Telling Stories

For those who've been beat down...

It's Monday.

What else do I really need to say? You can deduce all you need to from those two simple words. 

My mom arrived on Wednesday with the intention of helping me pack. I pretty much wanted to go shopping, eat ridiculously good salads and talk about books. 

In the end, we covered all our bases. 

The packing is just too eye-opening. Realizing we're actually doing this again is like realizing you just jabbed yourself in the ear with a fork...but at the same time, I can hardly wait for Adam to move to a job where he gets to do something he loves. I mean, I can hear the excitement in his voice. 

And it's been a long time since I've heard that. 

Adam is the type of guy who has always known what he's good at...and what he's not good at. And he's GREAT at telling you about both. I admire that about him. Women don't get to be so candid. I would never say "this is what I'm really good at. This is how I can make a difference."

Though I would be happy to say "I'm really bad at this...I fail at this every time...don't ask me to do this because it won't go well..."

What's up with that?

You know, if a woman tells you her strengths, we think she's bragging. It's annoying to hear someone go off about how great they are at something.

But men and women are different. Men are supposed to be confident. How would any of us respond to a man who told you he was terrible at everything he did? Who didn't know his strengths? (Come to think of it, how would we respond to a woman with such self-doubt? That's good food for my thought...)

Recently, my dad hired a new mechanic who came in with a big folder of his own accolades. My dad said, "I liked that he sold himself to me." 

That man wanted the job. And he got it. 

But women? We don't understand this male phenomenon of self-confidence. It's been interesting to wrap my brain around it. And disappointing to discover that not everyone accepts self-confidence with grace or integrity. Some people don't want to know a person is good at something because it threatens their own self-worth. 

That threat comes from a place of insecurity--of not being able to see someone else operate in their gifts. My question is why are we so quick to tear other people down? 

Why are we so quick to tear ourselves down? Why is it so easy to say negative things about ourselves and so hard to say "This is the gift God's given me. I'm good at XYorZ." Does that make us cocky? Arrogant? Narcissistic? Because we KNOW what God's called us to do? 

I don't think so. It's revelatory. It's brilliant. To know how to focus your energy and how to not waste your time? Genius. If only we could all be so self-aware. 

Me? I admire this about my husband. I LOVE that he's the kind of person who can get beat down for two years and still come out knowing God has better things in store...areas where he gets to teach and train and encourage and uplift...

Knowing we get to build kids up...that's the thing that draws us back. Not our love of the stage, though we do love it. Not our desire to be flashy or in charge, though those things ARE really fun. But knowing that we get to walk out the gifts God's given us...to take those things we've learned and use them as building blocks to motivate children...that's the sweet spot.

I cannot think of a better way to live my life. Truly. 

And I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that moving to Colorado was God's definite plan for us...we learned a lot while we were here. We were quiet and we needed to be. But now...now, God's saying "Enough wallowing. I need you back. Get back in the fight. You still have things to offer...so you must." 

So, this is a little pep talk for anyone who's been beat down. Talked to like they're an idiot. Treated poorly in any capacity especially when it comes to using the gifts God's given you. 

Steward your gifts. No matter what. 

Be confident in all that God's created you to do. Be the person and do the things that HE has ordered you to...and when you meet opposition from small-minded people who don't understand what it's like to have a divine purpose you're so passionate about...press forward.

Know that there is always someone out there waiting to tear you down.

Don't let them. Keep your eyes focused on heaven. There's more at stake here than your pride. 

God wants you to embrace the gifts he's given...it honors him and makes him proud when you don't waste them. As always, it's not the opinions of man that matter, only HIS voice should be whispering in your ear.

Remember this always. 

Clinging to Hope

I'm preparing for our inspection today while at the same time preparing for Faith Fridays tomorrow... and I don't have a lot of words to share, though I'm sure Adam would rather I process my thoughts here...it's been one too many nights of verbal processing, I think. 

And it really is just processing...the kinds of things that have no answers. 

So today I'm quiet. Because sometimes we need a quiet day. 

And this is all I have to hold onto: 

Because sometimes there are no words. Sometimes there is only hope.

The hope of a quiet heart searching for something bigger than itself. 

The hope of answers that make sense and odds that are defeated and truth that is spoken.

In the stillness of this morning, I cling to that hope. 

10 Things You Can Do To Make Your Day Better

This morning I found myself getting ready (read: putting my pajamas back on after my shower) and simulataneously praying "God, can I just have an easy stretch? Not just a day or two, but an actual stretch of easy..." 

I'm whiny in the morning. Or is it whiney? So long as it's not wine-o, I think I'm okay. 

It was the weary in me talking, wanting more than anything for a true "month day of rest." When I get tired, I get emotional. 

And I wish I had a more gung-ho attitude about all that's going on, but there it is.

So I've been thinking about what it was that I've been missing in my life lately. Besides sanity. And I've come up with a list of ten things I want to do every single day. I thought I'd share so we can strive for it together...or at least strive for part of it. 

1. Pray. Quiet your mind. Take a time out. Be still.

You think it's a given, but it's not always. My days go so much better when I actually pray, when I take a few moments in the morning to stop and ask God to take hold of my day. WHY isn't this a given? Why, after 36 years, do I have to remind myself to do this? Lordie. It's so helpful to refocus on things like Ephesians 4:4: "The Lord will fight for you, you need only be still..." 

Photo by LyndseyLewPhotography

2. Speak a kind word. 

Sometimes, I go to sleep at night with my kids' faces in my mind...and I try to remember how I've interacted with them that day. There are moments of loving, maternal, ever-loving motherhood... but often, I've rushed through my day so carelessly nothing sticks. I can't even conjure a memory of the day. I want to speak kind words to them, to my husband, to my friends...

Never miss an opportunity to pay someone a compliment. 

3. Remind yourself of your purpose...it will help you define your priorities. 

For everything you say "yes" to, you're saying "no" to something else. You have to decide which demands deserve your "yes" and which can handle your "no." Do you want to say "yes" to everyone else at the expense of your family? When someone is demanding something--even something GOOD--you have to step back and say "does this, in any way, bring me closer to my purpose..."? If it doesn't, let it go...

4. Hug someone. 

Do you remember the movie "Life as a House"? I remember watching it, depressing as it was, and there was this part where Kevin Kline went to a nurse and when she touched him, he realized he hadn't been touched in a very long time...and he needed it. We all need it. We need to be held. We're built to crave touch...so hug someone. Even your big kids, because while you don't think they need it and they may act like they don't want it, they do...and you'll benefit from it too.

5. Learn something.

You can never stop learning. You never know everything. None of us does. There is always someone who can teach us something, often in the most surprising places. Seek out the chance to learn every single day...

6. Choose not to talk badly about yourself. 

I love to self-deprecate more than pretty much anyone I know, but there's a difference between things I don't care about (how bad of a cook I am) and things I do care about (whether or not I'm a decent writer.) Negative self talk isn't going to get you anywhere. Charge yourself for every ugly word you say about yourself...and reward yourself when you focus on the positive. 

7. Appreciate God's creation. 

I'm aware now more than ever how beautiful this earth is. Sometimes, when I'm outside, it just fills me up...and many days I fail to notice. Catch the sunset, marvel at the moon, admire a mama bird feeding her ugly hairless babies...there's so much out there to speak to your soul...but you have to open your eyes. 

8. Take Care of Yourself. 

This is one of those "I'm gonna do my best to try this because I know it'll make me feel better" things. Here's the truth. I sit at a computer pretty much all day long. I have to remember to reset my posture, to stand up, to drink water, to stretch out, to find time to be active, to eat well...when I do, I'm more productive and happier. When I don't, we all suffer the wrath of Courtney. 

9. Fall asleep with your blessings behind your eyelids. 

I tend to get very mired down in all that's going wrong rather than looking at all that's going right. It's a conscious choice to focus on the good. No one can do that for you. 

10. Surrender.

I like to worry about things I have no control over. There is NOTHING so great as the peace that comes with complete surrender. To be honest, this is something I have to do daily because if I didn't, my mind would implode. Focus on what you can control and give the rest to God. I mean, really give it over...as in, take it and put it in His hands. Out of yours. 

And don't pick it up again. 

(That's me being bossy to myself, in case you couldn't tell.) 

So that's my list...I want to know what do you do to make your day better? 

Truth Is Power {Lost and Found by Ginny Yttrup} Part Two

There's so very much I could write about "Lost and Found." In so many ways, this book opened my eyes to my own issues. The way I've allowed myself to be too caught up in the world's opinions. The way I've maneuvered my life to try and become who I am expected to be. 

If there's one thing I've learned over the past five or so years, it's this. 

Truth is power.

I think we have a tendency, as humans, to hide our mistakes, our sins, our evils, and then they become the thing that plagues us. The thing that could easily take us down. 

But when you speak them out, when you confess your issues or shed light on your sins...a funny things happens, they can't hurt you anymore. 

Light and darkness cannot co-exist. So, when you pull something out of the darkness, it's filled with light...and while the process can be painful, the truth of it brings power. 

Once there's light, there's hope...and that thing you've been hiding can't hurt you anymore. It's no longer a weapon that can be used against you...

In Ginny's book, there's a paragraph I circled: 

It is so like her to act as though nothing has transpired between us. To move forward without a backward glance. An apology. An acknowledment of any sort. These are the times that leave me feeling crazy.

And that's how it can be when you're unsure, when truth isn't prominent in your mind. You allow other people to dictate the things you believe, regardless of what you know to be true. 

Why do we do that? 

Why do I do that? 

Reading the words in this book opened my eyes and helped me realize that while I've felt like something was wrong with me all this time, in reality the only thing wrong is that I wasn't allowing the truth to have the power in my life. 

Like I said yesterday, I feel like this book was a gift to me. A way for me to fully embrace the things God's told me to do and allow them to be the only thing that matters. 

And the scary part is that I expect to be tested with this again. And again. Until I get it down. Until I can fully embrace this revelation. 

To that end, here's what I know: 

1. I'm first a wife and a mother. My family is my #1 ministry. Anyone who tells you differently (in word or in action) doesn't have your best interest at heart. 

2. I'm called to be a writer. 

3. Not everyone in the world is going to like me. And that's okay. 

4. I can't worry about the opinions of others...because if I please one person, I'll likely not please another person. There are, after all, as many opinions as there are people.

5. God has a divine purpose for my life. (And yours.) 

These are some of my truths. I have to stay focused on these and not get diverted watching enemy missiles firing at me. 

In a few short months, I'll be walking back into familiar territory. The place where people know me as the person I always was, and I'm tasked with the trial of staying true to what I now know. And it may be difficult not to let myself get tied in to the things that used to be such a huge part of my life. 

You know, it's kind of like trying to change your personal style...if I started wearing dresses everyday, would people think "Who is she trying to be?" 

Maybe. 

But the fact remains that the hard lessons I've learned over the last two years are in me now. They can't go away just because I'm shopping at the same Target store I used to shop at. And I think, in many ways, Lost and Found taught me that. 

That it's okay to seek the truth. 

That it's wise to hear God's voice and act accordingly, regardless of what anyone says about it. 

That sometimes speaking your mind, when done with grace, isn't a bad thing. 

This is my truth. 

What's yours? 

By the way...you can visit Ginny on her website/blog HERE.

And you can buy your own copy of her incredible book HERE. 

When God Sets You Free {"Lost & Found" by Ginny Yttrup}

I'd just sat down to read a nice little story from an author I'd heard so much about. Her name is Ginny Yttrup, and her first book, Words, is one I've had on my "to read" stack for some time. Why I decided to read her second book, Lost and Found first was a mystery...until after I closed the back cover. 

Now, in hindsight...it's very clear. 

Pages 21-22:

"The object of our adoration can either sustain us or sink us." She bends down and picks up one of the red leaves fallen from the Japanese maple.

"What do you mean? God isn't going to sink us." 

She rubs the leaf between her fingers. "No, but He's not always the object of our adoration. Right?" 

"You're suggesting I adore Brigitte?" I laugh. "Really?"

She shrugs. "To adore someone is to revere them--to worship them. Isn't that what you're doing, in a sense, when you give someone so muh power in your life?" 

My heart sort of skipped and I went back and re-read that again. Especially that last part. The book is about a woman (Jenna) stuck in a verbally abusive relationship with her mother-in-law (Brigitte), and as I read, I identified with Jenna so clearly. It was as though Ginny's words were written for me. 

When I read this book, I had no idea we'd be moving back to Illinois. I'd spent my entire life there, and during those years, I'd always been the people pleaser. I followed the rules. I did what I was obligated to do. It's who I was. Who I'd always been. 

What I didn't realize was that by doing what I'm obligated to do, by constantly caring what people think of me, by worrying if I'd make someone mad if I stepped out and did what I thought God told me to do...I was essentially saying "These people's opinions are more important than what God says." 

Looking back on it now, I feel like this book was a gift to prepare me to go back to my old haunts but as a changed person. With a new perspective on life...

The story went on, and I thought maybe it was a fluke. Like maybe pages 21 and 22 were an accident. 

But then I reached page 121 and I read these words: 

"I need to persevere, I think." Then she sighs. "But..." 

...

"But...that isn't working. I'm"--her eyes fill with tears--"so weary. So tired." 

...

"I just want...more than anything...I want to please God. I want to do what He wants me to do. To handle things the way He'd have me handle them." 

I lean forward again. "Jenna, what happens when you dump your weariness on God? When you turn to Him and say, 'I just can't do it anymore?'"

She hesitates. "I...I don't do that." She shakes her head. "I don't turn to God during those times. Because I think I should be able to handle whatever is going on." 

Again, my pulse quickened. Was Ginny inside my head? Did she somehow base this character on me? At the time, I didn't know the author, and yet, her words were resonating with me. 

I was weary. I was tired. I wanted to do God's will but nothing seemed to be going right.

But God knew where we were headed...and he knew it was time to set me straight on some things. 

Because there are many forms of abuse. There are many ways in which people (friends/colleagues/employers, spouses, etc.) manipulate and control you.

They make you fearful. They have the final say. They are always in the right. And in doing what they do, they make you think there's something wrong with you. Like if you feel something is off, if you feel like you have to perform in order to be valued, that you're the one in the wrong... 

I always felt like that. That wanting the things I wanted (to be a mom and a wife and a writer and not much more...) was wrong. That by not wanting to be typical and play the role I'd been cast in...meant that something was wrong with me. 

But did it? Does it? 

For years now, it seems these kinds of personalities have been a part of my life, and as a result, I've lived in constant angst. Worrying what's being said or if I did something wrong or why someone isn't speaking to me...

And it wasn't until we moved to Colorado that I finally started to see that this isn't okay. I finally stopped being obligated. It's not okay for people to treat other people this way, but it's also not okay for me to allow myself to get so wrapped up in pleasing other people (who don't know God's will for my life) that I forget to seek first HIS kingdom. 

I'd forgotten who has the final say. I'd been unable to look at the things GOD says about me, too wrapped up in the opinions of a select few who ultimately have no bearing on my life.

I see now that the timing of me reading a book about someone on an identical journey wasn't an accident. In truth, I don't know that I'd have the strength to maintain my new convictions when I walk back into the familiar. 

I still don't know if I will, but I feel like Lost and Found was God's gift to me. It was God's way of saying "You're not crazy. You can do this. You will be okay." 

It was his way of reminding me what HE says about me is what matters. 

Nothing else. 

I realize that this pattern in my life will appear again, and I'll have a choice to bend or to stand. 

To remember page 213:

There is no punishment. 

No condemnation. 

Only grace. 

And to cling to that. 

Whose opinions do you focus on? Is it hard for you to break free of abusive or toxic relationships? What gives you the strength to do so?

More on this tomorrow...there's just so much to process...

A Sweethaven Page Map

This week, I have SO much to share...more on this crazy faith journey we're on and the first installment of  "Faith Friday" where I'm going to share "Scrapbooking Your Faith" (Or journaling/painting/documenting your faith) prompts to get you delving into your own faith journey...

But while I collect my thoughts, I have to tell you about something else I'm SO excited about!!!

This, my friends, is an exclusive Sweethaven Page Map designed by the amazing Becky Fleck to help celebrate my first novel, A Sweethaven Summer. 

Becky's first book, Page Maps, came out around the same time as my first book (I think) and wow, it just flew off the shelves. It is a book I keep out regardless of where we move. Since that time, she's also released Page Maps 2 and she has the most fabulous Page Maps website where you can create pages based on her sketches. 

Becky is not only amazingly talented, but she's wonderful to work with, she's encouraging and kind. I love when that happens. 

This sketch makes me so happy...and I want to invite you to join me in creating a page based on it too.

Here's my take: 

Rather than create a page specifically inspired by "A Sweethaven Summer", I decided to create a page about my life + "A Sweethaven Summer." More specifically, about this dream of writing my first novel coming true...

Having my first book signing is something I'll never, ever forget, so I wanted to document this part of the journey and Becky's sketch was such a great jumping off point. I find these sketches to be so helpful in sparking creativity. If you're ever stumped, hers is the website you need!

You can see I moved the placement of the flower/pinwheel element, mostly because I really loved this big Prima Flower and I really didn't have enough room for it in the bottom left-hand corner. But clustering it here with the photos made the whole thing come together. 

I then added three smaller flowers in place of that element to balance everything out. Those flowers along with the ones up at the top and the big one off-center create the visual triangle I needed to pull the whole thing together. 

So, do you want to give it a go?

To enter:

 Choose one of the theme prompts listed below and create a layout based on this sketch, in any size, any orientation, any way you want to interpret it and using any products you would like. Post a comment on this thread with a link to your entry.

The contest starts today and ends at midnight, Sunday, May13, 2012 (MST). This contest is open to everyone, everywhere!

THEMES:

• Create a layout about a friend or friends you haven't seen in a long time (or "create a layout that celebrates a special friendship). 
• Create a layout about a place that's special to you.
• Create a layout about a dream that came true (that is the theme of Courtney's sample page above).
• Create a layout about your first love.
• Create a layout inspired by the cover of "A Sweethaven Summer."

