Catch-Up Post #12: [A Gift] Great-Grandma's Red Flowers. ^_^

    So...this is just so cool. :) We planted a lot of flowers in the front this year. I knew exactly where they would all go, and mom and I knew exactly what kind of flowers to be expecting to see. We have never planted red petunias, nor did we this year. :) But we were surprised to see one day this red petunia growing where we had not planted any flowers. Up until recently, there had also been two big bushes there. So how on Earth did they get there?

    I have always known our yard to be kind of a magical yard, as I put it. Our backyard is a lot like a forest; it is so beautiful! <3 We get a large variety of plants, flowers, and birds showing up back there. :D And every year there is always a new kind of flower, sometimes two kinds, growing somewhere! Without fail. It is truly amazing. <3 <3 I had already found this year's new flowers, and this year it had been two. Mom told me about the petunias and I went and looked. She asked if I was positive we hadn't planted there, and I said I was. I asked if she was positive we hadn't planted red ones (kind of jokingly; we had planted purple and they were all close to done blooming), and she said she was.

    A few days later, she told me that she could not help but think of Great-Grandma whenever she looked at them. :) Mom loved her Grandma a lot, and I just adored Great-Grandma. <3 Among the things we remember well about her is that she loved the color red, and she loved it when I wore red. ^_^ She also loved ladybugs, painting, and oatmeal creme pies - among other things. :) This was quite a number of weeks ago, and these mysterious red petunias just keep growing, spreading, and blooming. :) There are no other flowers in the front, aside from our marigolds, because it is past their season. But here these beautiful red flowers are, flourishing past their season. :) So we feel like, somehow, Great-Grandma planted us some red flowers from the other side. <3 ^_^

Have a wonderful night, dear reader. :)

Love,

Bryn

Catch-Up Post #11: Tonight's Sunset!!

    Oh. My. GOODNESS. <3 <3 THIS SUNSET. <3

^ It is a smiley face [bear] in the clouds! ^_^

Ahh..<3 I hope this provided you with a smile, dear reader! :)

Love,

Bryn

Catch-Up Post #10: Brownie Recipe. :)

    Thought I would give you the brownie recipe, dear reader. ^_^ It is a family recipe, if memory serves. But we have given it out to plenty of people. :) It is a recipe that we've made a lot over the years for people and occasions. I like to make mine soft and chewy, so I do an extra little trick; but not everyone likes them chewy.

    For my out-of-country viewers, I will post the recipe in metric, as well. :) ...Hopefully I convert it correctly!!

     Anyone with allergies: I'm actually going to be looking into figuring out an allergy-friendly version of these fairly soon, and will post about that soon. :) I think it should be pretty easy~

Brownies

>1 1/2 C Flour

>2 C Sugar

>1/2 C & 2t Cocoa

(Add a few extra teaspoons if you want "dark" chocolate brownies.)

>1t salt

>1 C Oil

>4 Eggs

>1t Vanilla

>1 C Chopped nuts (optional; I have yet to use nuts, personally.)

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Mix all of the dry ingredients together thoroughly. Add wet ingredients; I suggest beating the eggs in a separate container before adding - it gives an extra "smoothness" to the brownies. Bake for 30-35 minutes in a greased and floured 9X13 pan. My tip for making them chewy: Bake for the least amount of minutes, maybe even just 27 minutes depending on how chewy you want them. When the timer goes off, stick a fork in the middle, if it does not come out clean, but is also solid, pull it out. After it cools, they will be nice and chewy. :) If you don't want chewy, just soft, then wait until the fork comes out clean. ^_^

Brownies - Metric

>357 ml Flour

>473 ml Sugar

>130 ml Cocoa

(Add a little extra if you want "dark" chocolate brownies.)

>5 ml Salt

>237 ml Oil

>4 Eggs

>5 ml Vanilla

>237 ml Chopped nuts (optional)

Same instructions. :) And I really hope those are the correct metric measurements!! :o If they are not, please, let me know. :)

    Not the best picture, I know. But, it is a picture. ;)

Enjoy, dear reader! :D

Love,

Bryn

Catch-Up Post #9: Sunset~

    Well hey. :) I slacked off again, my apologies. I...was distracted. >///> Those video games.... <3 I'll post about those later, though. :) So, Blog marathon today! Yay! I actually find these marathons to be rather fun, if I am being honest. ^_^ To be more serious, my laptop's fan was having some problems and I had to keep it off for a time. Unfortunately, I have discovered that a large portion of my life is attached to that laptop. Photos and documents and things, you see. It was a bit of a sobering moment. I realized that I need to be backing the laptop up far more than I have been.

