Rollerblading!

Even though summer is over and school has started, it's still pretty warm here. Today after I finished cleaning my room and doing my other chores, I pulled out my roller blades. They were in the back of the closet and sort of dusty because I haven't used them in a long time.
My mom told me to wear a helmet, but I didn't really want to because I think it makes me look a little bit silly. But safety comes before fashion, I guess.



I was a little wobbly when I started. It took a few tries to really get my balance.



At first that funny Sunny would run behind and chase after me.



But after a little while he got worn out, and sat on the lawn instead. He barked whenever I came by.



I started going faster and faster. The wind felt cold on my face, and still I went faster!



I was going so fast I didn't even see the rock.



I fell down pretty hard, and both of my knees got scraped up a little bit. My left elbow did, too. It stung, and I could feel tears starting in my eyes.

But then Sunny came and comforted me. He knew just where it hurt, and gave me doggy kisses to make it feel better.



I'm glad I wore a helmet after all! Sunny helped me feel better and I got back up and skated back to the house to get my knees washed off.

Sunny!

I have the most exciting news!
Today when I was walking home from school, I passed by a house that had a sign out that said "Free puppies" and I got so excited! At dinner, I mentioned it to my parents, and that got my dad really excited! I was not expecting that. We didn't even finish dinner, he had us all jump up and run over there.
Most of the puppies were already claimed, but there was this adorable one just waiting for us. I named him Sunny, because he's so bright just like the sunshine.

Isn't he adorable?


He was a little nervous at first, so I tried to be quiet and not scare him.


He warmed up to me pretty fast though, and decided I make a great playmate. I can hold his front paws and we pretend to dance together! When I do this, he usually starts licking my hands over and over. My dad says that is because he doesn't really like dancing with me, but I think he is wrong.


My mom says having a new puppy around is going to mean a lot more responsibility for everyone. So now I have new chores - feeding him every evening, and taking him for a walk every afternoon.


I can already tell Sunny and I will be best of friends.

Do you have any good advice for me? I've never had a puppy before!

Chasing Waterfalls

Are you ready to hear about my great hike?

We went out to the coast here in Washington, on the Quinault Reservation. We went to have a picnic and hike around Lake Quinault.

My grandpa took us up on a hike, and guess what we found? A gorgeous waterfall!



I climbed up all the way to the top. It was a little scary, because the rocks were wet and slippery. I used a big walking stick to help me out. Waterfalls are really loud, too. I never knew that until I was so close to one!



The view from the top was definitely worth it!



After so much hiking, we were hungry and ready to have our picnic. We went to a place called July Creek. It was so beautiful, the water and sky were both so blue.





It was a lot warmer down by the lake, I didn't even need my jacket.

After eating lunch, we had lots of time to just play. We tried skipping rocks on the water - I wasn't very good at that. I pretended I was a gymnast walking a balance beam on the fallen logs, and I was much better at doing that! I only fell off once.



There were so many beautiful wildflowers around. The area is a rain forest, but it's a temperate rain forest, so it's different from the tropical rain forests that I usually think of. It seemed like everything was covered in green!



I gathered up a lot of flowers to press for my herbarium!



I really love hiking. There is so much to see in nature. Do you like to hike?

Visiting Washington

Hi guys! Guess what, I'm on vacation up in beautiful Washington!
I love coming up to visit my grandparents, who live right next to a little lake, called Phantom Lake. I love the way it smells up here, and listening to the geese honk at nights. Once I saw a sea otter in the lake while I was out canoeing! Sea otters are one of my favorite types of animals. I kept an eye out, but didn't see any this year.



It's not as hot here as it is back home in Utah! And everything is so green because they get so much rain. My grandpa loves to garden, and there are so many fun places to explore in their yard. There is a little pond there too, with frogs in it!



I love going down to the dock to look out over the lake. In the afternoons it's warmer and we can go swimming, but the mornings are a little chilly!



Guess what I see?



A whole bunch of beautiful water lilies!



I'm having such a wonderful time! We're planning a hiking trip soon, I can't wait to show you pictures!

Pressing Flowers

Back in January, my good friends in Colorado gave me a beautiful flower press. Have you ever pressed flowers? Before people had cameras, they would press flowers from special occasions to help preserve their memories.

This evening I went to a nearby field to see what I could find. If you're going to press flowers, you shouldn't pick them from a neighbor's house or anything. People might be very angry at you, because they work hard to grow their gardens! If there is a specific bloom you want, you should always ask for permission first.



It is so beautiful here in Utah during the summer. Look at the pretty mountains behind me! We were up pretty high in the foothills, so I could look out over the valley.

And look at these beautiful flowers I found!



I gathered up a big armful and we headed back home.

With my flower press came this wonderful book, all about how to press flowers correctly. It even gives information on what different flowers mean.





In her book, Caroline Tiger says that it's important to press the flowers as soon as possible after picking them. This helps them to keep their color and shape better. She also says you might want to avoid picking flowers after it has rained. If the flower is wet, it will take a lot longer to dry in the press. Lucky for me, it has been hot! hot! hot! here, so I didn't have to worry about that.



First I laid a piece of cardboard inside my press, and a piece of blotting paper. The blotting paper helps to absorb the moisture in the flower and dry it out. I arranged my flowers carefully, it's important to help them lay as flat as possible.



I put another piece of blotting paper on top, and did another layer of flowers.



Then one more piece of blotting paper, another piece of cardboard, and it was time to close the press up! My dad helped me screw on the wing nuts really tight.



The flowers will probably take over a week to dry completely. Every day I have to tighten up the wing nuts even more. Tightening them will help to keep my flowers from wrinkling up as they start to lose their moisture.

I put them in a dry place that didn't get sunlight - our closet!



Did you know that you don't need a special press like mine to press flowers? You can use a big book instead - like a phone book! Make sure to get permission from your parents, because thicker flowers can ruin the binding of a book. Put paper towels around your flowers just like I did with the blotting paper, and spread them throughout the book. You can stack more books on top of your phone book to add more weight and help really flatten the flowers out. Caroline Tiger says it's okay to check the flowers to see if they are done, but be careful because they can rip really easily. She says they are ready to be removed when they are stiff and don't wilt when lifted up.

I can't wait for my flowers to be done! I'll let you know when they are, and show you how to mount them in a display book called a herbarium.

Today is my birthday!

Guess what? Today I turn 11! I've been so excited for my birthday, and at last it is here!

I had a wonderful party this afternoon with several of my friends. I'm so happy they were able to come. My mom helped me put my hair in curlers last night so that my hair would be curly. Isn't it cute? Sometimes I wish my hair was always curly, like Lanie's, but she says sometimes she wishes for straight hair.



My mom bought this amazing chocolate cake - doesn't it look delicious? It tasted sooo good.



We had cupcakes, too. They were lemon flavored.

The best part of my birthday was having all of my friends over, but the second best part was the present Grandma Maxwell sent for me.



Guess what was inside?



A Samantha doll!!! I'm so excited! Now Nellie and Samantha are together as best friends again. Samantha is so pretty, look at her long hair. I just finished reading the Samantha stories, so it makes it even more special to have her. I think my favorite one was Samantha's Surprise.



Everyone wanted to hold Samantha and play with her.



My parents must have known that Grandma Maxwell was getting me Samantha, because they got me a present too -



- Samantha's birthday outfit!!



Now Samantha and I were able to dress up for our birthdays together!



I'm having such a wonderful birthday. I wish every day was my birthday, but then I guess it wouldn't be as special, would it?

P is for Piper

Remember to vote me for Little Miss Playthings 2010!