Summer In Retrospect

As sad as it is for me to write this, this weekend marks the end of summer. Which means it's time to reflect on the Summer of 12, taking comfort in the fact that another summer awaits us, Lord willing. So here is a pictorial reflection on our summer, with commentary.

Summer 2012 was a time for...

Hanging out as a family. My oldest daughter graduated from high school in June and the only thing that kept me from falling apart over the summer was the fact that she decided to stay home this year and not go away to school just yet. She's taking classes at our local community college and deciding what to do with her life. I think she made a wise decision. She's got the rest of her life to be "out there" in the wide wide world. I'm so glad to have more time with her.
Fourth of July. We spent the Fourth of July at our neighborhood pool then came home and had an All American dinner, did sparklers in the driveway and went back up to the pool at dark to watch the men of the neighborhood put on a very impressive fireworks display over our lake. It was truly one of the most perfect Fourths our family has ever had.

Winning. Here are my four champion swimmers from our swim team proudly displaying their trophy after the team banquet. I was able to capture the moment when the team found out they won the league trophy on video. I will admit to watching it more than once. It was such a fun, happy moment. They were undefeated this year in regular season. I will add that they also went on to win the All Star meet. Just sayin.

Swimming. You might get the feeling from this post that we spend a lot of time at our neighborhood pool. You would be right. This picture was snapped of all my men at the Fourth of July party.

Being silly. When you're really bored, it's fun to dress up the dog. The dog, thankfully, is a good sport about wearing tutus. If you can't see, he has a scarf around his neck, a tank top and a tutu. Poor thing.

More being silly. A napkin at a restaurant becomes a beard...

Or a mustache.

Signing books. I had more than a few book signings this summer, promoting my new novel, The Guest Book. If you haven't read it yet, it's good to read even when it's not summer. I was extremely grateful to all the people who bought a book, came to my signings, or even just acted interested in what I was doing. I am so blessed that I can do something like this and call it "work."

And now we move onto fall. I'm consoling myself that summer is over by pinning lots of great decorating, food and craft ideas onto my "Fall" Pinterest board. I linked it if you want to stop by and take a look.

What will you miss about summer? What are you looking forward to about fall?

Creativity For Kids Party: Birthday Edition

I got the opportunity to review Creativity For Kids products via a "party in a box" kit the company sent me. In the box were several different kits to use with multiple girls. I already knew what I was going to use the kits for-- my youngest's seventh birthday party! This child won the art award at her school last year so anything creative and crafty was sure to win her heart. And it did!

The girls opened presents, had cupcakes and ice cream and all the other birthday type stuff you'd expect.

But they also got plenty of opportunities to make crafts they could take home with them afterwards. In the photo above you will see the adorable totes they decorated that held all their finished craft items. The moms simply could not believe all that they made and were able to take home and enjoy. Creativity For Kids even threw in a little ring making kit for them to use later.

One thing I will have to say about the party that definitely made all the difference were my three helpers: my 12 yo daughter and two of her friends. These girls came over an hour before the party, organized the kits, read the instructions and mapped out a plan of action as to how they were going to instruct and help the girls. I hate to think of what I would have done without them. Thanks girls!

If you're looking for a great way to throw a birthday party that doesn't 1) cost a ton or 2) require a lot of prep work, I would recommend checking out the products that Creativity For Kids offers. Their kits come ready to use with enough for at least 10 children. And everything you will need is right in the box! (I loved that aspect of it.) The girls made headbands, bracelets and necklaces, plus decorated their tote bags. It kept them plenty busy with just enough time to eat and unwrap gifts at the end. Plus they were all proud of their creations and anxious to show their moms. These girls were 6 and 7 years old. I think maybe the 8-10 age range would've been a bit easier. They did need quite a bit of help. (Hence my mention of having the helpers there.)

All in all, it was a memorable birthday and a great way to celebrate that I'm sure my birthday girl will always remember. Thanks Creativity For Kids!

