The Muppet Movie Review

A few days ago, my kids and I got the chance to preview this movie. I will admit, I did it for my kids and didn't have a huge desire to see it myself. The surprising part was how much I enjoyed it. The movie is silly and fun, and I left the theater feeling happy. Watching it brought back memories of being a little kid in front of the tv with my brother watching The Muppet Show, waiting for my favorite characters to come on the screen. (Personally I loved Beaker and Chef.) I'd forgotten how much I loved The Muppets... and that's really what this movie is about. It also asks a question: Is this generation of kids too cynical, too jaded to love what our generation loved? I liked the question-- and I liked the answer too. It's definitely worth taking your kids to. You just might find yourself leaving with a smile on your face like I did. Anything that makes me smile and takes me back to a simpler time is a good thing in my book!

Just for fun, here's a quiz for you:

What Muppet Are You?

Question 1: What do your co-workers often find in your e-mails?

A) Hi ho! A simple and friendly greeting.
B) A joke. They may not need it, but they’re going to read it!
C) A demand, a self-flattering remark, and a reference to yourself in the third person.
D) LOTS!! OF CAPITAL!!! LETTERS! AND EXCLAMATION!! POINTS!!
E) An insult.

Question 2: It’s Friday night! What are you up to?
A) Getting together with friends. (Hoping, just this once, they don’t get too out of hand.)
B) Knock-knocking on the comedy club’s door.
C) Making a scene, with a paparazzi entourage.
D) DRUMS! ROCK AND ROLL!....BUNNIES!
E) In the balcony, hurling overripe produce.

Question 3: What brightens your day?
A) When you can get your friends to agree on something.
B) When someone laughs at your joke!
C) A mirror.
D) NOISE!
E) Getting annoyed at bright days.

Question 4: How many Facebook friends do you have?
A) You like to hang out with your friends in person. You’re not so sure about this Facebook thing.
B) Well, if you count the guy who likes your weekly Funny Friday posts. (Kermit, is that you?)
C) They don’t have numbers that go that high, sweetie.
D) LOTS!
E) One. (Sits next to you.)

Question 5: What is your favorite color?
A) Swamp green
B) Custard Pie White
C) Pink is the perfect color. But gold and diamonds are close.
D) Any color, as long as it’s… LOUD!
E) Red. As in “after we watched that last act, we’re seeing red!”

Question 6: Which film is the diamond of your DVD collection?
A) Disney’s “The Muppets” (Even if You Say So Yourself)
B) “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To This Question”
C) “Breakfast (Lunch and Dinner) at Tiffany’s”
D) “Rock & Roll High School!”
E) What’s a DVD?

Question 7: If you could switch lives with anybody for one day, who would it be?
A) Prince William. What you would give for a kiss from Kate! (And great security from lurking pigs.)
B) Jason Segel. A funny man. People actually laugh at his jokes.
C) Yourself. (By the way, most A-list actresses pick you in response to this question.)
D) Keith Richards.
E) Don Rickles

Now count up all of your answers for each letter.
· If you got the most As, you’re KERMIT! You’re loyal, professional and humble. Your friends mean the world to you – even if they sometimes drive you crazy.

· If you got the most Bs, you’re FOZZIE BEAR! You live to make others laugh. Or chuckle. Or at least chortle and maybe smile a little.

· If you got the most Cs, you’re MISS PIGGY! You are self-confident A diva who is not afraid to shine. You enjoy being admired. Actually, you demand it!

· If you got the most Ds, you’re ANIMAL! You live for Rock & Roll, big loud parties and bigger louder drums. You’re also fond of bunny rabbits.

· If you got the most Es, you’re STATLER AND WALDORF, those two old hecklers in the balcony. You have strong opinions which you share at every opportunity.

Summary:
On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary’s girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds. To stage a telethon and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate. With signature celebrity cameos, Disney’s “The Muppets” hits the big screen Nov. 23, 2011.

Thanksgiving Week

I'm taking some time off this week to prepare for Thanksgiving and spend time with my family. (Although I am posting a review of a movie on Wednesday so stop by then to see what movie it is and what I thought of it.)

Hope you all have a wonderful time with family, eat lots of good food, and get some rest. That's what I plan to do! I'll see you back here next week with some great reviews and giveaways that might just help you with your Christmas buying!

Fiction Friday: Your Dream Is Not Dead, It's Nesting (A Guest Post)

Today's post is a guest post by my friend Mary DeMuth, who has shared her wisdom with us here before. She has lots of writerly resources over at her site www.marydemuth.com. This article was in her newsletter and I loved it so much, I asked her to share it here. I think many writers can empathize with that feeling of having a dream that has died. But Mary shares here that your dream might not be dead-- it might just be nesting. How could seeing your dream that way change your outlook? Read on...

The other day my husband came into the house and said, "I don't know what to do about the dead bird in the gutter."

"There's a dead bird in our gutter?"

"Yeah, I think so. I'm not sure if I need to go up there with a ladder, or call someone in case it died of a disease."

An hour or so later, Aidan saw the bird's wing jutting at a strange angle from the gutter. "Dad," he said. "It's not dead. It's moving."

After some investigation, we realized that the bird wasn't dead or dying. It was nesting. And its husband often kept vigil nearby. (The birds are doves; I like to think of them as husband and wife.)

I thought about our misconception, and then the Lord zinged me. "Your dream isn't dead. It may look dead. But it's nesting."

His words to me are His words to you.

Do you have a dream?

Do you think it's dead?

Have you thought of the possibility that your dream isn't dead after all, but in a period of waiting and watching before it hatches?

So many of us give up too quickly on the dreams God plants inside us. Consider Oswald Chambers' important words:

"God gives us the vision {dream}, then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of the vision, and it is in the valley that so many of us faint and give way. Every vision will be made real if we have patience."

So you may feel battered and frustrated and bewildered. But there is life yet in that dream, a twitch of a wing, the waiting of a patient mama bird. You need to sit and rest and wait and trust. Everything will be made clear in God's perfect time. The hatching will come. Rest in Philippians 1:6: "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."

Thursday Thought: Dealing With Disappointment

Today instead of writing a Thursday thought, I'm going to share a link to a post that really touched on some personal things I've been dealing with. Courtney Walsh shared what I've been feeling myself lately in her post When Disappointment Moonlights As An Answer To Prayer. Perhaps some of you will identify with the thoughts she expresses on dealing with disappointment like I did. Sometimes it's just good to know you're not the only one...

Psalms For Moms: Beautiful Transparency

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17

"There is a beautiful transparency to honest disciples who never wear a false face and do not pretend to be anything but who they are." Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel

Be who you are-- before God and before man. He knows the truth anyway. You're not fooling Him. And why would you want to go around trying to fool others anyway? As my friend Lisa Whittle says, be brave and others will feel brave. Go first. Tell the ugly stuff and watch others relax and say, "Oh you too? I thought I was the only one!" That kind of transparency is really beautiful.

Two For Tuesday: The Davids and the The Chrises

I have two names that recur in my music preferences: David and Chris

Under David you got David Gray, David Baerwald, and Dave Matthews

Under the Chrises you got Chris Botti, Chris Rea, and Chris Daughtry

Ahh. I've had such fun writing this particular post and finding songs to share with you! Hope you enjoy listening/watching. (Especially that Dave Matthews one featuring Julia Roberts-- it was part of the inspiration for a piece of fiction I'm playing with right now.)

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window . . . 70 and sunny.

I am thinking . . . about how much I look forward to attending the Southern Christmas Show each year with my mom. It's a fun tradition.

I am thankful for . . . only being asked to have the faith of a child. We make it so much bigger and harder than it has to be.

From the kitchen . . . time to start thinking about Thanksgiving menus.

I am wearing . . . black fleece pants from Old Navy, a gray long sleeved tee shirt that says "Brewery Vivant," a unique restaurant I ate at while in Grand Rapids last week.

I am creating . . . a few days of blog posts and always, a novel.

I am going . . . to the Southern Christmas Show today!! This is the official start of the Christmas season for me. The smells, the gifts, the food!

I am wondering . . . if I should buy the new Nook Tablet. It looks pretty good. Now if it just did the laundry...

