Just before Ashley and Jacob moved to Arkansas, one of Ashley’s friends gave her some baby clothes. Actually, Ashley’s friend gave her a LOT of baby clothes. Five or six boxes full of baby clothes, in sizes from newborn to 18 months.
One of the projects I tackled once we got Ashley and Jacob all moved in and settled was to take the baby clothes out of the boxes, sort them (keep, give away, throw away ~ then sort them by size), and wash them. I washed load after load after load ~ it took me 2 days to get everything washed, dried and put away. That’s a LOT of baby clothes. I have a high efficiency front-loading washer and dryer; I can wash and dry a king size down comforter in my washer and dryer. Just imagine how many baby clothes I can fit into one load. Now multiply that by 5 or 6 ~ that’s how many loads I can reasonably get done in one day. So, using my math skills, I come up with somewhere around 12 loads of baby clothes. In my INDUSTRIAL SIZE washer and dryer! I will admit, those loads were the most fun I’ve ever had doing laundry (one of the dreaded household chores that Roger and I usually share because I thoroughly dislike doing laundry). Baby clothes are so cute ~ especially little baby girl clothes!
Once I started getting the clothes folded or on hangers, I realized I had a problem. There were a lot more clothes than I was prepared to store. So, I confiscated half of Patrick’s closet ~ he’s at school until the end of next month, so he’s not really using his closet right now ~ and I went to the store and bought a plastic storage tall boy-like thing. Oh, and I also confiscated one of those large plastic storage drawers that was not being used.
I filled up half of Patrick’s closet with baby clothes:
I filled up the plastic storage tall boy-like thing:
And I filled up the plastic storage drawer:
And even all of that wasn’t enough storage. If you’ll notice in the picture of the tall boy-like thing, there’s a box on the floor to the right. That’s a regular size moving box ~ it’s full of baby clothes. Next to that, which you can’t see in the picture, is a regular kitchen size garbage bag that’s also full of baby stuff, as well as an additional regular size moving box! Good gracious!
Attison is going to be the best-dressed baby in all of Arkansas, and maybe even the surrounding states. We’re not going to have to buy her any clothes until she’s almost 2 years old ~ and if she’s as small as we’re thinking she might be, it may be even longer before we have to buy any clothes for her.
Don’t take me wrong ~ I’m thrilled to have so many baby clothes. Ashley’s friend was SO generous. She also gave Ashley 2 infant car seats, a johnny jump-up, a small swinging basinet, and a crib set (bumper, 3 sheets, comforter and matching pillow). Kathryn has said she has an older child’s car seat she wants to give to Ashley, and just this morning a lady at co-op offered to let us borrow her hand-crafted cradle. I’m so amazed at how giving people have been with this baby!
I’m thankful beyond words to all of you who have been praying for Ashley, Jacob and Attison. And I can’t even begin to express my thanks to those who have so generously given Ashley baby clothes and other baby items. We’re fairly well prepared for Attison’s arrival ~ now we just have to wait until it’s time for her to be born!
Well, I’ve finally taken the plunge. I bought a sewing machine. And I fully intend to learn how to use it. No, really ~ I do!
Growing up sewing never held any kind of appeal for me, so I never learned how. And to be honest, until about a month ago I didn’t really have much of an interest in learning how to sew. But for some reason, lately learning to sew has become just slightly less than an obsession for me. Maybe it has something to do with finding out I’m going to be a grandparent in a couple of months ~ oh! the cute little dresses and outfits I’ll be able to make for my granddaughter!
Now I just need to learn how to do more than wind a bobbin. But, I have successfully wound my first bobbin, so I’m on my way. 
With over 10 million hits to their website TheRebelution.com, Alex and Brett Harris are leading the charge in a growing movement of Christian young people who are rebelling against the low expectations of their culture by choosing to “do hard things” for the glory of God.
Written when they were 18 years old, Do Hard Things is the Harris twins’ revolutionary message in its purest and most compelling form, giving readers a tangible glimpse of what is possible for teens who actively resist cultural lies that limit their potential. Combating the idea of adolescence as a vacation from responsibility, the authors weave together biblical insights, history, and modern examples to redefine the teen years as the launching pad of life and map a clear trajectory for long-term fulfillment and eternal impact.
Written by teens for teens, Do Hard Things is packed with humorous personal anecdotes, practical examples, and stories of real-life rebelutionaries in action. This rallying cry from the heart of revolution already in progress challenges the next generation to lay claim to a brighter future, starting today.
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I have a brand new copy of Do Hard Things to give away. If you would like to be entered into the drawing, just send me an email. Please put “do hard things” in the subject box so my spaminator won’t eat it!
