THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY.

Oh my gosh, you guys! I went to the Hobbit (3d) with my family and it was AWESOME. There was epic soundtrack stuff, references to Lotr, and so much else! Here is my thoughts on it.
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First off, they gave us special 3d glasses that were green and they have the Hobbit logo on them. They're really cool.
When it starts out, there's a brief narration of the destruction of Erebor, or rather the people who lived inside--much like the prologue to Fotr. They already firmly set up the Elves/Dwarves feud here :P it then switches to Old Bilbo (the Bilbo of Lotr) and Frodo just talking and doing cute little hobbity things. Bilbo works on his book, Frodo asks what it is, then Bilbo tells him he can't see it yet--it's not ready to be read. Then Frodo goes "to the east-farthing woods to see Gandalf," thus connecting it to the point in Fotr where he meets Gandalf coming up the road for Bilbo's party. First connection/reference here.
Now to young Bilbo. Martin Freeman does a fantastic job :)
"I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means me!", That's what Bilbo Baggins Hates, and Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold, are a few exact book-to-movie goodies, but there were so many. Peter Jackson did a fantastic job of staying so accurate to the book.
Bilbo is so confused and typical-hobbit "no adventures for me, thank you" to both Gandalf when he first arrives, and later when the dwarves arrive. These scenes are wonderful and really set up the story.
Lots of panoramic shots and "company-coming-over-a-hill" shots, more gorgeous scenery, general awesomeness.
The troll scene is well-done, and Bilbo's "advice" and the dwarves' reactions are hilarious. The next scene, where they explore the troll's cave, has a very solemn, sweet, wise Gandalf/Bilbo conversation when Bilbo gets Sting, much like that of Gandalf/Frodo in Moria. I won't give any more hints as far as the dialogue goes, but I will say the music was pretty epic there.
The stone-giants scene was a little odd, but didn't really take away from the story, so it's cool.
The whole Radagast thing...yes I know it wasn't in the book, (and I don't recall if it was in the appendices) but it was done nicely so I'll still give it a thumbs up. Also, creepy but neat hinting at some Nazgul in the future with Radagast bringing that sword to Gandalf.
When the elves first appear, EXACT elven soundtrack as Lotr :) Rivendell scenes=more awesome Elves, plus the EXACT same soundtrack theme (as in Lotr) again :) yay, another reference! I love these.
The white council scenes were really cool. You can already see Saruman planting seeds of doubt in their minds, trying to sway them from attacking the Necromancer or Smaug. You can also see Gandalf becoming nervous around Saruman and already concealing things from him.The whole Gandalf/Galadriel teleporting thing was pretty cool, although not in the books.
Azog (the pale Orc) and the Wargs were two things I didn't care for as much. Compared to all the realistic-looking orcs in Lotr, Azog had a rather "cheap-scifi-film" look to me. Same with the goblin king. And the Wargs' glowing eyes...yes, creepy, but not super realistic looking. On the other hand, many of the other orcs were very realistic looking, even though they were a little lighter than in Lotr; if I remember correctly, they were pretty much coal-colored in the trilogy. The scene where the goblins capture them was still done well though.
Okay, the Riddles in the Dark scene was soooo cool. Andy Serkis does phenomenal as Gollum once again. They used the EXACT riddles from the book, and it was so suspenseful. And remember in the Fotr prologue, where Galadriel is narrating, and it comes to the approx. 10-second clip of Bilbo finding the Ring and Gollum wailing? Yes, that scene is EXACTLY reproduced with Martin Freeman here! :) yet another awesome connection/reference.
When Bilbo puts on the Ring, it has the same effect--blurring his vision, just like what we see happening to Frodo in Lotr. I love the effort Peter Jackson and his crew put into the consistency of the movies. It's really cool.
The "Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire" scene was super awesome. Look how much little Bilbo has changed, risking his safety to try and grab his sword he initially had no clue what to do with. He really starts showing a lot of courage here, especially when he tries to go rescue Thorin. Considering how Thorin had been treating him so far, it shows how honest and nice of a hobbit he was. When Gandalf does the moth thing (another reference...this is so awesome!), and then the eagles come, it seriously gave me chills. The hinting of Lotr, combined with the epic soundtrack at that moment is so chillifying...is that a word? Oh well =P
I love what Thorin says to Bilbo once they've been set down by the eagles and Gandalf has revived him. It shows how much they're learning to trust their little burglar :) oh, and just an extra-awesome tidbit. Did anyone else notice the music when Thorin is talking to Bilbo? It's from RotK, in the soundtrack titled "Return of the King," from 2:14 to 2:28. EXACT SAME MUSIC ohmygoshz :)
I love the last lines of the movie. They're so ironic... "Well, I think the worst danger is behind us." You poor dwarves.
One last book-to-movie reference...the thrush with the snail and the rock, I'm sure that was the hidden door. It was pretty cool.
Random observation...they sure like to tease us with half-glimpses of Smaug, don't they?
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So here's my summary of the movie: outstanding accuracy (book-to-movie), great add-ins from appendices and other J. R. R. Tolkien books, EPIC soundtracks, gorgeous scenery, incredible acting, and amazing yet subtle hints at stuff in/from Lotr. Overall, this movie is...precioussss.
I give it a 10. What do you think?
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P. s. ik I probably missed a lot in this overview of the movie, but I remembered what I could. :)
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P. p. s. here's a picture of the 3d glasses for all of you who haven't seen it yet, or who saw the 2d.

