20 Rules of Wisdom

I know. I know.

I use a lot of wonderful stuff people share with me. But I promise, I don't share everything. Just things that really strike me as good. So . . . here's one more.

1. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.
   
2. Dear God, I have a problem. Me.
3. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.
4. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.
5. Silence is often misinterpreted, but it's never misquoted.
6. Do the math: count your blessings.
7. Faith is the ability to not panic.
8. Laugh every day; it's like inner jogging.
9. If you worry, pray. If you pray, don't worry.
10. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home very day.
11. Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.
12. The most important thing in your home are the people.
13. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untie the knots.
14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.
15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.
16. Nothing is real to you until you experience it; otherwise, it's just heresay.
17. It's all right it sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you're done.
18. Don't procrastinate. Do it now. God has not promised us tomorrow, so live each day as if it were your last . . . it may be!
19. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle: it only makes progress when it sticks out it's neck.

Hmmm. Now which one applies to me the most?


Have a wonderful weekend!



Quote:
If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant. If we did not sometimes taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcomed. --Charlotte Bronte


Blessings!

Why Moms are Extraordinary People


Mom and Dad were in the family room when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed"

She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches, rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.

She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button. She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer.

She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry.

She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair.

She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her purse.

Mom then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her night solution & age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails.

Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed."

"I'm on my way," she said.

She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked and the patio light was on. She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.

In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her 6 most important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.

About that time, Dad decided it was his bedtime and announced to no one in particular. "I'm going to bed."

And he did . . . without another thought.

Anything extraordinary here? Wonder why women live longer . . . ?

CAUSE WE ARE MADE FOR THE LONG HAUL . . . (and we can't die sooner, we still have things to do!!!!)

God determines who walks into your life . . . it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.



Quote:
Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit. --Hosea Ballou


Blessings

I Am Loved

How do you feel when someone says, "I love you"?
How do you feel when someone does something to make you feel loved?

Warm?
Fuzzy with happiness?
Delighted to return the words or actions?
Cool? Awesome? Bad?

Whatever current words describe your feelings, it's plain ole wonderful to know someone cares enough to say the words or show the action.

I've felt loved recently.

• Friends have verified they're faithful.
• A wonderful bro and wife sent a card to tell me I'm loved!
• Son number two called me twice just recently called on the phone and said the magic words.
• Son number one worked hard to get a certain program on my computer.
• Someone sent me a cute little email; gave me a big smile all day.
• Hubby gave me the darlingest little cake for valentine's day.
• And he also touched his hat in a gesture that had me almost swooning with delight!
• Some friends sent me a card with little messages of love on it.
• Emails with funny-making-you-laugh messages.
• Emails with serious-making-you-think messages.
• An email from a critique partner who told me my cozy characters were fabulous & quirky, just right for a cozy!

So, yes, I'm feeling good tonight.
I feel loved!

Quote:
Though I have seen the oceans and mountains,
though I have read great books and seen great works of art,
though I have heard symphonies and tasted the best . . . foods,
there is nothing greater or more beautiful than those people I love.

--Christopher de Vinck

Blessings!

Reports and All That Stuff

My friend Ann sent this last week to me; I had to smile. So often what is perfectly understood by "adults" could, ahem, be slightly misconstrued by the younger ones. Read on for one child's understanding of Bible events. Oh, so cute!


In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did. Then God made the world.

He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet. Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden. Not sure what they were driven in though,
because they didn't have cars.

Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel. Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.

One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.

Französischer Meister's "Noah's Ark"

After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.

Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable. God fed
the Israel Lights every day with manicotti.

Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff. Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother.

One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.

After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me.

"David and Goliath" by Caravaggio

After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed upon the shore. There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them.

After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of the New Testament. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn, too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?' It would be nice to say yes.

During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats. Jesus also had twelve opossums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.

Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount. But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.

Any way's, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution..

How well do we comprehend?




Quote:
A bore is a man who, when you ask him how he is, tells you. --Bert Leston Taylor.


Blessings!

Where in the World Do You Want to Be?

• Mexico?
• Bahamas?
• Hawaii?

• Washington D.C. during the cherry blossom time?
• The New England states during Autumn?
• Florida during winter?

1. Caroline (not me) went to Paris.
2. She followed Andy.
3. Andy went because he had his first art show (oil paintings) there.
4. She'd sent him away from home in West Virginia because she was unreasonably (she thought it was reasonable, but you know, when you want your own way, well, sometimes you can get very unreasonable.) angry at him.
5. She repented her hasty and abrupt and foolish action, and on the advice of a friend and brother, flew there (chasing him, but, oh, well, love does some funny things sometimes.)
6. She saw him with a cute red head. (oh, no)
7. Thought the worst!
8. Left scene.
9. Brother cued Andy in.
10. Andy followed her.
11. Sang to her in the rain. (Ah, romance)
12. They both lived happily ever after.