I will draw a winner next Monday, April 21 ~ entries will close at 12:00pm (noon) CST that day. Because this giveaway came with a postage-paid envelope from the publisher, the drawing is open to residents of the lower 48 contiguous US.
With over 10 million hits to their website TheRebelution.com, Alex and Brett Harris are leading the charge in a growing movement of Christian young people who are rebelling against the low expectations of their culture by choosing to “do hard things” for the glory of God.
Written when they were 18 years old, Do Hard Things is the Harris twins’ revolutionary message in its purest and most compelling form, giving readers a tangible glimpse of what is possible for teens who actively resist cultural lies that limit their potential. Combating the idea of adolescence as a vacation from responsibility, the authors weave together biblical insights, history, and modern examples to redefine the teen years as the launching pad of life and map a clear trajectory for long-term fulfillment and eternal impact.
Written by teens for teens, Do Hard Things is packed with humorous personal anecdotes, practical examples, and stories of real-life rebelutionaries in action. This rallying cry from the heart of revolution already in progress challenges the next generation to lay claim to a brighter future, starting today.
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I have a brand new copy of Do Hard Things to give away. If you would like to be entered into the drawing, just send me an email. Please put “do hard things” in the subject box so my spaminator won’t eat it!
I will draw a winner next Monday, April 21 ~ entries will close at 12:00pm (noon) CST that day. Because this giveaway came with a postage-paid envelope from the publisher, the drawing is open to residents of the lower 48 contiguous US.
Here are a few pictures from the baby shower my friends held for Ashley and Attison last month. I’m still combing through all of the pictures the photographer gave me ~ these are a few to get you started, though. As you can see, we had a fantastic time. One of my favorite pictures from this group is the one where there’s a line of ladies sitting in chairs in front of a window ~ if you’ve read my blog for a while you’ll recognize my friend Kathryn in the middle of them ~ they’re laughing (I like the word chortling to describe their belly-laughing) and having a great ol’ time!
Yesterday Roger bought us a new car. Actually, it’s a used car, so it’s a “new-to-us” car. I L.O.V.E. my Suburban, but have you noticed the price of gas lately? Geez! It’s ridiculous. So, Roger found us a nice used car that is bigger than our 1999 Honda Accord but smaller than the Suburban, gets pretty good gas mileage, and will seat 5 or 6 people in a crunch ~ it will seat 4 comfortably. As much as I hate to give up driving my Suburban everyday, for now I’ll be driving the new-to-us car. Roger and I chuckled because, quite honestly, the “new” car is a total granny car ~ a 2001 Buick Custom La Sabre, V6, automatic, white with gray interior. It has decent mileage for a 2001 model, and when Roger had our mechanic check it out the guy said it was in good shape. And for the asking price, it was a good deal. Roger even managed to talk the guy down $500 from his original asking price, so Rog did pretty good!
The best part was Roger’s suggestion for a vanity plate: Go Nana. LOL!
I think Ashley and Jacob brought all the bad weather we’re having with them when they moved here!
Actually, I know that’s not true. Poor kids ~ we’ve had 2 days of tornado warnings in the 10 days they’ve been here. They’re certainly getting a crash course in Arkansas spring weather ~ we’ve had wet, chilly days, warm humid days, rainy days, days with tornadoes, and days with nothing but sunshine. At least the pretty flowers and trees are blooming (even if Ashley is allergic to everything in bloom!).
We’re expecting more bad weather over the next day or so. Tonight the whole family is together though. Roger drove down to pick up Patrick and Ariel who each have a scholarship interview at the University of Central Arkansas tomorrow. Prayerfully the weather will cooperate and they’ll be able to get to Conway and back without any problems.
This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingTrouble the WaterThomas Nelson (March 11, 2008)byNicole Seitz
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nicole Seitz is a South Carolina Lowcountry native and the author of The Spirit of Sweetgrass as well as a freelance writer/illustrator who has published in numerous low country magazines. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Journalism, she also has a bachelor’s degree in illustration from Savannah College of Art & Design. Nicole shows her paintings in the Charleston, South Carolina area, where she owns a web design firm and lives with her husband and two small children. Nicole is also an avid blogger, you can leave her a comment on her blog.
Seitz’s writing style recalls that of Southern authors like Kaye Gibbons, Anne Rivers Siddons, and Sue Monk Kidd, and this new novel, which the publisher compares to Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees, surely joins the ranks of strong fiction that highlights the complicated relationships between women. Highly recommended, especially for Southern libraries.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
In the South Carolina Sea Islands lush setting, Nicole Seitz’s second novel Trouble the Water is a poignant novel about two middle-aged sisters’ journey to self-discovery.
