by Heather Ivester

Back to School … and Work

FROM THE ARCHIVES Something absolutely amazing happened this week. My youngest child started preschool. For the first time in over eleven years of stay-home momhood, I have the house to myself. The dog and cats are outside. The TV is off, radio is off. I can hear the refrigerator running as I type. And that…

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Simplifying Your Mealtime Routine (So You Can Write)

I’m sure your calendar this month is jam-packed. Even though I’ve tried to cull much of the clutter from our schedule, December still leaves me feeling like my head is barely above water. But I’ve at last found a way to get my mealtime routine under control, and I wanted to pass this tip along…

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A Central Park Writing Lesson

I sometimes sit down to write and make the mistake of “just checking a few things” before I start attacking my own work. I check email and see a note from my sister — so I write her back (real quick). Then I skim through a yahoo loop. I’m in the zone, inspired to get…

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Inspired by the Great Oudoors

Chrysanthemum, King, Emperor of Autumn, who will rule while you sleep? (from Siri Mitchell’s Moon Over Tokyo) I love October. I’m starting to think it might be my favorite month of the year. Finally, a reprieve from our hot, sticky Georgia summer. Nearly every week, I’ve joined other photo-snapping parents on field trips to farms,…

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Slowing Down the Writer’s Heart

For the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. 1 Chronicles 28:9 I know many of you reading this are on your way to ACFW in Dallas, which starts tomorrow. Go get ’em! Maybe you’re in the airport waiting for your flight — or maybe you’ve set up your laptop on…

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Write a Letter to Yourself

“Have you had a good summer?” “I can’t believe it’s over!” “It’s gone by too fast!” These are the three catch phrases of the week in my hometown as our children head back to school. Tomorrow. Here I am this morning enjoying a quiet cup of coffee, alone for a few minutes — yet by…

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Surviving ICRS

I went. I saw. I came home with blistered feet. I’m talking about my first ICRS, the International Christian Retail Show, formerly known as CBA. I went this year because it was in Atlanta, about an hour’s drive from my house. How could I NOT go? I commuted, saving the cost of transportation and hotel.…

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Getting into the Writing Groove

As I type this, I’m hoping the ceiling above me doesn’t come crashing down. Boom-da-da-boom! There are two girls in the room above, my daughters, who are dancing a jig. An Irish step dance. It’s highly addictive and they’ve been at it for hours. I think they’ve finally found their groove. Last week they attended…

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Work Smart: Letter of Introduction

“Work smart” is a phrase we hear a lot, in both the business world and in life. I’m constantly looking for advice that will help me “work smarter” in my home and in my writing life. A couple of years ago, I saw a copy of a beautiful magazine that covered arts, travel, dining, and…

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Capturing Your Memories in a Journal

As parents, we follow our kids around with cameras trying to record those happy moments of childhood. Snap! First tooth. Snap! First steps. The milestones show up in baby books and photo albums (or for those of you less organized, like me, they show up in shoeboxes, with good intentions!). Yet even more important than…

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