Lydia Howe's Blog, page 6
August 31, 2016
Marathon Training Update
Back at the beginning of August, I set the goal of being able to do a half a marathon (13.1 miles) in three hours. That probably doesn't seem like that big of a goal considering that I'm training for a marathon and have been for a good portion of the year now. Plus, back in May I walked 26.2 miles at one time - but the problem is that I walked a lot of that time. I have to cut nearly two hours off of the almost-eight-hours that I did back then.
So, to make a long story short: During the time I was in North Dakota I not only ate whatever I wanted (instead of being Paleo like I normally am), but I didn't do any running whatsoever. Sure, I walked 2-4 miles a day, but that is not the same as running. Then, when I got back to Ohio, I still wasn't home, and although I walked more, I still didn't get much running and healthy eating in. So, I was woefully behind in my training.
One of my first training walks/runs in August made me feel as if I were about to melt into a little ball of nothingness. At the end of an hour I was huffing and puffing and feeling quite dramatic and out of shape. When I figured it up and realized I hadn't even gone at a fast enough pace to complete the marathon in the six hour time slot I had to work with, I was horrified. I couldn't even keep up the pace for one hour? And I needed to do it for six! I promptly (as in that very moment), decided to be Paleo without any "cheat days" until after the marathon. Then I dove into eating healthily, drinking lots of water, and walking/running as much as possible.
A week later I was thrilled to accomplish my goal of 13.1 miles in 3 hours. Actually, a little over two minutes less than three miles. *cue happy dance* (haha, actually, cue aching legs and exhaustion)
I continued training, although most of the subsequent days I went for more of a 5 or six 6 practice, instead of 13 miles. Long walks/runs like that really take a lot of my energy, so I can't do them too often or I wouldn't accomplish much else.
Eventually I did do 10 miles in 2 hours walk/run, which made me happy because it was by far the fastest I'd gone. (It also helped me put stuff in perspective: Instead of just being annoyed at myself because I'm not faster/better than that, it helped me recall how until this year I'd never even done ten miles at once. Plus, about six months ago I literally couldn't even jog for more than two or three minutes.)
I wanted to get one more good run in during August, so I juggled things around yesterday and set aside three hours to work with. I then decided to have fun with the run and do it inside on the treadmill while watching a movie. (It's still hard work, folks!)
By the end of two hours my legs were beginning to beg me to slow down, but I was like "haha, no." Most of the time I traded off between 4.2 (which isn't running, but for my short legs it's still a really fast walk), and 5.2 (which is running...It feels like I'm galloping, actually, although I once saw my reflection and thought my legs looked like they were moving extremely slow).
When I reached the three hour mark, I was so very close to have gotten a whole extra mile in, that I went for 3 more minutes and ended my run with 14.1 miles. (And yes, I might have freaked out a little bit about keeping that pace up for twice as long, but hey...I've got 45 more days to train...)
Overall I'm incredibly thankful for the opportunity to run a marathon. I'm so grateful that God has blessed me with the health I now have, and that I can work toward improving it by eating healthy, exercising, and getting proper rest. It's been a long road, but an exciting one.
Thanks for letting me share my marathon updates with y'all. I hope you're having a fantastic day!
* * *
Have you ever run (or wanted to run) a marathon? Does it even sound like fun to you?
So, to make a long story short: During the time I was in North Dakota I not only ate whatever I wanted (instead of being Paleo like I normally am), but I didn't do any running whatsoever. Sure, I walked 2-4 miles a day, but that is not the same as running. Then, when I got back to Ohio, I still wasn't home, and although I walked more, I still didn't get much running and healthy eating in. So, I was woefully behind in my training.
One of my first training walks/runs in August made me feel as if I were about to melt into a little ball of nothingness. At the end of an hour I was huffing and puffing and feeling quite dramatic and out of shape. When I figured it up and realized I hadn't even gone at a fast enough pace to complete the marathon in the six hour time slot I had to work with, I was horrified. I couldn't even keep up the pace for one hour? And I needed to do it for six! I promptly (as in that very moment), decided to be Paleo without any "cheat days" until after the marathon. Then I dove into eating healthily, drinking lots of water, and walking/running as much as possible.
A week later I was thrilled to accomplish my goal of 13.1 miles in 3 hours. Actually, a little over two minutes less than three miles. *cue happy dance* (haha, actually, cue aching legs and exhaustion)I continued training, although most of the subsequent days I went for more of a 5 or six 6 practice, instead of 13 miles. Long walks/runs like that really take a lot of my energy, so I can't do them too often or I wouldn't accomplish much else.
Eventually I did do 10 miles in 2 hours walk/run, which made me happy because it was by far the fastest I'd gone. (It also helped me put stuff in perspective: Instead of just being annoyed at myself because I'm not faster/better than that, it helped me recall how until this year I'd never even done ten miles at once. Plus, about six months ago I literally couldn't even jog for more than two or three minutes.)
I wanted to get one more good run in during August, so I juggled things around yesterday and set aside three hours to work with. I then decided to have fun with the run and do it inside on the treadmill while watching a movie. (It's still hard work, folks!)
By the end of two hours my legs were beginning to beg me to slow down, but I was like "haha, no." Most of the time I traded off between 4.2 (which isn't running, but for my short legs it's still a really fast walk), and 5.2 (which is running...It feels like I'm galloping, actually, although I once saw my reflection and thought my legs looked like they were moving extremely slow).
When I reached the three hour mark, I was so very close to have gotten a whole extra mile in, that I went for 3 more minutes and ended my run with 14.1 miles. (And yes, I might have freaked out a little bit about keeping that pace up for twice as long, but hey...I've got 45 more days to train...)
Overall I'm incredibly thankful for the opportunity to run a marathon. I'm so grateful that God has blessed me with the health I now have, and that I can work toward improving it by eating healthy, exercising, and getting proper rest. It's been a long road, but an exciting one.
Thanks for letting me share my marathon updates with y'all. I hope you're having a fantastic day!
* * *
Have you ever run (or wanted to run) a marathon? Does it even sound like fun to you?
August 30, 2016
"Service Tails" Giveaway
Hey folks! I was supposed to post this information along with
my review
a couple of weeks ago, but unfortunately I didn't realize that. Today's the last day for the give away, so y'all should enter it!
* * *
Fall in love with these remarkable service dogs and their stories of courage, faith, and loyalty in Ace Collins' new book, Service Tails. Their training was intense, their loyalty unquestioned and each step of the way they constantly adapt to better serve those they lead. These unforgettable dogs are more than heroes; they are models from which we can learn how to love and serve unconditionally.
Celebrate the release of Service Tails with Ace by entering to win the Take-Your-Dog-to-the-Park Pack!
One grand prize winner will receive:
A copy of Service TailsA copy of Man's Best HeroA dog blanketA dog leashA dog-cape towelA dog bandanaA dog toyDog treats
Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on August 30. The winner will be announced August 31 on the Litfuse blog .
* * *
Fall in love with these remarkable service dogs and their stories of courage, faith, and loyalty in Ace Collins' new book, Service Tails. Their training was intense, their loyalty unquestioned and each step of the way they constantly adapt to better serve those they lead. These unforgettable dogs are more than heroes; they are models from which we can learn how to love and serve unconditionally.
Celebrate the release of Service Tails with Ace by entering to win the Take-Your-Dog-to-the-Park Pack!
One grand prize winner will receive:
A copy of Service TailsA copy of Man's Best HeroA dog blanketA dog leashA dog-cape towelA dog bandanaA dog toyDog treats
Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on August 30. The winner will be announced August 31 on the Litfuse blog .
