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Paper, Scissors… Cards!

Published on by Amanda Tero4 Comments
It’s that time of the year… The Christmas gifts are moved from around my desk to their respective places and it’s time to write thank-you cards.
I know that writing thank-you cards are probably a little old-fashioned for some people, but I really like doing it (to the point of being a little perplexed that I can’t send one to my friend overseas due to her location). If you want to read a post about my perspective of writing thank-you notes, I wrote one last year: “Why I Don’t Write Thank-You Notes.” 😉
Sometimes, I get to feeling a little crafty. Last year, I created a few printable thank-you notes. But this year, with more space (having moved into our new home) and a little more time (since we’re not building), I took a few evenings to make some hand-made cards. It was like rediscovering a lost love. I enjoyed it so much! You’ll see a decided musical theme for my cards. 😉 I’m sorry… I couldn’t help it. Music just makes a really good substance for cards — and, music is so me. 🙂 
Have you ever made cards? What are your favorite things to use?
Now for the cards (excuse the pictures… I didn’t feel like being fancy here and just took snap-shots)…

Now a Prologue | Writing Update

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment
Today’s writing update will be short (and I warn you beforehand that I may not get to one next week…I know, no big excuses or anything; just an upcoming weekend trip, a sister moving, and being back into teaching 25-30 lessons a week…).
After getting some great feedback from my first (wonderful, amazing, patient!) readers for “The Secret Slipper” and much prayer, I have decided to add a prologue to the story. Of course, adding a prologue like what I have added also changes a whole strand of Raoul’s story…so I’m basically having to rewrite half of the novella. I’m actually totally fine with that, because when I was originally writing Raoul’s part, I found myself “getting through it” so I could return to Lia. 😉 I’m sorry… a peasant girl with a deformity is a little more alluring than a rich lord…
Before I share the first paragraph of my prologue, what have you been working on this week? (writing or not) Have you made good progress?
~*~*~
It was another grave. This time, a short one. Nele tossed the spade onto the unturned earth and stood straight. Mayhap the plague would take him next and spare him from seeing body after body go from healthy to dead. He was old enough. His aching back prompted that reminder. He had seen sufficient evil in this life to merit death now – he’d rather die himself than bury another child. Let alone, the lord’s child.
– excerpt from the prologue of The Secret Slipper by Amanda Tero


Scripture Graphics 22

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When was the last time we examined our hearts and “thought on our ways?” If we find our ways not in line with God’s Word, do we make haste and delay not to keep His commandments (vs 60)?


A good pattern to follow in our daily lives: praise God, call upon Him, declare His doings, exalt His Name among others.


How faithfully do we attend the “school” of God’s Word? We will never truly have understanding and wisdom if we do not learn AND apply God’s Word in our daily lives.


I found this circle interesting: we need understanding to know God’s testimonies, yet God’s word gives understanding. Seeking God so that He can give us understanding for His Word and actively being in the Word so we can get understanding go hand-in-hand.

The C Family | Photoshoot

Published on by Amanda Tero5 Comments
I have gone months without posting anything photography-wise. My apologies. Learning to juggle everything is a bit tough at times.

Last fall, I had the opportunity to take pictures of some friends up here. We had a little fun exploring the options of a private campground. I think my favorites were the creek pictures (down below)…

This next one… We were taking “Daddy-daughter pictures” then Maddalyn decided that she wanted to pose like her daddy. ❤

And this one…
They had a picture taken at their wedding in this pose and wanted to duplicate it. I thought that was precious!

And to finish… probably my favorite picture of the day. All-boy. All-country.

Books I Read – December 2016

Published on by Amanda Tero4 Comments
December did not feel like a big reading month for me. I guess it was because I only read three full books in December; the other two I read the bulk of in November and just finished in December. Also, most of my reading was done in the beginning of the month (and like, no reading in the last half).
Anyway…
My favorite book of December reading was… oh, actually that’s a really hard choice. My top three for December were…
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I think these little studies will always make it to the “top of the month” reading. I especially enjoyed studying through Philemon. Read my review here.
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I have to say, Roseanna White is probably one of my very favorite authors. It is interesting, because she throws in a little more romance than I prefer BUT her writing is amazing. Like I-want-to-study-her-books-and-learn type of amazing. This one kept me fully interested as the plots wove in and out. But if you want to know more, see my full review.
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This one made five stars (and if you know me, not many books make it there). Even though I’m a good bit older than the targeted audience (children), I loved it! It was super cute and sweet — and very innocent and pure. I can recommend this one to anyone hands-down (and I like being able to do that). I have a little more in my review.
And then the other two I read…
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Honestly, I was a wee disappointed in this one. When I first picked it up a few years ago, I thought it was amazing. I guess I have grown a little in my writing since then. 😉 See my full thoughts here.
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And the other hard-to-review book. You can see why here.
I suppose this post could double as “2016 in Reading Review.” 😉 Last year I made the goal of reading 52 books. On Goodreads, I have 64 recorded. Since I beta-read a few books, that means I  read 70+ books. You can see my Goodreads list here. If I wanted to put extra time and thought into it, I might would try to find a favorite of 2016, but that’s kinda hard for me. 😉 So just see what I read. 😀
Now for you…
Have you read any of these books? What were your thoughts?
What were your favorite books that you read in 2016?
How many books did you read in 2016?
What are some of your most-anticipated reads of 2017?

Hartly Manor | Another Short Story!

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment
Around Christmastime I was super busy and my fingers were seriously itching to write. I had a free Saturday evening and an idea… the Lord blessed me to be able to write a short story in that time!
May I present…

There were six of them…

And these six children have an important lesson to learn when it comes to Mr. Hartly and his manor. Is he the scary man that Rees says he is? Or will the children discover something else as they get to know him?

In this short story, my goal is to show children how our view of God is based in how well we know Him. 

The eBook will be published on January 28, 2017, Lord willing. But you may pre-order it here!

If you would like to be able to read and review the eBook for free, sign up here.

If you want to help without a commitment, then add it to you Goodreads shelf and tell others. 🙂


Scripture Graphics 21

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Claiming to follow the Lord or saying that we seek Him means nothing if our actions violate His Word. It is easy to apply this verse to our government — we say “in God we trust” or “God bless America” yet as a whole, our actions deny God as King. But what about at personal level? We can say we’re leaning on God, trusting in Him, seeking Him, yet are our actions rooted in personal glory, selfish decisions, and carnal gain?


Some of my favorite verses. Work however God has gifted us, our focus on the glory of God.


We often quote verse 7 alone, but it is connected to verse 6 — it takes humility to fully cast our cares on Christ.