Assignment for school-

Some of you know I'm home schooled. I really like to be home schooled, but I also really miss going to a regular school with other kids my age. I am home schooled because I travel so much (sometimes the whole school year), and I'd rather travel than go to a regular school.

Here is an assignment I did today for school, I had to take my name and describe myself with the letters. What do you think?

V- Very cute and smart
I - Interested in seeing the world
O-Only likes waffles with real maple syrup!
L-Long black hair
E-Energetic!
T- Terrible about making my bed

Thanksgiving and a weekend at home

Sometimes my family is so busy. I'm always at either at friend's houses, the ice skating rink, ballet, or working on homework. But, I finally got to slow down for a long weekend for Thanksgiving. We made a huge feast and ate and ate all afternoon. Kit's family was so thankful for all the help we've been giving them through the hard times, she brought the turkey! Can you believe that? We also had mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, peas, candied yams, and more! Oh gosh, just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

We also set up the Christmas tree! Every year my family sets it up the day after Thanksgiving, and we have a fire, wrap a few Christmas presents (if we have any by then) and eat Thanksgiving leftovers. The kitties love it, because they think the Christmas tree is F-U-N! It is so cute to watch them playing.

Here are two photos from the weekend, the first is our Thanksgiving feast, the second is Mama and I petting Mabel. (Can you believe how fat she is, she's almost the size of me, sheesh!)

Back from the farmhouse

It is late, I should already be in bed, but this is a holiday week!

We got back from the farmhouse and I'm so sleepy! But, today Jess and I had the best time. First, we dressed as twins. We already look a lot alike, and sometimes we pretend we are twins. Then we played outside as it was getting dark. We even practiced our handstands while leaning up against the farmhouse.

I love my cousins. :)
We aren't very good at handstands, I kept falling over.

Updating my blog at the farmhouse!

Now that I'm back home in Utah I've been working on school work extra hard. This weekend we are down at the farmhouse and I'm working on a family tree report and Russian. I have a Russian program on my computer, so I was able to bring it down to the farmhouse. It is fun to be able to post on my blog down here too!

Last night I had a slumber party with my cousins Abygael, Sophia, and Jess! We had so much fun staying up late, jumping on the bed and playing Snap (I won!). Today I got a special hair style. We are now cooking a roast on the coal stove and I've been interviewing Grandma for my family tree project.

This next week will be extra special because it is Thanksgiving! I love this time of year, and I can't wait to eat cranberries!

It feels so good to be home

It feels really great to be home. Canada with Kate was so fun! I'm going to miss her girls so much and the beautiful Calgary weather we had. I will also miss the baby elephant Malti.

But, I have to say it feels GOOD to be home! I was in my travel box for a eight days! Mama says I'm a real girl, but then why do I have to travel in a box? Other girls travel in planes and cars. Mama reminded me I travel that way too sometimes.

Anyway, Kate sent me home with some of the best gifts, pins for my collection, my angel costume, stickers, maps, a new bracelet, and more. I love everything so much.

When I got home Mama had some surprises for me too! New PJs for winter nights and a bedroom - yes, I repeat - my own room!!!!! It is sooooo perfect! I've been begging my parents for ages for my own room, and they decided to set one up while I was away. What a great homecoming gift!

Mama took a video of my surprise when I first saw my new room, she says maybe this weekend we can upload the video to my blog.

Right now I'm sitting in my new room in my new cozy PJs playing on my laptop. I'm checking Inky's blog and Nora's blog (did you know Nora was here while I was gone?) and I am updating my blog. Pretty soon I'm going to head up to Kit's room and ask her how things have been here in Utah.

Here it is, my own room!

Bye-bye, Canada!

Hi, it's Violet. Today I'm leaving to go home. That's me waving goodbye.

I had lots of fun in Calgary, but I miss my family. Mama, Daddy, that means you!

I did some really fun things, like going to the zoo (And meeting an elephant named Malti :). She is SO cute!) and playing games.

I'm going to miss my host sisters, who have been really nice to me. But I'll still be glad to go back to Utah.

Bye, everyone!