Intercessory Prayer By Dutch Sheets: Book Review
Intercessory PrayerBy Dutch Sheets
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
First PersonNon-Fiction286 Pages
About the Book (Backcover Blurb):
Called foundational, revolutionary, illuminating, and motivating, Intercessory Prayer continues to be a classic work after more than 20 years. This rich, biblical teaching is full of fresh insights showing how vital our prayers are and how God has always planned to work in partnership with us through prayer. As Dutch explains the nuts and bolts of prayer with wisdom, gentleness, and humor, readers will find inspiration and courage to pray for the impossible--and the persistence to see prayers to completion.
Why I Choose this Book:
I know prayer works, and that it's extremely important, but far too often I don't pray as much, or the way, that I should. Recently I've decided to read some books about prayer and implement more structured prayer into my life.
What I Thought About this Book:
Going into the book I really wasn't sure what to expect. I was soon drawn in by the author's writing style, and then the information grabbed me, too. Mr. Sheets wrote a book with a lot of seriousness, but he found a good balance of throwing in funny little stories or rabbit trails at just the right time to help balance the book. There was one time when I literally laughed out loud, which was totally unexpected for me.
Intercessory Prayer explores the topic of prayer to great levels. Mr. Sheets doesn't shy away from "hard" (aka confusing) questions, like "Is prayer really necessary? Isn't God sovereign? If so, then why do we have to pray?" Instead, he delves into the Bible and explores hundreds of verses, going into the Greek and Hebrew origins of different words, and helping give a more complete picture of why prayer is important.
The fact that Mr. Sheets uses so many verses from the Bible while explaining his standing was a huge plus. It's always encouraging to me when people go to God's Word as their standard, instead of just quoting other people or using logical. (The book uses all three examples, so yay.)
Mr. Sheets also told of multitudes of miracles and answers to prayers that he's experienced, or else known people who have experienced them, over the years. That was quite encouraging and inspiring and helped remind me in more than one way how important it is to pray. Mr. Sheets also gave some ideas of specific things to pray about in certain situations, drawing from the Bible for examples.
Overall, I enjoyed the first half better than the second half, but both of them had lots of good information. Some of what Mr. Sheets pointed out about different Hebrew and Greek words was totally new to me and helped me learn a lot. It also helped me to understand prayer to a greater degree. I always knew it was important, but this helped spotlight the reasons it's important.
Conclusion:
There were some things I didn't agree with in the book, as well as some doctrines that I need to study more before I agree or disagree with them. I suggest people who read the book do so willing to set aside their own preconceived ideas and really study God's Word. At the same time I caution people not to blindly accept everything the author says. Overall though, the book was edifying, uplifting, challenging, and full of God's Word.
Rating:
I'm giving Intercessory Prayer 4 stars out of 5, and 8 stars out of 10. I recommend it to Christians who want to serve God.
*I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review*
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
First PersonNon-Fiction286 Pages
About the Book (Backcover Blurb):
Called foundational, revolutionary, illuminating, and motivating, Intercessory Prayer continues to be a classic work after more than 20 years. This rich, biblical teaching is full of fresh insights showing how vital our prayers are and how God has always planned to work in partnership with us through prayer. As Dutch explains the nuts and bolts of prayer with wisdom, gentleness, and humor, readers will find inspiration and courage to pray for the impossible--and the persistence to see prayers to completion.
Why I Choose this Book:
I know prayer works, and that it's extremely important, but far too often I don't pray as much, or the way, that I should. Recently I've decided to read some books about prayer and implement more structured prayer into my life.
What I Thought About this Book:
Going into the book I really wasn't sure what to expect. I was soon drawn in by the author's writing style, and then the information grabbed me, too. Mr. Sheets wrote a book with a lot of seriousness, but he found a good balance of throwing in funny little stories or rabbit trails at just the right time to help balance the book. There was one time when I literally laughed out loud, which was totally unexpected for me.
Intercessory Prayer explores the topic of prayer to great levels. Mr. Sheets doesn't shy away from "hard" (aka confusing) questions, like "Is prayer really necessary? Isn't God sovereign? If so, then why do we have to pray?" Instead, he delves into the Bible and explores hundreds of verses, going into the Greek and Hebrew origins of different words, and helping give a more complete picture of why prayer is important.
The fact that Mr. Sheets uses so many verses from the Bible while explaining his standing was a huge plus. It's always encouraging to me when people go to God's Word as their standard, instead of just quoting other people or using logical. (The book uses all three examples, so yay.)
Mr. Sheets also told of multitudes of miracles and answers to prayers that he's experienced, or else known people who have experienced them, over the years. That was quite encouraging and inspiring and helped remind me in more than one way how important it is to pray. Mr. Sheets also gave some ideas of specific things to pray about in certain situations, drawing from the Bible for examples.
Overall, I enjoyed the first half better than the second half, but both of them had lots of good information. Some of what Mr. Sheets pointed out about different Hebrew and Greek words was totally new to me and helped me learn a lot. It also helped me to understand prayer to a greater degree. I always knew it was important, but this helped spotlight the reasons it's important.
Conclusion:
There were some things I didn't agree with in the book, as well as some doctrines that I need to study more before I agree or disagree with them. I suggest people who read the book do so willing to set aside their own preconceived ideas and really study God's Word. At the same time I caution people not to blindly accept everything the author says. Overall though, the book was edifying, uplifting, challenging, and full of God's Word.
Rating:
I'm giving Intercessory Prayer 4 stars out of 5, and 8 stars out of 10. I recommend it to Christians who want to serve God.
*I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review*
August 29, 2016
Spotlighting My "To Be Read" Pile
Y'all. I have seven books currently waiting to be read for reviewing purposes. (I mean, I wanted to read them anyway, but I they're the books I've received free in exchange for reviews.) Since I'm excited about these books, and it's obviously going to be a month or so before they've all been featured on Noveltea, I thought today would be a great time to give y'all a whirlwind tour of what we have coming up.
I'm also a bit amused with myself, because never in all my born days have I had so many non-fiction books waiting to be read. (Only one of them is fiction.) I guess it's the season for non-fiction? I also have several more books that I've requested, and the fiction/non-fiction ratio is more balanced with those.
And, without further ado, let's begin this lovely Monday with a look at some amazing books!
Yes, there's another book, but it's an e-book, so I couldn't exactly take a picture of it since it's on the picture-taking device. Hearing God's Voice Today by James W. Goll
I requested this book from Litfuse, which is currently one of my favorite books-for-review programs. Multiple times a month Litfuse sends out emails with information regarding a soon-to-be-released book. When a book looks interesting, I fill out the form that literally takes one minute, including choosing what day I'd like to post my review on. Then, if I'm chosen to take part in the blog tour, the book magically arrives in the mail, and I get an email confirming my agreed-upon day to post.
I choose to review Hearing God's Voice Today because prayer is something I've been studying as I work on learning to pray more often. And, on a more shallow note, I think the cover is gorgeous, as well as peaceful. I'll be posting my review of this book on October 3rd.
Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets
Unfortunately this book fell prey to that "I'm in slightly over my head" feeling, and I'm actually not sure who I requested it from. Since the publisher is Bethany House, I'm going to guess I received it from them, and hope I'm correct.
