I’ve been thinking all day about what I wanted to write about. Nothing much came to mind. But, as I kissed my handsome man good bye for him to go help somebody move in, I realized I probably haven’t recorded my memories and thoughts about our first house. I started our family blog when my 7-year-old was about 9 months. We bought our first house when I was 7 months pregnant with him. In other words, it wasn’t on the blog, and I probably didn’t write about it in my journal.

So. Here we go. I remember feeling a bit shocked and spoiled that we were buying a house so early in our marriage. We were married August 22, 2006 and closed on our first house August 1, 2007- less than one year later. I did insist that we live in a nice little crumby apartment when we were first married, because “everybody has to have that experience as newlyweds!” And it was lovely. Located on 2nd East in Rexburg, just 2 blocks from campus; 300 square feet on the back of a house. It had a tiny hallway of a kitchen, and the smallest bathroom I’ve seen. The main room was wide open, but we tried to create a little bedroom privacy with the stand alone closet that was provided. It was perfect for us! I remember many nights after I got pregnant being so exhausted that I would go to bed at 7:00 while Brant watched sports. That was the only time we’ve ever had Cable TV because it was provided by our landlords. They were a nice old couple that lived in the main part of the house.

When Brant graduated from BYU-Idaho in May, 2007, he got a job in Idaho Falls. We were encouraged to buy a house because of the first-time home buyers incentive. We didn’t have any money for a down payment. But, we decided instead of throwing our money away to rent, we would buy and start to build equity. Looking back now, it might not have been the best move. But, that might be largely due to the recession and housing slump that hit shortly after we bought.

We drove around the area where Brant would teach, and decided against living there. It was scary, run down and not for us!

My dad wanted us to buy a house over on the West side of Idaho Falls, because he thought it had better resale value. (My parents came to look at a few houses with us. My dad owns many homes, and knew what he was doing… and happens to now be a real estate agent in St. George, UT.) But, we had found the right house for us!

It was a beautiful little white house with a white picket fence on one side of the yard. 3 bedrooms, 1 bath. A nice living room, small kitchen, and a wood stove. Built on 1/4 acre with a great backyard and big trees, including fruit trees, chokecherry bushes, grapes, strawberries and gooseberries. It also had beautiful pink roses in the front yard.

I LOVED the kitchen when we first looked at the house! These pictures are from when we were trying to sell the house, and so they don’t show how small it really was. It was perfect when we moved in. But, by the time we moved out, we had three kids and had definitely outgrown the kitchen!

We LOVED the wood stove. The first winter we lived there, our baby wouldn’t sleep unless he was swaddled pretty tight. But, we were new at burning wood in the stove to heat the house, so it often got SO hot that we had to open many windows to cool it down enough for all of us to sleep. :)

I won’t go into too many details about the basement remodel. Brant finished the rest of the basement while we lived there. It became a 5 bedroom, 2 bath home. He did a great job! (I think he made a blog about it on our family blog when he finished.) Here are pictures of each of the rooms. Not exactly the way I remember them, since we actually lived in the house. But, There are pictures on our family blog, of us living in the house, because I did blog for most of those years.

The owners we bought from had a $1000 carpet allowance as part of their selling point. We decided to offer a bit less and take that out. That was a mistake. This is the pictures of the new carpet that we bought, just before we moved out! :( We dealt with the nasty “white” carpet the whole time we lived there. We paid $124,000 for the house, which included closing costs and everything.

I painted this bedroom a couple months before Caleb was born!

The day we moved in, like I said, I was 7 months pregnant. The only thing I was allowed to carry was a pillow. ;) Brant moved almost everything by himself, and had help only for the washer and dryer. We didn’t own a couch. I think all we had was our queen sized bed, a glider rocking chair and a few boxes, really. It’s funny how quickly you fill up the space you have though!

All in all. I loved this house. We still own it and rent it out. This summer we had to go through and really clean it and it was so sad to see the way the renters had left it. Disgusting!

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Wow. I nearly forgot about this blog. I came back to it today, looking for a picture of a friend and me in high school. I read through a few of my Mommy's piggy tails stories and LOVED it! Why have I not been doing this blog still?

And then I remembered why. All FIVE reasons why.

Yep. I now have 5 kids! And I'm busy. And I'm run down. And whenever I have a spare moment I usually don't want to spend it blogging!

Ironically enough, my new baby boy is named Oliver. I just saw that the last time I posted on here was about the book Oliver Twist. :)

However, as I read through my old stories this morning, it made me want to start blogging again. I think it's therapeutic. I still have our family blog where I put pictures of my kids, and our family and what we've been up to. And I like to do instagram. But, I'm thinking this blog will be more for me.

I still have a dream of becoming a published author one day. But I'm pretty content with the fact that it's just a dream. Maybe it will happen. Probably not. But, like I said, I'm ok with that.

My oldest son is 7 and is a GREAT reader. I love that. My second son is 5 and is learning to read, and picking it up quickly. I love that too. I read books when I can, and I sometimes pawn the bedtime reading off to the oldest. And I won't lie, sometimes we don't have time for bedtime reading. And that's ok too.

