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Thursday, June 27, 2013

Random Post


Boy this week got away from me in a hurry. How is it Thursday already? It's been a week of pinkeye for two of my daughters, the swim team all-star meet (which we, ahem, won), long, in-depth conversations about the future with my older kids, a traveling husband, art camp, a funeral, and me trying to get some work done somewhere in the muddle. I've been reading through a YA book I wrote in a fit of inspiration in the fall of 2011. The manuscript only needs about 10,000 words to be finished and yet it's been languishing in my computer all this time. I knew better than to think with the kids home I could write a book from scratch. But finish and finesse one that's so close? That sounded doable. Sounded. Picking up on the past tense? But I persevere because I'm nothing if not determined.

What? I'm not a YA author? You're right. At least, not yet. I remembered loving this story and, as I've been reading back through and familiarizing myself with it all over again, I'm pleasantly surprised that I still do love it. It's tense and emotional and the two main characters are just so... on the verge all the time. On the verge of what? Discovering themselves, each other, the truth, true love... you name it. I'm excited about this story and I do hope that someday it finds a home in the YA world. I'm not a YA author, but I could be. I actually have at least 3 YA ideas I'd like to write "someday." Ideas that have been simmering for quite some time. Ideas that are dark and even disturbing, which is how I know they will fit in the YA world. I think about the characters who go with these ideas from time to time, and a little smile crosses my face because I'm fond of them. My heart goes out to them-- even the ones who have yet to make it to the page.

Ah, writing is such an odd pursuit. My husband says it's sanctioned schizophrenia since I spend time hearing from people who are not there. And yet they are there, for me. Real and strong and whole. What does that say about me? Honestly? I don't care. I love every minute of it. I think part of growing up is embracing your inner weirdness, loving that part of yourself that you've spent years trying to manage and control. Growing up just means letting your crazy flag fly, however it looks. And knowing that the people who matter will love you anyway.
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Monday, June 24, 2013

Bread And Wine, A Review, Of Sorts



So this weekend was a cooking weekend, meaning I cooked every night. And not just a little cooking. A lot of it. Usually I look forward to at least one night off from cooking on weekends. Ideally I do a big meal on Friday night, complete with wine and music while I cook. Being in the kitchen with some 80's music blasting while I sip wine and move around from stove to island to oven and back again is, oddly enough, one of my happy places. But after Friday night, I like to order pizza on Saturday night and have a light, easy dinner on Sunday night.

But that was not to be this weekend. My best friend from high school's father died on Friday. When I got the news I texted her and said "What can I do?" Usually when you ask this question the person says, "Oh nothing." And I find that very frustrating because I actually want to do something-- something they need. And it would be helpful if they would tell me exactly what that could be. And yet, people seem hesitant to say so. Maybe we don't want to admit we need help? But one of the things I love best about my friend Karen is that she is straightforward. She responded: "Bring a dish tonight."

Yes! That I can do.

We were already committed to attend a little get-together and I was bringing a couple of dishes to that. But here's the cool part: that morning I had a pork tenderloin that needed to be cooked. I put it in the crockpot and dumped a bottle of good barbecue sauce over top of it, reasoning that we'd just heat it for an easy dinner Saturday night. So when Karen said, "Bring a dish," I had the dish already cooking. Serendipity! My mind started spinning over how I could throw together an easy meal around the barbecue. Buns, chips and some sliced watermelon would make for a simple meal. And I had some blueberries that would make a nice crisp. I googled "Blueberry Crisp" and found this recipe, got started on it, and texted Curt to make a stop at the store to pick up the additional stuff. Without a lot of fuss, we had a complete meal to take to them.

But that also meant my easy dinner for Saturday night was gone. And I had a friend coming over for dinner. So I pulled out the other pork tenderloin from the freezer so we could have it. I made a pork tenderloin with gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans. And that blueberry crisp I made for Karen's family looked so good, I adapted it and made a peach-blueberry crisp for our dessert. And because not everyone in my clan are fruit fans, I threw together this easy brownie pie. It was a complete and total hit-- fudgy and rich and perfect with a big scoop of Breyer's Vanilla on top. After dinner my friend Karen came over to have a glass of wine and relax for a bit. She lives in Atlanta now so we don't get to see each other much so I was glad to see her longer than it took to drop that meal. Just wish it was under better circumstances.