I am reading . . . The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. Why am I just now reading this amazing book?? But of course, it comes at the perfect time.

I am hoping . . . to get through my edits on my current book quickly. Next weekend I'm planning to slip away to a hotel for the night and work, work, work. That's the best way to tackle edits, I'm finding-- to immerse myself in them.

I am looking forward to . . . Thanksgiving with family. And turkey. And dressing. And mashed potatoes and... you get the idea.

I am hearing . . . pounding feet over my head-- kids are playing in the bonus room.

Around the house . . . the Thanksgiving things are out-- cornucopias and pilgrims and indians and pumpkins everywhere there's a spare surface.

One of my favorite things . . . my writing friends.

A few plans for the rest of the week . . . planning Thanksgiving menu and starting to pick up some items (I say this every year and never seem to do it, always ending up at the grocery the day before with the hordes of other last minute shoppers. But not this year, I say. Not this year!), dinner out with extended family that are coming in town, writing, cleaning, playing a lot of Chris Botti while I do all of the above.

Pondering these words . . . come back Thursday and I'll share what I'm pondering. (That's what they call a teaser.)

Fiction Friday: 25 Insights on Becoming A Better Writer

I read this post and had to share it with you. It might take you awhile to read all the way through, but it'll be worth it-- a collection of quotes from famous writers about their best writing advice? I'll take it!

Thursday Thought: Your Past Does Not Determine Your Future

This meant a lot to me when I read it. I hope it means a lot to some of you, too:

Your Past Does Not Determine Your Future

“Isn’t that the carpenters son? “Did she not have five husbands?” “Did we not catch her in the act of adultery?” Wasn’t that man a drug addict?” God is a redeemer to the rejected of this world, a restorer of all that has been lost, and a bridge to all that can be gained through Him. What is your story? Everybody has a story, but in the hands of our God, your previous story matters very little. Your past does not determine your future, and our God can make the end of any matter greater than the beginning.


Have you been letting your past story be a hindrance to your future?
Will you let go of your past and embrace tomorrow in the freedom you have in Christ?

You are not alone, and the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you. Go forward in the power and assurance of your God.


(Source: Robert Ricciardelli www.convergingzone.com)

Psalms For Moms

“Once again I’ll go over what God has done,

lay out on the table the ancient wonders;

I’ll ponder all the things you’ve accomplished,

and give a long, loving look at your acts.”

~Ps. 77: 11-12 MSG

Ann Voskamp sent this out as her weekend post, and I wanted to share it here with those who might've missed it. This verse expresses where I'm trying to live right now, reflecting on God's faithfulness in the past as I look towards an uncertain future.

Two For Tuesday

Two ways to motivate yourself:

Give yourself a deadline. Or ask a friend to give you one and hold you accountable.

Withhold a reward from yourself until you do something.

People ask me all the time how I make myself write. Since I don't have a direct boss or even a specific timetable most of the time a lot of what I do has to be self-directed. But the problem with self direction is that you are apt to let yourself off the hook with excuses like it's that time of the month, I have a headache, I need to clean the house, I need to go shopping, I'm tired, I'd rather watch a movie, etc.

So I have found that I have to motivate myself or else I'll never get anything done. Giving myself assignments and a deadline to complete them as if an authority figure gave it to me has been extremely motivating. I've reached a place where I can't stand to let myself down. The more you do it, the more normal that will feel.

And for the times when I'm tempted to quit and go do something fun, I tell myself that if I just do (fill in the blank) I can do that fun thing. Ie, write one more scene and you can have dinner. Write this blog post and you can get a coffee. Finish this devotion and you can watch that movie. Etc.

It's not easy to hold your own feet to the fire, but it's definitely possible. Find what works on you and use it against yourself.

Stir It Up

Today I've got a devotion running over at P31. This one's called Stir It Up and it's about the time I forgot to stir my sweetener into my coffee and then wondered what happened when I took a sip and it wasn't sweet. Yes, everything is fodder for writing! Even goof-ups! (Especially goof-ups!)

In honor of today's devotion I'm offering a ten dollar Starbucks gift card to one winner. Leave a comment here and share how God's stirring you up right now for your chance to win.

I'll start. God's stirring me up with my writing. And learning to balance it all. And dealing with this passle of kids we've got. Oh, and with trusting Him with our financial future. As we face having two in college next year I can start hyperventilating when I try to control it all. He's teaching me to let go, and-- sorry for the cliche-- let Him.

Your turn!

Fiction Friday: Suspense

Every novel must have suspense whether it would be billed as a thriller or a mystery or a love story or a friendship novel. You've got to have an element that keeps your reader guessing, "What's going to happen next?"

I've been reading Noah Lukeman's The Plot Thickens and especially liked his chapter on creating suspense and how to do it. He outlines 12 ways that I can't tell you because I doubt he'd like me giving that info away. He'd probably prefer you to get the book. If you're a fiction writer, I'd say it's worth the purchase if for nothing than to read through his chapters on suspense and conflict.

But I did want to share his definition of what suspense is because I thought it was a good explanation:

Suspense, ultimately, is about anticipation. It is about what we do not
have, what has not happened. It is about the process of
watching events unfold. Once the victim is murdered, the woman wooed, the
suspense disappears. But while the victim is stalked, the girl courted, suspense
looms. Suspense, simply, is about creating and prolonging anticipation.

If you're writing fiction, how can you add suspense to the page? How can you prolong something for your characters-- and hence, your reader-- thereby building suspense? Add that element, and you will keep readers turning the pages all the way to the end.

My favorite reader letter to get isn't the one from the person who tells me they bought the book... but that they finished it. That is when I know I did my job.

Thursday Thought: I Could Care Less

Warning: honest post ahead.

The other day my 17yo daughter and I were talking about driving. She told me a story about how someone behind her in traffic got mad and beeped their horn because she wasn't pulling out fast enough for them. I told her not to worry about what that driver thought-- to take her time until she felt comfortable. That some random stranger's opinion about her driving isn't worth risking her life for. After all, I told her, you'll most likely never see that person again.

This started a series of thoughts for me personally as I thought of the things I do so that some total stranger doesn't think badly of me-- when chances are I'll never see that person again. And yet, in that moment, their opinion matters too much. Whether it's the hesitance to dance to a song I love lest someone see me, or the freedom to dress in what I want to wear lest someone judge my fashion sense, or the courage to attempt something I want to do lest someone make fun of me-- I let other people's opinions weigh heavily on the decisions I make. People who shouldn't make any difference to me. How absurd is it that we might make a risky driving decision just because the stranger behind us might be miffed about our pause?

I wish I had an answer for this dilemma. I'm working on it. Trying to live like I don't care-- being true to what I know I've been called to do, without focusing on what other people think. I don't want to live in fear of embarrassment or exposure. I want to take my time, take risks, and take care of myself and those I love. Do I care about other people? Absolutely. But I've got to answer to God and to my husband and family-- and that's where my concern should end. And yet, I let it extend outwards and outwards and outwards. I could care less. In this case, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

Psalms For Moms: Grace For The Good Girl

The lovely and gracious Emily Freeman has granted me permission to share excerpts from her book Grace For The Good Girl as my Psalms For Moms posts throughout the month of October. October is officially over but I wanted to share one last thought with you. Thanks Emily for sharing with us!

Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God."

My favorite version of this verse is "Cease striving and know that I am God." What a reminder for me. I can stop striving-- for money, for success, for attention, for favor, for... fill in the blanks. Instead I can simply know that He is God. When I rest in that fact-- when I simply trust Him and His perfect plans-- I find rest. Stillness. Don't know about you, but I crave rest. I crave the simplicity of just trusting and not striving. It's... freeing.

Here's what Emily had to say:

"Along with the Psalmist I can sing of stillness and of knowing that the Lord, He is God. God does not say "be still and feel like I am God." He says be still, cease striving, make space... and know. Know it as sure as oxygen and gravity. We have a fortress, a refuge, a safe place. His name is Jesus."
What do you need to stop striving for today? Your children's security? Your financial future? Your marriage? Your position or acceptance? How can you be still and know?

