Liebster Tag!!

Hello again, my frens!!

So, the wonderful Abbie from Chronicles in Bloom tagged me in this Liebster tag thingy. She has a great blog, you should totally go check it out! This tag looks like a lot of fun though, so let's hop to it. :)

First, the rules:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you
2. Answer the eleven questions
3. Tag eleven bloggers and let them know you've done so
4. Ask your tagged bloggers eleven questions

I think it's already been established that I do not follow enough blogs, so I will be breaking the eleven people rule. But yeah, whatever, let's do this thing.

1. Is there any story as to who you were given your name? 
You know, not that I know of? I'm pretty sure that my parents just liked it, so they went with it. I do know that if I had a sister they would have named her Molly, so there would have been a Maggie and a Molly which would have been pretty cute. :D

2. Or you a night owl or early bird?
Absolutely, 110% night owl. I would be nocturnal if it was socially acceptable. But, I also feel like I could enjoy the morning? I really like the concept of getting a cup of coffee and watching the sunrise and listening to the birds tweet and feeling like you're the only one watching the world wake up. But I hate waking up early, and I just love nighttime so much... I don't  think I could give that up.

3. What is your favorite breakfast? 
TBH, I'm not too big on the whole breakfast thing. I usually just skip breakfast and go straight to lunch. That's usually because I sleep in too late and miss breakfast, but that's beside the point. I do, however, enjoy some warm, freshly made waffles. Like, when they're soft, but have just enough crispy-crunch to them, when you have the perfect ration of butter to syrup. Maybe there's a bit of fruit topping. You've got your orange juice and some coffee to drink... Mmm, yes, that is a level of perfection that puts me in a good mood just thinking about.

4. How would you describe your style? 
This question could be taken in a few ways, so I am going to answer all of them. My style in general, like, how I roll, what I do, who I am... That could only be described as weird, extremely eccentric and very socially awkward. Art style could be described the same way, though I'd like to think it has a little more of a classic feel. And honestly, my clothing style is the same as my art style. And yes, I am aware that was probably the most confusing answer you've ever seen, I'm so sorry.

5. What is your dream occupation? 
I really want to work in illustration. I'd love to do freelance, children's book illustrations, storyboarding. One or all of them would be great. :) I'm actually working toward that goal, so we'll see how it turn out, haha.

6. 3 favorite boy names?
David Arthur, Joshua, and Nathaniel. (If I have a boy, he will be named David Arthur, there is no arguing, it will be so)

7. 3 favorite girl names? 
This is a bit harder for me for some reason. But I'm going to say, Annette, Gwen, and... I don't know? Jenna, maybe? I like Jenna, I think Jenna is good.

8. Where would you like to travel? 
Okay, listen up because this is going to happen one of these days if I can make it. I want to go to Ireland, Scotland and England. When I get out of school, I'd say when I'm about 21, I want to go to all three of these places. I want to just live there for a few years, explore every nook and cranny and become seeped in the culture. I want to take it in and live and breathe it for as long as I possibly can. I'd like to go there for a couple weeks beforehand to get a taste, but I'm not going to bore you all with my in-depth travel plans, haha

9. Favorite part of your daily routine? 
Gooooooooood Mythical Morning!
No, haha, I'm just kidding, though I do love that show.
IDK, honestly. It's probably coffee? Coffee makes me happy. :)

10. What song gives you the most feels and why? 
I LITERALLY CANNOT ANSWER THIS, THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY OH MY GOSH!!!! 'The Last Goodbye' gives me a lot of feels, though I wouldn't say it gives me the most feels.

11. If you could learn to do one (creative) thing perfectly, what would it be? 
I honestly think it would be art. There's something that I enjoy about learning to write, and I can feel the same with art, but... It's so much harder to learn for some reason? I'd love to be able to just translate what's in my head right onto paper through art like that.

Boom, all the questions have been answered! Now I will be tagging...

Bronze the Sling: http://squigglyrambler.blogspot.com/

Chloe Womble: http://afangirlsfantasy.blogspot.com/

Mikaylea O'Brien: https://cometotheinkwell.wordpress.com/

And that's it because, as has already been established, I'm a loser who doesn't follow enough blogs. Also, if any of you have done this tag before, please ignore this and forgive me. I have a terrible memory, so I've probably forgotten if you have, I'm so sorry.

The questions are...

