- I like it.
- Sometimes it's hard.
- I CAN do it!
- Some people actually like what I write!
- (That's encouraging. I need encouragement.)
- I need the discipline of daily writing, even if I don't publish it daily.
- It's okay not to publish everything I write.
- It's also okay to turn off the internal editor.
- Which is hard!!!
- Facebook is a huge distraction from actual writing.
- Listening to God is harder with distractions.
- Being open to inspiration is important. (I credit inspiration as divine, because really, I have nothing without God. And my writing is His.)
- I am proud of myself for accomplishing this October 31 Days of Writing.
- And I don't mean that in a prideful way, either.
- I stuck with it and accomplished a goal. That's a big deal!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Day 31: What I've Learned
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Day 30: A month of writing.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Day 29: Paper
Day 28: Regular Blogging
Friday, October 28, 2011
Day 27: Lost and Found
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Dear Students (Day 26)
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Days 24 and 25
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Day 23: Sunday, Sunday
Baby, It's Cold Outside
About the Novel:
Hope finds the hopeless when a storm hits.
It's Christmas weekend 1949, and despite the threat of a storm, the townspeople of Frost are determined to continue their holiday traditions, if only as a means to forget the war that they had all just suffered through. But the suffering hasn't ended for Dottie Morgan who lost her only son in the war. She's preparing to wallow in her isolation for the weekend, when Violet, nearly a spinster at age 29, dares to make a request that will force Dottie to publicly revive the memory of her dead son.
When a storm traps the two women at home with a strange young man who has an unbelievable confession and a neighbor with more to do with Violet's past than she would like, no one can predict how this Christmas will give them all a second chance.
Read an excerpt here and find out the story behind the novel.
Pattie's Review:
I know I'm inextricably wrapped up in the story of a novel when it's tough for me to go to bed without finishing the book. That's where I found myself the other night: up way too late, finishing the book!
I completely sympathized with Dottie. And while she's far from an "old woman" at 44 (I'm almost there myself, and despite the silver peeking through my roots, I refuse to consider myself an old woman!), I can completely understand why she feels like her life is over.
The characters were believable and perfectly flawed. The feel of the novel is still WWII, even though it takes place after the war is over. Definitely a new period, a rarely explored few years in-between WWII and the glory of the growth and expansion of the 1950s. Having gone through the Johnson Presidential Library in Austin this past spring, I can tell you it's consistent with the state of the country at that time.
Overall, a wonderful cozy read, perfect for the holidays. And to all the WAACS, God bless you.
The Contest:
Enter 10/14-10/26!
for a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Married Mom Solo Parent
Welcome to the Lit Fuse blog tour for Carla Coroy's new book Married Mom, Solo Parent.
About the book:
For married women who feel like single parents.
Bookstore shelves are full of parenting resources for moms who are newly divorced or widowed. But where do moms turn if they feel like a single parent--but they’re not? Whether he is away on business, deployed in the military, or obsessing over a computer game, Dad may not be available for a variety of reasons. Moms who parent in this situation still need help and don’t necessarily relate to the advice given in divorce recovery or single parenting resources.
Married Mom, Solo Parent is a common-sense, down-to-earth look at the struggles wives and mothers face when their husband is not actively involved in family life. Writing from her own experience as a married single mom, Carla Anne Coroy will help wives and mothers sort through their questions, such as: Can I do this alone? How do I raise kids to honor their father? How do I give my children a healthy perspective of marriage if they never see one in action? With practical suggestions, anecdotes, and biblical teaching, this book will encourage moms to see their position as a high calling, to find healing for their worries and frustrations, and to tap into God’s strength for help in facing the daily challenge of being a married mom, solo parent.
About Carla:
Carla Anne Coroy runs the Married Single Mom blog at www.carlaannecoroy.blogspot.com. She speaks regularly and serves as a staff writer for an online Christian women’s magazine Mentoring Moments for Christian Women. Carla Anne lives in Canada with her husband and four homeschooled children. For more information, visit http://www.carlaanne.com/blog.
Pattie's Review:
As a military wife, I thought this might be a good resource to review. Turns out, I was right. It's written for any woman who feels like she solo parents because of her husband's job, whatever it is, that takes him away from the family for periods of time. So there are personal stories from other women included, which gives this book more of a universal appeal.
