Week Two of my Short Story Challenge

 The White Colored Pencil          By: Everly

One day, a colored pencil sighed a great sigh. A sigh you can only make if you truly mean it. And he did. But why was he sighing? The answer was staring at him. He was looking in a mirror, at himself. “Whatever have I done to be born the most useless colored pencil in the world?” He asked himself. He was a white colored pencil, and he had never been used. Not once. Everybody else was used everyday; the blue pencil was used to create the most beautiful skies ever made, orange was used to make luxurious sunsets, and what was the white pencil used for? Nothing. 

He thought, and was pretty sure he knew, he was useless. But little did he know he was about to become very important.

That same day, a little girl, about the age of seven, sat in a chair. She was bored. She had drawn just about everything she could, skies, rainbows, cats, oceans, hamsters, dogs, and much more. But now, drawing those things was boring, she wanted something new. 

She slumped even further down the chair, so much so that she nearly went underneath the table she was sitting at. Her mom came into the room, “Emily (the little girl’s name), what’s the matter?”

“I’m bored.” Answered Emily.

“But why? There’s so much to do. Why don’t you draw something?” Said her mom.

“That’s just it, mom. I’ve drawn all there is to draw.”

“Ah. I see. Well, I knew this day would come, and I have just the thing for you.” Emily stared at her mom with her eyebrow raised. 

Emily’s mom walked over to a bin. This bin was where the colored pencils lived. She took out one pencil, one pencil that would make a difference. 

It was white. 

The colored pencil was just as confused as Emily. After all, what could he do? 

“We are going to make invisible art.” Said Emily’s mom. 

More confusion. 

Emily’s mom took some paper, a handful of colored pencils, and the white pencil. She began to draw with the white pencil. It was an odd feeling for the white pencil. A feeling he had never felt before. It felt like life was pouring out of  the top of his head, and it gradually made him happier and happier. 

However, Emily was still confused. She was confused until her mom began to color over the white with the colored pencils. The little heart that her mom had drawn, now appeared on the paper. Just like the white pencil’s heart appeared when he no longer thought he was useless. Emily very much enjoyed the art that her mom had made, and she decided to try it herself. She drew the letters: T-H-A-N-K-S  W-H-I-T-E  P-E-N-C-I-L  F-O-R  T-H-I-S  A-R-T.

And then she kissed the white pencil and hugged her mom. The white pencil nearly turned pink from all his blushing when he was kissed. The white pencil now felt very happy, and glad that he was a white pencil; for he realized that, even the least important pencil is important.

Supportive School Circles (one for each school subject!)

 

Have you ever felt like you just wanna rip your school book in half because of a mistake, or because it was so hard and you didn’t understand? Well, I have. We all go through frustrating times in school, so why not make cute little encouragement notes for each subject? I came up with this idea, because I thought it would be helpful when I get annoyed or mad, to see these cute little faces staring back at me. Hopefully this helps with the school year, if not… SHRIIIIIP, good bye math book ;)

Supplies

Thick paper circles for as many subjects that you have

A pencil or markers (It’s up to you)

Directions:

1. Take one of your circles, and use your pencil/marker to draw a cute little face on it

2. Draw some arms for it, the arms will just be sticks with little hands at the end(for science, I drew little planets as the hand part of the arm) 

3. Now draw a little sign under the arms that says something according to the grade, like for Math: Got this = you!

4. On the back write the name of the subject

5. Now look at the grammar one when you feel frustrated in grammar or whatever one when you feel frustrated in whatever

Have fun with school this year!

Week One of My Short Story Challenge

 A Tale of Two Lonely Birds           By: Everly

There once was a great bird, soaring through the sky. He soared high and low, in and out, everywhere. he soared as free as an arrow. But, of course, every arrow has its target. And for this bird, his target was his destination. 

The majestic bird landed on a tree so tall it lived above the clouds. On this tree was a nest, an empty nest. The bird had been happy and free when soaring, but now he remembered his deep loneliness. He had a life with no one to share it with. 

