Emily Rachelle Writes

This semester, I'm taking Spanish 101. Last week, my professor ( mi profesora ) announced our class ( nuestra clase ) would have a Day of the Dead celebration to learn more about the holiday and the Mexican culture related to it. She planned to set up an altar for gifts and memorials, as is traditional. However, since most of the class seemed disinterested, she chose to stick with a normal average class period instead. She did tell me where to find more information on the holiday, however; I decided to construct an altar of my own. (There are other traditions/beliefs in this holiday, such as dressing up and the Lady Catrina. The end of this post has links to more information.)

I don't normally post outside Wednesdays, but I used to, and since St. Valentine's Day fell on a weekend and I just announced my new poetry book coming out, I thought it'd be fun to share a love poem from that book for the holiday. I hope you enjoy! Sames People say that Opposites attract. You hear it, Over and over again, From old and young From those who have been in love And those who haven't. I think that's probably The wrongest thing about love I've ever heard.

I'm back, my lovely readers! And just in time for Valentine's Day. I already did the whole blogger-waxes-philosophical-on-consumerism bit last year. So, today, I'm going to just share a conglomeration of things I'm loving this Valentine's Day. Have fun with it, and don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end! :) P.S. All movie clips are likely to contain spoilers. Watch at your own risk! P.P.S. I make no promises about the photos or art, either. Basically this entire post is probably spoilers. P.P.P.S. All videos stolen from YouTube and all images from Pinterest. Nothing here is mine.

Happy Blogiversary! from Cidney Swanson Upon the anniversary of a blog, it seems appropriate to consider mile-markers, so today I thought I’d take give you a tour of some Marsian mile markers for people in my Saving Mars Series. For those of us in late twentieth and early twenty-first century Earth growing up in America, a few early milestones might include losing your first tooth, learning to read, and, if your family celebrates Christmas, figuring out Santa Claus isn’t the one filling your stockings. Kids on Mars have these same experiences, although on Mars, Santa is understood to travel by planet hopper as the atmo would pretty much kill any flying reindeer. A kid growing up in the USA would add middle school graduation and getting a learner’s permit to operate a car to their tween/early teen experiences. Kids on Mars have it a little different. They don’t observe eighth grade graduation as the school system only includes six annums of school. Now, before everyone on ...

Today we're taking a break from the party to celebrate Christmas. However, before you go back to opening presents and sipping hot chocolate, I have a gift for you, my lovely readers.... SURPRISE! It's cover reveal day! This, friends, is the beauty that is my first book cover. All credit for the lovelies goes to Melody Simmons at  http://ebookindiecovers.com/ . I can't wait for you all to see the book when it releases in January! Merry Christmas!

Christmas in Raven Falls By Hannah Stewart Raven Falls is the fictitious town in upstate New York that acts as the backdrop for my Breaking Shadows series. It was based off of Thornton Wilder’s Grover’s Corners… that is, if Grover’s Corners were dropped into a filthy, dystopian future with parallels to the French Revolutionary Era. The world of Breaking Shadows is a dark one, a harsh one, governed with a militaristic mindset. Raven Falls is a place where only the strong survive, and good people have to do bad things. But Raven Falls is also a place of hope. It’s a place to rise up from the ashes of oppression and begin again. This dystopian future is bleak, and very different from the world we live in now, but there are some things that remain. Christmas is one of them, though it, too, is very different. Most holidays have been banned, along with music, in an attempt to subdue the people. Christmas was the exception, as it has always been a huge staple of our country’s economy eve...

Keeping Christ in Christmas by Jillian H. Holiday music drifts from hidden speakers in department stores. Lines wrap around the local mall, filled with bright-eyed children who have waited all year to see Santa Claus. Women bustle from store to store with large shopping bags tucked under their arms, as they fumble with coupons and Christmas lists. This is Christmas. There's nothing wrong with the annual Christmas traditions that have become so prevalent in society. In fact, I love Christmas trees, presents, and chocolate advent calendars! However, I think that we often get caught up in the middle of these traditions and lose sight of what this season is truly about: Jesus.