Sunday night we had our swim team banquet and because we bring so many people to it, I feel compelled to provide something in every category-- main, side, and dessert. I made green beans and chocolate pudding pies in an Oreo crust. I make the same thing every year and my kids have come to expect it. And also? Those pudding pies are gone in 2.5 seconds every year. This year I did have Curt get fried chicken for the main dish contribution.

But none of that explains the book image at the top of this post. Well, I'm finally getting to that. You see, I did a lot of cooking this weekend. More than the normal amount. And it involved a lot of being on my feet on the hard tile floor in my kitchen, cooking and measuring and chopping and stirring. And it could've felt like a thankless and overlooked effort. But instead it all felt just short of miraculous.

As I took food to three gatherings with friends and families. As I prepared a meal that included my children and friends around our table. I thought about this book I've been reading-- this book that is a celebration of food and what it adds to our lives. Because of this book I had a renewed appreciation for what I was doing. Not because someone else told me it was good. Or because someone else noticed my efforts. Or because I was in some way validated by cooking up a storm all weekend long. Instead I appreciated it all-- the tastes, the noise, the moments of laughter and tears, the wine, the carbs, the sweets, the smiles. It was all my pleasure from the deepest sense of who I am to these people, and what I have the opportunity to do. I was grateful that this weekend fell during the reading of this book. And I hope that the next time a weekend like this pops up, I will hold this lesson close to my heart, cooking out of joy and not obligation-- something to be celebrated, not complained about.

If you'd like a renewed perspective on food, I can't recommend Bread and Wine highly enough. Not only will it inspire and encourage you, there are great recipes too!
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Saturday, June 22, 2013

Cue Your DVR!




A ton of people tuned into the Bible miniseries and it received amazing response. But not all of it was aimed at kids. Well, here's a chance to offer your kids a way to experience the amazing stories of the Bible, in a program aimed at them! Tune into ABC Family for this lineup:

ABC Family Airings – 9:30 a.m. EDT:
July 1st – In the Beginning: Adam and Eve
July 2nd – Let My People Go: Moses
July 3rd – The First Christmas
July 4th – He Is Risen: the Resurrection of Jesus
July 5th – Revelation

Go to http://us-en.superbook.cbn.com/ to learn more about this series.

(I received the Superbook dvd's and promotional materials as part of a promotional program with CBN and MomSelect.)
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Thursday, June 20, 2013

Check Your Sole




I started to cry as we left the movie theater after seeing The Great Gatsby on Mother's Day. And not because (spoiler alert) I had just watched Leo die an untimely and tragic death yet again. I was crying because, after sitting still for two hours, my knee had stiffened up and as we left the theater I could barely walk. By the time we got to the car I was in tears. And not because I was in pain. I could handle that. I was crying because I feared I would never run again. And that thought made me cry, as odd as that may sound.

The pain in my knee had started a while back; I don't even remember when. But it had been going on for a good bit of time, and was getting increasingly worse. Instead of being isolated to when I was running, it was starting to bleed into other areas, like walking. Or sleeping. And I was getting worried. As in, I might have to break down and go to a doctor worried. And when I could barely walk from the theater to the car, I knew the time had come to cry uncle. To stop running. Curt and I got in the car and he listened as I blubbered on about how unfair this was and how I just wanted to be able to run and was that so much to ask and why did my body have to rebel against me like this? And Curt, with a very cautious and concerned look on his face made gentle suggestions about buying me a proper knee brace and maybe-- just maybe-- a doctor could help and then he murmured apologies for my pregnancies, my age, and the fact that I have to exercise at all. I eventually stopped crying and then we went to Barnes and Noble and I hobbled around and tried to get lost in all those books.

