Hi everyone!  I just wanted to let you all know that I am starting a new blog on Blogger/Blogspot.  Find it at: http://www.nikis-notebook.blogspot.com.  However, I will be keeping this blog.  The posts will be identical on each from now on.   So, if you don't have a Google account, you can comment here and vice versa.  I am going to establish better blog habits and try my hardest to post every other week at least.   My new blog is under construction, so if it looks strange, that's why.   Stop by soon for a new post!  See you soon.

Niki

The Homeschool Blogger Backyard is holding a contest and they are giving away these t-shirts from the Homeschool Boutique.  This is what they look like.

To enter, go to the Backyard (you must be logged into your account in order to see the post) and get your instructions there.    I will post again soon with picture's of Levi and other things.  Bye for now!

Niki

Hi!  I'm back!  Within a month's time too!  Yes, I know, it is amazing.  Anyway, we just had some great snowy weather.    It snowed three days in a row! 

The first day we woke up to about an inch of snow.  It was perfect snowball snow!  It was Sunday, but we played hooky and stayed home to enjoy the weather.  Yes, yes, call us heathens if you wish, but who can resist freshly fallen snow?  Well, we had the best snowball fight ever!  It was mostly me, Brady, Dad and Mom that were participating, but it was so much fun!  We were all ganging up on Dad.  I am not a good shot, and add slippery mittens to that, well, you can guess the results.  I didn't hit my target very often.  But I loved sneaking around the yard and hiding and stuff.   We also made a snowman that my siblings dubbed "Archie".So we thoroughly enjoyed that day, but the next day we were pleasantly suprised with about 2 inches of snow to replace the snow that had melted the day before.  But, we had to do school, and unfortunately, I was having a very bad day.  But the snow was still fun. 

The next day didn't really count, but we did get a dusting that night.  Some of the snowflakes coming down were about an inch wide.  They were huge!  But it didn't snow for long.  : (

Well, hope you enjoyed my post and I will be back soon!  Oh, I updated my poll, so please vote on it.  It is located on my sidebar.  Thanks!

Niki

Hello!  Long time, no blog!  Yeah...me and my bad posting habits.  Anyway, I have been a bit busy and you shall see why after my announcment.  Please proceed to scroll down.If any of you guessed that that picture indicated a new baby, you were correct!!  My mother had a little baby boy on December 6th!  Yes, I know, I didn't tell you my mom was pregnant.  Sorry about that.   Anyway, his name is Levi and he is adorable!!  What a precious little gift!  But then, aren't all babies precious?  That is why we have been busy.  We had been waiting for him to be born since the middle of November.  No, he wasn't late, but we thought he was.  But, nothing much got done until after he was born.   We are all very thankful that his birth went well and that he is healthy.  Mom recovered quickly from the birth also.  She was up and around in about 2 days.  Babies are such miracles!  And such fun too!

My apologies again for not posting for so long.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!  My grandparents visited us for Christmas.  It was a lot of fun.  My 2 year old sister had a hard time waiting her turn to open a present.  I do have some New Year's Resolutions.  They are...

1.  Read the Bible faithfully

2.  Exercise and eat well

3.  Blog at least once a week

4. And I think there was something else, but it slipped my mind...

My thanks to all but one of you for the comments on my last post.  Anonymous, I am sorry you thought my post was stupid.  And Sea Dragons are not "fire breathing dragons".  There really is no such thing as "fire breathing dragons".  Anyway, in the future, if you can't leave nice comments, please don't leave any.

Thank you to all who have voted on my poll.  If you haven't yet voted, please vote soon, as I hope to change it in the near future.

I will see if I can post pictures of the baby.  I will post again soon.  Have a great day!

Niki

Hello my loyal fans!  Heh heh.....Do I actually have any loyal fans?  LOL! 

I am here today because Animaltalk requested a post about the mysterious Sea Dragon.  They are so cool!

Sea Dragons are fish that live in the sea, otherwise they would be Freshwater Dragons.  : ) Sorry, couldn't resist, lol.   They are related to the Seahorse.   However, Sea Dragons tend to be larger then Seahorses.

Sea Dragons have spectacular camoflauge.  They have leaf like appendages that look like seaweed.  They do not use this to propell themselves.  That is done by small translucent fins by the head.  The dorsal fin is located along the spine of the dragon.  When they move, the movement resembles the swaying of seaweed or kelp.

