New Years Wrap Up

 

Hello Readers!

I can't believe this year is over. This year has been difficult for me, one of learning and growing. And both of those things aren't always the most enjoyable. A lot of fun things happened this year, a lot of not-so-fun things happened as well. I didn't write much, compared to some, but I'm learning that comparing myself to others isn't a great habit. I had a lot of firsts this year; I entered my first poetry contest; I went to Kauai; I went on scary rollercoasters; I won the 100-for-100 challenge... 

Reading

As of writing this, I've read 42 1/2 books as I write this. A highlights from my reading were....

Rescue in the Rockies, by C.R. Hedgecock. This was the 8th book in her series, The Baker Family Adventures and as usual it was amazing and I'd highly recommend the whole series!

I reread most of the Chosen Daughter Series. If you ever can get your hands on any of those books, read them, and your life will be better for it. 

You're Not Enough (And that's Okay), by Allie Beth Stuckey. My sisters have been listening to Allie's podcast, called Relatable. It was an excellent book, and I really enjoyed her points. We can't ever be enough for ourselves and other people. But that's okay, because God is. 

The White Rose Resists, by Amanda Barret. The book should be a must read on your list. I don't care what you read, what genres you like or don't. You will love this book to bits and pieces. And if you do read it, please share your thoughts with me and let's fangirl together! 

A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. I don't think I've ever read anything by Dickens before and this was a treat. I remember watching the movie adaptation of this and was intrigued, and I was not dissapointed by the book. 

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson. I didn't think I'd enjoy this book as much as I did. I honestly really enjoyed it. It had a lot of interesting points that I'd like to pull out in a blog post or review at some point. 

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. This is a classic, I've seen the movie with Gregory Peck and I was excited to see the characters come to life on the pages. I enjoyed the story very much. 

The Lamentation of a Sinner, by Queen Katherine Parr. This is a short book that'd I'd recommend. Her humility was inspiring, and it was neat to read something written so long ago. I think this book wins the oldest book I read this year it was originally published in 1547. 

A fun read was Bible in Pocket, Gun in Hand, by Ross Phares. It was rather entertaining. My dad originally bought the book for me while I researching Everlasting Gold. I'd recommend it if you love historical books with the kind of stories that make history come alive! 

Dear Author, by Laura A. Grace. If you're a writer, read this. Especially if you're discouraged and wondering why you even thought writing was a good idea. 

Echoes, by Miranda Marie. I love this book. I love the story. I love the characters. I love everything about this book. Please read it and fall in love with it with me. (Technically, I haven't finished it... but as of writing this I have about 10 chapters left and I've already read it once.I'll likely finish it later tonight...) 

So those were the highlights of my reading this year. 

Writing

I didn't do NaNo this year, but I did do the 100-for-100 challenge this summer. It was really fun, and it felt good to write again. 

I wrote about 500 words on my WWI project

I edited the Christmas Truce scene

I wrote and entered the Story Embers poetry contest. You can read that poem on my Writing Page. 

In total, I wrote 18,399 in the year 2021.

In the next year, I'm planning on editing and working through my WWI project. 

Podcast

I started my podcast in June and published 13 episodes, two episodes a month. So far, it's been a success for the amount of effort I've put into marketing... which isn't much. 

Life

We got snow! Quite a bit for the area that I live in. We got two decent snows. It was lovely. I love the snow so much. Here are a few *pictures...

Something I really love about the snow is the day after the storm. Usually the sky is bright blue and there are only a few scattered fluffy white clouds. It's like a lot like life; after the darkest storms, there is light. 

I pray this next year is your light at end of the storms of the past two years. 

Blessings in 2022,

Mattie May, The Blossoming Writer

*These pictures are mine and I kindly ask that you don't use them without asking like a decent human. ;)

November Wrap-Up

 

Dear Readers,

After trying more times than I'd like to admit to, my idea of writing a blog post earlier this month on the struggles of a writer being unable to participate in NaNoWriMo and simultaneously feeling guilty for not participating did not happen. And so here we are with a rather boring monthly wrap-up post. 