So, I'm thinking I'll try to blog when I feel like it, and share more stories from my life. I used to keep a journal very regularly. Up until about the time I had kids. Now, It's very sporadic. Usually when I'm very stressed or very happy. Which is fine. But, I know there are plenty of stories that happen that I would love to share with my children and their children and theirs someday. So. I'll write them here.

If anybody still reads this, great. Let me know what you think. I'm not so good at linking up, but maybe we can encourage each other and choose topics to write about together. If nobody reads it, that's alright too. :)

In the mean time... I think I'll go snuggle with my sweet baby girl who slept in until 10:30 this morning. Probably means she's not feeling so well... Read the rest of this post

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This is another review choice that I grabbed for my husband. He commutes 40 minutes to and from school each day, so he’s started listening to books on CD. This was provided ~free of charge by the Tyndale Blog Network.~

It’s the classic Charles Dickens tale as you have never heard it before! This is not an ordinary book on CD, where a reader simply reads the book. It is created very artistically with voices, music, background sound effects and more. It’s like taking a trip back in time to listen to the radio, the way it used to be (way back before me!)

It came in a very beautiful package, complete with 5 audio CD’s and a bonus DVD with behind the scenes footage on the making of “Oliver Twist.” A very nice presentation! But, how did it sound?

From Brant:

I enjoyed the change from one reader voicing the entire novel, like I have been listening to on my commute.  The sound effects also made the book interesting and more exciting.  Some parts seem a bit too scary to listen to for our young boys, but I would recommend it for older listeners. 

I honestly didn’t remember the story of Oliver Twist.  This was a fun way to hear the story and think of the lessons it teaches.  It is nice to have a story where good prevails.  It was fun to cheer (inside) for Oliver and see him and others help to make things right. 

It was great to listen to Charles Dickens.  I hope they will do more presentations like this so I can experience more of his beautiful writing.

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By: Doris Rueger

This is one of those books that I got an email about, with an offer at the end saying it was available for review by responding to the email. It sounded very cute, so I agreed to review it. I was provided with two copies of the soft-cover book. This is how it looks on the front:

Looks cute enough right? That’s what I thought too. And, honestly, it was a cute book. I just had a hard time thinking of it as a book published by a real publisher, like professionally!

Anyway, more on that in a minute.

First, the story line. Ella, an elephant born in a zoo, was so well loved and so cute that she was dressed in crowns, earrings, tutus, and fancy slippers. She got lots of attention. When she outgrew her baby costumes she was elegantly  dressed for weddings, etc. But eventually Ella grew older. She grew tired of all the work and being the center of attention. One day, after she retired, she saw herself in a mirror, old, grey and wrinkly. But, eventually she found that she could still be happy.

Cute story line, really it was! A little bit odd, if you ask me, because little girls who would be reading this, don’t know how to relate to the older, tired Ella. Only to the youthful, beautiful, pink Ella! But- it does have a purpose and perhaps it would be better geared toward older women, not little girls at all. :)

My boys really enjoyed it. They are so easy to please and I couldn’t believe they liked it that much. However, maybe that’s the true judge right? (To be fair, they haven’t asked me to read it since the first day…)

And now the negative! The pictures were so infantile! I don’t know how else to say it. And I feel bad being so blunt. But I feel like the pictures were quickly done, using crayons, etc. They were not in any way, worthy of a professionally published book! Sorry.

The book is the winner of the Summer 2012 NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Award (even though I’m not sure what that is….)

For more information about “Ella the Pink Elephant” and how to order your copy, you can go to https://www.createspace.com.

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My husband surprised me by providing a blank hard covered book to my cousin- to illustrate one of my stories! She is so awesome, and spent more than 50 hours working on these illustrations! I loved it!!!

Here’s one picture:

I was pretty excited. I had no idea about this!

She did soo great, I’m going to try extra hard to try to get this one accepted by a publisher! I almost feel like the story isn’t good enough for the pictures though!

Anyway, thought I’d share.

P.S. I never mentioned I heard back from Deseret Book about Dear Grandma. Rejected! Oh well…. Just keep swimming…

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By Rudy Ruettiger, with Mark Dagostino
Published by Thomas Nelson.

This one was all for the hubster! He loves the movie RUDY! Loves it! (I like it too, but that’s besides the point!) Brant gets goosebumps when he watches it. It’s one of those seriously inspiration, motivational, feel good sports movies for him!

And so, the book!

When I saw this book available for review from Booksneeze.com, I knew I had to get it for him. He liked it, I think. He’s already making a list of people he wants to loan it to. I’ll let him tell you what he thought about it!

~I was given a free review copy of this book from Booksneeze.com~

Description:

“The inspirational real-life story of the man behind the beloved movie Rudy, his continued determination to make his dreams come true, and how you can dream big too.

How does a lower middle class kid, who suffered through school with undiagnosed dyslexia, get into Notre Dame and become the inspiration for millions in a Hollywood film that has become one of the most inspiring sport movies ever made? He never gave up.”

And so, Brant’s opinion:

It was interesting to read about the real story of his life and see how it fit in with the way they made the movie.  I remember growing up and watching and being inspired to work hard and go for my dreams by watching his movie.

