The Heaven Scent Tour is Here!

Heaven Scent by Rebecca Cornish Talley, is a poignant LDS young adult novel. It tells the story of Liza Compton, a high school basketball star with a world of opportunities before her. However, Liza is disheartened by her father’s change in attitude toward her family and it makes her question his love for her and the security of her home life. When tragedy forces Liza to face those things she most fears, we are given a sweet opportunity to learn and grow right along with her. If you love LDS young adult novels, than this book might just be the one for you!

My family has read Rebecca’s other published work Grasshopper Pie and found it to be incredibly fun and entertaining. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a writer with such a whacky and creative approach to life (which I love, but how would that translate into a YA novel?), but Heaven Scent was very different. The mother of ten children, Rebecca has a unique insight into the minds of children and their worlds—that insight is evident in this, her latest book.

Look for Heaven Scent on Amazon.com, or in your local LDS Bookstore. You can't miss it--it's the one with the gorgeous pink cover.
I am grateful Rebecca has taken the time to answer a few questions I thought my readers would be interested in. Thank you Rebecca!

On Writing:

With such a busy household, how do you find time to write?

I just fit it in whenever I can. I try to write every day, but that doesn’t always happen. If I write while the kids are sleeping that seems to work the best, but again, that doesn’t always happen. I’ve also given up other hobbies and interests to carve out time to write (though I’ll never give up my chocolate time).

What has been your favorite part of the writing process? And your least favorite?

I love seeing the story take shape. I love words and stringing them together to create a story that’s uniquely my own. It’s way cool when it all comes together.

My least favorite part is marketing/promoting. I’d much rather spend my time writing, but I’ve learned that marketing/promoting is a very important part of the process.

How long did it take you to write this book and then to get it published?

I’ve worked on this particular story for years. It started as a short story in high school. I then decided to expand it and worked on it between pregnancies, nursing newborns, toddlers, kids, teenagers, and caring for my ailing grandparents (who raised me).

I submitted it to Cedar Fort in November 2006. It was accepted in May 2007 and was published in February 2008.

Do you have any advice to aspiring writers?

Never give up. If your dream is to be published, keep working toward that goal. Network with other writers, attend conferences, and join critique groups. Read, Read, Read. Write, write, write. And, love what you do.

On Your Family:

One of your children is an artist and illustrated your children’s picture book Grasshopper Pie. How do you encourage your children to follow their dreams?

I try to encourage them with my words and actions to pursue what makes them happy. I’ve sat through sports, concerts, plays, talent shows, and read lots and lots of stories in an effort to help my kids find and develop their talents. I want each one to follow his or her dreams.

Do your children support you in your writing pursuits?

Absolutely. My husband is also very supportive. He’s driven me to conferences, watched the kids while I attended conferences, and bought me books and computers to help me. I could never write without my family’s support and encouragement.

On Heaven Scent:

On the Dedication page of Heaven Scent, you speak to your mother “whose fragrant visits have strengthened me and my testimony and inspired this story.” What did you mean by that?

My mother wore a very distinctive perfume. It was an oil-based scent that worked with each person’s body chemistry to produce a unique fragrance. My mom passed away when I was nine years old. Over the years, especially during trials, I have smelled her perfume and felt her so close I could almost reach out and touch her.

Do you know any Liza’s? Is she modeled after anyone you know?

I knew an amazing basketball player in high school. She could sink a shot from anywhere on the court. Liza isn’t based on anyone in particular, though.

In your book Heaven Scent, one of Liza’s challenges is that she does not have a variety of skills or talents that she can rely on. What is the message you hope readers will learn from Liza’s experience?

I hope people will realize they have many talents. Some may not be as developed as others, but we all have talents.

If you could sum up the moral of this story in one sentence, what would you say?

No matter what life brings, there is always hope.

Where can my readers get a copy of Heaven Scent?

It is available at Deseret Book, Seagull, Amazon, Barnes and Noble (online), Target (online), and independent LDS bookstores.

Any final thoughts about your book, your family, or the writing process that you would like to share?

It’s really a dream come true for me to have this book published. I’m thrilled every day I’ve been given the opportunity to share this story with others.

Thank you so much for the review and the interview, Ali. I so appreciate your time and willingness to host my book tour. Thank you!

~~

Thank you Rebecca for allowing me the privilege to interview you and to participate in your blog tour--it was an honor!

Fooled Ya!

I was going to respond to your comments and then realized there were just too many and they all followed a similar theme--that ya'll mysteriously seem to have this impression that I'm an awesome mom.

Oh how wrong you are.

Sure, I do dabble in awesome-ness from time to time, but unfortunately for me (or for my children, not sure which,) it's far too frequently to be added to my list of descriptive adjectives. Fooled ya, eh?

Here's an example of my complete LACK of awesomeness:

Two weeks ago the boys were asking me what they needed to do in order to be allowed to have a television in their room. "What if we got a tv ourselves--then could we have it in our room?" they'd ask in their high-pitched little voices.

"Uhh, nope," I responded, ever the voice of reason.

Then they trotted off, all a-giggle. My spidey-senses were tingling. They were up to something.

Turns out Xander had 'traded' a dragon for a television set from five-almost-six-year-old Parker, a cul-de-sac neighbor. Trading is strictly prohibited in our household, particularly when it involves expensive appliances, so back the tv had to go. And go it went.

THEN last week, Wednesday to be exact, the boys come dashing in the front door while I'm in the back of the house cleaning the kitchen (I KNOW!? What was I thinking?)

"We're going to play in my room, 'kay Mom?" Charlie hollered from the foot of the stairs.

"Who all is 'we'?" I asked. Because I'm nothing if not thorough, right?

"Just me and Xander and Parker."

"Okeydokey," I replied, oblivious to the wool that had been pulled down over my eyes.

The phone rang.

It was Jill my cul-de-sac neighbor, good friend and mom to Parker.

"Did your boys just come in with a television set?"

"Umm, no. At least I don't think so. I guess I'd better go check!"

I admit, my first response was to defend my kids. Parish the thought that they would be traipsing around the neighborhood with a tv AFTER I said that strictly prohibited. I DID say it was strictly prohibited, did I not?

At least I had the good sense to realize I might in fact not know my children as well as I thought I did.

I kept Jill on the phone--probably to prove to her that my boys were not guilty of the heinous crime she was guilty of--but also maybe to protect me--or rather them--if in fact they did have said tv in their room.

I stepped into Charlie's room, and at first couldn't see anything. I mean, anyone. Then I hear voices--coming from the toy box under the window.

The lid lifted when I came in, calling their names.

"Yeah, Mom?" Xan asks, his face all innocence.

"Do you guys have a television set in here?" I ask, my voice reflecting my confidence that they did not in fact have a stolen item of luxury hiding out in their room--even while I saw the tell-tale black cord creeping over the lip of the box from the plug on the outside.

"No!" Xander replied with a happy smile. A happy smile, that is, until he saw that I saw the black cord.

And then the lies really started flying. He saids and they saids and everyone said until I had to shout at them to be quiet so I could get to the point of the matter.

But first I had to tell Jill.