The month started slowly as I tried to once again form a sort of routine to fall into. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. It feels as though as I wandered through the month of November looking for something to do while being surrounded by things to do. 

Then it hit me. I was behind on the number of books that I wanted to read this year, so I have challenged myself to read at least 20 books during the month of December. Will I actually finish 20 books in one month that is filled with Christmas fill-in-the-blank-everything? Probably not, but who doesn't love a good challenge?

In other exciting news, I poked my old NaNo project... I wrote about 500 words that will probably get edited out later, but hey, I wrote, so that counts for something. 

The podcasts for this month centered on the Reformation because that was where my brain was last month and I think I'm running about a month behind schedule in my processing functions. This month I'm doing at least one person who had a connection to the first Thanksgiving... 

For the 400th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving, my family and I went down to our old romping grounds and spent the weekend with family. I also got to spend an afternoon with one of my roommates from camp, which was a blessing. 

I don't know what next month will look like posting-wise, but I'd like to do a Story Behind the Carol post, comment below if that is something you'd like me to do!

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas! 

Blessings,

Mattie May

October Wrap-Up and Reformation day!

 

Dear Reader,

Well, here we are again - the end of another month... nearly the end of another year. This wrap-up post will be a little different from previous ones. I'd like to talk about women of the Reformation since this month has basically been a mixture of Memorial services, a banquet, blisters, a trip to Solvang and Reformation day prep, and more blisters! Instead of complaining to y'all about the beauty and pain of playing the harp, or other happenings this month, I'd like to talk about some people who have inspired me in multiple ways. I'd like to talk about who they were and why they are important, so with no further ado... 

I think it’s easy when studying the Reformation to dig deep into the theology and the great men who were champions of what the Roman Catholic Church deemed heretical. While those things are important to our understanding of the Reformation, I think it’s also important that we acknowledge the ones who made it possible for the men to do what they did. The Reformation impacted all areas of life, from how we worship in church today to how women are treated. During the early part of the Reformation, the world, in general, had a low view of women. They were to be seen, not heard. Unless they were a royal or a nun, they had little to no education. Life was far from easy. Women were uniquely able to support the men of the Reformation and the teachings of the Reformation in various ways.

Without Anne of Bohemia's protection of John Wycliffe, the gospel may not have spread all the way to Lithuania as a result of his teachings.

Without the support of Anna Reinhard, Ulrich Zwingli may not have had as much of an effect on Switzerland. He would not have the example of a biblical family or been able to host and teach students.

In the case of Marguerite de Navarre, I don’t know if we’d have as much of a Reformation in France as we did. She protected reformers and gave us Jeanne d’Albret, who was the greatest military defender of France for the Huguenots.

Sometimes I wonder what Martin Luther would have done if he had never married Katherine von Bora. I’ve spent a little time researching Katie and the relationship she shared with Martin, and how she helped him to the extent of his critics, crediting some of his ideas to her. I think this says a lot about what kind of woman that she was.

The second wife of King Henry VIII, mother of Queen Elizabeth I, Protector or William Tyndale, and brought Reformed teachings to the Tudor court. Sadly, Anne Boleyn lost her head. Though the teachings of the Reformation did not cease to be brought into the court, as with Henry VIII’s last wife, Katherine Parr. She was reformed and tried to bring the King to the same conviction, sadly he had no interest. Katherine Parr also raised the young Lady Jane in the Reformed faith. Lady Jane followed Edward V, when he chose her as queen of England because of her reformed beliefs, over his elder sister Mary, who later beheaded Jane and took the throne.

For most of his life, Calvin lived as a bachelor. But soon his colleagues went on a quest to get him married. After a few failed tries, they finally found one that Calvin approved of. Idelette Storder de Bure. It was a loving marriage and Calvin deeply mourned for her when she died.

I hope most of us know who Prince William of Orange the Silent was. He led the Dutch against the Spanish duke Alva, which led to some freedom of religion in the Netherlands. But, as it was said by the poet William Ross Wallace, “The hand who rocks the cradle rules the world,” Julianna von Stolberg was the faithful, God-fearing mother who raised her sons in the Protestant faith and ultimately lost all of her sons to war, or assassination.

