Monthly Archives: July 2008
bloggy meme
All right. Karen, my college roommate and friend ever since (yup that’s almost 15 years, folks!), tagged me for her first meme. Since I got her addicted to blogging, I feel quite responsible to participate. The rules are to tag bloggers who make your day, make you laugh and smile, and/or leave uplifting comments on your blog. You then include a link to this post, and ask each person you tag to do the same!
Now this is tough for me because I read a LOT of blogs, but not all of them regularly. Some I read every day, but others I catch in a big swoop of ten posts every other week. And some I love, but just can’t keep up with! So, I’m limiting this list to five blogs, plus a bonus one for writers. To see the rest that I visit, check out my right sidebar.
La Vida Dolce: This is the newest addition to my daily blog checking. I don’t even know how I found this site, but I love it. Kellie, you’re a great writer, funny and encouraging. I look forward to your every new post.
L’Chaim: Heather is amazing. She’s brilliant and youthful, fun and insightful. I know I’m older than you, but when I grow up, I want to be just like you.
SpaghettiPie: She and I have a lot in common. We love books, writing, photography and we’re both mothering kids the same age. That said, Tina is far more intellectual and organized than I!
Life in the Crazy Lane: We’ve been through a lot together over the past 14 years! I love that you have a blog so I can keep up with all the dailies I don’t catch on the phone.
We are THAT Family: Kristen, you encourage me and console me, reminding me of God’s truths and unending faithfulness in spite of our perpetual “human” nature. (Read: failures) Thanks!!
And for all you writers …
Chip MacGregor: A wealth of information by well-known and respected literary agent. Chip points out the truth bluntly and with humor. I’ve learned so much by reading his thoughts about writing, publishing, marketing and more. Definitely an everyday visit.
Your turn! What blogs do you especially enjoy?
Hmmm …
Maybe I’ve been misunderstood. Or maybe you all understand what I’m trying to say better than I do!
My last post was meant to be a casual “Hey, what do you think about coincidences? When do we heed them as more than just chance?” Instead it somehow turned into a specific decision: should we adopt or not. My sister is adopted, so my awareness and affinity for adoption are definitely higher than your typical American, but we’re not even sure we want more children, much less how we want to get them! Maybe I should have offered more than one example. Like this:
A few months before the adoption and underprivileged children theme I was repeatedly struck by how international our neighborhood is. I ran into non-English speaking people nearly everywhere I went. I noticed how our corner convenience store offers more products in Hebrew than English. The closest church to us speaks Korean, but our closest neighbors speak Spanish. Just on our block we have people from Israel, Russia, Ireland, Columbia, India and Serbia. So what do I do with the brow-beating awareness of our area’s international nature? Do I start a cross-cultural ministry? Do I try to learn Russian? Review my Hebrew primaries? Or just plan regular “‘Round the World” evenings at home with internationally-themed dinners and activities?
Maybe my life has “themes” simply to highten my prayer efforts for those causes. Maybe orphans need more prayer the weeks I’m confronted with “coincidental” reminders.
There are so many worthy causes in the world. How do you choose which ones you’ll be actively involved with? Thoughts?
Coincidence or calling?
Have you seen the movie Fools Rush In? It’s about opposites attract, going with your gut and making two worlds work together. Isabel (played by Selma Hayek) firmly believes God sends us signs to show us what we’re supposed to do. After only knowing him for two days, she marries Alex (played by Matthew Perry). Alex doesn’t believe in signs and, when the honeymoon wears off and work starts stressing him, decides their marriage was a mistake. He moves from her home in Vegas back to Manhattan. But when he gets there everything reminds him of her and the life they had started together. Marquees, bus logos, strangers walking their dogs, a priest on the sidewalk — he even runs into a little girl at the heliport named Isabel.
Lately time seems to be connected by themes. For a week or a month or however long, I will continually run into reminders of the theme, whatever that may be for that period of time.
