Favorite Things

Today I'm listing some of my favorite things.

first cup of coffee in the morning
listening to my girls singing in harmony
reading...just about anything
talking about books with anyone
being with hubby
being with mom
blogging
quiet music
loud music
singing
waltzing
the evening sky
scrub oak on golden foothills
people dressed up backstage
the smell of the theater
the squeak of an acoustic guitar
baby tears
roses
a hidden garden
a good red wine
writing down my favorite things

What are some of your favorite things?

How To Write the Perfect Blog

There's a statement floating around that says blogging is dead, that it reached it's heyday.


Maybe. But who has stopped blogging? Not me. And if you're reading this, well that's good news!

I give this information not because I write the perfect blog, but because I've read them. I've also read the not-so-perfect ones!


First and foremost ( I feel so pompous-don't be pompous) The first thing your readers should see is a picture. After all, we LOVE pictures, don't we? There are several sites that let bloggers grab pics for free (no royalties, or copyright issues) The one I use now is stock.xchng-blog posts. The very best thing would be to use pictures you have taken yourself, but then you'd have to become a part-time photographer, and you'd lose blogging time. (don't be afraid to edit unimportant sentences) A blog without a picture is boring. And with most posting sites the picture shows up along with a tag-line from your post. It's impressive. 


Next, I recommend starting with an attention grabbing sentence. I deplore blogs that start out something like this,"Well, I was taking a drive the other day..." I feel like I'm sitting on your porch and the story is going to be a bit too long for my liking. 


And speaking of length, don't allow your blog to be one run-on paragraph.


Readers on the internet like small bites.


Period.

 Where do you get material for a blog? Examine your own thoughts and the comments and incidents around you, and material will come.  Listen to people, read widely. Be an interested person, and you will develop into an interesting person. If you appreciate humor, by all means, add some. If you don't, you should probably switch to writing cell phone manuals.

Correct your grammar, spelling and punctuation before posting. The only reason I offer this advice is that I am usually in too big a hurry to check, and often have embarrassed myself.  Thank goodness for the edit button!

Conclude your blog with a question if possible. Even if your readers don't comment (mine often comment on facebook instead of on my blog) it will give them a chance to turn over your ideas in their own way. You may get a good conversation started.  After all, isn't that what a good blog is? a conversation starter? 


What do you think makes a blog worth reading?

FEDEX Delivers

Okay so the package wasn't this big...

We received a FEDEX envelope from B of A yesterday. Did they read my last post?

Anyway, it's somewhat generic. We will send it in in the hope that we can re-modify our mortgage.  It's the new national pastime, or so I'm told.

The last modification saved us a whopping twenty eight dollars a month.

We signed off thinking there were no other options. Maybe there weren't. But as my mother always says," Hope springs eternal in the human breast." I should ask her who said that originally. Maybe he didn't have a mortgage with Bank of America.

More on this later.

Throwing in the Towel

Question:

What towel should I throw? Will any towel do?

Where do I throw it?

Will anyone be monitoring this?

After I throw in the towel, can I get it back out if I change my mind?

For the umpteenth time we have received conflicting information from Bank of America regarding the modification of our loan. So much time and energy + FEDEX packages  = Expensive Waste.  Are these people really in charge of the bulk of loans in America? Scary.

Out of my mind with frustration.

Well, now I feel better.

Breathing in hope and  promises of God, breathing out faith.

Ahh...

On Writing and Being Afraid to Write

Charlotte Bronte

One of my favorite bloggers blog.nathanbransford.com asked a very good question the other day.
Which book do you most wish you had written? I had the answer in a flash. Jane Eyre. Hands down.

I'd been given a small blank book embossed with Charlotte Bronte's handwriting from a dear friend two years ago. I hadn't gathered up the courage to write a single thing in it, though I've written thousands of words elsewhere since then. Since I had read and contemplated Mr. Bransford's penetrating question, my friend came for a visit.

I've often thought of writing a contemporary version of the plot. Of course that's a dead giveaway to the ending right there, but assuming my readership hasn't read the book, or perhaps loved it as much as I did...
After these two coinciding events, I asked myself some questions. What was I afraid of? That I wouldn't be able to write anything in the book that compared with Bronte's work? How long was I going to wait? Until I got better? Until I forgot all about the book? I decided right then and there that I would wait no longer. "I'm doing it." I told my friend. Today's the day.

That was Sunday. The story is writing itself. Is it comparable to Jane Eyre? How could it possibly be? No, but it is a labor of love, and a debt that I owe to Charlotte Bronte, Nathan Bransford, and my dear friend.

Thanks to all three of you!

Revelations

Sometimes, unexpectedly, things come to us in blinding light, often years after confusion has left us wagging our heads in uncertainty.

Moments of clarity are beacons to lead us on to the next phase, the coming triumph, and yet more learning.

The magic of life is its unfolding, day by day, year by year. We open like a bud, ever showing more and more of the glory of the One who designed us.

May your day be filled with wonder and glory today!

Kids

My kids called me Einstein yesterday, but not because I'm smart.

We went to the beach and my hair looked like his.

Kids.

If you think I'm kidding then you have never been to the beach with me.

It's a New Day

The sun rises everywhere on earth and we all have  another chance to be what we want to be, to hope for the promises of God, and to be ready for what He has.

Sunrise on Kilimanjaro

I'm hoping for a day of wonder, beauty and love.
What are you hoping for today?