tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12706245473903315902024-02-15T20:36:47.108-08:00Nan MusingCall it my "thinking spot," if you will. This is where I reflect on Life and what makes the world go 'round.NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-33394273351922418462023-11-20T10:39:00.000-08:002023-11-20T10:39:45.264-08:00Classics Retold ...in fantasy fashion<p> As with the other books I've now read in the series "A Classic Retold," I have been inspired to read the original classics. However, I already know I like these retellings better! 😊 AND I'm pretty sure I will never get around to reading the original classics! It's just a thing I know!</p><p>I have not read Moby Dick, but I have seen movie versions to understand the original story-line and plot. Hanna Kaye's retelling was riveting and I had a hard time putting it down. Without giving any spoilers, let me just say that when I turned the last page and read the last line, it brought tears to my eyes.</p><p>Excellent story-telling, and I highly recommend "Chase the Legend," by Hannah Kaye</p><p>https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195227667-chase-the-legend</p>NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-74622813832881486982023-06-20T09:46:00.001-07:002023-06-20T09:46:37.445-07:00<p> June 20, 2023</p><p>I posted a review of: The Orb and the Airship, by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt over on Goodreads. This book was released to the public on June 16, 2023!</p><p>I enjoyed reading this YA steampunk, fantasy adventure novel, and look forward to continuing to read the following 4 books that will come out in The Turrim Archives series!<br /><br />Here are the versions available: <br />The Orb and the Airship by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt</p><p>https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/161162296</p><p>https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122967840</p><p>https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42117793</p><p>https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/86044787</p><p>It is also available in Audio form.</p><p>Classifications for this book on Goodreads:<br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/103053.Flying_Ships_and_Air_Pirates" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(49, 118, 170, 0.3); color: #3176aa; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 18px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration-line: none; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s, color 0.15s ease-out 0s; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Flying Ships and Air Pirates</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #707070; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 18px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/117462.YA_Novels_of_2023" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(49, 118, 170, 0.3); color: #3176aa; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 18px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration-line: none; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s, color 0.15s ease-out 0s; white-space-collapse: preserve;">YA Novels of 2023</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #707070; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 18px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/183940.Best_books_of_2023" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(49, 118, 170, 0.3); color: #3176aa; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 18px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration-line: none; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s, color 0.15s ease-out 0s; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Best Books of 2023</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #707070; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 18px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/43049.Gaslamp_Fantasy" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(49, 118, 170, 0.3); color: #3176aa; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 18px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration-line: none; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s, color 0.15s ease-out 0s; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Gaslamp Fantasy</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #707070; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 18px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/182787.Most_Anticipated_Book_Releases_2023" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(49, 118, 170, 0.3); color: #3176aa; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 18px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding-bottom: 0.05em; text-decoration-line: none; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s, color 0.15s ease-out 0s; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Most Anticipated Book Releases of 2023</a></p><p>Here are other phrases that describe this book:<br /><em style="background-color: white; color: #707070; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 18px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Fantasy books about friendship the orb and the airship<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />Fantasy books for boys about pirates the orb and the airship<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />Coming of age books for adults the orb and the airship<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />Morally gray characters with redemption arcs the orb and the airship<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />Fantasy pirate adventure books for boys the orb and the airship<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />Pirate books for young adults the orb and the airship<br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />Magical Christian fantasy books the orb and the airship</em></p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div>NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-13538781363844751462023-02-13T13:00:00.053-08:002023-02-13T13:40:22.251-08:00How About Some New Reading Material?
Yes, I am a "proud Momma!" I love that my eldest daughter has pursued her writing over the years and has reached another mile marker as an author.<div>Check out her web site for all the juicy details!</div><div>JenelleSchmidt.com<br /><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Coming soon: </b>A new, epic gaslamp-fantasy series,<b>
by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt. </b><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The Series: <b>The Turrim Archive</b>. </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b> Book One: <i>The Orb and the Airship</i>. </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div> Release date for Book One is set for:<b> June 16, 2023. </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div> A 30-day campaign to launch this series will begin:<b> February 20, 2023.</b></div><div>You can follow that exciting venture at:</div><div><b>https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jlschmidt/the-turrim-archive</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="JenelleSchmidt.com"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWw2rE3euem-FMD_2D-ju-a1KML9sYHZ2GEvPnnsXPANBDtiLYvmPcSvV-MWu1L1fEodGEx0wfOQ7Z0RVlwpMtLsZmbpmIEfeAeieu2MjS7O5hEof4rx35kG5KtgHQaO6tcJYKsgTdldi-69gxezlHylNhwx4JX_IAIlT_SJ3IVrU4v-_w039pg/s845/Orb+and+Airship_low+res.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="528" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWw2rE3euem-FMD_2D-ju-a1KML9sYHZ2GEvPnnsXPANBDtiLYvmPcSvV-MWu1L1fEodGEx0wfOQ7Z0RVlwpMtLsZmbpmIEfeAeieu2MjS7O5hEof4rx35kG5KtgHQaO6tcJYKsgTdldi-69gxezlHylNhwx4JX_IAIlT_SJ3IVrU4v-_w039pg/s400/Orb+and+Airship_low+res.jpg" /></a></div>
</b></div></div></div>NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-50568333957322270052023-02-09T08:06:00.008-08:002023-02-13T13:42:12.179-08:00News from my Author-DaughterBook Cover Reveal Coming Soon ...
but here's a fun teaser in the meantime! <div><br /></div><div>Jenelle Leanne Schmidt, "a dreamer, a relentless opener of doors in the hope of someday finding passage to Narnia, and story girl" (and just happens to be my daughter 😊), is "releasing a new book this summer! It's the first in a 5-book steampunk fantasy series. </div><div><br /></div><div>It will have airships, pirates, wizards, adventure, and more." </div><div>Jenelle has "been working towards this series for many years, putting in so many hours writing and editing and polishing and editing and polishing some more, and now it's all finally coming to fruition." </div><div><br /></div><div>An impending Kickstarter and Book Release are in the works, but the Book One cover reveal is coming Monday, 2/13/2023!