While I haven't had time to finish reading the book, what I have read makes me want to read more. I've also recommended it already on Facebook to some women who are struggling with how to best honor their deployed husbands.
Carla Anne pulls no punches. She is honest, very honest in a way that is not off-putting but definitely needed when dealing with difficult issues like emotional divorce and infidelity, honoring her husband, and parenting issues like discipline.
I think this book is a much-needed resource for women who find themselves parenting mostly by themselves.
Random fact: I realized that Carla Anne now lives near where I used to live--too bad we didn't know each other 2 yrs. ago or we could have met in real life! I emailed her and she graciously responded to me right away. (Hi Carla Anne!) I wish her all good things.
Personal Reflection Journal for the book, available on the author's website.
Small Group Study Guide for the book, available on the author's website.
Don't miss Carla Coroy's MomChat Facebook Party on 10/25!
Come to an encouraging MomChat party on Facebook…you could win a KindleTouch!
To celebrate the release of her new book Carla has partnered with her publisher, Kregel, to host a live MomChat party on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/event.
The party will wrap up the blog tour (http://litfusegroup.com/
So RSVP today and then come back on 10/25 at 5pm Pacific, 8pm Eastern for the party.
Don't miss the fun ... and tell your friends.
for a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Day 21: It's Friday!
I'm so glad it's Friday.
Even as a work-from-home Mom, Friday still feels like a fun day, like a day when I get out early from school, or take off early from work.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Day 20: Exercise Part Three
Day 19: I'm too sore to write!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Wonderland Creek
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
For many years, Lynn Austin nurtured a desire to write but frequent travels and the demands of her growing family postponed her career. When her husband's work took Lynn to Bogota, Colombia, for two years, she used the B.A. she'd earned at Southern Connecticut State University to become a teacher. After returning to the U.S., the Austins moved to Anderson, Indiana, Thunder Bay, Ontario, and later to Winnipeg, Manitoba.
It was during the long Canadian winters at home with her children that Lynn made progress on her dream to write, carving out a few hours of writing time each day while her children napped. Lynn credits her early experience of learning to write amid the chaos of family life for her ability to be a productive writer while making sure her family remains her top priority.
Extended family is also very important to Austin, and it was a lively discussion between Lynn, her mother, grandmother (age 98), and daughter concerning the change in women's roles through the generations that sparked the inspiration for her novel Eve's Daughters.
Along with reading, two of Lynn's lifelong passions are history and archaeology. While researching her Biblical fiction series, Chronicles of the Kings, these two interests led her to pursue graduate studies in Biblical Backgrounds and Archaeology through Southwestern Theological Seminary. She and her son traveled to Israel during the summer of 1989 to take part in an archaeological dig at the ancient city of Timnah. This experience contributed to the inspiration for her novel Wings of Refuge.
Lynn resigned from teaching to write full-time in 1992. Since then she has published twelve novels. Five of her historical novels have won Christy Awards in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2009 for excellence in Christian Fiction. And two of her inspirational fiction books were chosen by Library Journal for their top picks in 2003, and 2005. One of Lynn's novels has been made into a movie for the Hallmark Channel, starring actress Shirley Jones. Ms Jones received a 2006 Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Aunt Batty in the film.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Alice Grace Ripley lives in a dream world, her nose stuck in a book. But happily-ever-after life she's planned on suddenly falls apart when her boyfriend, Gordon, breaks up with her, accusing her of living in a world of fiction instead of the real world. Then to top it off, Alice loses her beloved job at the library because of cutbacks due to the Great Depression.
Fleeing small-town gossip, Alice heads to the mountains of eastern Kentucky to deliver five boxes of donated books to the library in the tiny coal-mining village of Acorn. Dropped off by her relatives, Alice volunteers to stay for two weeks to help the librarian, Leslie McDougal.
But the librarian turns out to be far different than she anticipated--not to mention the four lady librarians who travel to the remote homes to deliver the much-desired books. While Alice is trapped in Acorn against her will, she soon finds that real-life adventure and myster--and especially romance--are far better than her humble dreams could have imagined.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Wonderland Creek, go HERE.
From the beginning, I found Allie to be a "kindred spirit" of books. I'm the girl who used to take a book to baseball games as a teen. I love reading. But I'm glad Allie realizes eventually that life is to be lived in person, not from behind a book.
