Alyson Serena Stone's Blog, page 17

November 14, 2021

Free Story: Alone At Christmas

Hi guys! I just recently posed a free story on my blog and over on my fictionpress page. Due to LiveJournal's posting restrictions, I was not able to post the story in whole over there. The full story can be found on my fictionpress page.

Links are below:

Blog: https://serenastone.livejournal.com/2...

Fictionpress:
https://www.fictionpress.com/s/335990...


Sneak Peek:
Joelle sighed as she gathered another armload of firewood. Judging by the way the wind was hitting her face, it was bound to snow at some point in the night. She looked out at the snow covered woods. By this time tomorrow, all of the animals’ pretty pictures would be gone and they would have to start all over. Unlike humans, restarting didn’t seem to bother them.
With a smile, she turned and went back into her warm home. People had called her crazy for choosing to leave behind the hustle and bustle of everyday life to move up. She had told them it was for her art and that was very much true, but there was more to it than that. She was tried of the everyday grind, of people trying to outdo each other, and of having to be on someone else’s schedule. She didn’t like the person it was turning her into. She didn’t like losing herself. So, she did the only thing she knew: she packed up and left it all behind.
No, that wasn’t right. She really hadn’t left anything behind. By moving out here, she had gained so much more. Out here she had the freedom to live the life that she wanted without being judged. There was beauty in living a life that was fulfilling to her. There was nothing wrong with living the way she did.
She sat the wood down into the door as she looked around her small house. It was almost Christmas and she was spending it alone. Back in the city, people would probably feel sorry for her for spending the holiday without anyone, but for her, it was lovely. While she had no human family to speak of, she had the forest and that was more than enough.
Her Christmas tree lights twinkled against the early evening darkening sky, while the small fireplace crackled at just the right time, creating a Christmas card moment.
Yes, Christmas in the city was stunning, but you couldn’t beat this. The store bought decorations couldn’t top the ones made right from nature. The hustle and bustle of running from shop to shop in search of that perfect gift that would be forgotten in a couple of weeks couldn’t top something that was made with made and care.
She pulled off her coat and walked over to her easel. The painting she was working on was for a wealthy businessman from the city, who would never dream of leaving his penthouse, but would gladly spend money on a picture of a snow covered lake for his wife. She supposed that she really didn’t understand people.
She stood in front of the painting, looking at it with a frown. While the colouring was beautiful and there was nothing wrong with the lines, there was just something missing. It was like this picture failed to capture the true magic of a lake in the winter. It didn’t show the paths the animals left behind, the bark scaped off the trees by a deer, or the wise old owl watching you from above. No, this picture did none of that. It was just a picture without the magic and she wasn’t sure how to add that magic to it.
Sighing, she ran over hand over the dried paint. The businessman would love it and his wife would talk about it at parties. They would think it was all there was to living in the country. They would fail to see the beauty behind it. The special meaning that the world had to offer.
People would tell her that as long as she got paid that was all there was to it. No, there was more to it than that. It wasn’t just about the money. It was about letting people to see the world they way she did. It was about seeing the world the way it was supposed to be seen.
She tilted her head to the side. Maybe it was just a matter of how you looked at it. Art was supposed to work that way. The way one person saw it wasn’t the way the next would. Someone who lived out here wouldn’t see the same little details she did, but that didn’t mean they would be missing out. Maybe the businessman and his wife would still see the beauty in it and come up with their own stories about it.
Or maybe she just needed to walk away from it for a little bit to allow her creative juices to get flowing again.
She stepped into her small kitchen, inhaling the sweet scent of the fresh pine she had hung over the doorframes. While she normally didn’t pay attention to pine, there was just something magical about it at Christmas. It was like this was its holiday to shine and it knew it. it seemed to strut this time of year, peeking out from underneath the snow covered trees in all of the right places. Winter was to evergreens was fall was the deciduous trees and what spring was the flowering trees.
She put on a pot of tea and stared out the window. A group of deer stood in the snow, completely unaware that she was even watching them. They tugged at the bark, their guard completely down. Every now and then, their ears would pick up at something far off in the forest, but they never raised their white tails in alarm. Out here, they truly were free to live their lives how they wanted without fear of the outside world.
The kettle whistled, jerking her out of her thoughts. She pulled out her favourite Christmas mug-one with Christmas tree with little woodland animals under it. Pouring herself a cup, she carried it back into the living room and lowered herself into her chair. The fireplace crackled as she sat down and the Christmas lights seemed to dance at the sight of her. Outside, the wind howled, as if it was reminding her that nature really was the one in charge.
She looked around at all of the wonderful things she had made. Christmas and nature had come alive in here and that was what she had always pictured when she pictured her perfect Christmas. While it wasn’t anything over the top, it was special and it was something she would never forget.
She picked up her knitting needles, staring down at the unfinished sweater. She normally didn’t make things this large, but it was Christmas and she supposed she could indulge herself every now and then. She started walking to the beat of her needles. Life didn’t get much better than this-there was no doubt about it.
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Published on November 14, 2021 05:33 Tags: alyson-serena-stone, free-story

November 1, 2021

New Youtube Video: Vlog: Halloween in the Classroom 2021

New Youtube Video: Vlog: Halloween in the Classroom 2021
It may be a few hours before this pops up. My internet is really lagging right now.
Link: https://youtu.be/IXEFme0ZOZg
Description:
Today I am doing a short video about Halloween in the classroom and some of the activities that I like to do with my students during the Halloween season. This video does contain product placement for Algonquian Young Readers and Wednesday Books.