A few days later Curt saw my running shoes, lying forlorn and forgotten in the place I had kicked them off, and reached for them. He turned them over and examined the sole of the shoes. And then he gasped. And then he shook his head and started laughing. He carried the shoe over to me and thrust it under my nose. "This is your problem," he said. "Look at that sole."

So I looked and saw what he had discovered. There was a considerable part of the sole that had been rubbed away over time. It's hard to describe but there was actually a whole side of the heel basically missing. At an angle. It looked like someone had taken a knife and simply cut it away. "Don't you realize what this is doing when you land every time?" he asked, incredulous. Then he took the shoe out from under my nose and stared at it some more. "I bet no one in the history of running has ever done this to their shoe and then kept running on it. When was the last time you replaced your shoes? Don't you know you're supposed to every six months?"

I scanned my memory of the last time I'd bought running shoes. I couldn't recall the specific date but it seemed very recent. "You were with me," I said. "Remember? We were on a date and I said I wanted you to go with me to help pick them out?"

He shook his head. "I think that was a while ago."

"Nah. It was recent. I remember it very clearly."

He smirked at me in that way he has that says he knows he's right but doesn't feel like arguing about it anymore. "Well no matter when it was these shoes have to be replaced. I bet if you get some good shoes your knees will get better."

Could it be that simple? I marveled at the thought. My spirits lifted. I went to the New Balance store near our house asap and told the guy all about my situation and he helped me pick out appropriate shoes for people who are prone to run so oddly that they wear away whole sides of their heels. At a sharp angle.

When I was checking out, I said, "Hey, do you happen to have the date of my last purchase on that handy dandy computer?"

He looked and said, "Sure. It was September. Of 2010."

I really seriously debated not telling Curt about that part. But then I did and we had a good laugh about how time really does fly and perhaps I need some sort of alert on my phone so I'd know just how fast time had gone by and it was time to buy new running shoes lest I inadvertently cripple myself again.

But that's not what this post is about.

It's about how I was doing everything I could to remedy my knee issue. Going to Curt. Considering a visit to a doctor. Resting. Reading up about running related knee injuries on the internet. Crying. Complaining to friends. But I never once considered that the problem was my sole.

For days after I thought about this. How that's so like life. When things go wrong I look everywhere except where the real problem lies. I avoid digging deep enough to discover where the real problem is. I think about physical issues (sleep, diet, exertion, etc.) and weather and friends and money and home and family and demands and responsibilities and outside forces. But I forget about my soul. What's at the heart of my suffering? Do I dare to look? What if the solution is to check my soul?

So that's my new motto when something is bothering me and I can't get to the solution: Check your soul.

Irritation with your kids? Check your soul.

Stress over money issues? Check your soul.

A little too short tempered? Check your soul.

Feeling unnecessarily stressed? Check your soul.

Unable to determine the source of the pain? Check your soul.

The solution might be right in front of you, but it'll take flipping it upside down to discover. When life weighs on me I'll get out my Bible and pray and journal through all the stuff that's in the way until I've successfully gotten to soul level-- the place where I discover the source of my pain. And as I go on a run today, I'll be thinking about how glad I am that Curt thought to check my sole. And I'll remember the lesson I learned because of it, one I intend to apply more often than every six months.
 
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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Easy Italian Chicken Sandwiches


 
The cast of characters-- onion soup mix, Italian dressing, garlic salt. And a package of chicken. I used a large package of chicken so I doubled this recipe for my crew. It made dinner plus a few lunches too.
 


