Surviving Christmas


This year was upsetting. No, not because of the shopping and frantic searching for more or better gifts. But because we had:

Remodeling. Growl. I love improvements, but I hate it when I have to put up with it when I'd rather decorate. You know the old saying: have your cake and eat it, too?

Hubby insisted on a "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree. That's what he called it. Let me list the reasons I objected strenuously:

• His brother's cast-off
• bent branches
• small and definitely not a wide-eyed wonder to look at
• NOT a real one

His reasoning:

• We're remodeliing
• It was easy to get to, since it was partially decorated already with lights that half burned
• Decorate it and it wouldn't be half bad

Ergh!

But you know, it wasn't half bad, in fact, by the time I finished with it . . . I hate to say it (modest smile here) . . . it was stunning! I loved it!

I was missing one son. One son was in another state, unable to get home this year for Christmas. I understood and . . . he called me. He told me he loved me. That was good!

I was sick, sort of. For whatever reason, I've been struggling with a simple cold, can't seem to fight it off permanently. I think I've got it whipped, and back it comes just when I start to relax. Since I'm a fairly healthy individual, it's totally annoying!

Sunday night, I could feel it stealing up on me. Monday, I felt like staying in bed all day (which I couldn't do. Sigh. Plus we had a Christmas Eve get together with hubby's family that night). Tuesday wasn't too bad. Had more strength. Wednesday, lousy and drowsy! Today? Not too bad. But I'm not going to hold my breath. I'm going to try to get more rest, sleep, quit worrying, and stop the stressing. Hmmm. We'll see if it works.


And then Christmas day turned out to be quiet and restful and very enjoyable. We had fewer people this year than most years, but laughter and together-erness, and a spirit of joy.

So, all in all, I survived Christmas with a greater awareness that simple is truly best. I don't have to have a real or the biggest tree I can find. I can make it knowing my sons love me whether they're with me or not, that I can work around dust and tools, and that everything doesn't have to be just so. And most of all that I was alive to enjoy and celebrate Christmas 2007.

I'm so thankful for this wonderful gift of Christmas.



Fun hints to set as New Year goals:

• Learn a new joke
• Make new friends
• Wash your feet every day (please!)
• Learn something new
• Strive to be good!
• Invite a friend for dinner

Quote:
You have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when
there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look. -- Ronald Reagan




Blessings

Interview with Lena Nelson Dooley

Caroline: How long have you known that you were a writer? Did you receive a clear “call?” Or have you just loved writing all your life?

Lena: I thought writing was a part of life. I didn’t know everyone wasn’t a writer until I married a man who didn’t read or write. He wasn’t illiterate, he just didn’t like to read or write. He is now a reader, but still not a writer. He’s read almost all my books.

Caroline: What is the genre you write in? Would you explain what it is?

Lena: Actually, so far all of my books have been Christian romance, but they are vastly different. I’ve had some prairie romances, a mystery, a suspense, a pirate book, a couple of westerns, and other among all my books. Some are historical, some contemporary.

Caroline: How do you spend your writing days? Do you set goals to reach a certain number of words per day? Can you give us a general idea of how long it takes you to write a novel?

Lena: Actually, I spend at least 6 hours a day at the computer—5 or six days a week, according to what projects and deadlines I have. Of course, some of that time is spent on research or planning. I don’t have a specific word count goal. I figure out how much I need to write to meet a deadline and follow that schedule.

So far, I’ve only written Heartsongs and novellas. So the novels have been 45,000-55,000 words. I like to have three months for a Heartsong, but I have written a couple of them in 6 weeks.

For the novellas, which are around 20,000 words, I like to have at least six weeks, but have written a couple of them in only a month.

These times include the first drafts, editing, getting critiques, and final editing.

Caroline: What is the spiritual message in your latest book? What can readers expect to get from reading it?

Lena: In my most recent book, Who Am I?, that God has a plan for our lives, even when it doesn’t seem that way, when hard things happen that we don’t understand. We still have to trust Him and allow Him to work things out for our good.

Caroline: You recently had another book published. Would you take this time to describe it to us? How and where can readers buy your books?

Lena: The book before that was a novella collection written by Lisa Harris, Kim Sawyer, Debbie Mayne, and myself. It’s about four friends who made a pact when they were in college to be married by the time they were 28 years old. It’s the year of the 28^th birthdays, and none of them really have any possibility of marriage.

The stories show how God can give you the desires of your heart in ways you never expected.

Heartsong novels take longer to get to bookstores. They come out in the book club first. However, you can order any of them through www.heartsongpresents.com .

The novella collections are in most Christian bookstores as well as many regular bookstores. And all the books are available online through www.amazon.com .

Caroline: Where do you get ideas? Character names? Do you find your characters similar to you in any way?

Lena: I believe that God gives me the ideas. Often characters give me their names. If I need a particular type of name, such as a female Swedish name in 1890, I use name databases on the Internet.

There have been times that some of my characters are similar to me in certain ways, but I’ve written so many books now, the readers would be bored if all the characters were like me.

Caroline: Do you ever feel like giving up? Most people don’t understand the stress, the work, and the joy of being a writer. How tenuous becoming a writer is. Do you care to share how it feels, what discouraging/encouraging times you’ve gone through? Who’s inspired you the most?

Lena: Yes, I’ve been discouraged. It’s usually because of outside influences, such as an injury that holds me down or something like that. The discouragement that I feel when I receive a rejection or a lot of rewrites from an editor is fleeting. It’s just part of the job. I’ve learned not to let it get me down very long.

