Hello all! First off, I apologize for not having replied to last week's comments. They seriously made my day and I will reply to them soon! However, this week was busy and I really didn't get much of anything blog-related done. Hopefully I can remedy that this next week. ;)
Yes, this is incredibly boring. I was too tired to come up with a better title pic. xD
Anyway, on to today's post. I think the title is kinda self- explanatory. Today I'm revealing the cover for my soon-to-be-released novella, I Don't Dance! And I'll be a nice author and not make you scroll down for it.
*sits back and looks at it* *grins* Isn't is so beautiful?! I love it so much and my cover designer did a fantastic job! *whispers* She's already made the cover for the book that comes after it... ;)
And yes, that's literally all I have to share today. I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!
That moment when you sit down, look at the screen, and think . . . what in the world am I even going to post about? So, since Jess didn't think ahead of time and plan a post that would match up with the schedule, we're gonna go ahead and do a post on a completely different subject.
As of late, I've been listening to a lot of country music. Most of the songs are alike, but every once in a while, a song stands out to me that I know I won't forget. The other day as the radio was playing, Built to Last came on. And as I listened to the lyrics, I had to pause. Because they made you think. And there aren't too many songs that do that.
Built to Last. What does that mean to you? If we're looking at buying tools or machinery, we want things that will stand the test of time. When we put our money into things, we want to be sure that it's worth it. That we're buying something that won't depreciate in value, or become useless in a year or so.
But at the same time, in other areas of our life . . . are we really making sure things are built to last?
We live in a world now of plastic and glue
Disposable honor, replaceable truth
If a part breaks, why fix it?
Man, what's the use
It costs less to buy it brand new
In the world we live in, we want everything fast. We want it now. And we don't want to be bothered with things that may require too much of our time or energy. Why put effort into something when you don't have to? Even truth is negotiable. Because if it hurts us, well, maybe we can twist it just a bit. We've become accustomed to a culture where things come easy. Generations before us literally put blood, sweat and tears into making their homes and earning a living for their families. Into making our country the land of the free and the home of the brave. They learned the value of work. They learned the truth that when you work hard at something and pour yourself into it, those things become so much more precious to you.
I'm sure you've heard someone say something along the lines of, "well, they just don't make things like they used to." And sometimes I wonder . . . is it that things aren't made like they're used to, or is it that we no longer expect things to made to last?
Here's to the makers of things built to last
The pledge of allegiance, the stars and the stripes
The words in the Bible, the sun in the sky
And here's to the twinkle in old married eyes
Still there after fifty years past
Here's to the makers of things built to last
There are some things that hold a value that can never be replaced. Never be forgotten. And so often, in all the "here and now" of life, we lose sight of those things that are designed to last.
A country founded on biblical principals.
A marriage where the couple is made one before God.
The Holy Word of God.
The traditions and family heritage that made us who we are today.
And friends, these things don't come easily. Freedom must be kept and fought for by each generation. Marriage is designed to be forever, but it requires two people who are willing to work each and every day to put God first and their spouse second. And those generations past who have made us who we are today? Well, that requires willingness on our part to learn from those who have gone on before us. Sometimes, the old fashioned ways of doing things really are the best.
In a world where so many things are focused on the here and now, let's take a moment to pause. Because those things will fade. Five years from now, most things that concern us today really won't matter. Lets put time and energy and work into the things that will last. Friendships. Relationships. Witnessing to others and sewing seeds that will reap in a harvest for all eternity.
Not everything is built to last. But the things that are, they're worth investing time and energy into.
Here's to the makers of things built to last
Like church bells and bridges, and baseball on grass
Hello, y'all! How is your week coming thus far? Mine has been good, but busy! And that trend doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. ;) Some of you may have noticed I missed Saturday's post. There were a couple reasons for that, and this is one of them; I'm having Rebekah Morris here with a guys post today! So without any further ado, let's get on with it.
Hello Everyone!
I know, you were expecting Jesseca to be sharing another delightful post, weren't you? Well, she is. Only it's not here. We decided to switch blogs today because we wanted to share something.
This weekend, April 13-14, Jesseca and I will be sharing a booth at the
TPA Homeschool convention in Wichita!
Two other friends will be with us, and we will have our books for sale! If you are in the area we'd love to have you stop by our booth and say hi!
But we didn't just decide yesterday to share our books with everyone this weekend. (Don't I wish it were that simple.)
When Jesseca first contacted me last fall about sharing a booth at the convention, I was excited. While I've been to the TPA convention many years, it's always been as part of my brother's both (Light of Faith) and my books were simply more books on his very full shelves. However, I've wanted to try having a table where my books could be easily seen, and where I could talk to people (I do like to talk to people), so this chance was perfect. After several emails back and forth between us, emails to our friends, and consultation with parents, it was settled. My best friend and I would bring our books (Yes, she has a book too.) and share a booth space with Jesseca and her friend. Jesseca took on the responsibility of getting the booth, and all that sort of work *cues applause and showers of chocolate*
Then for several months the plan was just tucked into the back of my mind and I didn't really think about it. But suddenly I realized I had to get ready! *gulp*
Let's see, I had to bring books. But how many copies of each of my books should I bring? I talked to Kate (author of The Twin Arrows) and she said she took 20 copies of each of her books to the convention she did last year. That's all well and good, but I had a problem. You see, I have 25 published, paperback books! If I took 20 copies of each one that would mean I had to bring 500 books!!! Nope, not happening. For one, I knew I wouldn't sell that many, and two, I didn't have enough money to buy that many to begin with. So I had to do some guesswork, some figuring, some finding out how many books I already had available to bring, and then place my order for new books. So, if you should come to our booth, and I have run out of one of my books, sorry! I promise I will order you one.
For me, that was the hardest part about preparing. The other things (hotel, food, set up, selling) will be easy.
There's excitement in the air as we plan when to meet to set up the booth, talk of getting ice cream together, ideas of how to set up the tables, eagerness, and maybe a bit of nervousness realizing that we're going to be doing this on our own. But it's going to be fun! And yes, we'll take pictures! (My best friend is a photographer.) And we'll share pictures after the conference is over. At least, if you want to see them. :)
And that, is what Jesseca and I are doing this weekend. Are any of you going to be at the TPA Convention? We'd love to meet you if you are! Come talk books with us.