This contest will be running both on the PageMaps blog and on here on my blog, so feel free to enter on either one. 

What you can win: 

For more inspiration, grab your own copy of A Sweethaven Summer and spend a little time on the Page Maps site...there's SO much to see! 

When God's "NO" is a much-needed detour {the next part of the story}

So...where was I? 

A funny thing happens to me when I sense God is doing something. That we're on the edge of change feeling takes over and I find myself looking for it everywhere. Like Sherlock Holmes, I try to deduce where God is taking us, as if it's a mystery to be solved. As if I can't wait another moment for the answers. As if He's not going to show us in His time. 

In the case of our move here, it was the pervy pastor. 

In the case of our move back home, it was something else entirely. And I was bummed out when I decided that I must not, after 36 years of trying, be able to hear God's voice after all. 

As a wife, I think it's safe to say that I can spot discontent in the man I married. He is, by all accounts, incredibly laid-back. Otherwise, I'm certain there's no way he could live with me. When I started seeing his discontent, I started to wonder what we were going to do...but then he'd have a great day (usually off at a video shoot or something) and it would be fine for awhile. 

But then, it wouldn't be. 

I'm not sure which one of us handled this worse. (Yes I am, it was me. I handled it worse.) Because I hate seeing him unhappy. Knowing what he can do and how good he is at what he does, seeing him spend his days doing something other than that just about killed me. 

So, I started praying. I prayed that Adam would find the kind of job that utilized his talents--his gifts--the things that made him truly happy. Adam has star potential, and I knew he'd couldn't be long-term happy in a cubicle. 

Then our church announced that they needed a worship leader. And while I knew my husband did not want to go back into church ministry and he most certainly didn't want to be a worship leader, all I could think was "This is something he could do." 

And I felt strongly about it. And I knew this was it. And I convinced Adam to call the church. And one hour before he called, they filled the position. And I moped and sulked a little because what other option was there for us? How, God? How are you going to fix this one? 

Oh, ye, of little faith. 

Man, I had little faith. 

That weekend, we were in Illinois for some reason and I remember recounting the whole story to my mom (who, if you can believe it, worries even more than I do...hey, I learned from the best.) But while I was telling her the story, this strange thing happened...

"But you know," I said, driving toward Wendy's for my apple pecan chicken salad. "Adam doesn't want to be a worship leader. The thing he keeps talking about is theatre. Kids' theatre. Teaching music and acting and directing...that's the thing we both miss." 

And in that moment, literally, it was like oh-my-gosh-that's-what-we-need-to-do...Like a lightbulb. Like THAT was the thing that we had in our hearts--that Adam especially had in his heart...and if it weren't for my misguided attempt to force him into a box he didn't want to go in, we wouldn't have realized it. 

That's when we started discussing our options...that's when we started dreaming about doing what we'd always loved to do...something we do together sort of beautifully. 

See, sometimes, we head down a path and we're sure it's God. And then it doesn't work out. I believe that doesn't mean it's not God...it's just God's way to get you to a different place...

Adam isn't going to be a worship leader, but that closed door got us dreaming again. Outside the box dreaming...and now, months later, here we are...standing on the corner of God's Will. 

Just where he wanted us to be. 

It's easy to get caught up in the method...to look at these detours, these twists and turns and beat ourselves up because the closed doors MUST mean we haven't heard God...but I don't believe it for a second. If you surrender, he'll get you exactly to the spot you're supposed to be in. 

I'm sure of it. 

What detour have you taken lately? Is it possible that it's leading you to something bigger?

Scrapbooking Your Faith Weekly Prompts {Won't You Join Me?}

I'm interrupting my story to gather the rest of my thoughts. I'll tell you all about how this move has already been challenging in that my son is acting out in school because he can't seem to process his emotions. I'll explain what it's like when well-meaning people plant a seed of doubt in your mind and how difficult it is to cling to what you know you know...

The story just keeps changing. Today our Realtor is coming by to talk about selling the house. When we moved here, I was terrified about our house in Rockford. It never did sell, but we have fabulous renters. 

Sometimes God works things out in a way you never expected. I love that. 

Because of it, I feel like I can walk into this next season with more peace. I don't know how God will work it out, but I know he will. I rest in that. 

Anyway. Today, I want to direct you to the Creating Keepsakes Magazine Blog where I'm guest posting (yay) and sharing a layout inspired by my book, A Sweethaven Summer. (Should go live later tomorrow!) Since I haven't talked about the 'ol book in awhile, I'll put in a shameless plug here...I think it'd make someone an awfully nice Mother's Day Gift, don't you? 

You can head right over HERE and enter to WIN a copy along with some fabulous scrapbooky prizes! 

I'm also working on some fun events to help spread the word about the book because we all know word of mouth is what really sells a book. 

If you've shared it with a reader in your life...thank you. Immensely. 

If you haven't, feel free. I'll pledge my undying devotion to you if you help spread the word. 

Too needy? 

Here's a little peek at the project I'm sharing over at CK...

(It's a map project. I love a good map.)

A few weeks ago, CK Editor Extraordinaire Jennafer Martin was in town and my good friend Liz and I got to meet up with her for breakfast:

I can't resist. I have to mention how sleepy I look. Wowza.

If there's one thing I LOVE about scrapbooking it's the friends I've made...which is why I'd LOVE for you to come join me for this new thing I'm doing right here on my blog. Six weeks of journaling prompts to help you Scrapbook Your Faith. 

Now, I'm not much of a video girl (which you will soon see givent he crummy webcam I'm using, but today I'm doing something I've never done before...a video announcement to tell you more about this fun idea.

I want to stress that this is NOT just for scrapbookers...this is for anyone...and I hope you'll join me...

At the risk of looking like a complete dork, here we go...(And the freeze frame/lighting are sooo flattering.)

 

So, let's recap (and talk about how you can WIN some GREAT, awesome, wonderful stuff.) 

1. Go over to the CK blog and enter to WIN A Sweethaven Summer and a scrapbooking prize package! (Post should be up tomorrow!) 

2. Leave me a comment on this post and you'll be entered to win a copy of Scrapbooking Your Faith (and one of the five winners will get a scrapbooking mystery box as well!) (And also, tell me if you're going to join in and journal YOUR faith!)

3. Come back next week for the first "Scrapbooking Your Faith" journaling prompt! It's going to be tons of fun! 

4. Tell Your Friends! 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! 

When God Surprises You {part three of this story}

I sat down on our bed and stared at my husband who had this sort of giddy-as-a-schoolboy expression on his face. 

"What's going on?" My heart was racing and I felt the change coming. 

We knew we were in for a change, but I have to tell you that every time I prayed about it, I prayed "God, there are just two things I can't lose. My house and the kids' school. Just let us keep those things." I don't care about cars or clothes or anything like that...but the kids' school and our new house are important to me. 

And the funny thing is, I prayed the same thing about our house in Illinois. 

Sometimes the things you cling to the tightest are exactly what you have to give up. Perhaps these things were my "Isaacs"...perhaps God wanted to see just what we were willing to lose to gain his will for our lives. 

"I've been waiting for you to get home," Adam said and then he launched into a recap of his conversation. And by "launched into a recap" I mean he relayed about two minutes of a forty-five minute conversation. 

This is my life, folks. If you want details, you have to probe. 

The long and short of it is this: Our Chicago friend was absolutely ecstatic about helping us however he could. For a good forty-five minutes, he and Adam discussed exciting things like insurance and logistics and Adam was feeling great. And then, somewhere in the conversation (the details are, let's just say "fuzzy") turned and our friend told Adam that two days before their current Artistic Director (a woman we all LOVE) had resigned. 

Because her family's business was booming (I'll blog about that some other time...that's a whole separate inspiring story...) she needed to devote more time to it. 

And that left CYT-Chicago without an Artistic Director. 

(today is blurry-picture day on my blog.) 

I stared at Adam and kind of shook myself out of my what-did-you-just-say trance. "So, what? We'd move back to Illinois?" 

His eyebrows popped up as if that were an acceptable answer. 

I can't explain what happened next. It was like, inside me something switched and I realized that while we love Colorado, ever since my launch party back in February, my heart has been homesick for Illinois. (Coincidence?) 

Sometimes I think when you're in the thick of something, when these are your circumstances and you don't have another choice, you simply keep your head down, make the best of things and focus on what's good. And there is a LOT of good here. 

Friends that I do NOT want to lose. Weather that you cannot beat. And, like I said, a school and a home I've grown to love. 

But in that moment, when he said flicked his eyebrows at me...my response was "Let's do it." 

(not commenting on my posture...resisting the urge to self-deprecate)

Later, Adam told me that as SOON as he heard they needed an Artistic Director, he knew that was our next step. Just like as SOON as I heard they needed an Artistic Director, I knew that was our next step. 

...but that didn't keep me from worrying. 

You see, Adam decided to resign from his position at Group. Crazy, right?

He came home one day and told me "I just can't do this anymore." And I can't explain the inexplicible peace I had in that moment. I couldn't stand to see him unhappy for one more day. This was not what he was called to do and everyone knew it. So I said "Then give your notice." 

We had to go on the faith that what we knew God was telling us was going to happen would really happen...but there was always that slim little chance we'd mis-heard...it had happened before, after all. 

I spent the next several weeks wondering things like "What if someone else swoops in and gets the job?" and "What if they decide they don't like Adam after all? Maybe his brand of humor will offend..." and "What if for some reason Illinois falls into the ocean never to be seen again?" (seriously, sometimes that's how ridiculous it is.) I practically made myself sick over it and all the while, Adam was completely confident because hearing God for him is very cut and dry.

Mind you, he'd only relayed portions of conversations with me so there's a very good chance he's instituted a plan to take over the world and I'd be the last to know. 

I clung to the fact that I'd been here before. My gut knew this feeling. I knew this was our step...and so did Adam. We committed our plans to God and we were going for it. 

We were all in. 

After several more conversations, Adam learned that one of the biggest parts of his job at CYT will be writing curriculum to streamline their classes...and after working at one of the top companies for church curriculum, he'd been trained in writing GREAT curriculum...regardless of the misplaced commas or hyphens. 

I can tell you in no uncertain terms, my husband is an insanely good writer. 

And it sort of ticks me off if you want to know the truth. 

Anyway. All of the sudden, all of my "WHY did we have to move here if only for two years?" became "Wow, God. You really set us up...Now it all makes sense." 

NONE of this is what we expected but when I see how all the pieces came together, when I see how God took care of us, used this whole experience to build our faith, it's clear that he is not about to shove us out of the boat without a life vest. 

After a trip to Illinois and several official interviews, we got word that it's a done deal. And as far as I know, Illinois hasn't fallen into the ocean yet. 

And God. Is. So. Good. To. Me. 

When God Intervenes {part two of this story...}

Needless to say, we didn't take the job with the pervy pastor. 

But that didn't keep us me from doubting that I'd heard God's voice. See, a funny thing happens when you think you know what God's doing...and he does something different. You assume you've missed it somewhere. You've messed up. 

And if you're like me, you wallow in the "I'm 33 now I should be able to distinguish God's voice, shouldn't I" of it for days...or, months. 

But in retrospect, when I look back, I realize that God's nudging really was there all along, I just didn't acknowledge it. Because I didn't want to. Because I thought this was it. Because we were so sure. 

Don't get me wrong, I think this whole scenario had to happen. I think God wanted us to check it out, to interview at this place, to inform us in no uncertain terms that "no" means "no." That he will stop us if we start down a path that's not his. I truly believe that, and it's comforted me in every decision we've made since. 

Including the one to move to Loveland for Adam to work for Group. 

We came here ready for something different. Ministry is an amazing thing, but it really can be grueling, and with our young family in tow, we just needed a different life. A different schedule. And we needed to calm our cynical hearts. (Just being honest.) 

See, another lesson that's hard to learn is that God is not found in a person. Or a church. Or in a litany of "things I did good today." And it took moving here to differentiate what God was saying and what people were saying. Often, the two were not the same thing. 

So we came here and three months later, there was a big shake-up at Group. They reorganized and many people lost their jobs, including a bunch from Adam’s department. Thankfully, Adam wasn't one of them. This is an incredible company doing incredible things, but for Adam, his "incredible" is all creative...and this job now didn’t allow for the amount of creativity Adam was looking for. That tends to happen when a team of 10 is cut to a team of 3 and the workload doesn’t change.  

If Adam had been any one of you in this position, I would've said "You need to find something else." And even though part of our livelihood depended on his job, even though I was a bit terrified about what we'd do and why we moved and the whole deal, I knew I couldn't support him staying in a job that he didn't love. 

It's just not how we're wired. 

Turns out, when you're supremely creative (and that's your main gift) checking for commas, periods and misspellings isn't exactly fulfilling. 

So, we started talking about what we did love. What we wanted to do. More than once I said, "What do you really want to do when you think about your days?" Sometimes he shrugged or said "I don't know..." but I started to pay attention and he kept talking about theatre for kids. 

We both missed it. I mean, CYT got into our blood. When we went to see "Tall Tales", the first show we wrote, that's when it really started to sink in what we'd left behind. 

So, here we were, months later, writing another original show for the same organization and feeling like we should be directing it one day. 

And this is where it gets interesting. 

I want to say something that I have absolutely no biblical proof of. At all. But it's what I've discovered in our own lives. Years ago, I overheard someone who was out of work saying "Well, I'm just waiting on God..." (This is truly a wonderful thing to do...and I think it's important to master the art of waiting. It's not in my arsenal of gifts.) 

But in the back of my mind, I remember thinking "But what if God is waiting on you to put in a resume or make some phone calls or get out there and take a step? Could it be that you're not getting your answers because you're not actively pursuing them? 

(As a disclaimer, I also think that sometimes God tells you "sit tight. Wait on me. Trust." So if that's you, ignore this...but in our case...God seems to move when we move.) 

So, we did. We made phone calls and set up meetings. We were going to start our own theatre and music program here. It would be hard and challenging and Adam would have to work another job, but we were dedicated to making it work. Again, we thought this was where God was leading us. 

And it was, but not for the reasons we thought. 

In the middle of all of this, Adam called our friend at CYT-Chicago. Why wouldn't we? They're the leaders when it comes to this kind of program, and we needed guidance and wisdom. They spent a good chunk of time on the phone and then Adam called me (I was out getting the kids)...twice...asking when I was going to be home. 

When I arrived, he pulled me into our room and shut the door. 

He looked at me, this strange little flash in his eyes and said, "Okay...keep an open mind." 

I kind of laughed and said "Oh, what are we moving again?" (as in "ha ha, that'd be just ridiculous...") 

His jaw went slack and he stared at me..."Just...keep an open mind..." 

God was about to shift our path yet again...and as the pieces fell together, it became clearer and clearer and he was answering the prayers of my heart...

God, we want you to use us. Take our lives and make them yours. Show us what you have. Put us in a place where Adam will thrive, where his gifts will be valued and he's able to use them on a daily basis. Help us make an impact in the lives of the people who surround us. 

We had no means to do any of these things...

But God...

When God Says "No" {where this story begins}

So. The dirt. The dish. The lesson(s) in all of this. 

I've been trying to think of the best way to share the story behind this great big change...and I've come up empty. I mean, I want fireworks to emphasize the right points because you know, there were mental fireworks. 

I want you to see how awesome God is...even when you feel lost...because he's still there. Loving us. 

The burden of making that clear is weighing on me right now...I'm not sure why. 

Anyway...I'm going to tell the story in a few different posts because  hindsight is 20/20. I'm starting to see the pieces fall into place, and it's amazing to me the way God has worked this out, how he was there in those moments when I was sure he'd forgotten us. Amazing. 

I mean, shaking-my-head at the computer screen amazing. 

To start with, I want to talk about "When God Says 'No'"...

Before applying at Group, Adam only applied at one other place. A church. We went there. He interviewed. We imagined. And the whole time, I had a PIT in my stomach...I can still remember walking to the bathroom at the end of the service, shutting the door to the stall and crying. 

God, this isn't what I want. 

But I ignored it because of what I thought God was doing. It seemed like He had lined this thing up for us. They wanted Adam. They were creative and valued his creative gifts. They were unique. 

We lay in bed at night running through the possibilities and trying to determine...God, is this what you want us to do? 

There was no booming voice...no fire or brimstone...but we didn't get a "no"...at least, we thought we didn't.

So we landed back in Illinois, making plans to break the news that we were moving. 

But then something happened. Adam had been texting back and forth with the pastor making plans for our future. Plans to take a HUGE step and move away. 

So when his phone buzzed and he got a new text, he asked me to read it because he was driving. (And I should add, that the pit in my stomach had not gone away.) So, I opened the phone to a new text from this pastor.

And it was most certainly NOT a text for my husband. 

I've washed my eyeballs out repeatedly, but cannot seem to get the words (and the image they conveyed) out of my head. 

"Just read it," Adam said. 

"I can't read this out loud." 

Adam frowned. "What's the big deal?" 

I shoved the phone at him and as he read the words, I could tell he thought the same thing I did. 

First, "ew." And second, "What in the world?" 

(I refuse to repeat it, but basically it was a VERY crude text...the kind that would make any girl blush. And not in a good way.)

Adam texted back an "Umm...was this meant for me...?" 

Dear Jesus, I hope not. 

But really, did it matter who the intended recipient was? The issue, in my mind, was the lack of respect and the dirtiness (for lack of a better word) of it. 

The phone rang and the apology came, but the damage had been done.  

The door had been slammed shut. 

I looked at Adam, completely shell-shocked...because while I am a prude, I also believe that there is a respectful way for a husband to talk to his wife. I know married people all have their own way of doing things...but this signified that something was off. Something wasn't safe.

And more than anything, we needed safe.

The rawness in my stomach intensified. 

"Is that a deal-breaker?" I asked. 