But I won’t give up. I’m actually doing the very thing God created me to do at this point in my life. When I got discouraged not long ago, He sent someone to get me over that discouragement. If your readers want to know about this event, they can go to my web site www.lenanelsondooley.com and read about it in the December newsletter.

Caroline: Would you roughly explain how you “chose” (or was chosen) a publisher? Do you just go “inny, minny, miny, moe?” Grin. Now, that you’re published, can you sit back and relax from the success you’ve experienced?

Lena: Actually, you don’t choose a publisher, the publisher chooses you by seeing your proposal and liking it. An author should study the markets and find out what various publishers want before they submit anything. A good way to do that is through connection with other authors. I highly recommend American Christian Fiction Writers www.acfw.com for people who write novels.

Actually, now I don’t do any of the submitting of my work. I have an agent, and she knows who to target with my proposals. She has two different proposals out now that are for much larger books than I have done before.

Caroline: Do you mind telling us some of your likes and dislikes? Hobbies, interests? Where would you like to travel if you could? Etc.

Lena: I do like to travel. I’ve been to several states in the US, to various parts of Mexico, to Guatemala, and to islands in the Caribbean. My husband and I want to go to Alaska and Hawaii sometime. I’d even like to go to Europe and Australia.

I like to read, knit, crochet, watch movies with my husband, spend time with our extended family, and get together with friends.

Caroline: Would you give us your blog or webpage so everyone can check it out? Anything else you’d like to share? Promotional information?

Lena: I’ve already listed my web site, but I have a blog that is very popular, because I interview other authors about their book releases. It helps readers get to know the authors.

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

If your readers want to see into my life, I also have a blog of slideshows about my writing and my personal life.

http://lenanelsondooley2.blogspot.com

And I’m a part of Shoutlife, the Christian online community.

www.shoutlife.com/lenanelsondooley

Thanks, Lena!

Christmas hints:

• The best way to get free Christmas cards is to make them yourself. Or if you have them left over from last year, in a sense you can use them again for free!
• If making your own cards, then use a nice quality paper - ideally something more like card than paper so that it has the strength to stand up rather than fall over too easily.
• The pattern that you draw on is entirely up to you, but you might consider downloading some nice Christmas clipart off the internet and then printing out onto the paper, or alternatively even doing the whole card on the computer.
• Ensure that you personalise and sign a card by hand if you do make it on the computer however; that personal touch is all important with a Christmas card!

Quote:
I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. --Charles Dickens


Blessings!

Cost Of Gifts for 12 Days Of Christmas

Have you ever wondered about the total cost of each item in the "Twelve Days Of Christmas" song?

That is to say, if you actually went out and bought a pear tree, a partridge, 2 French hens, etc. How much do you think it would actually cost?

Each year a number of economists attempt to estimate the cost for all the gifts mentioned in the song.
The results by PNC Advisors who have been doing this study for 22 years, are as follows.

The Cost of the 12 Days Of Christmas (possibly larger):

* One Partridge in a Pear Tree: $144.99 ($15.00 Partridge, $129.99 Pear Tree)

* Two Turtle Doves: $40.00 ($20.00 each)

* Three French Hens: $45.00 ($15.00 each)

* Four Calling Birds: $479.96 ($119.99 each)

* Five Gold Rings: $325.00 ($65.00 each)

* Six Geese-a-Laying: $300.00 ($50.00 each)

* Seven Swans-a-Swimming: $4,200.00 ($600.00 each)

* Eight Maids-a-Milking: $41.20 ($5.15 each)

* Nine Ladies Dancing: $4,759.19 ($528.80 each)

* Ten Lords-a-Leaping: $4,160.25 ($416.02 each)

* Eleven Pipers Piping: $2,124.00 ($186.66 each)

* Twelve Drummers Drumming: $2,224.30 ($193.09 each)

The grand total of the song for 2006 - $18,920.59 And that's in U.S.dollars!


Yikes! How about a new car, hubby. It'd be a lot cheaper!



Want to make some of your own decorations? Try these suggestions:

Like angels? Snowmen? Gingerbread men?
Buy several soft figures of your choice.
Buy rope (white for angels and snowmen, brown for gingerbread men)
Glue or tie figures onto rope at intervals.

String!



Quote:
Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given--when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes.
~ Joan Winmill Brown, American author and editor.

Blessings!

Christmas Gifts

We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and talking.

Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, 'Hi.' He pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter, and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment.

I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast. His toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard. and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map.

We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists as he called to my baby. "Hi there, baby. Hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster."

My husband and I exchanged looks. "What do we do?"

Erik continued to laugh and answer, "Hi."

Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby.

Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, "Do ya patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek- a-boo."

Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk.

My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments.

We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door.

"Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik."

As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did so, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's 'pick-me-up' position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man.

Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love and kinship.

Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time.

I stood awestruck.

The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms, then his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, "You take care of this baby."

Somehow I managed, "I will" from a throat that contained a stone.

He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, "God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift."

I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car.

My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, "My God, my God, forgive me."

I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes.

I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. I felt it was God asking, "Are you willing to share your son for a moment?" when He shared His for all eternity. The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, "To enter the Kingdom of God , we must become as little children."

Sometimes, it takes a child to remind us of what is really important. We must always remember who we are, where we came from and, most importantly, how we feel about others. The clothes on your back or the car that you drive or the house that you live in does not define you at all; it is how you treat your fellow man that identifies who you are.

Here is a real neat hint for someone who loves plants and it's almost as good to make as to receive this one:

• Choose a wide glass vase; add stones or pebbles (carefully)
• Choose a selection of spring bulbs and lace at the bottom of vase in the midst of the stones
• Tie a ribbon around the vase
• Add a small amount of water to the stones to make the bulbs grow
• It's great to watch the roots appear and then the plant itself!

