One-year Blogiversary!

Hey guys! Happy, well, 2-day-late Memorial Day! Thank you to everyone who has and still does serve our country! What did you do for the holiday?

Like always, our parents took us to see the parade in town. I think my favorite part was watching the marching band, and I was even more excited when Mom told me that they were from our town's high school. That means that in just a few more years, I'll get to wear one of those snazzy outfits and march in the parade, too!

After the parade, we went to a friend's house for a barbecue, then headed home later that afternoon. It was such a gorgeous day that Zoe and I decided to take a blanket, the dogs, and some food into the backyard for a picnic.

Before going inside, we decided that we'd do something to honor the fact that - however hard it is to believe - today is the one-year anniversary of our blog! So much has happened in the past year - we started middle school, we made some new friends, we lost our dog, got a new one, and then found the first one again, and discovered some interesting things about our past - but it seems like it was just yesterday that I was clicking the Publish button for our very first post. It's been a great year, and I hope that the coming one will be as well!

So, just for fun, we decided to imitate the first picture that we ever published on this blog. It didn't turn out exactly the same, but it was pretty close!

Before I sign off, I want to say thank you to everyone - followers, commenters, and readers alike - that likes and supports our blog! We love getting feedback and comments, and love knowing that our blog is being read and enjoyed.  Feel free to comment with any questions or feedback that you may have!

That's all for now! Thanks for reading!

Our 12th Birthday!

Hey everyone! Zoe's and my birthday was last Tuesday, but we've been really busy this week with school, so I haven't had time to post pictures until today.

Now that we're in middle school, there's not much time in the mornings before we have to leave for school. As a result, Zoe and I have to suffer through the whole day before we can open presents. Consequently, we burst through the door the minute we got home and immediately began to pester Mom into letting us do so. Eventually, after making us finish our homework and our chores, she laughingly agreed.

Mom isn't one for wrapping things, so she had just put everything into one big box.

The box on top was addressed to Zoe.

The first things she pulled out were a pair of shorts, tights, a long-sleeved green t-shirt, and a pair of blue sneakers with purple laces. Underneath all that, though, was something that Zoe liked even better.

A brand-new skateboard! She doesn't know how to ride one yet, but she's wanted to try for ages.

The box underneath the first was addressed to me.

Inside the box was a pretty pair of pink shoes and a soft brown dress with a pink flower attached at the collar. I couldn't wait to try it on!

The next box was for both of us, but Zoe let me open it.

Cute! A flower-patterned long-sleeved t-shirt, a white vest, a pair of capris and some strappy purple sandals. Zoe and I both loved them.

There was one more box that was just mine - the rest were for both of us.

The box was too small to hold clothes - could it be a book? A game?

IT WAS A JOSEFINA DOLL! I couldn't believe Mom had gotten her for me! She was perfect - I loved her at first sight.

Zoe took the next box, and I took the one under that, and we set to opening them.

Cool! Zoe pulled a new backpack out of her box, and in mine, I found an American Girl magazine, a Snooze-a-Palooza! book, and an Apples-to-Apples game!

Mom had also gotten us a couple of pairs of shoes. Green Crocs for Zoe, purple fuzzy ones for me, and bunny slippers for both of us!

I promptly stuck the slippers on my hands and started waving them around.

After opening the shoes, there was only one box left. It was long and skinny, and I was completely puzzled as to what it held. I reached my hand inside and started to pull out something smooth and square.

HOLY GUACAMOLE! IT WAS A MACBOOK! Zoe and I were beyond excited. Mom told us warningly that she had bought it intending that we would share it, and if there was ever any disagreement about that, she had no qualms whatsoever about taking it away. Neither of us cared. Having a shared laptop was way better than having none at all!

We set to packing away all the empty boxes and tissue paper into the one big box, then brought it inside. Once there, Mom told Zoe that she had one last present for her, something that was too big to wrap. She pointed to the corner, and Zoe let out a squeal when she saw what was standing there.

Paintbrushes, tubes of paint, a sketch pad, an art portfolio, and a painting easel! Zoe was really excited.

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good birthday, especially when Mom brought out a lemon and a chocolate cake after dinner.

What do you do for your birthday? What's your favorite part?

That's all for now! Thanks for reading!

Happy Earth Day!

Hey everyone! Happy Earth Day!

Like most roads, the dirt road that we live along is flanked by a line of telephone poles. This in itself is not a problem; the problem arises when, every few years, a bunch of guys armed with chainsaws and clippers come down our road. They attack the saplings and other plant life growing under the wires until hardly anything green is left, to prevent the trees from growing tall enough to interfere with the wires. I know that this is being done for a very sensible reason, but I still find it sad that they're killing all those pretty young saplings. So, a few years ago, I proposed that we should rescue some.

So now, every Earth Day, Zoe and I head out along the road with a wheelbarrow and a shovel, and dig up a handful of saplings, which we later transplant into the forest around our house.

Today, we set off down the road like always, and came back an hour or so later with a wheelbarrow full of saplings. Most of them were full and healthy, and these we planted in a clump a little ways into the forest. Then we came to the last tree. Unlike its companions, it was far from being full and healthy. It was so small that I could easily hold it my arms, and a few of its needles had turned orange. It was a pitiful, Charlie-Brown-type tree, but had looked so small and helpless on the side of the road that I had felt the need to pick it up and bring it home. We decided to plant it all by itself at the back of my mom's hosta garden.

