Photo Galllery: Wildlife and Wildflowers

Here's the latest Photo Gallery. (: My and most of my family drove up to some "wilderness land by some big lakes, this past Saturday. I got these pictures on the way and during the visit there.

I LOVE this one of the baby deer. It is adorable!! These deer ones aren't the most clear, but what can you do when your zooming up to it through a vehicle window? But the fawn picture beat my last deer picture "record". :D Here's the last one. (:

Anyhow, here are the few pictures.

 

     Not the greatest bunch of pictures, but the first one makes it up to me. (:

Crafting Day- Sewing Little Bags

Sewing is an occasional hobby for me. It's pretty fun, depending if I'm in the mood. I don't boast to be the neatest seamstress, though. I'm more of a designer. (;

Anyhow, these little bags and purses I sewed recently can be an inspiration. (:  

                                      Drawstring Clown Bag
                        Colorful and scrappy- perfect for beads, buttons, or pieces of ribbon. ;)

Flower Purse

Can be a little girl's dress-up accessory.  

 

                                     

                                                Gardener's Planting Bag 
                                                         A cute way to keep seeds. (:

   

 

Little Holiday Gift Bag

Christmas, or Independence Day, maybe.

 

 Reversible Bag

Hide the strap inside to use as a drawstring bag, take it out to use as a purse. (;

 

 So, hope that kept your interest. These are all easy projects, and I just have fun designing them. ;)

 

Cheddar Cornmeal Muffins

              Cheddar Cornmeal Muffins


INGREDIENTS:                                                     DIRECTIONS:

1 1\4 C buttermilk                                    Mix first 3 ingredients together.

1\4 C olive oil                                          Mix the rest of ingredients in separate bowl.

2 small eggs, lightly beaten                     Combine contents of both bowls and stir just until moist.

about 1 C flour                                        Spoon batter into 12 lined baking cups.

3\4 C cornmeal                                        Sprinkle extra grated cheese on top.

2 t baking powder                                    Bake at 400 degrees for 13 minutes.

1\4 t baking soda                                     Let cool. Then enjoy with a meal, or for a savory snack

1\4 t salt                                                  with cream cheese on top. (:

1\4 t black ground pepper

1\4 t onion powder

3\4 C cheddar cheese
____________________________________________________________________________

Me and my little eight year old sister made these muffins today. I had these corn muffin recipes I had taken out of a magazine once, so we followed that, except I made some tweaks, so its kind of my own recipe now. (: And for buttermilk, we used goat milk and vinegar. They were good, and perhaps better with cream cheese.

 

How to make buttermilk. (:

Season's Sensation: A Cup of Refreshment

Get a glass of water and add:

lemon juice, + lemon slices

cucumber slices

cinnamon

stevia (optional)
_______________________

 This adds some refreshment on a hot summer day. The cinnamon was just a new idea... I don't now if I've had a drink like this with it, but it fits perfectly. (:

Half Blood Blog Tour

 

 

  Yay! (: Today I'm participating in the Blog Tour for author Jaye L. Knight's new release, Half Blood, a prequel novella in the Ilyon Chronicles Series. I'm also doing a review. (: 

So if these books interest you, you should totally read them! They are awesome! 

 

***

 

 

                                                 

                                                  About the Book

 

The gasps and murmuring grew. Though some were hardly more than whispers, clear words reached Jace’s ears—dangerous, monster, animal, soulless. He tried to back away from their accusing eyes, but the collar pulled hard against his throat and held him in place.

 

For all his years as a slave, Jace has known nothing but the hatred people hold for his mixed blood—one half human, the other half the blood of a race considered monsters. Always, he is the outsider and quickly learns it is better to keep to himself. But, when his volatile ryrik blood leads him to do the unthinkable, he is thrown into a world of violence and bloodshed.

 

Forced to become a gladiator, Jace finds more and more of his heart dying as his master works to break down his will not to become the monster everyone believes he is. When a stranger interferes with his master’s harsh punishment, Jace’s world is upended yet again. But with it comes the possibility of hope that has long since died. Could the man possibly hold the key to escaping the hopeless darkness that is Jace’s life? Is there such a thing as life beyond the cruelty of slavery?

 

See where Jace’s story all began . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discover Ilyon in Resistance and The King’s Scrolls.

 

* * *

 

                                                    About the Author

Jaye L. Knight is an award-winning author, homeschool graduate, and shameless tea addict with a passion for Christian fantasy. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God’s love shines as a light to offer hope. She has been penning stories since the age of eight and resides in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

 

You can connect with Jaye on her website, blog, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Etsy, and on her new fiction forum where you can interact with other readers of the series.

 

                                                               

                                                                    My Review

 

(My Rating: 4 stars)

Half Blood is a novella prequel to Resistance, about Jace’s previous life.

Jace has been a slave since he was a young child. Every new master he is sold to is worse than the previous one. Everyone believes the same thing: that Jace is a monster, and after one terrible day, he believes he couldn’t be anything more. But when everything turns black in Jace’s life, could there still be a life for him- could there still be hope?

