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.

Chili Cook-off

I know this is kinda old news, but I just now got to load these pictures on my computer. But anywho, on halloween night our church had a "chili cook-off"/ fall festival. 25 pots of chili, 3 judges, 3 prizes. It was on! Mom and I decided to make our "taco chili". We weren't going for the "Best tasting chili" prize, nor the "Most likely to put you in the ER" prize. We thought that we would most likely get something for the "Best Decorated" prize. So we decorated out table to a Mexican theme. (below) We thought for sure we would win something for that. But we didn't even place! We ended up winning for the "Best tasting chili" prize!!!! Whoa, what?!?!?! Out of 25 pots and many many great cookers in our church we won. My mom was very happy. :)

I'll have to ask mom if I can share the recipe. Don't know if she wants it to be a secret or not. lol

Over all, it was alot of fun. You all should have a chili cook-off sometime. Whether it's with your church, homeschool group, or a family reunion!

Have you ever won a prize for something you made?

ps. Later on today or tomorrow, I will tell ya how the speech competition went. phew, it was stressful!

A Magical Moment *3*

Disney Challenge question on the week..... Who is your favorite prince??? 1. Aladdin. I mean, Prince Ali! I've had a crush on him since forever!!! That cute little street rat, dimond in the rough! (dunno if i spelled that right, you know what i mean) 2. Eric. I always thought he was so nice and cute... plus his dog rocks. ;) 3. Phillip. I always found him kinda humorous. Especially when he would talk to his horse. "No carrots" ha ha ha ha Who is your dream prince? ;) Don't be shy.

Getting in the Spirit

Yes, I decided to change my background design. I just wanted to get in the Thanksgiving mood. So that everytime I see it I can be like, "oh yea, I should be thankful for this and this and this...." Kinda like a reminder...cause I am a very forgetful person. Well, enjoy it while it lasts. Next up is Christmas!!!!! AAAHHHHH!!!!

~*~Prayer~*~

photo via weheartit.com

If you don't mind, I have a few prayer requests for things to come.

• Speech competition this Sat. I'm doing 3 different catagories and the more I practice, the more I get nervous. (silly me.)
• My grandparents are moving into a house down the street next week. One set of grandparents already live here...but now both are going to. My grandie has alzheimers, and my Pop has problems of his own....
• We are having a few exchange students/friends of my uncle from Purdue University over to our house for Thanksgiving. (i think they are Chinese) I'm not sure if they are Christians or not, so just pray that we will be a good testimony.
• And the final one I can think of... (and most important to me) is my attitude during all three of these situations. (especially the 2nd one) Pray that I will be patient and positive no matter what.

Well, I have never done a post like this before. But my creative juices are not flowing for some reason, so I decided to do a post about the topics I have been thinking about the most lately. Topics that are worrying me...and most likely is the reason for the creativity "dry spell". ;)

You all need prayer for anything? I'm all ears!

God bless ya'll

Ashipoo

A Magical Moment *2*

This week's Disney Challenge question is: Who is your favorite princess? Whoa....tough one.

• Belle is definitely my favorite. She is so gorgeous and brave. :)
• Second place goes to Jasmine. Always wanted to have black hair and big gorgeous eyes like her...but it never happened. lol
• Third place is Pocahontas. She was my all time hero when I was little. Everything I owned was Pocahontas....pjs, bedspread, towels, toothbrush, etc. I was a little upset when I found out the "real" story of Pocahontas though...not quite the same as the Disney version..

Who is your favorite princess? photos via- thedisneyprincess.tumblr.com

~Random?~

Just thought I'd share some pictures a friend sent me the other day that I found rather funny...ok....hilarious. Hope you find them funny....mabye I'm just wierd...

So, I dunno really how to ask this question. (and I'm scared of the answers) But, do you all think my blog is too...random? I mean, I just post things that I enjoy and find amusement in...and I write like I'm having a conversation with someone. I guess I'm just doubting because I've been looking at several other blogs and they just seem so organized. Like they have a theme and know exactly what their posts are about. (and they have alot of followers too) So, yeah, don't be afraid to be honest. Mabye I'm just not cut out for this whole "blogging" thing. Whatcha think? I'm all ears. :) PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS AND TELL ME.

Ash

A Magical Moment *1*

So, on thedisneyprinceess tumblr website I found a 30 day Disney challenge...where there is a different question to answer each day. So, I decided to do it. Today's question is: What is your favorite Disney movie? I love almost all Disney movies so this one is hard... I have a feeling this whole challenge is gonna be a....well....challenge! ha ha..I crack myself up. ;) Anyways, I'll here are my answers. (for today) Warning- answers may vary. 1. Tarzan. (for some reason I am so in love with this movie. I love the animation, the music, the humor, the storyline, everything!!!) 2. Aladdin. (I have loved this movie ever since I can remember. I love the animation and music and Aladdin. Whoops...did I just say that? lol I used to have such a big crush on him. But, Jasmine deserves him...she is so pretty! 3. Beauty and the Beast. (What girl doesn't love this movie? The animation is to die for [can you tell I'm impressed by the animation quality?] The story line is so magical and the beast is so cute! Was I the only one that was disappointed when he turned human? Or am I just wierd???) Well, there ya go. I answered it. Well, here are some Magical Disney pics. Hope it brings a smile to your face. :) photos via- thedisneyprincess.tumblr.com

Bad days

Bad days, everybody has them. Well, today was mine. I'm sick with the flu, feel like poop, and just found out that my "adoptive grandpa" (aka...a older man I was really close to at church) died today from either a heart attack or stroke. Totally unexpected. I feel sooo bad for his wife. (my adoptive grandma)

Kinda feel like crying, kinda can't. So, yeah, that is the story of my bad day. But we shall not dwell on the negative shall we? There is always positive mixed in with the negative....the positive I dwell on is that God is in control. No matter how bad it gets, He has got it under control. He has it all planned out, and it is always for your good, whether it seems like it or not.

Also, as my mom often reminds me, someone always has it worse off than you. You're having a bad day? Well, someone in the world is having a bad week, month, or heck...even a year!

Another thing that cheers me up is music! AAHHHH.....what would life be without it? Here is a song that always cheers me up. :)

When Your Mind is Blank......

.........Ask for help!!!

Hello all! I am in a perdicament. I am going to compete in a speech competition on Nov 20th (oooohhh) and my sister and I are wanting to do an interpretive speech together. An interpretive speech is where you take about 10min out of a book or play and bring it to life. It should have lots of dialogue and it must have a clear beginning, middle, and end. But....I can't think of a good book to do it on!!! I did The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe my first year...then a couple years ago I did Ella Enchanted. But my mind is blank this year... do any of you have a good idea? If so, tell me quick!!!

Hope you are all having a great week. Toodles!

ashipoo