340. Anti-Gravity at Raffa Yoga

- H A R I N I

It was Saturday morning, and like most  11-year-olds, I was going to do yoga! I know what you’re thinking: “Yoga?! But I do that every morning!!” Well, that's fine and all, but would you be surprised if I told you that I would be upside down, sideways, floating in the air, and experiencing the inside of a chrysalis? Well, read on to explore about my wacky morning!!

         I woke up at 6:00 A.M, thinking it was school! (This is the exact reason why schools should start at 9:00 A.M!!!) Anyway, I went back to bed and woke up at 7:00 A.M!! Not what I wanted, but close enough. I rolled out of bed, and I washed my face, ate breakfast, read some books, went over my list and… well, you probably know what happens every morning, because it's your morning schedule, but let's skip over to the fun part!! 

         I stepped inside Raffa Yoga, wearing black cotton tights, and a pale pastel rosebud pink long sleeved shirt. I stepped inside, and 20 large, silk hammocks, caught my attention. I mean, it's not every day that you see them, right? Moving on, our instructor, David, was setting up everything, so we could get on the hammocks and “hang” around, get it? To HANG around? Ok. So, I got on the hammocks and swung back and forth, side to side and even twisted! Finally, David told us to stand on the floor, and our lesson started!

       The first pose we did was experiencing the inside of a chrysalis!! We got in our hammock, and swung our left leg over to the other side , made sure that the fabric was under the heels of our feet, and we bent our legs in and..TA-DA!!! We were in a chrysalis. 

    

        The next pose we did was the upside down pose!! We brought our legs to the front again and this time as lean back we had to spread our legs wide enough and we basically did a back-flip and after this we were upside down! We hung like that for a couple of minutes and after that we had to come out so we grabbed the fabric that was between our knees and we had to take out our legs and we were facing front.

        We went upside-down one more time, but we reached above our feet and climbed up, and soon enough we were flying. I was feeling a little nervous, but also excited when I was up there. The fear quickly took over when he said to come down. We had to swing to the right, twist over in midair and come down. I was frightened. But I quickly caught on and it wasn’t a big deal. However, I was slightly nauseous, but that feeling soon went away as we did the next exercise! 

          For the next pose, we went upside down, but we held the fabric down to our waistline and flipped backwards.This was a little easier in my opinion, as we didn't have to flip over to the other side, and jump down, doing a 360 in the air.

        By the end of the class, we did this one pose, which I called as the sleeping mummy. Your head and feet would be supported by the fabric and this was very relaxing, and David turned off the lights and we were meant to close our eyes and meditate, but  I on the other hand, almost fell asleep, but luckily I woke up just in time.

 

       I will never forget my fun and memorable time at Raffa Yoga! (Especially after experiencing how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly using a chrysalis!!) 

339. The Battle of the Wilderness

338. Blizzards

337. Tom Bender’s Scrapbook

336. How To Make A Gingerbread House

H A R I N I

Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but it can be a lot of work. Today, I will be telling you how to make a gingerbread house.

GETTING THE PRODUCT(S)
Go to a grocery store, and look around for some gingerbread kits. They should include a roof, walls and a base. They should also have icing and some decorating candy.

EXTRAS!!
Sometimes, the kits might not suffice, meaning you might mess up, a LOT. If you consider yourself a robot, and don't need extras, don’t get them! But if you need extras, get extras. You know who you are. Some extras can be icing and your favorite candy.

ALLOCATE SOME TIME!!
If you find yourself making gingerbread houses while washing laundry or doing homework, you need to have TIME!! Gingerbread houses are NOT easy. You need time, and not just 5 minutes, you need 5 hours*. (You don’t really need that much but, you need a lot of time.)

Be PATIENT!

If you’re making this gingerbread house, and you glance over at the mirror and your face is red, and covered with sweat, your hair is mangled so badly that a hairdresser would cringe, and worst of all, you haven’t done the dishes or washed the clothes in so long that your trapping yourself in a dungeon, called your house. If you said yes to any of these, take a deep breath. Tell yourself to look at gingerbread houses gone wrong. Compare your creation to theirs. Next, look at beautiful gingerbread houses. Instead of telling yourself that you CAN’T do it, tell yourself that you can, if you are patient.

TAKE OUT THE MATERIALS!
The first step to a perfect gingerbread house is organization. You need to be organized. Take a look at the instructions. Watch some people doing the kit that you bought.