Menu Plan Monday

This week's menu:

Monday: Chili and cornbread (Nothing says trick or treat like a nice warm bowl of chili before you venture out!)

Tuesday: Barbecue Pork Sandwiches, Tater Tots, Corn (I make my barbecue pork with a pork tenderloin in the crockpot all day covered in a bottle of barbecue sauce. Shred with two forks just before serving and serve on buns. Easy and delish!)

Wednesday: Italian chicken, pasta, green beans

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Hamburgers on the grill, chips

Fiction Friday: You've Written A Novel, Now What?

This post by my sort-of friend Juliette Fay (by sort-of friend I mean we've traded a few emails and she's a very nice person) is a great primer on what to do once you've typed the words "The End." I couldn't have said it better myself-- and I figure, why try?

Thursday Thought: {W}hole Review and Giveaway

My friend Lisa Whittle has written an excellent book. It's the book we've been studying in our book study each week-- a randomly put together group of us met to hash out what wholeness looks like, and what personal holes prevent us from achieving the wholeness we desire. We talked, we cried, we vented, and-- as Lisa said-- we "went there." {W}hole is a book for people who want to go there-- to dig deeply into those things that we might otherwise not take the time to look at. We talked about how our religion, our roles and our experiences can lead to holes in our life.

I will share some quotes I've underlined:

Religion will always feel bad when we define our relationship with a supreme God by simple trying to perform spiritual things really well.

To gain true and lasting spiritual freedom, I would have to be brave enough to look at those holes without looking away. It would mean the difference in the quality of my life and how much I would be able to experience a real God without limits-- something I had always wanted. And something, as it turns out, that is available to us all.

More than thirty million adults say that their experiences with religion have caused them to question God.

Like me or not, I pray that you cannot deny the presence of God in my life.

One of the most curious things about humans is how hard we resist change. Even when our lives unravel before us, there is still something inside that holds on to the mess just so we don't have to do something different.

The roles we have in life often hold our hearts in their hands, so when the roles are taken away, our hearts are dropped and broken. We have depended on them to fulfill us, and that has created a hole... But these roles do not make me who I am at the very core. They are simply what I am blessed to do while God chooses to leave me on this earth.

When you screw up as often as I do, you're that much more thankful for an all-access God who has no ability to make mistakes and yet infinite capacity to handle ours.

Here's a link to the book site, where you can watch the trailer and learn more about what Lisa is offering in and through this labor of love birthed from her own personal struggles. Suffice it to say that this is an author who has truly lived her words.

If you're looking to "go there" in your spiritual life, I suggest you get {W}hole. This book will challenge you if you let it. It's one I would suggest reading a little each morning, with a pen for underlining and your journal pages open for recording what God reveals about your story as you read.

With that in mind, I am giving away a copy of {W}hole, a journal, and my favorite pen to one lucky winner! Please leave a comment to win, telling me why you'd like to dig into {W}hole!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. GILLIAN WAS THE WINNER-- IF YOU DIDN'T WIN THIS TIME, PLEASE CONSIDER BUYING LISA'S BOOK. IT'S A WONDERFUL BOOK TO GO THROUGH IN YOUR OWN PERSONAL QUIET TIME!

Psalms For Moms: Grace For The Good Girl

The lovely and gracious Emily Freeman has granted me permission to share excerpts from her book Grace For The Good Girl as my Psalms For Moms posts throughout the month of October. So each Wednesday in October, you'll be hearing from Emily. Thanks Emily for sharing with us!

Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."


This is one of my favorite verses-- one I talked about in For The Write Reason after a wise woman explained how we get it out of order. We think we must delight ourselves in Him in order to get what we want-- the desires of our heart. We see a formula and, because we are human and we like formulas, we decide "Well that's just what I'll do." And we set out to delight in Him in order to get what we want.

What we fail to realize is that the verse is more subtle than that. God is saying "Spend time with me and the desires of your heart will line up with my desires." Emily had a great quote that explained this so well that I wanted to share it with you:

"As your spirit communes with the Spirit of God, He plants seeds of desire in your heart and then leads you according to His will. And He will work within you such that you will begin to desire what He desires. When you do what would really please you, you are actually obeying God!"

Have you ever thought that by delighting in Him He will change your heart-- and your former desires will be replaced with His?

Two For Tuesday: A Change Of Pace For Breakfast

Want something different for breakfast? Tired of the same old cereal routine? Here are two things we've had at our house recently:

This is what was for breakfast at my house this weekend. I am happy to report my kids ate it! And it took nearly no time to prepare!
http://www.snack-girl.com/snack/apple-peanut-butter-oatmeal-recipe/

And here's a pumpkin spice smoothie that my kids loved:

Blend in blender:
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
8-10 oz. vanilla almond milk
dash of cinnamon and nutmeg
ice
(I also added protein powder for extra nutrition. I buy Vi-Salus but you can always check at your grocery store or Target, etc for a canister. I've also bought Jay Robb Enterprises brand and I see that Jillian Michaels has a brand too, though I've never tried it.)

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window... watching yellow leaves flutter to the ground. Blue skies. Crisp air. Am so enjoying fall this year instead of grieving summer's loss.

I am grateful... for family life. We had a weekend of nothing on the calendar and I needed it.

I am thinking about... how to help one of my kids with an issue. Something she wanted didn't happen and she's sad-- with good reason. It's so hard to watch your kids go through disappointments. Even though I know she will grow stronger through this, I would love to save her from it.

From the kitchen... a change of pace for breakfast. I will be sharing some recipes tomorrow so stop back by!

I am reading... Isaiah, one chapter a day in The Message. It's one of my favorite books in the Bible. Also reading some YA books-- trying to learn how it's done.

I am hoping... that my daughter has a good day at school today in spite of her setbacks.

I am praying... for something I hope to share later. :)

I am hearing... the vacuum, the kids yelling at the dog. Family life.

Around the house... meals and cleaning and taking the dog out and keeping up with library books.

I am pondering... themes in fiction

One of my favorite things... biting into a big, crisp apple.

A few plans for the rest of the week... speaking on writing to the 7th graders at my kids' school, the last week (til we reconvene in Jan) of the book study group I've been attending, errands, and writing, writing, writing.

Want to read more Simple Woman's Daybook entries? Visit this link:
http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Fiction Friday: On Endings

Today I have a devotion running at Proverbs 31. If you've stopped by after reading, welcome! If you'd like to read some further thoughts on today's devotion, scroll down to read my "Psalms For Moms" post I ran on Wednesday. I shared a perspective on that same Scripture from author Emily Freeman. She's got some great insight.

On Fridays around here, I talk about one of my big passions: writing fiction. Today I'm talking about endings-- how they're not always neat and tidy, in life or in fiction. One of the criticisms I've gotten for She Makes It Look Easy is that readers don't like the ending. They wanted me to wrap it up more-- to show what happened to all the characters. But I didn't feel like that was a real representation of life-- at least for me, life doesn't get all wrapped up at the end like a sitcom. Some stuff seems to come to a close, while other things are left hanging. And that's how I left it with Ariel and Justine. You think you know what happened but... you're not totally sure.

I felt a bit bad about these reviews (about people finding fault with the ending) until I read a perspective on one of Jesus' parables, the Prodigal Son story in Luke 15. The author of the essay I read noted that that story ends (and I had to go look this up to find that it's totally true) with the older brother on the porch. Jesus never tells us whether he chose to go inside and join the party or whether he turned and went back to where he was. We don't know what happens to the older brother. We get to decide for ourselves. We get to think about what we would do if we were standing on that porch. When we start putting ourselves in the character's place, the author has done their job.

Of couse Jesus did His job. He's the Master storyteller. I think He wanted us to think for ourselves. He didn't tie his ending up in a nice shiny bow either. I love that-- and I love endings that make us think like that. I won't always do that (I didn't in Mailbox), but when the story calls for it, I will. She Makes It Look Easy called for it. I hope the fates of the characters do haunt you a bit. I hope you are left wondering what happened to Justine, to Ariel, to Erica and Betsy. To me they were-- and are-- worth worrying about... worth musing over long after the last page is turned.

