Picture of Thorin from the Hobbit!!!!!! :)

So I am a little behind in posting picture of Thorin. I could not wait to see what he looked like as Thorin so I was thrilled to death when I finally got to see the picture!! :)

I almost didn't post pictures, but I am a Richard Armitage fan so I felt I had to post about it!! :) Anyway here he is!

Really when I first saw this picture I though "that is him!! He looks nothing like himself!!!" Really I would not have recognized him! Here is a picture of him as Guy of Gisborne to compare.

Now that the two picture are here together I can kind of see it, but they are still very different looking!

Are you saved? - an Orthodox Christian answer.

I love this video. It reminds me of what I am living for and how I need to live my life. I do not always act the way I would like too. This reminds me.





Blessings

~Elizabeth

Book Review: The Endless Steppe

Title: The Endless Steppe

Author: Esther Hautzig

1st published: 1968

Genre: Auto biography

My rating: 5/5

"It is June 1941. The Rudomin family has been arrested by the Russians. THey are "capitalists- enemies of the people." Forced from their home and friends in Vilna, Poland, they are hearded into crowded cattle cars. Their destination: the endless steppe of Siberia.

For five years, Esther and her family live in exile, weeding potato fields and working in the mines, struggling for enough food and clothing to stay alive. Only the strength of family sustains them and gives them hope for the future." -back of the book

I love this story because it is true, sad, funny, and tells about life for Jews in Russia during WWII. While there is hardship it also has some humorous stories, and things that where not funny then, but are now.

I love Esther. I identify with her character a lot. I have not been banished to Siberia, but I know that I would probably deal with it the way she did(though not as well).

"The flatness of the land was awesome. There wasn't a hill in sight; it was enormous, unrippled sea of parched and lifeless grass.

"Tata, why is the earth so flat here?"

"These must be the steppes, Esther."

" Steppes? But the steppes are in Siberia."

"This is Siberia," he said quietly.

If I had been told that I had been transported to the moon I could not have been more stunned.

" Siberia?" My voice trembled. "But Siberia si full of snow."

"It will be," my father said.

Siberia! Siberia was the end of the world, a point of no return. Siberia was for Criminals and political enemies, where the punishment was unbelievably cruel, and where people died like flies. Siberia was the tundra and mountainous drifts of snow. Siberia was wolves.

I had been careless. I had neglected to pray to God to save us from a gypsum mine in Siberia." -this is an excerpt from the book.

This is one of my favorite passages. It is very descriptive and creates wonderful images in the mind. You can see and feel the shock of this news that she was in Siberia!

"There is one adjective that the quality of this book demands-it is magnificent" -Publishers Weekly

Blessings

~Elizabeth

Blackberry flower pictures

We have had a complete and utter lack of sun and warm weather here! It has been cold and it is the end of July! Anyways because of this lack of warm weather, our blackberry bush has been very late, and we will probably not get any blackberries this year. :( I did go out and take some pictures of the blooms that where there though. I was playing with the camera and we don't have a whole lot of interesting things in our backyard, so I took pictures of blackberry blossoms.

Please tell me what you think of them! I have numbered them.

#1
#2 I like this one and how it is focused.

#3 some blossoms that have not opened yet.
#4 I like the leaves in this one.
#5 This one reminds me of Milo & Otis. I have no idea why?
#6 The back of some blossoms.
#7 I think this one is my favorite of all of them! With the open blossoms and how it is focused on them.
#8 I like looking down into the open blossom.

Tell me what you think! :)

Blessings

~Elizabeth

Loreena Mckennitt - The Parting Glass

I love this song! it is sweet, soft and sad. I fell in love with it the first time I heard it!

Lyrics:

Of all the money that here I spent, I spent it in good company
And of all the harm that here I've done, alas was done to none but me
And all I've done for want of wit, to memory now I can't recall
So fill to me the parting glass. Goodnight and joy be with you all.

