Summer is here/ Family Update

I apologize for being so quiet on here. School let out for the summer and I suddenly found my free time consumed by swimming lessons, play dates, painting, and vacation planning. Trust me, I’m not complaining. I love this time of year. My kids are home which means they are allowed the privilege of helping me with housework. 🙂 Yes, it’s almost like a mini-vacation for Mom. Notice I used that word almost in that last sentence.

I have managed to squeeze in a little writing time. In preparation of the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Conference this September I have started thinking about what I need to take to conference. I have two books that I’d like to pitch. I’m also starting to plot and build character profiles for a new book. Before I start the actual writing process I’ll finish sketching an outline. This keeps me on track with my writing. It’s not an exact science, but it’s helpful on those days I suffer from writer’s block.

I mentioned painting in my second sentence. Yes, I have picked up a paint brush and re-painted my daughter’s room. It’s a very bright pink. I’m pretty sure this shade of pink will guarantee dreams of cotton candy or at least Bubbalicious. The important thing is that she loves it. I’m not much for interior design, I like to keep thing simple. If you ever visit my house you will see I’m partial to neutral colors. This way I know everything will match. I like to keep it simple. Pink is not neutral! Yet another sign that my daughter is becoming her own person. (sigh) It’s nice to give her a room she loves. Seeing her eyes light up and her face shine, well… that makes the paint fumes worth it.

We went extreme on the swim lessons this year. My son has been a “reluctant” swimmer. Last summer he suffered from a bad flare up of psoriasis which turned into a skin disorder, so he wasn’t allowed to swim. This served to make his whole attitude about swimming lessons even worse. This year I signed him up for daily lessons (Monday through Thursday) at the local high school. We went the whole month of June. It didn’t matter that we had to drive 30 minutes each way or that lessons began at 9am. We were faithful and now he will put his head under water. This is a major achievement! He will also swim off the steps a few feet, but not very far. He is very concerned about being able to stand in the water. If the water is deeper than 4 feet, then he will need a floaty. I’m learning that sometimes progress is measured by baby steps.

My blogging life is about to pick back. I have several books ready to be reviewed. First up is a Love Inspired novel by Jessica Keller, The Widower’s Second Chance, then Dawn Crandall’s debut novel, The Hesitant Heiress. (Doesn Blog 1 ‘t that title just draw you in?) I’m also looking forward to reviewing Mary Jane Hathaway’s Pride, Prejudice and Cheese Grits. Hum.. Mr. Darcy, anyone?