Thursday Thought

Source: Facebook

Pretty sobering thought, huh? Made me stop short and wonder what I'd even bothered to thank Him for yesterday. If you'd like to be more intentional about gratitude might I recommend picking up Ann Voskamp's book 1000 Gifts? It'll make you think about gratitude like you never have before. She's also got a handy downloadable printable record for each month so you can list your own gifts. October's can be found here. I've got mine on my dresser with a pen right by it so I can jot down items as I think of them.

Psalms For Moms: Grace For The Good Girl

The lovely and gracious Emily Freeman has granted me permission to share excerpts from her book Grace For The Good Girl as my Psalms For Moms posts throughout the month of October. So each Wednesday in October, you'll be hearing from Emily. Thanks Emily for sharing with us!

Psalm 37:3,Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

On Friday I have a devotion running at Proverbs 31 that's going to go into this more so I had to share this post this week. I was amazed when I saw Emily going into something that I'd also been pondering and had written about. I loved the points she made.

Here's what she had to say:

One of my favorite pictures of safety in Scripture comes from Psalm 139:5-6, where David says, "You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it."

Imagine a day when you are overwhelmed beyond what you thought you could ever bear. Perhaps you just discovered a loved one is sick. Or you have a child who is living contrary to what you know is good for her. Or your husband just lost his job. Maybe you are simply having one of those days where you woke up in a funk. The house is a wreck, the laundry is piled high, the fridge is empty, it's raining. And you feel fat. Maybe you don't have to imagine. Maybe you're living that day right now.

Sometimes on those days, it helps to remember that God has enclosed me behind. That means everything in my past-- every situation, circumstance, pain, fear, and longing I've ever had-- He has been a barrier between those things and me. The Hebrew word translated as "behind" is also used in Scripture to mean "west." And He has enclosed me before, meaning forward, front, or everlasting. It can also mean "east." East and west are opposites forever. They have no beginning, no ending, and they never meet one another. He covers my yesterday and He holds my tomorrow. Still, this present moment is where I live. What about today?

He has enclosed me forever in the past and forever in the future. And then He lays His hand upon me in the great right now. The New Living Translation says it this way: "You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head." Imagine a hero who not only leads the way but also brings up the rear and holds your hand all at the same time. I can't imagine a safer place than that.

Two For Tuesday: Two Fallish Recipe Links

Apple Butter Crescent Rolls: Do these look delish or what?

And here's another sweet treat: Snickerdoodle Blondies. I'm thinking of making these for my kids' school cakewalk. It's not a cake but it sure looks good!

A Recipe

I'm returning from Nashville TN today so I am just posting a quick recipe that you all might want to make now that the leaves are changing and the weather is turning cooler. When that happens I start making soup... and lots of it. If you've been visiting my blog for any length of time, you already know how much I love me some soup. And you've probably seen some of my recipes for various kinds of soup. This is one I'll be making soon at our house. It's quick and easy and delicious too!

Hope your family enjoys it!

Italian Chicken Soup

2 lbs of chicken breasts, cooked and shredded with 2 forks
1 medium chopped onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 peeled and diced potatoes
1 can chicken broth
1.5 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
10 oz pkg frozen mixed vegetables

Saute onion til tender. Stir in tomatoes, potatoes, broth and seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and and simmer, covered for ten minutes. Add veggies and chicken and simmer for at least 25 minutes (preferably longer). Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

Fiction Friday: Beta Readers (A Guest Post)

Today's guest post comes from Jodie Bailey, a fellow writer whose comments about submitting her work to beta readers before she turns them in prompted me to ask her to share about that process here. What are beta readers and how can they help an author? Read on!

When I finished my first “real” novel (and believe me, there were a lot of “real” duds before it), I discovered writing the book was the easy part. The hard part was letting someone else read my baby and tell me everything that was wrong with it.
Gulp.

I thought about it for a long time, then decided the only way to get over the fear of possibly hearing “this is complete garbage” was to hand it to someone and make them read it in… front… of… me. My amazing friend/fellow English teacher Shannon did just that. She sat down in a booth across from me, took the three-ring binder I handed her, and sat there for an entire day as we worked our way through that book.

Have I mentioned I totally love her?

Shannon was my first critique partner, and now that I have a fabulous critique group, she’s one of my beta readers. A couple of years ago, I’d have said there wasn’t a difference, but four books later I know there is, and I make sure both lay eyes on my novels before my agent sees a word.

I write in a vacuum, finishing and revising and editing before I ever let anyone see my work. The first ones to see it are my critique group, truly formed by the hand of God working through the touch of ACFW. These are the ladies in my life who know my writer’s heart. They know how it feels to sweat black ink drops onto white paper. They have studied craft beside me and know how to follow the rules—and when to break them. They have the amazing ability to read my work and love me enough to say, “This doesn’t work for me. Maybe this would fix it.” They appreciate what I’m trying to say, but they recognize fatal flaws and refuse to let them go simply because it might hurt my feelings. They’d rather risk pain than see me lose a contract because they were too nice to say something. I love those ladies. They make my writing what it is.

As much as I love my crit partners, there is a big issue with them. They never get to read my work as a whole. We sub in pieces, sometimes out of order, a few pages a week. There’s something lost when you read that way, so after I’ve revised based on their comments, I call on my “first readers.” Typically, I post a message on my Facebook page that says, “Hey, who wants to read an unpublished novel and be mean enough to tell me if it’s bad?” I get an eclectic group, and I pick a varied five (whom I trust!). I want them to read like regular readers then call me up and say, “Hey, at page 72, I really got bored.” Or, “I need more of the conversation that happened on page 81.” They tell me what makes them want to read on and what makes them want to stop. They’re not reading line-by-line, scene-by-scene. We write for the glory of God and for our readers, and we want to know we’re reaching them. My “beta readers” look at my story as a whole and give me a pretty good idea how the general population will see my words.

Scary.

For me, both of these groups are vitally important. We love the words we pour from our hearts onto the page (we wouldn’t do this if we didn’t!), and we will never be able to read them with a truly unbiased eye. If you don’t have a crit group, get one. If you have a crit group and no beta readers, find some. You’ll be amazed the directions they can take you. The New Living Translation of Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.” As for Shannon, she suggested I add a scene to that first novel, because she needed clarification on an issue. I wrote that scene, and out of it an entire new book was born. When it comes to having others read our work, God knows exactly what He’s doing…

Thursday Thought

This is so me. (Source: Facebook)

Psalms For Moms: Grace For The Good Girl

The lovely and gracious Emily Freeman has granted me permission to share excerpts from her book Grace For The Good Girl as my Psalms For Moms posts throughout the month of October. So each Wednesday in October, you'll be hearing from Emily. Thanks Emily for sharing with us!

Psalm 23:3 "He restores my soul."

"Our soul is our mind, our will and our emotions. He restores all three on my behalf and for His good pleasure. Both our minds and our emotions are in the process of restoration. As we set our minds on truth , our emotions are being renewed as well."

How can you set your mind on truth today-- and not on emotions? How does the thought that He is restoring your soul-- your mind, your will and your emotions-- encourage you?

Two For Tuesday: Two Books I'm Reading, Ok 3

I'm reading three memoirs about the farming life right now. Sometimes my reading aligns in a theme, and this is one of those times. I guess this type of book appeals to me because I grew up with cows (Bessie, Charlie and their daughter Daisy) and horses (Sugar, Misty, PeeWee, and others) and bees and dogs and rabbits out in the country. I've said many times that the absence of neighborhood kids and the room to explore and roam shaped me into a writer. While I didn't know that then, I look back at it fondly now. These books put me in touch with that. But don't get me wrong, I don't want that life now. I may like reading about it, but I have to have a Starbucks within seven minutes of me!

The Blueberry Years by Jim Minick

I had the pleasure of meeting Jim at SIBA in September. He's a genuinely nice guy. Of course I had to read his book after meeting him! Here's a description of the book:

The Blueberry Years is a mouth-watering and delightful memoir based on Jim Minick’s trials and tribulations as an organic blueberry farmer. This story of one couple and one farm shows how our country’s appetite for cheap food affects how that food is grown, who does or does not grow it, and what happens to the land. But this memoir also calls attention to the fragile nature of our global food system and our nation’s ambivalence about what we eat and where it comes from.

