Musing #16 - "My Top Five Favorite Things" Challenge

So, as I sit here before my computer, I hear the wind outside, recklessly tearing at the trees and banging at the windows. Yep, it's winter. Cold, dreary, windy, rainy . . . winter. The trees are bare, the grass is dead. But there's always something to be thankful for, and that's what I'm focusing on in this post. I call this:

"MY TOP FIVE FAVORITE THINGS" post

Musing #15 - Maple Sugar Candy! (Supposedly)

I need to do some serious thinking (and praying!) about future blog posts, now that I've finished posting chapters of In His Hands. I want to thank you all so very much for joining me on that journey of chapter-posting! Your encouragement and wholehearted support has meant a lot to me :-).
I did have one idea for a story, and now, with no further ado, I present to you:

Maple Sugar Candy! (Supposedly)

NOTE: How many of you have read Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods? Ever wanted to try the new recipe of "maple sugar candy"? Or maybe you have tried it; if so, be sure and comment and tell me how it went for you! This story is based off what happened to me when I tried to make the taffy form of maple syrup :-). (Of course, however, I had to change things up a bit and throw in "Mom" as the candy-maker, considering Libby is only eleven years old.)

***

  "Mom, Mom, it's snowing outside," eleven-year-old Libby exclaimed, racing into the kitchen. Her auburn curls were tangles about her face. Beneath the wild locks, her cheeks were a bright pink. Her blue eyes sparkled. "You should just see it, Mom! It's beautiful."

Musing #14 - "In His Hands" Chapter 7

Today's "musing" is . . . 
The final chapter of In His Hands! 
Next post comes out bright and early Saturday morning. Stay tuned! 

Chapter 7

      “Well, here we are, girls.”

Mrs. Davis parked the wagon in the thick of a small yet busy town. I was almost certain Rosie, Eliza, and I hadn’t passed any houses on our way to Mrs. Davis’s farm, so my first thought was, Where did all of these people come from?

Mrs. Davis seemed to sense my unspoken question. “These people have houses a ways from town,” she said. “They all meet on

Sundays.” She swung down from the wagon. “C’mon.”

“Mrs. Davis…”

She looked up. “Yes?” 

Musing #13 - Ask and Answer!

Hi! I'm excited to do something new today. Back in October of 2018, my friend, Ellianna, had a fun post on her blog, Ellianna's Blog. At the time of her post, I didn't have a blog, so I wasn't able to participate in her "ask questions, write out new ones" game. Now, however, I can, and I'm eager to do so. Check out her post HERE.

And here are my answers to her questions:

Riding outside in the hot heat or playing in the sprinklers? 
Definitely playing in the sprinklers! When the sun is hot and the air is scorching, there's nothing like a splash of water to cool one down ;-).

Going outside and riding in a water trough when it is flooding your property or. . . staying inside and watching a movie?
Probably stay inside, especially if "The Apple Dumpling Gang" is playing :-). 

Hot chocolate, or cold chocolate?
Hot chocolate all the way!

Reading, or writing a story?
Hmm. . . probably writing. At the moment, anyway, while I feel "the writer's flow." However, when the "writer's block" sets in, I'll go for reading a book any day ;-)

Brushing a horse in the barn when it's raining, or brushing it in the heat?
I'd prefer to brush a horse in the barn with the rain. The air would be cooler, and all the while you could hear the pretty sound of rain falling on the roof :-).

Thank you so much, Ellie! These were great questions, and I had fun answering them :-). Here are my questions:

As a pancake topper, would you choose Nutella or strawberry jam?

Do you prefer to use the old-fashioned way of writing a story - with pen and paper - or the new-modern way - with a computer?

Stickers or washi tape?

Pens or pencils?

Notebook paper or blank paper?

Thank you for reading! Feel free to copy, paste, and answer these questions on your blogs :-). 

~Ellen

Musing #12 - "In His Hands" Chapter 6

Hi, y'all! Two chapters of In His Hands left - a post for today and another post for this upcoming Thursday :-). 
Enjoy!

Chapter 6

          

       Full night came on too quick. 

With darkness all around us and only a quarter moon to light the way, Eliza and I gave up on walking. Eliza had already tripped one too many times on hidden tree roots and large stones, and my arms ached from carrying Rosie. Besides that, I didn’t want to trip and fall, crushing Rosie to the ground.

At last, giving up, we lay down in the thick, tall blades of grass near the railroad tracks.

“I don’t like this dark,” Eliza whispered. She shuddered. “It’s eerie.” 

Musing #10 - "In His Hands" Chapter 5

Good morning all, and welcome to my tenth musing - the fifth chapter of In His Hands. Enjoy! 

Chapter 5

“The train is...gone?" Eliza squeaked.