CONSTRUCTING TIME!!

Make sure that your icing the smooth and creamy, and put down the first wall, continuing until all the sides are placed. Then place on the roofs, and constructing time is done.

Let it Dry! Let it Dry! Let it Dry!
Most people have perfect houses until this point. They get so excited that they forget to dry it and the roof slides down, or the wall caves in, and you will have no choice but to rebuilt, and your kit will look atrocious. So as a precaution, let it dry, Let it Dry, LET IT DRY!!!

DECORATING!!
Remember those extras I told you to but, well they should come in handy now. Place the candy in creative ways, but they should not be in crazy ways, like a peppermint balancing on one edible bead.

FINISHING TOUCHES!!
Take a toothpick, a pencil and a butter knife, and smooth out the edges. Gently move the candy into the correct placements. And sprinkle some edible gold or silver dust, but this is optional.

MESS-UPS
Icing not drying? Use a hot glue gun. It might not be edible, but it will be pretty to look at!

Broken roof, base or side? Use sticky candy and stretch it on the gingerbread for a tasty and quick fix!

“EVERYTHING IS GOING WRONG!” Problems? Buy pre-made houses, and all you have to do it decorate.

But, you can avoid all of this by skipping the gingerbread house altogether...

335. Greeting Card Using Microsoft Publisher

H A R I N I

     The presents are all over, papers spilled out, scissors dangerously dangling over the counter. Someone is in the middle of this mess. That “someone” might be YOU. So grab coffee or whatever, and be prepared to sit down for a spell, because...WE’RE MAKING GREETING CARDS!! (Using microsoft publisher!)

         So. Let me guess. You went to the store, last-minute, and decided to get some cards for your friends, family, you know the drill. But, you come to find out that there are none left. Zero. Zilch. NADA. You go to 3 more stores, and find the same thing. “Who's the greeting card bandit!” you thought. If this comes to your mind, you’ve lost it. By “it”, I mean the cards..

          You come home worried and stuff, and you check out my blog. (Yipee!) And what do you find? How To Make A Greeting Card Using Microsoft Publisher! Thinking that all hope is NOT lost, you begin reading it..(after a VERY long intro)

             Microsoft. Word. Publisher. Looks like this. 

If you have a PC or a MAC, go right to downloading! But, if you have a chromebook, and other gadgets, forget about it. There might be other options… Let’s take a quick detour...

How to make your own card using..PAPER. Take paper fold it halfway, then fold it halfway from the other side. TA-DA!! Now write stuff! 

Back to Business. If you have one of the compatible devices, take your time to download the publisher. May I recommend:

Microsoft Publisher Download for PC & MAC!!

Once you’re done downloading, go to templates and pick Built-in, then click greeting cards. There are different designs to pick, and after you choose one, click create! Go to the last page of your card, and it should say Made By: Your Name. Enter your name in the box, and start “decorating!” Add pictures, symbols and whatever you want for the occasion. 

When done, click print. When printed, fold it into a 2x2 paper, and you’re done!! By choosing a different template, you can make your own calendar, and other interesting designs! 

Keep Printing & have fun!!

NOTE: Thanks to my technology teacher, Mrs. Wayles for introducing MS Publisher to our class!

334. Dollhouse

How To Make Your Own Dollhouse!

Raise your hand if you like dollhouses. Well, if you have some cardboard, a hot glue gun, colored paper and some barbies, read on to make your own dollhouse!!

Take a box, and glue the flaps, so they can stand on their own.

For the terrace, cut open the bottom of a box from another, and glue it on. (Only glue on one side, and it will be easy to convert!

Make a box for the elevator, and make another box, but this time make it larger. Glue in the larger box on the floor of your house, and place the smaller box in. 

Hole punch the edge of the smaller box, and tie through thread or ribbon. Trace the hole onto the terrace, and cut. Pull the thread/ribbon through the top. 

Finally, take some colored paper, and let your creativity fly!! You can also make some furniture, that is also on my blog!! Happy housing!

333. AutoDraw ILLUSION - I

Look at the + sign until the pink dots disappear...