Put the chicken in the crockpot and sprinkle a packet of onion soup mix and 1 tsp of garlic salt over the top. Pour 1/4 cup of Italian salad dressing and 1/4 cup of water over top. Cook on low all day. (6-8 hours)


 
When finished cooking, shred the meat with two forks. Serve on buns with chips and watermelon or carrots and ranch dressing and a package of French fries or tater tots-- or you can go fancy and serve this over rice with a green salad. The point is, it's versatile and delicious and super fast to throw together on these long hot days. And all my kids love it, which is saying something! 
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Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Summer Projects For Those Halcyon Days


hal·cy·on [hal-see-uhn] adjective Also, hal·cy·o·ni·an [hal-see-oh-nee-uhn] Show IPA , hal·cy·on·ic [hal-see-on-ik] Show IPA . 1. calm; peaceful; tranquil: halcyon weather. 2. rich; wealthy; prosperous: halcyon times of peace. 3. happy; joyful; carefree: halcyon days of youth.

Have you made a list of summer projects yet?

What? You're not a Type A, OCD person who is compelled to create lists? Well, then maybe you're just someone who sees summer as a time to catch up on all those things you said "I wish I had time for that!" throughout the rest of the year.

I spent some time this morning going back through my Pinterest boards for just that reason. All those things I pinned with the thought that I'd get to them "someday." Well why shouldn't that "someday" be now? It's summer. I'm not under deadline for any writing. I have stuff to do but I could make time for some other projects. Those things that get pushed to the side during the busyness of life.

Maybe you'd like to do some crafts with the kids.

Maybe some little decorating projects around the house.

Maybe a gardening or outdoor project.

Maybe you'd like to finally try those recipes.

Maybe you'd like to commit to reading some great books aloud to your kids. (This post will provide you with lots of resources for that!)

Maybe it's time to start that journal or make that blessing jar or take those field trips around your city or visit that old friend or... (fill in the blanks).

I picked out some doable, not overwhelming projects I could do to make my house look nicer. A project that involves a canvas and scrapbook paper and mod podge to go on that blank wall in my living room. I got out those supplies for those rag wreaths I was going to make for my girls' room this winter, all in the bright blues and pinks and purples of their room. I found a project that involves a hula hoop and shower curtain to hang from one of our trees to create a little fort for my imaginative 7yo. I imagine her doing her Creative Thinking workbooks or reading outside or playing with her dolls in the evenings or mornings when it's cooler, encased in her own private world.

I put "Sunflower seeds" on the list for my next Target trip. Even though it's a bit late in the summer for planting them, I'm going to try anyway. I'm going to let my daughters make a trip to Michael's so they can make a summer project list of their own. They both love to craft and I'm sure they will like coming up with some fun diversions to pass the time. I'm also going to pick up the materials to make these to pass out to the neighbor kids when the 4th rolls around and we have our neighborhood parade.

These are the halcyon days of summer, and it's my privilege to make those days all the more halcyon for all of us.
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Monday, June 17, 2013

Some Thoughts On Father's Day


Yesterday I got an email from a friend whose father was hospitalized after a rough bout with cancer and was being sent home with hospice and the decision to stop his brave fight. My heart grieved for her as I read her news. The fact that this was happening on Father's Day was not lost on me-- and I'm sure not on her, but she didn't wallow in that, to her credit. I have another friend whose father has also received a terminal diagnosis. My heart breaks for her as well. And as I thought about these two situations and pondered what it means to celebrate Father's Day, I watched my own kids celebrate their dad. And, of course, I thought about my own dad.

There were no cards for my dad this year. No special lunches or dinners or breakfasts. There was no time spent together at all. No special phone calls to say "I'm thinking of you today." He's wanted it that way for a long time and I, after years wishing it were different, have accepted it. And most days, I'm fine with it. But when Father's Day rolls around, it makes me sad that I don't have a photo of me and my dad to post on Facebook. I can't take my children to his house and let them shower him with hugs and homemade cards. 

And so yesterday as I took in my friend's terrible news I wondered, which is worse? Having a dad you adore and facing his loss? Or having a dad who is, by all accounts, healthy but has chosen-- for his own reasons-- to not be part of your life?

