{Post 17}

            I miss my sister. I sit here in my house with nothing to do. I have my mom, but I can't talk to her like I did with Katniss. My mom doesn't provide for me like my sister did. Everyday we are forced to watch the Hunger Games. I have to stand there and hope nothing will happen to her. She is the strongest person I know, but I can't bare the thought of losing her. I watch as her and Peeta fight to stay alive and am so proud of how they are handling the situation. Katniss will make it through, she has to. I can't provide for myself and my mother. Katniss always took care of us, and with her gone it is so hard. I cry myself to sleep every night. My sister is and will always be my hero. I am so thankful that she took my place in the games and will forever be grateful. I hope she makes it through because I will spend the rest of my life thanking her for what she did for me. When Katniss is back I want her to teach me how to hunt, just like her. She's the best hunter I have seen. I want her to teach me how to be just like her. I look up to my sister more than anyone on this planet. With that being said, I hate the capitol and how this country is ran. I can't stand the fact that my sister is in an arena full of other kids fighting to the death. It makes me sick to think about. I am so nervous for her, and can't wait for her to come home. She will come home because I believe in her strength.

{Post 13}

Today I am going to teach you how to make a tissue paper pom-pom. These are great for party decorations and much more. They also make a great backdrop for photography too!!

Materials:

• Tissue Paper
• Scissors
• Floral Wire
• Fishing line (to hang the pom-poms after they are made)

Steps: 

1. Take 8 pieces of tissue paper and lay them on top of each other in the same direction. Cut them all in half using you scissors. 
2. Take the tissue paper you just cut in half pieces and lay them back on top of each other giving you 16 pieces of tissue paper stacked on top of each other all in the same direction.
3. One the short end of the tissue paper (one side should be longer than the other) begin folding the tissue paper. Fold at 1/2 inch of the end in, and then flip over the entire stack and fold the 1/2 you just created a 1/2 inch the other way. You will be folding it like an accordion. The paper should continue to get smaller as you go along. 
4. Once you have you paper folded in the accordion fold, you should end up with one strip of think tissue paper. 
5. In the middle of the paper take the floral wire and wrap it around the middle. Keep the wire flat, do not crinkle the center of the paper. It is not necessary. Twist the ends of the floral wire together and cut it off. Your floral wire should be secured flat around the tissue paper.
6. At each end of the strip of tissue paper, take your scissors and cut the end either rounded or into a point depending on how you want it to look. Make sure you cut through every layer the same. 
7. Once that is cut, take one side of the paper and begin unfolding the accordion shape. Do this to both sides so it completes almost a circle.
8. Then, take each individual piece of tissue paper and separate them from each other carefully. Be careful not to rip the paper. To achieve the best look take half of the sheets of paper and fold them upwards, and the other half downwards.
9. To hang them up attach a piece of fishing wire around the center piece of floral wire. Length of the fishing line will vary with the length you want the pom-pom to hang.
10. You should have a completed pom-pom. To make different sizes of pom-poms simply cut your tissue paper bigger of smaller. Good luck!! 

{Post 6}

 Riley Smith of Lansing, MI passed away last night, Monday, October 15th, 2012 at the age of 19. She was killed instantly when a drunk driver ran into the side of her car late last night. Funeral services will be held in Charlotte, MI Saturday morning at 11am. 

       Riley grew up in Lansing, graduated high school in Olivet, and was in her second year of college at Western Michigan University. She was working on a degree in Early Elementary Education. Riley was a good student and was looking forward to starting new upper level classes in the spring. 

      Riley loved life, she was a very happy and loving person. Her main passion in life was music. If Riley had plans, she was most likely going to a concert. Other than music she loved spending time with her family and friends. She was the greatest big sister. Riley also loved photography. She always was taking pictures and capturing life's moments. Her beautiful images will be a light in the dark days to come. 

     Riley was survived by her parents, Heidi Martin and Greg Smith; her step-parents, Cristina Smith and Blanche Martin; her sisters, Dakota, Rebekah, and Bethanie; her brothers Tucker, Jaden, and Noah; her Grandmother, Elaine Lenon. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Marcia Smith, Edward Lenon, and Maynard Smith. 

