solar eclipse and daddy's birthday || my best friends are gone (but i had so much fun!)

We witnessed the solar eclipse!! It was so neat!!! I really wanted to get some eclipse glasses, but they were all sold out by the time we actually were going to buy them, so Daddy made an old time eclipse box, that actually worked very well!! It was neat!

 

We celebrated Daddy's birthday!! He requested pork chops, mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner!!! We also surprised and made him hot wing dip and chocolate chip pound cake!!! It was all delicious!!

My BEST friends came and stayed from Tuesday to Saturday with us! I had such a good time. The worst thing about their visit was that it didn't last long enough. It flew by. But I am so happy that they got to come stay with us!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went to a bookstore on Friday!!! They had a deal where you filled a bag of books as full as you can for $7.00!! I got 30 some books for $7.00!!! I was SO EXCITED!!!!
We rode on the gulf cart for hours (which was so much fun!!!) while we listened to music and talked!!

I am so blessed to have friends like Abigail, Joe, Stin, and Anna!!! They are so much fun to be around. I feel like we're like family (I actually feel closer to them than some of my real family! lol!)! We have fun being crazy together (we certainly did some crazy things this past time) and I love it that we're making wonderful memories together!! :)
Can't wait til next time!!! :D

 

what have you been doing lately? did you watch the solar eclipse? when do you start school? what grade will you be in? 

my current wip "the room" || synopsis and snippets

 

 

I am in the process of writing a book that I'm calling, "The Room." The name may or may not stay that after I'm finished it!!

Story Line:

Three young men are robbing a gas station. One girl unknowingly wanders in during their holdup. She witnesses a murder and is knocked out and taken hostage. She is imprisoned in a dank, cold room in a dilapidated trailer. The men watch and soon notice something different about her. She has forgiven them. She shares the story of a Savior who died for everyone's sins. They can't understand why she has forgiven them. Can't understand why a God, so holy and powerful would love the likes of them. Die for them.

So that's a little peek into what my story is about!! Not a very good synopsis, I know, but at least you know a little bit of what I'm writing! :)

 

I got all of my photos from Pinterest and made the collage on Canva.

Main Characters:
Lauren (Age: 19) (Girl on bottom right)
Jonas (Age: 23) (Guy on bottom left)
Simon (Age: 24) (Guy on top left)
Thomas (Age: 20) (Guy on top right)



I'm having SO MUCH FUN writing this story!! Kristen, my sister, has been helping me out A LOT with it. Helping me come up with ideas, different plots, and writing. THANK YOU SO MUCH KRISTEN!!!
I was writing another book called "The Deceiver", but since I wasn't finished plotting it out, I decided I better just save that and start something else.
I've been writing "The Room" for five days and I am SO HAPPY with how it's going!!
I love my characters, my settings, the dialogue!! EVERYTHING!!!

Here are some snippets from my book. I haven't edited any of them, so bare with me please! :)

The 1998 burgundy Ford Fiesta pulled into the antiquated Express Stop gas station and parked in one of the pavement cracked parking spaces. It lurched to a stop. Jonas removed the key from the ignition, then rested his dry hands on the ripped steering wheel, his gray eyes staring straight ahead.
"I wont be long", Simon affirmed as he opened his squeaky door in desperate need of oil, and slammed it shut. He adjusted his coat while he searched the property for any sign of a policeman, and then trudged into the gas station.

"Remember the plan?", Simon asked as they sat waiting in the gas station parking lot. Jonas pulled out his gun from the inside of his coat and checked the bullets. He looked at Simon and Thomas and said, "We're only using these to scare him. No killing."
He looked at Simon more closely. "No killing", he repeated.
He placed the gun back in his pocket and buttoned his coat.
"Let's go."

"We gotta get out of here now!", Jonas demanded.
"I'm not leaving her here alive", Simon promised. "She's seen us. She's seen everything!"
"We'll have to take her with us", Jonas decided as he saw Thomas holding her limp body. "We'll figure out what to do with her later."
"I don't like it", Simon hissed.
Jonas got in Simon's face. So close he could feel the warmth of Jonas's breath on him.
"That's what we're doing", Jonas said between clenched teeth.

 In a haze, Lauren could hear people mumbling, but their voices sounded like they were in in tunnels. Her vision was blurry and she could barely make out the silhouette of a man sitting beside her. She felt the floor beneath her vibrating as if moving.

I must be in a car.

The faint smell of sweat and blood  filled her nostrils. The next second, she was out again.

So, there are a few of my snippets! I'm only on chapter five, so it's not that many snippets, but maybe I'll get more on here soon!!! :)


Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful Daddy!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH and I hope today is very special for you!!

 

 

 

 

 

what was your favorite snippet of mine? do you want me to share more in the future? do you like to write? what genre of books do you like to write? tell me about the book you are writing. what are your characters like? 

#sunshine award || i've been tagged by Shalom

 

Shalom has tagged me for the #Sunshine Award tag.

I've never done a tag before, so I'm not quite sure what to do. Anyways, here are the instructions.

Thank the person who tagged you.
THANK YOU, SHALOM!!!!
Answer the questions your nominator asked you, ask some of your own, and tag some other wonderful people.

Shalom's Questions:

Probably coffee!

I'm not sure. I admire a lot of people. :)

Europe.

A bear.

 

"I left all the money under the..." lol!!! :)

I love Summer and Christmas time!!

My Questions:
1. If you could have a conversation with any fictional or historical person, who would it be?
2. Who is your favorite author?
3. One thing that makes you happy?
4. Would you be a rose or a daisy?
5. Chocolate or Vanilla?
6. If you could have one super power, what would it be?


That was a lot of fun!! Thanks, Shalom!!

