Tomaso’s pizza

Tomaso’s pizza is the place to go, weather it is Chicago style, deep pan, or thin crust that you like, every kind they make will get those taste buds a’ tinglin’. If you have not tried Tomaso’s pizza trust me and give it a try. My personal favorite is their deep dish Chicago style pizza with pretty much everything on it. The spices they use on their crust make Tomaso’s much different than any other pizza restaurant. Their pizzas taste different than any other, but it is just so dang good. They use a lot of sauce on their deep dish pizza and not as much on the thin which I think is heaven. You can go there to eat or order a pizza and pick it up once it is ready. Tomaso’s pizzas also make wonderful leftovers. It is one of those types of things that tastes better the second day because the spices have further soaked into the thick crust. What are you waiting for, go get you some pizza at no other than Tomaso’s pizza! It just that good! (184)

Danni N.

Birthdays aren’t just 1 day long anymore

               My family takes birthdays quite seriously; we celebrate the day of the birthday as well as a whole weekend closest to their birthday. The birthday person gets to choose whatever they want to do weather it is just stay inside and watch movies or go outside for a hike. The whole weekend it is whatever the birthday person wants is what they get, and no talk of disapproval is allowed.

               Birthdays have been like this ever since I can remember. My mom said her parents took birthdays to the extreme and she just continued the tradition on with her family. I love birthdays because it gives all the family an excuse to hang out with each other, with everyone’s busy schedule it is hard to find times to be around each other often but birthdays push us to make sure we are all together.

               If one of your loved ones birthdays is around the corner here are some tips on how to make their day (or weekend) extra special.

If your dad has a favorite sport, weather it is golfing or baseball, find time and a place to do that sport with them. Sports really are a fun way to hang out with people and who knows; maybe your dad really is the stud he says he is when he talks about how good he did at basketball last time he played.

Show them you know what their favorite things are by recording their favorite movie for them or playing their favorite song when they walk through a room, it really is those small things that makes birthdays all the more special.

               Buy their favorite candy and leave a piece here and there around the house, a pck of skittles on their pillow, a Hershey’s kiss on their favorite chair, a tootsie pop on their towel in the bathroom. Everywhere they go they will get a small surprise and a big smile.

Leave them notes in random places. For example put one on the mirror saying you may be turning 50 but the mirror says your turning 25, for a parent. Or put one inside the freezer saying “burrrrrr I need your hotness to warm me up!” up for a spouse. These may seem super cheesy but it will leave them with a good laugh!

 

Remember, on their birthday they just want someone to care. (402)

 

Danni N.

Bedroom decorating

               I am going to give you some tips that I have personally found very helpful for decorating my room.

Tip number 1:

               When you are finding a color to paint your room, make sure it is a color you will not get bored of looking at after a few months. I personally say you should chose a natural color like amber, light gray or light brown, or even a tan. But if you are looking for a more colorful wall like orange, for example, if you want a more mature look make sure the orange has tones of brown or red for a less crazy color. Just remember the darker the color the smaller your room will appear and lighting may be a problem because dark walls can make the natural lighting not seem as bright. Lighter colors do make your room appear smaller, but in most Cases do not do with white walls because they can seem too harsh, while simple tan walls make the room cozier.

Tip number 2:                Don’t be afraid to use a lot of pillows on your bed! Pillows really are a fun way of making the room more inviting, yet still stylish and they are a way to really get the theme of the room to show. Wheather the theam is jungle, gold, antigue, or vintage, the pillows will really make the theme pop! You can get pillows in all shapes and sizes, from round to triangle, to sparkley, silky, soft and bright. Don’t be afraid to make pillows the fun part of your room.

Tip numner 3:

               When organizing things on shelves make sure to still use some way of keeping “like objects” together by using baskets or containers, if most of your furniture in the room is dark wood use dark baskets and use lighter baskets for light wood or white furniture. If belongings are not contained when placed on a shelf then the shelf will begin to look cluttered. This means keep the figurines, knickknacks, and trinkets to a minimum will help your room look more organized and “put together".

Tip number 4:                If you have space in your room it’s fun experiment with daybeds or cute benches. Adding these to a room will give you another chance to have fun with pillows. They also look very nice by a window or at the end of a bed. Daybeds come in all shapes, sizes, textures, and colors, so you will be able to find one for any type of bed room and you can find one to give any kind of feel you please! The one I have is a light orange and I have brown and gold pillows on it and it has a very classic look with dark wood for the legs.