(If you'd like to read some other reviews of Creativity For Kids parties with much better pictures of the products, click on the links below. I was so consumed by managing the chaos that I didn't do the best job with taking pictures!

http://www.faithfamilyfibro.com/2012/08/creativity-for-kids-party-review-and-giveaway-back-to-school-giveaway.html

http://mamato3blessings.blogspot.com/2012/08/crafting-with-creativity-for-kids-in.html

http://www.underthegoldenappletree.com/2012/08/creativity-for-kids-party-time.html

Completing The Sentence

I am...

able to watch Field of Dreams over and over.

learning to read ebooks, but still prefer print ones.

a huge fan of David Gray. Just yesterday I heard him doing a cover of this Bruce Springsteen song-- DG and the Boss, united in song. Swoon. Curt and I get to see him in concert in September. Double swoon!



completely crazy about my family. My kids overwhelm me with the scope of who they are; my husband astonishes me with the depth of his character and wisdom.

still glad every day that I have Sirius radio in my car. It's a veritable dance party every time I drive. If you must spend time in the car then it should be as fun as possible.

trying to do a better job with blogging. I'm not really back in the swing of things yet, I will confess. A bit of summer lingers in my rebellious blood.

enjoying the book Story by Steven James. Get this book. Read a chapter a day. It'll inspire you and make you think about God's story and your own story and how the two are woven together. As a storyteller, this book has been good for me. I have a hunch it'll be good for you, too.

trying to work up to running a 10K. I can't believe I just said that publicly. I might not ever do it in a formal race; I just want to know I can.

both dreading and looking forward to September and October. Both are shaping up to be busy months with a good many writing and book-related events. I will enjoy every single one of them, but I'm also a HUGE homebody, so it will stretch me.

endeavoring to actually cook the many recipes I have pinned on Pinterest. So far I've cooked about five of them. It helped to use my Pinterest boards as I was planning meals.

finding my iPad indispensable. Twitter, Facebook, email, Sirius, Netflix, Pinterest, Kindle... it's all there in one convenient, portable package. I just wish it had a longer battery life.

Ok, so that's about all for me. I enjoyed this little format as a way to dump a lot of random stuff into one post. Hope you did too!

Come Monday

So my kids are in school now. If you follow me on Twitter, or check the feed here in the sidebar, you saw I tweeted a pic of them all ready for their first day. I was not ready. I wanted more summer, lamenting how fast it went by. But alas, there is no slowing time and no denying that the date on the calendar says it's time to go back. Back to routine. Back to schedules. Back to outside demands intruding on my desire to do nothing.

In other words, back to reality. I guess that's why I love summer so much. It's a bit of suspended reality. That's where fiction writers like to live anyway.

But before I go (not so) gently into that good night, I'm staging one last siege on summer. My oldest daughter (who is going to community college this year and therefore still at home) and I are going to our pool today on this last weekday it is open. We are spending several hours getting our tans on. Reading books. Listening to the country music they blast over the loudspeakers. Talking about everything and nothing. Debating whether they had mirrors where that girl bought her bathing suit. Because surely they must not have or she would've seen how very little that suit covers.

Come Monday I'm making myself get back on track. I've got my to-do list already started. I've got a new routine to get into. One that involves getting up and getting going. One that involves taking care of those edits that just showed up in my inbox, writing those blog posts I need to write, returning those emails I need to return, tackling those projects I promised I'd get to "after the kids were in school."

Come Monday I'll embrace the reality that is upon me, and make the best of it. But not today. Today I'm going to wring out the last drop of summer. Care to join me?

Dinner: A Love Story

It seems I jumpstarted my return to blogging. I thought I was ready to recommit to regular posts, but alas I was a bit overzealous with my kids still home, one child starting community college, one leaving to go back to college, three needing uniforms and school supplies, two having birthdays, some scattered book events... you get the drift.