    Riley was looking forward to graduating from Western Michigan, and beginning a career. She was looking forward to getting married and having children of her own in the future. She unfortunately will never be able to accomplish these dreams, but she will forever be remembered. 

{Post 11}

• Music 
• Why smoking is bad
• How to interior decorate
• Crafting
• How to make jewelry 
• Why adoption is a good thing
• Why homeschooling is good
• childhood cancer

Childhood Cancer

1. What is childhood cancer? 

     a. Facts and Statistics

2. Types and Stages

     a. Rarity 

     b. Stages of cancer

3. How do children get cancer?

     a. No way of knowing 

     b. From treatment from other cancers 

3. Bringing faces to childhood cancer 

     a. Layla, Ellie, and Ronan

4. Foundations

    a. Certain foundations

    b. What the foundation does

    c. Awareness to childhood cancer 

5. Cures

    a. Chemotherapy

    b. Radiation

    c. Surgery 

    d. Transplants and transfusions

{Post 10}

Dear Jessica,
         I am writing this today to let you know that you should give me your car. I know it may sounds silly, but it really does make sense. I need a car, and you won't be able to drive anyways come December. You are having surgery on your right foot and will be in a splint for two weeks, then you will be in your cast for another 8 weeks, and finally you will have to wear your walking boot for at least two weeks after that. There is no way you will be able to drive for the rest of the school year, so you should just hand the keys over to me. I would also like to point out the fact that I am a superior driver than you are. I have never hurt anyone in a car accident, and I promise I won't hurt your car. Well, hopefully it will be my car soon. You would always have a ride to anywhere you would like to go, but I need a mode of transportation to get back and forth from work. There is no way I could buy a new car or a used car for that matter. I know it wouldn't be as beneficial to you, but in December the car will be useless to you. You giving me your car would be the solution to all of my problems. Give me the keys, please!!
Sincerely,
        Your roommate


Dear Jessica,
         I understand your point, I really do. If you gave me your car, however, there would be benefits to you too. After I had saved up money from work, I would totally give you the car back. I would eventually buy my own. You wouldn't have to give it to me forever, just the time being. It's necessary for me to get back and forth from work. With my money from work I could possibly give you some money for loaning your car to me. It would be a good trade off, plus I'm your best friend. You know you want to help me out. I would try and help you out if you were in this position. I love you!! With my money from work we would be able to take a trip to Nashville, but without your car I won't be able to get to my job to get money. We will have a blast this summer, if you give me your car for the time being. Please help me out, you know you want to!
Love,
     Your best friend

{Post 9}

    Music education in children is not important. Schools cannot afford to continue to teach so many extracurricular activities as music and art education. The government has been cutting funding to schools making it impossible to keep these classes readily available to children. Schools know that music helps improve brain function, but for a child to get through high school and college they must be able to understand the four main subjects of school: Language Arts, Science, Mathematics, and History.  Government funding needs to remain with the four main subjects of school in order to be beneficiary to the children.
     Technology is needed for the school systems. If they must take funding away from music and arts, that will be fine. Schools must provide technology to children or else that school will begin to lose students. The internet is beginning to play a huge part in education, and has progressively became a vital part of teaching children. Some students have homework that can only be completed online. Children must be provided with resources to use outside of school to do these activities, so they receive Ipads or laptops for the year. Parents will not continue to take their children to a school that doesn't meet every need for that child. Parents want the best for their kids, and if the school is not providing the fanciest of equipment parents may take them to a school that does offer that equipment. A school that continues to lose students, also continues to lose funding. Schools must pick and choose where their money will go.
      Some people purpose that schools cut funding from sports activities, but this will not solve anything. It would make matters worse, actually. Sports play a huge roll in bringing income to the school. Children must pay to play the sport, while other children pay to watch the sport. Football games sell many tickets and all of that money goes right into the schools funding. Sporting events also sell concessions, which provide major profits for the school. Sporting events even bring people from outside of the community to the school to spend money to watch their children play. This in turn brings more money to the school. An art program or music class would not bring in nearly as much profit as sports do. Instrument rentals take place outside of the school, which would keep the money away from the school. Schools don't typically offer instrument rentals. Then there is concert season. No one pays to attend their child's band or choir concert. The school wastes electricity and time hosting these concerts and no one pays to get in making no profit for the school.
     Music is good for the brain, but it is not good enough to keep in schools if funding isn't provided. Schools will continue to fund the four main subjects because those are needed in higher education. Technology will also continued to be funded because more and more schools are leaning on the internet and technology to teach the children their material. Also, music brings no income into the school. Music doesn't provide money like sports do. Music and Arts are too expensive and not needed in the school systems.

