A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKEND

Remember that generosity isn't only the act of giving to those in need, it's also the state of your heart.

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKEND

A room without books is like a body without a soul.

Cicero

100 BC - 43 BC

Getting Ready for the Parental Units

I am so pooped! My parents are arriving in a couple of days and I have been so busy cleaning and scrubbing and washing and ... and ... just getting ready for them. It's been about three years since we've had any company and we're excited.

My dad is the director of the Family History Center in their home town and is bringing his laptop so he can give me back my genealogy which I lost when our computer crashed. I'm trying to gather back together all the information I've gathered on Stan's family over the past 20 years. What a pain.

Anyway, my mom is one of those who keeps her house looking immaculate. And those of you who know me know that I am not like that. It's hard playing catch-up in a couple of weeks, but we'll get there. I know we'll have some good talks, and some adventures. They want to go to the Celestial Seasonings plant in Boulder, and to the State Fair in Pueblo where Kevin and the band are scheduled to march in the parade and play inside the fair grounds as well. It'll be fun!

Getting Pumped

I sent my latest novel off to an agent a while ago and finally heard back from her. While she decided not to take me on as a client (mostly because of the current economic situation) she wrote me a handwritten letter telling me what she thought of my book. It was all very positive and made me feel really good, and grateful that she took the time to write to me.

This weekend I got my new issue of Writer's Digest in which an agent wrote about rejections and said that one of the best rejections you can receive is a personal note from an agent. Among other things he said, "... a personalized rejection is actually a good thing. It means you've got the writing chops or some other compelling factor on your side that will likely lead you to becoming a published aughor. You've convinced a publishing professional to pay attention to you -- and that should be a tremendously energizing event."

It is. Then AJ asked me how many personalized notes I've received over this book. I've received several. So I'm going back in, doing some more revising and editing, and going to hit the query road again. Wish me luck! I'm pumped!

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKEND

You could have an experience with the gift of the Holy Ghost today. You could begin a private prayer with thanks. You could start to count your blessings and then pause for a moment. If you exercise faith, and with the Gift of the Holy Ghost, you will find that memories of other blessings will flood into your mind. If you begin to express gratitude for each of these, your prayer may take a little longer than usual. Remembrance will come. And so will gratitude.

Henry B. Eyring

1933 -

A Question for Readers

One of the blogs I like to visit is Nathan Bransford's. He is a literary agent with Curtis Brown in San Francisco. He often asks interesting questions that get you thinking. One he asked recently is one I'd like to ask as well.

When do you stop reading a book?

Do you read the first couple of chapters; do you try to make it halfway through; or do you read the entire book then toss it aside in disgust for having done so?

I have a friend who won't even start a book if the first paragraph doesn't capture her attention. A high school English teacher of mine used to say, "Never finish a book merely because you have begun it." What do you think?

And what would make you keep turning the pages??

TV Free Week

You know how you hear how people experiement by having a TV free week? I've read articles where those who try this talk about the impact of going without the television blaring every day makes on their lives.

Well, we just got done with one of those weeks, and it wasn't by choice. Our Satellite box got fried during one of the recent thunderstorms and the tech couldn't get out to our house until late yesterday afternoon.

It was an interesting week. I read about six books, AJ finished a couple of books, and we all spent a lot more time doing things around the house and talking. I have to confess that after a month without a computer it was great to have it to turn to when I felt at odds about not being able to watch the box.

And that did happen. Just as I learned I am addicted to the computer, I now know I'm addicted to the dumb TV as well!

During dinner last night Kevin asked me if I thought we were being sent a message. I don't know about that. But I definately think we've all learned that we're much to dependent upon these modern devices. They make our lives more enjoyable; they're certainly convenient, but do they really enrich our lives all that much? I'm not so sure.

There is Beauty All Around

Like the song, if you look for it you can find beauty everywhere and anywhere. I love wildflowers, and when they grow up through the rocks along our driveway I refuse to let Stan and the boys pull them out. (I'm sure the neighbors think it looks funny, but I love it!) My favorites are the sunflowers.

