March – October 2023 Wrap-Up

I’ve been trying to write this for months, and here we finally are. Literally so much has happened this year… I won’t be able to cover it all, but buckle up, because this is gonna be long.

|| Highlights & Lowlights

// My podcast went live in March. There’s been ups and downs as we learn how to do everything, and the first couple months were rough, not gonna lie. Be prepared for a lot of learning when you start podcasts, y’all. 😝 But it was pretty awesome and I loved it! We read some great books and recorded some awesome episodes…

And then in October I recorded my final episode. Almost a year to the month after Amy reached out asking if I’d like to participate in this with her and I said the most impulsive “yes” I ever did in my life. Do I regret it? NO. Were there unexpected difficulties and struggles? YES. But overall I can honestly say it was a great and useful experience, and I’m sorry to have to close that chapter of my life. It’s just not sustainable anymore with the new direction my life is going in, so I said a regretful goodbye with the promise that maybe I’ll come back as a guest every so often.

P.S. If you are currently listening to the podcast or plan to, be sure to join Dana’s Club right now! Membership is 100% free for a limited time. Dana’s Club is our exclusive Members Only content, including The Spoiler Room mini-sodes, advance notice of which books will be featured in upcoming episodes, voting in the First Five Pages Challenge, and more!

// We finally moved in April. Two hours from our old home. Completely away from the place I get up. In a whole new part of the province. The house we bought is a fixer-upper, so we’ve been renovating all summer. It’s been a crazy time. Not easy by any means, but God and friends and workers have been good. all of it has been crazy but I don’t feel like busting out all the stories 😜

I have certain rose-tinted ideals of what life should be like now living in the country; they didn’t come true this summer but hopefully soon… 💙

// I took a new profile pic I am madly in love with.

Well, anyway, I’m far more happy with it than any other author pic I ever took…

// I probably mentioned before I started using Tumblr to recording reading thoughts, but it’s SO much fun, and I need to do it more. I get so giddy when people repost and add those fun little hashtags with their thoughts on my thoughts!!! I’m kinda really in love with Tumblr to be honest.

https://www.tumblr.com/eleilinnrallin/713798505393684480/justaliterarygirl-reading-the-long-patrol-and

// I actually posted controversial things this year, like Good Reader, Bad Reader and What Truly Fulfills a Woman? and my #stackforIsrael. It feels good to stand up and say what I believe even if I’m scared it’ll cost me. #smallvictories

// The “Titan” sinking marked me profoundly. Partly because I would 100% have been in their shoes if I could have afforded it. It was a very hard June.

I also struggled to handle the Queen’s death and King Charles’s coronation. It brought about very real anxiety about the world changing + grief over our loss (am I the only one who really struggled with accepting Queen Camilla as Queen? Not against her personally but because I just didn’t want to accept a new Queen…). I haven’t been so tuned in to the news before, and I hated it.

Speaking of news, all the chaos over social media about topics like AI and Threads and all that stuff no longer bothers me… which is a big healing step!

And speaking of the Queen…

Lifelong dream achieved 🙂

// I got to hang out with the puppy a lot. She has me wrapped around one paw and we both know it, and I really don’t appreciate how well she knows that I am easily coerced. And as exhausting and frustrating as she can be (because she is nothing if not demanding), she definitely changed my outlook on dogs 💜

// OFBL grew a lot this year. It was never a priority for me, so being at 1,000 followers is a dream come true that I never expected to see. I have plans and hopes for that thing, but inconsistency is one of my greatest failing… However, I am important enough to warrant having an imposter, apparently! I think that got resolved; anyways, I haven’t heard of it since July.

// Speaking of inconsistency, I discovered a life hack recently. A random generator is SO useful in helping me work through a to-do list!

P.S. Writing digital letters to a friend who’s away is a great idea when real letters are too overwhelming! And sending voice messages is a great way to make each other feel close. And randomly having a call that is totally unscheduled is heartwarming.

that has nothing to do with my to-do list. but it’s a life hack. so there.

