Always There ~ Celtic Thunder

When I'm less than I should be
And I just can't face the day
When darkness falls around me
And I just can't find my way

When my eyes don't clearly see
And I stumble through it all
You, I lean upon, you keep me strong
And you raise me when I fall

You are there when I most need you
You are there so constantly
You come shining through, you always do
You are always there for me

When life brings me to my knees
When my back's against the wall
You are standing there right with me
Just to keep me standing tall

Though a burden, I may be
You don't weary, you don't rest
You are reaching out to carry me
And I know I'm heaven blessed

You are there when I most need you
You are there so constantly
You come shining through, you always do
You are always there for me

You come shining through, you always do
You are always there for me

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there.

There is but one and only one,

Whose love with fail you never.

One who lives from sun to sun,

With constant fond endeavor.

There is but one and only one,

On earth there is no other.

In heaven a noble work was done,

When God gave us a Mother.

 

Why?

  That is the question I ask myself as I write this post.  Why am I writing it?  There's not really anything to write about.  I actually do know the answer., I'm doing it to humor my little sister who wanted me to write a random post.  But no, I don't know why I decided to humor her this time.

  However, when I start thinking about it, there are things I've been meaning to tell you all about.

To begin with.....

That's right, I won!!  I'm really excited about it because not only have I never won anything like this before, but it was also my first Camp NaNo.

I was in a fantastic cabin with great people and it was so much fun.  At first I was apprehensive about joining that cabin, because I'm shy and I only knew one person there.  But then others I knew joined and I made friends with those I didn't know.  I very much enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next Camp.

⚜

My sweet little puppy, isn't so little anymore!  She is almost six months old and is growing like a weed.  Dog Bath time was a bit more exciting this year since we had three dogs to bathe instead of one.  Of course, none of them liked the baths, but we managed to keep them in the tub.

⚜

We had company over!!  PioneerGirl, Movie Critic, their younger sister and their mom stopped by on Monday.  It was great to see them again, it had been a year, but man those girls have gotten tall!  Movie Critic towers above me now.  😒

⚜

I've also found some really cool Irish Country songs.

I love this one.

Sad, but sweet

AND CELTIC THUNDER DID THE WILD ROVER!!!!!

And just because it's Friday, here is my 'Woooo hoooo!!  Friday is finally here!" song.

⚜

And i don't think there's anything else interesting to talk about.  

Oh, first the first time ever, the horse that I predicted would win the Kentucky Derby, won!

And...I watched The Quiet Man.  I don't like it.

• The way they portrayed the Irish, irritated me.
• Her randoms outbursts of temper that often made no sense were odd.
• His complete and utter disregard for Irish customs and culture REALLY annoyed me.  'When in Rome..."
• The American arrogance was horrible.
• The way Sean treated Mary Kate was abominable.  If any man treated me like that?  I'd leave his RIGHT away.

⚜

 And that is all for now, folks! 

See you next time! 

Bring the Rain ~ MercyMe

via Pixabay

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You
Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain

I am Yours regardless of
The clouds that may loom above
Because You are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering Your destiny
So tell me what's a little rain
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain

Holy, holy, holy,

Is the Lord God Almighty

via Pixabay

The Stealthmaster's Shadow by Hope Ann ~ Cover Reveal

  Today readers, I bring you the cover of the newest Legends of Light novella, The Stealthmaster's Shadow.  It is a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling and I am super excited about it.  Not only do I love Hope Ann's work, but lately I have become quite fond of The Twelve Dancing Princesses and I can't wait to see how Hope Ann retold it.

Ehehehe.  Me thinks this Governor person dislikes the Verus person.

Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've all been waiting for...

The actual cover, designed by Kate Flourney

It’s ten confounded years since the war ended.
Ten years since the Prince won the war and pardoned the rebels.
And left.
The Prince left, but lasting peace never had a chance to begin.
As a Stealthmaster, Verus is determined to complete the task the Prince left, whatever the cost.
Traitors, needlessly vague governors, and threatening rumors are all part of a standard mission.
Verus will bring peace to what is left of the world, one city and village at a time. According to
the governor’s daughter, the war was never about a physical peace in the first place, but what
does she or any of the other Followers know? They weren’t there during the war.
They didn’t see the horrors Tauscher spread over the land or the scars that will never fade.
Commandeering the task of a former soldier, Verus presents himself to the governor of Nerva.
Eventually he’ll need to undermine the man, but even Stealthmasters need money, and a mission
to discover the owner of a misshapen slipper shouldn’t be difficult.
Until the ambassador from Zahavia appears.
Suddenly face to face with nightmares from the past, Verus struggles to help those plunged into
danger, from the governor’s newest prisoner to a serving lad to an infuriating woman he’s taken
to calling princess. Fleeing will only make the enemy stronger. But staying…
Staying could doom them all.