Readers of Michael Polland and Barbara Kingsolver will savor the tale of Jim’s farm and the exploration of larger issues facing agriculture in the United States—like the rise of organic farming, the plight of small farmers, and the loneliness common in rural America. Ultimately, The Blueberry Years tells the story of a place shaped by a young couple’s dream, and how that dream ripened into one of the mid-Atlantic’s first certified-organic, pick-your-own blueberry farms.

Confessions of A Counterfeit Farm Girl by Susan McCorkindale

At her husband’s prompting, suburban mom and New York career woman Susan McCorkindale agreed to give up her stressful six-figure job. Together, they headed down south to a 500-acre beef farm, and never looked back. Well, he didn’t look back. She did. A lot.

From playing “spot the religious billboard” on the drive to rural Virginia, to adapting to a world without Starbucks, to planning bright-orange hunter-resistant wardrobes for the kids (“We moved here to get away from the madness of Manhattan only to risk getting popped on our own property”), this is her hilarious account of how a city girl came to love—or at least tolerate—country life.

The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball

Single, thirtysomething, working as a writer in New York City, Kristin Kimball was living life as an adventure. But she was beginning to feel a sense of longing for a family and for home. When she interviewed a dynamic young farmer, her world changed. Kristin knew nothing about growing vegetables, let alone raising pigs and cattle and driving horses. But on an impulse, smitten, if not yet in love, she shed her city self and moved to five hundred acres near Lake Champlain to start a new farm with him. The Dirty Life is the captivating chronicle of their first year on Essex Farm, from the cold North Country winter through the following harvest season—complete with their wedding in the loft of the barn.

Menu Plan Monday

Here's our menu for this week. It's a light week menu-wise at our house with two nights of me not cooking. Last night we had a french toast casserole with a yummy praline pecan topping and sausage and cooked apples. A perfect Sunday night fall meal!

Monday: Chick Fil A Kids Eat Free Night (This is unique to our local CFA. If you live near one, you should see if they do it. If not, look for restaurants that offer this during the week. This is a fun way to eat out without spending a ton.)

Tuesday: Barbecue Pork Chops on the grill, baked potato bar w/chopped broccoli on top of potatoes (Try it, it's good!)

Wednesday: Lime Chicken in the crockpot (included this recipe below), pasta side dish, green beans
Thursday: Spaghetti, Homemade French Baguettes, Salad

Friday: Pizza (I'll be out of town so Curt and the kids will order pizza.)


Lime Chicken In Crockpot

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1/4 cup honey

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 minced garlic cloves

3 Tbsp. margarita mix (or juice of one lime)

Mix all sauce ingredients and pour over chicken in crockpot. Cook on low for 7-9 hours.

Fiction Friday: Who Are You?

Below is a reprint from a weekly e-newsletter I subscribe to. This one I had to share with you. I included information about Holly Lisle, the author, at the bottom of the article. Her article on plotting with notecards was extremely helpful when I wrote The Mailbox and had not a clue what I was doing.

Holly's Tip -- Ask WHO.

There comes a day when you're sitting with your writing, and you
look at an important character you're writing who has just done
something that makes absolutely no sense in relationship to his
role in your story, and in a fit of frustration, you snarl at this
character...

Who ARE you?

Truth is, a lot of times characters will lie to you. One will come
into your story dressed in a hero's cape and tights, and when you
finally follow her home, you discover she doesn't just have a
skeleton or two in her closet...she has a whole row of bodies lined
up in her basement.

Or you'll find that you get these warm little shivers every time
you write your villain, and what you WANT are COLD shivers, and
then all of a sudden your villain saves a cat from a couple of
neighborhood bullies by being bigger and scarier than they are...and
there goes HIS credibility as a monster.

Not a single one of your characters is who he SAYS he is. Not a
single one of your characters is who YOU say he is.

Your characters ARE what they DO. Same as you.

Words are wind. Unless they're backed up by actions that match
them---either in the real world or in fiction---they're meaningless.

If your have a character who does nothing that matters, then even
if you SAY that character is your main character, he isn't.

If you have a character who hurts people, causes chaos, lies,
cheats, steals, or destroys lives or property or hopes and dreams,
then even if you planned that character as your hero, he isn't a
hero.

You can write a hero who has wonderful intentions, who wants to
save the world or his part of it, who takes actions he says
will help everyone...but if the end result of his actions is that the
people he wanted to save (or maybe a whole bunch of other people he
didn't care about) are hurt, or lose what matters to them---then he
isn't your hero. He's your villain.

Intentions, like words, don't count. Action and the consequences
of that action are all you look at when you're evaluating your
character and his role in your story.

Your characters are what they do, and your job as the writer is to
clearly and honestly evaluate what they do, and build the story
around the people they actually are, and not the people you think
they should be.

You CAN fire your main character from the role of hero, and turn
him into a villain.

You CAN fire your villain and rehire him as your hero.

You can also dump a character who contributes nothing from your
story and replace him with that unappreciated guy who's been doing
all the work for the last hundred pages.

First, though, you have to look past what your character says to
what he or she does.

You have to ask:

When we've moved past words to actions, who ARE you?

Write with joy,
Holly




This email is Copyright Holly Lisle. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of any portion of this email is strictly
prohibited without the express written consent of
Holly Lisle.

Get your own copy of this newsletter here:
http://hollylisle.com/newsletter.php


MY SITES:
http://hollylisle.com/
http://novelwritingschool.com/

Thursday Thought: Decision Fatigue

I learned about the term "decision fatigue" last week at a conference, and thought I'd share a link with you in case you wanted to learn more about it. I think there's something to it. Too many choices can fry your brain. That's not the technical description for what happens, but I think it fits.

Seth Godin referenced it in a recent post:

What
to do next:

This is the most important decision in your
career (or even your day).
It didn't used to be. What next used to be a
question answered by your boss or your clients.
With so many opportunities
and so many constraints, successfully picking what to do next is your moment of
highest leverage. It deserves more time and attention than most people give it.
If you're not willing to face the abyss of choice, you will almost certainly
not spend enough time dancing with opportunity.

Deciding what to do next is just one decision we make in the course of a day. When you really think about it, the number of decisions we make each day is pretty staggering. I heard a story from a missionary once who returned to the states after time in a third world country. She went to the grocery store and was literally frozen by the number of choices she had in front of her. And yet, we make decisions from the vast numbers of products every time we enter a store without even giving it much thought.

How about you? Do you think you have decision fatigue?

Psalms For Moms: Grace For The Good Girl

The lovely and gracious Emily Freeman has granted me permission to share excerpts from her book Grace For The Good Girl as my Psalms For Moms posts throughout the month of October. So for the next four Wednesdays, you'll be hearing from Emily. Thanks Emily for sharing with us!

"I've thrown myself headlong into your arms-- I'm celebrating your rescue." Psalm 13:5, MSG

"At 8:30 pm it feels like midnight. Blinking takes effort. I'm tightly clenching my jaw as I type and I. Can't. Stop. This life is exhausting. And I'm not even sick or pregnant or depressed or dying of starvation or homeless. But I still need a hero. Good thing I've got one. I can receive the mess as a gift because it gives me the opportunity to tell God, 'I've thrown myself headlong into your arms-- I'm celebrating your rescue.' How life-giving it is to know I have someplace to throw myself headlong other than into my bed. Besides, it isn't made and the sheets are dirty anyway."

Two For Tuesday: Two Things That Keep Me (Somewhat) Organized And A Giveaway!

Today I thought I'd share two things that help keep me organized: my master to-do list notebook and my daily mini legal pad where I "assign" myself things to do, using my master to-do list notebook.

I use the master to-do list to keep track of everything-- kid stuff, writing stuff, business stuff, house stuff, medical stuff... you name it! If it needs doing, it goes in there. But you can't get it all done in one day, right? So that's why I needed one place to put it all. My notebook is one I found at Office Max-- nothing fancy, just a 5X7 size business notebook.

