New Year, New YOU!!

It is this time of year every year.  The time when we start making New Year's resolutions.  Where we plan to eat healthier.  Save $$$.  Go to the awesome summer camp.  Okay, stop right there!  Stop creating all those resolutions!  Because chances are, you will never accomplish many of them.  Instead, try writing as many IDEAS as you can on a piece of paper of what you want to accomplish for 2014.  No, you are not creating resolutions or goals, but you are making ideas, which will def help you in the new year.

The number one resolution made by girls each year:

Eat Healthier!!

Breakfast:  

It turns out if you eat something sweet in the morning, you won't crave anything sweet for later.  And even Olympic gold medal gymnast Gabby Douglas eats sweets some mornings (YES, really!!).  So help yourself to pancakes, waffles, or some of your favorite cereal.  But don't forget to add a little protein to the meal.  Eggs and milk are great extras;)

Lunch:  

Ham or turkey sandwich along with one fruit and vegi.  Make sure you choose whole wheat bread.

Snack:  

Believe it or not, popcorn makes an awesome snack (even some with extra butter.... yes puh-lease!)  You might also like some delicious trail mix.

Supper:  

For your final meal of the day, try eating two slices of pizza (Yeah, I said PIZZA), two fruits, and two vegis. A protein shake will just make things even better! 

Some of my New Year ideas are to save more money, dedicate more time to writing, and get an iPad.   

So besides New Year's ideas.... I just got finished reading Mockingjay and let me tell you that book is depressing.  Yes, it's a great book, but it is so sad sometimes.  The book did not end like I expected.  You'll just have to read it to find out what happens!  Oh, and I cannot wait to see Divergent in theaters this March!!

Happy New Year's!!

Maddie

P.S.  What are your New Year's ideas?

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December Guest Blogger 2013: Hailey D.

I got the chance to interview my friend Hailey D., from Model Topia.  She is an awesome teenager who has a passion for writing, hunting, reading, and finding models for her books!

Maddie:  So.... tell me about your blog, Model Topia.

Hailey:  Hmmm... what to say... well it is a blog that I started out as a way to get models for my book and now it has turned into much, much more. It has contests, quizzes, giveaways, chatting, etc.

Maddie:  Why did you decide to create Model Topia?

Hailey: I decided to create Model Topia because I was looking for a way where I could get more models for my book and a place where all my models could chat and have fun.

Maddie:  I know you have a book, Never  Stop Cheering, can you tell us about that?

Hailey: Yes I can. Never Stop Cheering is a teen book... it has romance, mystery, and comedy. I am on chapter 9 right now I have had many questions on how long my book is going to be but I just keep saying "you know I do not know because right now I am on chapter 9 and I am not wanting to end my book yet." So there is no telling how many chapters I will go to.

Maddie:  What do you think you want to be when your older?  

Hailey:  Well I have always wanted to be a nurse. I love to help people.

Maddie:  I wanted to ask you this little fun question:  What do you like on your pizza?

Hailey:   I like pepperoni. :) 

Maddie:  Thanks for answering these questions, Hailey! :-)

You can visit Hailey's blog at http://modeltopia.blogspot.com/

P.S.  The "Guest Blog" page is coming down soon, so please contact me ASAP if you would like to be a guest blogger for the month of March.  That will be the last month we have this kind of guest blogging :-)

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New Logo

I have a new logo if you can tell! :)



I am just going to make this super-quick.  I would like to go ahead and say Merry Christmas because I will NOT do a blog post next week, and I may or may not do one the week of Christmas.  So just have fun spending time with your family, enjoying your break from school, or looking around my blog/site.

xo, Maddie

P.S.  Thanks Amanda and Rachel for sharing their blog/site with me (click HERE).  Thanks Amanda for creating my new logo.  Thanks to Hailey for being an awesome friend and sharing her book with me (click HERE).  Thank you Brooke for creating Hailey's book cover for me and her (click HERE).  

