On the 7th Day of Christmas

Isaiah 9:6

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, They everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."


Have a wonderful New Years Eve!! :) 

On The 6th Day of Christmas

I will share pictures of what we wore for Christmas. My sisters and I all got dressed fancy and did our hair. It was alot of fun. 

We all look really weird in this picture. I don't know why. I think I was trying not to laugh at what someone had said.

You can't really see my whole outfit here maybe another day I will get a picture of the whole things. It was really really pretty. I think it is one of my favorite Christmas outfits. :)

Merry Christmas!!
~Elizabeth

On The 5th Day of Christmas

Love came down at Christmas, 

Love all lovely, love divine;

Love was born at Christmas,

Stars and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,

Love incarnate, love divine;

Worship we our Jesus:

But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token,

Love be yours and love be mine,

Love to God and all men,

Love for plea and gift and sign.

By Christina G. Rossetti

On the 4th Day of Christmas

Everyone will go and enter Shealynn's 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza!!!

She has so many things that she is giving away you really do not want to miss this. Her blog is also a great inspiration for being more artistic and creative. I would really recommend her blog to anyone who is even remotely interested in crafts.

Here are what she is giving away so far!
Anything from her shoppe that does not exceed $30. Here are a few of my favorite pieces. :)

There is also an awesome perfume shoppe called Sarawen Perfume Art. If you are a well read person you will love her scents. Her Harry Potter ones made me smile. :)  Shealynn is giving away a Middle Earth Inspired Perfume Sampler. 

And then there is Third Wind Studies. Hand made glass ornaments and jewelry. They are really spectacular and lovely! The giveaway is a Hobbit inspired pendent "Arkenstone."

And Also Foxwise. This is another Fan inspired shoppe. It is a must go to if you are a Whovian, Potter head,or Tribute. :) Here is one of the Giveaway peaces.

There are still more days for Christmas and I cannot wait to see what other wonderful and delightful things Shealynn will be giving away. You all really should go check it out! :) 

Merry Christmas 

~Elizabeth 

On the 3rd Day of Christmas

Thy Nativity, O Christ, our God, 

Has shown to the world the light of wisdom. 

For by it those who worshiped the stars, 

Were taught by a star 

To adore Thee, the Sun of Righteousness; 

And to know Thee, the Orient from on high. 

O Lord, glory to Thee.

On the 2nd Day of Christmas

"And behold an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior; who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." 

And Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 

"Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

On the 1st Day of Christmas

Christ is Born!

Merry Christmas to everyone!! I hope you have a wonderful day!!! :)

Joy to the World, the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And Heaven and nature sing,

And Heaven and nature sing, 

And Heaven, and Heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!

Let men their songs employ; 

While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat the sounding joy, 

Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sin an sorrow grow,

Nor thorn infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found,

Far as the curse is found,

Far as, Far as, the curse is found. 

He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders, wonders of His love. 

Christmas Eve

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel 

That mourns in lonely exile here 

Until the Son of God appeared

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee o Israel. 

O come, O come, thou rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny

From depths of Hell they people save 

And give the victory o'er the grave

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel 

Shall come to thee o Israel.

Review: Robin Hood Season 2

Title: Robin Hood(season 2)
Producer: Foz Allan, Dominic Minghella
Creator: BBC
Actors: Jonas Armstrong, Lucy Griffiths, Keith Allen, Richard Armitage, Gordon Kennedy, Sam Troughton, Joe Armstrong, Harry Lloyd, Anjali Jay,
Rating: 10/5 :) 
Read my review of season 1 here.

I think Season 2 is tied with Season 3 as being my favorite of the three. Part of the reason I like this better, was that I feel with the first season they were trying to do a lot of figuring out of what they wanted to do, towards the end of 1 they had is figured out, but Season 2 felt much more solid. All the characters were established, and the actors seemed more comfortable with their characters. Not to mention they seemed to have more depth too. Robin, especially to me, felt a little flat in the first season but he really seemed to grow in season 2. It was nice to see some depth there.

I think every gained some depth in Season 2. Even the Sheriff strangely enough gained some. Though Keith Allen does a fantastic job in both seasons!

The costumes where interesting and very nice looking, though, like the first season, not truly medieval. Marian's costumes especially are not accurate with the time.

Most of what I would say is the same as the first season. So I would recommend reading that. Season 2 continued the great story and if you enjoyed the first you will enjoy the second.