    Anyway! I actually need to bake some brownies for some new neighbors. :) Well, I don't need to - but it is something I have always enjoyed doing whenever we get new neighbors. I feel like it helps break the ice a little bit and allows them to feel more settled. And helps everyone to overall be more friendly towards one another.

    So, for now, another sunset~ ^_^ And then I shall post again shortly after the brownies are done~

Have a wonderful evening, dear reader. <3

Love,

Bryn

A Wonderful Gift From Mother Nature. :)

    I had a pretty magical experience a couple of weeks ago. :) I have been dealing with a lot of hardships and have been reaching a lot of breaking points lately where I just break down crying for hours and hours at a time. A few weeks ago I...I honestly was pleading with God to let me pass in my sleep that night if I was only meant to suffer. Or, if things were to get better, that I could wake up the next morning. I woke up. How was I feeling at that point? That is best summarized as this: Hoo-freaking-ray. ;)

    There are a lot of inspirational quotes out there about how misery and happiness are choices you make, not states of being. I have even said that more than once. "How can you be cheerful after being so sick for so long? Why aren't you bitter?" I just made that decision. But...I think now I can only agree to a point.

    You can choose to be happy. You can choose to let the simple every-day things bring you happiness. Sunrises and sunsets, crickets chirping late at night, birds in the early morning, watching bees and hummingbirds go from flower to flower - all of these and more. You can choose to allow yourself to see the beauty of the Earth and let it fill you with warmth and pure joy. Everyone can.

    But...no matter who you are, from the most ignored person to the most well-known person, from a street urchin to an emperor...even if you look for little joys...eventually it all catches up to you. Loneliness, heartache, regrets. It all comes back to you and you can't help but break down and feel miserable. The future looks dark and lonely, miserable. Even hoping starts to seem pointless.

    Amid all of that turmoil, though, something keeps you going - keeps you living. Keeps you hoping, even if it is just a small flicker of hope. A small spark. I cannot give up on the only thing, person, in my life that felt right. That gave my life a meaning for once. That is what keeps me going. A hope for a second chance.

    Even though I have a hope that keeps me going, it doesn't change some of what I have to deal with. To summarize: Abusers wandering the same city and even neighborhood. Don't socialize well. Everyone I meet somehow already knows someone I know and by extension they think they know me because "so-and-so only socializes with these types of people, right?" Various locations in the city bring back bitter, painful memories. Rumors flying around about me that...are harmful and untrue...but I can't defend myself because I don't get a chance to but also because I don't want to sink to the gossiper's level.... Life...life catches up to me sometimes. I can choose to find things to be happy about and live in joy. For a time. Eventually I still reach a breaking point. I am only human, after all.

    I want to get away from it all. How can I continue to live like this? I'm afraid to wander too far outside of my home. After a night of crying about it all and ranting to my parents about it, it was suggested to look outside of the current options we had explored.

    I bitterly went, "Maybe we just need to move to a new city in a new state and I need to change my name and dye my hair." My dad kind of chuckled and after a moment said that maybe we could look into moving into another city. Somewhere fresh and new. Somewhere where we - I - are not known. My mom had been talking about a city she wanted to someday move to, maybe some years down the road. My dad mentioned this particular city and I asked if mom had mentioned she wanted to move there. He told me she hadn't. I'll admit that even I have felt a little drawn to this city. We've gone there a few times for lunch. It's small and has a comfortable, happy atmosphere. Cleaner air. Slower pace. It has a...an almost "small town feel" to it. Loving, I guess.

    I was still feeling a little miserable and in despair the next morning. I went out into the very back of the backyard and sat there, staring up at the trees and sky. Looking out into the garden. Petting my little girl kitty. Then this bird swooped down overhead, lower than normal, and landed in a tree next to me. She sat there and watched me as this half of an eggshell fell into my lap. I picked it up and could feel a smile crossing my lips. I carefully turned it in my fingers and let it rest in the palm of my hand. It was like a symbol of hope and new life. A freshly hatched egg. That baby bird had to struggle to break through its shell before beginning its new life.

