Roosevelt Lied.

Wasn't it Roosevelt who said "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"?

Yeah, you know what?

He lied.

I realized that tonight, or probably more accurately, God showed me tonight that. It. Is. A. Lie.

Why would we fear fear?  God says in the Bible that "perfect love casts out fear" and I don't see any specifications there that tells us fearing anything (even fear) is okay.

I get it, probably this was just a nice sounding line for a speech and I'm reading too much into it. But it's been quoted so many times I feel like it's stuck in my brain and maybe it's stuck in yours too.

But God doesn't want us to fear. Perfect love, HIS perfect love "casts out fear."

All of it. Whatever you're afraid of.

Including fear itself.

Dorky Confession of the Day

I love the trees on the edges of this blog so much (um, they ARE showing up on everyone else's screen, right? Before I gush and look like even MORE of a dork?) that I keep coming here just to look at it...

I think even though it's simple compared to others (Would the person who designed the Pioneer Woman's website like to do one for me, pro bono...? I'll pay you in peanut brittle, the one candy I can make...) I like it. It makes me happy.

So do these things:

1. My kids.

2. Seeing old friends. (Not that we're old...)

3. Drinking coffee.

4. Being outside.

5. Shopping.

And I get to do all of them today!

Assuming I go dry my hair now so I can leave the house...

What's everyone else up to today?

I'm Cured!

Okay, so I totally figured out what was causing my lack of desire to blog. Are you ready? It's my learning style.

I'm a kinesthetic learner. I learn by doing and my environment really affects me. Back in the old days (haha, a few years ago...) when I was teaching, I had to have my classroom set up and decorated before I could even think about lesson plans. Backwards? Maybe to some people. But to me, it made sense.

Enter this blog.

And technology.

Ahhhh, technology.

I'm a relatively creative person. I mean, I'm a writer, okay? Isn't creativity pretty much required? But I've never been good at designing blogs or making them pretty. My Xanga (haha, remember THOSE?) colors never matched as well as anyone elses. Sure, I've thought about overhauling this blog. I even tried once, to make it reflect my personality better. Or what I was writing. Or something.

And I didn't like it. It looked like someone who doesn't get how to make a blog was doing it. (The shock.)

So tonight on a writer's group I'm part of on facebook, someone else had posted a lot of questions and comments about how to make her blog better. And what can I say? I got inspired.

So here it is, my new(est) blog layout. What do you think?

Sadly, that's all the insight I have for tonight. I have some kind of serious thoughts brewing on a bunch of faith/life related issues. Community. Discipleship. Rest.

Deep stuff. Too deep for almost midnight, so stay tuned, okay?

I Love Being Wrong!

Haha, okay, that's about 1000% un-true. But I was wrong about my book's release date and THAT I am happy to be wrong about.

Treasure Point Secrets (yes, we have an official title!) will be out in MAY. Not June. MAY. Ahhhhh!

I'm lacking focus lately, which is why I haven't been blogging much these days. I am on Scribble Chicks every Friday, and have been having a fabulous time with that. Come visit there!

I'm hoping to work out some kind of blogging schedule. But I'm also hoping to have a menu schedule and tonight for dinner so far I've had...nothing. So you see how good I am at that. =)

Yeah...About That

So this writing thing is full of learning experiences right?

Haha. Yeah.

Turns out my title isn't final yet, so I'm saving that news until I'm sure it IS final. But...drumroll please...

It's set to release (whatever it's called!) in June of 2014. So it's becoming more and more real! Honestly I feel like people keep expecting me to be frustrated that it's taking a little longer than planned, but you know what? Publishing is just like the rest of life. Sometimes it doesn't go as expected. But there's nothing you can do, so you may as well just go with it. That's what I'm doing here. And surprisingly, just knowing it is. really. happening. is making the wait for this one worth it, to me.

I'm hoping it's worth it to you too and that when my thus-far-nameless-book does come out that you'll read it!

So I was thinking this morning about blogging, and my pathetic lack thereof, and I think I'm going to do it like I did my meal plan the other night. I think I'm going to give every day that I plan to blog a different "theme" if you will. Different compartments of my life. I still need to talk about my kids, okay? I'm a mom; it's my perogative. If you don't want to hear about how adorable they are, how much they teach me, then...uh...don't read this? (Wait! I didn't mean it! Come back and read it anyway!). But at the same time I want to spend more focused time talking about my writing too, just because I like sharing with you.

It seems like what I'm learning in different areas of life is my unofficial focus here. Which I guess it okay, right?

Just smile and nod, okay?

Anyway, ideas for things you'd like to read about? My super-interesting meal planning brainstorm? My favorite way to plot a novel? The weird quirks that have to be just right before I can write anything?

Off to drink my coffee before it gets cold again. I've already reheated it twice...busy morning. =)

Of course, this is my second pot...Haha.

Coming Soon!

Lots of exciting changes. =)

At least, they're exciting to me.

I'm playing around with the format of the blog, trying to add pictures and become moderately website literate. Wish me luck with that.

For right now I have to go. I'm in the middle of edits for my first Love Inspired Suspense novel, which has BOTH a tentative name and release date now. I'll share those with you once I get some work done for the day. ;)

Thanks for reading and being on this journey with me!

Learning So Much

It's amazing how much I've been learning lately. I love my life as a stay-at-home-mom, but seriously, who would have guessed there was this much to learn among laundry to fold, hungry kids, and the never-ending (okay, it ends sometimes) soundtrack of Thomas the train movies in the background?

I'm learning that consistency is important.

I'm learning that GRACE is an essential part of every relationship.

I'm learning that people have different dreams, some people are looking for a dream, and that dreams change.

I'm learning to love where I am in life (figuratively and literally).

I'm learning how much God cares about every detail in our life. Important or silly.

I'm learning the difference between 'need' and 'want.'

I'm learning what a privilege it is to have been given two boys to raise into godly men.

I'm learning that writing is something I enjoy more the longer I do it. Who can say that about their job?

I'm learning that regular exercise really is worth it. But that being healthy doesn't have to mean swearing off ice cream for good.

I'm learning that having coffee twice a day increases my productivity level times a billion.

I'm learning that stress does nothing but rob you of moments in life you won't get back.

I'm learning that there's a balance between routine and flexibility that needs to be found.

I'm leaning when to make myself be productive and when to relax on the couch with a book.


What are you learning these days?

Also, I posted some writing quotes on Scribblechicks today, so hop on over there if you need writing encouragement. =)