Blessings

~Elizabeth 

Keep Calm

The Hobbit is coming out tonight!!! :) So excited!!!!!!! :) :)

Does the Length Really Matter?

I have heard of people who don't want to read the classic because "they are too long." I don't think this is a good excuse at all as these same people are reading Twilight and Harry Potter. If you have ever seen a copy of Twilight(can anyone avoid see this? it is at my library all the time!) those are not short books! Also the same with Harry Potter. Those are some really huge books! 

image via google images

Now having read several Harry Potter books(and enjoyed them) and having read Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, the Bronte sisters, and many others. I think I can say that length is definitely not the problem. 

If length is not the problem then what is? Having read Harry Potter and heard notorious things about Twilight from book lovers, I would have to say it is a combination of things. It would be difficult to point to any one thing. 

The first I would have to say it probably a mental association with school. They probably think of them as the books that teachers assign then for school, and some school books are not pleasant. They think that they are all not for fun, they are work. It would be wrong to say that this is entirely untrue because in some cases it is true. Some books really are like that. However it would be "cutting on your nose to spite your face" to assume that all classics are difficult, hard, and not enjoyable. 

The Second would probably be reading level. Read any of Charles Dickens novels and the read Harry Potter. There is a lot of difference. Not to say that the difference reflects quality. Charles Dickens had a vocabulary, and a grammar that is complicated and takes more thought that J. K. Rowling. They both tell wonderful stories though with equally interesting and valuable themes to the reader. 

There also is perception that something from the past is much harder to relate to with modern readers. This can be partially true in some cases, where the book is dealing with a particular social or political problem of the day. However, this is not true for all books. Jane Eyre deals with equality of men and women(other things too). This is something relevant even for today. Some messages in books transcend time. Making them relevant to everyone everywhere. 

Here are some quotes from other bloggers on this subject.

"No, I do not think that it's the length of the book at all.  I think it's the level and style of the writing.  I have never read Harry Potter, and never mean to, but I've come across excerpts and I've seen the writing level.  It's not that hard......Classics, on the other hand, often have advanced vocabularies, as well as unfamiliar colloquialisms and antiquated styles.  They're usually not action-oriented, and sometimes they have a sleep-inducing amount of description.  (Yes, Dickens, I am looking at you.)" (Raindrops and Moonlight)


"It seems like some people of the present day are under the impression that older novels are boring and less captivating than more "up to date" novels." (The Alpine Path)

"This frustrates and disturbs me greatly, because for one thing, how can we move forward with literature unless we learn to appreciate the classics? We should learn from the experts, not be ignorant of them......We should read as many classic novels as possible!"  (The Alpine Path)

What are your thoughts on this? I would love to hear your opinion on this! 
Blessings
~Elizabeth  

A Happy November 22nd!

To day is Thanksgiving another year has passed. When ever a major holiday rolls around I find that I always look back to see how things are different from the year before. Overall it is hard to say. I know I have grown up more. I have read more books. Does that count as something different? I am a Senior in highschool.

Anyway. Like everyone else I will share a few things I am thankful for. Someone should come up with some different kind of thing. Maybe I will do that next year at the moment I am to lazy to try and use brain power to think of anything else. :)

• I am thankful for peanut butter hot coco.(really not that hard to make just heat it on the stove with a blob of peanut butter. My friend introduced me to it when I went over to her house to watch North & South :) 
• I am thankful for books. Lots and lots of books. I will just say books instead of particular books as that would be way to long of a list. 
• I am thankful for my family and friends. My family loves me and puts up with me. My friends listen to me when I talk. 
• I am thankful for music. It is pretty much one of my addictions along with books. 
• I am thankful for kind people. They are just nice and we need more people like them in the world. 
• I am thankful for refrigerators, because without them our food would spoil and then we would have to use a lot of seasoning like the middle ages. 
• I am thankful for the internet. It gives me access to information that would otherwise be inaccessible for me, and allows me to connect with other people that I would otherwise never know existed. 
• I am thankful for being alive. It is really great to be alive and living if you thank about it. 

What are you thankful for?
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, or if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving (I know I have followers who are not from the US) I hope you have a wonderful November 22nd! :)
Blessings
~Elizabeth

To day is also the saints day for Saint Cecilia. She is a saint in the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, and the Orthodox Church. :) Here is her icon.

