Christmas Giving- Chris and Kaiti Long

One of my favorite Christmas stories is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Throughout those few pages, Dickens teaches us so much about life and the meaning of Christmas.

In the first stave of the book, Scrooge is cooped up in his counting-house hating Christmas, saying, "Bah humbug." He is ignorant to the poor, his nephew, and his workers. We see as he travels with the spirits how very unaware he truly was of the needs of those around him.

We don't have to hate Christmas or walk around yelling "bah humbug" to miss the needs of others. We can easily get caught up in our day-to-day activities and forget that somewhere in the world someone has lost a loved one, someone is battling cancer, someone is fighting overseas, someone is starving, someone is without a home...

Earlier this year a need was brought to the attention of our family. My cousin Chris and his beautiful wife Kaiti came to town and let our family know that they would be speaking at one of the local churches. What they said blew us away

When foreign students come to the United States to study, 80% of them will never step foot into an American home.

Moving by itself is a stressful thing, but imagine moving to a whole new country, an ocean away from your friends, your family, your language, your customs, your food… and have the people from that country never reach out to you and invite you into their homes.

This is where Chris and Kaiti Long come in. The Longs are a husband-wife missionary team working for Bridges International, which is part of the Campus Crusade for Christ ministry. Bridges International is a ministry that focuses on helping foreign students adjust to their new life in the United States by providing resources to meet their physical, social, and spiritual needs.

Chris and Kaiti- beautiful inside and out

Chris and Kaiti  reach out to the foreign students of Chicago. They spend much of their time meeting one-on-one with these students. This gives students a safe place and relationship for them to explore Christianity and ask questions. Chris and Kaiti spend a few hours a week at English Corner, where anywhere from 40-50 students from places like China, India, Saudi Arabia, and Iran gather to work on their English conversation. This helps with their English learning, but also gives them a chance to socialize with others. Chris and Kaiti help to provide for students' physical needs by being available to drive them to the airport, the grocery store, and the hospital. They help them learn to navigate the public transportation system and bring them to cultural events in the city. 

Dinner at the Long home

Not only do they try to meet these students' physical and social needs, but also their spiritual needs. The Long's host a bible study at their home where the students can learn and ask questions about the gospel and Jesus Christ. Many of these students have never heard the gospel or read the bible due to the religious persecution in their own countries. The Long's explain that the foreign students' short time in the United States is crucial, because it might be their only chance to hear the gospel and come to know the love of Jesus Christ.

One of Chris' most memorable moments has been working with two young men, Michael and Jimmy. When Chris met Michael and Jimmy, they thought that Christianity was silly and that God wasn't real, but as Chris continued to meet with them and invite them to bible studies, their hearts began to change. They were baptized last February and continue to live for Christ. Michael's family is visiting him for Christmas, and the thing he is most excited about is to introduce them to the gospel and bring them to church.

Michael and Jimmy trying American food

Kaiti talks of a young woman named Dee. Dee came from an Atheist background. She is attending school for biology and working on a cure for cancer. She used to believe that science and Christianity couldn't mix, but she became interested in Christ and began seeking him. Now she says the complexity of science, the human body, and cells point to a creator.

Kaiti and the young women she works with

The Longs say that the thing they have learned the most as they have been a part of this ministry is the importance of listening to others and asking questions. Chris and Kaiti explain that they can't just throw the story of the gospel at everyone they meet, but it is in truly listening to the story of the students' lives that build relationships, and it is in these relationships that they can began to share the gospel.

Just like other missionaries, Chris and Kaiti have to raise support through churches and individuals who will pray for and/or financially support their ministry. 

If you would like to support their ministry this Christmas season with a one time donation, you can donate through this link:

give.cru.org/0660405

or make a check payable to"CRU" and mail it to 3328 S. Emerald Ave, Unit 2, Chicago, IL 60616

If you would like to contact Chris and Kaiti you can e-mail them here-
Chris.Long@cru.org
Kaitlin.Long@cru.org

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise- the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." -Hebrews 13: 15-16

The Giving Tree

We are always looking for ways to teach our children to give, especially during the Christmas season. This year we put together a giving tree to help them to think about others and not just about what they want for Christmas.

We chose twelve ideas to give back to others like the gift giving in the Twelve Days of Christmas.

We numbered brown card stock and wrote our giving ideas on the back. Twelve days throughout December we pull a tag down and then make/buy/deliver/send whatever the card says!