"Uhh, Jill? Yep, looks like the set is here," I said. No confidence now. Just defeat. My kids were going to be the death of me.

I tried to get the set out from the toy box but man it was heavy! How in the world did two seven year olds and one pint sized five year old heft that thing half a block down the street? I was glad when Jill met me almost at my door and took it from me.

I carried the remote.

We discussed possible torture methods as we walked back to her house. I felt utterly discouraged. Not only had my boys taken something that didn't belong to them (it didn't matter to me that Parker was in on it, I expect better of my guys,) but they had lied to me AND done it after I had already made them take the tv back once before.

Just so you know, this lying business has been an ongoing problem for these guys for the past while. I thought it was just stupid inconsequential stuff like "did you brush your teeth?" "YES" even while their teeth are growing green fuzz and probably have whole colonies of nasty germies building houses and raising families in there.

I'm a mean, mean mommy though and like I said, I'm nothing if not thorough. Those little boy-o's got themselves grounded to their rooms for two and a half days. The first day I even fed them dinner in their rooms. The next day I did let them out to eat and to do chores for me (aren't I nice?) but they missed some fun events they had planned because of their serious grounding.

My rationale though, was that I couldn't trust them not to disappoint me again before we went on our little vacation and I didn't want to go away with them feeling mad at them. So I locked them away in their dungeons/rooms and you know what? I'm not sorry. They have been sufficiently humbled--or so it would seem--and while they still are inclined to first lie when asked the innocuous "did you wash your hands" and the like questions, they are self-correcting (huzzah!) and I'm feeling a slight blush of awesomeness returning.

So go ahead and admire me, if you must. Perhaps I do deserve it, after all.

Preparing my Boys for Baptism

I'm so far behind in 'family' type posts. I wanted to tell you about a great Stake Conference I went to that made me really want to create a Christ-centered home. Then I wanted to tell you about the new scripture study program I've started with my boys using the Preach My Gospel manual. I really ought to tell you how it seems that Xan might have broken his nose the other day (but we don't know for sure yet.)

But I just can't keep up on it all!

However, I will tell you about this plan we have to help our boys better prepare for their baptism in three months.

Sure, we've been doing Family Home Evenings on the subject, but we felt like our boys needed more. Something to really connect them with their Heavenly Father and help them to recognize the Spirit in their lives.

On a Saturday, David was packing up his mom's things and found his old Blazer banner from when he was a kid. He packed it up and brought it home, then didn't think much more about it.

Then the other day we were discussing our concern for the boys and their preparation. We knew we wanted to give them a pewter knight in armor to represent putting on the whole armor of God, but weren't sure how to work it in, or how to do it, really.

David felt the whisperings of the Spirit and felt that his mom was trying to tell him something. Following the prompting, he found his Blazer banner and brought it to me, telling me that he thought we should do something like it for the boys.

A Baptism Banner, where they have activities they need to pass off, earning small medallions of some sort along the way, culminating in their having earned the whole armor of God.

So I created it!

The first thing is the Belt of Truth. There are a few scriptures to read, and the boys have to memorize the first four Articles of Faith.

Next is the Breastplate of Righteousness. Again a handful of scriptures, then the boys have to repent of something specific, taking all the steps for full repentance.

Then, the Sandals of Peace. A few scriptures, then plan, prepare and present a FHE on Baptism.

Next, is the Shield of Faith. Again some scriptures, then the boys have to practice choosing the right for a whole day, write about it in their journals and then tell me or David about it.

The Helmet of Salvation is probably the most difficult because after reading a few scriptures, they have to know the baptismal covenant. We're not going to require them to memorize them all, but they need to be able to tell them about it generally.

Finally, the Sword of the Spirit. For this they need to give a talk or read a scripture in Primary.

For each item they pass off, I put two metallic stars on the banner. When they've earned all their stars, they can earn their pewter knight and they'll have put on the whole armor of God.

something like this, but the one we got has a shield too ...

Blog Tours

An exciting new adventure is taking place all over the internet--Blog Tours!

This is when lucky people (like me!) get to review early releases of awesome books, review them and have the wonderful opportunity to interview the author and perhaps even have a contest, too! What fun!

I was privileged to participate in Tristi Pinkston's blog tour for her new release Season of Sacrifice in May.

On June 19th, I'll be hosting Rebecca Cornish Talley as she speaks about her new book Heaven Scent. I'll be running a contest in conjunction with this tour, so be sure to come on over!

On June 20th, stick around for a review of Candace Salima's new release Forged in the Refiner's Fire and an interview.

~ Image Coming Soon ~

Shortly thereafter, I'll be reviewing Don't You Marry the Mormon Boys, and the author Janet Kay Jensen will be participating in an interview as well. She has also generously provided a copy of her book to be awarded in a contest of my devising. Hehe.


Finally (for the moment!) some time in mid to late July J. Scott Savage will be stopping by to speak about his new book release FarWorld :Water Keep. Again, we'll be running a fun contest so be sure to check out this review and interview.



I'm so excited and feel truly privileged to be able to participate in these tours. The internet has become such a powerful tool and it pleases me to be able to put my tiny corner of BlogWorld to use in honor of great reads.

Thanks to all the authors who are allowing me to be a part of their tours!

Adventures in Cooking

I am so not a cook.

That being said, I think I would like to be able to cook. I can cook like my mom did, which is ultimate comfort food to me, but easy, easy. I like easy. If I'm going to learn how to cook something other than burger 'n beans or hamburger hash (thanks Mom!) I need it to be easy. Also, umm, GOOD is a plus too.

So, I've been trying some new things, new flavors and such and thought I'd post the recipes I find that earn my two thumbs up.

Warm Scallop Caesar Salad
(2 servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

8 large sea scallops
about 4 cups washed romaine
1-2 tsp. olive oil
1-2 T water (for larger pan, use 2T)
3 T Caesar Salad dressing (Kalyn uses Cardini's Caesar)
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Use a heavy pan which heats evenly. Pans that aren't non-stick will give the best browning, and be sure to choose a pan where scallops can be cooked in a single layer. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat about 30 seconds, then add scallops and cook quickly, probably not more than 2 minutes per side. Don't have the heat too high or the scallops will release moisture and won't brown properly.

While scallops cook, assemble lettuce on two serving plates. Place four scallops on top of lettuce on each plate. Turn pan to high and put water in, then scrape the bottom of the pan to get any browned bits, keeping heat high to let some of the water evaporate. After about 1 minute, turn off heat. Stir in salad dressing and lemon juice and let it get slightly warm in the hot pan, then pour over salad and serve. Top with fresh ground black pepper if desired.

*ali's notes*

• I couldn't afford the sea scallops at Costco, so I used grilled chicken strips. I chopped them into bite sized pieces, and then proceeded with the recipe as above.

• I doubled the recipe, because I was feeding to my whole family--worked out just fine.

• I bought the Cardini's Caesar and I'm with Kalyn on this one--it's my favorite now.

• I used bottled lemon juice. I mean, come on. I said easy. Squeezing lemons for a mere teaspoon is not my idea of easy, or fun, so there.

• I added grated Parmesan cheese to the top too. Yummy!
  