// Speaking of life hacks, I’ve recently been finding out new things about my issues, such as taking a hearing test and finding I don’t have hearing issues but instead an auditory processing disorder (most likely). I discovered I have ADHD tendencies, so I’m looking into tools to help. And I discovered I’m an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person), which helps me understand my triggers and work to avoid or handle them better. It’s fantastic to discover yourself and learn how to work with your issues instead of against them.

// Speaking of my ears, I also went to a mobile clinic for the first time in my life this summer! I was horribly sick for about a week (well, the horrible part was 1 week. The sick part was 2 weeks). I never spent so much time in bed. And it’s downright awful to be flat in bed for 2 days, get up for 10 minutes to write a review, and lie down again feeling like you ran a marathon. We thought I had an ear infection, and due to my hearing issues we decided to get it checked out. I haven’t had the best of experiences with nurses and medical people in the past, but recently I’ve met some great people, which I am very grateful for. Also, I met an EMT for the first time. 😛

Anyways, I didn’t have an infection, and I didn’t have strep, although it was super similar and I had to be tested for it. I hope I never get it, and y’all who have had it, my heart goes out to you. 😉

Anyways, speaking of my health, I’ve been learning a lot more about what bothers my body and what I had to avoid doing, as well as speaking up to make those things happen. It’s embarrassing and frustrating but God knows I have a lot of pride in me that needs some knocking out… Anyways, I’ve really fallen off the health/exercise bus, more than I realized, but I’m getting back on this week. I’ve decided I just have to be inconsistently constant instead of giving up because I’m just never constant.

// I finished my teaching job! While I officially started in January, I did preliminary work in November, so it’s been almost a year long thing. It definitely had its ups and downs but overall it was good experience for me and I’m glad I had the opportunity. I’ve learned a lot!

And with the money I finally bought the last of the Redwall series 😌 it’s so worth every penny I spent on it, and it makes me SO happy, and I can’t wait to reread the series next year!!! I have one coming sometime in November, but the last book of the series is still giving me fits! After Archive froze it and wouldn’t let me read it, I bought it, and now Amazon isn’t shipping it! Imma feel so grateful when I finally get my hands on it, because looks like it’s kinda rare. 😋

Update: book 22 is coming in December 😜

// Speaking of my job, I have a wild, wild story for y’all. Back in February I decided there was a book I really wanted to get from an author and she was offering a special for internationals so we could get signed copies. I jumped on the chance, and justified it as a I’m-done-my-job present. (February was very rough and I needed a light at the end of the year tunnel, haha). Anyways, the author sweetly agreed to hold the book for me and I finally purchased it in April, and she sent it out with some extra goodies.

By June I was getting antsy that it hadn’t shown up yet. I’d asked my mother to intercept it and hide it so I wasn’t tempted to open it, so I asked her if it came. She couldn’t remember. After we looked everywhere, I finally messaged the author to confirm she sent it. Eventually, we discovered I forgot that I had to give her an updated address…

To say I was devastated might be an understatement. I was angry and upset and disappointed, and I behaved very badly about it. Instead of blaming myself I carried a lot of anger and bitterness against God. Finally in September He worked on my heart and convicted me, and I apologized to Him and let go of the whole situation.

The very next morning my father told me the owners of the house reached out and they would meet my father and give him the package. I didn’t even have to pay more postage. I was gonna film my final video for my job on Saturday; I got sick and had to postpone to Monday. So I ended up filming and uploading the final video on the very day my father got the package for me.

Yeah, God sure has a way of humbling you with love, and showing you He’s actually really got things.

// I went on two holidays! June 5-8 and July 5-8. Isn’t that cool? ☺️ 2 of my siblings and I, as well as our grandparents, got season’s passes for Upper Canada Village and made a trip out there. We got to spend a whole day there, sleep in a B&B nearby, and come back and spend another whole day. It was fantastic! We got to see everything, and enjoy stuff without rushing around. There were some great experiences and conversations. My favourite was probably the sawmill, where we actually got to see the tree cut and loaded and learned a lot. But the minister’s house with the sweetest old man was awesome, and the blacksmith’s, and the cabinetmaker, and newspaper office, and the barge, and…

Also, I just LOVE the 1860s, so of course just the houses are all wonderful.