I then use the lists from my master notebook to create daily lists, assigning myself a certain amount for each day according to the day I've got ahead of me. If I'm going to be gone all day, then I know the list needs to be short. If I'm home with time on my hands, the list can be longer. I've gotten a feel for what I can accomplish after years of trial and error. And if it doesn't all get done? Well, that just means it goes on the next day's list. No biggie.

I don't remember when I started this system-- it's been years ago and it still works well. If it goes in the master notebook, it generally gets done. The master list is a big picture list-- I usually make a page a week, sometimes a page a month depending on what I have going on. I take time regularly to sit down with my emails and add items to the notebook using saved emails as reminders. Several times a week I glance over that week's list and make sure I've assigned stuff that needs doing-- thereby spreading out the tasks in a doable way. If I focus on the master list too much I am prone to hyperventilate. That's where the daily lists come in handy. When I break it down, I can handle life. I can get 'er done.

So today I am doing a great giveaway! I'm giving away a master to-do notebook like I use, a small legal pad, AND two organizational books-- Glynnis Whitwer's inspiring new book I Used To Be So Organized and Laura Wittman's Clutter Rehab! The winner of this giveaway is sure to get a handle on life!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS TO ALL WHO LEFT A COMMENT!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window... not as cool as you might expect as we begin October. But there's something different about the air and the light that means fall is here, no matter what the thermometer says.

I am thinking... about a new book. This one's a YA. Not sure that I will ever write it in its entirety but I'm having fun thinking of it for now. Keeps me entertained.

I am thankful... to be a writer. Sometimes I still can't believe that this is what I actually do. And people let me.

In the kitchen... soups, casseroles, hearty fall food.

I am wearing... jeans and a white tee shirt, silver flip flops. Haven't switched to fall shoes yet.

I am creating... book ideas and plot lines and character sketches, oh my!

I am going... to Nashville soon. But in the meantime I'm glad to not be going anywhere except about a five mile radius of our house.

I am wondering... when and how I can get myself back into some semblance of an exercise routine.

I am reading... The 19th Wife. I caught the beginning of this movie the other morning on tv and-- while I knew I didn't have time to sit and watch a movie, I got the book from the library. A modern day murder mystery that involves polygamy? Yes please!

I am hoping... to get some writing done this week. There's talking about writing-- and then there's actually putting words on paper.

I am looking forward to... a date night with my husband. Since I've been traveling so much we haven't been able to do that in awhile. Dinner and a movie, anyone?

I am hearing... laughter at tables near me, ice clattering out of the machine and into glasses, the shriek of a child. Am at Panera.

Around the house... Fall decorations are appearing around the house. Love the splashes of orange and brown and red.

I am pondering... how I can possibly read all the books on my TBR (to be read) list. It's borderline obscene.

One of my favorite things... a good old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie.

A few plans for the rest of the week: I have three whole days this week with nothing on the calendar. Bliss. I also have a study I am doing with a group of women-- going through
{W}hole by Lisa Whittle and she's leading it! So fun! Am also having lunch with an old friend and volunteering at my kids' school.

A picture thought I am sharing:



A recent "wedding" I attended. The nuptials were a tribute to the SIBA (Southern Independent Booksellers Association) finalists for Book Of The Year. I was honored to be invited to take part since The Mailbox was a finalist. Some of the highlights of the night were the toasts to the bride and groom written by the authors, the groom's book jacket jacket (sewn together entirely out of book jackets), and the vows that included a reference to each of the books nominated. I'll never forget it.

Fiction Friday: Writing Likable Characters

Last week we asked our characters who they are. This week we're asking: Does anyone like you?

That's a question we have to answer for our characters. These two posts will help to determine how to make sure that the answer is a resounding YES!

Captain America's Ten Step Guide To The Likable Hero

Creating Sympathetic Heroes, Part I

I will never forget one of the biggest pieces of feedback I got from my editor after she read She Makes It Look Easy was "I don't like your main character. She's insecure, she whines, she's not good at anything she does. I just feel depressed when I read her." I had to go back and figure out how to make it so my reader didn't feel that way about her. Because if readers feel that way, they will put your book down. I hope that these posts will help you create likable characters so you never have to hear what my editor said. If I can save one person from that fate, I've done my job.

Thursday Thought: Towards Healing

Yesterday I ran a guest post from my friend Mary DeMuth. Today I am providing a link to a video by her that I hope you will watch. If it doesn't apply to you, then perhaps you know someone who needs this information and encouragement. Take a few minutes to hear what she has to say. It's worth listening to.

(I would post the video here but apparently my computer has developed an allergy to all videos by YouTube. If I try to load one, it shuts the whole thing down.)

Psalms For Moms: Sing (A Guest Post)

I read today's post in my dear friend Mary DeMuth's newsletter and immediately emailed her to ask if I could use it as Psalms For Moms guest post, to which she graciously said yes. Visit Mary and find out about her wonderfulness at her site. Access her September newsletter in its entirety (and subscribe for yourself) here.

I will shout for joy and sing your praises,
for you have ransomed me. Psalm 71:23


"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." Henry David Thoreau

Will you die with your song still inside? Will I? Is there something only you can sing to the world that must be sung, but fear has held you hostage? The Lord tells us all, it's time to sing.

But sometimes I fear I've lost my voice.

Yesterday I read this in Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. The setting is that Much-Afraid, a scarred and scared woman is trying to venture to the high places. In this point in her journey mountainward, she is in the mist, nothing all around her but her companions Sorrow and Suffering. And everywhere she walks, she hears the voices of her enemies, trying to discourage and destroy her. Finally, after the voices threaten to stop her, she decides to sing.

"There was perfect silence as she sang. The loud, sneering voices of her enemies had died away altogether. 'It is a good idea,' said Much-Afraid to herself jubilantly. 'I wish I had thought of it before. It [singing] is a much better way to avoid hearing what they are saying than putting cotton in my ears, and I believe, yes, I really do believe, there is a little rift in the mist ahead. How lovely, I shall sing the verse again.' And she did so. (page 162).

This touched me. It reminded me. It helped me.

I am called to sing.

Particularly when the voices inside and around me are hollering terrible things. My job is to refrain from stifling myself and be brave enough to sing a song to Jesus.

Today was a terrible day. Yesterday too. The day before was even worse. When I ran along the neighborhood and music flooded my earphones, all I could do was cry. I heard music but I didn't sing. Couldn't.

But then I read this small little verse and I remembered:

I will shout for joy and sing your praises,
for you have ransomed me. Psalm 71:23

God has ransomed me.

I must sing.

And so must you.

Two For Tuesday: Blogging Tips

Here's a post for those of you who are bloggers-- or want to be.

This post is filled with ideas that will serve as a springboard to get you blogging-- especially if you've hit a slump and need some new ideas. Get out a piece of paper and make a list of posts you want to write, adding personal, specific details as they come to mind. Use this list whenever you sit down to write.

This post is by Michael Hyatt about how to write a blog post in 70 minutes. The tips he gives are good for any kind of writing-- whether a devotion, a blog post, an article, essay or book. I especially like the point about starting the night before. I do that but had never really thought about what I was doing.

A New Blogging Schedule

One of the things I thought a lot about during my month off in July and my different schedule in August was what I wanted to do when I came back to posting on a regular schedule. I knew I wanted to make some changes as I get tired of the same old thing.

And so, here's what I am going to try-- a new schedule just to keep things from being the same old same old around here.

Mondays: Either Menu Plan Monday (with the occasional recipe thrown in for good measure) or a Simple Woman's Daybook entry. This will vary according to what I am in the mood to write. The past two weeks I've done one of each so you can go back and see what I am talking about if you missed them.

Tuesdays: Two For Tuesdays-- I will write about two things that are on my mind that are related in some way. This might mean verses, quotes, links to posts, authors I'm enjoying, recipes I've made lately... there will be no rhyme or reason to it, which I think will keep it fresh. I enjoyed doing the Top Ten Posts but felt I had exhausted that topic in the year I did it. Two is easier to come up with than ten.

Wednesdays: Will remain "Psalms For Moms" posts. This seems to be a popular post and I still have plenty of Psalms I haven't touched on yet.