This recipe was delicious and while my kids were like ahh, not so much, David and I loved it. The dressing was a bit tangy and delicious warm. We'll have it again for sure!

I've never done one of these things, and frankly, the thought rather terrifies me, but here we go!

My Trek List:
Season of Sacrifice by Tristi Pinkston
Don't You Marry the Mormon Boys by Janet Kay Jensen
FarWorld: Water Keep by J. Scott Savage
The Host by Stephanie Meyer
Fields of Home by Rachel Ann Nunes
The 13th Reality by James Dashner

Okay, maybe I'll do more, but I'm a slow reader, so I'd probably stop right there. If you want go on your own LDS Author trek this summer, just visit LDS Fictions' blog and get 'er done!

6-7-8 Writers Conference

Today I was a lucky girl and got to go to Cedar Fort's (a publishing house) first ever writers' conference. It was a truly exceptional conference.

Most of it was, obviously, very 'writer' intensive. Doug Johnston, Abel Keogh and Janet Kay Jensen all spoke and provided really helpful information focused on promoting myself as a writer. Great stuff!

However, I thought I would share with you some tidbits from the keynote speaker, Eloise Owens. Ms. Owens is the creator of Momentum Selling, and the author of Get Off The Beach - What Legendary Surfers Know that Salespeople Need to Know ... Now.

The first thing that struck me as interesting was that she asked us to commit to being present during her time with us. Since I've been thinking a lot about living in the moment, that was pertinent for me. Also, she asked that we tell the truth. Later it became clear that what she really meant by that was that we be honest with ourselves and our audience because that's where the 'money', or sale lies.

I also thought that telling the truth and being present went hand in hand. If we are not wholly present, how can we tell the truth? We are not living our truth, but hiding from it, denying it.

Target Training International identified 23 attributes or qualities that professionals possess. Ms. Owens told us that the quality that made it to the top of the list was Self Management. In order to be successful in life you need to be able to know what gets you up on the morning, what keeps you working and what motivates you enough to get you up off your knees when the trials come and back to work.

Ms. Owens suggested we look in the mirror and be honest about what we see. Not the freckles on our face, or the gray hair, but the sort of person we are. What motivates us? She listed six types of attributes and suggested that everyone is all six, but that there is the one thing that gets us out of bed in the morning and something else, a second attribute that is our strength--and then there's the something that we really need to work on.

Have a look at the following six qualities and see which ones fit you best:

Theoretical ~ You love data, knowledge and information
Utilitarian ~ You demand results, you are practical and money focused
Aesthetic ~ It's the experience that drives you. You are artistic, driven by emotion and the need to create
Social ~ You long to change the world and influence others
Individualistic ~ You are a leader. You are focused on quality and you need to control your own destiny
Traditional ~ Your strength are your beliefs and you are systematic in your approach.

So which one of these attributes most motivates you each morning?

Which is your strength?

Where do you need to focus more, to build a strength from a weakness?

Ms. Owens spoke about the three sizes of waves: There's the whitewater--that frothy fun stuff that spins around our ankles and knocks against our bodies, but doesn't push us under. There's the outside--this is where most average surfers hang out. The waves are challenging, but there's still safety--these are comfortable waves. The third kind of wave is the Monster wave. This is the wave that only the best of the best will dare to take on, but that's why they are the best!

Milton Willis, famous accomplished surfer, said, "The bigger the wave, the quieter the ride." I'd say, it's like being in the zone. When all the tidbits on skill and technique are forgotten and you lose yourself to the moment--you just do it.

So, bring clarity to your life. Figure out where your strengths lie and what livens your heart and mind and then acquire the skills to achieve your dreams and then live it. Be present in your life, tell the truth about who you are and what you're here to do. Be great at whatever it is you're here for and then ... enjoy the ride!

And the Winner REALLY is ...

We had seven people enter the contest and DAN is the big winner!

Just so you know I'm honest, I copied the comments to Word, cut the text of the messages so it just left the names, printed it, cut between them, folded them up into tiny squares, mixed them up in a bowl and had my hubby pick one out. Honest to goodness, Dan's the big winner!

Dan wins a $15.00 gift certificate to Amazon.com OR an autographed copy of Tristi's book Season of Sacrifice.

Dan, I'll email you, but you're also welcome to post here and let me know which you would prefer.

Congratulations Dan!

Weekly Health Report

Boy, am I sorry I started this!

Now that I've started, I feel obligated to report--which was sort of the point to begin with, but since I don't have anything to report, I feel kinda dumb!

Sucked on the diet.

Sucked on the exercise.

BUT I'm here, am I'm back on track so ... That's good, right? And I can't possibly be alone in my lack of commitment/willpower, right?

Anyway, I'm not beating myself up and I'm picking myself up and getting right back to work, so it's all good. Well, sort of.

Reflections of Christ

Many of you may have already seen this, but I'm a little slow on the uptake. I wish there was a way to just post it here, but unfortunately there is not.

However, if you love the Savior, this is not a waste of your time, and it only takes a few minutes anyway.

Go to Reflections of Christ to view a beautiful tribute to the life of Christ.

And the Winner Is ...

To be determined on another day!

I had planned to do it today but I am way too busy so ... stay tuned and I'll announce the winner on Monday.

I was a bit disappointed that my little contest didn't totally boost Tristi's sales (I underestimated my immense power of persuasion) so each of you will only be entered into the drawing once. I will notify the lucky winner on my blog and by email.

The prize is a $15.00 certificate to Amazon.com ~ however, if you'd like I'd also be willing to buy you a copy of Tristi's book Season of Sacrifice as your prize (it is not currently available on Amazon,) and have it shipped to your home. So, the winner may choose.

So you have a couple days to imagine what you would do if YOU are the lucky winner!

Only Three More Days to Enter to Win in the Tristi Pinkson Interview Contest!

To read my interview with Tristi and to enter my awesome contest ... click here.

Living in the Moment

Many people, women especially, have a tendency to multi task to a fault. Researcher abounds that indicates that multitasking actually produces negative resulsts--from poor performance (you can never accomplish one thing in truly excellent fashion) to mental side effects (hyperactive brain function.)

I've thought a lot about this subject since my sister brought it to my attention a few years ago. She had read a book--never can remember what she said the book was called and I've asked her to remind me so many times that now I'm embarrassed to ask again--in which they addressed our inability to live in our present moment to the fullest. The books aim was to teach you how to handle your problems better and to reduce stress in your life, and it did so by teaching you or encouraging you to live in the moment.

Heather and I discussed how even while she and I were having that first conversation I was cleaning the house, folding laundry, checking my email, etc. I didn't sit and listen and enjoy the conversation.

When people (read: women) make love to their partners, 90% of the time they are planning their day, making a grocery list, or berating themselves for things they forgot to get done that day. No wonder so many women can't obtain full satisfaction--they're too distracted thinking to allow their bodies the full enjoyment they deserve.

I notice this problem myself particularly when my husband or children are talking to me. After having this discussion with Heather, I realized that very often when my family is speaking with me, I am not wholly there. I am only partially listening, perhaps giving the greater portion of my attention to the television, or to the article I am reading, or the email.