But I did want to say I'm trying to come back on a more regular basis. I see light on the horizon in the form of next week when the birthdays will be over and the kids safely tucked away in school on a daily basis.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a book that has been inspiring me, Dinner: A Love Story. I stumbled onto it via Pinterest and was late to her party it seems, as this has been a popular website for years.

I spent a day curled up with this book, reading it. And yes, I said reading. It is a cookbook, but it's also a story about two parents who committed to eating dinner as a family every night even with two kids and two jobs. Even though I already serve some sort of dinner most every night, I was inspired by this book. Not necessarily even by the recipes (though I did see a few I wanted to try), but more by the spirit of the book-- the way that it urges us (me and you, the readers) to embrace dinner and family.

I was not sent this book nor does this author know I'm writing this. I just wanted to share in case some of you, like me, find yourselves needing a shot in the arm to help re-find your passion for food preparation. The night I read this I made pot roast with carrots, potatoes and onions and green beans. (My kids said it would've been perfect if I'd made cinnamon apples and rolls too-- duly noted.) For dessert I made a hot fudge pudding cake served with vanilla ice cream. Needless to say, my family was glad I found this book!

Here's the trailer, in case you'd like to know more:

Make Your Own Vinaigrette

(Image courtesy of myrecipes.com)

Want to whip up a balsamic vinaigrette dressing? Here's a recipe you can do with ease!

3/4 cup evoo
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp italian herbs
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Whisk everything together except oil. Add oil last. Let stand at room temp for a few hours to allow flavors to blend.

How To Get Your Novel Published

I received a question the other day from a woman who wanted to write a novel. She wanted my advice as to how she could get published. I wrote this response and then decided I should share it here, in case someone else had the desire to write a novel and wanted to know how to make it happen. Warning, my answer is not an easy one, but barring a rare miracle, it's the way to go about getting a novel published:


Butt in chair. Write the book. If it's fiction the whole book has to be submitted-- not just a few chapters like in nonfiction. It's hard to write a whole novel on spec but we all have to go through it. So take comfort in that.


Get input on the book via a critique group, a service like My Book Therapy, a writer friend-- wherever you can find help. Make changes. Edit. Tweak. Know that you've done everything you can to get the book ready to submit.


While the writing and tweaking is going on, keep an eye out for names of agents you might submit to. Build that list and, if possible, follow these people's blogs, tweets, etc. Get to know them and what they are looking for. Any more an agent is the only way to get in front of an editor.


Submit your manuscript to your list of agents with a well written query. (Google "how to write a query letter" for lots of advice on how to do that.)


Wait. Wait some more. While you're waiting, read books on craft and keep messing with that book. Get rejections and requests for partials (a few chapters). Hope that "the one" requests a full. If that doesn't happen, go back to edits. Make changes and resubmit. Ride the rollercoaster that is the writing life. Find some friends who are also writers so you have someone in your corner who understands. It's possible to find those folks online these days if they are not in your community.


With perserverance and tenacity, one day you will be published. Believe that and keep moving forward with that goal in sight and do not give up.

I'm Back

So I read on the calendar that it's August. But it can't be. Didn't summer just start? Shouldn't we be still diving in (pun intended) to long lazy days filled with sun and surf? I can't stand the back to school commercials and aisles filled with backpacks and glue sticks and spiral bound notebooks. Give me more summer!

But time marches on, and the calendar seems to be intent in getting us to that day lurking towards the end of this month. The day where I'll once more be tied to rising earlier than any of us likes, driving carpool, keeping up with emails and assignments, and-- shudder-- packing school lunches again. My two oldest will head to college. (Seriously? I can't have TWO in college!) My third will be the only one in high school this year. My fourth will be in the middle of middle school. My fifth will be in his last year of elementary school (how is that possible?) and my baby (sniff!) will be in the first grade. The other day I asked her if she'd please pretty please consider staying six with her two front teeth missing forever. She said sure. But alas her birthday also lurks at the end of this month. Her teeth might be missing a bit longer, but she won't stay six.

