2011 Thoughts & Artwork

Well, it's totally hard to believe that a new year is starting.

So scary how the older you get, the quicker time flies by.

I can remember last New Years like it was yesterday.

I always get so depressed around this time. Is that wierd?

And yet I get excited as well....excited about all the new things that

I get to do and experience, all the new people I get to meet,

all the stuff God has planned for me.

What about you?

What do you feel during this transition into the new year?

Scared? Excited? Sad? Relieved?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't really know how I feel about the new year,

but I sure know how I feel about New Year's Eve!

It should be fun fun fun. My sister and I are going over to Beth Ann's house

to celebrate with her family.....sleepover style.

We are going to play games, munch on snackies, drink wine,

(it's actually just grape juice...but we pretend it's wine....cause we are crazy)

and most likely watch the ball drop. My family always does that.

We only turn it on for the ball dropping, not anything before hand.

I'd rather not see the crazy drunkeness thank you.

What are you doing for your New Year celebration? Any cool traditions?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also, one more thing. I have this other blog I have slowly been putting together.

I call it my "Creativity" blog. It's where I am now putting my photography and artwork.

So check it out if you want. Here's the link: http://bloggycreativity.blogspot.com/

I hope you have a wonderful New Year everybody. Talk to you next year!!!

(I scare myself when I say that...)

A White Christmas

I have been enjoying looking at many of your blog posts about your Christmas. It is amazing how each family has a different tradition. Here is a little taste of what my Christmas season included.

Lots and lots of snow. We have had snow on the ground for a month now...

so we most definitely had a white Christmas

Gift wrapping. On Christmas eve eve, I wrapped for three hours straight.

I probably would have enjoyed it more if I was good at it. But at least I had my kitties to keep my company... even though they did get in the way a little.

Baking and decorating cookies. One night, when my sister wasn't feeling well,

we decided to make us some yummy men....

gingerbread men I mean.

We had a blast decorating all the cookies, and I must admit, got a little crazy.

Here is a Peter Pan and Wendy that I decorated.

I have no clue what made me think of that.....

Guess who this is! That's right, Willy Wonka himself and his Oompa Loompa workers.

Emily spent probably half the time working on Willy...

and was so sad when she had to eat him.

One highlight of this Christmas was having Jo stay at our house. She is from China and is going to college here in the states. She has only been here for a semester, so she didn't know too much about the American culture...or Christianity. It was fun showing her what an American, Christian family is like.

She had a blast experiencing an American Christmas, opening stockings,

and singing Christmas carols.

I also enjoyed learning about the Chinese culture. One thing I learned is that Chinese don't bake. They don't have ovens in China. No ovens mean no cookies, brownies, cake, etc.

Can you imagine? So we got her a baking kit and a cake mix.

One of my favorite Christmas tradition is watching The Nativity Story. I know alot of it is made up, but it just puts my focus on the true meaning of Christmas. The actors do so well, that I forget that they're acting. And I can't help but cry during the birth of Jesus.

One of the big gifts that we got this year was a new camera. We got a Canon PowerShot SX130lS. I know it's not the best kind out there, but it is a ton better than what we had before, and it was in our price range.

I also got this little guy. He is supposed to help you draw better...cause you can see all the joints and all. I feel like a real artist now!

And last but not least, this pillow. Cute isn't it? My sister made it!!! She picked the fabric, drew the bird and flower, and sewed on the buttons and flower. It was a total surprise too.

Well, that pretty much sums up my Christmas this year. My cousins from VA usually come to visit for a few days as well, but they got around 14inches of snow yesterday. So I don't see them coming... but anything is possible. (with God)

Hope you continue to have a great week.

~Ashley~

Change

Hello! I hope everyone had a wonderful, Christ centered, merry Christmas!

As you can see, I have changed my blog layout once again. What do you think of it?

I know it's a bit different looking, but I rather like it.

I'm trying to find one layout, and stick with it.

I'm also going to try to change my blogging style.

Don't ask me what I mean, because I don't even know what I mean!

Well, I hope you all continue to enjoy the holiday spirit.

God bless y'all.

~Ashley~

To My Followers...

A Magical Moment *7*

Disney Challenge Question #7: What is the saddest Disney moment? Ohhhh....good one. 1) Tarzan- when he decides to go with Jane to England, and he tells his mommy monkey that she will always be his mom. (kinda silly, i know. but its just so touching on the movie!) 2) Beauty & the Beast- when the beast changes back to a human. (sure its supposed to be a happy ending, but i wanted him to stay a cute little beast. lol) 3) The Lion King- when Mufasa falls and gets trampled by the herd of buffalo (or something) and then little Simba goes down there and tries to wake him up. sniff sniff What do you think is the saddest Disney moment?

pics via: thedisneyprincess.tumbr.com

Flying Tips

I'm sure most of you are getting irritated by all the new security things going on in the airports.

Sure they keep us safer, but they are quite embarrassing and strange.