This is currently the only book I'm reading (which is crazy, I barely ever am only reading one book), and I'm a little over half way through it. I don't remember the last time I read a book so slowly. Intercessory Prayer is good, borderline amazing, and there's so much information packed into each page that I can't skim read like normal, hence the long reading time. As much as I'm enjoying and learning from the book, the normally-rapid-fire-pace-for-everything side of me is getting antsy. There are some things I don't agree with, but overall I'm quite impressed with it. I hope to review it this week.
God Bless Us Every One By Eva Marie Everson
This is another Litfuse book, and my review is supposed to be posted September 20th. (And, it's a good thing I'm writing this post, because for some reason I had it in my head that the review was due in November. Say what?
The reason I chose this book is because it says it's "A Contemporary Christmas Carol" and I have very early memories of watching the Donald Duck version of "A Christmas Carol" and then of course reading the real book once I got older. So, pretty much, this sounds like fanficiton of a book I've been aware of basically all my life. Pretty cool, right?
Rare Leadership Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder
This book has a nearly embarrassing story. I requested it from Moody Publishers, along with two other books I've long since reviewed. I don't know if the book by mistake was never sent to me (I'm pretty sure that's what happened...), or if I lost it somehow, but I never saw it. Since I knew I had requested three books from Moody Publishers, I ended up crediting them for a book I'd received from a different publisher. The problem came in when I tried to submit the review from the other publishers to Moody. It wouldn't go through (obviously), so after several tries I finally contacted someone at Moody. They promptly (and kindly) replied that the aforementioned book wasn't one of theirs. So, I asked what book I hadn't reviewed that I requested, and, to make a long story short, they graciously sent me another copy of Rare Leadership.
I requested Rare Leadership because it sounded like a genuinely interesting and helpful book (although I'm not a big fan of the cover). Some of the points that the backcover talks about are *Cultivating emotional maturity in yourself and others (Um, yes please.)*Keep relationships bigger than problems *Increase productivity through trust, joy, and engagement Not only do those things sound fantastic to learn about, but they also use the Oxford comma, which makes me happy.
Answers to the Most Important Questions about the End Times By Dr. John Hart
I requested this book from Bethany House, and received it on Friday. I still have a great childish delight in seeing a package addressed to me in the mail. It's especially fun when I forget what book I requested (like I did with this one), and so receive a total surprise when I tear open the envelope.
The reason I wanted to read this book was simply because, as crazy as it is, I've barely read anything (other than the Bible), that talks about the End Times at all.
The Intercessors Handbook By Jennifer Eivaz
This book is from Chosen, and I requested it totally independently of Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets, although when I first received the two books in the mail, I thought they must have gone together.
Although I haven't read any of this book yet, I'm excited to see how the two books work together. I requested it for much the same reason as the other one: Because I want to learn how to pray better. And besides, I think the cover is very appealing.
One of the Few By Jason B. Ladd
I'm vacillating between being really excited about this book, and being slightly nervous. See, I don't like writing non-glowing reviews, but I really feel bad writing non-glowing reviews when the author himself has requested I read a book, and that's how I received One of the Few.
Mr. Ladd emailed me after finding my blog, and gave me some information about his book. Thanks to the lessons I've been trying to implement regarding timely answers to emails, I emailed him back and said I would think about it. Then, when I had a few minutes I looked up the links he had sent. What I read left me intrigued, (including the fact that he's a homeschool dad and his family lives in Alaska!) so I agreed to read the book, and he sent me a link so I could download an e-version.
* * *Which one of these books looks the most interesting to you?
I'm also a bit amused with myself, because never in all my born days have I had so many non-fiction books waiting to be read. (Only one of them is fiction.) I guess it's the season for non-fiction? I also have several more books that I've requested, and the fiction/non-fiction ratio is more balanced with those.
And, without further ado, let's begin this lovely Monday with a look at some amazing books!
Yes, there's another book, but it's an e-book, so I couldn't exactly take a picture of it since it's on the picture-taking device. Hearing God's Voice Today by James W. Goll 
I requested this book from Litfuse, which is currently one of my favorite books-for-review programs. Multiple times a month Litfuse sends out emails with information regarding a soon-to-be-released book. When a book looks interesting, I fill out the form that literally takes one minute, including choosing what day I'd like to post my review on. Then, if I'm chosen to take part in the blog tour, the book magically arrives in the mail, and I get an email confirming my agreed-upon day to post.
I choose to review Hearing God's Voice Today because prayer is something I've been studying as I work on learning to pray more often. And, on a more shallow note, I think the cover is gorgeous, as well as peaceful. I'll be posting my review of this book on October 3rd.
Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets
Unfortunately this book fell prey to that "I'm in slightly over my head" feeling, and I'm actually not sure who I requested it from. Since the publisher is Bethany House, I'm going to guess I received it from them, and hope I'm correct.
This is currently the only book I'm reading (which is crazy, I barely ever am only reading one book), and I'm a little over half way through it. I don't remember the last time I read a book so slowly. Intercessory Prayer is good, borderline amazing, and there's so much information packed into each page that I can't skim read like normal, hence the long reading time. As much as I'm enjoying and learning from the book, the normally-rapid-fire-pace-for-everything side of me is getting antsy. There are some things I don't agree with, but overall I'm quite impressed with it. I hope to review it this week.
God Bless Us Every One By Eva Marie Everson
This is another Litfuse book, and my review is supposed to be posted September 20th. (And, it's a good thing I'm writing this post, because for some reason I had it in my head that the review was due in November. Say what?
The reason I chose this book is because it says it's "A Contemporary Christmas Carol" and I have very early memories of watching the Donald Duck version of "A Christmas Carol" and then of course reading the real book once I got older. So, pretty much, this sounds like fanficiton of a book I've been aware of basically all my life. Pretty cool, right?
Rare Leadership Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder
This book has a nearly embarrassing story. I requested it from Moody Publishers, along with two other books I've long since reviewed. I don't know if the book by mistake was never sent to me (I'm pretty sure that's what happened...), or if I lost it somehow, but I never saw it. Since I knew I had requested three books from Moody Publishers, I ended up crediting them for a book I'd received from a different publisher. The problem came in when I tried to submit the review from the other publishers to Moody. It wouldn't go through (obviously), so after several tries I finally contacted someone at Moody. They promptly (and kindly) replied that the aforementioned book wasn't one of theirs. So, I asked what book I hadn't reviewed that I requested, and, to make a long story short, they graciously sent me another copy of Rare Leadership.
I requested Rare Leadership because it sounded like a genuinely interesting and helpful book (although I'm not a big fan of the cover). Some of the points that the backcover talks about are *Cultivating emotional maturity in yourself and others (Um, yes please.)*Keep relationships bigger than problems *Increase productivity through trust, joy, and engagement Not only do those things sound fantastic to learn about, but they also use the Oxford comma, which makes me happy.
Answers to the Most Important Questions about the End Times By Dr. John Hart
I requested this book from Bethany House, and received it on Friday. I still have a great childish delight in seeing a package addressed to me in the mail. It's especially fun when I forget what book I requested (like I did with this one), and so receive a total surprise when I tear open the envelope.
The reason I wanted to read this book was simply because, as crazy as it is, I've barely read anything (other than the Bible), that talks about the End Times at all.
The Intercessors Handbook By Jennifer Eivaz
This book is from Chosen, and I requested it totally independently of Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets, although when I first received the two books in the mail, I thought they must have gone together.
Although I haven't read any of this book yet, I'm excited to see how the two books work together. I requested it for much the same reason as the other one: Because I want to learn how to pray better. And besides, I think the cover is very appealing.
