Thursday, August 31, 2006

Valley Vista High School Football

My fourteen year old son made history last night. During this new school's very first Freshman football game, my son intercepted a pass and ran forty-five yards. I always knew he was fast. Then, later in the game, the ball is being fumbled around on the ground and he scoops it up at the twenty five yard line and runs like the wind for a touch town. Almost 80 yards! He was positively pumped when he got home. We lost the game, but my little boy made the first ever touchdown for this brand new High School. Yep, I'm proud!

Monday, August 28, 2006

The Good Wife's Guide

Here's an article from the May 1955 issue of Housekeeping Monthly. What do you think?

* Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favourite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

* Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest, so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people!

* Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

* Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

*Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. and then run a dustcloth over the tables.


MORE TOMORROW FOLKS! Makes you thankful to live in today's society.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Lesson 2 - Trustworthy

Proverbs 31 says: The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Are you a trustworthy wife? If the rest of the world turns against your husband, will you remain by his side? A trustworthy woman would never do anything to bring dishonor to her husband's name. She would not list his faults to friends, just to get a laugh.

To be trustworthy is a choice, much like the promise to love someone. Remember your wedding vows?

Ask your husband to describe you in one word. What will it be? My husband said loyal. I'll take that.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Creative Counterpart - Proverbs 31 Woman

Did you know that it was Abraham Lincoln who said, "And all that I am or hope to be I owe to my angel mother?"

Many times in today's society and advertising, housewife has become a dirty word. Because of this, women may begin to question herself, her role, and life in general. She may become frustrated.

The Bible tells us that woman was created to be a helpmate (creative counterpart) to man. The largest example of this is the Proverbs 31 woman. A woman who it may seem to be impossible to aspire toward. Not so, these verses describe what happened over this woman's lifetime. She didn't accomplish all these tasks in a day.

What I hope for you to take away from this bible study, is how God sees you. How you can strive to become the Creative Counterpart the Bible teaches us to become. Each chapter of this book by Linda Dillow covers so much information. We won't take each chapter at a time, but pieces. Let's look in more depth at the Proverbs 31 woman. I encourage you to read these verses and refresh your memory.

Before we actually get into the study, I'd like to pose a question. What are your thoughts on a woman's role in this world we live in? Here's mine. Oftentimes, I become frustrated, feeling overwhelmed at all that is expected of me. I feel pulled in many directions. But when I take the time to slow down and see that God has given me all the tools and guidelines in His word, I find the stress of juggling many hats, much easier to do.

We all get frustrated; engineers, pilots, teachers. Are we frustrated because of the job, or because of the boredom of a job done poorly without imagination. During this study, we will learn the joys of being a wife, mother, woman, daughter of the King!

Friday, August 18, 2006

Christian Marriage

Years ago, I taught a Bible Study on a woman being "The Creative Counterpart" God called her to be. In the following weeks, I will be leading this study on my blog, with other ramblings in between, but, ultimately, each week will be another posting on this Bible Study. I invite all of you to visit me. God Bless!

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Reading - A Quote

When I consider what some books have done for the world, and what they are doing, how they keep up our hope, awaken new courage and faith, soothe pain, give an ideal life to those whose hours are cold and hard, bind together distant ages and foreign lands, create new worlds of beauty, bring down truth from heaven; I give eternal blessings for this gift, and thank God for books. - James Freeman Clarke

What do our books do? What purpose do you hope to achieve with your writing? Are you doing your best with the blessing God gave you? I pray I am. My goal is to entertain and, hopefully, show someone God's truth in my words. Am I doing this? I don't know. I may not know this side of heaven, but I will continue to write with this desire God has given me.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Murder, Mayhem and A Fine Man

Here is my short review for Claudia Mair Burney's book:

Claudia Mair Burney has written the ultimate fun book! Lovers of any genre will laugh out loud during the antics of just turned forty, Bell and her blossoming romance with too handsome to walk the streets, Jazz Brown. The tension and interaction between the characters while working to solve the mystery of what appears to be a cult suicide will have the reader flipping the pages fast enough to cause heavy winds.

I had to force myself to slow down so I wouldn't miss anything. Murder, Mayhem and A Fine Man is a must read for readers of any genre. It contains it all: chick lit, suspense, and romance.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

What To Do About Teenagers

My husband and I have been taking ballroom dancing lessons. Yep, you heard right. Anyway, the first session ended and the group went out to practice what we've learned. Upon coming home, we noticed the second car had two flat tires and a skid mark that started in the front of the house and continued up the driveway. Of course, we immediately thought of our 14 year-old son who vehemently denied driving the car. The next morning, I marched his rear outside and pointed to the signs...The tire was off the rim, hence it had been driven. The windshield wipers were on and the radio tuned to a hip hop station. Now, the car needed transmission work, so I asked my son did he have trouble getting back into the driveway because of the two flats or because of the skipping transmission. He still denied driving it, so being the suspense writer that I am, I asked him which of his friends drove it, cause someone drove, I can read the signs. I said I'd start calling all his friend's parents, because I had decided he drove his friends home in the rain rather than let them walk the two blocks. He admitted to "backing" the car out of the driveway.

The next day, one of his friends, thinking I knew the whole story, bless his heart, let it spill that they drove over to a friends house, noticed the flat tire (they'd obviously drove over something) and said they'd better get home.

Now, I ask you, knowing your parents see the signs and point out every one of them to you, how can a person continue to lie? Boggles my mind everytime. Needless to say, the little darling is grounded. It's a shame, too. Because it's the last week of his summer break. Bless his heart!

Friday, August 11, 2006

First Review for Haunted By Evil

I received my first review for "Haunted By Evil". Check it out! I should have another review in sometime next month.

Haunted by Evil is a book for thrill seekers. Cynthia does an excellent job of keeping the reader's attention during action sequences - I couldn't put the book down until I finished the story. She's done a wonderful job of portraying a very dramatic set of events, along with a nice touch of romance, while sparing us any unnecessary gore, foul language, and sexual content. It takes great talent for a romantic thriller to work without those aspects in today's market, and Cynthia has pulled it off." --Alissa Dunn, author of The Unclaimed Christmas Gift

Saturday, August 05, 2006

New Puppy - Cairn Terrier


Here's a pic of little Casey! He's a cream Cairn. We also have a female Cairn who looks just like Toto. We're all familiar with that dog! Cairn's are the greatest. Very smart and loyal and have the sweetest temperaments.

Friday, August 04, 2006

ACFW Conference

Seems like every blog I go to has comments on the upcoming conference in Dallas. They list the do's and don'ts. They tell you it'll be like one big happy family, then proceed to tell you to be charismatic. As if I didn't have enough to worry about. I feel that when I sit before my appointed editor and agent, they'll be scrutinizing my every move and gesture. Analyzing every word that comes out of my mouth. Is it going to be possible to be myself? What you see is what you get. Most people like that about me. One minute the conference seems to be weeks away, the next only days. Hopefully, and God willing, the next conference I attend won't have me on such pins and needles.