1. How does the rain make you feel?
2. What's the song that never fails to make you feel better?
3. What's your aesthetic? 
4. Is there anything that scares and entrances you at the same time? 
5. What's your favorite book of the Bible and why? 
6. What's your favorite fruit smell?
7. Which animal is the cutest? 
8. What do you want your bedroom to look like in ten years? 
9. What's the strangest sentimental thing you own? 
10. If you could change one thing about your physical self, would you, and what would it be?
11. Does the prospect of spending one night alone in the woods scare or excite you?

And that's it. If any of these questions don't make sense, please let me know and I will do my best to explain what I was trying to say. If I didn't tag you and you still want to do this, PLEASE DO SO AND LEAVE ME A COMMENT TELLING ME YOU DID BECAUSE I WANT TO HEAR YOUR ANSWERS.

That's it for now! I want to write up a blog post about everything that has been going on in my life recently, 'cause I have some exciting things going on. By the way, my artist alley table went great! If you'd like to know more about it, I have a vlog-type video on my channel. Be forewarned, it is very, very cringey because vlogging is hard.

I'll see you soon, my frens.
MR

I Have an Artist Alley Table????

Hello, my dearest readers. :)
   How are you? I know I ask you that all the time, but I truly want to know. I hope you're doing well and that you've taken some time to enjoy life a little bit.
   As for me, I've been busy. Very. Busy.
   I've been catching up on my Mabel sweater orders, I've been playing piano, I've been trying to prepare my mind for another year of school. But this last week has been completely bonkers. Why? Well, if you've read the title or saw my little announcement on Pinterest, then you'll know...
   I HAVE AN ARTIST ALLEY TABLE AT A LITTLE LOCAL CONVENTION!!!!!
   And I have been preparing maniacally ever since I found out last Monday.
   Like, I've had to order prints. I've decided to stick with just 4x6 prints this time around, since all the other sizes are a bit too expensive and I'm running a little low on cash, hahaaaa.
   I've been making homemade stickers. Which took a bit of figuring out at first, but now they're loads of fun.
   I've been trying to finish this final Mabel sweater. Which I succeeded in doing tonight, haHA!
   I've been buying and making things for my table. Like a tablecloth, signs, stands, boxes for prints and stickers, all that stuff.
   I've been  printing business cards. Which took FOREVER, but I'm done with them, thank goodness.
   I've been frantically drawing and painting in an attempt to have more originals and prints to sell.
   I'VE BEEN INSANELY BUSY.
   AND I ONLY HAVE ONE WEEK TO FINISH GETTING READY.
   SO I AM ALSO GOING A LITTLE INSANE.
   Not to mention that I am suuuuuuppppper nervous about the whole thing, and hoping that I can make a bit of money, at least enough to pay for what I've put into this.
   But I've also been suuuuper excited. BECAUSE I AM GOING TO HAVE AN ARTIST ALLEY TABLE, WHICH IS LIKE SO COOL. Granted, the con is itty bitty teeny tiny, but this is such a great opportunity, and I'm hoping to meet some other artists, and gaaaah, it's gonna be so much fun!
   So yes. This isn't much of a post, but I just wanted to let you all know about what's been going on in my life. And if it wasn't for this, then there wouldn't have been a post at all. So there's that too.
   I'm hoping to make a vlog kind of thing going over how I prepared for the whole thing and how it went and all that, so keep an eye open on my youtube for that sometime next week. And whatever doesn't sell at con (which us probably going to be most of the things, ahha :') ), I will have up on my Etsy for a discounted rate, so keep your eyes open for thaaaaat...
   And yeah. That's it. That's all I have to say. I have to go and cut out stickers and edit a video and package a sweater and paint and draw another picture. So goodbye, my frens, and I'll see you on the flipside!

MR
 

Botanical Buddies

Hello dear readers. :)
   I hope you've had a wonderful week. I hope someone was kind to you, and that you were kind to someone else. I hope that you're enjoying your week and that you're looking forward to the next one and the exciting opportunities it will bring.
    This week I thought I'd blog about some of my "botanical buddies", as the title suggests. In the past few months, I've really gotten into houseplants. I feel like they can really brighten a space up, and there's just something about nurturing something and watching it grow that makes me feel so happy. But due to my current living situation, I didn't really know how a houseplant would fare. And by current living situation, I mean I live in my parent's basement and I have a itty-bitty teeny-tiny window that doesn't even provide enough sunlight to keep my whole room lit.
   But my grandma was moving from her old house and wanted to get rid of (what I believe, though I'm not sure. I'm not a plant specialist, okay?) is a ficus plant. So I accepted it. And took the plunge.
   Sounds dramatic, but it really just means that I bought some plants.