Some of our favorites include:

-Having neighbors or someone you haven't seen in awhile over for dinner
-Taping pennies to Sandy the horse at Meijer
-Leaving a homemade wreath or a pot of poinsettias on someone's doorstep
-Bringing goodies to different places in the community (like the local school, library, fire station, or post office)
-Donating items to families in need

December Down

I haven’t posted much lately. It’s December down for me. Time to tone down the writing, the early morning editing, and late night scribbling. Time to give my brain and hands a break, and focus on baking cookies with my kids, watching snowflakes through my windows, and celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

December is a busy month for everyone, including agents. Not only are they bombarded with all the holiday activities of the season, but also with all of the query letters flowing in as a result of nanowrimo.

So, I decided not to bug them this month!

You’ll still see me with a pen behind my ear and notebook in my purse. If I have a day I’m not subbing, or running to town, or tackling my turkey, then you may catch me editing with a cup of my favorite holiday coffee. No big pushes on anything though. I’ll save those for the new year!

Have a happy December!

Week Three Rewind- Saving Room

In the spirit of thanksgiving and the holidays, I'd like to talk about breathing room. In preparation of eating a huge (and delicious) holiday meal, it is always wise to wear pants that will give you some extra space.

That is what I've been needing to do with my writing. I keep writing children's books with large word counts, only to find out that bigger isn't always better. I guess overly large word counts can scare agents and publishers away (at least when you are a non-published author trying to break your way into the business)!

My goal was to give myself some novel breathing room. Children's novels should clock in around 50,000 words. The hardest part of writing my nano novel was to try and come in under that amount with a finished novel. Why under? Because when I go back to edit, I'll need to fill in plot holes, I'll get new ideas, and I'll most likely want to add a lot more! Ending my novel at 35,000 words gives me some space to work with, so that when my edited novel is ready, hopefully it will be at the right word count!

That is what I did this week! I finished my very first detective novel for kids and came in under the 50,000 word count. It is printed and set aside for January for editing, and I still have room to go. I got a good start on the second novel of the series which was inspired by a mountain dew grocery shopping accident (another story for another time)! My goal will be the same with that one too- keep it short and simple!

Week Two Rewind- When Inspiration Hits

Whew, I barely made it through the week two slump of nanowrimo! I was bound and determined that I wasn't going to face that week two slump that everyone talks about on the nano forums.

Week two had such a beautiful start... On Monday I got the kids off to school without a hitch. A beautiful layer of snow dusted the ground. My favorite coffee was brewing and I had a brand new bottle of creamer.

It was looking to be the perfect day to curl up and write.

Then my front door opened and my husband walked in. He was hunting and shot a buck...and he wanted me to come help him find it.

He described the buck and pulled up trailcam pictures (on the computer I was just about to use) with the excitement of a little kid at Christmas, and I knew there was no choice. I was going to be there when he found that buck!

Camera ready and computer turned off, we headed out.

We spent that day, the next day, and the next day tracking the blood trail across the woods. Every little drop of blood we found was exciting, like going on a treasure hunt, and it was devastating when we finally realized that there wasn't enough blood and the deer was still alive. James looked at forums on shots and thinks he hit the deer in "no man's land", which is the space between the lungs and the spine. We spent another day out shooting and an evening together in a tree stand in hopes of bagging another (or the same) big buck!

On top of all that, there was a partial day subbing, the planning and organizing of American Education week at school, and celebrating my husband's birthday.

My perfect week to write? Gone.

Even though writing didn't go as well as planned, a new story idea hit. While I was tromping through the woods with James, he worded something in such a way that it got my mind rolling. Suddenly I had a title, then a paragraph, and then chapters for a whole new novel.

It's funny how a story can grow from nothing. The placement of a few spoken words that had nothing to do with writing, and my mind was going a million miles a minute. My husband noticed that I was suddenly very quiet, and wanted to know what was wrong. I grinned and told him I was working on a new story that I would have to dedicate to him!

I love to create new stories, but ideas don't just show up every morning at breakfast. Sometimes no amount of sitting and thinking can bring them in, sometimes is the right words at the right time. Sometimes it means taking time away from your notebook or computer, and tromping through the woods with someone you love.

(pictures to come! My camera broke, so I've been waiting to post this, but now that week 3 is over, I figured I better just go ahead and post about week 2!)

Turkey Trouble

There are some things in country life that you just can’t prepare for...

This is our turkey. Her name is Turkey. (We were convinced for the longest time that he was a she, but it turns out she is actually a he, but none of us can seem to remember that, so we call her, I mean him, a she. Confused? So are we.)

