November Wrap-Up Post

November has been a good month, and there are still two days left! Since I was crazy enough to participate in Nanowrimo, November has kind of gotten busy! Let me tell you a little bit about my month! 

➳➳➳Signing into Nano➳Getting ready to start my novel➳Having a birthday➳Apparently, I'm now considered a adult! ➳Yeah, it's kind of crazy ➳Driving➳Taking pictures of the fall leaves➳Going to a park➳Eating out➳Sitting on the floor of a bookstore➳Reading the backs of all the books➳Buying ONLY two books aka hard decisions➳Late nights➳Late nights writing➳Stressing over word count➳Setting my own writing goal➳Bleaching and drying Loofah Sponges➳Going to the nursing home➳Peppermint Ice Cream!!!➳Replying to emails➳Making book covers➳Reading➳Drowning in my TBR pile!➳Writing➳Writing➳More writing➳Riding Rosie➳Snowwww!!!➳Hot Chocolate➳FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE!! (yes, even when it's freezing out!)➳Movies➳Getting a cold➳Reading➳Finishing the three-book If I Run series➳Blogging➳Archery practice➳Big soap order!➳Writing➳Making hand lettered Christmas cards...➳Waking up at 5am to go work out at the YMCA➳Yummy homemade sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting!➳Living➳Laughing➳Loving➳And learning➳➳➳

➳➳➳At Bendy Booth app on phone➳Until my face hurt➳At our "pumpkin snowman"➳While playing Uno➳At Blimycow➳At Studio C➳At Thanksgiving games➳Because I sing the words wrong➳To laugh (seriously, even if it's not even funny, laugh! It's good for you.)➳➳➳

➳➳➳Fall fresh air➳Leaves!➳Warm blankets➳Animals➳Rosie (My horse)➳Family➳Thanksgiving food!➳Peppermint spray whip cream!➳A warm house➳Bella (my dog)➳A good book➳➳➳

➳➳➳To write a book➳To see the good➳To smile➳To surrender my worries➳To give God the glory➳How to be a good friend➳Instruments➳To step out of my comfort zone➳That life changes (are you singing the song now??) *winks* and *thumbs up* to anyone who knows what song I'm talking about!➳That it's ok to take my writing journey slow➳That the word count is not what matters the most➳Learning that the same sun that burns a shallow-rooted plant will nourish a deep-rooted plant. Hard times either cause us to fall away from God, or make us take deeper roots.➳➳➳

<<<Not-so-Mini-Photo-dump>>>

Conflict chart inspired by Sarah!

Pretty fall leaves 

Um, so, if you don't think that this Bendy Booth is funny, then I don't know what is! XD

High up view...

Love that color of leaf

Making a bouquet of autumn leaves :)

Those yellow roses were so fragrant!

Me sitting on the floor of a giant book store! 

I ended up buying Heart on the line, and Child of Mine!

First time ordering from Canva!

Frost-laced leaves

Day 5 of NanoWriMo

Bella using the stairs we made for her out of toilet paper :D

Dandelion photo-shoot 

Making smoothie! Favorite kind is PB&J! Frozen strawberries, raspberries, banana, maple syrup (from the farm), vanilla, milk, and peanut butter! 

Using my new study/art bible!

Rosie!!!

These are my favorite! 

Tucker in his new sweater <3

Hay bales look like frosted shredded wheat!

Bow and Arrow practice! I'm proud to say that I hit the can twice! 

I package all of my goat's milk soap with wax seals!

Hot chocolate for breakfast multiple times this month!

The fruit turkey I made for thanksgiving! 

Late night frosty :P

Last book in the series, what a roller coaster ride! 

A few of the cards I made...

Baby Angel's first snow!

~~~

Since that photo dump was extra long, I will save my room tour/room tour video for another time! :) Hope y'all enjoyed reading about my November! Also be on the look out for my fifth and final Shared WIP post coming on Friday! *winks*

2 Corinthians 12:9

"But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

How was your November? What is one thing that you are thankful for? Do y'all still like reading my wrap-ups? Are you ready for winter?

Shared WIP Tag: Week Four!

Welcome to week four in the Shared WIP Tag that I am participating in for the month of November! Nano is coming along, no matter how slow or fast, I am making progress! And any progress is good progress! This Friday, I will be sharing with y'all about my SC's, (side characters) or at least some of them! I obviously can't list all of them!

Let's start with the introduction!

