Better Late than Never?

*Sigh* I'm beginning to wonder if I'm ever going to be any good at this blogging thing. I seem to always be behind in my updates. Most times really behind. Last one was about one granddaughter's birthday and we've  just had another granddaughter birthday this month. AND this month is almost over.  It will soon be June!

It has been a busy month for sure. I've been working on a new proposal and just got it off to my agent last night. And we've had birthdays and graduation parties and holidays and company and . . . well . . . lots of things to keep me behind. I'd like to blame all of them for my failure to post in a regular fashion, but truthfully, it has nothing to do with all of that. It's me.  I'm just not great at this blogging thing.  And I have decided that I have to become better at it or take it down.

So, I'm going to try putting an alarm on my calendar to remind me to post at least once a week and we'll see how that works.  

Until next time (and let's hope it is no longer than a week),

Janet

Birthdays

Today was one of our granddaughter's birthday. We have kind of a neat tradition here. My daughter takes the birthday girl to lunch and shopping and I take the non-birthday girl to do the same...only she shops for her sister and gets a present from Grammy. That way each girl looks forward to the other's birthday as well as their own.  

And we seem to stretch birthdays out over the week. We have a family dinner at home and usually go out to eat at a favorite restaurant, too. For the girls there is usually a party with their friends. My husband usually gets the worst of it, though. His birthday is always very close to Thanksgiving, so it's hard to give him a party. I think we'll do a half-birthday this year and I'll try to give him a surprise party!  I think I will!

Until next time,

Janet

 

Making choices

Well, Spring is here--or trying at least. We had snow last weekend, and it's been cool all day today, but everything is in bloom or trying to get there. I do love this time of year. Well, except for the severe weather we sometimes get. Don't like that much at all--and nether does anyone else in the family, especially our granddaughters and particularly the youngest one.  

We've been needing new windows ever since we bought this house and so we decided this year was the year. And everyone was happy about it...but that youngest granddaughter got word out that she wished we'd put a storm shelter in, instead.  Gave us all something to think about. 

The windows are going up in about a month...but first will come the storm shelter, next week. Hopefully we'll never need it. But should we need it and not have it wasn't something we wanted to think about. So, it's gonna be busy around here this month! :)

Until next time,

Janet

Busy lives

It's been a busy month so far around here. Dan and I went to a writing conference down in Shreveport the first part of the month. I learned a lot in several workshops and got to visit with a good friend and meet many more. It was a good conference and Dan and I enjoyed the trip a lot. I'm sure our kids had a nice time having a weekend to themselves, too. 

Then the next week, our daughter and her family got to go skiing in Colorado with a church group over Spring break and enjoyed their time away. While we all enjoy living together very much, no one protests too much when we take turns heading off somewhere for a few days. Still I think we'll be trying to plan a family vacation one of these days, too. We all love sight seeing and visiting new places together.

On top of all that, I'm getting ready to start some new proposals and am so excited about them! I seem to get more excited about writing all the time and count that as one of my many blessings! 

Happy Spring everyone!

Until next time,

Janet

Reading for pleasure

Between projects at the moment, I've given myself permission to read for pleasure for a week or so. Just being able to do that has been a luxury in the last few years. When you have deadlines, it's not always easy to get around to doing what made you want to write in the first place, but I've decided that reading is something that I absolutely must make time for.

My 'To be read' pile is five books shorter as I just finished reading Brenda Minton's latest two books for Love Inspired and totally enjoyed them both. They are part of a series and the first one was His Little Cowboy. The second A Cowboy's Heart. They were both heartwarming and tear forming, but the ending in both made keeping those tissues nearby worth it! Really good reads!

And, I finally found all three of Linda Goodnight's Brothers Bond series, and was overjoyed to lose myself in reading them. She hooked me in the first book's prologue and I had to find out what happened to those three little boys. Linda delivered excellent reads!  I can certainly see how she won the ACFW Book of the Year twice and the Rita last year! Wonderful series, but be prepared to look at Amazon's used book store to find them--and keep that box of hankies nearby!

Next up, I'm going to delve into some Historicals I've been looking forward to reading! Then it's back to work on some new ideas for me. Happy reading everyone.

Until next time,

Janet

Mondays and a new week

I love Mondays! I think I always have. After a wonderful Sunday, I love getting into the week and trying to meet my goals of the week, both personal and in my writing. Sometimes I make them, sometimes I don't. In our household, Mondays are nearly always hectic with everyone going in different directions and much to get done. But still, there is just something about the day that I love.

 

We also get to fellowship on Monday nights most of the year because our church has Monday Night for the Master. Tonight the young marrieds are in charge of it and they always have a cookout with really great hamburgers and hotdogs. I've yet to get a burger that wasn't cooked just right. It's a time of fellowship, too, as we eat together and then go to whatever projects we are helping with. There are always many to choose from. 

But before that great time tonight, I have some errands to run, wash to do and I'm hoping to get work done on a synopsis and sample chapters for a proposal I'm hoping to finish up. The writing goal this week is to get the proposal finished and meet my word count on the WIP I have  going. I hope you all meet your goals for this week, too!

 

Until next time,

Janet

Blessings to count

Well, it's been an up and down week for our family. My son-in-law lost his job this week, due to the economy--he was the last hired and the first to go in an effort to cut costs.  It came out of the blue and was a shock to all of us. But, in the midst of sadness and uncertainty for him and our daughter, we've found comfort in knowing that the Lord is in control and He is watching over His children.  What peace comes with that knowledge!

And what blessings we have to count--he has been added to many prayer lists, he's received calls from so many of our church family just to see how he is, or to give him the name of someone to contact that might have an opening, that there can be no doubt that things will right themselves in time.  

We aren't the only family going through something like this at this time and we pray for those who are. We've all been lifted up knowing that our friends are praying for him and for all of us. It's also been comforting that we are all together in our generational living. :)

We have faith that he will get another job eventually, and in the meantime we'll count our blessings for we have many to count.

Until next time,

Janet