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Bon Bons Giveaway Winners

I finally chose the winners to the Bon Bons Giveaway!  I found out a really cool and unique way to announce them.

To find out who the winners of the Bon Bons Giveaway are, go to this link:

http://dosketch.com/view.php?k=jOp6byOUDa3dZXZfCA6y

Congrats to the winners!  If you could please e-mail me or leave a comment for your prize....

Maddie



P.S. Our next contest will be in January, so be on the look out!

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Oh, Christmas Tree!

Yesterday, December 1, we put our Christmas tree!

I just love Christmas.... so much!

It is my favorite time of year!  :)

Early Merry Christmas!


Maddie

P.S. My nails are currently decorated with fire, all because of us going to go see the new Hunger Games movie yesterday, Catching Fire.  I will go ahead and tell you it is better than the book and is better than the first Hunger Games movie.  And is my favorite movie of all times.

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My Reading Style

My reading style is unique, I love all the old-time books by Louis L' Amour and by Carolyn Keene and Louisa May Alcott.... love them all!  I also love some new books like "The Mother-Daughter Book Club" and "The Hunger Games."  I am going to share some of my favorite books with you!


1.  Ride the River by Louis L' Amour

  

Set in the 1840's, about a young teenage girl, Echo Sackett, who makes her way to a different state for some money, but some people try to rob her.  This is one adventure that you will feel like you are actually in, and you will also learn how people got along back in the day.  Echo is not afraid to use a gun.... even if she is a lady!

2.  Little Women by Louisa May Alcott




Read this beloved book about four sisters who go through hard, fun, and happy times.... while being one happy family!

3.  Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene

 

I love this series by Carolyn Keene!  It is about a teenage girl, Nancy Drew, who solves mysteries.  This is for those people who like to solve things.... (like me!)

4.  The Mother-Daughter Book Club series by Heather Vogel Frederick
This book is about a group of four girls who start a book club called "The Mother-Daughter Book Club." And guess -- it includes mothers and their daughters!  The girls start out in sixth grade, and in each book they move up a grade.  In the final book, they are in tenth grade.  They read books like "Little Women" and "The Betsy-Tacy" series.  This is one of my faves!!

5.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games (surely you've heard of it by now) is a great book for those of you who like action.... it is about 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen who has to fight in order to provide for her family and -- gasp -- not to get killed!  One of the best books.... especially for teens.... boys and girls!

6.  Little Women and Me by Lauren Baratz



Know the "Little Women" series?  Well meet Emily March -- no, she is not related to the March sisters -- who has to do a report on her favorite book and that happens to be "Little Women."  She then get's sucked into the book!  I am currently reading this as of now.... a great book!


So I guess you can say I like all the old stories and some of the new.... it's all good!

Happy Reading.... and Thanksgiving!

Maddie

P.S.  What kinds of stories do you like to read?  Maybe even name a few;)

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Thanksgiving Treats

Hi --

I was planning on doing a blog post on Monday, but I have been way busy and got a little behind.  I had a million ideas for this blog post, but I will keep most of them secret for now.  Since it is so close to Thanksgiving, I decided maybe some treat ideas would be pretty good.  And also, this is the perfect blog post for me to announce the winners for our latest contest!

First, I will share a few treats with you.  (I found them on the internet -- baking may not have my best interest.  Seriously, all I can make is mac and cheese and cookies and cakes -- nothing else.)

What you'll need

• Cookies (ours were about 2 1/2 inches in diameter)
• White frosting
• Assorted sugar wafers (ours were about 2 1/2 inches long)
• Candy corn
• Mini chocolate chips
• Bran cereal (we used Kellogg's All-Bran Extra Fiber)
• Chocolate sprinkles

How to make it

1. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Frost the top of each cookie.
2. 
   Cut a sugar wafer in half. Add a dollop of frosting to the top edge of the cookie and stick a wafer half to it for a hat top, as shown.  Place a whole sugar wafer just below the hat top for a brim. Use a little more frosting to decorate it with slices of candy corn or mini chocolate chips.  Press pieces of bran cereal hair into the frosting around the hat.

