A Thanksgiving Walk

"'Ah! So nice to see you again! It's me this time, Aaron Rochester.
Let me invite you to read the second and final part of my family's Thanksgiving story.
Now close your eyes...

Ivy clears her throat from behind me and peeks around. "Aaron, how can they read with their eyes closed?"
I rub my chin thoughtfully. "I was going to describe what our Thanksgiving hike looked like. It's easier to get a mental picture when your eyes are closed. You've told me that yourself countless times."
Ivy pooches out her lips, and shrugs. "Oh yeah. Well...carry on."
"Alright," I begin, turning back to you; my lovely audience. "As I was saying...

A Winter Wren chirps gaily from overhead as you find yourself on a forest pathway covered in vibrant yellow, red, and orange leaves.
The sound of laughter and chatter falls on your ear as you spot the figures of a group of people coming your direction.

"Ivy, if you take a picture of every single pretty leaf, your camera is going to implode."
Ivy looked over at Caleb with a crinkled nose. ''If it does, I can always have Aaron fix it."
I pulled my scarf closer around my neck, and raised my eyebrows at my twin. "One of these days I'm not going to be able to figure out one of your electronics. What then?"
She snapped a picture of me, and grinned; a dimple creasing her right cheek. "Nah, that'll never happen."
Caleb grimaced, and glanced at Dad; who was batting at a cobweb that had attacked his face."Well, don't you start hollering too loud when that camera finally biffs it."
After our Thanksgiving feast, which we have around three or four in the afternoon, it is our family tradition to take a hike in the nearby forest before returning home to settle down and watch the Canadian Football game on our DVR.
As is the normal protocol, Dad took the lead. Though this particular Thanksgiving, he collected a lot more spiderwebs on his face than usual. Sputtering once again, he rubbed his hands over his face and turned to us.
"Alright, new rule; Aaron, you take the lead."
I shuddered at the thought of running into my least favorite creature, and attempted to do the opposite of pulling rank. "You'd send your youngest child out in front to battle the elements? Alone?"
Mom bit back a smile as Dad narrowed his eyes to ponder the question.
Caleb raised his hands up in the air when he noted Dad's eyes flicking towards him.
"Hey, I'm the oldest. I have obviously been through far more than my baby brother. The Bible says that Tribulation worketh Patience; and Patience, Experience. Me thinks my young brother should be given the chance to learn some great lessons."
Dad nodded slowly. "Hmm, excellent."
I cringed, not being able to argue, now that the Bible had been brought into it.
Ivy grinned, and held out a stick in my direction. "Here, a cobweb wand."
I sighed, and took the stick. But as I stepped ahead to lead my pack, I remembered the last part of the verse Caleb had quoted.
Spinning around, and held up a gloved index finger.
"Oh, one more thing--Your quote also mentions that this Experience I am gaining produces Hope. So in the trying, patience, and experience I'm going through, I'm going to hope that in all of this, my brother will kindly take the lead, and battle the raging autumn spiders."
Ivy lowered her camera from a bright leaf, and squinted at me.
"Oh for goodness sake."
She brushed past me, and yanked the stick from my hands.
"I'll lead. Ya sissy."
Dad put his arm around Mom's shoulder, and laughed. "There now, Ivy saw a need, and took the initiative."
Ivy flashed a smile at me, and began marching ahead.
"Follow me! I'm not afraid of spiders."
As I fell in behind our parents, Caleb clumped his hand on my shoulder and grinned. "Teamwork."
I pushed my beanie back, and shoved my hands into my coat pockets.
"Why lead the way and get covered in webs, when we both know Ivy's going to end up doing the hard work for us?"

Well...Perhaps that statement would have been better off unstated--
Upon realizing that Caleb's and my plan had been to get Ivy to take the webs in the first place, Dad promptly ruled that the both of us were to take the lead...
Without sticks as our defense from the spider webs.

~ Fin.

Alright, so I hope you guys enjoyed reading my short story!

~ When walking in Autumn, do you often run into spiderwebs? ~
~ What are your after Thanksgiving traditions? ~

Alright!
I have been kindly tagged for a NaNoWriMo tag, so I will be returning soon with that!
Until then,

God bless!

Megan

Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving!

*A cold breeze blows, a leaf swirls past*
*Two shadowy figures come walking through the early morning fogginess*
*They stop, and start waving. A light clicks on, and they are recognized as the Rochester twins.*
"Hi! Ivy here. Since Megan has apparently gone poof, my brother and I have stepped in to write up a blog post."
*I frown and cross my arms in front of my chest.*
*ahem* Guys, I'm right here. I've just been busy! I haven't had time to-
*Aaron's eyes widen* "Ivy, listen! Sometimes I can still hear her voice, off somewhere in the distance."
Okaaay, I'll just leave you two to your craziness. But if you get into any shenanigans...remember who writes your stories, eh?
Ivy; "Hmm, she has a point. Come on, bro. Let's get to the reason for our hijacking this laptop."
*The light clicks off, and you are transported to a kitchen where the savory smells of roasting turkey, pumpkin pie, and other culinary delights greet your nose*

