The holiday season is full of demands. We have our to-do lists that run longer than a novel: baking an old-fashioned fruit cake, mixing fresh snow into ice cream for the kids, and hand-embroidering a Christmas stocking for the pet hamster. Okay, so not really. :-) But most of us feel the increased pressure in one form or another. Even without the holiday, we already struggle to keep up with the … [Read more...]
It’s beginning to look a lot like— Oh wait. . .
If you've already decorated your house for Christmas and your tree is glittering from the corner with presents tucked lovingly beneath, then—while I really, really hate to do this, and it hurts me more than you know—we can no longer be friends. I find your level of perfection and preparedness irritatingly . . . well, irritating, and I must remove myself from your presence so that I can somehow … [Read more...]
“Southern Fried” things I collect
I collect kitchen towels. I don't remember when it started really, only that I began picking them up here and there—and now I can't stop. I think it started because I realized I had way too much stuff sitting on tables and shelves, so when I went somewhere I didn't want to bring home something else "pretty" that would just take up space. I wanted something practical. So...kitchen … [Read more...]
Time to Breathe
My summers for the past 30 years have included deadlines. Often pressing deadlines, which meant I was writing every day, no matter what else was going on, no matter the beautiful weather, no matter family get-togethers, et al. My summer travel was more likely than not tied to a writer's conference rather than being a true vacation. Conferences are fun but they are also work. So I have to … [Read more...]
The Plot Thickens|Jane Kirkpatrick
Each Sunday "Inspired by Life...and Fiction" shares a Christian novelist's newest book and the garden spots where they find inspiration. After spending years clearing sagebrush and wrestling wind and rattlesnakes on their ranch in a remote part of Oregon, Willa Award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick and her husband Jerry are back in central Oregon. Jane has brought some reminders of her … [Read more...]