how to talk to people (and not die)

Here are some questions I've thought of to start deep conversations with people if you're an introvert like me and are deathly afraid of dislike small talk.

p.s. they actually work- I've tried them myself and it really helps me when I'm in a social situation and I don't know what to say or how to start a conversation.

--

What's your favorite way to appreciate God? 

Should you ever regret caring, even if it made things worse in the end or it seemed to not matter?

How do you maximize the positive and minimize the negative without ignoring the negative or pretending it doesn't exist?

How do you tell if your way of 'helping' someone becomes enabling to them and their toxic/bad behavior? 

What does spiritual and emotional maturity mean to you?

Do you think we choose God or did He choose us?

Do you think that miracles run out for a person or situation? 

Do relationships define a person? What about a person who doesn’t have a lot of friends? 

Do you think a person's personality changes as they get older? Or do you think it just advances and evolves, while remaining still the same mainly?

What's the best way to learn about something? 

Do you think hatred exists or is it just the absence of love?

At what point do you give up trying to be friends with someone?

What do you like about (or dislike, if they're not a believer!) Christianity? 

Is sharing an opinion worth the risk of embarrassment if you’re wrong? At what point do you think you have enough information to share an opinion and stand by it?

Do you see video games as ultimately good or bad for a person/s character? 

In your opinion, what makes a good movie?

--

Photo Credit: Me

Well, that's all you guys. Let me know if you use any of these and if they help you at all/what you think of them.

~ Amaris // ☆

Time Passes

It's funny how humans make their little plans, and they have these little expectations for what they hope things to be like, as if they really had any control over the way things will actually turn out.

*a rather deep opening sentence to this post, i know*

For instance, this year went absolutely nothing how I expected it would.

There's only one thing that happened this year that went how I expected. My movie-watching plans! I determined to watch more movies this year, and by George, I definitely did! That I am glad of. There were many movies that really needed to be watched by me.
I kept a movie log throughout the year, and I plan to hopefully post it some time in December... if I can actually DO SOMETHING I PLAN, FOR ONCE.

Did you know I expected this year to be one of my biggest blogging years yet for The Storybook Journal? I had so many post ideas... I even planned to do some special blogging with my best friend, since she finally got a blog. But it turned out this was one of my smallest blogging years instead.

That's why I'm writing this post right now, actually. Just to say 'hello' to you all. I miss you, to be honest. I miss my blogging life.

But as one of my personal favorite influential Owl City songs states: 'Everything changes' (Firebird, Cinematic album).

Everything changes.

And you know what? I'm ok with that.

Change is... sad.
But it's good.
It can be bad too, of course, but when change is bad, you don't have to be hopeless because the bad will come full circle and change, yet again, to good.
Which, of course, grows faith in God the whole time.
It's really quite a good system.

I think I've changed more this year than any year in so far in my life. Both for good, and for bad.
Thankfully, God has remained the same. I've learned that I can always count on Him.
I'm still learning that.

Well, this post is a whole lot of nothing. As I said, I'm just popping in to say 'hello'. I am not gone; I'm still here. Just not blogging much.
That's all. I guess I'll go now.. but I suppose you want a little update on my life.

I impulsively started watching a show on Amazon Prime. It's just called 'Victoria'. Starting Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria.
When it first began, the story line was rather slow, but I liked it. I always like some good, down-to-earth history drama. As the season went on (I just began watching Season Two), thing started heating up dramatically, and I am still really enjoying it! This is one of the only shows I don't watch with the rest of my family... so it's kind of 'my show'. :)

I've had a musical discovery as well... one which will quite surprise you. It's Queen. The old band. From the 70s-80s. I saw the movie 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in theaters (a movie not for everyone... view with discretion and a conservative movie review, pls), and to be honest I was really inspired by the creation of their hit music as well as the story behind everything they did.
Sure, I don't condone all of their songs (some of their songs have lyrics that are... *ahem* unworthy of my ears...) I only listen to the appropriate ones. I also don't support all the messages in the movie, which is why I recommend reading a conservative movie review about it before watching.
But still. Apart from those things, their songs have such a fun, chill vibe that I just can't help loving. <3 And I love the movie, too. In spite of some content. I would see it again in a heartbeat if someone asked me.

What else? Not too much has changed as far as significant events in my life since last I blogged. To be honest, it's been quite boring. :) But, a new year is coming, with new plans.
New ideas.
New expectations.

We'll see how it goes.

:) :) :) 

Goodbye, friends.
For now.

-Amaris

Summer Giveaway!!!

Hello, my lovely bloggy friends!

Today I have something very special for you, in honor of Summer and my 100th post!

A Summer Giveaway!!!

