Finally!!

At 2:35 p.m. this afternoon, I finished the rewrite of the book.

Let's all cheer.

However, I had to go back and revise the partial and synopsis to put in the mail tomorrow. Which I finished at 11:30 p.m. I had to cut 8 pages, make the grandfather less of a jerk, and make my hero less wishy-washy. Pages are cut. I think I succeeded with the grandfather and hero.

So tomorrow, I'm off to Kinkos to print and mail. Then, I can find my life again.

I'm pretty proud of myself. I set a difficult goal and met it. More importantly, I learned that my family can pull around me and work together to make it happen. Hubby very generously kicked me out of the house so I could get some work done. He kept the kiddos fed, the house semi picked up, and accomplished the crazy tasks I absolutely had to have done to stay sane.

As I prepared the very gourmet meal of hot dogs, the first I'd done all week, with the exception of a lasagna I'd frozen a couple months ago, I thought about a speech I saw a famous author give when she received an award for one of her books.

She got up and said that while everyone else thanked their family, she wasn't going to, because her family didn't write the book. Maybe the family didn't write the book. But at least in my house, my family plays an important role in my writing. They eat cereal on the nights I'm too preoccupied to cook without burning the house down. My husband works hard and sometimes extra hours so I have enough money for whatever I need- whether it be paper, ink, or conference expenses. They put up with me asking them weird questions like, "If you were in this situation, how would you react?" And they pitch in to do chores that I don't quite get around to. The seven year old informed me that she loooooooves to do laundry.

So to my family, thank you. I still have a lot of work to do, but without your help, I would not have reached this goal

Santa and Jesus

I realized why I hadn't posted the entries in the Unposted Blog Entry file. ACK! So much for the magic file.

I broke my little girl's heart today. We were talking about Christmas, and she told me about this toy she wanted. I'm sorry, but I think it's inappropriate to spend $300 for a toy horse for a child for Christmas. Frankly, I think people are going waaaay too overboard with Christmas spending. Which is why we're scaling down.

So, we had to have a talk. I finally explained to her that the horse she wanted was too expensive, and there was absolutely no way she'd get it. In a tearful voice, she asked, "But Mom, what about Santa? Can't he bring it?"

Now see, we do Santa in our house. But for us, Santa is a fun tradition, and the focus is Jesus. Santa is not a miracle worker. And my kids certainly aren't getting things from Santa that we'd never buy.

I told her again, "it's too expensive. We can't afford it."

My daughter said, "you have to PAY Santa?"

"Yes."

She spent a good hour crying. But when she finished, we talked about other gifts she might like. And we talked about what's important about Christmas.

On one hand, I feel bad for making her cry. But I also know that if that horse isn't under the tree on Christmas, it'll completely ruin her day. It's best she understands now.

A friend of mine and I talked recently about how God isn't Santa. He doesn't give us the nice gifts on our wish list just because we're good or because we really want them. But I'd like to add something. Santa isn't God. We shouldn't be looking for him to do things for our families that we can't. Our kids shouldn't be looking for him to give miraculous presents mom and dad have already said no to.

I'm not one of those anti-Santa Christians. I think Santa is a nice story and a nice tradition. Just like any one of the other stories I grew up reading. And I think it's okay to play pretend and play Santa. But I also think we need to keep Santa in perspective and make sure his importance isn't at the center of our holiday. He's not a miracle. The miracle is in Jesus, and that's where we need to keep our focus.

So this Christmas season, rather than wondering about what Santa can do, ask yourself how you can be Jesus to someone else. It's a whole lot better than Santa.

Struggling, but getting by

Okay, so promised post from yesterday didn't materialize until today. Sorry about that.

It's been a long, hard day, with pretty much nothing going as planned. And that's been a real bummer, to say the least. And at the risk of sounding like a big, whiny, cry baby, no one's given me a whole lot of sympathy over it.