The beginning of August means I'm back from my blogging break. I'm glad that I took the break and focused on my family. I've had some memorable moments hanging out with my kids. I love talking with my older three and hearing what's going on in their lives. I love how hard they make me laugh, how much they challenge me to think, and how many things they introduce me to that I wouldn't know otherwise. I had a moment of awe this summer where I totally grasped what very cool people I have the privilege of raising and launching into the world.

Some of you probably already have kids back in school. Some of you are happy about it. Me? I could use a few more months of this suspended reality we call summer. Any time I can flee reality is a good time for me. I guess that's why I'm a fiction writer.

Taking A Break

I'm letting you all know that I'm going to be gone from here for a few weeks. I plan to return sometime in August. Between book promotion-type events and family vacation and our anniversary and 3 kids' birthdays, and the coming edits for my next book, and just the increased family time that comes with my kids being home from school, I've got to shift my focus a bit.

BUT!

I'm not leaving entirely. I'll just be found elsewhere. Because The Guest Book is the She Reads July selection, I'm posting over there regularly. And I'll still be showing up each Wednesday over at Southern Belle View. And I will continue to tweet and post on Facebook. My Twitter feeds show up in the sidebar here, or you can just hop over there and follow me. And I'm sure I'll be posting stuff on Pinterest, because I just love finding neat stuff on there and sharing it. I just reorganized all my recipes into categories because a board called "Food" just wasn't getting it anymore.

Wherever you are, whatever you do, I hope you're enjoying your summer. I'll see you back here in a bit, ready to talk about-- sigh-- school starting. I can hardly bear to say it, I love summer so.

Book Events This Coming Weekend

This coming weekend is my own personal kickoff for my book, and what better place to do it than in the area where it's set. If you're going to be anywhere near the Sunset Beach NC area this coming weekend (or you're just looking for an excuse to get away to the beach), please come out and see me at one of my book events! Here's where I will be this Thursday through Monday:

Thursday July 12, 1-4: The Silver Coast Wine Shop, Southport NC, in conjunction with Pelican Books (Southport is where the new Nicholas Sparks movie, Safe Haven, is being filmed. If you come you can check out the filming! This town is C-U-T-E. And if you want a cool place to have dinner, try the Provision Company. I feel quite certain my family and I will eat there after. Their shrimp burgers are famous!)

Friday July 13, 11-1: The Salt Shaker Book Store, Wilmington NC. I'll be there during lunch so plan to have lunch at their delicious cafe while you're there! Also, word has it that the sculptor who created the real sculpture in the book will be there to meet as well!

Friday, July 13, 3-5: Quarter Moon Books, Topsail Beach, NC: Wander in off the beach and have a smoothie. (Their smoothies are delish!) Or come later and have a glass of wine at their new wine bar. I'm hopefully hitting both crowds.

Monday, July 16, 1-4: Pelican Books, Sunset Beach, NC: This is my favorite bookstore on earth. The women who work there have led me to more than a few of my all-time favorites for many years and it's always surreal to see one of my books on their shelves. I'll be signing in the store for anyone who's game to stop by.

Hope to see you at one of these locations. You might see me, and you might just see my family lurking around too, as we're turning this into a family getaway. I'm looking forward to it!

The Tater Tot Casserole

A friend and I were having coffee and we got on the subject of the moms we used to be. Moms who wanted to be perfect, who still thought that if we followed some sort of prescribed formula we would create the ideal family, with the perfect offspring. We homeschooled and had elaborate charts for how to organize our households and signed up for all the right activities. We read all the how-to books, studying them as if we'd be tested on them later. We had heroes we looked up to, going to hear them at conferences, standing in line to say something inane to them about how inspired we were by their lives, wishing that just some of whatever they possessed would rub off on us. Both of us took turns confessing just how deep we'd gone in this pursuit of perfection.

She grinned and leaned forward. "I even emulated Michelle Duggar," she confessed. "I, like, studied her and tried to do what she did."