Subject: Vlogs, Halloween, STEM
Topic: Science, Social Studies, History, STEM
Grades: 5th-8th

Links:
Teacherspayteachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/S...
Teaching Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOpE...
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Published on November 01, 2021 07:39 Tags: jungleworldteacher, youtube

October 30, 2021

Free Story: Walking Over My Grave

Long time, no see! It's been almost a year since I have posted anything new in terms of my own writing.
Today I am excited to share with you a new short story of mine called "Walking Over My Grave." This spooky story about a young woman on a quest revenge is a great way to wrap up your Halloween story.

Sneak Peek:
She had to be brave. The darkness was her friend. The light had betrayed her and left her dead.
Thunder crashed, causing the ground beneath her feet to tremble. The trees cracked behind her, as if they were pointing him her in direction. She looked upward as lightening danced across the sky.
She crept closer to the edge, willing herself to go through with this.
How could anyone get to this point? What drove people over the edge? These were the questions that had always raced through her mind when she learned of people doing the very thing she was getting ready to do.
Now that she had actually been faced with a very difficult situation, she knew what it was like when people reached their breaking points. When there was no way out, death was seen as the easier option.
She looked back over her shoulder as lightning struck again. The trees lit up. She blinked. She could see him there for a brief second, but then he was gone.
She looked back down into the darkness, taking a deep breath. This was the only thing she could do correctly. If she were to just die, everything would be okay. She would finally be a peace.
Now, she just had to get the courage to do so. She took a series of deep breaths as she crept closer toward the edge. Maybe it would be better this way to go in the darkness. She wouldn’t know when she had actually stepped off the edge until it was too late.
That was the funny thing about going in the light. You always knew when the end was coming. The darkness blocked you from seeing that. It kept up wondering when it was going to happen. It was almost like it was the way things were supposed to do-if that made any sense.
Still, she would like to see the end coming. It would make everything all that much better. No….She couldn’t think like that. The end was in sight. She would be brave…She would not allow the small things to prevent her from doing what she needed to do. She had to keep her head straight. She had to think.
Maybe thinking wasn’t really the right thing to do. It was her thinking that she had made the right choice that had actually ended up with her being in this bad situation in the first place. Thinking was what got you into the trouble. The act of not thinking meant that you were truly living.
Thunder roared above her. The heavens were yelling at to make her choice.
She took a couple of shallow breaths. The edge had be coming. She just had to brave and face whatever was out there waiting for her. She had to be strong. Her strength was what was going to keep her alive in the long run.
She looked back at the trees as lightning struck again. He wasn’t there. He wasn’t there waiting for to see what she was going to do. This was good. It meant that she still had time to escape from him.
She took another step. This was it…It was getting closer and closer. She just had to take a couple more steps and it would all be over.
Thunder and lightning clashed above her head in a dangerous power dual. She just had to be brave and believe she could pull this off.
Just a couple more steps and it would all be over. Just a couple more steps and she would face her destiny.
This was her destiny….She had to believe it….This was what she was supposed to do.
Even though she was walking to her grave, there was something peaceful about the whole matter. She wasn’t frightened. In fact, if anything, she felt a sense of joy and peacefulness. Everything was telling her that she was making the right choice.
She looked back over at the tree line. She couldn’t see anything but the darkness. Even though he was close, she felt at peace. In just a few minutes, he would no longer be able to hurt her. Though as long as he was alive, he would still be able to hurt others.
No, she couldn’t think like that. She had to save herself first. In order to save the others, she had to save herself.
“ABBIGAL!” he screamed behind her, his voice laced with pain.
She took one final breath before plunging into enteral darkness.


Where Can I Read the Whole Story?
Just follow the links below:
Blog: https://serenastone.livejournal.com/2...
Fictionpress: https://www.fictionpress.com/s/335964...


Have a wonderful Halloween!
Serena
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Published on October 30, 2021 06:48 Tags: alyson-serena-stone, free-story

September 7, 2021

New Youtube Video: Splat the Cat Read Aloud

New Youtube Video: Read Aloud: Splat the Cat
It may be a few hours before this pops up. My internet is really lagging right now.
Link: https://youtu.be/sbjXnS8k1NA
Description:
Today I am doing a read aloud of Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton!