Ivy looks up from her position in front of the oven. "Hey mom, could you toss me that hot pad? I think my sweet potatoes are finished."
The Rochester family was hard at work preparing their yearly Thanksgiving supper.
Mr. Rochester was bent over the turkey, carefully basting the bird; as was his assigned kitchen duty.
The task of overseeing, and perfecting the pumpkin pies was Mrs. Rochester's job, which she took very seriously.
The twins' brother Caleb, who was four years their elder, always took it upon himself to make sure every dish and utensil was spotless, and the kitchen as free from clutter as he could keep it.
Utilizing the hot pad her mother had chucked to her, Ivy pulled out her dish of piping hot sweet potatoes, and set them on the stove top.
"Dad, is the turkey ready yet?"
Mr. Rochester replaced the lid on the turkey roaster and wiped his hands on his borrowed apron.
"Nearly. I'd give it ten minutes."
The backdoor swung open at that moment, and in came Aaron; a steaming pot in his hands.
"Make way, hot potatoes coming through!"
He shuffled to the sink, and there he placed the steaming metal pot.
Caleb backed away, and frowned at his younger brother.
"Aaron, that pot is covered in soot and charcoal, what did you do to it?"
Aaron chewed his lip, and tilted his head to better look at the blackened bottom of the pot.
"Hmm, I guess I turned the flames up too high on the burner..."
Caleb removed his glasses indignantly; rubbing the fog that had condensed on the glass.
"Burner is a good word for it. My spotless sink is ruined."
Mrs. Rochester tisked from where she stood at the kitchen island, pressing the pumpkin pie crust.
"Oh Caleb, it's nothing a little scrubbing won't fix."
Caleb grunted in response as he replaced his glasses.
Ivy slid a bowl over to her twin, and grinned. "Here, mash the potatoes in this." She shifted her look to Caleb. "Would you like me to scrub the sink for you, Caye?"
He shook his head, and rolled up his already bunched sleeves. "I'll do it."
Aaron dumped the potatoes into the offered bowl, and returned the burnt pot to the sink.
"Sorry it's so messy."
Caleb raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry about it. If the mashed potatoes weren't my favorite part of the meal, I might complain a bit more." A grin cracked through his frown, and he winked good-naturedly.
Aaron grinned as he pulled out the potato masher. "Saved by the love of food. I love Thanksgiving."

(to be continued)

Thanks for reading, we'll be back soon to share part 2. :)
Hope you enjoyed, and happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers!

God bless!

Megan Ivy

I'm back! + Exciting News!

*waves wildly*
Salutations! I have returned from my impromtu (and unintentional) blog break!
It has been a crazy summer thus far in my neck of the woods, but I finally have the time to sit down and write an update!

This summer so far:

1. (Early July) I got a haircut! It was my first "real" haircut in about ten years. It's really weird having shoulder length hair again, but I love it!

1. (Mid-July) Had a friend from West Virginia fly out and stay for two weeks. That was a blast! My sisters and I became full-out tour guides; Astoria Oregon, Fort Stevens, Multnomah Falls, Mt. St. Helens, Fort Vancouver...It was a fun two weeks.

2. (Early August) Entered two paintings at my local County Fair, and got 1st prize for them both! *excited squeal*

3. (Mid August) Had a birthday! Now I'm officially old...er than I was last year. xD

4. (Today) I finished the first draft of my second book in the Time Traveler series!! (excuse me while I excitedly dance around and giggle.)
*ahem*
I'm super excited to have finished it! If all goes as planned, it will be published early September, 2020!
Yeah, I know that's a whole year away, but I want it to be published in early September, and this year is too close to be able to do it.
The date has to do with the book's plot. B)

Anywho, now I just need to get it edited, proofed, re-edited, re-proofed, and checked once or twice more...then it'll be ready!
Is anybody interested in being a beta-reader?
Just one thing, you'll want to read the first book first, as you might get lost otherwise... xD
Let me know!


This is a short-ish post, but I'll make up for it next week, as the lovely miss Rakayle has tagged me in a 3 Days 3 Quotes Tag! (Thanks, Rakayle!)

So until Monday, dear readers!


God bless!

Megan

Voted Most Likely Tag

Salutations, readers!
Once again I have been MIA far too long, and for that I apologize, but alas...life happens, eh?
But with that poor excuse now put aside, we shall move along to the purpose of this post!

Miss Rakayle Hier kindly tagged me to join in on this fantastic tag! I think it will help you, as well as myself, to get to know some of my characters better!

The Rules:

1: Thank the lovely blogger who tagged you. You know you want to.
Thank youuu, Rakayle, I'm excited to do this!

2: Include this lovely link in your post.
Done! ;)
3: Use your own lovely Original Characters (OC’s); don’t use a friend’s characters or characters from your favorite fandom. They can be from any project, so long as you created them. For more fun, try to use as many different characters as possible.
Brilliant! For I have many characters...
 
4: Tag at least five lovely blogger friends to play along.
Hmm. This may prove hard...


The Characters:

The Time Travers - Trouble in Scotland: Science Fiction/Adventure - Joshua, Amy, Aaron, & Ivy

The Strange Case of Willoughby Spalding: Mystery/Romance - Willoughby & Elizabeth

The Murder of Mr. E.J. Hampton: Murder Mystery/Victorian Era - Captain James Windsor & Mr. Henry Cobbs

In Times of Trial: Drama/Romance  - Malcolm, Hubert, Rory, & Bridget

Bonus! The Time Travelers Book 2: Science Fiction/Historical Fiction - Taivert Merel (Tie-VAIR Mer-EL)

Onward, dear reader! Let us dive into this tag, and learn some things about my characters!


The Questions:


1.) Most Likely to Be a Poet

Mr. Cobbs. He is a quiet sort who couldn't be happier to sit down with a large volume of Longfellow, Keets, or Browning. If he had the time, there is no doubt he would write some verse of his own.
 
2.) Most Likely to Dance in the Rain

Bridget, most definitely. She dearly loves the rain, and doesn't hesitate to dance in it no matter the season. With the abundant rains on the Emerald Island she calls home, she has learned to not begrudge the rains. She loves dancing as a general rule, so never lets rain stop her when the urge to break out in a Scottish Jig comes on.
 
3.) Most Likely to Look Good in a Kilt

Colm, without a doubt. He is an Irishman through and through, and when the occasion calls for it he doesn't shy away from donning a traditional kilt.
 
