End of Year Link-up (Hosted by Kara)

The sun has set on the last day of 2015. How was your year? Mine was brilliant. :) Kara started a link-up earlier this month, and I'm finally getting around to doing it. Join up if you feel so inclined!

Rules (copy and paste these):
1. You must have a link to Kara's post on your End of Year Link-Up Fun post, and the above picture
2. Answer the questions. You can just do half, all of them, whatever! ☺
3.Comment on Kara's post with a link to your post
4.Invite someone to join in (choose a blogger who'd you'd really enjoying seeing the answers from)
5. Have fun!

The questions....
Favorites of 2015...

Movie (post the trailer):
Hmm...I really don't know!

TV Show (post the trailer):
I can't think of any one I watched.

Book: I read the Chronicles of Narnia and Little Women-- loved 'em both!

Song (post that too because then we can listen to it): "It Was Beautiful" by the Gothard Sisters

Band: My favourite band (as always) is the Gothard Sisters. :)
Music Artist: I suppose the Gothard Sisters count for this, too. ;)

A year in review....

Something I accomplished in 2015...
Reading the Chronicles of Narnia and hosting my first blog link-up. :)

Something I hope to accomplish next year...
I hope to finish my stories. :) And also reach my goal from this year of reading 100 books.

Go ahead and post 3 favorite candid shots from 2015...
Do nature pictures count for candid? Well, anyway, here are 4 of my favourite nature pictures (I couldn't pick just 3).

What is some things you did that you always said that you'd never do?

Nothing comes to mind at the moment.

What I look forward to in 2016:
I don't know if I have anything specific I'd like to accomplish. I do look forward to continuing to develop my talents and maybe gain a few new ones. I look forward to all the exciting adventures that 2016 will bring.

Hope You Had a Wonderful Christmas

Sending you joyful wishes this beautiful holiday season.

May we always remember why we celebrate--for Christ was born to give us hope.

Love ~ S. F.

An Invitation to the "Remembering There and Back Again Link-up"

This post is to invite any and all to the "Remembering There and Back Again Link-up" that I'm hosting on my Middle-earth fangirl blog "Three Fangirling Sisters."

The instructions for the link-up are in  this post. It will be happening later this month.
  Spread the word to all your Middle-earth friends! :)

The 12 Days of Thanksgiving

Hello and happy almost Thanksgiving!

Last year I was nominated the "12 Days of Thanksgiving" tag by the wonderful Saphira, and, as I didn't get around to doing it then, here I am doing it a year later. :) Thank you, Sapira!

The 12 Days of Thanksgiving

~Rules~

1. List 12 things that you are grateful for

2. Tag as many bloggers as you want, making sure to tell them of their nomination. 

1. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

2. My brilliant family.

3. My wonderful friends.

4. The ability to write

5. Nature

6. Turtles and hedgehogs

7. Pens and pencils

8. Cameras

9. Middle-earth

10. Air

11. Blogs

12. Life

~Nominees~

Kara

Elizabeth

Sarah

SW

Abby

Chloe

And anyone else who'd like to tag along!

Sweater Weather Tag

Photos by my sister. :)

Hullo, good friends!

Kara did the "Sweater Weather" tag on her blog, and it looked fun so I thought I'd go along and do it as well. :) Join in and answer the questions on your blog or in a comment!

1. Favourite candle scent: Hmmm. . .I'm not sure if a have a specific favourite.

2. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate? Herbal tea, thank you!

3. What's the best fall memory you have? Playing in the leaves with my sibling, and having lovely Thanksgivings.

4. Best fragrance for fall: Oh, you know that smell when you step out the door and all the smells become combined, so as the best way to describe it is simply "Autumn time!"? Mmm-hmm, that one. And also, Thanksgiving meal being cooked. ☺

5. Most worn sweater: I do have sweaters, but more frequently wear a long-sleeved shirt instead.

6. Football games or jumping in leaf piles? Definitely jumping in leaf piles. Wee! ;)

7. Skinny jeans or leggings? Leggings under a skirt.

8. Combat boots or Uggs? I haven't had either, and therefore have no preference beside to say both look nice and comfy.

9. Is pumpkin spice worth the hype? . . .Maybe. ;)

10. Favourite fall TV show: None.

11. What do you want to be for Halloween? Well, it already happened and I prefer to call it "Autumn Costume Festival". . .and so I was a medieval princess for Autumn Costume Festival.