Aren't they purty? 

So let's talk about these little guys. Remember that post I did awhile back about flowers and playing in the rain and coffee? The one where I showed you my one teeny-tiny shamrock growing?? Remember that one??? Well, this is how they're doing! I'm actually really surprised and quite impressed that they're doing this well with me as a caretaker. :P

And here we have the succulent from WalMart that has no name. Seriously, I have no idea what kind of succulent this is. It had no label or anything. But it's doing great, so... *shrugs*. I really love this one, though. It such pretty. If you any of you all know what this is, feel free to let me know.

Hello, my supposed-ficus.  Is this a ficus?? I don't know. It's not really vine-y, soooo.... I have no idea. Again, if you know, let me know! Please. :)

Oh, dis one is maybe my best plant fren. It sits by my desk and keeps me company, It's so pretty and it's growing well, in spite of the nearly complete lack of sunshine it receives this far from my tiny window. I believe it's a pink vein fittonia. And I. Love. It. 

And finally, a bit of an extra. I picked some sweet pea flowers the other day, so they're also keeping me company. They are also very pretty. :)















That is the extent of my collection at the moment. I have some supplies that I want to use to make a moss terrarium, but I have no clue how to make one of those. One day soon that will happen.
   Hope you enjoyed this post. Do you have any plants? Do you also live in the basement? Do you have any tips for growing moss terrariums? What the heck are all of these plants called? Feel free to comment and share your advice/knowledge. Thanks for reading, my frens. See you next time.

MR

A Note From a Fren

Hello, my dearest, sweet readers. :)

   Let's just clarify: No I did not blog on Friday. I know, you've probably died of shock. *Insert heavy sarcasm here*

   But since I feel rather bad about bailing AGAIN, and 'cause I'm in the mood, I wanted to write a quick note to ya'll. It's not gonna be long or fancy, but it will be heartfelt. 

   I love you guys. 

   Like, I really do! I don't care if you're subscribed or not, if you follow my Pinterest board, you just check in on my blog every once in awhile or you just popped in here for the first time. I love you! You're awesome! You guys are always so nice, even when my posts are messy and weird and just probably not worth your time. You guys always brighten my day, whether I see my view count go up or one of you leave a sweet comment. You guys are just so special and sweet and I love you all so much!!!! <3<3<3<3 

   I hope I can encourage and help you guys the way you do me. Like seriously, I am totally up for blog post suggestions on things you guys might need/want some help with/thoughts on. And I am TOTALLY 100% SERIOUS when I say that if you guys ever, ever need someone to talk to, please don't be afraid to message me or shoot me an email or anything. Because I would love to talk to you guys and do the best to help you with whatever you need. SERIOUSLY. Please never feel like you can't do this, because I genuinely want to help and talk to you all. Even if you just want to talk to someone about the day you've had, whether it be awesome or terrible. I would love to be that person. :)

So yes. I love you all so very much. AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY AND GOOD IN THE WORLD, I WILL HAVE A BLOG POST ON FRIDAY!!!!!! And it will be a good one. SO YES. No going back now. 

I will see all of you lovely people then.

 Have a wonderful, fantastic week! :D 

MR

Little Bits and Beautiful Things

Hello, dearest readers! 

   I hope this post finds you well and happy, living life to its fullest. :)

   I must confess. I kind of forgot that tomorrow (today, if you're reading this the day I post it) was Friday, AKA my post day. I mean, I knew it was Friday, but I forgot that I needed to write a blog post. And I had no ideas.

   But I fortunately came up with something to write about that wouldn't require more time than I currently have. Which is about an hour, maybe less. 

   I haven't done a favorites post in awhile, a post where I tell you about some of my favorite books or movies or music, etc.,etc. So I thought that I would do one of those. Instead of choosing just one of those topics, I thought I would choose from each of them and pick one or two of my favorites from each topic that I've recently discovered/read/bought/whatever from the last few months. I'm going to take from quite a few topics, but I'm going to keep my descriptions and things relatively short, because I know that I can really get to rambling. :P

   So let's get started. 