4.) Most Likely to Get Punched in the Face

Rory O'Conner. And if you do punch him, beware; for he can and will hit back. Roy isn't one you want to cross. With a constant scowl on his face, it's likely you're going to avoid getting on his bad side anyway. But that in and of itself is hard. If he doesn't like you, (and believe me, he needs no reason to dislike someone.) you'll know it. I can count on one hand the people Rory O'Conner truly likes. If he likes you, you should either be extremely grateful, or terrified. You can choose.
 
5.) Most Likely to Drop Everything and Become a Sheep Herder

 Colm again to take the prize for this one, as this is literally what he did. When his father became unable to work, Colm was forced to leave his over-too-soon childhood to become a sheep herder at the O'Conner Farm, to provide for his family.
 
6.) Most Likely to Be Found in the Library

It was tough deciding which of the folks from this list I would choose, but the decision fell upon young Willoughby Spalding. When he isn't busily working on the police force, or spending time with his family, he would probably be found at the small town library, busily going through archived newspapers, and articles on missing persons cases. His goal is to solve as many cases as he can; reuniting lost families. 

 

This one gets a double answer, as I don't want Ivy to feel left out! Ivy Rochester loves reading. And you can find her at her local library quite often. She may be reading something by Dickens or Shakepeare, perusing a how-to-book on designing, studying a biographical book on some historical figure she admires, or perhaps flipping through a Dictionary to study up on some words she can use to stump her big brother in a sophisticated-word-battle-off...(Long story, that.)

7.) Most Likely to Sleep Through an Earthquake

His friends would all agree; Joshua Peterson could sleep through almost anything. It takes all they can do to wake him up in the morning. Once a large tree fell just outside his bedroom window. It shook the house so hard, it caused some plaster to crumble from the ceiling, but he remained blissfully unaware. Only when he was literally dragged out of bed did he awaken and find out what had happened.
 
8.) Most Likely to Steal Food from Other Peoples’ Plates

Aaron Rochester. Ivy would quickly point an accusing finger at her twin. Especially when eating at a Fast Food joint, Aaron without fail steals French Fries from both his older brother, and his sister. They always catch him, as stealth isn't his strong suit. But he always at least attempts to sneak an extra fry out of their baskets.
 
9.) Most Likely to Cheat on a Test

She would never admit it, naturally, but I'm afraid that Amy Hyde would peek over her neighbor's shoulder to see the answer for a tough Math question, but only when all other attempts to figure it out herself, fail. "Desperate times call for desperate measures." She would quip.
 
10.) Most Likely to Say “Oops” After Setting Something on Fire
 
Far from being a sarcastic "opps", Elizabeth Archer would gasp in alarm and stare in horror before whispering "opps!" when she accidentally sets a tablecloth ablaze from clumsily tipping a candlestick.

11.) Most Likely to Open an Orphanage

Having a heart for the lost and lonely, Bridget MacDonald would jump at the chance to open up an Orphanage.
 
12.) Most Likely to Run off with the Circus

Sometimes bored with the hum-drum, monotonous daily life, Hugh McTavish would doubtless dash off to join the circus, if the opportunity arose. But it wouldn't be long before he had a change of heart and returned home, like the prodigal he is inclined to be.
 
13.) Most Likely to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse

Well now, since these are fictional characters, fictional occurrences are never out of the question, so I believe that the most likely to survive such a circumstance would be Captain Windsor. With his sharp wit and skills acquired from his time in war, he would rise to the occasion and defeat the evil, rising from the ashes; victorious.
 
14.) Most Likely to Fake Their Own Death

As he actually did this, Taivert Merel is the candidate for this one. He not only faked his death, he returned to society with a changed name, and nobody knows his true identity. Not yet, that is.
 
15.) Most Likely to Die and Haunt Their Friends

Just for kicks, Joshua Peterson would happily come back to haunt his friends if he ever died. And by haunt, I mean pull pranks. An eternity of joke-playing would be his life...death...??...goal.

"Didn't I just close that window? Weird. It's open again. I must be losing my mind..."

"Stop tapping my shoulder!"
"I never touched you."
"I must have fleas or something..."


Re-Tagging:

Well! I've done my research...and it seems all the lovely folks I would have tagged seem to have been tagged already...
If I have erroneously missed you, and you have not yet been tagged, please, consider yourself tagged! If you do the post, link it in a comment! I'd love to read what your characters would do in such situations. :)

The Questions:

1.) Most Likely to Be a Poet
2.) Most Likely to Dance in the Rain
3.) Most Likely to Look Good in a Kilt
4.) Most Likely to Get Punched in the Face
5.) Most Likely to Drop Everything and Become a Sheep Herder
6.) Most Likely to Be Found in the Library
7.) Most Likely to Sleep Through an Earthquake
8.) Most Likely to Steal Food from Other Peoples’ Plates
9.) Most Likely to Cheat on a Test
10.) Most Likely to Say “Oops” After Setting Something on Fire
11.) Most Likely to Open an Orphanage
12.) Most Likely to Run off with the Circus
13.) Most Likely to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse
14.) Most Likely to Fake Their Own Death
15.) Most Likely to Die and Haunt Their Friends 


Well! That was quite fun. Thank you again, Rakayle, for tagging me!
I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

And now I must bid you adieu, as work beckons, and I mustn't ignore it any longer.

Which of the answers did you like best?
Judging by these questions, which character do you like best?

Thanks for reading,

God bless!


Megan 


Pictures are not mine: found on the internet. 

Another Announcement!

Greetings!
Spring is nearing, yet the snow continues to fall...
But putting aside the dreary thoughts of prolonged cold winter weather, I have some exciting news!
Remember the Cover Giveaway I mentioned last week?
Well I was shocked and delighted to find out that I had won!

The clever and talented miss Bethany C Willcock designed me a gorgeous cover for my just-published book, The Strange Case of Willoughby Spalding!
Instead of using my not-so-great-quality, hand painted cover, I'm pleased to announce that I'll be updating my cover to be this beautiful one!