I nodded and grinned back. "Me too! I bought that first book they came out with."

And before I could say what was coming next, she did. "I even made that tater tot casserole!"

I doubled over in laughter. "I was just about to say I thought that the key had to be that tater tot casserole!"



Oh we had a good laugh over those moms we used to be. Now we know better. We know that, in spite of our best efforts and diligent studying of recipes and organizational techniques, our kids are as imperfect as we are, our spouses are not going to be robots, and all the formulas in the world don't guarantee a perfect existence. My friend and I haven't given up as in we don't try at all. But we have let go of our pursuit of perfection, of holding ourselves up to some self-created unreasonable standard. We've stopped seeking out other people as role models and stopped looking around for validation or permission.

I dare say we're happier for it. Some of you might like that tater tot casserole, but my family? They wouldn't eat it. Turns out, that's just not who we are. And for that I am very, very glad.

Great Value In Disaster

A few Sundays ago, I heard this story about a fire that destroyed much of Thomas Edison's life's work. Some of you may know it, but for those of you who don't, I think it will inspire you. I love Thomas Edison's quote:

“There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.”

In my life this past year I've been seeing the value in loss. I've not gone into it here, but have alluded to the range of emotions I've felt as I've faced changes I didn't expect. Yes, the losses have been painful, but as I move forward I also see what Edison said as holding true. When life goes up in flames-- whatever that looks like for each of us-- we lose our successes but we also lose our failures. And in the ashes, there is the chance for a fresh start.

Some of you are facing loss of varying kinds. The loss of a marriage. The loss of a career. The loss of a friendship. The loss of a home. The loss of a role. And in that loss there is the pang of losing what you held dear. But there is also the glimmer of hope that comes with knowing that, while the good stuff is gone, the bad stuff is too. Maybe today all we need to say is "Thank God we can start anew."

So I'll leave you with a song I love called Start Again by a group I love, The Blue Nile. The recording is not the best, but it's the song that was running through my head as I wrote this post. I hope that we can all find the strength to start again, the hope amidst the ashes.

You Can Help Spread The Word!

The Guest Book releases today officially!

As always, I need your help to spread the word about this book. I'm still relatively new in the fiction world, so you guys talking about the book is more helpful than you know.

In the past I've posted this comprehensive list of things you can do in your neck of the woods to help make The Guest Book a success. I know some of you won't feel inspired to do any of these things. But some of you will, and that is what makes all the difference. You never know how that one little thing you do will ripple outwards and lead to. Truly. I've been amazed at the things that have happened just because someone I knew dared to talk about my books to someone else. That's why word of mouth is so powerful and why I value you guys so much.

This list was written by Deb Raney, a successful novelist who's written some great books you might want to check out. I am so thankful to her for creating this and making it available.

•Write a review for the book on online bookstores such as:
http://www.amazon.com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
http://www.christianbook.com

•Write a review at one of the many online book review sites, including:
http://www.acfw.com/bookreviews.shtml
http://www.faithfulreader.com/wom/wom.asp
http://www.epinions.com

•As soon as you start reading the book, post a comment and/or link to your facebook profile page, or send a tweet on Twitter letting friends and followers know you're reading (and enjoying!) the book.

•At http://www.christianbook.com you can recommend books via an e-mail link that will take your friends right to the page of the book you’re promoting.

•Recommend the book as a featured title for an area book discussion group (or start your own bookclub!). This is especially appropriate if the book has discussion questions in the back.

•Start a discussion about the book on your blog or on e-mail loops you’re a part of.

•If you have a website or write a newsletter, consider featuring novels you’ve read and enjoyed.

•Add the book to your list of favorites on myspace, facebook, shoutlife, or other online communities.

•After reading and reviewing the book, give it away as a prize in a drawing on your website or blog.

•If you have a unique perspective—for instance, personal experience with the book’s topic, a man offering a male perspective for a women’s fiction book, etc.—offer your insights in venues that might not ordinarily hear about the book.