~~~

1. List your SC's, state one of their main hobbies, and tell us how they influence your MC in the story.
So, I am going to be talking about five side characters. Instead of answering how they influence my MC, I am going to answer who they are to the MC... I also threw in age too! 

Name: Mabel "Bell"
Age: 18
Hobby: Musical instruments 
Who they are to Dakota: //Younger cousin//Friend//Peacemaker//Assurance//

Name: Adeline "Addy"
Age: 17
Hobby: Reading and writing
Who they are to Dakota: //Younger sister//Friend//Advice giver//Creative//

Name: Emma "Em"
Age: 14
Hobby: Being enthusiastic 
Who they are to Dakota: //Younger cousin//Friend//Strong willed//Cheerleader//

Name: Alexandra "Lexi"
Age: 13
Hobby: Animals
Who they are to Dakota: //Younger sister//Friend//Innocent//Sunshine//

Name: Beatrice "Bea"
Age: 6 (?)
Hobby: Pickpocketing 
Who they are to Adam: //Little sister//Everything//Chatterbox//Smiles//

2. Who is the SC that is the closest to your MC?
Dakota is very close to all of her sisters and cousins! 

Bea sticks to Adam like glue!  

3. How do your SC's act around people they don't know?
Mabel is quiet, but not shy around people she doesn't know.

Addy is very shy and quickly goes back into her shell.

Emma is bubbly, talkative, and alway's looking for a new friend.

At heart, Lexi is a social butterfly, but she takes some time to warm up to new people.

Bea is leery of strangers, but she is not afraid. She is a little spitfire.

4. How do they add conflict to the story (disagreeing with the MC, perhaps)?
These side characters will quarrel occasionally. But in the end, they all stick together through thick and thin! 

5. Would your MC die for any of them? What about vice versa? 
Without a doubt, yes and yes! Dakota and Adam would do anything for each of their family members. Same, vice versa! 

6. If you were writing a book about your SC's,what might the books be like?
Hmm, funny you ask! My dream is to write a book about some of my side characters! *winks*

7. What is your favorite part about the setting? 
I love this time in history! I think that the Oregon Trail is a perfect setting that already adds a element of excitement, creating a writer's ideal location for adventure and heartache! Anything is possible for the characters to encounter and overcome! 

{Picture from Pinterest}

8. What was the hardest part about coming up with the setting? 
All of the research put into making the history as accurate as possible. It's one of my biggest reader pet peeves when historical-fiction doesn't add up right with the actual time frame in history.

9. Is there anything about the setting that produced a major change in your character throughout the story?
I'm not sure if I understand this question fully, but a major change that you would see in my characters is the way of their dress, food, talk, etc. would all be from the 19th century. Like for instance, if my character had a birthday or special occasion, instead of eating birthday cake, they would have Molasses Stack Cakes. And obviously as the traveled west, they would learn things about "surviving" in the untamed land that they probably wouldn't have learned in the city. 