So stay tuned for all the exciting details.</div><div><br /></div><div> (You can learn more at: https://www.jenelleschmidt.com/ )</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXC2AyWBnw60tfiGR9xaoJykI0louTzgJhGRqoYL8ROgVrF5r8-GyxznhGpzrjq6jCE5fUjRwpqLS6HAtaxwSkWt3V03sPiq8ILwnRMFymb8ycsRzMoa9gL14w-bz8GEaeyKbg7nDMyM0LwzVyjF3cj9JvJIInyPs66b5wMf1jzX7Q9PZ0bpPRg/s668/Screenshot%202023-02-09%20at%207.29.22%20AM.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="418" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXC2AyWBnw60tfiGR9xaoJykI0louTzgJhGRqoYL8ROgVrF5r8-GyxznhGpzrjq6jCE5fUjRwpqLS6HAtaxwSkWt3V03sPiq8ILwnRMFymb8ycsRzMoa9gL14w-bz8GEaeyKbg7nDMyM0LwzVyjF3cj9JvJIInyPs66b5wMf1jzX7Q9PZ0bpPRg/s400/Screenshot%202023-02-09%20at%207.29.22%20AM.png" /></a></div></div>NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-29655866974444648132023-02-09T08:04:00.000-08:002023-02-09T08:04:54.092-08:00Sporadic Blogger<p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> It's the wee hours of Wednesday morning, 9/21/2022, the last full day of "Summer" here in Brewster. Washington! With cooler weather, it sure feels like Autumn is in the air! Yay! I love the fall season!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I edited a post from 2008 regarding an "earthquake" (tremor) of which I had felt an "after-shock" in West Chicago, Illinois...and when I saved the post and hit "publish," well, it came up on today's date! Guess that goes to show me that I can't "change history!" What was written back then, well, that was then. I should just let it rest where it was.<br /><br />Back to the present: For the past 7 years, my daughter and another author friend came up with a fun project to do each September called the "Silmarillion Awards." <br />(I thought they chose September perhaps because it might have been J.R.R. Tolkien's birth month, but I discovered he was born </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">January 3, 1892, in </span><a class="fl" data-ved="2ahUKEwjC2p3S5KX6AhUYBDQIHbjKA7EQmxMoAHoECEIQAg" href="https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALiCzsaRxbjLbYvS-M5f-ne0JFUOMMD_zA:1663759907522&q=Bloemfontein&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LQz9U3MDHMMFACs5JNLC21xLKTrfQLUvMLclKBVFFxfp5VUn5R3iJWHqec_NTctPy8ktTMvB2sjLvYmTgYANK2QZhFAAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjC2p3S5KX6AhUYBDQIHbjKA7EQmxMoAHoECEIQAg" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); background-color: white; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">Bloemfontein, South Africa</a>. However, he did die </span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">September 2, 1973, in </span><a class="fl" data-ved="2ahUKEwjC2p3S5KX6AhUYBDQIHbjKA7EQmxMoAHoECEUQAg" href="https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALiCzsaRxbjLbYvS-M5f-ne0JFUOMMD_zA:1663759907522&q=Bournemouth&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LQz9U3MDHMMFDiBLEMzQyzsrTks5Ot9AtS8wtyUvVTUpNTE4tTU-ILUouK8_OsUjJTUxaxcjvllxblpebml5Zk7GBl3MXOxMEAAH5vvPJOAAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjC2p3S5KX6AhUYBDQIHbjKA7EQmxMoAHoECEUQAg" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); background-color: white; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">Bournemouth, United Kingdom</a>.) <br />Over the month, they open up a web site for folks to nominate favorite fantasy-fiction characters for various categories, and then over the last 2 weeks of September, the winners are announced and "Silmarils" are awarded. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I'm sure this will continue on in the years to come, so check it out and join in on the fun! </span><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd ezidihy3" href="http://www.silmarilawards.com/?fbclid=IwAR2UwwAD7PMbEpp79nUbnxNAOGJZEZRZbZVJKFEVrRGZR9jbPnb-5obbdOw" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">www.silmarilawards.com</a><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br />I find it hard to believe that I have not written anything here on this little blog of mine since 11/25/2021! And I don't think I ever mentioned at all in 2020 TTTWRU (the thing that will remain unspoken). I heard that our country's president announced that it was "over." Ah! Good to know! OK, don't get me started on THAT!<br /><br />It appears that some folks "view" my blog, but there are no comments. I am a bit technologically-challenged, so it could be I need to turn on something to allow comments...I don't know. Maybe I can figure that out.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Something I have noticed: Time seems to be flying by faster and faster! I often think of the words of a song from the "cantata" called "Go Tell Your World"...or something like that...called "Only One Life" by Lanny Wolfe... <br /></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">The days pass so swiftly, the months come and go </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">The years melt away like a new fallen snow</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Spring turns to summer, and summer to fall</p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Autumn brings winter, and death comes to call"</p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">That's why it's important to "redeem the time," for it's slipping quickly away!</span></p><p><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, .SFNSText-Regular, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span></p>NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-54960232160853530582022-09-21T04:15:00.000-07:002022-09-21T04:15:09.388-07:00"Earthquake" in ILHere's something to "muse" about.... There was an "earthquake" in southern Illinois yesterday morning, Friday, April 18, 2008, 4:36 AM to be precise! <div>It measured 5.2! The effects of that could be felt throughout the Midwestern states over 200 miles from the epicenter!
Apparently, the rattling caused many folks to awake and wonder what was happening. (I was not one of those!) ;-) </div><div>However, as I sat at my computer later that morning, 10:15 AM to be precise, I felt one of the aftershock tremors! It was pretty cool! (It could be "cool" because no one was hurt in this whole thing; so the experience could be "enjoyed" without being surrounded by disaster!)</div><div> So, yeh.
I wonder if my boys in college out in CA have yet experienced an earthquake? If not, I think that's funny that we had one here in Illinois!