Book Summary:
Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Splat the Cat It's Splat's first day of school and he's worried. What if he doesn't make any new friends? Just in case, Splat decides to bring along his pet mouse, Seymour, and hides him in his lunchbox. The teacher, Mrs. Wimpydimple, introduces Splat to the class and he soon starts learning all his important cat lessons. But when Seymour escapes and the cats do what cats do (they chase mice!), Splat's worried again. Maybe now he'll lose all his friends, old and new! Just in time, wise Mrs. Wimpydimple takes charge and teaches everyone an important new lesson. Maybe Cat School is going to be okay after all!
Subject: Reading, Literature
Topic: Back to School, Read Aloud, Reading, Literature, Children’s Book
Grades: PreK-3

Links:
Teacherspayteachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/S...
Teaching Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOpE...
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Published on September 07, 2021 07:50 Tags: jungleworldteacher, youtube

August 12, 2021

New Youtube Video: Earth Science: Tornado Warning Storm

New Youtube Video: Earth Science: Tornado Warning Storm
It may be a few hours before this pops up. My internet is really lagging right now.
Link: https://youtu.be/HskKmenNOy4
Description:
First video of the 2020-2021 school year! In this video we look at a thunderstorm that produced a tornado warning. If you look closely, you can see the start of the funnel cloud. I did not use music to block out the background noise. I wanted you to be able to hear the sirens and the noise from the storm.
Subject: Earth Science, General Science
Topic: Earth Science, General Science, Natural Disasters, Tornados
Grades: 5th-8th

Links:
Teacherspayteachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/S...
Teaching Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOpE...
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Published on August 12, 2021 10:28 Tags: jungleworldteacher, youtube

July 1, 2021

Teacherpayteachers Resources Are Now Digitial!

Hello all!
I know most of you follow me for bookish content, but this is an update for those who follow my teaching content. All of my teacherspayteachers resources have been converted over to Easel, which means they are Google Classroom friendly.

I have also done some housecleaning as well and taken down some resources that I'm not happy with. If there was something of mine that you wanted, please message me and I will be more than happy to send it your way. This is for removed items only, not currently posted items.

All of my contact information is on my blog profile and my Youtube channels.

The link to my store is below. I do run sales from time to time-usually items are 20% off. So keep an eye out for that.

Link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/S...

Peace!
Serena
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Published on July 01, 2021 10:05 Tags: jungleworld, teacherspayteachers

Teacherpayteachers Resources Are Now Digitial!

Hello all!
I know most of you follow me for bookish content, but this is an update for those who follow my teaching content. All of my teacherspayteachers resources have been converted over to Easel, which means they are Google Classroom friendly.

I have also done some housecleaning as well and taken down some resources that I'm not happy with. If there was something of mine that you wanted, please message me and I will be more than happy to send it your way. This is for removed items only, not currently posted items.

All of my contact information is on my blog profile and my Youtube channels.

The link to my store is below. I do run sales from time to time-usually items are 20% off. So keep an eye out for that.

Link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/S...

Peace!
Serena
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Published on July 01, 2021 10:04 Tags: jungleworld, teacherspayteachers

June 30, 2021

Smashwords Sale!

Hello everyone! My books will be free on Smashwords from July 1, 2021 to July 31, 2021. Just use the link below to get my books for free during the month of July!

Link: Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/vi...


Serena
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Published on June 30, 2021 07:08 Tags: alyson-serena-stone, once, sale, storytime, upon

June 13, 2021

New Youtube Video: Quidditch Through the Ages Flip Through

New Youtube Video:
Link: https://youtu.be/IrWJ12ze-ZU
Description:
Today I am doing a flip through of the illustrated edition of Quidditch Through the Ages by JK Rowling!

My Thoughts:




For Business Inquiries: Aphrodite-venus-u.k@hotmail.com
Publishers, authors, and companies-I do take requests for reviews, interviews, product endorsements, and etc. Check on my livejournal page for more information as to what content I am looking for. Dates do fill up quickly-I only like to feature on thing a day so you aren’t overlooked.

Links:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCicZ...
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AlysonSeren...
Livejournal: http://serenastone.livejournal.com/pr...
Fictionpress: https://www.fictionpress.com/u/773118...
Fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2489110/...
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=digital-te...
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/vi...
Teacherspayteachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/S...
Teaching Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOpE...
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Published on June 13, 2021 05:40 Tags: alyson-serena-stone, youtube

June 8, 2021

New Yotube Video: That's A Wrap Part 2

New Youtube Video: It may be a few hours before this pops up. My internet is really lagging right now.
Link: https://youtu.be/JGwuT-C68Lo
Description:
The final vlog of the 2020-2021 school year! Classroom Tear Down Part 2! That’s a wrap on the 2020-2021 school year. We did it. We made it five days a week of in-person learning. The only closures were do to planned days off and snow days. I wish you all a happy and safe summer. New videos will return in August 2021.
Subject: Vlog, End of the Year, Classroom Tear Down
Topic: Vlog, End of the Year
Grades: PreK-12th

Links:
Teacherspayteachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/S...
Teaching Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOpE...
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Published on June 08, 2021 05:53 Tags: jungleworldteacher, youtube