More about Lena Nelson Dooley:

Lena says: "My first novel was published by Heartsong Presents in 1992, my second in 2002. Four books came out in 2004, and a new novel released in August 2005. I had five releases in 2006, with four already scheduled for 2007."

Quote:

It is better to be liked for the true you, than to be loved for who people think you are.

Blessings

How the Trees Kept Christmas


A Christmas Story

One Christmas Eve the trees in a wood were very unhappy. They wished very much to keep Christmas, but they did not know how to do so.

"We look so brown," said one.

"And so bare," said another.

"If we only had our pretty green summer dresses," said a third, "then we should be decorated and could keep Christmas."

"Hush, children, hush!" whispered North Wind in quite a gentle voice for such a rough fellow. "Make haste and go to sleep."

"Hush! children, hush!" softly murmured a sleepy little bird. He was roosting on one of the branches of the unhappy trees.

So the trees dropped off to sleep, one by one, while a little star twinkled peacefully overhead.

But while they slept something happened. And when the trees awoke they found that someone, perhaps North Wind, had, during the night, cast over each of them a lovely soft cloak of spotless feathery white.

"How beautiful we are!" said the trees. "Now we can keep our Christmas!"

Not into new and different? Or can't afford expensive decorations? Just want a classy, easy, and "cheap" Christmas table look? here you go . . .

• Use your paper napkins, but tie with red bows. Cute!
• Use cream or colored crackers. Not too bad, but gives a festive look!
• Buy colored syrofoam plates and/or cutlery.
• Better yet, set a theme with whatever plates you have. John Deere? Then go with green and yellow candles and a few toy animals with wreaths or bows about their necks. Or set a miniature tree in the center and decorate with toy farm animals, etc. How about a toy tractor as your centerpiece with a small festive wreath hung over half of it? Pink flowered plates? Use pink candles, or pink napkins, with silver streams crisscrossed in the center of the table. Lay a few baubles here and there. Gorgeous! Apples? Great! Build a tier of different apples. Use a tiered candy dish or other. Use a syrofoam tree and glue fake apples to it. Use a big, big bowl and fill with apples for your centerpiece. Add bows of twine. Or for a real cute touch, see if you can get apples with stems: tie miniature bows to them and set one at each place setting. If you can't get stems, then, maybe wrap around the apple? Use your imagination!
• Set paper doilies at each place setting. Use cheap Christmas ornaments. Use ornaments you no longer use on the tree, or Christmas rope. Use pine cones, animals, toys, broken or discarded toys.
  
• For a real personal touch, write a note, poem, or memory and wrap into a scroll and place at each setting.
  

Are you in for a treat! Our "coming-up-on-Friday interview with multipublished author Lean Dooley will be a good one. AND Lena has promised to give away two books! That means two people will get a book! Fun.

Lena says:
Why I became a professional writer: "I have always written. I thought everyone did. If we needed a program, I wrote it. I often daydreamed of writing the great American novel. Sometimes while I was in my middle 30's, I thought I would like to write a book based on the Proverbs 31 woman. and I still may write that book. A friend told her: Lena, you're suppose to do that (write an inspirational romance). A christian bookstore manager said, "If God has given you this talent, you are to develop it." "






Quote:
When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things—not the great occasions—give off the greatest glow of happiness. --Bob Hope


Blessings!

Interview with Sharlene Mcclaren

Caroline: How long have you known that you were a writer? Did you receive a clear “call?” Or have you just loved writing all your life?

First, thanks so much for this opportunity to share from my heart. It’s always such a blessing to me. Now, onto your question. I’ve always enjoyed writing—but I didn’t actually write my first novel until the year 2000. I was a couple of years away from retirement and already fretting about what I was going to do with myself. I pled with God to give me a new direction for my life, something that would fulfill me – as my teaching career had done. It started with a dream. I know that sounds “cliché-ish”, but it’s true. I dreamt I’d written a book. I thought the dream was odd, but after dreaming it three more times, I sat up, took notice, and thought, hmm, is God trying to tell me something? (Slow learner!) So, with much trepidation and an idea for a story floating around in my head, I sat at my computer one fine summer day in the year 2000 and started writing. Now, five pubbed books later, I’m going strong as ever! Praise God!

Caroline: What is the genre you write in? Would you explain what it is?

Shar: My first book, Spring’s Promise, pubbed in 2002. It is a contemporary women’s fiction/romance. I pubbed that book with a print-on-demand operation, but the price of the book is exorbitant. I wanted a mainline publisher and prayed for one. In the meantime, I studied the market, the industry, the craft. I joined online writing groups, organizations like the wonderful American Christian Fiction Writers, and attended all kinds of seminars and conventions. Of course, it was trial and error as I submitted one query and proposal after another and my file of rejections grew thicker by the month. Finally, in 2006, I signed a contract with Whitaker House, and they pubbed my second contemporary work—women’s fiction/romance—titled Through Every Storm. My real “love”, though, is reading and writing historical romance, so that’s what followed. My Little Hickman Creek Series contains three books, the third and final one in the series releasing in March/April of ’08. Titles of the three books are Loving Liza Jane, Sarah, My Beloved, and Courting Emma.

Caroline: How do you spend your writing days? Do you set goals to reach a certain number of words per day? Can you give us a general idea of how long it takes you to write a novel?