   Art

There is no way I could ever choose a favorite from the massive amount of art I've encountered over the last few months. But I did make an art print purchase that I am incredibly in love with.

   The picture s horrible and doesn't even do it justice, but it's so gorgeous! I really want to try and buy an art print every month, so maybe I'll make a bit of a compilation post down the road...

Clothing

I buy a lot of clothes all of the time. Like, a lot. Very, very frequently. And it's all stuff I love. But I think this shirt takes the ticket.

I just.... It's so perfect for me, I can't even tell you. 

Books

I must confess once again. I haven't been reading a lot lately. For awhile it was because I was writing ALL THE TIME, and then it was because I was crocheting ALL THE TIME. And then I didn't really have an excuse. And so I started doing it again, and I realized how desperately missed it. 

   Now let me tell you. This book. THIS BOOK. There was something about it that I just loved! It was just spectacular! So you should totally go read it too! It's The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver.

 Quotes

I don't think I can narrow this down, because I am constantly finding new ones. So I'll just give you a few of the ones that I've recently found that I really and love and can relate to.

I could literally post hundreds of quotes, but I shan't because this was supposed to be a somewhat short post. 

Show

I'M PRETTY SURE THAT WE ARE ALL AWARE THAT MY FAVORITE SHOW AT THE MOMENT IS GRAVITY FALLS, SO NO MORE NEEDS TO BE SAID, UNLESS YOU STILL HAVEN'T WATCHED IT, BECAUSE NOW I NEED TO TELL YOU TO GO WATCH IT AGAIN, BECAUSE IT'S THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD AND YOU ARE TOTALLY MISSING OUT. 

And now we're done. 

Music I've listened to

I have found a lot of AMAZING WONDERFUL SPECTACULAR new music these past few months, but a day or so ago I made a surprising musical discovery. 

I actually found some music from the 60-90's era that I enjoy. More specifically, I found one song. 

But it's really good, and since I don't particularly like anything from that era that I've ever heard, this is quite an amazing thing for me. It's "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel and I love it. A lot. So here it is. 

Seriously, it's amazing!!! I'm totally going to go and listen to more of their music and download this song, and yeah, you get the picture.

Music I've played

I don't usually talk much about that fact that I play the piano. But I do. And I really love it! 

And let me tell you. 

I love this song. So. Much. SO MUCH. It's so lovely and I just.... Gah! 

But yes. It's called "Poem" by Zdenko Fibich. And it is lovely. 

And there we have it, the end of this favorites post! Thanks for sticking with me to the end, hehheh. What are some of your favorite things from the past few months? And would you like to see more of these types of things in the future, or would you rather something else? 

   Again, thank you so much for reading this and I'll see you next time, dear reader. :)

MR

Prayer Request

Hello guys!
   I just wanted to make a quick post to ask you all to pray for something.
   There is this little girl in my church who has been recovering from cancer she had when she was about 4 years old. She is 6 now, and today they just discovered that it has come back.

   When she first had it, I didn't actually know her at the time. But now I've been her teacher in the kid's program at our church since the start of the school year. So it's a pretty hard blow for all of us, not to mention her family.
   She is going into surgery on Friday to have the cancer in her face removed. Please pray that it would go well and that they would get all of it out. Please pray that it is successful and that her recovery time is quick. Please pray that God would give her and her family strength as they prepare to face this all over again.
   Thank you guys so much, and I'll be back with another blog post soon. :)

MR

GGGOOOOOO!!!!!

Hey, I'm back again but only for a super quick thing!!!!!
   The Wingfeather Saga animated series Kickstarter has 22 HOURS until it's over!! AND WE ARE SO CLOSE TO GETTING A PILOT!!!
   Thusly, I am once again asking you wonderful people to go support this wonderful project while you have the chance. You will not regret it!!!
   And even if you can't give money, please, SHARE THE LIFE OUT OF THIS THING!!! Even if you can give money, still share!! The more people we can get to support this, the better. SO GO!!! GO NOW, GIVE AND SHARE GOOD PEOPLE!!!
 

CLICK HERE!!!

Why I Like Sad Things

Hello, readers!
   How has your week been? I hope it was great, but if not, I hope this next one is exponentially better! :D 

   In my life, I've begun to notice something about myself. It's something that I've kind of always known about, but I've also come to the realization that not everyone else is the same way. And I've also realized that it might come across as weird to those who aren't.