One of the Few By Jason B. Ladd
I'm vacillating between being really excited about this book, and being slightly nervous. See, I don't like writing non-glowing reviews, but I really feel bad writing non-glowing reviews when the author himself has requested I read a book, and that's how I received One of the Few.
Mr. Ladd emailed me after finding my blog, and gave me some information about his book. Thanks to the lessons I've been trying to implement regarding timely answers to emails, I emailed him back and said I would think about it. Then, when I had a few minutes I looked up the links he had sent. What I read left me intrigued, (including the fact that he's a homeschool dad and his family lives in Alaska!) so I agreed to read the book, and he sent me a link so I could download an e-version.
* * *Which one of these books looks the most interesting to you?
August 27, 2016
Update on my Adopted Dad
Happy Saturday Morning, y'all! I decided to post today so I could give a quick update on my adopted dad. If you've been following Noveltea for a couple of months you're probably aware that he had a heart attack and then open-heart surgery at the end of June. I was blessed to be able to spend nearly four weeks with them at the time, but then had to return to "normal" life and go back to work and all that good stuff.
Last weekend I was excited to get to spend the day with them, and was thrilled at how much better Dad is doing. Although he's still trudging down the road to recovery, he's leaps and bounds further along than the previous time I had seen him, which made me incredibly thankful.
Here's an update they posted this week regarding the trouble he's been having with his arm/hand:
While I was at their cabin Dad played a bit of several instruments and sang for me, which was fantastic (especially considering last time I was there he was just getting to the point where he could talk again without going into coughing fits).
For those of you who don't know, my adopted dad is a professional musician and song writer who has traveled all over the world performing. So...being able to play instruments and sing songs is a vital part of his every-day-life.
Thank you to everyone who has prayed, and continues to pray, for his recovery. I hope y'all will join me in praising God for the wonderful recovery Dad has been making.
***
Side note: Because recovery is still underway for my adopted dad, I sadly won't be taking part in our yearly caving adventure that I blogged about in June. I still hope some of y'all can go, though!
Have a great day!
Last weekend I was excited to get to spend the day with them, and was thrilled at how much better Dad is doing. Although he's still trudging down the road to recovery, he's leaps and bounds further along than the previous time I had seen him, which made me incredibly thankful.
Here's an update they posted this week regarding the trouble he's been having with his arm/hand:
The EMG showed neuropathy caused from the cholesterol medicine that I had been on for 15 years. The Doctor said the numbness in my fingers would go away in time. He said 4-6 months. My arm at least is not hurting like before. I am trying to play my instruments but it is not up to standard because of two fingers being numb. Cardiac doctor is pleased with my heart and valve. There are still skipped beats but he thinks they will settle down. I am healing and getting stronger. I start rehab next week. Thank you everyone for all the prayers.
While I was at their cabin Dad played a bit of several instruments and sang for me, which was fantastic (especially considering last time I was there he was just getting to the point where he could talk again without going into coughing fits).
For those of you who don't know, my adopted dad is a professional musician and song writer who has traveled all over the world performing. So...being able to play instruments and sing songs is a vital part of his every-day-life.
Thank you to everyone who has prayed, and continues to pray, for his recovery. I hope y'all will join me in praising God for the wonderful recovery Dad has been making.
***
Side note: Because recovery is still underway for my adopted dad, I sadly won't be taking part in our yearly caving adventure that I blogged about in June. I still hope some of y'all can go, though!
Have a great day!
August 26, 2016
Echoes: Countryside Edition
Since I've been posting so much about my Echoes series recently, I figured I could continue the tradition. This time, though, I'm going to post some pictures from my Pinterest boards, so y'all can get a better view of what the world of Kios looks like. Today I'm posting the "Countryside Edition."
sourceKios is an extremely beautiful land with lots of green hillsides, rock fences, plunging waterfalls, and ancient, towering trees. The land is also bordered on one side by The Forest - a forest so vast that no one in written history has journeyed all the way through it. (The Forest will get a post of it's own, someday, hopefully.)
sourceBecause of their superstitious practice of banishing echoes (twins) to the City of Outcasts, declaring them not fully human, Kioskins have been considered barbaric for many years. Nevertheless, they still had many advances in their country that other lands could not boast. For one thing, their architect was superb.
sourceEventually the Kioskins rose to equal standing with their neighbors, due greatly to the influences of Queen Lena, the political wife of King Dalan, and a native of Turglar, a bordering country. Their skill with fabrics and cloth-making also set them up for a coveted place in the region's trading fairs.
source Although the countryside is idyllic and the people laid back, there is a strong emphasis on hard work and continuing to grow Kios to the best it can be. Most of the country adheres to national pride and is throughly loyal to King Dalan.
sourcePrincesses Nicolette and Raquel spent most of their early years within the walls of the palace. They were astounded and delighted at the glories of the countryside when they ventured far away from the cities for the first time.
sourceWith a somewhat rainy climate, Kios has all four seasons, and rivers, mountains, hillsides, and trees aplenty. Filled with fascinating natural formations, like the tree-tunnel pictured near the beginning of the post, caves, and hot springs, Kios is a land filled with wonders and beauty.
sourceAnd there you have it, folks. Another glimpse into the world of Nicolette and Raquel, the princesses who masquerade as Princess Rylie. I hope y'all enjoyed getting to see a little bit more of their world. Writing City of Outcasts has been going slowly, but steadily, with me breaking the 40,000 word mark last night. I'm looking forward to (hopefully) finishing the first draft sometime in September.
Does Kios look like a beautiful country to you? Which of the pictures would y'all climb into and live there for a day if you could?
sourceKios is an extremely beautiful land with lots of green hillsides, rock fences, plunging waterfalls, and ancient, towering trees. The land is also bordered on one side by The Forest - a forest so vast that no one in written history has journeyed all the way through it. (The Forest will get a post of it's own, someday, hopefully.)
sourceBecause of their superstitious practice of banishing echoes (twins) to the City of Outcasts, declaring them not fully human, Kioskins have been considered barbaric for many years. Nevertheless, they still had many advances in their country that other lands could not boast. For one thing, their architect was superb.
sourceEventually the Kioskins rose to equal standing with their neighbors, due greatly to the influences of Queen Lena, the political wife of King Dalan, and a native of Turglar, a bordering country. Their skill with fabrics and cloth-making also set them up for a coveted place in the region's trading fairs.
source Although the countryside is idyllic and the people laid back, there is a strong emphasis on hard work and continuing to grow Kios to the best it can be. Most of the country adheres to national pride and is throughly loyal to King Dalan.
sourcePrincesses Nicolette and Raquel spent most of their early years within the walls of the palace. They were astounded and delighted at the glories of the countryside when they ventured far away from the cities for the first time.
sourceWith a somewhat rainy climate, Kios has all four seasons, and rivers, mountains, hillsides, and trees aplenty. Filled with fascinating natural formations, like the tree-tunnel pictured near the beginning of the post, caves, and hot springs, Kios is a land filled with wonders and beauty.
sourceAnd there you have it, folks. Another glimpse into the world of Nicolette and Raquel, the princesses who masquerade as Princess Rylie. I hope y'all enjoyed getting to see a little bit more of their world. Writing City of Outcasts has been going slowly, but steadily, with me breaking the 40,000 word mark last night. I'm looking forward to (hopefully) finishing the first draft sometime in September. Does Kios look like a beautiful country to you? Which of the pictures would y'all climb into and live there for a day if you could?
August 25, 2016
Pianos, Teaching, and a Guest
Today I have a special guest post, spotlighting a book about how to teach piano.