:-D</div>NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-41740549053151251812021-11-25T01:52:00.004-08:002021-11-25T02:02:42.441-08:00Some New Music just in time for Christmas 2021!<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happy Thanksgiving! </span></p><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="🦃" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tab/2/16/1f983.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">And let me add:</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">this is a great time to look ahead to. . .</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Christmas! <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="🎄" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/ta6/2/16/1f384.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">This beautiful music album called "Wintertide," by Singer-Songwriter Brittany Jean (who happens to be my daughter! <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="🥰" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t89/2/16/1f970.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span>), was released to the world on November 12, 2021. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Brittany Jean says, “So many of you have been asking for this album for years… Wintertide is for you.”</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">In conjunction with this online "album tour," there is a giveaway running on Instagram; for more details, head on over to: @bjeanmusic</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">TODAY, November 25, is the LAST DAY TO ENTER.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Winners will be announced TOMORROW, November 26.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I highly recommend that you check out Brittany's store online to see how you can get your own copy of "Wintertide." It is available on CD and on Flashdrive. (FYI: IF you go with the Flashdrive, you will get the comlete album of songs....but you'll miss out on the beautiful album artwork created by Angelina Walker <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl q66pz984 gpro0wi8 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/angelina.d.walker?__cft__[0]=AZWTBeKvelVVxvSFBotMSLC0SGnJRBSZalt3GYhiAzf7hyu48Dc_QxUL-OomPdRejm94WUrkFJfzpvAbJd9Hzjgv8nok1B1hgnoGd58zdCqnTLXPDLwWZshjsUcjvp3gt1A&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">https://www.facebook.com/angelina.d.walker</span></a></span>)</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">AND if you want to listen online, you won't get to hear all of the songs; you will only be able to hear Brittany's original songs plus 2 public domain cover songs.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">So check it out! You'll be glad you did! <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="😊" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t1e/2/16/1f60a.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Instagram: @bjeanmusic</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Facebook: @bjeanmusic</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Website: <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl py34i1dx gpro0wi8" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbjeanmusic.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR357YFWdK9UbVZwIy3k86l0y9Qp_kZ5cRsM_FbpNpjQnTgWQ_a0rks3TPU&h=AT147yjm8nRL13pTYusL91xDPbnRrpstnnD530otMW8Iv7fdu0wnoFsfZ7zGT4A-Xkw99KnOgC6LvYtR0hxNduZ8tNpj_dSFEwmqyrsGAAprRuwEDd5XJmMXio8Ysl8CCHn4_Sc&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT32Xr1GMS5hEGRcSNVeAbJlW9k934vINDU6-_VwXeIjRhQAAyclAhfX-Czzk2eBhZyQtCwiA95TaJnikINAmPml0CWV-AqOOwcxNW62QKYhBaK_hM0Z1IWChIhPN-UzDXyJWEMNdpuQWqAA2Bum7c2Sb2w" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">bjeanmusic.com</a></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Youtube: <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl py34i1dx gpro0wi8" href="https://youtube.com/brittanyjean?fbclid=IwAR2LaCYUyqaWakOWs3JoSzIj6WQyNUoOZbJr5g8mV_cheyk5PZ7mRloI68U" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">youtube.com/brittanyjean</a></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Spotify: <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl py34i1dx gpro0wi8" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/23Efm6oysk3wpHPNtPqu8A?fbclid=IwAR3YOTj2NmGRdHdsrJnOZXowXRwyCtsfkFK1ULm2MMZ55HQ4-s-BTaKE1iM" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.com/artist/23Efm6oysk3wpHPNtPqu8A</a></span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl q66pz984 gpro0wi8 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/wintertidebybrittanyjean?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZWTBeKvelVVxvSFBotMSLC0SGnJRBSZalt3GYhiAzf7hyu48Dc_QxUL-OomPdRejm94WUrkFJfzpvAbJd9Hzjgv8nok1B1hgnoGd58zdCqnTLXPDLwWZshjsUcjvp3gt1A&__tn__=*NK-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">#wintertidebybrittanyjean</a></span> <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="❄" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/taf/2/16/2744.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span> It's beautiful<img alt="❣" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t6c/2/16/2763.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnMCZEXjacUICKyBWqwkl2Cyee_dUkQjDNsnyx92TcKiitIM8_sGxROcdTrJa-BDUm1oEtZzLvR5AFxnENHpHtDPxYC-0tKiV1kXu_p0bhyphenhyphenGhEV_06cepCcXoKZJB2XRwETHYTZBoWg/s1000/Wintertide%252C+by+Brittany+Jean%252C+2021.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnMCZEXjacUICKyBWqwkl2Cyee_dUkQjDNsnyx92TcKiitIM8_sGxROcdTrJa-BDUm1oEtZzLvR5AFxnENHpHtDPxYC-0tKiV1kXu_p0bhyphenhyphenGhEV_06cepCcXoKZJB2XRwETHYTZBoWg/w289-h289/Wintertide%252C+by+Brittany+Jean%252C+2021.jpeg" width="289" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEOi-Z2wFiAV43EB2vGMtwRPnn9xyiY7doavreG1Hg3ALKj9Zn60hrciLpyfonoLjpQaGKLGtEStUSdGQKJkS6RkBRpJxg2HFoYdkztAbf4LTIhwjLpJFu7bGLv4ZPSgeqJnvgIUcmA/s2048/Music+Album+-+Wintertide%252C+by+Brittany+Jean.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEOi-Z2wFiAV43EB2vGMtwRPnn9xyiY7doavreG1Hg3ALKj9Zn60hrciLpyfonoLjpQaGKLGtEStUSdGQKJkS6RkBRpJxg2HFoYdkztAbf4LTIhwjLpJFu7bGLv4ZPSgeqJnvgIUcmA/s320/Music+Album+-+Wintertide%252C+by+Brittany+Jean.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nhJuYuh-A-BHQVGwpn2dwc-Fv5UquUDNpWzYBPA_0ORq9NyTZ0gUY4le4VQNMRUltlnJO2vTQKA6PX02Kb818i7CGpV4gZ4yLaaIndSA-mttHUn7fdF7j12Fi9AzsTd0bxd86IO3Ww/s232/Brittany+Jean+at+KSPS-PBS+Spokane+11-12-2021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="174" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nhJuYuh-A-BHQVGwpn2dwc-Fv5UquUDNpWzYBPA_0ORq9NyTZ0gUY4le4VQNMRUltlnJO2vTQKA6PX02Kb818i7CGpV4gZ4yLaaIndSA-mttHUn7fdF7j12Fi9AzsTd0bxd86IO3Ww/w300-h400/Brittany+Jean+at+KSPS-PBS+Spokane+11-12-2021.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /></div>NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-80898479309254471232020-06-03T08:10:00.002-07:002020-07-01T14:55:31.547-07:00Are You Ready for a New Story?June 27, 2020 - Book Spotlight<br />
<br />
"WHO'S READY FOR A NEW STORY?"<br />
<br />
What's that you say? You are raising your hand to say you are ready for a new story?<br />
Well, great! Here's a fairytale adventure by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt, perfect for fans of The Secret of Roan Innish and The Girl Who Drank the Moon. And it will be arriving just in time for your summertime reading adventures. <b>RELEASE DATE was: June 21, 2020!</b><br />
You can find out more on Jenelle's blog or at Amazon to pre-order <b>now</b> and peek inside the book and decide which format you would like to have: hard cover, paperback, --and to read it the same day it's released, check out the Kindle/e-format... (Here's a hint as to what I am pre-ordering: the Kindle version and the hard-back cover version.) 💻 📗<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVx7y8fnbPep1jaFno-kbf69TLxxJ-wfWIgV1OxM9ZOuyLXz-YqUEx9T3Xfr4m6S853loviV5_FsHTDfd5kygCn_2vkgIYqGqlGFpQ-JTgZWuv9aV5BFTDb9W_jGneLHMoPE5dStPcpw/s1600/An+Echo+of+the+Fae_Internet+Use+%25281%2529+Cover+Reveal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVx7y8fnbPep1jaFno-kbf69TLxxJ-wfWIgV1OxM9ZOuyLXz-YqUEx9T3Xfr4m6S853loviV5_FsHTDfd5kygCn_2vkgIYqGqlGFpQ-JTgZWuv9aV5BFTDb9W_jGneLHMoPE5dStPcpw/s400/An+Echo+of+the+Fae_Internet+Use+%25281%2529+Cover+Reveal.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