Thursdays: Will remain the "Thursday Thought"-- I am going to try to keep Thursdays short and sweet, focusing on good quotes and things that will get you thinking, but not belaboring them.

Fridays: Will remain Fiction Friday. I could talk fiction every day of the week, so I am showing restraint in limiting it to just Fridays.

I hope you like this new schedule. I am excited about changing things up and will look forward to sharing with you in this new school year!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

I am taking the rest of this week off from blogging as I am going to be traveling a lot this week. I hope you all have a great week! If you are stopping by after reading the devotion at Proverbs 31, welcome! I hope you'll stay and poke around for awhile. Glad to have you! I will be back next Monday, when I will be announcing my new blogging daily schedule. I hope you'll come back for a visit then.

Outside my window... sunny as I write this-- blue skies, wispy clouds, still warm with just the barest hint of fall in the air

I am thinking... about the week ahead-- today I head home from one event and Wednesday I journey to another. I never travel back to back and I hardly travel at all anymore so this is a strange week for me.

I am thankful... for the time I will get to spend with friends I don't see often while I am at these events.

In the kitchen... pizza, Chick Fil A, sub sandwiches-- easy dad-friendly fare

I am wearing... black and white polka dotted pajama pants and a black top

I am creating... updated recipe files. My recipe binder got too full and so I had to go to Office Max and buy the biggest size binder they sell. This new one is 3"-- plenty of room to hold recipes galore! And it's pink!

I am going... to St Louis on Wednesday! Never been there before and looking forward to it.

I am wondering... about my new novel. Soon I will be finding out what I will be writing-- a decision that will be reached with the help and input of me, my agent, and publisher. I am excited about the possibilities!

I am reading... The Art Of Forgetting by Camille Noe Pagan, Grace For The Good Girl by Emily Freeman, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, The Writer's Compass by Nancy Ellen Dodd-- I never read just one book at a time. I've usually got at least a nonfiction self-help type book, a writing instruction book, and a novel going at any given moment.

I am hoping... my kids do well in school this year. I've got one embarking on his first year of college, one working hard to get into college as it's her senior year, and one beginning high school and hopefully believing the adults who are telling him that freshman year counts.

I am looking forward to... learning at the workshops I will be attending at ACFW.

I am hearing... nothing. Silence really is golden.

Around the house... Packing and unpacking (anyone else feel compelled to start singing the theme song to WKRP In Cincinnati whenever they hear that phrase?). Lists. Errands. Cleaning.

I am pondering... character names. I like to glean from Facebook. Check out the people your friends are friends with for some great suggestions. Also mastheads in magazines have great character names. I can remember being a young teen and poring over the Southern Living masthead to get my character names-- that's a habit that never died out.

One of my favorite things... Greek Pastries. I can't always pronounce them but I do love nibbling on them. Last week we had our annual date night at the Greek Festival in our city and enjoyed it as always. We picked up lots of goodies and the children were grateful we came home bearing sweet gifts.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Travel.

Want to visit other Simple Woman's Daybook editions? Check out her site for links.

Fiction Friday: Persistence Pays Off

Last Friday we talked about being determined in our writing. Well I am going to continue that theme this week by sharing a snippet from this interview with Danielle Steel that was featured on Goodreads. I have to admit this interview made me grow in respect for her-- I had sort of dismissed her as not a serious writer and that was presumptuous of me. Someone who is as successful as she is must have something going on! I especially loved her comments about ghostwriters.

Anyway, this is the part that I wanted to share with you. It inspired me to keep at it. I hope it does you as well!

Then I thought I'll do this again [write another novel after the success of her first], but then I wrote five others that nobody ever wanted. I have no idea what made me pursue this. I think just stubbornness. I had no thought of becoming famous, and I had made practically no money on the one I sold. But I just always had another story that I wanted to tell, and while those ones were not selling I just kept writing more. And finally the seventh one sold again. I had five unpublished in between my first and the next published book.

I always use it as an example for young writers because persistence is the most important thing. Had I given up anytime between number one and number seven, I would never have had the career I have today. I really think it's important to keep at it and keep with it. And people are very unkind about unpublished authors. You know, the minute you say you're a writer, they say, "Have you been published?" and if you haven't, they think that doesn't make you a writer. But you're a writer if you're writing. And it may take longer than you want to get published. But keep at it. I think persistence wins the prize in almost anything.

Thursday Thought: Grace For The Good Girl Review And Giveaway!

Grace for the Good Girl addresses the common experience of many Christian women who are trying hard to live a performance-based life instead of resting in God’s grace. We can live in a loving relationship with God by receiving His love, rather than striving to be a “good girl."

I am reading this book because I am a good girl, a rule follower. I know how to toe the line. I am the one asking for clarification of the rules when they are announced. I'm also the one who gets aggravated with those people who completely ignore the rules. I am comfortable with rules. They make me feel safe.

So this book has been good for me-- to shake me up a little. I thought that being a good girl-- obeying the rules (or at least knowing what they are) was a good thing. And I fell into several of the traps that can come along with that mentality, which Emily Freeman outlines in her book.

Here are some quotes I underlined:

• If I am trying to please God, it is difficult to trust God. But when I trust God, pleasing Him is automatic.






• God longs for us to place our trust in Him rather than in ourselves. One way to do that was to give us a law we could not keep to show us how very perfect He is. And there, in our weak and helpless condition, we would finally agree with Him. We need Someone to act on our behalf.






• Worship, not work, flows out of the hearts of those who believe.
  





• You have trained people to think you have no needs, but you are secretly angry with them for believing you.

If you're a good girl, you might want to pick up a copy of this book or leave a comment to win one! I will choose a winner and notify her privately so make sure I have a way to find you via your comment.

I am reading a chapter each morning for my quiet time-- and trying to ignore the fact that having a quiet time is a "good girl" thing to do. Just to be a rebel I am not answering the questions at the end of each chapter. At least, I am not writing the answers down. So there.

THE COMMENTS FOR THIS GIVEAWAY ARE NOW CLOSED. THE WINNER IS mheard11. CONGRATS! YOU'LL LOVE THIS BOOK!

Psalms For Mom: Re-Writing

"God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to His eyes." Psalm 18:24 (Msg)

I just finished a pretty extensive re-write for my third novel that took me most of August. While I knew it was necessary, I didn't relish the rewriting process. I rather wanted to avoid it, wishing the editing fairy would make an appearance.

Today's Psalm tells us that God is doing that work in our lives. He's editing, streamlining, shaping... into the best possible story He can tell. He's the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2)-- which means He won't stop til He has the best possible product.

But that doesn't mean the process is easy. Editing is hard and awkward and sometimes painful. Editing is unpleasant. I haven't met an author yet who has told me he or she loves the editing process. But I also haven't met one yet who has told me they could turn in a stellar product without that process.

Today I want to submit to the process, to open the book of my heart to Him and let Him start trimming away, adding and deleting as He sees fit. One thing I love about this verse is that God doesn't just muscle His way in. He waits for us to open ourselves up to Him-- to say, "Here. I've made a mess of this. Will You make something beautiful?" We have to want Him to rewrite our lives.

Are you ready to open the book of your heart to Him?

Top Ten Tuesday: Journaling Tips

Throughout the month of August I posted journaling prompts. I hope it got you guys thinking... and writing! In light of that, I decided I would offer some journaling tips for those of you who are starting journaling-- or thinking about getting more serious about it.

1. Find a journal that works for you-- whether that's a composition book you bought for a buck or a fancy schmancy leatherbound dealie. I like a 5X7 size spiral bound journal with a durable cover-- and it's even better if that cover is pretty. You just want something that invites you to write. If it seems too ugly, utilitarian or fancy for your personality, it's not going to work.

2. Struggling with something to write about? How about unsent letters? Write a letter to someone you've lost, someone you need to talk to but don't have the courage, someone you need to confess something to, apologize to, etc.

3. Journals are also a great place for goal setting, dreaming, strategizing, etc. Just seeing your hopes in black and white can be the inspiration you need to finally take action. A study done by Kaiser Permanente on 1700 people trying to lose weight, those who wrote down their foods in a journal lost up to twice as much as those who did not.

