In my last blog post, I mentioned that I was deeply involved in Bible studies-such as theology and the early Christian church history and other history research. In the latter, I meant to say my additional research, or study if you will, was centered on ancient cultural backgrounds. Last year I was gifted by my father the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. This is my third study Bible I have acquired and I am thrilled to have this edition to my growing theology library. My father also gifted me the Holman Illustrated Guild to Biblical Geography (reading the Land) by Paul H, Wright. In addition, I am blessed to be studying from my father’s theology library as well. Including his NIV commentaries of each book of the Bible.
When I was a child my first Bible was the King James version and on June 14, 1994, I received my first NIV study Bible from my parents. That particular version is the NIV Disciple’s Study Bible.
What I love about the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible I was gifted last year, is a richer look behind the scenes that I was looking for with my current Bible studies. I will most likely acquire the New King James version at some point in time. I can’t wait! Another version I want to read is the Geneva Bible. This Bible is significant of the Bible into English during the 16th century English Protestantism. Thankfully my father has a copy.
Recently I’ve also started to use my Bible App as another form of Bible reading. To listen through the Bible in a year and then repeat every year. At times, I will read along with one of my Bibles. I find that helps me with staying in the word and memorization. Other tools that help me for a better understanding during my Bible studies and research are the Oxford Bible Atlas and Holman’s Bible Dictionary. In a later post I will be sharing other theological and cultural books I’m studying from. If you are interested in historical backgrounds and a better or deeper understanding of context, I highly recommend the books above to start with.
As I wrote this post, I reflected on how fast last year flew by and how 2023 was the year that I completely got over my fiction reading burn out. I contribute that to several factors but most of all to not setting any particular number of books to read. Instead, by being more intentional about absorbing what I’m reading at a slower pace. I wasn’t boggled down by pressures to gain any number of books read by the end of the year. I learned so much about myself and what drove me to burn out in the first place. That subject may come as a blog post at a later date.
There are a few books on my bookshelf that I visited again and new ones that were recommended to me and that were on my wish-list. I was quite surprise by how different my experience was by re-reading stories this time around. A few were favorable and others not so much. Jane Eyre of course is always like visiting an old friend and the visit brought me closer to the story than it has in quite a while. I credit that to absorbing Jane’s story at a slower pace. Her life’s journey is among my favorites since my first time meeting her in the early 1990’s. Not only that but of the spiritual lessons through its pages.
I didn’t read as many fictional books as I have in the past because I am deeply involved in Bible studies-such as theology and the early Christian church history and other history research.
I look forward to sharing more about my nonfiction reads and posting about my reading 2024 reading adventures this year soon.
Starting this past Friday, we celebrated my father’s birthday. I made him a miniature diorama and he loved it! He is going to display it on his desk. Saturday and Sunday and Sunday I worked on several projects and a couple art challenges.
A little fabric, paper and mesh dyeing was a lot fun! A few of them will go through more color washes soon! They will be used for various mixed media projects-including collage, fabric journal making and hand sewing. Once I get the look I want, I’ll iron these pieces. I’m going to share my method of making these soon at The Ugly Stitch Club Facebook Group.
A little paper crafting for the 100 Day Art Challenge and I really enjoyed creating this piece by adding wonky stitches and mesh from a kitchen liner you can buy at The Dollar Tree.
I’m completely hand stitching the fabric collage when with the many colors of fabric and stitches shown and I’m still working on it. I should have been finished with it by now, but I’m having such a lovely time slow stitching through the different shapes, colors and patterns of the fabric. Do you ever have those WIP you want to spend more time with and not let go quite yet? Like a kindred spirit you can talk with for ages and time seems to stand still and you say, ” Just a little longer…” Yeah, that’s this piece
Sunday afternoon, I spent time on the back porch, I decided to work on a stitch project while enjoying the weather and listening to the birds sing their song. It is becoming that time of year when you can enjoy the outdoors.
