"A Party of Special Magnificence" | Blog-Birthday Celebrations

Hello, my wonderful readers! Last Thursday the 12th, Fullness of Joy blog turned 4 years old.

Oh my gingersnaps.

I am not so sure I can grasp how quickly the years have flown! It is wonderfully thrilling, but also extraordinarily strange to look back over those years and see how this wee little blog has grown; how it aided me, its faltering authoress, to discover new things about life, faith, writing and stories, and cross paths with lovely new people that I otherwise might never have come to know. I am amazed, and so very, very grateful to the Lord for this special provision and encouragement in my life! Through blogging, the Lord has blessed me with  getting acquainted with many special and dear friends, kindred spirits who have encouraged me, built me up and helped me learn so much about myself and my calling as a young Christian reader and writer. . . 

So much of what I have learnt about writing and literature and sharing and creativity has been through the people I have met online, who have become very dear friends <3. Almost all of you I have yet to meet, but I feel like I know you so well despite the lack of physical interaction, and I love how we have clicked and shared our hearts together as kindred spirits in our mutual love of literature and writing as well as our faith in the Lord, and just learning to go through the struggles of living a Godly Christian life through suffering, trials, and our dreams and aspirations. God is so good in His blessings and leadings, and I know Fullness of Joy, and the online literary community of likeminded young people have been such a gift! 

It is, therefore within the tradition, that I have "a Party of Special Magnificence" to share with you all (though neither my blog nor I are eleventy-one years old!)... ;)

I would have loved to have made as dramatic a party as last year's Through the Looking Glass Literary Party, but with the busyness of life, I chose to go a little simpler with it being just one day of celebration! But, I still hope you will all enjoy it immensely :). The order of things with this party is as follows. Below is a Birthday Tag which you can all join in and be a part of. This will tag will be focused on stuff of literature, and should be an interesting and hopefully fun thing to participate in (I am joining in with you too, to add to the fun!) And just to say "thank you, dear friends, so much for sticking around Fullness of Joy blog and making it special", and to top things off nicely, I am hosting a fun Literary-themed Giveaway with first and second place winners!! Three of the sponsors of the giveaway are Masha Laurence from Antique FashionistaCasey from Tea and Tentacles, and Klaudia from AwwBooks on etsy, who own lovely shops and are offering wonderful, charming literary items in this giveaway. Do head over and check out their lovely etsy stores - they've been so generous and sweet :). Also, I am excited to be sharing two personal prizes for the party which I am super excited about!

But first, the tag!

"Fullness of Joy Literary Celebration Tag"
1. What is your favourite "happy" sort of book? (a book that either has joy/happiness as a major theme, or a book that gives you a happy, cozy feeling inside).
2. Did you ever have, in your childhood/youth, a certain book that launched you into a serious love of reading which made it something bigger than a mere hobby in your life?
3. What is one overhyped novel that people nowadays term as a "classic" that you really didn't like as much as everyone else? What made you dislike it so much?
4. What makes you motivated to blog, and what is your favourite aspect of the blogging experience throughout the years you've been writing?
5. What are 4 works of literature that you are particularly looking forward to reading in the near future?
6. What are some of your favourite non-fiction books?
7.  What are some of your favourite time-periods to read about?
8. Is there a special book that influenced you to do something new in your life, or changed you in a profound way?
9. Do you have a favourite contemporary fictional novel?
10. Persuasion is a very autumnal book, and many authors and poets have beautifully described and romanticised that season, which leads to the question: why is autumn so often idealised, and does it hold that certain magic and charm to you? What is your favourite season?
11. There are many novels set during the era of the French of Revolution, especially books written in previous generations by authors such as Charles Dickens, Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, and Baroness Orczy. Which, if any, are your favourites?
12. What excites you the most about literature and its influence in culture, and how it effects the way people think and act?
13. Is it ever a struggle to reconcile reading fiction/entertainment with the struggles of reality, and to place the importance of fiction within one's daily Christian life and walk with the Lord?
14. Would you rather you lived in the countryside of England during WW2, or in the American Prairie during the 1800s, or during the Neoplonic Wars in Europe? (basically favourite historical era/setting to live)
15. What is your favourite Jane Austen novel? Do you have a favourite film or tv adaption?
16. Describe your ideal reading nook! 
17. Is there a particular book that is quite underrated and yet you think is undeservedly so and should be read by everyone? 
18. Do you have a favourite Parable that the Lord Jesus told? What inspires and encourages you the most about it?
19. Name a book you've reread more than twice. 
20. The main character in one of the giveaway books (Until that Distant Day) is a superb cook. How fond are you of cooking/baking and homemaking in general? 
21. What is a book you're intimidated to read but really want to read in the near future?
22. What 3 novels (or series of novels) would you like to see adapted to film or television?
23. What would be the first thing you would like to say to/ask your favourite author if you had the opportunity of speaking intimately with them for ten minutes?
25. Favourite quote by your favourite author?
26. What is your greatest wish/purpose in picking up your own pen and writing?