The down side of the book was the way that it seemed making the movie was the biggest thing he has done in his life.  I always pictured him as someone who would have been able to be very successful and do great things.  The book seemed like he really struggled through with silly odd jobs as he worked on the dream of having a movie made about his success.  I hoped to know of greater things for him.  Oh well, it’s never like the movies right?

I would recommend this book to people who love the movie (like have watched it more than 10 times).  For a sports junkie like me it holds tidbits that are interesting to know the real story.  Side note:  I work with a guy who played lineman for Notre Dame.  In passing he didn’t seem to fond of Rudy.  I still need to find out more from him.

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This book is about a single mother who joins the Marine reservists to provide for her small family. Bekah Shaw got married right out of high school to a loser, and he left her when she was pregnant. Not exactly the life she was imagining. So, she joined the Marine Corps to provide health insurance and extra income to support her son. I was nervous when I first chose it, but when I started reading, that nervousness quickly faded as I got sucked into the story of Lance Corporal Bekah Shaw.

I have to say, I really enjoyed this book. I love historical fiction... well, even though this book is not historical, I still enjoyed it! I couldn't help but compare the action I was reading about, in our current war overseas, with current technology and Marines, to World War II books that I've read and enjoyed. This one was a fun twist!

Mel Odom is great at describing small town life and the awful folks that live there –I detested the way the men treated the women. I imagine that it really happens though, often. Odom was great at getting details into the story, through description, story telling and more.

I don't pay much attention to current events, or the war in Afghanistan, etc. I should, I know... but I don't. This book gave me a glimpse of how sad some of these things really are, but also of the heroes who are working over there.

I like the dramatic events that unfolded as Lance Corporal Bekah Shaw found herself in the Marines! Although she's a single mother to a six year old boy, she hasn't been able to escape her small-town background and loser friends that still live there. She does that on her third tour of duty over in Somalia. She becomes a strong leader, a great friend and an attractive Marine.

I like how there is a bit of quirk in the characters, (individual chapters devoted to introducing and setting the background for various characters… they may seem like minor characters later, but because of those backgrounds that Odom set up for them, I imagine that they will continue to play into the series.) One part that I really liked were the small sparks of affection, emotion and committment that begin to form between Bekah and her new friends/fellow Marines. I can sense a bit of a love story forming there, and I always like that. I’m rooting for Lieutenant Heath Bridger! :)

As I neared the end of the book it appeared that there was not enough pages left to finish the story. It was all complete, and even left an opening for more books in the series. I like that!
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to try something new. To anyone who knows someone in the Marines, though it may not be completely truthful to what actually happens, it broadens our horizons to how rough it is and what our soldiers and Marines fight for. I liked it!

~I was given a free copy of this book to review from Tyndale Blog Network.

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I've been planning to start this review by saying, “This is a really dumb book!!!!” But, I didn’t really want to mislead people. The reason I say it’s a really dumb book is because it made me bawl!!!! Literally. Books don’t usually take such an effect on me, and it wasn’t because of something sweet and precious! It was because it was so stinking sad!

So, instead, I’ve decided to start this review by saying, “A very touching book that will definitely pull your heart strings!” Sounds a little better than a stupid, dumb, book! (I did say that out loud at one point, when my husband looked at me as if to wonder if I was ok because I was crying so much!)

I only cried near the beginning. I desperately hoped that the rest of the book was not as sad and disheartening as the beginning. It wasn’t.

It starts with the love story of Amanda and Jack. Jack is a wonderful father of two beautiful twin girls, whose mother died shortly after they were born. The story is told from the point of view of Kara, one of the twins, when she is older- from the end of the story. The love story is beautiful and it made me so happy! They fell in love, she met the twins, they got married and it was so beautiful! Then, it all went downhill from there.

The part that I hated was how horrible this all was for Amanda! You can guess… Jack died, but so did his parents, who were billionaires. So, the twins’ maternal grandparents who haven’t ever been around, come around and claim the girls… even though they call Amanda Mommy! Those grandparents are evil and it was at that point that I started bawling and simply could not stop, because of the heart ache I felt for this small family!

So… life goes on, they grow up with their Grandparents who treat them like trash and teach them nothing, leaving them to fend for themselves and learn all sorts of bad habits. Amanda is there in the distance keeping and eye on them and waiting until they turn 18 and she can bring them home to share the fortune she received from Jacks’ death.

In the end, I will admit, the story is very nice and I love the parallels it shows to the story of the prodigal son in the Bible. One twin openly embraces the new life and blessings, while one struggles to forget all that she has grown up with. And as unfair as that seems to me, I have to remind myself that that’s the way life is for reals. We have a Father in Heaven waiting to bless us with all that He has, but sometimes we just want to cling to the life we’re living in. We’re not willing to step out of our sad little comfort zone and embrace those blessings.

Anyway, it wasn’t too churchy. (Not churchy at all in fact.) But, it was a good read, once I got past the heartache and sadness… that continues throughout the book.

I would recommend it. It’s a great story to make you think about your own life and how you can relate to either of the twins, and how you accept blessings or “pawn them off” as Kara did with her Grandmother’s jewelry.