So I have been making an effort over the last few years to live in the moment more consistently. It is very, very difficult. I'd be very curious to hear how you have done if you have also been making this effort, or to hear how you do if you care to take up my challenge: Practice living in the moment, start today. See how it changes you.

If someone is speaking to you, put down your book, mute the TV. Make eye contact. Absorb what they are saying to you and think about it.

When you make love, be there. Experience the moment. Don't think about it--there is nothing to think, but there is everything to feel if you are wholly present in the moment.

When your children come bounding in the door, interrupting your very-important-something, look them in the eye and be there for them. They will not be interrupting you for long--soon enough you'll be wondering how in the world to get them to talk to you! My own personal theory is that if I am willing to listen to them now, they will probably be more likely to listen to me then. At least, it's a bet I'm willing to make.

I bring this up because I'd been slacking off for a while so I'm recommitting myself to the live-in-the-moment philosophy.



I love this quote from Buddhist philosophy:

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

It's amazing how easy it is to multitask--in fact, it feels downright sinful to slow down and deny the need for speed. But the moments are much more likely to become memories, or healing, or inspiring, or even sacred. Who knows what will we will hear, or what we can discover, if we are here, if we are listening.

Weekly Health Report

You didn't ask for it, but here it is anyway. So, I didn't do well this week. Working out, that is. It rained, I had lots of appointments, a sick child--just lots of things that got in the way of me doing what I ought to have been doing.

Also, David really got on me because I haven't been feeling well and he was convinced it was because I hadn't been watching my blood sugar. Some of you may remember or know that in the fall I was diagnosed with, umm--suddenly drawing a blank here--pre-diabetes but I can't remember the official name. I was told I needed to eat a la South Beach Diet style. At that time I went on the South Beach Diet and did really well. I stayed on it for almost an entire month before it all fell apart. I did great on Phase 1--my problem seemed to come when I tried to move in to Phase 2. Anyway, at David's insistence I've gone back to the Beach.

I started back on the Beach on Thursday and I'm already down a couple pounds! Almost three, actually. And I'm already feeling quite a bit better. I still need to exercise, I know, but at least I have some comfort in knowing that I am eating very well and properly for my body and that I'm not denying something I know to be true--not ignoring an important issue.

So, that's all, really. Down almost three whole pounds, no exercise, but eating better. Upward and onward, right?

As an aside, I have many blogs I need to write, so you may get an influx of new posts from me over the next day or two. I've been storing them up, but there hasn't been any time to post the last few days! So watch out!

I Forgot to Vote

I realized this morning that I forgot to vote last night for David A. on American Idol.

Yes, yes, I know that I said I was a fan of David Cooke--and gosh, sometimes he just did the most amazing things like his performance of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face."



Now come on, isn't that just amazing? Truly beautiful.

But last night, David A. kicked David' C.'s butt--in my humble opinion, of course.

My favorite of his from last night was probably his first song, "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me:"



So ... I guess tonight will tell which of the Davids gets to go home with the American Idol title--without my little ol' vote.

I guess I'll be happy either way. Both of these guys are amazing and really, they will both have great careers before them no matter what happens.

Keepin' It Honest ~ Weekly Health Report

Well, I planned to walk one mile 5x last week. I did it four times. It wasn't what I'd planned, but I was pleased. It was a whole three more times than I had done the previous week! And, I think the pain in my legs must have been from inactivity because by the end of the week, I was feeling better and experiencing less pain. Hurray for that!

The goal for the first week was to do one mile in less than 24 minutes 5 times. The plan suggests that if you can do the mile in that time frame and you feel good, you can move to 1.5 miles and do it faster - or just do the mile faster, I can't remember which.

But they also give the option of stayin the course for at least another week until it's easy. I think I need that extra week (or two.) For one thing, I'm afraid to push myself too much just yet because it's hard enough just to get out that if I make it too difficult I might give up. Plus, while my legs are doing better, I'm definitely not ready to pick up the pace. I have been walking the mile in about 18 minutes each time, but I think I'll stick with just one mile for another week.

As for eating, I did *better* but there's still room for improvement. Again, I think the key for me here is not to change too much too fast. This week I concentrated in eating less, not necessarily better. I still ate what I wanted, but I definitely ate a little less and the main thing I noticed was that I didn't do any snacking late at night - a definite plus. Again, I will continue with this plan for another week, continuing to concentrate on eating just until I'm satisfied and no more and only eating when I'm actually hungry.

I bought a few items of clothing this week to fit my bigger body. Just enough to let me feel relatively comfortable rather than feeling horrible about myself all the time. I need to keep my sights on the long range goal - a healthy and fit me - and not allow myself to get side tracked by my feelings of inadequacy now.

Is there anyone else out there trying to make any self improvements? How are you doing?

Happy Mother's Day!

Yeah, I know. It's no longer Mother's Day. But it's the week of, right? Surely it's not too late to post about my day.

Thing is, it was kind of bittersweet. We went to the cemetary to see Mom's grave. We hadn't been back since the funeral, so we hadn't seen the stone. We spent a good long while wandering aimlessly around the portion of the grounds that we thought her grave was. It was very disheartening and upsetting when we could not find it. Finally we called a brother of David's and were directed to the right spot. I guess our memories from that day were a little skewed.

So David was feeling a little sad. And Mother's Day is always a day when I think a lot about my own mom too. I usually try to do something nice for her - plant a lilac bush or something - but I didn't do anything this year. I found most of my thoughts going to Laura, David's mom.

But it wasn't all bittersweet. Some of it was just plain ... sweet.

For days before the holiday, my boys have been excitedly telling me they couldn't wait to give me their presents. They had made something at school that for the first time in their little lives they were really proud of.

They came to get me in the morning, hugs and snuggles galore, to wish me Happy Mother's Day. They brought their presents to me - they couldn't wait till breakfast or anything. Their teacher had provided 8x10 frames in which the boys put signs that tell why they love me. What the signs say is sweet, but it was the light shining in my boys' eyes that was most the rewarding.

David gave me a gift too, which is lovely, but mostly it was all the love showered upon me that made the day so special.

I am so grateful to be a mom. It took us a long, long time to get there - but man, it was worth the wait. These guys I've been given are true gifts from God and I take my calling as their mother very seriously.

I love them. And, selfishly, it feels sooo good to be loved by them.

Xan has taken it upon himself to be our decorator for all family events.

For Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween and Christmas

he puts up signs to celebrate.

I usually leave them up for a while because I love to see them!

An Interview with Tristi Pinkston, LDS Author AND a Contest!

I am very excited to have had the opportunity to interview Tristi Pinkston, LDS Author, about her new book Season of Sacrifice. You've heard me tell you before what an inspiration Tristi is to me, and not the least of the many things I admire about her is her passion and love for her family and for the gospel.

In Season of Sacrifice, Tristi tells the story of her own ancestors and their efforts to follow the will of the Prophet of the Lord. You can read an awesome review of Season of Sacrifice here.

Following the interview with Tristi,
read up on how YOU could win a $15.00 gift certificate to Amazon.com.

Having published with a publishing company, and self-published, do you now have a preference? Or how would you identify the pros and cons of each?