Thank you so much for joining in this tag! If you participate with your own answers on your blog, please leave a link to your post in the comments section below so we can all see your responses and share together :).

And now, we come to the grand giveaway! What are the special prizes? How can you all enter? Three fabulous shops are sponsoring beautiful prizes, plus my own contribution, and at the end of the blog-party, I will be drawing the two winners next Saturday (the 27th of June). To enter the giveaway, enter in the Rafflecopter below! 
First Prize (#1)
Persuasion by Jane Austen (Vintage Classics edition)
I've been slowly collecting these beautiful editions of Jane Austen's novels - the Vintage Classics are one of my favourite book editions for literature; I normally just love their format and covers so much, and this series for Jane Austen's novels are no exception. I thought about it a bit, and as Persuasion is one my favourite of Jane Austen's novels, I am excited to be offering this Vintage Classic edition in this giveaway prize, and share my love of this beautiful story with you too!
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(Sponsored by AwwBooks: https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/AwwBooks)
6 Literary Authors Magnetic Bookmarks
 

x1 Jane Austen Bookmark

 x1 William Shakespeare Bookmark
 x1 Charles Dickens Bookmark
x1 Agatha Christie Bookmark + x1 C.S. Lewis Bookmark 
x1 J.R.R. Tolkien Bookmark


These convenient magnetic bookmarks made by the lovely Klaudia are very loyal and won't escape from your book, besides being absolutely quirky, cute and delightful! You'll just love them so much, and with a Shakespeare to bookmark your Hamlet, Jane Austen to fit nicely into your Vintage Classics' Persuasion, Charles Dickens to grace your Dickens book collection, an Agatha Christie to accompany you on her cosy murder mysteries, C.S. Lewis to peer at you beneath his quirky spectacles as you read Narnia, and J.R.R. Tolkien to smoke his good old pipe with you and and the Wizard Gandalf, I think you'll be in happy company! Made of durable photo stock and magnet (Height aprox. 5.5 cm)

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The Jane Austen Necklace, Books, Library, Literary, Victorian, Steampunk, Quotes T893
"There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart" - Jane Austen
Handmade item
Materials: antique bronze chain, antique bronze pendant, antique bronze, print, digital art, digital collage, art, pendant, glass, glass dome, dome, 1 inch digital collage, 1 inch circle.
This high quality image is enhanced with a glass dome to add depth and set in a 1" antique finished pendant bezel. Each pendant comes with a matching 24" chain. 
This gorgeous glass pendant with the "Jane Austen" quote from her novel, Emma, is not only a beautiful piece of literary artwork, but also a lovely, and special quote for any lover of literature and Jane Austen's novels. Casey does some beautiful literary pendants in her shop; this particular pendant can be a beautiful, vintage necklace "statement piece" and also work as an excellent, handy bookmarker to keep you on track with your favourite reads!

Second Prize (#2)

Until that Distant Day by Jill Stengl (ebook)
I am excited to be doing a giveaway e-copy of one of my most well-loved modern historical fiction novels I've read in recent years, written by the wonderful award-winning author, Jill Stengl. "Until that Distant Day" is a beautiful French Revolution tale, that is deep, inspirational, touching and reminds me remarkably with Charles Dickens :). I wrote a review of it a while back, if you're curious about this book as well!

Please note that this ebook will be given as a gift through Amazon.com. Even if you don't have a Kindle device, you still should be able to download a free Kindle app to your PC or Mac laptop. (P.S. As I am having a bit of a struggle with working out how to give a kindle gift on Amazon, due to living in Australia and using the Australian website, if I encounter problems, I will be emailing to the winner the prize as an Amazon Gift Voucher with which to buy Until that Distant Day himself/herself :).
*****

Les Miserables Necklace, Victor Hugo, Literature Quote, Book Pendant, chain included X318  "Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise."