~I was given a free review e-copy of this book from Booksneeze.com~

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By Allel Kheroufi

This is actually a play, in four parts, and it’s for children.

I enjoyed reading this play- picturing it done by young children, about the little duck Homer who just wants to fly to the sun.

~I was provided with a free review copy of this play.~

I have to admit, it was a bit redundant. It seemed like, especially in act II, when the elements were attacking Homer, that it was all just the same thing over and over.

And while I’m being critical, I didn’t feel like the character of Homer was developed very well… I suppose the actor and director could work on that, but they’d have to be very imaginative, because there just isn’t much to work with.

However, on the positive side, I would love to see this play done. I think the children who were in it, would have  a blast, and I think it would be a very cute play!

Most of the characters are pretty mean to Homer, which always seems to bother me a bit in stories…. but there are a few who develop sympathy for him. And there are also a few young birds who follow Homer’s example and want to be like him, and achieve great things like he does.

I will admit, I felt like the author tried a little too hard to press into my mind the fact that children can do whatever they set their minds to. Maybe I’m a grump, but at times I felt like the mother goose and mother hen who said that Homer needed to be stopped. That he was filling their children’s heads with nonsensical dreams. (yeah, I must be a grump.)

Cute play. I’d love to see it done. But, I wouldn’t recommend it for reading. Sorry folks. It just wasn’t that well written.

IWant to Fly by AllelKheroufi

ISBN:978-1-4327-8007-4

Publisher:Outskirts Press

Dateof publish: March 2012

Pages:201

S.R.P.:$12.95

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By: Clayton J. Liotta

This is a children’s book about a little boy who thinks he saw a dragon. He decides to search for the dragon all over town. I liked it well enough, but didn’t really cling to it like I do some children’s books.

Here’s their description:

“Using the same soft and beautiful drawings that characterized Dubs Goes To Washington, Liotta has created an enticing book for young readers aged 4-8. The engaging story is written in a clever rhyme. It tells the story of a young boy who thinks he sees a dragon on the other side of his bedroom window as he lays in bed late at night. The next day he goes out hunting for the dragon and we follow his happy adventures. Is the Dragon real or imaginary??? You be the judge...It is sure to bring out the child in us all...”

I asked Christopher if he liked it. “No.” Why not? “Well, it was kind of scary. Well, actually, yeah, I liked it because dragons aren’t real.” Let me just say, It was NOT scary! He is a silly little guy!

One thing that bothered me a bit was that there is NO punctuation marks! Really? Is this a real book? And, yes, it is a real book. I think that was just a unique style. But, as an elementary school teacher, I did not like it. Neither did my husband, who is also an elementary school teacher!

Overall, I would like to say it’s a cute book worth a look!

I Thought I Saw A Dragon Late Last Night! by Clayton Liotta

ISBN:978-1475293814

Publisher:CreateSpace

Dateof publish: May 2012

Pages:36

S.R.P.:$12.99

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What a cute book! I really liked this book!

~I was given a free review copy (e-book) from Booksneeze.com)~

Lily is a 6th grade girl with crazy red-hair, teasing brothers and a great best friend. Like any sixth grade girl, she’s trying to find out who she really is and where she fits in- even within herself.

When Kathleen, an agent at a local modeling company, comes to their school for a lesson on taking care of your body, Lily soon learns who she is and who God wants her to be.

The story progresses and is not without it’s tragedy- but Lily learns that tragedy can become strength if she has faith in herself and God.

I didn’t feel like it was too christiany, if you will. I don’t like books that talk too much about that sort of thing. But I think this book was great for 4th and 5th grade girls who enjoy a good read with an underlying theme to help them gain self-confidence.

And it’s just written really well!

I enjoyed reading it on my kindle app for my iPod. Many people don’t enjoy that, but I think it’s great! Very accessible and simple to read!

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They are so professional! Of course, I did have a little chuckle at the “unsolicited manuscript submission” part. It kind of gave me the idea that maybe I should have used an agent?

Oh well! I’m excited that I submitted it, and they’re working on reviewing it, and some day, I’ll hear!

I’m not worrying about it though. Or thinking about it. Really. At all.

We’re moving this summer! I’ve got plenty else to think about! Mr. Fabulous got a job teaching Spanish in Jackson Hole, Wyoming at the elementary school! Fun! And crazy! It’s my job lately to find us a new home… and that’s not easy to find a home for a family of five in Jackson Hole. Have you ever heard of that place? It’s pricey! So, we’ll be living an hour away… :/

What else? Mr. Fabulous was on a curriculum review committee for the state of Idaho this summer! Check out what they gave him to take home and give to his wife use.

Books! Teaching materials! Posters! Tons of Awesome stuff!!! It made me want to teach so bad! Some day….

Meanwhile, Here’s what I got in the mail and I’m working on reading for a review. It’s so cute! (Just another thing that makes me want to do something I can’t right now! This time it makes me want to direct a children’s play! Or teach a children’s theatre group with my mom!)

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Let me start by saying that I love Shawn Johnson. What I can remember of her- from watching her in the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing. What girl doesn’t love the gymnastics portion? I sure do!

So, when I saw the chance to review this book- which was just barely released- I took it! And, I loved it!