I "met" Amanda (the author) via another blogger, Jason, who has helped with beta reading When Life Hands You Lymes. Jason had interviewed Amanda for his blog, and had come to the conclusion that she might enjoy beta reading WLHYL for me, since the main character is a classical pianist. I contacted Amanda, and she kindly agreed to beta read, and then proceeded to offer some great insights for the book.
About Amanda
Amanda Tero is a Christian music teacher, currently residing in Mississippi. She has played piano since the age of seven, studying classical performance, theory, and arranging from various teachers. She began teaching private piano and violin lessons in 2007, equipping church musicians with a balance of classical and hymn education.
In 2016 she released her first how-to book for musicians entitled, "Me? Teach Piano?" You may purchase this book on Amazon (click here ).
Find her blog here, and her music website here.About The Book
About The Process of Writing "Me? Teach Piano?" (By Amanda)
I've been a writer since before I was ten. It wasn't that I was amazing with words or anything (trust me: Mom always catches plenty of "Amanda-isms" in my writing before it hits the public!). I just loved a good story, and I wanted to be a part of creating more.
"Me? Teach Piano?" was a totally different field, being a non-fiction, educational-type book. This was definitely not something I initially set out to write. But in a matter of just a few months, several of my friends/former piano students began quizzing me on teaching piano. I wrote at least two long letters with different tips and pointers plus had a serious "Q&A" phone call. I guess you could say that was the seed that planted the desire for me to help many others teach piano (cause... I'm a teacher. And I even like teaching others how to teach).
When it came time to write "Me? Teach Piano?" I approached it completely differently than a piece of fiction. Usually, ideas go from... well, ideas... to more ideas and more. But when it came to funneling the lessons I've learned about teaching into a booklet, I didn't really know where to start. So, I gathered the information that I had given my friends (you never know when a letter might be returned to you, do you? ;)). But then, I sent out emails and texts to various pianists I knew with, "If you had any question about teaching, what would it be?" The responses I got pretty much built my booklet. I organized their questions by topic and set to answering them in the five chapters that make up "Me? Teach Piano?"
In a way, I treated writing "Me? Teach Piano?" like writing a very long letter to someone I really wanted to help succeed (hence, there's a light-hearted feel to it). I am still amazed with how smoothly the actual writing process went, though. I'm not much of a "binge-writer" where I sit down and write thousands of words at a time. But when it came to this, the Lord gave me clarity of thought and plenty of ideas and my fingers flew.
Now, for the publishing part. "Me? Teach Piano?" actually sat for about eight months after I did the final edits before I started publishing it (long story short, we were building a house and getting it finished in those months). In that time, I had published "Journey to Love" (fictional novella about a girl from the orphan train) which gave me a head-start on formatting "Me? Teach Piano?"
One of my favorite parts about publishing "Me? Teach Piano?" was how God provided that amazing cover design that the world sees. I can't even draw a stick-person and though I have a few sisters who draw well, my idea wasn't their style. Not knowing where to begin, I posted an "ad" for it on several FaceBook pages, contacted a few artists, and did a lot of praying. It was actually my sister, Elizabeth, who found my artist ("You know, my friend's little sister draws cartoon-style..."). When I emailed Sydney to see if this was something she'd be interested in, she replied a very enthusiastic, "Yes!" saying that she'd been praying for a way to use her art for God's glory. Wow. You just can't get any better than that! She was great to work with.
Elizabeth (same sister who suggested Sydney) drew the whimsical interior designs, and the rest is pretty much history. "Me? Teach Piano?" is out there, and I pray that it aids and encourages many upcoming teachers!
What I (Lydia) Thought of Me? Teach Piano?
I'm not a piano teacher, piano player, or even remotely musical. Nevertheless, even I found the book interesting. The format is fantastically easy to concentrate on, the writing style a breeze to read through, and the information presented in a way that is impactful without being overwhelming. Plus, in addition to coming across as really professional, it also had a light-hearted, whimsical feel to it.
In reality, I didn't expect to do more than skim-read the book to get an idea of what it's about, but after I started, I was sucked in and wanted to know how a piano teacher goes about teaching. The book is brief, but full of helpful information such as how to prepare before you start teaching (things to include in a student contract, etc...), how to choose the amount to charge, what to do if a student isn't getting anywhere, the benefits of recitals, and the list goes on.
There were several times the book brought to mind "For Dummies books" which is a high compliment, because I find the "Dummie" books to be quite helpful. Overall, I highly recommend Amanda's book to anyone who is interested in teaching piano. Buy your copy here . Thanks, Amanda, for joining me on Noveltea today!
I "met" Amanda (the author) via another blogger, Jason, who has helped with beta reading When Life Hands You Lymes. Jason had interviewed Amanda for his blog, and had come to the conclusion that she might enjoy beta reading WLHYL for me, since the main character is a classical pianist. I contacted Amanda, and she kindly agreed to beta read, and then proceeded to offer some great insights for the book.
About Amanda
Amanda Tero is a Christian music teacher, currently residing in Mississippi. She has played piano since the age of seven, studying classical performance, theory, and arranging from various teachers. She began teaching private piano and violin lessons in 2007, equipping church musicians with a balance of classical and hymn education.
In 2016 she released her first how-to book for musicians entitled, "Me? Teach Piano?" You may purchase this book on Amazon (click here ).
Find her blog here, and her music website here.About The Book
About The Process of Writing "Me? Teach Piano?" (By Amanda)
I've been a writer since before I was ten. It wasn't that I was amazing with words or anything (trust me: Mom always catches plenty of "Amanda-isms" in my writing before it hits the public!). I just loved a good story, and I wanted to be a part of creating more.
"Me? Teach Piano?" was a totally different field, being a non-fiction, educational-type book. This was definitely not something I initially set out to write. But in a matter of just a few months, several of my friends/former piano students began quizzing me on teaching piano. I wrote at least two long letters with different tips and pointers plus had a serious "Q&A" phone call. I guess you could say that was the seed that planted the desire for me to help many others teach piano (cause... I'm a teacher. And I even like teaching others how to teach).
When it came time to write "Me? Teach Piano?" I approached it completely differently than a piece of fiction. Usually, ideas go from... well, ideas... to more ideas and more. But when it came to funneling the lessons I've learned about teaching into a booklet, I didn't really know where to start. So, I gathered the information that I had given my friends (you never know when a letter might be returned to you, do you? ;)). But then, I sent out emails and texts to various pianists I knew with, "If you had any question about teaching, what would it be?" The responses I got pretty much built my booklet. I organized their questions by topic and set to answering them in the five chapters that make up "Me? Teach Piano?"
In a way, I treated writing "Me? Teach Piano?" like writing a very long letter to someone I really wanted to help succeed (hence, there's a light-hearted feel to it). I am still amazed with how smoothly the actual writing process went, though. I'm not much of a "binge-writer" where I sit down and write thousands of words at a time. But when it came to this, the Lord gave me clarity of thought and plenty of ideas and my fingers flew.
Now, for the publishing part. "Me? Teach Piano?" actually sat for about eight months after I did the final edits before I started publishing it (long story short, we were building a house and getting it finished in those months). In that time, I had published "Journey to Love" (fictional novella about a girl from the orphan train) which gave me a head-start on formatting "Me? Teach Piano?"