Handmade item
Materials: antique bronze chain, antique silver pendant, antique silver, print, digital art, digital collage, art, pendant, glass, glass dome, dome, 1 inch digital collage, 1 inch circle.
This high quality image is enhanced with a glass dome to add depth and set in a 1" antique finished pendant bezel. Each pendant comes with a matching 24" chain. 

This gorgeous glass pendant with the "Les Miserables" quote from the musical "Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise" is not only a beautiful piece of literary artwork for any Les-Miserables fan, but also a lovely inspirational quote from an inspiring tale that can personally inspire you. Casey does some beautiful literary pendants in her shop; this particular pendant can be a beautiful, vintage necklace "statement piece" and also work as an excellent, handy bookmarker to keep you on track as you plow through a 500 page tome by Dickens or Alexandre Dumas! 
*****
*1. Mr.Darcy and Lizzy Get Lost 5x7 art print. Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.
*2. Pride and Prejudice art print. 5x7 You must allow me to tell you.. Mr.Darcy. Jane Austen art. Austenite Gift.
Handmade art print item.
Dimensions: 5x7 inches
Materials: watercolour paper, watercolours
*1. This listing is for a 5"x7" art print on archival quality matte photo paper. It depicts Lizzy and Mr.Darcy "getting lost" in the lanes around Longbourne after they declare their love for each other. 

*2. This listing is for an art print depicting perhaps the most quoted sentence from a Jane Austen novel. "You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you" uttered by Mr. Darcy to Miss Elizabeth Bennet. This watercolor and ink is printed on matte paper, it measures 5x7 inches.

These charming paintings of Jane Austen's characters from Pride and Prejudice, handmade by the lovely Masha Laurence, can work beautifully as charming, feminine bookmarks, or lovely posters to frame and place among one's favourite classics on a bookcase.
*****
The giveaway will be open till Saturday. Winners will be announced the same day. A different winner will be selected for each of the two Prizes.

There you go, dear friends! Please have fun and join in, enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway below; share, tweet, pin, comment, blog and enjoy this little party! All the best and lots of love! xox <3

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Comments

  1. Congratulations on your blog birthday! The tag questions look really fun!
    -Bethany (who is too lazy to sign out of her sister's account) :)

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  2. Happy blog anniversary, Joy! :-)

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  3. Oh!! You always find the best prizes, Joy!! I love your blog - happy blogisversry! (Is that how you spell it?... Is there a correct spelling fora made up word??!) Thankyou for being my friend, sweet Joy. I hope we can meet in person one day. :)

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  4. I am new to your blog, but I like the guest post by Emily Chapman, and posts giving tips.

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  5. Wow, what a fun thing to do. :)
    I have thoroughly enjoyed your blog. Thanks for doing it!

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  6. Happy birthday! Here's my tag
    http://hopewillleadmeon.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/a-party-of-special-significance.html

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  7. Hey, Joy! I enjoy this blog through your awesome facebook group. : D Happy birthday!

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  8. http://commandedwriter.blogspot.com/2015/06/fullness-of-joy-literary-tag.html?m=1

    There are my answers to your tag. And happy birthday! I love your blog, and it has been a blessing to get to know you. I consider you "good leaven" ( read my tag answers and you will understand the reference). Thanks for hosting this party!

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  9. Happy Blog birthday, Joy!!! Your posts are always so bright and encouraging! :)

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  10. Back again! Here is the link to my tag. It was a lot of fun. Thankyou for setting it up! xxx

    http://amityinchrist.blogspot.com.au/

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  11. Well I have got to your blog a lot of times before but now I have decided to follow it, so it yet remains to see what posts of yours are a favourite of mine.

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  12. HAPPY BLOGVERSARY!!! *sprinkles birthday cake and confetti in your hair* THIS IS SUCH GLORIOUS NEWS. And omg, we are the same blogging-age!! We are like practically twins. :') And it's so exciting to see blogs grow and I've enjoyed reading your blog for these past years. I'm not sure how long I've followed you?? Probably a year? I THINK. Either way *tackle hugs you on this glorious day* HERE'S TO MANY MORE YEARS OF BLOGGING

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  13. Happy blogiversary, and wishing you many happy years to come!

