my heart is with those in Boston today

There is so much evil in the world. I openly admit that I often go days or all week without watching or reading any news because it can so easily overwhelm and sadden me. Today was no exception. The only reason I heard the news about the horrible bombings in Boston was because a friend commented on it on her Facebook account. Of course then I had to find out what was going on. And what I saw on the news was incredibly sad.

So at times like this, I just have to remind myself of all the good in the world that far outshines the dark corners of evil. On this terrible day in Boston, so many immediately went to help those in need and so many thought of others rather than flee. I'm thankful for those people and I'll be praying for the victims and their families.

less than a month until LDStorymakers!

I'm counting down now that there is less than a month until the LDStorymakers conference in Provo, Utah! Last year's Storymakers was the very first writing conference I've attended. I learned so much at that conference and met so many other great writers that I knew I would try very hard to fit this year's conference into my schedule.

But I almost didn't get a spot in time - yikes! Somehow I thought there was plenty of time to register and just didn't get around to it. Then much to my surprise a little over a week ago, one of the conference organizers posted on Facebook that there were only two tickets left!!! Aack!

I scrambled like a crazed squirrel chasing a nut over to the Storymakers site and typed my bankcard numbers in as fast as I could before those two spots were snatched up - and somehow I got a spot. Phew! Thank you, thank you, Don, for posting the heads up that tickets were almost out. And thank you, my lucky stars, that one of those tickets was meant for me.

Anyone else out there signed up? I'm so looking forward to seeing those of you I met last year and meeting new writing friends!

2013 goals

A new year is here! Do you set goals or resolutions at the start of each year?

I do. I'm a list maker by nature and can't resist making goals and resolutions each January. I'm not going to comment on how many of them I actually accomplish. It's about having renewed determination and continuing to strive towards positive goals in my opinion. Better to try and fail than never try at all, right? Something like that anyway.

So since I haven't been part of the writing community very long, I'm not going to go crazy with an overachiever list. I'm keeping it short and simple.

1. Attend a writing conference. I attended two writing conferences during 2012 and learned more than I ever expected to. So this is the top of my list. I'd absolutely love to attend far more than one or two, but one is the minimum.

2. Write something every day of the week except Sunday. I learned a lot as a writer just sitting down to write something day in and day out. And then, when I let myself not write anything (for months at a time), time flew by when nothing was accomplished and doubt piled high around me. So this year, if it's at least a sentence a day, I'll be happy. But a regular break is a good thing, so Sundays off for me.

Happy new year to you all! Go forth and write!

Santa, you done good

I'm a day late, but I wanted to wish you all a wonderful and merry Christmas! It's one of my favorite times of the year and I'm grateful for all the good that comes this time of year and the reminder to be a little kinder and more loving to others.

Although I didn't get any books under the tree because I forgot to write down any titles on my wish list, my kids were thrilled with what Santa left under the tree! (And don't worry, there were plenty of other wonderful gifts so don't feel too bad about my bookless Christmas). Amazon.com Prime and I are bff's so I'm never without a good book.

My kids favorites this year:

13 year old son - The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
       and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney (we gave this book to our son who has been reading the Wimpy Kid series since the beginning but our daughter loves them so much that she was just as excited about this book as the ones she received).

8 year old daughter - Kid Atlas from The National Geographic Society (she was dying to get this at the school's book fair in the fall and is thrilled that it's now hers)

7 year old daughter - Midnight on the Moon (Magic Treehouse #8) by Mary Pope Osborne. Anytime we go to the library of a bookstore, our youngest daughter hunts these out.

This mom can't deny that I felt a wave of pride when each of them actually did a little cheer when they opened these books. There is nothing better than seeing their love of reading grow each year. One of the best gifts a parent can receive, right?

Any great books under your tree this year?

best thing about a book fair

This school year I'm trying to get more involved with my kids' schools and classes than I have in past years when I had babies still at home. So when I was asked to help out at the elementary school book fair, I tried not to think too much about all the obligations and to-do's piled up in my life and signed up for several time slots.

Turns out, the book fair gig is pretty fun and easy as pie (most of the time till some third grader asks a tricky question or someone tries to pay with a credit card - though I did get both of those situations resolved if you want to know).

There is a lot of down time when kids are in classes, parents are at home, and no one is shopping so I had time to knit and read. And even better, time to shop for books for my kids for Christmas.

But the best part about the book fair? It's being there in the background listening to kids talk about why they love certain books, which ones they really want, giggles over something exciting or funny found in the pages of a new book, or what characters kids really love in picture or chapter books.

There is nothing as thrilling or wonderful as a new book, is there?

good-bye crazy summer!

Hey there writing world! I've missed you! Somehow I made it through my summer of crazy travel and helping family and I returned just over a week ago.

Life taking care of 9 children, which turned into 10 after my sister had her baby, was even crazier and harder than I had anticipated it being. It wasn't just the sheer number of children but that all the kids were so little (oldest being only 10 1/2 and not much help since he has some special needs), that many of them had daily and multiple tantrums and meltdowns, and that my sister was on full bed rest and then eventually was still greatly incapacitated as she recovered from a c-section. But we all survived and my sister and her family are hanging in there and doing as well as can be expected.

Fortunately, there also was help sometimes from some of my sister's friends and members of her church congregation (especially with many meals) which was greatly appreciated and I still am awed by the kindness of those people.

That probably explains why even though I took my laptop with me on my California adventure, I didn't write a single word. Not one. I tried. I thought about my WIP. I thought about my crit partner's WIP. I thought about some ideas. But I somehow couldn't get around to opening up Microsoft Word and typing. Because at the end of each day I felt so completely exhausted that I basically used any extra time I had to watch mind numbing television and do repetitive knitting. That was my form of lying in the fetal position and rocking myself back and forth, lol.

So today can I just tell you that I'm counting down the hours until school starts tomorrow for my kids? I'm that excited that my crazy, insane, summer is officially over! Even better, my kids are excited to be back at school.  They can do their thing. And I can do mine. I'm so looking forward to writing, reading, spending time with friends, sewing, knitting and finishing my still incomplete home, and getting back to normal, structured life.

Hope you all had a great summer! And here's to having an even better fall!

my California adventure and possible blog hiatus for summer

I'm posting from sunny California and will be here for the next month or so. One of my sisters is having her eighth child (yes, 8!) and her Air Force husband has unexpectedly had to deploy to somewhere scary far away that I'm not supposed to mention. She's on bed rest because of pregnancy complications and we are all hoping and praying that she makes it at least a couple more weeks before she has to deliver her baby.

It's great to see her and my cute nieces and nephews but let me just say that taking care of nine children (her current seven plus two of mine) is exhausting. And since she's on full bed rest, I need to be the main person to also  keep the house clean, do the laundry, cook, grocery shop and run errands. I had no idea that just keeping that many little kids fed, basically clean (which includes changing diapers for three of them) and supervised is a constant job. Like - barely get to sit down for more than a few minutes in an entire day - job. I have three kids which keeps me busy but NINE feels like far more than triple the normal work I do in my home, more like ten times the normal work! I have an even greater respect for my sister and her husband than before.

Needless to say, all my goals for summer writing have been shelved for a while. I brought my laptop with me in the hopes of squeezing in a few sentences on my WIP now and then but I've realized that even blogging once a week or so may not happen. I'm happy to be able to help my sister and right now that's more important that my previous plans.

Hopefully I can jump online occasionally and enjoy some bloggy time visiting your blogs or writing on mine. But if not, I just wanted to share a little update.