Cupcakes

MY NOT-SO-RED VELVET CUPCAKES

(We didn't put in enough red food coloring)

Before the cupcakes went in the oven!

We made 30 cupcakes. My dad got mad at me, because he said that 30 was too much. I made the cupcakes by myself at 11:00 in the night. We got back from the store at 10:30 PM, and my dad told me not to make them, but I decided to be my stubborn self and made them by myself late at night.

I'm quite proud.




The cupcakes tasted amazing, not to brag or anything. As you can see, a lot of them are already gone.

 :(

I told everyone to stay away, but no one listened to me. Grr....

Sugary things never seem to last long in this house, anyways. :P

My brother and I made icing. It tasted delicious! We made cream cheese frosting. You know how red velvet cupcakes are usually iced with cream cheese frosting? Best combination ever, if you ask me.

My mom used to do a lot of baking and all that, but it all stopped when she started working. :(

She had to ice a few for us, because when my brother and I tried, it was a disaster. I popped the icing bag by accident. It was a mess.

The cupcakes tasted amazing! They only lasted 2 days. In fact, a good amount of them were gone before we had the chance to frost them. Thanks to my brother and his never-ending hunger. *SIGH* Teenage boys, you know?



We are obviously not what you would call amazing at frosting cupcakes.

:P

YUM!

Greece Summary

I read over the last post and I realized I would probably bore you if I went over details of my 15 days in Greece. So, I'll just give you some facts and all that.

We went on a 4 day bus tour (really awesome) which is basically a nice, private bus--the kind where the driver is a level below the passengers....not a double decker. You can find a picture online if you search up "tour bus" on google images.

We drove all around Greece. We had an excellent tour guide. She obviously knew her stuff. She used to be an archaeologist. She was born and raised in Greece and, obviously, still living there.

There were a lot of other people on the bus. My brother and I were the only children on the tour, at least we thought so until we met an 8th grader, who I had mistaken for a young adult--who was here was on vacation with her mother and aunt.

Everyone on the bus got to know each other really well. Everyone was really friendly.

Basically, we drove all around Greece--urban and rural areas, while our amazing guide told us about stuff. We stopped once in a while. 

We saw so much. Everyone had bought their luggage with them and kept it in the suitcase compartment of the tour bus.  

We saw so many excavations and ruins and so much more! We stopped in many places such as Epidavros, Korinthos (Korinth Canal), where we spent a few hours before we hit the road again.

Our tour guide would take us for lunch and in the night, she took us to a hotel, where we the spent the night.

First Night: Olympia (we saw the first olympic stadium)

Second Night: Delphi

Third Night: Meteora (AMAZING)

Fourth Night: We were dropped off at Athens...the tour had ended. :(

After that we spent 2 days in Athens. We saw the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum and much more.

Then, we went on a 4 day cruise (It was really fun) around the Greek islands. We saw Crete, Rhodes, Patmos, Mykinos and then the Santorini (where the people who wanted to be dropped off at Santorini, were dropped off at Santorini, which included my family) We spent 4 days in Santorini. It was beautiful!

We just chilled for the most part and we stayed in an AMAZING hotel (Volcano View). 

I might upload a few pictures soon.

BYE!!!
RiRi B.

Day 1 - Monday - 7/1/13

In order to reach Greece, it was necessary to take 2 flights. We flew from the Philadelphia airport to Rome, and then to Athens. Once we arrived in Athens, we found out that the Athens Airport is actually an hour away from the city. :(

We hopped on a bus and rode into the city.

We were supposed to stay in Central Hotel, which is in the Plaka district, and within walking distance of everything. It was very easy to get around.

We checked in at the hotel and my father went by X95 bus from Sytagma Square --which he still can not pronounce right and says Sygatma instead-- to pick up another family member from the Athens airport who was joining us for the trip.

While that happened, my brother and I chilled in our hotel room --which basically means that we were playing Tiny Tower for hours on end--while our mother was 3 floors up in her hotel room. Since there were 5 of us --including the anonymous family member, who was joining us in only a few hours-- we had 2 hotel rooms. My mother and my father were in Room 408 and the A.F.M. (Anonymous Family Member), my brother and I were in Room 109.