Last month, for example, every day something would point me toward adoption or under-priviledged kids. I saw ads in magazines and pamphlets in stores. The same billboards I pass everyday typically advertising jewelry or some degenerate movie were suddenly seeking foster parents. While waiting in line for the zoo train I overheard an entire conversation about how orphans misdiagnosed with learning diabilities are locked in state facilities with no prospects of adoption. I ran into an old friend awaiting the arrival of their son adopted from India. Even the novel I was reading talked about caring for forgotten children.
So my question is this: are these signs that I need to be following? I know, I know getting doctrine from a movie is not the brightest idea. I’m just saying that the frequency and relentless nature of these encounters makes me think of that part of the movie. And it makes me wonder if I’m missing something.
So what do you think? When time has a theme is it coincidence or calling? Is it a window of opportunity shut when you refuse to open it? Or is it a subconscious discovery? Are those things always there just never noticed before?
A not-new author and a great new book
Today I’m hosting Kimberly Stuart’s blog tour for her newest release, Act Two. She’s not a new author, but this is my first introduction to her.
I love hearing the journey’s of authors, especially when we have something in common. I was a little startled when I read Kimberly Stuart’s story. We were both raised in the Midwest. Neither of us ever thought of writing as a career. We both started writing after diving into motherhood. Both of our mothers think we’re literary geniuses. We both entered writing contests at the urging of said mothers and we both won. Finally, we both made our first connection in publishing at the Blue Ridge Writers Conference in North Carolina. A little scary – huh? I gotta tell ya, this makes me feel pretty good about my journey so far! My favorite thing about this author, though, is the way she words her bio. After teaching in the United States and Costa Rica, she “took a huge pay increase to be a stay at home mom.” Isn’t that great? Most people are aching to inflate their resumes with all the impressive (and not-so-impressive) things they’ve done and places they’ve lived. But she correctly places her family at the top of her accomplishments. I love it! It makes me want to read more of her books. Speaking of books …
Act Two: A Novel in Perfect Pitch is your classic fish-out-of-water story. Thanks to a little career desperation and a religious experience, a classical music diva from New York accepts a one-time, one-semester job as a college voice professor in Iowa. Things get worse when she arrives to find she’ll be living in the attic of an old house on a pig farm. Oh, and did I mention it’s filled with kids? And that her daily chauffeur is an opinionated country music fan? Not exactly what she had in mind when her agent arranged this gig. What ensues is a delightful tale and a journey of discovering what’s really most important.
While this type of story has been done a thousand times, Ms. Stuart fills her novel with fresh, sassy characters and authentic details. A love of high society, fashion and cuisine meets practicality and downhome families in a plucky collision of real life in different cultures. It’s fantastic. In fact, it’s the most enjoyable book I’ve read all month! I highly recommend it. This Midwestern farmgirl turned NYC suburbanite has already mailed a copy to her Kentucky mama, sure it’s going to be a hit with her too.
You can purchase this book today at Amazon.com for just $11.19!
Still not convinced? Click HERE to read the first chapter online. Then visit the other stops on this blog tour (listed below). Oh! And if you visit the author’s website, you can enter to win an iPod Nano. Pretty cool – huh?
A Christain Romance Writer’s Journey
Behind the Mountain
Blog Tour Spot
Book Nook Club
Book Room Reviews
Canadian Prairie Writer
Chatter Matters
Fictionary
Footprints in the Sand
Gatorskunz and Mudcats
His Reading List
I Don’t Wanna Blog
Kells Creative Musings
Life with Missy
Lighthouse Academy
Musings on This, That, and the Other
Net’s Notes
Real Women Scrap
Refresh My Soul
See Ya On the Net
Sips ‘N Cups Cafe
So Many Books. . . So Little Time
Sumballo
The Friendly Book Nook
The Law, Books and Life
The Surrendered Scribe
The Writing Road
Toni V. Lee
Write by Faith
Writing on the Edge
As a final note, if you’re interested in getting first looks at new books and/or authors, visit http://www.blogtourspot.com/ to see how you can get involved. You never know … you might get a couple free books out of it.