Anyway, I'm on a major deadline so I'll be hit and miss the rest of the week. I think my posts will be coming from that magic file of stuff I meant to post a long time ago but never got around to posting. It should be interesting. Or not. I don't know.

I'd post more tonight, but it's been such a bad day that I'm afraid to say or do anything else. My computer will probably blow up or something. So send me chocolate, hugs, tea, and I'll catch you here real soon.

Unless my house blows up. I wish I were kidding.

Free Book Monday: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

This is a real-quick-like post, just letting you know what the book is. I'll be back later to fill in details, but I figured some folks were expecting it, so I'd at least share that much. I'll be back later with some kind of post. :)

Updates

Well, if you're a sidebar watcher, you'll see that I've FINALLY!! updated my sidebar and links. If you're not on there and want to be, or are there and don't want to be, let me know and I'll make the change. :)

The winner of last week's Free Book Monday is... Heather! Congratulations!! Email me with your info and I'll get the book out to you.

Hearing God

Happy Sunday! Last Sunday, as part of our small group, we took an assessment of our spiritual gifts. In the past, I've always scored pretty high on discernment. Yet, with this assessment, as I looked at the questions about discernment, I started to wonder. The questions made me realize how little discernment I have. I'm not really good at picking out people's motivations. My judgment tends to be clouded by my experience. My experience is that people aren't as good as they say, or as they'd like to think. But is it the truth? Or is it just my experience?

Lately, I've had a number of folks in my life playing the "God said" card. They'll be saying something about their life and ultimately, that phrase gets thrown out. However, as I watch the things happening in their lives, I hear the words that come out of their mouths, and the attitudes they have, I have to wonder... did God really say?

These people say they have a lot of discernment. It scares me because they are a couple of the meanest people I know. I don't hear a lot of nice things coming out of their mouths. But they think they have God's will all figured out. Is God's will about sarcasm? Is God's will about putting self above others? Is God's will about condemnation? Is God's will self-righteous?

Maybe I have a different version of the Bible. Maybe I don't understand God the way I'm supposed to. The truth is, the more I learn about God, the more I read my Bible, the more I think I don't have discernment at all. I still do and say a lot of bad things. I'd like to say the level of sin in my life continues to go down as I grow spiritually, but the truth is, all that's happened is that I'm more aware of how sinful I am.

Do I hear from God? I'd like to think so. But I'm also painfully aware of the fact that my hearing is distorted by my human experience, my human failings, my human desires, my human hurts, my human fears. It's easy to find a verse or interpret a verse to say what we think we want God to be saying. But is it what God meant by those words? And do they really justify our position?

I don't know. Like I said, as I've aged, discernment hasn't been my strong suit. Instead of answers, I only have more questions. Fortunately, as those of you who read my blog know, that's all part of the journey.

It came to me on page 198

Yep, that's where I am on this rewrite. And I need to kick it into higher gear to get it done in time. However, I had to take a quick break to celebrate this major epiphany.

For those of you new to my writing angst, you should know that I can't summarize to save my life. As a reader of my blog, you've hopefully figured that out by now. I get to my points. Eventually.

I usually start a book with a vague idea of what it's about. Except if you ask, "what's your book about," I will typically stammer for a good ten minutes until something resembling a story idea pops out of my mouth. I can tell you all sorts of things about my books. But to be able to crystallize it in any intelligent form? Nope.

So here I am, typing away, fighting with this latest chapter because it's so stinking hard, and it comes to me: a one sentence crystallization of my book.

My book is about finding who you are in Christ.

You may all now applaud.

Do not ask me to put that in a logline. Yet.

Thursday Thirteen #26: Verses for Thanksgiving.

As promised, this week, it's all about the meaningful verses. My friend Tonya emailed me with one of my favorite verses today, and I couldn't help but think of the story behind it: a Thanksgiving story.