Penguin Hoodie DIY

I got the idea for this hoodie from a shirt I saw, and decided to make a hoodie. I got the hoodie for $9 at hobby lobby and the fabric for $4 at Walmart. I would recommend washing the hoodie before you do the DIY part. Also, I would recommend trying on the hoodie in EVERY step before sewing anything down. Anyway, on to the tutorial.
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Things you'll need:
-A black hoodie
-white fabric of some sort (I used felt)
-orange felt
-black felt
-pink ribbon (optional, see step 4)
-a large safety pin
-needle&thread, scissors
(also,  having a carpet floor is pretty necessary for this project. like, really necessary.)
Step 1.lay your hoodie down on the floor and pin down. This is why having carpet is really helpful. When you pin down the bottom waistbandish-thingy, stretch it so it doesn't scrunch anymore. this will make everything easier. Lay your white fabric (mine is felt) out and pin in an approx. penguin shape. you can either guess the shape, or you can look at a picture.

Step 2.

Once you have the shape you like and you have it pinned, cut about a 1/2 inch bigger than the shape. This just gives you room to work with, and even though I ended up cutting another inch off, it's always better to start out bigger and get smaller than to not have enough. Then pin your shape down and sew. Then feel for where the pocket is, cut that fabric out and sew onto the pocket. this may sound confusing, but when you have your hoodie in front of you, it should make sense. 

here's a close-up of the hoodie pocket. Here you can really see the detail, and also what kind of stitch I used. I used this stitch on everything except the bow.

Step 3.

Cut out oval-ish eyes from the black felt and a triangle from the orange felt, used as eyes and a beak. Figure out where you want them on your hoodie, then pin them on and sew. 

                                        

Step 4. (optional, only of you want an adorable bow)

With your pink ribbon, fold, gather and sew to make a bow. I can't explain exactly how to do it, but if you don't know how, you can probably find instructions online somewhere. 

this next picture shows how to attach the safety pin. Sew it onto the bow on the side that DOESN"T open: this will leave the opening side free to pin to the hoodie.

 Step 5.
After you wash the hoodie again, pin the bow onto the penguin's head. I pinned the hood's drawstrings into the pin too, it keeps them out of the way and looks really cute. Then go wear it!

good luck making your own penguin hoodie!

IT'S DONE! (big grin)

What is, my precious? The mystery project? Yes precioussssss, yes. We're very smart, very witty, we knows it's done!
Da da da.....

IT'S THE FELLOWSHIP CLOAK!!!!!

So for the instructions, I used the amazing and wonderful and detailed instructions over at alleycatscratch.com (acs) and if you're making one too, I suggest using their website. It's probably the best you'll find. For the fabric, I used a $3 per yard stretch knit from walmart (of all places! but really, their sewing dept. rocks) which is a lovely silvery-grey color. It shimmers when it is moved or the wind blows it. For the clasp, I ordered a lg hook&eye closure from ward's 5&10 online store (the only place I could find the right kind of clasp mentioned at acs.)

I basically just followed their instructions, and it turned out wonderful. The only thing is, if you're using an old bed sheet to make a pattern with like they suggest, DON'T USE A FITTED SHEET. And yes, I speak from experience. The elastic gets in the way and sorta defeats the purpose of a pattern. Anywho, it turned out fine so that's what matters.

