COOK IT: HOMEMADE PIZZA

For the homemade sauce..
What you need:
-two large tomatoes
-olive oil
-a shake of oregano
-dash of salt and pepper
-a cup and one half of vodka sauce
-four small basil leaves chopped

What you do:
First, cut one tomato in half, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and throw the seeds away. Dice up the remaining flesh of the tomato, and add it to the bowl. Drizzle some olive oil into the bowl, put some of the salt and pepper in, and the oregano. Add a little of the vodka sauce in.

Next, take the last tomato (after washing it) and scoop most of the seeds out. Cut this up into smaller pieces, then mash it (in a separate bowl) with some olive oil using a potato masher. Add this to the main bowl.

Fold this together gently. Pour the remaining vodka sauce in, and stir some more. Taste it. If it needs anything more (salt, pepper, etc.), don't hesitate to add it, however, add a little bit at a time.

For the dough, I suggest you use either of these recipes..
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/homemade-pizza-dough-10000001906369/
http://www.theendlessmeal.com/pizza-dough-recipe/

Use a mixture of parmesan and fresh mozzarella for your cheese. As for toppings, you can decide on that. Pepperoni, tomatoes, sausage, olives, peppers, grilled chicken, whatever! Be creative.

There is no specific amount of time you should put it in for. Set the temperature to around 420 degrees and cook until it looks done. Let sit, cut, and enjoy!

COOK IT: BANANA ICE CREAM

What you need:
-a banana (frozen)
-tablespoon of milk
-chocolate chips

What you do:
Blend the frozen banana and milk on pulse until it is smooth. Pour into a bowl, and mix in the chocolate chips*.

*you can use any add-in that you want, from chocolate, to peanut butter, to strawberries, etc. Be creative!

MAKE YOUR OWN HOOP EARRINGS

Hoop earrings can be gorgeous if you do them in a classy way. Here's a quick and easy DIY to brighten up your Thursday...

What You Need:
-medium width wire (thicker, but bendable)
-a bottle cap or other round object
-simple jewelry pliers
-beads or charms (optional)
-small earring hooks

What You Do:
Fit some wire around your round object. Cut it to size, but you want to leave a little extra wire on one end. If you'd like, you can fill the with some beads, but this step is optional. Using the pliers, twist the extra wire into a loop, and then attach it to the earring hook. Make your all of your ends are closed. Now they are ready for you to wear!

COOK IT: PEANUT BUTTER BERRY SMOOTHIE

Hello! With summer just around the corner, blueberries are coming into season. Blueberries are one of the top ten superfoods, so try and it them as much as you can this summer!

Starting your day with something healthy is good, but starting your day with something yummy is even better! With this delish smoothie, you are sure to get both.

What you need:
-a cup and a half of blueberries (more or less)
-a handful of frozen strawberries
-a big spoonful of peanut butter
-a couple ice cubes (if using frozen fruit, this is unnecessary)
-a splash of milk
-half of a banana
-a cup of vanilla yogurt

What you do:
Put the yogurt in first. Then, add all of your fruit in, following with the peanut butter. If you are using ice cubes, put them in on top of that. Add your milk, then you are ready for blending! Blend on liquefy, smoothie, or chop. Pour and enjoy.

*UPDATE: INSPIRATION A DOLLAR A DAY

So I did it! I survived on a dollar a day worth of food for a school week. It wasn't is ard as I thought it w as going to be, however, I realized that is because I came off of eating a full days worth of food just the week before. My diet consisted of the following items:

Breakfast: 1 packet of instant oatmeal
Lunch: A banana and a half serving of white rice
Dinner: Black beans and white rice

Try it! If your curious, you support their organization, or think it would be interesting, try it!

INSPIRATION: QUOTE JOURNAL

Need one way to stay inspired? Whether its for keeping your writing inspirational, your art, or whatever it is that you do, a quote journal is a perfect idea.

These are very easy to put together. You only need a few things:
1. A plain or decorated notebook
2. A pen
3. Some quotes

After writing in your first few quotes, you are done! Whenever you hear something inspiring, enlightening, or interesting write it down. Maybe you see a quote online, write it down. Someone says something that you'd like to here again, write it down! Simple!

HOW TO KEEP YOUR SUCCULENT ALIVE

I never actually could find how often I was supposed to water my succulents! So, I filled a spray bottle with water and I spray about every other day. Because I don't know how often I should be watering it, the light mist from the spray bottle is great for it. I can never over water it with the spray bottle!

Also, you MUST have some sort of drainage system. Either sand, large rocks, pea gravel, moss, etcetera is highly needed. Layer (starting from the bottom) pea gravel, larger rocks, sand, and soil. Or layer pea gravel, sand, soil, and moss. There are a bunch more, but I am not going to list them all.

Good luck, and remember these two things: Just because they are desert plants, does NOT mean they don't need water, they do. Succulents are easy to keep alive, but do need attention!

INSPIRATION: A DOLLAR A DAY

In geography class recently, we have been talking a lot about poverty/global concerns. We have just watched a documentary on these guys who decide to drop everything and move to Guatemala. They want to understand how these people live on just about a dollar a day. This impacts these guys so much, that they start an organization! They have challenged anyone in the U.S. who wants to try, to survive four days with eating a dollar's worth of food everyday. Some kids in my 6th grade class and my teacher, Ms. Zimmerman are going to attempt next week to survive on a dollar a day's worth of food for four days. Four days!

I am going to attempt it myself next week, and I am really intrigued with the idea. Food like bread, pasta, and rice are great because they give you energy. Fresh fruit and vegetables are good for you, however, they are way more expensive than some canned peaches or beans. Peanut butter, tea bags with water, and ramen noodles are also good ideas. I will keep you posted on how it starts and ends up next week. For more information on this challenge, visit: https://www.livebelowtheline.com/us and look for the Join the Challenge page. Wish me luck!

COOK IT: ORANGE SORBET

Super easy and really yummy. You only need a few ingredients.

What you need:
-a few large Ziplock baggies
-orange juice
-ice
-cup of water
-cup of salt
-tea towel (or paper towel)
-bowl
-spoon

What you do:
Pour orange juice into one ziplock bag. Mix ice, water, and salt and put in other bag. Put the orange juice bag into the ice bag and seal tightly. Wrap towel around it and shake! Shake until frozen like a slushie. Put in bowl and eat.

P.S. This works with any juice. It's really good if you add fruit!

PLANT A SUCCULENT GARDEN/TERRARIUM

I loooooovvvve terrariums. They add a unique touch to simple decor. Plus, I seem to kill every violet in sight, so the fact that succulents are nearly indestructible adds to there charm.

What you need:
-cactus
-three various succulents
-a glass dish (fishbowl, large candle holder, wide vase
Any large clear dish)
-soil
-succulent fertilizer (optional)
-garden gloves (for cactus)
-water with spray bottle
-pea gravel

What you do:
Fill up to an inch of pea gravel. Then top with soil and mix in fertilizer if you are using it. Using gloves, plant your cactus, then your succulents. Spray the plants and make sure they are secure.