Posts
Donkey Trails
Our stray donkey, Flash, has a pretty good life here at our Barn House. No, he doesn’t get to come inside! But he does have free roam of the pastures and woods on the property. He has plenty to eat and plenty of time to contemplate. You could say he’s a Contemplative Donkey, but that…
Do You Want to Go Where Everybody Knows Your Name???
And they’re always glad I came!!! I’m making friends left and right! I’m telling you if you need a self-esteem boost, just join Shout Life, the Christian networking space. In just one day I’ve made of 34 “friends” and the requests keep coming, but don’t worry I’m not naive to know they all really want…
Pre-Teen and Teen No Hassle Birthday Parties
We’ve done it all, from renting ponies for a backyard cowboy party to having a dozen princesses over (the kiddie variety) and building a huge cardboard maze castle tunnel. But with four kids and the older ones getting too old for backyard birthdays, we’ve decided a couple of years ago that Chris (12) and Joey…
Grace Turns 5 this Month
I wrote this a year ago. My how time flies… Grace turned four last month, but we’re just now getting around to having her Princess Birthday party. It was a great time filled with a dozen little girls in their princess gowns. The boys and a friend dressed up as princes and I swear they…
Midweek Motivation
Start Your Day out Right! Scripture, Short Devotion If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself. – 2 Tim. 2:13 If you’re like me, you might be an overachiever. Some of the time. It’s so easy to set high goals, then give up on them when they turn out not…
I Will Persist Until I Succeed
“By perseverance the snail reached the ark.” ~ Charles Spurgeon ~ As a writer, I know if I don’t persevere I will never succeed. Rejections can destroy even the best of writers. Yet perseverance didn’t come naturally to me like the snail gunning for Noah’s ark. He knew if he didn’t keep going, he…
Fiction In Rather Short Takes
I’m starting something new here at Portrait. In an effort to promote Christian literature, I’ve joined FIRST and CFBA. Fridays will be my official FICTION days where I will post something ficiton related, but each first of the month, I will also feature the first chapter of a novel. I mentioned The Heir before, now…
Guest Blogger: Brandilyn Collins on Prologues
Hearing that there are those who don’t read prologues makes me sad. Can’t blame these non-readers, though. I blame the writers who’ve so misused prologues that these readers have given up on the things. However, if you’re in the “non-read” group and you pick up a book by an author who knows how to use…
“They”
This was supposed to be a reply to rule mongers in a writing group, but since I don’t think “they” will get it anyway, I decided to turn the specific lesson into a general one for any time I come face-to-face with “they.” I will tell you from experience that “they” will do everything in…
Winds of Change
I feel the winds of change are blowing, and I’m not resisting. Hopefully I’ll be able to spread my wings and ride the current, trusting God all the way. We’re looking into schools for all our children next year, and I’m feeling such a peace about it while in the pass I’ve been resistant, wanting…