Violet

Hallowe'en: Parties, Pirates, Puppies, Candy and Cookies

Hey everyone! Can you believe it is November 4th? Did you set your clocks back last night? It sure is nice to get an extra hour of sleep, especially with how busy we've been at Kate's house. So, do you like how my pumpkin turned out? I decided to carve a heart to represent how much I LOVE being in Canada.

Today we woke up to snow, so I'm a little sad because we were hoping to go to the mountains. Instead, we will watch the fresh new November flakes come down and dream about sledding and skating and turkey, and CHRISTMAS at home.

Sigh. Kate and I have to pack up my things today as I'm heading home tomorrow. I've been so busy, I've hardly had time to look at my journal, so its a good think I've been blogging and sending pictures out. Did you see the pictures of the Hallowe'en dog party? Here is the link.

I went to a dog meet up--there were pugs and French Bull dogs and Boston Terriers. I totally fell in love with "Lola", a cream coloured girl who kept busy trying to keep the other puppies in line. She'd go up to a group of misbehavors and scold them (arf arf!) and then run right back to me for reassuring pats. And of course, the sheriff dog was so funny.

Then yesterday, we volunteered at a Christmas Craft Sale and sold some neat quilts and primitive dolls and a nativity scene, and the proceeds all go to the Boston Terrier Rescue Society. Sometimes people choose a pet and then for many reasons, it doesn't work out and the pups have no place to turn. Its so sad :( So, I was glad to help. I've also been selling Girl Guide cookies with Kate, and I was invited to attend all her Unit meetings while I've been in Calgary. Everyone was so awesome - we had a costume party, and they made me an honourary guide! I even got a "Cookie Crazy" crest for selling cookies at a senior's residence. I'm supposed to sew it on my camp blanket. We sold so many boxes and it was nice to visit with all the grammas and grampas and they love those chocolate mint cookies.

I am a little full of chocolate myself. We got SO MUCH trick-or-treat loot, you wouldn't believe it. Kate and I decided to dress as matching angels. Did you see those pictures? It was fun to have a hallowe'en ball in the dining room with everyone. We put up spooky spider webbing everywhere. The Hallowe'en Night event at Heritage Park was very cool. Both in atmosphere AND temperature. It was a clear and cold night, and there was even a full moon! Thank goodness for the hot chocolate because it was all set up outdoors. We saw a very scary play that was in an unheated tent and the air was so cold we could see our breath. It made the play seem even more real because it was set in a spooky graveyard. Then we went to the "Pirate Cove" tent and it was fun to check out all the sea-dogs and walk the plank for a gold doubloon.

On Hallowe'en day, Kate and I went around the City to check out the yards of the neighbours who had really gone all out making their homes look haunted. It was so neat. And then just as we got home, we got a call from the library that Kate had won first prize for a book review she wrote for the Teen Zone's mystery novel contest. You should see all the neat spooky stuff she won! It was very exciting.

Oh, and I forgot to say we went to a play at the Vertigo Theatre called "Number 14" by a theatre group from Vancouver. It was SO FUNNY - about all the folks you might meet by travelling about on the bus. There was lots of acrobatics and slap stick comedy and jokes. They used masks and changed from one character into another right in front of us. And guess what - we went to the play on the bus, so I got to see more of the City and ring the bell at our stop. That was fun.

And then we went windowshopping and I saw the Famous Five monument. In 1927, five women from Alberta challenged a law that excluded women from public office. They were: Emily Murphy (who later became the British Empire's first female judge);
Irene Marryat Parlby (a farm women's leader, who later became the first female Cabinet minister in Alberta); Nellie Mooney McClung (a famous suffragist and member of the Alberta legislature); Louise Crummy McKinney (who became the first women elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta) and
Henrietta Muir Edwards (a founding member of the Victorian Order of Nurses). I felt so honoured to stand among their statues. They are very inspiring.

And then I tried ONION RINGS at A & W. Oh, man are they good! Crunchy on the outside and gooey oniony on the inside. If I wasn't still so full of chocolate....

Well, I think I'll go see if Kate is awake yet. She's just got to get up and see these snowflakes falling. Its so beautiful!!!

Love to all, and home soon!

Violet