I did not grow up in a Christian home. Most of my family members break out in hives if I mention Jesus or God in their presence. But I've always loved God. I've always been curious. When I was eight years old, as we prepared to celebrate Thanksgiving, I got into an argument with my mom. I told her Thanksgiving was a God holiday because all holidays are about God. She told me no, it was about the Pilgrims. I've always been an argumentative little stinker, so I decided to prove her wrong. I grabbed the only Bible we had in the house, my aunt's old King James version. I came up with the first verse in my list. It had the word "thanksgiving" in it, which to me was the ultimate proof. Thanksgiving is all about God. Then again, so should be every other day. Although I was a lot older than eight before I figured out that one. Ooops. Still working on it. However, now that I'm older and know how to use a concordance, here's a few more "proofs" of Thanksgiving in the Bible.

Thirteen Verses about Thanksgiving 1. Psalm 100 (sorry, have to use KJV on this one... it's how I learned it, and nothing sounds as good. The rest is NIV) 1Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.2Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. 2. Leviticus 7:12-14 (See, we should EAT for Thanksgiving!) 12 " 'If he offers it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering he is to offer cakes of bread made without yeast and mixed with oil, wafers made without yeast and spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour well-kneaded and mixed with oil. 13 Along with his fellowship offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of bread made with yeast. 14 He is to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the LORD; it belongs to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the fellowship offerings. 3. Ezra 3:10-11 10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the LORD, as prescribed by David king of Israel. 11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD : "He is good; his love to Israel endures forever." And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. 4. Nehemiah 12:24 (Didn't I recently blog about needing Thanksgiving carols?) And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their associates, who stood opposite them to give praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other, as prescribed by David the man of God. 5. Psalm 69:30 I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. 6. Isaiah 51:3 The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. 7. Jeremiah 30:19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained. 8. Jonah 2:9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD. 9. I Corinthians 10:15-17 15I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. 10. 2 Corinthians 4:14-16 (Wow! Isn't this the ultimate thing to be thankful for?) 14because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. 16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 11. 2 Corinthians 9:10-12 10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 12This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 12. Ephesians 5:4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 13. Philippians 4:6-7 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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The things our characters teach us...

Sunday morning, I woke up after having a series of bizarre dreams. As I showered and thought about them, I realized something pretty interesting about my writing. My characters, as much as I try to separate them from my real life, are taking a journey similar to one I'm on or have been on. I honestly never mean for it to happen, but there it is.

My heroine is at a crossroads. She's learned that someone she cares deeply about isn't the person she thought he was. And now she's got to decide how to handle it.

The cool thing about fiction is that characters learn a lot faster than we do. They can make the right choices because the great, wise writer can make it so. The funny thing is, as much as I can right the wrongs in my heroine's life, I have a much harder time doing it with my own.

As I examined my heroine's dilemma, it brought to mind a time I sat at a similar crossroads. My best friend had just betrayed me, and I was so hurt. I remember standing in the quad at school, and she tried to talk to me. But I walked away. I refused to listen, refused to talk. Granted, we'd been down that road before, and I was tired of having the same conversation only to have the same thing happen again. I used to be really proud of my decision to finally stop being walked on by this girl. With maturity and age, though, I've realized how unfair I was to not give her the chance to say her piece.

The truth is, I miss her. I wish I had the chance to tell her that I'm sorry for not giving her a chance. I've looked for her on the Internet, and haven't found her. Maybe some day. And maybe, because she used to love reading romance as much as I do, she'll read one of my books and we can find each other again. Or maybe, she'll find my blog and know that I am deeply and truly sorry. I am sorry, Sherry.

As I picture the look on my character's face at the moment of betrayal, I wonder, is that how she felt when I repaid my friend for injuring me by turning my back on her?

I am so glad my characters are a million times smarter than I am.

Free Book Monday: The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr.

Wahooo!!! Free book Monday!!

Today's been a rough day for me. Long story. Now that I've told it about a hundred times, it doesn't seem so bad. However, what got me through were some good friends who listened and didn't say, "you are such a pyscho!" Or worse, "aww, PMS again?" Nope, they just loved on me. And I truly appreciate it.

