Isn't She Lovely?

The olden days often sound so beautiful. Idyllic, even. The pace of life was slower and families spend time together. Women wore beautiful clothes. They didn’t have smog or pollution.

NOT SO FAST

Without washing machines and dryers, microwaves, cars and all the modern conveniences, women spent their lives over roasting hot stoves and boiling washpots. If they lived close enough to town, they went in for church—and often that was the only time they go away from home. A weekly trip to town might be a highlight. With everyone working around the home all the time, when tensions arose no one could get away. Frequently, people had two or three outfits: everyday, washday, and Sunday-best. (Except for the California ‘49ers who were called Two-Shirters because they wore one and washed the other as they panned for gold.) Use of coal as a fuel caused horrendous air pollution, and mining companies often used chemicals to draw the metal they wanted from the gravel—so everything and everyone downstream suffered.

In the winter, it was too cold to bathe, so mothers would sew everyone into their underclothing. In good weather, people bathed weekly. No plumbing—and I’ll just leave it at that.

So… laced into corsets, women swooned. Someone would administer smelling salts, a whiff of vinegar, or hartshorn. (Yes, they held a bit of a horn from a gigantic deer under her nose.) It’s a wonder women ever roused again! When she got up and her sense of smell returned, a little perfume helped cover the odors.

Women often wore chatelaines. Think of it as the Victorian woman’s Swiss Army knife. On a chain or from a clip on her belt, a woman carried the little necessities such as scissors, needles, notepads, tiny purses, thimbles, mirrors, nail files, button hooks and perfume bottles. Look closely. One of these bottles has a miniscule thermometer in it! I’m thinking of all those things, the perfume bottle was the most essential! With deep appreciation for the perfume, beautiful bottles came into being.

Glass, crystal, silver, gold, brass, handpainted glass, glass embellished or surrounded by metal, enameled, carved ivory or horn…. The sheer variety of these little beauties is delightful. Some were the same on both sides.

Many had a pretty side and a plain side… Sort of like their Sunday best clothes and workdays clothes. Just like actions: We have a side we show others, and yet there is a plainness or ugliness or a worn-out side we don’t want others to see. In a moment of need, though, it wasn’t the decorative appearance that counted—it was what was inside.

Mercy Me has a song, “Beautiful.” If you’ve never heard it, here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hth7GzAoXos

Believing you are beautiful,

because He made you

and He is within you,

and loves you--no matter what others see or think.

love,

Cathy

NEVER SAY NEVER

You know how they say you should "Never say never?" Well...generally I would agree with that, but there are some things that I think I can say, "I will never...."

For instance: Gold Lame'

I can pretty confidently say I will never buy gold lame' clothing - at least not willingly.









And how about a boar's head. Nope - not springing for one of those. I can pretty honestly say that I never intend for a boar's head to grace my walls.






Oh, and I will never buy a book on "How To Look Great In A Bikini" Yeah, that's not happening, because I can promise you I will never wear a bikini.








But there are other things I'll say "never" to - and they are more positive "nevers".

I will never stop loving my children or grandkids. No matter what - no matter if they grow up to do terrible things - I will love them always and forever.







(Yikes - Rainy is starting to look like her Nana Tracie)









I will never like/love liver
- except the one inside my body. And yes, that is a positive, because it makes me very happy to say so, and







I will never stop praising and loving God for all that He's done. God has blessed me in so many ways and although life has had it's ups and downs this year and all the years before--I am so very blessed to know Him. What a priviledge to be His.

Today may seem filled with nevers for you. I'll never get the job I want. I'll never be the mom/dad I should be. I'll never find true love. I'll never be out of debt. Whatever the "nevers" I have one that you should "NEVER" forget.


