NaNoWriMo

This week, I've been catching up with school assignments and taking a break from reading.  So today, instead of reviewing a book, I'd like to talk about something starting tomorrow: National Novel Writing Month!

Known to those who participate in this event as NaNoWriMo, November is a month of challenges and frenzied typing.  The adult program, for anyone 13 or older, challenges writers to complete a 50,000 word novel in exactly 30 days.  Writers begin this enormous task on November 1, and must 'turn in' their completed first drafts by midnight, November 30.  Time zones are taken into account, and each writer sets their time zone when they fill out their author information.  Forums are available for participants, as are web badges, NaNoToons, and pep talks from several famous authors.

I had never heard of NaNoWriMo until halfway through November of last year, and I figured by that point I might as well wait.  So I did.  In fact, I almost forgot to register this year.... until I followed a cool-looking link on TeenInk's website.  Guess what I discovered?  NaNoWriMo's Young Writers Program!  This is similar to the original NaNoWriMo site, but it's geared towards kids 17 and under.  You can sign up as a K-12 teacher who wants their whole class to participate, or you can join as a student of such a class or an individual.  Pep talks, web badges, and forums similar to those on the original site are geared towards the younger participants.  Flyers, handbooks, and other resources are also available for spreading the word or getting ready.  The major difference between the regular program and the YWP is the word count - original participants must meet the 50,000 word goal to win.  YWP participants set their own goals, based on their own situations.

I signed up for NaNoWriMo YWP 2011, and I invite all of you to join me!

30 Day Challenge: Day Six - What's In Your Purse?

This is the day I rejoice that I no longer carry those giant bags that hardly qualify as purses.  Let's see what we've got...

My purse is actually a going-away gift from when I left Okinawa.  Yes, it's a real Coach.

(Excuse the mysterious hand on the sanitizer.  It belongs to a baby I'm watching.)

Obviously I have hand sanitizer, a cool little bottle made to fit in the rubbery holder thing Bath & Body Works makes.  It's Sugar Lemon PocketBac and it smells soooo good.  On the other side of the purse, there's a metal clip with gazillions of pressed pennies attached and a few bracelet-type charms.

Inside the outer pocket I have basic stuff: foldable hairbrush, Band-Aids, wet wipe, hairbands, lip gloss, and some trash.  :P  In the main pocket, I have hand lotion (B&B's Carried Away :] ); a few random papers; a mini notebook; more trash?; my favorite Blistex; a Northland card from their display on Wednesday night; two pencils; four pens; and a medicine case with Motrin and the like.

Then, in the inner side pocket, I have my "wallet."  The pocket pretty much serves as a pocket since my wallet won't fit with the notebook in this purse.  It holds my wallet stuff: money, military ID, driver's permit, library card, Coach card that came with the purse, photo of my boyfriend, 3 tracts, and a Chick-Fil-A gift card.

Oh, and when I don't have it on the charger on my desk, I have a pretty blue cell phone.  :)  It's got a really good camera on it.

And that's my purse for you!

Friendlight Friday

Bailey from Big House in the Little Woods

...we define ourselves by marriage. Our unmarried years are marked by filling hope chests, overcoming crushes and trying to keep that binding verse: "She does him good all the days of her life." For all practical purposes, we're married to him presently.

This becomes sticky when we start making life decisions. We fear going to college because what if that super cute, super spiritual boy at home won't pursue us if we're in another state? Or we go to college because that's where we find the good ones (to paraphrase godly women). We don't start this project or pursue that interest because, well, it doesn't really look good on a homemaker's transcript. Once precariously in the position of eligibility and yet perhaps on the brink of fifty years of spinsterhood, we stop asking, "What is Your will, Lord?" and start asking, "How will this help me find a husband?"

This is frustrating because on the one hand of course we want to keep in mind that we are lovely, eligible young ladies any young gentleman would kill to marry. Of course we remember there's a good chance that this second he will drive up in his white convertible (I saw you look out the window just now). Of course we don't want to waste time and money on a career or an endeavor that will plunge us into debt and will defamiliarize ourselves from the home, which, besides being imprudent, makes us horribly ineligible-looking.

On the other hand, how do we know we're not slotted for the miserable state of nonmarriage, either for a few years or eternity?

Read the rest of this post here...

Visit Bailey here...

Teens and Their Supernatural Pursuits {Guest Post}

For today's post, we have a famous teen author writing our very first guest post.  :D  Melody Carlson is a personal favorite of mine; I've read all of her Carter House Girls and On The Runway series, as well as some of her TrueColors books and one Diary of a Teenage Girl.

Have you even wondered why some teens are drawn toward things like Ouija boards or psychics? Or why séances are still popular at sleepovers? Does it just have to do with Halloween and that spine-chilling need for a good scare? Or could it be something more? And, as a Christian, should you be concerned?

            Those questions, as well as some confused reader letters, prompted me to tackle the “supernatural” in one of my teen novels (Moon White, TrueColors, Nav Press). And whenever I write an issues-based novel, I’m forced to research—and often in some dark places. So I began scouring websites, learning more about Wicca and the occult, trying to grasp what was really going on with today’s teens—and how I could write about it in a helpful and relevant way.