One of my favorite parts about publishing "Me? Teach Piano?" was how God provided that amazing cover design that the world sees. I can't even draw a stick-person and though I have a few sisters who draw well, my idea wasn't their style. Not knowing where to begin, I posted an "ad" for it on several FaceBook pages, contacted a few artists, and did a lot of praying. It was actually my sister, Elizabeth, who found my artist ("You know, my friend's little sister draws cartoon-style..."). When I emailed Sydney to see if this was something she'd be interested in, she replied a very enthusiastic, "Yes!" saying that she'd been praying for a way to use her art for God's glory. Wow. You just can't get any better than that! She was great to work with.
Elizabeth (same sister who suggested Sydney) drew the whimsical interior designs, and the rest is pretty much history. "Me? Teach Piano?" is out there, and I pray that it aids and encourages many upcoming teachers!
What I (Lydia) Thought of Me? Teach Piano?
I'm not a piano teacher, piano player, or even remotely musical. Nevertheless, even I found the book interesting. The format is fantastically easy to concentrate on, the writing style a breeze to read through, and the information presented in a way that is impactful without being overwhelming. Plus, in addition to coming across as really professional, it also had a light-hearted, whimsical feel to it.
In reality, I didn't expect to do more than skim-read the book to get an idea of what it's about, but after I started, I was sucked in and wanted to know how a piano teacher goes about teaching. The book is brief, but full of helpful information such as how to prepare before you start teaching (things to include in a student contract, etc...), how to choose the amount to charge, what to do if a student isn't getting anywhere, the benefits of recitals, and the list goes on.
There were several times the book brought to mind "For Dummies books" which is a high compliment, because I find the "Dummie" books to be quite helpful. Overall, I highly recommend Amanda's book to anyone who is interested in teaching piano. Buy your copy here . Thanks, Amanda, for joining me on Noveltea today!
August 23, 2016
A Picture is Worth A 1,000 Words: The Meeting Place
Do any of y'all remember when I used to write "A picture is worth a 1,000 words" posts? The idea was to find a random picture on Pinterest, and then set my timer and see how fast I could come up with a thousand-word story inspirited from said picture. The purpose was to help me learn to write short stories and to practice my coming-up-with-ideas skills. Plus, the story had to be exactly a thousand words, so that made the challenge more...challenging. (By the way, no brainstorming is allowed before starting the timer. That means I find the picture, like how it looks, copy it, and promptly start the timer.)
Well. I haven't written any of those stories for a long time, a fact that became all too clear to me when I sat down to write one this morning. The story that plopped into my head was rather trite and cliché, but hey, I'll get better as I continue practicing.
I'm posting my story from today, even though it's not stellar, so I can look back after I'm back in practice with these stories, and see the difference. (You can read previous "A picutre's worth a 1,000 words" posts here, here, here, and here.) And, if any of y'all want to be a part of the challenge, you can join up and post your story (just leave a comment with the link), or you can share it with me at aidylewoh@gmail.com.
Date: 8-24-16 Time: 26:49Hardest Part: All of it, I’m out of practiceTitle: The Meeting Place
source
I stared at the bench, my breath coming in puffs of whiteness. This was the spot. These were the street lamps. The trees. The hedge of bushes. Cold seeped in through the multiple layers I had piled on, yet I didn't mind it. The shocking weather lent an air of disbelief to the world around me, as if it, too, believed that tonight was merely a fairy tale, a figment of my all too overactive of an imagination.
Leaning closer, I could see that some tracks had been made in the snow in front of the bench, although doubtlessly not recently. The wind was blowing with strong gusts and would have completely covered them if much time had passed. I looked back at my own tracks leading through the knee-high white fluffiness. The energy I had exerted making my way to our meeting place was far less than I’d spent arguing with myself for the last three days, trying to decide if I should come or not.
And now that I’d taken the leap and come? Well, perhaps she wouldn’t show after all. Maybe I would have to turn and trudge my way back to the street car. Maybe I would get lost in the drifts and have to build myself an igloo. Maybe this episode really was a dream and before long I’d be waking up in my cozy room, snuggled under the covers, having left my windows open, hence the cold I was feeling.
Stomping my feet to keep the blood moving, I surveyed the bench, tilting my head first one way, then the other. I could always displace the mounds of snow it was buried under and sit down while I waited. Or I could turn around and leave. I’d done my duty. I’d kept my promise. I’d come and with time to spare, but did she show? No. And it shouldn’t have been a surprise. It wasn’t a surprise. She’d been leaving me in the cold for as long as I could remember. Still, it hurt. The rejection fell over me in little freezing particles, much like the snow was doing at the moment.
Most people don’t get to choose their families. They don’t choose their parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles. And they most certainly don’t choose their siblings. But I had. And sometimes I wondered if that was the reason I struggled so much.
Although we’d been adopted by different families, I had insisted my sister and I never forget each other. When the rest of the bonds I had felt to my former world dissipated in the erosion of time, I held firmly to the ideal that one day we would meet up again, that we would stay together. Our visits were infrequent and proceeded each time by my excited anticipation, then followed by heartbroken tears as I came to the realization that I wasn’t needed. My sister got along fine without me. She had melted and melded into her family in a way that seemed perfectly natural. It hurt to know she’d moved on, that she’d found a new life, a new world, one in which I didn’t fit.
You’ve got to make an effort, Lilly. My sister’s words were the same each visit. They love you, you love them. They’re you’re family and you need to start acting like it. There was a time when she even refused to visit me for several years. Finally my begging and pleading had gotten to her, and I’d found comfort in knowing I was among my real flesh and blood.
Then we’d had a falling out. I finally had had enough of her mincing and bossing. She’d declared me immature. I’d declared her un-loyal. She’d declared me a girl who could only look backward, I declared her someone who professed to be too good for her roots. And the argument had gone on. When we left, it was without a backward glance. My last words were that she could move on with life. I would never try and see her again. She was dead to me, as if we really weren’t blood sisters after all. As if we hadn’t had the same beginning in life.
That was when we were sixteen. Her bitter accusations stayed with me for two years, haunting my memory, making me angry. Then I had learned to let go. Not only to the anger, but to the past. She had been right after all. We lived different lives. Our blood wasn’t enough to keep us connected forever. There were times when I even pondered the possibility of her planning out the fight so we’d have a falling out and I would finally move on with life. The thought, while painful, did have merit. After all, she’d finally succeeded in forcing me to stop using her as the crutch she’d been in my life.
Standing under the stinging coldness, my thoughts chased each other around and around. It had taken me nearly three years to finally admit that she was right. That our argument might have been for the best after all. And of course that’s when she contacted me. Her first initiation at reaching out to me. And it turned my finally-in-order world back into a land of chaos. I was scared of the reaction I would face when I finally saw her again, hence the reason I had nearly been absent. But I was here now, and she wasn’t.
“Lilly?” The voice was soft. I swallowed hard and turned toward the voice. “You came.” “Of course.”Reaching out, she wrapped her arms around me. “I was wrong.” I returned the hug then stepped back. “Wrong?” “Family is important.” I sucked in an icy breath. “Adopted and blood family.” I gave a simple nod. “Can you forgive me? Be my sister once again?”I nodded. “I missed you during the last four years.” My sister smiled at me. And the cold didn’t feel so cold any more.
Well. I haven't written any of those stories for a long time, a fact that became all too clear to me when I sat down to write one this morning. The story that plopped into my head was rather trite and cliché, but hey, I'll get better as I continue practicing.
I'm posting my story from today, even though it's not stellar, so I can look back after I'm back in practice with these stories, and see the difference. (You can read previous "A picutre's worth a 1,000 words" posts here, here, here, and here.) And, if any of y'all want to be a part of the challenge, you can join up and post your story (just leave a comment with the link), or you can share it with me at aidylewoh@gmail.com.
