Pieces

They were beautiful lengths of fabric. Each one carefully patterned, colored, and woven. They were perfect, solitary and in no need of any other help.

In another basket were apples. Each one with superb red and green swirls, each one sweet and crunchy. No defects, no imperfections, perfect just like they were.

Or so they might have thought.

To the fabric came a heavy pair of scissors, slicing and chopping. Within moments the entire length of fabric was reduced to pieces. Short, awkward, triangular, wrinkled pieces. It no longer was perfect on its own. It was ruined, torn and left scattered.

To the basket came a sharp glittering knife, cutting them into small pieces. The delicately colored skin was peeled off and thrown away. All that was left was chunks of bare apple, fast turning brown as time progressed.


All that was left was pieces.

Life's like that. For a time you think you are perfect, completed, a beautiful creation. The life you live in is carefully constructed, colored, and loved. Then along comes something, sickness, death, change. And your life is torn apart. Chopped. Scattered. Sliced. Ruined.

And all that's left are pieces. Tattered shards of no use but to remind you of who you used to be.

But the story for the fabric, and the apples isn't over.

To the fabric came someone, the same someone who had held the cutting scissors. Carefully, with patience and skill, she gathered up the pieces and one by one fit them back together in new ways. From under her hands came a piece of beauty and perfection, far surpassing what the fabric had been before. An entirely new length of fabric, which all the tiny pieces joined to form.

To the apples came a chef. And slowly, and meticulously he formed and mixed and molded. And when he stepped back there, in the place of the broken pieces, was a creation of perfection. Simple, yet beautiful, an object to be enjoyed by many. Every piece of broken apple lending to the perfection of the whole.

Without the scissors the fabric could have never become a quilt. And without the knife the apples could have never become a pie.

Without pain, struggle, change, I will never become who I was meant to be. You can never become who you were meant to be. There will be times that your life may seem ruined. Times when you are left standing surrounded by the broken pieces of your life.

Just wait.

The Master Creator, He who perfectly formed all things, is at work. Carefully, gently, He will reassemble the pieces into something better, something beautiful.

Just wait and see what comes out of the pieces.

Fine Print: Picture of fabric pieces is my own, all the rest are not mine. 

NaNoWriMo

Who is doing NaNoWriMo this year? I can't wait, I have two full stories outlined and ready to go, hopefully one will be a complete rough draft by December. :)

For the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. Basically, you attempt to punch out a 50,000 word novel in one month-November. That being probably the second most busiest month in the year. (At least for me :)   


Last years NaNo worked well for me. I got my book done, and have been working ever since on editing it to a point that is acceptable to read. :) (When they say rough draft, they mean rough draft)

So who will be doing it this year? Any first timers? What's your genre? Will you be writing in first person or third person? What do you do to get ready for writing your book?

My book genre is undecided, principally because I can't decide which one to work on. : /   Either historical fiction, or historical/ science fiction (old school scifi, like the Jules Verne kind, not fantasy). The only thing I have decided is that it will be in first person. Which for me is easier to write. : )

Things I have done to get ready are: Outline my ideas for the books. For me that looks like a very loose timeline of events. I've also pulled pictures that will help me with the scene and setting.

 I've taken each main character and figured out his likes, his dislikes, his talking style, his actions... One fun thing I have done this year is model each character off of a certain classic writers' writing style. For example, one character will be like Verne's typical MC's interested in learning, observant, quiet, under the authority of the other(s), and in the end assuming command. Another will look more like Doyle's typical scientist/detectives, brainy, quirky, blustering when excited, in command, disdainful of everyone else. :)

So here are the questions for you. How many will be doing NaNo this year? How many of you are interested in posts/discussions on writing?

Hoping that all of you have a day filled with rest and autumn-y pursuits. Applesauce making is the plan for me today. :)

Amanda

Fine Print: Photo not mine. Would love to have a turquoise typewriter though. :) 

Monday

Mondays are days of fresh beginnings. Days when we are called from our Sabbath rest to renew our battle in the world. They are days of adventure, new hope, and fresh energy.

No doubt Mondays are rarely fun days. They mean work. But they also mean new possibilities. Before you stretches an entire week unmarked by anything. What you will make of this week depends largely on what you will make of today.

Just a little pep talk for myself and ya'll. :)

Multitudes for Mondays:

55. Warmth. :)

56: Joyfully at Home - Jasmine Bauchum. I love this book, it has helped me greatly.