Shar: Right now, I’m working on a six-month deadline (six months for each upcoming book in my next series). That forces me to write a minimum of about 1,000 words per day. If I can do that, I’m happy. Some days other things take precedence and I write nothing, and some days I can write more than that, so it evens out. It just depends on how my schedule looks.

Caroline: What is the spiritual message in your latest book? What can readers expect to get from reading it?

Shar: My latest book, Sarah, My Beloved, second in my historical series, is about a young woman who marries a man for convenience’ sake, but it is ultimately about learning to trust God in the midst of hard times. When she marries him, it is to help him care for the niece and nephew who are ‘dropped on his doorstep’ after his sister’s premature death. He’s a bitter man, though, and living with him, let alone learning to love him, will take an act of God. The reader winds up cheering on this couple and the two unfortunate children caught in the middle and, of course, the ending is, hm, quite satisfying. (grins)

Caroline: You recently had another book published. Would you take this time to describe it to us? Where can we find your books for purchase?

Shar: As stated earlier, I have four published books to date. A fifth, the final one in my series, will hit shelves in March of ’08, and then I’m to launch yet another three-book series in early ’09. The series currently available has an 1895-96, Kentucky setting. Each book focuses on one of the women in the town, the first a schoolteacher who finds love, the second, a woman who marries for convenience’ sake, and the third, a rough-around-the- edges-woman who runs a boardinghouse and discovers unexpected love with one of her tenants. My books are all available through Barnes & Noble and Christian bookstores, also online. (See the final question for more details on that.)

Caroline: Where do you get ideas? Character names? Do you find your characters similar to you in any way?

Shar: Oh, my goodness, they are all floating around up there in my head, ideas, character names, plots, settings. I guess you could say I have an imagination that won’t quit. Are they like me? Well, not really, but I suppose a little bit of myself sneaks in there every once in a while.

Caroline: Do you ever feel like giving up? Most people don’t understand the stress, the work, and the joy of being a writer. How tenuous becoming a writer is. Do you care to share how it feels, what discouraging/encouraging times you’ve gone through? Who’s inspired you the most?

Shar: I never really feel like giving up, but I certainly do stress out once in a while. On those nights when I have trouble sleeping, I pray and ask the Lord to help me trust Him. He is the giver of “the gift”, and so I know in my heart, He will provide me with the words, the ideas, the character development, and the ability to complete a project. Currently I’m working under a deadline, and I’ll be honest, there is stress and worry that comes with deadlines. Bottom line is you HAVE to be creative whether you feel like it or not, and some days it’s like dragging a stubborn mule down a bumpy road to eke those words out, but somehow they come. Writing for pleasure is a lot different from writing under contract, but I still love it more than I can describe. I guess that’s what they call true passion. My biggest inspiration, of course, is my Heavenly Father, but since all my stories are romantic, I have to say my dear, precious husband of 32 years inspires me in ways you can only imagine. Hee-hee. As a romance writer, let me just say, it does help to be married to a romantic, sweet, and caring guy.

Caroline: Would you roughly explain how you “chose” (or were chosen by) a publisher? Do you just go “inny, minny, miny, moe?” Grin. Now, that you’re published, can you sit back and relax from the success you’ve experienced?

Shar: Well, I mentioned earlier that I’ve accumulated quite a rejection pile. Before, I would finish a manuscript and then shop it to several different publishers. If it failed, I might go back and rework it for the dozenth time—OR set it aside and start an entirely different book. (Sound like torture? Haha.)

When I finally contracted with a mainline publisher in the spring of ’06, it was because in ‘05 I had sent complete proposals of Through Every Storm to about 15 different publishers. I just changed the heading, address, etc., made up as many copies as I needed of query letters, bio sheets, synopses, and first three chapters, put them in big bubble envelopes, and mailed them out with a huge prayer. Sound like a lot of work? Believe me, it is. You ALWAYS pray that your proposal will land in the exact right hands because timing is everything, God’s timing, that is.

Well, about six months after I’d mailed all those proposals—and received a handful of rejections and no responses from everyone else, I chalked that proposal up as another failure. And then came the day when Whitaker House contacted me for a full manuscript. I tried not to get too excited because I’d had full reads requested many times before. It’s always a big encouragement to writers, though, to get that request. It sort of gives you that extra boost that causes you to say, “Don’t quit. Someone besides the Lord and my family believes in me!” (grins) Well, all that to say this…after Whitaker read the book, and it passed through several editors and committees, they FINALLY offered me a contract. Yippee!

Once “Storm” went to press, they requested a look at my other projects, and the rest is history. I am now working on my fifth contracted book with Whitaker House, with two more to follow. You asked if I can now sit back and relax. Hahaha. Relax? What is that?

Caroline: Do you mind telling us some of your likes and dislikes? Hobbies, interests? Where would you like to travel if you could? Etc.

Shar: My true love is my family—and particularly my beautiful, charming, handsome grandson born March 21, 2006. In March and July of ’08 we’re expecting two more grandchildren, so this is a WONDERFUL time in the life of Cecil and Shar MacLaren. We absolutely adore being grandparents. Hobbies? Well, besides writing, I’m an avid reader, of course. I also love hanging out with Cecil, going to movies (decent ones), eating at fun restaurants, spending time with our many precious Bible study friends, and traveling. I’m not athletic, much to my husband’s chagrin, so while he’s golfing on vacations, I hang out at the pool or shop. I’m very contented to let him do his thing, and he feels the same way about me. We’re very in love, compatible, and happy to give each other the freedom to do what they enjoy most.

I also love to sing. Before writing became my passion, I was a soloist and choir member. I’ve sung for weddings, funerals, conferences, banquets, retreats, you name it. I’m still involved with my church worship team, but really, music has taken somewhat of a backseat, which is fine for now. It’s just where God has placed me, and it’s all good.