But then, just as the bird was about to spend another lonely day in his nest, he saw another bird. She was like a lantern glowing far off in the distance on a dark night. She was just as majestic as our lonely bird. She had glorious wings, a beautiful beak, and eyes like a lake in the moonlight. But in those eyes, there was also a terrible sorrow. A longing for a mate, a prayer for a partner, a hope for an eternal friend. This female bird spotted the lonely bird, and they knew that they were the perfect match. 

They soared through the sky together, but even now that they we together, there was still a trace of loneliness. They were still missing something. 

They had kids. 

It was ever so painful for our two birds to wait for the eggs to hatch. Long days of sitting on the eggs, and waiting, waiting for them to arise from their containment. 

But eventually, it happened. The eggs cracked like a human under pressure. But this was a different kind of crack, it was a joyous crack. The two birds hard days were over, and there wasn’t a single speck of loneliness in either of them. They were happy as could be. Smiling smiles brighter than the sun. They were complete. 

And this family soared together, no longer just one lonely star, but a whole constellation.

The End.

My Short Story Challenge

 Hello everybody! Are you ready to hear the challenge I have given myself for the rest of this year? Here it is, my goal is to write one short story per week, and publish them in my blog! This idea was given to me by my dad, thanks dad! And thanks to all people who have helped me with my blog! Ok, back to the challenge. I have already come up with 2 short stories. I came up with them a while ago, but I will count them as my first 2 weeks.

You will find these short stories per week, on my blog, in the home section. You are able to view the first one today, the next will come out next week, supposedly on Sunday. And if you miss a couple of weeks that’s ok. Just type in ‘Week One of Short Story Challenge’ or whatever number of week you missed. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I loved writing them.

My Disneyland Experience Part 2

 

Hello everybody! Sorry it’s been a while, but I’m finally here! 

If you go to Disneyland, you’re not just going to Disneyland, you’re going to California Adventures! Which is what we are gonna be talking about today. 

Things you need to know before we start:

1. This is our second time in Disneyland (if you didn’t read my post in Disneyland day one, check it out!)

2. Only my brothers have bought their souvenirs

3. We went to California Adventures on Wednesday

Ok, that’s it so let’s go!

First, we parked in the Mickey and Friends Parking Structure. When we went to the Disney part of Disneyland, we parked in the Toy Story parking lot, but that was a long walk, so this time we parked closer. 

Once we get to California Adventures, my brothers and my Dad leave the rest of us do do the Tower of Terror, and all the rollercoasters. They wanted to start with those because it would work better for all of us. So, now that my Mom, my sisters, and me are alone, we head off to the Mater ride. We all love this ride. Last time that my littlest sister came to Disneyland, she really only rode this ride. Over, and over, and over… You get the point. But the annoying part is, she doesn’t even remember going on it!! All my Mom’s life, gone to waste. She rode that ride over and over with my sister, to no use.

Mater Ride:

Once we arrive at the ride, we see that the line is empty. Well, pretty empty. It was a cloudy day, and there wasn’t many people around. So we get on the ride after it’s second round. My Mom and my littlest sister are together, and my other sister and I are, once again, together (not that I mind). 

My sister and I are fully buckled, and a nice lady comes up to us and makes sure we are safely in our seats and stuff (which we are). She also asks how old we are, to make sure I’m old enough to be with my sister alone. I tell her our ages, “I’m 12, and my sister’s 10.”

“Perfect.” She says.

The ride starts. It’s starts out pretty normal, just going around, with little curves here and there. But then, it gets crazy! I’ve gone on this ride before, but I forgot how much fun it is! We are constantly going different directions, and it really gets butterflies going in your stomach. We pass my Mom and my sister, and then turn again. It is so much fun!! The ride just goes like that the whole way through, constantly turning in unexpected directions, while the ride plays some country music.