 My head jerked up. "This is all your fault!" 

“My fault? No, if anything, it was Rosie’s fault!" Eliza jammed her hands on her hips. "She ran away."
   “You were the one who wanted to get off the train,” I pointed out.

“Rosie was the one who ran away,” Eliza repeated, her voice hot. “If she hadn’t run off, we wouldn’t have followed her.”

Musing #9 - "In His Hands" Chapter 4

"In His Hands" consists of seven chapters, so there'll be a chapter today, a chapter this Thursday, a chapter next Tuesday, and the final chapter on the Thursday of the same week. The following Tuesday I'll share something new :-).
Enjoy!

Chapter 4

“Eliza!” I whirled on my sister. Fear made my voice harsh. “Where’s Rosie?”

“How would I know?” Eliza’s eyes were huge half-dollars in her small, pale face. She clenched her hands around the stems of her fresh-picked bouquet.

“Well, don’t just stand there!” I threw my flowers to the ground and picked up the heavy skirts of my travelling dress. “We’ve gotta find her.”

Musing #8 - "In His Hands" Chapter 3

Howdy, everyone! Welcome to Ellen's Musings! If you're new here, here's a little info on my musings and me :-).

I started this blog in 2018 to write stories and poems (or whatever I'm "musing"!), all for the glory of our Savior. If you'd like to become more familiar with my blog, here's the link to my first post - My First Musing,  and here is the link to the first chapter of my book, In His Hands.  I am posting this book, chapter by chapter, on this blog.
Thank you so much for dropping by. Feel free to view my profile, my posts, and my book reviews. If you have any questions or comments, let me know in any one of the posts' comment form. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Okay, without any further ado, I present my third chapter of In His Hands. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

It wasn’t long before the train began to chug away from the station.

Rosie squealed her excitement and, wrapping her arms around mine, held on tight. Eliza pressed her nose to the window.

Clank, clank, clank went wheels against tracks as the train picked up speed.

“This is so exciting!” Eliza flopped back against her seat and dug her heels into the floor to keep from sliding around as the train jerked and thundered along at rocketing speed. “I think I’m going to like travelling,” she declared.

Musing #7 - "Writers Roundup" Giveaway!

Hi, y'all! This isn't my typical post of a story or a poem, but rather a post to tell you of a fantastic new giveaway going on over at "Andi's Blog." You can enter for a chance to win the Writers Roundup book of which I'm so fond (you can find my review for that book in my "Book Reviews" page here on this blog). 

Click the link, enter the giveaway, and have fun!
WRITERS ROUNDUP GIVEAWAY

Giveaway details (in Mrs. Susan K. Marlow's own words) which are found on the Andi's Blog post https://circlecadventures.blogspot.com/2019/01/win-writers-roundup-workbook.html are as follows: 




Two winners will receive Mrs. M's new Writers Roundup writing workbook. Click over to the giveaway page on the Circle C website to learn more about the book, to download sample pages, and to enter the giveaway. Enjoy! 

Note: This contest it open worldwide. International winners receive a PDF file of the book via email to print out and enjoy. US winners receive a print copy.

Back to my (Ellen's) own words:
In this book you will find amazing and invaluable tips, tricks, methods, and corrections for writing, as well as recommended story-writing contests in which you can enter, a step-by-step guide to publish on Lulu.com, and more! Don't miss out on this awesome opportunity! Enter now ;-). 
Giveaway runs January 8-15. 

(Front and back covers of Writers Roundup are shown in the pictures above)

~Ellen

Musing #6 - "In His Hands" Chapter 2

Welcome to my sixth musing: the second chapter of my book, In His Hands. There are seven chapters total, and I plan to post two chapters a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Again, I welcome feedback, suggestions, advice, and ideas. Questions are always encouraged! 
Enjoy!

Chapter 2

                     “Stay still!” I begged as I tried to tie the strings to Rosie’s bonnet.

My little sister wriggled and bounced and chattered like a magpie. Would I ever get these bonnet strings tied?

“You promised Mama and Pa that you’d be a good girl,” my ten-year-old sister, Eliza, spoke up from her seat on the settee.

“Good girl!” Rosie beamed.

“Then let me tie these strings.” I quickly knotted the strings in a neat bow and smoothed Rosie’s hair on her shoulders. “There.”

“Are you all ready to go?” Mama asked, walking over.

“I think so.” I stood and clasped Rosie’s hand in mine. “Does Pa have the wagon hitched up?”

“Yes.” Mama looked over my sister and me, and her eyes grew misty. “You’re all growing so big.”