Anyway, as I pondered which book to give away, I decided on this gem: The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. For me, writing books are old friends. Particularly old writing books. As a history nut, I find it fascinating to read books from another time period. The cool thing about this book, though, is that much of its contents are still applicable today.

So check it out! Post a comment here this week and I'll draw a winner this weekend.

Weekend Update with... me!

Did any of you ever watch Saturday Night Live? I used to love it, but then life got in the way, and I'm afraid I don't understand half the jokes anymore. However, one of my favorite parts was Weekend Update. Which has absolutely nothing to do with this post except that the theme song from Weekend Update went through my head as I typed it.

So there you are. Randomness with me.

I don't have anything in particular to share about the weekend, except to let you all know that the winner of the Liz Fielding book is Patricia! Congratulations!!

Tomorrow I'll have a new book up for grabs. Huh. That's just a few hours away. Guess I'd better get digging. :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

This is the abomination as viewed from my back porch. Last week, some enterprising neighbors hired a lift to decorate the huge tree in their front yard. I remember driving by, thinking, I feel sorry for that guy's neighbors. Uh, that would be me. D'OH!

Actually, it is kinda pretty, and I imagine I'll sit here, drinking a cup of tea, watching the snowflakes fall, thinking something deeply spiritual with that lovely tree in the background.

However, we have not even hit Thanksgiving yet! For that matter, what happened to Veteran's Day? I'm not ready to have a Holly Jolly Christmas (which some idiotic radio station played the other day). I haven't even had my turkey. What about decking the halls with Pilgrims and Indians? Falalalalalalalala

Have we gotten so busy spending our money on junk we don't really need, but feel obligated to give that we've neglected taking the time to be still and think about how thankful we are for the money in the first place? We have to race out for the latest tacky singing Christmas blow up lawn ornament without stopping to take a look at the flags honoring the men and women who've served our country, making it a safe place for us to live, giving us the right to place those tacky lawn ornaments out there. Unless, of course, you've got an HOA. And then, my friends, you signed away that freedom. But for the rest of us, like my neighbor across the way, we can get as in your face as we want to show our pride in the holiday season.

God bless America.

May He have mercy on us all.

Thursday Thirteen #25: Thanksgiving

Thirteen Things about Thanksgiving Since Jan and Tonya are doing Thanksgiving this week and have another theme this week, and I got the email to join them, we're doing Thanksgiving a week early. Hopefully, as we begin to think what we're thankful for before the big day, before we get into all the preparations, we can make our preparations and celebrations with thankful hearts. 1. My new house. People keep asking me how I like it, and all I can say is I love it. I am so happy here. God really blessed us with this one. 2. My little Kiki. We call her the terrorist, and she is so much work. But you know, she brings us more joy than I ever imagined possible. 3. My little Bebo. She just amazes me with the things that come out of her mouth which began in her heart. 4. That Man. He's given me so much unconditional love. I don't know where I'd be without him. 5. Modern medicine. Even though I'm working to get back to more natural things in our family, with all the health challenges I've had this past year, I've gained a great respect for all the things modern medicine can do. 6. My Sara. She's one of the few people on this earth who really "gets" me. 7. Suffragettes. Maybe that's a weird thing to think of on Thanksgiving, but when I think of the first Thanksgiving and the praise they gave for God's bounty in a new land where they could have freedom to practice their religion, I realize that for many of the people coming over, freedom did not come for centuries. Because of the women fighting for our right to our opinions, I have the right to post on my blog, share my opinion, and when it comes time to vote, exercise that right. 8. Religious freedom. Let's be honest here. Some of the attacks on Christianity here suck. And sometimes it stinks to see so many things contrary to our values running rampant in our country. But it is such a blessing to live in a country where we can pray to our God, read our Bible, and worship as we feel led without fear of being arrested or jailed. 9. Good friends. This year, I've had some amazing people come alongside me. They've blessed me in more ways than I can count. 10. The Dog. Because he's The Dog. 11. Heavenly Provision. The past few years have been tough for us in a lot of ways. If you look at it on paper, there's no way we should have made it. But we did. God provided for us in so many wonderful ways. 12. A good cup of tea. Tea fixes just about everything. It makes me really happy. :) 13. God. Well, that's just a given, isn't it? Except it really shouldn't be. I think a lot of times, it comes out as rote, and we don't really stop to consider what an amazing God we really have. We kind of get used to Him, like a piece of furniture in the room. But what if we move that furniture? Suddenly, it's a big deal if the lamp isn't in the right place. Totally messes everything up. Yet, we don't walk around singing praises to the lamp. Maybe we should. Or at least we should take God out of the furniture department and keep Him on center stage. Huh. Didn't exactly mean to go there, but that's where my heart is. Being thankful that even though sometimes God is a lamp, and not in the psalmist sense, He still loves me, He still desires me, and He chases after me with an eager heart. What are you thankful for?