But, as usual, when I write a teen book, I go back to my own adolescence...trying to connect with my inner teen...and I suddenly remembered a short era when a friend and I got very interested in witchcraft. I had honestly forgotten about this time and was fascinated to recall how we scoured some witchcraft stores on a local campus—I think we even purchased a few things. Fortunately, this interest was short-lived and I became a Christian not long afterward.

            However, as I reconnected with my inner teen, I had to ask myself—why had I looked into witchcraft back then? Why do teens dabble with it now? Suddenly the answer became crystal clear. I was searching. I’d been calling myself an atheist for several years by then, but I was spiritually hungry—starving in fact. Consequently I was looking for spiritual answers—something that would fill that empty void within me. I wanted a supernatural force in my life and I didn’t even care where it came from. I needed something bigger than me, more powerful than me, something to hold onto. I had no idea at the time that I was really searching for God.

            This realization changed the way I viewed my research. Instead of feeling disgusted and dismayed by the witchcraft/Wicca sites (which are not particularly enjoyable) I began to recognize that these people (mostly girls) were simply searching too. They wanted a power source in their lives just like I wanted one in mine. They just hadn’t found God yet.

            This led to another discovery. A girl who’s attracted to a religion like Wicca is usually seeking to gain some control over her life. Something is wrong and she wants to change it. To do so, she’s often enticed to purchase something—like “magical herbs”—to create a potion that will give her some control over her situation. Unfortunately, she doesn’t even realize she’s being tricked.

            But think about it, wouldn’t you love to have control over a bad situation sometimes? Wouldn’t you love to be able to change the circumstances that make your life unpleasant? So what if someone offered you the “power” to do just that? Perhaps if you’re fifteen, you wouldn’t see that person as a charlatan and you would fall for it.

            Which brings me to another important factor in understanding this generation’s attraction to the supernatural. Follow the money. The more I researched, the more it became painfully obvious that Wicca and witchcraft and the occult are money-making enterprises. Thanks to the internet, these savvy distributors sell anything imaginable—and many things you can’t. That leads to some serious motivation—these marketers want to hook their unsuspecting young customers and reel them in. Of course, these potions and trinkets and how-to books don’t come with a money back guaranty. Nor are they approved by the FDA. Yet they are a multi-million dollar industry.

            So, in a way, it’s a perfect storm. Teens that are insecure, lost, unhappy, and searching...meet up with an unregulated industry that offers supernatural answers and power and control...for a price. And, oh yeah, I never even mentioned how this opens a door for Satan to slip in and wreak havoc. For that...you’ll have to read the book.

           

Melody Carlson is the mother of two grown sons and the grandmother of a little girl.  She and her husband, Chris, live in a cabin in the Pacific Northwest.  Little House on the Prairie inspired her love of reading, and she has been writing for several years.  She is the well-known author of multiple women's, children's, and teens' books and series.  Visit her website here.

N is for...

Nathan.

My boyfriend. :) Yup, the one with stunning eyes and big dreams.

Oh, and that's my brother Eddie on the left.  You know, all three of us have this photo as our Facebook profile picture, and that makes things really confusing. :P



Yesterdays

I've run out of list ideas, and I was browsing Teen Ink when I realized something.  This blog is called Struggles of a (Maybe) Teen Author, and yet I've only shared one piece of my 'real' work.  So now I'll share a little something I've written each week.  Most of these are posted on various websites.

Yesterdays

At times when things are hopeless;

Ones you love are far away;

Remember the cheer and laughter

From a long-gone day.


Read what you wrote in your diary

On a day when you were sad-

Then read what you wrote the next day,

When somebody made you glad.


Look back at a photo taken

Of you with all your friends

Distance can never erase that

Or make a friendship end.


Watch a movie you made at a party

With no real meaning or plot

Hear the laughter and the giggles

And be thankful for all you've got


At times when things seem hopeless;

Ones you love seem far away;

Remember the cheer and laughter

Of a recent yesterday.

Book Review: Taken Away

Taken Away by Patty Friedmann
Summer's little sister went missing in Katrina - and her mother blames her.

Click the cover to buy

Summer Elmwood's parents don't believe in television, or computers, or cell phones, or air conditioning, or caller ID.  They don't believe in evacuation, either - which is how they ended up living in their local Baptist Hospital when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.  Summer's little sister, Amalia, was having open-heart surgery a week before the storm... but when Summer's family is forced to evacuate, Amalia is gone.  Now they're living with shallow, selfish, rich Aunt Sharon, and Summer's family is convinced she hid or murdered Amalia.  With a secret cell phone, her best friend Haydn, and a new friend Robert, it's up to her to find her sister.

I had a mixed reaction to this book.  On the one hand, the language and several things about drugs and other activities were simply unnecessary.  Yes, Summer's parents were strange ex-hippies.  Yes, Summer was a 'normal teen.'  This doesn't mean a lot of the content really needed to be in there; the story was perfectly fine without it.  Another problem I had was the writing; the story is told from Summer's point of view, and her thoughts are often confusing.  Half the time you feel like you're a stranger trying to understand a small-town inside joke.  Other times Summer just seems fickle or unrealistic.  (Example: going from 'I love my baby sister and must find her!' to 'I have to find Amalia because my parents won't pay attention to me if I don't.')

