The Fashion Show

I participated in my second fashion show ever, winning first in my category and first overall! The fashion show was held at the Academic Rodeo. You're probably wondering, "What is Academic Rodeo?!" It's where people from public, private, and homeschools all over East Texas come and participate in the Fashion Show, writing and art contests, agriculture products identification contests,one act play, Lego mindset etc. The Fashion Show is broken into 3 main categories- elementary,(K-5) middle,(6-8) and high school(9-12). Then there are 3 categories within those; such as constructed(you sewed your outfit) designed(you made it out of duct tape or a material like that) and smart buying(you compared outfits and filled out a worksheet about them. Within smart buying, which I competed in, there are sub-categories- casual, formal, specialty, dressy, I was in specialty, with my candy-striper outfit.I won first in specialty, and first in middle school smart buying! This means I'm eligible for scholarships! I had a good time at the show and met tons of new people!

Emily Dickinson

Emily as an adult

Emily as a child

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson  was born December 10, 1830 , and died on May 15, 1886. She was a poet, but if you  asked anyone in her town, they'd admit that she had  published a few pieces of poetry, certainly not many. No one knew she aspired to become a poet, for she hid nearly all of  the brilliant poems she wrote.  Emily  lived in Amherst, Massachusetts, with her fairly successful family.  After she attended  the Amherst Academy for seven years as a child, she also went to Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's house in Amherst. Considered an eccentric by the townsfolk, she became known by her love for white clothing and her shyness; she never greeted guests, and in her later life, hardly even left her room. Most of her friendships were through writing letters, as she never went out of the house. 


This is one of my favorite poems
by Emily Dickinson:

I never saw a moor,
I never saw the sea;
Yet know I how the heather looks,
And what a wave must be.
I never spoke with God,
Nor visited in heaven;
Yet certain am I of the spot
As if the chart were given. 

Pretty awesome, huh? I recommend reading as many of her poems as you can-they're really great!!! 

I got tagged by Purple Pixie!

The title pretty much says it all..:) I have to answer these and make up 11 of my own ! Check out Purple Pixie's blog: http://theunsocializedhomeschooler.blogspot.com/

1)Do you like One Direction? Uh... they're okay. 
2) If you answered yes to #1, then who is your fav out of the band?N/A If not, then who is your favorite celeb? Taylor Swift!! <3 13 <3
3) What is your favorite TV show? I like Dog with a Blog, Phineas and Ferb, and Property Brothers. (Okay, that's a really weird combo, but, I digress.:)
4) What is one of your favorite books? Tricky! I like tons. Hmm... I guess the Nancy Drew or Little House   series!
5) What is your favorite sport? Basketball.
6) What do you do for fun?Read, play with my cats, volunteer as a candy striper, 4-H. Play on my Kindle, blog, write friends, go to Sunday school.
7) How do you post on Blogger? (mobile app, laptop, desktop, etc) Desktop. 
8) Who is your favorite actress? (not actor or singer) For kid actress I guess it'd be Shirley Temple! OR Brenda Song- I miss when she played London on Suite Life On Deck!
9) Taylor Swift or Selena Gomez? Taylor. Of course. (BUT I think S. G. is pretty cool, too. I like Round and Round and Hit the Lights.)
10) Cat or Dog? CAT!!!
11) Bird or Horse? Depends on the type of bird,I guess. I actually think our chickens are sweet.

1. Fave Movie?
2. Would you rather go back in time,or go into the future?
3. What is your favorite blog?
4. What's your favorite thing to cook?
5. Which is better,pink or purple?
6. Favorite Musical?
7. Favorite Disney Princess?
8. Nancy Drew fans, who would you rather be, George or Bess?If you haven't read ND, who is your fave book character?
9. What do you do when you're bored?
10. Favorite TV show character?
11. Would you rather wear a clown suit or dress in a giant banana costume?

Now I have to tag people. They have to answer these 11 questions, make up 11 of their own, and tag  more people!!

I tag:

Piper  @ Earbuds are a girl's best friend

Storyteller @ Storyteller of Weston County
Ireland @ A Pearl of Great Price
Ali @ Ali's Adventures
Emma Kate @ The Ramblings of Emma
Rachel @ Stand Out, Don't Fit In
Poem Girl @Poetic Meditations
Erynn @ Adopted by The King

Master Wellness Volunteer

I'm training to become a Master Wellness Volunteer. What is that? It's where you receive 40 hours of education related to wellness, nutrition, childhood health, food safety, healthy food preparation, public speaking and much more!
The training is conducted by County FCS (Family and Consumer Science) Extension Agents and health professionals who teach information in the area of health and wellness.
In return, you are asked to give 40 hours of volunteer service to the Texas AgriLife Extension Services health and wellness program.