Another thing. I got the leaf clasp off eBay for $6 and it's really good quality. Don't buy the plastic ones, they look cheap and cost as much as mine, which is completely metal with shiny green enamel and silver metal veins. So ya, just look till you find a good-quality pin. The leaf just pins over the closure, so no stress is out on it.

So I'm totally wearing this for halloween. I have a whole Frodo costume put together, but I won't reveal that until the official dress-like-a-character-from-The Lord of the Rings-without-getting-weird-looks day......... Er, I mean halloween. But hey, basically the same thing, right?

:)

Sooooo me. Lol.

iPhone 4!!!

So I didn't make cupcakes this week, I really just didn't have much time. But I got my iPhone!!! It's an iPhone 4 in white. It's awesome. I've already figured out how to do a ton of stuff on it, including writing and posting to this blog! Apple has a blogger app for iPhone / iPad users, so that's how you can so it. I suppose you could also just use the safari as well.
Oh and needless to say, now that I have unlimited texting, I'm officially a texting addict. Welcome to the club of texting addicts :)
I'm currently trying to find a good yet cheap case for it, because I know how clumsy I can be. I am taking good care of it though... after all, it is my preciousssss. Ok not really, but I couldn't resist.

today's (ACHOO-SNIFFL-COUGH) post

as you can tell from the title, i have a cold. not a horrible one, just an average energy-drainer. so on Sunday, i had my first ECIYO practice, which was reaallly hard. not impossible, but almost. and as soon as that was done, i headed off to my first chamber orchestra rehearsal for my hs' Ragtime! production. that went better, but i'm looking forward to both groups' next practices. it was just, i was totally drained by the time the day was over. it felt like a day of ISYM. lol.

also, i'm learning how to play Brielle by Sky Sailing on my uke. Sky Sailing is a old project by Adam Young, along with Port Blue. Eventually, he dropped these and created Owl City, which is how we know him now. Brielle is one of these songs written in that time. in case you didn't know, i LOVE Owl City. alot. i'm trying to convince one of my friends to play the ukulele too, because the arrangement i'm inventing needs 2. and there's practically no uke covers of Brielle on youtube.

Owl City is one of my favorite bands. Adam is a Christian, and his cover of In Christ Alone is amazing. like, seriously phenomenal. really. especially if you hear his story behind it.

Cupcakes #2!!!!!

so i got the second cupcake project done from my book, Planet Cake. for the antennae, i used spaghetti noodles since i have nooo clue what mung bean noodles are. or where to find them, for that matter. anyway here's a couple pics:

dragonflies!!!!! everybody loves dragonflies. they're so cute and sparkly. like, their wings sparkle when they land on your finger, because they are so metallic and all. so i loved this project. i did realize though, that you're supposed to use a whole heart for the wings on each side of the body.....but oh well. i don't think anyone will notice =)

lol, preciousss

the moment when you get a Barnes&Noble email, and you get a silly happy grin all over your face, because they called "The Hobbit" a top pick book.
and your day is made.

Bow Cupcakes!!!

so...i finished the cupcakes!!!!! by the way, if you're using this book, "Planet Cake," make sure the fondant icing isn't too sticky. it's impossible to work with when it's to sticky. or to hard, for that matter. anyway, i finished them, and they looked great! here's a couple pics:

next week....more cupcakes!
as far as the mystery project goes (remember the one i hinted at before, preciousss?), i ordered one of the two parts that i still needed to finish it, and i'm going to order the other part soon. then i just have to assemble  it together and pazshza! awesomeness to come. mwahaha. i can't wait till it's all finished, it's gonna be so great!!!
and..........98 days til The Hobbit part one comes out!!!!