On the other hand, the story itself was amazing.  It protrays the various facets of the tragedy called Katrina, along with other issues in New Orleans.  The events pull you in; whether or not you like or care about Summer's family, something makes you want to know - need to know - if they ever find Amalia.  Depending on your feelings towards the Elmwoods, you also end up wondering what happened to Amalia - did someone take her? murder her? who? why? - and who finds her, if she's ever found - Summer? her parents? one of her friends? the FBI?

For a compelling and honest story about a real-life tragedy, I give this book two and a half stars.

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for this review.  All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

30 Day Challenge: Day Five - A Favorite Quote

I have so many quotes I love, and some people who I could post quotes from all day long.  For this post, though, I'll just share the favorites I have on my Facebook profile. :)

"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you will never walk alone." ~Audrey Hepburn

The majority of American Christians are so American they can't be Christian. ~radio preacher

"I have never known any distress that an hour's reading did not relieve." ~Baron de Montesquieu


And now for a few quotes from Winnie the Pooh, which I shared once before in my friendship photo post.

“If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.” ~ A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." ~ A.A. Milne

"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them." ~ A.A. Milne

Friendlight Friday

I know this post will be controversial; please, if you agree or disagree, the comment box is open to all opinions.  I have long felt this way about this popular series, but have never found the words myself.  Personally, some of Bailey's posts combined with my own thoughts and this post (its points on books in general and contentment) have made me rethink my stance on several issues.  I'd love to add your beliefs or thoughts to my considerations.

Jane from Reviews by Jane



Romances today are unrealistic and have absolutely no purpose except make single girls fantasize about what they want to have and married woman uncontent with what they do. Most of them are painting images that are unpractical and are going to leave women disappointed with they life they have. Don't get me wrong, my opinion isn't that love stories are evil. Some of my favorite books have a side romance in them. But when the book focuses only on the passion with no discretion, no boundaries, no Biblical standards...that's when things go awry.

The whole fact that Meyer purposefully made Bella to be Eve and Edward to represent the forbidden fruit sickens me a bit. Just look at the cover. That was a sorrowful story...not one to be painted onto some romantic love tale and have it be good that Bella is "following her heart".
What?
She even has a verse at the beginning of the book, Genesis 2:17 to be exact, that talks about the forbidden fruit.

How far have we fallen that we are taking the sin of Eve and putting it in a good light? Making it to look okay to go after what is wrong, what is forbidden?

Read the rest of this post here...

Meet Jane here...

Hodgepodge

This week I have a few random things to share.  First, some announcements; then a story to make you think.

First of all, some of you may have noticed the caption on the last photo yesterday.  Today I'm sharing my news with those who aren't on Facebook and who didn't notice that yesterday: I have a boyfriend! And not just any boyfriend, but a guy who is an amazing best friend with stunning eyes and big dreams.  :)  You might know him as best friend #1 from my life story post.

My second announcement: we're going to have a guest blogger next week!  For my first time hosting a guest, we have a very special writer.... *drumroll please*  MELODY CARLSON!  Yes, the Melody Carlson, author of the Diary of a Teenage Girl, Carter House Girls, and On the Runway series, among other things.  :D  I'm so excited!

On to my thought-provoking story, which has been floating around Facebook for quite a while now.

"A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said, 'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even one year old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together.'
So the doctor said, 'Okay, what do you want me to do?'
She said, 'I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm counting on your help with this.'
The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he spoke to the lady. 'I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you too.'
She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.
He continued, 'You see, in order for you not to have to take care of 2 babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.'
The lady was horrified and cried, 'No doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child!'
'I agree', the doctor replied. 'But you seemed to be okay with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution.'
The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point. He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that's already been born and one that's still in the womb. The crime is the same!
If you agree, please SHARE.
Together we can help save precious lives!
Love says, 'I sacrifice myself for the good of the other person.' Abortion says, 'I sacrifice the other person for the good of myself.'"
~Thanks to Nathan for suggesting I share this here

M is for...

Miniature Cupcakes

This is my last cupcake post for the year, I promise!  But when I came to 'm,' all I could think was 'my' or 'mini'... so then I thought of the millions of mini cupcakes we made for Cupcake Day 2011!

From right: my wonderful mother, who gave up her only sleep-in Saturday this month to get us to the church and bake all day; my brother Jon; and Joseph, a volunteer from the middle school group.  In the left/background area, you can see my brother Eddie's head behind another volunteer, RJ.

My mother's and friend Hannah's hands frosting the first of the cupcakes.

Cupcakes! Yum. :)

And more cupcakes! Only prettier this time ;)

My best friend Ashlee and my boyfriend Nathan passing out cupcakes and flyers to church members by one of the main doors.



Silence

Today, I interrupt my blog schedule to share a very important pro-life day.

I'm not going to write anything today; most of you know my stand on the abortion issue by now, and those who don't can just check out these posts.

