A Born Leader
I have exciting news! My ten-year-old granddaughter, Bailey, has recently been elected school president. Her campaign slogan was VOTE FOR BAILEY, SHE’S CRAZY. Hmmm. Wayne and I can’t help being proud. The kid is a born leader.
Read more
Roll Over, Honey!
I remember hearing the man at the circus shout out, "She walks, she talks, she crawls on her belly like a reptile." Last night I had a breakthrough following my knee replacement surgery. In the middle of the night I was able to roll onto my belly. For the last two weeks I had to sleep on my back or my side. I prefer to sleep on my belly, so this was pure heaven to me.
Read more
A Leg Up
My precious 99-year old aunt Betty Stierwalt wrote me before I went in for knee replacement surgery. Actually, her sore left leg wrote my damaged right knee a letter filled with encouragement and advice. She insists that she’s going to live until she dies. That, my friends, is profound advice.
I’m getting around better now and my energy level is picking up, so today my right knee is writing her left leg back. As you can tell, I come from an inventive and fun family.
Read more
On the Road to Recovery
I’m home from the hospital and taking it easy, letting other people wait on me. I could get used to this! Even Wayne has been very solicitous. Bogie doesn’t seem to care; he just wants to play and can’t understand why I’m not playing with him.
I’m having my first physical therapy visit today, so I’ll probably be tired after that. All in all, I’m sure the pain will be worth it in the long run.
Read more
Joining Charlotte & the New Knee Club
It seems that every couple of years God finds a way to slow me down for an extended period of time. In 2007 I had rotator cuff surgery and now (tomorrow morning, actually) I’m having a complete knee replacement done on my right knee. I realize I should be thinking about pain management and the physical therapy that will follow. Instead, my mind is buzzing with books I’ve been longing to read and which knitting projects to take to the hospital with me. Oh, and my cell phone, too, so I can catch up with friends and family. Actually, I& Read more
The Rules of the Road
I’m looking to lease a new car and so my oldest son, Ted, and I went out for a test drive. Wayne is still in Florida and gave us specific instructions on which vehicles had the horsepower he wants. Seeing that this was more of a man thing, I asked Ted to drive. Wouldn’t you know it, within a mile of the dealership Ted got pulled over by the local police. When the officer asked Ted what he was doing, he politely responded that he was test driving the car. The salesman was in the back seat and sat there, silent as a doorknob. The Read more
What’s Important to a Writer?
I’m starting 1022 EVERGREEN PLACE, book 10 of the Cedar Cove series, this morning. I’d hoped to be much farther along by now but little things like Cedar Cove Days, anniversary celebrations and promotional demands crowded into my writing schedule.
Read more
Somewhere Down the Road
Now that I’m back home, my heart turns to New York, as we commemorate the passing of so many of our dear Americans in the tragic Twin Towers tragedies. To all of you who suffered the loss of family or friends on that unforgettable day, you are in my prayers. All of us suffered, but your loss was profound.
Read more
A Time to Celebrate
Wayne and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary this weekend in Vegas. Our friends, Tink and Renelle Wilson, will be joining us shortly. We were in one another’s weddings, which were a week apart. Renelle and I are thinking of champagne and romance. Wayne and Tink are looking for a good sports bar and a game of Texas Hold’em. Hmmm . . . I suspect compromise is what has kept us all married for these many years! Read more
Cedar Cove Days
I hardly know where to begin to tell you what a wonderful time we had. In a word, the entire festival was INCREDIBLE!. To mention a few of the highlights: The dinner cruise to the beautiful Kiana Lodge with my four children telling tales out of school . . . the character parade with Grace and Cliff, Olivia and Jack, the Beldons, Terri and Bobby, James and Christie . . . Read more
A “Tell All”
As you might imagine, the entire town is getting ready for Cedar Cove Days. Three of my four kids will be tour guides, and knowing them, they are going to ham it up good. Ted and Dale have made sure I know this is going to be a “Tell It All tour”–only the telling is going to be a whole lot more than just about the sites around Cedar Cove. They are telling on their mother.
Read more
Running with the Ball
There’s been another knitting incident at our house. No, Wayne didn’t unravel my latest sweater project (which is fortunate if our marriage is to remain intact!). This time Bogie is to blame. Our puppy climbed onto my chair, grabbed the ball of yarn, and ran off with it. I should add that this happened not only on Wayne’s watch, but right under his nose. Thankfully, my knitting project survived, although the yarn is a tangled mess. The good husband that he is, Wayne is rewinding the yarn.
What, Me Worry?
I’m not one to react to stress. Oh, there’s the occasional restless night when something is on my mind, but those nights are few and far between. I’m one of those fortunate people who handle stress in stride. At least, I used to think that was the case. Yesterday morning, I was proven wrong.
