Congratulations to Sadie S., the winner of my 2-year book birthday giveaway! Please contact me ASAP through the email address listed in the comments below to claim your prize! If I do not hear from you by Thursday of next week (May 5), I will have to pick a new winner.
.jpg)
Congrats again, and thanks to all who entered!
Blessings,
Ellen
Today two years ago my thirty-day devotional book, The Whispers God Gives, was released to the world. I went back and reread my post from that day and started feeling excited all over again. *grins* To celebrate, it's time for a giveaway!
.png) |
| Full credit for this image goes to Sawyer Marie. |
How to enter: simply drop a comment below letting me know you're entering. BONUS ENTRIES if you . . . 1). also tell me why you want a copy of my book, and/or 2). follow Ellen's Musings!
%20(1).jpg)
Good luck!
Blessings,
Ellen
Sorry to get this posted so late . . . it's been a busy day. I did volunteer work this morning, and tonight was thoroughly enjoying the cool new features of the latest edition of Word (I just got updated from the 2016 version and now I have DICTATE and READ ALOUD on my COMPUTER . . . and I LOVE it!)
Anyway, on to the news I know you all really came on to hear . . .
THE WINNER OF MY BLOG BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY IS . . .
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Keep scrolling....
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
HEAVEN!
Congratulations, Heaven! Please send your mailing address to my email (listed in the comments below) and I'll get your prizes shipped out ASAP!
Thx to everybody who entered my giveaway . . . I got some great feedback and ideas of what you would like to see in future posts, which is super helpful!
Merry Christmas!
Blessings,
Ellen S.
*hops on humming Happy Birthday to You . . .* I cannot believe my blog is 3 years old!!! The occasion is fully worthy of a giveaway, which is exactly what I have planned. 😄
 |
| Image credit: Sawyer Marie |
*A signed paperback copy of The Whispers God Gives
*A small notebook with the color of the cover similar to that of my devotional book
*A $10 Starbucks gift card
HOW TO ENTER:
Simply drop a comment below telling me how long you've been reading my blog, what your favorite post has been, or what posts you'd like to see from me in the future! Bonus entries if you follow my blog via Blogger (although being a follower is not a requirement to enter), give me a follow on Goodreads, leave a review for my book on any social media platform, or share the news of this giveaway with a friend. If you do it all, you'll get a total of five entries. Please note that, due to shipping costs, this giveaway is only open to US residents. Sorry, international friends ☹️
Have fun and good luck! This giveaway ends on Monday, December 20, and I will announce the winner the following day!
Blessings,
Ellen
I'm so excited to have entered December! My family has been enjoying doing advent every morning as we meditate on the wonder of our Savior's birth. <3
On December 15, 2021, Ellen's Musings will be 3 years old, which is crazy to me! I went back to reread one of my very first posts. It seemed appropriate for the Christmas season, so I thought I would copy, paste, and share it again with you all today. :) Enjoy!
Why, oh why, did Miss Cleaver choose me to be Mary’s cousin Elizabeth?
She tried to tell herself that she had no reason to worry. She’d practiced her lines over and over again. She could say them in her sleep. But…
What if I forget them suddenly? Horrid thought! Emma’s cheeks flushed just thinking about it.
“Emma, you all right?”
Emma, already a nervous wreck, jumped at her sister’s soft-spoken question. She sucked in a deep breath and swung around. “I-I’m fine.”
Charlene was one of the older students, so she’d requested not to be part of the Christmas pageant this year. However, after Fred Morris came down sick, Miss Cleaver had hired Charlene quick as a wink to be a “substitute shepherd boy.”
This was Emma’s first time seeing her sister in her full costume, and Charlene looked quite comical. She was dressed in a long robe and sandals. All of her pretty, dark hair was shoved up into a raggedy head covering.
Quite a difference from all these previous years, when Miss Cleaver always asked Charlene to be Mary or Elizabeth, Emma thought. She giggled softly. The butterflies in her stomach lessened their fluttering. “Thanks for helping me feel better,” she whispered.
Charlene’s eyebrows rose high. “Huh?”
“Never mind.” Emma waved her hand, and in so doing dropped one of her sheets of paper.
Charlene knelt to grab it. Her eyes grew big. “Emma, this sheet is saturated.” She stood and handed the paper over, then wiped her hand on her robe. “What’s all that water from?”
Emma bit her lip and showed her sister one of her palms. “I’m all sweaty.”
“I’ll say.” Charlene shook her head and fixed her hazel gaze on her little sister. “What’s wrong?”
“Well…” Emma ducked her head and said in a barely audible whisper, “I’m scared of going out there, Charlene. What if I botch my lines and everyone laughs at me?”
For a moment, Charlene was silent. Emma kept her head down. The toe of her shoe traced a pattern on the floor. From behind the curtain, Carrie Onstrong’s voice could be heard, loud and clear, as she repeated The Magnificat.
Emma’s fingers went back to clenching her papers. “Mary” is about to go visit “Elizabeth.” That means it’s almost to my part. Can I really do this? She shuddered. Carrie sounds so lovely. I’m sure there’s no way I could ever speak so—
“Emma, look at me.”
Emma immediately understood what her sister was talking about. When I try to “people-please,” I turn into something I’m not, and I work myself into a dither for no reason at all. But if I want to serve Jesus, and focus only on bringing Him glory, I need to be me. I need to stop caring about what others think and focus my thoughts on Jesus. God didn’t make me like Carrie, or like Charlene, or like anybody! He made me in His Image, for His glory. I need to go out there and give it my all. For Jesus.