There are definitely pros and cons either way. A huge pro in self-publishing is having ultimate power. (I like power. Power is good.) However, the huge con is that I obviously don't have the promotional dollars that a publishing company has. I would definitely choose a publisher over self-publishing, inasmuch as it's possible.

This month you are on a blog tour - stopping by blogs across the internet, answering questions and touting your new book Season of Sacrifice. Obviously, you are hoping to increase your exposure and book sales. What are your plans to continue that trend once the blog tour is completed?

I'm going to retire to Argentina on my riches. And if that doesn't work, then I'll keep the book up on my website, continue to take it with me when I promote, and keep spreading the word.

Your book, Season of Sacrifice, features a rich period in Mormon history.
While preparing your research, did you encounter any information that was new to you, or that surprised you?

Not really -- the story and all its attendant facts have been passed down in my family my whole life, so I wasn't caught off guard or anything. I was pleased to learn that Sarah and her parents were on the first train that used the Transcontinental Railroad when it was constructed. That was pretty cool.

Your book includes your own great-great-grandfather's experiences with polygamy. How do you feel knowing that you are the descendant of a polygamist?

I've never been crazy about the idea of me, personally, practicing polygamy (so I don't have that idea) but it doesn't bother me in the slightest that my ancestors did. They were people of faith, obedience and courage -- I'd claim them no matter what.

Polygamy is a hot-topic in the news today. If you could speak to the issue, particularly as it relates to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, what would you say?

I would seek to draw a very clear line between polygamy as it was practiced by the LDS Church in the 1800's and how it is practiced by the FLDS Church today. The LDS Church has not practiced polygamy since 1890, and any members found to be practicing it today are excommunicated. It took place for a short period of time as the men of the Church were killed by mobs and disease, leaving their wives alone and unprotected. When the Saints settled in Utah and their numbers were a bit more even, the practice came to an end. You can read more of my thoughts on the subject at the following links:

http://josikilpack.blogspot.com/2008/05/author-interview-with-tristi.html

http://candacesalima.blogspot.com/2008/03/review-pinkstons-season-of-sacrifice.html

http://tristipinkston.blogspot.com/2008/04/mormons-and-fundamentalist-mormons-not.html

Is there a message that you hope your readers take away from Season of Sacrifice?

I would like my readers to come away from the book feeling a sense of the Lord's hand in the lives of these pioneers and to know that nothing is impossible for God. He is there for us in all our trials, physical and emotional.

~ Contest! ~

Please help me help Tristi sell some books! This is an awesome book that ought to be on all of our bookshelves and those of our loved ones! So, here are the rules:

1. You must leave a comment on this post with an email address or some other way so I can reach you should you win.
2. For every copy of Season of Sacrifice Tristi sells on her website, I will enter your name in a drawing.
3. On June 1st, I will have some third party (probably a child) draw a name from a bowl or something. I will announce the winner here on June 1st!

So come on, be a winner ... buy a book (or two, or three!)

You can purchase your own copy of Season of Sacrifice
by clicking on the picture below ...
For a limited time, Tristi is offering autographed copies of her new book for $15.00!

Heaven Scent by Rebecca Cornish Talley

My brand-spankin' new copy of Heaven Scent
by Rebecca Cornish Talley has arrived straight from the publisher! Sweet!

I have the distinct privilege of reading Heaven Scent, giving it my honest review and then I get to interview Rebecca! How cool is that?

My interview with Rebecca will be June 19th, so keep posted. I'll be putting up my review some time over the next week or so, as well.

Looking forward to reading it Rebecca!

A Challenge to Myself ...

I wonder if Tristi Pinkston realizes what an amazing influence for good she is in other people's lives. I wonder if she has a big head because of it?

I mean, if you travel around BlogWorld long enough, you'll find dozens of references to how Tristi inspired this person, encouraged this other person, set a good example for someone else. Seriously, does she pay people, or what?

Thing is, I'm right on that bandwagon folks. I'm a huge Tristi-fan.

The first time I *met* Tristi was at the LDStorymakers conference in 2007. She was dressed up in a tutu waving a wand about. I think she may have spoken with a sort-of English accent, even though she is not from England.

And you know what? That's exactly how I see Tristi to this day. Except she sits on my shoulder, or flits through my brain saying "If you felt inspired to do it, then it's not a fantasy, it's your calling!" or "You can do it! Why would you ever think you can't?" And lately she's been zipping around telling me "If I can do it, you can too!" specifically referencing my dire need to get out and drop some pounds.

Tristi is a writer - but she's also a human being who in an effort to better herself shared her goals with the world and encouraged others to join with her. Because of all the doodoo I've been walking through lately I just couldn't think about my weight. But now that I can't fit into a darn thing I own, and I've officially tipped the scale to the highest I've ever weighed, AND life is settling into a pleasant little hum, it's time to focus.

(Hear Focus people! Focus! Except it wasn't Tristi who said that. Well, she might have said that, but not to me.)

So I hereby follow the example of my little fairy-friend and challenge myself to lose this darn weight already!

I am going to start out small. Move more, eat less. Simple as that.

I'm going to walk: I have a plan I found in Family Circle magazine that teaches a walking regimen starting with 5 days this week of a one mile walk in under 24 minutes. Next week it changes a little, but I can't remember right now what it is.

I'm going to follow the 0-5 scale for eating: Eat only when you're a '0', stop when you're full, like a '5'. When I feel a bit stronger, I need to get back on The Beach because I feel my blood sugar is all out of whack and I need to take better care of myself.

But baby steps, baby steps.

So ... here I go! Wish me luck! And Tristi? Thanks. :)

Blah ... blah ... blah ...

There's a whole lot of nothin' to report here. But I hate to disappoint my wildly adoring fans so ...

Thing is? Like I said, a lot of nothin'.

All I've been doing, it seems, is writing, writing, writing. Which is awesome - most awesome! - but still, it doesn't make for very exciting blog reading.

I finished my book last Thursday, but it was too short, I thought. So I've been going through, seeing if there were any balls I dropped, or any places where I skimmed. I've already added an additional 8,000 words, but I'm sure there's still a lot more I could fill in.

I'm hoping that if the editors like my book, they'll not be disheartened by it's thinness, but be agreeable to helping me fatten it up.

On top of that, David and I invented a new thingie (can't tell you about it yet!) so we've been trying to find investors for it and get it off the ground.

Lots of fun and interesting things going on here - along with all the crazy, depressing stuff of being underemployed and feeling stressed about money, but that's not nearly so exciting to talk about.

So that was my blah-blah-blah for the day. I'm waving 'hi' and thanking you for coming by! I'll try to be more entertaining next time :)

A Wild 'n Whacky 7-Things Meme

Karlene, Heather and Tristi all tagged me for this little meme.

The rules are as follows:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I actually went to three universities before I managed to get my degree.

I first went to the University of Guelph, Ontario.



Then I went to the University of Western Ontario
(which I was asked - kindly - please to not return until I got
my act together, lol!)


Finally, I went to Acadia University, where I finally (yes! finally!)
got my degree in political science.