{Post 8}

The topic I want to write about is music in education. I want to write about this topic because music has had such an amazing impact in my life. I don't know what I would do without it, if we're being honest. Music just so happens to increase intelligence in children, so why would we want to cut it out of their curriculums completely? I remember music being one of my favorite parts of school. I was not and am still not musically talented, but that doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that music helps people heal, music helps children memorize, it also helps them communicate. What can't be voiced through words can sometimes for certain people be voiced through song lyrics. If I wasn't in college to be a teacher, I would be in college to do something in the music industry. Why would we want to deprive children from something as powerful as music, when schools can afford to give everyone Ipads? If they can't afford music class at least incorporate it into the classroom. Two of my favorite things in life are music and children. That's why this topic is perfect because it incorporates both things. Ever been to a concert? Those happen to be one of my very favorite things to do in my life. I have never been to a concert that I didn't like. My favorite shows, however, are when my friends band plays. They are not famous (yet!!) and I can tell that everything they play comes straight from the soul. The raw emotion in music is incredible, yet we still feel that arts aren't important for children. Maybe I am just biased towards music education because of my love for music, but music is a powerful tool to help children grow and gain intelligence. Children gain communication skills through music. I have never not been able to communicate, but I can only imagine how terrible that would be. Sitting there with all of your thoughts and having to keep them to yourself because you are unable to communicate... I would go insane. I love to laugh and to talk with my friends, heck my friend wouldn't be able to sing if she first couldn't communicate, so why wouldn't we want to help children communicate with music. They even have musical therapy for people to go to, obviously music has a profound affect on people. Let the music be played, sang, danced to... just let it help children!

{Post 7}

     The topic I have been thinking about writing about is why it is important to continue to teach art and music in school. Music has been proven to make children more intelligent. Unlike other activities that may get in the way of school work and normal school classes, music classes are one activity that continue to help children become more intelligent. Music should be incorporated into the curriculum and teachers should encourage students to learn through music. I know that there is a time and place for music and arts in schools, but if school's don't have the money to provide a music class teachers should incorporate it into the classroom. Children thrive from music lessons. It doesn't matter the music lesson I  read a study once where they took four classrooms and placed all the children from one group into guitar class, group b into piano class, group c into voice lessons, and group d did not take any music lessons. Groups a, b, and c showed improvement in their tests scores, where as group d didn't show much improvement. I thought it was interesting that even singing improved the children's intelligence. Of course music will affect the child more at a young age, then say when that person is in college. That is why it is so important for the music to be taught in pre-k and elementary school. Arts are quickly being cut out of school's curriculums because of lack of funding. Schools and government believe that art and music isn't as necessary as the core of english, math, social studies, and science, but I disagree. I will need to look more into facts about how art class affects intelligence, but I'm sure kids who are more artsy are more intelligent than children who are not exposed to art. I know I need more information, and facts, but this is what I will hopefully be writing about because it's something I am passionate about. I know music class was always a favorite of mine, and I know how music has changed my life. I think arts should remain in school. This topic has increasingly become more problematic with all the school cuts and out horrible economy, but I don't think we should get rid of something so important to children's learning and intelligence.
     I don't really have a back-up topic, so if I can't write about this I will have to look into and research something else.