News

I have some exciting news! Actually, more than some.

First off, we got Adobe Premiere Pro - for $20. Okay, $20 a month, but still. Using it is soo much fun.

Second, I found some epic music. Jonathan Maiocco, college age, has simply blown our socks off with his music. My favorites are The Wild Hills of Erin, Ever After, 100 Cupboards, and At Least You Know Who Your Are (find them here: http://jonathanmaiocco.com/fr_home.cfm).

Third, I obtained a wonderful new book: John J. Horn's Brothers At Arms. I will be posting a review on my other blog, here, as soon as I can.

More news later! I have to bake a cake.

~Maria

Hope

Hope

The silver fire within our breasts

Possessed by all whom grace have kept

Kindled first beyond our gaze

Of mortal eyes, on which a haze

Has been since Adam's fall

Hope

Placed within our hearts

For help traversing the lonely dark

Formed by the Maker in shining lands

Crafted by his powerful hands

To place within creation

Hope

Powerful though it may be

Falters when the Maker leaves

Or is forsaken by shifting man

For lies of power and riches grand

Snares of enemy cruel

Hope

Then like a lantern begins to wane

Discarded for the dangerous game

Of destiny held in mortal's will

Apart from God they slowly fail

And sink into oblivion

Hope

Yet can enter the heart of man

If he before flees the demand

Of subjection from devil's call

Into the tender mercies fall

Of Jesus' gentle arms

Hope

Then burns brighter than sun or stars

Fed by the Power that mend the mars

In souls of men both small and great

Hope leads them through the darkest night

To Zion's glorious dawn

-Maria Rod.

"Give Thanks! x7" Challenge

"Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments."

Psalm 119:264

KBR Ministries is offering a challenge for girls and young women to write down 7 things they are grateful for every day, between November 1st and November 30th.

Read more at: http://kingsbloomingrose.com/challenges.html

Click!

Well, I got my new camera on the 23rd. A Canon Rebel T3i - a pretty new release. I am LOVING it!

Below are some pictures I took on the 25th. I edited most of them with the software that came with the camera. I got 4 programs to edit pictures - I use Zoom Browser X mostly, with some use of Digital Photo Professional. Both are useful, although I can't find a color wheel in either...

Anyway, here are the pictures.

A picture of the sky in the afternoon - unedited

Caeruleatus - latin for "Sky Blue" (edited)

My Mom's mums & a gnat - unedited

Gnat - edited

More mums - unedited

My Mom's Mums - edited

Shadow's Eye - unedited

Shadow's Gaze - unedited

That was all the pictures that I have on this account - I'll dig up the rest later.

New Guest

Butterscotch the Butterfly

My sister found her in the grass outside and brought her in.

She has a shriveled wing, so now she lives in the house.

She has her own box on the kitchen counter. That's cantaloupe she's sitting on there.

Butterfly rehab! 

Harvest

Basil & cherry tomatoes from garden

Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.

For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

Psalm 128:1&2

Travel

So on Thursday and Friday we traveled to and from Charleston, spending from 2 Thursday to 6 Friday doing stuff. As soon as we got out of the car on Thursday after driving 3 hours, we hopped on a boat.

 The Arthur Ravenel (Cooper River) bridge - biggest of its kind in the world

Ft. Sumter, our destination 

 The flags on Ft. Sumter

 Ft. Sumter

Going over the Cooper River bridge

And then we went to sleep. The next morning Mom, my sister and my aunt went to the beach while Grandpa and I went to the Charleston Museum. We almost literally ended up running through it, because we couldn't figure out how to work the digital meter thingy. And my camera was dying.

 Period dresses

 Some weird instrument. Any idea what?

 The skeleton of a camel. In Charleston.

 A Leatherback turtle. I knew they were big, but wasn't expecting that big. And Grandpa (a scientist) told me they could get twice as big. That's huge!

 Another odd artifact.

 Mom told me this bear used to be at the front of the old museum. It's tall!

A ginormous crocodile. The tall skeleton in the background is a Giraffe.

Then we drove home. It was a cool visit overall; Charleston is interesting.