Supper at Emmaus - Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

As much as I love Caravaggio, this last oil panting by Rembrandt is my favorite of the Supper at Emmaus.

What We Left Behind - The Trail Band

Kind of a strange video...but I like this song. It's written by Marv Ross and sung by his wife, Rindy Ross (love her voice).

We've been listening to Trail Band Christmas music a lot, but I couldn't find a good video. Lex Browning's vocals on their Christmas albums are a big part of Christmas for me. :-)

I've been fasting from Les Miserables for nearly four whole days! This has been made possible by Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban and the fact that their Christmas CDs are now legal to play. And of course by great self-control and personal sacrifice. ;-)

Tonight we are going to watch the 10th Anniversary Dream Cast performance. This will be my fourth, but Suzy hasn't seen it at all yet...So I'm pretty excited!

Have a good Monday! I know sometimes that can be difficult. :-)

Thanks for reading,

Miss Pickwickian

The Word War has begun!

Start typing!

Don't worry about not being able to devote all the time to writing. I certainly won't. Just start writing! (Read more about the word war.)

When it hits 6pm post your finished word count. Hope it goes well. :-)

Thanks for participating,

Miss Pickwickian

(P.S. Like the pic? lol)

Word War - Nov 27th 1-6pm

I'm hosting a Word War tomorrow at 1-6pm (west coast time).

If you haven't participated in a word war, it works like this-

You write during the specified. When it's over you count up your words and post your word count. Whoever got the most (obviously) wins!

Please be honest. Only count the words written during 1-6.

(It's a long window so that those of us that have to be interrupted still have a chance. I don't expect you all to write nonstop...but if you do, you'll probably win! ;-)

Hopefully this will help out some of you struggling to make your NaNoWrMo goal!

The prize is-

1) You will get a lot of writing done. ;-)

2) We will respect your creativity and typing abilities.

3) I will send you Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande

Get ready!

Feel free to chat on the comments page about what's going on and how you are doing.

I hope you can participate. Don't worry if you can't get a lot done-- join in anyways! Some of us are going to stay in the low hundreds, don't worry. You won't be alone. ;-)

Thanks so much!

Miss Pickwickian

His Steadfast Love is Forever!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I can not even begin to list the many blessings that have engulfed us this year.

God is good even when we can't understand Him. Even when we go through sorrows or confusion.

He is so much bigger and wiser than I possibly can imagine.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
~James 1:16-18

We will miss you, our beautiful, loving, exuberant Grandy.

You have always been so much of our Thanksgiving, ever pointing us towards Christ and the many, many blessings he has showered on us!

One of those greatest blessings was you!

But now you are with him, enjoying a far greater feast in his presence. And you are well and there is no pain and no longing.

For now, we will miss you...

but mostly selfishly. :-)

May we rejoice in the two new lives God has given to our family. Although they may not have met their dear Grandy, they will grow in the shadow of devotion and we pray that someday mirror her dedication to Christ.

The Lord gives and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

One day we will all be together at a feast far beyond our imaginations and in the awesome presence of our Savior.

How can we not overflow with praise and thanksgiving?

May we be filled with gratitude and song while we work at the tasks He has given us.

Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil--this is the gift of God."

~Ecclesiastes 5:18-19

Give thanks to the Lord for His steadfast love is forever!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Miss Pickwickian

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.

~ G.K. Chesterton

Back to Routine

So, today I'm having a serious talk with myself. I need to get back to my daily word count.

I've been hammering through the rewrites on my short story, but now I've sent it to some trusted friends and I'm trying to remain at peace while I wait for feedback. Hopefully they'll still talk to me. :-)

This morning didn't go so well. You can ask Suzy. ;-)

I grabbed anything in arms reach to distract me...and since I've been trying to teach myself to enjoy poetry, Suzy got a good dose of Shakespeare's sonnets, Oscar Wilde, and Lord Byron.

I did discover a few things...

I've read Shakespeare's Sonnets more than once now, but it was an interesting review.

I'm fairly new to Oscar Wilde's poetry.

Suzy rejoiced over The Grave of Keats (I think Bright Star scared her forever) and reveled in The Dole of the King's Daughter although I'm not sure we figured out what it means exactly. I like Oscar Wilde's frequent references to Shakespeare and his characters too. His Ode to Portia is kind of cool.

I confessed I laughed during Byron's Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup Formed from a Skull. I don't think it was Suzy's favorite though. :-)
I discovered When we Two Parted which is what In Silence or Tears is based of (this is on the Gaudreau, Bennett, and Auldridge album, This Old Town). I had no idea. I love that song!

That was kind of cool.

All this caused me to irrupt in a few stanzas dedicated to Suzy, but she was not impressed.

So yes...I have writer's block.

But I will conquer it this afternoon.

I just need to tie myself to my chair, remove all the books from my reach, and start typing.

So yeah...I guess I should get going.

Sorry for the ramble,
Miss Pickwickian

The Mayflower - Mike Haywood

I love paintings with lots of water and waves...