I thought the story was just plausible enough for enjoyment, while also fantastic enough to enjoy a great deal. I liked the mystery portion of the storyline as well; it reminded me a bit of Catherine Marshall's Julie.
Overall, Wonderland Creek was a delightful book and an enjoyable story. And a good reminder, too, that we should pay attention to the life going on around us, and take a chance every so often.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Day 18: Exercise, Part Two
Guest Post: Emotions of the Married Single Mom
A recent survey done by TheBump.com and ForbesWoman.com reveals that between 25% and 65% of both working and stay-at-home moms sometimes feel like married single moms. Reading the responses to this report and comments on blogs, it is quite clear that emotions run high. The deeply felt emotions these women deal with may have been birthed in an unequal distribution of chores, however as time goes on these emotions reveal there is something more significant going on. It’s no longer just about the chores. The emotions reveal cracks in fabric of the relationship. These emotions – loneliness, anger, jealousy, grief, etc – can have a profound impact on a married single mom and her marriage.
No girl grows up dreaming of a marriage where she feels abandoned by her man. Perhaps his job pulls him away from home for days, weeks or months at a time. Maybe he is gaming his time away, or drinking away the possibility of an intimate relationship. Regardless of why husbands are absent (or uninvolved), their wives experience a roller-coaster of emotions that can wreck havoc and disaster within their marriage.
Loneliness is a painful wound many married single moms quietly carry every day. Companionship and conversation are critical components of a happy marriage. When this isn’t available, a wife feels lonely and separated from her husband.
Disney Princesses trained us for ‘happily ever after’, but when Prince Charming doesn’t come home our hearts ache for our unmet expectations. Those unmet expectations become dashed dreams that may never be fulfilled and need to be grieved. There is a deep sense of loss and often questions and fears about what the future will hold.
Fear also raises its ugly head in other ways. She wonders about his activities. She worries about his safety and health. Concern for her kids becomes paramount. She becomes insecure in her role as a wife and mother. Insecurity in her marriage, in her purpose, and in her belief system begins to erode her confidence. Married single moms wonder if they still have what it takes to attract their husband’s love and attention.
It doesn’t take long for the twinges of insecurity to grow into soul-shaking jealousy. Husbands who are home every evening, who co-parent their children and date their wives become objects of comparison. Watching a husband and wife deep in intimate conversation can ignite a spark of jealousy. This envy can become a consuming fire tearing down whatever good might exist in her marriage.
Then shame sets in. When others question her situation, it validates her pain and points out the failure she feels. She’s embarrassed about her husband’s choices, often feeling she must make excuses for him. Blog comments regarding married single moms contain some deeply wounding words that cast blame on her because she chose to marry and stay with him.
For many, this growing burden of emotional pain becomes a cancer deep in the heart. All the emotional pain is fashioned into a sharpened sword called anger. They are angry with their husband’s choices. Angry about living married life alone. Angry about how Daddy’s absence affects the kids. Angry about everything.
There is so much grief that fills the heart of a married single mom. She’s said good-bye to dreams for herself and her children. She’s sad about the hours, days, and special moments that will never happen. She needs to grieve the what-if’s and the dreams she had as a bride. This grief needs to be addressed. Grieving our dreams includes being honest about those dreams, realizing they may never be fulfilled, and asking God for new dreams firmly planted in reality and truth.
Married single moms are not a new phenomenon. I have lived this life and many others have, too. We even find examples of married single moms throughout the Old and New Testaments. We can no longer avoid reality – married single moms are prevalent and their situations and burdens are real. But how have they survived and even thrived? Through the strength God provides. Through Christian community. Through the healing of wounded hearts. Through the hope provided by Jesus Christ.
__________
Carla Anne Coroy runs the Married Single Mom blog at www.carlaannecoroy.blogspot.com. She speaks regularly and serves as a staff writer for an online Christian women’s magazine Mentoring Moments for Christian Women. Carla Anne lives in Canada with her husband and four homeschooled children. For more information, visit www.carlaanne.com.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Day 17: Exercise Part One
Guest Post at Kathi Lipp's Book Club
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Day 16: Practice Makes Better
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Day 15: Learning New Stuff
Is it any wonder that we feel stressed out in our 21st century culture? New technologies, new gadgets, new jobs, news in general.