Oh, if I had money enough to spend and leisure time to sit awhile
There's a fair young man in this town that sorely has my heart beguiled
His rosy cheeks and lovely lips, alone he has my heart in thrall
So fill to me the parting glass. Goodnight and joy be with you all.

Of all the comrades that here I've had, they're sorry for my going away,
And of all the sweethearts that here I had, they wish me one more day to stay,
But since it falls unto my lot that I should rise and you should not,
I will gently rise and softly call. Goodnight and joy be with you all.

Book Review: Angel on the Square

Title: Angel on the Square

Author: Gloria Whelan

1st published: 2001

Genre: Historical fiction

My rating: 5/5

"In the fall of 1914, safe behind palace walls, Katya Ivanova sees St. Petersburg as a magical place. The daughter of a lady-in-waiting to the Empress, Katay spends all her time with the Grand Duchesses; the rayal family feels like her own. But outside the palace, a terrible war is sweeping through Europe, and Russia is beginning to crumble under the weight of a growing revolution. Now, as Katya's once certain future begins to dissolve, she must seek to understand what is happening to her beloved country, and for the first time in her life, take charge of her own destiny." -the back of the book

I LOVE this book!!! Gloria Whelan is one of my favorite authors! I would recommend this book to everyone!

The setting it wonderful and colorful you see the Winter Palace and all the splendor of the Romanov court. Perhaps the part that I like best is the story setting. She know the Royal family like it is her own, she sees what is happening to Russia and that it needs to be fixed. But she sees that the Tzar can fix it. She has a very good friend of her family, who is a revolutionist (not a Communist!!) and he shows her what needs to be fixed in the country. But she is loyal to the Tzar and does not want to see the a dramatic change of goverment like he does. She wants the Tzar to fix it. I love the conflicting views and how the character must come to terms with both. It is my favorite part of the book!

I have always loved the Russian Royal Family! My patron saint, St. Elizabeth the new martyr, was part of the Royal family, by marriage.

The characters are wonderful. You feel like you really are there getting to know them!

If you know Russia history(which I am sure most of you know what time period this is) you can kind of guess how it ends. I knew how it would and I was still very upset!

over all I think this was one of the best books that I have ever read! I have enjoyed all of Gloria Whelan's books, but this one is my favorite!! :)

Blessings

~Elizabeth

Drying flowers part 2

this is the second half to my other post on drying flowers. These are the after pictures of what the flowers looked like after I had finished drying them. I have included some of my other earlier flowers that I don't have before pictures for them.

I took the pictures of all the flower (before & after) a while ago. It has just taken me a while to get them up. Sorry! I don't like taking the pictures of the camera until I have quite a few. I just hate putting just a few on the computer at a time!


this is a large bunch of flowers I have them stored on our mantel. The carnation is one of my earlier flowers.
The full view.
This is a little bouquet I made. It is held together by a rubber band and I have tied a ribbon to make it look nice. I a very pleased with it!
This was a corsage from Mother's day. I dried it for my mother. It turned out better than I thought it would!

Let me know what you think!

Blessings

~Elizabeth

Book Review: A Murder for Her Majesty

Title: A Murder for Her Majesty

Author: Beth Hilgartner

1st published: 1986

Genre: Historical Fiction, and mystery

My rating: 3/5

"Alice Tuckfield is and eleven-year-old fugitive. She has witnessed the death of her father at the hands of men posing as agents of Queen Elizabeth, and has made her way to York to find help. But things do not go as planned, and before she knows it Alice has been taken in by a group of choirboys, who disguise her as on of them. Now she must find a way to solve the mystery of her father's murder...before the killers find her." -The back of the book!.

This book is good for all ages. It makes a great read aloud for the family. You will not want to put is down!

The characters are very humorous. they are all very lovable. Jeffery was one of my favorite characters, because of how much humor he added to to story. Alice was someone who I like because she was trying to be so much more

I love the Elizabethan period of history so for anyone else who does this is a fun book. I am not sure of the historical accuracy of the book, I would have to do more research. But is is a wonderful story!