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Locks of Love

As many of you know, I usually have really long hair. What some of you don't know is the reason I have long hair. I've always had long hair, but when I went to college, my act of rebellion was cutting off my hair. I found out that my long hair could be used for an organization called Locks of Love. They use the hair to make hairpieces for children who lose their hair for medical reasons. Since I have fast-growing hair, I grew it out again, cut it again, and so on. I've sent a lot of hair to locks of love. If you've seen me with short hair, it's generally right after I've donated. This spring, I had a debate with myself about it. I'm starting to get gray, and with folks pointing it out, I've been self-conscious. I thought about coloring it, and then I realized, I wouldn't be able to donate any more. So I'm sticking with the gray. I've always felt that if I had something to give, then I ought to give it.










Now, please don't misunderstand and think I'm some super-spiritual being. HA! We went bowling after the haircuts, and my daughter said, "Mom! I'm kicking your @ss!" Guess who she heard that one from? Yep. Me. So I've still got a long way to go. But I figure, if I can share something that might encourage others to give even just a little something to help someone else, then I've done a good thing.

Maybe you don't have hair to give. But maybe it's something else. My daughter's school is doing a canned food drive. Do you have anything extra in your pantry? There's probably someone near you having a canned food drive. Or maybe it's a blanket drive like my friend Jan is having. I bet there's a homeless shelter near you that would appreciate it.

We tend to think of giving and changing the world as a really hard, really big thing. But really, if we all did what we could, even if it was just a little, we could make a huge difference. We'd change the world without realizing it.

Oh, and because they got haircuts too and they're so darn cute, here's one of the girlies. :)

Free Book Monday: Reunited: Marriage in a Million by Liz Fielding

Funny story about this one...
Liz Fielding is one of my favorite authors (and a wonderful woman. I just love her! I wish she'd come stateside more often). So, of course, if I see her books, I buy them. I typically try to buy them as they come out, but sometimes I miss one.

So there I was, looking in a thrift store for something totally unrelated (I needed a mason jar, ONE mason jar, not the twelve pack you see in stores), and of course, you know me, I can't pass by the book section without stopping to take a peek. Well, since I *do* buy by author, and I couldn't risk missing out on one of her books, I bought it. Fortunately for you guys, I already have it. And if I'm really honest, I'll admit that I was pretty sure I had it when I bought it, because the story sounded familiar. Having re-read it, I can assure you that I love this book.

My shaky memory is your gain. Post a comment this week about things you look for when browsing for books and what makes you buy one. Winner will be drawn this weekend.

The end of the sagging middle....

Is to do lots and lots of crunches.

Or, if you're a writer, to plug through it, even though you're positive it's the worst garbage you've ever written and would rather chuck the whole thing.

I am at the dead middle of this rewrite. The trouble is that when I started the rewrite, this guy who was firmly dead in other versions of the book is now ALIVE. And a part of the story. Well, he was part of the story before, but he was a dead guy, so he didn't take up a whole lot of my precious white space. But here he is. Alive. The trouble with fiction is that when you kill people, they don't always stay dead.