We first had to clear away all the leaf litter and debris so there was a clear patch of dirt where we could begin digging. 

When the patch was sufficiently large enough, Zoe picked up the shovel and started to dig the hole where the tree would rest.

She stood back to admire her work after she had carved out a hole just large enough for the sapling.

Seeing that the hole was ready, I picked up the little tree in my arms and brought it over to where Zoe was standing.

I placed it in the hollow, stood it upright, and held it steady as Zoe again picked up her shovel and started to fill the hole with dirt, pouring the soil gently around the tree's roots.

We packed the soil down firmly so the tree could stand upright on its own. I ran to fetch a watering can and drizzled some water around its roots. We stepped back to admire our handiwork as soon as I had emptied the can.

Does your family have any traditions for Earth Day? Aren't you glad it's spring?

That's all for now! Thanks for reading!

The Best Blogger Award!

Hey everyone! Happy Easter to those who celebrate it!

Sophia and Emma from Sophia and Emma: Halifax Twins nominated our blog for The Best Blogger Award! Thank you so much!

Now we have to answer some questions...

1. What is your favorite post you have ever created?

I think the post where Zoe and I raked leaves might be one of my favorites. There's no particular reason why - I just had a lot of fun with it, and really enjoyed playing in the leaves with my sister, even though we did end up getting pretty dirty! Runners up are the triple birthday party we had with Dani, Saoirse, and Jess - it was great to finally meet them, and we all had a lot of fun taking pictures for the post - and our christmas day post.

2. What is your favorite photo story you have taken part of?

I can't really say that I've taken part in any photo story or a stop-motion video. I hope to at some point, though - they sound like fun to make!

3. Why do you blog?

I started this blog because I love to write, but I've never had the patience to sit down and write an entire story from beginning to end. This blog allows me to continue writing, without it requiring quite so much patience!

4. How many followers do you currently have on your blog?

We currently only have 12. To these 12 people - thank you so much for reading our blog and leaving such wonderful comments! 

5. Do you like being nominated for blog awards?

Well, that goes without saying :) This is the first award we've been nominated for and are very excited about it!

Finally, what other 5 blogs would you like to nominate for this award?

1. Dani from Dabbling Dani
2. Saoirse from Saoirse's Space
3. Jess from Bye Bye Belize! Hello Michigan!
4. Samantha Parkington and Co. from Teeny Tiny Spark (This blog is no longer in use, but the link to their new blog hasn't been posted yet, so for now, I'm just going to use the link to their old one.)
5. Inky from Super Inky!

I apologize if you are on this list and have already been nominated - I tried to find ones that hadn't received the award yet, though I'm sure some of you have!

If you were nominated, please answer the same questions that we did and nominate 5 other blogs, and include the image of the award in your post. Thanks again, Sophia and Emma!

That's all for now! Thanks for reading!

A Writer's Retreat

Hey everyone!

Today was the first really warm day of the new year, so I decided to grab some food, a light jacket, and my writing notebook and search for a suitable, secluded place where I could begin my new story. My English teacher suggested this past week that I should submit something to the school's literary newspaper, and I have a great idea for a short story. The only problem? I absolutely, positively cannot write when I'm around other people. Like Snoopy on top of his doghouse, I can only write when I'm completely by myself. So, I thought I'd take advantage of the warmth and the sunshine, and take my writing out into the fresh air.

I packed an apple, three cookies, some pencils, and my notebook into an L.L. Bean duffel bag that my mom had lying around the house.

Then I set off across the driveway.

The snow piles made by my dad's plow have yet to melt, somehow, but they're a lot smaller than they were. I scrambled up the small incline and stumbled across the uneven, frozen surface of the snow towards the patch of grass under the trees.

When I reached dry ground, I began searching around for a suitable place to sit.

Unfortunately, most of the ground was either too cold, too wet, or too pine-needle-y for my tastes. I looked thoughtfully up at the trees. There were plenty of branches that I could use as footholds, and maybe there would be one big enough for me to sit on. I decided to try.

I balanced on a thin branch, gripping the tree trunk to hold myself steady.

After clambering up a few feet or so, I noticed a large clump of something off to my left. Peering closer, I realized that it was a nest of some sort.

I climbed over to it and sat down. Even though it was made of pine needles, it was soft and springy, and firm enough that I didn't feel as if I was about to fall through. What could have made it? I was pretty sure that it wasn't a bird's nest, but what else made its home in a tree?

Oh, well. It was the perfect place to sit down and write. I took the apple, a pencil, and my notebook out of my bag and settled in to do so.

It wasn't until nearly two hours later that my fingers became so numb with cold that I couldn't hold the pencil, and I looked up to realize that the last light was fading from the sky. I sighed and climbed down from the tree. I guess it's still not quite warm enough to spend the evening sitting in a tree.

As I wandered across the lawn and onto the driveway, I glanced back at the nest one last time. It was completely hidden amongst the branches; from here, one might think that it was just another, rather lumpy, part of the tree. I grinned. I could imagine that becoming quite a writer's retreat, just as long as Zoe didn't find out about it.

Do you have a place you use for hiding yourself away for a few hours? Do you like to write?

That's all for now! Thanks for reading!