•Donate your influencer copy to your public library or church library when you’re finished reading it. Better yet, share your copy in other ways and buy a second copy for the library.

•Print out a review you’ve written, or other reviews of the book and give them to your public or church librarians for consideration.

•Offer to distribute bookmarks and/or postcards for the author or publisher. Public libraries, church libraries, bookstores and gift shops are usually happy to have giveaways on their counters.

•Ask your church if you could tuck postcards or bookmarks in the morning service bulletin some Sunday.

•Place bookmarks or postcards about the book at each place setting as favors for a luncheon or banquet.

•Hang out in your local bookstore and “hand sell” the book by talking it up to customers shopping in the fiction department.

•Talk to the clerks in any bookstores and libraries you visit and ask if they carry the book. If not give them a short book report and recommend they order a few copies.

•When visiting bookstores, do a little creative rearranging to turn the book face out on the shelves. Use good judgment and don’t hide one book to promote another. Also keep in mind that in some stores front-table space is paid for by the publisher, so don’t “steal.”

•Offer to write a book review for your church newsletter, neighborhood newspaper or any other printed source that might reach readers.

•At your next women’s retreat, volunteer to organize a book table, where you will feature the book.

•Offer to organize a blog tour for the author, setting up a week when numerous blogs will feature the book and interviews with the author.

•When you’re finished with the book, tuck it into a gift basket for someone who is ill or in the hospital; or take it to your next dinner party as a hostess gift.

•Leave the book in a waiting room where someone with a few extra minutes might start reading it.

•Prison ministries are always looking for wholesome books to distribute. Check out groups like Prison Book Project.

•Word-of-mouth is still probably the number one way books hit bestseller lists, so simply start conversations about the book. Tell your friends and family what you’ve been reading and why you enjoyed it so much.

•Drop leaflets as you parachute out of a plane.

Some Quotes From Praying For Strangers

Wanted to share some of those "underlinable" quotes from River Jordan's book, Praying For Strangers:

How often are we touched by the sincerity of someone asking and really wanting to know exactly how we are? I think it's a rare occurrence, even with spouses and family and the closest of friends. The flipside of the coin, of course, is how often are we asking the people closest to us how they are and really taking the time to listen?

But one thing stands true in my heart-- a gift I think from birth. I believe. In the innermost core of my being, I believe there is a great, mighty, and benevolent God who hears my prayer.

What if that's just the way things were meant to work? That strangers could bear us strange gifts, gifts that might remain unopened if we never make contact with one another. What if the unseen things, the wonder, advice, leading we needed was just out of reach, resting in the palm of a stranger's hand, waiting for us to touch them?

I don't know what I'm doing at all. Except for this-- this praying thing. I continue doing this day after day. And I keep changing. From the inside out.

Review: Praying For Strangers

The best indication of whether I loved a book was the amount of underlining you find when I'm done.

And Praying For Strangers has multiple underlined passages.

I have to admit that the book was written by my friend River Jordan, so I was pre-disposed to like it because I know her to be one of the most gentle, sweet, authentic people I've ever spent time with. River, I know, is the real deal. So I could trust what she had written to be that as well.

This book was not someone just dreaming up another way to repackage the same old stuff they'd written about before. This wasn't an author trying to come across as an expert on something so you will believe in them and buy their products. On the contrary, River is primarly a novelist-- someone who is most comfortable making up stories. She never set out to write a memoir based on the New Year's Resolution that God put on her heart the year she sent both of her sons off to war. That little resolution became a way of life-- an adventure that led her to get involved in stories she wasn't making up, the stories of the strangers who came her way, strangers she prayed for.

This book inspired me to see strangers differently. As more than just the person waiting on me or waiting with me. More than just people to be contended with or endured. Strangers are people like us, people with stories and struggles. People who need prayer and-- in the praying-- can help us put our lives in perspective, having an eternal viewpoint instead of an immediate one.