10. Did you base your setting off of any place in particular?
Places I plan on basing my story off of are Independence (or St. Lewis... still deciding!) Missouri, New Orleans, Mississippi River, The Oregon Trail, and all of the stops along the way... 

~~~

That just about sums up week four! Thank you for reading about some of my side characters! And be sure to stay around for next weeks WIP post!

Also, If any of you bookworms out there are interested in a Black Friday book sale, be sure to check THIS out! Get your good deals now! And don't forget to check out the GIVEAWAY which is pretty awesome if you ask me! :) 

Can you relate to any of these side characters? Do you like reading about the Oregon Trail and/or the Wild West? What was your favorite part of this post? What do you think of the Black Friday sale going on??

Talk to y'all in the comments! ;)

Give Thanks

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. My family always has such a good time, and over the years, we have made tons of happy memories together on Thanksgiving! Most of them, are happy memories, but I do seem to recall a time where my dad accidentally spilled a whole pot of hot oil ALL over my Auntie's tile floor! That made quite the mess to clean up!!! 

Today, I'm going to give you a peek into our Thanksgivings on Winds of Faith! (I might even share a Thanksgiving recipe with you lucky ducks!)

The meal is one of the most important parts of Thanksgiving. *winks* Most of our meal is made up of recipe's that are our family traditions. We usually have fried gluten in place of turkey (in case you don't already know this about me, I'm vegetarian. I have never eaten meat...) This year, we are trying something a little bit different. We ordered a stuffed vegan "turkey" roll from a place called The Herbivorous Butcher. I'm crossing my fingers that it is good.

Other dishes we will have is my Mom's famous green bean casserole, dinner rolls (my Mom is just a flat out good cook!), stuffing, mashed potatoes (made with love, by Nannie), cranberry sauce (my cousin's specialty), cranberry relish (my younger cousin's specialty), roasted brussel sprouts, crock pot mac and cheese, and a broccoli rice and cheese dish (Auntie's family recipe!).

For dessert, we are having pumpkin pie (Fun fact about me: I don't like pumpkin pie, I'm weird), cherry pie (now I love cherry pie), pecan pie, and blueberry pie (no sugar added!)

Wow! Writing all that delicious food down makes me hungry! I can't wait to eat it all tomorrow! Today, I get to be apart of the baking!!! 

Some other things we do on thanksgiving is each person will write down some things they are thankful for on little pieces of paper and they are hung around the room until after we eat, then they are passed out around the room to be read aloud. 

We like to decorate the table for thanksgiving, and by the time we are through, it is a masterpiece! 

The day after Thanksgiving, my Auntie (she's awesome!) puts on a scavenger hunt/escape room type activity. We go all over the property finding and solving clues along the way! The prize at the end is a shopping trip into town for Tractor Supply Co.! Last time I bought a pocket knife! :)

The night after Thanksgiving, we've made it a tradition to camp out up in the woods! Camping out is so much fun, even if it is a little chilly outside. Last time we camped, we heard owls that sounded like a bunch of monkeys! We might not camp this year, due to the weather, we'll see. 

Thanksgiving is such a time of giving and thankfulness. I am very blessed and thankful to be able to celebrate it with my amazing family! Thanksgiving is also a time to remember the pilgrims who first came to America. All of their struggles they suffered, facing so many hardships. I can only imagine how truly thankful they felt on that first Thanksgiving after the harvest in October 1621. Their feast lasted three whole days! There were 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims who first celebrated Thanksgiving. (Just a little trivia for ya!)

We have so much to be thankful for. Every day is a precious gift, one that we should continue to thank God for. Just like God brought the pilgrims through so many trials when they first came to the New World, He is still working like that in our lives and in the trials we face today. Thank Him.

Now, out of all of the recipe's, there are so many to choose from, but I wanted to share one with y'all. The one I chose is this very yummy blueberry pie! With no sugar added! This is a recipe from the cookbook Incredible Edibles by Erin Hullquist, but my Auntie adapted this recipe, making it even better! 

~~~

Blueberry pie

1 can (12oz.) white grape concentrate 

12oz. water

4 Tablespoons Minute Tapioca 

5 Tablespoons cornstarch 

1 can (15oz.) crushed pineapple (we use Dole brand) (Don't drain the pineapple juice)

4 cups (16oz.) blueberries 

2 frozen pie crusts

-In a saucepan, mix white grape juice concentrate, water, Minute Tapioca, and cornstarch.

-Let sit for 10-15 minutes 

-Add blueberries and crushed pineapple, then heat up over medium high heat. Stir frequently until thickened

-Spoon into curst and bake on 325 for 30-40 minutes

-Serve at room temperature with whipped topping

-Enjoy! 

Psalm 136:1

"Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? What can you thank God for today? Are you going to try the blueberry pie recipe? Comment below if you liked reading this post! 

Shared WIP Tag: Week Three!

Welcome to week three of the Shared WIP Tag! Be sure to check out the other posts of those who are participating! See list and links HERE, in my first Shared WIP Tag post! (Yes, I'm too lazy to list them all here...*headdesk*)

Today, we are talking about the villain aka the antagonist. I have to tell you though, these has been the hardest questions to answer (and I even helped come up with some of these questions!)

Ready or not, here we go!

~~~

1. Introduce the main antagonist of your book!
Now how am I supposed to answer this without giving everything away? That's part of the suspense! (In other words, I need more time to think of his/her name!)

2. What do you (the writer) have in common with the antagonist? What do you not have in common? 
In common: We both like things neat and tidy, no loose ends.

How we differ: My book's antagonist is cruel and heartless, seeking power no matter the cost.

3. What does your antagonist do when he/she is mad? Do they have a soft spot?
He/she gets extremely angry, but doesn't act on his anger until he has a calculated plan of action. 

Yes, my antagonist does have a soft spot.

4. Who is your antagonist's worst enemy? What is their greatest fear? 
His/her worst enemy is vulnerability. Greatest fear is of being caught off guard and/or losing his/her power.

5. What is your antagonist's weapon of choice? 
A Deringer Model 1842 Navy percussion pistol. Another weapon the antagonist uses is fear.

{Picture from Pinterest}

6. How would your antagonist surprise your reader? 
Can't say because of spoiler! I know, now your curious, aren't you?!

7. What is one thing your villain would never do? 
He/she would never trust his/her partners in crime. Every man to himself.

8. What lie does your antagonist believe about the MC?
My book's antagonist believes the MC will soon balk and crumble under enough pressure.

9. What is your favorite thing about your antagonist?
I have no clue, my antagonist is the bad guy, how can I like him/her?? Besides that he/she makes the story more suspenseful...

10. If your antagonist was your MC, what would your book look like?
A lot of struggle and emotional turmoil.  