Sigh.

There you have it: a very slight, boring, cut-to-the-teeth abbreviation, simple, and undetailed description of one woman and one man's romance story.

Someday, maybe you can read the whole thing. (Clearing throat here . . .) Look for it on the bookshelves, but don't hold your breath. It's not published . . . yet!


Happy Valentines Day!

Quote:

Fear less, hope more
Whine less, breathe more
Talk less, say more
Hate less, love more
And all good things are yours.
--Anonymous

Blessings!

No One Could Say It . . .

but kids! And get by. Laugh.

Here's some cute sayings a friend emailed me today. Thought you'd enjoy them.

• From a two-year-old, sitting in a pool of bright light: "Close the curtains. The sun's looking at me too hard."

• A grandson answered the question of when he would turn six: "When I'm tired of being five."

• A granddaughter seeing her grandmother frantically waving away a pesky fly with a white dishcloth: "Maybe he thinks you're surrendering."

• A boy reading with his grandfather about Adam and Eve: "Is this where God took out the man's brain and made a woman?"

• Announcing to her daughter that her aunt had just had a baby, and that he looked like the uncle, the child said, "You mean he has a mustache?"

• A four-year-old, getting his hair washed said when his mother commented about him needing a haircut: "Maybe we shouldn't water it so much."

• A five-year-old, after being told that their van was going to be fixed, said: "Oh, it's going to the tire-o-practor?"

• A mother complimented her child on his advanced vocabulary. The child replied: "I have words in my head I haven't even used yet."

• After a mother informed her son she was going outside to get a little sun, he replied: "But, Mommy, you already have a son."

Oh, the precious innocence of babies and children!

What a wonderful world (in spite of all the adult aggravations!)



Quote:
Love puts the fun in together . . . the sad in apart . . . the hope in tomorrow . . . the joy in a heart.


Blessings!

Fascination with words

What do you think of when someone says the word "twang?"
Music?
Clashing?
Guitar strings?

I love words.
Here's some favorites of mine:

linger
sailing
Meander
garden
ice
watching
Starbucks
blatant
blindfold

S words and names

Starli
Sami
Sean
Samuel

simpering
simmer
Starlight
Shadow


manuever
manipulation
raspberry
rationalize
ravish

lush
shaggy
shadowy
tete a tete

octopus
spider
stammer
stutter
psychologist
preacher

azure
chocolate
gazebo

I could go on and on. Words. Lovely. Strange. Fascinating. Fun. String them together. Write them singly. Whisper, stutter, shout them. Think or speak them. Use them in poems, letters, documents, court case arguments, White House speeches, beggar pleas, novels.

Bad words. Good words. Gospel words.
Words that send you straight to a dictionary.
Words that are so common we don't even think about them.

What if we didn't have them? Had to draw pictures like some ancestors did?
I'd be up a creek and without a paddle; I can't draw a stick figure!


Quote:
The purpose of life . . . is life. --Karl Lagerfeld


Blessings!

More "Oh, Joys"


Any of you ever heard of Margie Lawson? She's a psychologist/lecturer who is fascinating, smart, and I've had the chance to sit under her tutelage a couple of times lately. One thing that's stuck with me (among many other things) is her positive thinking teaching.

If you ride an emotional roller coaster as I do so much, you'll relate and possibly benefit from this. She says that when you're lying in bed at night, right before you go to bed, think of three positive things about the next day.

I suppose it could be positive things that you want to happen.
Or three things you can be thankful for.
Or maybe three good things you want to do.

However, she's trying to say, and does it very well, to begin thinking positive instead of so much negativism. If something negative happens, just look at it as another step toward your goal.

So . . . all that leads me to what I want to say. I'm going to end this day (blog) with some real joys in my life. Here goes. . .

• A critiquer who gave me the words of praise I really, really needed for my cozy.
• A friend who sent me such a funny message that I smiled all day whenever I thought about it.
• Another sort of long-distance friend who found a motor for my beloved jeep! Yeah!
• A phone call from a loved one just when I needed it.
• Making a shift in my life at the right time

• Doing what I love--writing
• Sisters and brothers who love me and encourage me--I'm such a selfish person. Is that negative?
• A mother who's still active and alive.
• Sons who love us.

• A wonderful writing agent and her splendid assistant who are going to help me realize my dream.
• Two girl friends who began as young writers that I mentored (and still do sometimes), but who've turned into real, serious writers. What a blessing they are.
• More time to write.
• Oh, yes, I don't want to forget this one: I just found out recently that I have a niece who is a writer. How awesome is that? More about her later, after I've read her book.
  