She nodded at Charlene. “Yes, I can do that. I can be Christ’s servant, not man’s.”
Emma breathed deep. Carrie finished her last line, and Emma stepped out from behind the curtain.
She would do this.
For Jesus.
Congratulations to Martha Abilene and Libby Powell, the two winners of my book birthday giveaway! 🥰🥳😃 Please send me your mailing information ASAP via my email address (found in the comments below). I can't wait to get your prizes shipped out!!
Thanks to everyone who participated in the giveaway! I enjoyed seeing all your entries. 😀 And an extra-special shout-out to all who not only took the time to read but also review my book over the past year. Your support has meant a lot. 💗
Keep shining for Him, my friends!
Blessings,
Ellen S.
I can't believe it's been a whole year since I published my book, The Whispers God Gives, on Amazon! I've loved seeing how God has used this devotional in my life and others' . . . even allowing me to give out copies around my neighborhood as a way to witness for Him. <33
 |
| Picture taken from a recent photo shoot w/ my sweet sister, Ruby Jane. =) |
 |
| Full credit for this image goes to Sawyer Marie. |
Congratulations to Annalise O'Brien for winning the giveaway!! 🎉🎉🎉 And thanks to all who entered for helping make this two-year blogiversary an epic one. 😄 @Annalise, you'll find my contact information below. Please slip me an email ASAP with your mailing address and book of choice (either There Was Always Laughter In Our House or More Tales from Memory Creek Ranch), so I can get your prizes shipped out! 🤗
This day brings back soooo many special memories. Sitting at the dining room table, Sadie (then eleven months old) in her highchair, watching me as I typed up my first post. When that was done and the URL ready to be shared, I promptly (and virtually) squealed the news to some email buddies, who've stuck by me and cheered me on ever since. *beams*
In two years' time, Ellen's Musings has exceeded a hundred followers total through Blogger and email. Three thousand comments have been submitted, accepted, and posted. Over two hundred posts published . . . two hundred more in drafts. 😂 It's been an amazing journey, one only God could orchestrate. I've met many, many wonderful people and have received so much encouragement and support from you all. Each new comment brings a warmth to my heart. 💗 You guys are truly the best!
"May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the LORD." Psalm 104:34
Blessings,
Ellen S.
Tuesday, December 15, 2020, will officially mark the two-year anniversary of Ellen's Musings. Soooo, to celebrate, it's time for a giveaway . . . quite possibly the biggest in the history of this blog. 😄 *alllll the confetti*
Watch the video below to find out what the prizes are, then read on for instructions!
It's the final day at the Lodge! But don't worry, the fun is not over yet. We still have one room left to visit, and one last genre to do! Then we'll pack up our things and announce the giveaway winner before heading home. :D Soooo, here we go!
Friends, please follow me to the books room! The air here is heavy with the sweet, fragrant aroma of old leather. Full bookshelves line each wall, and the soft couches and bean-bag chairs tucked into every free corner are perfect spots to curl up and read. Also, Rebekah Morris was kind enough to supply a free e-copy of Cookies: Ria and the Gang, a great little story and one of my favorites by her. :) The link to that is at the bottom of this post, so keep reading!
The final genre for the week: TOP FIVE FAVORITES FROM 2020.
As our week at the Literary Lodge begins to draw to an end, there're only a few places around here left to visit! Today, I have the privilege of taking you all to the orchard to pick (and eat!) some crisp, juicy apples. So, grab a bushel basket, and we'll be on our way! Perhaps we'll have a bit of time to sit and read beneath a tree smothered in fresh, pink-and-white apple blossoms? I sure hope so!
While we make our way to the orchard, let's take a moment to look at our genre for today: instructional non-fiction.
Ahh, we've arrived at one of my favorite spots around the Literary Lodge: the place for the bonfires. There's something about a warm, cheery blaze burning in the great outdoors that delights me. Perhaps it's partly because, when my siblings and I were younger, we loved to build our own little indoor bonfires using an orange-tinted cup and flashlight. Sometimes we'd talk of roasting marshmallows and falling asleep by the "fire." Well, today at the Lodge we're doing just this: enjoying a s'more or two, drinking some fresh-made hot cocoa, and continuing our lovely book talk a safe distance away from the dancing embers. :D
The genre I'm picking from today is clean, Christian fantasy. (because I'm woefully behind in reading holiday books. xD) I'm not usually a fan of this genre, but it just so happens I've read some pretty awesome fantasy books over the past year that definitely deserve a shout-out.
Welcome to Day #3 of the Five Fall Favorites party! Today we're shouldering our bags and heading back to the lake, but this time, instead of sitting on the benches, we'll be riding the boats. The water is calm and inviting, and I think we'll have a great time. Don't forget your books and jackets! While the sun may be shining, the air is still nippy.
Today's genre is medical in honor of all the first responders and the assistance they've given during this 2019-20 Corona pandemic. What qualifies for this genre, you ask? Any book where one of the main characters is in the medical profession. :D Soooo, my top five . . .
One of my all-time favorite spots to read is outside, and that's where we'll be today. Friends, welcome to the benches! The scenery is quite beautiful here, with a shimmery lake glittering yellow in the sunlight, golden leaves swirling and dipping from their branches, and, naturally, the quaint wooden benches scattered along the ground in every direction. Pick a spot and slide off your pack. There is a slight nip in the air, so if you should start feeling chilly, don't hesitate to ask for a jacket or a cozy quilt. We have plenty of both!
Now, for the genre of the day: epistolary!