Moving on.

Turkey has a distinct personality and with that comes... issues. We haven’t decided where the problem lies- it’s either lack of self-confidence, or too much pride, or maybe a combination of both.

Lack of self-confidence- Not only is he the only turkey, but he gets picked on. Our little hens like to sneak up behind him and pluck the feathers from his bottom. We thought as they got older, they would grow out of it, but unfortunately they think it is too much fun. We have had to come to terms with the fact that they are never going to be friends.

Too much pride- Turkey LOVES attention. When we’re outside with her he follows us around like a little puppy and always has to be in the center of everything. He puffs out his feathers, spits and drums, and gobbles like none other. The more we tell him how beautiful he is, the more he does it…Maybe that’s where we went wrong…

Even at our Halloween party Turkey had to be the center of attention!

The worst part of Turkey’s need for attention is his infatuation with our dog, Tucker. For some reason Turkey believes that Tucker is a big black hen, and the more Tucker gets riled up, the more Turkey believes that the big black “hen” is truly in love with him.

This has resulted in Turkey no longer being able free-range, at least not unless she is under strict surveillance, because the moment she’s out, she preens, puffs up, and runs for Tucker.

(Not pictured- Turkey running at Tucker)

Tucker- Look at that big, fat, juicy turkey! I want to rip its head off!

Turkey- Look at the big black hen ready for some lovin!

The other night I went outside and spotted Turkey…drinking out of the dog’s water bowl. By some miracle Tucker hadn’t noticed her and was sitting and waiting patiently for me to greet him. I started walking very slowly. “Hey Tucker, hey boy. How are you doing?”

It was working until Turkey realized we weren’t paying attention to him and insisted on gobbling.

How dare I steal his hen’s attention!

Then, Armageddon ensued.

I dove for Tucker.

Tucker dove for Turkey.

And Turkey? Well, he fluffed his feathers and ran for Tucker.

I caught Tucker, but he was too strong for me to hold. My feet got tangled in his chain; I fell, and was dragged across the dirt as I did my best to pull him back. Tucker gnashed and pounced, while Turkey stepped to the side and would come forward again thinking that playing this hard to get was a lot of fun. Ah yes, love at its finest.

I finally got untangled and realized that pulling Tucker away was useless- Turkey wasn’t going to let him get away. I ran my lifetime PR of the 100 meter dash to the hose, and was able to use the water to momentarily separate them. More pulling, tripping, and rolling on the ground ensued, but the kids finally came to my rescue. They pushed Turkey back to the coop, leaving Tucker and I looking like we had just participated in one of those muddy greased pig contests. Other than being cold, wet, and muddy we left mostly unscathed, except for the few tail feathers in Tucker’s mouth and the stomach muscles I re-tore from an earlier accident.

Country life- oh the adventures!

Week 1 Rewind- The Up's and Downs of Nanowrimo and Writing

The first week of nanowrimo has come and gone. In October it seems to take forever to come, and then November seems to fly by!

My first nano week was surprisingly productive. I wrote just under 20,000 words, which is just under the halfway point. In all honesty I have to thank my turkey and dog for my word count! It's a long story that I'll probably blog about within the next couple days, but here's the short version- In October I tore my stomach muscles in a roller skating accident, and I ended up re-tearing them while wrestling my thanksgiving turkey from my dog's mouth. This left me bedridden for the first few days of nanowrimo- the only thing I could do was write!

The book I'm working on this time around is a detective series for kids. Everything I've ever written in the children's genre has always been set in made-up fantasy worlds or dystopian worlds, so writing a modern day story has been quite tricky.

I slogged through the first chapter. It felt like swimming through molasses. I really loved my idea, but it wasn't coming along well, and chapters two and three were even worse. My story was shaping up to win the prize for most boring children's book ever written. I started second guessing myself. I wasn't sure how I would face the next three weeks of nanowrimo. 

Torture- not the word you want to come to mind while writing a children's book.

I told myself if I kept going, I would find my voice.

Two more chapters. My voice? Flat. Boring. Awful. Torture. Ugh.

I decided to write just one more chapter because I had nothing else to do except hold ice packs to my stomach and stare at my ceiling. Suddenly it clicked. A quote came to me, and something as simple as a backpack finally linked my story together, gave it life, and defined my MC.

So, if you are feeling bummed about your story, keep going. It sounds simple, but sometimes it is hard to keep writing something that isn't working out like you thought it would. I have never had something come out so bad before and I was really thinking that the beginning of my writing career that I didn't have was over.

