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Showing posts from March, 2018

Opening Weekend at the Ballpark

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We didn't make it to Opening Day this year, but we did catch the Texas Rangers during Opening Weekend.  With all the construction around the ballpark, and the fact it was the opening weekend, Dad was more than a little antsy about leaving plenty early for a 3:05 PM start time. We needed to find a place to park after all. As in, "Let's leave at 10:00 or 10:30." Seriously.  I get it. Usually Opening Day is a mess. However, not everyone is quite that worried. We made a stop along the way after leaving around 10:30, and he still was stressing about, "Having enough time..." We got to the stadium before the parking lots opened. The parking lots opened at noon. Yes, there were some people trying to get into parking lots, but not much traffic. Once we got to the stadium we had to stand around in line for about an hour before we could even get in.  Mom brought an almost full can of sunscreen that would not spray out, defeating the purpose

My new boss has no mercy

I told myself if I was going to venture into a life of freelance PR work, I was going to give myself some time off. First day off would be Good Friday. Nope. There was work to be done. That's a good problem to have though. That holiday I wanted went by the wayside when I went on a three hour lunch out of town with an author friend. Truth is, even if it weren't for that, I still would have been working. I'm a big of a workaholic, it seems. One of the biggest challenges I've had the past couple of weeks is getting myself back organized and getting everything back in sync. It started off with a couple of months ago I had to make sure to save all of my personal files that I accidentally had saved in the wrong Google Drive account. Up until then, all of my work files and picture files, etc. were saved on the Drive, then both computers. When one computer misbehaves, I can always work from the other. I could access and save everything on both. If I hadn't made that mov

God is the author of true romance

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Part 2 of an interview with Rhonda Stoppe, author of Real-Life Romance You can read part 1 of the interview here. Rhonda Stoppe warns Christians not to let the world define romance but to examine how God is at work in the hearts of His people — knitting together hearts in a love that forever endures. In her new book, Real-Life Romance: Inspiring Stories to Help You Believe in True Love (Harvest House), each chapter tells a real-life account of how God brought together two hearts and intertwined them so completely that their love stands firm regardless of the trials of life. Readers will see how from the highest heights to the depths of sorrow true love shines brightly. They will also discover how God’s plan is for couples to love each other so deeply with His love that their marriage is a light to draw others to know Him. Stoppe wrote Real-Life Romance with the desire to meet readers, whether the readers are married, divorced, widowed or single, where they are and fill

Red Sky over America by Tamera Lynn Kraft

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Today I have a book preview for you! William and America confront evil, but will it cost them everything? Find out in  Red Sky Over America , book one of Tamera Lynn Kraft’s Ladies of Oberlin series. Though the daughter of a slave owner, America is determined to fight for freedom. In her quest to change her father’s mind, America crosses paths with fellow classmate and abolitionist William. Can two young abolitionists make a difference in a divided country . . . and live to tell about it? {MORE ABOUT  RED SKY OVER AMERICA } (Desert Breeze, February 2018) In 1857, America, the daughter of a slave owner, is an abolitionist and a student at Oberlin College, a school known for its radical ideas. When America goes home to Kentucky during school break to confront her father about freeing his slaves, America’s classmate, William, tags along to preach abolition to churches that condone slavery. Soon, though, America and William find themselves in the center of the approaching

Hettie Brittz to Host Facebook Live Chat on Growing Kids with Character

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Hettie Brittz to Host Facebook Live Chat on Growing Kids with Character David C Cook author will share tips on nurturing children’s God-given personalities Hettie Brittz , author of the newly released Growing Kids with Character (David C Cook/March 1, 2018), will host a Facebook Live chat with readers on Tuesday, April 3, 2018 at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT . During the live, hour-long conversation, Brittz will be sharing advice on parenting according to the temperament of each child and why it is important to do so to shape his or her character for his or her purpose in Christ. Through Brittz’s famous tree metaphors, parents will discover how to encourage their kids to excel at being who they naturally are as they grow in their unique purpose in the world. Readers will also be able to ask Brittz questions via the moderated chat section. Copies of Growing Kids with Character will be given away throughout the night, and at the end of the evening, the winner of the Fam

I still haven't found what I'm looking for

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Now that I have things rolling with new publicity projects and prospects, after my workday, I need to focus my work nights on the craft room. We have four events coming up in a few weeks and I need to work on some things. Besides, this room is looking like a hoarder workshop. After finally painting some stems on cotton bolls, I moved on to lettering ampersands. Except I couldn't find two that Dad had recently painted. I called Mom to see if they happened to still be over at their house. She said nothing was in their office and that she remembered bringing them in and setting them on the island. Well, after going through the craft room numerous times, they were not there. I looked through all of the piles. I thought I had gotten stuff in and out of the back of my car more recently than I had. I was wrong. They were there. My mom was also wrong because I picked them up at her house. She did not bring them over to mine. ;) I also found two cut books that need to be bo