Tip number 5:                Make sure the space you spend a lot of time in is what you want it to be. Having your favorite scent of candles or wall flowers are a way to make you really appreciate the room you have. If you are in to something special, like fashion or makeup, use those as decorations, for example you can display your favorite pair of shoes on a shelf of display your eye shadows in fancy big clear bowl.

 

Tip number 6:         Do not put too much furniture in your room. This tip is VERY important because over acceding the furniture limit can make the room seem way smaller and it tends to look very crowded and overly cluttered. Another quick tip is don’t push every single piece of furniture square to the wall, angling a shelf will make the room not quite as boxy and it will be more appealing to the eye. (620) Danni N.

 

 

 

 

 

Fall

               Fall is a very beautiful season. My favorite part of fall is the temperature. A lot of people prefer the summer for its temperature, but I believe it is a lot nicer to be outside when there is a slight cold breeze in the air. There is just something about fall that makes the home feel so much cozier. I don’t know if it’s the smell of apple cider. Or the warm blankets that begin to be necessary for hanging out in the basement. Or it could also just be the warmth you feel when you look out the window or go on a walk and see all of the deep colors of amber and warm oranges on the leaves that make you smile at it beauty. Another great part of fall is the food that it brings, like pumpkins for carving, and delicious apples of every sort. Fall also seems like one of the shortest seasons so enjoy it while it lasts! (164)

               Danni N.

How to contour and highlight your face

            I take makeup as an art. It is a hobby that I enjoy doing with other people. When homecoming rolls around I do many peoples makeup and here are some techniques I use to give them a sleek finished result.

First start off with a base, which is the foundation primer. The primer will fill in any pores on the skin and overall just make the skin smooth to the touch and sight. Then apply a foundation to the face and a peachy undertone concealer under the eyes to cancel out darkness. Use a concealer that matches your skin tone perfectly for blemishes and any red spots, for example, around the nose. Then it is time for sculpting the face.

            Take a matte bronzer two times darker than your natural skin tone. If the bronzer is matte it will have no shimmer or sparkle. Apply it to the hallows of the cheek. To find the hallows of the cheek make a fishy face, where the cheeks dip in this is the hallow, make sure not to apply the bronzer too far down on the cheek and remember to blend the line out evenly. You can also contour the nose to make it look thinner. To do this make a soft line of the bronzer from the top of the bridge of your nose all the way down to where your nostrils end, on each side of the nose. Then blend it out.

            To get a glowing warmth to the face take a slightly shimmery or sparkly bronzer a shade darker than your skin tone and lightly blend it around your hairline and down the sides of the face as well as at the jaw line. This will make your face look sun kissed. Also adding the bronzer slightly under the jaw line will help slim down the appearance of a double chin. The crease of the eye can be more defined using a matte brown shadow and sweeping it right above where the socket of the eye naturally goes in. this gives the eyes the illusion of being bigger and more open.

 Now you have more of a depth to your face that will add more interest especially in pictures! When we bronze areas we are making them look more sunken in. and when we highlight it makes them pop out more. So next I will talk about where to highlight.

One of the main places to highlight the face is right above the cheek bones. There are certain products you can buy to highlight, they come in power, cream and liquid forms. But you can always just use a eye shadow that is a few shades lighter than your skin tone and has shimmer (like a shimmer white of light tan color). The shimmer will give your face a pop which will bring out some of your beautiful features. Now back to the cheek bones, to find your cheek bones take a makeup brush and put one end at the tip of one nostril and bring the other end up to the end of your eyebrow, the line that it make is where the highlighter should be placed.

 

 

 

          Other places you can highlight is down the bridge of the nose under the eyebrow, and in the inner corner of the eye. A place I really like to highlight to get the effect of fuller lips is on the cupids bow. The cupid’s bod is the “v” shape the top lip makes. (589)

Danni N.

 

 

 

                The times I wish time would stop

                I love my family! I cherish them so much! Whenever I am just hanging with them I feel complete. I think my family is one of the only group of people that realize who I really am, and accept me for it. I don’t feel like I need to be anyone different when I am with them.  When I look back on the picture of me with my sister and all of my cousins I can just tell we all truly are at our happiest by the brightness that shines through our eyes and the true grin on our faces. Everyone in my family has made a huge impact on me because our whole big extended family is very close. Some of my friends don’t even know anything about all of their family but I am lucky enough to be so close to mine.