Adam shook his head, clearly as stunned as I was and said, "I think it might be." 

We'd been ignoring the signals. We'd been shoving aside the feelings of discomfort, the little inconsistencies, the red flags. We were so sure we knew what God was saying we failed to listen. It's like people who pull a Bible verse out of context when it supports their position, but forget to look at the rest of the chapter. 

That's what we'd done. We were Bruce Almighty begging for answers behind a truck full of "STOP signs"...and yet, we failed to hit the brakes. 

But I think God allowed it because what it did was teach us to trust that gut instinct. To pay attention to the peace...to follow it, no matter how it seems to the rest of the world...to seek it out. And to KNOW that when it wasn't the thing he had for us, he'd shut the door. 

Even slam it. 

Looking back on it now, I see that this incident, though heart-breaking, taught me to trust that God has our best interest at heart. Even when we mess up. Even when we need twenty five different signs. Even when we fail to hit the brakes. 

More than once since then, I've recalled that moment and have been able to remind myself what's been echoing in my head the past several months...

He's got me in the palm of his hand.  

Trust your gut. Follow the peace. And know that even in the darkness...even in the storm...He's got you in the palm of his hand. 

...and this is just the beginning of the story...

 

Yep. We're Moving. Again.

Source

If you've been following our family journey for awhile now, perhaps you remember just two summers ago when we packed up our little family and headed across the country to Colorado. 

Maybe you remember our announcement that after only two years in our Rockford house, we were selling it so we could make said move. 

You may even remember only a few short months ago, how we, after living in a god-awful rental for a year, found a house in Loveland that we loved. And we bought it. 

And found out none of the appliances worked. 

And practically gutted it, replacing flooring and paint and trim...

Going from this:

To this:

From this:

to this:

If you're just joining our journey, then welcome. It's been a wild and crazy ride. 

And it's about to get crazier.

One other thing you might be aware of is our undying affection for Christian Youth Theatre, an organization we've written and directed for for a few years now. I think Adam's first show with them was when I was pregnant with Sam in 2007 and I came on the year after. 

And since our move, it's something we've missed immensely. 

For Sophia too...

(Peter Pan, her first show, 2009)

We miss the kids. We miss the theatre. We miss directing. And most of all, we miss making a direct impact on the lives and self esteem of young people. 

We used to do that for a living, you know. 

Well, today, we're happy to announce that Adam has officially accepted a position as the Artistic Director for CYT-Chicago. And yes, that means, this little family is hitting the road. 

Again. 

I promise I don't really have a lazy eye. 

Or wait. Do I? Do I have a lazy eye and no one is telling me? 

Regardless. 

I honestly cannot WAIT to tell you the amazing story of how God brought us to this point. It's a tale of learning patience, trust and the value of not giving in to the looming mental breakdown. And suffice it to say, God is using it to teach us and build our character... 

But I know what you're thinking...why would you leave Colorado...

For Illinois...

And all I can tell you is that when God moves you, you go. 

We've learned to trust his voice, to go where the peace is.

For us, that means Adam taking this job and us moving back to Illinois. Where? We have no idea. Many things need to fall into place... but life surely has turned into a journey for these homebodies...who seem perfectly incapable of finding a home. 

So...know anyone looking for a house in Loveland, Colorado?

The Benefit of the Dirt

Everything I've read or been taught about blogging tells me not to go into detail about my kids. "I don't want to hear about your kids' football games," they say, "unless you're famous." 

Which I most certainly am not. 

But I'm a mom, and like most moms, I learn something new everyday...often thanks to my kids. 

I learn to say "I'm sorry..." as in "I'm sorry you can't have Hershey Kisses for breakfast, but those are the rules." OR "I'm sorry you don't want to go to school today, but the law won't allow me to keep you home and for the sake of my own sanity, you're going to school...." OR "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings." 

I'm great at apologizing now, thanks to my kids. 

Lately, I've been thinking about my life and how it's not taking the course I'd set it on. It's veering off into it's own direction a little bit...and I fought back for awhile (a long while) and now, finally, I think I'm starting to go with the flow. 

I'm starting to learn a little something, maybe thanks to this guy: 

Ever since Sam was a baby, he's loved to play in the dirt...

(Go ahead, tell me not to blog about my kids...I'll stick my fingers in my ears.) And yes, that is dirt UNDER his pacifier. 

It's got protein in it.

I started thinking, you know, I don't like dirt. I don't like it under my fingernails. I don't like to kneel in it, stand up and have it embedded in my skin. I'm not a fan of it in any form. 

But when I check on my youngest in the back yard and he's doing this:

...grinning while happily getting filthier than filthy, it stops me in my tracks. 

What does he know that I don't know? 

Clearly there's a secret I've yet to uncover. 

So, like any mom in an uber-pensive mood, I start to ponder the point of dirt. It makes things grow. When watered, those things thrive...and it hits me that sometimes you have to get a little dirty...a little mired in muck...to see the green shoot out from the ground. 

And plus, it can be sort of fun to play in. 

We all go through seasons...transitions...changes...and boy am I ever riding the roller coaster of change right now...but somehow, I feel like there's something new being cultivated. In the dirt of it (the ugly part), something's been planted that I have a responsibility to water and care for. 

And if I'm too afraid to get my hands dirty, it'll never happen. 

So if you're stuck in the dirt right now, go ahead and dig around for awhile...I have a feeling there are answers waiting to be uncovered...

What about you? Do you ever feel like you're in a season of change? Do you welcome it or do you, like me, fight back until finally you reach a place of surrender? (C'mon stubborn friends, 'fess up! We can form a club...)

A New Way to Journal {And Some Winners!}

I wish I could ask my mom not to read this post, but I know she's the nosy type and would never comply. 

I want to tell you about something we're doing over at Webster's Pages. You know, when I started working there, Brandin told me not to blog about something unless I felt really strongly about it. You know, she didn't want me to turn myself into a Webster's Pages commercial. 

Thing is, I blog for Webster's Pages 3-4 times a week, and I could STILL find things to tell you about here on my blog...but I try to keep it all in check because, you know, I don't want to turn myself into a commercial for Webster's Pages. 

Anyway, this particular product is near and dear to my heart because I've gotten to be a part of it since the beginning...I've gotten to understand the process of conceptualizing a product and watch as it morphed into something unique and special and yes, simple. 

See, a few years ago, I wrote this book: 

I wrote it because I'd spent a lot of time trying to convince people to take up scrapbooking...but in all my badgering I realized something...

The number one reason people don't do it is because they're busy. 

So, I started thinking to myself..."You know, I'm busy too... and I don't really have time to spend hours on a scrapbook layout. How can we make this simpler?" 

The results of that brainstorm are in this book...(which you can get at amazon right now for just $8!!)

Now, I feel like we've taken it one step further with this new program called {blueprints*}. 

Incidentally, every time I type that word, I type "bluepritns" Every. Single. Time. 

Ok...feast your eyes...

So, this is what it is. 

A journal. This one is called "A Mother's Love." Inside are pages to write answers to the prompts we'll be posting on the Webster's Pages website every day starting April 12th. 

You'll finish just in time to wrap it up and give it to your mom for Mother's Day. Or, you can choose the prompts that are geared toward YOU being a mom...and save it for your own kids. 

It's like, the very easiest way to get your memories down into one place. 

Add photos where and when you want to (just stick them down, there's no pressure here...) 

The journal comes with an Embellishment pack and there are envelope pages to hold things like cards and pictures...You can snag your own HERE. 

I have to warn you though, there's a VERY limited supply and they've already started moving out of the warehouse. I'm going to be participating in this, answering my own prompts and giving some thought to this whole motherhood gig. 

Wanna come along?? :) 

***

Now it's time to finally tell you who the winners of the Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge are. This was HARD. I had to call in reinforcements to finally find winners. You guys are amazing. 

You can click HERE to find out more about the prizes, and thank you to everyone who played along! 

So, here they are...the WINNERS of the Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge! 

The Grand Prize Winner is...

Nicole Brenna with her take on Leslie Ashe's "Just Meant to Be Friends" layout. I absolutely love the little flags belowt he photo and the way Nicole wrapped her photo in twine. Love it! And the photo is adorable. 

First Place Goes To:

Laura Cox with her "Summer Traditions" layout. I love the way the waves swirl up over the journaling block, and capturing her boys in the same place at two different ages is just brilliant. 

Second Place Goes To:

Ann Jobes with her "Sweet as Honey" layout. I think the popped out honeycombs won me over, and the colors on this layout are so adorable. 

So, Nicole, Laura and Ann, send me your addresses so I can get your prizes out to you pronto! You can see some of the prizes in THIS POST but it's going to mostly be a surprise! Because who doesn't love a surprise? 

I have to add that I've chosen three additional Honorable Mentions. I wish I had prizes for these, but I did want to show them off because I LOVE them (and I really loved all of the entries! So much talent!) 

In no particular order...

"Sun Kissed Cheeks" by Emilia Van Den Heuvel...

"Capture Moments" by Kate Barber:

And "Never Say Never" by Naomi M.

Thanks to everyone who played along! I had so much fun...and I'm going to have even MORE fun sending out prizes! 

Happy Wednesday! Make it happier and (Go get you a {blueprints*} journal!)

In the Knowing...

I want to explain everything I'm thinking right now, but I find myself in the rare position of not being able to do that. Usually I'm just an open book and I like to muddle through the meanderings of my mind with you...

But some journeys are solitary and some problems you have to work out in the quiet of the night. 

Sometimes you can see how the things God's teaching you affect your children...and that's a hard thing to take. 

Sometimes I feel angry for it. 

When I wipe their tears, ones I wish I could cry myself, it makes me angry as much as it does sympathetic. 

Angry at circumstances that should be different. Angry that everything doesn't work out like your favorite song. Angry that lately I've been living on a steady diet that includes coffee and Aleve because my body isn't cooperating. 

And other times, I'm willing to move forward...because I know on the other side of the valley there's a forest of green, filled with exactly what I need. 

There are moments in the journey where I feel stuck, like a shoe that's come off in the mud. And in that state stuck-ness, I'm learning to listen rather than talk. I'm learning to run to HIM instead of people. It's easier to run to people because often, they say what I want to hear. 

Sometimes He doesn't. 

His answer is always the same. 

Trust. 

Sometimes it comes in the form of a question. Do you trust me? 

And I sort of scoff my "Of course I trust you..." as doubts swirl around my head like a cloud of dust kicked up by tires travling a dirt road. 

Of course I trust Him. I know there's much learning to be done in the desert...

But do I trust him to work it out? I did last week, what's changed? Am I that quick to forget? 

It strikes me that sometimes the landscape here in Colorado looks like this:

No mountains. They're covered by fog and even though you know they're there, you can squint for days and not find them...

And then something shifts. Some slight change...

And there they are. Clear as day. 

Could it be that it's like that with God's blessing? With the answers to my prayers?

Could it be that it's more about my focus, what I'm choosing to fill my days thinking on? That it's a choice to be positive and hopeful...?

Why isn't my knowing He'll take care of me as strong as my knowing that mountain is there behind that thick cloud?

If I KNOW he wants the best for me, if I KNOW the mountain really is there, whether I can see it or not, that it's just going to take a bit longer for the clouds to move away, for the fog to lift, before I can see them clear as day again? 

It's often in the fog that I lose my way...

Praying I can see through it today with a fresh pair of eyes...

***

ETA: Picking the Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge Winners today! I'm notoriously indecisive but having so many amazing entries SURE isn't helping anything! You guys made this impossible for me!!

In the Land of Doubt...

Last night we did our taxes. Right now, we're living on a pretty strict budget. We've got things worked out. I have a plan.  

That plan includes looking at everything we're spending and realizing that when you spend almost $4 at Sonic's Happy Hour each day (as an after school treat), you're spending $80 a month on drinks. 

$80! Really?!! 

That's one habit we've broken...we'll make it an occasional treat. No one needs that many limeades (diet or otherwise) anyway. At least that's what I'm telling myself. 

Having to pay in to both Federal and two different state taxes was not part of my plan. And while for a fleeting moment, I thought "I'm sure it'll be okay..." 

Something else took over. That something? Doubt. 

The kind that niggles at you as you're trying to fall asleep. The kind that won't go away, won't leave you be. The kind that demands your attention. 

So I did what any freaked out, doubtful wife would do and I kept Adam from sleeping for at least an hour, lamenting over that thing that always seems to freak.me.out. 

Money. 

Throughout the course of the conversation, Adam, in all his nonchalance (which is equal parts helpful and annoying) claimed that it would all be okay. "There's always more money to be made." I rolled my eyes, having no place for his optimism. I wanted to wallow. I wanted to dig my heels in and fret. 

I wanted to worry. 

And at one point, I listened to the words coming out of my mouth and discovered something clear as day...(and Adam pointed it out just after I said it, so that was, you know, equal parts helpful and annoying.) 

But for me...money = security. 

My security isn't wrapped up in the provision God's promised...it's wrapped up in money. 

Ouch. 

But beyond that, I think part of my problem is that I don't believe God wants to do good for me. It's like I'm back to that being afraid to hope thing. I'm back to waiting for the other shoe to drop...and I think this morning I discovered why. 

Here's the ugly truth. People will let you down. Even Christians. Even church leaders. Even the righteous. Even the people you love most. We all let each other down--intentionally, unintentionally, whatever the reason...

A lack of character. A lack of integrity. A lack of follow-through or honesty or whatever it is. 

Or we're just busy and scattered...we've all got our excuses. 

Because we're all people. 

And I'm starting to realize that the one grave mistake I've made is that I've been attributing human characteristics to GOD. 

So, imagine my surprise this morning, when after a visit to Jill Savage's blog, I discovered this:

"God is not man, one given to lies, and not a son of man changing his mind. Does he speak and not do what he says? Does he promise and not come through? I was brought here to bless;
and now he's blessed - how can I change that?"

-- Numbers 23:19-20

And yes, I was completely convicted by it. 

Does he not speak and do what he says? Does he not promise and come through? 

He's not like the rest of us...sinners who hurt each other...he's GOD. He's here to bless...nothing we do can change that. 

Once again, I'm turning my eyes toward heaven, begging for forgiveness for my own disbelief and asking that somehow I can put my HOPE in HIM and not in the things of the earth, not in the things around me. 

Are you with me? Have you been where I am today? Have you made the mistake of putting your hope in the wrong thing or expecting God to disappoint the way people do? 

Do tell. 

A Manifesto

It's the middle of the day on a weekend and I'm sprawled on my bed with a pile of books surrounding me. In them, I expect I'll find the answers to all my questions from those who've gone before. 

Those who've studied and dove in head-first. Those experts. 

I believe in what they say, so I read with a highlighter in my hand, clean pages of a new notebook at my side. I'm poised and ready for wisdom to hit me. 

But the longer I sit and the more I read, the more I feel this odd sensation bubbling up inside me. The idea that maybe the answers aren't out there at all. Maybe, just maybe, the answers are already inside me, but it would take me being quiet to hear it. 

I set the two open books on my lap down on the bed and grab the plain white pages of the open notebook. I smooth my hand over the top page and close my eyes, inhaling the words that are boiling in my belly. 

I need those words, so I quiet my mind...and then, almost furiously, it comes. 

And I write: 

***

Your life isn't about working a job. The daily grind. Making ends meet.

Your life is about leaving a legacy. Using your gifts. Glorifying God.

Your purpose isn't to make someone else's dreams come true while your own dreams get farther and farther away...buried somewhere under files of paperwork or inbox messages clamoring for your attention. 

Your life is about something bigger...

About taking what you've learned (in all these years of being safe) and using it to challenge the status quo. 

Who strives to be mediocre? 

Not you. 

Step up. Step out. Be BOLD. take a risk. Put fett to your vision. Pound the pavement. Live on mac 'n cheese. Do what it takes. 

You get one chance to make this life look like the one you're dreaming of. 

So what are you waiting for? What are you so afraid of? 

Work hard. Make a difference. Speak truth.

Be real. 

And keep God at the center of it all. 

it's time to create something for yourself. 

To give back. To inspire. 

So go ahead. The legacy is yours to leave. 

***

My mind stills. My hand pauses. I'm finished writing.

The answers were inside me all along...and I know what I must do...

What Made My Launch Party REALLY Special...

Hi, I'm Courtney, and welcome to my launch party. 

First of all, I would like to say that this is my favorite photo from the whole event. Me, looking dorky while Lyndsey tests the settings on her camera? Priceless. 

This post will likely be quite random. I showed you yesterday all the details of the party (which were amazing)...and today I get to share a bit about what really made it so special to me...the people. 

First, THIS is Lyndsey. When she's not kicking butt in the Crossfit gym or wrangling her four wee-ones, she's working serious magic with the camera...(check out her website HERE...if for no other reason than to listen to the song...it's super catchy.) 

Lyndsey is one of the first people I met in Colorado...and she has family in little Dixon, Illinois, my hometown...and her mom lives in Rockford, where I lived for almost twelve years. 

What are the odds of that? 

I adore this girl. And her photos are fabulous...and she came to my party and captured the entire event for me on film...how do I possibly thank her enough? 

*All photos in this post are Lyndsey's. She is pure genius. 

I wish I had a photo of everyone who came to celebrte with me, but sadly there just wasn't time...each person who showed up is etched in my memory, which is oozing with gratitude. 

I felt so grateful the entire night...

I was surprised when I saw my grandma walk through the door. She'd been in an accident the week before, but there she was...and I'm so happy she came. 

These are my girls. When I think back on my earliest friendship memories, these are the girls who are there...I went to high school with them, and even though I was a year younger, they adopted me and became my best friends. 

I haven't seen them in FAR too long (since college, maybe?)

...and as I stood with them, in my heart, I wondered, like the women in my novel, HOW did I let myself fall out of touch with them? HOW did I not make sure I stayed in their lives? 