Isn't it gorgeous?

Along with the cover, Bethany is working on making me three delightful promotional graphics for the book!

I hope to have my book published as a paperback by next month as well, if all goes well in the printing department. ;)

I plan to return next week with a lovely St. Patrick's Day themed post!

Until then,

God bless!

Megan

An Announcement

Greetings!
I have news!
My short story, The Strange Case of Willoughby Spalding, has been made into an ebook, and it is now available for pre-order on Amazon!
The release date is February 14th. (I chose Valentine's Day, since it is a bit of a romance.)
And here....








is....













the...














....















...cover!

Hand-painted by me

What do you think?
I decided to post this today, and save my planned "recommendation" post for next week.
So that's all for now.
Have a lovely week!

God bless!

Megan

On the 11th Day of Christmas...

(Aaron, Amy, Ivy & Josh) "Hello!"
(Ivy) "Hi guys, the four of us have decided to team up--"
(Josh) "And share our short time travel adventure with you!"
(Ivy) "...It wasn't short, Josh."
(Josh) "Well, it sure wasn't long enough."
(Amy) "Guys, don't argue...Don't mind them, readers."
(Aaron) "Yeah. Ok readers, so as they mentioned, we have a short story to share."
(Ivy) "It's short, but I will let you know right now, it's not the full thing. Only a teaser, if you will, of what will be a much longer story. The share is short, the story won't be...once it's finished being written."
(Josh) "Leave comments! We love comments. If you leave a comment before two hours are up, I'll..."
(Amy) "How did you make this sound like a lame commercial?"
(Aaron) "Ha! Don't mind Josh. I think he had coffee this morning."
(Josh) "...how did you know?"

Ok guys, let me handle this...
Here is a snippet of the beginning of a special holiday Time Travelers story.
I hope you enjoy!

It was Epiphany Eve...
In the city of New York, New York, a certain wristwatch was slowly pulsing a florescent green.
In excitement, the red headed 16-year-old Joshua Peterson excitedly ran to his Great Aunt's telephone and dialed his friend Amy Hyde's number.
When the phone was picked up, Josh spat out, "Amy! The watch is doing it again!"
A gasp sounded from the telephone speaker, and the young teen's voice whispered, "I'll be right over. Don't press any button without me."

In Canada, a similar exchange was going on...
"Ivy, Ivy!"
The 18 year old's fingers paused above the typewriter's keys, looking at her telecommunicating digital wristwatch. Intrigued by the urgency, she pressed the callback button. "What's up, Aaron? Over."
"I'm in the library. The watch. It's flashing. Over."
Ivy felt her heartbeat quicken at the prospect of another time traveling adventure, and leapt up from her desk chair, leaving it swiveling in place as she exited the bedroom in haste.

Old town New York:
"Amy! Just in time."
The blonde teen pulled her scarf closer around her face. 
"Why did we have to meet in the alley? It's freezing out here!"
Josh pulled his wool coat collar up higher around his cheeks. "We can't just go zapping through time in the middle of the house. We were in the attic last time, remember?"
Amy hugged herself. "But...Couldn't we have gone to your attic?"
He shook his head matter-of-factly. "Nope. Wayyyy too many spiders."
"Okay...Press the button already before I freeze to death."
Josh lifted his index finger above the button, but didn't press it.
Amy scowled at his hesitation. "What's wrong?"
"Do you think the Rochesters will come too?"
"...I hope so."
"What if they don't?"
Amy pulled her knitted cap further down. "Let's just hope they do."
Josh bit his lip, and looked down at the watch. "Is there a time limit to when you can press the button?"
"There might be. Better press it now, Josh."
He nodded slowly. "Ok. Here, hold my arm, Aim. Even if the others don't, I want to make sure you come!"

The outskirts of Toronto:
Ivy threw the door open. "Should we press the button, Aaron?"
The tall, dirty-dishwater blond 18-year-old looked up from the couch and nodded. "Definitely!"
Ivy closed their home library's door, and hurried over to sit next to her twin.
"Do you think Josh saw his watch blinking?"
Aaron cocked his head to the side. "I hope so! It would be weird if they didn't come too..."
Ivy frowned as her eyes ran over the face of the transportation devise. "Will it work if only one watch is pressed?"
Aaron let his finger hover over the button momentarily. "That's a good question...I suppose there's only one way to find out...eh?"
Ivy nodded, and hooked her arm in her brother's. "Ok, go ahead. Let's see what our mission is this time."
With a hesitant pause, Aaron pressed his finger down on the button.
A red light blinked, instead of the bright flash.
Ivy opened her eyes, which she had squeezed shut. "Nothing happened."
Aaron looked at the screen. "Whoa, look. It says, "Error. Press in"...It's giving a five second count down."
Ivy's eyes widened. "That means both you and Josh will press at the same time!"
"Looks like it...here we go then!"

When the timer had clicked down to zero, both Time Traveler's pressed their respective buttons, and a bright flash erupted from the screens before everything went black.


Alright, so that's the intro for ya!
I hope you enjoyed it.
Now after editing, who knows how much of this original beginning will be left over, but...
Tomorrow will be the final post in this Christmas series!
I hope you have enjoyed reading the snippets and stories.

God bless!

Megan

On the 10th Day of Christmas...

Hiya! Josh here again.
I wanted to share my own short snippet of a story, since everyone else has.
Did you get to try any of my recipes?
Well, here's my story. It was just last night that all this happened...


