Racing Mix Up.

      Well first of all I want to say sorry for not posting for a while. Ok here what I wanted to post. I made up another math problem for mom to solve. See if you can can figure it out like she did. It took her a while but she figered it out. Heres the math problem.

     There are 2 race  cars one called The Mystery and the other called The Speeder. The Mystery can go 305 miles per hour and The Speeder can go 350 miles per hour. When The Mystery goes its top speed it runs out of gas every 3 hours. When The Speeder is going its top speed it rus out of gas every 2 2/3 hours. If The Mystery start at the same time each going 3/5 of their full speed how long will it take for each of them to run out of gas? Wich one will run out of gas first and also how far on the strait,smoth,flat track will they get before running out of gas?

     Hint. The gas milage does not change because of reduceing speed.

     Leave a comment if you have any questions. 

One of My Favorite Gifts

     This year I got a Brother sewing machine for Christmas. It is one of my favorite gifts. A sewing machine is a gift that keeps giving. It has already given me an outfit for my American Girl doll, including matching shoes. I have another outfit cut out and ready to sew. I am planning to make clothes for myself and Christmas gifts for others next year.

     I had never used a sewing machine before, so it taught me a new skill. I have learned to use a pattern, wind a bobbin, thread the machine, and sew with a variety of stitches. I have also learned about facing and basting. I now know that a good gift, especially for a child, is a gift that teaches a skill.

     I am looking forward to finding patterns for stuffed animals, clothes and bags. I also plan to do some quilting. If you have a child who is artistic or crafty, I would recommend a sewing machine as a gift. Although sewing may seem intimidating at first, it is really much easier than you would think. As I have proven, even an eight year old can do it.

     As Lao Tzu would say, give a girl an outfit; clothe her for a day; give her a sewing machine; clothe her for a lifetime... or maybe it was fish.

Natchitoches Christmas Festival showcases Anna Margaret

Christmas Festival 2010 was a major event for the children of Natchitoches, with Disney Star, Anna Margaret, as its Grand Marshal, bringing the attention of children everywhere to this Christmas town.

All around Natchitoches on Christmas Festival day people anxiously awaited Anna Margaret’s concert. Girls lined up on Second Street the day before to meet Anna Margaret and get her autograph. Photos of Anna Margaret with Natchitoches kids popped up on Facebook Friday afternoon, and children excitedly exchanged stories with their friends about the Anna Margaret meet and greet.  But it wasn't just the little girls who were excited.  This young star's sweet prettiness is the kind that young fellows observe with quiet admiration.

Anna Margaret talking to fans

Anna Margaret, Hollywood Records recording artist and Disney star, was the Grand Marshal for the 84th Annual Natchitoches Christmas Festival. Anna Margaret was all smiles during her parade ride. She threw beads, posed for pictures and leaned down to talk to her fans during parade stops. 

The audience was shoulder to shoulder during her concert at the main bandstand. After her first song she said how pleased she was to be in Natchitoches. She was overwhelmed by the crowd’s response to her and began to cry. The audience started chanting, “An-na. An-na. An-na.” She wiped the tears from her eyes and sang her hit song, “Something about the Sunshine”. This exchange endeared her to Natchitoches even more.

I had the opportunity to interview Anna Margaret before the meet and greet on Friday. She was very kind. I was a little bit nervous, and she quickly put me at ease. She was raised in Alexandria, Louisiana but moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career. I asked her what she missed about Louisiana, and she said her family, her friends, and the food. She enjoys traveling and meeting new people through her singing career. Anna Margaret gave up competitive gymnastics to focus more on music at the age of eight but continued to do gymnastics for fun until a year ago. Now she says her schedule is too busy to keep up gymnastic practice. 

This is me with Anna Margaret during the interview

Not only is Anna Margaret a talented singer and dancer, she also modeled for American Girl. I am an American Girl fan myself and was curious about her favorite American Girl historical character. She told me she likes Julie and Elizabeth the best. 

Anna Margaret co-writes her music with her mother and Princess Kenya. Her song “Heal Us All” was inspired by the Gulf Coast oil spill, and some of the profits from this song will go to the Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana’s Children.

Natchitoches girls will be following Anna Margaret’s career on Facebook, Myspace, and on AnnaMargaret.com. This was an exciting year to attend the Natchitoches Christmas Festival. The weather was perfect, the music was great, and local children really enjoyed the youngest Grand Marshal the Natchitoches Christmas Festival has ever had.

Weekly Column

Check out my latest weekly column on Green Heritage News to find out how you can help local animals. My article last week was picked up by a Toronto news site. Watch for my upcoming article on the Natchitoches Christmas Festival and Anna Margaret, Hollywood Records recording artist and Disney star.

Blue Christmas

I was invited to paint a picture for the Blue Christmas service at church. The Blue Christmas service is a service for people who are feeling sad around Christmas. I was happy to do a hopeful picture for church. I painted this picture with acyrlics and pen. Hope you like it. 

Geodesic Dome

R.Buckminster Fuller was a great engineer and inventor. He did a lot of work with geodesic domes, but he didn't invent them. Geodesic domes are domes made out of triangles. Triangles are very strong, so they hold up well under pressure unlike squares that tilt under pressure. I made mine out of toothpicks and clay. It is strong enough to hold a banana, but only for a little while before collapsing. I suggest you make one. It is a lot of fun. Happy building. 

Powhatan Indians

This is a report I wrote on the Powhatan Indians. It is written from the perspective of a girl from the Powhatan tribe. Chama Wingapo!❶ My name is Umpsquoth Naantam❷. I am 8 years old. My tribe is known as Powhatan. We Powhatans use our time wisely. The men of the Powhatan tribe fish in rivers around us. They also trap and hunt animals for food and clothing. They make weapons and tools for farming. Women’s chores are making pottery and wooden plates, gardening, and gathering food like nuts and berries. I help out with the women’s chores. We grow grapes, corn, pumpkins, squash, sunflowers, and beans. My favorite plant is pumpkins, because they are yummy, pretty, and come in all shapes and sizes. My favorite chore is making pottery, because you can design it in any shape. You also can choose your pattern and color. Then you put it in the shade to dry. Women also make clothing for everyone in the village. All men, women, and children work very hard.

Our tribe lives in longhouses. A longhouse is made of trees where many families sleep. My mother, grandmother and aunt built our longhouse. I live with two of my cousins, one brother, my aunt and uncle, my best friend, Keshowse Onxe❸, and some of her family. I really like living with my best friend. She does chores too so we have a lot of fun doing chores. My mom always scolds us for being too silly during work time. She says, “Play after.”     

Powhatan Indians only eat foods we can provide. We grow tobacco, corn, and other crops. People grow crops in gardens. Men hunt deer, bear, raccoon, rabbits, and other wildlife. We never waste any parts of an animal. You might call this perfect conservation.

I hope you enjoyed learning about the Powhatan tribe from me. I hope you can come visit me sometime. I'll help make you rabbit stew. Chama Eweenetu!❹

❶Welcome, friend ❷ Moon Wolf ❸Sun Fox

❹Peace, friend