I Will Call Upon the Lord

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I Will Call Upon the Lord By Michael O’Shields Used by permission. CCLI # 1132191 I will call upon the Lord,  (women echo) Who is worthy to be praised  (echo) So shall I be saved from my enemies  (echo) Chorus The Lord liveth, and blessed be the Rock, And let the God of our salvation be exalted. (repeat) I will call upon the Lord…  (end in unison) We don't usually sing a second verse of the song, but somewhere along the line, I've sung this verse: Jesus Christ who died for me,  (echo) And He took away my sins  (echo) I will live with Him for eternity  (echo)

I can't decide if I am unproductive or lofty goal setter

I always have these big plans for how my Saturday is going to go. I have this pile of wood, MDF and canvases to paint out in the craft studio. I've been meaning to do something with the canvases for a year, and they sit in the same place. This Saturday was no different. I was going to get all the cardboard boxes of cut books out of the middle of the floor once I combined them with the six bins out in the laundry room and then divided them in two sets for an upcoming event. You see, this there were 8 or 10 boxes in middle of the room I do not know what to call. I mentioned to Mom and Dad that I didn't know what to call this space, and Mom suggested "the middle of the floor." Accurate. It's the pass-through to all parts of the house, but does not have a specific other purpose. Mom and I divided all the letters to make sure we had them split evenly and a mix of colors in both groups. Exciting stuff, right? Why are you guys still reading my blog? After getti

Exchanging isolation for companionship

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If you didn't catch the first part of Tiffany's interview, you can read it here .  Part 2 of an interview with Tiffany Bluhm, Author of Never Alone Walking through life without experiencing the pain and loneliness of betrayal, shame, guilt, loss, judgment, or rejection is impossible. These wounds can shape our views of ourselves, others, and God and even make us question if we are worthy of love and acceptance. Whether old or new, heartache can convince us no one understands or cares. Yet Jesus tells us a different story. In Never Alone: Exchanging Your Tender Hurts for God’s Healing Grace (Abingdon Press) , Tiffany Bluhm offers hope and encouragement that as our plans, hearts, and lives change, God is there. What we might have mistaken for his absence was only our mind questioning his goodness and grace. She reveals the depth and healing power of Jesus’ unconditional love for us and how we will never escape his love. Bluhm encourages women to: Claim their

A Most Noble Heir by Susan Anne Mason

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Here's another new release I wanted to let you know about. All information is courtesy of the publisher, Bethany House .  About  A Most Noble Heir Will Gaining the World Cost Him Everything He Holds Most Dear? When stable hand Nolan Price learns from his dying mother that he is actually the son of the Earl of Stainsby, his plans for a future with kitchen maid Hannah Burnham are shattered. Once he is officially acknowledged as the earl's heir, Nolan will be forbidden to marry beneath his station. Unwilling to give up the girl he loves, he devises a plan to elope--believing once their marriage is sanctioned by God that Lord Stainsby will be forced to accept their union. However, as Nolan struggles to learn the ways of the aristocracy, he finds himself caught between his dreams for tomorrow and his father's demanding expectations. Forces work to keep the couple apart at every turn, and a solution to remain together seems farther and farther away. With Nolan'

The power of suggestion that is the Facebook memory feed

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I know I get into ruts and routines. It's really odd  how I get into annual cycles though. Have you noticed how you can look through your Facebook memory feed and some topics will trend around the same time of year? Sometimes they trend because I took lunch to Peyton every year during the book fair (which is the same time every year), and I had a story to share. Other times, it's all coincidence. For example, I usually get a craving to order a pizza every week around pi day - 3/14. Then, I end up ordering a pizza because it's pie day. I only order a pizza a few times a year, and that happens to be when I want one and comment about it. My life is boring guys, that's why I'm commenting about pizza on Facebook. That is still not a good example. However, I really do have regular deja vu moments when it comes to the feed, but I can't remember other awesome example because the direction of this post was not entirely planned. I'd be a much better blogger and

