I love reading Beth Moore's blog:   http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com. Her words always uplift and challenge me.

Does anybody out there wake up in the middle of the night for no reason whatsoever and then have trouble getting back to sleep?  I've been doing that lately--not every night, but every couple of nights or so. I eventually get back to sleep--well, I did until last night.

Writing...

Life as an author changes from day to day. It's the weirdest job in that you can be on top of the world one day, and totally demoralized the next. I was in that latter category, wondering if maybe I should have majored in molecular biology (or at least found out what that means!) So I went to a small writers' conference this weekend, and I took a screenwriting class (again!) because I really wanted to understand the three act play. This time I asked questions (they use Star Wars and I am the one person on the planet who has not seen this movie), but this time, I knew about the Clone Wars and more about the character arc because my kids talk about it all the time. (I have tried so many times to sit through it, and I just don't care.) I have seen the second one!

Anyhoo, I came home understanding the three-act play, that I do not ever want to write screenplays (it's a visual medium, and not mine) and that I can't see the forest through the trees at the moment. I tried to write a book that was perhaps beyond my means and that is demoralizing. I'm writing a young adult novel and went and looked at the stacks and stacks of authors doing the same thing.

I know this is weird, but I never had the dream of being a bestseller (shh. Don't tell my publishers.) It was more about doing something that mattered to me (making people laugh, making people question their beliefs, search within themselves, that kind of thing.)

But now I wonder if I can't do that better in person. I look at people like Peter Walsh (Oprah's organizing guy) and I think, wouldn't it be great to know so clearly what you were about? Do you think it's a midlife crisis?

I read this really sad obituary the other day, and a beautiful, young 30 year-old woman died after childbirth and her baby died too. The obituary said she'd realized her lifelong dream of being a mother and then went to heaven. And that she'd always be known for her love of designer jeans. I don't really care if I'm known for the writing. It comes right down to that. In the end, I think I want it said that I had compassion and mercy on those the church had forgotten and she made us laugh. What about you?

MORE GOOD NEWS
This is just too freaky not to share! I've been watching Tami Heim's tweets about the Thomas Nelson sales conference. She mentioned a boy there named Austin Gutwein who had raised over $30k for World Vision through basketball with his Hoops of Hope project. Gutwein wasn't a name I'd heard since the pastor who led Dave and I to the Lord left Wabash. It's not a common name. So of course I had to look up Austin. The first thing I saw was that he was in Mesa, AZ. Pastor Don Gutwein lives in Mesa now. It mentioned Austin's dad was named Dan. By then the bells were clanging in my head. We'd loved all the Gutwein kids: Amy, Dawn, Mike and Danny.

I emailed Tami and asked to to see if Austin's grandpa was named Don and his grandma was Judy. But then I found a video. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16110914/ I saw Austin's dad Dan and it's the Danny I know! Talk about an incredible coincidence! What's so cool about this is how Pastor Gutwein's family is continuing to serve the Lord. We had lost track of them in recent years, but we're going to have to look them up again. It's just amazing!

The really cool story of how we met the Gutweins is yet another good news type thing. We'd been invited to their church by Dave's boss and had gone one time. We'd intended to go back--you know what they say about good intentions. We'd been out celebrating my birthday and Davy's birthday (we're a day apart) and while we were at my in-laws', freezing rain had started to fall. We didn't realize how bad the roads were and blithely started for home. We never made it. We had a head on collision with a boy and his passenger. The boy was driving drunk. His passenger was killed and we were in the hospital for about 10 days with various things. Our daughter was hurt the worst (she had broken jaw) but we all made it. After we got home, the church began to bring food in for us, even though we'd only been there once. We just loved the Gutweins and their kids.

The really encouraging thing about all this is that we never know what impact we will have on others. I'm sure Gutweins never knew the ripples that would go out from that first meeting and that a young woman they led to the Lord would be fortunate enough to be able to write the books of her heart that contain a Christian message. It's a super encouragement to me today. So keep fighting the good fight and reaching out to those around you. You never know where it might lead and how the ripples will go on for years!