Only Stargate fans :)

This was one of the best moments from Stargate. Granted Indian Jones was not in it and the girl wasn't either. I have no idea who she is, but I thought this was so funny! :)

Book Review: Mockingjay

Title: Mocking Jay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Sic-Fi
my rating: 5/5
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire

Tissues will be important. This is the most tough book from the whole series. You would want to read it all at once, but I would recommend going slow. It is a lot to take in. I had to read it twice to fully process it.

This is also one of the most interesting books in the series as it really goes to show the manipulation, and the depths that some people will go to. There was o much going on. It was the most interesting I think because I had read so much Tudor history. All of the power play reminded me of that. I think also seeing so many images of how things effect us and change who we are. A warning to society. This whole series has had a very strong effect on my perception of the world around me.

Besides how painful this book can be, and hard to process. It is really important to the series though. If all the painful things had not happened I don't think this book would have been real, it would have been fake and the story would no longer have a point.

Blessings
~Elizabeth

Fall Fashion part 2

I am in the mood for posting some cute cloths. I really enjoy Fall fashion, and fall in almost over or is over depend on when I post this. :) But better late than never. 

I like her boots  and the baggy sweater. I am very fond of the color brown. The layers are great too with all the earthy colors. 

I do not have enough words to say how much this out fit is so me. The dress the sweater...It is just perfect. Even the hair color. 

 This is kind of focusing on boots in this post. Boots look great with almost anything. 

This is definatly focusing on the boots. I also like the skirt. It not to dress, and has an almost country look. 

The jeans and the jacket.

Blessings
~Elizabeth

A must enter Giveaway!

Go check out this giveaway at Austenitis!! She is giving away the above book by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. I have read her book Hearless and did a review of it here. It is definitely one of my favorites, and I recommend it to everyone.

I was so excited to find out that she had written other books. Now to go on a book hunt!

Let your indulgence set me free

Epilogue from Tempest By Shakespeare

Spoken by Prospero

Now my charms are all o'erthrown,

And what strength I have's mine own, 

Which is most faint. Now 'tis true

I must be here confined by you, 

Or sent to Naples. Let me not, 

Since I have my dukedom got

And pardon the deceiver, dwell

In this bare island by your spell;

But release me from my bands

With the help of your good hands. 

Gentle breath of yours my sails

Must fill, or else my project fails, 

Which was to please. Now I want

Spirits to enforce, are to enchant;

And my ending is despair 

Unless I be relieved by prayer, 

Which pierces so that is assaults

Mercy itself and frees all faults. 

As your from crimes would pardoned be, 

Let your indulgence set me free

I have been studying the Tempest in school lately and it has become one of my favorites. I wanted to share my favorite passage with you all. 

Blessings

~Elizabeth  

Day 30 — How many icons you own?

I own one icon. My family owns several, but I have one that was a gift to me.

I am sad that this is the last day for the challenge. I have really really enjoyed doing this.
I hope you have enjoyed it!

Day 29 — Share any funny Orthodox moments you noticed at Church

Are these moments that are humorous? I have a few of those. I the one that comes to mind though is when I watched a little boy take off his shoes and socks, and then put his socks on his hands. His socked hands the proceeded to have a conversation. It was extremely cute. :)

The first time we came to church was the Sunday of the Elevation of the Cross. We had never been to an Orthodox service before, we had no idea what we were walking into. So at the part of the service when every one prostrates. My family had no clue what was going on, we were very confused and had no idea what to do. It is quite humorous to look back on.

Day 28 — Your favorite Orthodox radio station/internet radio station

As I live in America there are no stations on the radio that play orthodox music sadly. :(

However with this age of the internet we do have access to radios on the internet. My favorite is Ancient Faith Radio. I enjoy many of the podcasts, and my whole family loves the music. :)

Day 27 — Your favorite Martyrs

St. Stephanie 

And also the Russian Royal family.

Day 26 — Your stance on Ecumenism

I didn't even know what this was until it came up on the this challenge. I had to research it to see if I had a stance on it. Having done that, I dream of having one Church in the world and to have unity, but not at the  compromise the Orthodox faith. I would like to see the whole word in the Orthodox Church but I don't think that will happen in my life time

Day 25 — Your favorite tumblr Orthodox bloggers

My favorite Orthodox Tumblr Bloggers are..
Simply Orthodox
Orthopraxis

And since this post is for blogger I will post my favorite Blogger Orthodox blogger.
The Morning Offering

Day 24 — Describe your relationship with the Most Holy Theotokos

I am not sure how to describe my relationship with her. I feel it is more like a distant admirer. I have asked her to pray for me, and I admire her faith and life. I don't think it is very close to me and that is something I need to work on.

