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Random Musings on the Writing Life
Monday Musings:The Ultimate Family-Friendly Christmas Movie List
(Before we dive into the movie stuff, let me give a quick THANK YOU to everyone who has chipped in to help us raise over $10,000 for author Sandi Rog to help pay for her cancer treatments. If you’re a writer, DO NOT MISS the drawing on Christmas Eve. And if you’re not a writer, DO NOT MISS the drawings going on 4 times this week for gift cards to Amazon.com–we have 2 $50 cards and 2 $100 cards! Details here.)
I’ll tell you straight off: if you came here looking for the ultimate family-friendly Christmas movie list, you’re going to be disappointed. I haven’t actually made it yet. That’s really why I’m posting–to hear from you all what movie(s) you think belong on the list. (more…)
Thursday Thoughts: The Homemade Christmas
Because finances are so tight this holiday season, I decided back in September to make all the gifts for our extended family by hand. Ever since I learned to crochet I’ve become a big of a yarn hog, and I’ve also got a ridiculous amount of fabric because there’s a seamstress in me somewhere begging to be given lessons, so I figured I could make something for nearly everyone just using what I had in my stashes. (more…)
Monday Musings: Great Games for Little Kids
This is the earliest I’ve ever had my Christmas shopping done, and I must say I’m quite relieved to know the pressure is off to beat the clock. But for those of you who are still looking for gifts for your kids ages 3-8, I thought I’d post some Morrow Family Favorites to give you a hand. (more…)
Thursday Thoughts: Educating the Whole Hearted Child
I don’t do a lot of reviews here, as you’ve likely already noticed, but whenever I’m really wowed by something I make sure to spread the word. On Tuesday I finished going through Clay and Sally Clarkson’s Educating the WholeHearted Child again, and dang, what an inspiring, convicting, empowering, encouraging book. While it’s meant as a resource for homeschoolers, I hope you’ll stick around to read the rest of the review even if you’re not a homeschooling parent, because I honestly think every Christian parent, homeschooler or not, needs to read this book before making a final call about their children’s education. (more…)
Monday Musings: Payoff
Saturday was Breakfast with Santa at the outlet mall here in town. The girls were psyched to go, but I wasn’t entirely sure why. Neither of them has ever enjoyed people in costumes, especially when those people try to interact with them. I’ve never gotten a photo of either one with Santa, or an Easter Bunny, or any other character, because they run for cover every time. (more…)
Thursday Thoughts: My First Advent
I grew up at a church that eschewed tradition in the hopes of making church more appealing to people who had been turned off by religion. As a result, my knowledge of church history and tradition was virtually nil until I met my husband, who happens to know quite a lot about them both. But regardless, Advent remained a mystery to me until this year, and it’s only because of good old Google that I figured out what it actually is.
But of all the Christmas traditions, I think this one appeals to me the most, because it’s such a beautiful contrast to our instant gratification society. Advent says slow down, think a minute, meditate, ponder, wait. We don’t do a lot of waiting anymore. If it takes longer than five second for our email to load, we say it’s taking forever. If a stoplight takes more than a minute, we get twitchy with irritation. Retail stores are the worst–the Valentine’s Day stuff will be on the shelves before all the Christmas stuff is gone. School is hardly out in June before the stores are stocking backpacks and office supplies in anticipation for September.
But Advent reminds us that there were hundreds of years filled with waiting. When is the Messiah coming? Where is our Rescuer? Has God forgotten His promise? And it pulls our focus back to Bethlehem, to the unsuspecting manger, to the fully divine and yet somehow fully human baby who would grow to become our Savior.
I jumped into Advent last Sunday without doing a lot of research first–I didn’t realize it was Advent until that morning, and I didn’t want to miss the chance to kick it off properly. We took advantage of a 50% off sale at Michaels and made our own Advent wreath, and that night at dinner we talked about its symbolism–the circle that, like God, has no beginning or end; its greenery, which stands for the the new life we have in Christ; the purple of the candles that represent Jesus’ royalty. We read some Scripture from the real Bible (The Jesus Storybook gets a lot more air time around here, but that’s going to change now), we talked about the word ‘advent’ meaning ‘coming’ and about who the Jews were waiting for.