The stitch snippet challenge at The Ugly Stitch Club is in full swing and it is going great! Everyone’s snippets are lovely and such creativity from the group! We are having a blast! Here are a few pictures of the snippets I’ve been working on.
Well, that is pretty much a wrap up of weekend crafty events. There are a couple of other crafty things I worked on and you can check them out on my Instagram. I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and will have a great week!
This past Sunday the weather was cool, sunny and windy! Despite the wind, it was a beautiful day for a walk in the neighborhood. I went a little father this time around and enjoyed the leisurely stroll. Everyone’s yards were beautiful and the sun was reflecting off the pond. Even the chipmunks were busy exploring and enjoying the fresh air. It has been a rainy season this winter and spring. It hasn’t been easy to get out and enjoy the outdoors. You have to catch the sun when you can.
I was able to collect quite a few wood things for my mixed media projects and I’m thrilled with what I found. I’m drying them out on the back porch a but before drying them out in the oven. I recommend doing that before crafting with them.
Instructions on How I Dry Them Out:
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Supplies:
Baking sheet(s)
Parchment Paper
Old Paint Brush
Brush your wood findings off really good with an old dry paint brush or tooth brush. I like the bristles to be a bit tough. Not too tough mind you. Put them on a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread them out.
Bake for 20 minutes and then allow them to cool down completely being using them or storing them. Be sure to keep an eye on them while they are in the oven.
Once dried, they are ready to craft with!
This particular process is not for children. Adult super vision is needed.
I hope you enjoyed this post and if you haven’t subscribed to my blog yet, please do so!
It is hard to believe that December 6, 2022 was the last postdate! I had decided to take a much-needed break but wow! Time flies! I have missed blogging exceedingly and I am delighted to be back at it. What have I been doing meanwhile? Well, there is so much. I have been story writing a bit, crafting a lot, creating art, reading some and writing in my journals quite a bit. Needless to say, I have been hunkered down this winter. Not that the south sees extreme cold winters mind you. I just use that as an excuse. Ha!
Lately, I’ve been making miniature wood houses, dioramas and dollhouse accessories. I’m having a blast! Back in the mid to late 1990’s I collected miniature tea sets and whatnot. I must confess, I miss those days of collecting miniatures. The combination of that past love and seeing people’s new works of dioramas sparked a fire in me to start creating miniatures. Was it a couple years ago or maybe it was last year, I had worked on a few miniature wood houses but nothing really came of it until now? Yes, indeed.
I’ve got so many ideas and I’m just getting my feet wet. Recently, I’ve made quite a few and I do have many of them available in my Instagram shop for sale. Plus, I have five Book Nook’s I’m creating for family this year. Excited! You should see my list of everything I want to create and the list keeps getting longer. There is simply not enough time on the day! I look forward to sharing more with you all and if you haven’t already, please follow my blog and stop by on Instagram to say hello or you may do so in the comment area below! Blessings to you and yours!
An enchanting historical epic of grand passion and adventure, this debut novel tells the captivating story of one of India’s most controversial empresses — a woman whose brilliance and determination trumped myriad obstacles, and whose love shaped the course of the Mughal Empire. Skillfully blending the textures of historical reality with the rich and sensual imaginings of a timeless fairy tale, The Twentieth Wife sweeps readers up in Mehrunnisa’s embattled love with Prince Salim, and in the bedazzling destiny of a woman — a legend in her own time — who was all but lost to history until now.
My thoughts:
I picked up this novel a few days ago and at first, I was completely immersed in Sundaresan’s world of India and the Mughal Empire. I didn’t want to pull away from the pages and as I became acquitted with the characters lives, I began to feel their inner struggles were not quite fleshed out to reflect their actions. I’m not entirely sure it’s because of culture standards or if it’s a flaw in the writing. That said, it is often that our inner feelings don’t meet the decisions we make in life. As you can see, I’m torn with these emotions about the characters. Maybe it is because I haven’t quite put my figure on it yet despite knowing something is missing.