     Of all of the places that bird could have dropped that eggshell, she dropped it in my lap. In its way, it felt like a miracle and like a sign that we were on the right track and that things are eventually going to get better. :) I took the eggshell inside and set it on my shelf to help remind me of this. <3 It is a wonderful gift from Mother Nature. :)

    I...I took a few pictures of it. :) One of which is next to a quarter to show the size. ^_^

Have a great evening, dear reader, and remember that for every down there is an up. :)

Love,

Bryn

Catch-Up Post #8: Photo Enhancing.

    Hahaha, oops! I totally fell asleep before finishing up yesterday! So, two posts today. :)

    This post will just be short. I recently figured out how to do some photo enhancing. I typically don't do this, however. But! It is a useful tip, I think. :) You just up the contrast a little. Just the contrast. With darker photos, enhancing the contrast a lot instead of gives it a certain...effect. I will give some examples. :)

 







Contrast: 100

 


Contrast: 40

   


Contrast: 40

   

Contrast: 20 or 30

    Yeah. Sorry for using all pictures of me, some of which are repeat. I just don't have permission to post photos of any of the photoshoots I have done recently, and other than that I have pictures of primarily myself. Kind of sad, really...but, eh, it is what it is. I need to practice photography so I don't get rusty, and I am a subject that is constantly available. XD

    Anyway, so upping the contrast will enhance your photographs. :) Hope that tip was helpful to someone!

Post again in a little bit! Loves!

Love,

Bryn

Catch-Up Post #7: New Lipstick and A Friend's Wedding!

    Yesterday I got to help with photographing a friend's wedding. :) It was such a fun experience! ^_^ I won't be posting any of her people wedding photos (except for one of me and her), of course. For her privacy. :) The yard, decorations, and people were all so beautiful, and it was such an uplifting environment! I am so happy for her and her husband! <3 Those two are SO cute together! <3

    I also decided to treat myself to red lipstick yesterday. I do well with that Maybelline Color Whisper lipstick - no allergic reactions, at least none I have yet noted. :) I have three colors now. I can't remember the shades for the first two...but they are definitely vibrant! Except the light pink one I have; it's just slightly lighter than my lips naturally are, so it gives off more gloss appearance when I wear it. XD Sometimes I mix the vibrant colors with the lighter one to tone them down. Anyway. I decided I wanted red lipstick. One of the shades is called "Who Wore It Redder?" - yeah. NOT the lipstick! It is a hot pink color! But it still looks good. ^_^ I wore it yesterday~

    Lipstick (after I darkened it then toned down - so mixing all three lipsticks):

And wearing my outfit. :)

    And some pictures of some of the decor (as well as one of me with her~) :

The beautiful bride and me. :D

    It was such a lovely day. ^_^ It was so cool seeing someone I have known since elementary get married! :D

Make my last update soon, dear reader. ^_^ Have a magical evening! <3
Love,
Bryn

Catch-Up Post #6: Experimenting With Art.

    This is what I was planning on posting for you on Tuesday. :) I had in mind an experiment I wanted to do in the way of computer art, but...it literally took me all day to do. I seem to remember starting on it at 07:30, and not finishing until close to 22:00. I...I just don't even know why it took me so long! Looking at it, I wouldn't think it to be a piece that would take...*thinking*...14 and 1/2 hours? Is that right? Point is, a LONG time to finish. XD Gosh. So, I wanted to share it. :) This is the first computer art I have done like this!

    ...Yeah. Always area for improvement. :) But, that is the nice thing about experimenting; it does not have to look great, and you can only get better. Right? ^_^ I hope you liked it alright, dear reader. :)

Post again soon! Have a fantastic day! ^_^

Love,

Bryn

Somehow, This Does Not Look Comfortable. ;)

    So...this was not what I was going to post about for my final post - but I am SO tired right now!! I can't think! I will make the post later. :) But for now, these are pictures of my girl kitty, Artemis. She has taken a liking to being called,"Little Lady" as of late, haha. :) She is also a little bit of a contortionist, and this was how she was sitting the other day. She sat like that for several minutes and seemed comfortable. But the position certainly did not look comfortable. XD She's such a cutie!