If you like mysteries this is a fun one. You will not want to put the book down! :)

Blessings Elizabeth

Drying flowers part 1

So a very nice lady at our Church gave me some her flowers, because I told her that I like to try and dry them. This has been a recent development in my craft life. I don't come across very many flowers to dry so I get very happy when I do!! :) These are the before pictures I will post the after pictures latter! I hope you enjoy, and tell me what you think!

What the it looked like before!
These were two extra flowers.
I know this is a very bad picture but it is the only one that can give you and idea of what the flowers looked like all together!

I don't know what setting I used for this one but it is very cool looking. I like it!

This is my favorite rose!
I separated them into groups.

And then i hung them up in my closet. Not the best place to dry them, but it works and I don't really know where else to do it.

Blessings

~Elizabeth

Bath Bag

This is another craft project that i have done. It is called a bath bag. Basically it is a washcloth and with a soap bar in it. I love it!! It is a crochet project. Here is a picture. I wish I could say more about it, but I just don't know what to say.

That funny lump in the bag is the soap bar.

Blessings

~Elizabeth

Hamlet Act I scene II lines 129-159

"O that this too too sullied flesh would melt,

Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,

Or that the Everlasting had not fixed

His canon 'gaints self-slaughter, O God, God,

How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable

Seem to me all uses of this world!

Fie on't fie, 'tis an unweeded garden

That grows to seed. Things rand and gross in nature

Posses it merely. That it should come to this:

But two months dead, nay, not so much, not two,

So excellent a king, taht was to this

Hyperion to a satyr, so loving to my mother

That he might not beteem the winds of heaven

Visit her face to roughly, Heaven and earth,

Must I remember? Why, she would hand on him

As if increase of appetie had grown

By what it fed on; and yet within a month-

Let me not think on't; frailty, thy name is women-

A little month, or ere those shoes were old

With wich she followed my poor father's body

Like Niobe, all tears, why she even she-

O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason

Would have mourned longer-

Married with my uncle,

My father's brother, but no more like my father

Than I Hercules. Within a month,

Ere yet that salt of most unrightous tears

Had left the flushing in her galled eyes

She married. O most wicked speed to post

With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!

It is no, nor it cannot come to good.

But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue."

This is Hamlet's first speech alone. It is my favorite speech so far! I think I like ti because it is how we are first introduced to Hamlet's character, and the depression he feels, his sorrow, and anguish.


Yes I am finally watching Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet!! I am so happy! I am half way through and I love it!!

Blessings

~Elizabeth

Things I want to do!

This is just a general list of things I would like to do. I might not actually be able to do them, because they are impossible, but hey I can dream can't I! :) Some are practical though so they make up for the impossible ones. I think this is going to be fun!! :)

• Become a piano teacher. This is my "career" choice.
• Read all of Charles Dickens' books.
• Play the violin.
• Meet people from history and ask them all the questions I have!
• Time travel.
• Own all of Loreena Mckennitt's CDs! :)
• Own Loreena Mckennitt's DVD!
• Be more wise spiritually.
• Play the piano amazingly!
• Play the Cello.
• I wish I could travel to Russia.
• I wish I could go to England and see the Tower of London!
• To meet Richard Amitage. I think this would be interesting, I have no idea what I would say! :)
• Read all the books I possible can!
• be better at doing the things that I can do. The things that are on my list of things to do everyday.
• Become a better person that I am now.
• Be a wiser person than I am now.

That is all I have for my list right now. I will probably be adding to it as life goes on.

Blessings

~Elizabeth

Edit: Sorry for all the typos. I wrote this late at night, so I guess I was tired and not typing strait. :) I have fixed all the ones that I could see.