Today is an important day in the pro-life world: Silent Solidarity Day.  I'm registered to wear an arm band; maybe next year I can make the vow of silence, too.

Will you give up your voice for a day in honor of those who will never have one?

Book Review: Rippler



Click the cover to buy

Rippler by Cindey Swanson
What if you could become invisible?  Samantha can - and someone wants her dead.

Just when Samantha Ruiz finally starts making friends and feeling happy again, an alarming problem arises: she becomes invisible at random intervals.  After such an occurrence during a kayaking adventure, a teammate reveals that this is caused by a very rare gene.  She and her teammate, Will, begin an adventure of research and secrets in an attempt to help Sam take control of her Rippler's Syndrome while Will and his older sister try to find answers to the scientific mysteries and strange murders surrounding research of this gene.
For a self-published book, this was amazing.  Actually, for any publication method, this book was amazing.  The cover and description themselves drew me in, and everything kept going up from there.  The characters were easy to relate to and realistic; the back stories were believable and true to the character's present situations.  The plot was original and very well-backed-up, although the ending was somewhat a cliffhanger.  The scientific aspect was amazingly created.  This is one teen book with the perfect blend of romance and adventure - the perfect mix of originality and truth.

From what I understand, this is the author's debut novel.  I must say that if she knows how to market her work, the stunning quality of her work will do the rest of the work.  I expect to see her climb the ladder of teen fiction popularity soon.  My only complaint was the use of curse words.  In several areas, the author hinted at cursing without actually writing the words - this shows taste and reality at the same time.  However, as the book progressed, the hinting shifted to use of the actual words, and this just turns me away.  Why ruin a great story with bad language?  Simply because it's in the real world doesn't mean it has to be on the page.

I give this book four stars, and am absolutely dying to read book two.

I received this book for free through LibraryThing in exchange for this review.  All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

30 Day Challenge - Day Four: A Favorite TV Program

This week's challenge is really easy.  I don't watch too much television, but when I do, it's one of two CBS shows that actually aired and were canceled back in the 80's.

Christy was based on a book and was canceled after only 22 episodes - one season.  One of the producers bought the rights and finished the storyline with three full-length movies.  The biggest part of this show was who Christy married - David, the preacher that seemed perfect for her, or Doc MacNeill, the mysterious older man with a troubled past?  Even the actors themselves didn't know the answer until the third made-for-television movie aired.  Two separate scenes - one with each man - had been filmed and the producers decided which to use as the ending.

Beauty and the Beast lasted two and a half seasons, although many fans decided to ignore the third season.  The first season focuses on the growing relationship between hero - a half-lion, half-man named Vincent who lives in secret tunnels under Manhattan - and heroine - a District Attorney named Catherine whose life Vincent saved.  The second season unveils many of Vincent's secrets and more of his life and the community in the tunnels he lives in.  In the third season, many surprises arise, starting with the shocking death of Catherine and Vincent's search for her killer.  A detective named Diana helps Vincent and becomes a new 'beauty' character in many ways.  Despite being canceled halfway through the season, the ending was still very satisfying.

Friendlight Friday

Carlotta from pastor's girl's ponderings

It's taught me that nothing is perfect -- no human, no blog, no situation, and most definitely not my life. When it comes to blogging, there are some trials I share on here, but this is not a dumping ground for every single thing that is going wrong in my life. That is what my diary is for. Honestly, the things that upset me every day are trivial and simply not worth rehashing. This space is a visual journal and a place to be creative, a place to remember the little things and chronicle my photographic journey.
That's not to say that life can get overwhelming; on the contrary, I sometimes succumb to tears just wondering how I can possible be able to get everything done in time. These past few weeks have been incredibly wonderful and at the same time so overwhelming at the same time. Having my sister here completes us, but it's a balancing act, really, trying to fit in work and other tasks that still need to be done while resting by spending time with my family. I wouldn't trade it for anything, though -- I'm so thankful to have this time. So no, life recently hasn't been perfect, but it's been pretty darn good.

Read the rest of this post and view the photos here...

Meet Carlotta here...

Abortion Flyer

After this weekend's Cupcake Day, I thought you might like to read the flyer I made.

The Truth About Abortion

Abortion is defined as “the termination of a pregnancy through the death of the embryo or fetus; especially the medical procedure of killing and expelling a human fetus to terminate a pregnancy.” (Webster’s Medical Dictionary)

One out of every three American women will have an abortion by age 45.  18% of these women are teenagers.  58% are in their twenties.  85% are unmarried.

 African-American children are aborted at five times the rate of white children.  In fact, Planned Parenthood – the largest abortion provider in the United States – was originally founded to rid America of blacks.

About 1.21 million abortions occur yearly in America.  It is the most common surgical procedure in the country, and it is legal through all nine months of pregnancy in all fifty states.

Planned Parenthood has released statistics proving that 93% of abortions are performed on healthy mothers with healthy babies.  Less than 1% of abortions are performed because the baby is the result of rape or incest.

In 2007, 31,038 abortions were performed in Georgia.  68% of the mothers were under the age of thirty.  6% were under eighteen.  81% were unmarried.  70% were an ethnicity other than white.

