Characterization

My literature teacher had us write an essay a while ago describing ourselves. This is the essay I wrote:

A Figurative Winter Wonderland

By Emily

Like snowflakes every person is unique, and on a winter day I can be found slowly falling down to earth with all the other snowflakes, bringing with me my distinct appearance, personality, and the many accomplishments from my years. I do not look like every other girl in my grade; my hair does not go all the way to my waist, I do not have pierced ears, and my height falls below the average for girls my age. I have a younger brother, and my height invariably leads to other people thinking of us as twins. Once in a while, someone mistakes me for a boy, which happened recently at the airport security checkpoint when a security guard had to pat me down to check for metal. I could never be described as a follower in any sense of the way - in group projects I usually take the position of a leader, guiding my group to make sure we get the best possible results. I can be called a perfectionist, and when I really want to do something, you can bet that I will, no matter what obstacles stand in my way (the only thing that will stop me is my weakness for chocolate). Typically a very impatient person, I can nevertheless sit for hours working on one of my miniscule clay miniatures. I have high hopes and big plans for the future, including becoming an ambassador after I study international politics, languages, and computer programming in college. Having been raised speaking both German and English, I hope to one day speak French and Spanish fluently as well. I can also ride a unicycle, but I still need to work on the juggling act needed to become a clown. When I finally have floated down to the ground, I will not blend in with the rest of them, but I will continue on my own, going where no snowflake has ever gone before, pausing only to chat with my friends.  

Fun with Jenga

My brother and I were using Jenga blocks in an unusual way - as dominoes. Here are some pictures:

I <3 Dominoes

Up and down bleachers

Close-up of bleachers

Dominoes with house

Building the house

When the dominoes fall, so do the Playmobil
people inside the house, but not the house itself

Veeeeeery long domino chain

Double dominoes

Double dominoes when collapsed

I also came up with a game involving the Jenga blocks:

Set up the Jenga blocks as shown in the game setup picture. The first person sits in a chair a designated distance away from the blocks. The player must then throw a Jenga block at the set-up Jenga blocks, trying to make as many fall over as possible.

Game setup

When evaluating the score, look at the number of blocks that were knocked down. As you can see in the game setup, the blocks are arranged into groups. If the whole group is knocked down, the player gets the same number of points as the number of blocks that were in the group. If only some blocks are knocked down, the player does not receive any points for that group.

The game in motion
This player would receive 8 points.

Easy DIY Paper Banner

This week my sister and I made two banners, one for Easter and one welcoming my cousin Claire, who is from France and is coming to stay with us for two weeks. These banners are very easy to make, and they look great hung from a wire.

Ostern means Easter in German

Materials I used

-  11" x 8.5" colored construction paper
- scissors
- cutting board
- ruler
- hole puncher
- string
- markers and sharpies to decorate

Easter

A week ago,  my family and I decorated Easter eggs using an egg-dying kit. These are some pictures of the hard-boiled eggs we decorated (and later ate).

Calligraphy

Recently, I have been experimenting with many types of lettering. One of the writing styles I have been doing is calligraphy with the fountain pen that I got from Germany. I tried out many different styles, but so far, I like the English calligraphy alphabet the best, which I saw at http://calligraphyalphabet.org/english-calligraphy-alphabet-styles-from-a-to-l.html.

Calligraphy Pen

English Calligraphy, Fancy Calligraphy, and Cursive Calligraphy

Close-up

Another Close-up

Duct Tape Wallet

This is a great website that has detailed instructions on how to make a duct tape wallet using the help of paper.  If you have tried to make a duct tape wallet and are frustrated that the duct tape keeps sticking together, check out this website and try this method -

http://familycrafts.about.com/od/ducttapecrafts/ss/Duct-Tape-Wallet-Craft.htm

If you want to try out the slightly harder way, you can visit Duck brand's website -

http://www.duckbrand.com/Duck%20Tape%20Club/ducktivities/wallets/how-to-make-a-duck-tape-wallet

There is a duck tape club on duck brand's website where people can post the duct tape things they have made, it can give you ideas for designs -

http://www.duckbrand.com/Duck%20Tape%20Club/ducktivities/wallets.aspx

Winter Break

On winter break, my family and I visited many interesting places, including Carmel, the Winchester Mystery House, and Alpine Meadows/ Squaw Valley.

Carmel:
In Carmel, my family and I visited an art gallery, Casanova, and the beach.

The Art of Dr. Seuss
http://www.drseussart.com/
Walking to Casanova, we encountered an amazing art gallery, The Art of Dr. Seuss. This art gallery features many pieces of artwork by Ted Geisel(aka Dr. Seuss). Some of my favorite pieces were The Cat That Changed the World, Sam-I-am, and Freebird.

Casanova
 http://www.casanovarestaurant.com/
Casanova is a cozy restaurant, supposedly "Carmel's most romantic restaurant". It is a delightful little place, with a tree growing out of the roof, the kid's menu glued to the back of a picture book, and amazing food.

Beach
My siblings and I had a marvelous time at the beach, located a walking distance from Casanova. We splashed in the water, which was numbingly cold but still fun, attempted cartwheels, built sandcastles, and dug holes.

Winchester Mystery House:
http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/

My family and I absolutely loved the Winchester Mystery House, with its dead end stairs, doors to nowhere, and fake cabinets. We took the 75 minute mansion tour, and enjoyed every second of it. Our tour guide showed us rooms damaged by the earthquake, the seance room where Sarah Winchester would talk to spirits, and many other fascinating places.
Sarah Winchester was a very wealthy widow, following the death of her husband, William Winchester in 1881. Her daughter Annie had already died in 1866. Sarah was convinced that both of them were killed by the spirits of all the people who were killed by the famous Winchester rifle. To appease the spirits, Sarah began a huge construction project, determined to build a great house for them. This construction project never ceased until Sarah's death in 1922.

Alpine Meadows/ Squaw Valley:
http://www.skialpine.com/
http://www.squaw.com/

I loved skiing at Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley. We rented a cabin and stayed there for four days. While skiing, I noticed that a lot of the lifts had Alpine Meadows/ Squaw Valley stickers stuck to them. I inquired about the stickers at Guest Services, and received some stickers of my own.

* Sorry for the lack of new recipes or arts and crafts projects. I promise I will post one soon. If you have any requests for tutorials, please comment.