High Cotton by Debbie Mayne

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I want to continue to feature a few of the books and authors on blog tours that I would have been posting about before all the job-related change. This one sounds like loads of fun, and I need to read it when I get a chance. Here is the book description and author bio from the publisher. About High Cotton Bucklin Family Reunion Book 1 (Gilead Publishing) Some families are filled with so much love they can’t help but drive each other crazy Shay Henke has mixed feelings about going to her family’s next reunion. On the one hand, she’ll get to see everyone in her mama's family—folks she loves unconditionally. On the other hand, she knows there’ll be more drama than you can shake a stick at. The days leading up to the event bring one surprise after another. First Shay must deal with her sister-in-law’s deep, dark secret. Then she has to contend with the childish ways of her business-mogul twin cousins. And when her high school crush wants to be her date to the reuni

I just wanted a single day off

After last week and working long, hard hours to pass off all of my projects in the best of shape I could, I really just wanted to enjoy a single day off. If you are going to be unemployed, you might as well take a day to appreciate some down time, right? I needed to run a crafty check to the bank and sign my taxes so I could be done with that for the year. Angie wanted to take me out to lunch to catch up since we hadn't talked in almost two months, and we had a lot to catch up on. Before I met her, I went in search of some labels at Office Depot that I decided were too expensive and wandered around the garden section of Home Depot. Then, when I got back from lunch, I started back getting things ready to be productive. I had calls to schedule, and emails to answer. A half a day of goofing off, and it's back to work. If you need a freelance publicist or virtual assistant, I am your woman! I am getting everything back in order because I am back to work with some PR project

Hip, Hip, Hip, Hippopotamus

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These kids from a couple of years ago spoiled me when it comes for an enthusiastic love of singing. Hippopotamus Song In the beginning, God made the sea And the forest filled with trees He made the mountains up so high And on the top he placed the sky God’s fingerprints are everywhere Just to show how much He cares But in between He had loads of fun He made a hippo who weighs a ton. Chorus Hip-hip-hip-hippopotamus! Hip-hip-hooray! God made all of us. Hip-hip-hip-hippopotamus! Hip-hip-hooray! God made all of us. Creation sings of His praise, The sparrow and the tiny babe. We can sing and say, “well done.” But some things He just made for fun! Chorus In the end He had lots of fun. He made a kangaroo that jumps and runs. Kanga-kanga-kangaroo. Hip-hip-hurray God made me and you. Kanga-kanga-kangaroo. Hip-hip-hurray God made me and you. In the end He had lots of fun. He made a manatee just for fun. Mana-mana-manatee

No more pickle talk

Dad has lamented the past couple of years that he wanted a booth at the Pickle Festival, an event held in Mansfield around St. Patrick's day every year. A couple of years ago, I sent in an inquiry to get on the waiting list. Last year, we were in Arizona, not sure when we were getting back in town. I've been less than enthusiastic, because it's an outside festival. It's a dog and turkey leg event. Anywhere you can bring your dog and buy a turkey leg hasn't been a great choice for us. We've thankfully talked to some other people in the past that have given their bad reviews of the Tomato Festival. Yet, something about festivals have an appeal to Dad even though he knows better. He's been telling Mom and I how he wanted to go check it out. Alright, alright, fine, we will check it out. Dressed in green because I had this odd feeling strangers may pinch me, we set out. People seemed to be parking a mile away (literally) from where the action was going on

Onto a new chapter

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In a sudden cliffhanger of a move, I find myself in a new phase. My job of the last six years has come to an end. I had known since the end of January that it could be coming down the road. However, we (my co-workers and I) did not realize it would come to such a quick close once a decision was made. I won't go into the details as to why. Many factors played a part. It's been a stressful three days trying to get everything done to wrap up every possible loose end possible. I'm not sure what all the next chapter will entail. It's part exciting, part scary. It's still sinking in. I do know something will work out. I'm trying not to worry. It's so much easier said than done. Right now, I have to remind myself to take it one day at a time. Today's trouble is enough for today.

Do you believe in true love?

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Part 1 of an interview with Rhonda Stoppe, author of Real-Life Romance Do you believe in true love? In a world of broken relationships and hurting people, it can seem as though heartache is all around us, marriages are doomed from the beginning and relationships aren’t worth the risk. However, in Real-Life Romance: Inspiring Stories to Help You Believe in True Love (Harvest House), Rhonda Stoppe sets out to show that heart-fluttering, long-lasting love is all around us, if we just take the time to look for it. Real-Life Romance is not a marriage self-help book; rather it is a celebration of love stories that honor Christ and are a testament of God’s faithfulness, showing that true love exists and endures. Gathered from years of ministry and from the author’s friends and family, these real-life accounts will bring laughter and tears to readers as they read of ordinary people who found extraordinary love. Stoppe believes audiences will find inspiration to: rekindle