I still remember my aunt’s phone call that summer of 2006. My cousin Brian had met a girl. I was newly married myself. And I couldn’t have been happier that my strong but tender-hearted cousin had found the girl he wanted to marry. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room the next January. Heartland’s…
“Letter writing is such a heartless method of communicating. First, one has difficulty putting into words what he really feels—then he must worry for fear what is written is misunderstood—and that for a good long time, since he cannot erase once the post-box has banged shut, and then he must wait—and that is worst of…
“I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” As much as I love to give book recommendations to my friends, I can identity all too well with this quotation which has often been attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ask me for my…
I was Lucy the Valiant, Queen of Narnia. In one hand I grasped my shield–a metal garbage can lid–and in the other I held a wooden sword. Together with my brother, Peter, High King of Narnia, we vanquished the White Witch and brought spring to Narnia once again. The books I read as a child…
“A children’s story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story. The good ones last.” -C.S. Lewis If a good children’s story is one that can be enjoyed by all ages, then Love, Mary Elisabeth is a good children’s story indeed. In Love, Mary Elisabeth, Christy Martenson has given us a winsome…
I met my husband when we were thirteen years old. Our families exchanged mailing addresses after a “chance” meeting and a few hours’ conversation in Yellowstone National Park. His big sister became one of my many pen pals. Soon so did his little sister. And then one day, when I was 17 years old, I…
At any given hour of the day, you can hear Thornton W. Burgess audiobooks in one room of our home, Jim Weiss’ reading of Story of the World in another. Other times it’s The Wingfeather Saga in the girls’ room, and The Tales of Larkin in their brother’s room. I have to ask them (approximately…
It’s easy to get so excited about the brand new freebie you’ve created to bribe your visitors to subscribe to your email list that you forget a key element or two. Here’s a quick pre-publish checklist to make sure your file is ready to share with your subscribers. 1. Author Name It’s so obvious it…
Working your way through a course like Sticky Blogging or Blog Smarter and making changes to your old posts? Just feeling like a bit of spring cleaning on your blog?
Here are three things to know about updating old posts.
Rest assured: you can do it without breaking any links or losing your social media shares!
It’s easy to get overwhelmed at all the things that the “experts” say you “should” have on your blog, let alone all the bells and whistles you know you could add! But when it comes right down to it, sometimes simple is better. And when you’re just starting out as a blogger, you don’t have…
The year our baby girl was born was one of the hardest yet. Six weeks of bedrest, wondering if the baby was going to make it anywhere near term. Four hours of emergency induced labor, knowing each moment was further endangering the baby’s life and mine. Hearing the words life flight. Seeing that look on…
Dear brand new blogger, I see you there, on the other side of the computer screen. Your blog to do list is a mile long. You’re overwhelmed at all the things you are supposed to do to make your blog the best it can be before you release it to the waiting world. You are…
The End.
The End.