That's why some of my last 100 days goals had to do with taking moments to reflect (write 5 things I'm thankful for at the end of each day; journaling a page a day/this blog), moments to relax (reading what I enjoy and finishing books that taunt me with their bookmarks halfway through), and moments to spiritually recharge (still reading through the Bible, and still seem stuck in Ezekiel, quite probably one of the saddest books in the Scriptures).
Today will be another busy day, but I hope to live in the grace of today and enjoy each moment--even when I get frustrated with all the new stuff I have to learn and do.
Day 14: Push it, push it to the limit, limit
Friday, October 14, 2011
Guest Post: Martyr Mom or Servant Model?
Do you know a martyr mom? She does her teens’ laundry and makes their lunches. She cleans the house from top to bottom—all by herself. She stays up late, day in and day out, doing all of the unfinished work.
She’s the mom who ‘sacrificially’ gives up a family outing—even though they were her kids' chores she stayed home to do. She recites her arm-length to-do list after telling you about how she agreed to help her kids with their various projects.
You likely know a martyr mom. But have you ever wondered if you might be one?
We started serving our families out of love. We loved them as we did their laundry. We served them as we packed lunches, cleaned bathrooms, drove carpools, and fixed bicycles . . . And then somewhere along the line, our serving morphed into martyrdom.
Is doing everything for everyone really loving? How can we protect ourselves from becoming martyr moms?
What would Jesus advise you to do? He taught his disciples to do what he was doing. He took them along wherever he went. He let them do some work. He sent them out to preach, heal, and cast out demons. Sometimes they did well, other times they came back wondering what went wrong. Jesus knew they needed plenty of room to try, and sometimes to fail. He didn’t hover to make sure they did things perfectly and neither did he rush to fix things when their attempts went awry.
To be servant models, we need to imitate Jesus. We need to give our children the tools to work hard and develop responsibility. Let your children watch you work, then work with you, and eventually you can watch them work and succeed without you. Give them household chores and tasks so they can develop skills, recognize what they are capable of, and discover their contribution is valuable.
We need to teach our children to set boundaries. Let your children see you turn down requests to serve sometimes. Do you really need to volunteer on every committee? Healthy boundaries encourage your kids to experience the joy of serving and to choose best over good.
Serving our families requires us to teach our kids to do their best. If we expect their best and then accept what they do, we are setting them up to succeed and persevere. If your children do their best but it isn’t as good as you would do it, leave it alone. Don’t redo the job! If Jesus only accepted perfect work from his people, he wouldn’t have chosen the rag-tag team of men he did. He expects our best, and then accepts it, even when our efforts fall short.
Love sometimes says no. When we are exhausted and we do for our kids what they could do for themselves, we are teaching them they don’t need to care about how they affect others. We are also saying that our poorest effort is better than their best. Occasionally saying no to our children also gives them permission to say no when a request butts up against their limits.
Serving also means looking around to see how you might bless someone. It means bringing a meal to a sick family, or clothes to the family who needs some, or giving Daddy a backrub. Teach your children to ask, “How could I serve someone today?” Give them the joy of serving others at home, and by volunteering at church or in the community.
Let’s leave the Martyr Mom complex behind and be like Jesus—Servant Models.
____________________
Carla Anne Coroy runs the Married Single Mom blog at www.carlaannecoroy.blogspot.com. She speaks regularly and serves as a staff writer for an online Christian women’s magazine Mentoring Moments for Christian Women. Carla Anne lives in Canada with her husband and four homeschooled children. For more information, visit www.carlaanne.com.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Day 13: Stuff
- A hodgepodge of stuff completed today.
- Random around the house.
- Didn't even make a list.
- Have to leave soon, too.
- Hope you had a good day!
- I'll have guest posts coming up.
- And a link to a writing opportunity I had today, that won't be published till next week.
- It's a very cool opportunity that I was given.
- I hope you will like it!
- I'm sure you will. Who am I kidding? Only a handful of my friends even come here, and each one of you is completely supportive of me.
- Off to get ready to take the younger girl to dance!
Day 12: A Dance Mom, but not like the show.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Day 11: At last, my moose has come along...
So I opened the sheers and saw movement. In just a moment I knew what it was--a moose was crossing the street! I began to smile and yes, jump up and down a bit.