It was late in the evening, and my shift at the local pizzeria was just about to end.
The last customer was standing before me, waiting for me to hand over the order.
“Would you like fries with that?”
The lady stared at me in confusion. “Beg your pardon?”
I laughed, and handed her the box of pizza. “Oh, sorry. I’ve just always wanted to say that.”
She nodded slowly, and took the box. “I see...well, thank you.”
I waved my hand. “Enjoy your pizza! Merry Christmas, ma’am!”
As the last customer in the pizzeria left, I dusted my hands together. “And so ends another day of toil, labor, and—”
My soliloquy ended abruptly when somebody walked out of the kitchen behind me. “Joshua, who are you talking to?”
I grinned, and started untying my apron. “The audience. You know, that’s how any soliloquy works.”
My coworker glanced around the room, and pursed his lips. “Right...Anyhow, is the door locked? We’re closing for the evening in just a minute.”
I shook my head. “I haven’t locked the door yet, no.”
“Ok, you wanna do that? I’ve got one last pizza to pull from the oven.”
I hurried over to lock the door, then followed Jake back into the kitchen. “Another? For who?”
He sighed and adjusted his white hat. “That person you talked to on the phone earlier, who ordered a pizza? They wanted it delivered, remember?”
I smacked my forehead. “Duh! I knew that. The girl I accidentally confessed my undying love for...”
Jake stared at me as he paused in his reaching for the pizza. “Say what?”
I chuckled. “Well, a bit of a long story there...”
He pulled the pizza out, and carefully set it in the awaiting box. “I’m all ears.”
“Ok, well...The phone rang, and so I answered it, as usual...

“This is the place to get fresh pizza and ice cream! What can I do for you today?”
“Uh, hi. Can I order a cheese pizza to be delivered?”
“Sure! What size?” “Large, please.”
“Sounds good! What’s the address of delivery?”
“442 south bard street.”
“Great, we’ll have that pizza to you in forty five minutes. Thanks for calling!” “Ok, love you, bye.”
“Love you too—”
We both paused.
I heard a giggle on the other end, which sounded like somebody nearby who had heard the slip of the tongue.
I cleared my throat. “Uh...I hope you’re not expecting a discount because we’ve confessed our undying love to each other...”
A laugh sounded from the opposite end of the call.
“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry. I totally didn’t mean to say that.”
I grinned. “No problem! I’m always almost saying that accidentally...”

Jake replaced his white cook’s hat with his baseball cap. “That...is hilarious.”
I tossed my apron on the hanger, and nodded as I followed him out of the pizzeria; locking the door and turning off the lights behind us.
“Sure was. She was real nice though, it was fun.”
Jake grinned down a the pizza box in his hands. “You wanna deliver this to her, since you’re practically engaged?”
I threw my head back in a laugh. “Ha! No thanks. I’m going home. You’re delivery boy tonight.”
Jake shrugged, and waved his hand to me as he opened his car door. “Fine, suit yourself. Have a good weekend, Josh. See ya Monday!”
“Yep, you too. Merry Christmas!”
He slid the box in the back door, and closed it before shaking his head at me. “Josh, Christmas was almost two weeks ago.”
I shrugged. “True, but today is only 9 days away. It’s still the 9th day of Christmas! I will continue to wish everyone a Merry Christmas until the 12th day. Merry Christmas!"


There ya go, a peek into my work life.
Better go, I'm going to practice some Christmas polkas on my accordion!

Thanks Josh, fun having you again.
Hope you all enjoyed this snippet!
Have a lovely Friday!

God bless!

Megan

On the 7th Day of Christmas...Happy New Year!

A very happy new year to you!
This is me, Megan, this time.
Since it is New Years day, I decided to make this a short post, and give my Characters a break from writing for me... ;)

So before I bid you a lovely day, here is a short poem I have written:

Another year has come and gone,
both joy and sadness mark the way.
A tapestry that we call life,
is woven day by day.

The golden strands of happiness,
are lovely to behold
but sorrow's dark threads add a beauty,
of ancient truths of old.

For sadness, sorrows, trials and pain,
are used by God above,
to bring us closer to His side.
He comforts us in love.

For dark and light do both bring out,
the beauty of a life,
and joy can fill our hearts despite
all sorrow, hurt, and strife.

For in God's Word are promises,
that only if we pray,
and draw ere closer to our God,
His joy; will hearts convey!

For in His love, He died for man,
to save the human race.
Redeeming love, and peace for all,
provided by His grace.

He only asks that you believe,
and call upon His name,
Ask Jesus Christ to save your soul,
The angels will acclaim.

So as this new year's threads are woven,
dark and light combined,
May gold outweigh the dark sad threads.
May God's great love you find!


I'm not very well versed in poetry, but I hope you found my feeble attempt at a poem at least a little inspiring. :)

Happy New Year!

God Bless!

Megan

On the 5th Day of Christmas...

Hello there, Aaron Rochester here.
Seems it's my turn to do a post, so here's what I've come up with. Hope you enjoy!

I looked at my twin, and grinned. “Ready?”
She nodded, and cracked her knuckles. “Oh yes.”
We both took a deep breath and started singing. Ivy took the melody, I chimed in with the harmony.
“We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”
A blond head poked out the previously closed door. “What the heck are you two doing?”
We stopped singing as soon as the door opened.
I shrugged. “Why, caroling of course!”
He pushed his glasses up his nose, and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Since when do carolers go around inside their own house?”
Ivy clasped her hands behind her back innocently. “Since now. Come on, Caleb. Join us?”
Our twenty-three year old brother shook his head. “I’m busy.”
I crossed my arms. “Sorry, can’t back out. We’re all going caroling in town.”
Caleb narrowed his eyes at us. “Why wasn’t I informed of this trip?”
I grinned at my sister. “We just decided a few minutes ago. Mom and Dad agreed that it would be fun. You wanna come?”
Our tall brother sighed. “Ah, why not...”
He straightened. “Are we supposed to dress up?”
Ivy nodded the same time I shook my head. When she saw my answer, she nodded again. “Of course! Get a vest and coat, and your nicest hat too. It’s common knowledge that all carolers have to look like they’re from the 1800’s!”
Right then, Dad walked up behind us. “What’s this? Who’s from the 1800’s?”
Ivy looked at him and grinned. “We are! Don’t you agree that we should dress up to go caroling?”
He feigned shock at the idea of not dressing up for the occasion. “Why, of course!” Caleb groaned. “Not only are you making me sing, now I have to dress up too?”
I scoffed. “Ha! You’re the one in the house who always dresses up the most when going places, and don’t deny it, brother.”
Caleb shrugged; a grin spreading across his face. “Ah, tis true, little brother. Unlike someone—” he poked my chest. “—I care about what I look like in public.”