Living in the Italian court of Ferrara with a Roman Catholic husband, Renee de France, lived something of a double life. She kept Protestant servants and may have even smuggled Calvin into Italy and got him out alive. It is in this court where Olympia Morata learned about the Protestant faith and became more curious; it wasn’t until later after her father died that she became a Protestant herself, and became known as a great writer of poetry and translator of the Psalms into Greek meter.

Though not much is known about Joan Waste, it is known that she was blind, and as a young girl, she was taught the Scriptures and memorized large portions, for this, she was burned at the stake.

Earlier, I brought up William the Silent. Well, he, like Martin Luther, married a former nun. Charlotte de Bourbon was sent to a convent at a young age and against her will. While there, she became convinced of the teachings of Luther and Calvin and escaped. Some say that it was during the St. Bartholomew’s day Massacre, but we can’t know for sure. After seeking refuge with her sister, and later Frederick III. While with Frederick III, she met William. It is said that she is the only one of his four wives he married for love and not to gain more popularity or money. Charlotte died after intensely nursing William back to health after an assassination attempt. 

A very important group of people involved in the Reformation in Scotland were the Scottish Covenanters. There are a couple in particular that I would like to highlight and then I’ll close.

Jenny Geddes was a covenanter who was a street seller of fruits and veggies. When Charles I tried to introduce the Book of Common Prayer to the Scottish Kirk, Jenny threw her stool at the Dean of the Church who was leading the service. As a result of this daring act, three civil wars were started which led to the beheading of Charles I.

Another Scottish Covenanter was Margaret Wilson. When she was around eighteen years old, she was drowned along with another Covenanter named Margaret for thier beliefs and rebellion against the Scottish Kirk.

So why do I make such a big deal about the women of the Reformation? Because I firmly believe the Reformation would not have been all that it was without them. Many of these women have become my role models as I strive to become the woman God has called me to be. I’m passionate about telling other young ladies like me about these women because I think they are a good role model of women with noble and godly character. It also causes me to think about how I would react if I was put in the situation that these were. It challenges my faith. Would I be willing to do what they did? Would you be willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice?

 If you'd like to learn more about some of the women that I mentioned today, please check out my podcast, Blossoms of Courage! I started it because I want to inspire and encourage women of today with the women of yesterday!

For any of you wondering if I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year, I am not. One reason is I have been very busy, and I currently don't have anything planned. I also do not think it would be wise for my physical and mental health to push myself in that way this year. I am not giving up writing; please don't think that, but sometimes we need to rest. I might have a story idea forming in my mind for a future project, we'll see where those might go and I will keep you all updated. 

I hope you all have a lovely fall and Reformation day!

Blessings,

Mattie May 

August Wrap-Up

 

Hello Readers!

Today's post will be short because life is crazy. I haven't even been home very much this month. 

For the first two weeks, my family and I were on vacation in Kauai. It was beautiful. It was amazing to be surrounded by God's creation. We all got to see over a dozen sea turtles, tons of birds of all kinds, fish, and a seal. My sisters and I got to go zip lining, paddle boarding, and kayaking. We also learned how to snorkel, (though I still can't really do it 😆.) We then returned home and a couple of days later, we went to a friend's wedding. 

As far as writing goes, I haven't done much. The only writing-related thing I did was edit a poem and submit it to Story Embers for their 3rd Annual Poetry Contest. 

Both podcasts happened while I was in Kauai. The first was on Sophie Scholl and the other on Katharina von Bora. They were so fun to research and write. I really enjoyed the stories and I hope you do too. 

This month I read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it, but I did and I plan on rereading it at some point soon. I also almost finished Fighting for Life by Lila Rose. So far I've really enjoyed it. 

That's all for today y'all have a wonderful week!

Blessings,

Mattie May 

July Wrap-Up and Announcement

 

Hello Readers!