If you have read the other Ilyon Chronicles books, you should definitely read Half Blood. Or if you haven't read any of the books, start with this one. This story of Jace’s terrible life as a slave and gladiator shows you why Jace struggles with thinking he is a monster, and has no soul. Ah, poor Jace! The deep despair of his gladiator life, and then the wonderful turning point bring a stark contrast. The feeling of hope is that much more wonderful after the horrors Jace had been through. (: 

And young Jace was so cute! <3

So, Half Blood was an enjoyable read, and everyone who wonders about Jace’s past should totally read it. (:

As for ages… well, I think teen+ would be good. There is some violence, and other things , but they are pretty mild.

 

                                                      ***

 

                                                         Giveaway

Share in the excitement of the release and enter to win a themed giveaway pack! Prizes include an autographed copy of Half-Blood, a blue feather bookmark hand crafted by Jaye, a bronze sword pendant, and a $5 Amazon gift card! (Giveaway is open to US residents only. Cannot be shipped internationally.)

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

                                                     Schedule

 

Tuesday, July 14

 

·         Tour Introduction at Jaye L. Knight

·         Review and Author Interview at 26 Countless Possibilites

·         Review and Author Interview at Lianne Taimenlore

·         Review and Author Interview at Crumpets 'n' Cream

·         Review at Tialla's Tellings

 

Wednesday, July 15

 

·         Review at The Destiny of One

·         Book Spotlight at One Servant's Heart

·         Review and Author Interview at Leah's Bookshelf

·         Review and Author Interview at Red Lettering

·         Review and Author Interview at Zerina Blossom's Books

 

Thursday, July 16

 

·         Review and Author Interview at Sutori no Hana

·         Review and Author Interview at Scattered Journal Pages

·         Review and Author Interview at The Splendor Falls on Castle Walls

·         Author Interview at A Writer's Faith

·         Review and Author Interview at writinganyone

 

Friday, July 17

 

·         Review and Author Interview at Written Rest

·         Book Spotlight at Tell Tale Book Reviews

·         Review and Author Interview at The Pen of a Ready Writer

·         Review and Author Interview at Morgan Elizabeth Huneke

·         Review at Poetree

 

Saturday, July 18

 

·         Review at A Writer's Heart

·         Review at Reality Calling

·         Author Interview at The Art of Storytelling

·         Book Spotlight at Thilly Little Nothings

 

Sunday, July 19

 

·         Review at Through My Lens

·         Review at Elvish Pens, Fantastical Writings

·         Book Spotlight at Letters from Annie Douglass Lima

·         Review at bookend

 

Monday, July 20

 

·         Review at Pencils Can Change the World

·         Review at Backing Books

·         Review at Melody Jackson, Author

·         Book Spotlight and Author Interview at In the Character's Shadow

 

Tuesday, July 21

 

·         Review at A Vintage Girl in the Modern World

·         Book Spotlight at However Improbable

·         Review at God's Peculiar Treasure Rae

·         Review and Author Interview at Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections

 

Wednesday, July 22

 

·         Review at To Be a Person

·         Tour Conclusion at Jaye L. Knight

 

Photo Gallery: Silhouettes

   Silhouettes are lots of fun. (: Just seeing a clear outlines of a person against a colorful sunset... so cool. I think to get a good silhouette picture, you have to wait till dusk, when the world is dark, and the sky is light. Then it takes a steady hand to get a clear picture. With the camera I use, I think one small movement would blur the  picture.

 

 

 

 

 

     So you may have noticed I changed my blog's background again. I made one of those digital paintings just to try as my background, and I really like it. (: Yay!
On the 19th I'm being part of a blog tour for a new release into one of my favorite series, the Ilyon Chronicles! So stop by here if you like non- magical fantasy or adventures! :D

Photo Gallery: Summer Walk

   Here are some pictures I took on a walk. The ditch between the road and field was full on insects.  I got a few pictures of them. (: On the way back I walked in the shade by some woods, and this blue butterfly landed near me. Thus, I got the last picture. (:               Such a beautiful thing.

 

Digital Painting

Okay, I'm not sure if this is digital painting... But I'll call it that. (: Yesterday I went on the computer, onto Paint, and "painted" this ocean sunset...

 

 

Then I went on this thing we have called GIMP 2, and used the smudge tool to kind of blend the colors together, to make it more realistic. It looks like a painting, but you do it on the computer and its way easier... And lot's of fun. (:

 

 

Here is another one I did. I like the other one better, but this one's kind of nice too. (:

 

 

*I'm going to do another Photo Gallery post soon*

Photo Gallery: Summer Blooms

My gallery today is "blooms". (: A lot of them are the same kind of flower, but whatever. I hope these are interesting pictures. (;

 

  Tomorrow I'm doing a post with some new art I've done... digital painting? So if you want to see that, come by my blog tomorrow. :)