Anyway, I have been working on this chapter since Friday, and it's been piecemeal, trying to get decent words out of me. I finally gave up, wrote a summary paragraph of the rest of the conversation and got her out of Dodge. End of paragraph. End of chapter. We're now at the place that needs to happen next.

And maybe that's been my problem. This whole mess of struggling with the words happened Friday at Panera when I was happily typing along and realized, um, there's two scenes that have to happen first. Crap. I put on the brakes and went back to write those two scenes. I should have kept plugging forward. But no... I was too afraid I'd forget. Well, I paid for it. Two days of writing and all I can show for myself is one measly chapter.

Now on to the next. But I think this one's going to be fun, because I'm about to blow up part of my heroine's universe and I really love doing that...

Anyone have any good tips for getting through it without violence?

Tattling on That Man

This morning, after reading last night's blog, That Man says to me, "wow, when you said she was snuggled with the dog, you weren't kidding." Nope.

I took all those pictures this past week. The dog picture happened Tuesday night when That Man had to work late. Little one was asleep and her big sister was playing a computer game, so I decided to take a bath. I promised B that when I got done, we'd have some "mommy time" and read a book. While she waited, she fell asleep on my bed in the dog's spot. So the dog went to bed on top of her. I had to take a picture because it was too cute. Plus, the dog spends so much time running from her, I figured it would be nice to have some photographic evidence that they do get along. When That Man came home, I told him the story, and he smiled and nodded like he always does.

So now I have to give him a hard time. I wonder... was it the case that he's seen how she traumatizes the dog so much that he couldn't possibly believe that the dog would willingly get within ten feet of her? Or was it that when I talk to him, all he hears is "blah blah blah..." and ends it with, "that's nice dear."

Men! Gotta love 'em.

Actually, even though I'm picking on him, I have to say, today was a good day. We celebrated our 8th anniversary this summer. In January, we'll have known each other for ten years. One of the first books we read together was The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. From the beginning, he knew what my love language was. From the beginning, he knew that the thing that makes me feel the most loved is to pay attention to the specific thing I want and deliver. For me, specificity is key. So for years, I've explained specific things around the house that if he did, I'd feel loved. He typically does everything but, and so I can never be mad at him, since he does SOMETHING, but he never does THE thing. Today... He did THE thing.

I came home after being at a writer's group, and not only was he working on the project I specifically asked him to do, but he'd also done it exactly how I asked, AND he'd cleaned the kitchen. The house was in better shape than when I'd left it, which is another thing I've been asking. I LOVE it!! I love him!

Now, lest you think I get too cocky over my wonderful man, I'll probably go up to bed and he'll ruin it all by being too gassy. Fortunately for him, I love him anyway. Or maybe it's fortunate for me. He did listen to all of my weird, anal instructions and follow them more than completely. He's listened to my nagging for all these years. He hasn't killed me for some of the crazy things I say and do. He lets me threaten to kill him, then smiles and tells me he loves me.

I think I'll keep him.

(But don't tell him...)

Moments I love

With my hectic schedule, I usually get home after the kiddos are supposed to be in bed. I say supposed to because some nights, I get home, That Man is in a fetal position, holding his head, crying, "please, make them stop." Okay, not really. But close. Lately, though, with the time change, B has been falling asleep right around 8:30. Which means, I come home to a little girl sleeping in some odd place because she dozed off waiting for her momma.

I'll sit for the longest time, watching her. Who'd have thought that watching a child sleep would be the best form of entertainment? It amazes me. She amazes me. I wonder how something so incredible, something so beautiful, came from me. I don't know why God picked me to be their mom, but wow... I am so lucky.

I watch them and I think what miracles they are. How perfectly their bodies were formed. Every little mark, every cell, carefully placed by God. How can anyone set eyes on such a perfect creation and not believe in God? They are such little miracles. Beautiful, lovely miracles.