   You see, I like sad things. And when I say I like sad thing, I mean I like them a lot. 

   Yeah, this may or may not sound weird depending on how you feel about it. But either way, allow me to clarify.

   Even from a young age, I've always enjoyed the sadder side of stories. I've never been one for straight-up comedies, or mindless entertainment, or just simple plot-lines or any of that stuff. Though I do enjoy some good humor, hehheh. :P I've always liked dramas. The stories where something goes horribly wrong, the characters are hurt and thrown down, and it looks like there isn't any hope to be seen. I love the times when the characters are at their lowest and they just lose it. I love to scroll through the hurt/comfort fanfictions from my favorites stories. Generally speaking, my favorite parts in books and movies are the very saddest parts. 

   'Okay', you say as you exit as fast as you can out of this blog post, because wowzers this girl is creepy. I am totally sounding creepy right now, but I'm not finished. Just bear with me. 

   Yes, it is true that these are my favorite kind of stories. The ones where the tears are streaming down your face and your crying into your pillow and you just want to reach through the page or the screen and fix everything, 'cause if you have to watch one more thing go wrong in their precious fictional lives then you're going to scream. You know, those kind of stories. 

   There was a point in my life where I realized that I actually, in a somewhat sick and strange way, enjoyed this kind of pain. And I was a little scared of myself. 

   Why in heaven's name did I enjoy these kind of, well, these kind of feels? Was this normal? Should I see someone about this?? What if I'm crazy??? 

   (I'm also a bit paranoid, if you couldn't tell from the above description.)
   But after some careful thought and consideration, I came to the conclusion that I was not in need of serious help. And I'm now going to do my best to convince you of the same thing.
   I don't like sad things because I'm some kind of a psychopath and I like to see people in pain. I like them because sad things are so very human. 
   Frivolous conversation isn't something I particularly enjoy. I don't like when people are shallow, I don't like when things are only "ankle-deep". I like to get down into the deepest, darkest parts and pour everything out into the light. I like when people bare their souls and are completely and totally honest with each other and when you can rest your head on someone else's shoulder and spill your guts to them and you know everything's going to be okay because you're human and so are they and this is how things are supposed to be.
   When people are sad, when people are broken, they become real. They drop the masks and they are nothing but what they truly are inside.
   They're broken and lost and they're taking the first step toward something better.
   So really, sad things aren't that sad at all. It's just that low part in every story that always leads to something even better than you or the characters could have ever imagined. When you take a sad story and shave off all of the tears and pain, at its center it's really a story of hope.
   And that's why I like them. Because it's just another way to illustrate that there really is good in the world and that there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.

   Hope that this ended up making some kind of sense. :P I also started an Etsy this last Friday if you want to check that out here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MagesticMakery?ref=hdr_shop_menu
   I'm hoping to have a Gravity Falls fanfiction up next week, but I've said similar things before only to have them not happen. But I'm going to really try!!
   Have a wonderful week, dearest readers!

MR
   

   

The Year in Review and Looking Ahead.

Guys.
   Guys. 
   I haven't blogged in weeks. Weeks. I am so very, very sorry!!!! Life has been slightly insane over here, though, so I actually have a pretty good excuse, believe it or not! There was the holidays, and my grandpa was visiting, then my great-grandpa just passed away a few days ago and there's a lot of family and three of them are staying at our house and I am desperately trying to clean up my art-barf of a room before they get here, all without trying to pull my hair out and run around screaming at the chaotic unplanned-ness of it all.
   So yeah. Pr-etty psycho crazy.
   *Takes deep breath*
    But aside from all of that! I had a really great Christmas time! Like I said, my grandpa came to visit for the holiday, so that was totally awesome! He's hilarious. And also unnervingly like my father. And my brother.
   I got a digital art tablet for Christmas along with a 132 pack of Prismacolors, and I AM HAVING SO MUCH FUN!!! I've had some technical difficulties getting a program to download on my computer for my tablet, but I think I'm starting to work out the kinks. :P
   We have had such a lovely winter up here! We've gotten about 3 feet of snow dumped down on us, and it's been awesome!!!! And absolutely gorgeous!!