Labels: Austin Gutwein, Hoops of Hope

A GREAT DOG STORY
I'm a sucker for a great dog story. This picture is of Parker, my grandpup, by the way. Anyway, I was watching the news the other day and there was a story about Buck (sounds like a Jack London story, huh) who got separated from his owners. He was spooked by a train whistle in Montana. His owners, the Halter family, spent 3 days trying to find him then finally had to go back home to Washington state. They peppered the are with posters but after six months they thought they'd never see Buck again. Their 17-year-old son Jason never gave up hope. But six months passed and the temps in Montana went to -20.

The the miracle happened. Someone found him living under an collapsed building. The Halters jumped in the car and drove all night--750 miles- and sure enough, it was their Buck. He ran right up to them. Here's the full story if you want to read it. http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/pets/39252887.html?elr=KArks8Da_3D:ayE7UeDa0D:ayE7UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUr

I cried when I heard about it. My question is why don't we hear more of this kind of thing on the news? I think the media is half responsible for the state of the economy. Any bad news they make sound ten times worse. I'm ready for some GOOD news! And it's out there. It's just buried by the media. so what good news would you like to share? In addition to this story, I heard that Cry in the Night and Lonestar Sanctuary both hit the ECPA bestseller list this week as well as the CBA one last week. We also called a new pastor at church. Any my granddaughter just turned 5 mos! Good news abounds!

Labels: golden retriever Buck, good news, Halter family, Jack London, miracle

I remember reading a romance novel years ago that had blond hero. Now, nothing against golden boys, but there's something in me that prefers tall dark and handsome. For the rest of the book, I stubbornly pictured the hero as with dark hair. If I was going to spend five hours with these people, daggonit, they were going to look the way I wanted them to.

With all the commotion over this whole Facebook thing lately, it seems a good time to ask just what you think is appropriate to post online. Some people post pictures, others refuse to do so. Some put their phone numbers on Facebook, others wouldn't think of it. Some plug in credit card information while others would never consider it.

Labels: Blogs, Facebook, My Space, Twitter

The Sun Will Come Out, Tomorrow!

I know Diann and I have mentioned that we are the people things happen to, right? We're like God's comic relief?

My kids have the week off and all their friends went to Hawaii, Mexico and other magnificent places. We went to Auburn, CA. Okay, it's way better than living there (which I did for three years only to find out what I have known all along, I am not a country chick!)

We had a great time. Mommy waited on us. I spent the day with Grandpa and you know, it doesn't get any better than that. Interestingly, when doing the Financial Peace book, my husband's first memory of money is his grandma giving him a dollar and him running down the hall to hide it. My first money memory is my Grandpa buying me a suede, Indian purse with little feathers hanging off of it and putting some money in it. I think that should definitely be an area of discussion before marriage. Bryed learned to hide his money away (invest), I learned that if you open up a beautiful handbag, someone who loves you more than life will drop money in it. : ) I still have the purse, incidentally.

Anyway, I saw Shopoholic. LOVED IT!!! The best chick flick in a LONG time because the heroine is not a slut! I actually cried because at the beginning, all he other girls are getting pretty, sparkly shoes and she gets ugly brown clodhoppers that are practical. That was way too close to home. My mom was next to me. She laughed. She goes, "I think you had those exact same shoes."

How is that funny?

I did. They were Buster Browns. Grandpa bought them for me at Macy's. I still remember the horror when he picked them up, "No, not those. Not those! Anything but those!" Pair them up with a Grandma-homemade mini skirt and my stick legs, and I was destined to be the source of comic relief. God had a plan.