The MWV symbol is an apple.

There are tons of Volunteer opportunities-giving presentations for local community groups, assisting with healthy cooking demonstrations, distributing information at health fairs, working with schools and after school programs, and tons of other things. Our FCS agent Lauren,  who is super nice, is letting me train to become a junior volunteer. She also lets me give speeches to the group! I've been having a lot of fun learning new things!

4-H Food Show

We recently had our 4-H County Food Show, Quizbowl, and Food Challenge.

 For the Food Show I made Easter Quiche. It has summer squash, bacon, and mozzarella in it, plus a homemade crust!

First, I made my dish at home. Than, I prepared a two-minute speech on the nutritional values of my dish and how it is healthy for you. Then, we went to the Food Show. County  is almost a practice. District, if you advance, is the best from each county. We're going to District.

 Then we practiced our Quizbowl, which was a little nerve-wracking when you didn't know the answer, but, when you push the buzzer and answer correctly  and see the judge put  another tally mark on the board, it's a pretty awesome feeling. My team won. Then it was food challenge time! Our team:

Dusk book review

So, I entered a writing contest over at Noveltea , and I won a super cute journal that says "Paris, mon amor" and I won this book, Dusk. It's really, really good. Basically, a young girl named Natalya is on a journey to find her grandfather and tell him good news- Princess Shalom is alive!! For years, the people have worried about the princess, for when Turglar was taken over by harsh and controlling Andor, the royal family was destroyed. But rumor has it that baby princess Shalom survived. Now, two decades later, the truth has been confirmed and it’s up to  Natalya  to find and tell the news to Beniel the goat-keeper, a legend in the towns and also her grandfather. Natalya's mother and father work at the palace , and they know for fact Shalom is alive. But it will be a long and dangerous journey for Natalya, yet someone must go.
 The book basically follows  Natalya on her journey, but it also tells stories over other citizens of Turglar, too. I don't' want to give it away, so I 'll just say you should totally read it! You can buy it here.

Hi Guys!

Hi, everyone! Emma over at Everyday Emma is having an amazing giveaway with some super cute prizes- a bracelet  any ring from Nautical Nonsense, and so much more! Go check it out!

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick review

Rose

 Wonderstruck, by the author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret is an amazing novel, told not just in words but in 460 beautiful, detailed pictures. There are two seemingly separate stories of two children and their quests, one, Rose's story, set in 1927, told only in pictures. Rose is a deaf girl living in Hoboken, New Jersey, and she dreams of New York City (the picture clues tell us she can see it from her window) and a mysterious actress. She feels alone, and as she doesn't want to learn sign language, she can only communicate by writing. She finds solace in books and building mini replicas of New York out of paper. 

Then there is Ben, whose story is mainly told in words. He lives in Gunflint Lake, Minnesota, in 1977. His mother died three months ago, and he misses her terribly.  He has  an odd dream of wolves, running in the moonlight. While staying at his cousins' (they live across from Ben's home he shared with his mother)
he sees a light in his mother's window. Curious, he investigates- and finds his cousin Janet is using the house to sneak away and smoke. Sad and hurt, Ben promises her he won't tell her parents if she won't come smoke again.  She tells him she misses his mom, too,and gives him some money she found in a drawer in the house. While there, Ben finds a mysterious book titled Wonderstuck, and an old card  and a photo from an intriguing man, that looks like Ben. The card and back of the photo are both signed "Danny". Could this be his father, the man his mom never spoke of ? When a accident damages Ben's already poor hearing, leaving him deaf and in a hospital, he runs away, embarking on a desperate quest to find his father*Spoiler alert!* Ben and Rose eventually meet and discover a connection you'd never dream they'd have...


So what are you waiting for? Go read Wonderstruck or the Invention of Hugo Cabret! I know you won't be disappointed!!
Have you read or are reading these? What do you think of them?

Happy(late) New Year's!

So,  I hope you all have a blessed and very happy new year! Isn't this picture super cute?  Here are some of my resolutions!

1. Read more classic books- I've been reading some, and I'm really enjoying this!
2. Read through the Bible in a year with the Sisterhood (A Christian magazine for teen girls)reading plan.
3. Try to control my tongue- sometimes I talk  too much James 1:19: Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger...
4. To do well in all my 4-H contests.