4. If journaling in the broad sense of the word overwhelms you, consider creating a journal with a specific focus. For example, a weight loss journal, a spiritual journal, a travel journal, a cooking journal, a creative journal, a gratitude journal, a reading journal (write about books you're reading), a dream journal, etc.

5. Don't feel like you have to write every day. Sometimes I only write once a month in mine. If I am not in the mood sometimes I just can't force myself to be. But I am always pleasantly surprised when I push past those feelings of resistance.

6. Don't feel like you have to write in complete sentences-- or write at all. Draw arrows, charts, outlines, or write bullet points using fragments.

7. Don't censor or judge yourself on what you're writing. Shut off your inner critic and just let the emotions come to the surface. Don't worry about language, grammar, or being pc. A journal isn't the place to say what you're "supposed" to say.

8. Go back and re-read your writing from time to time. I've been amazed sometimes to read something I wrote months ago that I thought I was just now figuring out. It's amazing how short our memories can be!

9. Need some inspiration? Read books on journaling. Type in "journaling" into the Amazon search field and you'll get a surprising number of results.

10. Don't count your blog as your journal. Blogs are great but just the fact that they're public doesn't mean that they're going to inhibit what you feel free to say.

Remember, journaling is just taking notes on your life. What do you want to remember? What's important to you? What stands out? That's the stuff you should journal about!

Menu Plan Monday

Thought I'd share my menu plan today as we kick off a new week.

Pork Tenderloin with Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Buttered Corn

Grilled Pork Chops, Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans

Grilled Chicken in Homemade Pomodoro Sauce over Penne Pasta, Salad

Roast in the Crockpot over Egg Noodles, Salad

Grilled Chicken, Pasta Salad, Lima Beans

Asian Chicken over rice, Steamed Broccoli

Many of the recipes for this menu plan were from the Gooseberry Patch cookbook, Super Fast Slow Cooking. I got mine at Cracker Barrel but you can order it online via the link I provided. One example of an easy and delicious meal is "Dad's Pork Tenderloin." Put the pork tenderloin in the crockpot and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Mix a can of Cream of Mushroom, a can of Golden Mushroom, and a can of French Onion Soup together and pour over the meat. Cook all day and serve the meat with the gravy over mashed potatoes or rice or egg noodles. So good! So easy!

How about you? What's for dinner at your house this week? Want more inspiration? Head on over to www.orgjunkie.com and click on her "Menu Plan Monday" link.

Fiction Friday: In Defense of Determination

The other day as I was running, I was thinking about Chris Daughtry. Ok, so I was listening to Chris Daughtry, which is what got me thinking about him. Chris Daughtry has gone on after American Idol to be one of the most successful musicians ever launched from the show. (And my personal fave) And yet, he didn't win. In fact, he almost didn't even get pushed through by the judges in his initial audition. You can watch it here.

Simon told him no.

But Simon didn't know. He may have had experience. He may know a lot about the music business. He may have picked a lot of hit singers. But this time, he got it wrong.

These thoughts got me thinking about those of us who let that one "no" stop us. We let one person's opinion determine whether we're going to be a success or not. We don't become so determined that nothing-- and no one-- can stop us. We don't believe in ourselves enough to push past the people who have the power to hinder us. We stay stuck in this place when the possibility for success is there all the time.

And so I give you Allison's story of publication success. See what her first agent said. But don't stop reading there. Keep reading. Just like Chris didn't let Simon have the last word, Allison didn't let her first agent have the last word either.

One of you needed to read, and think about, this today. One of you is about to quit when success is waiting just around the corner. One of you is believing the words of someone who-- while they might know a lot about the business-- they don't know everything. They can get it wrong. You've got to believe in yourself enough to keep writing, keep submitting, and have a good dose of toddler-style determination, too. Whoever you are, I hope you do.

Thursday Thought: Jesus, My Father, The CIA And Me

Ever reviewed a book you didn't read?

That's what I am doing today.

The truth is I didn't read this book. But two people close to me did, and it's because of them that I am sharing this book with you. When I got the offer to review the book, I said yes, thinking that I would give it to my husband to read and then review it in time for Father's Day. But then, well, summer happened. I still don't know how we got from June to September but... we did.

And my grand plans for a Father's Day review never happened.

But in the midst of that my oldest son graduated from high school. And as I was writing in his card I felt that little nudge from God to give him that book-- the one I had intended to give my husband.

Now my son typically isn't the type to read a book I give him or take my advice at all. So I will be honest, I felt pretty silly giving him this book. I knew he would think it was stupid (though he'd be polite to my face) and he'd stick it in a corner and forget all about it. And the book would never get read and it would be just one more thing that didn't happen this summer the way I thought it would. I would be a reviewing failure.

But I know that nudge from God. And I have at least learned that-- even though I might not think it's the best idea-- it's best to do what He says. So I gave my son the book with his graduation card. (And his iPhone which he was, incidentally, way happy about.)

And that was the end of that.

Except.

He went to the beach with some family members and took that book with him. And that stinker read that book. Cover to cover. And it rocked him. It reached him. It changed him. He was amazed by it. He called me when he got home from the beach and told me all about how much that book had meant to him. And this is not a kid who gushes. About anything.

After he read it, my husband wanted to read it. So he read it. And then he gushed about it. He loved it. He talked to me about it. He said he totally understood why my son loved it so much. And he's not one to gush either. About anything.

And so that's my review-- I have not read Jesus, My Father, The CIA And Me. But two very important men in my life have. If you're looking for a book for the man in your life, and God is nudging you after reading this post, then I'd say it's a good idea to follow through on that. Then pray they read it and surprise you.

I am so glad I did.

Psalms For Moms

"This I know, that God is for me." Psalm 56:9

Do you believe that God is for you? Or do you secretly think that He is really against you? I think of that scene in Bruce Almighty where everything that happens Bruce blames God, looking at the sky and saying "Seriously? You let this happen?"

I have to admit that there were times when I first started trying to have a quiet time on a regular basis that I had the same thoughts run through my head. Something would go wrong and I'd look at the sky, my finger pointed accusingly. "Didn't you see me having my quiet time this morning? Couldn't you let this happen to someone who didn't?"

I had a lot to learn about relationship and unconditional love. I couldn't let my circumstances determine God's feelings for me. And I couldn't let the things around me determine whether He was for me or against me.

Instead I had to focus on the truth of this verse: This I KNOW... God is FOR me.

Do you believe that? No matter what? Maybe today you will start shifting your perspective in that direction-- dwelling on truth and letting your feelings catch up. The truth is, He is for you. Try repeating this verse when things go wrong the next time and see if that changes the way you feel.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I Should Read But Haven't

This post got me thinking about creating my own list of ten books I should read, but haven't. Mine is less classic books and more current books that have caused a stir in the literary world. It's not that I don't want to read these books-- I do-- it's just that other books, for various reasons, have found a spot at the top of my TBR (to be read) pile. I call the list below my "highbrow" books-- meaning you have to think to read them. What does it say about me that I tend to read the books that don't make me think very hard? Wait... don't answer that.

1. Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann

2. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin

3. Hotel At The Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

4. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

5. Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay

6. Peace Like A River by Leif Enger

7. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

8. The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry

9. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Fiction Friday: Idea-lly

Therese Fowler wrote this very interesting post about where ideas come from... and what to do when one doesn't work as well as we initially thought it would. A thought-provoking post that's worth the read.

Note: I will not be posting on Monday because I will be celebrating Labor Day with my family. Hope yours is restful and happy! See you back here on Tuesday with a new top ten list.

Thursday Thought

"Mommy, I had a dream last night that somebody loved me," my five year old said to me this morning, an impish smile playing at her lips.

"Oh, really?" I answered as I poured her cereal. "Who was it?"

"God, you and daddy!" she answered proudly. She thought about it for a moment. "So does that mean my dream came true?"

I smiled at her. "Absolutely," I responded.

I love seeing life through my children's eyes-- the innocent reminders they give me, unknowingly communicating such deep spiritual reminders. This morning I was reminded that my dream came true. God loves me. Maybe you needed to hear that too.