Short Years
When you’re parenting young children, the days are long, but the years are short.
I’ve known this. I’ve repeated this phrase as a mantra over the past couple years. It’s tough raising two kids so close together! I’ve experienced that and I trusted the wisdom of women older than me who assured me these days were fleeting. I wanted to drink in every moment before they were gone. Lately the unavoidable truth of short years has been tangible. A visible, audible heartbreak. I know, I know I’m just at the beginning. My oldest is only four. But it’s still eating at me. I’ve got a big girl on a two-wheeled bike giving doctrinal dissertations to the neighbors. Even my baby is not a baby anymore! He’s running circles around everyone, quoting his letters and phonics and wearing underwear to boot.
I figure I have two options: (1) have another baby or (2) refuse to let my kids grow up. My husband is praying hard against option number one so that leaves number two, which in my more practical moments I recognize as impossible. But I’ve come up with a plan. I’m going to refuse to call a speech therapist. Is that child abuse? It’s not like binding their feet or locking them in the basement – right?
Our girl has some speech issues. We’ve been letting it go because we thought she would outgrow it, but I’m afraid it’s time get some help. I don’t want to. These mispronunciations are so sweet and possibly the last signs of her being tiny. She’s not a baby anymore; she’s a big kid and I hate it. But a responsible mother must do what she must do. So, for the sake of prosperity, rather my own sentimentality, I’m recording here some of my favorites that she uses all the time. (*sniff* Excuse me while I go get a tissue.)
- Pwincess = princess (not too hard to figure out)
- Sweeping Booty = Sleeping Beauty
- Cinnerllella = Cinderella
- Wollo = royal, as in “Pwincesses sweep on wollo beds with wollo cwowns.”
- Wool = roll, as in “Mama, look! I wool my tongue!”
- Cimmimum = cinnamon
- loy-yo = oil, as in “We need loy-yo and cimmimum for our cookies.”
- Comooter = computer, as in “I have my watch and my phone and my comooter, just like Daddy!”
- Nemonade = lemonade
- Waterlemon = watermelon
- Ikeass = Zacchaeus
- Zachawee = Zachary, as in “Mama, Zachawee won’t sing Ikeass with me!”
- Lord, I leappa neemma lie! = Lord, I lift your name on high!
All right. I’m off to get another box of tissues and then find the number for a therapist. For me or her? Good question.
It’s a good day.
I’ve blogged before about what makes a good day. Is it sleep the night before? When things are going the way you want them to? Or is it just the attitude you have toward the day? I think it’s all of these things and more. I think a good day comes from knowing where God wants you and standing in the middle of it. There may be a storm all around you, but as long as you know you’re where you’re supposed to be, doing what you’re supposed to be doing, it’s a good day. Today is a good day.
Didn’t sleep last night, but that’s not new. Both kids had bad dreams. Ellie ended up sleeping on the couch. She came into our room bright and early. Was it 6 A.M.? Does it matter? I had already been up for a while praying and listening and imagining I was still asleep, but once she came in the day began. Rick jumped into the shower – okay, slithered may be a more accurate term – and Ellie climbed up in bed with me. We began our daily ritual of me pretending it’s nighttime and her insisting it’s daytime. As she flung open the blind to show me the blue sky, she noticed one of her children’s Bibles in the stacks of books that line our bedroom. Thus began story time. We took turns reading Bible stories for about half an hour until Zach meandered in sleep-eyed and adorable in his footed pajamas. Time for food.
There are a few things consistent with all Dennis men. Once their minds are made up, they’re made up. Negotiations, manipulation, begging, even feminine wiles mean very little and often evoke the opposite of intended results. Secondly, they need food to function. No fancy-schmancy girl food, either. Real food. Something of substance. Zach, for example, will eat an entire pound of bacon all by himself. Did I mention he’s two? Yeah. Once Zach wakes up the clock starts ticking. Gotta get food in him or the family’s equilibrium will quickly be upset. Fortunately, I went to the grocery store yesterday!