Once it came together it became really fun to watch my story unfold!

There is nothing more exciting then that breakthrough moment when everything finally comes together like it's supposed to (unless your wrestling a turkey and a dog- that could qualify for the more exciting part). The good thing about the downs, whether it be during the writing process, facing rejections, or going through other things in life, is that it makes those ups so much sweeter! 

Awesome Nanowrimo Facts

A list of awesome facts about Nanowrimo!

1. This year as of November 1, 2013, there are 218,274 people signed up to participate in nanowrimo.

2. If you write 50,000 words and validate them by 11:59PM on November the 28th, then you become a winner, earn a winner's badge for your blog, and win all kinds of neat goodies. Here is the list of goodies for 2013- http://nanowrimo.org/sponsor-offers

3. The people from the Office of Letter and Lights are the creators of nanowrimo. The name alone is awesome, it gives off an air of mystery like the order of the phoenix from Harry Potter! This group is creating their own type of magic by providing a network of awesome tools and community of fabulous writers to help people from every age across the globe get excited about writing. The best part is that they have a great sense of humor and do a phenomenal job making writing fun! If you would like basic info you can find it here- http://lettersandlight.org/index.php . I HIGHLY recommend reading their blog. It's inspiring, fun, and will make you want to join the nano clan! http://blog.nanowrimo.org/

4. This next fact is near and dear to my heart! They also have a young writer's program for kids to participate in nano. There isn't anything greater than watching kids create a story. I love to see kids write and feel that there is a great need to develop strong writers. Through donations, the Office of Letters and Lights is able to provide free classroom kits to schools across the world to help promote literacy and creativity in the classroom- so cool. Here is the link for the Young Writer's Program- http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ There is already a great pep talk from author James Patterson on there! Here is a REALLY great post on the Young Writer's Program and why it's so important:
 http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/book_whisperer/2011/10/gearing_up_for_nanowrimo.html

5. If you've ever wished to be transported to another realm, then nano is the place for you! We lovingly call it Nanoland, and once you join the forums and discover the community of nanowrimo, you'll be sucked in. We have our own language and inside jokes, we swap postcards, packages, and tea. We like to have fun and be silly, but we're also there when the going gets tough.

6. Cover Contest- I think this is pretty cool! They host a 30 Days 30 Covers contest where you can submit info about your novel and thirty lucky winners are chosen to receive a free cover created by a team of graphic designers for their novel. Even if you don't win, it's still really neat to see what the designers come up with. Side note- Covers cannot be used for commercial purposes (like if you plan to self-publish your novel)- they are just for fun!

7. Packages and Pen Pals- I have done this three times now and LOVE it! Wrimos put together package swaps, postcard swaps, and tea swaps on the forums. I've done the package swaps where I get paired with another writer and we send each other writing care packages filled with goodies to encourage each other during nano. It's just like Christmas to put together a fun package and find one in your mail box to open!

8. Writing a teen romance? This year Swoon Reads is a nano sponsor and if you're writing a teen romance you can submit your novel to be considered for a $15,000 publishing contract! This also includes editing, design, marketing and sales. I'm almost ditched my entire outline that I've been putting together over the past year to jump in and try this, lol!

I'll probably add more information throughout November, but I hope this sheds light on the many wonderful aspects of nanowrimo and convinces you to join!

The nano coat of arms!

Nanowrimo 2013- One Hour Out!!!!

Quick! Put that Halloween candy down, scrub the clown make-up off your face, and grab a pen! It’s the eve of nanowrimo, and we’re one hour out from the stroke of midnight. That means in one hour you can join thousands of people across the world in a mad dash race to finally write the novel that’s been churning in your head.

I don’t know about you, but I’m geeked. Geeked enough to wait up until midnight and type my very first sentence. Geeked enough to have my folder ready with my title page, and my backup system hooked up to my computer. Geeked enough to sit and wait for the magic hour to come. My husband told me to just write already, but that would take all the fun, all the anticipation of waiting for November out of it, so I’m waiting with my fingers ready. When midnight hits, the magic will begin!

If you want to join in on all the craziness of attempting to write a novel in a month you can visit the nano website- http://nanowrimo.org/

It’s a blast, there are fun prizes to be won, and there is a wonderful community of hilarious writers to meet! More information to come within the next few days. If you've ever thought about writing a novel this is the perfect time to get started! 