I love hearing them breathe, even when they snore. Their little bodies move. And occasionally, you see signs of their dreams, and wonder what thoughts might be going on in those amazing brains.

I love being a mom.

Thursday Thirteen #24: Cold remedies

I've been fighting this bizarre headache/cold thing, and I've tried just about everything... so far, no dice. Here's what I've tried. If you've got any other ideas, do add them!

Thirteen Things about Cold Remedies 1. Positive self-talk: I feel great!! 2. Extra sleep. 3. Sudafed and Tylenol 4. Multivitamins and fish oil. 5. Garlic. 6. Semi-positive self-talk: Okay, fine, I'm not feeling good, but I'll be better in no time!! 7. Apple Cider Vinegar. 8. A tea made with garlic, apple cider vinegar, and honey. 9. Cleaning my sinuses with salt water. 10. Visiting the chiropractor. 11. Drinking lots of water and tea. 12. Taking hot showers and baths. 13. Emergen C

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Excuse #567 for missing church and being slow on the blog

Okay, I don't actually know what number it is. But bear with me, okay?

Ummm... I missed Free Book Monday. We'll give it a short hiatus. Last week's winner was Tamie!! Tamie, email me with your contact info and I'll get it to you.

I've been fighting a headache that I'll loosely call a migraine, because it doesn't have all the characteristics, but it's enough to be annoying, for over a week now. Sunday night, I broke down and took migraine meds because I thought, gee, nothing else is working, so why not? I felt great Sunday night, all day Monday, and then this afternoon, WHAM! It's back. This time, once I picked up the little monster from daycare, I did not pass go and I took the very last of my migraine meds, which means I'll have another trip to the Dr. soon. But that means I can't drive tonight. Which is actually fine, because the lights at church are HUGE migraine triggers for me, so no way, no how, are you getting me there tonight.

But I'm really depressed, because I've taught so much lately that I've missed church, and next month, I'm slammed again. Podcasts just aren't the same. Which reminds me, I need to download again.

Huh. I totally forget what I had to blog about, because I actually did have a point. I should just not post this, except I know there are folks who worry when they don't read a recent post. So there you have it. Me, whining about the fact that my body is not cooperating again, and unable to carry on a coherent discussion. But I think that's the meds talking, or not talking, whatever the case may be.

Anyway, I really promise I will catch up soon. I know there's quite a few blogs out there I'd like to catch up on because I know you're posting good stuff.

So to help me out in my catching up when the haze goes away, what are some of the can't miss blogs I need to make sure I read?

Confessing my deep, dark secrets...

You'd better get the popcorn out for this one. Really.

I spent the evening watching cheesy teenage romantic comedies. Can I just say that they are my very favorite kind of movie? Really. I would rather watch a shallow movie with a simple plot and a guaranteed happy ending than anything else. I don't watch movies to think. I watch movies to escape.

High School Musical 1 & 2? Loved them. Hilary Duff movies. Ditto. I also, am ashamed to say, adore Lindsey Lohan movies when she was in her pre-skank phase. I watch them with a mixture of bliss and disgust. Bliss because they have the simple plotline and satisfying ending I crave, but disgust at how I'm sucked in to watch the latest and greatest teen movie. And yes, I also loved Not Another Teen Movie.

I'm sick, I tell you, sick.

Which is why, I'm sitting on my ever-widening rear, watching Bend it Like Beckham, wondering what snacks I've got hanging around.

So now that I've confessed... it's your turn...

Thursday Thirteen #23: Halloween Candies in the Trick or Treat Bag

Thirteen Things in the Trick or Treat Bag 1. KitKat 2. Crunch 3. Smarties 4. Endangered Species Chocolate 5. Runts 6. Tootsie Rolls 7. Caramels 8. Laffy Taffy 9. Jolly Rancher 10. Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups 11. Bottle Caps 12. Hot Tamales 13. Three Musketeers I thought I'd have a hard time coming up with thirteen, but now I think I'm having a harder time with just thirteen! Is anyone else drowning in candy?

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants