Making a bouncy ball

Hello everyone, Ajdin here! Today, I am going to be making a light-up bouncy ball from this craft kit I have. I have a TON of craft kits that my mom got me recently to beat away the boredom. So let's get started!

For starters, I'm going to put everything on a plate for easier cleanup. We have several pouches of what looks like small plastic pellets, a ball mold, and the light up battery part.

The light up battery goes inside the plastic mold... like this!

And then the mold snaps closed... like this!

Then the instructions say to fill the mold with the colored pellets. I alternate the colors to make a cool design.

After that, it's time to dunk this mold in a cup of water. My mom is going to help out so I don't get soaked!

The mold needs to soak for about 90 seconds.

After that, we'll let the mold sit and dry for about 4 minutes. Waiting is hard, isn't it?

Now I can finally open the mold to see the finished bouncy ball. Voilà! It's an interesting mix of blue, green, and yellow colors. When I bounce it on the hard ground, it lights up for about 10 seconds. Cool!

Stay tuned for more arts and crafts projects! What have you made recently?

Painting a mug

Hey everyone, today I'm going to finally get around to using this paint-a-mug craft kit! I just love crafts, don't you?

This kit has everything you need to paint your very own ceramic mug. It's perfect for tea and honey!

First, I'll take out everything and set them up on a paper plate so I don't get the counter dirty.

As for a design for my mug, I'm thinking I will add some spots with bits of tape, then paint over them for a dotted design...

Perhaps something like this?

Err, that didn't turn out quite the way I wanted, so I used a sponge to blot some paint around the mug like this!

Now the instructions say to bake the mug in the oven, but to do it slowly so it doesn't crack! After it's done, I'll also let it cool down slowly.

And voila! My very own mug for drinking tea and honey!

San Jacinto Battleground & Historic Site

( This post is a bit delayed - everything has been delayed as a matter of fact! I need a new secretary!)

Earlier this year, I took a trip to San Jacinto Battleground & Historic Site, just outside of Houston, Texas. As some of you may know, I spent the cold winter down south for a bit!

This monument stands 567.31 feet high, which is even taller than the Washington Monument in Washington, DC. It commemorates the Battle of San Jacinto which was a decisive battle of the Texas Revolution.

The weather was beautiful as you can see, just a little windy perhaps! No camera filter needed here.

Now as I walk up the stairs, I can see there is something carved at the bottom of the monument. It's a story about how Texas was born. Texas used to be a part of Mexico, but as Mexican rulers became more hostile towards Texas colonists, a revolution started.

There were many battles that led up to this battle. The Texas side was led by General Sam Houston and Mexican army was led by General Santa Anna.  In the end, the Texas side won, and this battle would eventually lead to the annexation of Texas by the United States.

And did you also know that --- huh... DROOPY?

"Hi Ajdin!" Droopy said.

"Droopy, what a coincidence to see you here! We must have the same travel agent or something," I replied. (Do you remember when we bumped into each other in Iceland and Chichen Itza?)

Here's another shot of the monument looking up.

Just across the road from the monument is also the location of the USS Texas, a former United States Navy battleship. Let's go take a look!

The USS Texas is famous for being the first US battleship to become a permanent museum ship. They were renovating the ship inside so we could not go on a tour - maybe next time. She is also famous for being one of only 7 remaining ships to have served in both World Wars.

While she enjoys a mostly quiet life now, the USS Texas was also known for being a ship with lots of new technology at the time. She was the first battleship to mount anti-aircraft guns, the first battleship to launch an aircraft, to control gunfire with high-tech computers, and the first to receive advanced radar systems.

What a career! Thank you for your service, USS Texas!

HUGE MAIL HAUL

*something unintelligible*

"WOOF?"

"Hey Parker, have you seen Ajdin?"

*GASPING*

"PHEW!! I thought I would never get out from under all that mail!" I said. "We haven't checked the mailbox for many months."

Alright, let's open them up and see what we got:

- a holiday card from Little Fox with a fox on the front, of course

- a hand drawn card from the very talented Miss Jessica - she is a terrific artist!

- a handmade Valentine card from Jerry and Ben - handmade is always wonderful!

- a holiday photo card from Sandy looking good in his holiday outfit

- a postcard from Fritzel in Germany, guten tag!

- a Starbucks gift card and Halloween card for my prize from the Halloween costume contest hosted by Jerry and Ben - thank you!

- another holiday card from Jerry and Ben... wow they sent me so many things

- a Valentine card from Sprinkles with a cute alligator on it

- a holiday card from Sprinkles with a glittery bear on it

Also, did you know that I save every single one of the letters and cards that I get from my pen pals? I put them in this shoebox right here. I think I need a bigger box.

That's a LOT of mail from pen pals over the years. They mean a lot to me! Thank you for being my pen pal!

Happy Lunar New Year! 新年快乐！

Happy Lunar New Year! This is the Year of the Ox. I'm still wondering why there is no year of the bear in the Chinese calendar. Hmm, that doesn't seem right.

Anyways, I'll look into that later! To celebrate, I am eating hot pot tonight.

Look at this delicious boiling hot pot of goodies, which include cabbage, fish balls, shrimp, corn, and assorted meats.

There are usually a lot of Lunar New Year festivities going on, such as watching a parade and dragon dance, but we did not do any of those this year. However, I did get a special treat for New Year.

Do you know what that was?

If you said "red envelope" or "hong bao", you guessed it!

Every new year, humans give stuffies red envelopes with money inside. It's good to be a stuffie, isn't it?

Happy Lunar New Year! 新年快乐！

STUFFIE SPOTLIGHT: Sprinkles the Bear!

STUFFIE SPOTLIGHT: Sprinkles

Hey everyone, please welcome Sprinkles the Bear as the first STUFFIE SPOTLIGHT feature of 2021! Enjoy his interview below! Thank you, Sprinkles, for participating!

1)  What is your name and where do you live?

My name is Sprinkles and I am originally from Des Moines, IA. I was given as a Valentine's present to my "mom" in 2017. Now I live in Manheim, PA.

2)  Tell us about how you got started blogging/writing.

I started my Facebook page because my "mom" traveled a lot for work, and she would bring me along and take pictures of me wherever we went. I have been to at least 26 different states and Canada in the last 4 years. Some of my favorite trips have been to New Orleans, Utah, Las Vegas, and Niagara Falls.

3)  What other pursuits do you have?

I really like outdoor activities, such as ATVing, hiking, and kayaking. I also like concerts and the theater.

4)  What is your favorite food and favorite thing to do?

I like all kinds of food! I can't pick a favorite.  But my favorite drink is bubble tea!

Howdy!

Zzzzzzz...

...huh? Who's there?

Oh, howdy! I'm just taking a little nap outside. I am here down south in Texas for the holidays. I also brought my cowboy clothes and hat - it's the perfect outfit to wear in Texas!

The weather is terrific today! I think I'll go exploring around outside for a bit.

This is big sky country!

They say everything's bigger in Texas, and I even feel bigger here (though I am still a little bear).

Let's check out some of the things growing out here in the backyard.

This is a fig tree, but I don't see any figs yet. We'll check back again soon. In the meantime, it's great for climbing!

And here is a grapefruit tree that has been growing so well!

I had a grapefruit the other day and it was very delicious, especially with a little sugar sprinkled on top.

And this is... hmm... this looks like a fun garden project. The soil has been cleared of weeds and old plants and is ready for new seeds. What should I plant in this garden?

I really like being a cowboy/farmer bear, y'all!