What you'll need

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• A pinch of ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup light cream
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2/3 cup solidly packed pumpkin mash or canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

How to make it

Heat the oven to 300º F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, yolks, vanilla extract, spices, and salt. Set the mixture aside.

In a medium-size saucepan, whisk together the light and heavy creams, pumpkin, and maple syrup, then bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Do not let the mixture boil.

Remove the pan from the heat once the pumpkin mixture is hot, about 5 minutes. Add it by the ladleful to the yolk mixture, stirring continuously. Don't pour it all in at once or it will cook the yolks too quickly.

Once the mixtures are blended, divide the custard evenly among 6 standard custard cups. Pour 3/4 inch of hot water into a large, shallow casserole dish, then arrange the cups, evenly spaced, in the dish. Bake the custards, uncovered, on the center oven rack until their centers are jiggly but no longer soupy, about 45 to 50 minutes. Carefully transfer the cups to a wire rack to cool.

When the custards reach room temperature, cover the dishes individually with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 6 hours. Makes 6 servings.

(also, all recipes and pictures posted today belong to spoonful.com.  All recipes and photos are property of spoonful.com, thanks and enjoy. :D)

CONTEST WINNER

Congrats to Ava P. who won the "Falling for Fall" giveaway!  Ava won an Indian necklace.  

I really hope you enjoy the sweet treats and tell me what you think of them.  

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Maddie

P.S.  I am going to have a super-fun contest next month before Christmas!  (hint:  anyone love nail polish?)

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A Way to Kick Off November!

On November 1, 2013, I had a sleepover with some of my awesome friends!  I am going to call them by their nicknames, Ally and Brava, and let me tell you we had some FUN!  We went shopping at a thrift store on Saturday which is always fun.

I also thought a sleepover would be great to have because the trees outside are just beautiful, with all of their changing colors and such.  You may have noticed that I changed the design on my blog, which I will be doing every month.  It looks like fall, don't you think?

Anyways, back to the sleepover.  I wanted to share some really great pics from our sleepover!  Hope you <3 them!

FAB PJ's!

Nail DESIGNS!

Ally -- Rock that Hairdo!

Ally -- BEA-U-TI-FUL!

Okay, so there you go!  I have to go now.... we are going to have some really cool contests soon!

x, Maddie

P.S.  Thanks to Ally and Brava who shared their time with me Friday and Saturday.  I had TONS of fun!  :)  Thanks for modeling for my blog as well!

And I am also working on some really great designs for purses, bags, etc.  

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Willa-oh-WILLA

**UPDATED AS OF NOVEMBER 1, 2013**

WILLA SKIN CARE.

I have been addicted to Willa Skin Care.

YES, I have to admit I LOVE it sooo much.  It is, like, really cool!  The best skin care EVER!

For those of you who do not know what Willa Skin Care is, it is a natural skin care company by girls, for girls.  This girl named Willa Doss created it with her mom when she was only eight years old!  Now she is thirteen and is still creating really cool products.  So....

My Favorite Willa Product:



I love the Willa SPF 30 Face the Day because you know how sunscreens are usually sticky and white and greasy and all that?  Well this isn't!  This = PERFECT.  It is only $14.50, and it contains like one month worth of good stuff.  Who says you just wear skincare in the summer?  That is SO wrong.  You wear it EVERYDAY.  No questions, you just do.  

ALSO, got some really cool Willa mags in the mail.... oh yeah!  I really hope you all got a link to it because it is awesome -- no, wait -- more than awesome!

This is a Willa skincare sample, which was in the second mag

I plan on doing a more-super-cool review later with a contest....
can't wait!  More info to come soon!


 <<<<<  Willa Doss

http://willa.com/


Take care (of your skin)!

xoxo,  Maddie

P.S. Be sure to let me know what products your using and what your skincare routine is in comments.

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