Our Christmas tree was also very pretty. :) And I just really like this picture of this ornament, so what the heck.
   Dang, it is just so beautiful outside right now! These pictures don't even do everything justice....
   But this is only stuff from the last few weeks. This post is supposed to be about the whole year in review, hehheh. I promise to be as brief as I can! :P Thus the reason I will be dividing it into a few highlights.

The biggest highlight would probably be me starting and finishing my first draft. That, that was huge for me. But I've done a whole post dedicated to that, so yeah.

And this is followed closely by our trip to the ocean. I've done a whole series of posts dedicated to this, so I won't say much, but man. That was seriously the best week of my entire life so far.

Another highlight would be when I got one of my drawings published in a book!!!! The wonderful Jill Williamson hosted a contest for young readers such as myself, and I was one of the winners. You probably already know this if you follow me on Pinterest, but what you might not know is that I'm going to be doing a picture for her next two books! So I am pretty dang excited about that!!!!!!!

I also got baptized this year, and I started piano lessons back up, and I am now teaching three piano students. I crocheted a lot, some of my projects including a Hiccup and Toothless, Hiro and Baymax and a Mabel sweater. I turned sixteen, (which also means I can now wear makeup, muahhahhahaha!), I survived driver's ED, I also passed driver's ED, I got my first pair of Converse! I spent a lot of money on nerdy things, I bought book 12 of the HTTYD books (even though I still haven't read it, someone help me), I discovered the magical wonder of amazingness that is Gravity Falls, I utterly fell in love with BH6.
   Gosh, a lot of things happened!!!!!!! Honestly, 2015 was a great year, filled with ups and downs, but with more ups in my opinion. :) I feel like I'm forgetting something important, but oh well, if I remember it I'll share it.
   But yesh. Thus concludes my year in review. And now it is time for me to tell you all about some future plans, hehheh.

    The biggest one is that I have started editing my book. My golly-gosh, I read over my first chapter and I could have cried. I HAVE MY WORK CUT OUT FOR ME, PEOPLE!!!! Ugh.
   My goal is to have it "ready" to be published by the end of the year. Of course, that depends on a lot of things that I kind of don't have control over, but I just want to try my best to have it there.

    I'm also going to start an Etsy shop, this Friday!!! I'll be selling crochet things along with my art. There will be prints, there will be originals, there will be amigurumis, there will be clothes, it will be fun! :D It's called MagesticMakery, by the way. *Inserts shameless self promotion*

   And I am also planning on changing up the look of my blog sometime soon. So don't be too shocked if you click over here one day and everything has changed. :P

    I'd also like to go to ComicCon, the ocean, and Great Britain, but travelling is much expensive and I is young and haz little moneys. So I'll be putting those dreams on the back burner for a little while.

    And that truly concludes my long and winded update!! I hope I didn't bore you all to death, and that you've had a great Christmas as well, that your year was amazing, and that this one is even better!
    Have fun remembering to write 2016 instead of 2015!
 
MR

Flowers and Creeks and Trees, Oh My!!!

Bonjour, dear readers!!!
   My grandma is here for a visit, and yesterday after church we decided to go on a hike. And since I was severely lacking in the blog inspiration for this week, I thought I'd share some pictures!
   We live in Northern Idaho, which is a truly beautiful place! And we took this really great trail that had a lot of gorgeous spots and sights.

Here's this little bridge that was in the path. We came across a few, but I really liked this picture. :)

I took a TON of pictures of the trail since my sincere hope was to use one of them for a new blog background. This was going to be the one. But it is not wanting to cooperate with me. *Growls* Maybe later....

Here's a centipede/millipede bug thingy-ma-jigger my brother found. On a side note, I am sooooo happy with how well my camera focuses on things. :D

Wild strawberry plant flower. I took a lot of flower pictures, so... Yeah. xP

Anudder flower. I also took a lot of pictures of white flowers. Hem...

A hole in a tree with ants in it. I don't know why, but I thought it was cool!!!

This really strange plant thing in the trail.

Some itty bitty flowers that took me FOREVER AND EVER to get my camera to focus on!!!!!!!! My brother and grandma were waiting for me, patiently at first, but a little less so after a few minutes of me silently holding my camera up to a tiny flower....

Wild clematis. 

White flower.

Another white flower that took me forever to focus on!!!! But I'm so happy with this picture now. :D

A pretty creek picture!! I always feel like there should be little fairies sprinkled around the forest in my area. But alas, there never are any. *Sighs*

For those of you who have never been to Northern Idaho, this is what the forest looks like. All of it. It's green and bushy and thick. So very, very thick....

Another picture to exemplify it's thickness. 

And a picture of the lake we were by!!! Beautiful, isn't it?? 

Well, now that I've made you all want to come visit Idaho, it's time for me to say goodbye. But first...

   If all goes according to plan, I should be halfway through my book in two weeks from today. And I told you guys I would share an excerpt at that point!!! So, for those of  you who are looking at this from Pinterest and know who my characters are and have a vague idea of what my story is about, then I'm going to let you choose what kind of scene you would like. 

   You can either have 

   A. A Brutan and Breeta scene that I think is rather sweet. 

   B. A funny/sarcastic scene between multiple characters

   C. A fun Training scene

   D. A serious moment between Brutan and Loorarc

So, what would you like?? And if you're reading this and you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can check out my storyboards over at my Pinterest . All of these characters and the story that they're in can be found on all boards with the heading "Northworld" or "Shadow's Bane". The excerpt will be taken out of the first part of "The Secret Key", since that's all I have written so far, haha!! Go ahead and think about it and tell me what you think!!

Thanks for taking the time to read this!!

MR

Life in General

   Hello readers and followers of this poor, tiny blog!!
   Agh, I am the worst blogger in the entire universe, I know!! Though I can honestly say that I have been quite busy with writing, so that is why I haven't been blogging. But from now on, I WILL be posting once a week, every week on Monday. Boding some form of disaster doesn't occur, that is. But this is my new goal, and I am going to stick with it! *Loud applause and cheering in background due to the fact that I'm going to finally commit to this*
  I am also writing this post to give a general update on my life. Number one being that I have started an online shop on Facebook for some of my crochet items! I do crochet, in case you didn't know. ((You might recall the FREE Merlin and Arthur crochet patterns I posted awhile back.)) But I do, and it's something that I really enjoy doing. So here's the link to my Facebook page/shop, if you get the urge to check it out: https://www.facebook.com/MagesticMakery
   I call it "Magestic Makery". Which since my name is Maggie, was supposed to be incredibly creative and amazing, but I think a lot of people just think I spelled majestic wrong.... But anyway, here's a picture of some of the things I've made.

   Likes, shares, comments and the like are all very much appreciated, but I don't want to pressure any of you! Just wanted to share. :D 

   And now for a writing update! I will be finishing the ninth chapter of my novel and I will commence work on chapter ten in the coming week. I CAN'T BELIEVE I'VE MADE IT THIS FAR!!! Chapter thirteen will mark the halfway mark of my outlined book, and I was thinking about posting an excerpt when I reach that point. What do you think of that? 

   As I mentioned earlier, I will be posting once a week on here from now on. And I've got a wide variety of things planned out. Some of which include a possible fanfiction, maybe some excerpts, some deep and thoughtful musings, writing stuff... Like I said, a wide variety, so keep your eyes open! 

   And as for my life in general.... It's been good! I'm going to start Driver's ED this Tuesday (( THIS TUESDAY!!! ACK!!! *Screams in fear of the unknown*)). So that's exciting and also very nerve-wracking. And um... Geesh, I don't know! I've been mostly crocheting, drawing, writing, reading. AKA the usual. I did re-start piano lessons last Monday, which is also exciting! Have I mentioned I play the piano?? Well, I do, so now you know. :D We'll see how that goes since I'll also have a bunch of Driver's ED stuff to do.. *Gulps*

  Ta-da! That's what my life has been like! And I posted on my blog again, yayyayyay!! I do love comments, so feel free to leave some! Have a splendid week everyone, and I'll see you here come next Monday! 

MR  

Beginning

   Five years. Five years of planning, writing, revising, trashing and repeating the whole process. Five years of frustration and joy, inspiration and writers block. Or to put it simply, five years of procrastination.

   After five years of all this, I am finally going to write my novel. I tend to think that I wasted five years of my life putting off the actual writing of my story, but that isn't necessarily true. I spent a lot of that time developing my story in my mind. I needed to figure out who my characters are, what they need to become, what they need to do. Same thing with the story itself. So all in all, I think that the five years wasn't exactly "wasted"', though I probably could have taken a little less time to figure everything out. But regardless, today is the day I start.
   My goal is one chapter a week. That's a feasible goal, wouldn't you say? But knowing how I am, I might have a difficult time with it, though I will do my very best to meet it. I might even occasionally share a chapter or a snippet with you guys.
   So, here goes! My novel writing adventure is about to begin! Wish me luck everyone!
 
           MR

A song for your listening pleasure!

   G'day readers!
   How's life been? Good, I hope! I've had a pretty good last few weeks. Taken a few fun walks, drawn a few pictures, crocheted a few things.. The usual!
   This post shan't be long. I just thought I'd share with you a song that I enjoy.
   "Music again?!?" You're probably thinking.
   Yes, music again. Truth is, I love music! I love to play music, I love to sing music, I love to listen to it. I just love it! And I also love to share my fabulous music taste with you all. XP
   So here it is!

 
   The song is called "Love Never Fails" by Brandon Heath. I have always found this a beautiful and encouraging song. I hope you enjoy it too. :)
   I should be back soon with something. A story, perhaps? Maybe some drawings? Maybe a deeply moving and inspirational post? ;D Whatever it's about, barring any disaster or slacking on my part, it should be up next week!
   But until then, I bid you all a very fond farewell!
          MR

Alas! (A Post in Which I Beg the Forgiveness of Those Who Follow Me)

Oh, for Millie's Sake!! Has it truly been this long since I last posted something?? I would say that I couldn't believe it, but alas. I can. I have come to humbly beg the forgiveness of my followers. I have failed you greatly! But, I have returned! I shall hopefully post something more meaningful and deep tomorrow. But at the moment, I have not enough time.  And also, you must pardon the poetic speech that I am using. I know not what has gotten into me! Perhaps it is the late hour. Or, perhaps I have become far too engrossed in the way Cruedwynn Creed speaks....
   Ooo!! There's something I can post about! The Legends of Karac Tor, by D. Barkley Briggs! Now, there's an excellent piece of literature for you. He has such a superb writing style! And the characters are extremely well written! And the plot is magnificent! I have read The Book of Names, and I am halfway through Corus the Champion. Which I have fondly nicknamed "Corus" for short. :) But anyway, if you haven't read them, DO IT NOW. NOW, I say!
   And on that note, I must bid you all a very fond farewell. I shall (hopefully) post on here again tomorrow!
                            Goodnight, and joy be to you all!!
                                           MR

   I have two cuter-than-average beagles. The eldest's name is Buck, and the younger one's Beulah (even their names herald their cuteness!).  And, as all beagle owners/admirers know, these dogs love food.
   A few days ago, we had brought home the leftover cookies from our Wednesday night program at church. They were the really good M&M kind that you get from the store. My favorites.
   The next day, my parents were working and my brother and I were still in bed. That left the dogs upstairs, all alone with the cookies. Keep in mind that these cookies were in a plastic box. And those plastic cookie boxes aren't that easy to open. So, one would think the cookies were safe. But apparantly, dog teeth make for a great box opener. When my brother came upstairs, he found Buck licking the crumbs from the bottom of the opened cookie box.  The dogs had eaten all of my beautiful M&M cookies. Well, I probably shouldn't say 'dogs'. I have a feeling most, if not all of the cookies were consumed by Beulah. Since she's a pig. And I think this because she gained close to six pounds that day, while Buck retained his normal figure. But I think it's safe to say that she learned her lesson. Eating over two dozen cookies does strange things to a dog...


Here's a picture of the victim:

And the culprits:

(I told you they were cute!:D)

Have a Happy Mother's Day!

              MR

The First Post on Traveling Home!! Yay! :D

  Well, it looks like I've finally done it! I've started a blog! Which is pretty amazing, when you consider that I am possibly the least tech savvy person in North America. And possibly the world. In fact, even now I feel lost in this maze of "Layouts", and "Design", and all that scary stuff. But, I am getting way off topic.
  First off, I'm a Christian young woman. So, I have created this blog to (hopefully) encourage people in their walk with Christ. To talk about things I've read in the Bible lately that have 'jumped out' at me, about things that I've been convicted about, to help people on their 'homeward journey'. You know. Stuff like that.
   But along with this, there will be plenty of book reviews, funny stuff, randomness, and all that jazz. And also, don't expect me to post every day, or even every week. I'm a slacker. You will learn this very soon.
   I hope you enjoy my thoughts on the things that come up on here, and that we can learn from each other while we are Traveling Home!
    Sincerely,
                The Homeward Bound Traveler