Am I really Sunshiny material?

WiwohkaLeave a comment

Thank you so much for the nomination, Ian M Dudley (please don’t judge me, as I can’t get the link to work for your site). Will this nullify me being picked? It’s completely understandable, as there are so many chain letter rules to abide by.

Setting aside Ian’s response to the nomination, which by the way was hilarious, I don’t wish to be flippant nor disrespectful for the vote in my favor. By the way, Ian, how ever did you come up with all your questions for us nominees to answer?

The questions are extensive, so I set aside my normal Live Novel Friday episode, just so that I might make an honest effort at some good ole answers. Plus, I still have to make some nominations of my own, as well as, creating my own set of questions for my victims… I mean, nominees. While I hold no aspirations of becoming the next ACTUAL Sunshine Blogger, I will make the effort to display my sense of honor and appreciation for such a sweet award. Again, thank you Ian.

My Nomination Questionnaire…

  1. If you had to convince me to save your life over the life of a member of my family, what would you say? I make better cookies?
  2. What is your fondest childhood memory? Eating watermelon in the rain, while watching the firefighters practice routines on the old water tower beside our apartments.
  3. Of all your innumerable childhood traumas, which haunts you the most? Spending nights wandering on the streets alone, or having to sleep in cold alleyways.
  4. Is there a specific sight or smell that brings you an immediate sense of calm? Cotton Candy.
  5. If I had to fight you, what weakness could I best exploit with the least amount of effort? Ask me a why question, and then just sit back and watch me commandeer the whole conversation. I can forget anyone else is even in the room when I get on a chatty bender. You could then easily defeat me.
  6. What person or event has had the most impact on who you are today? The birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
  7. Have you seen the movie Marathon Man? How many teeth do you think you could have drilled before you cracked? Sorry, I haven’t seen that movie. However, I am squeamish when it comes to teeth and pain, so I would have been defeated before even beginning the drilling process.
  8. Is there one moment in your life where you failed to do the right thing and as a result, it changed you so you would never fail like that again? Yes. My first marriage failed, and I caused irrevocable damage to my children. It fully altered the entirety of my journey, thus far. Many scars, broken bridges being mended over a great span of years, and the dance of forgiveness that followed.
  9. How often do you find yourself rooting for the antagonist in a book or movie? Not the anti-hero, but the straight-up bad guy. And remember, this is for posterity, so be honest. I think the only bad guy I ever rooted for was Gary Oldman in Bram Stokes Dracula
  10. If you could only be remembered for one thing in this world, what would you want it to be? Why? The love of Jesus should be all that I leave behind.
  11. Do you really want an eleventh question? And remember, this is also for posterity so be honest. Unless you think it will hurt my feelings. No more questions please. I still have to come up with my own and you might steal one of them.

BONUS QUESTION: What exactly is the prize if I win this Sunshine Blogger award? Is there a cash equivalent I can claim instead if it turns out to be really lame?

For as hard as you’ve worked on all these questions, Ian, you definitely should receive some form of monetary compensation, I’m certain of it!

Ok, now for my own nominee selection, who do I wish to give a two hour assignment? Will they egg my virtual book store, here on WordPress Street? What if I promise to make the questions very brief, and then offer a treat at the end? Well, if I’m not to be shunned from all the important literary events in the future, I must make all efforts in fulfilling my nominee obligations. Hey, I’m an overthinking overachiever, though not quite as exuberant as Ian’s been. Here on WordPress Street, one must give a little to get a little, you know?!

Ah Hemmm… my nominees are as follows,

  • CreativeWays
  • BustingMyAsphalt
  • Lou Carreras
  • Rebuilding Rob
  • Writing From the Heart with Brian
  • M.A.D. Works
  • hMiller2014
  • Tamara Miller
  • MemoirsofMadness
  • Middle-aged Maverick

The following questions are more like yes/no than full answers, unless you find yourself desiring to fully explain…

Dear Nominees,

Do you like me… yes or no
Will you be a forever friend… yes or no
Do you desire being seen and heard… yes or no
Do you like cookies (this one’s very important) … yes or no
Do you pray… yes or no
Can you carry the world on your shoulders alone… yes or no
Is there a difference between being alone and being lonely… yes or no
Is it hard to admit when you’re wrong… yes or no
If love is a priceless gift, is it worth giving it away… yes or no
If there was such a thing as WordPress Street, would you move there… yes or no

May these treats sufficiently cover all the efforts made here today…

To stand in faith…

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Daily writing prompt
Describe a decision you made in the past that helped you learn or grow.
View all responses

I’ve made a great many decisions in my life, some of which were good choices… and some, not so good.

While I could go into detail on many of them, it would take us far longer than a Friday morning to wade through it all. I am nearly 58 years old, so I’m bein fully serious about it taking us a good bit to work through my decision’s list!

The truth could be said for all of us, when it comes to how many decisions each of us make, on any given day. It’ll take much of our lives to discover the extent of good or bad that came from those choices. How then can I pick one choice above another?