When I am with these people that I enjoy so much it seems like time flashes by too quickly! I wish I had more time when it came to my family. I am always so busy with so many other things so I miss my family like my cousins, aunt’s uncles and grandparents a lot (sometimes I am even too busy to talk to my parents). If time would just remain still for a few days I would through a party for my family! It would be a week long family reunion! Yeah buddy! That would be amazing! We would do the usual fun things but this time we would have way more time before we had to go our separate ways, parents to work and kids back to school. We would plank in random places, EAT, scary movie marathons, fashion show with any supplies you can find as your outfit, play American idol (don’t ask), just hang out and talk, play dorky games like “what if” and spoons, have a picnic under the willow tree (we call it the friends tree and it is where Winnie the pooh lives, obviously!) No matter what we do my family makes everything ten times more fun! Don’t take time for granted because you never know when your time or someone else’s will run out. Being around your family is not a time to be stressed! It is the complete opposite! So if not already, learn to love them for who they are (and if you have a family like mine it’s not hard to do at all) and remember on someday when you don’t have anything going on, you can always count on your family (at least I hope so) so give them a visit. I believe family should come before anything else.  (452)

Danni N.

The benefits of eating healthy

            Eating healthy has more benefits than just being “skinny”. It most importantly makes your body run properly. When eating healthy your organs run more smoothly, especially if the good eating is combined with regular exercise.

            Your hair, skin and teeth with be healthy looking. Vitamins that are found in fruits and vegetables make your hair soft and shiny. Calcium found in milk, along with yogurt and cheese make your teeth and bones strong. Also eating healthy foods helps your teeth stray clear of plaque that form on your teeth, and when swallowed is very bad for your heart.

            Eating healthy gives you energy to do anything you set your mind too, not only does it give you energy to do physical activities such as kicking around a soccer ball, or dancing. It also gives you the energy and focus needed to do activities that involve strenuous mental work such as a crossword, or taking a test. Along with other fruits, blueberries are known for helping the brain work more clearly.

            Great eating also helps with depression. As stated before, eating healthy helps clear the mind. If you have a lot of problems going on in your life eating the right foods can help you find the energy to deal with the problems and get you back on track.

            Sleeping better is also a great advantage of eating healthy. Food such as cherries help sleep cycles regulate because of the amounts of melatonin that they contain.

            Eating healthy supports your immune system. All of the nutrients from the food will strengthen your defense systems so colds and flus are less likely to attack you. Oranges contain large amounts of vitamin c that helps you prevent colds.

Sicknesses such as heart disease and cancer are also less likely for healthier people. The main cause of heart attacks is when the valves of the heart are clogged with plague. And where does that plaque come from? Well, from that double cheese burger you ate for lunch for the past few years. Certain foods contain ingredients that have been known to help prevent cancer, such as cranberries and green tea.

            A lot of people assume having a healthy lifestyle is so hard. Well it’s not! To begin with NEVER think of eating healthy and exercising as being on a “diet” just think of it as having a healthy life style. If it is thought of as a diet the second someone gets down to the weight they want to be at they stop the diet and the weight is gained yet again. If it is thought of as a healthy life style it won’t be thought of as losing weight, it will be more aimed towards feeling good about yourself and the satisfaction that comes with knowing that your body is healthy inside and out.

This blog doesn’t even do eating healthy foods justice because eating healthy really does help with every aspect of life. You will never know how amazing your body truly is until you let it do everything it is capable of doing. So go ahead and start your own healthy life style. I promise you, you won’t regret being so kind to your body and it will thank you in return. Like the saying goes, take care of your body, because it’s the only one you have. (562)

Danni N.

Oh the feelings of performing arts…

The feelings and emotions of being on stage really are better than any other adrenalin rush your body can give you. Everything from the spot lights streaming onto your performance, to the drowned out sound of the audience as you sing together as a group. After a performance is finished these feeling continue, in a less potent form, but that energy still exists. You can’t help feeling as though you accomplished something extremely valuable. This feeling is better than any hype a few energy drinks could give me (and it is much heather too).

Being on stage as a group really bonds people together. Even though during performances you can’t really tell what the other people are doing because you are concentrated on what you are doing, it still seems to tighten the connection between a group of people, whether it is show choir, or a musical all the hours put into a performance make the people like a big family. I believe the actual performance bonds together the group the most because when you are going through the movements of singing, dancing or acting when the during the performance it finally hits you how much time and patients you have put into this love of performing arts, and this group of people. (219)

Danni N.