Now, I wish I could keep going, but I can’t. So, make sure you keep an eye out for more ride posts! Note: this time they will be separated into different little blog posts, instead of one ginormous post.

The Little Mermaid Ride:

We literally just walked onto the ride! There was like NO ONE there! But, of course, the ride broke down while we were in it. “It looks like Ursula’s up to her wicked schemes again.” It said. Eventually we got going again. It was a good ride, but just like all of the other classic rides. You just sit and go through the whole movie, but it’s not bad. It’s especially nice when you haven’t watched the movie and you want the short version.  Next we headed off to the Inside Out ride, which, thankfully, wasn’t to far away from us.

The Inside Out Ride:

We pick one of the balloons (I’m pretty sure ours was purple or blue). The ride starts, and we hear Fear say “Ahh…This is good, just moving in a circle.” Then we start going up (it’s like a miniature Silly Symphony Swings) “Wait, we’re going up?!!” Says Fear. I get butterflies as we go up and down. I was scared of this ride at first (silly me) but it was fun! My poor Mom and my little sister had to go backwards on the ride! It was such a fun, totally not scary, ride! 

Here’s a picture of me and my sister on the ride: (that’s me on the right, and my sister on the left)

It was a very delightful ride. You can see the smile on my face!

Jesse’s Carousel:

We get in line for Jesse’s Carousel. It only goes around twice before we get on. There’s still not many people in Disneyland. My littlest sister loved this ride, she loves all carousels. She doesn’t get to go on carousels very often. It’s just a normal carousel, we go round and round on little animals. It was cool to choose what animal we rode on. I rode on a blue snake! It was hopping on its….. uh…. Tail?? But it was not a bad ride. My sisters liked it too. 

After that we met up with my brother’s and my Dad. They got to go on the Incredacoaster TWICE! The line was that short.

But what will we do next? Wait and find out! (Hopefully you don’t have to wait that long)

Summer Activities for You and Your Family

 Mmm…. Ice cream. Looks so good doesn’t it? That pictures is a picture of me when I was little. Ok anyways, if you’re like me, then you didn’t plan anything to do this summer, so you’re bored. Even if you did plan things to do, unless you planned something to do for every day, ever hour, every minute, every SECOND, then you’re gonna run out of plans eventually. That’s just life, you can’t plan everything. So I’m here to help! I’m gonna list things that you can do this summer to keep yourself from the pit of boredom. Once you enter the pit, it is hard to climb out, the pit is made of things that you could do, but you don’t want to do. Don’t fall in the pit! Even if you do, just look at this post and try to find SOMETHING to do. Alright let’s go before you get bored.

1. Bubbles: Who doesn’t love bubbles? Ok, some people don’t, but that’s not the point. Lot’s of kids love bubbles, and even some adults! Bubbles are a fun activity, especially when you’re not alone. I love to pop bubbles as they come, making it into a fun challenge. Don’t let them escape! 

2. Chalk: Chalk is cheap and fun. If you’re an artist, or if you have kids who are artists, put them outside on the sidewalk, empty driveway, or deck. See what you can create, and what the others can create. You can even make it a game! Who can make the best cat? Or Pictionary, whoever guesses what it is first wins!

3. Board Games: Ok, I know what you’re thinking. It literally has the word ‘bored’ in the name, but trust me, board games are really fun! Let me suggest some for you:

Monopoly, a classic family favorite

Code Names, such a fun game! It helps everyone work together too!

Color Brain, really tests your memory and it’s delightful!

Life, I love this game! It gives kids the opportunity to figure out what they wanna be when they grow up, and it is so much fun!!

There are so many other fun ones! But, I don’t have time to list them all now. Sorry. Ok, moving on!

4. Make Fairy Houses: This is SO MUCH FUN! I do it all the time when I visit my Grandma. It allows you to be really creative. You can use rocks for tables, you can make leaf beds, you can have a disco ball made out of those pokey balls you find near trees, and so much more!