This was during the fires, so the whole places was VERY smokey. And they didn’t have everything they did in summer, because of fewer tourists, but the bonus was there wasn’t so many people, so you could hang out somewhere longer, talk more, and take good pictures… and it wasn’t too sunny. 😝

We then drove up to Kingston and visited Fort Henry in the morning. It was super smoky up there. The Fort was a bit disappointing overall because they really weren’t having any attractions and the staff were all training, but again, great pictures, and we got to see a lot.

But yeah, you could smell smoke, and many people wore masks. But we also visited Murnsey Tower. First time, and super cool.

We headed home on the 7th. Visited two cool towns and a  very interesting underground railway, and we stopped by our great-uncle’s place to see him and our great-aunt. And we visited a bookstore. My sister and I got like $50 worth of books each. Everyone bought something at that town. It was a great town with some great little shops. 😊

Yes, it came home with me. I spent like $40 and walked away, but knew I’d kick myself forever if I didn’t get it, so I ran back and bought the book. Then I went back a third time so my brother could buy a book. I think the owners decided I was a bit cracked. 😆

Then, in June, my sis L. and I went back to Kingston on another holiday!

Totally off-hand, we mentioned going to visit some friends in Ontario that we really wanted to see. That didn’t work, but they offered to meet us halfway. We found a B&B that was cheap and beautiful, and the deal was set. I won’t share all the deets but God had His hand on EVERY detail and it all worked out so amazingly and totally unexpectedly well!

It was a crazy drive there, but we finally got there and it was amazing. We hung out and visited the bookshop of last time and I bought another $50 worth of books and so did L. (Girls, I’m sorry we totally went berserk on you. 😛) We had a wonderful supper at a great restaurant we’d been at with our grandparents in June. The B&B was SO beautiful and homey, and I so want to go back. We watched the 1970s “Anne of Green Gables” & 2019 “Little Women,” which we dreamed of seeing together, and we went to Fort Henry together, which was much nicer than when we went with grandma and grandpa. No smoke, and also everyone was better trained. 😋 This time we got to see everything, parades and cannon shooting and gun demos!

We drove around Kingston and tried to explore churches… which was an experience and a half… and we visited Murnsey Tower… and we wrote in a library together… and we found an adorable fish & chips shop… and we watched “Pride & Prejudice” (2005), and we sang together… and then we cried and left. And L. & I got to go home and join a friend’s surprise wedding shower 🙂

Anyways, that vacation was the most amazing time I ever experience in my life. God had his hand on the whole thing. It was heavenly. None of us wanted to leave, we all loved it, and we plan to do it again next year. 😁 I so hope it happens!!

After THAT, L & our mother and a younger sister went back to Upper Canada Village in August for a Canadian Folk Music Appreciation Day thingamajig. It was SO busy but it was AMAZING. We did singing school, and had a recital of typical 1860s musical evenings, and listened to Mohawk dancing & singing, and heard some folk music, and listened to Canadian fiddle music and French-Canadian songs and heard a brass band. Then it RAINED but we went to the barn and watched folk dances. Only two, but everyone adored it and it was so fun and cozy and friendly because we were all so cramped. 😉

And finally in the last week of August we went as a family and hung out for a day. It was quite fun. We got to hit all the good houses, and we rode the barge, which was EPIC (did I mention I LOVE the barge??). I didn’t get many pics because something was in my eye and it hurt almost all day. But it was a super fun time.

And then in October I went to a pastors’ conference with my father and brother. It was a totally impulsive and off-hand choice and a crazy experience but we were so blessed and I learned a lot. I needed that time. 💙

Minus the Redwall books, that’s most of them… there are a few missing 😜

My bookshelves are constantly being redone. But at least my floating bookshelves are up! It’s only been 5 years 😝 I can’t wait to get my pictures and paintings up soon.

