GUEST POST FROM MY FRIEND...

who is officially now an author!


Watching Them Grow Up

I can still remember crying the first time my infant daughter outgrew the Newborn-size diapers. And when she moved out of the 0-3 size clothes and into the 3-6 month size… when she stopped nursing.

I feel like I’ve just blinked and she’s nearly two already. Now she insists on feeding herself (using utensils! not even her fingers!), wants to dress herself, and one of her favorite words is “no.” Thank goodness her other favorite word is “mommy.” :)

And I’m a little afraid to blink again for fear she’ll be off to kindergarten if I do. And then college… I know God has great plans for her, but sometimes I wish I could just freeze time for a little while.

It’s inevitable that we have to watch our kids grow up, and as an author I’ve experienced something similar with my main characters. Officially, it’s called a “character arc”—but the real question is “what does my character learn through the events of this book?”

If they remain static or don’t change throughout the story, how can I expect a reader to engage with them? I can’t. If you enjoy reading at all, you know that the best characters are those that bring you right along with them on their journey and make you root for them, make you hope that they’ll find out what they need to before the end of the book.

For the heroine of my debut novel, MARRYING MISS MARSHAL, her character arc includes learning that she has value just as God made her. You see, she’s a town marshal (a hard job for a woman NOW, much less in the Wild West!), but she struggles with how other people view her. The men in town don’t think she can do a good job as marshal. The women think she should give up her badge and find a husband to take care of her. What she has to learn is what God expects of her—and ultimately that is to use her God-given talents to do what she is good at—a good lesson for us all!

If you’d like to read an excerpt of MARRYING MISS MARSHAL, please visit www.marryingmissmarshal.com . You can also find Lacy on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lacywilliamsbooks .

And thank you so much, Robin, for letting me be a guest on your blog!

I JUST COULDN'T RESIST...

posting this pic of my hard workin'husband! Can you guess what he was doing?

JANKY...

is the name my 16 year old son has chosen for his car. Or maybe it's just an adjective describing it. You can probably guess what the word JANKY implies! Anyway, the $300 car my husband and he bought about 6 months ago has turned into a pretty decent vehicle. But the really great thing about it is my 16 year old has learned a lot about cars - or at least old BMW's. Together they have replaced: the hood, alternator, ball joints, air compressor, door handle, console, cupholder, front grills, fog light, and even the right electric window works now!
Unfortunately, my son is already dreaming of his NEXT car. Now he wants a car with a bigger engine. Sorry kiddo, that will have to wait. Or he can just buy it himself. But I think he still loves Janky, the $300 car with the $800 sound system. (Ridiculous. To me, that is.)

Enjoy the before and afters:Before
After: new hood, grills
Before: stolen radio
After: new sound system
Before: no door handle
After: now you can get in!

What everyone should get when their friend turns 16: fuzzy dice!

SO, I GUESS THAT MAKES ME...

Uh, nevermind! I can't believe two of my children are now in their 20's! We celebrated my son's birthday last night with a little family swim party. Here's the highlights:

A present wrapped in a Velveeta cheese box. Are you weird like me and wrap things in food boxes? I have done it before and he always acts so excited to get "cheese." I think I'll start making it a tradition...
I dusted off my decorating tips and made him a white cake with sturdy whipped cream icing - kinda looks like marshmellows! Pretty tasty, not so sweet like buttercream icing.
A gift - some kind of lens for his I phone camera- I think that's what it is. Obviously I have neither.
With his Gram!

QUESTION FOR MY BLOG BUDDIES ABOUT BROWSERS...

I just wondered what browsers you all use. I use Safari and my blog looks fine. BUT, twice I've been told that my blog doesn't do well when viewed with Firefox and Chrome. About once a year I learn something new or change something on my blog, so don't give me any complicated answers! :)

Thanks friends!