But I’ve been hearing other families’ Advent traditions and I’m already looking forward to next Advent so I can do things differently. (I have a hard time changing tack mid-stream. It’s one of the things I really don’t like about myself.) I’d love to have a giant list of ideas to pull from next November when I’m actually thinking ahead and planning the season, so I’m flinging open the comment doors and asking you to share your Advent traditions. I can’t wait to see what you all do!
Thursday Thoughts: Thankful
So much to be thankful for this year.
I’m thankful that God cleared my calendar so that I could run the fundraiser for Sandi. (And don’t forget the raffle starts TOMORROW!) I’m also thankful it isn’t my family that needs one.
I’m thankful for having eight books on bookstore shelves around the country.
I’m thankful for a car that runs–even if it does make disturbing noises now and then–and four a house that is safe and warm and has more than enough room–even if there is a distressing drip sound behind the hall closet.
I’m thankful for my family and my friends and my husband and children.
I’m thankful for hot chocolate with two marshmallows, that Leverage starts up again on Sunday, and for authors like Terry Pratchett and Jodi Picoult and William Gibson who challenge me to be a better writer every time I read their books.
I’m thankful for Ron Paul and for Ronald Reagan’s legacy.
I’m thankful for my husband’s encouragement and support, his knowledge and his passion, and the way he takes care of us.
I’m thankful for the challenges we’re facing that are making us grow, and for the challenges we aren’t facing yet that we’ll be better prepared for because of how we’ve weathered these.
I’m thankful for Christmas music and snow, pink sunsets out my office window, and the way the sunrise reflects off the Rockies in the morning.
I’m thankful for PJ’s belly laugh and Abby’s blossoming maturity.
I’m thankful for gluten-free alternatives that taste good and make it easier for me to forgo the “real” stuff.
And, above all, I am thankful for:
Luke 2:8-11 “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord xappeared to them, and ythe glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 1 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
John 1:12-13 “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Mark 15:33-39 “33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
Mark 16:4-6 “And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back – it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here.”
Revelation 21:1-4 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”"
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. May God richly bless you and your family this holiday season.
Monday Musings: Money, money, money…
Money is weird. Sometimes it physically hurts to spend it. Other times forking it over is like playing with Monopoly money. Sometimes $10 feels like a thousand and $100 feels like pennies. Sometimes someone else’s insurmountable financial obstacle is our chunk change. And sometimes we’re the ones with the insurmountable obstacle.
That’s when friends rally and boost us over.
Sandi’s fundraiser has been pledged $500 if we can raise $500 by 8:30pm on the 23rd. A thousand dollars added to our total would be incredible. But right now $500 feels like a million. And the $20,000 we set as our goal? I won’t even tell you how that feels right now.
I know I’ve been a bit repetitive lately. But I just know we could do this–meet both these seemingly insurmountable goals–if everyone who read or heard about the fundraiser just put in $5 or $10. That’s not much. For most people this is totally doable. But–another one of those weird things about money–we look at our $5 or $10 and think it doesn’t matter. We think it wouldn’t make a difference. But the truth is, if everyone who thought that just donated their $5 or $10 anyway, we’d be done by now, and Sandi would have her treatment in the bag.
If you can spare $5 or $10, please don’t think it doesn’t matter. Add it to the pile, then encourage others to do the same.
Thursday Thoughts: Blog Blast Week Update
As of last Sunday, we had $1,372 in the coffers for Sandi. As of today, we have $1,497. This is great–but it’s still not enough. So I’ve written an email that I’m sending to friends who may not read my blog and asking if they’ll help us out. Here’s the letter I’m sending; you’re welcome to copy and modify it for your own mailing.
Hey friends! Forgive the mass email–I’m blessed to have a lot of friends, but that makes it hard to send emails like this individually! Some of you have seen the posts I’ve been making on Facebook and my blog lately about the fundraiser for my friend and fellow author, Sandi Rog. If that’s you, feel free to skip to the next paragraph. 