Follow Jenelle around the "interwebs" to get news about latest releases and her writing adventures: WEBSITE<br />
<br />
FACEBOOK<br />
TWITTER<br />
INSTAGRAM<br />
GOODREADS<br />
NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP<br />
AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL<br />
<br />
Excerpt from An Echo of the Fae, by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt:<br />
<br />
My earliest memory returns often in my dreams. My mother’s soft smile<br />
caresses me as she bends down to kiss my forehead, my own tiny hand reaching<br />
up and trying to capture a lock of her long red-gold hair between clumsy fingers<br />
that refuse to obey my wish. A soft, sweet humming fills the memory, a tune that<br />
is both dear and yet unfamiliar. Eyes filled with love gaze down at me, and a<br />
gentle laugh, a man’s laugh, fills the room. Strong arms encircle us both, my<br />
mother and me, and I know I am perfectly safe. Perfectly loved.<br />
Another sound permeates the memory: a rhythmic, rushing, liquid sound I do<br />
not recognize, but which fills me with a deep longing that threatens to burst out of<br />
my chest and leave me completely hollow. In the dream, it is merely a subtle<br />
noise in the background, but when I wake I feel a desperate need to find its<br />
source. Sometimes the longing clutches me so tightly that it leaves me gasping,<br />
desperately sucking in each breath as if through a narrow reed, my lungs<br />
screaming as though they have forgotten how to breathe the very air I need to<br />
survive.<br />
It is rare to have a memory from such a tender age, especially one so vivid.<br />
And yet, that moment is locked in my thoughts with perfect clarity. During the day<br />
it grows distant and faded, but it has haunted my sleep in full, vibrant detail each<br />
night for nearly thirteen years.<br />
So why is it that the face in my dreams is wholly unfamiliar to me? Why is the<br />
mother from my memory a stranger?<br />
===========================<br />
This book was released on the first full day of summer, June 21, 2020!<br />
You may order <b>now </b>a copy in the format of your choice!<br />
<br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089654VWC&source=gmail&ust=1591233081078000&usg=AFQjCNE4f6Gl1DguNZ1sI5qgNYaGPVTBcA" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089654VWC" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" target="_blank">KINDLE PREORDER</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> - </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089654VWC&source=gmail&ust=1591233081078000&usg=AFQjCNE4f6Gl1DguNZ1sI5qgNYaGPVTBcA" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089654VWC" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.<wbr></wbr>com/dp/B089654VWC</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3636.Jenelle_Leanne_Schmidt" style="color: #382110; text-decoration-line: none;">ABOUT JENELLE LEANNE SCHMIDT</a></h2>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3636.Jenelle_Leanne_Schmidt" style="color: #00635d; text-decoration-line: none;">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3636.Jenelle_Leanne_Schmidt" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">Jenelle Leanne Schmidt</a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "lato" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">During the days, I wrangle four small hobbits and help them along on their adventures.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "lato" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Basically, I'm Gandalf.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "lato" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">But come evenings, when the hobbits are sleeping... I become my alter-ego: PLOT WIZARD (still a wizard, just a different kind)... and adventures await in the pages I scribble upon.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "lato" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I write fantasy, fairy tale retellings, hints of steampunk, and I have epic plans for a hybrid science fiction/20s detective story mashup at some point... it's in the works. Mostly I stick with fantasy, though.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "lato" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I'm a dreamer, a relentless opener of doors in the hope of someday finding passage to Narnia, and story girl.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "lato" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I'm the author of the complete series "The Minstrel's Song," a four-book saga of epic adventure full of dragons, quests, magical swords, fierce warriors, friendship, loyalty, and an enigmatic minstrel. I won the second Rooglewood contest and my retelling of Beauty and the Beast, titled Stone Curse, was included in their Five Enchanted Roses anthology. I have two short stories published in Mythical Doorways and Paws, Claws, and Magic Tales with the Fellowship of Fantasy. I've had my flash fiction published with Havok three times. And I just released my first children's picture book!</span><br />
<br />NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-54844229938553776102020-02-23T14:27:00.000-08:002020-02-23T14:27:01.556-08:00<h1 class="h2 entry-title" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #204080; font-family: "Nothing You Could Do", cursive; font-size: 2.5em; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<a href="http://jenelleschmidt.com/fifth-february-is-fantasy-month/" rel="bookmark" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3); background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #204080; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Fifth Annual February is Fantasy Month: Join the Party">Fifth Annual February is Fantasy Month</a></h1>
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My daughter is hosting this event (see <a href="http://jenelleschmidt.com/">http://jenelleschmidt.com/</a> for more details) and there are some fun ways to enter for the chance to win some give aways. One of the ways to earn 5 entries is to write my own fantasy-themed blog post and then join the linkup!</div>
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Well, that made me panic, for I am not a fantasy story writer, and I thought maybe I had to come up with some fantastical-kind of story!<br />But then... I figured this did NOT mean I had to write my own fantasy story... but rather that I could make my blog post "fantasy-themed" simply by sharing that there is this fun "party" going on throughout February to celebrate fantasy stories and gain some insights on the ways fantasy authors dream up their fantasy realms and creatures.</div>
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Here it is nearing the end of February (already!), so let me just post this and invite you to join in on this fun before the month totally disappears!</div>
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There. That was my "fantasy-themed blog post." ;)</div>
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NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-31188681978639162342019-11-07T01:11:00.000-08:002019-11-07T01:11:54.132-08:00Saying Good bye to such a good friend!Got word today that my son and daughter-in-law needed to let their beloved dog Samantha Jane, a.k.a. Sammy Sam, go today. They had her from puppyhood for 11 years!<br />
She will be sorely missed! Such a good dog she was!<br />
Farewell, Sammy Sam! :'(<br />