The life of a janitorette

 

Most everyone has a job my who is my age; I have had mine for a few years now. I clean for my job, whether its toilets, vacuuming, scrubbing, and my favorite, window cleaning, I do it! So in other words I am a janitor, or janitorette -(yup, I am making up my own word.). When people ask where I work I respond, "At a progressive die specialist shop" and at first they seem impressed, but then I continue on.... "as a janitor" the impressed look on their face wipes clean and turns into a smirk. I know, I know, it is pretty weird sounding but it’s what pays for if I want new clothes, my car, and presents for friends and family during the holidays or birthdays. If I didn’t have this job I wouldn’t be able to do as many things as I do! At the end of the day I truly do love my job! Because my dad works there I get to see him every other day when I go to work. As I am cleaning his room we have conversations with each other and I always look forward to getting to see him, and I think he looks forward to getting a break so he can talk to me for a few minutes.

Cleaning isn’t all I do at the shop. I also do paper work, and do little tasks here and there like going into the attack in search for a part to a washing machine that is being built or a part to a mower. Working where I do really has taught me the importance of hard work, not just for the reason that any job is hard work if you put all your effort in it, but the fact that I have such a good role model to show me that, my Dad. He is constantly working on something, he is never a slacker, and he is just such an ambitious person. He always has goals to meet, people see, things to do but somehow he manages to get it all done in time.

I know eventually I will have to move on from this job, but I will always be thankful for what your first job can teach you. I have learned so much from such a simple job. Like the fact that I really can do more than I think and that you can always push yourself to do more, even if it’s something as simple as cleaning, there is always more that can be done. (431)

Danni N.

Stay at home parent

                I am a teenager and even for me it doesn’t take much to realize how much work a stay at home parent does. When those that work out of the house get home it is their time to relax, but typically the stay at home parent still has much to do. Especially if they have small children, they still have to help them brush their teeth, take a bath, tuck into bed and much more. The stay at home parent is always there if you need them because they are always willing to stop what they are doing to help you. A main advantage I had when I was growing up and couldn’t drive myself around yet was my mom always could drive me places and bring me something from home that I forgot for school. I also never had to wait in the nurse office for long because my mom was always there to pick me up from school when I wasn’t feeling well. The parents that work out of home also deal with a lot of stress, but definitely a different kind of stress than a stay at home parent. Both of my parents are very hard workers and they both have their fair share of hard tasks on the typical day. The two of them make the perfect couple. One of them, my dad, is the so called “bread winner of the house”, he does everything to make sure our family has everything it needs. And the other, my mom, is the person that holds together the “bread eating family”.

                I would not be who I am today if I didn’t have the influence of my mom always being at home. She always had everything ready for me so I could go onto the next thing, show choir, soccer and so on. Without her I wouldn’t have as good of grades and be in as many groups and activities after school. She is always there when I know I just need to talk to someone about a problem or something exiting that happened to me. I am not saying that my dad isn’t there if I ever need to talk about anything, it is just so convenient for me to have my mom at home to call because pretty much her life is us, and she never has any meeting that I am afraid to interrupt. Having a stay at home parent really has been a plus for me!

              Thank you mom and dad for everything you do! You really are the perfect team! (431)

Danni N.

 My big sister and I

                    

              
            My mom, dad and I recently took my sister to college. My sister deserves a great college, and while I can say the college was fantastic, nothing has stopped me from missing her insanely. When you have a sibling and you are as close to them, as I am with her, then taking them to college is so much harder than ever expected! I spent the first few she was at college with tears in my eyes every time I would walk by her room, or see her favorite shows up on Netflix. It is said that scents are usually a key trigger of memory; I also get emotional when I a scent reminds me of her like her perfume, or the smell of her favorite food (quiche). I just couldn’t wait for the pain of missing her to leave, it still hasn’t yet fully. In some ways I miss her more as more days with her gone pass by, but I can say that in some ways I am getting used to her being a few hours away. Every time I become weary I just have to remind myself that she will most likely live with me still in the summer, and seeing her for holidays and birthdays will be just that much more special.

             I text her very often and she is such a good sister to not get annoyed when she receives a text every few hours or so saying how much I miss her and love her. You may be thinking that it is awfully obsessive but if you had a sister as wonderful as mine then you would understand why I miss her so much! I also am making a point to send her letters and drawings once a week and a package once a month. So far I have only sent her one big envelope full of goodies. It is so fun and it brings me a lot of happiness knowing how exited she will be when she receives the package.

             I absolutely cannot wait to visit her at college. I am so excited for her to show me around. She can show me the coolest places and the coolest people. So far it seems like she is living up the college experience, playing games with her roomies and friends, going to the football games, watching movies in her dorm room, and of course going to class. At the end of each day I just can’t wait to hear about what she has been up to!