~~~

That concludes week third's post about the antagonist! Hope you enjoyed reading, and I hope you have become curious about Dakota's Dream! 

Also, I have some really great news to share with y'all! I had the privilege to beta read a short story written by non other than Julia @ Lit Aflame! Tomorrow, she is revealing her short stories' cover! So, be on the lookout for a cover reveal tomorrow!!! Who does't LOVE cover reveals!!!???

Well that's about it! I hope you enjoyed reading my very vague answers to these villain questions! As you can see, I want my story to be exciting, but I'm not quite sure if I have a good "bad guy" motive... yet! 

Do you find it hard to come up with your book's antagonist? Do you like books when the bad guys repent in the end? Or do you like books that the villain never finds redemption? (I am still trying to decide, myself!) Did you like this post? 

Lettuce chat! :) 

To Stay Awestruck

To Stay Awestruck

Written by Brooklyne

Indescribable! 

Never let His glory fade 

The beauty of this earth He made 

From the countless stars, to every small grass blade. 

Never let His glory fade 

Uncontainable!

His mercy’s are new each day

Thanking Him always when you pray

For His rich blessings He bestows, come what may

His mercy’s are new each day

Incomparable!

His love, He freely gives

Those who are searching to believe 

Love is what made Him suffer so that we could live

His love, He freely gives 

Unchangeable!

We are His chosen children

To spread the Truth we’re given

Living in peace with our sisters and brethren

We are His chosen children

All powerful! 

Just for us, He sent His Son

He has already fought and won

Leaving the ninety-nine to rescue the one

Just for us, He sent His Son

You are amazing God!

How then, do we forget?

All the criteria He has met

It seems all we do is worry and fret

How then, do we forget…

To stay awestruck?

This song, Indescribable, is what inspired this poem which I wrote at 12:30AM. My writing inspiration never sleeps! :) Anyway, I hope you are encouraged by this poem, To Stay Awestruck. Let this post serve us as a reminder to stay awestruck of our Amazing God! 

Have you ever forgotten to stay truly awestruck? Name one thing that you find amazing about our God. Thank you so much for reading this poem! Have a wonderful autumn day, and I will see you in the comments! :)

Shared WIP Tag: Week Two!

