Monday, November 29, 2010

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob

Loved this!




I love watching flash mobs. So cool that a group of people get together and practice and practice to learn a song (and sometimes choreography) in order to surprise another group of people with the goal of making them smile, of giving them joy, and––in this instance––of glorifying Christ. Love it! 

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your day has been a good one. Here in Nashville, it's been a nice day with family and lots of delicious food, and now my daughter and I are piled up on the sofas watching the Taylor Swift and Beyonce specials. Nothing says Thanksgiving like Taylor and Beyonce, huh? ;) Ah well...it's fun girl time.

Do you know the history behind Thanksgiving? If you haven't read the Thanksgiving Proclamation by our nation's president, treat yourself.

Monday, November 22, 2010

First Pumpkin Bread of the season

Oh yum...




Delicious! I love the way this bread tastes but I also love the way it makes my house smell. Like Thanksgiving and Christmas all rolled into one! Here's the recipe, if you're interested:


Pumpkin Bread
3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp soda
1 tsp each cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg
3 cups plain flour
1 cup canola oil
1 cup water
1 15 ounce can pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Mix dry ingredients first then blend in the rest. Mix well and bake at 350 degrees for about 55 minutes, depending on your oven and the size of loaf pans you use. Makes two large loaves or three of the medium loaves. This recipe also works great for those little mini loaf pans. Enjoy!


Now to get a ton of writing done before Wednesday comes and the major cooking begins! We'll be here in Nashville for Thanksgiving. We've got family coming in, and I'm really looking forward to the time together. And I'm wishing you happy times with family and friends too. More later...

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Following, and a free Kindle book for writers

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me, will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.  

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  

Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

It's a little hard to miss the message, isn't it? You cannot belong to Jesus without following Him. But there's another simple truth boldly written between the lines of these verses… 


The above is an excerpt from my blog post over at Writes of Passage today. You can read the rest by clicking here, but first...

If you write fiction, I've got a must-have Kindle book for you. And it's currently FREE for a limited time. Check out Writing Fiction for Dummies by Peter Economy and Randy Ingermanson:



Saturday, November 13, 2010

I LOVE these cards!

Do you love giving homemade cards but aren't crafty in the least? Or maybe you are crafty but you either don't have the time––or those cool little scissors––to make your own?

I've got the solution: Megan Brooke Handmade cards. Here are some of the creations I recently ordered from Megan (who's as sweet as she can be!). I love all the details, and ribbons, and textures she uses. Now to address these babies and get them in the mail!




Friday, November 12, 2010

When God doesn't show up the way you thought He would

I'm reading a book right now that I'm finding so enlightening and encouraging, and I wanted to share it with you.

Click here to read the first chapter of Plan B by Pete Wilson.

Click here to watch a trailer for Plan B.

I hope you find fresh hope and anticipation in Pete's words, just like I am!

It's a gorgeous day here in Nashville and I'm headed out for a walk before returning to write for the day. Thank you to all of you who read my novels…you make it possible for me to do something I love. Bless you!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Hope for the hopelessly craft-challenged

Hey all! Tammy here. I recently saw something my sweet daughter, Kelsey, had made and begged her to blog and share. She agreed! But get ready, she's in rare form…


Everything changes when autumn rolls around: the air becomes deliciously crisp, the temperatures start to drop, the leaves begin to turn crunchy, and like clockwork, the spirit of Martha Stewart (or a lesser-talented relative) takes over my body and I enter into craft mode. I buy candle-making kits and seriously consider purchasing a potter’s wheel. I decide to re-decorate with Christmas lights and artistic greenery. I make frequent trips to Hobby Lobby, vowing to make all of my Christmas presents by hand.

Yes, it happens every year.

It’s a phenomenon that I simply can’t explain—especially considering that I am hopelessly and utterly craft-challenged. It’s the honest truth. The candle-making kits? I forgot to insert the wicks before the wax solidified. The artistic greenery? I fell off the counter while attempting to decorate the tops of my kitchen cabinets. The potter’s wheel? Ha, surely you jest.