God said in Deuteronomy: "Never will I leave you nor forsake you." That's the most awesome "never" I know, and because of that - I think I will say "never" and say it will great confidence.
Tracie

Playing "dress up" (& free book opportunity)

When you were a kid, did you enjoy playing dress up? Donning Mom's clothes--the too-big shoes, floppy hat, and strings of beads--and tromping around the house feeling all grown-up and spiffy? I loved it so much, I made sure I kept a supply of old prom dresses, hats, shoes, jewelry, and various accessories in a trunk for my girls when they were little. It provided endless entertainment. (BTW, the sweet little girls on the left are my granddaughter and her favorite friend.)

Well, some little girls never completely grow up... Recently I employed my nephew (and aspiring photographer), David Vogel, to put together a vintage portfolio of shots to be used to promote my upcoming release, Courting Miss Amsel. Attired in turn-of-the-century garb and sporting an updo that could rival any Victorian maiden, I met him at the museum in Inman, Kansas, for our photo shoot.

Since the 1800s village square is inside a large metal building, there wasn't a lot of natural light. It was also pretty crowded. But bless David's heart, he managed to fiddle around with his camera and put himself in some ridiculous contortions, and we got a nice selection of photographs...

(BTW, don't let the picture fool you--that dress is PURPLE. It just looks blue. *grin*) The most challenging aspect of the whole shoot was to maintain an early-1900s personna. They didn't smile for photographs back then, and I discovered it's very difficult to not smile and still look pleasant! This must be why so many people looked grumpy in photographs a hundred years ago.

Of course, I had to have some transposed to sepia tones. (Don'tcha love the hat??? I wanted it in more pics, but my poofy hair kept flipping it off the front of my head!)

Since Miss Amsel is a schoolteacher, I wanted at least one shot inside...

...and one outside the little schoolhouse.

And since Miss Amsel is adamant that each of her students will learn to read and learn to read well, it only seemed fitting to have a book in hand for one of the shots. (BTW, those stairs were very dusty. I had dust stripes on the back of my skirt when I rose! lol)

I wanted so much to climb into this lovely little buggy for a picture, but unaccustomed to full skirts (and all the fluff one wears beneath the skirt--thank goodness we ladies aren't required to dress in this manner today; I'd never survive), I couldn't quite get myself inside. So I had to be satisfied with an exterior pose.

For the last shots, taken in the stout Kansas wind (it was very windy that day...), I couldn't hold back a smile. Because by the end of this shoot, I was actually having fun...and someone was aiming a camera at me! Will wonders never cease? LOL (See my last week's post for further explanation.)

As much as I enjoyed putting on the Victorian garb, when I got home I was equally happy to return to my jeans and T-shirt (infinitely more comfortable!). But there's one thing to "wear" that I never wish to discard...my Light. In Ephesians 4, the early Christians were advised, "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self...; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." God's righteousness and holiness is something I want to be comfortable wearing on a daily basis.

Anyway, someone on Facebook mentioned the pose on the caboose reminded them a scene in one of my novels. And I thought, Let's have a little fun. So here's what I'd like you to do: Leave a comment, including your guess at which novel this photograph depicts (I assume you will have already read it to be able to make a guess). I will randomly select a name. If I draw your name, I will send a friend of your choice the novel in question. And for introducing a friend to my books, I'll send the winner his/her choice of any of my titles. (The winner will be announced in next week's blog, so be sure to come back and peek!) Good luck, and happy guessing!

May God bless you muchly as you journey with Him! ~Kim

P.S.--Here's the finished pic David was shooting in the first image above. Doesn't it look like a story-in-waiting? Does anyone have a suggested title for the story? I'm thinkin' this just might inspire something...

A Little Drama on the Iowa Bluffs

I’m back from Iowa, safe and sound, but not without a bit of drama before actually pulling back into my garage on Sunday afternoon. Rest assured that Tom-Tom did his job. Not once did we receive any incorrect directions and we covered a lot of miles between Wednesday evening and Sunday afternoon. During that time Lorna Seilstad and I spoke at two libraries, I did some additional research in the Amana Colonies and Cedar Rapids, and we also did a book signing at the Parables/Lemstone bookstore in Cedar Rapids.