57. All five senses. Life would be so different without them.

58. School studies.

59. Little girl learning to read.

60. Tales of a Wayside Inn - (Thanks again for recommending it Eyebright! I love it!)

61. Craft projects that actually turn out.

62. Old hymns and the stories behind them.

63. Crunchy leaves.

64. Apples, just waiting to be turned into sauce.

65. Music.

What are you grateful for as this week begins? 

Fine print: None of these pictures are my own. 

My Week

It's been a cloudy week. Heavy cloud banks outside, contributing to my brain fog inside. A week of misty ideas and plans, of indecision and thought.

But it's been an interesting week, slow, calm, cozy. A week of taking it all gently. A week of crafting, baking, and turning page after page in the books I'm reading. 

It's been a week of marveling at the changing world. Leaves falling, kittens chasing acorns, flower gardens put to bed for winter. 

It's been a week of chill. Necessitating many layers, chunky afghans, hot chocolate, and ginger cookies. 

It's been a week of music. Wind whipping the wind chimes, pleased kittens purring, Midnight Sonata played slowly. 

It's been a week of poetry, as I (who have always been afraid of poetry) discovered the loveliness of it. Any good suggestions for poets to read? 

It's been an interesting week. Full of ups and downs, of gray mist and sunshine. But it's been a good week. 

How was yours?

                                                     Ginger  Cookies

Cream 3/4 cup butter, with 1 cup sugar. 

Add 1 egg, and 4 Tbs. Molasses (the real stuff, thick dark and bitter)

Mix in 2 Cup Flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp Cinnamon, 1 tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp powdered ginger. 

Chill dough.

  Make balls and roll in sugar.

     
 Press with either a cookie press, the bottom of a glass, or your hands.

Making the cookies a little less than an 1/2 in. thick.                              





 Bake at 375 degrees F. For 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

 Fine print: First image of window and coffee is not mine. The cookie ones are. I only wish I could share the smell of these with you as well. :) 

Dear Autumn, I'm so glad you are here!

"It's Autumn?   It is!   It's the first day of Autumn!  A time of hot chocolatey mornings and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!"  
                                                                                           -Winnie the Pooh


I left during the summer heat. I returned to cool breezes and red leaves. It felt just like the change of seasons in the Hundred Acre Woods. And I could only repeat Pooh's words of wonder.

Autumn is:

Afghan's draped on every chair and couch.

Stacks of books for quiet evenings.

Early morning darkness.

Chai tea served in rustic pottery mugs.

Pumpkins, in every shape size and form.

Thick socks and boots.

Browns, reds, yellows, and oranges.

Crochet projects.

Hot apple cider.

Adventures into crackly floored woods.

School studies interrupted for a walk in the leaves.

The unmistakable smell of burning leaves.

It's a gentle time. A space to settle down from the busyness of summer and just live. It's a quieter time, a slower time, a time of little wonders and simple pleasures. It's a chance to get settled in and ready for a sleepy winter.

Tell me what Autumn is for you!

~Amanda

Fine print:  Pictures are not my own. If they were, the top apple in the apple basket would have a bite out of it. :) 

Misty, Marshes, Mosquitoes, and Mc'Closkey

Spotted from the distance: the relatives of Misty, the Phantom, and the Pied Piper. These are the wild ponies of Assateague Island.

There is something uncanny about seagulls. They have a way of staring you down and convincing you that they will, when all is said and done, eat your sandwich. But when you shoo them away they waddle off like an offended, yet dignified, older lady.

The waves were gorgeous. I only wish I had the skill to capture them. I'd like to bottle up the sound and take it back home with me.

Chincoteague and Assateague are both extremely marshy. In the shallow water you can see fish moving, and birds fishing. These wet lands are beautiful, but dangerous. Marshes = Mosquitoes as my arms can testify.

We felt like we had stepped into Robert Mc'Closkey's "Make way for Ducklings" when we saw this. All of traffic stopped though, to let them past. :)

The rest of the island adventures were too lovely to really relate. You kinda have to be here. There were crab houses, pelicans with their "double chins", pastel beach houses, salt-water taffy, beautiful waves crashing against us, and most of all Nanny, my Eastern Shore Grandma.

Fine Print: All pictures are mine. I do promise that my vacation will end soon, for anyone who is getting tired of it. :) There will probably be only one more vacation post.

My Memories Giveaway Winner

And the winner, decided by Random.org, is Cecilia!!!! I'll be contacting you shortly with your free download. :)

Didn't win the giveaway? There is still a chance to to get your own My Memories software with a $10 discount. Simply use this code STMMMS20181.

Not only will you get a discount, but I'll make a commission. :)

Stay tuned for "Misty and Mosquitoes" the further vacation adventures.