What I have been doing

So for the past couple of days I have been babysitting for a family. The dad was having surgery and they needed someone to watch the kids and spend the night. I got to do it! It was lots of fun! I played Uno, Uno attack, Pictionary Jr, Candy Land, and some Wii games too. :) The kids were lots of fun to watch and were well behaved! The only problem was that I had packed everything, tooth brush, ear cleaning stuff, change of clothes, everything...except pajamas. It worked out okay, I just slept in my cloths. :)

The dads surgery went well and he came back to his home safe and sound!

Well that is what I have been up to!

Blessings

~Elizabeth

PS. I forgot to say that I played hide and seek too!

Colds are not fun!

So I got a cold on the 4th of July! Because of this I was to miserable to go watch the fire works that our neighbors do(our neighbors are crazy!). I really was quite sick! I took a nap yesterday, this nap took up my whole afternoon, I don't usually take naps let alone naps that long! So my sisters took pictures of fireworks this year. I like to take pictures and fireworks only really come 2 times a year, and I missed it! I got 2 though my sisters took most of them. I will post them as soon as I can. The computer that I put the pictures on though is not working right now. So when the computer decides to work then I will post pictures!

The 4th of July is an American holiday. I have always been fascinated with national holidays. If I have any non American followers what are some holidays that your country and only your country celebrate? And to all my fellow Americans I hope you had a wonderful 4th! How was your 4th of July?

Bramblewood Fashion give a way!!

Ashley over at Bramblewood Fashion is having a HUGE give a way for her 21st birthday!! Happy Birthday Ashley!

She has multiple post for lots and lots of lovely things! I would highly recommend going over there and entering for some of them! :) Here are just a small fraction of the many things that she is giving a way!

Some lovely fabric!
Some lovely earrings from one of my favorite shoppes! Shealynn's Faerie Shoppe!

I love this bag!
A lovely necklace!

I hope you enter!

Blessings

~Elizabeth

Random Post

Okay so I felt like I need to post but I had no idea what to post about! So I decided to put together a really random post about a bunch of stuff with no connecting to each other. So just stick with me here as I run around. :)

Books! I love books they are on my mind all the time!! I wish I had book that looked like this it would be so cool, and they would be so wonderful to read!

I want to finish this. I need to find out if the guy(who's name I don't remember) who Molly loves will wake up and see the Molly will make a much better wife that Cynthia! Molly is his best friend and always think that you should marry some one who is your best friend!

I need to finish watching Bleak House too. I have read the book so I know how it ends, but I want to see how they do it in the series. One a side not this scene made me cry! Mother and child scenes always make me cry. I cry every time I watch Dumbo! the part where he goes and visits his mother in jail, and she is holding him, and the song! I am tearing up right now just thinking about it!

And another thing I want to watch. I should just have a day where I sit down and watch all of this stuff!! I love Margaret's dress, it is one of my favorite dresses from her whole wardrobe! The sleeves and the print! So feminine and lovely! Ah and Mr. Thornton is in this picture too!! I love his hat!
I want to eat brownies!!! Yummy! :)

bla!! I keep drooling over all her albums on itunes! I would buy them except I don't have the money, well that is not really true; I have the money I just don't have it in gift card form. :)
This is what I plane on going and doing when I am done! Reading! Bookmobile came today so I now have three really good looking books!!! So excited I cannot wait to start them!!!!

I want to go to the beach this summer!!! I love the ocean, the wind, and the sand!! <3 <3 I don't know what the words are in the bottom so ignore them. I just like to the picture! :)

I wish I could play the Cello! I would love to be able to play more than one instrument, I am very thankful though to be able to play the piano, but I still dream. :)
More Loreena mckennitt!! I love her! I wish I could watch this whole consort from beginning to end! *sigh*
And Robin Hood! I really like this picture of Guy and Archer. The sword is pretty cool. If only I could eat brownies, read a book, listen to Loreena Mckennitt, and watch all these different period dramas at the same time I would be very productive! But I am not quite that talented at multitasking. ;)

Blessings

~Elizabeth