12. Hats or scarves? Both are good. :)

13. What's your #1 favourite thing about fall? Beautiful leaves, harvest time, service, and snuggling under the covers after a chilly day. ♥

Hope your November has been brill so far! :)

With love,
S. F.

A Quote, an Invitation, and a Question

Well, well! Here we are at the end of another month. I hope you've had a most beautiful October.

As the title says, I have a quote, an invitation and a question.

 I found the quote whilst reading the writings of Laura Ingalls Willder. I thought it was lovely, so I wanted to share it.

"As we go about our daily tasks, the world will seem lighter if we enjoy the beautiful things that are just are outside our doors and windows. 

 It pays to go to the top of the hill now and then to see the view. . .forgetting that we are in a hurry or that there is such a thing as a clock in the world.  You are 'so busy'! Oh, yes, I know it! We are all busy, 

but what are we living for anyway, and why is the world so beautiful if not for us? 

. . . The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes, and surely it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies."

~Laura Ingalls Wilder.

 And the invitation is this: KBR Ministries is hosting their "Give Thanks X7" challenge in November, and all are invited!

To participate, you simply have to record at least 7 things each day in the month of November that you are grateful for. More information >>HERE<<

Last but not least, my question is. . .would you be interested if I hosted a photo challenge?

That's all for now!
Keep smiling,
S. F.

Two Years Have Rolled By

Who'd of thought? Two years (and a day) have passed since I started "On Solid Ground" and officially became S. F.! October 1st 2013 is a day to always be remembered. ☺
It most certainly has been two lovely, brilliant, joyful, and adventurous years. :) Thank you so much, everyone, for making this blogging experience of mine a fun one! It wouldn't be the same without YOU. :)
I am so grateful to the Lord for giving me these amazing opportunities. ♥
“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; … for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
~ Colosians 3:23–24

A collection of: past and current blog banners, past and current prophile pictures, and my 'signature image.'

 An Accounting of Numbers:
1 happy girl, 2 years, 4 designs, 4 pages, 5 awards/tags, 6 prophile pictures, 19 followers, 33 labels, 62 published posts, 370 comments, 6054 total page views.

Top 5 Most Popular Posts:
1.Drum Roll, Please  2.The Blogger Recognition Award  3.Start at the beginning, of course!  4.Sunshine Award  5.Now Summer Ends. . .

 Now, last year I hid 10 "We stand. . .On Solid Ground" images (see below) in various posts for ya'll to find. . .and only Les found them. :) So here's another chance to find all ten images and leave a separate comment to report the posts they're in. Go!
(Note: they are only in posts between October 2014 and October 2013.)

Here's the image to find:

Well, now we go marching on into the next year of this blog. May it be a blessed one for all of us.

SOLI DEO GLORIA!

Once and Only Once

Just a little (or rather, not very little) thought. . . 

Photo © S. F.

"Through this toilsome world, alas!

Once and only once I pass;

If a kindness I may show,

If a good deed I may do

To a suffering fellow man,

Let me do it while I can.

No delay, for it is plain

I shall not pass this way again."

~ Unknown

. . .And Autumn Begins!

Happy Autumn Everyone!

*dances around throwing red and yellow leaves like confetti*

Isn't this such a glorious season? I love it! I hope you have a brilliant autumn. ♥

With love, S. f.

Now Summer Ends. . .

Now just how did it become the last day of summer? I would like to know. It has been feeling like Autumn for the last couple of weeks, but it seems a little strange that it's going to be autumn officially tomorrow.