Do they know how much I love them? Even when we don't get to talk every day (or even every year?) My only regret is that I didn't get to take them all out for coffee the next morning and catch up on everyone's lives...do you have friends like that? Ones you haven't seen in so long you're afraid to reconnect? 

Just call them. I think you'll be happy you did...

I was so shocked/happy/surprised/elated when my blog buddy turned real life friend turned up in Rockford for the festivities...Shannan and I met last year when she joined me for the ACFW conference in St. Louis. You can read about that joyous weekend HERE. 

She didn't even get upset with me when she tried to talk to me and I didn't respond because I had ear plugs in. Or when I spilled salad all over the salad bar. Or whipped a giant jug of Coffeemate out of my equally giant purse. 

True friendship right there. If you don't know Shannan, get to know her. You won't regret it. 

My Uncle Tim, who is an Illinois State Senator, rushed in the door looking all dapper and Senatorial. (Is that a word?)

He and my Aunt Terri have been at every major holiday and family function I can remember. I was so grateful they were there. Especially because I know how busy they are, what with all their political gallavanting and all...

My immediate family was out in full effect too...keeping me company, and in my dad's case, staying up way past his bedtime...

My brother and his family were there, but photos of my brother are sparse...he snuck out without my knowing it...and my sister yakked it up all night long...

(Isn't she purty?) 

My girl was there...but my boys opted to spend their evening otherwise engaged. I actually asked Ethan if he'd want to come and he said, "Um, that doesn't sound like very much fun to me." 

At least he's honest...

And, of course, Adam was there, bulging disk (disc? Will I ever know which way to spell it?) and all...

Looking back on those few weeks leading up to the party, I'm floored by the number of random things that pulled our attention...things like Adam's back and the threat of him having to stay home...it really was hard not to let that steal my joy. Thankfully, he muscled his way through it and is now fully upright. 

And that slight look of angst has left his face. 

Overall, it was a night I'll never forget...

And as we flew back to Denver, it occurred to me that I'll never have that kind of party, that kind of signing, that kind of support anywhere else in the world...because those are the people who've always known me...who knew me when I was a little dreamer and didn't discourage me from going after the crazy idea in my head. 

(This is my beautiful friend, Kim, who is expecting her first baby VERY soon...and her sister Jennifer and Jennifer's sweet daughter...who seemed to like the book...)

(Have you been to Sweethaven? It's a sweet little ride!) 

And while making new friends is one of my very favorite things to do, I can't forget these old friends... because they made me feel like launching my debut novel was really something to celebrate. 

And for that, I am eternally grateful. 

What about you? Do you have a place where you can go where you always feel uplifted and supported? Tell me about it...it'll make me smile...

The Launch Party {And the Event Planner of my dreams...}

I considered myself a fairly detailed person, however, when it comes to party planning, interior design or getting myself dressed in the morning, the details are often better left to other people. People with a flair for these things.

People like Lauren Wave Delamater.  (Click her name to visit her site!)

I've known Lauren for several years now. I got to take her engagement photos (seriously, how hard is it to take photos of people this beautiful? The answer: Not very.) 

Her mom is someone I consider my mentor, the woman who gave me the health kick in the pants I needed and helped me discover I have food allergies. 

She also gave me a lot of courage to set boundaries and tune in to what God was saying back when what he was saying was a little bit scary. (Not so unlike what he's been saying recently.) 

Lauren recently had a baby, but thankfully she is still planning events (like weddings, parties of all kinds and, in my case, the entire weekend of my launch.) 

Lauren was in the details. 

She suggested I do the signing at Barnes and Noble. She got me on television and in two different newspapers. She then turned her attention to the actual launch party, and let me just tell you... I didn't have to think of anything. Lauren did it all. 

*Photos in this post were taken by Lyndsey Lewis of LyndseyLew Photography...

When you're a busy working mom who is flying to a different state to launch a book, this is invaluable. 

She listened to what I wanted, read an early copy of my book and then planning her ideas with mine...and she did the most amazing job. 

She also found a great deal on these gorgeous tulips (which have special significance to Campbell...and to me...) 

No detail went unnoticed. 

From outside, The Next Picture Show looked like it was THE place to be...and it was. We had a ton of fun! (And the food was really good too!) 

I put together a couple of big baskets for giveaways/door prizes and everyone could drop their name in the basket for a chance to win. It was fun because people I knew won the baskets...and you know I love to give presents. 

I sat behind the table most of the night, but I had great company...

And around the corner, out of my view, this was going on...

Chatting, eating, hanging out, reconnecting...it was everything I could've hoped for...

Overall, I feel SO thankful I had someone like Lauren to take care of the details, to handle the little things (and many big things...) it saved me SO much headache. I walked in just before the party started and left on Cloud Nine. 

If you're in the Rockford/Dixon, Illinois area and you need an event planner, I cannot recommend this one high enough. She is professional, detailed and stayed on top of everything that I would've let fall through the cracks. Thank you so much, Lauren, for being such a huge blessing and helping my party go off without a hitch! 

(Thank you Aunt Terri for snapping this photo of Lauren and I! She was busy when Lyndsey was taking the last of our pics!) 

...when can we do it again? 

My First Book Signing {A Recap}

*All photos in this post were taken by the amazing LyndseyLew Photography. If you live in the Fort Collins area or in the Rockford, Illinois area, hire her!

Check out her website here.

In February, not even a week after my book officially launched, I got to go back to Illinois to celebrate. My event planner, Lauren, set up a book signing for me at the Barnes and Noble in Rockford where I wrote the majority of the first book in the Sweethaven series. 

It seemed appropriate then, that this would be the place where I'd come to rejoice in its completion. 

(my friend Kelly, who you can't see...she is gorgeous, talented and sweet...and I haven't seen her in years.)

I was nervous the entire flight there and all day leading up to the signing (partially because of the TV interview Lauren scored for me...which was EARLY in the morning and totally fun!)...but also because I kind of had that "what if no one shows up" feeling in the back of my mind...

Like planning a party and then praying people actually come. 

(my good friend Sheree, the most fabulous singer you'll ever meet...who cracks me up every time I see her. I love this girl.)

I can tell you without a doubt that there is nothing like coming home. Especially when you have something to celebrate. To be with people who were there when you decided "Hey, I think I'm going to write a novel..." people who didn't look at you like you had an arm growing out of your head...

(We can be sort of serious. Sort of.)

People who read early drafts and still cheered you on...who brought you gifts and stayed at the signing the entire day just because...and then told you they missed you and they were proud of you...

(My sweet friend Ronnie who is my constant cheerleader. What would I do without her?)

And while I know I've blogged about CYT before, perhaps I didn't realize the impact these kids had on me until we moved. Going to my first book signing opened my eyes to how very much I miss working with these guys...(they are SO talented...) 

(Evan, JoJo and Peyton...all part of our Godspell cast...and these boys actually purchased my book for their moms. Seriously? I love them.)

I also love that they keep me laughing...and asked me to sign their arms.

I obliged, of course.

These kids (and their parents) won me over a long time ago, and being back to launch my book reminded me of how special it was...I think I miss that side of our life more than anything else. 

There's just something about being able to encourage them when they're at this age... I honestly can't write about it unless I want to end up a blubbering mess here at my computer. 

And I don't...so I'm moving on...

(Patty & Natalie, the Super-Moms who brought Alex, Addison, Hannah and Kelsey out to say hi...)

...when they remember you and support you and come out to snag a photo with you...

(Hannah, who thought I might not remember her...but I did (and I do.))

What an incredible experience...and a sweet reminder of how amazing the support of your friends and family can be. All those "what if's..." washed away. I had people to talk to the entire time, a line down the center of the store and we sold out of books...

Jesus is so sweet to me...

I left feeling exhausted, of course, but uplifted and grateful more than anything. 

I'll never have a "first book signing" ever again...and I have to tell you, I couldn't have dreamt for a better one. 

I flew home the next day with a full heart, completely aware of what Gena Rowlands meant in Hope Floats when she said "my cup runneth over..." 

Because it surely did. 

Out of Focus

Recently, I had coffee with a couple of my friends. Friends I prayed for when we moved here because I knew I would need good, solid, God-loving friends if I was going to survive a cross-country move. God answered in spades. 

And as a side note, I've never understood what that phrase meant. "In spades?" Where did that come from and who decided spades were plentiful? I don't have a single one to my name. 

I was updating my friends on a couple of current situations in my life...a life which has, by many accounts, not gone according to my plan as of late. I have a laundry list of things that have gone wrong, in fact, and could recite it as easily as I can recite the entire Preamble to the Constitution. 

Don't test me. I really can. Along with all the presidents in order. (I had a really good sixth grade teacher.)

And as I told them some of the cool, miraculous, Big God things going on, one of my friends kind of shook her head and wondered aloud why it was that everything seemed to fall into place for me. 

I think the idea of it gripped me because lately I've felt more than ever that we are under a crazy mountain of eveyrthing-that-could-go-wrong-does.

I've wallowed and lamented. The only thing missing from my outbursts of grief were the sackcloth and ashes. 

I've been a mess. 

Let me rephrase. I've allowed myself to feel like a mess.

Yet, as we talked, to my friend, it seemed like everything was going swimmingly...

Somewhere along the way, I'd gotten out of focus. I think it's the lists... the ones of everything that's gone wrong. As if somehow it's going to prove my point and make me feel better to whip out my scroll and recount all the ways things are NOT going my way. And while I may not share these things aloud, inside, this is what I've chosen to focus on. 

This is what I've chosen to focus on? 

Why? 

Why on earth do I tattoo these things on my forehead rather than letting them go and instead turning my face towards all the things that God is working out for us? 

This weekend, Adam and I watched Clash of the Titans. I'd never seen it, despite recently having finished a script for a musical production of Hercules (which really has nothing to do with Clash of the Titans except that the gods are the same in both stories...) But it's funny what I found myself wondering about as I watched. 

1. Does Liam Neeson really glow like that? (And incidentally, I also wondered if Ralph Fiennes "Hades" reminded anyone else of Voldemort...)

2. Why doesn't the guy from Avatar get more big parts? He's kind of awesome. 

3. Why was there no love story in this movie? Methinks Perseus should've fallen in love...

And most importantly:

4. Could I learn something about God from this portrayal of Zeus? 

Clearly the greek gods are very different from the one true God, but I found it interesting how Zeus allowed Hades to reek a bit of  havoc on mankind in hopes that mankind would pray to him again. I've always been taught that God doesn't bring bad things our way. He doesn't inflict harm. He's a loving God...but still, the Bible is clear that there will be trials. We have to suffer. We have to learn. 

We don't have to like it. 

But in those trials, we have a choice. We can whine, complain, don the sackcloth and ashes. We can do those things in spades, even...OR we can pray and refocus. We can instead choose to focus to the many ways that God is working it out for us... 

Interestingly enough, in the movie, Zeus tried to help Perseus. He even appeared to him and begged him to accept his help. But Perseus was proud and refused him...at least at first. It got me thinking about how many times my vision has been out of focus so much that I've rejected God's help. 

It made me wonder if maybe things weren't all going wrong, the way I'd originally allowed myself to believe. 

Perhaps I simply need to refocus...and see everything a little clearer. 

Do you think I'm a heathen for using the image of Liam Neeson to illustrate? my faith walk? C'mon, be honest...

Sweet Jesus...And the Little Victories...

I'm considering having Sophia blog for me when I get stuck in a rut. (Kind of like I am right now.) Her new blog would've had twelve entries in it yesterday if I'd let her. I caved and gave her a blog. I get to approve all the comments and watch her like a hawk, but HERE is the link to my daughter's little spot on the web. 

I make no promises, but her post about being beautiful almost made me cry. 

As for me, I've been stuck in a Wonder-Funk. Last week at this time, I thought I was having a stroke and it's taken me the entire week to recover. I won't bore you wtih the details of not being able to get the neurologist to return my calls or the residual headache that loves to hang around and play...or the genius that is the chiropractor...I'll just say that perhaps that whole episode scared me a little more than I originally thought. 

You know, people often say "Life is short" or "It goes so fast" or "No one knows how much time they really have..." and I think there's still a part of me that has that That'll never happen to me attitude. But this little episode was a reminder of how precious it is when you see that these things really do come out of left field. A reminder to stay close to my Maker...in sickness and in health. 

My writer friend Kellie says something that I don't even know if she realizes...but she says "That Jesus, he's so sweet to me..." 

This is her book. Click on it to find out  more about Kellie...(and her fabulous story...)

Twice now, I've been on the phone with her, and that phrase just jumps out at me every time she says it. It makes me smile. It's the kind of thing I'd write into one of my stories...someone should say that, shouldn't they? 

But those words have kept coming back to me this week. Comforting somehow...I'm not going to lie, there's been a lot of things in our life lately that have tackled us when we weren't looking. Every day, it's been something new, and when that happens, it's easy to lose your footing...it's easy to focus on the everything that's going wrong. 

And a  person can only handle so much. 

But then...Jesus does something sweet for you. And you see all this hope swirling around and you realize that he never left your side. Even though, maybe it felt like it. 

Yesterday I got to do an interview with WMBI out of Chicago. The program was called "This is the Day" and the host, Nancy Turner, transitioned into my portion with a story that I kind of think was just for me. It was about a boy whose grandma reminded him that when a potter is molding clay, he never takes his hands off of it. 

Never. 

While it spins, the potter molds and shapes and peels away the excess...and that's what God's been doing with me...little by little...I can't tell you I've liked every step of the process, but trial brings perseverance and perseverance brings character and characters brings hope...

I guess sometimes you just have to squint to see the hope...but once you find it, that's where the focus should be. 

On the sweet things Jesus does for you. 

Life is about little victories...what are yours today? What keeps you from focusing on them?

Dream Day & Some Fancy Pants

Today I'm over on The Crafty Power Blog sharing a little Fancy Pants love. This is my niece, Lilah. I got to hang out with her in November and then again over Christmas and I'd like to brag and say that I won her over because it was quite a proud moment in my life. 

I have to tell you how very much I love Fancy Pants. This collection is SO fun and I accidentally printed a few extra photos so I'm making more pages of Lilah. I love it! 

Fridays used to be a big writing day for me, but since I turned in the manuscript for A Sweethaven Christmas, today I've decided to catch up on something every bit as important as the writing... dreaming. And studying. And drinking a lot of coffee. 

Today is Dream Day. Sometimes I think you go along with life just accepting whatever comes your way, failing to stop and actually make the changes you need to make...and it's not until you get alone with your thoughts that you can really say "this needs to change." Or "This isn't right." Or "I can't do that anymore." 

For me, that day is today. I've been challenged by a very dear friend to dream bigger...and I thought my dreams were pretty big...but lately, what I've been learning is that if God is in the details then I should pay attention to the details too. And I haven't been...not really. 

Our life, right now, is in the middle of yet another upheaval...and I have to admit, while that sometimes frightens me, the truth is, I'm kind of excited...and in the midst of more changes for our family, there is SO much peace...

I will always follow the peace. 

Happy Dream Day!

Why Your Art Isn't Frivolous

Before we moved to Colorado, Adam and I directed a CYT production of the musical “Godspell”. It was, without a doubt, the most memorable show I’ve ever directed. I was going through a fairly good amount of inner turmoil at that time, and I was very close to backing out of the show before we started. I am so thankful I didn’t. 

We were SO influenced by the 1996 revival (which we accidentally saw off-Broadway), we could hardly wait to get started. Little by little, we watched these kids bring the parables Jesus told to life, and I started to get a new understanding of why Jesus told these stories in the first place…

See, I’ve always been taught that every word in the Bible was true. Every word. Words like “prosperity” are just as true as “punishment”, whether we like it or not. Because of that, (I can’t believe I’m admitting this), I always thought the parables were stories of things Jesus actually saw or did or witnessed…I thought they were TRUE stories...

Why, yes, I do have blond hair, why do you ask?

It took working out the Book of Matthew on the stage before I realized they’re just stories.

I have to say, that while you’re probably laughing at me right now, the truth is, I wonder if God kept me from finding out the truth because of the impact it had on me as the realization set in. See, I’d just started writing seriously at that time. I’d gotten the contract, but I still didn’t really know WHY I felt called to write.

God had made it SO clear to me that this was what I was supposed to do…but why? To what end?

Often, in our society, those of us who are drawn to the arts…to the telling of a story either on stage or on page, we’re made to feel—for one reason or another—that this is a frivolous pursuit. Several times I’ve seen parents discourage kids from pursuing art, music, theatre, writing…because those aren’t “acceptable” careers. It is, after all, a tough way to make money and often filled with rejection. What parent wants that for their child?

So, in spite of the support I’ve always felt from my parents, I think there was this thing inside me that says “this is a ridiculous thing you do…”

Why would you want to tell stories/write books/make art/pursue music for a living? You're destined for poverty and what if no one likes your so-called "art"? What then??? 

Mostly, I can slap some duct tape over the mouth of that liar, but every now and then, it creeps in again…and I wonder Am I making a difference to anyone? Can telling stories make a difference?

So, in that (albeit humiliating) moment in 2009 when my husband gently told me that the parables were, indeed, stories, this wave of understanding mixed with gratitude washed over me…because finally, it made sense. Finally, I understood this pull to write, to create, to tell stories…

While I’m fully aware that my stories will never have the impact Jesus’ stories do, the bottom line is that I’ve got something in common with the Son of God. I’m a storyteller…and because of that, I believe, that there's a reason to keep going.

I'm living proof that sometimes people aren’t moved by preaching but they are moved by story. They’re moved because a story takes them out of themselves to walk in someone else’s shoes, to imagine a different way…and because of that, they have an experience. And it's much more difficult to shake an experience than it is a sermon. 

No one’s told them how to live, what to change, why they should do something…they’ve done it for themselves. They’ve lived, they’ve changed, they’ve DONE…because they left their own body, ceased being who they always are and became someone else...

Isn't that what a great book does? Allows you to become the character? Isn't this why we love movies or plays? Because we get to experience first-hand the choices and challenges, the highs and lows, that the character is experiencing?