Sea Dragons feed on larval fish and shrimp like crustaceans called  mysids or "sea lice".  The Sea Dragons obtain their food by sucking their prey into their mouths.

One place where Sea Dragons live is in Australia.  They like to live in seagrass beds or around reefs.

Sea Dragons come in a variety of colors, mostly pink, orange and yellow.  They are truly extraordinary creatures. 

I could not find much more information about them, but if you wish to learn more, feel free to research on your own.  Here are some pictures.This picture is really good.  You can see the outline of the Sea Dragon very well.

This picture shows you a little bit more of its camoflauge abilities.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this post.  Please feel free to comment with a request for a post, or just post a comment because you know it will make me happy.   : P

Niki

Hey y'all!  Do any of you know what this is?If you read the title, you probably safely guessed that it was a Leopard Gecko.  So it is.   This picture is not of the exact leopard gecko my tale is about, but it looks similar.   Now, grab some popcorn, sit back and listen, or rather, read, my tale...

My tale begins one morning a few weeks ago...My father was in our downstairs bathroom, when he saw something in the corner.  It looked like a toy two headed beast of some sort.  Upon closer observation, my dad noticed the "thing" was breathing!  He emptied the trash can into the sink, grabbed a piece of wood that was handy, and approuched the creature.  He nudged it into the trash can and brought it upstairs.  I awoke about an hour or so after this happened.  I was greeted by my brother and sister saying, "Look what dad caught in the bathroom!"  I looked and saw the creature in the picture above.  My brother continued, "It was probably the previous owner's pet."  He nudged me, "Do you think it's a leopard gecko?"  The reason he said that was there was something after a TV show we watch occasionally that is about a boy and his Leopard Gecko.  It annoys us.  But anyway, I looked up leopard gecko and found that indeed, that is what we had.  It had been living in our house for about 6 months!  We still don't know what it was eating and drinking and stuff, but we have it in a box and my brother and sisters have dubbed it "Shepard the Desert Leopard".  I brought it to Biology once and got extra credit.  : )

Fun Fact:

Unlike most Gecko's, Leopard Gecko's can't climb vertical surfaces!

School started 3 weeks ago for us and we just finished learning about Ancient Egypt.  I wish we could have studied that longer.  : (  I enjoy Ancient Eygpt.  I am in 9th grade this year.  My least favorite subject is Algebra.  I don't have a favorite subject really.  For Grammar I am using Rod and Staff.  For History we are using Tapestry of Grace.  For science, me and Rose are taking a Biology class.  With dissections and everything!!!  The book being used is Exploring Creation through Biology 2nd Edition from Apologia.  I am looking forward to it!  I will also be taking a sewing class with Rose.  Our first project is a Christmas dress for ourselves.  I am planning to make the dress Emma is wearing in this picture.  With different fabrics and a higher neckline of course.

Well, sorry if I bored you with such a long post.  Animaltalk, your sea dragon post is coming.  As always, I appreciate comments.  See you all later!

Niki

P.S.  Do you like my new template?

Hello!  I am so bad about posting, you probably barely remember me.  Today I am posting about...if you read the title you should have guessed, but if not, I am posting about jellyfish by request of my very good friend, Rose.  Oh and be sure to check out her blog and read her post about our little adventure. 

Jellyfish are invertebrates which means they have no spine.  Amazingly jellyfish can be found in every ocean in the world.  There are many species of jellyfish.  Some live in the deep ocean, but most live in shallow waters.

A jellyfish has no head, brain, heart, eyes, or ears.  Jellyfish have touch receptors on their tentacles and around their mouths to help capture food. These touch receptors may also detect vibrations in the water caused by the movement of a fish, crab, or other animal swimming by. Jellyfish do not have a nose or tongue. They have special cells that smell and taste.  These cells are scattered all over their bodies. Sea jellies do not have eyes like human eyes, but many have light-sensitive organs around the margins of their bodies.

To capture prey for food, jellyfish have a net of tentacles that contain poisonous, stinging cells. When the tentacles brush against prey , or a person, thousands of tiny stinging cells explode, launching barbed stingers and poison into the victim.  In some species these stings can be quite dangerous, but in most species they are just painful.

