Debbie's Blog
Cry Baby
Remember how I complained about what a big baby my husband is when he’s sick? Well, guess what? Those words are coming back to taunt me. I’ve caught a wretched cold and am miserable. I have places to go, people to meet, and all my plans are crumbling at my feet. I slept nine hours Sunday night and took a three-hour nap Monday afternoon. I had chicken noodle soup for lunch and again for dinner. I woke up feeling crummy again today. No fair. That sound you hear is me whining and stamp Read more
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. I imagine there’s a party going on up in heaven for him and for all he represented. I was a teenager during the race riots of the 1960s, but it wasn’t until I was a wife and mother that I came to appreciate Dr. King and his message. Yesterday Wayne and I sat in church with both blacks and whites, in a church that as little as fifty years ago was segregated. Thanks to Dr. Read more
Wide-eyed at 3 a.m.
My day got off to a shaky start. I woke up at three this morning, wide-eyed and raring to go. Don’t you just hate it when that happens?
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Just Do It!
I’m having a rough time getting back into my exercise regimen. Wayne and I landed in Florida with wretched colds, my walking partner got sick, and soon it was two weeks into the New Year with zero, zilch exercise. A funny thing happens to me when I don’t exercise: I get sluggish and tired and—okay, I’ll admit it—cranky. It’s just so easy to put it off.
A Sad Game for Seattle
Thank you to all those Green Bay Packer fans who sent me sympathy notes regarding the Seahawks loss this weekend. It was a sad game for Seattle. Wayne didn’t deal with it well at all. I went in to check on him about halfway through the game, and he was—I swear I’m not making this up—watching it with the sound muted. He couldn’t bear to listen to them lose and at the same time felt obliged to watch. And they say women are complicated beings.
Weekend Plans
Ah, Friday, the end of the work week. Wayne and I have lazy plans for the weekend. On Saturday I’m going to an antique fair and spend my Christmas money. This is the fourth year in a row that I’ve been to this fair. Last year I purchased one of my favorite cameos there. Wayne has his entire weekend planned around watching the Seahawks game, but I imagine I’ll lure him down to walk on the beach. I hope your weekend is a relaxing one, too.
God’s Little Surprises
Rules for Passengers
We shipped Wayne’s precious sports car from Seattle to Florida this time around. Because of inclement weather and poor driving conditions his Acura NSX didn’t arrive until yesterday afternoon. As soon as the phone call came that the car was in town and would be delivered shortly, Wayne started pacing like an expectant father. Once it was safely secure in his garage, he reviewed the passenger rules. Right off the top—NO KNITTING. Apparently it destroys his imagine. NO WAVING and most important of all, NO SMILING Read more
Winding Yarn
2008 Special Phrase
Every year I choose a special word for the year. It sometimes takes me a few days to come up with my word. In 2007 I had my word even before the first of the year and it was PASSIONATE. I long to live my life with passion and I believe that I do. For 2008 my word has been slow in coming and then this morning it dawned on me that it isn’t a word this year but a phrase. MAKE A DIFFERENCE. It’s possible for one single person to make a difference and that’s my prayer for this next year. I want to make a diffe Read more
Back from the Islands
Pearl Harbor
Merry Christmas!
This is my last day in the office, as Wayne and I are flying to Hawaii for ten days. The last day I’ll be in Port Orchard in 2007. Unbelievable, isn’t it, that yet another year has passed? My heart is full, as I know how blessed I am to be able to write, which I so love doing. My cup spills over to have been gifted with such loyal, faithful readers. Merry Christmas, everyone, and may the good Lord bless you now and into the New Year.Read more
Stress & Chocolate
Joyful in Hope
I had dinner with three of my dearest friends last evening. We did a Christmas gift exchange, which is always fun. Linda Nichols, a fellow author and knitter, gave me one of Stephanie Pearl McPhee’s books, along with a bookmark.
The bookmark has a Scripture verse from Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope . . . faithful in prayer.
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Mrs. Christmas & Mr. Humbug
Christmas Teas
Fruitcake!
I had such a wonderful time judging fruitcake at the Port Gamble Country Christmas celebration this past Saturday. Of course, the fact that many of the entrants doused their fruitcakes with liquor might have had something to do with all the fun the judges had. To be honest, a couple of the fruitcakes required a chainsaw in order to be sliced, but overall, they were delicious . . . Read more
Country Christmas
Red Letter Day
When It Rains, It Pours!
Winter Storms
Wayne and I are intrepid souls. We braved a winter storm, hostile travelers and a blizzard in order to make our annual trek to Leavenworth, WA last weekend. After arriving home—taking eight hours for a trip that is normally three hours or less—we looked at one another and said, “We’re not doing this again.” Ok Read more
The Bavarian Village of Leavenworth
Wayne and I are making our annual pilgrimage to Leavenworth, Washington, this weekend, braving the winter passes and the forecast for snow. First we’re headed to Colville to wish his mother a happy 92nd birthday and visiting good friends along the way. Our son, Ted, wife Lana, and their family, will be joining us in this Winter Wonderland. I’m doing a breakfast Saturday morning, which is always fun, plus a signing later in the day, too. We do so love this special little town. For those of y Read more
One of God’s Little Surprises
I worked late last night. Everyone had already left the office, but I’d decided to keep writing. Read more
The Power of Positive Thinking
I was in New York last week just before Thanksgiving to speak at the Guideposts offices in Pawling for their annual Thanksgiving Day of Prayer. The highlight of my visit was tea with Ruth Stafford Peale, wife of Norman Vincent Peale, the author of THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING. Back in the days when I wrote on a rented typewriter and received a barrage of rejections, the one thing that kept me going, that gave me hope and encouraged me, was this book. Later, after I sold my first novel, I wrote Dr. Read more