Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Book List

Alright ya'll, here's my first book list for this year. I'm starting with ten books.

1. Venom and Song by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper (Although I probably shouldn't count this one, since I'm almost done with it :P)

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (I started to read this one before Christmas, but then I got a couple fantastic books I had to read)

3. The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (I liked Witch of Blackbird Pond well enough, let's try this one. And it's historical fiction in Roman times!)

4. The Sign of The Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare (Another one)

5. The Oath by Frank Peretti (A creepy, spiritual battle book. I think. :D)

6. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy (I'm trying to read some classics this year)

7. The Witness by Dee Henderson (She's a pretty good suspense author. I enjoyed Danger in The Shadows.)

8. Duncan's War by Douglas Bond (I've probably started this one several times, but still haven't read this book about the Scot's wanting their freedom!)

9. Distant Echoes by Coleen Coble (I really enjoy Mrs. Coble's writing. Excited for this new read.)

10. This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti (A good book about spiritual warfare. I may have listened to part of an audiobook of this one.)

So there ya have it, ten books I'm going to read this year. We'll see what gets added when (and if) I finish these. :)

Have a glorious evening!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

A New Year of Choices

Well it's the new year! But before I post about *that* I should probably relate the happenings of our Christmas play.

 It was a lot of work this year! We've never done a musical before, and we were excited, but then, there were all the little wrinkles that are always there when doing something for the first time. We went out there, and the kids did a fabulous job! The musical was called 'Angel's Aware' and it was about the angel's finding out about God's plan to send his son to earth as a baby. It's a really cute play. I'm not going to say there weren't any errors, because there were, quite a few! But everyone worked hard, and the congregation really enjoyed it. And ya know, when we are doing it for God, he will be our foundation. He must have helped us that night, because even with our mistakes, it went very well, and I'm proud of all my little dears.

 Our family went out of state to visit Charity and Beau for Christmas! The day after we arrived we went out to eat at a Chinese restaurant with the Cox's. I love the kids, and sometimes they say the funniest things. (As in to make you laugh!) Anyway, when Christmas day arrived it was just us, and Chair and Beau. Well, actually it was the day *after* Christmas, cause Beau to work on the 25th. So we laughed, and opened presents, and ate a yummy dinner. It was a good trip. We stayed til the beginning part of January, and even were able to go where Chair was having her ultrasound- Though only Beau, Mom, and Dad actually got to go in. But I'm so excited because I'm going to have a niece in a few months! YAY!! She'll be named Rachel, so I probably need to start thinking of nicknames now... HMM. We went to Steak 'n Shake afterwards to celebrate. And the day before we left, we were able to spend a fun day with the Cox's, playing games, and just having a grand old time.


   Back to the subject at hand. I've entitled this entry "A New Year of Choices." That's actually a very true statement. Last year we made a choice every day. What we would do that day, what would be accomplished, what we would say. Well now we have another year. Maybe the choices we made last year weren't always the best. Maybe we should change them. This year I'm going to work on some choices that I hope I can stick to with the Lords help. I will show love to people, no matter if they've hurt my feelings in the past, or treat me like I'm nothing. I will send a kind word or gesture to each person in my family, every day. I will tell my family I love them, every day. And I will pray for a better relationship with Christ, and read my Bible every day. And whatever else God my place on my heart.

 So speaking of choices, this year I want to do a few more things as well. Here's sort of a list.

Finish a novel: I'm doing pretty good, I think, though at the rate my story is going, it may turn into two books. This isn't "The Return," by the way. This is a story I started writing during NaNoWriMo, and I just happened to fall in love with the characters. If the Lord wills, I'd love to publish a book before I graduate from High School in a couple years.

Fanfiction: I'd like to get into a niche where I update my stories at least every two weeks, at least one of my stories. I just hope I can get past all the stuff I have to do and, well, do it!

Knitting/Crocheting: I'd like to learn to knit or crochet well. I've just started crochet, and I think it's working out well. I know how to knit, but only one stitch. Anyway, my ultimate goal is to make a baby blanket.

Film Making: I'd like to make a short film with a meaning, even if my camera isn't of the finest quality, and technology. I need to at least practice, and see where it gets me.

 Read: I want to read a lot of books this year, including some classics. At Christmas I was given three  books: Book of A Thousand Days by Shannon Hale, The Curse of the Spider King by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper, and the sequel to that, Venom and Song. I finished the first two within two day. BOATD was a little strange, but I really enjoyed Curse of The Spider King. WTB is probably my favorite current fantasy author. I love his Pirate Adventures, and The Door Within Trilogy. This book was icing on the cake-or maybe it was the cake. Anyway, I'd definitely recommend the last two. I think I'm going to compile a list of the books I'd like to read this year. That includes Pride and Prejudice. I've never read it! So anyway, signing off now that I've given you a bit of what I'd like to do this year, (I may add more later) I hope you have a wonderful year!

 ~Bethany