I guess both scenarios pretty much suck. There isn't a good answer. Life is hard and messy and it hurts... a lot sometimes. I get on this blog and I say mostly good things. Happy things. Encouraging things. I try to be honest without totally weighing you down. And yet, chances are you're weighed down any way. Chances are you were dealing with your own issues on Father's Day. Maybe because your husband isn't the father for your children you'd hoped. Or he seemed withdrawn from whatever you tried to do for him and you're scared to know why that is. Or, like me, the whole dad issue is just hard-- an emotional landscape that is littered with landmines. Or you're facing the loss of your father... or you've recently lost him. And this Hallmark holiday is one you'd have preferred to just skip altogether.

I don't have a good conclusion to this blog post. I can't wrap it all up in a nice neat bow. I want to tell you that God is a perfect Father and you should look to Him and let His love surround you. Because that is true. We all know that, on one level. Or at least I hope you do. But chances are you, like me, don't really want to hear that right now. Right now you just want to miss someone, or wish something was different, or hold onto someone, or let go of something. Right now you wish they'd never invented Father's Day.

And I guess I just wanted you to know that you're not alone. And to just say, hang in there. And try to find one good thing. For me it was the father I was able to give my own children. I can't see into the future but my gut tells me my girls will never have to write something like this. And that makes me very happy indeed.


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Thursday, June 13, 2013

The Book Collector


 
I'm not sure when I realized that I'm a collector. Not of stamps. Or shoes. Or dishes. Or creepy dolls that stare at you from vacant, soulless eyes.
 
I'm a book collector. And I'm admitting here to my obsession fascination with books. And not the kinds that reside on your e-reader. I'm talking about print books, the kinds with weight and width that sit on your shelves like old friends, their covers beckoning to you.
 
The other day I spent some time upstairs in our office/bonus room/playroom/glorified storage area, visiting my old friends and making my summer reading list. It was great, geeky fun. I surveyed my collection with a mixture of love and appreciation. And I noticed a few things about my collection.

Mostly that it's filled with many, many books I fear I will never get to.
 

Books that are by that one author I keep hearing raves about, so I buy the whole collection so I will have them at my fingertips the very moment I have a moment.


 
All those foodie novels I simply must get to one of these days. Books I have collected along the way with every intention of reading. I love food and cooking. I love writing and reading. It would make sense that I have a weakness for foodie novels, right?


Those WWII novels I scooped up because it's my favorite time period and I have an idea that would involve a true WWII story from our family I'd love to write someday. But first I want to see how these folks did it. I always learn best by example.


Some new summer beach reads. These all look like books I want to fall into. Don't you?

 
Books that have been recommended to me by different people I respect. Or written by authors I respect. Books I have not read yet, but fully intend to.


Other new releases that are on my must-read list for this summer. I'm thankful I will be spending lots of captive time at the pool, with nothing else to entertain or distract me except for one of these lovely literary tomes. I will get to them all. I will. I must. And if not, there's always the fall. That's the thing about collectors-- we see the value in each piece, and we're always on the search for another item for our collection.
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Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Easy Beef Tips


This is an easy meal that won't heat your kitchen this summer and requires little work to pull a tasty and filling meal together when the dinner hour rolls around.
 
 
You need a package of beef tips (or stew meat) and the ingredients above. I make about 4 pounds of meat for my family but if you have a smaller-than-8-people clan, you might want to just make 2 pounds. If you do, just use one can of each kind of soup: Golden Mushroom and French Onion. You will also need a teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce. And garlic salt.
 

 
Put your meat in your crockpot. Sprinkle garlic salt over to taste.
 

 
Mix up the soups and Worcestershire sauce with a whisk. Pour over beef tips. Cook all day on low. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or egg noodles with a green vegetable.


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Tuesday, June 11, 2013

A Summer Bucket List (Teacher Gift)




This year I had an idea that occurred to me later, which meant scrambling around at the last minute to make it happen. I will admit I was just going to add some money to the collection they were taking up at school towards a gift card for the teacher. But my kids also like for me to give my new book to their teachers, so I was thinking about a way to include that when I came up with this idea. I thought I would share it with you all in case you wanted to file it away for the future, when you need a teacher gift idea. Hopefully you won't have to scramble around to pull it all together like I did! Advance planning is a wonderful thing.