Caroline: Would you give us your blog or webpage so everyone can check it out? Anything else you’d like to share? Promotional information?

Shar: Oh, do please come over. I love visitors. I will always reply to emails or comments on my website or blog. I’m also a member at Shoutlife, a wonderful Christian community much like MySpace or Facebook—but oh, so much better. Anyone can join, and it’s simply fantastic. Here’s my contact information, and thanks for the opportunity you’ve given me to share. This has been wonderful fun. May God bless each of you with bountiful grace, mercy, hope and joy!

Hugs,
Shar MacLaren

www.sharlenemaclaren.com

www.shoutlife.com/sharlenemaclaren

www.sharlenemaclaren.blogspot.com

smac@chartermi.net

Available books:

Through Every Storm – contemporary romance

Little Hickman Creek Series:

Loving Liza Jane

Sarah, My Beloved

Courting Emma (March ’08)

In January ’09, watch for my 3-book Daughters of Jacob Kane Series

You may purchase books at Barnes & Noble or at your local Christian bookstore. If you can’t locate them on shelves, feel free to order at the store. Of course, they’re also available through www.amazon.com or www.christianbook.com

YUM! Yum!

Creamy Christmas Eggnog

Soft Custard (below)
1 cup whipping (heavy) cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 or 2 drops yellow food color, if desired
Ground nutmeg

Prepare Soft Custard

Just before serving, beat whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in
chilled medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Gently
stir 1 cup of the whipped cream and food color into custard.

Pour custard mixture into small punch bowl. Drop remaining whipped cream in
mounds onto custard mixture. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Serve immediately.
Refrigerate any remaining eggnog.

Soft Custard
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup sugar
Dash of salt
2 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix eggs, sugar and salt in heavy 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in milk.
Cook over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture
just coats a metal spoon; remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Place saucepan
in cold water until custard is cool. (If custard curdles, beat vigorously
with hand beater until smooth.) Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours but
no longer than 24 hours.





Don't forget to watch for multipublished Lena Dooley, next Friday. We'll be choosing two lucky people to get one of her books each.



Quote:
The earth has grown old with its burden of care But at Christmas it always is young, The heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair And its soul full of music breaks the air, When the song of angels is sung."
~ Phillips Brooks (1835-93),


Blessings!

And last, but Not Least . . .

Why has "Silent Night" become our most beloved carol? Is it the words -- tender, intimate, gentle? Or the tune -- so peaceful, so memorable, so easy to play or pick out with one hand on the piano?

It is not a joyous, fast-paced carol like Handel's "Joy to the World." Nor theologically-rich like Charles Wesley's "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing." Nor does it have a complex tune like "Angels We Have Heard on High."

Rather, "Silent Night" is quiet and reflective, calling us to meditate on the scene. It is the ambience conveyed by both the gentle words and melody that create from this carol an oasis of peace.

"All is calm, all is bright."

It calls us to dwell on the Mary and her Child --

"'Round yon Virgin, mother and Child,
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace."

You feel as the "shepherds quake at the sight." You can imagine as "heavenly hosts sing Alleluia." And you begin to sing "Alleluia to the King" right along with them.

Rays of backlit brilliance highlight many a religious painting, but here the picture of light is painted in words:

"Glories stream from heaven afar...."

"Son of God, love's pure light,
Radiant beams from Thy holy face...."

Just Who is in this manger? What is the significance of this birth? What is Christmas about -- really? Perhaps most of all, "Silent Night" is beloved because it reminds us in its simple, but exceedingly clear way, the truth behind it all -- the truth that changes everything:

"Christ, the Savior is born!"

Sing it again this Christmas and let its gentle peace wash over you and its bold assertion renew your soul.

"Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!
"Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!"

--By Ralph Wilson

More of those beautiful Christmas plant hints: Christmas Cactus:

• After the holidays, encourage your cactus to branch out by removing a few sections from each branch of the plant (pinch, or use a sharp knife). (Save these sections and root to propagate new plants).
• Keep your Christmas cactus in bright light.
• Can be kept on the dryer side until it begins actively growing again in the spring.
• Move plants outdoors in summer, but not in bright sunlight or leaves will burn and become permanently discolored.
• In the fall, slowly adjust the plant to life indoors by gradually increasing the number of hours they spend inside.
• Once inside, keep them in a cool spot (50 degrees).
• Around mid to late October, begin giving them at least 12 hours of complete darkness every day while keeping them in a cool location.
• Once the flower buds set, do not move the plants, or buds will fall off.

Tomorrow! An interview with Sharlene MacClaren! Read on to find out more about this amazing woman:

About Little Hickman Creek: Loving Liza Jane, Sarah, My Beloved, and Courting Emma are the three titles in this series. Each story depicts life in the late 1800s in the town of Little Hickman, Kentucky, an earthy, unsophisticated farming community nestled amongst Kentucky’s rich green grasses and mossy hillsides. This actual town operated its own post office from 1867 to 1912. Today it is a small but thriving community in Jessamine County. Known for its creek, which swells to river proportions in heavy rains and shrinks to a mere stream in dryer times it will be the catalyst by which several fictional characters emerge.



Quote:
Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. --Norman Vincent Peale



Blessings

1 CORINTHIANS 13 CHRISTMAS VERSION

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows,
strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls,
but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime,
but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home,
and give all that I have to charity,
but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata,
but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind though harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated
Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way,
but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return
but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust.
But giving the gift of love will endure.

Merry Christmas!