// Speaking of books, I just want to shout out that people have been SO kind about giveaways lately! Several saw I don’t read magic and offered to give the book I won to someone else, or to give me a different book. Others saw that I’d read the ebooks they offered already, so they sent me physical copies. Still others offered gift cards to replace books I couldn’t get because of Amazon US/CA issues. Or sent books via amazon despite the fact that I’m not in America. Y’all are showing up for international people so much and I am so grateful for it!!!

// We watched a lot of Andy Griffith together (we siblings) and I found myself crying over “Opie’s Ill-Gotten Gain” (S04EP8) and then again over “Man in a Hurry” (S04EP16). The first one is just heart-tugging and the second one is so beautiful and sweet, and I’m so grateful we get to live in the country and experience slow, happy Sundays instead of the crazy ones we had before in the city!

// My uncle got married this summer and one of my sisters got to be a bridesmaid. Two of the littles were flower girls ring bearers!

And then a friend got married, and we got to clean & decorate our church and throw flowers on her as she exited 😊 I wish I could show y’all the pics, because they are adorable!

Then we got to help clean & undo the reception room after. 💜

// I’ve discovered I really like mugs.

And it was super fun to buy these, one (“True North”) for me and the other for my mother. “Yeah, no” is an inside joke, and she loved it as much as I thought she would 😌

And speaking of family, we hung out a lot together this year and had hamburger parties randomly and took walks and watching football and… I spent a lot of time cherishing family moments, because it’s not long till we all scatter…

And one of my brothers had a birthday party, pirate themed, and I kinda got to scratch my lifelong itch of wanting a pirate-themed birthday party 😎

// Also, I love my reading/books Pinterest board.

And my humour board. I scrolled them recently and remembered how much I love them. 😜

And one of my besties + I did the “how do I see my bestie + how do I see myself” trend together. It was so much fun!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Katja H. Labonté (@oldfashionedbooklove)

// And finally, I was featured on Operation: Share Kindness with a story of someone’s kindness to me 😝

|| Reading

Well, reading has been difficult this year. I haven’t read as much as I wanted to, or expected to. I’ve been struggling a lot with finding reading a chore or anxiety-producing because of reviews and deadlines and all that. So I really have to work on finding again the joy of reading. Once I’m done the ARCs I have. I’m really hoping to get to go to the lake beach and read… although it’s getting a bit cold for that.

Besides Redwall, I was obsessed with the Pimpernel series and the Trixie Belden series this year, though I haven’t finished them yet. In fact, I haven’t read many series this year, though I started several. Hoping to catch up on that this autumn. I did finish the Tintin series (#obsessed). And I had a lot of cravings, like to read all of Shakespeare’s plays, but most cravings were ignored #becauseARCs.

Also, random, but I’d like to announce To Save a Life, by R.L. Peterson, is finally out! And it’s only $3 USD ($5 CAD)!

(My review here.)

Anyways, here’s my reading stats.

MARCH: 56 books & stories
APRIL: 36 books & stories
MAY: 41 books & stories
JUNE: 28 books & stories
JULY: 30 books & stories
AUGUST: 17 books & stories
SEPTEMBER: 23 books & stories
OCTOBER: 11 books & stories (as of the 25th)

Favourite Book of the Month: 

MARCH: Lost Time by P.D. Atkerson
APRIL: The Mystery of the Castaway Children by Kathryn Kenny
MAY: The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
JUNE: Taggerung by Brian Jacques
JULY: Shattered Reaction by Madisyn Carlin
AUGUST: Treasures of Darkness by Sarah Beth Brazytis
SEPTEMBER: Beautiful Blue World by Suzanne LaFleur
OCTOBER: The Star Over All by Chelsea Burden (from Another Homewood Christmas)

My Other 5-star Reads of the Months:

Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery (reread)
Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (reread)
Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington (reread)
Threads of Blue by Suzanne LaFleur
Silent Suffering by Lauren Murphree (reread)
The Mystery of the Missing Heiress by Kathryn Kenny (reread)
The Wheat Princess by Jean Webster (reread)
Fair in War by Perry Elizabeth Kirkpatrick (reread)
Once Upon a Dime by Perry Elizabeth Kirkpatrick (reread)
Five Star Spy by Perry Elizabeth Kirkpatrick (reread)
A-Spying We Will Go by Perry Elizabeth Kirkpatrick (reread)
Tutor, Nanny, Spit-Up, Spy by Perry Elizabeth Kirkpatrick (reread)
Plan to Fail by Perry Elizabeth Kirkpatrick (reread)
The Torch Keepers by Hosanna Emily (reread)
Rakkety Tam by Brian Jacques
The Secret of the Unseen Treasure by Kathryn Kenny (reread)
KEY by Madisyn Carlin
The Mystery on Cobbett’s Island by Kathryn Kenny (reread)
The Mystery of the Blinking Eye by Kathryn Kenny (reread)
The Marshland Mystery by Kathryn Kenny (reread)
Right Number by Perry Elizabeth Kirkpatrick (reread)
The Window at the White Cat by Mary Roberts Rinehart (reread)
Silver Sandals by Clinton H. Stagg
Beyond Her Calling by Kellyn Roth (reread)
The Sable Quean by Brian Jacques
Doomwyte by Brian Jacques
At Her Fingertips by Kellyn Roth (reread)
High Rhulain by Brian Jacques
Becoming Miss Knight by Kellyn Roth (reread)
Ivy Introspective by Kellyn Roth (reread)
The Mystery on the Mississippi by Kathryn Kenny
A Born Aristocrat by Matthew White
The Black Jacket Mystery by Kathryn Kenny (reread)
The Mysterious Code by Kathryn Kenny (reread)
The Mystery Off Glen Road by Kathryn Kenny (reread)
I Wish That I Had Duck Feet by Dr. Seuss (reread)
A Really-Truly Princess by Amanda Kastner (reread)
Team Up by Angie Thompson
Daylight by Grace A. Johnson
On the Brink by Angie Thompson
Uncommon Sense by Angie Thompson
The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green (reread)
Cabin Girl by E.G. Bella
The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart (reread)
Ichabod Fly & the Great Newspaper Roundup by Bree Pembrook
A Man & a Brother, with Scraps & Sketches by Angie Thompson
The Adventure of the ‘Gloria Scott’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (reread)
The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (reread)
Unwanted Services by P.D. Atkerson
Rise of the LivingWood by Kylie Beevers
’Twas an Evening in Bethlehem by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss (reread)
Final Chance by E.B. Roshan
The Wedding by Olivia Lynn Jarmusch (reread)
Springtime in Surrey by Kellyn Roth et al.
Eulalia! by Brian Jacques
Loamhedge by Brian Jacques
Sir Percy Hits Back by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
Seize the Fight by Abigail Harris et al.
Triss by Brian Jacques
Domestic Conflict by P.D. Atkerson
Judgment Call by E.B. Roshan
Kate’s Hope by Sarah Holman
Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz (trans. Jeremiah Curtin)
Basil & the Lost Colony by Eve Titus (reread)
Basil in Mexico by Eve Titus (reread)
Basil & the Pygmy Cats by Eve Titus (reread)
Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus (reread)
Vol 714 pour Sydney par Hergé (reread)
Tintin & les Picaros par Hergé (reread)
Tintin & le lac aux requins par Hergé (reread)
Les Bijoux de la Castafiore par Hergé (reread)
Tintin au Tibet par Hergé (reread)
Coke en stock par Hergé (reread)
On a marché sur la Lune par Hergé (reread)
L’Affaire Tournesol par Hergé (reread)
Tintin au pays de l’or noir par Hergé (reread)
Objectif Lune par Hergé (reread)
Le Temple du Soleil par Hergé (reread)
Les 7 boules de cristal par Hergé (reread)
Le Secret de la Licorne par Hergé (reread)
Le Trésor de Rackham le Rouge par Hergé (reread)
License by P.D. Atkerson
Le Sceptre d’Ottokar par Hergé (reread)
L’Étoile mystérieuse par Hergé (reread)
L’île noire par Hergé (reread)
Le Lotus bleu par Hergé (reread)
Eldorado by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
The Knights of Pearlbelle Park by Kellyn Roth (reread)
The Tale of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter (reread)
I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! by Dr. Seuss (reread)
The Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
The Mystery at Mead’s Mountain by Kathryn Kenny (reread)
In Memoriam to Those Who Perished in the Disaster to the Titanic April 14th & 15th, 1912 by Harrington Emerson
The Mystery Off Old Telegraph Road by Kathryn Kenny
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy (reread)
The Mystery of the Emeralds by Kathryn Kenny (reread)
Easter Flowers by Isabella Alden
Harold Payne’s Easter by Faye Huntington
Clean Hands by Isabella Alden
Celia’s Easter Offering by Isabella Alden
This Life Of Mine by Victoria Lynn
The Dressmaker’s Secret by Kellyn Roth (reread)
George Mueller by Faith Coxe Bailey (reread)
The Mystery at Bob-White Cave by Kathryn Kenny (reread)
Old Ruddy’s Questions by Courtenay Burden
The Happy Valley Mystery by Kathryn Kenny (reread)
The Mystery in Arizona by Jean Campbell (reread)
Everything by Rebekah A. Morris et al.
Mary Engelbreit’s Mother Goose by Mary Engelbreit (reread)
Hooray For Diffendoofer Day! by Dr. Seuss (reread)