Celebrating Hanukkah... as a Christian Non-Jew by Bethany Baldwin Hello everyone! I'm very glad to be here today. Emily asked me to talk about Hanukkah. You see, my family has, many times in the past, celebrated this holiday, in a way. But as Christians, our perspective on it is a bit different. Hanukkah came about when, in 164 B.C., a group of Jews known as the Maccabees (led by Judah Macabee) took back Judea from the rule of Seleusids, which were Syrian rulers who supported the spread of Greek religion and culture. In fact, they tried to destroy every trace of Jewish religion. Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is a celebration of this recapture, and of the re-establishment of the Jewish Temple. The Maccabees ruled until 37 B.C. when Herod took power. Hannukah is an eight-days-long festival. It centers around a nine-branch menorah. There was a menorah in the Temple which had seven branches. The menorah for Hannukah has nine for this reason: eight to remember e...

I'm writing this at ten o'clock at night. Well, my time. At Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, it's nine, and we still have another hour to go until the Ayers 1 live nativity begins - as does the judging of the Christmas decorating contest. Let me back up. Once upon a time, the oldest child and only girl of four kids knew she wanted to go to college. Then she realized she needed to figure out which college she was going to, and soon. Thus began a series of extensive, tiring college visits with her momma. One of these visits took them through way too many hours of Thanksgiving-weekend traffic and led to a prestigious Christian university in Jackson, Tennessee.

Guess what, my lovely readers! It's that time of year again! No, I'm not talking about Thanksgiving, Christmas, or snow - although all of those are marvelous. I'm talking about my annual December 12 - January 15 blog party. This will be year three! We all know good things come in threes, not to mention the third time's a charm. ;) Of course, there shall be giveaways. Guest posts. Interviews. The whole shebang! I still have quite a few slots open, especially considering there's going to be a post for EVERY SINGLE DAY for a month. Therefore, if you have a blog/are a published author (self- or traditionally-published) and would like to join the party, or have a favorite blogger/author you want to see hosted, please do let me know at emilyrachellewrites@gmail.com. Oh, and the giveaways! I need sponsors. If you have an online store or know of one that may be interested in sponsoring a giveaway (and a review, if they'd like), you can email me, too. ...

Week Thirteen: Toilet Paper Tube Pillow Boxes {all photos linked to source} Note: Thursday's post was probably not worded as well as it could have been.  I intended it to sound like "We should love people all year, not just Valentine's Day."  Instead I feel like it came across more as "I hate Valentine's Day, such a dumb idea!"  Please know this was not what I meant! The Pin: do it yourself toilet paper tube pillow boxes

Edit:  This post was probably not worded as well as it could have been.  I intended it to sound like "We should love people all year, not just Valentine's Day."  Instead I feel like it came across more as "I hate Valentine's Day, such a dumb idea!"  Please know this was not what I meant! I wrote a post here a while back about Thanksgiving.  This week, I've been having similar thoughts towards a very different holiday, so I figured I'd do a new one. Most likely you think I'm going to shoot down the roses-and-chocolate Hallmark day because I'm a cynical single (very commonplace idea).  That's quite the wrong idea.  I love chocolate (very, very much) and any excuse to eat it.  Also, flowers are awesome.  I think we should have an entire separate holiday for giving anyone and everyone flowers.  The Hallmark card part... well, I'm really neither for nor against it.  You can decide for yourself to buy/make/give them or not.  I l...

Hello everyone, and happy Saturday!  Have you enjoyed the party so far?  This year's celebration is drawing close to the end, but we can still enjoy these last few days.  (Especially the final presents in the Super Girls' Giveaway!) This year, not only am I hosting my second annual blog party, but I also hosted a real-life Christmas party with some girlfriends of mine.  This wasn't my first time hosting a Christmas party... but let's just say it's my first successful Christmas celebrating endeavor. *ahem* While words are usually my medium of choice, everyone knows that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I've decided to let the photos from my party tell their own story.  Enjoy! A note: since my party skills have grown much this year, I've decided to join Hostess with the Mostess and post my favorite parties I've planned/hosted!  Right now only my brother's pinata birthday and my Christmas party are up, but I plan to add other parties I'...

Last year at this time, a favorite blogger of mine - Melanie from Only a Breath - shared something she'd discovered: OneWord365 .  The idea is that, instead of making lists of things you want to change or creating resolutions that never go anywhere, you choose one word which you then live out through the year. For 2012, Melanie chose "give."  I've watched as she and the online community she influences were blessed by everything that one word led to. I did some research and discovered just what a huge movement this one-word idea has grown into.  Actually, there are communities/individuals who do this with no affiliation with/knowledge of the OneWord365 site.  I've decided to try it myself.  Maybe I'll make it a lifetime tradition. My word for 2013 is...