2. My very most favorite thing to wear is my
Bobby Lawrence Karate sweatshirt.
I'd wear that darn thing every day if I thought I could get away with it. Oh wait. I do.
And I'm too lazy to get you a picture of me wearing it. ;P

3. My favorite-ever hymn is Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. I tried to find a youtube version of my favorite version, but I couldn't find one. Fiddlesticks does the arrangement I like, so I'll try to send you to a link where you can hear it here. It's a happy, up-beat version that just rings true to me. If the link doesn't work - sorry. You'll just have to trust me that it's really good!

4. In honor of Tristi's 'when I was ten ...' theme, I'll tell you something I did when I was ten:
On the way home from equestrian camp I sat beside a girl who commented on how hairy my arms were. Oh and my eyebrows were growing together. Eww! I promptly went home and shaved my legs, my arms and did a nice swipe in between my offending eyebrows! Dang, I'm striking out on finding you any pictures!

5. One of the hardest things I've ever done - in terms of facing my fear - was to give myself an intramuscular shot when I was away from home. We were about to do in vitro fertilization and I was out of state at an Opera competition. But I needed to give myself this shot if I was to stay on schedule and be able to get those embryos implanted! I faced that huge needle - I swear, the needle was three inches long - and after much humming and hawing finally plunged it deep into my thigh and depressed the plunger. Owie! But I did it, I was proud and I soon became a proud mommy of TWO!

6. Where other women have a need for shoes and purses, me? I like office supplies. If I'm blue and feel the need to shop, it's nice new pens, neat paper clips and pretty paper or notebooks that tickle my fancy!

7. And seven, lucky seven. In my lifetime, as I can recall, I have had 14 cats, 7 dogs, 7 hermit crabs, 3 birds, 2 hamsters and a handful of fish. I think cats are my favorite, with dogs running a close second. But I love all animals. The animal I most want but haven't my own yet, is a horse. I've done lots of riding in my past, but ... still want a pony one day, please, Fairy Godmother!

And now I think I'm supposed to tag other people but ya know? It's taken me like a week to get these answers together (and look how lame they are!) and I just can't think who hasn't been tagged by this little meme! By all means if you would like to play, leave me a note in my comment trail that you've responded and I'll come check you out! Play, play - it's fun! (haha)

Awesome Movies :)

This weekend we were way spoiled and went to see TWO movies! I know, whatta life.

Friday was Charlie Day and Charlie wanted to celebrate by going to see Nim's Island. First of all, Charlie is a half-birthday type thing we celebrate with the boys because they deserve a day that's all about them, don't you think? I mean, would you like forever hearing "Happy Birthday" sung to you with someone else's name attached to it? This way, they get a day that's just about them. Individually. They don't get gifts, but they do get to choose a special activity we can do together as a family (no friends or parties, this is strictly a family thing) and I bake a cake - so that we can sing "Happy Charlie (Xander) Day," of course.

Anywho. I wasn't too keen on seeing Nim's Island, but I love movies so was agreeable. I thought it was about a girl who lives on her own private island in her imagination. But it turns out I was very wrong. I loved the creative devices the movie used, loved the characters and characterization, the scenery, the humor, the dialog - everything. It was a wonderful movie! A true family movie with fun, adventure, love and a neat message about courage and following your dreams. Awesome movie - I highly recommend it!

Then on Saturday night the boys went to their first-ever sleepover! Well, what were we to do with a whole evening and night alone together without any babysitter expenses? Especially when the place we dropped them off at was in Daybreak so there's that great entertainment complex virtually right across the street. So of course, we had to go out for dinner and then we thought 'what the heck' and caught a movie too.

We saw The Forbidden Kingdom. We had wanted to see this because we love martial arts movies, especially Jet Li and Jackie Chan (I mean, come on, who doesn't?) But holy cow, what an amazing movie. We got so much more from it than we had ever hoped. Both David and I already want to go back and see it (and we never want to see movies in the theater twice) and we want to take the boys to see it too. It was a wonderful movie, with amazing fight sequences and a great moral. Again, two thumbs up for me! Check it out ...

Blue Skies

I feel like I've weathered my own personal storm and am finally sailing under blue skies again.

I got my employer to reduce my hours a bit - by eight hours. Doesn't sound like much but it is just enough to allow me to breathe a bit, to feel like I am still MOM and not just a slave for someone else. I still have to work Saturdays for another month or so, but there is a light at the end of that tunnel and plans to have me move to weekdays only as soon as possible.

I actually went back to Young Women's last night and began the process of getting involved with my calling again (which I've been totally slacking on the past six weeks or so.)

With David's mom gone, that is a huge relief and weight off of my shoulders. No more worries or sorrows in her behalf. There is still some concern about how Dad is doing, but I don't feel as personally impacted by that ... at least it's not stressing me out too much at the moment.

David and I had our first Critique Group meeting tonight with four amazing women. I'm excited about this because it is forcing me to put writing up front and center in my mind and life, which is where it belongs.

I've discovered I can print out a chapter or two of my book and bring it to work with me. In between calls I can edit and rewrite ... effectively leaving me in 'writing mode' all day. I love living in my book, it makes working so much more fun! And also, it's so much easier to plunk down and right when I have a few minutes because I've never really left the story all day. It's working great!

I love seeing my boys more and feeling more like their mom again. Oh yeah, I already prety much said that, didn't I? There was this moment the other night ... After I had finished reading to them, but before I'd taken them to bed there was this moment when the boys had been getting up, but then both kind of relaxed into me. I was lying down, they were both sitting looking at a book together over my body. I don't know ... it wasn't a big thing or anything that's interesting to describe. But that moment of them ... relaxing, sighing ... into my body. The closeness, the intimacy, the familiarity and safety of it. It was sweet and warm and I keep replaying it in my mind. I'm so happy to be their mom and to have the chance to spend more time with them again.

Feeling good tonight. Happy. Relieved. Things are better. And getting better-er! Rah! Rah!

Be My Journal

I'm way too exhausted tonight to write in my journal. But there were precious moments from today that I want to remember so here they go.

Today was a beautiful and sweet day - Mom's funeral - but I found it very, very hard. The boys were being typical little boys, really fine with the whole thing and not really connecting. I asked the boys if they wanted to go say goodbye to Gramma, and they said yes. But when we started to go up there and they caught a glimpse of her, Charlie broke down and Xander didn't want to go any further.

Instead I took them to the couch, where Charlie climbed up onto my lap. Xan was really fine, or at least acted fine. In fact, he said he was concentrating on being happy because that was what Gramma wanted. He said he felt sad, but he was choosing to be happy instead.

Charlie, on the other hand, just couldn't stay the flood of tears that burst through his dam, and in the face of his emotion, neither could I. So we cried together today a LOT.

During the program, Aleta's (David's sister) girls Melissa, Amy and Emily performed "I Am a Child of God." Charlie said "I remember when Gramma sang that with me," and the tears started again. He also said he knew she would like them playing that for her. I think he might have felt bad that he wasn't doing something for her, because later, when we sang the closing hymn he said "I'm going to sing, for Gramma."