Date: 8-24-16 Time: 26:49Hardest Part: All of it, I’m out of practiceTitle: The Meeting Place
sourceI stared at the bench, my breath coming in puffs of whiteness. This was the spot. These were the street lamps. The trees. The hedge of bushes. Cold seeped in through the multiple layers I had piled on, yet I didn't mind it. The shocking weather lent an air of disbelief to the world around me, as if it, too, believed that tonight was merely a fairy tale, a figment of my all too overactive of an imagination.
Leaning closer, I could see that some tracks had been made in the snow in front of the bench, although doubtlessly not recently. The wind was blowing with strong gusts and would have completely covered them if much time had passed. I looked back at my own tracks leading through the knee-high white fluffiness. The energy I had exerted making my way to our meeting place was far less than I’d spent arguing with myself for the last three days, trying to decide if I should come or not.
And now that I’d taken the leap and come? Well, perhaps she wouldn’t show after all. Maybe I would have to turn and trudge my way back to the street car. Maybe I would get lost in the drifts and have to build myself an igloo. Maybe this episode really was a dream and before long I’d be waking up in my cozy room, snuggled under the covers, having left my windows open, hence the cold I was feeling.
Stomping my feet to keep the blood moving, I surveyed the bench, tilting my head first one way, then the other. I could always displace the mounds of snow it was buried under and sit down while I waited. Or I could turn around and leave. I’d done my duty. I’d kept my promise. I’d come and with time to spare, but did she show? No. And it shouldn’t have been a surprise. It wasn’t a surprise. She’d been leaving me in the cold for as long as I could remember. Still, it hurt. The rejection fell over me in little freezing particles, much like the snow was doing at the moment.
Most people don’t get to choose their families. They don’t choose their parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles. And they most certainly don’t choose their siblings. But I had. And sometimes I wondered if that was the reason I struggled so much.
Although we’d been adopted by different families, I had insisted my sister and I never forget each other. When the rest of the bonds I had felt to my former world dissipated in the erosion of time, I held firmly to the ideal that one day we would meet up again, that we would stay together. Our visits were infrequent and proceeded each time by my excited anticipation, then followed by heartbroken tears as I came to the realization that I wasn’t needed. My sister got along fine without me. She had melted and melded into her family in a way that seemed perfectly natural. It hurt to know she’d moved on, that she’d found a new life, a new world, one in which I didn’t fit.
You’ve got to make an effort, Lilly. My sister’s words were the same each visit. They love you, you love them. They’re you’re family and you need to start acting like it. There was a time when she even refused to visit me for several years. Finally my begging and pleading had gotten to her, and I’d found comfort in knowing I was among my real flesh and blood.
Then we’d had a falling out. I finally had had enough of her mincing and bossing. She’d declared me immature. I’d declared her un-loyal. She’d declared me a girl who could only look backward, I declared her someone who professed to be too good for her roots. And the argument had gone on. When we left, it was without a backward glance. My last words were that she could move on with life. I would never try and see her again. She was dead to me, as if we really weren’t blood sisters after all. As if we hadn’t had the same beginning in life.
That was when we were sixteen. Her bitter accusations stayed with me for two years, haunting my memory, making me angry. Then I had learned to let go. Not only to the anger, but to the past. She had been right after all. We lived different lives. Our blood wasn’t enough to keep us connected forever. There were times when I even pondered the possibility of her planning out the fight so we’d have a falling out and I would finally move on with life. The thought, while painful, did have merit. After all, she’d finally succeeded in forcing me to stop using her as the crutch she’d been in my life.
Standing under the stinging coldness, my thoughts chased each other around and around. It had taken me nearly three years to finally admit that she was right. That our argument might have been for the best after all. And of course that’s when she contacted me. Her first initiation at reaching out to me. And it turned my finally-in-order world back into a land of chaos. I was scared of the reaction I would face when I finally saw her again, hence the reason I had nearly been absent. But I was here now, and she wasn’t.
“Lilly?” The voice was soft. I swallowed hard and turned toward the voice. “You came.” “Of course.”Reaching out, she wrapped her arms around me. “I was wrong.” I returned the hug then stepped back. “Wrong?” “Family is important.” I sucked in an icy breath. “Adopted and blood family.” I gave a simple nod. “Can you forgive me? Be my sister once again?”I nodded. “I missed you during the last four years.” My sister smiled at me. And the cold didn’t feel so cold any more.
"City of Outcasts" Snippets
Each night I sit down and write at least a thousand words on my WIP, City of Outcasts. I'm almost two weeks into the project, and it's nearly enough to make me dance little jigs of joy (although not quite.)
Princesses and castles and feasts mixed with plots and kidnappings and girls proficient with throwing knives make up such a wonderful story. (Don't worry - the book really isn't violent, even if it might sound like it is from that description.) Plus, being back to writing after so much editing? Yayness! So, today, I'm sharing a couple of snippets with y'all.
sourceFirst off is a little snippet where Nicolette (masquerading as Princess Rylie), meets another set of echoes, Esther and Hadassa (who are twelve). She's surprised when she finds out that they aren't identical, and don't even look like each other.
sourceIn this segment, Raquel is conversing with her kidnappers after convincing them that she's in truth not Princess Rylie. They're riding through the forest, and Raquel has relative freedom now.
And there you have it, folks. A bit of what I've been working on recently. I hope you enjoyed these snippets. Thanks for letting me share the growth of City of Outcasts with y'all.
Princesses and castles and feasts mixed with plots and kidnappings and girls proficient with throwing knives make up such a wonderful story. (Don't worry - the book really isn't violent, even if it might sound like it is from that description.) Plus, being back to writing after so much editing? Yayness! So, today, I'm sharing a couple of snippets with y'all.
sourceFirst off is a little snippet where Nicolette (masquerading as Princess Rylie), meets another set of echoes, Esther and Hadassa (who are twelve). She's surprised when she finds out that they aren't identical, and don't even look like each other.“Well, are you going to stand there staring at us?” Esther folded her arms across her chest. “I wrongly supposed that Princess Rylie would have more manners than you seem to possess.”
Throwing my head back, I laughed. “You’re quite the handful, are you not?” I sat down on a settee and patted the cushion next to me, offering them a seat. “Tis so that I was not being polite, but calling a princess out on her manners is far more disrespectful than staring.”
“I apologize.” Esther dipped her head for a brief moment, then darted her gaze back up to me. “Though, I must say, I would be quite fine with dispensing of all the courtly manners and behaving as friends, if that suited you.”
“The leniency provided for you here in Agape is shocking.” For a moment I was at a loss of how to respond. Never had anyone out of the Inner Chamber Family treated me so, and although I found it amusing, I wasn’t sure if I could condone such behavior with a clear conscious.
sourceIn this segment, Raquel is conversing with her kidnappers after convincing them that she's in truth not Princess Rylie. They're riding through the forest, and Raquel has relative freedom now.“My apologies.” Thurston looked sincere. “If it be your pleasure to converse with him,” he threw a gesture over his shoulder at his son, “then so be it. I merely was trying to help you out of boredom.”
“Nay, it wasn’t boring.” I sat straighter in the saddle. “He informed me that Dreyden was against you kidnapping Princess Rylie.”
“Tis truth to be sure.” Thurston’s laughter was robust and echoed around us. “Where is the boy anyway?”
“He rode off in a huff, papa.” Titus leaned forward, as if eager to join the conversation again.