How Cool!

My blog has been nominated for Best Teen Blog award! I am so excited! I don't know who nominated me but who ever you are thank you!!!

You can vote for my blog by clicking on the link.
Blessings
~Elizabeth

Day 23 — Describe your relationship with God?

I feel like this is something I can't describe with words. I can say that I am dependent on God for peace, wisdom, charity, kindness, and love. I can't be who I am without him. I need God in my life. Take God out of my life would be like taking away the air that I breath. To lose it would mean my death (in a way).

A new Tag

(Very lat in posting) I was tagged by Jane from Novel Pretender! Thank you! :) 

The Rules:

1. You must post eleven facts about yourself.

2. You must also answer the eleven questions the awarder has given you and make up eleven questions for your awardees to answer in turn.

3. Tag eleven fellow bloggers

4. Notify them that you've awarded them

5. No tagging back

6. And the eleven blogs you tag must have less than 200 followers.

However I am not going to follow these rules exactly. I have done so many random facts about myself in different post that I have completely run out of random things about me. 

I will post one.

Random fact:

I am watching North and South tonight with a friend. Very happy! :) 

1. What is your favorite character trait in a main character?  

I think seeing them change and grow. If you can call that a trait. Being caring is also important. 

2. Who is a character you don't like even though most people seem to love them, and why?
Umm. Emma played by Ramola Garia. Everyone that I have meet loves her Emma. I really really don't. Her portrayal just did not feel like the Emma from the book(or what I have read of the book. I am ashamed to say that I have not finished. Emma has to be the most difficult of Jane Austen's novels!) Also, what was going on with her eyes? I thought they were going to roll back into her head! 

3. What is your ideal job? 
Teaching Piano. :) Which I do. 

4. What is your favorite book from your childhood? 
Laura Ingalls Wilder series. (I know it is a series I just could not pick one book!)

5. Is time travel a possibility? How would it work? I read somewhere that in order for us to be able to time travel we would need to be able to travel at the speed of light, Which would take a lot more energy than we can make. So that is how I think it would work. 

6. Do you like to write stories, poetry, essays, etc.? I have started numerous stories in my head, a few on paper, I enjoy writing poetry, I am hoping to set a few to music. I enjoy writing essays mostly though when I like the topic. I would say that I like writing. 

7. What is something you always thought you would do that you never ended up doing?
Start teaching piano lessons at 16, but that didn't happen when I was 16. 

8. Do you have an accent?
You know I really have no idea. People say that where I live people don't have an accent. But I have noticed that if I listen to people who have accents for a long time(like watching a BBC show for a while) I start talking like the people on the show. I am not even trying. 

9. Do you have a "bucket list" of things you would like to do before you die?
Oh yes! One of them is to eat one of those spicy peppers that they put in Asian food. Another is to write a fan letter to; Rick Riordan, Loreena Mckennitt, Meav, and I am vaguely considering putting Taylor Swift on the list. 

10. What is your favorite meal? Meal of the day, or a particular food combo? Well if it is a meal of the day than it is breakfast. I am very fond of breakfast food. For a particular food combo I would have to say that I like a lot of food and can't pick a particular one. 

11. What fictional character do you most identify with? I identify with a lot of fictional characters, probably Elinor Dashwood, and Jane Eyre mostly. 

Now Eleven questions to ask others: 
1. I have heard it said that some people  don't want to read classics because they are too long. Yet some of these same people read Harry Potter(and those are not short books). Do you think is really the length of the book, or something else? 

2. If you could pick a dead author to talk to who would it be: Jane Austen, one of the Bronte sisters, Mark Twain, or Thomas Hardy? 

3. Do you have a favorite board game? 

4. Who is your favorite actor? And what is your favorite character they have played? 

5. Do you think being a fan of Jane Austen is becoming/is a fad? 

6. We all pick out names that we like that we say we will name our children. What are some of yours? 

7. Would you call yourself a morning person?

8. Tea or Coffee? 

9. Have you come across a book where you liked the movie version better? 

10. What is your favorite place to read a book? 

11. Do you have a food that you don't like, but everyone else does? 

People I tag
 Think Green at ThinkGreenLovePurple 
Victoria at Raindrops and Moonlight
Joy at Fullness of Joy
Banrion An Gheimhridh at The Alpine Path

Anyone else who wants to participate in my tag is more than welcome! Just leave me a comment with a link so I can read your answers to my questions. :)
Blessings 
~Elizabeth 

PS. I am going to be doing a post on the subject of the first question. I wanted to see your answers and what you though. I might even ask to quote in you my post. :) 

Day 22 — What does Orthodox Christianity mean to you?