I guess it was eye-opening to realize that storytelling had its place even when Jesus walked the earth…that his stories still change lives, so it gives me a sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, I could do the same. It may be a lofty ambition, but we all have to strive for something, right?

The parables were stories that inspires and motivated and taught...and they were hugely successful at exploring real life issues in the context of a hypothetical...so doesn't it stand to reason that God would value the art that tells a story even in 2012? 

Doesn't it make sense then, that he's kept this medium around for a purpose? I think so. 

It's not frivolous to express yourself through your art, whatever medium you choose. It is, in fact, the quickest way to reach someone's heart...

I Carry You in my Heart

The past few weeks have been something of a whirlwind around here. I wish I had some great revelation to share today, but the truth is, I think my brain is on hiatus. Friday, I turned in the first draft of the third book in my Sweethaven series. It's called A Sweethaven Christmas, and it was so much fun to write. I told Adam right after I hit "send", "I'm kind of starting to feel like a real writer now." 

Kind of.

It's still completely surreal to walk into Barnes and Noble and see this:

And even more surreal to see this:

And, if it's possible, still MORE surreal to do this:

If you look closely you'll see my lipstick on the table. Dry lips are my biggest pet peeve. I keep chapstick or lipstick on hand at all times. 

And I took that sign with me. I'm going to hang it in my office. 

This whole journey has taught me SO much about God's goodness. Starting from the second we began talking about moving from Illinois to Colorado and leading right up until this point. And farther back than that, really... 

It's been a long and winding road, and I have a feeling I'm still in the middle of it...

It's funny but since we moved, I really haven't struggled with homesickness. I think that's largely because I get to see this every day:

And also because I'm nestled in with these guys:

Photo by LyndseyLew Photography

But going back home for my signing and launch party, and being received and supported the way I was, it was one of the biggest blessings of this whole journey. It remined me that it's okay to have your heart in two places...and it reminded me that there are things about Illinois that I REALLY miss. 

Like THIS view, which took my breath away just like Lake Loveland does...

And this one, which always feels like home to me...

(my parents' yard and my dad's man-cave, where he does all his woodworking projects.) 

Being away has reminded me of the legacy of these two people:

My grandparents have been married many, many years and being away makes me wonder, have I gleaned everything I possibly can from them? About a month ago, they were struck by a truck walking to mass...and this weekend, my grandma had a stroke. 

It's hard to be thousands of miles away when things like that happen...

It's also hard to be away from these hoodlums:

The kids we got to hang out with during our time directing for CYT. 

Being away has reminded me that it's okay to miss the people and places you left behind. It's okay to reminisce on the good things, because they are a part of your story, a part of who you are. 

For a long time, I wouldn't let myself think about those things...because I hate feeling sad. 

I guess going home, signing books, celebrating my launch, throwing a party, seeing old friends... I guess I've emerged with something different than sadness...I've emerged with nostalgia and joy and gratitude...

Mostly gratitude. 

Because that old saying is true..."I'll not say goodbye, but rather, I carry you in my heart..." 

Every single day, these things, these people, they're carried with me...reminding me every time I think on them that I am truly blessed. 

And there's nothing more humbling than that. 

The Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge {Big Prizes! Big FUN!}

Today is the BIG DAY! 

THE SWEETHAVEN SCRAPBOOKING CHALLENGE!

Before I tell you how this is going to work, let me share one last beautiful layout to inspire you courtesy of designer Leslie Ashe:

I'm a total scallop fiend, so this layout (and the one she has on her blog today) have me swooning over here!! And the topic of "Tradition" is right in lines with the story of Sweethaven...the tradition of going back to the cottages year after year, the tradition of sharing the scrapbook and documenting their memories...

Do you document your traditions? 

Don't answer that...at least not yet!

Let me tell you how the challenge is going to work. (And the whole thing makes me a little nervous because this is sort of like throwing a party and then crossing your fingers that people will attend...I'm not going to lie, I'm a little nerve-wracked!)

But here it is...the DETAILS:

Step ONE: Look over all of these gorgeous Sweethaven-inspired layouts...and then pick one as your inspiration piece.

Take a peek: (larger images if you scroll back for the last two weeks through my blog...there's SO much inspiration!!)

Any inspiration that comes to you, through the colors, the design, the topic or your own Sweethaven inspired layout if you've read the book, is eligible! 

Step TWO: Create a piece of art (any art...scrapbook page, paper crafting project, mixed media...there's really no limitation here to what you can do...) inspired by the piece you choose. 

Step THREE: Post your project somewhere on the internet (Two Peas, Scrapbook.com, your own blog, Facebook...anything goes here too!) But it MUST contain the words "inspired by 'A Sweethaven Summer'" somewhere in the title/post. 

Step FOUR: Link back here in the comment section of THIS POST and tell me a little about your layout and what project inspired you! 

Step FIVE: Tell all your friends so they can join in and be part of the fun! 

Step SIX: Watch my blog for the announcement of the WINNERS! 

Some of the amazing prizes include:

A $30 gift card to:

(Have you seen their gorgeous stuff?? If not, click on their logo and check it out!! Amazing!) 

This amazing new book by Vicki Boutin:

(Click the image for more info!)

Several stamps from Unity Stamp Company, including (but not limited to:)

 

 

 

 

 

A prize pack from Scrapbook Adhesives:

A copy of Card Maps Vol. 2 (which comes out this month!) 

An 8x8 gallery wrapped canvas (2 inch sides), like this one:

A Chipboard Mini Album from Maya Road, similar to this one:

7 Gypsies Accordian Mini Album: 

As well as product from Prima, Bo Bunny, Doodlebug, Basic Grey and MUCH, much more (I'm still shopping!) :) 

So, who's with me? Tell me I'm not going to be tooting my noisemaker by myself!

Anyone up for a BIG FAT PRIZE OR TWO OR THREE?

I plan to award THREE winners, and I cannot WAIT to see what you come up with!!! 

The deadline to submit projects is March 23rd, so you've got THREE weeks to create!! (And multiple submissions are okay too!) :) Get crackin', creatives!!

Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge {It's Almost Time!}

Lately, my son has been saying "I can't wait for Thursday" or "I wish it was Tuesday..." and I wasn't really sure why until I discovered that his dad bought him new goggles for his swim lessons...which are on Tuesday and Thursday. 

And that's a little bit of how I feel about tomorrow...I can't wait for Friday...because I get to recap all of these beautiful layouts and projects, (and share a new one) and then issue

...The Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge...

And perhaps I'll even let you in on what the prizes are going to be. 

That's something to look forward to, right? (I hope you'll consider joining in!) 

Tomorrow is also the deadline for the first draft of my third book in this series, A Sweethaven Christmas. And while I should be panicking a bit more than I am, I'm actually just really excited to start the next phase of writing a novel...the editing! {And thankfully, I have an amazing editor!} 

But I've learned not to squander a single day, so I'm beyond excited to share two gorgeous Sweethaven-inspired layouts from two gorgeous girls...and I promise I didn't give them a color scheme to work with, it just worked out that way! 

First up, Vicki Boutin, who scrapped a page about being a memory keeper...something all of the girls in Sweethaven would relate to:

Vicki has long been one of my favorite scrapbookers. I got to meet her at CHA one year, and I remember being awe-struck by how much she had accomplished that year. And I know from experience that every now and then you're going to create a layout that's just kind of a dud. You know, they can't all be winners...(at least that's how I'd console myself...) 

But I've never, in all these years, seen a dud from Vicki. 

What's more, she's giving away a copy of my book on her BLOG today!!

 And I may or may not have something super special to add to my prize package for tomorrow...

Here's a hint:

 

(Click image to read more about Vicki's new book!) 

Whether they intended to or not, Campbell, Jane, Lila, Meghan, Suzanne and Adele all became memory keepers...and I'm so glad they did, otherwise, I may never have gone to Sweethaven myself. 

Next, I get to share with you another gorgeous layout, this one by my new, beautiful friend, Jaime Warren. Jaime is an amazing photographer and scrapbooker and I'm so thankful I have the chance to work with her over at Webster's Pages...and especially thankful that she's created this Sweethaven-inspired layout:

Sweethaven is a town where the cottages are passed down through the generations...a place where people go to escape, to unwind, to decompress. Gosh, I'd love to go there right now!

Jaime ran with that idea, creating a page about the times her family spends at this cabin, a wonderful escape from the daily grind. 

So, have you been to Sweethaven? It's a way to escape the daily grind without even leaving your house...

And I'm happy to announce the winner of these....

Bethany Becker said...

I am learning to let things go and not to take things so personally. I am also trying to believe in myself and be more appreciative of the things I have. This post really means a lot to me and encourages me to continue on with improving myself and my life and to not give up! Thanks for the opportunity to win.

ReplyFebruary 29, 2012 at 07:50 PM

Thank you to everyone who entered! Bethany, shoot me an email with your address and I'll get these in the mail to you! :) 

See you tomorrow...for the BIG CHALLENGE!

5 Lessons I'm Learning Thanks to my Debut Novel. {And a giveaway!}

                             

Today I'm talking a little about my writing journey over at the Brave Girls Club Website. 

I'm sure you've heard of Brave Girls Club. Yes? I'm going. One of these days, I'm going to get out there and get my hands all painty and explore my life and how I can make it better. That image at the top is one of Melody's and it appeared at precisely the time I needed it most.

Funny how that happens. 

It's amazing to me to see how God has used this writing journey to teach me so very much about myself... about the things I need to keep working on...day after day, I learn something new. Like how to lean on other people. How to accept the help of others. How to admit to myself and everyone else that there's no way I can do it all. 

Oh, I pretend for awhile...but when I do that, it all comes crashing down on me. 

Today, on this reflective Saturday (I wrote this on Saturday), as I prepare to head out to the Barnes and Noble here in Loveland for a book signing, and my nerves are amped up and I'm scared, I think about the things I know for sure...

(Also Melody's art)

So here's my list: 5 Things I'm Learning...thanks to my debut novel:

1. God is always going to come through for you. No matter what. Even if it feels like the midnight hour. Even if it feels like he's forgotten you. I promise. He hasn't. Lately, I keep hearing the same phrase echoing in my mind... He has me in the palm of his hand...

2. Sometimes compliments are more jarring than criticism. They're scary because they bring out a different kind of insecurity...the kind where you want to sit down and explain to everyone that they're mistaken. Don't they know how frazzled you really are? Don't they see that you're the mom who forgot the permission slip? Again. 

3. Just at the time when you're sure you cannot go on for one more single solitary second, someone jumps in and throws you a rope. If there's no rope, then you can do it...even if you feel like you can't. 

4. When you put out a "fleece" and convince yourself it's biblical, you might be mistaken. Some experts say this is actually a sign of an immature faith. (When you discover this the day after putting out a fleece, it's especially fun.) 

5. You can't make people run to amazon and buy your book. And as much as you want to, you can't give them away...all you can do is be thankful...so thankful...that you have this opportunity...and then you can pray that God gets a hold of it and does what he wants with it.

You can't worry about what you can't control...

I'm learning, my friends...so much and so fast...and other things...REALLY slowly. Ha. But in honor of these many lessons, and in honor of my "Someone Threw Me a Rope" post at Brave Girls Club, I want to give away a copy of my book, A Sweethaven Summer...

The book is available HERE and HERE and on KINDLE, and NOOK...so if you don't win, maybe you'll join me for a little escape to Sweethaven!?

How do you enter? Simply leave me a comment and tell me...what lesson are you learning lately? 

To sweeten the deal, I'm also going to give away a spot in my new Big Picture Class, Scrapbooking Your Faith...

(Click on image for more information!) 

AND a copy of my first book, Scrapbooking Your Faith:

For additional entries:

1. Facebook a link to this post OR to "A Sweethaven Summer" on amazon!

2. Tweet a link to this post or to "A Sweethaven Summer on amazon!

3. Blog about either of these things. 

4. Sign up for my newsletter by clicking HERE. (I promise not to spam you. Cross my heart. I'm thinking 2-3 newsletters a year. I won't tell you if we get a new puppy or anything like that.) 

Also, I want to tell you that my sweet friend, Vicki Boutin has done a very brave thing herself...she's written this book:

Click on the image and find out you can WIN her new book...and come back here tomorrow for a very fun Sweethaven-inspired project from Vicki! (I can't wait!) 

:) Thank you. I'm feeling extreme gratitude today and I want to say thank you. I'd love to send you my books and see you in my class, so be sure to leave a comment today! :) 

Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge {Point of View}

When you write, one of the first things you learn about is Point of View. I love the whole idea of jumping into a character's mind and seeing everything just as he or she would see it. I think this is where the time I spent in theatre really comes in handy...because acting is all about bringing a character to life. In every way, you inhabit the character. You become them. It's why some actors don't stop talking with an accent when the cameras turn off...because embodying another person is a mental task, and for the writer, not one to be taken lightly. 

It's also my favorite part of writing a book. 

One thing that struck me as especially fun was when I asked two scrapbookers to create pages about friendship...and they came back with two very different points of view...but they both used the same photo. 

It was like a visual representation of what a novel is all about. The nuts and bolts of it...seeing things through the character's eyes. It was completely unplanned but it made me smile. 

First, designer Leslie Ashe scrapped this adorable layout about a friendship that was meant to be...

We all have those friendships, don't we? The ones that are meant to be. The ones where you look back and can't remember a time you didn't know the person? Even if you've only known them for a short time. 

Female friendships are so complex. I think that's why I wanted to write about them... because they're volatile and full of drama...but on the other side of that is something so special. When you cross the bridge and find out you've still got someone beside you? Well, there's nothing like that. 

The funny thing was, that Wendy Hammer, the other lovely in this photo, also created a page about friendship...and look who she decided to document:

I couldn't love the journaling on this layout any more. I swear. I love the whole idea of documenting a relationship that means so much to you...and I love the way both these girls did it.

Two different styles, two different points of view...

One friendship that clearly means the world to each of them. 

I think I'm hormonal because I kind of want to cry just thinking about it... 

All that said, I have to tell you that A Sweethaven Summer is on sale today on Amazon...so if you haven't joined me in that utopian cottage town, maybe it's time? 

It's also available on Kindle and Nook, if you're a fancy technology lover...

And if you're really desperate, someone is trying to sell a used copy at bn.com for $146. 

Hey, to each his own. 

Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge {The Blessings of Friendship}

Friendship and Forgiveness. It's what I keep telling people my book is about. A Sweethaven Summer is a story about friends, brought together by a little town and a scrapbook. That's it in a nutshell...but friendships are rarely so cut and dry, are they? 

I am so blessed to have friends all over the globe, people I love even when I don't get to talk to them every single day (or even every single month.) People who "get me." 

It's a resounding theme so naturally, it deserves a lot of attention when it comes to this fabulouso Art Challenge I'm about to issue...(I'm thinking tomorrow I'll get all the details announced...and the prizes...well, I'll tell you some of them!) :) 

Anyway, it's easy to document your children's friends, but what about your own? What about those people you cherish? Maybe you've known them your whole life...grown up with them...or maybe you met at a particularly important point in your own lives and have been friends ever since. 

For my friend Anabelle O'Malley, part of friendship is the tradition of going to Disney with her girlfriends...a tradition definitely worth documenting...

Anabelle took photos from three different years--three different trips--and used them all on the same layout. Can you imagine if Anabelle's son found this years from now and tracked down these girls to hear more about what his mom was like when she wasn't on "mom duty"?

It intrigues me...the whole idea of it. I guess in some ways, I think when we play a "role" all day long, like "MOM"...it's hard to think of ourselves as anything else. But that role of "FRIEND" is so important... it shapes us and forms us into who we are...don't you think? 

What if you step outside the role you're most used to playing and focused instead on another role, maybe one you don't get to play often enough, but that you're so thankful for. 

The other day, I had a radio interview and they mentioned the idea of the gratitude journal...in my mind, scrapbooking and art journaling are largely about expanding this concept...talking about our blessings, focusing on them...keeping them in the spotlight. My real life friend, Liz Hicks, demonstrates this with her "Blessed Beyond Measure" art journal page:

I love that Liz's art journal pages are always so full of vibrancy and life...and to be able to document the blessing of a good friend is something that she (and future generations) will cherish. I love to hear stories about my mom's friends growing up...it won't be any different with our kids...

I think more than anything, they want to know us as people not just as the "warden in the prison of their life" (as I expect my daughter might say given that the mother seems to be the villain in the story she's currently writing...) 

But the truth is, friendship IS a blessing...a huge one that we should never take for granted. Our friends see us through so many storms, whether we realize it at the time or not. 

Check out Liz's blog for tons of great art journaling tips, techniques and prompts. You can find it HERE. 

Question for YOU: Have you created a layout or art journal page highlighting your friendships? Does any of your artwork focus on you? 

I'd love to hear about it...and if not, I'd love to hear why...

And I'd especially love for you to join in my Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge and create a page inspired by one of the beautiful pieces of art my friends have shared...but we'll get to that later! 

For now, I'll leave you with a documentation of some of my favorite friends...

People I don't live near anymore...but who I carry in my heart...

Happy Monday!

Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge {On Scrapbooking & Music}

This morning I had a radio interview set up by my amazing publicist, Jeane. She's more than a publicist, she's a friend...and this girl keeps my brains in check. (Did you know I had more than one brain?) 

One thing that I love about doing these interviews is the fact that I get to talk about scrapbooking...something that I've realized has been with me for as long as I could remember. 

Before there was patterned paper and embellishments and scrapbooking stores, I used whatever I found around the house...(not acid-free, mind you...) and the results were always just fine. Because I was telling my stories. 

Pulling that in to this novel has been one of the most eye-opening things for me...because even as I wrote it, I don't think I fully realized the impact scrapbooking has had on my life. And I'm not "caught up" and all my pages aren't organized in albums...but the stories have been told...and there they are, waiting to be told again. 

