A Day in the Life

Hello Readers!

     Today I am going to do a day-in-the-life post about events that happened today. By the hour.
Today I might also do a movie review, as well, so lots of content!

Well, here goes nothing.

9:00 AM: I woke up, rolled over, and grabbed my tablet. I switched it on, checked my email and IM for new messages, responded to a couple, then went up for breakfast.
10:00: Usually I did homework or whatever then, but today I skipped took a day long hiatus from homework and read a book (The Forsaken by Lisa Stasse) on my tablet.
10:30 We leave and go shopping for new shoes and swing by the health food store and the Pet Valu. We grab a new lead for my dog and meet some cute kittens. On the way home we go to the hardware store. Fun fun.
12:30: Lunchtime. Salmon wraps, corn chips and salsa, plus some cereal.
1:00: My dad rigs up the sprinkler so I can cool off somewhat on this abysmally hot day.
1:30: My mom and dad bring up the patio furniture while I watch the puppy.
2:00: I head inside for a snack. Puppy sleeps while I Google weird stuff.
3:00: I work on some Minecraft, then walk to the store with my dad. We discuss about maybe going on a trip sometime, or maybe re-visiting the States, which I did just a couple weeks ago.
4:00: Home again. I eat some more food.
5:00: Call my friend and watch a YouTube Video he is in. I text a friend and go on Threadless.
6:00: Dinner out on the patio. Burgers. For dessert we have chocolate pudding.
7:00: I finish Catching Fire for the second time and IM some more.
9:00: Head to my bed and go on my tablet for a while.
11:00: Unfortunately, it's lights-out time.

     So there you have it readers, a day in my fantastic life!
     Watch for a Catching Fire movie review and a My Favorites coming soon!

Book Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

First things first.
Oh.
My.
Goodness.

I love this book. I love it love it love it love it. I love it to death.

Aristotle and Dante is a very different story about two very different boys. Aristotle (nicknamed Ari) is quiet, lonely, and has never had a friend. Dante, on the other hand, is friendly, outgoing, and loves poetry.
They meet and they bond. However, their friendship is shattered by Dante's temporary move to Chicago, Ari saving Dante in an accident and breaking his legs in the process, and Dante revealing he is gay and sharing his feelings for Ari.
The book's main event is near the end, where Dante is severely injured and nearly dies in a beating. There is, however, a happy ending.
Aristotle and Dante is a breathtaking book. It has a slow pace, but a wonderful one.
The boys, Dante in particular, feel like living, breathing 3D characters.
Their struggles and their triumphs are real and true.

'I wrote my name on his back. He wrote his name on mine.'

This book made me happy. It made me cry. It made me glad that such a book exists. It earned a place on my Golden Shelf of Pure Wonderful (a prestigious award that so far has only been gifted to The Fault in Our Stars, every Harry Potter book except the second one, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings.)

Benjamin Alire Saenz is probably my new favorite writer, and Aristotle and Dante will probably be one of my favorite books forever and ever and ever.
"Ashamed? Of loving Dante?".....
I took Dante's hand and held it. 
How could I have ever been ashamed of loving Dante Quintana."

Warm Weather and Cute Canines

Hello readers,
Springtime is coming up, and my corner of the world is warming up a lot. It has gone from freezing my buns off if I step outside for three seconds to wearing just a sweater. The deep thaw has finally worn off, and I am glad.
I have been spending the Long, Cold Winter by reading popular fiction. Here is my Grand List:

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (nay)
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (yay)
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (yay)
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (nay)
The Fault in our Stars by John Green (one hundred percent yes)
Divergent by Veronica Roth (nay)
Insurgent by Veronica Roth (nay)
Part of Allegiant by Veronica Roth (hated it so much that I didn't finish it.)

As you can see, most of the books I hated. I don't like most popular fiction.


Anyway, I have welcomed a new puppy to my life, a wriggly King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. Her name is Pip and she is six months old.
She loves walks but hates people. I'm teaching her to lie down, and because she catches on to things pretty well, she is learning quite fast.
I have been quite busy with my homeschooling and my classes, which is why I haven't been posting as much, and I'm sorry.

 Xoxo, Taryn

Crafts by Taryn: A colourful birthday card

Hello readers! It's Taryn here, with her very first how-to blog!
I'm going to teach you how to make a easy, pretty birthday card! With photos!

You will need:

One piece of paper, any colour
A pair of scissors
Fabric, in a variety of colours and textures
A marker, any colour
Glue
It takes approximately 20 minutes to make.


Step 1: Cut out 16 (sixteen) circles of your chosen fabrics. I used some that came in a child's sewing kit.

Step 2: Fold a piece of paper in half.  Lay out three circles of your chosen fabric in the upper-left corner on the front of the card. It should look like the image below.