In addition, and I know you’ll be proud to hear this, we managed to taste-test the bakeries in almost every place we stopped. On this trip, I’m going to give my vote to the Czech Bakery in Cedar Rapids. Delicious kolaches—I had rhubarb. You can see in the picture below left, that they come in a variety of flavors. Please notice the forkful of chocolate bread pudding (made from chocolate crescent rolls) that I’m trying at a wonderful bakery in Omaha. I’d say it as a toss-up because that bread pudding was delish! That’s Dawn Ford beside me and Mary Connealy in the orange jacket. Lorna was busy taking the picture. Please don’t overlook all those pastries on our table.

But, back to the drama. I didn’t tell Lorna, but I hadn’t been feeling particularly well, at least not during the last two days of our trip. On Saturday night I spent most of the night reading because of some pain in my chest and back. I didn’t ‘fess-up’ until after we’d finished a delightful meal in a Czech restaurant in Cedar Rapids and were on our way back to Council Bluffs. Little did I know Lorna had decided a visit to the emergency room was in order.

My visit to the Council Bluffs hospital resulted in an overnight stay in the ICU. My EKG looked sketchy and nitro was ordered. After the second nitro, my blood pressure dropped and because they couldn’t get it to come up, they decided an overnight stay at their lovely facility would be much nicer than the local Fairfield Inn. I’m thinkin’ the cost was a little pricier than the Fairfield, as well. However, I received excellent care, had more tests than I wanted, and answered questions about research and writing while the cardiac doctor put me through a stress test on Sunday morning. The doctor declared my heart in excellent condition and released me to come home. I’ve already been to my doctor and we should soon have an answer. I’m thinkin’ it’s probably got something to do with all those rich pastries, so don’t tell!

Next week I’ll tell you a little about the rest of the trip.

May you find joy as you become excited about the Word of the Lord. ~Judy

P.S. I forgot to add something. My HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS to CAROL COX on her new three-book contract with Bethany House. Glad to have you on board with BHP, Carol!!

Animals Among Us

In my post last week, Judy asked about the elephant and giraffe that had somehow sneaked their way into one of the pictures of fall around our house. I told her I'd share about them this week, along with some of the other animals lurking around our home, tucked beneath plants and window sills and tables, and nestled on hearths.

"Raffy," the giraffe (I know…how very original) was Mom's. She bought him to match her sofa, which we lovingly nicknamed her "Safari Sofa." And with good reason...

I hope you can see the print but in case you can't, it's got elephants and cheetahs and a bird that (I think) is a toucan (?).  Mom assured me that there was a giraffe somewhere in there, but as of yet I haven't found him. Maybe he's hiding beneath a cushion. And yes, I inherited the Safari Sofa and love it! It's what I cozy up in when watching Dancing with the Stars (speaking of...did anyone see that last night? Loved it! And sure hope Bristol stays! I used all my votes on that girl!).

Here's a statue of Jack that Mom got me when Jack first came to live with us. He was so tiny, about this size!

Next is our elephant, Granby. Joe and the kids and I found Granby years back when we were vacationing in Grand Lake, Colorado (near another town named Granby). Then there's Diego, who we adopted while at Sea World in San Diego. Next is a fun little black bear we found foraging in the woods while we hiked the Rocky Mtns in Breckenridge, CO, again many years ago. His name, as I'm sure you can guess by now, is Brecken. Then there's a mouse we picked up at some really fun place in Orlando. Can't remember the name of the amusement park, but we decided to call the mouse Mickey.

Next is ceramic dog I painted when I was...oh gracious...probably nine or ten years old (so yes, Judy, it's an antique). It's fashioned after Duchess, our sweet little Manchester Terrier we had as I was growing up. Next is an elephant from Jerusalem from Mom and Dad's travels. And lastly is a Lion and a Lamb I picked up some time back. 