More info about Sharlene MacClaren . . . upcoming interview Friday. Don't forget to let me know, someway, that you're reading this blog!
Sharlene's all-time favorite verse is Romans 8:28, which says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

This verse really speaks to me—tells me that no matter what trial or heartache I might have to suffer, God is right there in the middle of it, carrying me, guiding me, lending me strength. And that in the end, he’s going to take that rough circumstance, turn it around, and make me stronger for it—make me thankful that I had to experience it.





More W-D 40 hints:

• Restores and cleans chalkboards.
• Loosens stubborn zippers.
• Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
• Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
• Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.

Quote:
I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses. --Taylor Caldwell

Blessings!

What Christmas Is As We Grow Older --By Charles Dickens

Time was, with most of us, when Christmas Day, encircling all our limited world like a magic ring, left nothing out for us to miss or seek; bound together all our home enjoyments, affections, and hopes; grouped everything and every one around the Christmas fire; and made the little picture shining in our bright young eyes complete.

And is our life here, at the best, so constituted that, pausing as we advance at such a noticeable milestone in the track as this great birthday, we look back on the things that never were, as naturally and full as gravely as on the things that have been and are gone, or have been and still are? If it be so, and so it seems to be, must we come to the conclusion that life is little better than a dream, and little worth the loves and strivings that we crowd into it?

No! Far be such miscalled philosophy from us, dear reader, on Christmas Day! Nearer and closer in our hearts be the Christmas spirit, which is the spirit of active usefulness, perseverance, cheerful discharge of duty, kindness, and forbearance! It is in the last virtues especially that we are, or should be, strengthened by the unaccomplished visions of our youth; for, who shall say that they are not our teachers, to deal gently even with the impalpable nothings of the earth!

Welcome, old aspirations, glittering creatures of an ardent fancy, to your shelter underneath the holly! We know you, and have not outlived you yet. Welcome, old projects and old loves, however fleeting, to your nooks among the steadier lights that burn around us. Welcome, all that was ever real to our hearts; and for the earnestness that made you real, thanks to heaven!

Welcome everything! Welcome alike what has been, and what never was, and what we hope may be, in your shelter underneath the holly, to your places round the Christmas fire, where what is, sits openhearted!

Of all days in the year, we will turn our faces toward that City upon Christmas Day, and from its silent hosts bring those we loved among us. In the Blessed Name wherein we are gathered together at this time, and in the Presence that is here among us according to the promise, we will receive, and not dismiss, the people who were dear to us!

The winter sun goes down over town and village; on the sea it makes a rosy path, as if the Sacred Tread were fresh upon the water. A few more moments, and it sinks, and night comes on, and lights begin to sparkle in the prospect. In town and village, there are doors and windows closed against the weather; there are flaming logs heaped high; there are joyful faces; there is healthy music of voices. Be all ungentleness and harm excluded from the temples of the household gods, but be those memories admitted with tender encouragement! They are of Time and all the comforting and peaceful reassurances; and of the broad beneficence and goodness that too many men have tried to tear to narrow shreds.

I hope you enjoy some of these "writings," like the above article, that I've found and enjoyed. I'll share a few with you now and then through December.



Stressed out? Here's a hint to help that situation even at Christmas:

• Simply laugh out really loud - as loud as you can! This releases chemicals into the blood stream that make you feel better and relaxed.

Don't forget to let me know if you want entered in the contest to win one of Molly Noble Bull's books! Now on to some beginning information about Sharlene Maclaren, Friday's interviewee . . .
Born and raised in west Michigan, Sharlene MacLaren attended Spring Arbor University. Upon graduating with an education degree way back in 1971, she traveled internationally for a year with a small singing ensemble, then came home and married one of her childhood friends. Together they raised two lovely daughters, both of which are happily married. Recently retired after teaching elementary school for 31 years, ‘Shar’ enjoys reading, writing, singing in the church choir and worship teams, traveling, and spending time with her family, which now includes her very wonderful, adorable, precious grandson.



Quote:
. . . for it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself. --A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens


Blessings!

Molly Noble Bull's Interview


Caroline: How long have you known that you were a writer?

Molly: I have known since childhood that I could imagine interesting things and tell stories. Once when I was very young, I told a scary story to a friend. Not only did she get scared, so did I. I begin to think my made-up story was actually true. As a result, I told “listener friendly” stories after that instead of the scary kind.


Caroline: Did you receive a clear “call?” Or have you just loved writing all your life?

Molly: I’ve always enjoyed telling stories. My problem came in writing them down. You see, I am a dyslexic. Therefore, I was a poor speller, and I had a problem with punctuation. My call to write novels was clear, but I had to wait until my ability to put my thoughts on paper caught up with my imagination.


Caroline: What is the genre you write in? Would you explain what it is?

Molly: I have loved fairy tales for as long as I can remember. Still do. I write romantic fiction. And what better romance novels than fairy tales? Like fairy tales, all my books contain a love story, and they often contain a mystery of some kind as well.


Caroline: How do you spend your writing days? Do you set goals to reach a certain number of words per day? Can you give us a general idea of how long it takes you to write a novel?

Molly: No, I do not write a certain number of pages a day because I never know what might happen on a given day, and I would beat-up on myself if I didn’t reach my daily goal. Instead, I write as much as I can as often as I can. It takes me about a year to write a novel. Wish I wrote faster, but I don’t. Sometimes, instead of writing, I plan what I am going to write. Planning what you will write is almost as important as actually writing. I say almost because some people plan forever and never write a word, and that is never good.


Caroline: What is the spiritual message in your latest book? What can readers expect to get from reading it?

