Telling Stories

Suddenly my big girl is little again...

Sophia has always been a really smart kid. In third grade, she was reading at the 12th grade level. She rarely pronounced words wrong, memorized books, spoke in complete sentences. In many ways, the "little girl" wore off of her a long time ago. 

But lately, as she gets older and stretches her wings a little, something funny has happened. Her "big vocabulary" is getting all mixed up. And it's a mother's dream. That reminder that she's still a little kid... what could be better? 

At first I thought it was a fluke. We were getting dinner ready in the kitchen one night and something came up that required extreme teasing. Sometimes a girl just needs to be teased...and who are we to deny her that need? 

Finally, after a few minutes of this, Sophia  slams her hands on the counter and says, "Will you just GET OFF MY SHOULDERS ABOUT IT?" 

The trouble was, she was being funny BUT deadly serious in her choice of words. 

One time thing, right? It wouldn't happen again, so we adopted the phrase "get off my shoulders" as a household and moved on with our lives. 

Then, a couple weeks ago, she came to Adam with a question about two words. "So, what would be the forfeit of that word?" she asked, straight-faced. 

Adam stared at her for a minute and then finally realized she meant "What would be the replacement for that word?" Where she got forfeit, we still don't know. 

Finally, last night, we were playing Scrabble in preparation for Adam's tournament today. (Yes, I am serious.) I should also add that I hate this game. I'm horrible at it and feel like my game play is an insult to writers everywhere. Anyway, we were playing and Sophia tried to play the word "HIPE." She puts it down and immediately starts celebrating...

"YEAH! I'm awesome! Take that! In YO FACE!" 

Adam and I look at each other...

"Uh, that's not how you spell hype," Adam says. 

She deflates. "What?"

"It's H-Y-P-E." 

"It can't be spelled with an 'I'?"

Adam and I shake our heads. 

Sophia takes the tiles off the board. "Oh, yeah, fine, just go ahead and blow my thunder." 

Blow my thunder? 

I've yet to uncover where her mad cliche skills are coming from, but in the meantime, I'm writing them down and working them into straight-faced conversation with her. I can't tell you how much joy it brings me to hear her messing these things up. 

I wouldn't forfeit this little girl days for anything...so get off my shoulders about it. 

Choosing the Wardrobe for Your Book Launch Party! (Help!?)

I've told you a little bit about my launch party, or at least shown you the space in this post. Yesterday, an article ran in my hometown newspaper about the book and the launch and it was pretty exciting... why then, was the only thing I kept thinking..."What am I going to wear?" 

I have no problem admitting I'm far more comfortable in a pair of yoga pants and a cozy sweatshirt than in a dress and heels...but I don't think that's appropriate attire for this celebration. But it's not just because I prefer an elastic waistband (at least when I'm at home) but because I truly do not have a good eye when it comes to fashion. 

For these pictures...

Source

...my friend Jenn picked out half our clothes. 

And I'm a scrapbooker! I understand color! But when I wear jewelry, I feel silly, like I'm playing dress up. And we all know what happens when I play dress up...

I know you're jealous of the corset. 

So. I'm looking for a little advice. 

I started a Pin Board for some of the dresses I found and then promptly started thinking it would be so much better to wear pants. Now I'm just a jumbled up mess with two weeks to figure it out (and highlight my hair, which, I have to tell you, is looking dangerously goth-like. I have no idea when my hair got so dark...but it's freaking me out.)

So. Here's a few that I've found so far. I think this one is my favorite, but I'm concerned about it being sleeveless. I mean, we're talking February in Illinois. It's not going to be balmy.

Plus, my concern here becomes accessories. Heels could be problematic and I don't exactly have a tan right now. Who am I kidding? I never have a tan.

I'm bordering on transluscent. 

I know what you're thinking "you'd have to leave the house to get a tan." 

Those, my friends, are just details. 

Dress #2. My friend Heather is getting married in August and she's asked me to stand up in her wedding. While perusing bridesmaids' dresses, I discovered this "special occasion dress":

Which is basically the same dress as the first one, huh? I like the neckline but again, same issues... accessories, shoes, and legs that look nothing like hers. 

To combat the sleeveless issue, I started thinking about something more like this: 

Which, frankly, I'm pretty sure I can't pull off. Also, I feel like maybe if I wore that I'd need a big tulle bow on my head. 

And that's just not a good look. 

And, for the record...neither is this:

(Sorry, Kenley Collins, this is not my fave.) 

So, fashionistas out there...what do I wear to a book launch party? One that's a bit dressy...can I get away with pants? If so, what kind of pants? Maybe I'm going about this all wrong...maybe I should just wear something casual? 