Most jellyfish pass through two forms during their life cycle. The first is the polyp stage, when the jellyfish takes the form of either a stalk which catches passing food, or a similar free-floating configuration. The polyp's mouth and tentacles face upwards.  In the mature stage, the jellyfish is known as a medusa. Medusae have a umbrella-shaped body called a bell. The medusa's tentacles hang from the border of the bell.

Jellyfish can be smaller than an inch in diameter, but some may grow to be 7 feet across!!!  Their tentacles have grown in some cases to be 100 feet long.  It is estimated that there are about 2000 different types of jellyfish.  Out of those 2000 only 70 species are really dangerous to humans.

Jellyfish usually drift with the current, but on occasion they swim. Jellyfish swim by rhythmic pulsations of their bellshaped bodyl. The movement is very like an umbrella being open and shut slowly.

Fun Facts...

The name jellyfish is considered by some to be incorrect.  It is actually, because jellyfish are not fish.  So, jellyfish are also called sea jellys, or just jellys.

Most jellyfish don't live more than 6 months.

A group of jellies are often called "smacks".

This jelly appears to be almost a pinkish color!A "smack" of jellyfish.  Don't they look almost pretty?This jelly has long tentacles, and I believe it is a Sea Nettle, which is one of the more dangerous jellys.

This is a flower hat jelly.

Well, I hope you enjoyed that.  I enjoyed learning more about jellyfish also.  If any of you have any requests of marine creatures that you would like me to post about, please leave me a comment and tell me.  I know, I always say this, but I will try to post more often.  Maybe you could leave me comments and remind me to post soon.  Thanks.

Niki

Hello, here is my promised post about a Marine Animal.  My brother requested that I write about stingrays, so here it is.

Many people think that stingrays are dangerous and deadly.  This is not true.  Stingrays are not aggressive, if threatened, they are most likely to just swim away.  The most common reason for them to sting, is if they are stepped on.  Then their tail whips up and stings.  Their stinger is a razor-sharp, barbed, or serrated spine, made of cartilidge, which grows from the ray's whip-like tail.  (much like a human's fingernail)  On the underside of the spine are two grooves containing venom-secreting tissue. The entire spine is covered with a thin layer of skin called the integumentary sheath, in which venom is concentrated.  

These stings are rarely fatal.  They are painful, but very, very seldom fatal. 

There are many different species of stingrays.  They vary in size from the size of a man's palm, to 6 feet in diameter and 14 feet including tail! 

Stingrays swim with a flying motion using their large pectoral wings, commonly incorrectly refered to as "fins".

Stingrays can be found in tropical coastal waters in various places in the world, but there are fresh water species in Asia , Africa, and Florida.  

This is a blue spotted stingray.

Another stingray.

Stingrays are fascinating creatures and I enjoyed doing the research for this post.  If you would like to learn more about a specific type of marine animal, post a comment telling me what animal you are interested in.  And even if you don't have a request, comments are still welcome.

Niki

Happy Independance day, everyone!  On this day in 1776 our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independance!  We are going to a friends house in a few hours to celebrate.  What are you doing today?  I would love to hear about it.  So post a comment and tell me.  Another post is coming soon.

Niki

      Yes, I have been busy lately.  Since we moved back here where all our friends are, we have had a lot of catching up to do.  Plus we were finishing up school.  We are done for the summer now.  I have been neglecting my blog.  So sorry!  Thanks to anyone who commented. 

      I am in a sewing class this week.  Rose is in it also.  It is a lot of fun!  I will try to post some pictures of the things I made, when I get them done.  It is a five day long class that goes from 9:30 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon.  Yes, that is five days in a row.  But it is a lot of fun!  Everyone is making clothes for a baby or small child in their life.  My clothes are for my baby sister Autumn.  Well, she is 20 months old, but she is the youngest in our family.  My theme is Lil' Lady Bug.  The class is a lot of fun.  It will be good to know how to sew clothes.  I am excited about learning more about sewing. 

        I know I always say this, but I will say it again.  I will try to post more often from now on!  I will try to make it part of my scheduale this summer. 