5. Make Tents: Whether you’re an adult breaking the largest tent record, or a kid making a cozy fantasy world, tents are amazing. Tents are super duper fun! There’s no limit to how you can make them, pillow forts, blanket forts, pillow/blanket forts, double decker tents, tents with bedrooms, etc. I love making tents of all kinds. I have recently been making maze tents, with a tent and then pillows set up inside maze form. There’s no limit!

6. Go Camping: You can go camping at a camp site, or in your backyard! Camping is a brilliant way to make kids appreciate nature. It is also a great place to play Eye Spy! You can go on hikes, play games, and enjoy family time with each other. If you want to spend more time with you family, camping is a great way to go. Just make sure you bring bug spray and a good tent!

7. Swim:  Swimming is so much fun! Whether you swim with a life vest or if you can swim on your own, swimming a great thing. You can play pool games, float along, exercise, or just swim! Summer is the perfect time to swim because, as you know, it gets HOT. I love the water!

8. Slip-N-Slide: Slip-N-Slides are crazy. They are awesome. And they are so much fun (did you notice that I’ve said the word ‘fun’ over 100 times?!!). Even if you just lay a plastic sheet on the ground and turn on the sprinklers, it’s fun. If you wanna cool down, but don’t wanna swim, Slip-N-Slides are the way to go. You slip, you slide, and you have fun!

9. Do puzzles:  Some people aren’t puzzle fans, and I get that, but puzzles always end up beautiful. And when you do them as a family, it always sends out giggles as one person’s arm reaches across another’s. Puzzles are fun (there it is again!) and pretty. They come in all different kinds, animals, landscapes, movies, big or small, easy or hard, etc. However, you do need a big space to do these puzzles. But puzzles are fun!

10. Have a picnic: Picnics are delicious! The cucumber sandwiches, the lemonade, the chips, or whatever you have on a picnic. And picnics with your friends are also really fun! It’s a great way to connect with the outdoors and with each other! 

11. Take a Hike: I’m not saying this as a way to make you leave my blog (please stay!), I’m saying it because hikes are amazing. When I was younger, I went on hikes with a friend of mine. One time we even saw a waterfall! Hikes are BEAUTIFUL. And me putting the word in large, is NOT an exaggeration. With all the trees, occasional waterfalls, birds, and other animals, it really makes a wonderful experience. I’ve also seen an owl on a hike. His head just followed me as I moved farther along the trail. I encourage you to go on a hike so you can see these things too!

12. Watch some movies: Watching movies is fun. Especially when you have your family, some popcorn, and some comfy spots to sit. But you don’t have to watch movies at a movie theater, you can watch them from the comfort of your own home! I love watching movies with my family, it gives me a way to know their opinions on some movies, and we get to experience the movie together. But I understand that not everyone likes to watch movies.

13. Put on a play: You can either put on a play yourself or watch a play. They both work. I love being in plays. As I believe I’ve said in another one of my posts, I think it’s called ‘My Thoughts on Acting and Theater’ (check it out if you haven’t already!), my sisters and I put on plays at home all the time. Sometimes they end up really silly, like the time when Cinderella was laughing when she was supposed to be crying :p. We typically do plays of movies that we know really well. But anyways, putting on a play can be a really cool experience. You can do it with family, friends, anyone! Trust me, it’s really fun! You should try it, whether this year or the next (it doesn’t even have to be in summer!).

14. Craft: I LOVE to craft. And I encourage you to craft, it helps you be more creative, and gives you a fun time in the process! There are millions of crafts in the world. You can do one from my blog, another person’s blog, or from your own imagination! Crafts are wonderful.

15. Cook/ Bake: Maybe you’re not a fan of cooking/baking, but if you are, summer is a wonderful time to do some! It is also really fun to do it with kids. Kids will learn from this project, and have some fun as well! There are so many things to cook/bake; cookies, rolls, pasta (this is a nice and simple one), waffles, parfaits, you name it! Your kids (if you have any) will enjoy this as much as you do, well… hopefully. But baking/cooking is so much fun. I love that I get to do it every now and then for my blog.

