Beginnings Blog Hop and Overcoming Adversity

Beginnings Blog Hop

L.G. Keltner of Writing off the Edge is hosting the Beginnings blog hop today to celebrate her one year blogaversary. Entries are to be about beginnings . ..any kind of beginnings. I had a tough time deciding on which kind of beginning to write about so . . . here are two entries, 100 words or less each:

The Beginning of my blog started in April 2009. I had seen clickable links at the end of entries at e-zines like Every Day Poets and Every Day Fiction. I had a story published, and then a poem, and I thought, “I would like one of those links.” Voila. I started a blog. I named it after Winnie-The-Pooh’s Thoughtful Spot, and spent a year musing, and felt happy with 9 followers. Nearly four years later, I have gained wonderful blog buddies, and I am thankful for this wonderful place to share, to muse, to dream, and to write. 

The beginning of one of my favorite books begins with a  description of a place and a character who lives there. "In a hole in a the ground there lived a hobbit." When I write I struggle with my beginnings. Do I start with character? Do I start with description? Is it possible to start with action, description, and character all at once? I would love to be able to do that, but I don't think I've mastered it yet. What do you start with in your beginnings?

Thank you L.G. for hosting this blog hop today . . .it had me thinking of many different types of beginnings.

Overcoming Adversity:

Nick Wilford at Scattergun Scribblings is hosting The "Overcoming Adversity" bloghop to raise money for his nephew Andrew to attend a specialist college. I highly recommend joining in on this bloghop. You can get published, and it's a good cause! You can write fiction, non-fiction, or poetry with this theme: overcoming adversity for something you believe in.


So, how do you begin your beginnings? And have you signed up for Overcoming Adversity yet?

365 Days of Blessings, Day 299

Giving thanks for some amazing blessings:

1. I received the Powerful Woman Writer Award from Deidra at A Storybook World. Thank you Deidra! I'm passing this on to:
The Golden Eagle
Karen Lange at Write Now
Angie at Notes from the Writing Chair
Jill Kemerer
Melissa at Through the Looking Glass
and Carol Riggs at Artzicarol Rambling

2. I have a poem published with Yahoo Associated Content, which is interesting, and pretty cool at the same time. Check it out - New Hope You have to look carefully for the last three words, placed under the changing advertisement. This is an adventure in publishing for me, and at this point I'm just checking it out and seeing if the process, and payment is worth it.

3. Hula-hooping with my daughters this afternoon.

4. Free Dress week at the Dance Studio.

5. Gumball machines.

6. Practicing tap steps while writing a blog post!

7. Our Monday Homeschool Co-op is having a coin drive for relief efforts in Japan.

8. A really, really nice lady from our dance studio is dropping off my youngest daugther's ski jacket - which she left at the dance studio earlier.

9. Playing the medieval game, Fox and Geese, with my oldest daughter as a fun part of our homeschool history. Here's a link for The Rules of Fox & Geese and a fancy looking board set. We just used a piece of paper with a pen made board, and pennies for our geese, and a dime for our fox. It's amazing that such a game of "unequal" sides can be won by either side - the 13 geese, or the lone fox - depending on how you play.

10. My youngest daughter's recent enthusiasm for scrapbooking!

11. The Lord is patient with us.

Scripture Blessings:
Psalm 86:15-16
But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Turn to me and have mercy on me;
show your strength in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
just as my mother did.

365 Days of Blessing, Day 284

1. Great blogging advice posts like Blog Baby from Karen Lange.

2. Visiting our niece, J, who lives in Portland, and chatting.

3. J’s laughter. I love how each of us has a unique laugh, and I love the sound of hers especially.

4. My husband’s love of video editing.

5. Powell’s City of Books, in Portland, OR – especially the Rose room, and the Red room.

6. Homeschooling on a long car drive.

7. Talking with my husband and daughters on a long car drive.

8. French Fries at Burgerville, cooked in canola oil so my girls and I can eat them, and they taste great.

Books:
9. Fire in Fiction by Donald Maas.
10. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse.

Scripture Blessings:

"For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

365 Days of Blessings, Day 185

Wow, Day 185. That means I'm almost halfway to my goal. This project started with a feeling of a call. The kind of call that reaches out through two Pastors and a youth director's words and sits in a person's heart and mind, gets stirred a bit with life experiences, and then coalesces with the word of God hitting that person in the right spot at the right time. Maybe that's not the best way of describing it, but that seems to fit with how the call reached me in the seat of a church pew just 180 days ago.

These phrases from three different Christian leaders stirred me:

A gift, unopened. . .

Developing an attitude of gratitude. . .

More blessings than we could count, even if we sat and counted for all eternity . . .

Then my own experiences with thought and language resonated with their words. When I have chosen to speak and think positively and thankfully about the life I have, my life has been brighter, more joyful, and more rich with meaning and good relationships.

So, I felt compelled to take my blog in this direction for a year, for a project that focuses on counting my blessings, developing and attitude of gratitude, opening and giving thanks for the gift of life that the Lord has given me.

I've tried to count unique blessings each day, and I know I haven't held to that. God's love, water, laughter, family, and tea have been mentioned many times over, and I will probably mention them again. However, I will continue to try to find new blessings to give thanks and praise for, as much as I can each day.

I hope that this project has had a positive affect on my friends and family, and I hope that your lives are blessed richly!

Day 185's blessings so far:

1. Dog treats. They make our beagle's eyes light up with instant excitement, and obedience.

2. Dog leashes that are sturdy and wide, easy to grip.

3. Walks in the woods behind my parent's house.

4. My oldest daughter is well, even though the rest of us are sick.

5. My mom and my oldest daughter working on their guitar strumming skills together, and while discussing them, our beagle is jumping up and down in time with their hands. His name is Jumper for a reason.

6. My youngest daughter is sleeping in, and this is good, since she woke in the night with a fever. I am hoping that she can sleep off most of the sickness.

7. The wonderful anticipation of advent candles. This week we light just one candle, then next week we light two, and so on until Christmas when we light our Christmas candle.

8. Advent devotions by candlelight each night as a family.

9. Advent chocolate.

10. This awesome blog post I just read at A Grace Story


11. The Lord is our Hope!

Scripture Blessings:
We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
Psalm 33:20-21

365 Days of Blessings, Day 154

1. Pumpkin guts.

2. Pumpkin seeds.

3. Pumpkin carving – I like silly faces best, and my family likes to get out the fancy templates.

4. Halloween crafts and fun.

5. Halloween Haiku

6. Upper Room Devotional - I loved the devotional for October 30th. It hit me just right.

7. How to Beam Someone Up at the Eagle's Aerial Perspective - a very humorous post that made me laugh this morning.

8. I'm AWAKE today.

9. Submitted three poems this morning and keeping my hopes up.

10. The Lord lights up our lives. Without him, we would be dark and hollow, like an uncarved pumpkin with no candle inside.

Hopefully tomorrow, I'll have pictures, but currently the family pumpkin creations are still unfinished - almost two hours into the haunted house pumpkin carving. Whew.

Scripture Blessings:"You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light."
2 Samuel 22:29