Halloween Nostalgia

     Halloween has become a very special day for me and James. Of course there’s the flurry of decorating the house with orange and black, pumpkins, leaves, witches and bats! There’s watching Dessie stick her tongue out as she works on the design for her pumpkin, and hearing Dara’s squeal of delight as she tries on her Halloween costume. There’s carving pumpkins, which leads to pumpkin guts in our hair, on our faces, and on the walls.

      James’ pumpkin always has to do with hunting or football, and I like carving quirky things likes owls or wizards. Dara carves animals, and Dessie always surprises us.

      We love watching the girls crunch through the leaves as they run from house to house collecting candy in their orange pumpkin bags. I love all the little kids from school that I can’t recognize under their batman masks and butterfly painted faces who run by waving and yelling, “Hi sub!” My heart melts when they stop to give me hugs and show off their costumes so I can “ ohh” and “ahh” over them.

     On top of the smells of apple, cinnamon, and pumpkin, the vibrant colors, the fresh crisp air, and carefree evening socializing with neighbors and getting free Reese’s peanut butter cups, there are a couple more things that make Halloween special…

     The hunting! James loves hunting on Halloween, rain or shine, because he always says, “Halloween is when the monsters come out.” I look forward to that line every year and seeing the smile on his face as he says it.

     It also happens to be the eve of nanowrimo. At the magical stroke of midnight when it switches from Halloween to November 1st, the infamous writing contest begins, and I pound out the very first words of a brand new story. There is nothing more exciting than finally getting the chance to write the story that's been churning for months in your head, and having a community of writers to do it with!

      Hoping you all have a special Halloween!

Best Apple Butter

I couldn't resist sharing this yummy fall recipe with you!

 The Necessities:

 8 cups of chopped peeled apples
 1 stick of butter
 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
 4 T apple cider vinegar
 1 t salt
 2 T cinnamon
 1/2 t ground cloves
 optional- 1/4 t nutmeg

Peel your apples.

Chop, measure out 8 cups, and throw into your crock pot.

Add 1 stick of butter, 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar, 4 tablespoons of cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.

Let it cook for about 3 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low. The apples should have rich brown caramelized look when they are done. You can leave it chunky or puree it in a food processor or blender.

We like the silky smooth texture after it's been pureed.

Apple butter is yummy mixed in with oatmeal or spread as a layer between cakes, but you really can't beat it poured over hot buttered rolls fresh out of the oven!

Things to Do While Waiting to Hear From Agents- Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge

Waiting for agents to reply to your query letters can be agonizing. It seems like it takes forever. You put so much time into writing and editing, and then weeks tick by and you hear nothing.

I learned that things like pacing the floor, checking my e-mail every chance I could, and lying haphazardly on the couch while staring at the ceiling weren’t very helpful in the waiting process. I started to read blogs and reread my writing books. Several of them mentioned that reading was a great way to give your brain a breather from writing, and to pass the time while waiting to hear from agents.

I flipped through a few books here and there, but I wasn’t excited to be reading until I came across the Rory Gilmore reading challenge.

I LOVE the Gilmore girls. I love their enormous coffee cups, their eating habits (lettuce essence on a hamburger satisfies vegetable requirements), and their mandatory Friday night dinners.  My favorite quote also comes from that show. I quote it at least once a week as I’m urging my rural internet to work.

So when I saw Gilmore Girls and reading, I had to check it out!

http://www.listchallenges.com/rory-gilmore-reading-challenge

My score was a 51, so I have a lot of reading to do! Thanks to this challenge, I’ve swapped ceiling staring for book reading, and have had a lot of fun in the process!

Just for fun:

RORY: Thirteen million volumes? I've read like, what, three hundred books in my entire life and I'm already sixteen? Do you know how long it would take me to read thirteen million books?

LORELAI: But honey, you don't have to read every one of them. "Tuesday's with Morrie?" Skip that. "Who Moved My Cheese?" Just stuff you already know.


RORY: Okay, but every kid coming to Harvard is inevitably reading books, and different books, and I want to be able to converse intelligently with each of them and I can't do that unless I read books, at least a few from every genre and sub-genre. 

Along Came Number Three

        I was pleasantly surprised to receive my third rejection letter today. It was just a form rejection thanking me for thinking of their agency, and saying it wasn't what they were looking for at this time. I guess the third time wasn't the charm for me!

        Rejection is part of the journey that every writer has to face, and all of the "no's" will make the "yes" even sweeter when it finally comes.

        Happy Writing!

       

Second Rejection and Sliver of Hope

My internet has been slower than getting stuck behind a tractor on the roads of rural Indiana, so I’m a little late posting this!