The most common method of abortion is the Suction Aspiration, or Vacuum Aspiration, procedure.  Basically, this procedure uses a surgical vacuum tube to rip apart the baby’s body, limb from limb, and suck all the pieces into a jar.

Another common method is the non-surgical abortion.  This involves the mother taking a drug which compromises the uterus and starves the baby to death.  Another drug then causes the mother to go into labor and deliver a dead body.  Morning-after contraception pills are a form of non-surgical abortions.

In a dilation and curettage abortion, the baby is cut into pieces, its skull is crushed, and the parts are scraped out of the mother’s womb.  In a partial-birth abortion, or dilation and extraction, the baby is delivered feet-first and head down until its body is out but its head is still within the womb.  The brain is then sucked out through the base of the skull and the body is disposed of.

Source: www.abort73.com

Georgia Statistics: www.grtl.org

 Ways you can help end abortion: http://maybeteenauthor.blogspot.com/2011/09/they-need-you.html

 Why Abortion Is Wrong

Biologically and scientifically speaking, both human and animal life begins at conception.  The abortion procedures are brutal and cruel, often causing the baby and the mother physical pain.  The mother - and those involved with her decision - rarely has an abortion without long-lasting psychological effects.

One of the most well-known Bible passages is that of the Ten Commandments.  Within this passage is the command not to kill.  Abortion ends a life, plain and simple.  However, many Christians know little about this evil; those that do rarely do much about it.

James 1:27 says that pure religion includes visiting the fatherless in their affliction.  Are not the unloved and unwanted babies of this world truly fatherless in spirit?  Psalm 82:3-4 goes further and commands Christians to “defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.  Deliver the poor and needy:rid them out of the hand of the wicked.”

Leviticus 20:1-5 tells us of God instructing the Israelites not to allow the giving of children to Molech.  Molech was a pagan god worshipped by child sacrifices; God warns that any who participate in or allow such sacrifices will be cut off from Him.

In Jeremiah 19:4-6, God says that a certain valley will be renamed the “Valley of Slaughter” because it has been filled with the blood of innocents.  A little bit of research will show that abortion definitely sheds innocent blood.

Throughout the Bible, Christians are commanded to take no part in evil doings, but rather to stop them.  Ephesians 5:11 says not to have anything to do with evil works; but it also commands us to reprove, or expose, them.  Proverbs 31:9 commands us to “plead the cause of the poor and needy.”

While God loves all people – including those that abort their babies or that commit the act itself – He includes “hands that shed innocent blood” in a list of things He hates most.  (Proverbs 6:16-19)

There are other verses that speak about innocent blood, aiding the defenseless, and other relevant topics; several are listed to the right.  If the points made here do not stir you to action in some way, I pray that God will touch your heart and open your eyes to the evils committed in abortion facilities across the nation and the world.

Other verses to consider:

Proverbs 24:11-12; Exodus 1:17-21; James 2:15-16; Psalm 106:37-38; John 8:44

All Bible quotes taken from the King James Version.

L is for...

Laughter

It shouldn't be this hard to find a photo of me very obviously laughing, since so many people seem to take photos while I'm laughing. But, of course, I only have this one since most of my photos have me behind the camera.

Here's another one I found:

Love.

Kinda random.  A heart I drew in the snow back in January.  (Snow! In Georgia! After three years on a tropical island! It was amazing... :] )



Bucket List (a beginning, that is)

So, my friend Nathan, my brother Eddie, and myself have been hanging out lately and recently mentioned bucket lists.  We tossed the idea around and made a few suggestions before Nathan said I ought to make one as a Tuesday list.  Which brings us to today's post.

As a bucket list is sort of a lifelong thing - growing as you get older and get more ideas, shrinking as you cross off completed items - this is really just a start to my list.  It's a list, nonetheless.

Before I Die

To Do:

-graduate from high school

-read every book on my To-Read lists

-adopt a child

-have a pet that is MINE

-hold a koala

-feed a giraffe

-ride on a dolphin's back

-own and run an orphanage

-be published

-look through a telescope

-attend a March for Life/SFLA conference/March for Life Youth Rally

-own a VW bug or bus

To Learn:

-Spanish

-sign language

-crochet

-knitting

-cross-stitch

-sewing (with buttons, zippers, etc.)

-screen-play-writing

To Visit:

-Israel

-England

-Italy

-Greece

-Germany

-Austria

-Australia

-France

-Switzerland

-Africa

-Panama

-Mexico

-all 50 states

To Meet (Face-to-Face):

-Robin Jones Gunn (author, Christy Miller & Friends series)

-Liz Curtis Higgs (author and fun person)

-Shannon Hale (author, The Books of Bayern series)

-Margaret P. Haddix (author, Just Ella and Palace of Mirrors)

-Ericka (pen pal)



Book Review: Becoming Me

Becoming Me by Melody Carlson
Diary of a Teenage Girl

When I received an invitation to review this book, I couldn't believe my luck!  The original Diary of a Teenage Girl book by Melody Carlson was available for review?  Of course I immediately requested it, and after much impatient waiting my paperback arrived.  I read through it much faster than most review books; I wasn't disappointed.  The great reviews and talk surrounding this book are definitely earned.