Saving The Daisies

There's this yard I pass every time I run that is filled with daisies, growing wild, haphazard. These daisies weren't planted in a garden, part of a landscape artist's carefully executed layout. These daisies grow where they want, in clumps with no rhyme or reason. I love running by that yard and always have to resist the urge to pick the daisies.

The other day though, I noticed that the homeowner was out with her push mower and my heart sank. Because I was sure she'd just mow under the poor daisies. It wasn't like she'd planted them-- that was clear-- and I was sure she'd cut them down just as fast as they'd cropped up.

Imagine my surprise when, as I passed by on my return, I saw that she'd mowed around the daisies, leaving little clumps of higher grass where the daisies stood. It made me like her, this willingness to save the daisies, to respect the wildflowers that some would call weeds. I felt like I'd glimpsed her heart.

This little story soon morphed into a parenting analogy for me: how I tend to just want to mow it all under-- bushwhacking my way through my kids' lives, cutting it all out because it's faster and more efficient and less time consuming. Literally leveling the playing field. I don't want to take the time or make the effort to mow around the daisies. I just want it done. Handled. Covered. But if I do that, they'll never see my heart for them. And I'll never see theirs. Saving the daisies takes effort, and intention. It takes leaving some clumps and letting go of perfection. It takes me embracing the wildness that is their unique beauty. And doing whatever I can to preserve it.

Saturday Bonus: Brave and Sangria

Strange combo for a title, to be sure. But I had two weekend-y type things to share so I put them together.

One, the nice folks at Disney let me and my family see Brave last week and I wanted to share my thoughts on it for those of you who are considering seeing it.




I have to say I liked the movie. I realize it's not typical Disney fare. There is NO love story. There is no big handsome hero coming in to save the day. No big wedding scene at the end. No neat love-will-save-you-big-bow-tied-up message.

And I, for one, am glad. Now, I've already heard the critics saying it's a feminist message. And perhaps that's what some would call it. There's definitely a "girl power" element. But it's one that hit home for me as a woman and as a mother of girls. I have often wondered what we're teaching our girls when we teach them that just finding the right man will solve all their problems. For all the girls who believe that with all their hearts, I think that the first year of marriage will be a rude awakening. Because marriage--finding the right guy-- isn't the end of the story, it's only the beginning. The heroine of this movie seems to know that love won't save her-- at least not that kind of love. And I don't think that's a bad thing.

I also thought that the message of the rebellious girl and her mom's battle of wills was well done. Again, as a mom of three girls-- two of whom are getting older and expressing their independence-- this movie hit home for me. I understood the girl struggling to exert who she was but I also understood the mom who was just doing what she knew to be "the right way" and going about that the only way she knew how. The way they both come to terms with this is of fairy tale proportions, but with real-life applications.

Yes, there is magic (very few Disney movies don't have the fairy tale witch elements, spells, etc.) and there are some pretty intense, scary moments. (My 6yo buried her head in my shoulder once.) But we talked about the movie the whole way home and everyone had their opinions, their takeaways, and their favorite funny moments. (The triplets provide some good comic relief moments.)

This isn't your typical Disney movie-- and I think it was time they broke from tradition.

And now on to a recipe the gym I belong to sent out in their newsletter. Curt and I are attending a mini highschool reunion this weekend and I'm thinking about making a batch of this to take along. (And yes, there is wine it it.)



Mojito Sangria

8 large mint sprigs

3/4 cup lime juice (fresh-squeezed is best)

1/2 cup agave syrup

8 cups sauvignon blanc

1/2 cup fresh peaches, sliced

10 strawberries, sliced

1/2 cup lemon-lime seltzer


In a pitcher, muddle mint with lime juice and agave.

Remove mint, then add wine, peaches & strawberries.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

When ready to serve, stir well and add seltzer.

Serve in wine glasses; can garnish with mint or limes.

12 servings: 180 cal ea.


This makes a refreshing and pretty summer cocktail!