Isn’t she beautiful? What a great role model for young women and girls!

Here’s what the Tyndale Media Center says: “Twenty-year-old American gymnast Shawn Johnson is a four-time Olympic gold and silver medalist; a national- and world-champion athlete. Already a popular role model to all ages, in 2009 she captured the national spotlight again when she won the widely popular Dancing with the Stars. Yet Shawn is no stranger to hard work and adversity. Her loss of the major gymnastics prize everyone expected her to win in Beijing, the all-around Olympic gold medal, was the loss of a dream she’d worked for since childhood. And later, she suffered a potentially career-ending injury in a skiing accident that forced her life to a halt and made her rethink what was really important. She wasn’t sure who she was anymore. She wasn’t sure what her goals were. And she wasn’t sure she was satisfied with where she was with her faith and God. Could she find the right kind of success in life—the kind that doesn’t involve medals or trophies, but peace, love, and lasting joy? This is the amazing true journey of how the young woman who won an Olympic gold medal on the balance beam became even more balanced.” (Which, by the way, Tyndale Media Blog center provided me with a free review copy of this book.)

My conclusion- I still love Shawn Johnson, even more than I did watching her win the Olympics! What a strong young woman, and I love her writing style!

I couldn’t help but compare the book to Suzanne Collins’  book The Hunger Games (which I finished recently- very intriguing!)  They use the same contrite first person point of view, discussing “the games,” their love life, their family. The main difference in Shawn’s book, there was no killing!

I would highly recommend this book, to anybody who loves a good read. It’s quick and easy, complete with colored photographs, original poems, and more. Quick and fun to read!

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I like to read historical fiction. When I tried writing a novel, I tried writing about modern life, serious business…. that’s not what I like to read. Why would I try to write that?

So, why not write historical fiction? Because that takes a ton of research, and let’s face it, I’m lazy. Ann Rinaldi, for example- my favorite Historical fiction author- writes junior fiction. They are splendid books, but I always read at the end about all of her research and it blows me away how much effort that is!

But, then I realized something. I made a book of family history for my grandparents for Christmas this last year. It was a ton of work! It was a ton of research. My goal was to find stories of their ancestors. I looked online, I found a journal, I called distant relatives. And suddenly it hit me! That was historical research!

So, why couldn’t I write a novel about one of my ancestors? I have real stories about them. That’s what Ann Rinaldi does. She takes real people, and real stories and writes around that. She creates beautiful works of art, using truth and history. I think I’ll give it a try!

Should I write about life in Denmark? Or life in Utah?

Should I create a character? Or use a real ancestor?

I have already started brainstorming for this, and it seems like the possibilities are endless. More research is definitely needed, but I’ve got a great jumpstart!

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So, I finally mailed and submitted my children’s book manuscript to Deseret Book! Wahoo!!!

It’s been ready for so long, and I just kept putting it off because I was worried about writing a good query letter. I feel like all my query letters to date are lame!!! But, I found a good website with a good example query letter and directions to complete your own. I felt good about it. (Dang! I don’t remember the website!)

Anyway, I’m proud to say it is done. This is my one big hope. I know it’s a long shot, but I’m hoping anyway. It’s just the kind of children’s book that Deseret Book publishes, and it really is a sweet book!

And to make things sweeter- this weekend I got to help plant flowers in my Grandpa’s flower garden. The same flower garden that I got to help my Grandma plant the summer before I went to college. That little detail is in my story!

“Dear Grandma.” Is that a good title? Would you want to read a children’s book called “Dear Grandma?” That’s what I called it….

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No. At least not by my standards. More like lazy. Our house is up for sale… not sure why. I’ve just kind of hit a lull lately. Don’t really feel like doing a lot. BUT, I was able to listen to Janice Kapp Perry speak this last Saturday. Anybody know who she is? She’s a great (and I mean GREAT!) musical genius. She has written a lot of the LDS primary songs for children for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and many more songs. Including one about her family that she sang for us on Saturday. So cute! I had it in my head throughout the rest of the weekend.

Anyway, my point in sharing about her was this- she encouraged us to choose something that we really want to do, and do it! Take baby steps towards it, each day, or at least each week or month… and make it happen.

I haven’t given up on getting my books published. I’ve just kind of “pushed it aside.” Like I’ve mentioned before, I feel like being a Mom is the most important thing I will ever do- and I’m in the full swing of that currently. I have a 4 1/2 year old, and almost 3 year old and a (VERY BUSY) 1 year old. Observe:

 

As you can see…. I’m a busy lady. But, after hearing Janice’s advice, I came home that day, and found myself with a quiet afternoon… 2 boys sleeping and one at a birthday party. So, I opened up my children’s book, “Dear Grandma” and did some more editing. I know it’s ready to send in, well at least it’s nearly ready. I feel like I should edit it a few more times… or something. But I’m going to do it. And if I get rejected… I’m going to do it again!

My husband, Mr. Fabulous (Is that his name on here?) (Maybe it’s terrific, or wonderful or amazing… he fits them all.) Anyway, he thinks I should stick with my novel. I told him my novel is crappy! Is that too harsh? I just got stuck at a dead end and don’t know where to take it from there…. so I stopped. And don’t really want to start again. I lost all inspiration for the novel!