Two years ago, I stumbled upon a huge yarn sale at a local craft store and took it as a sign from the Lord that I was meant to learn how to knit for His glory. Three bags of multi-colored yarn, two sets of knitting needles, and an adorable knitter’s bag later, I drove home from the craft store, filled with knitting-inspired determination and dreaming of all of the handmade scarves and hats that my friends and family would soon enjoy. I arrived home and immediately set to work, knitting two and pearling one.

Within an hour, I had stabbed myself with the knitting needles more than once and thus amended my dream ever so slightly from high-fashion scarves and hats to modest potholders. Another hour later, the dream had died altogether and I had somehow managed to mangle the would-be potholder beyond recognition.

 Face-to-face with my own craft impairment, I sat alone on my living room floor and tearfully mourned the knitting triumphs that might have been.

Fast forward to the present. Autumn is already upon us and like clockwork again, my impulse to craft is beginning to rear its predictably ugly head. Except this year, in all of His great wisdom and humorous irony, God has seen fit to bless me with a dear friend and roommate who is a gifted scrap-booker and—even worse—a craft aficionado.

Megan creates beautifully unique greeting cards, gift tags, and cupcake toppers and operates her very own Etsy Shop, Megan Brooke Handmade


She possesses a true talent and yet still manages to stoop down to my level to sweetly nurture my crafting attempts and provide encouragement. So when Megan showed me her recently completed coffee filter wreath, it came as no surprise that her little masterpiece looked like it rolled straight out of a Pottery Barn catalog. The wreath was beautiful… and I had to have one. 

So, off to Publix and Michaels I went. 200 coffee filters, 100 safety pins, and a foam wreath form later, a coffee filter wreath was born. Against all odds, I finally achieved crafting success! Admittedly, I did stick myself a few times with the safety pins but the end result was well worth the pain. Take a look at my finished product below and head on over to The Little Brown House to learn how to make your very own.



And be sure and visit Megan’s Etsy shop and check out her new collection of holiday cards! She’s one talented gal.

Happy crafting!

Kelsey

Monday, November 8, 2010

Christian Fiction Online Magazine

The November issue is available, and features sweet Susie May Warren. Check it out...



I'm excited about writing today and am already looking forward to my Lean Cuisine Cheese Ravioli for lunch––I know, but I ate breakfast early––then to watching Dancing with the Stars tonight! I'm really enjoying watching Bristol Palin grow and improve each week. She has such a natural beauty. And she's so poised for being such a young woman. Any of you watching this season?

And forget waiting for that Lean Cuisine. I'm headed to get a 100-calorie popcorn and a partially frozen Diet DP! So much for will power...

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Timber Ridge Reflections Boxed Set


Timber Ridge Reflections (From a Distance, Beyond This Moment, and Within My Heart) is now available in a three-book set.

It's currently on sale at LifeWay, and remember...if you want autographed book labels for your books, I'll send you those free of charge. Details here.

And now, back to writing A Lasting Impression, the first book in my next three-book historical series releasing next year.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Free Kindle Books


Here are some great books on Kindle that are currently available for download. Not sure how long they'll be offered for free, so click on over there if you're interested. (And the links I downloaded take you directly to the free Kindle download page.)

And remember, you don't have to have a Kindle to read Kindle books. Amazon has software available for your Mac or PC. Enjoy!

My daughter and I had a Girls Bake Out on Sunday and had such fun! See the fruits of our labors (a couple pictured below) at Writes of Passage.
















I took advantage of early voting last week (yay!) but if you haven't voted yet, please exercise your right––and extreme privilege––to do that today. Cast your ballot! Let your voice be heard, and remember to keep in prayer for our nation and its leaders, and recommit, with me, to living out II Chronicles 7:14.

Monday, November 1, 2010

What three books should everyone read?

I'm loving this!

I'm on Christian Retailing's website and I'm listening authors answer these questions:



So insightful! You'll hear from authors such as Terri Blackstock, Tracie Peterson, Deborah Raney, Harry Kraus, Deborah Vogts, Elizabeth Goddard, and many more!

These vignettes were filmed at the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference this past September. Enjoy!
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