Which brings me back to my lipstick on a pig story. We came home from Auburn and found that the constant rains had penetrated the bottom floor and we had a sopping carpet. I had just refinished my upstairs floor by hand, and I told my husband, "Lipstick on a pig" when I saw the downstairs. I should have brought my little purse for Grandpa to fill, don't you think? Ack! Today should be fun. Four kids, a dog AND a wet carpet. : )

LONG HAIR
We all know how men love long hair. My Dave would have me sitting on my hair if it were up to him. There's a young woman at our church who has beautiful blond hair. It was super long, all one length until this past week. My jaw dropped when I saw her on Friday. She'd cut it up to about middle of her back and she had bangs! Cute as all get out. I asked her if her husband was onboard with it. She laughed and said no but he was getting used to it. Her sister-in-law piped up and said, "What is it with men and long hair?" Then we al began to commiserate together. LOL

She told me about a friend who finally got her husband to see. If you have long hair and are wanting to cut it, you might try it. Here's what the friend did. She told her husband HE would have to wash it, blowdry it and style it for the next week. By the end of the week, he said, "You can cut it, honey." LOL It just tickled me no end because I could see a guy having to manipulate a hairdryer and a curling iron. I've only gotten Dave broken in on the coffee pot! I shudder to think of the curling iron. :-)

And on a fun note, have you seen this video of an airport meltdown? I saw it on Fox yesterday morning and laughed. Only not TOO much because I've felt that way myself! LOL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbVw7entkxg

Happy Tuesday! I have to get a crown replaced today so not so fun for me.

Labels: long hair

I've watched every season of American Idol except the first, but my favorite was season 5. Chris Daughtry, Katharine McPhee, Taylor Hicks, and of course, Mandisa. Although I've had my favorite contestants every season, I confess I've only voted once: for Mandisa when she braved Simon's ridicule to sing "Shackles".

Labels: American Idol, Mandisa, Valentines Day

BE MY VALENTINE
Today is Valentine's Day. Dave has to work for the first time in decades. His company is implementing a new computer system next month, and he had to "scrub" data. I guess scrubbing data is better than scrubbing toilets! Anyway, a post by Gail Hyatt (http://gailbhyatt.wordpress.com/) reminded me of the one thing I see missing in so many marriages. Encouragement. Every couple goes through some struggles when they're first learning to live together. As wives we can either choose to accept and love our husbands as they are or try to change them (which never works!).

There are so many things I love about my husband. I love the way he goes to work to support me even when he's sick (like he was today). I love the way he says "I love you," dozens of times a day. I love the way he still likes to nuzzle my neck. He's a man of God and cares about growing in his faith and leading our family by example. He can fix anything and doesn't roll his eyes when I want something different done around the house. (Okay, he might roll his eyes a LITTLE, but he smiles and does it anyway.) I love the way he adores our little Alexa. She is already Poppy's girl. He loves our kids and is quick to help them in any way he can. I love his integrity. I love his height. He's a tall guy. Love how it makes me feel small when I'm not. :-) Most of all, I just love the guy and can't imagine my life without him.

So here's your chance to encourage your husband. Name some things you really love about him. Forget about the way he squeezes the toothpaste in the middle or leaves his socks on the floor.

Labels: love, Marriage, Valentine's Day

My mother has the energy of a tornado on steroids. My mother is 82 years old.

You know what really gets to me lately? Big brother is alive and well, and the sad part is that the camera is completely pointed at the wrong thing. People would have you believe that it's fundamentalist Christians who are out to destroy the world and keep a sharp eye on you. But you know what? Us freaky Christians? We actually allow you to have an opinion that differs from ours.

We do not call you a heathen or the like because you have a differing opinion. We may think you're wrong, but we would tell you in love. We wouldn't cram our truth down your throat.

Now, let's take Hollywood as an example. If you don't believe in gay marriage (regardless of your reasons -- ie., you don't like the redefinition of marriage) you are a homophobe, hate-monger, etc., etc. In the meantime, when's the last time you saw a "normal" Christian portrayed in a film/movie? Yet if you watched Grey's Anatomy, you would be led to believe that at least 50% of the working surgical community is lesbian -- and that even the wild heterosexuals can't stay out of the broom closet during their shift. Now, it appears Batwoman is also a red-headed lesbian. Who knew? So their opinion is the one that matters. Yours is hateful just so you know. It totally justifies their calling us names. Yeah, um... Does this generation even know who McCarthy was? Because it's only been reversed.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1141588/Holy-Smoke-Batwoman-makes-comic-book-comeback-red-headed-lesbian.html

My point is this. You cannot complain about big brother and get all paranoid if YOUR beliefs do not allow for a differing opinion. I believe God is a big boy, and He can handle Himself if someone chooses free will. I mean, He did give us that right. Global warming has yet to be proven as human-caused -- yet that agenda is crammed down my kids' throats everyday. Hey, Americans can use some serious cutting back, I get that.

