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Showing posts from October, 2011

My one fond Halloween memory

Actually, my one fond Halloween memory has very little to do with Halloween. I really detest the holiday quite frankly. It's become insane how parents load kids up on to trailers and visit certain neighborhoods to get candy. In my opinion, you can go buy it for 50% or more off the next day because they are getting ready to put out Christmas candy. I live on a very busy street, so I get home before dark, lock myself up in the house and keep the inside lights off so that no one comes knocking. My brother brought all the kids by via the back door last night so that I could see them and had out some candy. I looked out my window at one point to see a Corsicana police car whiz past a turning car while pedestrians occupied the street. In my opinion, a number of officers should be charged with reckless endangerment going down my street especially. Oh, but you better bet that they will ticket speeders and set up traps along my road. But I digress. I could get into the fact that I o

The Spirit of Texas

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The Astonishing Story of a Pioneer Rancher’s  Family and Their Mighty State In June of 1876, a young carpenter arrived in Galveston with nothing more than a chest of tools and a desire to find work in the burgeoning seaport city. His name was William Menzies. He was 21 years old, fiercely independent and determined to make his way in the world. Galveston was clearly not where his future would lie, however, and a combination of storms, floods, a fire and a lack of work soon drove him inland. A decade later, having broken countless horses as a horse trader to earn his keep in the interim, the young man finally found himself on the banks of the San Saba River in Menard County. It was here he decided to buy a couple of sections of land to set roots and stay. And there on the banks of the San Saba those roots reached deep and took hold. So deep, in fact, that in 1957, some 80 years after he’d first arrived in Galveston, the Texas State Legislature recognized William as one o

The most unproductive 4 1/2+ hours of my life

I really wish we hadn't been rain delayed for a day. I think that made all the difference. I'm so annoyed that the Rangers gave up the lead how many times was it? Plus, I didn't get my work accomplished. Fabulous.

I am not getting my work done tonight

I really am trying to get some work done tonight. I'm doing a really terrible job of it right now. For those of you who haven't noticed, Game 6 of the World Series is on, and the Rangers are currently winning. Between my Facebook discussions about the game, talking to my Dad, texting with my brother, and Rick from work playing on Twitter to see how many times he can mention me, I am not getting much accomplished. It's the 7th inning. What I want to know is, when is the World Series Champions sweatshirt that I'm going to want to buy going on sale?

What do you think of me?

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Tired of Trying to Win Approval and Escape Rejection? In his latest release, author Edward T. Welch  offers a way  of escape for young adults  held captive by the opinions of others In an increasingly unstable culture, being obsessed with what others think is an escalating struggle among teens and young adults, leading to more serious consequences than ever before. Although everyone—whether they’re sixteen or sixty—works hard to win someone’s approval or ward off someone’s rejection, these issues plague teenagers and young adults with particular intensity. And how teens and young adults answer the big questions of their lives now will affect the direction of their adult lives for better or worse. In his new book, What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care?: Answers to the Big Questions of Life (New Growth Press, October 2011), Edward T. Welch extends hope to those weary of hiding behind a mask of performance in order to gain love and acceptance. Peer pressure, codepend

Peer pressure is ageless

This post has nothing to do with the book I am working on that is about peer pressure. When I told a couple of co-workers part of this story, one of them joked about the agelessness of peer pressure. Now, before I start today's story which is funny, you all have to promise you can read my blog without sharing with certain people. Although I have relatives of Facebook that get my feed, I am not actually worried about them. I doubt they read me anyway. I had to cut back on funny family stories at one point, but I think that has blown over. I think that does it for the disclaimers. So, yesterday, my mother in her hushed voice (so Dad wouldn't listen I  guess - I actually, I think she is just a drama queen) says, "Guess what your Grandmother wants for Christmas." First of all, why is she always MY grandmother? Secondly, any time I am supposed to guess with mom, I can never come up with it. And third, - really don't want to know. This is just instinct. "

Check out the first chapter of The Stranger in Your House

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Thanks to everyone who is taking part in today's tour! It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book! You never know when I might play a wild card on you! Today's Wild Card author is: Gregg Jantz and the book: (When Your Teenager Becomes…) The Stranger in Your House David C. Cook; New edition (October 1, 2011) ***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, The B and B Media Group for sending me a review copy.*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Gregg Jantz is the best-selling author of numerous books, including Hope, Help, and Heal

Who's watching the World Series?

I sure do wish I had tickets to the World Series this weekend. Something is holding me back from paying $250+ even though I forked out quite a chunk for Opening Day tickets this year. It's the 5th inning, and the cable went out at my parents' house. Dad should be over here any second. I must say that I don't have the faith of Ron Washington in C.J. Wilson. If I were the manager, I would have put Ogando back in the rotation and started him. But, that's just me. Who else is watching with me? Go Rangers!!!

A Preview of Sunrise on the Battery

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Thanks to everyone who took part in today's tour! It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book! You never know when I might play a wild card on you! Today's Wild Card author is: Beth Webb Hart and the book: Sunrise on the Battery Thomas Nelson (October 11, 2011) ***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, The B and B Media Group for sending me a review copy.*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR: With a B.A. in English Literature from Hollins University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College, Hart serves as an i

You cannot avoid the grocery store forever

Actually, yeah, you probably could avoid the grocery store forever. I sure tried. This post could also be a dialogue on my bonehead moves of the week. Before I went on vacation, I let the cupboards go bear, not that they are ever particularly full here at home. And I was only gone 6 days/5 nights, so it wasn't like I was going to have a lot spoil while I was gone. Yet, I was having to pick up lunch a few days before I left. When I got home last weekend, I had no desire to go to the store, and we also had the Ranger game. I managed getting milk when I picked up batteries and a piece of poster board on Saturday. Yes, I needed the batteries to take pictures and the poster board for my "Poor Cliff Lee" poster worse than groceries. No, I actually don't think that, but Paige was with me and there was no shopping with her. On Sunday, I slept all afternoon because we didn't get home until 2 AM. Sunday night, I think was the night I commented on only having a Lean Cuis

Radical Faith Brings about Radical Change

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Beth Webb Hart explores what happens when we leave our inhibitions behind. What would it look like if we really loved each other—if we had no inhibitions about sharing our faith and our very lives with a hurting world? How would we really spend our time and our money? And what impact would this have on our own families, especially our children? What impact would it have on our communities, our country and the world? These are the questions that first inspired Beth Webb Hart to write her newest novel, Sunrise on the Battery . Hart always begins her writing with a question, and she was inspired with these questions after reading David Platt’s book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream . His book uncovered blind spots in her own life and helped her fully imagine just where her characters’ uninhibited faith might take them.  Mary Lynn Scoville has everything anyone could desire—a handsome husband, three beautiful daughters and a ticket into the social

A week gone by too fast

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Obviously, I haven't blogged about my vacation while I was away. I avoided a computer as much as possible. I did a couple of preset posts for work related items while I was gone because I just simply ran out of time to do it before I left. I wish I had another week away, but then I would just want another week. Let's go through the list of what I was looking forward to so that I can see what I accomplished: Sleeping in (except for Sunday morning when we are leaving at 6 AM - that's just wrong) or being able to take a nap (which won't happen Sunday afternoon at it's regular time while I'm driving -- I hope I can stay awake). Not really. I was up around 7 AM every morning. Even though I had a room to myself at the condo, I could hear the others up and milling around. Some mornings, I heard noise before  7, earlier than my alarm is set to to to work tomorrow. At least I went to bed at 9 PM last Sunday night after getting up at 4 something AM to get ready to