Well, I know that choosing to have children definitely helped me learn and grow, but that’s naturally expected. It’s all a part of life. Marriage, children, jobs, homes, vacations, spending money, or saving it. The list of decisions goes on and on and on, so how in the world are we to decide which were the best and which were the worst of decisions?

Over time, it becomes rather clear as to which choices ended badly, and which ones were fruitful. Then it comes down to picking the best of the best decisions, but I’ve still got years and years of choices to sift through. That’s a lot of memories, if I’m being fully honest, here.

I don’t actually have to think that hard, as I knew my answer to the prompt, shortly after reading it. Without turning this into a full blown novel, I’ll briefly share what decision popped into my head after reading the prompt.

About four years ago, I made the decision to pursue God fully, pulling out all the stops. I’ve been a Christian since I was nineteen years old, but never truly pursued God as I should have done. Many mistakes were made along the way, some far more costly than others. Then I realized how desperately I needed God fully in my life. From that point, I opted to walk a different path for the rest of my earthly journey… the faithful kind of walk.

What am I talking about? I’ll explain.

This child of God chose to meet each and every day, standing in faith, on the word of God. Now I walk fully by faith… in all things. This means that I hold every thought, every action, and every motive, before scripture. It’s not always easy, and I’m far from perfect at it, but the choice in living this way has irrevocably changed me, and for the better, I think.

With each and every new day, I’m being drawn closer and closer to my Lord, and the home that He has prepared for me… and this walk has definitely helped me learn and grow.

Cookies?

Thursday Thoughts…

Wiwohka5 Comments

This morning shall be short, but sweet, as I’ve a breakfast date with my four month old granddaughter. She’s discovering food…

While she’s not actually eating food food, she is starting out with all the pureed fruits and vegetables. Small beginnings, right?!

Well, I’m off for some life stuff, so the writing shall have to wait.

Have a lovely day, all. I certainly will!

Hugs

(2024) Never Say Never…

Wiwohka2 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What place in the world do you never want to visit? Why?
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Over the years of my life, I’ve learned that if I say never about a thing, I will most assuredly end up eating my words!

To be honest, there isn’t really anywhere that comes to my mind, as a place I would not want to visit. What if there were a valuable purpose in going somewhere, that I might only know about, once I get there?

My existence no longer revolves around any woulda, coulda, shoulda, sort of thinking. I walk forward in faith, looking up at all times. I don’t want to miss anything that God has planned for me on this journey!

Here, don’t forget to grab your cookie…

Gifts for the soul…

Wiwohka3 Comments
Two hands exchanging a small daisy flower outdoors
Daily writing prompt
Describe a positive thing a family member has done for you.
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There is positivity floating all around, if one takes the time to look for it!

While I may not have a large and/or extended family, when it comes to genetics, I’ve actually a huge family tree.

You see, I was adopted into an enormous family. Not only do I have my own husband and children, but I am also one of many sisters and brothers. Fortunately, I am a part of the family of God, so at any given moment, I’m being prayed for and/or being gifted something directly from my heavenly Father.

Sometimes God works through my husband, while at other times He may choose to act through one of my children, or a brother or sister in Christ. Still yet, there are those times when God chooses to act through a complete stranger; someone completely unaware that they are being used to complete a task for God.

At times, the positive things done by a family member may seem rather small and insignificant. Take for example, my husband will often surprise me by picking up a special food item that’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and safe. It may not seem like a big deal, til you factor in how I don’t like to leave the apartment until needs force me to venture out. My husband often does things to make my life easier.

Now, there are things that are much bigger positive’s than others. Like when my daughter makes it a point to face-time me each week, so that I can have special MeeMaw chat’s with my grandbaby. These video chats are the highlight of my week.

there’s a positive thing that I get from you, each and every day, when we interact with one another. We read others writings, share some of our own, and leave comments back and forth together. For me, that is considered positive family connection… as I consider everyone here on WordPress to be my family, in a manner of speaking.

Let’s consider these cookies as my positive offering …

Photo by ROMAN ODINTSOV on Pexels.com

Tuesday Tinkering…

WiwohkaLeave a comment

Sometimes, trying to create an idea or image that fits with a story can be tricky. You can have all the right tools, resources, and materials, but still feel clueless. At times, I find myself feeling sort of like the little girl in the above image. She has everything needed for that letter, except the pen to write it!

Now that I’m preparing to work on Volume II of my book series, it’s important that I have a good working image or two, of the main characters within the story. It was rather easy to create our dragon, as I’ve always had a clear picture in my head of what he should look like. Maybe it’s because he was a baby when all this began. Who knows.

All I know is that it’s not been that easy to come up with visuals for our heroin, as I’m always focusing on the dragon in the story. Now that we’re entering the second leg of our characters’ journey, the heroin needs to find herself, in a manner of speaking. For this, I’ll need an image in my head that captures exactly who she is.

First, I set about asking Norbert, my ai assistant, for some images of a cloaked woman with a satchel over her shoulder, walking along a path…

While I like her face, I don’t like the suitcase. Not only is it the wrong style, but it’s also a completely inaccurate depiction of what I consider a satchel. It’s far too modern. Not only was the bag wrong, but since she’s walking in the wrong direction, I can’t really get a working image for creating the avatar.