Despite my misgivings about the characters, I quite like the story thus far, and I’m fully invested in the final outcome. I’m delighted to have chosen to read, The Twentieth Wife. What are you currently reading? Do share!
Stephanie Hopkins
Disclaimer: I do not support, control or endorse the adds that are showing on my blog.
“Journal writing, when it becomes a ritual for transformation, is not only life-changing but life-expanding.” – Jen Williamson.
A little writing warm-up is just the ticket to get you started. When you open your journal or notebook to a blank page, oftentimes you feel as if that blank page is like not knowing a destination to choose. Quite frankly, writing takes you on unexpected destinations. One of the best ways to get started -there are many- is by practicing with questions.
Grab your paper/notebook and preferred writing tool and let’s get started. First, begin writing the words below. Be sure to allow enough space to write your sentences.
Book
City
Mountain
Restaurant
Person
Movie
Start with the first word in the column, which is book. Write the title of the book you last read and your general thoughts on the story or the information you read. Then move on to, city. What was the last city you visited other than the one you live in? What did you do? Below is the selection of questions to answer for each word in the column.
Mountain: What is the name of a mountain you visited and explored? Write your experience.
Restaurant: What is the name of the last restaurant you ate at and were you with anyone? Write about that and what you ate. Was the restaurant busy? Describe the atmosphere.
Person: Who was the person you last talked to and what was the conversation about and feeling?
Movie: What was the title of the last movie you saw? Who were the actors who starred in the show? What was the movie about? Did you like it?
You can have a lot of fun with this writing exercise and there are endless basic topics like these to get you started. Whether you are a beginner writer or a seasoned one, this exercise is great for any level of writing. Who knows, you might find a story idea for a book inspired by the warm-up.
Lists are fun to write. Especially, lists about what you want to write about. My lists normally contain stories I want to write, blog posts, books I want to read, books to review, daily or weekly to-dos and so on… I try my best to keep the list updated, but not always. I actually skip a day or two. Okay, I’ve been known to skip a week or even a month. Yikes! I know. Is it unreasonable for me to say that we’ve all probably done that? Afterall, writers are known for their procrastination’s. I like to journal in the morning to start my day and sometimes I compile my list there. Not always, mind you. Months, even years down the road, I will find loose sheets of paper with lists on them scattered in odd places. I love organization but it is not my strong suite in a couple areas. Did I just write that out loud? Finding lists, you write years later in odd places is actually fun. When you read them, you’re either eye rolling, laughing or thinking how far you’ve come in your writing. Same goes for reading journals you’ve kept over the years. They’re always full of surprises.
Past written lists can even spark forgotten memories and give you more material to write about. Like this blog post for example. The list I found was one I write last September on a pink notepad and it contained blog post topics I want to write about. Did I accomplish those tasks? Err… not exactly but in my defense, I was busy making books to use as journals and paper-crafting. No time like the present to tackle that forgotten list. What is on that list, you ask. Well, I wrote about regular blog posts I used to post and new ones I wanted to start. For example, cover crushes. I loved writing about book covers that catch my eye and I’ve sorely neglected that series. I’m still in the thinking stages about bring that back and if there are any changes, I want to make to it. Other items on the list mentions daily blog posts, regular monthly themes of writing and crafting. I’ve also added to that list! I want to write more about my journey of continual education and what I discover on that-at times-rocky road. I have to remind myself to pace myself. There is so much material and I want to read and study it all at once! I want to know everything about everything. An impossible undertaking, I know. I digress.
Lists are important to me. Are they important to you? Do you relate to my thoughts on the subject? Have you found forgotten lists from years past?
Not only does the design of a book help catch a reader’s eye but the title does as well. I’m drawn to clever book titles and how the writer decides what to caption the story. Often times, when I’m reading a book, I look for the phrase in the story or a situation that the writer was inspired to use to create the title.