Step 3: Lay down four circles of your choice below the top row.

Step 4:  Lay down an additional four circles below the second row.

Step 5: Lay down 1 circle. Then, write a small message beside it, like "I love you!" or "I'm sorry" or "Happy Easter" or whatever you made the card for. I made it for a friend celebrating her 13th birthday, so I wrote ''Happy 13th," on the front. Then place an additional circle beside it. It should look like this:

 Step 6: Lay down three circles in the bottom row.

Step 7: Glue them all down. The glue may take a while to dry, but I used a glue stick, which doesn't take that long.

Step 8: You know how the corners are empty? Draw bows across them. Like this:

Once you've drawn them in the two exposed corners, you're done! Your finished card should look like this: 

Thank you for reading!

Something Long Overdue

Hello readers! Happy New Year!

  I realize I haven't been as....active on Adventures Of a Homeschooling Girl. So I'm going to make up for it by giving you an extra-long post about my plans for the future and lots of other interesting info.
  For me, figuring out the opening line for a book, or heck, even a blog post, has always been difficult. Maybe it's trying to figure out how to introduce it...or trying not to mess it up......well, either way, it's hard with a capital D.
  (Yeah, I know that made no sense whatsoever.)
  So here we go. I'll open with a quote from my latest book, Dacha Summer.


  "Summer is a rather peaceful time. When it's winter, we think of summer with a sad fondness, and we think of not-too-hot days with perfect breezes, spent skipping through meadows or climbing trees, or playing in sparkling, cold pools. We think of days watching fireworks, or wading through creeks catching crayfish. We taste the smoky flavour of barbecue sauce, and the cold creaminess of ice cream. We are thankful for air conditioners and trips to the beach. We wear faded shorts and climb onto burning hot, black-shingled roofs.
  My favorite part about summer are those rare days that are extremely cloudy but warm, with the occasional breeze. The air tingles with an electric charge. It makes me want to sneak through the forest, playing Manhunt, or go on a great journey. It makes me think of white-tipped waves crashing to shore. You can practically feel the salty breeze."

I love summer. It is the Bestest, most Amazing, Wonderful time of the Year. And since 7 and 2 are some of my lucky numbers, 2014 should be the Bestest, most Amazing Year so Far.
   And here's why:
  I may have a chance to go to Tennessee (long story)
  This is gonna be the year I really push for a dog
  I can climb trees a lot better than I used to be able to, so more time in the treetops doing my best Rue-jumping-from-tree-to-tree impersonation.
  I may be going on a real-life adventure with four good friends and compete with thousands of others to win something (also a long story)
  We will be getting our garden in, so lots of time planting and enjoying our harvests.

  Here are the small things I'm really looking forward to in summer:
  Climbing onto the rooftop and enjoying a really awesome view
  Eating frozen grapes under the shade of a tree
  Summer park dates!
  And last, staying up late at summer barbecues.

  And now that I've ranted on and on about summer, I'll tell you about my big (summer) project.

  TIME. LAPSE. PHOTOGRAPHY.

  Once summer starts, I'm gonna go out and photograph a single thing, be it flower, bush, or patch of grass, every day for the rest of summer. Then I'm going to make it into a time-lapse video and post it on here! Cool, huh?

  Right now it's snowing pretty hard. I dislike (read: extremely hate) winter, so I have stayed inside and made a sled for the Disaster, also known as Taryn B the One-legged Doll. She used to have ridiculously fuzzy hair and a dirty face, but my friend managed to fix her up. Many thanks.

La catastrophe, Christmas 2012

It's a big change from that.......

to this!

Le pas-si catastrophe, January 6, 2014

I used Google Translate French for both of these. (Don't kill me!)

  And soon my busy social calendar will start up again, and I won't spend my days looking out my window with the Disaster waiting for summer.

  Au revoir, dear readers, until next time!

  

Fifty Things about me!