         Also, I am thinking about posting some facts on various types of fish.  Probably dolphins primarily, (They are my favorite animal.) but also whales and other interested species.  Would this be interesting to any of you?  Just tell me so I can start working on it.   Anyway, the comment button is below.  Use it!  ; )

Niki

Hi!  I'm back! It has been almost a month since I last posted.  I am so sorry, but I haven't really had access to a computer for a while.  Our trip here went well.  It was long and New Mexico and Arizona are really boring scenery wise.  We are starting to get settled in our new home, but it is taking a while.  It is very green here.  I am enjoying it.  It is definitely good to see my friends again.  It was a long drive, but well worth it.  Thanks for all the comments. 9 in a month still is kind of pathetic though...I suppose it was my fault for not posting alot.  But I couldn't get to a computer very often.  And now...I have been tagged by ang3lbaby. 

1. Nicknames: Niki

 2. Birthday: Read profile

3. Eye color: Not telling 

4. Hair color: Not telling

4. What are you doing right now? Typing this entry and IMing Rose                                    

5. What are you going to do when you are done this? Um...Play a computer game

6. How many pets? 1 cat

7. Fav restaurants: Izzy's, IHOP, Marie Callanders

8. What state do you live in?  OR

9. Is Lauren one of your fav bloggers on homeschoolblogger? Who is Lauren?

10. Name 10 of your fav bloggers on homeschoolblogger: Well that is a hard choice, and might make people feel bad, so this is blank

11. Who are you going to tag?  I don't know.....                                

12. Who's answer are you most interested in? No clue

13. Whats your fav color? Dark red

14. Whats you BFF's name? I have a lot of best friends

15. Are you getting tired of this tag? Um...not really

16. What did you do before you did this tag? Email someone

17. Quick pick on! Orange or Lime!!! The fruit, or the color? fruit: Orange, Color: Lime

18. What is closest to you when you stretch out your left arm? My mom laying on the bed

19. Where would you go on your honey moon if you chose? Hawaii probably

20. Whats the 3rd letter of your middle name? B

There you have it folks.  I will post again soon.  I promise.  As usual, comments are welcome.

Niki

Ok, let me explain the title in order.  Yesterday I had to get immunizations, that's the needles part.  The second shot is swelling and a bit painful today.  Also, at 10:30 today I went to the dentist to get my braces off!  It hurt a little, especially when they were getting the glue off my teeth, but it was well worth it.  Now I have smooth, straight teeth.  I will get my retainers tomorrow.  We have been packing our house little by little.  Hopefully we will be able to get all of our stuff into our truck!  I think we will, but dad isn't so sure...  Do you like my new cursor?   Don't forget I still would like opinions on my last post.

Niki

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
     of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
     one Nation, indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

Now, did you read that and think that something was missing?  Well, you were absolulely right!  The "under God" part was missing.  Doesn't the Pledge of Allegiance sound empty without it?  Some people would actually want it to sound this way.  They say that it is offensive to mention God, because that is against some people's beliefs!  President Dwight D. Eisenhower added the under God part saying, "In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war."  He was right.  Spiritual weapons are more powerful than any weapon man can invent.  If we even have the faith of a mustard seed we can move mountains.  Under God should not be taken out of the Pledge of Allegiance.  The Pilgrams came to America for religious freedom, many imigrants come here for religious freedom, freedom is what America is about.  If our country stops being under God, it will be destroyed.  "Blessed is the nation whose god is the Lord."-Psalms 33:12.  God Bless America! 

As usual comments are welcome.

Niki

Hello!  I said I would post soon and I kept my promise.  I am posting about...Drum roll please............Playdough!  Playdough you ask?  Aren't you 13?  Yes, but I can still have fun with playdough.  Especially if you make it yourself with kool-aid.  Here are a few pictures of our playdough creations.This is my brother's 3d star.  I looked like a starfish to me. My little sister created this with a cookie cutter and a pencil.My other sister created this using a stencil.

And this one is mine.  I also used a stencil and added detail.  If you look closely you will observe that the horse has a mane and the squirrel's tail is somewhat bushy.  Now I am sure you want how to make this wonderful playdough.  Here is the recipe.

Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
    2 1/2  c             Flour
      1/2  c             Salt
    2      pkg           Unsweetened Kool-aid
    2      c             Boiling water
    3      tbsp          Vegetable oil

Mix dry ingredients.  Add water and oil, stir.  Mix or knead with hands when
cool.  Store in Ziploc bag or container with lid.  Lasts for several months.