Click the cover to buy

In Becoming Me, a newly sixteen-year-old girl writes about her struggles with new friends, boys, family problems, and life in general.  As she climbs the popularity ladder at school, gains the affection of the most popular boy in school, and discovers a secret that could destroy her family, she shares her innermost thoughts and feelings with her diary.  Through this book, readers gain a peek inside one teenager's heart and laugh or cry along with her.

Just like her other books, Melody Carlson deals with important but touchy and often taboo topics.  Issues teenagers deal with on a daily basis, from the minefield of friendships and popularity to the often ignored problem of teen pregnancy, are brought into the light rather than tiptoed around.  Carlson writes clearly but kindly, not avoiding or celebrating the sins and struggles mentioned.

The characters are easy to believe for the most part, and readers can definitely relate to them.  The storyline isn't dramatized past reality, but it isn't simple or flat, either.  In this book, realness is key.  Real Christianity versus tradition.  Real friendship versus popularity.  Real relationships versus using people to get what you want.  I give this book five stars, and hope to see the next installment available for review as well.

I received this book for free through Glass Road Public Relations in exchange for this review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Devotion By Me

If you have no idea what this devotional was written for, read this.  Oh, and guys?  This is another girls-only day. Sorry :P

Anna has graciously invited me to write the first devotional for this chain, and despite the fact that I've twice tried to write devotionals and failed miserably, I said I'd do my best. Third time's a charm, right?

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to write about until tonight. I've been going through a lot lately. To make a (very) long story short, we have doubly many people in the house this week; I just might be graduating a year early, which means I should be looking into my future right about now; and I, founder of the P.O. Box Club and role-model-wanna-be of church, have been struggling in my spiritual life yet again.

I'll tell you a secret. I am a people pleaser. I only recently admitted this to myself, but it's been glaringly obvious since... well, forever. I am a perfectionist who always thinks about what someone might say - and not the one who worries about it, necessarily. Sometimes I go against the flow and work hard to look unique, carefree and 'hakuna matata.' I always want the children to pick me. I want to have a gleaming reputation. I want to be a spiritual leader - at church, in youth group, with the kids, online....

But I've never been open, like a blogger I admire. I have honesty issues, like the brother I often think little of. Until this year, I never grew spiritually except a sporadic camp decision. Until this year, I never truly saw my sinful self the way I did once at six years old.... the sinful self I asked God to save. I wanted to be the perfect 'preacher's daughter,' even if my daddy was just the song leader.

I wanted to look good, and I convinced myself I did - because Mom thought more highly of my honesty than my brothers'. Because I never missed a church service for a sports game. Because I had gotten saved young, so I would never, ever drink or smoke. Because I had said two cuss words in my life, both times without knowing they were cuss words. Because I had vowed to save myself for marriage - and had kept that vow.

In short, I was a legalist.

Then I discovered the blogosphere, and all the opinions out there. I became a radical feminine un-feminist. You know the type: I shall be a stay-at-home-daughter and never wear pants and master the arts of cooking and making my own clothes and growing my own potatoes... But this wasn't working. I was just growing more and more confused - what did I believe? What, exactly, made me different from that Calvinist? I knew why I wasn't Catholic - but why not Methodist? If the perfect woman described by the Bible was the person I started to see her as, why would so many women think God's will included college - spinsterhood - no children!? Why would my mother lead me to believe that could be possible?

And then the whole boy thing. My own experiences lead me to start a club in which I decided not to date until I was legally, emotionally, and spiritually ready to marry. Of course, my perfectionist self set up neat little dates for these events - high school graduation/eighteenth birthday, mostly. But I never prayed about these dates and decisions, or the club. And it was a horrid failure (which I'm considering putting an end to.)

So, to use the terms of the blogger I admire, this is my own Declaration of Independence. I won't label myself as a homemaker in training, or a stay at home daughter, or a feminist or nonfeminist, or even a Baptist, at the moment. I'll admit that anything I say or believe could be utterly wrong and totally flawed, because I'm sinful, evil, wretched, selfish, undeserving, and stupid. (There, I admitted it.) From now on, I'll set out into God's Word first and take everything in the blogosphere with a grain of salt, determined to find God's plan for my individual life and not put myself into any more neat little boxes.

Oh, and I'll stop trying to find verses to fit ideas and opinions, and instead form opinions and ideas to fit verses. That will definitely be a challenge for me.

Pray for me, would you?

30 Day Challenge: Day Three - A Favorite Book

As many of you know, I don't have a favorite book - or a favorite author.  I have a few favorite authors, and some books that I doubt I'll ever forget, but I could never point out any one favorite.

Some of the authors I like are...

~Robin Jones Gunn
~Shannon Hale
~Melody Carlson
~Greg Paul
~Jane Austen

Some of the books I treasure...

~A Family Forever by Brenda Coulter
~Just Ella and Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix
~The Books of Bayern series by Shannon Hale
~Christy Miller & Friends series by Robin Jones Gunn
~Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
~Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

This is by no means a comprehensive list; just a sampling of literature I enjoy. :)

Friendlight Friday

Sarah Grace from Breezes Through the Meadow

Almost every future homemaker in-training has a vision of what they would want to be like as a homemaker...right ? Or is it just me ?