I have received my second rejection, and although rejection is never fun, the sting of this one wasn’t so bad.

I received a personal letter from the agent that I queried. Eeek! I printed it off and had my own little dance party, because personal letters aren’t very common!

The agent considered my novel, but finally opted to pass. The agent didn’t know if he/she would be able to sell a story like mine in this market. Although it was disappointing, the note was kind, and at least I know that my story was intriguing.

I have definitely gone into this knowing that my story isn’t what agents are looking for right now. There seem to be a lot of agents looking for modern day stories, paranormal stories, and edgy stories. The market says that fantasy has been overdone, but I’m hoping to change someone’s mind! I sent more queries out, and I’m crossing my fingers that the saying, “the third one’s a charm” will be true!

Happy writing ya’ll!

Joining the likes of J.K. Rowling, John Grisham, and Kathryn Stockett

I would proudly like to announce that I have officially joined the likes of J.K. Rowling, John Grisham, and Kathryn Stockett!

Am I getting published? No, but just like them, I have received my very first rejection letter! I have it proudly taped to my writing wall, and bought myself a new teacup to commemorate and celebrate moving towards the next part of my writing career!

Why celebrate rejection? Because, I can finally move past the years spent writing and editing, and take the next step of my journey. It isn’t uncommon for hopeful writers to have a shoebox full of rejections, and all I’ve had is an empty one gathering dust on a shelf. Filling that box is a sign of progression. It means my story is finally ready. It means having the courage to let professionals see my work, and it means getting my name out in the exciting world of publishing.

So, here’s to the first rejection, and many more to come!

The Imperfect Writer- Coffee CrAzE

Most of us writers don’t have the luxury of being able to sit at home and write all day. Instead we have to fit our passion into the nooks and crannies of life. Five minutes here while waiting at the doctor’s office, ten minutes there in between classes, as well as late nights and early mornings when life is at rest for a few hours.

That being said, coffee is my greatest ally. I prefer early mornings to late nights, and sometimes the only thing that is going to drag me out of bed is a nice warm cup of Joe.

Heaven's light shining down on Reepicheep, my loyal writing companion.

Coffee is my one indulgence while I’m working hard on a novel, so I’m always looking for excuses for why I must drink it and how it’s useful for the writer.

One day I was in the nano forums and another writer wrote that the reason writers always need something in their mouths (be it coffee, snacks, or pens) is that when your mouth is working it increases the creativity levels in your brain. Yes! Coffee drinking, snack eating, and pen chewing all in the name of creativity! Then to my demise, I couldn’t find any type of research what-so-ever to back it up. Darn.

Then I was reading Family Life magazine and stumbled across this very important research-

Drinking coffee not only provides healthy antioxidants, but also makes you positive, helps you on tests, and helps you catch grammatical errors.

Viola! I needed to drink coffee for the sake of editing! Yes… for editing!

One cup down, one chapter down. Two cups down, two chapters down. Three cups down, three chapters down. Four cups down, um, bathroom break. Five cups down, and the jitters set in.

Suddenly I felt like I was at the fair in the fun house on one of those moving floors. I chose to step on that vibrating floor, and I wasn’t getting off of it anytime soon. I Googled how to counteract the coffee shakes and someone suggested protein, so I wolfed down leftover chicken. Several minutes later I was still shaking, so I added nuts, cheese, and peanut butter.

Did it work? Nope. I spent the entire day with my brain whirling in circles and my feet wearing down the floors of my house. Work on my novel was very unproductive.

Lesson from the imperfect writer- coffee is not the magic editing potion, especially in large amounts.

The Sunflower House

Every year my mom planted a sunflower for us girls when we were growing up. Yes, it really is a playhouse grown from flowers! We would sit between the thick green stalks with the sun over our heads giggling and drinking "tea" from our cups filled with water and mud.

This summer I decided to pass on the tradition with my own girls. Not only is it a cheap and easy summer project, but it gives me time with my girls, and will hopefully fill their summer with memories of tea parties and fairy games in the sunflower house.

Prepare the ground to plant! We made a rectangle, but you can make your house any shape that you want!

Plant a sunflower seed along with a morning glory (or other vine-type flower) next to each other around the edge of your sunflower house. The sunflower stalks will be the walls and the morning glories will eventually make up the roof. Don't forget to leave a space for your door!

This is a sunflower and a nasturtium. (We ran out of morning glories)



This is a sunflower and a morning glory.

The walls of our sunflower house are beginning to grow!