Happy September!!!!!

okay, i love the fact that it's September, because that means that soon the weather will be going from "aaagh, it's so hottttt, let's just chill inside all day" to "oooooh it's like 60 degrees out, and the leaves are falling down, and the air smells a million times better and fresher than the most nicest fall-scented wallflower, and it's all fresh, and i can wear jeans and a hoodie and rake leaves and go jump in the pile and walk my dog." Basically: the weather of fall is awesome. I'm pretty sure fall and winter are my favorite seasons. i'm just that type of person, the one who spends more time inside in the summer than in the winter. ya know, the one who even when she's cold she loves just walking outside in 20 degrees but not in 80 degrees. the thing is, when you're walking in the summer, you step outside and the humidity and heat smack you in the face. but in the fall, simply stepping outside is refreshing, and in the winter, ya your walk starts out cold. but if you walk briskly, you eventually warm up, and your cheeks get all rosy, and your nose starts running, and you come back in and drink apple cider in front of the fireplace and munch on some spekulatius...good stuff. spring, it's okay but you know that summer is coming soon.
also, september is when youth groups start up, orchestras start rehearsing again, and you start getting super uber duper busy.

Recently i've been super uber duper busy making cupcakes. i got this book from Barnes and Noble called Planet Cake. it's basically a cake decorating class, without the live class. it teaches you how to make incredible cakes...the cover says so. the funny thing is, when i first read it, i thought it said inedible instead of incredible. and i'm just like, "well why make an inedible cake?". but they have you start out with cupcakes. they said they are easier to learn the techniques with. i believe them. the first project is the cupcakes you see on the cover.
as far as another project goes...i still have to add a couple things, but it's almost done. when it's completely finsished i'll post pictures of it. what's that? "what is it?" oh, you'll just have to wait and see, preciousss. we doesn't want to give the surprise away, does we? oh no. not at all, preciousss. but a hint? Smeagol likes hintses, doesn't he? okay. hint: it has to do with Lord of the Rings. but you probably guessed that.
mwahahaha. =D

Cookie Dough. Brownies. mhmm :)

so today i made something new. i got the idea from a picture on google images (i like to google food and craft ideas--it's really neat to see what people have done) of a brownie with cookie dough on top and chocolate drizzled over that. so i made it! i used regular brownie mix, and i was going to make egg-less cookie dough but my mom bought me a tube of regular cookie dough, so i used that instead. well, it turned out fine, and we ate them with dinner tonight. you should make some.
they're good. :)
i would post pictures, but i forgot to take a picture before we cut them into little brownies. oh well. the only thing i have to say is, if you do make them yourself, cut a brownie about 1/2 the size of the brownie size you normally eat. they're super rich and all, so you don't need much. also, when i put the cookie dough on the browies: bake the brownies first. then (while they're still warm) put the cookie dough on in little thin segments about 2" each. it just helps you get it even. then use whatever's left to fill up patches of blank spots. let the heat from the brownies "melt" the cookie dough, then drizzle the chocolate on.
other than that, they turned out simply delicious. and they're so simple to make!

My Random Poem

so, when i was on facebook today, i was trying to think of what to post as my status. then i started writing this, and i just kept going. it was actually really fun, and i didn't realize how long it was till i posted it. i laughed hysterically while reading this to my sister, because it's so random and yet you can follow how it goes from one place to another. here's the finished poem:

hello, look over there

look at that girl's hair

it looks quite mellow

or yellow

or green or blue

or indigo-brown

in the town

don't frown

instead smile

smile all the while

while you dance to and fro

la di da, dance to and fro

over the hills

and by the mills

the water flows through

and goes down the waterfall

fall, falling waterfall

but don't trip and fall

on the waterfall

or the lake

where the fishes are

the goldfish and piranhas

but they're friendly piranhas

be friendly to them

say hi, hello, howdy do

like a country bumpkin

bumpkin, pumpkin

pick me a pumpkin

but don't cut the vine

instead draw a line

a very fine line

on the pumpkin

and then we can carve it

and make pumpkin pie

and eat it all

in the fall, or winter

when it snows

and it's cold

and the waterfall becomes ice

ice, nice ice

you can go skating

but not on the waterfall

only on the water below it

just don't fall in

the water's cold

brr, the water's cold

just like iced lemonade

on a hot summer day

laying under the trees

on the hill by the mill

where the birds trill

and the farmers till

so the plants will grow

grow, grow, so the plants will grow

like the pumpkins

and raddishes and tomatoes

and cucumbers turned into pickles

sweet pickles and dill pickles

i like pickles

on my sandwich

with lettuce and tomato

tomato, potato

potatoes grow underground

unlike pumpkins

they grow on the ground

and pears grow on trees

tall trees and short trees

like apples and oranges and bananas

monkeys like bananas 

bananas are yellow

like that girl's mellow hair.