☙ ❧

So what do you all think?  To be honest, that is not what I was expecting the cover to look like!  It makes me think of Southwestern Native American Cave Dwellers.

(And now I want to write a Native American TDP)  Anyway, this cover definitely feels different from her other covers, but the synopsis sounds 'in tune' with the rest of the series.  I look forward to reading this tale.

Sounds like this guy is full of snarky sass and is fond of dramatic bows.

Coming June 1, 2018
Click here to preorder now!

His snark is amusing.

 

Hope Ann uses chocolate to bribe a wide ring of spies, from the realm leapers of Aslaria to the
double agents of Elkbend, for their stories. Based in Indiana, she is the self-published author of
the Legends of Light series, personal writing coach, and the Communications Coordinator for
Story Embers. You can find out more about her at authorhopeann.com

So, what do you think? Looking forward to installment four of Legends of Light?

Randomosity

I like to be random.

It's a lot of fun.

So here is a post about random me.

When I listen to certain songs that I haven't heard in years, but I loved as a naïve teenager.  Naïve.

The last couple of mornings when I've just woken up and I'm lying there in bed, my brain thinks dreamily of the nice balmy March morning and how it will be the perfect day for working in my gardens and playing on the lawn with my dog........then I come upstairs.

View from the back window.

View from the front window.

😒😒😒😒😒😒😒

But on a happier note, can I just say....

 I LOVE THE GREATEST SHOWMAN!!!

Okay, I haven't actually seen the movie, but I've been listening to the songs (and watching the scenes that the songs are part of) and OH MY GOLDFISH it's amazing!!!  I can listen to the music for hours.  And especially these three songs.

Grrrrrrrrr.  It's refusing to let me put videos on here.  😠

Anyway, the three songs below.
This is Me
Rewrite the Stars
From Now On

Oh and this song.  I love it a LOT.  I've been listening to it like everyday for the last couple of weeks.
Eternal Love

I absolutely love the kdrama that it's from and I really should watch it again, but my computer hates the drama sites.  😞

via Pixabay

A pet peeve: when people turn off the shower, but leave the shower head engaged.  It shoots me in the face.  

via Pixabay

Okay, so for a few years now, I've had the idea of (someday) writing fairytale and Jane Austen retellings that are set in an Old West town (think Louis L'Amour).  Just the other day, I had the thought that Mrs. Gardiner from Pride & Prejudice would make the perfect Fairy Godmother for Cinderella.  Then I thought, what about this:

Cinderella is Mr. Bingley's young step-sister 

(Caroline and Louisa would make the PERFECT wicked step-sisters)

Colonel Fitzwilliam is Cinderella's 'Prince'

Snow White is Lady Catherine de Bourgh's step-daughter  

What do you all think?

And some random cool pictures I found on Pixabay.

And that 'tis all for this day.
May the sun shine upon you and the wind blow warm upon your face.
See you later, alligators!
😉

Cake Flavored Book Tag

Soooooo....I was tagged by my friend Keturah ages ago (I think it's actually only been a month) and I just remembered it.  Oops, my bad.  Anyway, here we go.

1. Chocolate Cake (a Dark Book you absolutely love).

Well that's a new one.  Ummmm......define dark.  Are we talking "deals with graphic horrible things in the world"?  I think that's what it means, so I'll go with:

Death Be Not Proud - Suzannah Rowntree

It's a very interesting story, a Snow White retelling actually, set in New Zealand in the early 1900's telling the tale of a cabaret singer who is mistaken for a young woman who was murdered years before.  Of course, since the bad guys think Ruby is the girl, they come after her and she is almost murdered.  It was much darker then I usually read, definitely not my normal cup of tea, but I loved it.  I recently included it in my Fairytale Post.

2. Vanilla Cake (a Light Read).

Oooooo!!  This one is easy!

Chip, of the Flying U by B.M. Bower

This is the book I turn to when I need a good laugh but something that doesn't take much brain power (and it takes even less now that I've read it like five times or more).

The cowboys of the Flying U Ranch believe there are only two types of women.

A) "There’s the Sweet Young Things, that faint away at sight of a six-shooter, and squawk and catch at your arm if they see a garter snake, and blush if you happen to catch their eye suddenly, and cry if you don’t take off your hat every time you see them a mile off.”

OR 

B) The Wild Kind.  "She’ll buy her some spurs and try to rope and cut out and help brand. Maybe she’ll wear double-barreled skirts and ride a man’s saddle and smoke cigarettes. She’ll try to go the men one better in everything, and wind up by making a darn fool of herself. Either kind’s bad enough.”