Titles matter in the scheme of things when it comes to not only selling a book, but by giving a reader’s imagination of what is inside. What and how the story is weaved and so begins the world building.
In this post, I’m sharing three book titles I came across recently that has captured my interest. -Stephanie Hopkins
The Lost Chapterby Caroline Bishop
Pub Date May 3rd 2022
England, present day.
At eighty years old, Florence Carter is content with her life. A widow in her twilight years, she spends her days making intricate lino prints in the company of her dog and cat, and her neighbors’ daughter Alice, a shy young woman troubled by a recent trauma. But when Flo learns that a long-lost friend has written a novel based on their time at finishing school, she’s forced to confront a secret from her past…
France, 1957.
In post-war Lyon, Florence and Lilli meet at a strict finishing school for girls. Florence—or Flo as she’s known—is a demure young Englishwoman who is expected to enter society and make a good marriage. Lilli, meanwhile, is a brash American with an independent spirit and thirst for adventure. Despite their differences, they forge a firm friendship that promises to last a lifetime—until a terrible betrayal tears them apart. Now, as Flo reads Lilli’s book, she struggles to separate fact from fiction. Desperate for answers, she decides to take a road trip to France to find Lilli, and she invites Alice and her mother Carla to join her, in hopes the change of scenery will lift their spirits. But when they reach Lyon, it’s Flo who needs help as the buried truth from long ago threatens to overwhelm her.
The Lost Chapter is a poignant novel about the power of friendship and a beautiful reminder that it’s never too late to start writing a different story.
Hook Them or Lose Them (An Author’s Guide to Catching Readers on Page One) by D. Leitao
Pub Date 25 Apr 2022
Description
Yes, you can hook your readers from page one.
This book is based on a workshop I gave a while ago. Even as I was preparing the workshop, trying to distill the essence of crafting hooky stories in simple, easy-to-understand concepts, I was amazed.
Nobody had ever explained this to me.
Most of the books and courses on writing and structure don’t really touch on that. Truly. You could do all the steps in Save the Cat and totally miss how to hook readers because this information simply isn’t there.
I realized I had found something special; an easy way to help writers identify what works and doesn’t for their beginning paragraphs, and how to get the readers hooked in their stories. And that’s why I’m putting it in this book; because I think my explanation can help writers.
When I say help, I truly mean help, I don’t mean tying writers down with another concept that might stifle their creativity. This book is not about sticking your writing into a box or following rigid rules. While it provides tips and techniques to help you craft stories that readers won’t quit, the advice is simple, easy, and flexible enough not to hinder your writing style or dampen your inspiration. Still, it should quench many of your doubts on whether your writing is hooky or not, so that you can spend more time creating and less time worrying.
I’ll also provide you with advice for beginnings and examples of efficient first paragraphs so that you’ll never again freak out wondering how to start your book. Instead, you’ll feel confident that you can hook your reader from the first page.
The Shell and the Octopus – A Memoir by Rebecca Stirling
Pub Date 26 Jul 2022
Description
This is the story of Rebecca Stirling’s childhood: a young girl raised by the sea, by men, and by literature. Circumnavigating the world on a thirty-foot sailboat, the Stirling’s spend weeks at a time on the open ocean, surviving storms and visiting uncharted islands and villages. Ushered through her young life by a father who loves adventure, women, and extremes, Rebecca befriends “working girls” in the ports they visit (as they are often the only other females present in the bars that they end up in) and, on the boat, falls in love with her crewmate and learns to live like the men around her. But her driven nature and the role models in the books she reads make her determined to be a lady, continue her education, begin a career, live in a real home, and begin a family of her own. Once she finally gets away from the boat and her dad and sets to work upon making her own dream a reality, however, Rebecca begins to realize life is not what she thought it would be—and when her father dies in a tragic accident, she must return to her old life to sift through the mess and magic he has left behind.