          Sometimes I feel bad for myself because my best friend is far away, but I just have to remind myself that she is doing the right thing by going to college, and I am so proud of her for everything she has accomplished. I also have to remember all of the awesome memories that no distance we are apart could ever make us forget. We have had so many great times together and we really do understand each other in a way only the best of sisters could. We know things about each other that nobody else does. I will always do my best to keep in touch with her because I love her enough to never lose touch, even when I too grow up and move away. We will be close forever because we will always be sisters, and best friends. (570)

          Danni N.

I don’t dislike many things

                I don’t dislike many things but one thing, or one type of person I should say, that I really just don’t understand is this. It’s people who have to comment on everything, mainly when are in in class. There is usually one of these people in each class, and although the random exclaims are sometimes amusing, they do tend get exceedingly annoying. I am sure anyone one that is a teenager can understand what I am saying. I mean can they just keep their mouths shut for a few minutes? Sometimes not everyone cares about what the entireties of your thoughts are! Some thoughts become more meaningful the longer you wait to say them; this way you can make what you are going to say more worthwhile. Rather than saying something that you just randomly thought of.

                I am not saying that people who talk a lot are annoying, it is just the people who blurt out the most irrelevant things just to get there voice heard. They could find other ways of getting attention, if they need it oh so badly, like being in a play or musical, or at least say something essential for the topic we are discussing for when they do chose to speak.  (213)

Biggest freak out ever!

                I’m going to talk a little bit about www.youtube.com, and a certain video in general. As most of us know YouTube is a fun place to watch videos that pretty much anyone with internet access and a computer can “post”. The videos range from tutorials on how to do your hair for prom, to people eating spoonful’s of cinnamon just because they can. I have watched both these videos and everything in between but still the one that catches my attention the most is called “biggest freak out ever”. A teenage guy is extraordinarily mad at his mom over something very immature and he pretty much just freaks out. And there really is no other way to put it, he just freaks out. He is flinging his arms around, screeching, and pounding himself in the head with many different objects while the whole time there is a camera placed in his room, from when his brother put it there earlier. I think the reason why it strikes me as a very entertaining video (beside the point that it is hugely hilarious) is that it is amazing to watch how irate someone could get over the littlest thing. Watch the video and you will see why it really is so comical! (214)

   Here it is!----http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YersIyzsOpc

Danni N.

Friendship, or Not?

                You know your friends truly are friends when you can hang out, do absolutely nothing and it’s fun. Real friends are sometimes hard to spot out in a crowd but a big sign of true friendship is when you can just do the most random things and the time seems to pass by so fast because of all the fun! You can always do things like gossip and truth or dare but the best of friends can talk about your life and every detail about it for hours.

You can sing to every single song and screw up pretty much all the words and they will just sing along. If you can’t be who you truly are you may want to relink this friendship! A true friend should bring out your personality and celebrate it. Not make you change it. When they text you, you don’t have to think twice about what your reply will be. If you have to think too hard around them, don’t waste your time on them because you are obviously not being truthful about who you actually are.

                You can get lost on your way to a party with them, yet not feel lost at all because they are by your side. If you feel secure and safe around your friends then that is a good sign. You shouldn’t have to worry about anything when you are around wonderful people!

                Your best friends should be helpful! When you have a big decision to make they should tell you their honest opinion because “I don’t care just do whatever you want to do.” doesn’t help much!

                You can rate each other’s belches nonchalantly. Ok, this may be a little odd for some of you but each friendship kind of has its own little “thing”. Whatever that may be, it’s special, no matter how weird.

                 They ask you about yourself before they talk about them. It’s kind of like any relationship; they should truly care about what it going on in your life. Has your great, great grandma two times removed on your step dads’ side died yet? Ok, maybe they shouldn’t want to know that much detail about your live, but they should care about the big things. For example, how you are feeling and what your plans are for the weekend.

                You can agree to disagree. It is easy for friendships to break up over a silly disagree meant. Simply saying “let’s agree to disagree” may solve the problem. If not, they are being way too uptight and you may want to spend a time away from them for a while….

                 Laugh about dumb stuff. This is definitely one of the top things a friendship should have. Inside joke are always good because they connect a group of people in a way that no one can understand. That’s why it’s an inside joke!

                Make weird faces without embarrassment. You should really be able to do anything and not be embarrassed around your best friends.

                Good friends are hard to come by. You know the ones? Even once you grow up and move away they still find a way to be by your side-Yeah those ones! But if your friendship has all of these great qualities, I would say it’s going just fine! (550)

Danni N