What do YOU think? Help a fashion-challenged sister out!

It's a Whipped Cream Kind of Day...

In the wake of seeing this dream come true, I have to be honest, I've been riding the roller coaster of emotions from one side of the amusement park to the other. My brain tells me I should shout it from the rooftops. 

I WROTE A BOOK! 

But in my heart, I find I'm quiet. 

I've been watching this over and over...

 

And while, in theory, this makes me so happy, to see these three Swedish girls creating a rhythm section on empty cottage cheese containers, and wondering how many hours they spent practicing before perfecting it... I mean, that's smile-worthy, right?

But maybe it's the combination of their voices, the way the harmony haunts...the emotion it evokes is not, as I originally thought, happy. It's more pensive. Or moved. Or something.

Yesterday I spent the day wondering if I'm hormonal, but decided there's a part of me that just wants to exist for a moment...to watch this part of my story unfold instead of always being the one turning the pages. 

At any given moment, I feel like I could burst into tears. Whether that's just gratitude or stress or happiness or elation or flat tiredness...I'm not sure...but what I'm feeling can't be characterized by a word or two.

It's a cocktail of emotions. 

My friend Jenn is reading my book right now and she texted me something I'd written in it that I'd almost forgotten. I guess, in many ways, it sums up what I'm feeling perfectly.

Early on, Campbell (my protaganist) , having just lost her mother, travels to Sweethaven where she meets Luke. If you're not in love with Luke at the mention of his name, you will be. He has that effect on women...

Luke owns the local cafe and coffee shop in Sweethaven, where Campbell's gone, scrapbook in hand, to piece together her mother's past...and find her father. She orders a medium latte with no whipped cream. Luke hands her a large latte with whipped cream and tells her she looks like she needs it...

And then, this...

    Campbell walked to the end of the counter and waited for his attention. 

    "How's your drink?" 

    She set the cup on the counter. Curiosity got the better of her. "What'd you mean by that?" 

    "By what?" 

    "I look like I need a large. I look like I need whipped cream. Do I look that bad?" She scolded herself for asking. Her insecurity bled through like a wound through gauze. 

    He shrugged. "My mom always says 'sometimes it's a whipped cream kind of day." 

    Her face warmed into a smile. "And you think I'm having that kind of day?" 

    "If I had to guess." He opened the cash register and shuffled some bills around. "Do I have to guess? Or do you just want to tell me?" 

Sometimes I find myself in these characters...and I suppose in many ways that's the kind of day(s) I'm having. A Whipped Cream Kind of Day. 

I suppose pure gratitude and amazement feel this way? When someone tells me they bought my book, they're reading my book, they've finished my book...it does something to me...it humbles me and amazes me and makes me feel so thankful. 

This morning I woke to an email from a friend who'd just finished A Sweethaven Summer. It was incredible to read her words--kind words that I want to write on the pages of my heart so I never doubt or fear again. As writers, we put ourselves out there...we open ourselves up and lay bare in front of all the world...

It's a volatile place to be. 

I wasn't anticipating this mixture of emotions. While I want to celebrate and amp myself up and fully embrace this moment...I find myself feeling quiet.

Content to exist for a moment on this whipped cream kind of day. 

What about you? What do you do when you're having a whipped cream kind of day? I can't be the only one...right?

 

If you have A Sweethaven Summer in your hand, I'd love for you to email me a picture of yourself with it for something fun I've got planned... 

You can send it to courtneycrops{at}msn{dot}com!

If you find yourself in need of a copy, it's available for pre-orders HERE and HERE and officially releases February 1st! 

 

Spice Up Your Family Night...No Money Fun!

When you're married to a former children's pastor, there are certain "perks".  For instance, if you find yourself feeling like you need a fun family activity but don't feel like going anywhere or spending any money, odds are good a creative former children's pastor can come to the rescue. 

(Prepare for orange-tinted indoors-at-night photos...)

We do like the occasional board game, but every now and then we mix things up. Adam's work with kids has taught him how to entertain. While I assume we need some big production, the truth is, all you need is: 

• a tall laundry basket
• stuffed animals
• paper (two sheets) 
• marker or pen

Send your kids on a hunt to get all the stuffed animals they can find. 

Be prepared for some (or all) of them to become hoarders once they've determined which ones are the best:

(Make no mention of the garbage waiting to go out. Pretend it's not even there and no one will notice.) 

Have your kids create markers (like bases in baseball) at 20, 50, 100 and 500 points. 

