The Perfect Hot Chocolate...

In honor of the holiday season, I decided to write a post about a recipe for one of the best hot chocolates that I have ever tasted.

Step 1: Go to your local Walmart and head for the Tea/Hot Chocolate section. Somewhere amongst that "sweet smelling" isle should be a Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate section. One of these boxes should be labeled "French Vanilla". Purchase this now before they are all gone.

Step 2: Bring the hot chocolate purchase home and place it out of the way for a few moments. For the best quality hot chocolate, you should use milk instead of water. If you are using milk, pick out your favorite holiday mug and pour in some cold milk. Place this mug of cold milk in a microwave and heat for one minute.

Step 3: Now, here is the tricky part. Carefully take the hot mug out of the microwave and add in the Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate mix. Stir until most of the powder has dissolved into the milk. Then, place the mug back in the microwave for another minute.

And there you go! The perfect hot chocolate is finally finished, and you can now enjoy it around a cozy fire, and watching your favorite Christmas movie. Sounds nice doesn't it?

My Thanksgiving Top Ten...

During the Thanksgiving holiday, I get to eat great food, spend time with family, and even have a family nap session. There are so many different aspects that I can be thankful for around this time of year:

1. Family--Almost every activity or concept of the holiday season involves family. I love spending Thanksgiving with my family. I am thankful for getting to see all of the people I normally only get to see every once in a while. When we get together, we have a blast!


2. Friends--I am also thankful for my friends. Even though I don't get to see them much over the holiday season, I am so very thankful for them. They are always there for me, and to help me when I am down.

3. Home--Without my home, I would have no shelter or place to be thankful in. I enjoy sitting by our cozy fireplace and drinking a cup of hot cocoa. I am thankful to even have this option of joy.

4. Food--I love food. Point blank, food is one of the items that I am most thankful for. I could not LIVE without the roasted turkey, potatoes, and of course...pie.

5. Pets--Almost everyone probably has some kind of pet involved in their family. Whether it is a dog, cat, moose, or even a ferret. They may not seem like a huge part, but if they were gone, your love for them would be realized. I am quite thankful for them.

6. Card Games--UNO!!!!!! Yes, as you can see, Uno is one of my all time favorite card games. Is it wrong to be thankful for that? I. Think. Not. By the way, this subject is totally a shout-out to all of my Uno buddies!!! You guys make the game interesting, and I am thankful for that.

7. Hobbies--There is sooo much that I can say about hobbies. I love to play soccer, play the trumpet, and even rock climb on special occasions. I think without having all of these activities to entertain me, I would go insane.

8. Music--Like I said before, I play the trumpet so I can't help but be thankful for music! I love it. It completes me, and makes me who I am today. I have grown up around music lovers so without it, all would be lost.

9. Books--One of my most beloved books, that I have read, is To Kill a Mockingbird. I love the good country story of three children whose whole outlook on life take a drastic change for the better over the course of a year. Honestly, it really changed my life. I am thankful for the stories that are passed on through books.

10. Computer--Well, to be honest, towards the end of this list I ran out of good ideas for things to be thankful for. However, I do love the amazing Facebook that can only be accessed from the internet/computer world. :]

Surviving the Dreaded Monday...

Everyone hates Mondays. Mondays seem to always be the most horrible part of the week. However, here are a few tips that can maybe help beat the "Monday blues":

1. Have every Monday be "Movie Monday". Everyone likes to sit down and watch a good movie. Why not incorporate the dread of Monday into that to help brighten the day? Go to a favorite movie rental store and snag a classic, a comedy, or even a musical and then curl up on the couch at home and watch it. Maybe even make a big cup of hot cocoa to make the evening even more pleasurable. Sounds cozy doesn't it?

2. Another way to try and beat the stressfulness of Monday is to have an excellent meal. Whether it be for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, a good meal can always improve a horrible Monday. Cook some comfort food, like chicken noodle soup. Or maybe a more cultural meal like a spicy stir-fry. Just make something that tastes good, but doesn't take too much effort!

3. One of my favorite activities to do on Mondays is a game night. Get the whole family together and play a game like scattergories or monopoly! And even if you are by yourself, break out a favorite video game and spend a couple hours bringing up the "Monday mood". I recommend playing a round of twister, it is good for the soul and your physical well-being!

Hopefully these tips help brighten your Monday blues, and if you enjoy Mondays, use these tips for another day that is stressful or disappointing. Enjoy!

7 Habits...

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey, was a fun, yet eye opening experience. I liked the book, but I also liked all that it had to teach me.

One of the chapters that I feel that I need to work on the most is "Sharpen the Saw". For those of you who haven't read the book, "sharpening the saw" means taking time out of your stressful day to unwind and renew yourself. This also means that people like me (tight schedule people) need to sometimes just take a time-out. One activity that really helps me relax is just sitting somewhere quiet and listening to music. It really gives me time to think and get away from the stresses of everyday life.