I've been collecting things for this giveaway for a couple of weeks now, always picking up things here and there to include, trying to find all the best little things for your guys!!

I have never done any sort of giveaway before, so I wanted to make this one extra special. Most of these item are mainly for girls/women, but hey! If you're a guy and you win, you can give the stuff to your mom or something! No problem. :)

Here are a few things that will be included!

• Face masks (keep your skin looking great this Summer!)
• Jewelry case (it was too cute NOT to include)
• Headscarf (You can tie it onto a purse handle too!!)
• Nail polish (gotta have some)
• Jewelry (because why not???)
• Lip balm (Keep your lips smooth!)
• Sunglassses (Watch out for that Summer sun!!)
• + MORE!!! 

Now we get to the fun part:
What to do to enter for YOUR chance to win this stuff!!!

All you have to do is answer the questions below in the comments of this post. I wanted this giveaway to be open to anyone, which is why I'm having you answer in the comments, because then anyone who has an email can comment!

You may enter the giveaway with your comments until August 10th, and I will have picked the winner by August 15th!
I will then write the names of the commenters on a piece of paper, and will draw the person's name  on Instagram stories, and will also announce the winner on this blog! I will NOT be picking based on answers, whoever gets picked out of the bowl wins fair and square!

Answering the questions below is how you ENTER this giveaway, not how you WIN it!
There will be one name entry for each person who comments. Commenting more than once won't get you an extra chance of winning. It's one entry per person in the comments.

If you are chosen, I will ask for an email address so that I can privately request a mailing address to send your stuff! Anything else will be explained in that email.

Without further ado, here are the questions! Enjoy and good luck!

The Questions:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Do you have a blog? If so, paste the link!

2. What is your favorite movie of all time (or one that you recommend a lot)?

3. What's your favorite book genre?

4. Do you believe in God? If so, why do you think that believing in God is the best thing that could happen to a person?

5. What's your favorite thing that has happened so far this Summer?

6. What is the first thing you notice about a person?

7. Do you think crying is a sign of weakness or strength?

8. What is one thing about your childhood self that still applies to you today?

9. Is there a favorite book of yours that you wish they would make a movie out of?

10. Are you an early bird or a night owl?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(The questions ended up kinda random. Some are just for fun, while others are kinda deep. Makes it more fun, in my opinion!)

Good luck, everybody! Thanks for sticking with me for 100 posts. :)

-Amaris

Well Look Who Got Tagged

I haven't done a tag on the Blog in awhile, so I gotta say I was happy when Morgan tagged me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. :) Click here to read Morgan's post, and let's get started!

1. Do you like to read an entire series at once or spread out the books over time?

It depends on the availability of books, but I always like to read the books in a series as close together as possible. I find if I stray away to other books, it will dampen my experience with the characters and story of the series.
 o

2. Would you rather be stuck in the past or the future?

Future. Way, way, way in the future. I think that would be fun. Of course, going to the past would be fun too. I would like to go back to the early 20th century and say "Hi" to Albert Einstein (he's my fave), and I would get the autographs of all of my favorite classic actors and actresses who are no longer around.
 o

3. Have you ever had dream re-runs? (In other words, the same dream twice. XD)

I have never had a recurring dream in my life, actually, but I have friends who have. I have had very interesting experiences regarding sleep and dreams though. Including: exploding head syndrome, hypnagogic hallucinations, hypnic jerks, tinnitus, Parahypnogogia, and sleep pralysis. I am rather fascinated by these sorts of things.
(Yes, I'm a weirdo)

4. What is your favorite vacation you've ever taken?

 I haven't had the money to go on vacation very much in my life. But one that I do remember we went to Colorado a couple of years ago, and it was my first trip on a plane,  and the first time I saw mountains. It was pretty fun. We went to the Garden of the Gods and saw some pretty cool rocks, and we stayed in a really nice hotel. Also I really had a good time when we went to San Antonio, TX, almost 10 years ago.

5. Do you like to chew gum? If so, what is your favorite flavor?

I actually don't chew gum that much. When I was a kid, I loved it (my favorite was the classic bubblegum flavor), and I would always get in trouble because I would take it out of my mouth and start playing with it and it would get stuck in my hair. XD I was a silly little kid. 

6. If you found the entrance to Narnia, would you tell anybody? Who would you take with you if you did?

 If I found the entrance to Narnia, I wouldn't tell a soul, until I meet someone special that I know is supposed to go with me. You can't just invite any old person into Narnia! They might start a war! They might wreak havoc! They might sell their family for a piece of candy! No, no. When you take someone into Narnia, they have to be WORTHY. *slams fist on table*

7. Waffles, pancakes, or neither?

 I usually eat pancakes, but waffles are nice too. But if I could have a choice between pancakes and eggs and bacon, I would choose the latter. I prefer something more substantial for breakfast than.... 'cake'. If you know what I mean.