 As the Summer of 2015 winds down (again, HOW?!), here is what I did and didn't complete on my summer bucket list. . .

1. Sleep under the stars
I didn't sleep right under the stars, but I could see the stars though the tent roof. . . does that count? ;)

2. Go camping more than 3X
I think I did it only 3 times (in the back yard.)

3. Learn the guitar better, and bottom hand on the piano
Yes! I did semi-learn more guitar and piano (as in, I did, but I could have learned more.)

4. Write a song
I wrote poems. . .they can be a song if you put a tune to them, right?

5. Read 10 or more books
Nope. I think I read around 5 or 6.

6. Keep gratitude, prayer, quote, and drawing journals
None of the above. Oh well. . .

7. Memorise Scripture verses
I loved memorizing more of God's Words. ♥

8. Take more pictures
Now, I'm not exactly sure what I meant when I said "more pictures". . . I did take pictures, so I'll say yes.

9. Do something I've never done before
Mmm-hmm!

10. Read Little Women
And Little Men, too. Oh, that were wonderful.

11. Learn German
I don't think I learned any more words in German that what I knew before, so I'll have to answer 'nein'' to that.

12. Organise
That I did do, and of course I still have more to organise!

13. Go swimming!
Ah, the joys of swimming. . . *happy sigh*

14. Participate in Elizabeth's Summer Photo Challenge.
Thanks for hosting it, Elizabeth!

 15. Give this blog a new design.
...Yes!

16. Go through all the 'drafted' posts I never finished.
...No!

How was summer for you? If you can, sum up your summer in one word. ♥ Mine was beautiful.

Adieu, summer!

Love, S. F.

Elizabeth L.'s Summer Photo Challenge

Hi all!
Happy September to you. Isn't this such a lovely month?

For the past few months I've been taking pictures for Elizabeth's photo challenge, and even though I didn't take pictures for all of the subjects, it was a lot of fun! Here are my pictures:

1. Sunset

Disclaimer: This is a Sunrise and not sunset, but somehow I haven't taken a picture of a sunset this summer (*gasp*) and I figured it was close enough. :)

 2. Reading

Both Little Women and Little Men. I love them so much!

3. What Summer Means to You

♪ "Cool 'n' green 'n' shady" ♪

4. Bubbles

5. Food & 13. Water Mellon & 16. Cool treats

Talk about 3-in-1! But it's food, water melon, and a cool treat. ;D

6. Water

7. Fireworks


9. Wild and Free

10. Fun in the Sun & 14. Flowers

I had "Fun in the Sun" growing "Flowers" in my garden.

Thanks for hosting it, Elizabeth! I hope every one's having a nice summer. Are you?

Love ~ S. F.

Little by Little

"Little by little,

One travels far."

~ J. R. R. Tolkien

 Hullo, friends! How's your summer been lately? Mine has been an exciting adventure. ♥

~ S. F.

Drum Roll, Please

After brainstorming, sketching, thinking, painting, and things like that, I am pleased to present to you the new design for "On Solid Ground"!

It's not what I had in mind, but I do like it and I think it turned out well. What do you think?

Also, there is currently a going on of a little updating the pages of this blog (Links to them are now on the side), incase you wanted to know. :)

Thank you for being brilliant. ♥

To God be the Glory!

10 Days Until the Gothard Sister's New Album Comes Out

If you have been around for a while, you will know that the Gothard Sisters are my favourite music group. They perform Celtic music and I love them! And. . .they are releasing a new album called "Mountain Rose" on the 23rd! It's thrilling.

A description of the album. . .
"Mountain Rose was inspired by the love of simple, timeless and transcendent things - patience, courage, community, the passing of the torch from old to young, the beauty and adventure of nature, and the feeling of comfort in being with those you love as the sun sets on Summer nights. The musical album features fresh, inventive and melodic violin lines, the rhythmic drive of bodhran, djembe, percussion, Irish dance and guitar, and three-part vocal sibling harmony. . .The mountain rose may live in a harsh environment, but it survives the elements and gives hope to all who pass by and see it."