Sadly, we couldn't get the rooms close to each other.

Of course, since Room 109 was much bigger and spacious since it was for 3 people, all the suitcases had to go in Room 109. :(

I have a feeling that I'm giving out too much information.

It was long before my father arrived back at Room 109 with A.F.M. My mother came down from Room 408 where she was sleeping to say hi to A.F.M.

Are the abbreviations annoying you? Yes, I also get that feeling when I don't know something. My bad.

It was a relaxing day despite the plane rides and all that. At around 6:00, since my father is addicted to exercising --especially biking and walking-- informed us that we were walking around the city. We found an amazing Greek restaurant --It was called Meatropolis, not the Metropolis-- and we ate there.

 It wasn't far from our hotel, like I said, since the hotel was in the middle of everything, transportation was not a problem.

I soon found that Greek food is delicious.

We walked around some more and we found a little bakery and got a small dessert. Usually, at home, back in U.S.A., we never eat dessert, but since we were on vacation, we made sure we had a little extra room for sugar-filled treats.

We ended the night by walking back to Central Hotel, where we fell into deep snores. Yes, I snore in my sleep. Don't judge me.

Lights out, Athens.

GREECE

On June 31st, my family and I hopped on a plane to Greece. It wasn't a very long flight. It was 10 hours to Italy, where we had a 2 hour layover and then only 2 hours to Athens from Rome.

We had an amazing time in Greece! It's so historic and beautiful and everything was breathtaking. There were several excavation sites and so much more. Before we left for Greece, I had a lot of knowledge on Greek Mythology, because I am obsessed with Rick Riordan's amazing novels. I had also researched Greek Mythology and bought a book on it.

So, naturally, I had always wanted to go to Greece.

I wrote a journal on my trip to Greece and I have decided to share it with you.

Please Enjoy

Keep Reading,
RiRi B.

:)

Double Post #2

Hello wonderful readers!
It's RiRi B again. I vaguely remember posting the Double Post Part I on April 1st and I decided not to let you down and keep my word......so.....I'm doing Double Post Part II! I don't really remember why I said I was going to do a Part II, but, oh well.

I'm not quite sure what to blog about......

I know....BOOKS!!!!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm an extreme bookworm and I would rather read books than play video games (my brother just gets sports games for the XBOX 360 and the Wii.....it's just there). Everytime I see my other bookworm friend, we discuss Rick Riordan's AMAZING books (which I am currently over-obsessed with) and great authors like Suzanne Collins, Lois Lowry, J.K. Rowling and more. 

So...let us discuss!

SERIES:

Trenton Lee Stewart ---   The Mysterious Benedict Society Series

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Book 1 : The Mysterious Benedict Society
Book 2 : The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
Book 3: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma

Individual Book: The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict

This series is one of my all time favorites. The individual book is about one of the older characters in The Mysterious Benedict Society and how he grew up. I'm currently reading this book and I'll blog about it soon!

Rick Riordan --- Percy Jackson & The Olympians and Heroes of Olympus and Kane Chronicles

Percy Jackson & The Olympians

Book 1: The Lightning Thief
Book 2: The Sea of Monsters
Book 3: The Titan's Curse
Book 4: The Battle of the Labyrinth
Book 5: The Last Olympian

Heroes of Olympus

Book 1: The Lost Hero
Book 2: The Son of Neptune
Book 3: The Mark of Athena
Book 4: Coming out Fall 2013 (The House of Hades)

The Kane Chronicles

Book 1: The Red Pyramid
Book 2: The Throne of Fire
Book 3: The Serpents Shadow

If you ask me who my favorite author is, I'll answer "Rick Riordan" without hesitation. That's how good his books are! Percy Jackson is my #1 favorite character of all time!!!!!!!!

J.K. Rowling --- Harry Potter

Harry Potter

Book 1: The Sorcerer's Stone
Book 2: The Chamber of Secrets
Book 3: The Prisoner of Azkaban
Book 4: The Goblet of Fire
Book 5: The Order of the Phoenix
Book 6: The Half-Blood Prince
Book 7: The Deathly Hallows

Obviously, the Harry Potter books are VERY famous and I can't get enough of it.

