C.S. Lewis Quotes

I Just love C.S. Lewis. His books are amazing and he has some great quotes... 

-Anna Lynn

The Martian Movie Review

Just got back from watching The Martian. Very thoughtful, interesting, exciting and suspenseful movie, especially when you are expecting alien monsters to jump out at any second. (There are no aliens in this movie... My father lied to me...) Content warning though, lots of bad language. But if you can get it on clear play I highly recommend you watch it.



-Anna Lynn

Personality Quizzes

Personality quizzes are fun and if you haven't taken these VERY IMPORTANT quizzes than... go take them now! (and leave your results as a comment)

Sorting Hat Quiz

I didn't take this exact quiz but in past ones I've been in Slytherin.

Spirit Animal Quiz

I'm a Bear.


16 personalities

I'm a INFJ


The Color Code Test

I'm a blue



Doctor Who Personality Quiz

I'm the 10th doctor :)


HAVE FUN :)

-Anna Lynn

Les Miserables + Cats

Somehow Chloe and I got off on the topic of Les Miserables done with cats... it would be awesome. Anyway there's so much people into cat fan art out there that I was really surprised when we looked it up for Les Mis and there was almost nothing. So... even though I am in no way an artist, I just thought I would have to do my own... 

This is "Meowius" and "Epawnine"

-Anna Lynn

White Noise Writing Tip

Sometimes while writing you just can't find the right soundtrack to listen to and nothing fits the mood. Well I discovered something today! If you have an Iphone/pod get a white noise app. They have tons of different sounds you can combine. 

Examples: 

a fire + a cat purring + a grandfather clock ticking = an old man characters home that we spend a lot of time in. 

Wind + Heartbeat + Thunder + Tibetan Bowl = Being banished to the desert. 

 

This is a really great thing to help you get in the right mood for writing a specific scene. Have fun with it, but don't spend all your time on it (like i did this afternoon) and forget to actually write! 

-Anna Lynn

1930's Hollywood Glamor

Sorry I didn't post yesterday, it was along day. I worked until 3 came home and was sewing from 4 until 2 am :P Then I got up at 7:30 and finished the project. I was soooo tired today but may I just say I think it was worth it...


This is my 1930's Hollywood Glamor dress :)
Each month I've been studying the fashion through the decades, and made a dress from each (I'll show the others in a later post.)

  - This is what I based the rap off of.

The original dress pattern doesn't have this over rap but I really wanted this style because I makes it feel more time period so at 2 am I was designing this without a pattern. Let me just say it is very important to remember we have shoulders :P

   

 
These details in the back and front are crazy! so much gathering and layering and stitching!!! and the one on the front is making me feel so OCD because the two sides aren't perfectly equal.


And what good is a 1930's outfit without a fur lined coat?
We bought this coat from DI then I hand stitched on the fur around the collar and the cuffs.

This is just another reason why my mom is so great! If it wasn't for her I wouldn't have been able to do any of this! Thank you mother for being so wonderful :)

-Anna Lynn

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mothers birthday! Happy birthday mom you are the most wonderful mother and friend I could ever ask for!


-Anna Lynn

Winter After Christmas

There are too stages of winter; 1. Holly Jolly Christmas and 2. Bitter Cold Dark Wasteland of Death. At the beginning of winter I always think 'I love winter! its so magical and everything looks like its covered in powdered sugar!' but after christmas my thoughts are more like this; "WHY do we have to get out of bed before the noon? The other mammals get to hibernate why don't we?!?"

So many of the fun winter activities we only do before Christmas, why? I don't believe all of the winter fun has to be completed before christmas, so here are some fun winter activities that everyone should do to keep up the seasonal cheer!


1. Make paper snowflakes

This may shock you but there is still snow after christmas... so why not make paper snowflakes? Its fun! Make some of all different sizes, with different colored paper, hang them on your wall to bring the beauty of winter into your home.


2. Go Sledding

Grab some friends and go sledding. Its a great way to make the most out of a snowy day.


3. Drink cocoa and curl up with a good book.

This is the perfect activity for a rainy day like today. Sometimes we just need to take the time to escape from our frozen world, and books are the perfect way to achieve that.

4. Go Ice Skating!

Ice Skating is one of my favorite winter activities. If you've never gone before find a rink close to you and give it a try. Its a great way to embrace the cold, but still have fun.

5. Take Pictures

No matter how hard you may try and deny it, winter is actually truly beautiful. So after, or during, a snow storm get out your camera, put on a big coat and go photograph it.


6. Nap

I still completely support winter hibernation, but since the rest of the world insists upon doing stuff all I can suggest is napping. My favorite winter activity of them all ;)



Tender Mercies:
1. We found great deals at DI for willy Wonka.
2. We were able to get the things needed for the dress I have to make before tuesday.
3. We were safe driving home from salt lake in the rain.

-Anna Lynn

Mark Twain Quotes

I don't know if any of these Mark Twain quotes are really real but if they are that would be awesome.



Tender Mercies:
1. Having time to write, and actually making progress.

-Anna Lynn

The Cliched

Being original in writing, or anything, feels like a hard thing to do in our world. For thousands of years people have been coming up with new stuff and putting their ideas out there. Sometimes we feel like there is nothing left, its all been done before, anything I could think of has already been thought of by someone else. Some times every thing you can think up just feels... Cliche. (*showing a lack of originality; based on frequently repeated phrases or opinions.)

But never fear because here are some tips to help you be more original and feel less cliche!

1. Mix the cliche with something it isn't normally mixed with. Lets say for example you want to write about a character with an peg leg, you would immediately think of a pirate right? Instead give the peg leg to a princess. There are a billion combinations out there you just have to dig deep enough and you can generate amazing ideas.