In case you don't know what I'm talking about... I'm talking about the full body scans and (especially) the new pat down rules. They used to only feel with the back of their hands for guns and such, and left you some privacy with where they "feel" and not "feel". Not that way anymore! They can now use their palm of their hand to pat, and even grab. And they feel everywhere. (yes....you heard me) Which it kinda makes sense....since several "bad" "dangerous" things have been found in awkward places like that. But still....eeewwww.

So my sister said she read something with some tips to keep the security check as easy breezy as possible.

Wear tight fitting pants and shirts

No layers

Easy slip on shoes

No skirts

No wire bra

But still make sure you're comfortable on your flight. :)

If you follow these tips, you are more likely not to have to go through those weird pat downs.

Happy flying!

~Winter~

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.

~Edith Sitwell

Winter came down to our home one nightQuietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow, And we, we were children once again.

~Bill Morgan, Jr. Brew me a cup for a winter's night.For the wind howls loud and the furies fight; Spice it with love and stir it with care, And I'll toast our bright eyes,my sweetheart fair. ~Minna Thomas Antrim

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn

~ Hal Borland

Winter dies into the spring, to be born again in the autumn.

~Marche Blumenberg

Hope you all are having a wonderful winter.

A Magical Moment *6*

Disney Challenge question week #6 Which is your favorite castle? 1) The castle on Beauty and the Beast- sure it's ugly to begin with....but it turns out to be so beautiful in the end. 2) Prince Eric's castle- I always loved the castle in the Little Mermaid. So bright and cheerful....and with an ocean view. 3) The castle on Snow White- yea....you don't get to see it much...but from far away it just looks so magical. :) So, this one was hard for me because....I couldn't really remember what they looked like. I had to look them up online to jog my memory. tee hee. Which castle is your fav? (you can look them up too if you need to.) ;)

images via- thedisneyprincess.tumblr.com

Would You Rather....*Christmas Edition*

Ok, so lets play a game! I have always loved the game Would You Rather so I was rather excited when I was flipping through the newest edition of the American Girl magazine at my local library (strolling down memory lane....when i was young i got the mag for several years) and found a tiny Christmas edition. (they actually called it This or That....same difference)

Enough chatting....lets play!

Would you rather......

be chased by a nutcracker soldier

OR

a snowman?

ride somewhere in a horse-drawn sleigh

OR

a snow mobile?

open a gift that contained $1 million

OR

one granted wish?

be able to drink only hot chocolate

OR

only apple cider with every meal?

frost 100 cookies

OR

wrap 100 gifts?

Well, that should be enough for now. I'll do the rest later. So leave me a comment telling me which ones you would rather do. Some of them are kinda tricky.

Here are my answers!

I would rather.....

Be chased by a nutcracker soldier.

(when i picture being chased....i think more of being pursued. tee hee)

Ride somewhere in a horse-drawn sleigh.

(I've never been on a sleigh ride...and it looks so romantic and wintery!)

Have one granted wish.

(this one was tricky, but i got smart about it.

with the wish you can wish for a $100 million dollars...or more!)

Be able to drink only hot chocolate with every meal.

(yea both of them sounded gross to me. But i like hot chocolate a lot better than cider.)

Frost 100 cookies.

(it is so much easier and quicker frosting cookies than wrapping gifts...mabye thats just me.)

Ok, so there's my answers. So leave a comment and join me in the

great fun of this Christmasy game!

Singing and Thinking About the Future

My sister and I are singing for church several times this Christmas season. Next time we practice, I'll record and post it here. :)

Also, since this is my senior year in high school, I have been getting a ton of stuff in the mail from different colleges. Most of them I set aside cause they don't interest me. But every once in a while, one will catch my attention. Today was one of those days. I got a little thing in the mail from Delaware College of Art and Design. It totally looked like my type of school! You can go there for animation, photography, interior design, illustration, fine arts, or graphic design. The only hard part would be to decide which one to go with...since I'm interested and somewhat good at all of them. I think I would have to go with illustration as my first choice. :) The only drawback is.....it's in Delaware....which is cold-er. (right? I've never been there in the winter time....if at all...)

Another thing that I am really looking into is YWAM Kona. (yes, that's right...it's in Hawaii baby!! It's not cold there!) It's not really a college I don't think...but more like an outreach/mission trip/training/thing. As you can see I don't really know much about it. (and the website doesn't help at all either) My cousin has a friend who went there, so I guess I'll just have to have a phone chat with her sometime. :) And/or contact someone who works there.

Yeah. I didn't really have a post planned today but...I began typing and couldn't really stop.

So people.....do any of you know anything about either of these colleges? If so, LET ME KNOW! I would love to hear from you about it. Do you know of any other colleges or universities I should look into?