“Oh, Mama, don’t cry.” I wrapped my arms around her in a tight embrace. I easily matched her in height, especially with my high-heeled travelling boots. Dressed up in my Sunday dress, with my hair neatly combed and held back with a frilly ribbon, I did look much older than my fourteen years. It made me feel proud. Why did mothers get upset about their daughters growing older?

Mama returned my hug and stroked my hair. It felt good. Suddenly, I realized how much I’d miss her over the several weeks we’d be apart. She wouldn’t be there to talk with me, or give me good-night kisses, or remind me to brush my hair every morning and wash my hands before every meal.

Tears came to my own eyes, and one slid down my cheek.

 Can I really do this?

***

Musing #5 - "In His Hands"

I published my first book in 2018. Using Mrs. Susan K. Marlow's Writers Roundup (see the "Book Reviews" page for details and a picture of that book), I was able to have a step-by-step guide for Lulu.com. Thus, I wrote a 10,000 word novel and self-published it with the help of Sandy, who comments on this blog (she gave me the title, In His Hands) and Mrs. Marlow, my all-time favorite author (she helped with the editing). I'm not selling In His Hands on Lulu, or Amazon, or Barnes & Noble; I published it merely so I would have gifts for all my relatives (and friends!) this year *smile*. In the next few "musings," I'll be sharing chapters from this book. I welcome all feedback - good, bad, critical, encouraging, and otherwise - as I someday plan to extend this book and submit it to a real publisher. Enjoy!

Back Cover Summary:

It’s the late 1800’s, and Susan Harris and her younger sisters are on their way by train to visit their grandparents in Fresno, California. Sue is excited. She’ll be the boss for the whole two-week, cross-country trip, and she’s confident she’s mature enough to handle two little girls.

But when the train stops for maintenance issues, the trip takes an unexpected turn for the worse. The girls are suddenly stranded and on their own. Sue must now take her responsibility to a new level. Her sisters’ lives are in her hands, and they’re scared.

So is Sue…especially when she discovers that her hands are not enough.

Will Sue remember in time that there is Someone much stronger than she Who can help them out of this frightening fix? Can she lead her sisters to make an effort to work together and not give up? Or will she trust in her own strength and hope it’s good enough?

Musing #4 - Happy New Year!

Hi! Welcome to the first day of 2019. Are you excited? I am. 2018 has passed, and now a whole new years lies open before us, full of unseen possibilities, valuable lessons, and God's numerous blessings. Last year, I awoke on the morning of January 1st with plans all my own for the year. I planned on doing this, writing that. Guess what? 

God had His Own plans for me, and they far exceeded any plans or expectations of my own.

Many, many things occurred during that year (too many to list here), but I'll say this: God put it on my heart to keep a journal. I did. Every night throughout the whole year of 2018, I resolved to write down the day's happenings, and I pursued that resolve. I sure am glad I kept that up. I strongly encourage you, too, to try and document occurrences and events. 
It takes work, as there were many nights I wanted just to slam my journal shut and read a book. But every entry was worth the effort. I now have something to read, to look back upon and reflect all God has done for me throughout the year. And hey, if your goal is like mine, to write in your journal every day, and you miss a day or two, so what? I'll tell you a little secret: I missed three days this past year. It's no big deal. If you realize you've skipped a day, you could try to recount all that'd happened the day before and record it, or simply move on in life. It's nothing to sweat over, really. Why, if you wanted to, you could write in your journal only twice in one year! For, as I said before, the whole point behind a journal is just to have something to read and reflect upon. Whatever you do, don't say, "Oops, forgot a day. It's hopeless," and give up!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
I do believe the most important thing for a writer to remember is to keep writing. In everything he/she does, he/she must keep going. Have you ever watched Finding Dory? (LOL) Dory (the fish) sings, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming . . ." Well, we're not fish. We're writers. So let's, together, sing, "Just keep writing, just keep writing . . ." and encourage one another in our pursuits.

I love to read my old entries and see how God worked through certain incidents. He has been so, so good to me. It's . . . it's . . . well, indescribable.

THANK YOU, JESUS!
Thus, as you can see, my method for keeping His blessings in mind is by writing them all down. What about you? Do you have any particular "method"? Feel free to share your answer in the comments; I'm always interested in finding new ways to keep Christ in mind :-).
Another thing I like to do during the year . . .

On Jan. 1st, I pick a word to meditate on throughout the year. Last year's word was "serve," to go with my fav. Bible verse: "For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His Life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28) This year, my word is "possible," and my verse is, "But He said, 'What is impossible with man is possible with God.'" (Luke 18:27) Do you have a word you like to think on? Or a Bible verse you especially like? Again, if you'd care to share in a comment, I'm all for it!
Jesus has blessed me so abundantly with each one of you viewers, and it is my prayer that these little "musings" bless and encourage you throughout this new year :-).

~Ellen