Briefly, for those who haven’t, Sandi is a mom of 4 and one of those women the world needs more of. On November 1, 2010 her first novel debuted–and that afternoon she learned she had stage 4 T-cell lymphoma. The last year of chemo, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant was supposed to eradicate the cancer, but it has not. Sandi is now pursuing a new treatment that is not yet covered by her insurance, and the whole course will cost about $20,000. We started a fundraiser to try to raise this money for her by Christmas Eve. Donors from all over the country–and even a couple from across the pond–have donated items that we’re compiling into gift baskets which we will begin to raffle off on November 25th.
As of today, we have raised $1,497. This is awesome, but it’s not enough, and that’s why I’m writing you today. We need your help. If you haven’t yet donated, would you consider hopping over to the site and giving just $5? This gets you a raffle ticket for the gift baskets as well. (Tickets are $5 each, so if you want more, donate accordingly!) And if you have a blog, or a Facebook account, or you’re on Twitter, would you consider posting about the fundraiser and encouraging people to come help?
I hope this doesn’t come across as pushy. I know you don’t know Sandi, and sometimes it’s hard to feel motivated to help a stranger when there are so many needs right in front of us. I understand if you don’t feel led to donate financially. But would you please consider, at the very least, helping us spread the news? There are four kids who are facing childhood without a mom, a man facing losing his partner in life. We want to do everything we can to help Sandi receive the treatment she needs so her chances of being here for her family are as good as they can be.
For those considering posting a blog, here are some URLs and info that might be helpful:
Fundraiser URL: fundraiserforsandirog.
Shortened URL: http://bit.ly/voZirO
Shortened URL to the first post on the blog which explains everything, in case you don’t want to post it all on your blog: http://bit.ly/uPTJ4n
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/
Shortened URL to Facebook Page: http://on.fb.me/sugBFg
$5 donation = 1 raffle ticket
Raffle begins November 25th
Fundraiser ends Christmas Eve
And if you do post a blog about Sandi, consider posting the link on our Facebook page so Sandi can be encouraged by all the participation.
Thank you so much, friends. Know that I am incredibly grateful for your participation and prayers.
Monday Musings: Post a blog, save someone’s life
We have declared this week Fundraiser for Sandi Rog Blog Blast Week. (So very catchy, yes?) Our goal is to get Sandi’s fundraiser in front of as many people as possible, and to ask them not only to please donate–even if it’s just $5–but to also post about the fundraiser on their own blog (or Facebook, or Twitter, or all three if they’re feeling really motivated).
As of Sunday afternoon when I’m writing this entry, we have raised $1,372. That means we have $20,028 left to raise by Christmas Eve. We need 4,005 people to donate 5 bucks, and we’re done! Or, even better, 2002 people to donate 10 bucks. Math hurts my head, so I’ll stop there, but suffice it to say, we need more donations, and we’d be super appreciative if you helped us get them.
If you haven’t donated yet, would you please consider tossing just five dollars into the hat? You get a ticket to the raffle with that, and there are some seriously cool gift baskets being compiled right now that you can enter to win with that ticket. Check out the blog to see some of what has been donated, and keep checking back as we’ll spotlight new items every day through Thanksgiving.
And then, would you please spread the word? This isn’t just an activity to participate in. This is a wife, a mom of four, an amazing woman–the kind of woman the world needs more of–whose life hangs in the balance. This is your chance to to give her a chance.
If you decide to blog or tweet or Facebook or whatever, these might come in handy:
Fundraiser URL: fundraiserforsandirog.
Shortened URL: http://bit.ly/voZirO
Shortened URL to the first post on the blog which explains everything, in case you don’t want to post it all on your blog: http://bit.ly/uPTJ4n
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/
Shortened URL to Facebook Page: http://on.fb.me/sugBFg
$5 donation = 1 raffle ticket
Raffle begins November 25th
Fundraiser ends Christmas Eve
So please join in the blog blast week and help us do something amazing this holiday season. Then come by our Facebook page and post the link so Sandi can see all the people who are pulling for her.
This is one of those “it takes a village” moments. Will you join us in our community?
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