Spring is Sprung!

Spring officially arrived yesterday! Hooray! 🌷🌸🌼 It's so exciting, although the weather has felt like it for the last little while, but it's lovely to say it's SPRING! :)

Sound the flute!

Now it’s mute!

Bird’s delight,

Day and night,

Nightingale,

In the dale,

Lark in sky,—

Merrily,

Merrily merrily, to welcome in the year.

~William Blake

Welcome, beautiful spring, full of hopes and new life! Are you looking forward to anything this spring?

Love ~ S. F.

PS. Remember this post about Song of the Sword by Hope Ann? The next book in the Legends of Light series is coming out in one week! It's called Shadows of the Hersweald and is a "Hansel and Gretel" retelling. I was privileged to read it before it was released and I would tell you all about how amazing it is, but you'll have to wait for my post next week that's part of its book launch blog tour. 😉AND there's a short story that goes along with it, so the brilliant-ness doesn't end when the novella does. Ok, my fanbling (fan + rambling) is done until the next post. 😊😁

In Case You Were Feeling Down. . .

 Are you having one of those days when it seems a bit hard to go through? Have a dormouse~

And while you're at it, have lots of dormice!!!

*squeal*Aren't they just the cutest?

May Christmas Stay With You

❄ Merry late Christmas, dear readers! I hope you had a joyous day. ❄

Although Christmas day has come and gone, I think one of the most important things for us to do now is for us to keep the Spirit of Christmas in our hearts. I woke up the day after Christmas and thought "now what?" There were presents to enjoy, yes, but what were the presents if I would be so soon to forget the sense of peace that came from remembering that my Saviour loved me to much to come to earth and redeem me from my sins and short comings?

O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining;

It is the night of our dear Savior's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

Til He appeared and the soul felt it's worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees

O hear the angel voices

O night divine!

O night when Christ was born

O night divine!

O night, o night divine!

May you always remember that holy night, and may we say as Mr. Scrooge did in The Christmas Carol, 

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."

God bless us, every one!

Love ~ S. F.

P. S.

You may remember that in 2014 I started a "Photo a Day December" photo challenge. I shared the photos for the first week, but not the rest of the month. To be truthful, I didn't take photos throughout the whole month, but I do have have several that have been waiting in a draft since then and I might as well share them now. So here are some Christmas pictures for you~

Day 11: "Up close".

Day 12: "Listen". (↓Wonderful Christmas CD if you like Celtic music.↓)

Day 13: "Star."

Day 14: "Recipe". (My siblings made a Christmas cake, and I stood by taking picture.)

Day 15: "Shopping".

Day 17 & 22: "Tree" and "Lights."

 Day 18: "Want". (The Gothard Sisters new Christmas CD!)

To Give Thanks

The KBR Ministries's annual "Give Thanks" challenge is approaching with the month of November. I always look forward to participating every year, to write down seven things each day I'm thankful for. As I look back on this last year, I feel so incredibly blessed by the Lord for everything that He has given me. How undeserving I feel at times! But He is merciful and good. How I love Him!

I think this year I'll go a little beyond. Everyday brings blessings overflowing. I'll let all I'm grateful for flow out and write down as much as I can.

And now I extend and invitation to you-- join in the challenge! It doesn't take much to write down 7 things a day that you're grateful for. Let us all give thanks to the Lord next month!

"For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."

~Psalm 100:5

More information on KBR's "Give Thanks X7 challenge" here.

In Honour of these Happy 3 Years

Time is passing. The weather is growing cold.

The first day on this month (being October 2016) was the third anniversary of the beginning of "On Solid Ground". Three years! Ah, it's been a good adventure. I personally have changed much in these three years, and this blog shows it, doesn't it? Let's take a look and see what I've done. . .