A Cute Way To Say Thanks

I received a little baggie of candy with a note attached from my child's kindergarten teacher thanking me for helping out in her classroom and explaining what each item in the baggie meant. I wanted to share the idea in case any of you have some folks to thank and would like an expensive, heart-felt way to do it.

In the baggie was a

Snickers bar-- For having a sense of humor

Life saver candy-- For being a life saver

Nestle Crunch bar-- For coming through in a crunch

100 Grand Bar-- For being worth every penny

Hershey's Hugs and Kisses-- from the class to me

You could get creative with this idea and include other kinds of candy as a way of communicating different sentiments. Next time I'm in the checkout line at the grocery store, my wheels will be turning as I check out the candy while I wait!

Bookmark Giveaway!

Last year I got a note from a reader asking if I would mail her bookmarks to pass out to her friends. She wanted to do what she could to help me spread the word about my newest book. I sent her the bookmarks and a free copy of the book as a little thank you for offering to do that and she was just delighted with the arrangement. And then I realized she'd just given me a whole new fun thing to do here on the blog. I filed it away for this new book's release.

And here we are. In just a few weeks, The Guest Book will hit the shelves. And I would love to get you guys out there spreading the word about it. But it wouldn't be right for me to ask you to spread the word about a book you haven't read yet, now would it?

So here's what I'm offering. For up to 25 responders, I'm offering to send a FREE copy of The Guest Book to you, along with 30 bookmarks that you in return agree to hand out to your friends. You can take them to church or your community pool or your mom's group or just stand on the street corner and press them into unsuspecting passers-by's hands. You can take them to your local indie bookstore or to your local library. It's totally up to you! The idea is that this will spark that invaluable word of mouth that the publishing industry desires. And you guys will be my mouthpieces.

So, leave your comment here. Make sure I have an email to contact you and I will do that privately to get your mailing address and get the book and bookmarks out to you. I hope that for some of you this will be something that you want to do. I know this won't be a fit to some of your personalities but I also know for some of you this will be right up your alley. And who doesn't love a free bookmark??

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED. Thank you all so much for your amazing response! Y'all know how to make a girl feel loved!! I will contact you directly if you made it in. (I hate that I have to have a cutoff at all.) Books and bookmarks will be sent out the week of July 3rd. If you don't hear from me, please do consider buying the book and please do still tell your friends. I thank you, my publisher thanks you, and those smiling faces at the top of this blog really thank you. Baby needs a new bathing suit...

Book Review: Playing Dead by Julia Heaberlin

I've started participating in TLC Book Tours, reviewing only books that really interest me. I love a good suspense novel, so I said yes to reviewing Playing Dead by Julia Heaberlin. Here's a summary of what the book's about:

“Dear Tommie: Have you ever wondered about who you are?”

The letter that turns Tommie McCloud’s world upside down arrives from a stranger only days after her father’s death. The woman who wrote it claims that Tommie is her daughter—and that she was kidnapped as a baby thirty-one years ago. Tommie wants to believe it’s all a hoax, but suddenly a girl who grew up on a Texas ranch finds herself linked to a horrific past: the slaughter of a family in Chicago, the murder of an Oklahoma beauty queen, and the kidnapping of a little girl named Adriana.

Tommie races along a twisting,nightmarish path while an unseen stalker is determined to keep old secrets locked inside the dementia-battered brain of the woman who Tommie always thought was her real mother. With everything she has ever believed in question, and no one she can trust, Tommie must discover the truth about the girl who vanished—and the very real threats that still remain.

Here are my thoughts on the novel:

This novel kept me riveted, wondering how these random and seemingly unrelated acts were related. Heaberlin did a good job of keeping you guessing down to the end, yet revealing enough along the way to not leave you feeling desperate to find out something. That's the hallmark of a good suspense writer to me. Also, Heaberlin is a good writer. There were some descriptions and observations on life that I had to go back and read again.

If you're looking for a good read this summer and enjoy suspense-filled books, I would recommend this one.