I know the exact phrase "and a Lion will lie down with a Lamb" isn't in the Bible (though variations of those animals, along with others, are found in verses in Isaiah), but I love the peace that this little pair represents. The peace we have in Christ, and the peace that awaits us in our forever home.

When I glance at these animals, I think of people I love and fun times we shared, and of great memories like drinking from punch bowls and "buzzing" opponents while playing Taboo, laughing so hard we cried, and those are bits and pieces of this life I'll carry inside me forever.

So, do you have any critters around your house? Any little friends or statues or such that remind you of how very blessed you are?

Tammy 

And one final picture... Will the real Jack Alexander please stand up? 

Dis and Dat

Item #1: This weekend, I attended the first Idaho Book Extravaganza, sub-titled The Future of Writing and Publishing. I spoke during the fiction portion of the workshops on Saturday. Since I wasn't one of the organizers, I can't speak for that side of it. But from what I could tell as an attendee, it seemed to work smoothly and I would say it was a success. Lots of great people. Lots of great information. Wish I could have attended every session. From talking with others, I really missed some good information.

The most common thread of the weekend was how fast the book business and publishing is changing. It's difficult to predict all that is going to change and just how fast it is going to change. For writers and publishers, it's a time to stay on your toes and be ready to shift your paradigm at a moment's notice. Easier said than done.

Item #2: On Sunday, I saw a presentation by Jeff Manion, pastor and author of The Land Between. His sermon on the land between was so wonderful and so pertinent to the turbulent times in which we are living, I knew at once I needed to buy the book. The good news is, it is currently free for the Kindle, so if you own a Kindle or if you have the free Kindle software on your computer or iPad or iPhone or Blackberry, now is the time to order this book. If you don't have any of those Kindle options, spend the $13.59 and buy the printed book. I think you'll be blessed.

Item #3: A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about granddaughter Shayla and her palomino, Aspen. One regular reader asked for a closer photo of the horse, and I promised I would try to remember to post one. So today I'm remembering. Here are a couple (from her senior photo shoot):

God bless your day!

~robin

Trick or Thanks?

What time is it?
Someone is flipping that calendar far too fast. All around me, Christmas is making an appearance. Don’t mistake me. I loooooooooooove Christmas—just not in October.

Side by side in the store, Halloween and Christmas products lure shoppers. It's enough to drive me cuckoo! What ever happened to Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving was America's very first celebration.

When did we shove it aside?

A few of the stores around here have already put the Trick or Treat items on clearance. Granted, I’m a procrastinator—but most of the parents I know are so bogged down with everyday life, they haven’t done more than talk with their kids about what they’re going to be for the church’s Harvest alternative or door-to-door extravaganza. Assuming they’ll buy costumes, I suppose budget-wise, procrastinating pays off in this case.

Costumes and candy will give way this week to tinsel and the obscene countdown of how many days ‘til Christmas. I suppose thousands of children would claim they are very, very grateful… for the candy they gather.

But most of us don’t grow our food or hunt and raise our meat. A zip through the grocery store and a swipe of a plastic ATM card, and voila’! But in this economy, we are in a position to re-discover how blessed we are to receive our daily bread. One in seven families in my county are “Food insecure.” That’s P. C. for saying they are hungry and don’t know where tonight’s supper or tomorrow’s meals will come from. I’ll have costume-less children clutching ripping, plastic grocery bags at my door. So this year, I’m not going to procrastinate. I’m going to jump in early and start celebrating Thanksgiving now.

With Jesus, there are no tricks—just treats. He treats us well. I’m thankful, and I want to pass it on. If I don’t open my door and say, “Jesus loves you!” who will? No costume necessary. I have lots of replacements and for those battered grocery bags and lots of goodies. The sweetest thing of all, though, doesn't fill a tummy---it fills a heart and soul.

blessings on you,

Cathy