In a corner of our yard Stan left his broken wheelbarrow with a load of dirt. He hasn't yet dumped it out and taken the barrow to the dump, and I noticed a bunch of sunflowers growing in it! Isn't it pretty? Even in a pile of stuff to be taken to the dump wonderous things can be found!

Meet Max!

On the "tail" of the weekend thought, I'd like to introduce the world to the newest member of the Mullis family. This is Max. He is a ten-month-old Catahoula Leopard dog we adopted from the Humane Society last weekend. I used Jake's picture in the last post. We lost him two and a half years ago, and it's taken me this long to finally feel good about getting a new dog.

Max was a stray the humane society picked up. He was adopted by a family who, sadly, lost their home in this tough economic situation and Max was returned to the society. Lucky for us, we found him and have brought him home to become our newest best friend!

The boys are crazy about him, and he seems to be settling in quite well. We were worried when we had to return to the Humane Society with him on Thursday to have his microchip inserted; we were afraid he would think we were returning him. Happily, he got so much attention from all the other dog lovers there as we waited that he was distracted enough that he seemed to suffer no ill effects. We're looking forward to a long happy time together with Max!

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKEND

A dog owns nothing, yet is seldom dissatisfied.

Irish Proverb

Renaissance Festival

On our vacation we went to Elitch's and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, but I was so excited or something I forgot to take pictures -- goofy me!

But, we also went to the Renaissance Festival and I got some good shots of the boys and Stan and some of the events there. AJ bought himself a ceramic mug and a claymore (I think that's a fancy word for really long sword) and Kevin got a "magical" staff. Stan and I had a blast (went to a renewal of marriage vows ceremony with the King and Queen where I received a red rose!), and the boys are old enough that they went off on their own and reconnected with us when they needed food money or whatever. If you get a chance to go you should. Lots of fun!

Stan and the boys pose for me with their staff and claymore!

The Washing Well Wenches seemed to like the Mullis Men! Looks like AJ had a good time with them too!

A Fairy played her pipes for the visitors to the festival. It gave it a magical feel, and the music was pretty too!

Canon City and Buckskin Joe's

Our family went on vacation the middle of July. We didn't actually go anywhere, instead we took day trips and explored some things in Colorado we haven't yet seen. Every morning we would get up, pack a picnic in our cooler and take off.

Our first day we went to Canon City and visited a place called Buckskin Joe's. It's a recreation of an old west town. They've filmed a lot of westerns there, including "True Grit" and starring actors such as John Wayne and Tom Selleck. We had a blast! We saw a few gunfights, a magic show (AJ was even in one), saw Stan land in jail, rode a horse drawn carriage around the town, and had our picture taken as a bunch of drunken gunslingers playing poker.

The train ride to view the Royal Gorge was breathtaking. I have a terrible fear of heights so checking it out from a distance was fine with me. It was just great fun. And the neat thing is that Canon City is so close. Perfect for a day trip. We plan on returning!

I'm the Mother of a Senior -- Again!

My youngest son returned to school today -- as a SENIOR! My baby is entering his last year of high school, and I can't believe it! I'm sharing his photos with you all because I'm so proud of him. Isn't he handsome???

I'm Back!

We are finally back online! Yipee! Our computer is fixed and I am back among the living. Who knew how addicted you can get to these darned contraptions?? Our friend John fixed our computer for us, and we are sooooo happy! But now I need to catch up.

To show how long it's been since I've posted on this blog, I want to show off my plant hanger. For Mother's Day AJ gave me a beautiful flowering plant. I wanted to hang it, so Stan and the boys built me a plant hanger on our deck. (I said it's been awhile since I was able to post...)

It's been fun this summer sitting out on the deck underneath these beautiful flowers. Poor Stan, though. When they were done building this for me he said, "That darned kid! His ten dollar flowers wound up costing me eighty bucks!" Well worth it if you ask me!