I corrected the wordage on my prompt to reflect a frontal image, as well as, changing the style and positioning of her satchel…

Much better, but a bit too sultry. We aren’t doing a Victoria Secret photo shoot, here. Plus, she needs to have more of a hooded cloak to reflect a mysterious traveler. I don’t want that image of her face, but I will be able to use it for a pose image when I make the actual character.

I changed a few key words in the prompt, and asked again…

Much better, I thought. Her face is softer, and a bit more moody.

I took this image, along with three others that offered differing angles of our subject, and plugged them into the Character Creation machine…

I like her, though the clothing will need to be altered to fit the story. I was able to add another character to her image, which was helpful. There are two main characters in the story, so I needed some images of them together…

Now that we’ve a real heroin to work with, I just need to get this handsome fellow into his own avatar. But that’s for another day. For now, I will be satisfied with our somewhat successful creation of our first main character. She may change a bit, as time goes on, but I am connecting with both of these two adventurers… hopefully, you are, as well.

(2024) MeeMaw’s Kitchen…

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Daily writing prompt
What is your favorite restaurant?
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MeeMaw’s Kitchen is the best place to share a meal, share some laughs, and leave feeling fully loved!

Along with walking away, carrying a full belly of homecooked goodness, the only cost for said meal is your time! And the beauty of it is, I’m always open!

Whether it’s a meal, or maybe just a cookie, you will know that you are loved unconditionally!

Here, have a cookie…

psssst… I love you! Hugs

Further…

Wiwohka2 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
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My journey is far from over. There are many directions my path may take me, but they all lead to the same place… home.

I’m so far from where I was just last year. There’s no telling where I’ll be this time next year, let alone in 10 years.

It would be lovely to be further along in my publishing journey, but who’s to say. Life doesn’t come with a playbook, as we discover early on in our lives. Just a good number of road signs, traffic lights, and fender benders.

One learns early in life that nothing is for certain, no path written out in stone, and no guarantees that we won’t come out on the other side, unscathed.

There is hope, there is faith, and there is love for one another. Aside from that, all bet’s are off. When you come to fully understand this, there is great peace in taking each day as it comes. One day at a time, moment by moment, so we don’t miss the beauty in the journey. It is there, you know, if you search it out!

Cookie?

Is its or isn’t it’s…

Wiwohka3 Comments

So what gives with these s’s?

How is one to know the proper time to put the ‘ in the word? It’s very confusing to young readers like myself.

While I understand the logic of possession, where you use the ‘ to reflect that whatever it is, the item belongs to it. But then they go and throw in the side rule that says it’s also happens to be a shortened version of it is.

They have a whole list of words for this adorable little side rule, such as, you are = you’re, they are= they’re, and we are = we’re. These are just for starters. There’s a whole list of them, like the one I just used. It goes on and on.

The more I tried to understand the use of ‘ , the more confused I became. I guess it’s time t0 ask Mr. McGoogle why we’ve added all the extra ‘s’s to our vocabularies…

AI Overview

It’s is a contraction for “it is” or “it has” (e.g., “It’s raining”). Its (no apostrophe) is the possessive form, meaning “belonging to it” (e.g., “The dog wagged its tail”). A quick tip: If you can replace the word with “it is,” use it’s; otherwise, use its.

Detailed Breakdown

  • It’s (with apostrophe) = Contraction
    • Use this when you mean it is or it has.
    • Examples: It’s cold outside. It’s been a long day.
  • Its (no apostrophe) = Possessive
    • Use this to show ownership or belonging, similar to his, her, or their.
    • Examples: The company updated its logo. The tree lost its leaves.

Why this answer doesn’t really help us, at all!

I already understand how to decide if I want to say it is, or it’s… but, what about all that possession stuff? All the ai wants to say is that little tiny bit about a tree?

Come on! It’s time to scroll a bit further…

According to Grammarly,

“The difference between its and it’s comes down to function: its shows possession, while it’s is a contraction of it is or it has. Its is the possessive form of it, used to show that something belongs to or is associated with something else. It’s is a contraction that combines it is or it has, with the apostrophe replacing the missing letters. To choose the right word, use the substitution trick—if you can replace it with it is or it has, use it’s; if not, use its. Avoid common mistakes, like using it’s to show possession or adding an apostrophe to its just because it “looks right.”

I guess if this is the rule we must abide by, then I shall not pursue the argument. As I am but a young, and newly educated ant, I shall follow the masses with this one. It’s just not worth arguing about, and I already seem to be doing it out of habit.

It is what it is, and it isn’t what I thought it’d be, with its rules about itself and all it’s exceptions, too. I guess it’s more about its uses in it’s daily life that makes it more about itself than about its use in our sentences, regarding it’s proper usage.

I thought I’d leave you with a tongue twister, but I’m sure there are mistakes in there, somewhere…

it’s alright.