There you have it folks!  Enjoy!  I like to just squish the stuff to relieve stress.  Well, not to relieve stress but it is fun to squish.  Bye for now.  Comment lots!

Niki

Hello!  Sorry it has been so long, and that this has to be short.  Let me try to bring you up to date in a few paragraphs.  My grandparents are in town, so we have been seeing them almost everyday.  They are staying at my aunt and uncle's house.  Today we had a realtor list our house, because For Sale by Owner wasn't working. : (  I have to go read with my mom soon so I am typing as fast as I can.  I will post a longer post tomorrow hopefully....Anyhow...How have you all been?  Another reason I haven't posted is we went to the library the other day and I am a bookworm.  I start reading a book, and I don't really put it down til I am finished with it!  Especially Nancy Drew books.  I read those in one sitting sometimes....; )  I am a fast reader.  Well I have to go.  I will post again tomorrow. 

Niki

I copied and pasted my favorite smiley.  Hope you can see it...

Well, I promised I would post again so here I am.  Today we had our second day for our Open House, so Mom took us kids to the park, and then we went to pick up my new glasses.  I got some pinkish silver ones and some greenish black ones for sunglasses.  It was a deal for 2 pairs of glasses for a good price.  Now you might be asking why we are having an open house.  Well, we are moving again.  Back to Oregon where we lived before.  I am really excited to live close to all my friends and next door to my grandparents again.  We are moving into a house that is right next to the one we used to live in.  So I am  excited.  Oh we also went to my cousins birthday party this evening.  That was fun.  They had blown up a ton of balloons and they had floated up to the ceiling so the strings were hanging down.  It look pretty.  Well, I will post again soon.  Bye for now!

Niki

Hello!  Again...Sorry it took so long to post!  I have been kind of busy lately.  We have been packing boxes and having a garage sale and all sorts of stuff.  Tonight I went to my first track meet.  It was pretty fun.  We got there a long time before my event started, so I had a lot of time to kill.  I ran my race and came in last.  Well, I have to go because it is bedtime.  I will try to post again really soon.  Tomorrow probably.

Niki

Ok....I have to write 7 weird things about myself!  Have fun learning all these things you didn't know about me!

1. At dinner, I always put my foot on my brothers chair, and it drives him crazy.

2. I love the smell of coffee but not the taste.

3. I love peace and quiet! 

4. I absolutely love nature and God's creation.

5. I still have a teddy bear I got when I was a baby.

6. I sing in the shower.

7. I really like fuzzy socks.

Rules:  each player of this game starts with 7 weird things about you.  People who get tagged need to write a blog of their 7 weird things as well as state this rule clearly.  In the end, you need to choose 7 people to be tagged and list their names....also, leave a comment that says "you've been tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog for further info..!

So these are the people that I'm tagging:

SAMIAM

Padmeskywalker

Animalprincess

Animaltalk

I know I was supposed to tag 7 people, but I am tagging whoever wants to be tagged, because I can't decide what people to tag. 

Now you are probably wondering why I haven't posted recently.  Well, I have a good excuse.  We have had company for a week or so.  First our friends the Millers came, and now my Aunt Debbie and Uncle Charlie are here.  They left with the rest of the family for a hiking trip today, so it is me and Mom and Autumn at home today.  I stayed home for the peace and quiet.  I went to a rodeo recently!  That was fun.  They had this one thing where these little kids, 4-8 would try to ride a sheep for as long as possible.  Well, this post is pretty long...So see ya later!

Niki

Ok, first things first.  The winner of the template contest is Merry and Pippin.  He did not win because he is my brother, but because he got more votes than anyone else.  He got 2, animalprincess got 1 and snowwolf got 1.  But merryandpippin does not want the prize, because he doesn't need a new template.  Speaking of templates, I changed mine.  What do y'all think?  Oh, I have offically been hit by the blinkie craze.  As you can see I have added a lot to my sidebar.   I had my first track practice on Wednesday, and a second one yesterday.  Yesterday was the skills assesment day.  They had us run as fast as we could and jump as high and as far as we possibly could, etc.  I think I was best at the triple long jump.  I was so-so at the hurdles.  Well, I have to get ready for school.  Congratulations to you all for all the funny captions!

Niki