One is seeking to recreate her life yet again and learns to truly live from a group of Gullah nannies she meets on the island. The other thinks she’s got it all together until her sister’s imminent death from cancer causes her to re-examine her own life and seek the healing and rebirth her troubled sister managed to find on St. Anne’s Island.
Strong female protagonists are forced to deal with suicide, wife abuse, cancer, and grief in a realistic way that will ring true for anyone who has ever suffered great loss.
“This is another thing I know for a fact: a woman can’t be an island, not really. No, it’s the touching we do in other people’s lives that matters when all is said and done. The silly things we do for ourselves–shiny new cars and jobs and money–they don’t mean a hill of beans. Honor taught me that. My soul sisters on this island taught me that. And this is the story of true sisterhood. It’s the story of Honor, come and gone, and how one flawed woman worked miracles in this mixed-up world.”
“…a special sisterhood of island women whose wisdom and courage linger in the mind long after the book is closed.”
-NEW YORK TIMES best-selling author SUSAN WIGGS
photo by Susan B. Anderson
Is he the cutest little knitted elephant you’ve ever seen or what?! This little guy was knitted by Susan Anderson, author of Itty-Bitty Hats and Itty-Bitty Nursery. Susan is having a giveaway right now ~ you could win this elephante! Just go to Susan’s site and leave her a comment. The contest ends Friday, April 11 at 12:00pm Central time.
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Amber Morn
(Zondervan Publishing Company – April 2008)
by
Brandilyn Collins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brandilyn Collins is a best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense™. These harrowing crime thrillers have earned her the tagline
“Don’t forget to b r e a t h e …®”
Brandilyn writes for Zondervan, the Christian division of HarperCollins Publishers, and is currently at work on her 19th book. Her first, A Question of Innocence, was a true crime published by Avon in 1995. Its promotion landed her on local and national TV and radio, including the Phil Donahue and Leeza talk shows.
She’s also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley & Sons), and often teaches at writers conferences.
Brandilyn blogs at Forensics and Faith. Visit her Website
to read the first chapters of all her books.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The whole thing couldn’t have taken more than sixty seconds.
Bailey hung on to the counter, dazed. If she let go, she’d collapse—and the twitching fingers of the gunman would pull the trigger. The rest of her group huddled in frozen shock.
Dear God, help us! Tell me this is a dream . . .
The shooter’s teeth clenched. “ Anybody who moves is dead.”
On a beautiful Saturday morning the nationally read
“Scenes and Beans” bloggers gather at Java Joint for a special celebration. Chaos erupts when three gunmen burst in and take them all hostage. One person is shot and dumped outside.
Police Chief Vince Edwards must negotiate with the desperate trio. The gunmen insist on communicating through the “comments” section of the blog—so all the world can hear their story. What they demand, Vince can’t possibly provide. But if he doesn’t, over a dozen beloved Kanner Lake citizens will die…
Amber Morn is the climactic finale to Collins’ widely read Kanner Lake series. All first three titles in the series, Violet Dawn, Coral Moon, and Crimson Eve, were bestsellers. Library Journal placed Crimson Eve on its Best Books of 2007 list, and hailed it the “Best Christian suspense of 2007.”
A few early reviews of Amber Morn:
“… essential reading … a harrowing hostage drama.” – Library Journal
“… heart-pounding … breakneck pace … satisfying and meaningful ending.” – RT Bookreviews
“This cataclysmic ending left me breathless … Kanner Lake is the Best Suspense Series of 2007/2008.” – deenasbooks.blogspot.com
“Collins has saved the best for a last .. a powerful ensemble performance.” — BookshelfReview.com
“… a staccato tempo … Sometimes you just have to close the book in order to come up for air.” – Dale Lewis
“…a masterpiece of page-turning suspense with a cast of dozens.” – Peg Phifer
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Trish’s Take
I am most definitely a Brandilyn Collins fan. I was so excited when
Amber Morn came up on the reviewers’ list for CFBA. I enjoyed the first 3 books of the Kanner Lake Series (
Violet Dawn, Coral Moon, and Crimson Eve).
I was not disappointed with Amber Morn. It delivered the expected action, and the unexpected actions of the characters, which kept the story moving at a fantastic pace. Amber Morn includes a lot more character introspection than the first three books of the series, but Ms. Collins’s ability to provide character depth keeps the introspection interesting.
As with the first three books of the Kanner Lake Series, I had difficulty putting this book down. I finished it in less than 48 hours. It’s a great read, especially if you like fast-paced Christian mysteries. I definitely recommend this book ~ even if you haven’t read the other books in this series. There’s enough character information and background in Amber Morn to make it a good stand-alone book.
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