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<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="484" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D10214489959260151%26set%3Da.2902298553948%26type%3D3&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe>NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-35683266280018955382019-11-05T10:58:00.001-08:002020-02-23T14:08:44.430-08:00Regarding Children and Books<h1 class="passage-display" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
<span class="passage-display-bcv" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; padding-right: 6px;">Psalm 127:3</span> <span class="passage-display-version" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline;">New Living Translation (NLT)</span></h1>
<div class="poetry top-1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding-left: 2.6em; position: relative;">
<div class="line" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
<span class="text Ps-127-3" id="en-NLT-16101" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; left: -4.4em; line-height: 22px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">3 </span>Children are a gift from the <span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span>;</span><br />
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Ps-127-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">they are a reward from him.</span></span></div>
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<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="text Ps-127-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="line" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="text Ps-127-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">This verse came to mind as I was sitting here contemplating my own four now-adult children. Now I can also read that verse as: "Grandchildren are a gift from the Lord..."</span></span></div>
<div class="line" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="text Ps-127-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">I love to watch my "kids" and grandkids grow and stretch and dive into new and exciting endeavors.</span></span></div>
<div class="line" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="text Ps-127-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">My eldest is an author and she, her husband and an artist friend, have produced a most lovely children's picture-story book called </span></span></div>
<div class="line" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="text Ps-127-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">'Twas an Evening in Bethlehem.</span></span></div>
<div class="line" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="text Ps-127-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">I will include my review here on my blog and hope it inspires you to pick up a copy for yourself to read!</span></span></div>
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<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="text Ps-127-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><br /></span></span></div>
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'Twas an Evening in Bethlehem</h1>
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<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><a class="authorName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3636.Jenelle_Leanne_Schmidt" itemprop="url" style="color: #333333; line-height: 24px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span itemprop="name">Jenelle Leanne Schmidt</span></a> <span class="greyText" style="color: #999999;">(Goodreads Author)</span>,</span></div>
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<div class="authorName__container" style="color: #333333; display: inline-block; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">
<a class="authorName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6568915.Sierra_Klein" itemprop="url" style="color: #333333; line-height: 24px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span itemprop="name">Sierra Klein</span></a> <span class="greyText" style="color: #999999;">(Goodreads Author)</span> <span class="authorName greyText smallText role" style="line-height: 24px;">(Illustrator)</span></div>
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<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span class="authorName greyText smallText role" style="line-height: 24px;"><img alt="47812200. sx318 " src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565962742l/47812200._SX318_.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /></span></span></div>
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<div class="line" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="text Ps-127-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Beautiful, Imaginative Retelling of a Historical Event</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">I really enjoy reading aloud the poem-text of this book and let the words roll off my tongue, especially the list of the shepherds' names. I love the soft, earthy tones of the paintings and how their simplicity draws me into the story, leaving the details to my imagination. I especially like how a piece of the "big picture"on the left side page is inserted behind the text on the right side page.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">I purchased a copy for my 92-year old mother and she was immensely pleased. So it is quite suitable for all ages!</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">This is a beautiful picture book that adds a touch of imagination to a true, historical event.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">I highly recommend this book! It would make a great gift for Christmas.... or for any occasion!</span></span></span></div>
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NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-67039937273272539772019-08-05T13:54:00.002-07:002019-08-05T13:54:37.663-07:00This day in "history"My daughter, Brittany Jean (singer-songwriter), reminded me where we were one year ago today (actually it was a Sunday, but it was August 5). We were walking around Lower Manhattan in New York City checking out the 9/11 memorials and then taking a Clipper Ship tour around New York Harbor. The following day (Monday, August 6, 2018) Brittany would have the privilege of performing for 30 minutes at the City Winery NYC prior to the main event: Three Dog Night in concert!<br />
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It was a whirlwind trip, but one I am grateful we were able to make with Brittany and get to "see her shine!" It was a "night to remember" and truly a highlight in the year 2018!<br />
<br />NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-89611525697070031762018-10-22T05:15:00.005-07:002018-10-22T05:20:01.473-07:00"There were only six of us then; how we've grown!"That post title comes from my daughter's song, "Satellites," and it is more true today than it was even when she wrote it to put on her first album called, "Whispered Stories," released in 2013!<br />
(You can check out her work and info at: bjeanmusic(dot)com<br />
:)<br />
I'll just post a photo from 10/18/2018.<br />
:)<br />
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NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-284195771583781702016-12-10T13:41:00.001-08:002017-02-20T10:15:27.681-08:00How I spell "Happiness"If I could use only one word to describe "happiness," that word for me would have to be:<br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">FAMILY</span></div>
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So when two of our four children traveled across the country with their families to join my husband and me and the other two of our children who live in our town so we could be all together in one place for Thanksgiving, I was filled to the brim with "happiness"!</div>
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And a line from my singer-songwriter daughter Brittany Jean's song, "Satellites," came to mind:</div>