As a little girl, I wanted to be like Laura Ingalls Wilder, the genuine frontier girl. She stuck it out when times were rough. Each day she tackled the tasks ahead, trampled the hardships down, and always wanted to be a help to her family. Did I mention that she paid for over half of Mary's college tuition, and almost never wanted to spend a dime on herself ? She was sacrificing..But, as reality hits, I know that I would never be a Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Read the rest of this post here....

Visit Sarah Grace here.....

Who Wants Cupcakes?

It's a normal scene: a kid at school brings in a tray of cupcakes to share with her classmates.  Maybe they're homemade, with rainbow sprinkles falling off onto the tray.  Maybe they're storebought, with the frosting stuck to the top of the plastic box.  She carries them with her backpack and purse into the classroom and sets them on her desk while she puts her bags down.  Once her teacher gives her the go-ahead, she shares the tempting pastries.  Maybe she walks around the room, setting one on each desk.  Maybe she opens the box and waits for her classmates to swoop in and claim their sweet cupcake.

The classmates, of course, wish her a happy birthday and possibly thank her on their way back to their desks.  But then the scene becomes less than normal.

"It's not my birthday," she announces, her voice bold and something very close to flint determination filling her eyes.  She waits for the inevitable question.

The boy three seats back is the one to ask it.  "Well then... whose is it?"  After all, cupcakes at school must mean a birthday.

She clears her throat.  Her mouth is caught between a steely line and a powerful smile.  With a strong, clear voice she proclaims, "Today is October 9, and these cupcakes are in memory of the fifty-three million children who will never have a birthday," she pauses... "because of abortion."

This scene plays out with boys and girls across America every year.  This year will be my first year participating in this event.  This year, October 9 falls on a Sunday, and the Sunday School classes of Mikado Baptist Church are in for a wake-up call.

786,500 abortions were performed on self-proclaimed Christians in 2008.  Countless Christians know little to nothing of abortion and its horrors.  Countless Christians know the terrors of this legal murder, but turn a blind eye and deaf ear to it.  How can we let this continue?  How can we let millions of babies die cruel and preventable and selfish deaths, while we sit in cushioned pews in air-conditioned auditoriums discussing which restaurant to meet at for lunch?  It's time for the church to wake up and face this evil - along with the many others than we allow to eat away the flesh of this nation while we live inside our little bubbles of 'happy Christian lives.'

"Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked." ~ Psalm 82:3-4

K is for...

Kids!

Haha.  I don't have any photos of kangaroos (why do I always think of animals first?), but I have plenty of kid photos!  This one's Bella. :)  Did I mention she moved while I was at camp? :(

This would be Hannah, my little fourth of July model.  She's Mikaela's little monkey of a sister.

Random child from the church nursery.  His name's Reed. (Or is this one Ethan? They're unrelated, but they look so much alike!)

Finally, Becca.  Who did the 'toe-painting' in the last of these photos.  And who has also moved away.

Lists

If there are any guys reading this, sorry, but today happens to be girls-only.  Come back tomorrow for gender-neutral content. :P

Seriously, guys, why are you still reading?  I said see you later!

With this bloggy schedule of mine, I've been posting various lists each Tuesday.  They might be lists of things I like or don't like, or things I've done or hope to do, or just a random list I found on somebody else's blog.  This week, while racking my brain for a good list idea, I realized I've never talked about the ultimate Lists.  Ladies, you know what I'm talking about - that List of everything your future S.O. Must and Must Not Be.  Even if you don't have one, I'm sure you've heard of them.  Some ladies have eight-page Lists, right down to the birth date and hair color.  (Yikes.)  Others only have one or two things on their Lists, but those one or two things are absolutely nonnegotiable.

I, in fact, made a List a few months ago.  I've made additions and revisions with time.  My List was originally copied out of Titus and 1 Timothy.  As time passed, I added qualities I admired in the guys I saw around me.  As I considered how lengthy and repetitious the List grew, I took some things off and consolidated others.  At the moment, here's what my List looks like:

He Must Be...
~Protective
~Grounded in his specific beliefs
~Respectful to his parents/authority
~Christ-like (clean speech, appropriate behavior in different situations)
~A good leader
~Kind to his siblings
~Clear-headed, sensible
~Honest - 100%
~Growing spiritually
~Can read me well, understanding
~Makes me laugh
~Good with children
~Loyal, trustworthy

He Must Not Be...
~Possessive/controlling
~Violent
~Smoker
~Drinker
~Selfish
~Disrespectful
~Greedy

Obviously, nobody's perfect, but I'm not talking isolated incidents here.  You know when a guy is acting out of character, and when he's just being himself.

So, single ladies, do you have a List?  Care to share what's on it?  And to the married women - did you have a List at some point?  How well do you think your husband matches your List?  Any recommendations for ladies like myself, who are still working on their List?