Children’s books is where my heart lies anyway….

Well, what do you think? Or have I waited too long between posts that nobody even reads this blog anymore?

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I’m alive, I promise! Three kids later, I’m busy as can be. Sorry. If anybody really has been hoping that I would post, sorry. And (more likely) those of you who forgot about me, I’m back.

I got an email from Nannypro.com They posted a list of 10 books to get kids reading again, and wanted to make sure I knew about it, just in case I wanted to link it or feature it here on this blog. I’m so glad they did, because it’s a great list, and I now have at least 2 new books that I want to read. Go check it out, because I’m telling you- Killing Lincoln sounds like an awesome book!

As for me. I have made one more step towards publishing a book… I got out some large envelopes to mail it in. Pathetic huh? I really have a detailed plan, I just keep putting it off because I have so much more to do.

Actually, I made a book. A complete book. It’s about my Grandparent’s ancestors. And it’s awesome! I included my Grandma’s history, handwritten by her; her mother’s history (also handwritten by her,) stories, journals, trail excerpts from ancestors; and memories and pictures provided by my aunts, uncles and cousins. It was a really big project and I had a lot of help from family. And I was so happy with the way it turned out!

I’ll try to post more on here. I like it. It reminds me that I really do want to get my books published. It reminds me that I really do love reading, and my kids do too. Christopher is 4 now, and he’s getting pretty close to learning to read. He loves letters, and recognizes them everywhere. Caleb, 2, loves books too. Derek is 10 months now and likes books a lot. They taste good.

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Courageous: Honor Begins at Home Book Review

Mr. Fabulous: After seeing this book sitting around for a while, I picked it up and read it. Since my wife is still waiting, I will write a review of it.

Courageous is a story of four police officers and their families with Christian and father themes. The story is set in Georgia with police officers in different stages of their careers and families. After the suicide of a comrade, Adam decided he needed to evaluate his life. He was led to reconnect with his son by beginning to run with him. With mentoring help from Tom, a man in an Assisted Living Home, Adam decides on certain goals and expectations to become the kind of husband and father he wants to be, in the process becoming a better person himself.

As the story unfolds, Adam connects to many police officers and has heart-felt conversations with them. Eventually many of the officers decide to agree to a pact to work together and help each other. Others make strides toward improving in their own way.

The story includes much that was interesting about the daily life of a police officer and its challenges. It was weird to me to read about others’ exchanges about Christ because it seems like they do not happen quite as often as portrayed and when they do, they are pretty special. It is important to know of the power that comes into one’s life with Christ’s help when making changes, but those parts sometimes bogged me down. Otherwise I enjoyed the themes that helped me to reflect on my own relationship with my wife and boys. I had to think about what I am doing to be a better person myself as well.

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I’ve been a distracted writer lately. I haven’t been as diligent about writing my stories. I’m busy making my own. I love being a Mom. I love it! It’s the only thing I really ever wanted to do in my life. And I have that, and I love it! As much as I want to publish my books, right now, that comes second. (or fourth, since now I have 3 kids.)

Anyway, I was thinking about that today. And I decided I wanted to share with you my views on parenting. (I’m currently reading Dr. Laura’s book called In Praise of Stay at Home Moms. It’s a great book, and really embodies what I’m getting at here…) One of the easiest ways for me to share those views is by directing you to a document called The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

At one point, when I was in college, I had almost this entire document memorized. I love it. I try to live by it. You know what I think is amazing? It isn’t just for members of my church- it’s for the entire world. I don’t care if you aren’t a member of the LDS church, or even if you believe in God, this document, if you follow it, will enrich and strengthen your family!

Anyway, enough preaching from me. I love my family. I love my family. I love them so much. And I know you love your family- so I just thought I would share this beautiful pearl of family guidance.

Now, I’m going to go spend some time with my family!

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Another long “in-between” blog posts for me. Same excuse:

Little baby Derek has joined our family, and I absolutely love him so much, it’s kind of hard to put him down long enough to type with both hands! But, I have had a little bit more time to read- while relaxing… as much as I can relax with three little boys!

This book, Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs was an interesting read for me.

My husband and I have a great marriage relationship. I don’t feel like we’re struggling, in any serious way. But, I chose this book (which was provided to me free of charge from BookSneeze) because I like to find any little thing to help improve communication and relationships. Plus, it kind of sounded interesting.

Here’s the synopsis:

Based upon Ephesians 5:33 and extensive biblical and psychological research, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs reveals the power of unconditional love and unconditional respect and how husbands and wives can reap the benefits of marriage that God intended.

I have to say, my expectations were set too high for this book. It was a good read. It was interesting. But, it wasn’t anything very new. All of the reviews (within the book) talked about how it’s such a new concept, “I’ve never heard of anything like it,” “It’s legendary and changed my life.” Well, I can see how it might help change someone’s life and relationship, but I didn’t feel like it was anything new.

My biggest peave while reading the book was that NOT ALL WOMEN are harsh to their husbands, as it made them sound. I can think of a couple of women who could desperately use this book. But, I felt like it’s one of those things… preaching to the choir. The women who need to read it, who treat their husbands rough, and show no respect- they won’t read it. (Unless their marriage is in serious bad shape, in which case, I would definitely recommend this book for them.)