I AM DONE WITH DRIVER'S ED...

thank goodness!!! My youngest took the test yesterday after we finally jumped through all the hoops: getting the 8th grade reading proficiency report from the school, buying the AAA kit, sending in the affadavit where we promise to teach him according to the rules, passing the AAA pre-test, passing the OK permit test, 30 hours of book work, 55 hours logged behind the wheel with parent instruction, taking the post-test at AAA, getting up at 6:30 a.m. to the DPS to get in line Friday and not getting an appt., getting up again at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday and getting in - remembering all the necessary paperwork...WHEW! I hope this process gets easier for the rest of you parents out there!

P.S. Ask me if you want to hear about parent-taught vs. driving school - for me parent-taught Driver's Ed. was the way to go since I don't have a job outside the home and my schedule is pretty flexible. It's about half the price. Also, I feel it's one of the last times you get some good quality time with your teen before they leave home, that's why we chose it.

THINKING ABOUT NEXT SUMMER...

A random phone call from my daughter this morning at 7 a.m. just made my day! Usually she can't get cell phone coverage in the mountains, but I guess this area had it. Nice way to start the week. I just have to tell you that for her this seems like church camp MAGNIFIED. She is so filled with joy and enjoying God's creation so much! You can tell in her speech. She wants us to bring a group next summer. We are seriously considering it, even though I have had a touch of altitude sickness before. And I would definitely need to train to carry that 35 lb. backpack up the mountain each day! But her enthusiasm is contagious! Maybe it's what an "old heart like mine" needs.

ANOTHER FOOD POST...

because my life is a little slow right now. I've been spending a lot of time reading, shelling pecans, doing needlepoint, and scrapbooking. When I get bored with one I go to the other. But it's nice. Like I told a friend recently, BORING IS GOOD. It means there are no current crisis in your life. Just life rolling along.

So I got a hankering for some crab cakes the other night. Do you know I had never made crab cakes? I usually like them at restaurants but just had never made them. They are kind of expensive, if you buy real crab meat, I found out! Here's the recipes I used:

PAULA DEEN'S EASY CRABCAKES (tweaked a little)

12-16 oz. lump crab meat (no shells)
1/3. c. crushed Ritz crackers
3 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 c. celery, finely chopped ( or bell pepper)
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1 egg
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. dry mustard
1 t. lemon juice
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 t. salt
dash pepper

Panko crumbs
1/2 c. oil

Mix all together except Panko and oil. Shape into 8-10 patties and roll in Panko. Chill at least 30 minutes in refrigerator, to help them hold together in skillet. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Fry on each side 4-5 minutes, only turning once. Serve with your favorite sauce and Marinated tomatoes and corn.

MARINATED TOMATOES AND CORN (tweaked from Red Door Design newsletter)

2 c. frozen corn, thawed
2-3 c. any kind of tomatoes, cut into small pieces
1/2-1 T. Old Bay seasoning, as you like it
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1 T. fresh basil leaves
salt & pepper to taste

Toss all together in bowl, and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. (The original recipe called for fresh corn, roasted in the oven, then cut off the ears. That would really be fresh tasting, but I didn't have the time or patience to do that!)

My DH declared this one a keeper! SUCCESS!

WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THOSE TOMATOES...

I made THIS the other night, and thought I would eat it as a side dish, or salad. But they were so DELICIOUS I put them right on my burger! HEAVEN ON A BUN. If you are a tomato lover or balsamic vinegar lover, you gotta try it!

WEDDINGS AND NEW SHOES...