I know I'm supposed to tag some people, but I think it would be fun to let whoever wants to answer, answer in the comments below!! :)

 

 

 

 

have you ever been nominated for a tag? what are some of your answers for these questions?

transferring your blog from wordpress to blogger (why I did it and how to do it the easy way)

A few days ago, I transferred my blog from wordpress to what I'm using now, blogger.
I was having a hard time with wordpress. There were 1) ads that kept on popping up, 2)  I couldn't upload videos or audios, and 3) The price to remove all ads and upload videos and audios was OURAGEOUS. Also, blogger had better templates that you could download whereas wordpress didn't.

Anyway, it took me quite a while to figure out how to transfer my old blog to my new blog. If only I could have found this little site sooner than when I did find it. Well, here is the link. It practically saved my life.
Now, go here (its called "Google blog converters") It gives you all of the instructions.

If you're wondering where I got my template, go here. I LOVE these templates. They are so cheap (I paid $5 for mine) and the owner even offers to install it for you for FREE. But if you decide to install it yourself (like I did), well, the instructions are just really clear! The owner was very easy to work with and they said that if I had any questions, I could contact them and they'd be delighted to help. So I highly recommend them!!

So that is how I transferred my blog. I hope it helps you and your blogging journey. The only negative thing about transferring blogs is that I lost all of my followers. But hopefully soon I'll get up to what I had before. :)

Also,  Abbiee helped me out A LOT with some of the details on my blog that I couldn't figure out! She is also the one who recommended the site where I got my template from and she answered all of the questions I had. THANK YOU SO MUCH, Abbiee!!!

And remember, if you have any questions, comment below or email me at madelynsunshine@gmail.com.

do you use wordpress or blogger? are you going to transfer your blog? which blogging site do you prefer? were the instructions easy to understand? how do you like my new design? did you follow my blog? 

book review || the great divide by Davis Bunn and GIVEAWAY results

Some friends gave this book to my sister, Kristen, for her birthday last year (2016) and I just got around to reading it myself.
Like any other Davis Bunn book, I loved it!! He never disappoints me.

The Great DivideBy: Davis Bunn
448 Pages
4 Stars

When attorney Marcus Glenwood resigns from a prestigious corporate law firm to retreat to a small town in North Carolina and rebuild his life after a devastating personal tragedy, he suddenly finds himself in the biggest and most emotionally difficult case of his career.
Fragile and spiritually wounded, Glenwood is introduced to Alma and Austin Hall, whose daughter Gloria has disappeared in China while investigating the slave-like practices of New Horizons, the world's largest manufacturer of sports shoes and athletic gear. Persuaded by Alma's pleading, and their obvious distress, Marcus accepts the case.
No one, including Marcus himself, can believe how quickly his investigation untangles a web of deceit that stretches from Washington , D.C., to Europe and Asia and back to his own North Carolina backyard. With the power to obstruct, manipulate, intimidate, injure, and eliminate, the giant multinational sports company New Horizons has never lost a case. But they underestimate Marcus Glenwood.
Step by cautious step Glenwood moves forward to uncover the horrifying truth about New Horizons, Gloria Hall, and ultimately himself.

This book caught me in the beginning. The story line was amazing and  loved the characters, the courtroom scenes (they were awesome) and how descriptive everything was!
The only thing I would say negative about it was that it got to be a little long, but I still really enjoyed it!!

Before I say who won, I would like to thank everybody for participating!! I had 16 people who entered, and I wish everybody could win, but unfortunately, that cannot be. So without further ado, here are the results.
Drum roll please... *drum roll*

 

Emerald 

CONGRATULATIONS, EMERALD!!! *throws confetti and gives you heaping bowl of ice cream*
I will contact you as soon as I can for your information!!

 

Yes. You read that right. This is a gift for YOU!!

Bri (from Forget Not His Benefits) has offered all of you girls 50% off of hairpins on her etsy page!! All you do is enter this code: SUNSHINE50PERCENT for 50% off of your hair pin purchase!! It starts August 11th and ends August 18th. So you girls get on over there and order yourself some hair pins!!!

 

have you ever read books by Davis Bunn? ('cause you should). what are some books that you've read recently? your favorite author? did you enter the giveaway? should I do another giveaway in the future? are you going to go buy yourself some hair pins? which ones are you going to buy?

under the tapestry hair pin review || and a GIVEAWAY!

Bri, from Forget Not His Benefits blog, commented on my blog a few weeks ago and asked me if I would be interested in reviewing one of her items on her Etsy page for a free item. Of course, I jumped at the chance.
She emailed me and we got it all set. She also asked me if I'd like to host a giveaway with her providing a similar item of the one that I would be reviewing. I was so excited!

Please note, I am giving my honest opinion in this review.

First off, I'd like to personally thank you, Bri, for giving me this wonderful chance!!!
Bri was a very easy and a pleasant person to work with! She answered all of my questions thoroughly and was easy to understand!



These hair pins are absolutely adorable!!! They are made very nicely and they go with just about anything!


There are two bobby pins with beautiful green and brown beads hooked on to them to make a beautiful accessory that goes with any outfit!



This giveaway is for YOU! Yes you!
There will only be one winner and that winner will receive her own set of similar hair pins!The winner will be picked at random!
The giveaway lasts from August 5 through August 10! I will announce the winner on August 11!!
The winner will be contacted and given one week to respond, but if she does not respond, I will pick another winner.
Bri, from Forget Not His Benefits, will be given your contact information and she will send out your prize as soon as she can!
This particular giveaway is for people from the U.S. only.

Well, lets get on with the giveaway!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

did you like the review? did you enter the giveaway? did you go check out Bri's etsy page? did you go check out her blog?