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"There were only six of us then.... how we've grown!"</div>
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We began to "grow" in 2004 when our eldest got married... and then had their first child in 2008...</div>
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then her two brothers followed that marriage path several years later...</div>
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then... more children came along, whom I like to refer to as our "grand-loves," so that now our family members' magic number is fifteen!</div>
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Next year, in the year 2017, we shall grow by three more as each of our married children will welcome babies, and Lord willing, our tribe will reach the eighteen mark!</div>
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I am so grateful to the Lord for each one of these people! What a blessing they are!</div>
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"Bless the Lord, O my soul!"</div>
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How do <i>you </i> spell <i>happiness</i>?</div>
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NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-69528276479401731522016-08-03T22:09:00.001-07:002016-08-28T18:21:27.639-07:00The Blessing of Family: Priceless!I think there were a total of 44 of us gathered together to surprise my mom with an early birthday party on Tuesday, July 26, 2016. We pulled off the surprise, so that was a lot of fun.<br />
Amongst our family members is one professional photographer and she captured a few good shots of all of us together. That is quite a feat, especially with some little boys that insist on making every shot a "goofy shot." :)<br />
I must say, though: I.Love.My.Family!<br />
They are a "good and perfect gift" from the Lord above!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvHXQuQgNkwUo-sSwJF5URZQtAHqnyvGQT4V7SZsjac472KbVznaApNqYFAMKjIcELqSTqULWdv6yp-U3v9hSbAGGWX2YFEsvykkW05Un71Vm_QdeXmRpBy9ShZEMjc0Gqffe7ps7OQ/s1600/2016-08-26+Porter+Legacy+at+Gull+Lake1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvHXQuQgNkwUo-sSwJF5URZQtAHqnyvGQT4V7SZsjac472KbVznaApNqYFAMKjIcELqSTqULWdv6yp-U3v9hSbAGGWX2YFEsvykkW05Un71Vm_QdeXmRpBy9ShZEMjc0Gqffe7ps7OQ/s640/2016-08-26+Porter+Legacy+at+Gull+Lake1.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Yay! It worked! The photo showed up! :-)NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-3054436438808194972015-09-18T13:04:00.002-07:002015-09-18T13:04:45.188-07:00Book Cover Reveal Day! My daughter, Jenelle Leanne Schmidt, is preparing her next book, Yorien's Hand, to go on sale hopefully in mid-November, 2015!<br />
But first, a peek at the beautiful book cover painted in water colors by Angelina D'Angelo Walker. Copy and paste the following link to view:<br />
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http://jenelleschmidt.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Yoriens-Hand-Cover-Reveal-Banner-Small.png<br />
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All the details can be read at Jenelle's web site:<br />
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http://jenelleschmidt.com/yoriens-hand-cover-reveal/<br />
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I had the privilege of reading and doing some editing work on this book, so I'm quite excited about it getting closer to its release date! I know it is a great story!<br />
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If you enjoy fantasy-fiction with high adventures, intrigue, and dragons(!), you will be delighted with this third installment in Jenelle's "The Minstrel Song" series!<br />
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I hope you will have time to take a look!<br />
<br />NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-49326563264803865742015-09-18T12:26:00.000-07:002015-09-18T12:26:34.548-07:00Satellites, Meteorites, & Stars...Wednesday, 8/12/15<br />
What a wonderful evening we had tonight, listening to Brittany Jean put on a concert at Sun Mountain Lodge in Winthrop, Washington! She did three 45-minute segments, with a 10-15 minute intermission after the 1st and 2nd segments. It wasn't a very big turn out, maybe 20 to 25 people total attending, but those that were there were extremely warm and welcoming to her! And 18 of her Whispered Stories CD's were sold! The Lodge sold tickets for this event in order to make a contribution to the Carlton Complex Fire Recovery efforts. Brittany Jean did a wonderful job and many of her songs seemed to evoke tears from many in the audience--a sign of a great story-teller balladeer! :)<br />
Upon arriving home quite late, I decided to see if I could see any of the meteorites that were predicted to be showering down tonight. I did see some, and that was a lot of fun. I saw a couple satellites as well. The billions of stars were amazing to behold! Talk about feeling small!<br />
From the telescopic to the microscopic--it all points to The One Creator of it all! Regardless of whether He is accepted or rejected, He allows everyone to enjoy the myriad blessings of His creation!NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-16075400313801103922015-03-04T08:26:00.000-08:002015-03-04T08:26:05.219-08:00Wednesday, March 4, 2015<br /> For some reason, after reading my daughter's blog post regarding her second-born daughter, who just turned three years old yesterday, a line from a story came to mind and I couldn't recall from what source it came. I did a Google search to find out that it came from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8164.Lewis_Carroll" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Lewis Carroll</a><span style="color: #181818;"> in </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2375385" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;">Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass</a>.</i><br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </i>Now, that has never been a story I paid much attention to, as I never really liked it; but after scrolling through some Lewis Carroll quotes from that book, I think I should pick up a copy from the library and read it from start to finish. Then I might either confirm my dislike for it...or perhaps be dissuaded from that opinion.<br />
Anyway, the line I was thinking of in relation to how quickly three years has seemed to pass for my granddaughter to already be three was this: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">“The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.”</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> So this morning, I think I shall just stop and be still and not hurry...so I just don't get any more behinder!</span>NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-91915031339064481742014-05-31T11:09:00.000-07:002014-05-31T11:09:56.798-07:00It's Not Just "For the Birds"Matthew 6:26 (ESV)<br /><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"</span><br />
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Outside my kitchen window, a sparrow of some sort, perhaps a "Common Redpoll" according to a photo I looked up, built a nest underneath the porch rafters. I had considered early on discouraging it from building its nest there, but then decided I would enjoy having such a close view of the nest, to see all the "stages" unfold before my eyes.<br />
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It HAS been fun to see the momma bird come and go, trying to keep up with what looks like FOUR hungry mouths to feed! Oftentimes when I hear the clamor of little baby birds chirping, I know that the momma bird has returned with food; I hurry over to the kitchen sink, and from my "front row seat" (window), I get to watch all the activity.<br /><br />