Blueberry pancakes with some Laurie Berkner and Go Fish! in the background. A perfect morning. Oh, and did I mention the after breakfast workout? The kids decided to tackle me repeatedly on Zach’s bed, which is really just a mattress lying on the floor. (We’re still deciding how to do his “big boy” room.) Well, this resulted in about forty crunches on my part with 34-40 pound weights (a.k.a. my children) wiggling around on my legs. That’s the most intense exercising I’ve done in at least a week!
Yup, it’s a good day. Zach has even gone in the potty twice already this morning. It’s not that things are going well. We’ve had our share of sibling arguments this morning as well, and Zach was not exactly thrilled about wearing underwear today; Ellie’s been whining because the rain is sure to destroy her plans to ride bikes today.
It’s a good day because I know I’m right where I belong doing what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m a mom and I’m taking care of my kids the best way I know how. I’m training them to know God and live a life that honors Him. Hopefully I’m being an example of how to love Him with all their hearts. It’s a good day because I know my purpose and am taking the small steps necessary to fulfill it.
Happy 4th of July!
Happy Independence Day to all you Americans! And to the rest of you, Happy Friday! 
I realized this week that what I miss most about life BC (Before Children) is late night walks with my hubby. On gorgeous summer nights, with a sweet breeze blowing, we would venture out at nine, ten, whenever the urge hit us. Not exactly an option when the kids hit the sack between seven and eight. Last night the irresistible evening tempted us to lock up the house and go anyway. While it’s likely nothing would happen to our sleeping treasures, we didn’t think it was the most responsible thing to do. So, instead of meandering over to the nearby park to gaze skyward, we watched fireworks from our kitchen window. It was actually a pretty close second. A romantic embrace, a ceiling fan, and some vibrant blasts seen just above our neighbors trees. Add in that both kids slept through the night and woke up happy; this life is infinitely better than life BC.
Undue Defenses
I tend to do this a lot. Not because I’m frequently attacked, but because when I am, I am so completely shocked, I don’t respond. I sit slack jawed and take it. I don’t defend myself at all. Then, when the confrontation is long ended, as a pulverized heap, I slowly and methodically mull over everything I should have said. I devise the most logical rebuttals and air-tight arguments, so perfect I sit in wait for the opportunity to use them effectively. Woe to the innocent person who next broaches the subject.
On a friend’s recommendation, I bought The Mission of Motherhood. This was a good friend whom I’ve known forever and respect greatly, so I was eager to read it. It was sure to edify. But between the time when I ordered the book and was actually able to start reading it, I suffered a couple attacks. Now I find undue defenses built against this author. I’m assuming what her message is even before finishing the introduction. Furthermore, I’m assuming I’m not going to like what she has to say simply because she writes with the same voice as those who recently projected their dichotomistic views on me.
She is not attacking me! She may not even have the same views as the people who did. It’s not fair of me to believe otherwise until proven so. On top of that, my preconceived ideas are robbing me of the opportunity to learn and grow as a Christian mother.
James 1:19-20
Deep breath. Long prayer.
I’m starting over from chapter one.
Site issues
Hey. I’ve encountered a glitch with my webhosting service, so parts of my site are currently unavailable. While you can’t see my bio, published, contact and home pages, you can still reach my blogger-hosted pages (blog and bookshelf). If you normally reach this site through TanyaDennisBooks.com, please note the direct address to my blog: www.inthedailies.blogspot.com. My bookshelf is www.TanyaDennisBookshelf.blogspot.com. On the upside, both of these pages are loading faster. Maybe this will turn out to be a wonderful blessing of less than five minute loads! I’ll let you know when it’s fixed.
UPDATE: It’s fixed! And, so far, the loading delay hasn’t returned. Woo-hoo!