But how long ago did Gore predict the end of the earth as we know it? And we're still here. Go figure. Sure, some people are feeling guilty and buying carbon footprint tickets along with their airline tickets (ie., investment in Al Gore's fake charity.) Do you know what that prediction did for us? It allowed us to get these crappy new lightbulbs with mercury in them, so disposing of them, and their half-life is a lot worse than what Mr. Edison created for us. In twenty years time, a new expert will decry this stupid law and we will come to understand that the lightbulb lobbyists played their cards right in the early 2000's and we all lost.

So here I am a complete pessimist, but if you think government can fix this economy, you need to read some history books. "The Fall of Rome" is a good place to start. But if you just want to have some fun, get one of our books and recycle it. : )

Labels: Al Gore, Batwoman, McCarthy

WHAT LOVE WILL DO
I don't know if I mentioned it or not, but I've been on the toughest deadline of my career and it will be that way until June. Plus I've been doing the paperwork for getting Dave's dad into an Alzheimer's care facility and also evaluating those facilities with my sister-in-law. I've had NO time for weeks. But love makes you find time for what you really want to do. Alexa had this favorite toy at daycare. It's called a taggie. It's just two pieces of flannel sewn together with ribbons sticking out the edges, but she just LOVED it. So her mommy asked me if I could make her a couple for home. Of course I said yes! How hard could it be, after all? Like I said, it's just a square with ribbons.

Well, to start off with, it had to wait for an evening because of above mentioned deadline. Once I hit braindead mode last Monday, I got out the flannel, cut it to size and began to pin the ribbons in place. Dave meandered in. "You've got those ribbons on there wrong," he said. I looked. He was right. "I was struggling with figuring out how to put them so they stick out when the blanket is turned inside out," I said. "They should go this way." He showed me. I thanked him and turned them all around, then took the taggie upstairs to my sewing machine which had'n't seen the light of day in, oh about ten years. LOL I put the flannel under the presser foot and realized even Dave's suggestion wasn't right. I carried it back downstairs. "This is still wrong," I announced. Between the two of us we figured out that I had to have the rough edges up at the rough edges of the blanket with the ribbon loops pointing to the inside of the blanket. And the ribbon had to be BETWEEN the two pieces of flannel. I carried it back up and zipped it up on the sewing machine. Success! I turned it inside out and went to do the same to the second one.

Except now the sewing machine wouldn't pull the fabric through. After struggling with it for half an hour, I called in the big gun--Dave. My hubby can fix anything. Sure enough, he took it apart and cleaned out a fistful of dust and material dust. No kidding! I told you the sewing machine had just sat there for years. Didn't take long after that to zip the second taggie together but an hour job had taken all evening. But it was soo worth it! Look at the expression on my angel's face and you'll agree that it would have been worth it if I'd lost a whole day of writing! Priorities! LOL

Labels: flannel taggie, sewing

Labels: inteviews, radio, WBCL

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
Some babies are just born to be adored. My granddaughter, Alexa Grace, is one of those. There's a contest going on over at Shabby Apple for a new baby girl model. Alexa deserves to be crowned Picture Princess, don't you think? She LOVES hats! And she's already a little fashion plate. Her mommy and I are always on the lookout for something new and cute. She's so photogenic. I got her a little shirt the other day that read "Why won't the Paparazzi leave me along?" That pretty much sums up her life. The poor baby always has cameras going off in her face. Dave and Donna send us a new picture nearly every day.

This is my favorite Shabby Baby dress: http://www.shabbyapple.com/p-84-queen-of-hearts.aspx (little girls and girls dresses from Shabby Baby). Alexa looks smashing in red, and I like the name of the dress: Queen of Hearts. Talk about appropriate! She rules all our hearts already.