You all are great. :)

Ash

A Magical Moment *5*

Disney challenge week 5 What is your favorite Disney kiss? 1) Aladdin- when Jasmine is on her balcony and Aladdin is standing on "carpet" and "carpet" pushes Aladdin up and....yea, you get the picture. I'm ruining it trying to describe it. lol 2) Beauty and the Beast 3) Princess and the Frog- I mean, kissing a frog? How cool is that? ;)

So what is your favorite Disney kiss? Come on, don't be shy. ;) You can try to describe why you like it if you want. But don't ruin the moment like i did. *snicker, snicker*

Just Darling

A few Sundays ago, my sister Emi looked so cute. She always dresses more casual than me, so it surprised me when she came out of her room looking so spiffy. When she got home she asked me if I can post a pic or two of her on my blog. Sure...why not. ;) She got these shoes a week or two ago and I think they are DARLING! Too bad we don't wear the same size. :(

So, it is snowing here where I live today.... has it snowed yet where you live? If not, do you ever get much snow? We don't get a ton here, but it is more than enough. :)

Ah! Speech Competition!

I'm such a dum-dum. As you all can see, I have been making changes to my blog, making it all christmasy and all. I put it to where only I can see it so that it wouldn't look wierd while I was redecorating. I forgot to change it back to where you can see it though! Whoops! So, sorry about that. Anywho......... As many of you know, two Saturdays ago was the long awaited/dreaded speech competition. I had 3 speeches to give, and it turned out there were two rounds, so I had to give them twice. (I spoke 6 times for those who don't feel like doing math in your head right now.) It started at 11:00 in the morn and ended at 8:00 in the eve. A loooong day, let me tell you! There were probably around 50ish kids there to compete (so I think.....) And as far as I know, they were all homeschooled. The thing that had me the most flustered about the competition was what to wear. (yea, I'm like that) I was just gonna wear a nice sweater, but my teacher thought it not formal enough. So, below is what I wore

I blurred my face because it looked really fat. (yea, I'm like that too) I borrowed my mom's suit jacket because it looked somewhat right, and was purple. :) I have decided that suits are not my thing. They make me look fatter than I really am, and like I have football player shoulder pads on. ick This is what my sister wore. She looked really cute. :) At the end of the day they gave out awards for each category of speeches. I got third place (out of 20 something kids) for my Original Oratory speech. (in this one you can research/write about whatever you want in order to make a 10min speech) I was so excited! I did not expect to place at all!

My two friends got 4th and 2nd place too. So cheers all around! But in my other two categories I didn't place. :( All well, I still think I did well. I just think of it this way, 2 years ago, I wouldn't have been able to stand in front of anyone and give a speech, let alone be judged! That shows you how far I have come over the past few years. Praise God. :) Getting out of your comfort zone little by little really works. Trust me! But I would not have been able to get through the day if it wasn't for my friends. We had a great time together. Here is a video clip of us playing the card game Speed during a break. It helped us relax and not focus on what was to come. :)

Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson- Beauty and the Beast lyrics

And of course you have all heard this version. When I was little, whenever it would start playing during the credits I would turn it off. I didn't like the way it sounded. ( ha ha, i guess i didn't know real music....) Now I absolutely love it. :)

Beauty and the Beast - Emma Rowley

In my last Magical Moment post I mentioned I have a favorite "Beauty and the Beast" version, since I don't really like the Mrs. Potts one. Well, this is one of my favorites (i actually have 2....tee hee) It is sung by Emma Rowley who has a beautiful voice. A couple of years ago she was in the Broadway musical "Bye Bye Birdie", which I am extremely jealous of. ;) She usually writes and performs songs that she has written herself, but I'm so glad she did this one. She needs to do more Disney songs....at least that's my opinion. ;)

A Magical Moment *4*

30 day Disney Challenge week 4! What is your favorite song? 1. Beauty and the Beast- while I don't particularly like it with Mrs. Pots singing it, I think it is absolutely gorgeous when other people sing it. I'll post a version I love in a minute. :) 2. Part of Your World- i'm not a huge fan of The Little Mermaid....her rebelliousness always bothered me. But I love the songs in it. This song is absolutly beautiful. I was gonna sing it in an audition for a musical I was in but changed my mind and sang a song from Wicked instead. 3. Reflection- this song is so touching. I don't really know what to say about this one really, except that I fell in love with it the first time I heard it.

What's your favorite Disney song?

(if you can pick one.... lol)

On This Thanksgiving...

I have so much to be thankful for. It's kinda crazy when I think about it. God has blessed me in so many unbelievable ways, yet I take so much for granted. I tend to focus more on what I don't have, than what I do have. I get so wrapped up in myself and my little world that it slips my mind how much I truly have, and how much so many others don't.

So this thanksgiving, here are a few items in my life that I tend to take for granted.

Although, this barely scratches the surface.

~family~

~friends~

~pets~

~creativity~

~nature~

~music~

~And of course, God for sending His only Son to die for us. So that one day, we can live with Him in Heaven.~

Lord, thank you. I am so grateful.