Now, you've got to know that Charlie does not like to sing. Correction: He only likes to sing goofy songs he makes up. He doesn't sing in Primary or anything, in fact he said during the last Primary Program that "I love Jesus, I just don't like to sing!"

So when I heard the sweet voice of my tender hearted boy singing "God be with you till meet again," it was about all I could bear. He cried, I cried.

Tonight when I was tucking Charlie in, he prayed that God would take good care of Gramma and especially bless his Grampa and his Daddy that they wouldn't be too sad. Then he asked about if she could see us or anything, because he thought he felt her. I was so happy to tell him about the veil and how she would always be watching over us and if he thought he felt her, then she was probably there. Which of course made him cry more, but it made him feel so loved and happy that maybe she had come to tell him goodnight.

Anyway, kind of personal tonight, there's no need to comment. I just didn't want to forget all this and it would have taken me forever to write it all out longhand! So thanks for letting me share :)

Igneous, Sedimentary & Metamorphic

We've been talking a lot about the Plan of Salvation since Gramma got sick. What happens when we die? Is there a heaven? What is it like?

In the process, we've talked about the importance of family, the resurrection and eternal life.

At school the boys have been learning about the different types of rock.

Now tonight Xan says, the stages of rock are like the stages of life. Igneous is our life on earth. Sedentary is when we are waiting to be resurrected. Metamorphic is when we are resurrected and live forever with our family in the Celestial Kingdom.

And I just looked at this kid and had to say, "Umm, yup. Pretty much!"

I love it when my kids GET IT, and teach me stuff in the process. Pretty cool, eh?

The Burning Hut

Tam sent this to me today. I almost didn't read it but when I did I was glad. Thanks Tam!

***

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me!"

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island. It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" he asked the weary man of his rescuers.

The Moral of This Story?
It's easy to get discouraged when things are going badly, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just might be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

Laura Lucy Johnson Cross Jan 1928 - Apr 2008

Last night my dear mother-in-law, Laura, passed away.

We are so thankful for the blessing of her death, which is a release for her spirit from the pain and suffering her body had endured far too long.

But we are so sad at her loss.

The world will just not be the same without her fun and silly attitude. She was full of life and loved her children and all people she came in contact with. She was the consummate mother. Everything she did, everything she said was geared to how she could help another. She believed in showing love and kindness and leading by example.

She loved the gospel and taught it constantly, in all she did. She never read her children bedtime stories, preferring instead to read them stories from the bible. She would send them to bed each night with "Shadrack, Meshack and In-To-Bed-You-Go!"

She loved to love her children, to hug them tight, to make them laugh.

When no one, even David and I, could figure Sam out, could handle him, could love him enough, Mom loved him.

When my babies would cry, Mom could hold them, bounce them, and quiet them.

She taught me to crochet. She taught me to bake bread. More importantly, she taught me how to be a better wife, mother, and even friend.

I love her and will always love her. She's spry and lively now, living among her loved ones, only a thought and a prayer away.

Love Languages

Have you read this book? The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I read it years ago, but still think of it often. It has helped me tremendously - not only with my husband, but in better relating to my boys, too. I highly recommend it.

I feel loved when...

The Five Love Languages

My Primary Love Language is Acts of Service

My Detailed Results:
Acts of Service:	9
Quality Time:	7
Words of Affirmation:	6
Physical Touch:	5
Receiving Gifts:	3

About this quiz

Unhappiness in relationships is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. It can be helpful to know what language you speak and what language those around you speak.

Tag 3 people so they can find out what their love language is.

Take the Quiz!
Check out the Book

Ali Cross, Writer

If you're into writing and care to see what I'm up to, I want to invite you to my writing blog. I've only just begun it, but there you can read about my latest exploits, specifically as they relate to writing.

Not sure how exciting it's going to be ... Well, of course I expect it to be exciting! I hope to be able to show my journey to publication, lol!

In the meantime though, read if you like, share, encourage, advise. I welcome you!

The Best Middle Grade Books I've Read ...

I read a lot of books to my boys. And though they are only seven and a half, they have long since passed the Magic Tree House series. About a year ago Xan picked up his first Deltora Quest book by Emily Rodda. We all really enjoyed it. Charlie continued to prefer Magic Tree House so I would alternate between a Deltora Quest book and a MTH book. Reading them out loud I much preferred the DQ books because they were so well written. Easy to read, the story flows, the dialogue is natural and the descriptions are excellent.


We are now on our fourth Deltora Quest. The story is only getting better and better and even my reluctant reader, Charlie, begs for more every night. These are truly excellent books with stellar writing; I highly recommend them.

I'm also enjoy reading them as a writer who is always interested in learning more. I am so impressed with how Rodda manages to keep her books succinct and in tune with her audience while never talking down to them, and never short changing the showing of the story. Her stories are vivid and alive, both for the boys and for me. I hope I can manage to take what I am learning from reading her stories to my own books one day; I could certainly do far worse than emulating one who is truly succeeding, to my mind, in telling exciting colorful adventures that even the most reluctant readers enjoy.

Thank you Emily Rodda!

Bwahahahaha .....

Tristi, Bring it ON! MY American Idol pick ...

Tristi has her own little thing going on with Rob Wells but I felt strongly enough about this one that I thought it was time to join in the fray.

Forget Michael Johns. Phht.

Forget David A. Whatever.

My vote? David Cook. Oh yeah.

My top picks for this year are: David, Carly Smithson, David A. and Brooke White.

Happy Day

Today was a neat day in more ways than one.

I got to spend some time with my husband in the children which we rarely seem to be able to do these days. Then I went back to the LDStorymakers conference for a while. I enjoyed meeting up again with Ilene, a great woman I met yesterday and I think is going to be a friend to me in the future. We're going to get a critique group going, so if you're interested and you live in the Salt Lake Valley, let us know! (We would really like to find Elana who we met in line and 'felt right' to both Ilene and I. So if you know Elana - who placed with a first chapter, yay! - tell her we're looking for her!)

I also got to meet Stephanie Humphreys today! I also wanted to meet Christine from AI and Shanna - my good IF (internet friend) - but no luck. Stephanie is just as pretty in person as the beautiful sketch on her blog depicts.

Because I was sitting with Stephanie a wonderful, and not accidental, thing happened. I got to sit with other Canadians, among them was Rob Ficiur. Rob says he lived in Foremost when Stephanie told him that my hubby was from there. Rob then says that he needs to call 'this man' and shows me a note on which he has written "Joe Cross" and a phone number. I said, "That's my husband's dad!"

Rob then proceeded to tell me a little (it was hard to talk) about his experience with Joe and what a blessing Joe was to him and his family. He offered to email me with some excerpts from the book he is currently writing in which Joe is featured. He also gave me a copy of his book "Trouble in Palmyra"

I have actually had an interest in this book in the past when it on the shelves and now, having a glimpse into the heart of this man, I am very excited to read it. I think my boys will love it too.

OK, great news! I entered my first chapter of The Devil's Daughter into the conference's contest and guess what?

I embarrassed myself when I whooped out loud when I heard I had won. Oh well, what can I say? I was excited and happy! Yay for me! But goodness, I have GOT to have my name changed legally because I'm so sick of having an alias! For some dumb reason (I thought I should) I entered the contest under my real name, Sandra, so no one knew who I was! Argh! Anyway, I'm super dee duperty excited to have won. Obviously.

