The Road

The Road goes ever on and and on Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can, Pursuing it with weary feet, Until it joins some larger way, Where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say.

-J.R.R. Tolkien

Pitcher

Here we have an average, slightly beat-up, plastic pitcher. Not too exciting. Let's take a closer look...

But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. -Jesus Christ,
John 4:14

I am blessed!

My first part of Olive Tree's idea:

1. Romans 8:38-39 is true.
2. My church's youth Bible study is on Thursday
3. There is a huge cottonwood tree outside my window. It's leaves glow gold when the evening sun hits them.
4. I get to eat fresh honey from my dad's backyard bee hives.
5. Autumn is almost here!

6. I have an imagination and people to share it with with.
7. Someone once took a piece a lead, but it in a orange wood case, attached a pink thing to one end, and painted the word 'papermate' on the side.
8. NaNoWriMo is coming up.... am I ready? No way!
9. My little sister is cute.
10. My camera is pink.
11. My room is green.
12. My piano is unique...
13. ...and so is my violin (more on that later!)
14. One word: Europe.15. There are beetles in this world, but there are also butterflies.
16. History is interesting.
17. Reading Moby Dick is not essential to living
18. I live nearby a fantastic art museum
19. Tolkien decided to write some stories.
20. My life is not boring. It may not be always easy, but it is never boring.
21. Math is optional once you are finished with school.

22. I am a middle child.
23. The nearest IKEA is not that far away.


24. Horses are good for the imagination.
25. I am a writer.

Phillippians 4:19

Philippians 4:19- And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in the glory of the Jesus Christ.

At first glance, I thought of this verse as referring to needs like food, clothing, and the basic physical ones. But there is more meaning than that.

Notice the word 'every'.God cares for and is willing to provide the non-physical emotional needs, too. He can be the perfect friend that is always, always accessible and loving. He cares for every aspect of my life.

And He's the Creator of this exquisite world, too! Not my image, but I just had to share it.

Guin is having a party!

This should be fun! Did I mention the prizes from some ah-mazing blog design sites? I am definitely interested...

1. What has been your favorite part of summer so far?
The evenings spent reading and writing.

2. What is your favorite part of autumn?
The cool air and color.

3. Raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens?
Whiskers on kittens- it would make a more unique photo!

4. Describe your dream house.
Lots of room, windows, and big trees in the big yard.

5. What's your favorite movie?
Lord of Rings. The books are great,too, if you didn't know...

6. Quote something from the book you most recently read:
I went out to the fields to sleep under the stars; there were no stars. -Jean Valjean, Les Miserables (I haven't finished it yet, which isn't a surprise, as its super huge.)

7. What do you like/not like about my blog?
Your theme, Guin! It's beautiful! And I have not followed you long enough to see what I don't find fetching.

8. Rain or shine?
That is a hard question, but I am going to have to say rain. My brother once said that rain is girly, and I almost agree with him- do you ever see boys itching to go dance in it? But I like what is does to my imagination, dancing in it is just a perk.

9. The worst grammatical mistake, in your opinion:
Funner. Is. Not. A. Word!!!! But even spellcheck thinks it is!! Argh!

10. If you had a choice, would you want to live: in the mountains, in a rainforest, on a prairie, or by the beach?
Easy: Mountains.

11. What character from a book would you say you are most like?
Ummm... perhaps I am a mix of many....

12. Be constantly talking the rest of your life or not be able to communicate in any way for the rest of your life?
I could probably handle being mute for the rest of my life, if a hermitage in Alaska came with it and I could still use pencil and paper. But I would hate to have to constantly talk for the rest of my life.

13. Owl City or Switchfoot?
Owl City, hands down.

14. Taylor Swift of Selena Gomez?
Taylor Swift, I guess.

15. Your pet peeve?
Aforesaid funner. Something about that word really bugs me...

16. What's your favorite font?
Baskerville old face

17. How are you educated? (i.e. homeschooled, public schooled, private schooled)
Homeschooled and wild. ;)

18. Do you consider yourself tomboy-ish or feminine?
I like to think of myself as feminine.

19. What's your favorite song?
Vivaldi's four seasons, Anywhere Is by Enya, Symphonic Dance by Phil Keagy (I am not loving the name for that one, but the song is spellbinding.) Vida la Vida by Coldplay, and lots more. Why and how could I limit it to just one?

20. Did you enjoy answering these questions?
Haha, yes. Who doesn't find TMI interesting? :)

Antique farm

I recently went to an old historic farm. It was very beautiful and full of photo ops for crazy photographers like me! :)

Looking out from the parlor.

The hallway.
Tools in the cellar.

One of the old workhorses. I think his name is Jack?


Looking up the cellar stairs. I loved those stairs!

Vegetables in the cellar.

The re-en actors (?) were doing laundry that day. They let my little sister and I help, which was really fun. I like gathering experiences like that to maybe one day use in my writings.


That orange swirl is a barn cat. They were very cute and funny.

A storage room in the barn.

There were a couple darling lambs running around the barns.

Aren't the sky and hayfield perfect together?

Sadly, my camera began to give up the ghost (Or battery juice) while I was there and I had to be very careful with how often I had it on. But it was good for me, too- instead of taking 500 mediocre snapshots like I normally would have, I knew that each time I pressed the shutter button I was getting a worthwhile picture.