• And a God who makes it all possible.

No wonder I love my life.


Quote:
The world is round, and the place which may seem like the end, may also be only the beginning. --Ivy Baker Priest


Blessings!

Oh, Joy!

Yes! Yes! Yes!

I typed "The End" to my third romance series book this evening. I feel like poor old Atlas who finally got the nerve to shuck off that worldly weight he carried around.

Weight?

Oh, yes. Writing is work. It's a millstone around our necks. But we wouldn't trade it for anything! And that is total truth. We baby that millstone. Polish it. Make sure it doesn't get bumped and chipped. Guard it that no one steals it. Are paranoid if anyone comes around sniffing at it, wanting to look at OUR millstone. That's mine. Keep those mitts off, I'll thank you.

You can understand, you've encouraged me, and trod parts of this manuscript's journey with me, listening to my whines, and agonies. So thank you, dearest friends and family, for sticking in there with me. I love you all dearly.

Now, here's to finishing my cozy.


A Tongue-in-the-Cheek Quote:
You probably wouldn't worry about what people think of you if you knew how seldom they do. -- Olin Miller


Blessings!

Raining in Snugginess

Some thoughts about rain and other stuff.

Wow. The different shades of rain today. Vicious downpours that are scary. Tiny timid drizzles. Steady-to-be-trusted water works. I've experienced them all. Today.

I feel shut in, but the snuggly kind that promotes contentment.

Just finished tweaking a requested full manuscript from my agent, and need to get going on a revision of one, but can't seem to drum up the discipline to do that. So . . . I'm back to finishing my put-off-to-finish-other-things romance. Today, maybe.

Thinking about words, and a perfect title came to mind. Haven't exactly got a plot or characters to support it yet, but hey, a title is something, ain't it?

Back to the rain, why do I always think I'm going to get washed down off the hill we live against? Silly fear. One of many. Too unreasonable to explain. But who can reason away fears?

Ever tried to see if you'd drown by raising your face to the rain? Hmmm. I wonder. Maybe I'll . . . nah. I don't think so.

Is rain really good for your hair and face?

Can you imagine it raining for forty days and nights? Maybe I would float right off this hill. Could be a good way to go vacationing. Pennsylvania one week, then float on out west to Oklahoma, make a few stops in Montana, Indiana, and if I've still got the energy I'd float right on down to Virginia. No ocean-bordered states. 'Fraid I'd hit those big waters and never be seen again. Yikes. I'm scaring myself.

And finally, how would you like to live in a country (or a state) that had rain almost every day? I don't think so. My opinion? Rain is good. Rain is beneficial. Rain if all right--in small doses. But don't give me too much. I'd live in a permanent state of depression!


P. S. I had to laugh after I typed in the title to this blog. My blog grammar master underlined the word "snugginess." I promptly added it my private dictionary list. I just coined a new word. Hmmm.


Quote:
Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed. --Corita Kent


Blessings

26 Books

Can you imagine anyone reading 26 books in one month?

One of the members of my writing group posted on a certain segment of it that she'd read that many. And she's pregnant with her sixth (seventh?) child. Homeschools. Whooee. 26.

Now I love to read. Always have. Always will, I suppose. And I've always read a lot. Anymore, I do a lot of audio books, rather than straight out reading. Of course, I still read some, but mostly for research, occasionally one from an author I love, if I can't get the audio. I can't imagine having the time to read that much.

I write.

Lots of people show surprise that I have two or three manuscripts going at once, but that works for me. I get bored, reach a plateau, or get a new idea, I can switch. Gives me a breather, refreshes me to move ahead. And I get them done this way.

Here's what I've got going on right now.

• My agent is submitting my first (in a three book series) of my Tara Layne and Hickory suspense books. The first is finished. I'm plotting and researching the first and second ones now. Hopefully, will soon start the second. They are set in Montana.
  
• I'm within a couple of chapters of finishing the third in a three book romance series, set in West Virginia.
  
• I'm 3/4 done with a historical that carries a little suspense and romance in it. This will also be a three book series about three red-headed sisters, set in Cincinnati.
• I'm almost done with the first in who-knows-how-many-book cozy series, set anywhere in the United States.

Here's what's for the future (not counting what will continue from above. These are ideas given to me or that came to me, manuscripts started but not finished for lack of time or other excuses, or short stories I wrote but want to expand someday into a book.

• A historical set in the early 1900's about a lawyer turned hobo (single title)
• A missionary story set in Mexico in the heart of the drug country (single title)
• A psychological thriller (I can't wait!) with quite a twist in the plot! (single title)

Got my work cut out for me. And I can't wait to get started!


Quote:
Imagination is the highest kite one can fly. --Lauren Bacall


Blessings!