Least Favourite Book of the Months: 

Black Dahlia Avenger by Steve Hodel
Granny’s Vintage Camera by Jasmine Paul
The Adventures of Sparky & Friends by Sunny Ray

|| Writing Update

It’s been a wild writing year.

// I wrote my novella for the WBWP anthology, The Tussie-Mussie! It was honestly hard. I had to write 1k or so every day, and had a very vague outline and little time for details and a lot of skimming AND a lot of research, which I loathe. I hated it because it was sooo out of my usual writing methods, but in the end I finished up by loving it. I do wish it had the cool elements I thought of before but I ended up forgetting them and it was too late to add them, but… that’s for a rewrite someday that will expand the story into a novel 😉 The novella was published in

It was a crazy launch, and I am way behind on the marketing, and it was a difficult experience, but worth it 😊 I even got my Amazon & Bookbub Profiles set up, and my Goodreads Author profile!

And I got my first royalties ever!! That was super fun 😁

Also, Everything came out in February!

And Joy came out in October!

And Seize the Moment!

I am a part of all those anthologies, so it’s been a pretty crazy year.

I’m currently writing several more stories for various anthologies, and I joined a multi-author novella series, so the next few years will also be busy. 😉 I certainly never expected to be here, and frankly, don’t want to anymore, but recently it looks like God is bringing true one of my childhood dreams and won’t stop dropping writing opportunities in my lap ☺️

As far as the Colours of Life series goes, I started my final proofread on The Colour Red, and I plan to soft release it as soon as it’s done. Sometime this fall, D.V.!

I’ve also gotten bit by the behind-the-scenes bug, and am hoping/planning to make extensive lists of the Easter eggs in my stories 🙂

By the way, y’all who haven’t read Seize the Night yet and want to, it’s leaving in very early December!

|| Blog Posts

I didn’t keep track of many blog posts this summer, but here’s a few that stood out to me:

Speaking in Negatives @ Incandescent (interesting POV!)

Quote Origin: A House Without Books Is Like a Body Without a Soul @ Quote Investigator | Medium

Sunday Morning Church Bells @ D.J. Speckhals

Puritan Names: Lists of Bizarre Religious Nomenclature Used by Puritans

(P.S. Check out some more wild name lists here!)