2013-
-Started On Solid Ground
-Did the 30 day LOTR challenge
-Awarded the Sunshine Award
-Started Three Fangirling Sisters

2014-
-Awarded for the Liebester Award, and the Sunshine Award.
-Added blog pages
-Posted a lot about needing to post more (*sigh* ☺)
-Got a bit excited about a certain movie. . .
-Wrote Misty Streets
-First Year Anniversary
-The Things That Make Me, Me

2015-
-Awarded/tagged the Blogger Recognition Award, Authorly Bucket List Tag, Sweater Weather Tag, and 12 Days of Thanksgiving Tag
-Took a blog break
-Designed quote pictures
-Created and reported on my summer bucket list
-Designed my compass blog design
-Participated in a photo challenge
-Second Year Anniversary
-Participated in an End of Year Link-up

2016-
-Tagged for the Happy Tag and Quote Tag
-Designed my sycamore blog design

Well, that was a nice little recap. :)
Thank you so much for all the fun adventures you've been a part of! I simply would not be blogging if it wasn't for my dear, dear friends, most of whom were there when I did my first post and others who have joined along the way. You are all so special and enrich my life so much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!

And with that said, let's continue on to the next year of blog adventures for S. F. :)
*picks up walking stick and sets off* And you say, "But wait, S. F.! It's autumn time, remember? Don't for get your hat and scarf and sweater!" *halts and comes back* See? What would I do without brilliant friends like you! Here's a hug for each of you!

God bless you all! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Yours truly,

S. F. (who sets off on her new-blog-year-adventure again, this time with a hat, scarf, sweater, and thankful heart)

In Which There is a New Blog Design

Dear friends,
     I thought, I asked, I liked, I looked, I worked, I figured things out. . . and lo, and behold! A new design for On Solid Ground. Thanks to Les for suggesting sycamore leaves! I quite like how it's turned out so far, but I think I have a few more extra touches to add. What do you think of it?

Love ~ S. F.

Reflections from My Dresser Top

I took a look at my piled dresser top and thought something like, "To sort or not to sort, that is the question." . . .
Well, the answer was sort. (Obviously.) And so I ended up taking everything off the dresser top and out of two "stuff drawers" and making a pile akin to Mt. Everest on the bed. :D Yes, it took a while to "sort" and yes, I still have to organise it all properly. . .but the point I'm heading for isssssssssssssss. . .I removed lots of particles (and piles) of dust (and one spider! O.O) which made me feel good.

A couple of days later. . . I took a look at my hibernating blog and a thought something like this came to mind. . . "DUST." Dust? Yes, dust! Something fresh and new and brilliant! I think I'll start with the design first. The water colour/compass design has been up for over a year, so I'll try something new (not quite sure what just yet. . .any ideas?) and then do a little updating of things here and there. The other changes I'll make I'm not quite certain of, but they will most likely insure that I post at least once a month from now on. ;) I'm looking forward to it! *happy happy happy*

The empty dresser top.

Any ideas from when you've "dusted" you blog?

I hope you have had an excellent summer, my dear friends! God bless you all!

Love, S. F.

The Happy Tag

Thank you so much for tagging me, SW! ♥ This tag is quite fun and brings a bit more joy into your day as you think about all the things that make you happy. :) What you do is list things that make you happy under the 6 categories given.

I tag Kara, Abby, Carissa, Chloe and Sarah.


Books:

The Word of God

Anne of Green Gables

The Wind in the Willows

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

A Child's Garden of Verses
Peter Rabbit

Words:
Love

Faith
Hope
Family
Home
Brilliant
Done

Movies/TV:

Anne of Green Gables
Little Women
Scenes in Hobbiton from LOTR and The Hobbit

Scents:

Just before it rains

Mushrooms cooking

Dirt and grass

Roses and Rosemary

Old books

The library

Songs:
I Am a Child of God

Mountain Rose Waltz by the Gothard Sisters

Fairy Dance Jig by the Gothard Sisters

Sunshine by John Denver

Fur Elise and other classical
Hobbiton theme song

Misc:
Smiley Faces :)
Hugs
An armful of books
Letters from friends in the mail (and e-letters, too)
Sunsets
The tick-tock of a clock
A cat's pur