It means true to me. It means life. It means love. It means family. It means being able to take care of others. It means practically my whole life to me. There are so many things that Orthodox Christianity means to me I don't even think all of them have words that I can express them with.

Day 21 — The Last Orthodox book/study you read

The last Orthodox book that I read was was The Orthodox Way by Bishop Kallistos Ware. A very good book. I would recommend it to orthodox and nonOrthodox that are interested in the Orthodox church.

Day 19 — Ever considered ordination/entering monachism?

It has vaguely crossed my mind. I have never given it(monasticism) any really serious thought or prayer, which I probably should. I know of several people who are looking at the monastic life and becoming priests. I guess it is just something that has really crossed my path in a way for me to take a second look at it. I know I should.

Day 20 — Your favorite Father of the Church

St. John Chrysostom. I always enjoy his quotes, and he was very good at expressing himself.

Day 18 — Your favorite Archangel

The Archangel Micheal. I never could find as much about him as the Bible as I did Gabriel so I often wondered about him, and what things he had done. I found him very interesting.

Day 17 — Your favorite Priest/Metropolitan

Father John at our Parish is my favorite Priest. He is always helpful with answering questions, and is very understanding. He is always able to give advise about how to apply our religion to our everyday lives. He is very good at listening too.

Day 16 — How often do you receive the Holy Communion?

Pretty much every time I go to church, which is at least once a week on average, and sometimes more. Or less if I am sick or otherwise unable to get to church.

Day 15 — Your favorite Orthodox celebrity

Probably Tom Hanks. I didn't even know that he was Orthodox until after my family became Orthodox. We were all a little surprised.

Day 14 — Your favorite Orthodox elder/eldress

I do not really have a favorite elder of eldress. Though Elder Paisios of Mount Athos has made a great impression on me.

Day 13 — Your favorite Saint quote

"To love Christ -means not to be a hireling, not to look upon a noble life as an enterprise or trade, but to be a true benefactor and to do everything only for the sake of love for God."

—St John Chrysostom

Loving people as God loves us is something I struggle with, but feel is our greatest calling as Christians. To be a Christian is to love others. 

Day 12 — Your favorite day of the Holy Week

My favorite day of Holy Week is Holy Friday. It is the saddest day, and the day that the whole story really comes to life for me. It is the day that I feel closest to the Passion story. I feel that I am there. I want to weep with those that are there. I am more able to see clearly how much I need Him in my life.

Day 11 — Your favorite chant

This is my favorite song/chant. It is soothing, and calming. I enjoy the melody, and I love to sing it.

Day 10 — How many prayer ropes do you have?

I own only one prayer rope. Though I would like to get one of the short ones to carry around with me. The one of have is a long one, and the first one I ever had.

Day 09 — A photo of your favorite Church

The Church's name is Holy Trinity. It is very tiny.

Day 08 — Your favorite Orthodox monastery

My favorite monastery is St. John the Forerunner Greek Orthodox Monastery. I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a week there for a girls retreat. I can confidently say that it was one of the best weeks of my life! We got to know the nuns, they played some games with us, we did crafts that the nuns do there, and the talks in the chapel. It was wonderful to get a glimpse in to what life is like at a monastery. It was just a wonderful time to pray, talk, and learn so much more about my faith.

Day 07 — Your favorite pilgrimage destination

Being in America I feel that we don't have nearly as many pilgrimage destinations as those who live in countries that have had Orthodoxy for much longer. But I do have a favorite pilgrimage destination, even though I don't have a lot to chose from, and I have not been to nearly as many as  I would like. It is All Merciful Saviour Orthodox Monastery. It is is such a lovely location, and the monks there are so friendly and easy to talk to.

Day 06 — How often do you say the Jesus Prayer with your prayer rope?

Not nearly often enough. I use my pray rope probably about once a week, though I say the Jesus prayer often during the day. I have been trying to use is more, though not nearly as successfully as I would like.

For my followers who don't know what the Jesus prayer is: "Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner."

Day 5 — Your favourite Theotokos icon

Our Lady of Vladimir is my favorite Theotokos icon. It is very comforting to look at. To see it has withstood time and so has the Theotokos. 

Day 04 — Your favorite Jesus icon

This would be my favorite icon of Christ. If I had to choose. I like many of them.