Christmas in Apple Ridge by Cindy Woodsmall Click the cover to buy Experience the holidays with the Plain folk of Apple Ridge, Pennsylvania. This is my first time reading, much less reviewing, an Amish book.  Most Christian and/or female readers are probably aware of the huge Amish trend going on right now.  Honestly, I've been more than reluctant to try it myself.  I only decided to review this book because (a) I wanted something Christmas for the party, and (b) I figured three novellas in one book made a great "Amish fiction" sampler and would give me a better first impression/opinion than one novel. The stories were great.  I'm not about to go out and buy her next book the minute it releases, like I might for Cidney Swanson or Shannon Dittemore.  But I'm the target audience for those writers, and I'm not for this book.  The writing was pretty strong.  There were a few parts were the story seemed a little slow or bogged down. ...

Merry Christmas!  Today I have a sweet Christian bloggy friend over to talk about the meaning of Christmas.  Before she starts, though, I have an announcement: due to low entries, I'm opening up the Christmas Talent Contest to all ages!  Don't forget to enter! In the Christian World, you hear a lot of protest over too much commercialization. There's lots of signs that echo the refrain, "Put Christ back in Christmas!", many parents who teach their children how Jesus, and not Santa Clause, is the real reason for the season, and still a few souls who try to keep their focus on the Savior instead of going google-eyed in the glare of Christmas lights and drooling over coveted presents. This is all well and good, I'm all for it! But I want to go deeper than that. Even more than appreciating the sacrifice and light that's been brought to the whole world, I want to focus on what Christmas means for one person. What it means for the individual - you and me. ...

Today a freelance writer who recently discovered my blog is sharing five going-to-college movies now considered classics.  Before this list, I'd only seen (or heard of!) Toy Story 3.   Guess I'll be watching some Netflix over Christmas break! Holiday break is quickly approaching. It’s time to start planning how you will spend your time off. One entertaining way to spend your evenings is by watching a few good movies at home with family and friends. The following five movies tell timeless stories about growing up and making big life changes; stories that everyone can relate to. Also known as “coming of age” films, all of these flicks are also American film classics.

{via} ~turkey ~cranberry sauce ~free sunday afternoons ~netflix ~pinterest ~thunderstorms ~my laptop ~a pretty room ~nail polish ~internet ~online writing communities ~electricity ~twinkies ~lip balm ~october in georgia ~ballets ~disney ~spotify ~blogger. gmail. google translate. ~critique partners ~kindle ~html code ~sleepovers ~library cards ~paper ~quality ink pens ~postal workers ~spray-on detangler ~kleenex ~double-sided tape ~calendars ~radio ~bookshelves ~large purses ~hot glue gun ~flip-flops ~long walks in spring, wax paper, and heavy books ~seashells ~camera ~inanimate, unconcious plastic ~air conditioning ~fuzzy blankets ~hot chocolate ~chocolate frosting ~chocolate truffles ~dipping chocolate melts ~all other chocolate ~hats ~bath&body works signature sets ~cheap long-distance phone service ~refillable water bottles ~pretty jewelry ~used book stores ~scrapb...

Today Marcia visits us with a beautiful little piece about time and the New Year, approaching in only two days.  {via weheartit} Can you believe it is almost 2012? The words 2012 seem so strange, how the year 2011 has flown by. I remember New Year's Eve last year, I was in a cabin, in the loft, reminiscing. Wondering what the year would hold...little did I know what joys, and sorrows the days would bring. The memories are still shining brightly in my mind, all the laughter, the tears, the smiles, the worry, and the fun. "God gave us memories, so that we might have roses in December" -J.M. Barrie But time passes so quickly... we are here, but a whispering moment. How much do we really do in our short lives? I mean, how much of our life is actually worth something? {via weheartit} "Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you....

Hope y'all are having a wonderful Jesus's birthday, and are making lots of wonderful new memories.  Perhaps you're enjoying hot chocolate while watching snow, or you're chilling after ripping into those presents, or you're heading for a chilly beach - where ever you are, I wish you a Merry Christmas. :) No, that's not my cat.  It's from weheartit. How did your Christmas go?  Care to share a holiday tradition or memory ~ something special to you or your family?