I came up with the idea of creating a "bucket list" for the teachers. I made a list of things to do now that summer's here, then added little items to the bucket that would help them cross those things off the list. The items were a bucket with a shovel attached (from the dollar store), my new book (doesn't have to be my book of course--you could include any summer read that you think that teacher would like), a bottle of water, one of those little squeeze flavor bottles to add to the water (I chose Wyler's Kiwi Strawberry), a fancy bar of soap (check out Southern Soap Factory for all your fancy bar of soap needs!), a fun, berry-colored bottle of nail polish and one of those toe separators, a packet of sunflower seeds, and a $10 Dairy Queen gift card. What I liked about this is-- ideally-- it's stuff you could pick up and put away gradually so it's not one big expense.




I attached the little typed up sheet of paper you see above, added some summertime stickers and let each child sign it. I tucked it into the bucket along with the gifts and voila! A fun teacher gift that will hopefully inspire them to more fully enjoy their break. I've included the exact wording below so you can just cut and paste it into your own file and print it off.

Hope this helps someone!


Your Summer Bucket List

It’s summertime! Here is a bucket full of things I hope will add to your summer fun this year!

·      A shovel to dig in the sand

·      A book to read in a hammock

·      Water for those hot summer days

·      A little something sweet to add to the water

·      Soap for a long soak after a hot day

·      Fun polish to get your toes ready for flip-flop weather

·      Seeds to plant flowers

·      A Dairy Queen gift card for a cold treat

 

I hope you have a great summer. Thanks for being my teacher this year!

Love,
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Monday, June 10, 2013

Go-To Summer Meals




What are your go-to meals in the summer? I have a repertoire that I fall back on when we're at the pool all day and I need to throw something together quickly when we get home. Or it's just too dang hot to cook and I don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Here are a few ideas:

Barbecue Chicken (Or Pork) Sandwiches with chips and watermelon: throw a pork tenderloin or chicken breasts in the crockpot in the am and cover with your fave bbq sauce. Cook all day, then shred meat with forks. Serve on buns. A bag of your favorite chips and one of those containers of cut-up watermelon from the produce section and you're in business.

Chicken Tacos-- put chicken breasts in the crockpot and mix a packet of taco seasoning with a cup of chicken broth. Pour over top. Cook all day on low, shred with two forks and serve with flour tortillas or tortilla chips and a variety of toppings. We often make a taco salad with this meat.

Marinated London Broil over salad with French bread: We had this this weekend because London Broil was bogo free at my grocery-- that's $7 for enough meat to feed my whole family. All I had to do was mix up a quick marinade in the morning and let the meat sit in the fridge covered in it all day. Then Curt put it on the grill and I literally opened a bag of field greens and cooked a loaf of French bread while the meat was cooking. I used a variation of this marinade and it was delicious!

Grilled Chicken with pasta-- Marinate the chicken in some Italian dressing all day, then grill it and toss it with some bottled marinara sauce. Serve it over some whole wheat pasta to make it even healthier.

Grilled Chicken with a starch and roasted asparagus or broccoli-- Use your fave marinade and then grill it. Make some wild rice or couscous or whatever your family's favorite starch is. Toss your broccoli or asparagus in olive oil and sea salt and fresh ground pepper. (I buy the bags of the already cut up broccoli to save even more time.) Roast or broil it. Here are some directions:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/roasted-broccoli-with-garlic-recipe/index.html

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/broiled-asparagus-10000001727347/index.html

We eat some variation of this meal just about every weekend in the summer. It's fast and consistently delicious.

On Wednesday I'm going to share a recipe for beef tips that, while not quintessential summer fare, are easy to throw in the crockpot in the morning and serve over egg noodles with some type of green veggie for a quick meal that is very, very delicious. Be sure to check back!



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Sunday, June 09, 2013

Recapping The Week


So, last week was a whirlwind. I will try to recap it.