Molly: Tsaba House published Sanctuary in trade paperback on September 15, 2007, and it is set in France in 1740. Sanctuary is a romantic adventure story about the Huguenots and forgiving the unforgivable. Those interested in learning what the story is about before buying it can read an excerpt at my website. www.mollynoblebull.com Just scroll down the main page and click Molly’s Books. From Molly’s Books, you can see all my covers, click to read book reviews and click to read excerpts from Sanctuary and The Winter Pearl. By the way, I write under the name of Molly Noble Bull.

Caroline: You recently had another book published. Would you take this time to describe it to us?

Molly: You must be talking about The Winter Pearl. The Winter Pearl, also a historical, was set in Colorado in 1888 and published by Steeple Hill in trade paperback in 2004. It came out again in mass-market paperback from Love Inspired in 2007. But I am also contracted to write three more novels and two non-fiction books for Tsaba House.

Caroline: How and where can readers buy your books?

Molly: The easiest way to find my books is to visit my website because there are buttons at the site you can click on that will take you to several online bookstores. But for those searching for my books on their own at online stores like www.christianbook.com, Amazon, Barnes and Noble or anywhere, write Molly Noble Bull in the search slot. That should take you to a list of all my books. My novels are also available at walk-in bookstores, but they must be ordered. It is unlikely my books will be found on the shelves, but it is always possible, of course.



Caroline: Where do you get ideas? Character names?

Molly: Ideas for novels can come from a flash of thought, a memory, a hurt, a blessing, a frightening experience, my family history or from events I merely read about in magazines or newspapers. First and last names often come from people I have known. But if I am writing a historical, I research names that fit the time and settings of the book.


Caroline: Do you find your characters similar to you in any way?

Molly: All my characters contain a little of my DNA. At the same time, they are different from me. They visit times long past where I can never go, and they have exciting adventures I can never have. My hope is that those who read my books will share these adventures with me.



Caroline: Do you ever feel like giving up?

Molly: Daily. But it only lasts for a few minutes. Then I’m back writing again.



Caroline: Most people don’t understand the stress, the work, and the joy of being a writer. How tenuous becoming a writer is. Do you care to share how it feels, what discouraging/encouraging times you’ve gone through?

Molly: For me, writing fiction of any kind is loads of fun. I enjoy every second of it. But writing to sell is hard work that involved deadlines and rewrites and editorial guidelines. After you sell, then you have to learn how to promote your book or books. Book promotions can be fun, too. However, it takes you away from your computer and those deadlines I just mentioned. How do you spell writing to sell? STRESS.



Caroline: Who’s inspired you the most?

Molly: I would have to say God. The Lord is the only one who knew I would become a writer someday. In fact, He is the one who gave me the talent and drive to keep going.



Caroline: Would you roughly explain how you “chose” (or was chosen) a publisher? Do you just go “inny, minny, miny, moe?” Grin.

Molly: Unless you are Lori Wick, book publishers choose you. You do not choose them. You send in a book proposal. Maybe you send in several to different publishers, and they buy your book or they don’t.



Caroline: Now, that you’re published, can you sit back and relax from the success you’ve experienced?

Molly: Sit back? Are you kidding? Just because I’ve had five books published and five more under contract doesn’t mean I will ever sell number eleven. I have to hunch over that computer every day I can and work, work, work.



Caroline: Do you mind telling us some of your likes and dislikes? Hobbies, interests? Where would you like to travel if you could? Etc.

Molly: I love to spend time with the Lord and with my family. I love to visit new places or look closely at my current surroundings. Today, my hobby is just being alive. I love life and cherish every day that I am allowed to live here on God’s good earth.



Caroline: Would you give us your blog or webpage so everyone can check it out?

Molly: The only blog I have is at Shoutlife, and a person must join Shoutlife to read my blog there. www.shoutlife.com/mollynoblebull. I’ve already given my web address, but I’ll give it again. www.mollynoblebull.com

Caroline: Anything else you’d like to share? Promotional information?

Molly: Sanctuary is the first of three long historical novels in the Faith of Our Fathers series and has been reviewed by Christian Book Previews, Christian Review of Books, In the Library, and several other places. At the moment, I am working on book two of the Faith of Our Fathers series and finishing up a non-fiction book I am writing with four other published authors on dyslexia and learning disabilities. My next novel to be published will not be a historical and is very different from Sanctuary. It will be titled Runaway Romance and is actually two short novels under one cover. My romance, Alyson, takes place on a Texas cattle ranch in modern times, and I hope some will find it lighthearted and even funny. The other short novel will be written by Teresa Slack.

I enjoyed doing this interview, Carole, and I hope you will invite me to come back soon.


Wow! Molly is an amazing writer. Don't forget to get in touch with me (you know how!) if you want a chance to get one of her books!

Coming up next Friday? An interview with Sharlene Mcclaren. Another great writer, and a sweet person to boot. Another opportunity to get one of her books!



Christmas Cookies Anyone?

Chewy Molasses Ginger Cookies

Nonstick cooking spray

1/3 cup margarine, softened
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup dark molasses
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray; set aside.
   
2. In a large mixing bowl beat the margarine with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar, baking soda, ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; beat until combined. Beat in egg and molasses. Beat in as much of the all-purpose and whole wheat flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Combine the granulated sugar and 1teaspoon cinnamon. Roll balls in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 10 to 11 minutes or until set and tops are cracked. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool on a wire rack. Makes about 4 dozen.

Quote:
Christmas is the gentlest, loveliest festival of the revolving year - and yet, for all that, when it speaks, its voice has strong authority. --W. J. Cameron

Blessings!