An hour and a half later found us in the middle of the old section of our little town, wandering through the town square singing Christmas carols and hymns that pertained to our Savior’s birth.
Dad played his squeezebox in accompaniment while we all sang.
“God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay...”
I normally didn’t care to sing in front of people, but if I had someone to sing with, it certainly made it easier. And my family was the best group to sing with, in my opinion.
Once we had our fill of singing in the cold snowy weather, we all shuffled into the local coffee shop and jumped into line to order something to warm up our frozen insides.
We decided to go easy on the baristas, and all ordered hot chocolates.
Dad took a sip of his beverage once we gathered around a circular table.
“Ow!”
We all chuckled and giggled at the expression on his face.
“Daaad,” Ivy giggled, cradling her paper cup. “It’s hot!”
He puckered his lips and stuck his burnt tongue out. “Ya could have warned me.” Caleb smirked. “The name wasn’t a dead giveaway?”
Mom carefully sipped her own. “It’s hot cocoa for a reason, dear.”
Dad grinned and took another sip. “I knew that. I was only joking.”
I reached for the basket on the table that held complimentary candy canes, and stuck one in my mouth. After a couple minutes, I pulled the cane from my mouth; revealing a sharp pointed end.
“My favorite Christmas treat is the peppermint candy sword.”
Ivy rolled her eyes. “They’re called candy canes, not—”
I waved it around in front of me. “Now once you’ve sucked on it a while!”
Dad laughed. “Who knew such a delicious treat could be so lethal...”
Caleb set his cup down, and drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “Certainly wouldn’t be a choice weapon. The strength of the peppermint would be easily detected.”
I scowled. “Brilliant deduction, Caleb. Way to ruin a good plan.”
My big brother flashed a grin. “Just keeping you from being dragged off to jail, dear brother.”
I popped the top off my beverage, and stuck my peppermint stick in.
“Well, I don’t plan on bumping anyone off right now anyhow. But thanks for the warning. I’m much obliged.”
After we had fallen silent for a couple minutes, Dad lifted his cup.
“I’d like to propose a toast.”
We all turned our attention to him, and raised our own drinks.
He cleared his throat. “To Christmas, family, and hot cocoa. God bless us!”
We all echoed his toast, and took a drink.
I grinned, and raised the cup to my lips again.
“God bless us, everyone!”

Thanks for the snippet, Aaron!
Have a lovely Sunday, everyone. I'm off to prepare for church!

God bless!

Megan

On the 4th Day of Christmas...

Greetings! Tis I, Joshua Peterson.
Merry (four days after) Christmas, everyone!
Well, I was going to write about my latest Christmas, but...Amy kind of beat me to that...so...
How about I just share my favorite Christmas drinks and foods with you?
Since my dream is to own my own pizza joint when I finish culinary collage, I have a handful of great recipies to share!
(Don't worry. They're not pizzas. Though...A turkey sandwich pizza sounds really cool right now...)

Drinks
A very important part of any day is drinks, am I right?
So two of my favorite things are Hot Cocoa, and Eggnog.

Hot Cocoa:
2 Tablespoons Cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons Sugar
And enough Milk to fill your favorite mug. (as long as it's not one of those ginormous cups...Then you'll have to add more cocoa and sugar...)
A half teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Mix those, and heat them up on the stove. Once it's hot, but not boiling, pour it back into your mug and add two big Marshmallows, and a Candy Cane.
Viola! Vuwalla!...V....phooey.
And there you have it! A delicious Hot Chocolate!

Eggnog:
6 Eggs
A Half Gallon of Milk
3/4 to 1 cup Sugar (depends on how sweet you like it. I suggest starting with 3/4 and working your way up.)
A teaspoon Nutmeg
And a half teaspoon Vanilla
Blend the eggs and sugar in a blender until totally mixed together, then add flavors, mix until completely blended, then add milk. Blend again. You can't overdo it. Always overblend than underblend your eggnog. Trust me on this one...
Once done, pour into a tall glass and add a tiny sprinkle of Nutmeg on top for decoration.
Enjoy!

Not Drinks:
Very important, this.
And by not drinks, I mean food.
Now these aren't my very own recipies, but I recommend them:

Peppermint Cookies:
https://preppykitchen.com/white-chocolate-peppermint-cookies/#

Chocolate Fudge:
https://foodieandwine.com/3-ingredient-easy-fudge-recipe/

You may not have known, but my father's side all comes from the Scandinavian countries, so we have quite a bit of Scandinavian influences on our Christmas meals!
The above recipies aren't Scandinavian...That I know of...
But here are a couple delicious things we enjoy during the Christmas season:

Spiced Cake:
https://www.redonline.co.uk/food/recipes/a501507/spiced-christmas-cake/

A Yummy Roast:
https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/roast-pork-with-crisp-crackling-red-currant-gravy

Mom isn't too into fish, so we don't have many of the fishy things that Scandinavians usually eat during most of their meals.

There! Now that I'm totally hungry from talking about all this food...
I think I'll go grab myself some fudge I think is still leftover in the fridge.
Hasta la Pasta!

Great recipies Josh, thanks for sharing.
Hope you enjoyed this post, and maybe will try out some of these tasty recipies!
(I highly recommend the fudge!)

Until tomorrow,

God bless!