Read more
Happy Birthday, Sharon!
Today is my friend, Sharon’s, birthday. Our husbands are best friends so it’s only natural that Sharon and I would become good friends, too. When I decided I wanted to write, Sharon was the first one to encourage me. My first rejection hit me hard. (I swear it got rejected so fast it hit me in the back of the head on the way home from the post office!) Sharon had flowers delivered to the house so I wouldn’t get discouraged and would keep submitting. Later, after I sold my first book, it was Sharon who insisted I was going Read more
High School Memories
A friend from high school, Sheryl Lawrence Schneider, stopped by for lunch last Friday. We had such a wonderful time reminiscing about our youth. Actually, it’s been more years than I care to admit since we last saw one another. Sheryl still has her hair styled in that cute pixie cut she wore when we were teens. I would have known her anywhere. I, on the other hand . . . Okay, enough; we won’t go there.
Read more
Fledging Writers
Last December I visited a grade school in the area to encourage young writers. The teachers complied a book of essays the kids wrote to thank me. I thought I’d share some of their comments.
“I am inspired to write 10,000 books. Right now I am writing a story about Quinn getting beat up by a sixth grader. You rock!”
“I will miss you forever. Will you miss me?” Read more
Painting the Town
Sunday morning Wayne and I were in down town Port Orchard with paint brushes in our hands, Painting the Town. We had record heat this weekend (in the 90s) and I’m grateful to those who came to volunteer and help.
Read more
Knock Knock
I’m in New York with my three granddaughters, sharing one bathroom for the four of us. My turn finally came, with 10 minutes of pure uninterrupted peace, at last! I climbed into the shower; I wasn’t there one minute before Jazmine knocked at the door. “Grandma, I need to get something.” Another knock, Maddie: “Sorry, Grandma, I have to go.” Knock knock … Bailey came in: “ Everyone’s in here; I was lonely.” Read more
Heavenly Knitting
I spent the weekend working in my yarn room, which was badly in need of organization. As I stacked up the projects I have all ready to knit, it dawned on me that I couldn’t possibly live this long. Most likely I will go to my heavenly reward with patterns and yarn that will never be completed. The thought depressed me until I sat in church on Sunday. It was there that God reminded me that there’s knitting in heaven! I’ll have an eternity to knit up a storm . . . I just hope that’s long enough. Read more
And the Winner Is . . .
Congratulations to the winners in all the categories in this year's Romance Writer's of America RITA Award contest, held on Saturday. It was a fun-filled evening and seeing so many friends in this yearly gala was a thrill. I didn't win in the category in which my book, 20 WISHES, was entered, but the competition was steep. I'm delighted to announce Rachel Gibson is the winner in the Best Contemporary Single Title Romance with her book NOT ANOTHER BAD DATE. Way to go, Rachel!
RWA Conference
Wayne and I are flying out to Washington, D.C. and will be away ten days. While I attend the annual Romance Writers of America National conference, Wayne and our Florida friend, Gary Roche, will be touring Civil War battlefields in Virginia.
Read more
Motorcyle Momma
My beautiful, blond, blue-eyed daughter has turned into a motorcycle momma. I kid you not! Last week Jody took a motorcycle riding class in order to add the endorsement to her driver’s license. Wayne and our two sons both ride and Jody said she felt it was time for a female in the family to show them how it’s done. Jody is just the one to do it, too. She’s got the boots, the gloves and the attitude. Go get ’em, girl! Read more
An Addiction?
My oldest son, Ted, stopped by the house yesterday afternoon. Wayne had set a heavy box by the basement door, and Ted offered to take it downstairs for him. I noticed he was gone a good ten minutes.
When he returned he came to me and said, “Mom, we need to talk.”
He was so serious I was immediately concerned. “What’s the problem?”
“It’s your yarn, Mom.”
“My yarn?”
Read more
Bad Boy, Bogie!
Bogie destroyed Wayne’s new sandals yesterday afternoon. These weren’t cheap ones, either. They were his Father’s Day Clarks. The thing is, Bogie was so pleased with himself for all the hard work and effort that went into the destruction. He dragged the shoe out to show me, head held high, tail wagging. “Look what I did, Mom! Aren’t you proud of me?” Wayne’s sandals now join the heap of Bogie’s other conquests: the flip flops I wear to and from swimming, Wayne’s old belt (he neede Read more
Two Ripe Avocados
This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone—I love to cook. So it makes sense when I tell you that I also love to eat. I’ve lost count of the number of cookbooks I have. In case you didn’t know, I even have my own cookbook that is due on the stands in September, so you’ll understand that I often fiddle around with recipes. Well, I have a recipe for you that turned out so well I’ve been telling everyone about it. It’s for cold avocado soup. I was looking for something fun and easy to whip up for dinner last week and had these two ripe avocados. Read more