Bananagrams

Bananagrams is a fun game where each person takes 21 letter tiles from a pile, called the "Bunch". One person says "Split" and you flip your tiles over letter-side-up. Then you spell as many words as you can using the letters you got, Scrabble style. When you finish using your letters, you yell "peel" and each person has to take another letter, including you. If you get a letter you just can't use, you can "dump" it back in the pile, but you have to take 3 more.

an example of my letters

The first person to peel when their are no tiles (or too few for each person to get one) left in the pile yells "Bananas" and they win. I'm not bragging, but, ask my family...I'm the Bananagrams champ! lol.

Sulphur Springs Dairy Museum

First we watched a video about dairy

Then we learned how butter is made

...and took a picture...

...and another!


We went on a tour with TACHE to the Sulphur Springs Dairy Museum and had a great time. First we watched a video on dairy and milk. Then the younger kids got to milk a pretend cow. They also got to make pictures using a stamp shaped like a cow. Next we went through the museum. They have life-size exhibits on making dairy products, collections of old, fancy glass milk bottles, cream separators,etc. Then all the kids sat down and our docent passed around a little container with cream. We shook and shook it.... and after a long time, we had butter!  Our docent demonstrated a butter churn and separator for us , and then the best part- FREE ICE CREAM! I learned three facts:
1. No human hands  have touched your milk until you open it.
2. Holsteins and Jerseys are the main dairy cows
3. It takes forever to make butter! :-)
This is the museum website : http://southwestdairyfarmers.com/kids_korner

Preparing for the 4-H Fashion Show!

I had to send in a picture of me in the dress I'll be modeling for the Fashion Show on Saturday..

..and I thought I'd give you a sneak peek! I am really excited about the fashion show. Like the Food Show(where you answer questions on your dish), I have to answer questions on why my dress is a good buy, why I picked it, etc. I chose an Easter Dress, as you can see!

Food Show Part II

So, we went to District Food Show, and I got second place for my dish,Shrimp Creole,(see above) third place for Ag Id, and fifth place for display. Ag Id is when you take a test on Texas agriculture products(food or materials like mohair or cotton) identify them and where they're grown, or what climate they need, etc. And display is the way your dish is displayed. And, of course, the 4-H Food Show is when 4-Her's from a certain district, which is a bunch  of counties come together. Each person gets 2,5,or 7 minutes with a judge, depending on their age category. They have to answer 12 questions on their dish -how nutritious it is, how they help their community, how many calories are in it, and many others.My brother Christopher got first place in the Food Show AND in Ag ID!! Andrew, my other little brother, can't come to District because he's a Clover Kid, but he did great at County.

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!