Random Lifeness:

It's been a while since I've posted; life has been extremely crazy this month. The first week of July was Worldview Academy Leadership Training Camp; it was the best week of my life. After 25hrs of lectures on everything from apologetics to philosophy, I was excited to implement what I had learned at camp into my life. On the fourth day of camp, we went to the nearby pier and went witnessing. My group of four had the privilege of getting to pray with a man who was interested in the Gospel! I am always so amazed to see God working in the hearts of people. After camp ended, my family and I packed up and moved back into our home after almost 11 months of caring for my grandfather. This past weekend I met most of the girls from my small group at Knott's Berry Farm and we had so much fun. My small group was such a blessing and I already miss the girls so much. And now, in less than a week, my family and I are heading off to Kaui!

Reading:

I have no idea if I read anything this month, I might have, I might not have. Honestly, I don't remember. Oops...

Writing:

Well, this summer I decided to do the 100-for-100 challenge. I've been writing 100 words every day for the past 50 something days. It's not a story, just random rambles, other than that I haven't really written anything besides a few poems. I'm not sure if I'll add them to the writing page or not, we'll see. 

Podcasting:

Two new podcast episodes are up! (Dicey Langston & Dorcas Richardson) The country for this month was America (I had to do the USA because of the 4th of July and all) It was so much fun this month putting these together; there are so many interesting people! I'm looking forward to next month because the Country is Germany and I have two really amazing women to tell y'all about!

Announcement:

As I mentioned a month or two ago, FeedBurner is taking away the "Follow by Email" so In an effort for y'all to keep getting updates from this blog I'm moving my subscription to Aweber. There is now a tab that says "Subscribe" I will begin sending out a newsletter or something so y'all can continue to follow my blog and writing. For those of you who are already subscribed you don't need to do anything as I have moved you to the list for Aweber. 

I think that's all for now. Have a wonderful week y'all!

Blessings,

Mattie May

 

June Wrap-Up and Ramblings

 

Hello Readers!

I'm sorry I'm so bad at keeping this up. I nearly forgot it existed till a couple of days ago when I remembered I should probably update you all on the happenings of my life and writing and podcasting. 

Life:

I've been busy with reading and researching and writing podcasts. My mama signed me up for driving lessons so that has been good. I've had two so far and the cars are still in one piece and all humans in the car while I'm driving have survived my driving. So far, so good. 

Writing:

For fun, I'm participating in the 100-for-100 challenge hosted by Go Teen Writers. So far I have written 100 words every day since it started on May 31st. It's purely for my enjoyment and it's not a real writing project per se, but hey, at least I'm writing. 

Podcasting: 

I've published two podcast episodes! One is an Introduction, and the other is on Olympia Morata who I covered in a blog post Here back in October. For July... well, you'll have to check out my podcast to find that out ;) It has been very fun and I love it. I love these women of history and I love talking about them to anyone who cares to listen. 

Reading has been a bit slower this month because of Life so I have nothing to report on that. 

As always, I hope you all are having a wonderful summer and surviving the heat. 

Blessings,

Mattie May

Exciting Announcement!!!

Hello Readers!

I'm sorry I didn't post earlier this month, but I have been busy getting ready for the announcement I am going to be sharing with y'all today. I am *so* excited to tell y'all about this! There is also a very much less exciting announcement at the end. 

As most of you probably know, I love history and I especially get excited about women in history. I also love telling others about history and learning more myself! So, I decided to combine my passion for writing and history and telling stories into one thing. 

....

I'm starting a podcast!!! 

I'm calling it Blossoms of Courage, a podcast that will encourage the women of today with the women of yesterday. My goal is to launch it on June 1st. And I'm stuck between mild panic and excitement as I try and pull everything together. 

Anyway, if you want to learn more, you can check out the Facebook page Here! and check out the blog Here!

Please follow, like, and join me in learning about these amazing women of courage! 

....

Not so exciting news...

FeedBurner is taking away its option to follow by email in the next month or so... I will be either switching to a new site or figuring out how to set up a newsletter type thing so y'all can get updates on my writing and such things. I'll keep y'all updated on any upcoming changes. And what I decide to do in the end.

That is all for now y'all. I hope you have a lovely rest of your week and Memorial Day weekend!

Blessings,

Mattie May