Habit 1 however, is the habit that I think I have completely mastered. This chapter is "Be Proactive". Ordinarily, I am an optimist. I like to think that something good can come out of almost anything. Unlike some people in this chapter who are reactive and blow up at every little thing, I like to say that if even the worst happens I won't let it ruin my day. This is one of my favorite qualities about myself (in my opinion).

I do recommend this book, but only to the people who are okay with changing themselves. This is a good book for people who love making themselves the best that they can be.

Found Book Review

"It wasn't there. Then it was. Later, that was how Angela DuPre would describe the airplane-over and over, to one investigator after another-until she was told never to speak of it again." Margaret Peterson Haddix's book, Found, thrilled me with its mind-boggling concept and impressive writing style.

Each of the characters in the story had very interesting and unique qualities about them. For instance, one character that I really enjoyed was Chip. He was a frantic, upbeat thirteen-year-old boy who has a crush on Jonah's sister Katherine. As you can imagine, the main character Jonah is not too happy about it. Jonah is also thirteen and was adopted at a young age. He didn't know anything about his background until now...

Also the plot of Found was a real attention grabber since it became stranger throughout the book. The main character, Jonah, always knew he was adopted but never thought much of it. Until he started receiving mysterious letters from an unknown source saying phrases like "You are one of the missing" and "Beware! They are coming back to get you". He soon finds out that the new kid next door, Chip, has also been receiving these unknown letters. However, Chip did not know he was adopted. Jonah's intelligent sister, Katherine thinks that there is more behind these interesting notes and that they should investigate. Jonah, Katherine, and Chip are plunged into the mystery involving unknown airplanes, the FBI, and even a kidnapping.

Margaret Haddix has always been one of my favorite writers of all time. And I must say, after reading this book she just keeps getting better and better. I would recommend Found for any reader who loves a good, but strange story.

314 pages

Dream Factory Book Review

Dream Factory is a very appealing love story that puts a whole new twist on the fantastic,land of Disney World. This story shows the fun depiction of life within the Magic Kingdom. Brad Barkley's book, Dream Factory drew me in with its romantic plot and unique writing style.

One point that definitely needs to be made about this book is the theme. Dream Factory is one of those stories that has a very important lesson to learn by the end of the book. The lesson that I learned was to be yourself and not care what people think of you. In the story, the main character Ella never tries to be anyone but herself. Even if other people find her strange, weird, or even crazy she doesn't try to keep up a different appearance. The other important character, Luke, by the end of the book finally learns how important this skill is.

As I said before, the romantic plot of Dream Factory was one of the main reasons that the book really grabbed my attention. The main story takes place in the wonderful world of Disney. A group of different teenagers from all over the country come together to work in Magic Kingdom for the summer. One of the teenagers that comes to work is named Luke and soon begins dating the beautiful, blond Cassie. Even though he does loves his girlfriend, he can't help but find himself fascinated with a strange girl named Ella. Luke and Ella soon become very close friends, and the plot thickens when Cassie becomes jealous and chooses a new partner for the park-wide scavenger hunt. Dream Factory continues to be an attention-grabbing love story that anyone would enjoy.

Finally, the characters of the story were all so different I couldn't help myself to not love getting to know all of them. She may have been gorgeous and fun but Cassie was my most disliked character. In the story, she cared too much about her looks and what people thought of her. She also was very clingy, and seemed to ruin the love story between Luke and Ella. Speaking of Ella, she was my most beloved character. Ella was unique, simple, and perfectly fine with her true self.

As you can see by reading my book review, I really loved this book! I am already a Disney fan to begin with, so this book just increased my love for Disney in general. I would mostly recommend Dream Factory for all of the girls who love a good love story.

250 pages

The Invisible Man Book Review

"The stranger went into the little parlour of the Coach and Horses about half-past five in the morning, and there he remained until near midday, the blinds down, the door shut, and none, after Hall's repulse, venturing near him." This brief statement from the book, The Invisible Man, basically sumarizes the strangeness that is yet to come in the rest of the story. The Invisible Man, by H.G. Wells, astounded me with its unusual plot and uncommon style.

The main element of this book that caught me off guard was the difficult and hard to follow writing style of the author. Unlike many of the previous books I have read, H.G. Wells placed the setting of his story in Old English time. He used jargon such as "constable" and "peewit". These terms were unknown to me and to completly understand the story I had to use dictionary references.

Another main point of the story was the setting in which The Invisible Man took place. I was astonished at H.G. Wells' ability to paint a mental picture of the town and the scenery in the book. He used an abundance of descriptive adjectives, verbs, and nouns. When I close my eyes I can picture the small town where these unusual events took place. One example of his uncanny describing skills was, "When the dusk was gathering and Iping was just beginning to peep timorously forth again upon the shattered wreckage of its Bank Holiday, a short, thickset man in a shabby silk hat was marcing painfully through the twilight behind the beechwoods on the road to Bramblehurst." Paints a pretty good picture doesn't it?

Overall I would definiatly recommend The Invisible Man to any type of reader. While it may have its slightly disturbing moments, it is a book that everyone should read at some point in life. Like I said before, keep an eye out for his amazing ability to paint a setting!