OK, a few more things ... We had a little easter egg hunt for the boys tonight and that was sweet and fun. We were able to hide the eggs in much more challenging places this time which made it more fun for all of us. Then David took us out for dinner to celebrate my 'big win', lol, to Texas Roadhouse (our favorite place). While there, I was telling about the things I learned and the ideas I had while listening to James Dashner and Jeff Savage teach on strengthening your story. Together, all four of us kicked around ideas and holy cow you guys my Jump Boys story is going to TOTALLY ROCK now! It was okay-ish before (some who've read it might say not so much) but now? Watch out!! It's going to kick butt. With the ideas of my family - and can I say how awesome it was to play the "what if?" game with my seven year old boys? way fun - I've found a way to make not only my current antagonist a lot stronger but to add a really bad bad guy into the mix and how to create an almost insurmountable challenge for the boys thereby jacking up the tension and suspense by oh, about 100 %!

Now ... to put into practice the things I learned from Rachel Ann Nunes about finding time to write ...

My Pitch with Lisa Mangum and an Update

Today was the first day of the LDStorymakers conference. I enjoyed boot camp, a couple workshops and ... a pitch session with Deseret Book editor Lisa Mangum.

I really enjoyed the workshops I attended today and my pitch session with Lisa. I learned about truly becoming a writer from Rachel Anne Nunes; about how to make writing a priority, setting goals and how to truly reach my dreams. I also took a class from Heather Moore and Julie Wright about building our first novel. Their presentation was interesting but I think I was hoping for a more meaty class, where instead we got the bones. Guess we need to put the meat on ourselves? Still, it was worthwhile.

And Julie met me in the hall and gave me a hug! I was so shocked by that, but so, so touched. Time and again she surprises me with her kindness and friendliness. Oftentimes nowadays people just aren't that friendly, they don't go out of their way to be kind, they don't step outside of themselves to cheer another. But Julie continues to do that for me and today with the hug, well, she made me feel loved. Thank you Julie!

OK, so the pitch. I was very pleased to discover that Lisa was very approachable and friendly. She has a great smile too. I don't know why, but I was expecting someone a lot more reserved and removed. I was happy to find her instead to be quite approachable and fun.

I pitched The Devil's Daughter and she received it well. She claimed to really like the idea and asked that I submit the first three chapters along with an additional chapter or two showing Desi's (the main character) moment of truth so to speak - the moment when she discovers the truth of her identity. She seemed to suggest that there may be a place for my book at ShadowMountain, but did express concern over the whole devil's daughter thing. That's why she needs to see the middle part of the book where Heavenly Father makes His presence known and Desi begins to see the truth in things. I have to trust that Lisa is far too busy to invite several chapters into her life unless she is sincerely interested in reading them. So ... I guess I choose to believe that the pitch was a success and, well ... yay!

And now for my update. I'll keep it brief because I've already written a lot here. Basically, Mom is still hanging on and it's hard. Hard on everyone who is waiting to say goodbye, hard on Mom and the continued pain and suffering. David has been spending every moment he can over at his parent's house. He has been wonderful to his Mom, and to me. This has been an extremely difficult time for him, and yet he is being sweet and thoughtful of me and my needs. I hope I have been equally kind in return, but I don't know.

We are praying for Mom's release from the bonds of this life. She needs to go, she needs to free.

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Goodbyes

We spent the afternoon, visiting with David's mom. She had her daughter Dianna call us this morning to let us know that Mom needed us to come by to say our goodbyes. She is walking in the narrow strip of land where the veil normally resides, partly in this world, partly in the other world. She is finding it harder and harder to come back to us, the pull from the other side is getting harder to resist. It's time.

Xander had a karate tournament this afternoon, which he did very well at. He won both his events! He was proud to show Grandma his medals, and she told him what a special boy he is - not just at karate, but at life. She told him she knows he's a good boy, and she's so proud of him.

I am proud of both my boys. Going to see a sick and dying old woman in a tiny house where you can't make a lot of noise and there's nothing really fun to do, can't be a whole lot of fun. I know I never really enjoyed that sort of thing. But my guys both say "Yes!" when we tell them we're going to see Grandma. Last night Charlie said he wished he could give his life for Grandma, so she could live. What a big heart that boy has.

Today they hugged their Grandma, and listened to her words of advice. She told them about death and what it would mean. She told them she was going to be with her mom and dad, and how happy that made her. One day, she said, we would all be together again. She encouraged them to make good choices so that she could see them again one day. She especially gave her attention to Charlie, who stood for several long moments while Grandma spoke to him and she stroked his face. Sweet boy cried when he said goodbye to his Grandma.

We had planned to leave the boys with friends tomorrow while we spend the day with the family, but Mom requested that we bring the boys with us. I was surprised by that, but she was insistent. I think we had our goodbyes today, we'll go tomorrow to be a family, to be united in showing our love and support of our Mother, Mother-in-Law, our Grandma. Should Mom leave us tomorrow, I hope she can go with a house full of family, hearing the laughter, the joy in love shared.

Mea Culpa

My friends, please forgive me! I appreciate those of you who have been still stopping by - but mostly I hope you've got me on your blogroll and haven't been wasting your time checking on me!

I have been surviving this working thing, my family too, but I've had precious little time for the things I enjoy - like writing and reading. But because you're my friends, and for some reason unbeknownst to me, you like to read my blog (you gotta be crazy, but I love ya for it!) so for you I'm going to make a promise:

I here by swear that I will write two new blogs a week.

There, I said it. And by golly, if I said it, you can count on it to be true! At least, until I un-say it!

OK, so umm, where to start? Work is going fine. I think I may like it. YAY! I have yet to actually start the job though as I am still in training. The boys are doing just fine with the new routine. We had some blips to work through the first couple weeks, but I think we are finally getting the hang of it all. David, however, is another story! He says to me: "I just want you to be home!" He's having a hard time being a work-at-home Dad when there's no stay-at-home Mom!

We had the boys' parent-teacher conferences last week. Gosh, I love the boys' teacher! Jackie Warner is the most awesome teacher, I wish we could take her with us through all the grades. I especially love how much she cares for my Charlie. I imagine Charlie can be a hard one to love because he's wacky and silly and doesn't care a whole lot for school. But Mrs. Warner is able to see through all that and not let it bug her - she sees the good in Charlie and I love her for it. Funny though, I think perhaps she doesn't care for Xan too much! It doesn't bother me, I just think it's funny because usually it's the other way around. Next year I don't plan to keep the boys together in the same class, so it will be interesting to see how things pan out for them.

Next week, Xan is competing in a mini tournament with the karate studio. Charlie has decided he does not want to participate. I can't wait to get back to karate myself! Me and David miss it a lot, but for now can't afford it. Soon though, we hope. Then the week after is the LDStorymakers Conference and I can't wait! I'm excited to go to boot camp especially.

OK, that's all the news I've got for ya tonight. Like I said though, I'll be back! BEFORE next Saturday too. Count on it!