    And that tag looks really good, I may just have to try it, if I can scrounge up the time. :)

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  14. Lovely giveaway, Joy! ^_^ I confess that I don't have a favorite post/writing from your blog yet, but now that I've followed I'm sure I'll get quite a few. =) I always love how your posts are put together--the composition of colors is lovely. And I greatly enjoy your stories-in-progress tab. ^_^ Quite fun to look at... =)

    Thank-you so much for doing this giveaway!! =)

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  15. Dearest Joy, congratulations on another blog birthday! It is always fun to see another post come out, and this one is a spectacular celebration. Your header banner is stunning.

    I am putting up my tag answers tonight, and will comment with the link when I do. What a stupendously elegant giveaway! You do know how to put on a party with class. :D

    May there be many more years of good books and good fellowship. God bless, dear friend!

    Love,
    Schuyler

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  16. As far as questions, I would love to see a regular "Day in Your Life" post--with pictures! That would be a special way to get to know you even more over long distance. :D

    And here are my tag answers! http://ladybibliophile.blogspot.com/2015/06/fullness-of-joy-literary-celebration-tag.html

    Love,
    Schuyler

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  17. Happy blog-o-versary, Joy! What do I most enjoy reading on your blog? Hmmm... that's a tough one. I enjoy all of your posts. I tend to enjoy posts in general that are about books, or personal musings.

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  18. HAPPY BLOGVERSARY, DARLING GIRL. I can't tell you how thankful I am that you started this blog four years ago. Just think, if you hadn't we might never have met! o.o I'll never forget the day I first found and commented on Fullness Of Joy, and I will always be thankful for the Lord leading me to you. Our friendship is a treasured blessing and I'm happy you're my Samwise! I love how much we have in common and all our talks about writing, books, fangirling over Tolkien & Sherlock, chatting about life in general. *hugs you*

    Questionwise: I love every single post you put up, but my favorite are posts relating to books, whether it's about your writing, tips about writing, book reviews, overview of the months reading or what have you; those I especially love. And I'd love to see more general life posts too, maybe something like Schuyler suggested? <3

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  19. I'd leave to see a post about England. ;) ^_^

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  20. Hello! I come here for your book reviews and am never disappointed! Incredible giveaway! : o

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  21. Congratulations on four years, Joy! I have always loved your tag questions! You find or come up with really good ones. :) Looking forward to seeing much more in the coming years!
    -Emily H.

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  22. Congratulations, Joy! I love all your posts, but my favorites are probably when you talk about your writing or the books you have been reading and love.

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  23. Hi Bethany! Thank you :)). I hope you get to join the tag. ^_^

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  24. Thank you so much, dear Emily, for your sweet comment :)).

    Hmm. I think they spell it "blogoversary", which is a pretty weird name, lol ^_^.
    Aww, thank you, dear Emily! You are a lovely friend, and I am excited to be able to meet you one day too, in God's time (that will be so wonderful). Much love and congrats on winning the 1st place prize, dear!

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  25. poetryinleaves, thank you for stopping by, it's lovely to have you on "Fullness of Joy"! I hope you enjoy coming again :D.
    God bless!

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  26. Thank you so much, Allison! Your comment made me smile, I am glad you've enjoyed my blog and this party :). God bless!

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  27. Hannah, thank you so much, dear friend <3! And I thoroughly enjoyed your tag responses (will be commenting soon!!) Much love, Joy <3 xox

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  28. Hey, Allison Ruvidich! Yes, it's lovely to be able to connect with you through that facebook group :D. Thank you so much!

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  29. @wisdomcreates, Thank you so much for your sweet, sweet comment, Esther! Your words brought a smile to my face - it has been a blessing knowing you on the blogging world! ^_^. God bless :D.

    P.S. I truly enjoyed your blog-post with the tag responses, and hope to comment on it soon, God willing. Thank you for participating!!

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  30. Thank you, Jack!! God bless you :)

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  31. Aw, thank you so much, Hannah!! :). You are so sweet. God bless you!

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  32. Thank you for your lovely comment, Clare, and hope you continue to enjoy visiting "Fullness of Joy" :).