An Old-Fashioned Spring @ Seeking the Timeless Anchor

Fun activities/reads:

Which Cozy Mystery Character are You? @ Wendy Heuvel 

https://twitter.com/DigiVictorian/status/934543116304035840

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag?utf8=✓&id=Sherlock+holmes

https://www.livechat.com/typing-speed-test/#/

https://swiftread.com/reading-speed-test

And then this video that always makes me laugh 🤪

@trudysaidso

JOY CLOCK #meandmysister #biglots #weneedsupervision #partywithtrudy #hookedonphonics

♬ original sound – Pure Romance Trudy

The Springtime in Surrey Author Swap Blog Tour:

Grace A. Johnson on Lilacs & Reveries
Rachel Leitch on Little Blossoms for Jesus
Kellyn Roth on Little Blossoms for Jesus
Kellyn Roth on Writing to Inspire
Rachel Leitch on Lilacs & Reveries
Grace A. Johnson on Prose Worthy
Kellyn Roth on Of Blades and Thorns
Andrea Renee Cox on Of Blades and Thorns
Rachel Leitch on Resting Life
Rachel Leitch on Of Blades and Thorns
Rachel Leitch on Writing to Inspire
Katja H. Labonté on Lilacs & Reveries
Katja H. Labonté on Of Blades and Thorns
Kellyn Roth on Prose Worthy
Katja H. Labonté on Resting Life
Andrea Renee Cox on Little Blossoms for Jesus
Erika Mathews on Of Blades and Thorns
Andrea Renee Cox on Prose Worthy
Erika Mathews on Lilacs & Reveries
Kellyn Roth on Resting Life
Katja H. Labonté on Prose Worthy
Grace A. Johnson on Resting Life
Erika Mathews on Prose Worthy
Andrea Renee Cox on Resting Life
Grace A. Johnson on Little Blossoms for Jesus
Grace A. Johnson on Writing to Inspire
Andrea Renee Cox on Lilacs & Reveries
Erika Mathews on Writing to Inspire
Erika Mathews on Little Blossoms for Jesus
Katja H. Labonté on Writing to Inspire

|| Songs, Verses, & Poems

The Maple Leaf Forever

Light After Darkness

I discovered several new poems I love, and they’re pinned here:

And finally, there were many verses that stood out to me recently:

1 John 5:21—Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
John 13:7—“What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.”
John 12:43—For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
John 12:27-28—“Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy name.”
John 12:24-25—“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”
John 11:40—“Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?”
Luke 17:10—“So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.’”
Luke 12:15—“Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”
Mark 9:24—“Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief.”
Matthew 16:24-26—“If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Psalm 84:11—For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

|| What Did I Learn?

// I did have a lot of thoughts about “Christian” organizations, & Christians fighting politics instead of living for God + making disciples. Post incoming. I need to make more time for these. I just need to sit down when the Muse strikes. 😁

To be honest, I spent most of the year thinking deeply about various topics like homemaking and family and christian life and current people and stuff, and discussing them with family and friends. God’s been teaching me a lot, like a lot.

God’s been working hard on me about bitterness. Y’all think I’m sweet but to be honest I carry grudges like nobody’s business. I thought God had rooted that out of me but lately He’s taught me I still have to work on that.

And by the same token He’s taught me a lot about relationships with various people and different facets of friendship and putting aside of self and all that fun jazz. I’m learning to hold friends loosely and keep my hands open instead of having to get things pried from me. And I’m learning to cherish loneliness and turn to the Lord instead of always to friends.

I’m also learning about instead of waiting in one place for people to come up to me, I should go up to them and bless them instead of waiting to be blessed.

This year I had a lot of paralysis and depression and almost panic over my future, because I feel completely blind and helpless about it. At the conference, God taught me a lot about faith and surrender. And He’s been impressing on me that instead of having a “I’m running out of time” mentality, I should have an “I have time ahead of me” one. 😝

Honestly, when I think back on this year, I think of the story of Hezekiah where God left him, to try him, that He might know all that was in his heart. I really feel like that’s what God did to me this year. Last year I was feeling pretty good and like I finally had things down, and I ended up trying on keep on in MY strength… which quickly, quickly crumbled. I realized that I was trying to sanctify myself by myself, in a sort of “hey, look, I am so sanctified now, You can do this and this with for me” attitude… which of course leads nowhere.

I had a lot more thoughts and more to say but I took too many days to type this out and I forgot them. 😅

|| Goals

I frankly don’t feel like making goals for November, but here we go.

• write weekly
• return to a healthy lifestyle
• read for fun
• meet with God daily

we’ll see where that takes us 😌

How was your last couple of months, cupcakes?