1: What are you wearing? Red robe, black leggings, blue & white striped t-shirt, and a grey beaded necklace.
2: Ever been in love? Uhm, nope.
3: Ever had a terrible breakup? Definitely no!
4: How tall are you? 5'2! I'm taller than most of my friends.
5: How much do you weigh? 82 pounds, perhaps?
6: Any tattoos? No. I might get one when I'm older, though.
7: Any piercings? Yeah, I got my ears pierced a long time ago. I want to get more, though.
8: OTP? Ron/Hermione! They're awesome together!
9: Favorite Show? Amazing Race and Wipeout are my favorites.
10: Favorite bands? Regina Spektor Nickleback, Keane, I somewhat like One Direction, and Fall Out Boy.
11: Something you miss? My stuffed black cat. She was so sweet, I really miss her!
12: Favorite song? Currently it's Enchanted by Taylor Swift.
13: How old are you? Between 11 and 13
14: Zodiac sign? Pisces.
15: Quality you look for in a partner? Kind, caring, empathetic.
16: Favorite Quote? “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't." ― Mark Twain
17: Favorite actor? Emma Watson.
18: Favorite color? Blue and green are my favorites.
19: Loud music or soft? LOUD!
20: Where do you go when you're sad? My room. I unzip my comforter and crawl into it.
21: How long does it take you to shower? 10-20 minutes.
22: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? It can take 2 minutes to 10 minutes.
23: Ever been in a physical fight? Nope.
24: Turn on? I like sparkly, pristine, tropical beaches.
25: Turn off? Big messes!
26: The reason I joined Youtube? I'm not on Youtube.
27: Fears? Puppets, Muppets, Sesame Street, and certain noises (extremely loud gongs, creaking chains at playgrounds, and loud banging on metal. I actually worked myself into a a panic crossing under a train bridge, because I kept thinking about the awful noises it would make if I touched it.)
28: Last thing that made you cry? When I accidentally trapped my fingers between the panels of a garage door a few days ago.
29: Last time you said you loved someone? last night, to my mom.
30: Meaning behind your Youtube Name? Again, I'm not on Youtube.
31: Last book you read? Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code.
32: The book you're currently reading? Olivia kidney, Hot on the Trail.
33: Last show you watched? Wipeout.
34: Last person you talked to? My mom, telling her I didn't want to watch any Christmas movies.
35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted?  I don't text.
36: Favorite food? Thai food! I love Thai food!
37: Place you want to visit? London, England, P.E.I, and Tokyo.
38: Last place you were? At co-op.
39: Do you have a crush? Perhaps. : P
40: Last time you kissed someone? A goodnight kiss for my mom.
41: Last time you were insulted? Can't remember.
42: Favourite flavour of sweet? CHOCOLATE! CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE!
43: What instruments do you play?? No instruments. I tried playing the recorder earlier today, but it sounded like a dying animal gasping for its last breath.
44: Favourite piece of jewelery? My necklace. It's got clear and black jewels on it, and it's also got a tiny, hollow metal ball with carved designs on it.
45: Last sport you played? Dodgeball at co-op.
46: Last song you sang? Enchanted by Taylor Swift.
47: Favourite chat up line? Waffles or pancakes! It's become my trademark.
48:Have you ever used it? Loads of times.
49: Last time you hung out with anyone? My friends at co-op today
50: Who should answer these questions next? YOU!

  I really, really promise to post more. Au revoir for now!

Book Review: Looking for X, by Deborah Ellis

"Mom used to be a stripper.
 She quit when I came along. She calls it exotic dancing, which isn't quite right. It is dancing, but exotic doesn't mean dancing while you take your clothes off. Inuit dancing could be exotic, but that's not what Mom did. 
 She made good money at it, but it all sort of drained away. Before I was born, she was poor, and we've been poor ever since.
 A lot of people think that just because Mom used to be a stripper, her children are screwed up and will stay screwed up forever. Not so. My brothers would have been the way they are no matter how Mom paid her rent. 
 If I'm screwed up when I become an adult. it will be my own fault. If I'm screwed up now - well, I'm not, so there's nothing more to say about that. Sometimes strippers like to travel. I'd like that."
 Deborah Ellis, Looking for X

 And so begins the wonderful book that is Looking for X.

 In Looking for X, eleven-year-old Khyber lives with her mother Tammy, her autistic younger brothers David and Daniel, who are twins, in the Regent Park section of Toronto, Ontario.
" "They should have called it Pauper Park," I said once to Tammy. "No one would want to live here then," she replied. "Hardly anyone wants to live here now," I answered."

 Khyber has a friend called X, who is homeless and she meets in Allan Gardens. Khyber gives her peanut butter and corn syrup sandwiches, which creates a sort of bond between them.
 Khyber also works at the Trojan Horse restaurant with Valerie, who was named the meanest waitress in Toronto. Khyber mops the floors in exchange for a free breakfast.
 After a visit to X that ends with a fight with neighborhood rough people, Khyber comes home muddy and scraped. Her mother suspects that she was fighting, but Khyber doesn't say anything. Later, Tammy reveals that Khyber's classroom windows were shattered and that Khyber is the main suspect. Khyber runs away to look for X, who is the only one who can vouch for her.


 I loved this book. It's well written, and it is very sad in some parts. Tammy grows from being quiet and motherly to being harsher and quicker to anger, which is interesting to read about. Khyber is a likable protagonist, but X is rather underdeveloped.

 I rate this four out of five stars.