Now that I realized Thurston truly wasn’t trying to hide the information from me, I was slightly thankful for his interruption to Titus’s annoyingly unsavory manners. Not that the man himself was much better.
“He’s got airs, that boy.” Thurston shook his head. “Living with the nobles has ruined him, seems.”
“Nobles are ruined?”
“Nay,” Thurston laughed again. “Just some of them like King Dalan. Thinking he can control the people by force and treat them with ill.”
“Tell me more.” I smiled. “After all, I’ve been around nobles all my life. I am a noble.”
“Tis so, tis so.” Thurston looked me up and down for a minute, as if fascinated by the mess I had made of my appearance. “You look a tad bit royal even in those rags. It must be the way you carry yourself.”
“Do you have something against Princess Rylie?” I asked. I had been curious ever since Dreyden had declared me not to be Princess Rylie what they really thought about her.
“Ach, no.” Thurston and Titus answered the question in unison.
“No?”
“Of course not. Everyone sings her praises.” Thurston gestured at me again. “That’s one way I knew you weren’t her after you and Dreyden both declared it. See, Princess Rylie is a sweet thing. That’s what everyone says. Sweet. Cares for her people. Has the love of the God of the Path Book in her life. You were such a fussy brat it only figured that I’d nabbed the wrong girl.”
“Oh?” I felt my heart sink.
And there you have it, folks. A bit of what I've been working on recently. I hope you enjoyed these snippets. Thanks for letting me share the growth of City of Outcasts with y'all.
August 22, 2016
(un) Natural Mom By Hettie Brittz - Book Review
It's a delightful Monday morning, and wonders of all wonders, I plan on being home all week! I'm seriously excited about that, and all that I'll (hopefully) be accomplishing. This morning has gotten off to a great start, although it's a good thing I built some leeway into my plans, because yeah... I'm already seeing I'm going to need it.
Today I get to review an interesting book for y'all. I also have three more books awaiting their debut onto Noveltea's stage. I'm currently reading Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets, and although I'm only on page 57, I'm pretty impressed with it. The plan is to review that book on here sometime this weekend.
And sitting on my desk, just waiting to be picked up, I have The Intercessors Handbook by Jennifer Eivaz, and Rare Leadership by Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder. How's that for a fantastic sounding to-be-read pile? This month has been a bit slow-going when it comes to reading. I've only read four books, and three of them were ones I had agreed to review. It's been a good month though, and the plan is to read one or two of the aforementioned books before September comes rushing in. (September! Yay! Autumn and beauty and all sorts of wonderfulness.)
Now for today's book review...
(un) Natural MomBy Hettie Brittz
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
First PersonNon-Fiction278 Pages
About the Book (Backcover Blurb):
Do you feel like you’re the only mom who serves store-bought birthday treats, dreads school plays, and misses the days of going to the bathroom by herself?
unNatural Mom gives you permission to say that mothering doesn’t always come naturally to you. Parenting expert and self-proclaimed unnatural mom Hettie Brittz helps you…
Recognize how unrealistic our culture’s standards of mothering areMove beyond the myths of “supermom”Complete the Parenting Style Assessment to determine your own parenting styleUnderstand and forgive the mothers who hurt youEmbrace your capabilities as well as your challengesCome find new hope in discovering that every mother has unique gifts. In Christ, the “unnatural” mom becomes the supernatural mom who is just right for her family!
Why I Choose this Book:
Although I'm obviously not a mother yet, I do have a lot of kids in my life and I've found that sometimes it helps me be a better human when I study books like this one. Also, I would like to be a mother one day, so the subject is quite interesting to me. Plus, mothers are just incredibly amazing and I am pretty overwhelmed them, so reading a book by a mother about mothering seemed smart.
What I Thought About this Book:
It was quite interesting. There were many things that didn't apply to me at this stage in life (duh), but I was surprised at how much I still gleaned from the book. Miss Hettie pretty much created her own "personality system" for mothers, using trees for the different categories. Since I have a fond place in my heart for studying personalities, this book was right up my alley.
Miss Hettie writes with a lot of honesty and some humor. I was happily surprised at her creative way to weave the different personality traits into the book and found myself eager to keep reading. I found areas in life I could relate, even though I don't have kids of my own, and look forward to hopefully reading this book again down the road if I ever have kids of my own.
Conclusion:
Her book was definitely written from the mother-to-mother point of view, and even though there weren't lots of details, it's not a book I would hand to a young teenage girl.
Rating:
I'm giving (un) Natural Mother 4 stars out of 5, and 7 stars out of 10. (The book was close to a 3-star book for me, but I'm fairly certain it would have gotten a solid 4-star review if I was a mother, which is the intended audience, hence the rating.)
*I received this book free from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review*
Today I get to review an interesting book for y'all. I also have three more books awaiting their debut onto Noveltea's stage. I'm currently reading Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets, and although I'm only on page 57, I'm pretty impressed with it. The plan is to review that book on here sometime this weekend.
And sitting on my desk, just waiting to be picked up, I have The Intercessors Handbook by Jennifer Eivaz, and Rare Leadership by Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder. How's that for a fantastic sounding to-be-read pile? This month has been a bit slow-going when it comes to reading. I've only read four books, and three of them were ones I had agreed to review. It's been a good month though, and the plan is to read one or two of the aforementioned books before September comes rushing in. (September! Yay! Autumn and beauty and all sorts of wonderfulness.)
Now for today's book review...
(un) Natural MomBy Hettie Brittz
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
First PersonNon-Fiction278 Pages
About the Book (Backcover Blurb):
Do you feel like you’re the only mom who serves store-bought birthday treats, dreads school plays, and misses the days of going to the bathroom by herself?
unNatural Mom gives you permission to say that mothering doesn’t always come naturally to you. Parenting expert and self-proclaimed unnatural mom Hettie Brittz helps you…
Recognize how unrealistic our culture’s standards of mothering areMove beyond the myths of “supermom”Complete the Parenting Style Assessment to determine your own parenting styleUnderstand and forgive the mothers who hurt youEmbrace your capabilities as well as your challengesCome find new hope in discovering that every mother has unique gifts. In Christ, the “unnatural” mom becomes the supernatural mom who is just right for her family!
Why I Choose this Book:
Although I'm obviously not a mother yet, I do have a lot of kids in my life and I've found that sometimes it helps me be a better human when I study books like this one. Also, I would like to be a mother one day, so the subject is quite interesting to me. Plus, mothers are just incredibly amazing and I am pretty overwhelmed them, so reading a book by a mother about mothering seemed smart.
What I Thought About this Book:
It was quite interesting. There were many things that didn't apply to me at this stage in life (duh), but I was surprised at how much I still gleaned from the book. Miss Hettie pretty much created her own "personality system" for mothers, using trees for the different categories. Since I have a fond place in my heart for studying personalities, this book was right up my alley.
Miss Hettie writes with a lot of honesty and some humor. I was happily surprised at her creative way to weave the different personality traits into the book and found myself eager to keep reading. I found areas in life I could relate, even though I don't have kids of my own, and look forward to hopefully reading this book again down the road if I ever have kids of my own.
Conclusion:
Her book was definitely written from the mother-to-mother point of view, and even though there weren't lots of details, it's not a book I would hand to a young teenage girl.
Rating:
I'm giving (un) Natural Mother 4 stars out of 5, and 7 stars out of 10. (The book was close to a 3-star book for me, but I'm fairly certain it would have gotten a solid 4-star review if I was a mother, which is the intended audience, hence the rating.)
*I received this book free from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review*