Scrapbooking is at the heart of A Sweethaven Summer...so when Scrapbooking Rock Star Jen Jockisch agreed to create a Sweethaven-inspired layout, I was so happy she chose to reflect on the "why" of scrapbooking. Jen has long been one of my favorite scrapbookers, with her fresh and funky style...

But when you read her journaling...gosh. I just get it. I get that need for the creative outlet...that need to lock yourself away and get lost in it for a few hours. I love every word of this journaling...not to mention the adorable design...

(PS...visit Jen's blog later today for a chance to win a copy of my book!) 

What is your creative outlet? I really want to know what you're into!!

Being able to pull parts of yourself into a keepsake...it's so worth it. Worth the time it takes... For instance, Becky Fleck of Page Maps fame, has created a layout focusing on a particular song...a song that ran through her mind all day long the day she had to say goodbye to a trusted friend:

Music is a huge part of Sweethaven...from the country lullaby Adele always sang to her daughter to Campbell and her mom's shared love of Norah Jones, to the faded memories that accompany "When You Say Nothing At All..." the soundtrack of our lives brings back memories quicker than anything...

So, yes, I'm a sucker for this hobby that's become a job and then a hobby again...it's something that brings people together, and for that, I will be forever grateful. 

Next week, I'll announce The official rules of The Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge and tell you how you can win some awesome prizes! {Which of these layouts will inspire YOU most?!}

Now. About this book...If you've read it, thank you. If you've told me your thoughts about it, thank you. It's consuming my life a little right now, although the rest of my life sure hasn't stopped or paused or even hiccupped...

If you haven't read it, it's now available for Kindle or in paperback right over HERE at Amazon...and in advance, I'll say a humbled thank you...because it means the world to me.

Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge {A Special Place}

When I was home at Christmas, I spent more time in my hometown than I had in many, many years. Living about an hour from there, I always drove to my parents' house and then drove home, but now that we live in Colorado, driving home every night wasn't an option. 

While I was there, it really sunk in for me how much your heart can be tied to a place. Whether it's the place where you grew up or the place you spent every summer or your grandmother's house...places are so much more than places...

When I was working for Memory Makers, I wrote an article about "Scrapbooking Your Stomping Ground." I guess even then, I knew there was special significance to the park I went to to practice for that audition and the train tressels where the entire senior class signed their names. 

I suppose that's why creating a small midwestern town where the streets are named after flowers and the Main Street is still a brick road came naturally to me...Sweethaven is every good feeling about small town USA I could muster...and believe me, I could muster a lot. 

I asked two amazingly talented friends to scrapbook a place with special significance, and these girls have created layouts that are sure to inspire. They're gorgeous! 

First, look at Linda Barber's (do you think she's related to Luke? A long lost cousin, maybe?) ode to LA. She moved there not long ago, and the city is finding a way into her heart...

I can't begin to tell you all the things I love about this layout. The colors, the sewing, the design... but I especially love the story...

I know first-hand how moving can challenge everything you thought you knew about yourself. There are still days I wonder if Colorado will ever feel like home...but Linda's layout, documenting this moment in her journey, reminds me that I need to do the same...

I don't even know what to say about this:

I told Linda this is why she's so "dream-teamy" (because she's on the Creating Keepsakes Dream Team.) I mean, really? A stitched title? It makes me want to send her all my photos and have her scrap them for me. 

And this sub-title treatment with the photo in the stitched frame is killing me...

I have sewing machine envy. It makes me want to learn how to use mine already! 

Have you scrapped your hometown? Your stomping ground? 

What about a vacation spot that holds a special place in your heart? Lisa VanderVeen, another California girl, created a two-page spread about Mackinac Island, a place where no cars are allowed...

It sounds heavenly to me...and it has a lot of the same elements that Sweethaven has...a town that takes you back in time somehow, to a day when things were just a little simpler. And even if things got complicated, they still felt simpler. 

It's funny how small-town living can do that. Lisa's layout is full of adorable little details (the wooden bike is such a cute addition to her title, I can hardly stand it.) 

And it spoke to my intense love of scallops...

So, what about you...is there a place you love, one that's captured your heart? One that you were smitten with from the very moment you stepped foot in it? 

Have you ever created a piece of art about it? 

Who knows...

Maybe that place is waiting for you right on the pages of a book...if you're looking to be transported, I've got just the one. 

Escape to Sweethaven (in paperback or on Kindle) right HERE. 

Maybe I'll see you walking down Main Street or having a donut in Sweets on Sweethaven... or perhaps we'll ride the old wooden carousel together or dip our feet in the lake down by the Boardwalk...

Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge {First Love}

I didn't set out to write a romance novel. That's not what A Sweethaven Summer is...but I couldn't NOT write in a little romance...and it seems there's nothing as sweet as those first few months of first real love...

I got to talk about it a little on this interview over HERE on Lisa's Blog. (I also got to tell you who I think should play Campbell and Luke if there was ever a movie version of Sweethaven... (If you've read it, what do you think?) 

Anyway, first love. 

It's sweet and moving and the stuff dreams are made of...so it was important to me that I include a love story in each book...and each love story is shockingly different. At different points in their relationships, the characters are all going through different things. Just like real life. 

My friend Stephanie Ackerman, whose blog Homegrown Hospitality is FULL of artisitc inspiration, read the book and sent me an email. It was such a kind email, I couldn't respond right away. I didn't know what to say. And later, she said this on Facebook...

"I just read a 316 page book in less than 24 hours and I have only ever done that one time (and I was on a lounge chair in Maui...) THAT is how beautiful the book is..."

Still, I had no words. 

But when this showed up in my inbox, the artwork she created right after finishing the book, I was dumbfounded...

The book, she said, made her want to scrapbook again...and it was so unexpected to hear that. The art journal, which she talks about on her blog, made ME want to go create... I mean, the layers of art on this thing are jaw-dropping:

...and creating a book to document your love story, as it grows and changes and shifts and becomes something you don't recognize, then stabilizes and becomes something, once again you can't live without...these are the stories that stop your heart...

And having a dedicated place for them? Priceless...

Don't you want to read Stephanie's story? Don't you want to see how it started? How it grew? This book, once she's done with it, will become a treasured keepsake, the story of two people who fell in love in a way that no one else has...because no two love stories are exactly the same...

It's strange getting emails that tell me things about this book I poured my heart and soul into. It's jarring, almost, and often, I don't know how to answer, what to say to express my genuine thanks. I still feel like I should send people presents to thank them for buying my book. 

And when my work inspires the work of an artist...well, that's just icing on the cake. 

I hope the work of these artists inspires you to participate in the Sweethaven Scrapbook Challenge... it's coming SOON, but I have a few more amazing things to share this week (and early next week) before I tell you what you can win! 

Play along, will you? 

And tell me...have you documented your love story? 

Finally, the Winner of the Sweethaven Online Launch Party Week Four is:

Linda Carson said...

My favorite drink is diet Pepsi.

ReplyFebruary 14, 2012 at 02:20 PM

Linda, send me your address and we'll get your prize on its way!

 

Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge {Forgiveness}

Sometimes I think we, as writers, end up writing about things that are personal to us whether we want to or not. Forgiveness wasn't something I set out to include in this book, but I can't think of a more universal struggle. We all know we should forgive, but it's the how that escapes us... 

And sometimes, even when we think we're over something, it comes back to bite us later... and we realize that thing we thought we'd dealt with still holds up shop in our hearts. 

This is a strong theme through all three of the Sweethaven novels, and I think that's because it's a strong theme in my own life. I don't come buy forgiveness easily. It's not sitting on my doorstep waiting to be invited inside. It hides out in the dark spaces of the back yard... and if I want it, I have to go searching for it. 

And sometimes I do because I know it's what I need...but other times? I close the door, turn of the light and walk away, taking my bitter feelings with me, letting them fester... In Sweethaven, Jane does this a little bit. And she's justified...anyone would harbor anger in her shoes...but that anger, it eats us up... 

So she journals her through it. With photos. Like a paper crafter. 

I asked two incredibly talented paper artists to create pieces based on this idea of forgiveness... this elusive, yet freeing idea. They blew me away. 

Look at this art journal page by the insanely talented Tammy Tutterow:

It's SO gorgeous and I love the rectangular size of it. (I fully intend to create something this size!) 

But it's what Tammy said about the project that I find most inspiring...

Tammy: "At this time last year I was in a really tough place in life.  I had been hurt and deceived by someone very close to me and my world felt completely torn apart.  I tried to keep a very happy public face, but inside and in the confines of my home I was feeling complete devastation.  I didn't know where to turn or what to do.  I felt like I was swimming up river with a boulder strapped to my ankle.  

Although I have struggled with issues of faith my whole life, I knew that I had to surrender the pain to something larger than myself, that I alone could not fix the person, the situation, or my response to it.  Through everything, I knew that a large part of healing and moving forward would be in forgiving the person who had hurt me so deeply.  I couldn't even wrap my mind around how to forgive or even what truly forgiving someone meant.  I thought forgiving meant to just forget and to tell the person what they had done was ok.  It wasn't ok and I really wasn't sure I could ever let it go.  I am not one to share personal things or to reach out to others but I did and was led to some really wonderful resources.  One was THIS ARTICLE on the Focus on the Family website.  

At last I really started to understand what it meant to forgive.

As I sat down to create this project with the focus on forgiveness, I kept thinking of butterflies. When faced with difficult times and difficult situations at the hands of others, we can continue to crawl in the grief of the circumstances, or we can forgive, let go, and be free to fly.  It didn't happen overnight, but eventually I chose to forgive the person who had hurt me.  

At this time last year, I thought about the situation and concept of forgiveness every single day.  As I worked on this page, I realized I hadn't thought about it in weeks, maybe even months.  I think that was a sign that I had let it go and was finally flying free.  I chose to create the stamped images of the page so that they looked very fluid, as a reminder of the tears that were shed.  The symbolism of it though is that despite tears, there is beauty and vivid color and freedom to fly.  

The memory will never go away, but the pain does through forgiveness.  As I worked on my page, I searched for a quote to include about forgiveness and very quickly found one by H. Jackson Brown Jr, the author of Life's Little Instruction Book:

"Never forget the three powerful resources you always
have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness."  

Those were the three things I clung to in those dark days and those are the things that helped carry me through.

Tammy's story is so inspiring...I especially like that she mentioned that it doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't for any of us, does it? Not even the characters in my book have eveyrthing all wrapped up with a pretty red bow...

Tammy is still writing her story...you can find more of it on her blog HERE .

Stacey Michaud also tackled this subject of Forgiveness by scrapbooking about a relationship that helped teach her how to forgive: 

In this case, Stacey is also scrapbooking an important lesson, and it celebrates the fact that despite the hurts of the past, she could, with the help of a good friend, move past it and forgive. 

Take a look at Stacey's journaling:

What a gift, don't you think? The peace of mind that comes with forgiveness. 

I know, it's so easy to say that but even as I do I find myself mentally repenting and trying to come to terms with the hurts of the past...

How about you? Do you struggle to forgive? Do you journal through it? What helps you with those feelings of anger and hurt? I'd love to hear...

A Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge {Vacation Memories}

I am so happy to announce that A Sweethaven Summer is now available on Kindle! I've gotten some of the coolest emails from people who've read the book, but the most unexpected note is "this book has made me want to scrapbook again..." I've heard it several times now, and I'm almost surprised--but so happy--that maybe, somehow, reading it will inspire people to tell their own stories (in whatever way they choose.) 

Some people aren't as smitten with the book, however, which is evidenced by the first line of Sophia's new story: 

"Paige Jones was so excited that she got to see her friends again. She hadn’t seen them all summer since she had to spend it in a boring old cottage in Michigan." 

She asked me to "edit" it, and I didn't get much farther than that because it made me laugh. Sophia read the whole book in a weekend, and we've had many conversations since about what she thinks should happen to the characters. I have a feeling one of these days she's going to be my favorite brainstorming partner. 

Sweethaven instantly evokes the feeling of being on vacation, something I could desperately use right now...(but couldn't we all?) And in all of my scrapbooking, I'm not sure I've ever done a vacation layout...I don't remember one, so now I'm on a mission to get one made. 

My friend, Greta Hammond, created this inspired by Sweethaven layout, focusing on the subject of "Scrapbook a vacation memory..." 

There are so many things I love about Greta's layout, starting with the colors. She always has the best colors on her pages. But I especially love the way the journaling block breaks up the strip of photos on this page. It's just a clever way to get the story documented, don't you think? 

If you look carefully, you'll see all kinds of neat little layers on this page...just way too fun. 

So, are you ready to join in the fun? I'm putting together an awesome prize package (or two) to conclude this little Scrapbooking Challenge, and I'll announce all the rules very soon, but the plan is to have you create a layout based on one of these inspiring pages...(or, if you've read A Sweethaven Summer, you can create one inspired by the book from your own point of view!) 

Super fun, right? 

People are winning...and here's the proof!

The Winner of the Sweethaven Online Launch Party Day THREE goodies is: 

Anne Demos said...

I am a coffee snob! Hard to admit I absolutely LOVE Starbucks it is the ONLY Coffee I drink. Sumatra Bold is my favorite everyday. Carmal Machiatto Venti and Peppermint Mocha Venti are my special treats. Which I was trying to decide today what I was going to order when I come and see you Saturday at Barnes and Noble!!

ReplyFebruary 09, 2012 at 12:36 PM

(Anne Marie, send me your address!)

And the winners of Melody Ross's Soul Restoration Class (and a copy of "A Sweethaven Summer") are:

• Jessica Engel
• Julie P
• Rebecca Lovell
• Martha S.
• Tracie
• Laura L.
• Shannon Taylor

Girls, send me your address to claim your prizes! courtneycrops {at} msn {dot} com.

Congratulations to all the winners! I can't wait to get everything boxed up and shipped off...it's so exciting to send happy mail, isn't it? There's really nothing like opening the mailbox and finding a package waiting for you! 

I hope you all have a beautiful Monday! 

And come back all week for more inspiring art projects inspired by A Sweethaven Summer...I'd love it if you played along!

Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge {A Painful Memory}

The girls of Sweethaven are fighters. Their lives aren't all happy and jolly. What kind of cardboard characters would any of us be if we didn't have challenges, struggles, things to fight for...?

These women, like all of us, have been through their share of tragedy. And in this first book in the series, one of the characters, Jane, finds out that scrapbooking through it becomes quite therapeutic. 

In my own life, I've found that journaling and scrapbooking and creating art all give me the tools to tell a  story... painful or otherwise, and in doing so, somehow, I always feel better on the other side of it. 

And the most painful, most personal of memories are the ones you may be the most afraid to document...and also the ones that most deserve your attention...

Document a Painful Memory.

My friend, Jennifer Gallacher is a brilliant scrapbooker. Her layouts are so stunning and vivid and eye-catching, sometimes they literally make me gasp. On this layout, Jen shared so openly about a painful memory, the loss of her thirteen-year-old son, Joey. 

Isn't he handsome?

Yes, it's painful, but this is a huge part of Jen's story. 

A story I'll let her tell you herself...

"I lost my oldest son at 13 years old to the devastation of colon cancer. Joey had poor health almost his entire life, but he was always so happy. That's not to say that he didn't get down, but he never complained about the pain he was in. His battle with cancer and his passing was a terrible blow to our family. Suddenly we were left with a huge, gaping hole in our family and in our hearts.

As we have worked to repair those feelings of sadness and loss over the past five years, we try very hard to dwell on the happy times that we had together as a family. We also rely heavily on our faith. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't "talk" to my son and let him know that I'm proud of him, and that I miss him. I feel so grateful that I took so many photos of him even when he didn't necessarily love having his photo taken. I am even more grateful that through journaling and scrapbooking that I have recorded hundreds of memories of our time together. Now his sweet personality and beautiful smile is forever preserved for my children and my children's children--a priceless book of memories we'll always cherish."

Jen's story continues right HERE on her blog...

I can't think of many things more priceless than memories and photos of the ones you love.

The ones you've lost.

Scrapbook for the comfort of others. 

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to create a layout for Angie Smith. You might recognize her husband from the Christian group Selah. Angie's blog, and now her books, are inspiring, encouraging, amazing...but their story is not without pain.

Sometimes, documenting the hope found in the sorrow is also hugely important--for you or for those whose stories have touched your heart the way Angie and Todd's did mine. 

But where do I begin?

But maybe you're thinking, "I don't know where to start. It hurts too much..." 

Maybe you're scared to crack open the things that are holding you back, to speak them out loud so they lose their hold on you. 

So, today, I want to offer something amazing that can help you document the painful things, the things that are hard, the things you fear, the things that keep you from moving forward...

Watch:

 

My soul friend, Melody, is offering not one, but SEVEN spots in her online Soul Restoration class. 

Seven. 

And because I believe in the power of storytelling...in the power of all of us telling our own stories, through whatever medium we choose, I'm going to give away SEVEN copies of A Sweethaven Summer too. 

I've recently learned that writing a book is wonderful, but it makes you vulnerable in a way you didn't expect...and in some ways, that's scary...but in other ways, it's exhilarating.

I'd love to share it with you. (If you don't win, you can order your copy HERE or HERE!) 

How do I enter?

This time, just leave me a comment and tell me: Is it hard for you to document the painful parts? Would you rather turn away and forget all about them? Or do you find it helps to work through it...even though the tears may dot your paper as you write or paint or create? 

We're all in this together, girls...

Now, last order of business:

The winner of the Sweethaven Online Launch Party DAY TWO is: 

Margie Visnick said...

I think my word would be "light" to remind me to find the light and be the light...so important in all aspects of my life!

ReplyFebruary 08, 2012 at 06:39 AM

Margie, email me and claim your beautiful prizes! :) 

I can't wait to read your comments, your thoughts, your hearts...I hope you

Sweethaven Scrapbooking Inspiration {& some faith building...}

Before I talk Sweethaven...something has been on my mind. It helps to write it out, so here it is...