Ethan made ours, cutting two sheets of paper in half long-ways. Then, you set the papers out ala "The Grand Prize Game" each point value getting farther away from the laundry basket. 

In the first round, each person gets 3 chances to get their animals in the basket. They choose what point value they want to go for. 

Certain members of the family may attempt (and make) the 500 point shot just to show off. 

Celebrate his victory by trying to distract him on the next throw. That's the sportsman-like thing to do. 

This can become quite an intense game. Especially if one child in particular finds herself with a goose egg for the majority of the game. 

(I'm not naming any names.) 

Encourage your children to go for the gusto. Mine have this fine art mastered. 

And, of course, be prepared to step in and show them all how it's done. 

In Round Two, we changed things up a little. You could call "Double Points" on any of the markers, BUT if you missed, you were negative whatever the point value that marker said. For instance, if I was on the 100 and called double and missed...I had to deduct 50. 

This is how I lost my lead. 

Darn Double Points. 

Prepare for this game to cover a wide range of emotions. From sheer joy...

To extreme silliness...

To deflation at the prospect of negative points...

It's anybody's game...and one you should play with your kids the next time they're bored or you need a break. We had a blast and it was completely FREE! 

What do you do for some no money fun? We're always looking for great ideas! 

What IS a Scrapbooking Novel?

It's funny, now that my book is officially in print (though not officially released until February 1st,) I've had a few interviews and one thing that people, of course, want to know, is how does scrapbooking tie in to this story? 

It's funny, when I pitched this book, I was feeling very burned out on scrapbooking. I didn't think I'd ever go back to it because I'd written everything I could think of to write about it through the two books and lots of articles for Memory Makers. But it's funny how you sort of come full circle sometimes. 

Sometimes all you really need is a little breather from something--anything--and when you step back into it, it fits again. And you remember all the reasons you loved it in the first place. 

My friend Shannan (aka Flower Patch Farmgirl) and I at ACFW in September. Can't WAIT for this year!

I get that way with my kids, in fact. Some days I just need a break from them...and when I take one--even an hour, I come back completely refocused and remembering all the reasons I love them. Never begrudge a woman her alone time is what I always say. 

Well, not always, but I'm going to start saying it have it tattooed on my forehead. 

I started this novel by thinking about what it is I love about scrapbooking.

1. It gives me a visual way to tell my stories.
2. It allows me a chance to share my photos.
3. My kids love to look through their books and see what they used to look like...(and how hammy they were.
4. It's a wonderful creative outlet. 
5. The products are just stinking adorable. Really. 
6. I like the idea that one day, long after I'm gone, my family will still have something of a record of who I was...

(How's that for morbid?)

So, taking all of that into account...I started to envision a story where the scrapbook was the thing that brought these women together (or back together). 

As kids, they'd all get together at the end of the summer and take all their photos, all their memories and add them to scrapbooks. A marathon weekend of telling their stories. And then they got older and life got in the way and there are secrets and hurt and pain...and the scrapbook is the only thing that tells what it was like when their friendships were happy. 

And that's a powerful thing, don't you think? To go back and read through the journals of a time when you were truly happy, truly thankful or joyful? It can remind you of what's really important...and for the characters in A Sweethaven Summer, that's exactly what happens. 

The scrapbook is the thing that brings them back to Sweethaven, back to abandoned friendships--where they can face their fears and mend their fences. 

Could a scrapbook really be so powerful? 

I think so. I think anything you share with your friends, whether it's art or quilting or knitting or card-making or Scrabble, anything that binds you to others will always have the power to do so, and the unique thing about scrapbooks is that they tell your stories.

They hold up a window to the past and let you look inside...even just for a moment. 

So, what is a scrapbooking novel? In this case, it's a novel about friendship and forgiveness, about second chances...and about love. But at the heart of it all is a big book of pages that tell stories of years gone by...of the girls they used to be...of simpler times.

I don't think it matters how you tell your stories, only that you do.

Because everyone has a story...what's yours and how are you telling it? This stuff really interests me, so join the conversation & leave a comment...LOVE to hear your thoughts...

A Sweethaven Summer officially releases February 1st! It's available for pre-order HERE and HERE and HERE. If you buy a copy, I'll personally pledge my love to you forever and ever. That's worth something, right?

If You Give Your Husband Your Debut Novel...

He’ll read it and start to cry. 

When your husband cries,

He’ll get in touch with his sensitive side.

When he gets in touch with his sensitive side,

He’ll do you favors. 

When he does you favors,

You have more time for fun.

When you have more time for fun,

You end up on the beach in Puerto Vallarta.

source

If you want to end up on the beach in Puerto Vallarta…

Give your husband this novel.