There can be miracles, when you believe.

Relief is spelled this way...completed book proposal.

I was up until around 1:30am this morning trying to get it finished. I still can't believe that this afternoon I was able to hit the send button on my computer, shipping over 11,000 words to editors at two publishing houses.

I had no idea how much work went into a book proposal. Before this year, I had no idea what in the world a book proposal even was.

But the Lord has been nudging me for some time in this direction. It is in His hands and I am just grateful that I have been obedient and completed the task.

For now, He has required that I complete a book proposal. I can go to bed tonight knowing that I have been faithful.

Sharing a little bit of Fall, from our house to yours!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Book Proposal Update!

Have you ever thought that something looked pretty easy? I remember thinking that roller skating looked simple enough. Quickly putting on my new metal roller skates, only to immediately fall flat on my rump.

Yes, I said metal roller skates. Didn't everyone start out with metal roller skates?

Anyway...

Putting together a book proposal seemed simple enough. That is, until the moment that I personally attempted to take on this gargantuan task. Monday is when I am to have my proposal in to two publishers who have shown interest, Howard Books and Harvest House Publishing.

Completed so far are the title page, chapter summaries, and my chapter one and chapter two. Tonight I will be working on rewriting the six page proposal, and putting together my comparable market analysis which needs to be included as well.

Roller skating was so much simpler.

Thankful Thursday - Happy Birthday Iris!

When I began blogging, Thankful Thursdays was the first meme that I ever participated in. Little did I know then, that Iris, the author of Sting My Heart, would be someone the Lord would use to encourage my writing.

In April of last year, it was Iris who stopped by my blog to announce that I had won the Laced with Grace scholarship to the She Speaks conference in North Carolina. A few months later, it was Iris who answered my prayer when she emailed me, asking me if I'd consider writing for Laced with Grace, the very day that I had shared with my husband Paul how much I would love to write for them.

All this to give you a little behind the scenes look at why Iris is so very special to me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IRIS!

May the Lord continue to bless you with an abundance of His joy, His peace and His Love.

Wordless Wednesday....well, sorta...

Fall makes my blog..ahem..my heart sing!

I have attended enough writer's conferences to know that there is really only one earth shattering dilemma that baffles all bloggers...

Should I add Music, or not?

I personally LOVE hearing the music bloggers add to their sites. A few months ago, while trying to sneak a little blog time when I thought my hubby wasn't looking, I found out just why music on a blog is not so well loved by so many.

As soon as I quietly tapped my keys to visit a blog, the page came up and their music started playing, (very loudly). I had been found out!

So friends, here is your warning: I am adding music on my blog. It is Fall, it makes my heart sing, so my personal blog space must sing too!

If you don't like it, you can always scroll all the way down and hit the pause button on my green music play list.


It's that simple.

..And they lived happily ever after.

My cousin Courtney and her husband Ramone (Chico), had their wedding reception on Saturday. They were married last month at our Aunt Cathy and Uncle Rick's home on a lovely summers day. This weekend our family gathered from miles and hours away to celebrate their special day.

Though my mom wasn't there in person to sing and dance with all of us, I couldn't help but feel that in some way, she was still a part of it all. Just watching her grandchildren and all of her adult kids dancing up a storm, blessed my heart.

My Aunt Judy (Courtney's mom and my mom's older and wiser sister) told me today that they hadn't been able to get a videographer or photographer. If I'd known that, there would have been more pictures of the rest of the family, and less of mine.

**For those family members of mine that lurk but never comment, this post will only be up a couple of days and I must delete it. Paul just can't stand having me post pictures of him on the internet!**

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Sings My Soul Saturday - FALL

Gratitude, by singer Nichole Nordeman is the one song that speaks the essance of the Fall season to my soul. This is the ultimate of seasons for me. And since Fall officially begins in approximately forty eight hours, I am sharing my ultimate faovire Fall song, Gratitude.

While putting out my Fall decorations yesterday, I had this playing, quite loudly, in my house.

Just beautiful.

Fall is on its way!

I can almost feel it, Fall is on its way, and I can't wait! It is my most favorite season of the year. So, I have to share a site that I found while perusing the blogosphere, Warm Heart, Happy Home. I was going to wait until it was officially Fall, but like ice cream, finding out the sex of my babies and the ending of a good book...I just couldn't wait!