John Grisham --- Theodore Boone

Book 1: Kid Lawyer
Book 2: The Abduction
Book 3: The Accused
Book 4: The Activist

I recently read this series and I just love it. John Grisham is a great author.

A Series of Unfortunate Events --- Lemony Snicket

Book 1: The Bad Beginning
Book 2: The Reptile Room
Book 3: The Wide Window
Book 4: The Miserable Mill
Book 5: The Austere Academy
Book 6: The Ersatz Elevator
Book 7: The Vile Village
Book 8: The Hostile Hospital
Book 9: The Carnivorous Carnival
Book 10: The Slippery Slope
Book 11: The Grim Grotto
Book 12: The Penultimate Peril
Book 13: The End

I've read every single book except the last, because I couldn't find it. :(
But this is probably my third favorite series and it's very well written.

THE PENDERWICKS IS ALSO AN AMAZING SERIES!!!! AND OF COURSE THE HUNGER GAMES!

There are MANY great series and I just can't list all of them! Keep reading!

Individual Books:

Wonder - R.J. Palacio

Anne of Green Gables (classic) - Lucy Maud Montgomery
The Tale of Desperaux - Kate DiCamillo
The City of Ember - Jeanne DuPrau (sorry for any spelling mistakes)
The Magician's Elephant -Kate DiCamillo
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - Kate DiCamillo
Dumpling Days - Grace Lin 
Number the Stars - Lois Lowry
Island of the Blue Dolphins - Scott O'Dell
Savvy- Ingrid Law
The One and Only Ivan - Katherine Applegate
The Candymakers - Wendy Mass
11 Birthdays - Wendy Mass (Series, but I've only read the first. I couldn't find the second)

There are so many I can't list them!!!!

READ!!!!

-RiRi B.

New Discovery: Zentangle!

A very smart person I know told me about zentangle and I decided to check it out...it's really cool!

These are some websites so you can see what zentangle is! ( CLICK ON THE NAMES/TITLES )

ZENTANGLE!!!!

On the front page, you can scroll through some art, where it says: <<stop | play>> at the bottom. Also, on the very upper right, they have a blog and some other things about creating zentangles and how they started! Check it out!!!

Pinterest

I also found this on google and I thought it was pretty cool

Zentangle Blog

This was really cool! Especially the Easter eggs!

You can also look on google images and many other places! Hope you have fun!!!

Bye,

RiRi B

-ririb8.blospot.com

MOTTO: BLOG AWAY!!!
:P

Double Post #1!!!!

Double Post!!! Yay!

Hello, Stunning Readers! :)
You must be utterly befuddled with this complex (not really, I'm just trying to use big words) heading or title. This...is...(dramatic pauses) THE....DOUBLE POST!!!! part 1....
Why to be titled, this complex post: Double Post, you wonder???

I will be writing about TWO things!!! Haha!!!!!
 (this is a long post)
-Quotes
-You'll have to see!!! (insert evil laugh!)

1) Quotes!!! 
It's that time of the year, wait, no....time of the week, possibly?
Well, on with it!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blame is just a lazy person's way of making chaos

Doug Copland

Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye

H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched-they must be felt with the heart.

Hellen Keller

After a storm comes a calm

Matthew Henry

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about live: it goes on.

Robert Frost

That's done!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2) .....Recent Survey

Did you know that...a recent survey has shown that over half the kids in the United States agree with us that too much screen time is bad for your health?

72% of the kids said "I would rather go out and spend the day with my friends and family than watch text while dinner" Wow, what do you think about this rapid change? Please leave it in the comments below!!!!

...

SCROLL DOWN

SCROLL DOWN

SCROLL  DOWN

SCROLL DOWN

SCROLL  DOWN

SCROLL DOWN

APRIL FOOLS DAY!!!!! 

HAHA!!!
:P

Did I get you? I hope I did!!!

Have a great April Fools Day, tricking your friends!!!