We had two swim meets. On school nights, which makes it even harder because they run late and the kids still have to get up the next morning.

I ran around like a crazy person trying to pull together teacher gifts. I will write this week about what I did for the kids' teachers, because it was fun and all the teachers seemed to like it.

My book launched. Thank you to everyone who posted reviews, tweeted about it, put it on your Facebook, sent me emails, or otherwise participated in helping get the word out about this book. You might think "What does it matter what I do?" Well I read recently that the secret to being a bestselling author is having 1000 committed readers/fans. That really doesn't sound like much, does it? If you helped in any way, I'm counting you among those 1000. I'm far from best selling status, but each person I add to that list helps me make another move towards it. It's not so much that I want to be a best seller, per se, but in a sell-or-die publishing climate, I'd like to sell... because the other alternative is just not appealing. And I am otherwise unemployable.

I finished my fifth novel, another Sunset Beach story with an inanimate object (a la The Mailbox, The Guest Book and The Wishing Tree) that connects two people. I'm excited about this one and had great fun with it. Lord willing it will be out next year this time. I'm not going to share the title yet, because there's a chance the publisher will change it. Don't want to confuse you but I can promise I will share more as soon as I can.

My kids had their last day of school. I posted about this on Friday. I am happy to be done for awhile. We are all looking forward to the break. This summer I hope to get a lot of reading done by the pool, get my tan on, and post here more regularly. I've got a whole list of posts I want to write, and sometimes coming up with the ideas is half the battle. Now just to find the time to write them all!

And finally, have you seen the huge giveaway we're doing at She Reads? Instead of choosing just one book for June, we've picked six "Can't Miss" summer novels. Enter for your chance to win all six books here. And even if you don't win, download these books or order them online or visit your local indie bookstore or reserve them at your local library. With so many good books coming out this summer, we should all include reading on our summer to-do list. I know my summer TBR list is long!

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Friday, June 07, 2013

Summer Is Here!


Today is the last day I will pack lunches.

The last day I will wake sleeping children from a deep sleep. (They tell you not to do that with a baby-- why shouldn't it apply to children?)

The last day I will wake up myself.

The last day I will drive carpool.

The last day I will check emails from teachers.

The last day I will think about homework or projects.

Instead, bring on summer!

Bring on popsicles!

Bring on fireworks!

Bring on the beach!

Bring on the pool!

Bring on summer reading!

Bring on lazy days!

Bring on trips to the library!

Bring on no schedule!

Bring on peaches and tomatoes and blueberries!

Bring on vacations!

Bring on movies!

Bring on suntans and seashells and water guns and drippy ice cream cones!

Summer is officially arriving at our house today. And no one is happier about that than me.
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Wednesday, June 05, 2013

I Didn't... But I Did...


How tenaciously we cling to the illusion that we will get our lives in order
and that they will stay that way.
AW Schaef

If you've read this blog at all, you know I'm a committed and passionate list maker. And this is good. It helps me get things done. But there is such a thing as being married to your list so much that you can't make time for the things that aren't on the list-- those unexpected life moments that just come up. Recently I had a day where I got nothing on my list done. This stresses me.

That evening as I reflected on my day I was thinking of all the things I didn't do. And then a thought came into my head: yes, there were a great many things I didn't do. But what about the things I did? With that perspective can there be such a thing as a wasted day?

I didn't clean out my daughter's closet, but I did have a wonderful conversation with a friend.

I didn't get my writing done, but I did jot down some insightful and promising notes for a new story.

I didn't run all my errands, but I did have lunch with my mom.

I didn't go for my run, but I did read a great book.

I didn't cook a gourmet dinner, but I did show up for lunch duty at my daughter's class.

For each thing we say yes to, there's a no that has to come in somewhere. Instead of feeling bad about the no, what if we worked at feeling good about the yes? If you're a champion list maker like me, then this might be a comforting way of looking at things. It's helped me to switch my thought life from "look at what you didn't do" to "look at what you did."
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Tuesday, June 04, 2013

The Wishing Tree Releases Today




Today my new book, The Wishing Tree is officially available. Since that's the case, I thought I'd post about the book-- where I got the idea and some inside glimpses into what went into the writing. I promise I'm not giving anything away here that isn't alluded to on the back cover. Here goes...