    And that is the end of my "Blog marathon". :) Update tomorrow! (If I remember, haha?) Now, I won't be posting Wednesday...that much, I do know. I am helping to cover some of the photography for a friend's wedding. ^_^ So two posts on Thursday - three if I space on tomorrow. We shall see~

Have a beautiful, beautiful day, dear reader. <3
Love,

Bryn

Catch-Up Post #5: Old Angel Drawing.

    This is an old drawing I stumbled across today. :) I had forgotten about it! It was the height of my skills at the time; I did this sometime back in 2011. It is of an Angel girl. ^_^

    It is kind of fun looking at old drawings, haha. :) So...I shall make my last update here in a bit. ^_^

Have a lovely afternoon, dear reader. <3

Love,

Bryn

Catch-Up Post #4: Old Writings.

    So...this is a "fanfic" of sorts. I call it an "author's fanfic". :) I...was co-writing a book with someone, Jane. It never actually got anywhere. And probably won't. We went our separate ways, and she returned the binder. I stopped writing a year or so before, and told her to finish it because I believed she could, and she knew the characters and story just as well as I did. She helped to create it, after all. Flipping through the binder, it looked like she didn't do anything with it. Maybe hoping it was just a phase and we would start work on it together again. Then life happened. What I do know is that if I ever start writing again, and if I ever finish this book, I will make sure to give her credit for the hours of brain-storming and rough drafting she put into it with me. :) And maybe she was working on it and had everything saved to her computer instead of written in the binder. In which case, I hope she finishes the story...it really was an amazing story line. ^_^

    Anyway, I had a character crush on one of the characters, Deven. And as a result just did not have the heart to write in a romance for him. So...Jane agreed to let me make a side character based off of myself to put into the book as Deven's love interest. I am that much of a dork. ;) Who says an author can't write herself in like that? *shrug*

    So I decided to make a 'fan-fiction' of Deven and Brittanie, and eventually release it as a novella from Brittanie's point-of-view of the events that transpired in the original two novels we had planned. "Within" and "Without". Don't know what I would have called the novella, but...I started on it. :) Thought it would be fun to share~

    So, this was pretty much a first draft. Nothing great. And to give a little background on the characters: Deven and Brittanie are "Demon Immortals" - they aren't really immortal, but their lifespans are so long that shorter lived races see them as Immortal, and thus named them so. There are "Demons" and "Angels". Then there are Vampires. Because, what is a book these days without some kind of Vampire? Gobenxai (we got the name by randomly hitting a bunch of keys in a word doc and going, "That looks cool!") is a Vampire Immortal. Vampires are actually very, very deadly to Immortals, because of their venom. Even if they don't purposely inject venom into them, the residue of the venom on their fangs could result in a near-instantaneous death from a single bite. Basically: STAY AWAY from Immortals, Vampires! And...somehow we worked out that Gobenxai was both..? Something. XD

    Brittanie shot a glare at him furiously as he spoke, her cheeks growing a deep shade of rose. She ran her fingers through her long, curly golden hair as she thought for a moment. How did he know about that? She opened her mouth then closed it again, at a total loss for words. She shook her head and laughed slightly as it dawned on her.

"You were in my room, weren't you Gobenxai." she stated in slightly angry tones.

    She was angry not only with him for going in there, but at herself for not keeping her journal well-hidden.

"Yes," he smirked, "and I do believe Deven will be quite interested in entry 14."

She shook her head as her eyes went wide, "You wouldn't!"

He chuckled, "Oh, but I do think I would my dear."

    She glared for a second longer before sighing  and looking off to the side, a hurt look on her face.

"I thought you were an ally, but apparently you're just using us." She sighed; "Alright, what do you want?"

    He walked over to her silently, quickly, and placed a hand on her cheek as he gently forced her to look him in the eye. She did so, hoping that he wouldn't try and pull anything.

"I want you," he said softly as he leaned next to her ear, "to help me start a war."

    Her eyes went wide once more as she stared at him in shock. A war? What help could she be in that particular task? He pulled back and smiled faintly as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. He turned and dropped his hand to his side. As he walked away, he called over his shoulder;

"And Brittanie...don't you even think about telling anyone what I'm up to, or, at least," he chuckled, "what you know of. I," he added more seriously as he glanced at her one last time, "will know if you do."