The girls helped plant the seeds and they help me water and weed the house. The had a blast when the seeds first sprouted, investigating the ground for each new sprout! Lately, we have had to just be patient and wait for the flowers to grow. It seems to take forever, but patience is a virtue and we've had a lot of fun working together in the process. Part two to come soon!

The Imperfect Writer- Backpack Brain

           People who are creative tend to use the right side of their brain, that’s the part that can think outside the box and dream up an entire novel after seeing a tattered purse lying near the neighbor’s yard. It also happens to be the side of the brain that is disheveled, tousled, and unkempt. It’s like a backpack on the last day of school, stuffed to the brim with twisted and wrinkled papers, old nametags that have fuzz stuck to the once before sticky part, broken pieces of crayon and pencil, candy from the holiday party several months ago, and many other surprising, yet treasured items that haven’t been seen for months.

                Imagine all that helter-skelter in your head, and then trying to get in out on paper, or if you’re at work, a random sticky note or the back of your hand. Or if you’re at a restaurant, your napkin, your friend’s napkin, and then napkin of the unobservant man at the next table (possible future blog post- how to secretly slip napkins off tables when you’re desperate for paper for your  fantastic idea).

                Writers have all sorts of ideas and we tend to lose them due to the overflowing backpack that spills from our brains, to our hands, to anywhere we can jot a quick note. Then that note gets lost, or when we look at it again it suddenly makes no sense what-so-ever. I have a note to self about my novel that says, “In case of emergency, read, wipe, and burn.” To this day, I don’t know where it came from, and where I was going with it. It’s truly devastating because I’m convinced that there was a brilliant idea there that would change the world as we know it, and now it is lost for forever. Oh well.

                In all seriousness, I’m not sure if all writers are really this bad, but if you are a writer, chances are you have lost a notebook or an important sticky note with a great idea, and somehow it feels like you will never recreate it the same way ever again. I’ve lost a few very important notebooks to me, in fact cried over said notebooks, because they were filled with stories I liked, years of research, and little notes about everything you could imagine. At first it feels like a tragedy, but then you find a way to rewrite, rebuild, and keep on going.

                 There are a few things that help me stay a little more organized as a writer, so I can at least attempt to keep track of my ideas.

1)      Have a designated place for all writing material. For me it’s a shelf holding all of my notebooks, some boxes to throw notes in, and a basket filled with pens, sticky notes, and more note cards filled with ideas. True to my right brain, it is disorderly with notebooks strewn here and there and papers falling on the floor, but it keeps everything mostly together, and I try to clean it once every few years.

2)      The envelope file system. This may not work for everyone, but it has sure helped me to collect my ideas. I put the working title of my novel idea on the front of an envelope, and then anytime I get an idea for it, whether it be a description, a name for something, or a character’s line, I write it on whatever I have available and then shove it in the envelope when I get home. Whenever I’m ready to start that novel, I pull out the envelope, flip through the ideas, and start building my outline.

                                    

3)      Idea Log- this was recently sent to me from my nanowrimo writing friend and I am in love with it! It is a notebook that is small and light enough to fit into my purse or go bag for the day, it has a place for a pen, and plenty of pages for lots of ideas!

 

                                    

I really loved the intro in the log book. How true! Hopefully if you're as scatterbrained as I am these ideas help you out!

Summer Reading Program

One of the summer activities that our family has been looking forward to for months in the summer reading program! This is the second week and we are having a ball!

Magician C.R. Ryan kicked the program off with a fantastic magic show!





The girls petting the rabbit that magically appeared!



My summer reading so far- The Secret Garden, Leota's Garden, and The Humming Room! The Humming Room was inspired by the Secret Garden and it is one of my favorites that I've read this past year.

One of my favorite places to read and write during the summer.

We made a tent using the laundry line and a few sheets for the kids to read in. Along with favorite books and snacks, they spent the afternoon curled up and reading.

The Cancer Files of C.E. Austin- Relay For Life 2013

          This past weekend our family went to the Relay For Life in our community. Not only did we have a wonderful time, but all of the money earned went to the American Cancer Society for cancer research. It was  incredible to see so many people come together to raise money for this great cause and support the survivors in our area.

  


Way better than a hospital bracelet!

 I walked the survivor lap with Denny. He's such an inspiration to me!

The kids' favorite part was the jump house!







Goodie bag for survivors.

I'm geeked for days whenever I receive a pen- there were ten in my goodie bag! 



They had a dinner beforehand for survivors and their families. These flower arrangements were on each table.