I hope this was one of my better posts so far in these 2 years I've been blogging!!!!!

I tried to make it long!!
Watch out for DOUBLE POST part2!!!

I'll keep blogging and you...stay tuned!!!

:P.

RiRi B

4/1/13

Quotes 3/25/13

Quotes : http://www.brainyquote.com/

One of my friends has a blog which she always posts really funny, inspiring or really cool quotes and I love reading her blog all the time. So, I've recently been interested in finding cool quotes. I have posted a link right up above that I used a few times.

So, I've decided to post a few quotes now and then!






I'll be posting quotes very soon!
Keep coming back!!!

:P

RiRi B.

Fifty Nifty

I'm learning Fifty Nifty United States in school - 4th grade, only- because every year, the fourth graders are assigned a state that we make a project on and at the end - June- we have a "STATE FAIR" where we sing and all that. I got Arizona this year. (It's a REALLY awesome state)

We're currently learning Fifty Nifty United States and it's a really catchy song! You should listen to it on Youtube or something. It's a pretty good song. (It's not pop, or classical or anything like that)

:)

Go Arizona!

3 Little Monkeys and the Big Bad Jaguar

This is a story that I wrote last year in school as an assignment. It's not my best, I have to admit. We had to make fractured fairytales of the 3 little pigs and the big bad wolf.

I know I could've made it better, but I didn't want to change it. Last year, we wrote these stories in school with our own characters and put a laminated cover on them and now I have a book. I have many other stories that I will be sharing from last year. This is a VERY LONG POST.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Once upon a time, in the middle of the rainforest, gleaming rays of sunshine blanketed a wonderful, cozy home full of monkeys. This family lived in the beautiful canopy in the trees. They lived happily with their company as they played with the bright flowers. The trees swayed and all the the animals would gather around and sing together.

Mother and Father Monkey lived with their three beloved children. All three children had layers of brown fur covering their slender bodies. Like all monkeys they had long tails and hands like humans. They enjoyed their life whether in the canopy or on land, spending time together. They loved swinging around tress and eating ripe bananas.

One day, Mother and Father Monkey called their three children into their little living room. They all sat down as Mother Monkey explained to the youngsters that they have to find their future and go out into the world. With his head hanging low, Father Monkey warned them to build safe homes in safe places and to be aware of the big bad Jaguar. With that, the parents urged their children out of the door of their old home.

After walking a few steps, the first little monkey decided to rest on the outskirts of the jungle. He lay down and sighed. Forgetting his father's words, he started plucking leaves to make a home. He worked until he was satisfied. He was tired and decided to rest inside his leaf home. He thought it was safe. And he was totally wrong.

The first monkey failed to noticed that there was the big bad Jaguar on the other side of the tree that he built his home on. The Jaguar had a huge body with glistening coats of gold and black fur. He was an evil jaguar, all right. He loved to eat monkeys. If he knew that there was a monkey on the other side of the tree, he would never have been sleeping on that side. The Jaguar awoke from his nap and stretched his paws outwards the way cats or dogs do sometimes. He just noticed the smell of bananas and the sound of snoring. With his yellow eyes, he managed to notice that ome of a little monkey. There was his dinner. With a mischievous smile, he began to cook up a scheme.

Suddenly, the Jaguar pounced over to the door of the first little monkey's home. He peered inside a hole inside the house, the monkey was asleep.

The Jaguar said "Little monkey, little monkey, let me come in. I have free bananas for you," disguising his voice.

The first little monkey woke up with a start and scurried to the door. He loved bananas. He opened the door and he found himself face to face with the big bad Jaguar. The monkey slammed the door and swung through the back door.

As fast as he could, the monkey swung from vine to vine with the Jaguar on the ground, racing behind him. He remembered that his brother said that he would live on the shore. Once he reached his destination, he stopped on a vine just above the door of the second monkey's home. He swooped down and kicked the door open. He scurried inside. The big ad Jaguar got confused and stopped in his tracks but kept going after. The monkeys slammed the door just in time. Then the first little monkey explained the dreadful news to the second little monkey, telling him about the big bad Jaguar.

