. You have a clipboard, paper, reason and score cards,and maybe a calculator. There is a situation on the table- maybe something like " Sally Jo needs to buy a camera. Her budget is $250. She wants one with 3 LCD." Then, looking at info about 4 cameras, you choose which one is the best buy, and rank them. For example, if #4 is the best buy,#2 is the second best, then #1, and #3 is the worst,you would rank the class as 4-2-1-3. There is a special class called a reasons class. Take notes on why you ranked the class the way you did. When you go in front of the judge, say why you ranked the class the way you did. But only tell about the reasons class! I did not know this at first at was just rattling off info about why I picked every class! I had a great time and now I know how to do Consumer Decision Making.

I love hedgehogs!

My Webkinz hedgehog.

                             

A real Hedgehog!

1.   The average hedgehog has 5,000 -7,000 quills!
2. Their quills are not very sharp, unlike porcupines. 
3. A hedgehog's average lifespan is 4-6 years.
4. Hedgehogs tend to get along with dogs, cats and other pets.
5. McDonald's changed their McFlurry containers to be more hedgehog friendly!!(Do hedgehogs eat at McDonald's!?)
6.  Beatrix's Potter's Ms. Tiggy Winkle is a hedgehog :-)

The Sumerians

My textbook

  I am learning about the Sumerians. They were a group of people that descended from Ham, Noah's son. Until archaeologists discovered the land of Sumer in the 1800's, they didn't know that an educated people who had a writing system had lived as long ago as 2,500 B.C. (or even before!) Scholars who doubted the Bible didn't believe Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Old Testament- until they realized he lived after the Sumerians- so yes, he had a writing system. Never doubt the Bible! The main city archaeologists focus on is Ur. My textbook calls it the  "Queen city of Sumer!"
 In 2,100 B.C., Ur was one of the most powerful and wealthy cities in Sumer. A king named Ur-Nammu ruled it. He was the king of Sumer and Akkad. Akkad is an ancient name for an area of Mesopotamia. He built a ziggurat called the  temple-tower. It contained businesses, temples, and it was dedicated to the "moon god" who, of course, wasn't real. The Sumerians planted trees and flowers inside the shrine at the top.  They built an artificial forest for their imaginary gods. While everybody in Ur worshiped these false gods, their religion didn't change their behavior. They were still very sinful.
    A British archaeologist named Sir Leonard Woolley discovered a tomb of a wealthy Sumerian, Lady Shub-ad. This gave insight to the Sumerian way of life, because many artifacts had been buried in the tomb also. Where the Sumerians intelligent? You decide: They invented the plow,  a kind of wheel, envelopes, irrigation systems, a number system we use today, a calendar system, and libraries.  They also invented a way to barter using barley, sewer systems,how to put fireplaces and fountains indoors, and much more. Around 2,000 B.C, Sumer was invaded by the Amorites. The rule of the Sumerians had come to an end.