><><><><

    Deven watched Brittanie from the shadows for a moment, having noticed her sitting alone in the little spot she'd claimed for her thinking area. That was fine with him; it wasn't like anyone else went over there. They just passed by sometimes. But he didn't think she even knew that. He tilted his head slightly to the side, seeing as tears fell loosely from her face onto the soft earth below. She sat down, hugging her knees to her chest and just stared forward. He debated with himself a moment, but decided to just leave it alone. She had only been here for about 6 months; it was probably just her past coming up and bothering her again.

    Something did seem off though...actually, now that he thought about it, he had never seen her cry before. She had never really come across as that type either....

He took a deep breath as he stepped into her area, "Brittanie? You okay?"

She was silent a moment before whispering as she closed her eyes, "I'm trapped."

    Before he could respond, she stood and walked away. He looked after her. Trapped..?

><><><><

Several Weeks Later...

><><><><

"Gobenxai...I agreed to help you with a war, but," she glared up at him before turning her gaze to where he was holding her wrist against the wall, "I didn't agree to this. Got that?"

He smirked, "You think I care?"

"It's a risk I'm not willing to take." she stated as calmly as she could.

"Just a little taste?" he asked softly.

    He leaned down next to the base of her jaw-line where her neck started and pressed his lips gently against her skin. She closed her eyes and held back a scream as his fangs slowly pierced the vein closest to the surface of her skin. He smiled slightly as he let her blood flow rapidly into his mouth. She shivered and let out a gasp before falling uselessly into his arms.

><><><><

    Deven traced his steps and looked back at the scene playing before him. So he hadn't been imagining things. Gobenxai was indeed holding an unconscious Brittanie. Wait...no...are those puncture wounds on her neck? He didn't! She didn't let him...did she?

    He watched curiously as Gobenxai carefully set her on the floor. Deven quickly stepped into the shadows as the other man came strolling casually out of the room, wiping the blood on his sleeve. It took all Deven had not to lurch forward to punch him and demand to know why he'd taken her blood.

    Taking a deep, silent breath, he continued to watch until he turned the corner a couple meters down the corridor. He let a few moments pass before he entered the room Brittanie was in. He knelt next to her and put a finger lightly over where she'd been bitten. He closed his eyes and focused on her blood. Everything seemed normal. Good...no venom had entered her body.

    She moaned when he looked at her and her eyes flicked open to look at him. A tear escaped down her cheek and she whispered;

"Deven...I'm sorry...."

    A moment passed in silence before he smiled tensely.

"You..." he glanced away, "didn't let him, right?"

"...It happened fast.... But: No, I didn't."

"Then why apologize?"

"I...."

    The words came back to her; 'I'll know if you do'. It really wasn't like she could tell anyone. Not without severe consequences from all sides. But, at the same time, she didn't much like or appreciate where Gobenxai was taking things. Deven's voice cut into her thoughts.

"You..?" he prodded gently.

"I have betrayed you. All of you. Against my wishes, but even still." She decided it would hurt either way so she might as well choose the hurt, "Gobenxai wants to start a war...."

And...random picture of me to represent the character. XD

    So...that is that. :o Old, somewhat silly writings~ Hee hee~ ^_^ It was fun to write, though! Haha...and as far as the romance with these two goes: Brittanie admires Deven from afar, too shy and stubborn to admit her feelings let alone really get to know him. Deven thinks she's just reclusive but finds her to be somewhat cute and finds certain feelings towards her to gradually be developing. Deven is also the leader of their group and wishes avoid favoritism, so does not really have any real friendships, and he does not realize he loves her until the moment it appears she has died later in the books. By some miracle, he manages to get her off of the battlefield and saves her life, and when she awakens...a kiss~ <3 So...this whole part was Deven acting as a leader, but also struggling with his growing feelings for her. And in the meantime, neither of them is attracted to anyone else - and thus avoiding the cliche love triangles. As far as these two go, I mean. ^_^ Kind of a...well...I guess they are kind of dorks in a way. :)

Have a lovely morning or afternoon, dear reader! <3 Post the next one soon!

Love,

Bryn