Category: Blog Posts & Prompts

Choux Pastry

September 19th, 2023

Write about your most epic baking or cooking fail.

Back when I was getting my Associates degree at a local community college, I was taking a French class that had a project where you had to make a French dessert from scratch and bring it to share with the class. Bringing anything homemade was an automatic A grade regardless of what the food looked like, but I really wanted to do my best and create something good.

I decided to make chocolate choux pastries, thinking they would be pretty simple. The filling was easy to make, but the pastry dough was a different story. Instead of getting the classic risen, airy choux dough that I anticipated, I ended up with flat, misshapen pastries with chocolate spilling out of them.

After speaking with my class instructor (who was originally from France), I realized what I’d done wrong with my baking, but that didn’t make the whole experience any less frustrating. It did bring me some comfort, however, to see that some of my fellow classmates also struggled making sweets that they were unfamiliar with.

I can look back at that moment from where I am now and laugh as I remember how awful my poor pastries looked despite how disappointed I was when it happened. I haven’t attempted to make dough from scratch since then, and from that experience I realized that there’s nothing wrong with store bought dough when you need it.

– A.B.
Self Worth

September 18th, 2023

Share a lesson you wish you had learned earlier in life.

One thing I wish I would’ve learned earlier on is life is that an individual’s self worth is not determined by those around them. I, like many of us, spent my teenage years obsessing over how I would be perceived by my peers and people I considered to be cool and/or popular. I placed my worth in their hands and let them be the judges, which is something I didn’t even realize I was doing at the time.

That is why when I was bullied as a teen, it took a big toll on my mental health. I couldn’t stand the thought of people seeing no worth or value in me as a person because at the time, I valued the perception of others much more than how I viewed myself. It was a hard lesson to eventually learn, but I’m certainly glad for it.

As an adult, I am able to love myself and appreciate the things about myself I didn’t used to value. I now know my worth does not lie in the hands of fellow humans, but rather in the Creator of the universe. If I am precious in His sight, then the world’s opinion has no impact on me and my life. It’s a very freeing feeling to finally be happy with yourself and give yourself the love you needed all along.

– A.B.
Family History: Capt. James Kell

September 16th, 2023

I always find myself fascinated by the new discoveries I make every time I venture into my ancestry/genealogy hobby. It’s always even more surprising when I find family history from hundreds of years prior just miles from where I grew up.

Captain James Kell is my 6th-great-grandfather. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1760 and moved with his family down to Orange County, North Carolina as a young child. He was also in the militia, and fought in many battles during the American Revolutionary War including Camden, Lindley’s Mill, and most notably to me, Charlotte.

A historic marker for the Battle of Charlotte in uptown Charlotte, NC.

I was born and raised near Charlotte, so learning that my own ancestor fought against General Cornwallis in 1780 in what is essentially my hometown was mind-blowing to me. He was also married at and briefly lived in the town I currently reside in, which is even crazier to me that I have at least two familial ties to a place I never knew was connected to me in that way.

Capt. Kell’s other family members also have some fascinating history. His great-grandfather, Jean Postell, was a French immigrant, known in the 1600s as a “Huguenot,” who fled to Charleston, South Carolina with his parents, wife, and children to escape religious persecution happening in France. The Postell’s held to their Protestant faith, and fled along with thousands of other like-minded individuals to escape the catholic government that posed a threat to their safety.

I definitely plan to dig more into the small bit of information I’ve found so far so I can better understand the history and the lives of my ancestors. Thank you for reading!

– A.B.
An Evening Well Spent

September 13th, 2023

What are you doing this evening?

This evening, my husband and I went out to play disc golf after he got home from work. We drove about twenty-five minutes away to a beautiful course that plays around a small body of water.

Although I’m not athletic whatsoever, I like to walk alongside my husband as he plays which gives me exercise and fresh air. I also love all of the different animals and plants I observe walking through the woods.

Today we saw at least thirty Canadian geese, a pelican, a bunch of tiny frogs, and a few butterflies. I also noticed the leaves beginning to fall from the trees and all sorts of mushrooms and other plants sprouting from the ground. Taking a walk through nature is one of the best ways to clear your mind, at least in my opinion.

Then on our way home, we picked up fast food for the first time this week instead of eating at home, but it felt nice to treat ourselves. All-in-all, an unremarkable yet enjoyable Wednesday evening.

– A.B.
Optimism > Pessimism

September 12th, 2023

What personality trait in people raises a red flag with you?

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed more traits and characteristics in individuals that I try to avoid being around. While narcissism, dishonesty, and apathy are all major red flags to me, pessimism is the one I dislike most.

Being around a person who is stuck in a negative mindset drains me mentally. In my experience, pessimistic individuals tend to be stuck in their ways and refuse to see thinks from a brighter, positive perspective. No matter how much optimism and insight you try to give them, often times they’ll only react with negativity.

I try to distance myself from pessimists, as their attitude tends to bring down others around them to join them in their negative headspace. I avoid it for the sake of my own mental and emotional well-being.

I feel empathy for these kinds of people, as they’re stuck in a miserable cycle and do not allow themselves to find joy in the little things in life. How I see it, the positives always outweigh the negatives. Changing your view on life has the potentional to change your entire life!