I got the original idea for the book when I was doing research for The Guest Book. I was looking into the history of guest books, wondering if some aspect of this practice would be a good element in my novel. (You never know and it's always worth looking.) When I searched "guest books" the concept of a wishing tree at a wedding came up on some page somewhere. I had never heard of this, and thought it was a very cool idea, one of those things where you snap your fingers and think "Why didn't I have that at my wedding?"

As I read up on wishing trees out of pure curiosity, a story started forming in my mind. What if there was going to be a wedding at Sunset Beach NC? And what if that wedding was going to have a wishing tree because it was a custom in that family? And what if the person put in charge of that wishing tree was struggling with her own wishes for her marriage, now gone wrong? The elements were all there and my mind began chewing on the story, even as I was writing another.

One day I was watching Good Morning America and a guy proposed to his girlfriend on the show. She was a teacher and thought she was being interviewed for something to do with her students. I realized as I thought about this that it would make for a great opening scene-- the contrast of a main character (Ivy) watching her sister (Shea) get proposed to in this amazingly romantic way even as it's becoming unavoidably clear that the romance has disappeared in her own marriage. It became the perfect way to set up the tension that exists in this story.

The other element that somehow worked its way into my idea for this story was the idea of a husband who's desperate to talk to his wife (who is deservedly upset with him and wants nothing to do with him) resorting to Twitter in hopes that he will somehow get to her. It was fun to give readers a glimpse of who this guy is via his tweets. Is he sympathetic? Does he deserve forgiveness? Can he be trusted? What should Ivy do? What would you do?

One thing I have said frequently is that this is a great book for book clubs because it will provoke discussion. Does Ivy make the right decision? Do you feel sorry for her or angry at her? How has her past factored into her present? And how does this story apply to you, the reader?

The more I wrote this story, the more it became clear that it was a story about forgiveness-- the grace we can show each other, the grace we must allow ourselves, what it takes to give and receive forgiveness, and the freedom that can come when we do. It's a concept we can all probably identify with in some way or another and, I hope, a story that will consequently resonate with readers. It was one of my harder books to write, because the characters don't always do nice or appropriate things, and sometimes I wanted to shake them. But I had to let them make their journeys, learn their lessons, and apply those lessons to their lives. It's kind of like being a parent.

And now it's time for this particular baby to leave the nest and be received, for better or worse, by all of you. As for me, I'm immersed in another novel that I will hopefully be telling you about this time next year. In the meantime, I'd love to hear from you if you get a chance to read The Wishing Tree!

Here's a Pinterest board I created with the book in mind:

http://pinterest.com/marybeth6/the-wishing-tree-a-novel-june-4-2013/

And I'll leave you with the trailer, in case you haven't seen it:


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Monday, June 03, 2013

Time Saver Tip For A Monday


After an unexpectedly long absence from blogging, I'm aiming to post something every day this week. I am going to overwhelm you with info.
 
This is Monday's installment:
 
Lately I've been taking a few extra seconds when I get junk emails to find the "unsubscribe" button at the bottom of the email and unsubscribe. It has really cut down on the volume of my emails. No more special offers I feel compelled to check out, no more missives from people I don't know, no more products that no longer apply to my situation. Just having less emails show up in my inbox is its own kind of relief. I'm convinced it's saving me time and bringing me greater peace. A lot of emails piled up in my inbox makes me anxious.
 
So that's my tip for you today-- start noticing those emails you get that you find yourself deleting without reading. Then take a moment to open them and unsubscribe so you don't even have to deal with them at all.
 
I know this isn't earth shattering but I'm of the mindset that every little bit helps. This would apply.
 
(It doesn't apply if you're thinking of unsubbing to the She Reads newsletter or this blog. Ahem.) 
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