The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 25 A Recipe

Because I'm a chocolate and peanut butter junkie (as shown in THIS post), I will now share with you the best cookies ever  . . . that just happen to be chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips. Ahem. Here it is:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Delights

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups peanut butter chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla in mixer until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Gradually add flour mixture. Stir in chips. Using your cookie scoop, or just two regular table spoons, place onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Cool on sheets for about 2 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 24 A Movie No One Would Expect You To Love

I haven't ever watched any movies that people didn't expect me to like, but I have read a book that even I didn't expect to like. I loved reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer. But who would expect that from me? It's romance, sci-fi, and Stephenie Meyer all wrapped up into one book. I read all 600 pages of it in two days after my BFF recommended it to me. The movie is coming out in March and I'm going to go see it with my BFF and neither of us can wait for the sequels to the book. I've watched the trailer for it multiple times. Most reviews I've read about the book say it's 'sci-fi for people who don't like sci-fi.' It's true. Though admittedly I haven't read a lot of sci-fi, from what I have read it's not my favorite genre. I definitely prefer fantasy.

What book or movie did no one expect you to love? Leave a comment! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 23 A Way In Which You Want to Be Remembered

I bet most of you are thinking that I would say a great author, and although that is true I don't want to be remembered just for that. I also want to be remembered as someone who supports equal rights and peace and also as someone who is kind and giving.

How do you want to be remembered? Leave a comment! :D

Journal Entry #1

For school my brother and I are going to start doing journal entries about the past week each Monday morning or Sunday night. Here are a few things that stood out to me from this past week:

"The Amazing Race" TV show started on the 17th. So far my least favorite teams are Max and Katie and Jessica and John. I like the YouTube people. They seem like a lot of fun. I'm still sort of getting to know the other teams, but the second express pass is causing a lot of drama.

On the 19th I started my first volunteering shift at our local library! I got to work in the back room and check books in. I also got to shelve DVDs and find the DVDs that people have requested. I worked from 10-12. My next shift is tomorrow and I might actually get to work at the front desk!

On the 20th Daddy took my brother and me to the planetarium. I love finding constellations. It was super cool! And between that and a PBS show called NOVA that we watched, I got all sorts of inspiration for a new book I'm writing called Cosmo. It's about a fourteen-year-old girl named Cosmo Moonshine who lives with her single mom in an apartment in New York City. Cosmo wants to be an astronomer and go to college, but she and her mom are extremely poor.

On the 22nd Daddy took my brother and me to an Internal Combustion Engine class for our homeschool group. After that our family went to an all-you-can-eat pizza place with a bunch of our friends. My BFF Kirsten, her sisters Avery and Sophie, and I laughed a ton and talked a lot about Taylor Swift. We also talked about The Host since the movie is coming out soon and we want to see it when it comes to the movies.

On the 23rd my friend Dana came over. We played some board games and built some awesome houses and other structures on Minecraft.

On the 24th my brother and I watched a bunch of "Phineas and Ferb" episodes on Netflix while our parents had their book club. The most hilarious one was called "Bad Hair Day." We loved the ending best.

Today (the 25th) a bunch of friends came over to play D&D from 10-12.

We did all this and more in between a ton of Minecraft.

How was your week? Leave a comment! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 22 A Website

Here is a list of some of my absolute favorite websites:

The Magic Violinist (Tee hee) ;)
I Don't Eat My Drumsticks
Sushi and Pizza
The Write Practice
Musings From Neville's Navel
Meredith and Callixta
Redpunzel
Webkinz
Wizard101
Minecraft

Have fun checking all of these out! :D ;)

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 21 Something You Know You Do Differently Than Most People

I know there's probably something here that I'm forgetting about, but I just can't think of it right now. I do wear mismatched socks, but apparently a lot of people do that now. I did it before it was "trendy," though. ;)

My feet, decked out in mismatched socks. But you got that already, didn't you?

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 20 A Hobby of Yours

I have lots of hobbies. Most of them include writing, reading, or playing with my friends. So I'll tell you a little bit about a few hobbies I have:

1. Writing

Most of you already know this, and I bet a lot of you like to write, too. Recently I've been working on answering comments in my most recent Write Practice post and working on my newest book Cosmo. I'll probably put the first little bit of Cosmo up on my blog soon.

2. Reading

Books I have been reading recently include Reached which is the third and final book in the Matched trilogy, Alanna: The First Adventure and In the Hand of a Goddess which are the first two books in The Song of the Lioness series, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which is the fifth book in the Harry Potter series.

3. Doing Silly Things With My Friends

Such as teasing my BFF's older brother by stealing his bag of Root Beer Barrels and threatening to eat them all, trying to quote all of the lyrics in a Taylor Swift song as fast as humanly possible, and talking about how excited we are for a new movie to come out that was based on a book but not realizing that someone changed the subject to a different movie and you feel as if you missed something in the book because you don't remember reading that part at all. I did all of these things yesterday with my friends and more while eating pizza at an all-you-can-eat pizza place.

4. Organizing

I like to organize things over and over again. Especially my computer desk, my room, and my nightstand drawer. I have an easy time organizing things and cleaning up. Keeping those things clean, however, I have a harder time with.

What are some of your hobbies? Leave a comment! :D 

An Interesting Fortune

Our family hosts a monthly D&D group at our house. Every time the kids come over to play we have snacks. The favorite snack seems to be fortune cookies. We often find crumbs and random fortunes around the house afterwards, but this most recent session I found an interesting fortune . . . (it was under the couch):

"You will find great fortunes in unexpected places."

I'm almost positive someone put it there on purpose. It seems exactly like the kind of thing my friends would do.

Have you ever found funny fortunes in your fortune cookie? Leave a comment! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 19 A Talent of Yours

Prompts like these where you have to write about something you're good at rather than something that you just like to do make me uncomfortable. I'm not a bragger, so I'm going to leave this one up to you. What do you think a talent of mine is? Leave a comment! :D

An Interview With Cosmo Moonshine and Funny Lyrics

While Cosmo and her interviewer are preparing for the interview, I thought I would tell you about some hilarious lyrics that I misheard. In Phillip Phillips "Gone, Gone, Gone" there's a part where he says "You're my crutch when my legs stop moving" but it sounds like he's saying "You're my crotch when my legs stop moving." Now nobody in my family can help but laugh whenever he says that. They should really fix that.

Anyway, I can see that Cosmo is politely tapping her foot, so on with the interview! Please welcome Cosmo Moonshine, the protagonist from the novel I am currently writing Cosmo. And here to interview her, her best friend Celeste Smitherson!


Will you please introduce yourself?


Cosmo: But you already know me!


Celeste: Yes, but the rest of the world doesn't.

Cosmo: I know, I know! I was just kidding. My name is Cosmo Moonshine, I'm fourteen-years-old, and I am not a unicorn.

Celeste: Then what are you?

Cosmo: ... A human? That was kind of what I was implying.

Celeste: Of course. But Moonshine . . . isn't that--?


Cosmo: An illegal alcohol? Yeah. An unfortunate last name, I know, but Kate didn't realize that until after she created my name, and after that there was no going back. But I like it. It's pretty! Plus it makes for some good jokes in the book about me.

Tell us about your family.

Cosmo: Well, there's Muffins, my white and brown speckled cat, and then there's my mom. Her name's Sandry Moonshine since she kept her maiden name. A good idea since my dad divorced her when I was nine!

Please tell us more about your hobbies. 

Cosmo: I looooove astronomy. I've always loved studying the sky and space and anything that appears in the sky: the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets, you name it! But the stars can get kind of hard to see when you live in NYC. I want to go to college and study astronomy. I also want to be a famous astronomer. But I also like hanging out with my mom and my cat. Writing is another thing I love to do.

Who do you think is more in control: Yourself or Kate?

Cosmo: Mostly Kate, but I jump in and give her some ideas. She'll start writing a short paragraph describing my room and then I'll interrupt and give an elaborate story about why my ceiling is painted black. If you were wondering, I painted it that way because it looks like the night sky when I'm falling asleep. I also painted white stars and constellations on the black ceiling. 

Who is your greatest enemy and why?

Cosmo: It's not really a who as much as a what. Ever since after my dad divorced my mom we've barely been able to keep our apartment and have a hot meal on the table at the end of the day. So I'd say that poverty is my greatest enemy, as well as my mom's.

Who (or what) do you think inspired Kate most when she was creating you?

Cosmo: NOVA. NOVA is a PBS show and she watched twenty minutes of one of the episodes about space. They kept explaining things about "the cosmos" and she thought of my name. Cosmo is practically writing itself ever since she went to the planetarium! That gave her tons of ideas!

What is your biggest dream?

Cosmo: To be able to afford going to college. Then I can be an astronomer. For now I'll just keep on dreaming.

Thank you for coming, Cosmo! And be sure to read Day 18 of my 30-Day Blogging Challenge! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 18 A Time When You Felt Passionate and Alive

A time when I felt passionate and alive. I can think of multiple times where I have felt that feeling, but whenever I felt that feeling I was usually writing. In every single story I have ever written or am currently writing I have felt passionate and alive at least once. Every single story. That's a ton of stories. And some stories I feel that way in every chapter! My family can tell when I'm really excited about writing something because my fingers can't seem to type fast enough and I can't keep up with my thoughts! I feel that way in most every single NaNoWriMo story and the most recent story that I am writing: Cosmo. More about that later. (Stay tuned for an exclusive interview with Cosmo Moonshine)! So, yeah, I'm slightly totally obsessed with writing!

How about you? When have you felt passionate and alive? Leave a comment! :D

Also, click HERE to check out my most recent post on The Write Practice!

An Interview With Cassandra Day and Cornelia Moonstone

Please give a warm welcome to Cassandra Day and Cornelia Moonstone, the protagonists of my completely edited novel Fantasya: A Giant Problem. A Giant Problem is the first book in the Fantasya series. I wrote it in 2010 and have only recently finished editing it. I'm currently trying to find an agent to represent me, so if you know of any really good ones, let me know. ;) Cassandra and Cornelia have traveled here all the way from Fantasya (with a little pinch of pixie dust each). And here to interview them, their friend Cecilia!

Will you please introduce yourselves?

Cassandra: No way!


Cecilia: ...


Cassandra: Just kidding.


(Cassandra winks).


Cassandra: I'm Cassandra Day, as you already know, I am ten-years-old, which is the age you are officially an adult as a unicorn, I am a unicorn, and I have the ultra-rare golden horn that only three unicorns in history have had. In legends that means that I'm destined for greatness, but having a golden horn didn't seem to help my sister Cindy, who has been either dead or missing for years.


Cornelia: My name is Cornelia Moonstone, I am also ten-years-old, and I'm a unicorn. Oh, and I have a silver horn, which is semi-rare.


Tell us about your families.

Cassandra: Well, I'm an orphan. Both of my parents died in the war. My sister Cindy went after my dad and hasn't been seen since. A kind unicorn with a white horn, which is the most common and almost every unicorn has, named Caroline has adopted me. She and Cornelia are all I've got. And Cornelia's not even related to me!


Cornelia: You and I both know that it's possible we're sisters and just don't know it.


Cassandra: True.


Cornelia: My dad died in the war, but my mom is still alive. They both have, or had, white horns. I have no siblings.



Please tell us more about your hobbies. 


Cassandra: I love to fly, run around, goof off with Corny, and eat.


Cornelia: Yes, everyone knows you love to eat.


Cassandra: What are you implying?

Cornelia: That you're (*ahem*) bigger than most unicorns?

Cecilia (as Cassandra opens her mouth to argue): Please, let's get back to the interview.

Cornelia: Right. Sorry, Cece. My hobbies . . . hmm. I guess mostly the same as Cassandra. I like doing anything with her, really.

Who do you think is more in control: Yourselves or Kate?


Cassandra: It's a mix. Kate already had most of the story planned when she started writing it. Well, mostly the beginning and the end.


Cornelia: We were pretty much in control by the middle, though.

Cassandra: Yeah.

Who is your greatest enemy and why?

(Cassandra and Cornelia shudder).

Cassandra: Gargamouth the giant. He and his wife Gorgina want to take over Fantasya! The Pegasi and unicorns are fighting against Gargamouth's minions, which are the trolls and elves, but we're really fighting a losing battle. Corny and I want to stop him, though.

Cornelia: Mostly you. I'm not too keen on the idea of fighting him by ourselves, but I'll help Cassie out when it comes to saving Fantasya.

(Cassandra smiles at Cornelia and Cornelia smiles back).

Who (or what) do you think inspired Kate most when she was creating both of you?

Cassandra: Fantasy novels. Harry Potter, Fablehaven, you name it! Listening to music and filling out the NaNoWriMo YWP (Young Writer's Program) folders really helped, too.

Cornelia: And I think Kate, without realizing it, patterned Cassie and I after herself and her best friend Kirsten! I find a ton of similarities between my personality and Kirsten's personality. And Cassie could be Kate's twin, if it weren't for the wilder bits of Cassie's personality and the fact that she's a unicorn.

Cassandra: The funniest part of all that, though, is that Kate didn't even notice the similarities until 2012 when she finished editing the book!

(Cassandra and Cornelia laugh).

Thank you guys for being on my blog!

Cassandra: It was a pleasure!

Cornelia: Anything for our creator!

(Cassandra and Cornelia wink).

Coming up next, an interview with my most recent character: Cosmo Moonshine! She's a human living in NYC. She's the protagonist of my first realistic fiction book: Cosmo.

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 17 An Art Piece

I know a lot more about books, authors, and music than I do movies, actors/actresses, and art. I want to learn more about art, because I also want to know more paintings. And right now I don't know a whole lot. So I will now Google "famous pieces of art" and pick out my favorite.

I love this one because of all the colors and swirls. It's very unique and leaves you to wonder why he's screaming. Personally, I think it has something to do with those two figures near the edge of the bridge.

This one is so cool because it's very detailed. Down to the reflection of his hand on the ball.

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 16 A Song That Makes You Cry

I've only listened to this song once, because I didn't think I could take it again. "Ronan" by Taylor Swift has to be the saddest song I've ever heard. She wrote it about a four-year-old boy that she read about on his mom's blog. He got cancer and died. Click HERE if you want to listen to it.

**!!WARNING!!** Listening to this song may cause sadness, depression, tears, and/or a lack of tissues. The Magic Violinist is not responsible for anything that may happen while or after you listen to this song. Listen at your own risk.

10 Things You May Not Know About Me

This is a blog meme. The only rules are to write ten things people may not know about you, tag at least five friends, and have fun! :D

1. I tend to overuse things like tape and shampoo.
2. I have a strange obsession with my characters running through the woods at some point in my story.
3. I often feel the need to do things in twos and fours.
4. I don't like odd numbers.
5. I have a hard time getting rid of stuff that I really should just get rid of.
6. The only plain foods I really don't like are celery and raisins.
7. I often end up playing the role of "Peacemaker/Organizer" among my friends.
8. Sometimes I wish other people would play that role.
9. My least favorite song is "Happy Birthday." (I mean really, that was all anyone could come up with)?
10. I love making lists and often end up losing them (which drives me insane).

I will now tag Mommy at Sushi and Pizza, Daddy at Sushi and Pizza, Maxim at I Don't Eat My Drumsticks, Cici at Meredith and Callixta, and nevillegirl at Musing's From Neville's Navel. Have fun! :D

And be sure to check out Day 15 of my 30-Day Blogging Challenge! :D I'm halfway through!

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 15 A Person You Admire

For this post I will pick two people: my mom and my dad.

Mommy:

Since I didn't choose you or Daddy for the thank you letter, I thought I would do this to make up for it. ;) Some things I admire about you: you don't care what other people think about you when it comes to fun, like singing along to the radio or dancing. You have a ton of patience, which comes in handy with homeschooling. You balance work and play well (I think). You're still able to play games and spend time with us even if you have a lot of stuff to do. You're thoughtful and always come up with new things and surprises for homeschooling or just for fun. You raise Maxim and I well and teach us how to be better people each day. I love you!

Daddy:

Some things I admire about you: You're hardworking but can, again, balance work and play well. You do a good job of spending one-on-one time with both Maxim and me. You're also very thoughtful and often have surprises for our family. You're not a "guy-guy" in the sense that you're not obsessed with sports and bars and things like that. I love that you cook, as well as Mommy. Both of your cooking tastes awesome! (And if that fish wasn't spoiled on Valentine's Day I bet it would've tasted awesome). I love you!

An Interview With Katherine Fauccet and Kristen Willowfeather

Please give a warm welcome to Katherine Fauccet and Kristen Willowfeather, the protagonists of my most recently completed NaNoWriMo novel Secrets. They ventured here all the way from Zundra. And here to interview them, Hermione Granger! (Just kidding). No, the person who is really interviewing them is a random maid from the castle in the Kingdom of Zundra. And, who knows? Maybe the maid is the person who is trying to kill the queen. (Dun dun dunnnnnn).

Will you please introduce yourselves and give us the basics? 

Katherine: Of course! My name is Katherine Fauccet, I'm 12-years-old, and I will tell your more about my family later. (Katherine winks).

Kristen: I'm Kristen Willowfeather, I'm also 12-years-old, and I will also tell you more about my family later.

Katherine: Copycat.

Well then, tell us about your families.

Katherine: Well, there's my mom, who has a strange obsession with sewing and making clothes, and then there's my dog Sweetie. My dad was bitten by a werewolf when I was a baby and died soon after that. Apparently the werewolf was very aggressive.

Kristen: My mom died giving birth to my youngest sister. I have my dad, who taught Katherine everything he knows about carpentry, then there's Alyssa, who is lazy and always wants to be the center of attention, then there's Sophia who loves dancing, and Hope who copies everything her older sisters do. I also have a dog named Lion, though he doesn't look remotely scary or like a lion at all, really.

Please tell us more about your hobbies. 

Katherine: I love anything that has to do with the outdoors. I like to explore, build things made of wood, and practice my combat skills.

Kristen: I like to sew, listen to music people play in town, read, write, and relax. Katherine and I are very different from each other.

What are your favorite outfits?

Katherine: A simple tunic and a pair of trousers. You can't get much more simple and comfortable than that.

Kristen: A plain dress. Nothing too fancy, but nothing dirty or old.


Who do you think is more in control: Yourselves or Kate?

(Katherine laughs).

Katherine: Verrrry much ourselves. I think Kate likes to think she's in control, but we're really the ones running the show.

Kristen: Same. We take Kate all over the place. I'm not sure what she had in mind, but whatever it was, we sure spiced it up.

Who is your greatest enemy and why?

Katherine: Whoever is trying to kill the queen. We're not sure who it is, but we know where their diary is and we keep reading it for clues. We'll find and catch them eventually.

Kristen: With some help from our closest friends Selena and Esther. I'd say our other greatest enemies would be any monsters in the Forest of Yojar.

Katherine: Especially the werewolves.

(Katherine and Kristen shudder).

What similarities do you see between yourselves and the two people your characters were based off of: Kate and Kirsten?

Katherine: Well Kate is funny, saracastic, and outgoing, but sometimes I can be a bit too . . . much. And Kate can plan ahead wayyyy better than I can.

Kristen: Kirsten can be shy and timid, but not nearly as much as I am. And I'm the main planner, most of the time, while in real life Kate is the main planner. I also think Kirsten's a bit more brave than I am.


Thank you for being on my blog, you guys! It's nice to see you out and about.

Katherine: You're welcome! But now we really have to go. We need to meet Esther and Selena. We're trying to figure out how to reveal the evil maid who is trying to kill Queen Talia Snowflower!

Kristen: Yes, thank you for having us!

Though I'm not sure who I will be interviewing next, you can be sure that I will interview two other characters soon! And be sure to read Day 14 of my 30-Day Blogging Challenge! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 14 A Vacation You Would Like To Take

A vacation I would like to take in America would consist of a full week (or more . . . most likely more) at Harry Potter World. Because it truly is the best amusement park ever . . . EVER. But a vacation I would like to take anywhere else in the world . . . I'm going to have to make a list for that:

1. First we would go to England. (For their awesome British stuff).
2. Then France. (For the rich, buttery, fattening foods).
3. Then Portugal. (Just because we're Portuguese and everything Portuguese is awesome).
4. Then we would go all the way to Japan. (For the sushi).
5. Then we would wrap up our trip in Australia. (For their awesome, adorable animals . . . and for their food, probably, because we love food).

Did I miss anything?

Random Writing Stuff

Because I'm in a writing mood, here is a whole bunch of random writing stuff that I think all of my fellow writers out there will enjoy:

"Writer's block is when your imaginary friends won't talk to you." -- (I have no idea who wrote this).

Six Word Stories

5 Key Questions to Ask as You Write Your Novel

Click HERE to read why you should never delete 16 pages of your novel.

Identifying Your Characters' Strengths (complete with a list of possible strengths that I found extremely helpful).

Forget About Length, and Focus on Value (For all you writers out there who get down on themselves for not being able to write more than 20,000 words).

The Write Practice (the best writing website known to man--or woman--kind and why it's one of the first options that drops down on my Google page when I type in "t").

And last, but not least, a writing prompt! Freewrite for just five minutes without editing, post it in a blog post, and tag at least five people to do the same! Here's my work:

The explosion pierced the night like a knife. Cindy's ears started ringing as she ran through the woods, leaving footprints in the dirt. There was no time to wipe them away. The guards would be on her at any moment. She just hoped her little bit of magic would give her enough time to get away.
On and on she ran, sweat trickling down her face and her legs burning. She hadn't pushed herself like this in ages. There had been no need to. Not recently, anyway. How could she have read the signs so wrong? Again and again she felt the pang of guilt in her stomach. She, of all people, should've seen what was coming. Now her mother might never regain her kingdom.
Something pounded the ground not far behind her. The guards were coming. They were on horses. How could she ever outrun them now?
The barking began and she heard yells. Dogs? They had brought hunting dogs? Cindy groaned, but kept on running.
There! Just there! The bushes might offer her some concealment. She dove into the bushes and hurriedly began to smear her skin with dirt and leaves and berries. The dogs might not pick up her scent if she was careful enough.
There they were. The dogs began to sniff the ground and Cindy held her breath.
Dear God, she thought. Just let me live for one more day. That's all I need.

I will now tag Mommy at Sushi and Pizza, Daddy at Sushi and Pizza, Maxim at I Don't Eat My Drumsticks, Cici at Meredith and Callixta, and nevillegirl at Musing's From Neville's Navel. Have fun! :D

And be sure to read Day 13 of my 30-Day Blogging Challenge! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 13 A Guilty Pleasure

Being a kid, your guilty pleasures are just . . . pleasures. No guilt to them whatsoever. So here are some of my pleasures that would be guilty pleasures if I were a grownup:

1. Chocolate and peanut butter candies
2. Video games (mostly Minecraft).
3. Reading and writing all the live-long day.

What are some of your guilty pleasures? Leave a comment! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 12 A Song That You Want Played At Your Wedding (Or Was Played)

Being 12, I haven't given much thought (really any thought) about what would happen at my wedding. But I can think of a few songs that would be cool to have played at my wedding:

1. "Enchanted" by Taylor Swift. I love Taylor Swift and all of her songs. This one is one of my favorites, though.

2. "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. I love this song. It has a very cool sound and awesome lyrics.

3. "I'm Alone With You" by Weeping Radish. I'm sure most of you have not heard of Weeping Radish. Weeping Radish is a band that was made by some of our homeschooled friends. This song is my favorite by them.

4. "Counting On You" by Mikey Wax. This is my favorite song by him. It has a movie soundtrack sort of feel.

What song do you want played (or was played) at your wedding? Leave a comment! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 11 A Photo You've Taken Recently

This is a picture I took of Percy. He's our Elf on the Shelf. I'm going to do a post of some of his hiding places soon, so consider this a sneak peek. ;)

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 10 A Photo of You Taken Over Ten Years Ago

When I read this quickly, I thought it said "A photo you took over 10 years ago." My first thought was how was I supposed to take a picture when I was two? I didn't have the skills to do that! I didn't even have a camera! Then I read it again. OHhhhh. Here it is!

Apparently I was a very happy baby. What do you think?

The Seriously, What A Great Blog Award!!!! :D

Thank you (again), nevillegirl! I've won three blog awards and they have all come from you.

Rules

1. Nominate ten people.
2. Answer the questions.

3. Thank the blogger who nominated you.

4. Notify the bloggers you nominated.

Questions

1. The job you want to have?

Writer/Author/Anything that has to do with writing/Ruler of the whole world Peacemaker. I already have writing as a job though, being a monthly contributor to The Write Practice. ;) I think I have bragging rights for that one since not many 12-year-olds get to write for one of the Top 10 Writing Blogs.

2. Favorite singer/band?

Taylor Swift is my favorite singer ("Safe and Sound" took care of that) and my favorite band is The Civil Wars ("Safe and Sound" and "Kingdom Come" also helped with that).

3. Favorite choc or sweet?

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. And anything with chocolate and peanut butter. Or chocolate. Or dark chocolate.

4. Three words to describe you?

Witty, Nerdy, and Creative.

Nominees 

1. Mommy and Daddy at Sushi and Pizza.

2. Maxim at I Don't Eat My Drumsticks.

3. Carla at Redpunzel.

4. nevillegirl at Musing's From Neville's Navel. (I'm not sure if she'll accept this for a second time, but she deserves it).

5. Joe Bunting at The Write Practice. (Again, this is just honorary).

6. Rich at X Marks The Spot.

7. Mary at Coffee, Yarn, and Words.

8. Cici at Meredith and Callixta.

9. Thing 1 and Thing 2 at Thing 1 and Thing 2 Revue. (This is honorary, too, since my brother and I only do book and movie reviews on this blog).

10. I can't think of anyone else for number 10. Hardly any of my friends blog. How sad.

Be sure to read the 9th day of my 30-Day Blogging Challenge! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 9 A Photo You Took

I don't think I'm particularly great at taking pictures, but there are a few (mostly pictures of my dog Scout) that I am pretty proud of. These two are my favorites. They were taken when she was around seven-months-old. I think.

 

Which one was your favorite? I don't have a favorite, but I like each picture for different reasons. The first one I like because the hair is covering her face and she seems to be looking up at something with curiosity. The second one I like because she's looking straight at you so you can see her adorable face. The first one I was trying to get her to look at me and then she looked up at the last second. BEST. PHOTO. MISTAKE. EVER.

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 8 A Thank You Letter to Someone Who Has Changed Your Life

Gosh, I'm only supposed to pick one person?!?! I can think of authors, friends, relatives, all sorts of people! Hmm. I'm going to get creative with this:

Dear Scout,

Thank you for being the dog you are today. I'm so glad we picked YOU at the pet store. Those other dogs have nothing on you. But I guess I should say, I'm glad you picked US at the pet store. It's like wands in Harry Potter. The dog chooses the owner. The owner never chooses the dog.

Thank you for being happy, playful, crazy, sweet, snuggly, odd, and the best dog you can be. You make us laugh, even if we're sad, you can tell when we're in a bad mood because you jump up near us to cheer us up. You distract our family from their writing, especially around NaNoWriMo time, but I think that's because you can tell when we need a break, even if we don't see it ourselves (although I find it extremely annoying when other people interrupt my writing). Thank you for being an excellent watchdog. If some guy tries to rob us, I think they'll go deaf just from your barking. Of course, that might not be a good idea because the police couldn't question him. Thank you for being bizarre. You're so much more interesting that way. Other dogs just sit around all day and let their tongue hang out of their mouths.

Some of your bizarre qualities include wanting to murder the mailman every time he comes by (which isn't as bizarre as it is cliche), still needing a treat after you go potty even though you've been potty trained for three years, greeting us with energy that reaches the ecstatic level after we've left the house for fifteen minutes (or after we've gone to the bathroom), and dismembering your squeaky toys within the first two minutes you get them so you can reach the squeaker. But once you reach the squeaker and destroy it, you not only rip out the stuffing, you chew off its eyeballs.

As I type this you're whining because there is a squirrel on our car. But for some reason you think that because you saw it, it will automatically be in the backyard for you to chase. 

Thank you for being our happy, playful, crazy, sweet, snuggly odd, dog.

Love,
Kate

I invite you now to write a thank you letter to your childhood pet. It can be imaginary or real, a dog or a pet rock, it doesn't even have to be a childhood pet. It can be a pet you have now. Whatever you choose, celebrate your pet! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 7 Five Things You Couldn't Possibly Live Without

I've heard so many questions that are similar to this one. What are five things you would take with you to a deserted island? What five things would you grab before running out of your burning house? And so on. Here is my list:

1. My family. (My dog Scout is part of my family. So is my stuffed cat Menedy).


2. My friends.
3. My computers with all of my stories on them.
4. All of my books.
5. All of my notebooks and writing supplies.

So really this is more like five groups of things, but when you think about it, it really is impossible to just choose five singular items.

So what are the five things you couldn't possibly live without? Leave a comment! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 6 A Moment You Wish You Could Relive

Day 6 for the 30-Day Blogging Challenge! :D This one got me thinking.

Which moment do I wish I could relive? The first thing that came to mind was the first time I read the Harry Potter series. Or any book read for the first time, really. Once you read it, that's it. You've read it. You know what happens. So I guess I would say that I wish I could relive any time where I read a book for the first time.

What moment do you wish you could relive?

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 5 A Favorite Quote

Day 5 of the 30-Day Blogging Challenge! :D Here are some awesome Harry Potter quotes that I LOOOOOOOVE:

"If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." -- Sirius Black

"We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are." -- Sirius Black

"There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."  -- Albus Dumbledore

"“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”" -- Albus Dumbldore

So, as you can see, Dumbledore and Sirius have the best quotes. Which quotes are your favorites? Which Harry Potter Quotes are your favorites? And which quote of these four is your favorite? Leave a comment! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 4 A Favorite Television Program

Whew! I almost forgot to post today! I've been so wrapped up in The Host (a novel by Stephenie Meyer that I never thought I would read) recently that I haven't really thought about anything else. My best friend and her mom convinced me to read it. I read all 604 pages PLUS the bonus chapter in two days. It was awesome! I totally want to see the movie now. AND I think The Host is going to become a trilogy with the two sequels coming out soon.

But now I'm off topic. Anyway . . .

My favorite television program, without a doubt, is "Modern Family." My other two close favorite are "The Big Bang Theory" and "Go On," but "Modern Family" is my favorite. I love the characters (especially Luke, Phil, and Gloria), the humor, and the writing. We even have a "Modern Family Quote-of-the-Day Calendar." Some of my favorite quotes are below:


Alex: It's like scrabble with Haley. After awhile you're just playing against yourself.
(Haley is the dumbest character in the show. Your stereo-typical teenage girl).

Haley: "Why are you guys yelling at us? We were way upstairs. Just text me."

Jay: "When I heard Manny wanted to fence, I was, like, sure. Uncoordinated kid, lethal weapon. How can this go wrong?"

Phil: So Laura’s trying to test me? Bring it on. I’ve been tested my entire life. They could never find anything.

Phil: I’ll admit it. I’m turned on by powerful women. Michelle Obama, Oprah, Condolezza Rice, Serena Williams… Wait a minute.

Phil: The iPad comes out on my actual birthday. It’s like Steve Jobs and God got together to say, “We love you, Phil.

Phil: I’m cool dad, that’s my thang. I’m hip, I surf the web, I text. LOL: laugh out loud, OMG: oh my god, WTF: why the face?

Phil: Trust me, I had plenty of fun in my time. Then, I met your mom.
(Claire, Phil's wife, is suuuuuuuuuuper uptight).

Phil: A Realtor's just a ninja in a blazer. The average burglar breaks in and leaves clues everywhere. But not me. I'm completely clueless.

Phil: Claire likes to say, "You can be part of the problem or part of the solution." But I happen to believe you can be both.

Phil: You never want your kids to see you scared. You want to be that rock that they grab hold of in a stormy sea. Actually, a rock would sink. So a floating rock. Let's start over. It's windy and you have a lot of papers . . .

YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS SHOW!!!! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 3 A Favorite Book

Today is Day 3 and proves to be an exciting one for all of you book worms out there! A favorite book. Being the reader that I am, I have LOTS of favorite books. Most of you already know about my Harry Potter interest (*COUGH* obsession *COUGH*), so I don't think I'll write about that today. Well, not mainly anyway. I'll put a list of all most of my favorite book series with a little paragraph about that book series. (Sorry for the weird sizing on some of these. I couldn't fix it for some reason).

1. The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling.

Harry Potter is not a normal kid. He lives with his aunt, uncle, and cousin rather than his parents, his relatives act as though he doesn't exist, he sleeps in the closet under the stairs rather than in a bedroom, strange things happen all around him, and, to top it off, he has a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. So when a giant named Hagrid breaks down the door on Harry's eleventh birthday and tells him he's a wizard, Harry knows his life is about to change.

2. The Song of the Lioness Series by Tamora Pierce.

Alanna and her twin brother, Thom, are to be sent away--Alanna, to learn how to be a lady and Thom, to train to be a knight. There’s only one problem. Thom wants to learn sorcery and it’s Alanna who wants to train to be a knight, and girls cannot be knights. Thom forges some paperwork to make it look like he is going to learn sorcery and his twin brother “Alan” is to be a knight. Alanna chops her hair off, is sent away to the palace, and begins to train. Alanna, still disguised as “Alan,” makes many friends, including Prince Jonathon. She also makes some enemies. Will her disguise work forever? (Bum bum bummmmm).

3. The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth.

Beatrice Prior's life is about as normal as possible for someone living in the Abnegation faction. Everyone in the faction is selfless, kind, and the exact opposite of rude or nosy. The families, for the most part, keep to themselves. But Beatrice's sixteenth birthday is coming up, and she must decide which faction she will choose to live in . . . forever. Her choices: Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), or Erudite (the intelligent). Once she chooses she must pass her initiation test. Otherwise she'll remain factionless (the most shameful fate anyone can have) or she'll die. One choice can transform you.

4. The Fablehaven Series by Brandon Mull.
  

When Kendra and Seth get sent to their Grandpa Sorensen’s house while their parents are on a cruise, they don’t expect much. Instead, they’re surprised when their grandpa leaves them a complex puzzle involving keys and a locked journal. Once Kendra opens the journal, she discovers a message: Drink the milk. Kendra and Seth drink the milk set out in the yard, enabling them to open their eyes to a whole new world full of magical creatures. But it’s not all fun and fairies. Kendra and Seth must face dangers to protect the magical perserve owned by their grandpa: Fablehaven.

5. The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins.

  

Katniss Everdeen lives to help her family survive. If she doesn't hunt for meat, she and the rest of her family will starve to death. Her pride and joy is her sister, Primrose. So when Prim is randomly selected as the girl tribute from District 12 to compete in The Hunger Games (an annual event where 24 tributes fight to the death until the last one standing is the victor), Katniss quickly volunteers to take her place. Will she survive?

6. The Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan.

Percy Jackson thinks he's a normal kid (or as normal as he can get, rather), but when he ends up in a fight to the death with his Pre-Algebra teacher, he realizes he isn't normal. Percy gets sent to Camp Half-Blood, a camp where kids who are half mortal and half god belong. He finds out that his long-lost dad isn't really lost. Percy's dad is Poseidon! Percy learns many things at Camp Half-Blood and eventually sets out on a quest to find and retrieve Zeus's lost lightning bolt . . . or suffer the consequences.

7. The Matched Series by Ally Condie.

Cassia is ecstatic. Her match banquet is coming up and soon she will find out who her match is. This event is very important. After all, once you have been matched, you must remain with your match forever. So when Cassia finds out that Xander, her best friend, is her match, she couldn't be happier. Being matched to someone you know doesn't happen often. Cassia goes home and puts in her microcard, which will show her her match and everything about him. But Cassia doesn't see what she expects to see. No, instead of seeing Xander's face, another face pops up on the screen. And the most peculiar thing about it is that she knew who the person on the screen was. Could she really have a different match?

And those are only a few of my favorite series. Have you read any of these books? If so, which one was your favorite? If you haven't read some of these books, are you intrigued? What are some of your favorite books? Leave a comment! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 2 A Favorite Movie

This is harder for me than a favorite song, since I don't really think I have a favorite movie. I LOVE all of the Harry Potter movies, but you already know that and besides, it's impossible to pick a favorite out of the 8 movies. "The Hunger Games" is another great movie, but it's not my favorite. I think I'll go with "The King's Speech."

I love "The King's Speech" because it's simple, sweet, and funny. It's British (which just makes it even more awesome) and has some people from the Harry Potter movies in it, like Michael Gambon and Helena Bonham Carter (but she's not crazy in this one). My favorite characters were Bertie and Lionel. If you want to see my review on it, click HERE.

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Introduction/Day 1 A Favorite Song (Because I Just Can't Wait)!

I found this challenge on the blog Musings From Neville's Navel. It is seriously one of the funniest blogs I have read in a long time. But I go there so often that I think I'm starting to come across as a stalker.

Anyway, The 30-Day Blogging Challenge is a challenge to put a post on your blog every day for 30 days (I bet you didn't see that coming). But each day you have a topic to write about. That way you don't just sit at your computer typing, Um, so, okay. I don't know what to blog about, but today is the third day for the 30-Day Blogging Challenge and I have to write something. So, um, bye! Here are the topics:

• Day 1: A favorite song.
• Day 2: A favorite movie.
• Day 3: A favorite book.
• Day 4: A favorite television program.
• Day 5: A favorite quote.
• Day 6: A moment you wish you could relive.
• Day 7: Five things you couldn’t possibly live without.
• Day 8: A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life.
• Day 9: A photo you took.
• Day 10: A photo of you taken over ten years ago.
• Day 11: A photo of you've taken recently.
• Day 12: A song that you want played at your wedding (or was played).
• Day 13: A guilty pleasure.
• Day 14: A vacation you would like to take.
• Day 15: A person you admire.
• Day 16: A song that makes you cry.
• Day 17: An art piece.
• Day 18: A time when you felt passionate and alive.
• Day 19: A talent of yours.
• Day 20: A hobby of yours.
• Day 21: Something you know you do differently than most people.
• Day 22: A website.
• Day 23: A way in which you want to be remembered.
• Day 24: A movie no one would expect you to love.
• Day 25: A recipe.
• Day 26: A childhood memory.
• Day 27: A physical feature you love.
• Day 28: A scar you have and it’s story.
• Day 29: Hopes, dreams, and plans you have for the next 365 days.
• Day 30: A motto or philosophy. 

I will probably blog about other stuff in between, but I will be for sure blogging about those 30 things for the next 30 days.

Today is Day 1, so I will be blogging about a favorite song.

My favorite song is "Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift featuring The Civil Wars. This song is what really got me interested in The Civil Wars (which is now my favorite band) and made Taylor Swift my favorite singer. I literally listened to this song about fifty times over the next couple of days. It is easily the most played song on my iPod and my brother was very glad when I got it on my iPod so I wouldn't have to play it out loud on my computer since my headphones don't reach the headphone plug.

Taylor Swift wrote this song with The Civil Wars for The Hunger Games soundtrack, which really wasn't a soundtrack but songs inspired by The Hunger Games. They did, however, play three songs from the album in the credits. "Safe and Sound" was one of them.

This song is very haunting, beautiful, and sad. I believe when she wrote it she was thinking about a certain part in The Hunger Games. And I think that part was **SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!** Rue's death. "Safe and Sound" shows the fear and sadness in The Hunger Games perfectly with lyrics like "Don't you dare look out your window. Darling, everything's on fire. The war outside our door keeps raging on." and "Just close your eyes. The sun is going down. You'll be all right. No one can't hurt you now." I thought they were going to use it in the movie during Rue's death, but they used it in the credits, instead. It had a really good music video, too. (It's not violent at all or anything). I highly recommend you watch it.

Quiz Courtesy of My Brother

My brother at I Don't Eat My Drumsticks did a quiz on his blog so I thought I would do one, too!

Feel free to answer the questions in the comments or on your blog. Either way, have fun!

1. What is your favorite song?
2. Who is your favorite singer?
3. What is your favorite book genre?
4. What is your favorite movie genre?
5. What is your favorite book?
6. What is your favorite movie?
7. Cats or dogs?
8. Stuffed animal or real animal?
9. What is your favorite stuffed animal that you own or you wish you owned?
10. Laptop or computer?
11. iPod or iPad?
12. What is your favorite Christmas gift you received in 2012?
13. What is the best gift you have ever received?
14. Who is your absolute best friend that you are not related to?
15. What blog do you read that is so good you can't wait for that person to put up another post?
16. What famous person would you want to have dinner with? (This person can be dead OR alive).
17. What meal would you make for that person?
18. What activity do you wish you could do for money? (This can be a craft, a video game, a sport, anything)!
19. How often do you read?
20. How many subscribers do you have on your blog?
21. BONUS QUESTION!!!! On a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best and 1 being the worst) how would you rate this quiz? You must rate it once based on how nerdy it was, once based on how creative it was, and once based on how fun it was to take.

I can't wait to see your answers! :D