Credit: Created using AutoDraw

332. AutoDraw Drawing - II

Credit: AutoDraw

331. AutoDraw Drawing - I

Credit: AutoDraw

330. Cappuccino

Cappuccino

329. Cactus

Cactus

328. Ice Cream

Ice Cream

327. Emoji

Emoji

326. Cup O' Tea

Cup O' Tea

325. Kendra Harrison

324. The American Land

323. How to Make a Stuffed Animal by Yourself!!

MATERIALS:

1. Scissors

2. Printer Sheets

3. Pen

4. Fabric/Old T-Shirt

5. Sewing Needle/Thread

6. Cotton (something to stuff with)

         Ahhh!! The joy that is stuffed animals, but they sure can be expensive. Some are $1.00, and others are above $30!! Here are some ways to make your own stuffed animal, using materials around your house!!

         The first step to making your own stuffed animal is to gather all the materials for this D.I.Y. The next step is to figure out what animal you are going to be making. For me, I chose a majestic, elegant elephant. The next step is to search for an image of your animal or object. Then, you draw it on a piece of white paper, and cut it out.

         Using the piece you cut out, you snip out another one. Then you trace the layouts on a piece of cloth/old T-Shirt and cut them out. Make sure to leave about ½ a centimeter gap along the trace.

         The next step is to sew. You might need adult help on this step. Sew along the border, leaving a gap in the top for stuffing. Scrounge up any items for stuffing, and place in the cloth. If there is a tiny space and the scraps do not fit, use a pencil to push it inside.

         The final step is to decorate!! Use buttons as eyes, or scraps for scarfs. You can also use markers to draw a cute face or amazing details on your stuffed object. 

Have fun Stitching & Stuffing!!

322. Hanging Book Project

Hanging Book Project

321. Mini Book

Mini Book

320. Sunset

Sunset

319. The Three Branches of Government

318. Toward the Civil War

317. Declaration of Independence

316. All about Ohio

315. AutoDraw - III

314. Fantastic Florida

313. Seals and Bunnies

312. Slavery Play

Setting:

2018 - 1663

South Carolina - Civil War

Characters:

1. Betty Sawyer - Main Character - Age 14

2. Janet Sawyer - Mom -  Age 40+

3. Bill Sawyer - Dad - Age 45+

4. Jane Sawyer - Grandma - Age 80+

5. Sue Jones - Slave girl - Age 14

6. Lou Jones - Slave sister - Age 8
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

( 4-6 Scenes)

Scene 1

(Betty wakes up. It’s her birthday)

Betty: (excited, stretches arms) Yay!! Today’s my birthday. I can't wait for the gifts, the birthday cards and the gifts. Wait.. did I already say gifts? Anyway, I CAN'T WAIT!!

(Janet enters)

Janet: Betty, calm down. It’s only your birthday.

Betty: Only my birthday!? It’s the day I was born, and do you know when grandma’s coming over?

Janet: Well..I guess I did know. Anyway, let's get balloons, gifts, cake...

Betty: Sheesh Mom. No need to get all crazy pants over this. It only my birthday.

Janet: (Annoyed) Here we go again…

Bill: Betty, Janet!! Quit the chitter chatter and come downstairs!! Grandma Jane’s here.

Betty: Yay!! I love Grandma Jane. She sometimes has some crazy presents, but that's grandma.

Scene 2

(Betty goes downstairs, gets present from Grandma)

Grandma Jane: Betty!! I have a present for you. It’s in my bag..here let me get it for you.

Betty: Gee, thanks Grandma!! You didn’t have to get me a...book?! Ummm..Grandma?

Grandma Jane: Yes, dear?

Betty: You got me a book for my birthday!

Grandma Jane: I sure did, dear. It’s about the Civil War and Slavery. Don’t you like my gift?

Betty (clenching her teeth): I. Love. It. Its. The. Best. Book. In. The. World?

Grandma Jane: I just knew she’d like it. The nice lady at the store said it was perfect for 14-year-olds. I know it was a bit costly, but anything for my dear.

Janet: Uhh.. Mom? How much was it exactly, because the last time you said a watch was “a bit costly,” it was $90!! And that was on sale.

Grandma Jane: (sheepishly) Well.. it wasn’t exactly cheap, but...here you can see for yourself.

Janet: $140!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! Is this book made of gold?

Betty: Mom!! Grandma! Calm down. It’s my birthday, and let’s be calm.

Janet: She’s right. For now, I’ll try to forget about the cost.

Grandma Jane: Fine.. But you started it!!

Janet: Here we go, again…

Bill: Alright guys!! Calm down. Betty, put the book your grandma gave you, in your room.

Betty: Okay..

Scene 3

(Betty goes to put the book in her bedroom) (To be continued...)