Welcome to week two in the Shared WIP tag! This Friday, we will be talking about the protagonist-- the main character. I have one "main character" then I have a secondary main character. Basically, I'm writing from these two POV's. I will be answering the questions for both of them in different colors to make things easier! 

~~~

1. Introduce your MC a little (name, maybe a description or picture, etc,) and tell us something quirky about them.
Main Character Full Name: Dakota Skye Whickner 
Role: Heroine//Oldest Daughter//Sister//Friend
Age: 19
Hair color: Long, strait, dark brown, past her hips
Height: 5'9''
Favorite color: Forest green, dark red, blue, and earthy colors
Ambition: To move West.
One sentence summary: A young woman who desires to move to the country and become self sufficient.
One paragraph summary: Dakota has always longed to leave the hassle of city life far behind. Although, convincing her family to move West is no easy task. But when circumstances arise, do they have a choice in the matter? Plunged deep into what she once thought was what she wanted, will Dakota rise to conquer the challenges that come her way in order for her dream to come true? 

Something quirky about Dakota is that she is very good at identifying herbs and wild medicinal plants.

Secondary Main Character Full Name: Adam William Brown
Role: Hero//Brother//Friend
Age: 17
Hair color: Short, curly, medium brown 
Height: 6'0'' 
Favorite color: No favorite color
Ambition: To find a home.
One sentence summary: A young man struggling make ends meet and searching for a new beginning. 
One paragraph summery: Adam is on a quest to break free from his past that leaves him living on the streets and destitute. The only thing keeping him alive is the sweet face of his little sister. Trouble seems to follow him wherever he goes and when a rare opportunity is offered to him, giving him the chance to leave the streets of New Orleans and travel by steamboat, how could he refuse? Will his dark secret keep him captive, or is there hope for this young stray?  

Something quirky about Adam is that he secretly can play the piano. 

2. What does your MC value the most?
Dakota's values: Nothing is more important than family. Nothing is more important than doing the right thing. Nothing is more important than moving West.

Adam's values: Nothing is more important than his little sister. Nothing is more important than finding their next meal. Nothing is more important than leaving New Orleans. 

{Picture from Pinterest}

3. What is your MC's wildest dream? What is their greatest fear? 
Dakota's wildest dream: To live off of the land and start a family someday. Note: Dakota has many dreams but cannot write them all here because it would be a spoiler... Lets just say, Dakota is a dreamer.

Adam's wildest dream: Adam has better things to do than to dream about the future.

Dakota's greatest fear: She fears she has brought her family into something that they cannot handle, herself included. And blames herself for the difficulties on the trail.

Adam's greatest fear: That something bad would happen to him and his sister would be left alone.

4. What is your MC's favorite food? Can they cook? 
Dakota's favorite food: Anything sweet. Her favorite for special occasions is molasses stack cake. (Personally, molasses stack cakes do not sound appetizing to me. But I looked up food on the trail, and since my main character has a sweet tooth... Ya, so, molasses stack cakes it is, then!)

Adam's favorite food: He'll eat anything, but not before his sister eats first. 

Can Dakota cook? If biscuits hard as rock and corneal mush that is burnt coal black qualifies as cooking, then yes. 

Can Adam cook? He makes do, but prefers cooking on a open fire.

5. What do you (the writer) have in common with the MC? What do you not have in common? 
In common: I have lots of things in common with Dakota... Some would be, her love for wide open spaces, her desire to care for others, and her kindness to the underdog. She also can be shy when first meeting someone.

In common: I have quite a few commonalities with Adam as well. He and I are both introverted and quiet, but will protect and defend "our own" in a flash. Adam thinks outside the box and is creative with the things that he has. We both have curly hair, but mine is more wavy instead of curly... 

Ways we differ: Dakota loves a good debate, whereas I hate confrontation. Dakota has dark brown hair, almost black, and I have blonde. She is very tall, and I am not considered to be very tall. I would say Dakota is more stubborn than I.

Ways we differ: Adam is a guy (obviously we don't have that in common!) *gives you permission to laugh at me* Adam is also very secretive, trying to always hide his true self under a thick facade. Adam doesn't believe God can forgive him of his past. 

6. What lie does you MC believe about himself/the world?
Dakota occasionally believes that she is not good enough.

Adam believe that his past has corrupted any hope for the future that he longs for.

{Picture from Pinterest}

7. Who is their best friend and why? 
Dakota's best friends are her two younger sister's and two younger cousins. Dakota would do anything for them.

Adam doesn't have many friends until later in the book but can't relay much for fear of spoilers!

8. What song best describes them this book? 
To be honest, I'm not sure what song best describes my main characters. It's hard to find songs that would apply to someone living in the 1800's...

9. What is their personality type?
//Kind//Protective//Stubborn//Willful//Helpful//Takes charge//Short temper// Determined//Quiet//

Personality test result: INFP-A (I'm not sure how accurate this was...)

//Gentle//Scrapper//Lost//Smart//Introvert//Careful//Worrier//Fighter//Intuitive//

Personality test result: INFP-T (This is probably more so accurate than the one I took for Dakota)

10. Why should your reader care about this person? 
Dakota is strong, and not just physically strong either. She admits her weakness and is stronger because of it. She is smart, and her love for her family is unbreakable. Although she is quiet at times, she is more so introverted on the inside. And although she might not always feel confident, she is. She is considerate and determined, and very much so the oldest child. 

If Adam's rough past doesn't pull at your heartstrings, then his kindness and gentle personality will. Although he has been through some unimaginable things, he never gives up, and keeps fighting if not for him, than for those he loves. At first, he is very closed up and quiet, but he will surprise you, for there is more to this character than what meets the eye. 

~~~

And there you have it! The second week's questions have been answered! I hope you liked learning a bit more about my main characters! Stick around for next Friday's post about the villain/antagonist(s)! And be sure to check out all the others' posts who participated in the Shared WIP tag! Go HERE, to the first post to find the list and links to the other participants!

Do you relate more with Dakota or Adam?
 Are you excited to read more about my book?

 Share your thoughts in the comments!