Sometimes it seems like I get knocked around a little bit just so I'll come running back to God. 

Like he takes a step away from me and leaves me to my own devices so I can see how incredibly futile my attempts are at doing everything on my own. 

I was talking to a friend the other day about how self sufficient we both are, and I think in many ways that makes it difficult to fully rely on God. When we were in the process of moving to Colorado, I had to depend on God more than I ever had in my whole life, and sometimes I wonder if he did all that--showed up for us so many times--just to prepare us for the next time he'd ask us to do something that didn't have a bit of sound logic in it.

Lately, I hear him, over and over, saying "Trust. Me." 

And I look back at myself in the midst of the storm (so far...it's still raging) and see a bratty toddler, whiny and pouty, throwing my fists in the air and expecting someone who was never invited to show up for me. 

And God doesn't work that way. 

It's a sobering realization...discovering I'm the only one hindering his work in my life. 

Go me. 

Is anyone else scared to do the things he's asking you to do?

Anyway...

This really has nothing to do with why I'm here though...posting on this here blog. 

I'm here because I want to share another Sweethaven-inspired layout with you as part of the Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge, and friends, it's PRETTY.  I have the pleasure of working with Jaz Lee over at Webster's Pages and her style blows me away every. single. time. 

Jaz decided to create a layout about some of her closest friends. They call themselves the "Joy Luck Club" (JLC are the first initials in each of their names.) The girls in Sweethaven call themselves "The Circle" and their old scrapbook is page after page highlighting their friendship...

Each page reveals a little more about each girl, about their lives in Sweethaven, about their friendships...wouldn't you love to have something so special on your bookshelf? 

And, I can't go without pointing out the incredible dimension Jaz has created on this layout. Her style is so intricate, it makes me drool!  Detailed and beautiful, she's captured these special friendships in a way that will be cherished for years. 

Do you love it? 

So, in the Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge, you could file this layout away as inspiration...a page on friendship, layered and detailed... (Does that get your wheels a-turnin'?) 

Now. 

I think it's time to announce some winners...

The WINNER of the DAY ONE Online Launch Party Giveaway (which you can read about in THIS POST) is...

Jodi Jardine said...

Shared on Facebook.

ReplyFebruary 07, 2012 at 10:16 AM

It's funny because I saw an email come in from Jodi yesterday and thought "Gosh, I hope she wins, she's been so faithful in entering! And wouldn't you know it, Random.org pulled lucky number 7 and she's our girl! Jodi, send me your address & I'll pack up your box!! 

Oh, and have YOU been to Sweethaven yet? If not...here's your ticket!

Too Cheesy?

I'm just darn overwhelmed. 

The end. 

A Sweethaven Scrapbooking Challenge

When I first started writing A Sweethaven Summer, I sat down and thought about all the things I love about scrapbooking. I wanted to find a way to incorporate those things into my story. And while the book is largely about friendship and forgiveness, it's all held together by this faded scrapbook, full of secrets and memories...

You can almost hear the laughter of the girls as they made each page. 

I'd love to write "An Ode to Scrapbooking" but it's getting late and I have a two-hour episode of Downton Abbey to watch when Adam's not looking. It can be done, yes?

The fact is, scrapbooking is storytelling. It's a way to tell your stories. An artistic, creative way to get your words on paper. And I believe we're all storytellers at heart...

I created this layout, inspired by A Sweethaven Summer: 

It's a simple, layered project celebrating the "Unexpected Friendship" I found in Deb Raney when I first started on this writing journey. 

In Sweethaven, Cambell finds a group of women who become her unexpected friends... and in so many ways, these are some of life's most precious gifts. Finding a friend when you aren't looking for one. Realizing they're a life friend, a kindred spirit...it's something to celebrate.

Techniques: I rolled up a few pages from the Anthropolgie Catalog ("If you can't afford it, make art with it" is what I always say!) and tied strips of Divine Twine around them to give them a scroll-like effect then adhered them to the page. I used the same twine to spice up the buttons and incorporated lots of foam squares to get that layered, dimensional look that I find positively swoony.

SO...Are you up for a challenge?

Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be telling stories about the book and sharing layouts created by some of my very favorite scrapbookers...

And then, I'm going to issue a challenge to YOU. You create any kind of artwork (Scrapbooking, mixed media, home decor--anything) inspired by the book or inspired by one of the pieces I'm going to share and you could WIN a big, fat basket of goodies.

Like, really big. And fun. And artsy. 

Because I love to give stuff away. 

Now that I got that out of my system...I want to share what I believe is the best photo of me ever captured in the history of the world:

Which is all the proof I need to understand WHY my son is plagued the fine art of the weird facial expression:

Over the weekend, several times my mom told me "there's a time and a place for self deprecation. You need to learn where the line is." Apparently telling someone who is buying your book that you feel you might be in need of deodorant is crossing a line. 

I can't help it. I like to self deprecate. (and in my defense, I knew the woman and she's funny so she didn't mind. I wouldn't say that to a perfect stranger.)

On that note, I won't say a word about this:

I will not even MENTION the ridiculousness of my hair in this photo. 

And I'll surely not mention that this was at 6:20 a.m.

And I won't say a single word about my first television interview (because I haven't watched it yet)... but you can, right HERE: Author of "A Sweethaven Summer".

That's that. 

I have to go ruin something in the kitchen now. 

Will you take the Sweethaven Inspiration Challenge?? Who's with me?

A Sweethaven Summer Online Launch Party DAY FOUR! {HUGE Giveaway!}

Clearly it's been a whirlwind since I got home last night at 12:30 a.m. 

This is the first chance I've gotten to sit down and even think about my blog, but it's been at the back of my mind all day...because I'm dying to tell you all about the weekend. Dying to spill all about the trip and the party and my first book signing.

There's SO much to say.

But all that is going to have to wait. Just for another day (or two...) because I promised one more giveaway. (At least until the next one!) 

And you know I LOVE giving my favorite things away...

But Wait. First...

I want to share two interviews that are up today that I was so, so happy to do...The first is on Novel Rocket and you can check it out HERE...

And You Can WIN!

Writer-friend Carla Stewart is giving away a copy of my book (and some Starbucks, friends...Yum) on her blog HERE. 

Now...for the goods.

This week, I'm going to kick off a little Sweethaven Inspiration...(and there will be more prizes in store...) but for today, I get to show you a lovely line up of fabulous goodies. 

And YOU could win them, sister. 

1. Hope Springs Folio

My laptop tote is so old, I thought about stealing this, but then I remembered The Ten Commandments and broke out in cold sweats. So, here it is on the docket for Day Four (which is technically day 7, but let's not be picky, friends.) 

2. Hope Daily Planner

(Side Note: Sophia just turned on The Hoedown Throwdown, so if I start insert "zig-zag, step-slide" into the text here, you'll know why...it's hard to concentrate with Miley wailing through the speakers...)

Anyway, the Daily Planner is super cute and has a magnetic closure, memo pad, to-do list, accordion storage envelope and keepsake bookmark...all of which are super snazzy. 

3. Hope Yellow Tee Shirt

It was also tempting to take this out of its lovely wrapper and model it for you, but I thought that might gross you out if you won a tee shirt I'd worn. But it's cute, right? And I like yellow. How cheery! 

4. Card Maps Volume Two

Friends. Do you know what this trusty little book has inside? Over 70 gorgeous cards from some of today’s top designers, more than 40 card sketches, step-by-step instructions for every card, and eight photo technique how-to’s!

Seriously. I want to give you this. Because it's awesome. 

4. 12 Notecards from The Emily Collection.

My friend Emily, is a stunning artist. Check out her ETSY shop HERE. These are The Rocky Mountain Notecards, which is fitting since I live a stone's throw from the Rockies. (They're pretty.) 

It would be fun to send these to you. 

5. Where Women Create Coffee Table Book

This book is so gorgeous and so full of beautiful spaces. Just looking at it is like an escape from the cluttered, stockpiled room I call my creative space. It'll take your breath away!

6. A Sweethaven Summer.

Well, yes, I would like to sign a copy to you! And if you're like my sister, you might read it on the plane home from my launch party and give it away to the woman sitting next to you. Even though I'd drawn pictures and dorky stuff in it.  

My sister has never met a stranger. Ferreals. 

Okay. Same drill! 

1. Leave a comment on this post and tell me what your favorite drink is (Starbucks or otherwise!)

2. Go to my snazzy new website and sign up for my newsletter! (Then come back and leave a comment saying you did so.) (Sidenote: I believe newsletters should only go out quarterly (if that.) I promise I won't spam your inbox.)

AND, if it doesn't work via my website (technical difficulties), just email me at courtney r walsh {at} gmail {dot} com and put "Sign Me Up" in the subject line.

3. Tweet this link.

4. Facebook this link

5. Blog about "A Sweethaven Summer" or this post. 

(Come back each time and leave another comment letting me know you've done these things. Five chances total! 

And come back tomorrow! I'll start announcing winners...AND share some inspiration from A Sweethaven Summer...

And if there was ever a time to say "Thank you doesn't seem enough"...it's today. It's after this last week. It just doesn't. I can't explain to you how very much it means to me that you all are on this crazy journey with me. 

It's like a big, giant warm fuzzy. 

And I like warm fuzzies. 

 

 

 

A Sweethaven Summer Online Launch Party DAY THREE! {HUGE Giveaway!}

Have you ever noticed how really good things are often overshadowed by really hard things?

Right now, I'm preparing to fly to Illinois with our whole family to spend the weekend doing the Morning Show on WREX TV (Tomorrow morning, and I'm very nervous), a signing at Barnes and Noble on Saturday and then celebrate my book launch with some of my oldest and dearest friends and family at The Next Picture Show in Dixon. 

But I'm also researching wheelchairs at Denver International Airport because Adam's bulging disk (disc?) seems to be just as bad today as it was four days ago. 

I admit, it's not easy for me to ask for help...but I will ask for prayers... because we could sure use them right now. I'm trying to focus on the good things, like the fact that I will get to see some people I haven't seen in YEARS this weekend...and for that, I am SO grateful. 

I'm also grateful for THIS POST (and humbled.) And THIS POST (humbled again.) I just don't have words...only emotional outbursts which usually happen in my garage...

So let's focus on that GOOD tuff and start DAY THREE of our online party!!

And it IS a party...today, a giveaway for the Coffee & Book Lover...and I've got some AMAZING prizes to share...

1. An adorable mug from Hope Springs.

I'm a sucker for a cute mug...especially one that's red on the inside:

This new line of awesome gifts comes from Hope Springs and they've got tons of really cute, unique and inspiring gift ideas. You can find this mug HERE. 

And what good is a mug without something in it? 

2. A Starbucks Gift Card

I trust I don't need to link you to the Starbucks website, but there will be a gift card in this package for one lucky winner. 

3. A spiral-bound journal from The Emily Collection.

Next, my friend Emily over at Imperfect Prose, has just announced some incredibly exciting book news of her own, but that's not all...she's an artist with the heart of an artist...and she's got this incredible new line of products all featuring her art. 

Today, she's giving away this gorgeous journal, so when you sit down with your coffee, you can easily compile your thoughts...

I think you'll love The Emily Collection, which you can find HERE! Emily's artwork is inspired and beautiful...(and she's having a giveaway of her own right now!) All kinds of celebrating going on! 

4. Hope Springs Notecards

 

The women in Sweethaven are brought back together after many years when handwritten letters arrive for each one of them...perhaps, over coffee, you'll write a note of your own...it's always a good idea to let people know you love them. 

5. Books by Hillary Manton Lodge.

Maybe you'll tire of writing and you'll want to curl up with a good book instead. Lucky for you, I can help...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These two books by Hillary Manton Lodge are the perfect way to escape the craziness of life. If they seem well-worn or have coffee stains on the edges, this is because I needed to escape and took them with me to Illinois. 

(I'm kidding. They'll be clean, I promise. I only SOMETIMES give away books that are coffee-stained, right Paige?)

6. Playing By Heart by award-winning author Deborah Raney.

Deb is a wonderful writer with wonderful stories, and her books are definitely among my favorites. This one, a Christy Award finalist, is near and dear to Deb's heart...and I'd love to send it your way! 

7. Blue Moon Promise by Colleen Coble 

This is a new release by the wonderful Colleen Coble, who is as nice as she is talented. Her books are wonderful, so this is one I cannot wait to get my hands on! (But I'll be nice and send it to you when you win. I promise.) 

8.  The Art of Layers by Ronda Palazzari

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I've made no secret of the fact that the secrets of Sweethaven are brought back to life thanks to the faded pages of an old scrapbook...so what better way to celebrate that than with a little scrapbooking/papercrafting inspiration? Ronda's book is not yet released, so you'll be among the FIRST to have it. 

Lucky. 

9. Delight in the Seasons by Lisa Pace

I LOVE Lisa's work. She is elegant and beautiful in everything she does. Her first book, Delight in the Details is completley inspiring, and I know this one will be the same. You could win it!! (And then you may want to plan for a refill on your coffee...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally...

10. A signed copy of A Sweethaven Summer. 

Of course, I have to remind you if you don't win...you can get your own copy HERE or HERE  or HERE...

Because, you know, I REALLY want you to have a copy!!

Same rules as yesterday...

1. Leave a comment on this post and tell me what your favorite drink is (Starbucks or otherwise!)

2. Go to my snazzy new website and sign up for my newsletter! (Then come back and leave a comment saying you did so.) (Sidenote: I believe newsletters should only go out quarterly (if that.) I promise I won't spam your inbox.)

3. Tweet this link.

4. Facebook this link

5. Blog about "A Sweethaven Summer" or this post. 

(Come back each time and leave another comment letting me know you've done these things. Five chances total! 

I can't wait to choose these winners!! Thank you, guys, for helping me spred the word!! :) Hope you have a WONDERFUL Thursday!! (Wait. Is it Thursday?) 

Whatever day it is...hope it's happy!!

 

 

A Sweethaven Summer Online Launch Party DAY TWO! {HUGE Giveaway!}

It's surreal when people you know start reading your book. Something like running across a stage completely naked under the glare of a follow spot. You search for something to hide behind...but there's nothing. 

Not that I've ever done THAT before. 

But you're out there. Exposed. Showing all your cards...and somehow, the excitement meshes with the nervous energy which crashes into the fear and you've got this strange concoction that would make Dr. Jekyll raise a brow. 

My friend Jenn got an early copy of my book. She texts me lines she loves or tells me what parts she's on. It's kind of awesome. And, yep, surreal. 

There's a part near the beginning when you're first introduced to Lila, the beauty queen and southern belle. She's remembering a day when her old friend Suzanne first won her over, despite all efforts to dislike the girl. 

    While Lila envied Suzanne's low-pressure, I-can-do-anything-I-want-to attitude, she couldn't deny that Suzanne had drawn her in from the moment she gave her a hand mirror she'd found at a flea market. 

    "Just imagine how many other beautiful faces have looked in that mirror," Suzanne had said. "It made me think of you." 

    "Looks old." Lila took the mirror and turned it over. The glass had brown stains around the edges. 

    "But it's neat, right?" Suzanne's eyes widened. 

    Lila fought the urge to toss it off the way she brushed off every other kind gesture. "Thanks," she said. "It is really neat." 

    "I'm glad you like it," Suzanne said. "Even though it's old." 

    Lila held the mirror in front of her, catching her reflection. Suzanne pushed her face next to Lila's and grinned. "Yep. We're stunning," she said. 

    When Lila laughed, the pain of the morning skittered away. A morning of trying to please Mama. No one else had ever done that for her before.

Yesterday, I got one of the most special, most personal gifts I've ever gotten: 

With the most beautiful note that told me that when I looked in the mirror I should see myself the way other people saw me. 

And the thoughtfulness of that sort of settled on my shoulders and I thanked God that even in spite of many, many things going wrong (Adam's slipped disk may keep him from going to my launch party...) there are SO many reasons to be thankful. So many beautiful friends in my life.

The kind of friends you write books about...

So, today, my virtual launch party continues, with another {awesome} giveaway...

Today, a giveaway for the girly girl. Lila Adler Olsen is the girly girl of the Sweethaven crew...and I think she'd approve of this giveaway.

1. Your very own OLD, personalized Mirror. 

Photo Source

This isn't the one you'll get...yours will be personalized just for you like the one Jenn made for me. And I promise you'll love it. 

2. A Custom One {Powerful} Word Necklace by the Amazing Liz Lamoreux.

What word will you choose? Mine would most likely be "surrender..." because Lord knows I need to. 

3. Where Women Create's Book of Inspiration.

Photo Source

I have this book. It's GORGEOUS. I have an extra. I want to send it to you. 

4. Jeanne Oliver Designs Purse:

I seriously don't think this fabric could be any more beautiful. And the design is adorable. My sweet friend Jeanne has donated this purse and one of you lucky ducks gets to win it! If you don't win, you should head to her shop for yourself...there's some swoonerific stuff in there!!

5. "Poppies" Art Print by Melanie Douthit

It's no secret that I'm addicted to color, so Melanie's artwork is right up my alley! This gorgeous Poppies print is so perfect if it doesn't show up in your box, do NOT look at me. 

I swear I wouldn't dream of keeping it for myself. 

Melanie's Website and BLOG are worth the gander...go see for yourself!

6. And, of course, I'm giving away a signed copy of this guy right here:

Because I very much want you to have this book. :) 

You can get your own copy HERE or HERE or HERE...and I'm told it's coming for Kindle VERY soon so if you're waiting for that, I'll be sure to update when it's ready! 

So, how do I enter? 

I'm changing it up on you a little today...you get not FOUR, but FIVE chances to enter. Let me explain.

I actually thought to myself "let me 'splain" and in that little daydream I became this guy:

Wonder what it'd feel like to have a mustache. 

Hm. 

1. Leave a comment on this post and tell me what word you'll have put on the necklace. 

2. Go to my snazzy new website and sign up for my newsletter! (Then come back and leave a comment saying you did so.) (Sidenote: I believe newsletters should only go out quarterly (if that.) I promise I won't spam your inbox.)