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  33. Aww, thank you so much for your sweet comment, Cait! Haha, I know, right? I always find it so neat that we almost share blog-birthdays and years too - so sweet! Aw, that is sweet - (I like the blog-twins idea ;)).

    Thank you, thank you! You are such a super fun and sweet blogger, Cait, and make me excited to write and share - I love your blog so much and am inspired to be a better blogger and online community person through your faithful commitment to share and make friends online. . . you are much loved, girl! <3 *hugs*

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  34. Thank you for your lovely comment, Jessica! I am glad to have gotten aquainted with you, and hope to continue being blog-friends in the future! God bless :D. (Hope you can scrounge up the time to join the tag by and by ^_^).

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  35. It's lovely to see you on here, dear Carrie-Grace! Thank you for your lovely comment, it made me smile big and happy :). You are always welcome around here, and I hope you enjoy my blog-posts in the future (thank you for following!!).

    Aww, you are so sweet. Haha, yes, I think the fun mock-up digital cover-designs for the books I am writng are quite eye-candy, even if they aren't real - but I am glad you like that page, and the stories in progress mentioned! ^_^ Hopefully I will get to share more about my writing in the future posts as well :).

    God bless!

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  36. Dearest Schuyler, thank you for your very lovely blog-birthday greeting and comment, and for participating in this blog-party!! You are always such an encouraging friend and fellow-blogger <3. Aw, I am glad you've enjoyed it, dear - I always like to think a lot about preparing a blog birthday, but usually scrunch it up at the last minutes and panic at the end (and fall behind on blogging for a month, oh dear!) Hopefully next time I will be better prepared and make the party with more winning opportunities for my readers - I always dislike the fact that there is only one or two winners at the end :(.

    *grins* Thank you! I just grabbed a bunch of gorgeous Pinterest images and made a fun collage on PicMonkey :)) - easy peasy stuff ^_^.

    I so enjoyed reading your tag-responses by the way :D I hope to put up mine soon as well (dear me, I am late again!). But you often inspire me to keep going with my blogging, you know ^_^. Thank you, dear friend! I love you dearly <3
    P.S. thank you for the idea of posting a "Day in Your Life" post with pictures! I hadn't thought about that, but if it is something you'd enjoy, I would love to try that out for sure! Stay tuned :D (p.s.s. have you thought of doing something along those lines as well?)

    God bless! <3

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  37. Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Jenelle :). I appreciate your perspective as well on what's your favourite type of posts to read on my blog - those two are actually my favourite to share about as well, so I am excited to try and write more of those kinds in the coming months! God bless :D

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  38. ANNIE!!! Dearest Girl, thank you so much for your beautiful comment! It is always such a joy to receive a comment from you on my blog, and makes me so happy <3 :D. I know, I am SO thankful to the Lord as well for what this little blog has done in being a means to getting to know you, my dear Samwise, and becoming such close friends! <3 I remember that comment you left on my blog very vividly too, and the subsequent emails we kept sending each other. The Lord is so good! I am so thankful! Thank you, darling Annie, for always being such a wonderful friend and encouragement to me - you've always inspired me greatly, and it sure is fun to chat and share together about our mutual love of literature, stories, writing, books, films, family, life, and our faith in Christ. Such a blessing! I look forward to the day when we can actually meet in the flesh, in the Lord's perfect timing, and fellowship and have fun and spend time together (and talk an infinite amount about Tolkien and Sherlock too ;). That will be so wonderful!! Love you too, darling <3 *hugs back tightly*

    Hmm, thank you for your lovely blog suggestions, darling! I will definitely try to write more of those types, and make my Samwise friend super happy ^_^. An "England" post is in the works, and I will also try to do "General Life" updates too, Lord willing in the near future :).

    P.S. we should Viber chat soon!

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  39. Hello Sarah! Thank you very much for your kind comment :). I am glad you enjoy my book reviews - I will try to make them more regular on my blog if I can.

    Blessings!

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  40. Thank you so much for your sweet and encouraging comment, Emily H.! Your comment brought a smile on my face :).
    God bless!

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  41. Thank you, Hanne-col, your comment was lovely and very encouraging :). It makes me happy to know what kind of posts you enjoy best - especially when your favourites are mine too! I shall try to keep that in mind, and write more of them, Lord willing :).

    God bless!

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"Gracious words are like a honeycomb; sweetness to the soul and health to the body..." ~Proverbs 16:24