The moose had ambled (yes, moose amble) over and was on the curb. The car with its lights on was waiting for any other moose that might be along for a 10 p.m. stroll, I suppose (the smart thing to do) before it finally slowly drove past our house. So the moose stood in the neighbor's yard for a while, a dark 3D outline against the white house, with its only illumination from the street lamp. Then the moose ambled off into the shadows, out of my vision.
So it wasn't the best view because of the dark, but I saw a moose from my living room window. I had my happy moment right then! I woke my husband in my excitement, which he did not share (since he was in Alaska a full month before we arrived, he has already seen moose mamas, moose babies, and moose butts).
And because it was so late I couldn't call anyone...
Monday, October 10, 2011
Day 10: Second Person
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Day 9: Working
Saturday, October 08, 2011
Day 8: Musings on Reading
Friday, October 07, 2011
2007 Fall Into Reading
Fall Into Reading
Get Ready, Get Set, Let's READ!!!Katrina at Callapidder Days has a Mr. Linky ready to go if you're interested in signing up for this reading challenge! Click on the adorable graphic to the left for "the rules," and clickhere to sign up.
AND...there are going to be prizes! I will consider it a fall cleaning of sorts...cleaning out the TBR pile that threatens to take over my living room. Plus, finishing books helps clear the mind clutter. Enjoy the crisp fall weather, because especially here in North Dakota, it won't be long before fall turns into a snowy, below-freezing winter.
The Friday Night Knitting Club - Kate Jacobs (been in the TBR pile for a while, and I think I'll save it for the plane ride going to Roma's wedding. Also, did you know Julia Roberts optioned the film rights for this book?)
Knitting Under the Influence - Claire LeZebnik (finish - Reading at the same time as Roma)
Get Out of That Pit - Beth Moore (finish)
The Begotten and The Betrayed - Lisa Tawn Bergren (review; begun "The Begotten" and it's intense.)
The Tenth Circle - Jodi Picoult (also a Reading the Author challenge book)
Sacred Marriage - Gary Thomas (reading with a group of gals from W@H)
2008 Spring Reading Thing
Spring Reading Thing
Spring Reading Thing - the reading challenge that, for me, started it all, last year....March 20-June 19, 2008
Info here. To sign up on Mr. Linky, click here.
I have a lot of unread books, and several other challenges I'm working on. However, these are a few I think I'll try to finish during this Spring challenge time (since more often than not, I don't finish my challenges on time!).
*Generation NeXt Marriage by Tricia Goyer (for an upcoming blog tour)
alternates:
*Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (had to return to the library, so who knows if I'll be able to get through it!)
*The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
Book Review: Addison Blakely, Confessions of a PK
As a minister's wife and self-professed "good girl" I have to say I was very curious--and a bit apprehensive--about a book with "Confessions of a PK" as part of the title. I didn't know if the author was herself a former "PK" (preacher's kid), or how she would handle depiction of life in a minister's home. (My apprehension is founded on a few Christian fiction books I've read in recent years that provided less than stellar views inside the parsonage.)
I'm happy to report that my apprehension was unfounded. Betsy St. Amant has created a good, likeable character in Addison Blakely. She is a delightful character, full of spunk and honesty. I can identify with some of her struggles, for I went through many of the same sorts of mental and spiritual struggles about God and Jesus and boys and school when I was seventeen. I thought the spiritual content was handled quite well. Again, my own experiences might color my views here.
Addison lives in a great small town unlike some I've lived in--due to the suburban-style coffee shop. Since I've lived in Midwestern small towns ranging from 95 to 1900 and none of those had a coffee shop outside the gas station, I can only assume that Crooked Hollow is on the larger side of small. I loved the coffee shop scenes, though--and the shop itself reminds me of my favorite in Warrensburg (population over 19,000). The small-town church that Addison's dad pastors is spot on.
The ending was left wide open for a sequel, and I believe I read somewhere on the author's blog that she has a contract for a series. I hope so!
If you liked Robin Jones Gunn's young adult books, or Lisa Samson's "Hollywood Nobody" series, you will enjoy this novel. It's also similar in tone to Erynn Mangum's "Match" series, but for the high school instead of post-college set.
I'm definitely going to pass this book along to my teen.
The author's website: http://www.betsystamant.com/
Thanks to Net Galley and Barbour Publishing for a Kindle galley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.