Megan

On the 2nd Day of Christmas...

Hi, Amy from the Time Travelers here.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you!

Since Megan is apparently too busy to write these posts herself, she has enlisted the help of my friends and I.
A list of names were tossed into a hat, and my name was drawn first; so...
Here is what my Christmas looked like:

*knock knock*
“Miss Hyde?”
I sighed heavily, and lowered the violin from my shoulder.
Aaaand there goes violin practice for the rest of the day... “What, Saunders?”
My Grandmother’s stereotypical British butler stuck his head into my music room. “Miss Hyde, your presence has been requested in the drawing room. The guests have arrived.”
I raised the lid to my case, and gently laid my precious instrument in.
“Alight Mr. Saunders, tell Grandmother I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
The elderly butler nodded, and ducked back out of the room.
I loosened the hair on my bow, and slipped it in before closing and locking the case shut.
As I left the music room, I glanced down at the chain hung around my neck; attached were my late Father’s dog-tags.
My Grandmother didn’t think they were feminine, so frowned upon my wearing them. I lovingly ran my fingers across the raised words on the metal tags, then tucked the special necklace inside my cream blouse before entering the drawing room.

I entered the room and spotted Josh and his Great Aunt, my Grandmother, and a few of her old friends that I’m not too familiar with.
I waved nervously as my eyes scanned the room for a seat I could take.
“Merry Christmas everyone.”
Josh waved me over to where he sat on a couch. “Sit here!”
Grandmother cleared her throat as I padded across the plush carpet to my friend’s side. “Amy, you’re just in time, I was telling everyone about how well you play your violin.”
I stopped short on my brief trek to the couch. “What?”
All of the guests nodded.
Grandmother smiled primly. “Why don’t you fetch your instrument and give us a little recital?”
“B-but—”
Josh leapt up. “Come on Amy, just a little song?”
I felt my face getting red from the attention of everyone, but nodded slowly. “Oh, I guess...I’ll go get my violin.”
Josh jumped up and hurried after me as I left the room. “Hey Amy!”
I glanced over my shoulder and scowled. “Gee, thanks, now I’ve gotta play.”
He gave me his goofy grin. “But you’re real good at it.”
“I don’t like to play for an audience.”
He continued to follow me up the staircase. “Gosh, sorry...But...You’re still gonna play though, right?”
I scoffed. “Do I have a choice?”
Josh stopped his assent up the stairway, and frowned at the carpeted steps.
“Maybe—” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, I know! I’ll hide it, and you can say that you couldn’t find it!”
I laughed. “You’re a pal, Josh. But I don’t think that would work.”
He took the steps three at a time and reached the landing. “Oh, alright.”
We fell silent as we approached the music room door.
I was about to reach for the handle when Josh coughed. “Hey, would’ja like your Christmas present now?”
“Now? Why now?”
He followed me into the room. “I figured you wouldn’t want everyone to—” He pulled a package out of his back pocket and thrust it into my hands.
I gently pulled the wrapping paper off the package. Inside, I found what looked to be two small oval gold plated picture frame. I looked at my friend in confusion.
He grinned. “It’s for your Dad’s tags. They should fit perfectly inside, and they’ll be pretty, and maybe your Gramma won’t mind you wearing them.”
I clasped the golden frames to my chest, and smiled broadly at my friend. “Oh Josh, this is the sweetest gift! Thank you!”
He beamed. “I was hoping you’d like them.”
I opened my hands, and admired the intricate gold lining before hastily slipping them into the pocket of my jeans. “Thank you very much, Joshua.”
He shrugged and grinned. “Glad you like them. Now...better get that violin. Don’t want Gramma to get impatient.”
I sighed and reached for my instrument. “Yes, this is true. I shall play, but only one song.”
We both started back down.
Josh skipped a couple steps ahead of me. “Three songs!”
I gripped the handle of my case a little tighter. “One.”
“Four!”
I shook my head. “That’s not how you’re supposed to haggle.”
He turned and walked backwards; a grin on his face. “Five. That’s my final offer.”
I rolled my eyes, and chuckled in defeat. “Two. And that’s all I’ll do, or none at all.”

My bow slid over the strings of my violin, my fingers pressing and sliding to create the melodies of two of my favorite Christmas carols.
When I finished, and the small group applauded, I caught Josh’s eye and smiled.
“One final song.”
Josh’s face lit up and he settled back on his couch in glee as I played what I knew to be his favorite Christmas song:
“God Bless Us, Everyone”

Thanks for helping out, Amy.
Hope you all enjoyed!
Until tomorrow,

God Bless!

Megan

Of Dragons and Plot Bunnies

Hi ya'll!
It's been a while.
Can you believe it's already November 8th? I sure can't. It seems like it was just August 1st...

Anyhow...
I have been reading, writing, and painting in my free time lately.

Reading:
I must recommend this new Trilogy I have recently come across, and devoured.
It took me only ten days to read the entire trilogy. It was fantastic.

The Remnant Trilogy

Fantastic books about what Noah's life could have been like before the Global Flood. Written by Tim Chaffey and K. Marie Adams.
I highly recommend them; they're funny, heartbreaking, entertaining, intense, amazing, and fantastic!

Seriously, go check them out!

Writing:
Been working on reaching my 100,000 word count goal on a story I've been writing for about two years now. Perhaps one day it'll be finished, and I'll self-publish it.
It's a story about a young Irish man, and his struggle with many things in his life including a vengeful co-worker, a friend struggling with his Faith, long-lost family secrets, surprising new family members, and learning to put his trust fully and wholly in God.
It's...a work in process. ;-)
(this is my plot bunny. It started out as a NANOWRIMO project two years ago, and I've been slowly working on it since then.)

Painting:
All watercolor paintings below...
So I painted the dinosaur painting I used for the picture for this post.

Behemoth! One of my favorite dinosaurs. 