Remembrance

America has certain days during which we remember things of the past - usually lives lost and tragedies that occurred on that day in history.  One such day that passed recently was the tenth anniversary of 9/11.  Another obvious day is Memorial Day.

Today is a lesser-known one of these days.  Today is the day that Americans remember the millions of lives lost and the tragedies that have occurred since January 1973.  Today is Pro-Life Memorial Day.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton in 1973, 53 MILLION babies have been surgically and medically aborted - millions more have been killed chemically. This staggering death toll is the direct result of these two decisions.
On the first Monday in October, the U.S. Supreme Court begins its new term. This is a day on which pro-lifers across the nation will mourn the victims of America's hidden holocaust: abortion.
Who will hear the cries of these preborn children? Who will be their voice? Who will mourn their deaths? On October 3rd, thousands of Americans will be mourning the victims of abortion by gathering for prayer and candlelight vigils at the U.S. Supreme Court and abortion facilities nationwide.
~from Pro-Life Memorial Day website

Here at Struggles of a (Maybe) Teen Author, we're having our own virtual vigil.  At exactly 7:30 PM, I am taking a minute of silence.  60 seconds of prayer.  60 seconds without a voice, in memory of the millions who will never have even 60 seconds with one.  I ask you to join me.

The abortion holocaust is not over yet.  But if we never forget its hidden terrors - if we never stop fighting to save these children's lives - then, one day, it will be.

Book Review: Close Enough to Hear God Breathe

Close Enough to Hear God Breathe by Greg Paul
The great story of divine intimacy

Click the cover to buy

Before we start, I just have to warn you: this is the first book I've reviewed without reading it from cover to cover.  I've read the first section and a few random chapters, but I totally forgot about my reading schedule this week and am still scrambling to catch up.  I never like to review a book I haven't finished, but since this is nonfiction and I already have a very strong impression, I'm making an exception. (Also, if I were a normal shopper, my opinion would be made with the first few pages I read - so really, this will be just as honest a review as any other.)

When I chose this book, it was only because nobody else had yet.  I really didn't know what the book was about, or what genre it fit into.  It's not an 'about' book full of facts or detailed timelines, but it's still nonfiction.  It's not a devotional book, but it still focuses on God.  It's not fiction, but it still breathes life and imagination into the words.  It's a book of its own, rather beyond description or categorization.

I've never heard of this author before, and that's certainly my loss!  His writing style is one of the best I've ever read.  Very few authors can capture the 'talking-right-to-me' essence that Greg Paul has.  It's like we've known each other for years.  The Bibles stories shared are told like a father telling a bedtime story to his eight-year-old.  The examples are perfectly suited; the emotions are real.  The humanity of the author and the readers is right there, but so is the wonder of life and God.  To quote another reader, "This book has a heart that beats louder than most any book you'll ever read." (Leonard Sweet)

Each section is set apart and deals with a different aspect of life; yet the whole book ties together in some inexplicable way.  Each chapter starts as if it were its own book; yet there's no sense of disconnection.  The beauty of the words and the honest, open soul of the writer shines through to make this a truly inspiring work.  I give it 4.5 stars, only due to the use of non-KJV Bible passages.

I received this book for free through Booksneeze in exchange for this review.  All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day Two - A Favorite Movie

Like I said last week, I don't really have favorites. (I mentioned color and blogger as the two constants: I forgot cereal! - Cheerios, of course.) But I do have several movies I enjoy, so today I'm cheating and sharing more than one. :) I suppose that's a bad idea, cheating when it's only day two...

So, movies I love:

~ Christy movies I much prefer the television show, but the third and last of these continuations is such a perfect ending.

~ Disney's Tangled Their love isn't first sight (ick). The music is good. The guy actually has a personality and a back story and looks like a person. Also, I have this thing for hair...

~ Disney's Beauty and the Beast Again, no love-at-first-sight, good music, guy has a personality and story... plus I am a sucker for all things Beauty and the Beast related, as we will learn when we get to favorite television shows.

~ Left Behind trilogy I am in love with Buck. Have been since I met him in the books, and will probably always be.  (Ditto with Chloe.) Whenever I see Kirk Cameron I see Buck, and I don't even know Chloe's actress's name - she will always be Chloe to me. Another thing: the movies are so totally awesome, but the books are better. I never finished them, though. (I lost the ninth book and by the time I found it I had no clue where I'd left off or what was going on.)

~ Fairy tales retold Thinking of Ella Enchanted, A Cinderella Story, Another Cinderella Story... you get the picture. Most redos are Cinderella, but if it isn't Shrek-oriented (ughck! hate him!) then I'll probably enjoy any fairy tale redo.

~ Amazing Grace You know, the movie that features "Amazing Grace My Chains Are Gone." It has amazing actors and actresses and is full of truth and emotion surrounding a previous battle as passionate and controversial as today's social/political/moral war over abortion. Really, there are more similarities than I could list. Maybe that's why I love this movie so much. It's probably the only 'true-story' movie I love as much as fiction.

So there you have it. Just a sampling of what I enjoy. Trust me, if you could see our Netflix queue and history, you'd realize what a movie addict I am. But then, I'm always after the story - book, movie, song, poem, photo, whatever: the story is what I want.