As for the advice to men… it was sound advice. Women need to feel loved. I get that. I understand that. It’s true. But, like I said, that’s nothing new to the world of marriage advice.

My favorite part of the book was the examples of couples who had tried the concept of unconditional love and unconditional respect and had benefited from it. Some of the examples were basic- a couple that easily could’ve been my husband and I. Most were outrageous- like the couples that I know who nag each other, and yell and treat each other unkindly. Maybe that’s one of the reasons I didn’t really like the book.

It was a long read. It was redundant. It just wasn’t anything new!

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Reading that title now, I realize it sounds odd. Lame, even. Oh well. It’s kind of how I’ve been feeling lately.

It’s been a long time since I’ve worked on my books. I have spent a lot of time reading books- to myself and my boys. But, I kind of placed my writing on the backburner for a while. I know I made goals to have finished my novel by Christmas, and have gotten representation by March 31 (my baby’s due date.) But, both of those goals went out the window. I guess I just decided there were more important things for me to do.

I’ve said that before haven’t I? I enjoy the fact that I’m not on a strict schedule, and can hold off for a while if I feel the need. Well, sometimes, obviously, that can have a negative effect.

However, lately, I’ve really been thinking about my Dear Grandma story. Maybe it’s because it’s about my Grandma Wilde, and this is about the time of year that she passed away (4 years ago.) Her birthday is Saturday.

I’ve been thinking about her lately, because when I found out we were pregnant I was really hoping for a girl this time. (It’s another boy…) I was newly pregnant with my first son when my Grandma died, and I was really hoping for a girl that time too. (3 boys later…) I wanted to honor my Grandma by using Celia (her name) as a middle name. That doesn’t work very well for a boy.

Anyway, I’m kind of rambling. My point is, I’ve decided it’s time to revisit my Dear Grandma story and send it in to Deseret Book. It’s been done for a long time, but I wanted to make sure it was just right before I submitted it. And now that I’ve been a slacker for so long, maybe I can go back and read it and find things to fix. Like the name of the main character. Currently the little girl’s name is Janey. I’ve decided that’s hard for kids, or anyone really, to relate to. Maybe Alexis or Jennica would be better? Which one do you think?

Both of my boys are asleep right now, and it’s very rare that I’m not attempting to nap too. But, the past few times have been rough (as in, I get one to sleep, then finally the other, then get comfy myself and the first one wakes up… rough.) So, I decided that it was just time to forgo the nap idea and work on my book.

I’m not really excited about my novel right now. I’m at a stand still and lack the motivation to pick it up. But, like I said, I’m feeling optimistic about Dear Grandma.

Tonight is a reading night at Mr. Fabulous’ school. It’s celebrating Dr. Seuss. Christopher (3 1/2 now) is really excited about it. That’s the only way I could convince him to nap today… I think it should be fun too.

Oh, and a proud Mama moment- at story time at the library today (it’s been a while since we went) Christopher sat still, listened and sang along and danced right with the librarian. And Caleb (almost 2) did too, almost the whole time! It was fun, and cute!

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First of all- I am sorry! I haven’t blogged on here FOREVER!!! I can explain:

Ok, lame excuse, I know. But it’s all I’ve got.

I have to start this book review by saying:  I loved this book! I decided to ask for this one (from Tyndale Media Center blog network who provided this copy free of charge) because their description really caught my attention:

On September 15, 1963, a Klan-planted bomb went off in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Fourteen-year-old Carolyn Maull was just a few feet away when the bomb exploded, killing four of her friends in the girl’s rest room she had just exited. It was one of the seminal moments in the Civil Rights movement, a sad day in American history . . . and the turning point in a young girl’s life.

Doesn’t that make you want to read it?

Anyway, I was in the middle of another book when this one came in the mail. I started skimming through it, and couldn’t put it down! (I still haven’t finished the other book I was reading.)

Carolyn told her story, along with many other details of the civil rights movement in the south, with conviction and heart. I didn’t feel as though she was telling it for attention. Oppositely, in fact, I think Carolyn felt inspired to share this story with the world, to help us remember the struggle that it was, and how much further we still may have to go.

I grew up in Idaho. I have NEVER been to the south. I have NO IDEA what it means to be prejudice, at least not in the full sense of the word. But, reading this book definitely helped me to gain a better understanding of the hatred, misunderstandings and sadness that existed (and probably still does) in the world.

I’ve heard a few stories about the civil rights movement- mostly the common ones like Ruby Bridges, Jim Crow laws, Martin Luther King Jr., etc. But, after reading Carolyn’s story, I feel as though I have learned so much more about what truly happened and how people felt through it all.

Not only did the book help me to understand and feel more empathy to the civil rights movement, but I also caught a glimpse into the author’s life after such a crazy childhood. She struggled with depression, alcoholism, and more- because she had never had a chance to discuss with anyone (let alone family and friends) about the bombing and the impact that it had on her life.