8. Do you use the Shift key or the Caps Lock key every time you capitalize something? (Odd question, but it's something I always wonder, haha.)

I was taught to use the Shift key when I capitalize a word, but WHEN I TYPE AN ENTIRE SENTENCE IN CAPS I USUALLY USE THE CAPS LOCK.
What's that? Oh, I'm sorry for yelling at you. Do pardon me.

9. What is one smell that never fails to make you happy?

 ~
 Rain.
 ~
 Buttercream frosting.
 ~
Vanilla out of the bottle.
 ~
Marshmallows.
 ~
Fresh strawberries.
 ~
 Starbucks Coffee.

~

What do you all think of the Unicorn Frappe?

10. Have you ever been roller-skating?

 I use to go all the time when I was a kid (as if I'm not one now...), but lately I've been doing more ice-skating (temperature permitting, of course). It's been awhile since I've gone roller skating.

11. You've gone into hiding and have to conceal your identity. What new alias would you adopt?

Well, if I ever had to do that, I would probably be someone the very opposite from what I am. Like, say, a stoic businesswoman. Or a cowgirl. Or a punk-rock person, thingy. *shrug* I don't know. To be honest, I'd probably just go to an abandoned island or some remote village in Europe if I ever had to hide from something/one.

And that's the tag!
Thanks for the fun tag, whoever came up with this! Here are my 11 questions. :)

~*~
1. What are you wearing right now?
2. If you could spend one day in someone else's shoes, who would it be?
3. Is there a celebrity that gets on your nerves for some reason? Why/how do they bug you?
4. Do you have any strange phobias?
5. Is there a movie or a TV show that you could watch over and over again and never tire of it?
6. Are you looking forward to anything exciting right now?
7.  Would you rather go to a book store or a craft store if you only had time for one?
8. Which historical figure do you admire the most?
9. Do you prefer early Spring or late Spring?
10.  Did you pull any practical jokes or pranks this April Fool's Day?
11. Does your family decorate the house for seasons and holidays? If so, who does the decorating?
~*~

The only person I can think of who hasn't done this tag yet is Abbie C. from Chronicles in Bloom, so I'll just tag her, and also anyone else who hasn't done it yet, if you're reading this, please feel free to do it! Also, those of you who don't have blogs yet (*glares at best friend*) can answer my questions in the comments because I'd love to hear all of your answers!
-Amaris

The Q&A Tag And The Blogger Recognition Award

 I have received two very nice reasons to post from Abby P and Cordy. :) Thank you, dears! 

Cordy tagged me with the Q and A Tag, and I'm going to answer her questions first. :)

1.When you're worried and you can't sleep, what do you do?

*steps onto soapbox* LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT SLEEPING, OK. I'm the kind of person who lives inside their head, and that means that I'm always thinking, always dreaming, always wondering about things. It's especially bad at night. So unless I'm super tired from the day, It's hard for me to get to sleep. Worrying doesn't usually keep me awake. About a year ago I asked God to help me not to worry about things, and since then I've just decided to not let things bother me. (And how did this turn into a testimony...?) Anyways, when I can't sleep, I read whatever book I'm working on, or I imagine made-up scenarios in my head for stories (or just for fun). 

 2.What is your favorite spice associated with Autumn?

I'm actually not an "Autumn spice" sort of person. Everyone's going crazy with pumpkin spice this and pumpkin spice that, but I really don't like spices, to eat or smell. I don't even like cinnamon. *guilty face* Sorry! XD

 3. Do you know any great Thanksgiving songs?

Just at the moment I can't think of any. People really need to write more Thanksgiving songs. Sometimes I feel like Thanksgiving is a grossly overlooked holiday. 

  

4. What was the last book you read and liked?

 The last book I read was The Blue Castle, by L.M. Montgomery. I did like it, although it struck me as unusual. You can read my (very short) Goodreads review here.

 5. Have you ever given yourself a theme song/s? Share one.

 What a very unique and interesting question! I was never into 'Theme songs' growing up, but if I would have to pick a song that I appreciate for the truth in the words being apart of my life, I would pick the old hymn (I absolutely love old hymns. I get ridiculously excited whenever my church sings one amid all the modern day worship songs) Because He Lives. 

The chorus goes: 

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow

Because He lives, all fear is gone;

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living just because He lives.

*sniff*

All these people running around trying to find a purpose in life and all the YOLO stuff and I'm over here like, "Yeaaahhhh Jesus!" XD  

6. If you could be costumed appropriately as anyone you wanted, who would you be?

Probably a random person from historical times. I think it would be really neat to dress in a Civil War gown, but I also love the 1950s era for clothes too. 