Everyday they are sharing a clip of each song (So far, they have only shared 3 and there and 12 total.) at this link: http://www.gothardsisters.com/music

Well, thank you for reading this fangirl ramble. :) I hope you are having (or have had) a delightful day.
Love ~ S. F.

When Summer Comes

Photo by Yours Truly

'Ello!
To day is the 5th of June. And summer is 15 days away. :} Lovely to think about, eh?

My dear friends Kara and SW shared their summer "bucket list" (or whatever title suits your fancy), and I thought that I might as well go along and share mine.

1. Sleep under the stars

2. Go camping more than 3X

3. Learn the guitar better, and bottom hand on the piano

4. Write a song

5. Read 10 or more books

6. Keep gratitude, prayer, quote, and drawing journals

7. Memorise Scripture verses

8. Take more pictures

9. Do something I've never done before

10. Read Little Women

11. Learn German

12. Organise

13. Go swimming!

14. Do something I have never done before

15. Participate in Elizabeth's Summer Photo Challenge.

Those are some of them. I also hope to give this Blog-iddy Blog a new design, and go through all the 'drafted' posts that I never finished. :)
I'll post again near the end of summer and share what I was able to accomplish.
Do you have any plans for summer?

Love ~ S. F

C. S. Lewis Quote

Photo from the Internet

"For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are." ~ C. S. Lewis

Garden Harvest

The very first "harvest" from my little garden this year. ♥

There is always

such a grand feeling

when we reap

from our garden

what we have planted

with our own hands.

I Shall Not Live in Vain

Ever since I first heard this quote, it has been one of my favourites.

"If I can stop one heart from breaking,

I shall not live in vain;

If I can ease on life the aching,

Or cool one pain,

Or help one fainting robin unto his nest again,

I shall not live in vain."

~ Emily Dickinson

"Will" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Picture © S. F.

"There is no chance, no destiny, no fate,
Can circumvent or hinder or control
The firm resolve of a determined soul.
Gifts count for nothing; will alone is great;
All things give way before it, soon or late.
What obstacle can stay the mighty force
Of the sea-seeking river in its course,
Or cause the ascending orb of day to wait?

"Each well-born soul must win what it deserves.
Let the fool prate of luck. The fortunate
Is he whose earnest purpose never swerves,
Whose slightest action or inaction serves
The one great aim. Why, even Death stands still,
And waits an hour sometimes for such a will."

~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

He is Risen

Happy Easter!

"He is not here: for

HE IS RISEN."
~ Matthew 28:6 KJV

(If you have time, watch this beautiful video. ♥)

In Christ,
S. F.

Until May

Happy last day of March, my friends! What a fulfilling month it has been. Praise to the Lord!

I write this blog post to inform you lovely people that I am going to be doing a blog break in April. I will miss you, of course, but it shall be good to take a break and refresh when I return in May. There are a few upcoming changes to this blog (nothing huge) that will happen when I return--there's something to look forward to! :) Also, I have a few scheduled posts for April, so this blog won't be too lonely without me.

Until then, “May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks." (~ J. R. R. Tolkien and Gandalf)

God bless you,
Love,
S. F.

Spring 2015

Happy Spring 2015!

~ S. F.

A Top O' the Morning To Ya!

Ay, if it ain't one of me favourite holidays today. Erin go Bragh! ("Ireland Forever!")
 I do be hopin' ye be wearin' some green. :D

"Ireland, Ireland, together standing tall. Shoulder to shoulder, we'll answer Ireland's Call!" 

^ From "Ireland's Call," the Irish Rugby Anthem. ^

 Why don't you go give it a listen, eh? 

Here's a video of the Rugby team singing it. (Prepare yourself for goosebumps.)

Happy Saint Patrick's Day. 

I'm so glad to be back. From where? Oh, no where in particular. 