In my Bible reading this morning from Psalm 104:27-30, I read this:<br /><span class="text Ps-104-27" id="en-ESV-15599" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="display: block; font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; left: -4.8em; position: absolute; vertical-align: top;">27 </span>"These <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-15599AQ" title="See cross-reference AQ">AQ</a>)"></span>all look to you,</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Ps-104-27" style="position: relative;">to <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-15599AR" title="See cross-reference AR">AR</a>)"></span>give them their food in due season.</span></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="text Ps-104-28" id="en-ESV-15600" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="display: block; font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; left: -4.8em; position: absolute; vertical-align: top;">28 </span>When you give it to them, they gather it up;</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Ps-104-28" style="position: relative;">when you <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-15600AS" title="See cross-reference AS">AS</a>)"></span>open your hand, they are filled with good things.</span></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="text Ps-104-29" id="en-ESV-15601" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="display: block; font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; left: -4.8em; position: absolute; vertical-align: top;">29 </span>When you <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-15601AT" title="See cross-reference AT">AT</a>)"></span>hide your face, they are <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-15601AU" title="See cross-reference AU">AU</a>)"></span>dismayed;</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Ps-104-29" style="position: relative;">when you <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-15601AV" title="See cross-reference AV">AV</a>)"></span>take away their breath, they die</span></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Ps-104-29" style="position: relative;">and <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-15601AW" title="See cross-reference AW">AW</a>)"></span>return to their dust.</span></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="text Ps-104-30" id="en-ESV-15602" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="display: block; font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; left: -4.8em; position: absolute; vertical-align: top;">30 </span>When you <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-15602AX" title="See cross-reference AX">AX</a>)"></span>send forth your Spirit,<span class="footnote" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="[<a href="#fen-ESV-15602c" title="See footnote c">c</a>]"></span> they are created,</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Ps-104-30" style="position: relative;">and you <span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-15602AY" title="See cross-reference AY">AY</a>)"></span>renew the face of the ground." (ESV)</span></span><br />
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Every time I hear and see those little birds with their mouths wide open in eager and frantic expectation of food, I can't help but think of my own relationship with my Abba Father God and ask myself: Do I look to Him for my food--not just for my physical sustenance, but for my soul? Do I gather up the "soul food" he provides and allow Him to fill me with good things?<br />
<br />I do know that "when He hides His face from me," I am dismayed. But I do realize that He is not really the One who is hiding His face from me, but rather I have turned my back on Him and I cannot see His face when the "eyes of my heart" are looking in the opposite direction! I remember that when Father God turned His face away from His own Son who was bearing the sin and shame of the whole world on the cross, that meant that God would never turn His face away from His "adopted children," which includes me! So I am the one who must turn, must repent, and fix my eyes once more on Jesus, "the Author and perfecter of my faith!" (Hebrews 12:2)<br />
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As I went outside to turn on the sprinkler yesterday, I saw a little baby bird lying facedown on the ground, dead. Since it was only a few feet away from the nest I've been watching, I wondered if it might have come from there. I will see if I can count how many mouths are now still poking up out of that nest! As the baby birds have been growing quite rapidly, I figured it would not be very long before that little nest would become just too small to hold four growing birds! Perhaps that little bird grew impatient and decided he was ready to escape the nest and fend for himself. Perhaps he grew impatient waiting for his mother to return each time with something to eat. Or perhaps he was forced out, or even pushed (quite by accident, I'm sure!). Whatever the circumstances, his life was over before he got to see the world; however, its fall did not escape Father God's attention (Matthew 10:29); nor does any calamity that befalls me escape my Father's attention!<br />
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I'm reminded that not even death can separate me from the love of God! (Romans 8:38-39)<br /><br />What does He require of me then? "To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him." (Micah 6:8) He wants me to "walk in His steps," (1 Peter 2:21), to "taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Psalm 34:8) <br />"<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" (Psalm 27:14)<br />"T</span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">hey who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)</span><br />
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I'm going to continue watching this little bird family and try to learn more lessons!<br />
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NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-37872762561621411252013-10-25T03:46:00.001-07:002022-09-21T03:52:26.102-07:00Our Major 1,902.2-mile MoveWhat a drastic CHANGE has come about in our life! We left our home of 30 years in IL and moved to Brewster, WA, on 10/2/13!<br />
I've seen God's "fingerprints" all over each step of the way and I'm grateful that HE is in control!<br />
I'm very thankful that we have a son and his family living 1 mile away from us now (this includes a 9-month old precious granddaughter)!<br />
And we have a beautiful view from our picture window overlooking the Columbia River and some mountains. (This particular photo was taken up higher from a friend's home, overlooking Brewster.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wJXxYauj5EUfSwREvSwTz4_ADgojYAc11u4c6XFT67SsNmIvBvVDPoXQSUK9spcx-8HzUXYVZcIh9z3rCDvRwy5S_kuC6CSbxO0xWa3oT_Th3WC_F2PjqAyPpMf1L398c6Lsdcec3g/s1600/IMG_4295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wJXxYauj5EUfSwREvSwTz4_ADgojYAc11u4c6XFT67SsNmIvBvVDPoXQSUK9spcx-8HzUXYVZcIh9z3rCDvRwy5S_kuC6CSbxO0xWa3oT_Th3WC_F2PjqAyPpMf1L398c6Lsdcec3g/s640/IMG_4295.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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It has been a very "bitter-sweet" experience. Now to see what God has in store for us next, as well as to see how HE will complete things and bring closure to our life in IL.<br />
<br />NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-8567400352303720732013-01-31T12:27:00.002-08:002013-01-31T12:34:09.288-08:00Wild Weather in January 2013<a href="http://scripturetyper.com/Group/View/f31a87a113/" target="_blank"><img alt="The Romans Project - Bible Memory Group" src="http://scripturetyper.com/orgpages/scripturetyper/images/romans_project_badge.jpg" /></a><br />
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That which I copied and pasted above... is suppose to show up as the picture that goes along with The Romans Project in which I'm participating, encouraged by Ann Voskamp. I'm not sure yet how to get it to post on my blog the way it is suppose to... well, as always with computer stuff, I try and try until I hit upon whatever works. ;) Hey, Hey! It works! :)<br />