The second little monkey explained how he had built his house.

A few hours earlier........

*flashback*

 After he waved goodbye to his brothers and his parents, the second monkey started swinging in the trees, looking for a nice place to build his house. He gathered vines as he swung, and before long, he had a handful of vines. He found a nice place on the shore and built his vine home. It took a while, but the second monkey worked until he was satisfied. Then he decided to make lunch. He was almost finished when his brother swooped down from a vine and slammed through the door. The second monkey was blasted with wind.

*end of flashback*

The following day, the two monkeys hid together in the vine home. The Jaguar had been guarding the vine home, thinking of a plan. Then he got an idea.

He said "Little Monkeys, LIttle Monkeys, let me come in. I am your best friend from the canopy," in a nice tone.

The monkeys rushed out the door expecting a warm and cozy hug fron their friend. Instead, they found the cold, yellow eyes of the big bad Jaguar. They quickly slammed the vine door and reached for a vine on the roof to hoist them up to the emergency door. They swung back and forth until they kicked open the emergency door on the cieling.

They climbed out onto the roof and started swinging away. They swung from vine to vine, looking for their older brother. The moved for hours, looking and calling out for their brother. Finally, when they were about to give up, they met a nice frog. She said she had seen a monkey hard at work in the huge canopy in a hidden tree. They climbed into the canopy fast, remembering that the big bad jaguar was right behind them, trying to find a way to get up. Once they got to the canopy and found the hidden tree, they found out that yes, indeed the third monkey was hard at work. They called out his name in a soft voice and their brother peeked out of the hidden tree. He urged them to come inside his mansion.He told them how he had built the house.

*flashback*

After saying goodbye to his brothers, the third monkey decided to start his long journey. He swung for hours and hours until he found a nice hidden spot in the canopy. After he looked for some house materials, he found some bark and bamboo. He started to build his safe and sturdy house. He had been working for such a long time, he felt like lying down. Just then, he heard his brothers call his name. He peeked out of the house and urged the monkeys inside quickly, as they filled him in on the dreadful news.

*end of flashback*

The Jaguar reached the canopy just as the monkeys finished talking. He growled as he circled the house, eyeballing the door of the bark and bamboo home. Then, he got an idea.

"Little Monkeys, Little Monkeys, let me come in. We are your parents. We heard about the Jaguar and came to protect  you," he said, disguising his voice.

The monkeys peeked through the door hole. There was the Jaguar. They yelped and ran away from the door. He growled loudly with rage and fury. He stuck his nose in a hole and tried to smash the hose. The monkeys each took a bamboo cane from the floor and started whacking  the Jaguar. The Jaguar groaned and moaned until he freed himself.

After much rubbing and growling, the Jaguar got out of the canopy. He had wounds everywhere. The Jaguar raced back to his home. He no longer liked monkeys as a meal. He even considered becoming a vegetarian. He convinced himself that they were too bad tasting. He would never go near that canopy again.

The Jaguar was never seen again and the monkeys lived together happily ever after in the canopy, visiting their parents and friends and making new company. They were never disturbed again.

Writing Pieces from Last Year

I know that my posts have not been very interesting lately so I decided to post a few of my writing pieces and other stuff from last year (in school)

But, unfortunately, for the time being, I can't find them. I promise, as soon as I find everything, I will post a few!

:)

Sorry for keeping you waiting for such a long time.

Change of Blog Name

So, I'm all about creativity and imagination and I was thinking....my blog name is NOT a very creative name. 

I was thinking....maybe you can help me in the decision of my new blog name! I'm thinking of something that doesn't have my name in it. 

Leave comments   
 :)

Thanks,
RiRi B.

P.S. I am making many changes to improve my blog.   :)

Christmas & New Years

Hey everyone,
I just realized I never wished you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I can't wait for all the exciting things yet to come in 2013. School started January 2nd and we're now back into the swing of things. 
I hope you had a wonderful holiday!

Peace out,
RiRi 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEXT FACT : dun dun dun.... My favorite animals are turtles, puppies and hamsters/guinea pigs. I forget what the other one was!!!!!!!