I would surely recommend this book to anyone. Anyone who wants to learn more about the Civil Rights Movement; anyone who is giving a report on the south; or anyone who just wants to read a good book that will enlighten your mind. It will definite

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Run to Overcome

By: Meb Keflezighi

Please note: I am not a runner. I don’t enjoy running. I never plan to run a marathon. But, I am always intrigued by people who overcome great adversity to do something spectacular. That’s who Meb is!

Meb won the New York City ING Marathon in 2009. This book is about so much more than that. It tells Meb’s entire life story, from his birth in Eritrea, an African country (which I had never heard of before,) through his families struggles and eventual escape from there to Italy and then to America, through his education, running career, romance and family.

My husband, who was also sucked into reading this (by my comments and insights I’m sure,) and I began referring to the book simply as Meb. It is truly an autobiography, very well written. I felt like I knew Meb when I was done reading it. (And believe me, he is a great man, very worth knowing.)

There were some aspects of the book that I found daunting. For example, Meb describes, in much detail, all of his important races over the past 20 years or so. From high school, to college at UCLA, to his professional career, including the Olympics. He gives statistics, times, names of fellow racers, etc. It was a little much for me, not being a runner. But, I think it fit very well with the theme of the book- and anyone who enjoys running would definitely enjoy that part.

My favorite part (I’m such a girl) was the chapter about how he met and courted his beautiful wife. I wished it were longer. I wished he put more in the book about his three darling daughters! But, alas, ‘tis a running book so I suppose it’s only decent for him to focus on his running career.

Overall I was extremely impressed with the book. I didn’t feel like it was written in a way to make Meb out to be a hero because of all of the hardships he’s gone through in his life. I hate it when books are written like that. Instead, he just plainly shared his life story, and because of it, I was inspired to try a little harder and be a little better.

If you want more information you can go to www.runtoovercome.com

In fact, I suggest you do, because they are holding a contest on that site. It runs November 1, 2010 through March 31, 2011. They will be giving away autographed copies of Run to Overcome each month, plus other books as well as Sony and Powerbar products. It’s definitely worth your time to check it out!

If you get a chance, or come across it, I would highly recommend reading Run to Overcome by: Meb Keflezighi. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

*I was given a complimentary review copy of this book from the Tyndale Media Network.*

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I had a chance this weekend to go to a Children’s Literature Conference at BYU-Idaho, where I went to college. I was planning on going with my mom, but she called me at 6:00 that morning to say she had the stomach flu all night and wasn’t going to make it. Sad!

But, I still went, and I still learned a lot and had a good time.

Brandon Mull, author of the Fablehaven series, was the first keynote speaker. I’m not going to lie. He wasn’t that great of a speaker. But, I did enjoy listening to him talk about the various hats that writers have to wear. (Including public speaker.) He shared a little about his inspiration for his books, about his family and about his life in general.

The conference was to earn a credit for my continuing ed., so that I can renew my teaching certificate in a few years when that comes up. But, I was glad to see that many of the classes offered were geared towards aspiring authors!

One class that I particularly enjoyed was presented by Scott E. Franson, author of Un-Brella. He is a professor there at BYU-Idaho. He taught about publishing a book from inspiration, to completion. I discovered a few new secrets, like storyboarding, and a few ideas as to how to better present my stories to agents or publishers.

I got a chance to talk to him a little later in the day, and explain to him my dreams. He was very encouraging and urged me to stick with it! I told him I plan to!

Another class was presented by professional story tellers. That was a lot of fun. It was interesting to consider the idea of simple fairy tales as teach lessons to our kids. I loved when the lady told us the story of The Robber Bride Groom. She had it all memorized, and she told it with great description and enthusiasm. It was captivating!

Brandon Dorman, the illustrator of the covers of the Fablehaven series and many other books, was the other keynote speaker after lunch. I enjoyed his presentation a lot. I almost just wish he were talking about writing instead of illustrating because it was very inspiring and insightful. I liked learning about his interactions in the publishing world. He was a very down-to-earth type guy and a very good speaker.

The last class I went to was presented by my old Education Psychology teacher. He was a great teacher, and as expected, he remembered me and my husband. He asked about the “baby.” I said, “Which one?” It seems so weird that I was pregnant with my first son while I was in his class, that was nearly 4 years ago! (Christopher just turned 3 last week.) Well, turns out since then, he has three more kids too!

His presentation was about the paradigm shift from printed books to digital books, or digital reading and media in general. We watched some films about how the brain learned to read, and how it is not a natural thing. I got lost a little bit throughout the presentation, but that’s probably because I was tired and had a small head ache. It had been a long day.

Anyway, the class wasn’t totally a waste, because I did ponder options of e-books, teaching my own children to read, and various other things.

I have to say, that all in all, it was a very educational day. It’s been a while since I’ve had a full day of collegiate level thinking to do. Mr. Fabulous had the boys all day and I was very amazed when I got home to see everything he’d accomplished! I was also relieved that I don’t have to worry about a

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I just entered a cute little contest. They give you pictures, and you create a story. Mine’s called Even Kings Can Dream. It’s pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

You can find it here:

http://www.naturemadesleep.net/stories/382

You can vote once a day! And, you might enjoy reading some of the other stories, they look awesome! (Create your own if you’d like.)

Thanks!

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