Fun fact: The word dinosaur wasn't invented until 1841, by a guy named Sir Richard Owen.

Next, my first attempt at a bird of prey:

The American Kestrel

A commission-of-sorts from a friend who is a falconer. The Kestrel is such a pretty little bird! Barely the size of a pigeon. I never realized how small they were until I looked up pictures!

And lastly, my favorite, a baby red kangaroo:

Ruby the Red Kangaroo

This is a darling little Joey that I have had the privilage of meeting. She's the cutest little "roo" I've ever met.

Well that's about it for this post.
Here's a writing prompt, before I go, since I've not been posting those lately...

~ How is your Autumn coming along? ~

~ Has it snowed yet where you live? ~

~ Did you remember to set your clocks back? ~

That's all for now, hope you enjoyed this post!

God bless!

Megan

A British Mystery

Greetings dear reader!
Today is *gasp* the last and final day of Summer.
And on this final day of a very very busy summer, I bring you a little excerpt of a little Murder Mystery I came up with many moons ago...(in June, 2014)
I have put up a blurb of it on my Short Stories page, but shall give a few more details here in this post.
It is titled The Murder of Mr. E. J. Hampton. (Not sure if I'll keep the title, but that's the original one.)

Here is a snippet from the story itself:
(Bear in mind, this is an original scene with barely any editing done...so please excuse any errors!)

Six o’clock the next morning found Captain Windsor sitting on the front steps of the police station.
He sat impatiently; tapping his fingers on the porch. “Does every police officer in this city sleep in? Where is everyone?”
He yanked his pocket watch out of his vest and looked at it fiercely; attempting to read it in the pale light descending from the street lamps.
“Where is Cobbs?”
Right then, Constable O’Halahan appeared, keys in hand to open the doors.
He stopped short when he spotted the detective.
“Why, detective Windsor, a good mornin’ to ya! What brings you here so early?”
Windsor stood up and rubbed his gloved hands together. “It’s about time you got here.”
Ryan fumbled with the keys. “You must be freezing.”
“Very nearly.”
They both stepped into the cold entryway of the station.
Ryan hung his kelly green scarf on a hat hanger, and hurried over to a cast iron pot-bellied stove in the middle of the room. “I’ll have a fire roarin’ soon, Detective; sit tight.”
Captain Windsor pulled his coat tighter around his shoulders as he sank into the chair behind his desk, suddenly becoming aware of how cold he actually was.
Looking out the  dark window, he spied tiny speckles of jack frost at the corners of the windowpane, and shivered.
“Do you need any help with that fire, O’Halahan? Perhaps more wood?”
Ryan looked up from his squatted down position beside the stove. “Thank you kindly detective, but I’ll manage.”
Right then, Mr. Cobbs appeared in the doorway.
O’Halahan flashed a bright smile of greeting in his direction. “Top of the morning to you, Mr. Cobbs!”
Cobbs nodded at the young man. “A very good morning to you as well, Ryan. My, but it is cold out this morning!”
Captain Windsor stood and shuffled over to the fireplace. “Coldest I’ve seen all season.”
Henry looked up in surprise. “Captain! I didn’t see you there. You’re early...”
“Couldn’t sleep.”
Ryan clicked the door of the stove shut, and clasped his hands together. “That’s done. It will be warmer than July in here in no time at all!”
Mr. Cobbs held his pudgy hands close to the stovetop. “I wouldn’t mind.”
Windsor coughed, and shrugged out of his thick wool coat. “Henry, did you happen to catch the name of the Hampton family doctor?”
“No sir, I’m afraid I didn’t.”
“Well we need to find out, blast it! I’ve been up since four this morning, pacing the floor until the sun rose!”
Ryan looked out the dark window. “But detective, the sun is still below the horizon...”
Windsor stopped short. “So it is...But that is merely a small technicality! Cobbs, we must go to the Hampton residence immediately and find out who the doctor is.”
Henry reached for the coat he had just taken off. “Do you suppose they’re even awake yet?”
The detective shook his head. “They had better be. But Miss Hampton is most likely leaving for her relatives this morning. I don’t want to miss her!”


I hope to write a few more stories with these characters, and put them together in a collection of sorts, and publish them all at once in one volume.

~ What do you think? ~
~ Do you like mysteries? ~
~ Who is your favorite character, of the three you've met in the snippet? ~

Happy last day of Summer!

God bless!

Megan

Busy Days

Happy September!
Just one question...Where did August go??
I mean...Didn't it just start like, last week?
Anywho...
This has been the busiest summer I think I've ever had.

But the year ain't over yet!

So here's what's going on for me these next few months:
From the first week in October to the first week of December, my sister Tiffany and I will be working at the Ark Encounter in Kentucky!
That's approximately 2,300 miles from home. *terrified scream*
It's gonna be fun. I'm excited to be able to work alongside like-minded folks, and be able to talk to the thousands of visitors about God and His wondrous creation!
I'm also excited to see the life size Ark. It's gonna be so neat!

Besides that, as you writer folks probably know, NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month, which is November, for y'all who might not have known.) :-)
is just around the corner...
I haven't decided if I'm going to attempt to write the full 50,000 words this year, as I have no idea if I'll have time with my work schedule.
But I hope to get at least a little writing done if possible!

So if my posts are random, few and far between, or completely non-existent...I thought I would give y'all a heads up. 😉

~ Have you ever visited the Ark? ~
~ What are your plans for Autumn? ~
~ Are you planning on participating in NANOWRIMO this year? ~

God bless!

Megan

Writing Wednesdays #003

Greetings, and welcome back to another episode of Writing Wednesdays!
Here are a few more writing prompts:

Hope you enjoyed these!

Can you believe that August is nearly over?

I'm excited for Autumn. It's my favorite season!

~ What is your favorite season?

~ Which was your favorite prompt?

God bless!

Megan