I have to say, I love being a Grammy more and more every day. Who knew I'd be so obsessed? LOL

Labels: model contest, Shabby Baby

Love is in the air!

What a weird day I had yesterday. I got the contract worked out for "Perfectly Dateless", my new young adult novel. On the same day, I went to sign up my son for high school. It's really an odd thing, to still be the girl who still rocks out to Adam Ant while cleaning, and yet signing up my kid for high school and writing for that age group. It's like, I see all the evidence I've gotten older. The girl I was, couldn't have wiped kid snot with her bare hands, or pulled a tick out of a puppy, but here I am. Both people. I've grown. LOL

It's just so odd. The kids here are scary mature. It's like they have no personality and their entire effort goes into getting into the right college. Are there normal kids out there? I sure hope so or my book will be irrelevant. I have to believe there are my type of girls because "Gossip Girls" exists and "The Bachelor" is still on television. My son's high school is this really top-notch public school, where hundreds of us had to wait in line with our driver's licenses, our W2 forms or current tax bill and a current car registration to prove we're really eligible. I mean, it's public high school!! Am I missing something? I told my son getting into Harvard Medical School should be a breeze after this.

Not to mention that they say the future will be controlled by us right brainers. That's right, left brain jobs are being outsourced to India and computers. But if you've got that creative mind, the kind that makes consumers feel like they must have an iPod because they NEED one, that is the future for big money. But you sure wouldn't know it by the funeral-feeling at the high school yesterday. Tell me there are kids out there who still have fun! Who seek to make the world a better place without a math equation!!

Oh my gosh, do they even have cheerleaders anymore? I mean, what is the point of a life lived "perfectly" if it's no fun? I don't want to hear at the end, "Well done, my good and boring servant." I want to come in giggling!

OPINIONS NEEDED
I think I mentioned that I'm going to write a historical. The title has been chosen--The Lightkeeper's Daughter--and it's set in the northern California redwoods at the turn of the century. I'm curious about something though. Reader preferences. Do readers of Amish fiction read historicals? I'd love your feedback on the following questions:

"Yes" I'm a historical reader who also likes Amish fiction
"No" I'm a historical reader who DOES NOT enjoy reading Amish fiction
"Yes" I like reading Amish fiction and women's historicals
"No" I like reading Amish fiction BUT NOT women's historicals

Sound off and let me know what you think!

CLIMATE CHANGE
What kind of winter have you had? Here in Indiana we've had extreme cold and lots of snow. Some of the data coming back over the past year is that we are heading to a cooling phase. A natural one that's due. I don't get why people listen to Al Gore's crazy global warming talk. I don't know about you, but if we get some climate change, I'll take the warming over the cooling any day. Humans can live just fine in a little warmer temp. Here's an article about the natural trends: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10783

I was raising our kids back in the 70s when there was all the hysteria about a coming ice age. People talked about what might happen if glaciers swept the area where we were living. People would migrate south, etc. Just a few years later, there was all this talk about global warming. I think this whole debate just illustrates how humans naturally assume we are in control. God must laugh at such nonsense. God has everything under control and all the worrying in the world won't change what will happen one iota. I don't know about you, but that knowledge gives me a lot of comfort. No matter how crazy the world may seem, how dangerous, how insane, I know He's got things clocking along in just the way He's planned it. This recession didn't catch Him off-guard. The man who sits in the White House was allowed to sit there. When we recognize God's sovereignty in our lives, it brings peace in the storm.

Unless you hate winter like me. LOL A high of 17 today. Sheesh. Diann is probably dancing in the streets at the thought of a little global cooling and more snow every winter! On second thought, more snow might mean I could make snow angels with Alexa in a couple of years. Or pull her on the sled. Or make a snowman. Hmm, a granddaughter changes everything!

Labels: commercials, games, superbowl XLIII

WINNERS!
I drew the winners on Friday for a free copy of Cry in the Night. Here they are!

Hannah Young
Suzanne Schaffer
Kim Thorne

Congratulations!
C