2. Use your knowledge of people to make your characters feel real and relatable. Everyone likes a relatable character, and if they can relate even just a little to them then the unbelievable things about your character (Which are truly the fun parts) suddenly become believable.

3. Don't be afraid to break the rules. In writing we have so many "rules" when really they are just friendly suggestions, and things that have been proven to have worked before. But if you find that they are constricting or infringing upon your creativity then forget them!

(Why this picture? Because its adorable... its also quite original. 

Chinchilla + assassin = Awesome)

Tender Mercies:
1. We were able to get everything ready for my writing class without feeling rushed, and everything went well. (People actually participated yay)
2. At Willy Wonka I thought the CD player was broken, turns out it can play wirelessly.

-Anna Lynn

Healthy Deserts

Tonight at mutual we were watching the Face2Face and we had a lovely table spread with cookies and brownies and doughnuts... the only thing I could eat was a bag of chips. Its only 3 weeks into the year and I'm already dying from this no sugar goal :(

BUT I have something to look forward to. Pinterest has some pretty great looking sugar free treats I'm going to try, and you should try also.

Here are some of my favorites:


Strawberry Frozen Yogurt



(Oh and dark, really dark, chocolate doesn't count. That is the one exception)
Dark Chocolate Coconut Bites




Dark Chocolate Sea-Salt Almonds



Strawberry Yogurt Bark




Tender Mercies:
1. This morning was my first day with my last (Ever) seminary teacher. I was really hoping for a good one, and I got one. He's pretty great already.
2. Right after seminary on my way home I realized I lost my phone, but thankfully it was waiting safely tucked away in my new seminary teachers desk.
3. We bought a dark chocolate bar. Yes that is a mercy because with all the other treats I was surrounded with today I bet I would have broken my goal if I hadn't had that little sweetness instead.

-Anna Lynn

Goofy Family Photos

Here are some old goofy family photos. Enjoy our strangeness...
(We really need to do recreations of some of these...)






Tender Mercies:
1. No seminary this morning! That was defiantly a tender mercy.
2. Having time to write, and having the ideas flow clearly.
3. those few minutes in our Willy Wonka practice where people actually listened. (Its always great when that happens, must be heaven sent.)

-Anna Lynn

Winter Story

This is the beginning of a short story I started on Christmas. I really tried writing this in a old fairytale/Narnia feel (yes I just finished all the Narnia books and am still stuck in the world.) But don't read this with the expectation that it is as good as C.S. Lewis or anything. I just wanted it to have a more classic vibe if you know what I mean...

Chapter 1. The Frozen Pond

Cold and icy wind blew fierce against the old trees, and branches swayed in its power. A small girl walked deep into the woods. She had no coat, no hat or mittens to cover her. Little silver tears streamed down her blue cheeks. Her name was Winnie.

Her aunt had sent her out to fetch firewood. She had begged her not to make her go, telling her it was dark, and there might be wolves. ‘No wolf would be out in this weather.’ Her aunt said and pushed her out the door. ‘Don’t come back without the wood!’

Cold and lost, for she did not know the woods well, Winnie did her best to wipe her tears. Through a gap in the trees she looked up at the moon. Its light quieted her fears and surprisingly the wind didn’t feel as sharp.

“Thank you moon,” She said to herself, “you are a wonderful comfort. I just wish I didn’t have to be sent out at all. And on Christmas Eve no less.”

Winnie had been looking up at the moon as she walked that she had wondered even farther into the forest. As she looked down she became aware that she was standing at the edge of a frozen pond.

“Why, if this had been summer I might have fallen in.” She remarked.

The wind seemed to stop all at once, and the mist that had covered the ground had vanished. All was still and clear. The silence was a bit unsettling, The girl didn’t know whether to scream or cry. But neither seemed possible, she had become just as still as the forest around her.

Starting as a small dot on the other side of the pond the girl spotted something move. Her first thoughts were of wolves and how her aunt must have lied to her. But as the creature moved closer she saw that it was neither a wolf, nor any other beast that could do her harm.

Standing in the middle of the frozen pond stood a tiny deer. No taller than Winnie’s own waist. It reminded her of herself. Small, frail, cold, and it must have been lost as well because no deer would be alone in such a storm.

Winnie took a cautious step onto the frozen pond. Then another and another, until she was barely an arm’s length away from the deer. Without a thought of danger she stretched out her arm and held it still next to the creature's face.

“Don’t be frightened. I’m nothing to be afraid of.” Sniffing her the deer raised it head and pressed his snout up into her hand. Winnie smiled and laughed, louder than you should when petting wild animals, but the surprising thing was the deer was not startled. Instead of jumping back or running away it gave a sort of laugh of its own. It through its head back and said “Meh-he-heh-Meh-he!”

This did however startle Winnie. She withdrew her hand and began briskly but carefully to walk off the ice.

“Please don’t go.” A soft but rich voice said from behind her. Winnie clasp her hands over her mouth as she turned to see the little deer watching her with a sad expression on its face.






Like I said on my last post this week every post will have a little extra at the end. I will be posting about the Tender Mercies i've seen each day in my life. Ok todays mercies.

1. I woke up feeling awful, but knew I had to go to work, but we texted and she said she would be ok without me today. So I got to take a sick day.
2. All the leftovers weren't eaten in the middle of the night by a certain someone, so I got to have them for lunch.
3. Its my brothers birthday today so we had ice cream and soda (I did not eat them). But me and the rest of us sugar free people in the house (Chloe and Tally) made healthy smoothies, still sweet but with no crap. They didn't taste as great as ice cream, but at least it was something.

-Anna Lynn