3. Tweet this link.

4. Facebook this link

5. Blog about "A Sweethaven Summer" or this post. 

(Come back each time and leave another comment letting me know you've done these things. Five chances total! (I'll know if you're fibbing about the newsletter. I've got mad technical skillz.) 

(Are you afraid now that I just spelled that with a "z"?)

That's it. Easy as cake. (I've baked pies. They aren't easy.) 

And you can still enter yesterday's giveaway by clicking on THIS POST.

Thanks, you guys, for helping spread the word! I just can't thank you enough! It means THE WORLD to me!

A Place of Surrender

Things haven't exactly been going my way lately. 

Already today I've had to break up three arguments because my older two kids are home from school due to inclement weather. This shatters Sam's world. As much as he loves Ethan, when his big brother doesn't do just what he wants, he loses it. 

Completely. 

This, of all weeks, the week I'm supposed to share my book with the world and everything that could possibly go wrong in my world, did.

{Official Book Launch Coming Soon! Prizes! Inspiration! FUN!}

First of all, I printed my invitations for the launch party through Vistaprint. (Did I already tell you this?) They're quick and great and I needed something fairly inexpensive. So, I get them about a week later and they're 100% whacked. 

They're supposed to look like this:

But there are white lines where they've been mis-cut and they're off-center. I sat here with my scrapbooking tools and started hacking away at them and then got  upset because this was going to take forever...so I sent an email to Vistaprint--something eloquent, along the lines of:

"Seriously, man? I have a party!" 

To my surprise, they wrote me back. And they reprinted everything. And they didn't charge me. 

And suddenly I loved them again. 

Did you hear me, world? I love Vistaprint!

I'm nothing if not forgiving.

Another week went by and I got the new cards in the mail. They look oh-so-much better. I'm thankful and make a mental note to shout the praises of Vistaprint from the roofop. (This is me shouting!)

I print labels, stuff envelopes and include a little card with the book cover on it in each one. I'm almost done.

And on the backs of the cards, I handwrite a note about the book signing I'm doing in Rockford next Saturday. {Barnes & Noble; 2 p.m.}

And as I'm writing the date, something hits me and I pull an invitation out of the box and discover there's a typo in the DATE. I'm inviting everyone to attend a party on JANUARY 11th. (I changed it above so those of you who are just skimming this don't see it and think you've missed it.)

My week was already going fairly awful (awfully?), so this caused near-nuclear meltdown. 

But then I remembered I'm a scrapbooker who routinely makes mistakes on paper and I found a (not-too-terribly-tacky) way of solving the problem in the form of a brown fine-tipped Sharpie. 

Joy.

I'm good. Things are addressed. We're good to go. 

The next day, I got a call from our insurance agent. Let me just say that having a rental property, moving to a new state into a rental, then buying a house and moving again, changing cars over to Colorado plates...is confusing at best...and maddening at worst. 

A few months ago I said to Adam, "Why do we have so many different insurance companies?" Considering how many different things we have insured, I guess it wasn't illogical...until I got this call and realized we've been paying car insurance in two different states for a year. 

A year. 

Consider this a Public Service Announcement because friends don't let friends pay car insurance in two different states. 

This has all been compounded by the craziness that accompanies a book release. Here, I've been trying to get it all ready to go and in the tumbleweed of chaos, I felt God say to me... "Are you ready to ask for my help yet?" 

Ouch.

Here's what I'm learning...

I have a knack for doing everything all by myself. I'm self sufficient to a fault. I have a hard time accepting any kind of help and an even harder time asking for it. And while I don't think things have all been going wrong because God lifted his hand from me, I do think maybe he's using it to get my attention. To remind me that I'm nothing without him...that I really have no business trying to do anything without his help. 

Over and again, I've had to walk around this mountain, to remember that he's got me in the palm of his hand...that no matter what mess comes my way, he comes behind it with a broom and a dustpan, ready to help clean it up. Whether it's plans that go awry or invitations that go out a week late or overpaying car insurance...or worse...

He wants to be a part of it. 

And sometimes I forget that because I'm so busy trying to do it all by myself. I'm too busy to believe God really is in the details. 

But he is, isn't he? He IS in the details and what happens to us DOES matter to him. 

Once again, I'm at a place of surrender...hands up, eyes lifted toward heaven...and accepting the truth all over again that I am nothing without him. 

And that brings me all kinds of peace. 

If you're looking for peace today...give it up. Stop wrestling with it. Walk away and say "It's yours now, Lord, because I can't do this on my own..." 

And then watch him show up on your behalf. He wants to. I promise....

He's just waiting for us to ask. 

What's Lurking in the Shadows

For some reason lately, I've had the strangest memory on my mind. 

We were living in our second house, at that time a family of four.  This was the house with my dream scrapbook room, the one Creating Keepsakes and Cropper Hopper came in and renovated.

I still pine away for that room, especially now that I'm in a much smaller workspace (with seriously a lot more stuff.) 

Our house was a bi-level, so we had full exposure in the basement, which is where my office was, and my window faced our backyard. It wasn't fenced in, but we lived in a small town--a very small town--so I never worried or felt unsafe. 

It was the kind of town where you'd leave your car unlocked in the driveway. 

When I was working for Memory Makers, I'd often scrapbook late into the night. It's one of the things I've since changed because I missed out on a lot of Adam time for all the time I spent working until one or two in the morning.

One night, just like the night before, I sat at my computer typing in my journaling for an assigned layout when I started to get the strangest feeling like someone was watching me. 

You know how you just know? 

My window didn't have a curtain on it, and there I was, fully exposed in the light of the office, the dark of the night giving cover to anyone who might pass through our backyard. 

My heart started racing and my cheeks felt flushed. I knew it was illogical to think anyone would be in our yard. This was the smallest of small towns. No crime. No news. So, why did I keep feeling like someone's eyes were fixed on me?

I sat there, pretending not to notice that there was movement out there, and to be honest, I wasn't sure that there was...but I just had a feeling.  I tried to ignore it for a few minutes and then heard a voice through the panes of glass, like the sound of a man talking on his phone. 

That's when my imagination took over, and I ran through every possible scenario in the span of thirty seconds. 

I'm a writer, so believe me when I tell you, I came up with some doozies. (Is "doozies" a word?) 

In that moment, it was like, I didn't want to alarm whoever it was. I didn't want him to know I knew he was out there, creeping around our yard, looking in the windows and talking on his phone. (And for the record...if you're going to be a creeper, leave your phone at home.)

I wanted to pretend I didn't notice but ensure my own safety. There was a door in my office leading to our screened in porch--a great way for someone to come into the room from outside. I casually got up, pretended to be looking for something and checked that it was locked. Then, I slowly walked into the other room, where Adam was watching TV. 

"I think there's someone in the back yard," I said, knowing how stupid it sounded. 

"What?" He looked at me like I'd just said something stupid. 

"I heard someone back there. A guy's voice." 

Adam got up and walked into the office with me, and his approach was completely the opposite of mine. Rather than hang around to see if he heard or saw anything, he walked straight to the door, opened it and went out onto the screened in porch. 

I stood there, waiting for him to get shot or mauled or tackled at least, but he called out into the black of the yard and we saw the figure of a man running away, off into the darkness, never to be seen again. 

I don't know why this story keeps coming back to me now--except to say that sometimes you can sense things without ever really being sure they exist. I can't tell you I've learned anything from it or understood why that man found his way into our yard that night. The police never found him and for all I know, he could still be lurking in the shadows. 

But I've learned--and am learning--that I can't live my life worried about what might be around the corner. What people might say. How a situation might turn out. I guess I'm just not willing to sacrifice my sanity for what could happen...especially when what could happen might be amazing. 

And I never did put curtains on the window. 

Today's the Da...Wait...This Just In...{Win a COPY of Sweethaven!}

Well, here it is...

Launch Day. 

A day of balloons and streamers...and yet, here I sit with an empty bag of Doritos and a bottle of water...

Pondering how to launch a book that isn't available anywhere (except for pre-orders, which are, you know, awesome.) That's right...because of you guys, A Sweethaven Summer is out of stock on both Amazon  AND Christianbook.com, which I think deserves a round of cupcakes. 

What kind would you like? 

Me, I'm thinking lemon with almond cream cheese frosting. And a cup of coffee. 

Gosh. For someone cutting out sugar, that photo is dangerous.

Perhaps you've pre-ordered a little happy reading to accompany this treat? I recommend this:

Too obvious? 

Truly, I'm overwhelmed that there are books leaving Amazon and CBD rendering their shelves empty of Sweethaven! I mean, where do I send the thank you notes? You guys have been SO supportive, I don't even know what to say...

But this does change my launch plans. All that FUN stuff I had planned? I'm just gonna put that on hold...I've got my finger on the launch button, but I'm resisting the urge to push it...but it's BIG and you're going to want to check back so you don't miss out. 

You are. I promise. 

It'll be better than Doritos for breakfast.

Still...I cannot let this day pass by without some celebrating! So, here it is. Sweethaven is all about the friendships of a group of women, so let's talk about our own friendships. 

Tell me...

What is your earliest memory of friendship? It can be anything having to do with new friends, old friends, making friends...Anything goes!

Leave your answer as a comment on this blog and I'll choose one winner to send a signed copy of A Sweethaven Summer. Spread the word! A Sweethaven Summer will be back in stock SOON...and then we're going to have a REAL party!

 

Thoughts Like a Game of Pinball

Today, I feel scattered. Like, my mind is struggling to grasp concepts and sentences and my to-do list. I'm flailing a bit for all I've got to do. I spend ten minutes on one thing, walk away and then spend twenty minutes trying to remember what I was doing before. 

Does this happen to anyone else? 

I've got little to offer today...only a random list of what's shooting around in my brain at this precise moment...

Here it goes.

On The Post Office.

1. I've been spending a lot of time at the post office. The lady there knows my kids now and asked me yesterday if I was "finishing up my project." Books don't work that way...I think maybe you're never really finished...?

In case you're wondering, going to the post office right after school is never a good idea unless you have a very good bribe in place. 

Mine is almost always Sonic Happy Hour. Yesterday Ethan should NOT have gotten his slushie, but I gave in and took the Wii away instead. I'm a softie. And a meanie. 

It's an art I've mastered.

On Prayer.

2. When you ask God to answer your prayers and he does, you can't pretend you didn't hear him. (I know, darn it, right?)  He'll find you out. If the answer is scary, you still have to move forward, it's like having a trade secret and not doing anything with the information. Action is necessary. And sometimes, even when you know it, it's still the most difficult thing in the world. 

On The Booty.

3. Yesterday I got the bookmarks and postcards my publisher sent for marketing purposes. I'm not gonna lie...they're pretty. I affectionately call this "the booty" because it feels like treasure. 

Was that corny?

On the Dress Hunt.

4. After school yesterday, Sophia started bugging me to take her shopping. For my launch party dress and hers. I'd like to state for the record that if Justice doesn't stop with all the ugly tie-dye, I'm going to boycott. Once and for all. What happened to you, Justice? You used to have such cute clothes!

I've found I'm incredibly indecisive and...Sophia and I have totally opposite taste. 

So far, I have two contenders...this one:

...which will require hose and heels. 

Problematic. (Need I remind you how clumsy I am?) 

And this one...

...which has pockets. And polka dots. And a cute red belt.

I tried this one on because my friend Jenn texted me the picture and she knows her fashion. I think trying to shop without her is a mistake. 

{This photo is a good reminder of what happens when you fail to keep up with your hair coloring.}

On the Party.

5. I am picking the food for the launch party and wondering if it's too late to have a few pizzas delivered. Probably not the ambience we're going for, eh, Lauren? Maybe I should've had a pajama launch party...that seems more "me." (That's a total joke, by the way.) 

I'm also addressing real-life invitations after Vistaprint messed up my order and then promptly sent me a whole new batch. At first I was going to say "eh. No more Vistaprint" but their stellar customer service has made me change my tune. I'm a fan. 

On Television. 

6. Let's be real. It's a waste of time. I don't care. I love it. At night, after everyone is in bed, Adam and I always watch at least one show. It's one of my favorite parts of the day. Lately we've been trying out a few new shows:

Adam's new fave:

And mine: (which I've yet to convince him to watch...)

That's all I've got for you today. My life is riveting, don't you think? 

 

10 Ways YOU Can Help an Author Out

This weekend, the kids and I headed out to Barnes and Noble for the book signing of author Amanda Cabot. Her new book, Summer of Promise, has just been released, and I got myself an autographed copy. 

Isn't it pretty? You can get one HERE. This is the first in a new series, so I'm really looking forward to turning in the manuscript for Book #3 in the Sweethaven series so I can dig in! 

It was fun to say hi to Amanda, and I think Sophia especially thought it was cool to meet another author...but the whole trip got me thinking... about ... what else? Sweethaven. 

Pre-order yours HERE!

THIS is the week. The official launch week for A Sweethaven Summer. I had to pause for a second and shake my head...I still can't believe it. You know when you work on something for so long and then suddenly, your big day arrives? Well, that's Wednesday for me...and I'm super excited. 

And freaked out. 

And giddy. 

And nervous. 

And...

Yeah, cocktail of emotions all over again. 

Adam finished my book this weekend...

...which was oddly nerve-wracking for me, even though he's my biggest cheerleader. 

Lots of people have emailed to find out what they can do to help with my launch, and I never know what to say...so I spent a little time thinking on it...and if you're serious and you really want to help, I've got a comprehensive, bullet pointed list of things YOU can do to help an author out. Any author, not just me, though if you help me, I'll pay you in small bills.

Just kidding. I don't have any small bills. Or large ones either for that matter.

Alright, here it is. 

10 Ways You Can Help An Author Out:

When you see a book on the shelf of your favorite book store, it's easy to assume that an author has already made it. I mean, the book is out, right? It's published. People can buy it! But what you might not realize is that in a sea of books--some great, some well, not--it takes much more than landing on the shelf for a book to become a success. 

So. If you love an author (and I love many)... there really ARE ways you can help them out. And most of them are super easy and cost you nothing! 

How's that for a win-win? 

1. Buy the book. 

Source

Don't look at me like that. I know it sounds obvious, but truly, this isn't always the first thing on our minds. Buying the book is the first best way to help an author out. My publicist, Jeane, coined a phrase I'll love forever..."Buy a book, save an author." 

Word.

2. Shout it from the rooftops!

Blog, Tweet or Facebook about the author and/or book you love. Sharing it with your friends and/or followers is one of the simplest (and maybe most effective) way to help out an author. 

3. Request an interview.

Most authors love to answer questions (I'm such a sucker for those little surveys. I think I could do them just for fun!) about their books, their writing process, their inspirations... If you write a blog, why not do a Q&A with the author of the last book you read? 

4. Write a review on Amazon.

I'm going to add this one to my weekly to-do list. It's very important. I will often finish a book and just be so sad to close the back cover, but it rarely dawns on me to go to amazon and tell readers they NEED to read this one! It's so easy to write reviews, so next time you find a book you love, drop by the page and give it a five-star rating! The author will thank you! :) 

5. Add it to your Good Reads page.

Ok, I confess. I'm totally new to Good Reads, but this is a great way to share the books you love, get ideas on books your friends' love...another great way to get the word out! 

6. Pin it!

Find your favorite books and create a pin board for them. Pinterest is so easy and so fun--and getting that visual out there is SUCH a great way to spread the news! 

7. Ask your library/bookstore to carry it! 

Many bookstores are happy to order books for you, so if you notice your local store isn't carrying your favorite author, ask them to. Same goes for the library. The more people you can introduce to an author, the better the chances of a book catching on. 

8. Give it as a gift for a fellow reader.

My mom and I often swap books. I can't tell you how many authors I've introduced her to and vice versa. Because of this, we've created fans of new authors that will go out and look for whatever's coming next. Same is true for your reader friends. If you pass the book along and they like it, you've created a new fan for that author.

And it's always nice to give gifts. 

9. Bring it to your book club.

I wish I had a book club. I think about it all the time, how fun it would be. And perhaps I've romanticized it a little because of my affection for The Jane Austen Book Club, but the next time your club votes, bring up a title they may not know yet. All those people reading the book can really help an author out!

10. Make up songs about how great it is. 

Okay. Just kidding. But "9 Ways YOU Can Help an Author Out" just feels like an incomplete list. 10 is a rounder number and my love for round numbers is deep. 

So, what have I missed? What are some other ways YOU (and I) can help our favorite authors out? And have you done any of the things on my list? Do tell. 

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! 

 

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?

When A Dream Comes True

I'm not going to lie, every time I look at one of my books I sort of feel like I'm going to either explode or pass out--which is kind of an interesting feeling. 

Reading the words in the book are SO different than reading them on the screen. I just can't explain it. But it's aboslutely boggling my mind! The books are out of stock now at Amazon, so I'm hoping they order loads more! And I'm SO thankful to everyone who has ordered a copy. I'm overwhelmed to say the least. 

The book is still available at HERE and HERE! :) 

It's just so pretty. 

I can't tell you how many people have commented or sent me emails that they, too, dream of one day writing a book. There's a great need for encouragement in our world, so let me offer this...

Just do it. 

(I know. Real original.) But truly...even if you've never had anyone tell you you can, I'm telling you right now...you can.  Whether its art or scrapbooking or writing or music...whatever it is you want to do, just do it. It starts there. And then, you have to work. 

And work some more. 

And your work may never see the light of day, but if you can find the join in the doing...it's worth it. Don't you think? To spend your days creating or doing what you love? 

It's worth it. Your dreams are worth it. 

I felt so uplifted yesterday with all the support for my dream...I don't even know what else to say. 

I'm blessed. 

I'm thankful. 

I'm dumbfounded. 

I'm speechless. 

And I wish for every one of you to discover those feelings. So, what dreams are you going after? What dreams are you afraid of? What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?