It's just that I'm back from an unexpected blog break I took last week. I had been thinking about doing one for a while, and than I did out o' the blue. Now I'm back. 

Hurrah! 

Back with ideas for up coming blog posts. They should be fabulous, so don't leave too soon. :)

This here is "Danny Boy" by the Gothard Sisters. ♥

An' now I'll close by saying

"Oíche mhaith agus áthas a bheith libh go léir!"

Or maybe saying it in English instead of Irish would work better:

"Good night and joy be with you all!"

(^By the way, those are lyrics to "The Parting Glass." It's beautiful.You should really listen to Celtic Women singing it. . .)

"May your troubles be less,
and your blessings be more.
And may nothing but happiness
 come though your door."
(An Irish blessing.)
~ S. F.

The Authorly Bucket List Tag

Thank you, Kara, for tagging me for the Authorly Bucket List tag! To do this tag you are to, "List 3 to 7 things to work at in writing, and 3 to 7 things you'd like to try."

Things to work at...

1. Just WRITING! That is definitely something to work at. ;)

2. Coming up with how characters look. I have the basic idea for some of them, but other than that. . . ?

3. Editing. Something else to definitely work at.

Things I want to try...

1. Putting songs and poems into my stories. I like writing songs and poems, so why not?

2. Writing Non-fiction. Something I really want to try!

3. Having a character with an accent. As in, having someone from Australia or Norway.

4. Writing first person. I've tried it once (or maybe more) but I'd like to try it again.

I tag Elizabeth L. and S. W.

Now, everyone, go write!

~ S. F.

The Blogger Recognition Award

Thank you, SW, Bethany and Elizabeth L. for awarding me 

the Blogger Recognition Award. It was very kind of the three of you. :) I am honoured.

The rules for the award are. . .

 •Select 15 other blogs you want to give the award to. Do some digging if you must! Find those blog. You cannot nominate yourself or the person who has nominated you.

  •Write a post to show off your award! Give a brief story of how your blog got started, and give a piece or two of advice to new bloggers. Thank whoever nominated you, and provide a link to their blog. List who you've nominated in the post.  

  •Make sure to attach the award itself! (You can do this by right clicking, saving, and uploading the image attached)

  •Comment on each blog and let them know you've nominated them. Provide a link to the award post you created.

  •Provide a link to the original post on Edge Of Night. That way, anyone can find the original guidelines and post if needed, and so we can keep it from becoming confusing!

The Story of How My Blog Started

On that blessed day of July 1st 2013, I found Carissa's blog and left a comment calling myself "S. F.". Through her blog I found other brilliant blogs and I began wanting a blog of my own. After sometime, I asked for one, and on October 1st 2013 (I know, I'm being so exact with the dates) my sister Les V. helped me set up "On Solid Ground", and I've been blogging ever since!

Some Advice for Others
When it seems hardest to keep blogging, keep blogging! Just like this quote says, Never Give Up! Take a blog brake if you must, but don't completely give up.

I Nominate
Les V.
Abby
Sarah
Lily Marie
Saphira
 Hmm. . .I can't think of any more. Does 15 minus 5 count?

Again, thank you for the award! And all of you who have been awarded, have lots of thrilling fun.
Love, S. F.

ps.--unrelated to the award, but has anyone else ever been reading a book, and than they dream they're reading the book and something happens, so when they wake up they have to try and remember what really happened and what was only part of the dream? Only curious. . .
-S. F.

Never Give Up

Edit by me • I'm not sure who took the picture (it came form Pinterest) but I thank them.

"When you get into a tight place 

and everything goes against you, 

till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, 

never give up, 

for that is just the place and time

 the tide will turn."

~ Harriet Beecher Stowe

"For Auld Lang Syne"

"For auld lang syne, my dear, 

For auld lang syne. 

We'll take a cup o' kindness yet, 

For auld lang syne."

Unto all of you faithful readers,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

~ S. F.