Tomorrow Will Be A Better Day

Ella Eccles is unhappy. Shivering cold as she lay in her bed, she is too afraid to simply get up and light the fire because she has recently been scolded for doing things that servants are supposed to do (not princesses). New to the castle rules and norms, Ella is having great trouble adjusting to her never-to-be-foreseen role as a princess. In this wonderful continuation of the classic Cinderella story, author Brooke Duran concocts up a heroine who has gotten exactly what she wants, though not by the supposed intervention of a fairy godmother's magic, but by taking full control of her very own destiny. However, trouble seems always to follow her, since it is still with her, even at the palace. Even though all of Ella's dreams are coming true, Ella is starting to have some doubts about whatever "happily ever after" truly means. The Captive Maiden offers young adult readers a contemporary take on one of the most well-known tales of all time. Let this story ...

The attic smelled of mothballs and forgotten summers. Clara had spent years here, dusting shelves, sorting boxes, and pretending she didn’t miss the life she’d left behind. She’d left it for a “better” job in the city, a “better” future, but the truth had been buried with her father’s old letters. She found the box tucked behind a loose floorboard. Inside, a single envelope, sealed with wax shaped like a bird. Her father’s handwriting: For Clara, when you’re ready to know the truth. She opened it. Inside, a photograph of her mother, smiling beside a man Clara didn’t recognize. The date was years before Clara was born. Below it, a note: I never meant for you to grow up knowing this. But I did it for you. I did it for the child you would become. Clara’s breath caught. She remembered her mother’s stories — the “accident” in the garden, the way she’d always been careful not to speak of the man who’d come to the house. She remembered the way her father’s eyes softened when he said, She’s...

Under the soft glow of Parisian streetlights, Briar sat at a corner table in Café Merci, the quaint café she had visited so many times since moving to the city. The buzzing hum of chatter and the clinking of coffee cups around her felt comforting, but tonight, the usual peace felt like a distant memory. It had been exactly three weeks since she last saw him—Theo. They had met in this same café, both seeking a possible refuge from the rain. Their comfortable shared smile that day had been the beginning of something neither of them had expected. They spent seemingly endless hours talking about everything and nothing, their connection instant and effortless. But after that evening, he had vanished. No message and no explanation. Just the stone-cold silence. Briar stirred her coffee absentmindedly, lost in thought. Her gaze wandered toward the door absentmindedly, almost expecting him to walk righy through it. But the bell above the door remained frozen, and the world continued...

In that it is the holidays, I know that we have had a time when and and where creating and using a budget definetely was easier (I almost had to chop up my credit card just to stop me from using it!) so this blog post is for those of us who are like me and could use the reminder on how exactly to use and maintain a budget, especially in this season when everyone seems to be spending way too much money on who knows what. (Scrooge's side of the story is starting to make sense...) Anyway, here are my thoughts and pieces of advice on how exactly to create and actually use a budget! 1) Estimate your monthly income List sources of income that may include your paychecks, child support, pay from gig work (a holday gig...?), social security income, etc. 2) Identify and estimate your monthly expenses Things like your rent or mortgage, cell phone bill, and garbage bill. Next, identify your variable expenses (this is different dollar expenses every month) like groceries, eating out, ...

I'm almost done with writing out my first draft of the book that I am currently working on (finally!). I may be a little in the foggy, hopeful twilight zone (considering that it is just the first rough draft that I am almost done with...) but let's just say that I am hopeful...☺️ This is a new approach with a fairy tale that I haven't done yet, considering that I have changed the names of some of the characters (what's new? lol I always do that, I believe characters develop into their names...and that part, I believe that I have never been good at (you're always your worst critic)), gender of some of the characters, and even complete storyline (it takes a really long time to write a story), but I am confident that I am almost done, at least with the rough draft part...lol.  Who knows when I'll be finished with the whole thing! (But I am confident...) (I'm also thinking of writing/publishing this under a pen name based off of a dream that I recently had. 😴) ...

I know that President Russell M. Nelson was indeed a prophet of God, and I am grateful that God truly spoke to him. President Nelson’s love for us was but one manifestation of God’s love. I loved President Nelson. The promises he pronounced were of God. President Nelson taught me that the most important thing today is to choose Christ by cherishing and honoring covenants (with diligence!). I am so grateful for the prophet, Russell M. Nelson, and his service to the church. I bear my testimony that there was a man called by God to guide and strengthen us in the last days. If we follow and be true to his counsel, all will be well! I am so thankful for all of his inspiring and uplifting teachings. I have deeply pondered the teachings of this beloved prophet, Russell M. Nelson. His teachings have inspired my life, it is fair to say. His prophetic words have motivated me to keep going forward and to live and live the gospel more fully in this chaotic and conflicted ...