Why Do You Do What You Do?


Why do put decorations up in your house?
Why do you choose which ones you really like to use?
Have you thought about why you decorate as you do? (IF you do . . . smile)

I like angels on my tree (I know, I know, they're not the soft, cuddly figures we all adore)
I like berries, and pine ropes, and real trees. I like certain toy soldiers, and snowmen, and animals.

I thought you'd enjoy reading some "customs."

From the Old English 'Cristes Mæsse' ~ meaning the 'mass of Christ' ~ the story of Christmas begins with the birth of a babe in Bethlehem.

It is believed that Christ was born on the 25th, although the exact month is unknown. December was likely chosen so the Catholic Church could compete with rival pagan rituals held at that time of year and because of its closeness with the winter solstice in the Northern hemisphere, a traditional time of celebration among many ancient cultures.

In 16th-century Germany fir trees were decorated, both indoors and out, with apples, roses, gilded candies, and colored paper. In the Middle Ages, a popular religous play depicted the story of Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden. A fir tree hung with apples was used to symbolize the Garden of Eden -- the Paradise Tree. The play ended with the prophecy of a saviour coming, and so was often performed during the Advent season. It is held that Protestant reformer Martin Luther first adorned trees with light. While coming home one December evening, the beauty of the stars shining through the branches of a fir inspired him to recreate the effect by placing candles on the branches of a small fir tree inside his home

The Christmas Tree was brought to England by Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert from his native Germany. The famous Illustrated News etching in 1848, featuring the Royal Family of Victoria, Albert and their children gathered around a Christmas tree in Windsor Castle, popularized the tree throughout Victorian England. Brought to America by the Pennsylvania Germans, the Christmas tree became by the late 19th century.

According to legend, a kindly nobleman grew despondent over the death of his beloved wife and foolishly squandered his fortune. This left his three young daughters without dowries and thus facing a life of spinsterhood.

The generous St. Nicholas, hearing of the girls' plight, set forth to help. Wishing to remain anonymous, he rode his white horse by the nobleman's house and threw three small pouches of gold coins down the chimney where they were fortuitously captured by the stockings the young women had hung by the fireplace to dry.



More next week . . .



Read on for a look into how Molly Noble Bull views her spiritual life . . .

Do I know I'll go to heaven when I die? You bet I do because I repented and asked the Lord to come and live in my heart forever. The process is called Grace, and it is amazing. Each of us can know for sure that we will go to Heaven when we die. But only if we ask the Lord in prayer to forgive us for all our sins and really mean it. Then asked God to come into our hearts and into our lives and live there forever. And don't forget to make these requests in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, because Jesus is the one who paid for all our sins. By the way, if you haven't already done this, now is the perfect time.

Christmas goody:

Merry Christmas Cookies Recipe

The honey in this recipe makes these cookies melt in your
mouth.

1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, cream vegetable shortening,
sugar, egg, honey, and lemon extract until light
and fluffy. Sift in flour, baking soda, and salt;
stir until well blended. Refrigerate dough at
least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease
cookie sheets. On a lightly floured board, roll
dough to 1/4-inch thick; cut into desired
shapes with cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart
onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light
brown. Remove from oven and cool on wire
racks and decorate as desireds.

Yields 5 dozen cookies.

MILK FROSTING
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar,
lemon extract, and enought milk to make
frosting easy to spread. Tint, if desired, with a
few drops of food coloring.

Quote:
Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!

Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, 1836

Blessings!

A POEM ABOUT OUR GIRLFRIENDS

Someone will always be prettier.
Some will always be smarter.
Some of their houses will be bigger.

Some will drive a better car.
Their children will do better in school.
And their husband will fix more things around the house.

So let it go, and love you and your circumstances.

Think about it!

The prettiest woman in the woman can have hell in her heart.
And the most highly favored woman at your job site may be unable to have children.
And the richest woman you know, she's got the car, the house, the clothes, but she might be lonely.

The Word says:

"If I have not Love, I am nothing."

So, again, LOVE YOU

Love who you are. Look in the mirror in the morning and smile and say:

“I am too blessed to be stressed and too anointed, to be disappointed!”

Be 'blessed'

Hints:

I can't verify this, but I've just read that there's nothing in WD 40 that will hurt you. With that thought, here's some uses for it:

1) Protects silver from tarnishing.
2) Removes road tar and grime from cars.
3) Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
4) Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making it slippery.
5) Keeps flies off cows.

More Molly Noble Bull info:

Actress Suzann Condry took on a tough role when she traded lives with her twin sister, Holly. Suzann needed to get away from Hollywood...and Holly believed Suzann might find both peace and faith in charming Oak Valley.

Anything can happen when twin sisters trade lives!

Could Suzann convince everyone she was the sweet church librarian? Especially Josh Gallagher, the handsome assistant pastor who looked like a rugged rancher. Suzann feared he suspected her...until he asked for a date. She soon dreamed of an "ordinary" life as Josh's wife. But would Josh still love her once he learned her true identity?

A word about "Brides and Blessings" from Molly:

Twins have always fascinated me. My paternal grandmother was a twin, and the thought of writing about twins intrigued me. The possibility that my novel might point others to the Lord, blessed my heart. Some describe true Christians as judgmental and mean-spirited. But I've found them to be just the opposite. I hope my readers will think the characters in "Brides And Blessings" are kind, happy Christians--that they enjoy life to the fullest--and have a sense of humor. Love and Blessings to all!

Quote:
Instead of being a time of unusual behavior, Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish. Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself. --Francis C. Farley

Blessings!