16. Raise money for charities: There are many people in the world who don’t have enough money for a home, supplies, food, and much more. That’s why I hope you will raise money to give to charities for these people. You don’t have to, but this is a great way to help. Whether you go door-to-door, have a lemonade stand, a bracelet stand, or a stand of any kind, it will work. Imagine if one of your loved ones couldn’t do something, like reach the bowls at the top of the shelf, you would want to help them, right? So think of all these people that need help. Please, help them. God created people a long time ago, and He still cares for them, so why shouldn’t we? Please, let’s make the world a better place. Raising money is a great way for you to take initiative, or for your kids. Your kids (or you) will learn from this, they’ll learn to love the people they don’t even know, they’ll care more, and they’ll have made a difference.

17. Do a book challenge: My Mom gave me and my siblings a book challenge this summer. She wanted us to read as many books as possible before summer ended. If we did this we would get a reward (not that I needed a reward, I love to read!), so we all got to work. This is a good challenge for you or your kids, say you or one of your kids doesn’t like to read. They won’t read books even if you tell them to, but if you add a reward, well that makes a difference. This will introduce you or your kids to new books, classic books, fantasy books, and so much more! This is a really cool thing you can do this summer, and remember, it’s not too late!

18. Write a short story: I love to write books, and it helps you come up with things no one will ever expect. Who knows, maybe you’re a great book writer and you just didn’t know it! But this is a great thing to do in summer, it will encourage you to think about how some people live differently, and how people are different. You can even have a short story challenge! Grab some family members/friends, and have them all write a short story. Once you’re all done, read them and see who did the best! Or just write one alone, and then read it in front of your family! See what they think about what you came up with, and if they have any tips. But writing short stories is fun, and they might even turn into a real book!

19. Go to the park: The park is amazing, whether it’s just a grassy field, or a full on playground! You can meet new friends, race each other, play on the swings, and much more! You can even make the playground an obstacle course! Just make sure you don’t ram into anyone!

20. Travel: Ok, I think we all love to travel. We like to explore new places, relax at the beach, see different cultures, or just visit family. Travel is a wondrous thing for me. I love seeing new places, learning how other people live, eating yummy food, or having fun with friends. There are millions of places you can travel, so make sure you pick one that fits you! 

Alright, when I come up with more, I’ll post them. Make sure you watch for them!

Mosaic Night-Light

 

Why have a boring old normal night light (no offense night-lights), when you can have this beautiful creation? This night-light is great for kids who don’t like the dark, but don’t want to have a bland night-light. It’s so pretty!

Supplies:

Tracing paper

Scissors

 Multiple prices of construction paper (whatever colors you want!) 

Tip: before choosing your paper, stick the paper next to a light to see what it will look like on your night light!

Tape

Glue stick

Pencil (this is just to trace the shape of your night light, so this is optional)

And, of course, a night-light

Directions:

1. Using your tracing paper, cut out a case that fits your night-light, make sure the top is extra tall so you have enough paper at the top to cover the top of your night-light!

Tip: Make your paper extra big, in case you didn’t make the size accurately

2. Tape the ends of the tracing paper that you just cut to each other creating a cylinder

3. Put the case on your night-light (make sure the tape on your case doesn’t show on the front!) and fold in the sides as if you were wrapping a present (if you don’t know how to wrap a present, just copy the picture)

4. Then pull the triangle shapes, that you now have on the top, to the back of you night light, and tape them to the back (like you can just barely see in this picture)

5. Once you have taped the top securely to the back (keep the case on the night-light) grab your construction paper, and cut out some shapes. They can be triangles or squares, big or small, it’s all your choice!

6. Now glue those pieces to your night-light case

Note: the prices can overlap each other, but don’t overlap them too much or the only color you’ll see is black!

Another note: you can add as many or as little pieces as you like

7. Plug it into the wall, and see the pretty colors!