I am working on memorizing the first chapter of Romans, then plan on tackling chapters 8 and 12 so that by the end of this year, I'll be able to recite those 3 chapters from memory. I've always wanted to memorize chapter 8 and 12... so imagine how glad I was to see Ann Voskamp (Author of One Thousand Gifts) announce The Romans Project to memorize chapters 1, 8, & 12 of Romans! Her project last year was to memorize 3 chapters in Matthew covering The Sermon on the Mount. I did not participate in that one... wish I would have... but now I know how wonderful it will be to get "chunks" of God's Word "hidden" in my heart! :) <br />
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We've had some interesting days with a wide variety of weather this past week! The temperatures rose to the upper 50's but it was rainy and sloppy out there. Then the temperatures plummeted into the teens so that today it's 15 degrees and windy with light snow flurries, with zero degrees predicted to be the low. Brrrrrr!<br />
As long as it is warm inside our house, I dress in layers because I'd get too warm if I was wearing a pull-over sweater or sweatshirt all day. I need to be able to shed that top layer, even to being comfortable in a short-sleeved shirt and jeans. :) I keep our thermostat set at 66, so usually I have a jacket I can easily put on or take off. However, if my DD {Darling Daughter} and I are going out for a walk, we bundle up in snow pants, winter coats, hats, head band warmers, scarves, gloves/mittens, and winter boots! :) We did go on a walk on a 5-degree day; we didn't even make it around the pond once before we realized we needed more warm clothes to wear. So we stopped back at home and grabbed scarves and she got her ski goggles to wear. :) I'm sure we were quite the sight out there walking around Pioneer Park! :D<br />
Well, in more important news, I have a new granddaughter who was born 2 1/2 weeks ago! So now I have THREE wonderful granddaughters who are all "the apple of my eye!" God's Word is true: "Children are a treasure from the Lord!" I am extremely grateful for the technology we have to "video chat" with them so I have a way to see them "in action" and watch them grow and develop and change. It's not as great as being with them in person, but it's the next best thing and sure does help to span the miles.<br />
My youngest DD who lives here at home with us is doing a Bible study with me and I am really enjoying it! I had previously made an attempt to go through this study, Living Beyond Yourself (written by Beth Moore), the first time in 2003; then I tried in 2004; then in 2009! In all those attempts, I never got past Week 4! So I was delighted when DD agreed to do it with me this time around and I have now reached Week 4 (again!) and I have high expectations of making it all the way through Week 10 THIS TIME! :D<br />
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<br />NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-57487905010220728152013-01-03T19:08:00.003-08:002013-01-03T19:08:39.583-08:00Yet another New Year... 2013!Let's see, what can I "muse" about tonight?<br />
I don't land on this e-blog too often.<br />
I did spend way too much time working on editing and touching up a photo for a new profile picture here... only to discover this evening how quickly I COULD have gotten it done.<br />
Well, now I know more about "touching up" photos anyway.<br />
I wonder if anyone else besides me just doesn't like the sound of "2013." I think it has a hollow ring to it. Maybe it's just because it's an odd-numbered year, and I like even numbers...even though my husband and all of my children were born in odd-numbered years.<br />
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We took our lovely Christmas tree down this afternoon. It was a very nice tree that we had purchased from Sunny Acres Farm in West Chicago, IL; I had considered leaving it up until next week's garbage pick-up day... but it was getting rather dry an brittle, so today was the day to take it down and put it by the curb for garbage pick up tomorrow. Good-bye pretty tree!<br />
<br />Now I just need to get all the boxes of Christmas things put back up on the top shelf in the garage to be stored until next Christmas.... IF we need them... IF the Lord Jesus Christ has not yet returned for His Bride, The Church. That would be so wonderful if He would return sometime this year.... maybe even tonight! "This could be The Day!"<br />
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I am now a grandmother of two darling girls and another one due on January 20, 2013! I sure do love those little people! I look forward to all the things they have in store to teach me! :)<br />
"Thank Heaven for little girls!" :)NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-16229251796821121462012-02-04T05:11:00.000-08:002012-12-27T10:32:38.697-08:00 In the spirit of being grateful to the Lord . . . I praise Him for how He directs and provides so I can follow in HIS steps, even when that seems to go 180 degrees in the opposite direction I thought I should be going! I've heard it said that "where God guides, God provides."<br />
So I choose to follow HIM, to go where HE wants me to go, and be what HE wants me to be. I don't need to know HOW HE will provide; I just need to trust HIM, obey HIM, and follow HIM!<br />
"Oh, Lord, You have been good, You have been faithful to all generations!" (Twila Paris song)<br />
The song "Time in a Bottle" just came to my mind (!) b/c I'm thinking about how FAST time flies by...oops! there just went another second, and another, and another!<br />
STOP!<br />
Oh, it won't stop!!! <br />
Guess that's why the Lord tells us to "redeem the time".... use it while we have it!<br />
<br />NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-30428536528177010492012-01-25T14:49:00.000-08:002012-01-25T14:49:53.336-08:00"Attitude of Gratitude" or "1000 Gifts"In reading someone's eblog today I was reminded to revisit Ann Voskamp's blog. I like the way she writes. She has a "challenge"for this year of 2012 that she has posed for us: write 3 things every day for which you are thankful... so by the time we reach the end of this year you'll have well over 1000 things on your list! Well, I'm getting a late start here... but IF I were to do this every day for the rest of this year, I'd end up with 1026 items on my list! So I'm thinking I'll jump in on this! :) It would also be fun if I could take 3 pictures per day of those things.... "Pretty lofty goals, Herb!" Well, I can try!NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1270624547390331590.post-86304114270615797852009-07-11T11:23:00.000-07:002009-07-11T11:42:10.367-07:00The "Porter's" at Wendy & Steve's Wedding, 9AUG08<a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=116601&id=1045257459" target="_blank"><img style="width: 460px; height: 355px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v208/46/91/1045257459/n1045257459_116635_1822.jpg" /></a><div> <div><span>From the album: </span><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=6149&id=1045257459" target="_blank">"My Niece's Wedding 8-9-08"</a> by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1045257459" target="_blank">Anne Fowkes</a></div> <div>My how we've grown!!! :)</div><div><i>In this photo:</i> <span>Cathy Walker</span>, <span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1045257459" target="_blank">Anne Fowkes</a> (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?id=1045257459&aid=6149&auser=1045257459" target="_blank">photos</a>)</span>, <span>Margaret Porter (my mom)</span>, <span>Randy Porter</span>, <span>Roger Porter (my dad)</span>, <span>Nancy Walker</span></div> </div>NanJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289779772032703864noreply@blogger.com1