I have always loved weddings and even thought I might like to be a wedding planner, but never acted on it. So every time I get to go to an event I always take note of the trends and stash it away in the back of my mind for SOMEDAY...for my kids. At this rate, my lovely daughter will probably be married on a remote mountaintop somewhere, in Northface gear! But to each his own. And that's what I think is the neatest trend of the last few years. I've noticed that weddings reflect the bride and groom's personalities. When I got married, there was a standard format that weddings followed, and all you had to do was choose your color and maybe songs. There was a "wedding sermon" with no hint of anything personal about the bride and groom. Today, I love hearing how the bride and groom met and how their relationship matured. Slideshows are also a neat way of reminiscing, especially for the family. Another observation is that the ceremony is diminishing and the reception is really taking over financially. I'm not seeing a lot of flowers or pretty things in the ceremony, but beautiful centerpieces, bands, food, photo booths, and candy buffets at receptions. Not sure how I feel about that, but it does make it more fun. If you are truly good friends with one or both parties, I think you should go to show your support, not to get a free meal or be entertained. I do like a good piece of wedding cake, though! My husband and I keep saying all we are going to do at our kids' wedding reception is have really DELICIOUS cake! Anyway, I took these pics from 2 weddings we attended this weekend, since they are friends of my daughter and she couldn't attend:
This is Rose Briar Chapel, it reminds me of an old castle in Europe! There was a string quartet that played beautifully during the ceremony. I also loved it that both grandfathers said a prayer.
I LOVED the bride's wedding gown. It had little bits of tulle on the skirt, giving the illusion of feathers.
The second wedding: not the greatest pic, but I was wanting to get the back of the bride's dress. It had layers of tulle down it. This wedding featured both fathers in the ceremony and had a piano player and live singer. The reception had a full buffet dinner at Oak Tree Country Club.
Gorgeous cake! The pink you see was the light reflecting off the fireplace.
And these are the shoes I bought 30 minutes before the ceremony! I put on my dress and realized I had no summer heels to go with it. So I begged my husband to take me by the store on the way, and I found these. (Can't believe I did that! I haven't been that unprepared in years!) I think I did okay, nearly every other woman had this color of shoes on, I noticed!

WE'VE BEEN HAD...TWICE

My husband and I had an interesting conversation as we rolled up to a busy intersection in OKC that almost always has beggars holding signs.

D: Well, I gave $20 to a lady the other day in the movie theater parking lot who needed gas. She had just had some kind of car repair but didn't have any money left for gas.

Me: Oh no! Was this lady black, well dressed?

D: Yes.

Me: Was she headed back to Tulsa?

D: Yes.

Me: No way! I got the same story from her this winter in a parking lot off Blvd.! She was wearing boots and it was snowing, I remember.

D: Seriously?

Me: Yes. And I gave her a $20 too, because it was all I had left in my wallet.

D: Unbelievable.

Me: Did she hug you, and act like that was the best thing that ever happened to her?

D: Oh yeah.

Me: We've been had.

But we didn't feel bad about it. Will it affect the next time someone approaches us with a story, needing money? Maybe. Maybe I will make sure I have a $1 bill stashed for the occasion next time. Maybe I will have them follow me to a gas station. But God doesn't ask us to judge the person or their situation. He just asks us to give.

Luke 6: 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

COLORFUL CUISINE...

is what my husband prepared the other night. (He must like circles, too!) I thought it was funny, but I'm just glad he isn't one of those guys that has to have meat with every meal!

THE COLORADO REPORT...

Well as you probably know the temperature in Colorado is really pleasant in the mountains near Salida! My daughter has escaped the Oklahoma heat this summer but it isn't all "Rocky Mountain High" moments. She has been learning so much as a trek guide.

She has learned in just a few short weeks how to be a more compassionate person. When there are people that don't even belong on a mountain (300 lb. sponsor who just got over mono- can you believe he would even attempt it?) much less summiting a "fourteener" you have to be kind and compassionate even if he challenges you.

She is learning how to trust God in scary situations (realizing you are a half mile from where you are supposed to be, no food and water, dark clouds rolling in, and the experienced guide back in high camp since he got sick). I can't give this story justice - you'll just have to ask her to tell it!

She is learning to be an encourager (to a whiny 17 yr old girl who she literally pushed up the mountain - why do these people sign up for trek?).

I'm really proud of her even though some of her stories are scaring me to death! Saturday phone calls from her are the highlight of our week, lately!

JUST WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO GIVE UP COUPONING...

I got these 10 items for $.13 at Homeland this week! I know it's mostly condiments, but it still thrills me!