Thanks for looking and reading!

~Margaret Rowena

The Writer's Tag

The Writer's Tag

What do you write your stories on?
College-ruled filler paper in my binders, with BicMatic pencils.

What is your favorite kind of character?

To write? A dark one. To read? A unique-without-being-proud one! I really like Eragon.

When you're asked what your story is about, what is your usual reaction?
"Oh, it's a fantasy. Hey, how is your sister doing?" I hate talking about my story, except to a very certain few.

What is your biggest writing pet peeve?
A disorganized binder! And excessive exclamation points. I once heard that one ! to every 20,000 words was enough. I am not that extreme, but my writing does lose its potency when every other sentence ends like this! Or like this! How about this?!! And when the word 'okay' is used in fantasy and historic fiction. That word wasn't coined until the 1920's.

What is the biggest turn-off for you when reading a book?
An epic character that botches the job. Example: the Glimpse warriors in The Door Within.

Your favorite era in history?
After I read Johnny Tremain, it was the American Revolution. Then I read The Scarlet Pimpernel, and it was the French Revolution. But I remain fascinated with the rule of the Roman Empire. (Probably due to the Farsala trilogy...)

How many words on average do you punch out in one sitting?
I have no idea. It varies, I guess. I usually fill a page and a half, front and back, of notebook paper.

Are you a fast typist?
No, I can't type without pecking. ;)

What do you do for inspiration?
Read LotR, look at the sky in the evening, listen to George Winston.

The truest writing quote you've ever heard:
JUST WRITE! -My encouraging friend

Do you outline your stories?

I tried. I failed.

Is there someone in your life who shares your love of writing and whom you could spend hours talking about that very subject with?

The first person to come to mind is Ellyn, and my writers group minions. But I really, truly have a hard time talking about my story or writings.

Where do you write?
At my desk, in front of my window, during the sunset.

Why do you write?
Because... it feels good? I want to be published? No, it's not for those reasons. I write because my stories are all mine and my characters are my friends.

If you are a writer, I tag you! The rules are simple: just add two new questions of your own at the end. And leave a comment telling me if you do it- I would love to see your answers!

~~~~~
Camp was so very fun. I will post pictures soon!

Au revoir, my friends! (Oh snap, that was an exclamation point, wasn't it? ;)

~Margaret Rowena

Currently reading....

Sure, I could have simply updated my books page, but I am so excited about the books I am reading right now I had to do a post about them. Starting from the bottom:

Peace like a River- This is the book I read in the evening while enjoying the sunset. I love the atmosphere of it.

Les Miserables- After listening to the musical's soundtrack, I was absolutely pumped to begin the book. It is really good. The writing and translation are clear and sharp, and the depth is enough to blow you away.

Enna Burning- Who doesn't love or at least like anything by Shannon Hale? My favorite part of any of her books are the characters, and Enna Burning's are no exception. :)

Mossflower- I am loving the forest-ey setting for this one.

Gone with the Wind- I have found it! The perfect summer read! I can park myself outside in the sun and read this one for hours and hours. It sweeps me away. I know that I won't finish it by summer's end, and I probably won't read it during the school year, but I am definitely reading it next year.
~~~~~
Today I am leaving for my second and last week of camp counseling, so I won't be posing or commenting for the rest of the week. I would appreciate any prayer!

It's raining where I am at today, but I hope that the rest of you find ways to stay cool and enjoy summer!

~Margaret Rowena

Award!

Shaynie has given me an award! Thanks so much!

Here are the Rules:

1.) Get really excited that you got the coolest award EVER!! (Excited!)
2.) Choose ONE of the following options of accepting the OMB Award:

• Write about your most embarrassing moment.
• Write a "Soundtrack of your childhood" post.
• Make your next blog a "vlog" (video blog). Basically, you're talking to the camera about whatever.
• Take a picture of yourself first thing in the morning, before you do anything else (hair, make-up, etc.) and post it.

3.) Pass the award on to at least three, but preferably more, amazing bloggers. Don't forget to tell them.
I am going to show you a morning picture:

Haha, whatever. :)

I am passing this award onto:

Ellyn

Emily

Polka Dot

Giveaway :)

Hannah Nicole is hosting a giveaway for some pretty fabulous jewelry. I am shamelessly entering! Do you want to? Maybe? Possibly?

Cold brick

Just another edit... What do you think about it?

Discoveries

I have discovered two wonderful things today:


First off are these little chocolate covered clouds of goodness- Mallow Bites! Oh, are they good. The serving size is 24 pieces.... I am not sure if I have exceeded it yet.


Second of all, is the Les Miserables soundtrack. I was cruising the CD shelves at the library and stumbled upon it. Hmm, I thought, perhaps this will be interesting. I settled down in my room with it, planning to read Enna Burning or something while listening, but ended up paging through the booklet, reading the lyrics, and sometimes singing, along with the performers. What powerful music!

I have been planning to read the novel for a while, and I am sure that figuring out the story through the songs will give me a better understanding of the 1000+ page tome.

Have you made any pleasant discoveries lately?
~~~~

Would you believe that this is this is the fourth time I have changed the appearance of this blog? I just can't keep away from websites like Shabby Blogs. How do you like the greenery of this new look?

~Margaret Rowena

Disclaimer: The above photos are not mine.