– A.B.
Book Review: Verity

September 11th, 2023

I first heard about author Colleen Hoover on social media due to many women around my age saying how much they loved her books. “Verity” is the first story of hers I read. And even though I didn’t love it, I still found it more enjoyable than her other stories. One qualm I have with this book, along with all of her others, is that the female main character has no interests or real personality outside of being obsessed over a toxic man. I find it difficult to get into a story when the narrator feels unreliable, which is what I experienced with this book.

I enjoyed the first few chapters very much; the mystery and suspense of the story was captivating. However, I found it difficult to visualize the characters since the author does not go into great detail about physical traits. I also felt as though the main characters, Jeremy and Lowen, were morally gray from the start when it seemed like the intention was to portray them as protagonists.

Despite the book being less than three-hundred pages, the pacing made it hard for me to stay enveloped in the story since it tends to lull until the very end. The ending is intense and startling, but I also found it rather confusing. I don’t know whether Lowen was supposed to be an antagonist all along which is how I viewed her after finishing the book, or if the author intended for her to still be a protagonist despite both her and Jeremy’s poor decisions.

Although it is not my favorite piece of literature, I think this book is a good choice if you want an easy-to-read thriller. It’s one of those stories that I didn’t love, nor did I hate. But in my opinion, it is a much better story than author’s other works such as “Ugly Love” and “It Ends With Us.” I can definitely understand why so many young women love her books, but for the most part they just aren’t my cup of tea.

– A.B.
Maybe

September 8th, 2023

If you had to give up one word that you use regularly, what would it be?

If I had to stop using one word that I say often, it would be maybe. It’s a word I feel I use too often for excuses instead of saying a definite yes or no. It’s a word that feels safe to use to avoid hurting feelings or making a quick decision, which is something I feel I need to stop doing.

– A.B.
Book Review: Throne of Glass

September 7th, 2023

The eight-book series (with an additional prequel novel) “Throne of Glass” by Sarah J. Maas is one of the best examples of modern fantasy fiction. Since many altering events happen within the series, I will be focusing on the first book, titled Throne of Glass, for most of this review in order to avoid spoiling it for those who wish to read it. This is the second series of Maas’ that I have read so far, and I believe them both to be well-written and quite enjoyable.

One of the things I love best about this series overall is the author’s great attention given to the world building. Everything connects and interwrwines from the first book to the last which is refreshing compared to many other novels of similar genres in todays literature. It can be slow-moving at times; especially in the first two to three books. But as the series went on, I appreciated the details and time Maas spent developing the world she created.

The series has a strong female lead who has flaws and issues but a good heart, dragons and magic, romance, and a lot of action and battle. I believe this series really helped bring traditional, well-written fantasy into the modern age while also giving it a twist. I used to not be a big fan of third-person POV stories, but the way the author writes from the perspective of different characters really helps to add detail and weave the storylines together flawlessly.

The main characters in the first book Celaena, Chaol, and prince Dorian are all well-rounded characters with unique backstories and complex personalities. As a writer myself, I often times find it hard to make characters stand out from each other rather than blend into seemingly one person in the way they think or act. But Maas’ character writing of both heroes and villains is so well executed and entrancing to read. She is a master of the writing craft in my opinion, and her expansive world building is unlike any author’s works I’ve read in the past decade.

Although the majority of the fan base for Throne of Glass is female, I personally think people of all kinds can enjoy these books; I’ve even known a man who has. I would recommend this series to anyone seeking a great fantasy-fiction read.

– A.B.
Personal Paradise

September 5th, 2023

What does your ideal home look like?

Like most of us do, I’ve had a dream home in mind since I was very young. Over the years the idea of it has changed from a princess castle, to a mansion on a lake, to a townhouse in Paris, but nowadays all I truly want is something simple and cozy.

I don’t know what my ideal home would look like, since I love old farmhouses and small brick homes all the same. But I do know it would sit upon acres of land with gardens and animals thriving on it. There would be a wide, welcoming front porch complete with rocking chairs and wind chimes.

Every room in the house would have a theme and be decorated to match it and would always be clean and ready for unexpected visitors. The kitchen would have black-and-white checkered floors and a window above the big sink. There would be plenty of room to raise children and have family over.

It would be comfortable and inviting; a small slice of paradise within the dark world we live in. A place where happiness can blossom.

– A.B.
Butterflies

September 4th, 2023

My husband’s favorite hobby is playing disc golf. Lately, as a way to improve my mental and physical health, I’ve been going with him to walk outdoors while he plays. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I am a big fan of finding positives and joys in the little things in life. So today, I was pleasantly surprised as we walked a disc golf course on our way home from a beach vacation and I experienced the magic of nature.

As we were walking, I noticed a bush full of beautiful orange and yellow butterflies. They flew from flower-to-flower in the rays of golden sunlight; some of them even flew right next to me. Something about it felt magical, since right before we got out of the car beforehand I mentioned wanting to see butterflies on the course and then I did. As we were leaving the area where the butterflies gathered, one even flew up right in front of me as I went to step forward. I counted 33 in total as we walked through the woods.

I felt such childlike glee as I observed the brightly-colored insects floating on the breeze and flying gracefully all around. It was a simple joy that cost nothing, and I think all of us can find little happy moments like that every day of our lives if we look for them.

– A.B.