So, I thought that maybe I should introduce myself more clearly, so that y'all get the idea of who I am, and what kind of a person I am.
I am a 13 year old homeschooling child of nine children, me being the oldest, and I have many responsibilities in the home.
I am very proud of being the oldest and have many responsibilities, but it can get hard sometimes, as all oldest daughters know. :)
Why I have this blog full of writing is, I LOVE to write, which is mostly what I do every day when I am not helping out in the house.
I write everywhere: in the car, the kitchen, the living room, my room, when watching TV, and so many more places.
I cannot live without writing...BUT... I also have other hobbies that I enjoy:                                  

                                                                 Dressing up

                                                            Fashion Designing

Painting

Reading

Sewing

Drawing

Sleeping :)

Homemaking

And so many more things!

Homeschooling is the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life.

I feel so free, unlike many other girls that I do know, who despretly wish to be homescooled.

And I feel for them. :)

I am  very proud to be a BIG sister, and I mean BIG!!!

Nine children is a very big thing to help with:

Michael (12)

Elisha (10)

Cainan (9)

Selah (7)

Avalon (4)

Liam (3)

Kynthia (2)

Brenna(1)

And it's pretty funny to watch people's faces when I tell them that I'm the oldest of TEN children!!!

"WOW!! Really? You've got a lot of responsibilities, don't you?" They usually say.

And I am proud of it.

Another one of my favorite hobbies is dressing up in different costumes, even just when going to the store, or a drive.

I don't buy the costumes, or make them on the sewing machine, but just put together clothes from my closet, ordinary clothing, and switch it into a costume.

One of my favorite costumes, (my best so far) is my Legolas Lord of the Rings costume, shown here:

                                                                                                                

The costume contains:

White knit turtleneck

Tan cotton vest

Black sweatpants

Knee-high boots

Black belt with a silver buckle

Grey sweater with the sleeves on the inside, pinned at the neck with a peacock feathered brooch

Two belts criss-crossed over the chest

Two swords hung on the belts in the back (not shown)

Armlits (made from socks)

Elf ear tips

And Legolas' famous do, swept back braid, and two braids on either side of the Elf ears.

It's a pretty cool costume!

Usually when I walk around in costume, I get so many looks, it feels strange.

But as one gentleman told me in Wal-Mart last night, before the lighting of the town square, "No matter what people say, just keep being yourself."

And I am proud of it.

I thought this was ridiculous. I love it.

http://www.strangegirl.com/emma/quizmarianne.jpg     

 I am Marianne Dashwood
Take the Jane Austen Character Quiz here

Here is a fun quiz that I found on a blog, called Tea in a Teacup.
So far, the one I am is Marianne Dashwood.

http://twistedsifter.com/2012/03/15-stunning-photos-of-the-glasswinged-butterfly/

These pictures are quite interesting, and beautiful.
God's work is amazing, creating butterflies with wings that look like glass, and you can see the scenery behind the wings.

Legolas Greenleaf Thrandulion: Prince of Mirkwood

Legolas Greenleaf Thrandulion was origanaly named Galdor of Mirkwood, if your wanting to know,(the Treason of Isengard, by Christopher Tolkien.)

Normally you would read about silly little Elves who like to play tricks on humans, such as the Leprechauns in Irish Folk Tales, or the Elves that work in Santa's toy factory.
The Elves in Tolkien's wonderful story, the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, and so many more, are unlike the Elves that we make up in stories, just to be funny.
Tolkien's Elves are different then the Elves of other tales.
They have a better understanding in life then the little people, as we call them.
Also, they normally don't put magic spells on humans, but sometimes they do, just to keep themselves safe, or secrets unknown.
The Elves also look different then shoe maker Elves.
The shoe maker Elves have big pointed ears, beards, chubby little legs, long noses and smiling red mouths, though mischief in their eyes.

The Elves in Tolkien's story are different.

Tall, long haired (mostly blond or brown, but some, such as Celeborn of Lothlorien, have pure white hair) and are mostly warriors.
Their eyes are bright and keen, and can shoot birds eyes in the middle of the night.
They also sing, as pretty much any folk-tale Elf would do, though these Elves sing in their own language.
They also love nature, and live right with it, but they love the stars the most out of all.
Legolas, on the other hand, is not as quiet and peaceful as some are, (in most cases, he's not).
Legolas acts somewhat like a boy, laughing, smiling, and curious in many ways, (though I would have to warn you that in the LORD OF THE RINGS movies, he's quiet and peaceful and very stern.)
Legolas has a tend to see things clearly and farther away, and has a gift of excellent fighting skills with his bow and long knives. 
Legolas ( His name meaning 'leaf' which tells that he belongs in the kingdom, Mirkwood, or Greenwood the Great) is also the crown prince of Mirkwood, and son of Thranduil, the king of Mirkwood.

Wise and lover of sapphires and white gems, Thranduil cares for his heir to the throne.
He watches the future king of his loving kingdom, but he seldom ever cares for others, mostly locked up in his own mind, and normally loses his temper with others. A brave warrior, Thranduil fought along side with his father, Orophin, in the battle of the Second Age, when Legolas was only a young Elven boy. As the tale goes in the latest movie, (The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies) Thranduil is a cold-hearted elf in the movie. (not compared to him in the book.) The reason for such a cold heart is, as the story says, Thranduil created a beautiful necklace, of his own design, and begged Thror to build it. It was made of the clearest gems, the White Gems of Lasgalan, a gem commonly loved by Elves. Such a gift was for his wife, as a loving kindness. But alas, Thror became greedy, (as usual) and kept the necklace for his own. Thranduil was furious of such a thing, and before he could retrieve the gift, his wife died.(unknowingly, because Tolkien never really mention Legolas' mother.) 
Legolas looks up to his father, even with the hatred and selfishness his father owns. 

