Last week was my 40th birthday. Among the thoughtful and wonderful gifts I received, two really stand out as “favorites.”
Year: 2012
My oldest son’s love language is absolutely touch. There is no doubt about it. He rubs, strokes, touches, hugs, feels constantly. When he sits next to me, he’ll grab my hand and put it on his head so that I’ll rub his head.
So, whenever I find that I have a free moment and I happen to be sitting down, you can almost bet that Scott will be in my lap.
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My baby girl turns 15 today.
How did that happen?
Where have 15 years gone?
We are waiting to celebrate. Apparently, opening night of The Hunger Games has an appeal for a group of 15 year olds, and so we’re postponing her party until that day, when we’ll take a group of twittering, texting, giggling teenagers to the hottest movie of the Spring.
Instead we’ll have a quiet celebration at home, after volleyball practice and before homework begins. I’ll make Floating Hearts with Raspberry Sauce and Fabulous Supper Nachos and put the Happy Birthday tablecloth on our dining room table.
And I’ll ponder…how is she 15? How is she this beautiful, poised, amazing young woman? How have I raised such a wonderful creature? I am in awe of the woman she is becoming.
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Here’s the menu for my family for the week of March 12th. Tuesday is my daughter’s 15th birthday. She’s requested Floating Hearts in Raspberry Sauce for her birthday dessert. I will probably also make some Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies.
My local Kroger recently had free range organic whole turkeys for $0.49 per pound (as opposed to $2.99 per pound.) We bought several of them, and I will be breaking a turkey down this week to see how many meals I can get out of it.
Don’t forget to enter our March Giveaway!
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So, in the spirit of St. Patrick, a Welsh slave who escaped captivity in Ireland only to return to the land of his captivity and preach the Gospel, this month’s giveaway will be what we’re calling a “Miss-Away” – a donation to your favorite mission. It can be your local church, a missionary group, a youth camp, an orphanage, your town’s soup kitchen — you choose and we will donate $100.00 and then showcase your favorite mission on Friday, March 23rd.
Because, the less you owe, the more you have, and the more you have, the more you can give back to God; because we live in a society so permeated by debt, so much of what we make has to go to get out of debt; in addition to this missions giveaway, the winner will also receive a copy of From Debtor to Better by Barry Myers. Barry and his wife, Stacy, of Stacy Makes Cents, in just 8 months were able to pay off $20,000 worth of debt on just $50,000 annual income!
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I’m the featured blog today on Acting Balanced’s 9 at 9. Come on over to Heather’s blog and find the answers to her nine questions.
This week was my first full week totally focused on this new venture as an “official” novelist. I’m working on my trilogy, focusing this week on the first one (Sapphire Ice) and the third one (Topaz Heat). Sapphire publishes this month. I’ve been working on final edits, getting feedback from a set of beta readers, writing the blurb, and working with the cover artist. Gregg has been researching how to publish it and all of the details and nuances involved within that big giant convoluted world (he sends me technical articles in emails titled, “Stuff I Read So That You Don’t Have To” — and when I skim through them I’m reminded of how much I love and adore my husband), and tweaking this blog.
On Topaz, I’ve been filling in the holes after the first draft, re-writing chapters, and fluffing out thoughts and feelings in scenes. I could do that all day long, really. I love writing.
I’ve also been trying to create a web presence as Hallee Bridgeman, Novelist, as opposed to Hallee the Homemaker. Which requires reading and commenting on author blogs as opposed to homemaker blogs, working the Facebook and Twitter scene as Hallee Bridgeman instead of Hallee the Homemaker, and learning how Google+ operates.
I’ve learned a few things this week:
You can click “show other dates” to see a full calendar of what to plant when. It’s a wonderful, comprehensive, take all the guessing out of it tool.
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Let me say something here that I’ve probably danced around but never said.
I’m not a feminist.