 

This is a strip you can plant in your garden with flowers in it. I love gardens that tell a story and can't wait to plant these flowers and remember this day.

Hope lights the darkness.

Grandpa’s Blackberries

            Summers with my grandparents meant swimming at the local pool and getting in trouble for running through Grandpa’s garden. He always smelled the tomatoes on us the moment we walked through the door. He loved gardening and all of us enjoyed the benefits of it. Grandma always served fresh sliced tomatoes, green beans, and my favorite- homemade blackberry jam.

Grandpa tended his blackberry patch throughout the summer, and we were lucky if we were visiting when it was time to pick them. Grandma would send us out with a dish and we would walk to the small patch. We wrestled through the tangle of scratchy stems and picked the plumpest berries. We seemed to always come back to the house with purple tainted hands and mouths. Grandma would work her magic and jars of dark jam would line her table. Family and friends who sat around their table, which was always a happy place, would eat the jam from Grandpa’s garden smothered on fresh rolls or over buttered toast in the mornings.

                Grandpa was an American hero. He flew fighter planes in World War II and wrote love letters home to my Grandma. She still has a box of his letters addressed to his “little wife” and a few times she let my sisters and I dig through and read them. After the war, he raised a wonderful family, was a firefighter, and gave back to the community through his work at church and through the boy scouts.

                He died some years ago, but I’m reminded of him often. A few years ago, my dad gave me cuttings from Grandpa’s blackberry bushes. They were tiny little things, but get bigger and healthier every year. This summer we will have berries. I’ll take my own little girls out to the patch, give them dishes to fill, and tell them stories of their great grandpa as we eat berries from his bushes. Someday I hope the taste of blackberries will remind them of the hero who fought for his country, loved his community, and tended his family and garden with love.

One of our cuttings almost ready to blossom

A Very Special Thanks

              Whenever you read a book there is normally a place at the end for acknowledgements. The author normally says something about how this book would never come together without all the help of all these people, and then goes on to list at least a page worth of them, if not more.

                I’m not familiar with the process of actually getting the book to the book shelf yet, but it has always surprised me how many people make the acknowledgements list. Coming up with ideas and writing seem like such solitary things, right?

Over the last couple of months, I’ve begun to understand the need for an acknowledgements section. Back in March, I had a group of sixth graders volunteer to read and review my children’s novel Flame. They were incredible.

They slogged through thirty-three chapters of not so perfect writing. I was running out of time to edit and still give them enough time before the end of school to read it, so there were still mistakes and an ending that wasn’t very stellar. It takes a long time to read someone else’s work, think about how it could be better, and then write it all down, and they did it.

They wrote me all kinds of comments and thoughts that encouraged me, made me laugh, and helped me to make the story stronger.  

I really appreciated their honesty and enthusiasm. Actually, I cannot say how much their honesty helped.  One student mentioned a part being “stupid”, and although it may seem harsh, it was actually good for me to go back and go through that part. The boys said they liked it, but they needed more blood and guts to make it exciting, so yes, more battle scenes have been added! Of course, several of them mentioned that I may want to work on the ending too!

Although adults may like a book, kids really get into it. They were really excited about the characters and all had different favorites. One student “looooved” one of the male characters (this cracked me up). Another student liked the dynamics of the family because it reminded her of her own. Two of them loved one of my minor characters so much, that I’m going back through to give her some bigger moments. One student wanted me to write about a handsome funny character who just so happened to have his name (oh so funny)! Another student told me I couldn’t give away free copies, because if I did I wouldn’t make money, and if I didn’t make enough money I wouldn’t be able to keep writing stories for them to read (that student received a hug)!

I have also spent the last few months being badgered for the next story in the series and about whether or not I’m published yet. All of the badgering has pushed me to keep at the next one and get the first one out to agents!

I write children’s stories because I hope to get kids excited about reading and delight them with a story, but I never considered that the kids would give that back to me. It has been nothing but a joy and delight to work with all of them! My acknowledgements section starts here- this book would not be possible without the help of Miss Halle Frodge, Mr. Jaedan Laswell, Miss Kylie McFatridge, Miss Scout Puterbaugh, Mr. Wyatt Reyburn, and Mr. Noah Stamm.



Showing off their silly sides at our pizza party!



I also need to give a special thanks to their teacher Mrs. Richardson who made this possible! She allowed the students to read during school hours, read the book herself, and let me take up precious time in her classroom to do things like give instructions and chat with the students.

Thank you to all of you for your help!