But which ever one she is, they all believe their boss's sister is an Old Maid Doctor with 3 chins and 2 stomachs and will make their lives miserable with doses and potions and bossing.  Ehehehehehehe.  Then in waltzes the Little Doctor, a 5 ft. something maverick with brown hair, blue eyes (I think), lots of spunk and sass, and those poor boys don't know what hit them.  It's absolutely hilarious.  You can find it HERE and either download it (it's free in the public domain) or read it online.  You'll love it. 

3. Red Velvet (a book that gave you Mixed Emotions).

Ummmmm........  Oh I know!  

The Royal Ranger by John Flanagan

While I loved seeing grown up Will with an apprentice of his own and even who he had for an apprentice......I HATE IT!!!!  John Flanagan is cruel and mean and HORRIBLE to do that to us!!!  IT WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WROOOOOOONNNNGGGG!!!!  And that's all I can say without spoiling it for those who haven't read it.  For those who have a wish to commiserate with me, DON'T give spoilers in the comments!

4. Cheesecake (a book you would Recommend to Anyone).

Oh this is superb.  Not only is Cheesecake my favorite cake but THE BOOK I would recommend to anyone is like my favorite book ever.  Okay, that's not quite true, but it's a totally amazing story, it's a re-telling of my favorite fairytale and it's my favorite re-telling of said fairytale (and y'all probably could have figured out the last part without me saying it!).  Anyway.....

Beauty and the Beast by K.M. Shea

I won't sigh and swoon over it anymore (though I definitely could!), y'all can just hop right over to HERE to read about it if you want to know more.  I would recommend this book to anyone and I do recommend it to EVERYONE.  At first I was going to answer this question with Lord of the Rings, but I wouldn't recommend that to certain ages.  B&tB however is okay for all ages.


5. Coffee Cake (a book you Did Not Finish).

I accidentally skipped over this question the first time.  Oops.
The Warden by Anthony Trollope

I started this book one time when I was sick and couldn't sleep.  I think I got half a chapter in before putting it down and I haven't picked it up since.  That was at least 3 years ago.

6. Carrot Cake (a book with Great Writing).

It took a bit of pondering to come up with an answer for this.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

This book was very unique and absolutely mind blowingly amazing.  Like WOWO!!!

7. Tiramisu (a book that left you Wanting More).

Well besides every single one of my older sister's stories...  Seriously, every time I read one of hers I WANT MORE!!  But today we'll go with one of her bestfriend's books.

Paper Crowns by Mirriam Neal

I NEED MORE!!!!!  This book is awesome and I know some stuff about book two and I WANT IT!!!!!  And I just sounded like a 2-year-old.

8. Cupcakes (a series with 4+ Books).

Ummmmm...crumpadoodles, that series only has 3 books.  Rats.  Okay, I found one.

The Squire's Tales by Gerald Morris

I don't know how many books are in this series, but I know it's a lot more then 4!  It is an Arthurian re-telling focusing mainly on the exploits of Terence, squire to Sir Gawaine.  They are a lot of fun, though I wouldn't recommend them to anyone under 16.

9. Fruit Cake (a book that wasn't What You Anticipated).

This is a rather easy one.  Hangs head and mumbles,
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

*glares at Mel for snickering and giving me an 'I told you so' look*

I procrastinated for 3 years about reading this book.  I did enjoy it.

10. Lamington (favorite Australian Book).

I'm going to use a series for this one.

Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan

Or more accurately, the first eleven books in the Ranger's Apprentice series.  *scowls at Mr. Flanagan again*  IT.  WAS.  WRONG.  And stupid.  And dumb.  AND IDIOTIC!!!!  *pounds fists on desk*  WHY DID YOU DO IT?!?!?!?!

*takes deep breath*

*sits back*
*smiles*

*returns to post*

10.5. Lamington (favorite Australian Book).

I wasn't exactly sure what was meant by an 'Australian' book.  For my first choice I used a series written by an Australian author.  If that doesn't count then...
The Golden Wolf by Mary Elwyn Patchett

This is a story we borrowed from the library and the only reason I read it was because I was proofing it, however, it was a good story that I enjoyed.  When Mary's dog is stolen for a circus, she dresses as a boy to get him back.  She runs away and meets up with an old teamster who takes her under his wing and helps her out.  It was really sweet.  And it is set in Australia.

All right folks, there are my answers!  I'm going to tag:

Bryce
Lydia

MovieCritic

Lisa
and

Melody

(Now Melody, I know you don't normally answer tags, but I really want to see your answers for this one.) 

So long, folks!