Elves also become quite close to humans as friends the most, such as Aragorn, the king of Gondor.
He and Legolas share a friendship between each other that is very old, 



though he has a hard time with the other human, Boromir, the future steward of Gondor.
(Here in the picture from left to right is, Aragorn, Gimli, Boromir, Legolas and Haldir)

Legolas also becomes friends with a bitter enemy, a Dwarf named Gimli, the son of Gloin of Moria.
Normally, Elves and Dwarves hate each other, and would do no such thing with each other, but the bondage between Legolas and Gimli grew stronger with every step that they took together.




Between Dwarf and Elf, Legolas and Gimli soon to care for each other as if they were brothers, and soon sail away when the War of the Ring ended in the Return of the King.
(For those who cannot read this clearly, it says:
Gimli: Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an Elf.

Legolas: What about side by side with a friend?)

Tolkien's loving character, Legolas Greenleaf Thandulion became legend in history of Middle-earth.
Namariea!

If you guys enjoyed this post, hop over to my post about Thranduil!

Fruits of the Spirit: Fruit for Life

    So, I was scrolling through old posts from my blog, and came across this one about the Fruits of the Spirit. It's an old post from years ago, so I decided to update it and share it with y'all.
    In Galatians, the Bible tells us that we should have a character full of the Fruits of the Spirit. Fruits that makes a true heart that truly shows God to those who desperately need Him.
   Galatians 5:22 ""But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.""

   Love:

   Love is so important in relationships, and is sometimes even hard to give to those whom you dislike. But, by remembering that Jesus loved His enemies, it can help us love ours as well. In       Matthew 5:44, Jesus says "“But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”"

   Joy:
   Joy brings light and Jesus right to the very tips of your toes. It brightens people's day and gives them the hope that they need. One of my favorite scenes in the Bible was when David in 2 Samuel 6 was dancing for joy to music. Even reading that makes you smile. And sometimes, we must be joyful in times of trial, for that as well will give us hope and know that God is always there.

   James 1: 2-3 says ""My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.""

   Peace:

   Peace at times can be a trial, even in the most darkest days of life. But, having the presence of God in you is true peace, that even the darkness cannot penetrate it. 

   Matthew 16: 33, ""These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.""
   Patience:

   Patience. "Patience is a virtue" as I grew up with. It is hard to have patience, but Jesus Himself was a patient man. To walk in His footsteps with patience is hard, I know, but with His guidance, we all can. 

   James 1:3 says, ""But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

   Kindness:

   Kindness, another one that I sometimes lack. Kindness makes a heart beautiful, along with the other Fruits of the Spirit. 

   Isaiah 54: 10, ""For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, no shall My covenant of peace be removed." Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.""

   Goodness:

   What makes a person truly good? Christ, who was good in all things.

    1 Peter 2:12 says, "“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”'

   Faithfulness:

   A faithful heart is a jewel, a jewel that will never lose its beauty nor shine. My favorite Bible verse states this, and it always helps us to remember to have faith. Joshua 1:9, ""Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.""

   Gentleness:

   Gentleness, like the gentle hand of a mother or father, Jesus had a gentle heart for His people. We too, must replicate His gentle heart. Ephesians 4:2-3, '''-With all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

   And Self-control:

   Self-control, the tool and shield for us to guard our hearts from sin, is a power that God has given us. Jesus Himself used self control and knowledge to fight against Satan when He was being tempted in the desert. We too must keep a guarded, self controlled heart.

   James 1:12 says, ""Blessed is the man who endured temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.""
   It is hard for all of us to remember to use the Fruits of the Spirit in our lives, and often we get into trouble. But, with faith in Christ, He can help us remember.
  Happy Spring y'all!
  This post was featured in Issue #135 of The Christian Home Magazine.

A Letter From Jesus

A few years ago, my grandmother, Christy Virgil, gave me this piece of paper from a magazine, that my great-great grandmother had.

Dear Friend,
I just had to send a note to tell you how much I love and care for you. I saw you yesterday as you were walking with your friend. I waited all day hoping you would want to talk to me. As evening came, I gave you a sunset to close your day and a breeze to rest you - And I waited. You never came. Sure, it hurts me - But I still love you because you are my Friend. I saw you fall asleep last night and longed to touch you, so I spilled moonlight on your face. Again I waited to rush down so we could talk. I have so many gifts for you! You got up late and rushed off to work. My tears were in the rain. Today you looked so sad - so all alone. It made my heart ache because I understand. My friends let me down and hurt me many times too, but I loved them. If you would only listen to me! I LOVE YOU! I try to tell you in the blue sky and in the quiet green grass. I whisper in the leaves in the trees and breathe it in the flowers. I shout to you in the mountain streams and give the birds love songs to sing. I clothe you in the warm sunshine and sweeten the air with nature scents. My LOVE for you is deeper than the ocean and bigger than the biggest want or need in your head. If you only knew how much I want to talk and walk with you. I know how hard it is on earth. I really know! And I want to help you. I want you to meet my Father. He wants to help you too. My Father is that way, you know. Just call me - ask me - talk with me! Please don't forget me! I have so much to share with you! All right, okay. I won't bother you any more, YOU are free to choose ME. It's your decision: I have chosen you, and because of this, I will wait, and wait, because...I LOVE YOU.
Your friend,JESUS.

I love this. And I hope you do too.