If you mean a character from a movie, I would dress up as Galadriel from the Lord of the Rings. Everyone says I look like her (well not everyone, but several people, including strangers) and I think it would be cool to actually dress up as her and get a wig for the blond hair.

7. What's a hobby you excel at? (Yup, give yourself a compliment, my friends.)

I don't know about excelling, but I do have a lot of hobbies that I enjoy. 

I've been told that I'm good at jewelry, writing, nail art, and just making random crafts. :) 

That's a picture from a craft I made that never got published. :) Notice the Downton Abbey embellishments.

8. What is your favorite holiday decoration that is a staple in your house?

I'm not a huge fan of decorating. I leave that stuff to my mom, who enjoys it. I tell her, "Have fun, but leave me out of it! I don't want any part in all of this." And she's just fine with that. I really enjoy the Christmas tree every year. We get ours fresh, so it's nice and smelly and REAL. We like to use colorful lights. 

9. Do you sing out-loud, or hum? (You know, when you're housecleaning and the like.)

I do like to sing out loud, when I know I'm not bothering anybody. :) 

I find myself doing it a lot when I sweep and dust. I really like to sing old hymns to God when I clean. Cleaning helps me think, and it's just a great time to reflect on the beauty of old songs written for God. I often find myself humming Adam Young Scores, too. :)

10. Do you have a favorite word? What is it?

 There are many words that I enjoy as a writer. Some of them include:

Charisma

 Zenith

Ecstasy 

Charm

Cosmo-

Bliss

Psychologically

Celestial
Void

Endure

Redeem

Opia

Surreal

Venus

Absinthe (don't ask)

Talisman

 As you can see, my choice of 'Favorite Words' are quite random.

And I believe that was the last one!

Thank you, Cordy! I'm going to go ahead and keep her questions because I like them so well, and I want to see what your guy's answers are! For this one I'm not tagging anybody, but do please answer the questions if you like to!

Questions:

1.When you're worried and you can't sleep, what do you do?

2.What is your favorite spice associated with Autumn?

3. Do you know any great Thanksgiving songs?

4. What was the last book you read and liked?

5. Have you ever given yourself a theme song/s? Share one.
6. If you could be costumed appropriately as anyone you wanted, who would you be?
7. What's a hobby you excel at? (Yup, give yourself a compliment, my friends.)
8. What is your favorite holiday decoration that is a staple in your house?
9. Do you sing out-loud, or hum? (You know, when you're housecleaning and the like.)
10. Do you have a favorite word? What is it?

 Blogger Recognition Award

Abby P from Lavender Spring tagged me for the Blogger Recognition Reward. Thank you so much!

Here are the Rules:

Thank the blogger who nominated you.

Tell a little bit about how you started blogging.

Give two pieces of advice for new bloggers.

Nominate 15 other bloggers.

Thank you, Abby! (Her blog is linked at the top of this post if you wanna go read it.) :)

Why/How I started blogging:

I started blogging for much the same reason as everyone else. I wanted to be apart of the lovely blogging world. I don't talk much, but that does not mean that I don't have a lot to say. I don't tend to share my opinion until I am absolutely sure of myself and my thoughts. When blogging, I can take as much time as I want to write WHAT I want, or I can choose not to do so. 

It gives me, as an introvert, the opportunity to let my ideas GO somewhere to affect people, instead of just bouncing around the inside of my head. And you, as the reader, can choose to read my opinions or not. 

That's the beauty of blogging. If you don't like something, you can unfollow.

My Pieces of Advice:

Number One: Don't talk about stuff you PLAN on posting before you post it. Because then you might decide you don't want to post that, and if you go around promising posts to people, you'll feel bad for not posting it after you said you were going to, and the readers will get confused and disappointed.

 There's no need to put pressure on yourself to post. If you don't want to post for five weeks, then don't! Just don't tell your readers how often you plan on posting.It makes things mixed up.

Number Two: Lol what do you think I am, a blogging expert?! 

Well, maybe I could say this: don't be shy to post. I mean, when I first started blogging, I was so self conscious about what I wrote that it was ridiculous.

Just don't worry about what people think. Who are you writing this for, anyways? Have fun! Post about anything and everything you want. There's no need to be shy and go around apologizing in every post and every comment you make because "I'm new to blogging". Being a new blogger is a really fun thing, and if you have a good time, your readers will have a good time too.

For this Award I am only tagging ONE BLOGGER (15? Really?) and that would be Abbie C.

Anyways.

I suppose I am done heaping my majestic opinions on you for today. I hope you're having a nice Fall!

-Amaris