After checking out the pictures of this beautiful, Fall decorated home, I personally asked God why this woman was living in my kitchen, the kitchen of my dreams? "There's been a mixup Lord. You have put my cabinets, my oven, and my Southern charm in the wrong home!"

Have you ever reminded God of these types of mistakes?


Thankfully, the lovely gal who God has blessed with this beautiful home, has blessed me by sharing what paint color she used for her walls. I am heading to Home Depot on my way to work tonight to pick up a can of Burnt Almond Behr interior paint to try out on the walls of our soon to be home office.

The kitchen may not be God's plan for me, but surely the paint might be.



Make sure to scroll ALL the way down this site. It is a feast for the eyes!

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It' a small world-wide-web, after all!

I'm convinced that the World Wide Web doesn't feel so very world wide at all. I have made so many dear encouraging friends in the blogoshphere. I now have friends in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, Michigan, Oregon, Maryland, Tennessee, Singapore, Georgia, New Jersey...the list is long!

A few months ago, while talking with a blog friend from California, Genny from My Cup to Yours, we realized we lived only a few miles apart. We decided we just had to meet at Starbucks. She is such a love. It was Genny who got me my writing job at Faith Lifts, and who also tried to teach me how to add Diggit to my blog, which I still don't fully understand, by the way. She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. It was such a blessing to get to talk to another aspiring blogger and writer. I was even more impressed that she never told me that the shirt I was wearing made me look eight months pregnant and she didn't even share on her blog that it took me forever to get her the pictures of us together.

Yep, she's pretty cool.

***And I'm just a little bit curious, have any of you met your blog friends in person? If you haven't, who would you meet if you could?***

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT

Make a Smilebox greeting

What a week!

Living in California, we don't get hurricane warnings, because we don't get hurricanes. If we did, I would have had a doozy of a warning come in last week. My life is just like fast and furious moving winds lately. Not to mention that trials were pelting me like a torrential downpour. Let me share just a few:

Last Thursday: Car trouble $300.00, car was overheating.

Friday AM: Take my oldest son to ER, possibly had a mild concussion.

Friday PM: Internet goes down, which meant our phone lines went down, for four days.

Friday PM: Car is still overheating. (Dropped it back off this morning)

Saturday: I drop my three month new laptop on the ground...It is DOA.

Sunday: Our daughters headlights go out in her car, need to replace those.

Monday: Our freezer goes into a 24hour heat induced coma, lose all food inside.

When I was cleaning out the freezer with my daughter, I shared with her that I was not going to be down about the past week. I started laughing and even praying out loud. "Lord, I am going to pass these tests. I am going to find joy in these trials. These are just labor pains. I know the blessing is on the way!" My daughter smiled and looked at me like I had two heads. Laughing, she said, "Mom, I can't believe you. You seem so happy." Looking up from my garbage bag, filled with squishy thawed food, I smiled "Honey, we are to count it all joy."


There is no better way to teach our children, then in the storm.

A Moment In Our Life.

My children had just walked in the door from school today. Half listening to them tell me about their day, I was working on an article that I wanted to finish polishing up. All of a sudden I heard a large yell combined with a groaning, coming from Samuel our seven year old...

Samuel: OOOHHHHHH, HHRRRRMPPPHHHAAAAAHHHHH!

Me: (Startled, my head jerked up from my work.) What...what is it Samuel? Are you hurt?

Samuel: (Looking at me as he walks into the other room) Yeah, I'm fine mom. I just smelled my socks. They stink!

Yes there is a God, and I am His favorite!

Six tickets behind home plate $210.00

Six dinger dogs,six bags of peanuts,and six sodas $75.00

Preferred parking $20.00



Having a friend who likes to share his season tickets....Priceless!

Thankful Thursday

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Wordless Wednesday....well, sorta...

**I saw this in Apple Hill this weekend and it cracked me up..I just had to share.**

FAITH LIFTS - Do you have hope?

Last week while in my 911/Dispatch training course on critical incidents and debriefings, I was reminded that sadly, too many people are living without hope.

Click on Faith Lifts to read more...

Laced with Grace - Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day! I sure hope you are having a restful holiday.

I am over at Laced with Grace today. Stop by and say hello!