Being Thankful

As Thanksgiving draws nearer, I wanted to express my gratitude for a few of the blessings I have in my life. While I'm thankful for these people/things year round, it's nice to take a moment and really think about them. First, my husband. We've been married a little over six years now. He was my first boyfriend (I didn't date much, like, ever). He fell in love first. It took me a little longer because I wanted to be sure he was the right one. I had planned to date for at least a year before getting married. We dated a total of 5 1/2 months. Best decision I ever made. He works harder than anyone else I know at a job he doesn't like, for money that doesn't always come when we need it to. We've struggled financially throughout our whole marriage, but he is always optimistic that things will get better. He treats me like a queen even though I don't always act like one. Someday, when we're finally blessed with children, he will be an awesome father. I love him more every day.

My parents and siblings. My parents are the best example of what a happy marriage looks like. They recently celebrated their 41st anniversary. They continue to love, support, celebrate, and pray for, all their children and their families. I love them so much! My three brothers and one sister are the best siblings a girl could ask for. We didn't always get along growing up, but we're really close now. My brothers are pretty hilarious, my sister is beautiful. They're each married to a great person. And my niece and nephews are adorable. I love my family!

My talents. I think my earliest talent is playing the piano. I started when I was nine. My teacher was a neighbor down the street (shout out to the Linders!). For the first few years, I hated practicing. It was hard and I thought counting the notes was stupid. Now, I wouldn't trade any of it for anything. I love being able to sit at a piano and play whatever I want. Music is a blessing. Next came art. I didn't really get into art until Jr. High, and didn't get remotely good until high school. I'm still not as good as I'd like to be, though I continue to learn new things and how to use different mediums. I still have a goal to create manga. I've got a long way to go. Finally, writing. I've written about writing before. It's something I have to do. The ideas that come to my brain aren't there just for fun. Again, I'm not as good as I want to be, which is why I'll never stop doing it.

My religion. I owe everything I have to my Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ. I know for a fact that I would not be the person I am without Them. I'm actually afraid to think about the kind of person I'd be if I didn't have Them in my life. Despite difficulties and the scary things going on around us, I have faith that everything will be okay.

I'm thankful for so many more people and things. I'd be typing for hours to include them all, but I have Christmas presents to make. I'll be taking a break from blogging for most of the rest of the year, though I will pop in around Christmas or if I have something extraordinary to share.

On My List

I thought it would be fun to share my Christmas list. I know I won't be getting most of these with our tight little budget, but I can always use the same list next year.

1) A watch, small and silver. I don't do gold.
2) Boots. I have several pairs already, but I would never say no to more. I'm thinking of branching out into colors like blue and red.
3) Shirts, blouses, sweaters. I generally like to pick these out myself, and I would get them from my local thrift stores. Which reminds me, there's a new store just up the street that I have to check out...
4) An electric frying pan. I have a square one. I think I'd like a rectangle one as well.
5) Scarves. Along with boots, scarves are my favorite cold season apparel. And sweaters.
6) Any Disney or Pixar movie I don't yet own. On blu-ray.
7) Dark chocolate. Preferably Dove brand.
8) The new Enya album. I told my husband that I want this the most. It will probably be my only gift from him, and I'm fine with that.
9) Pistachios. Mmmmmm.
10) A crockpot. We have one, but I kinda dropped it while cleaning it and now it has a crack. (Those darn things are heavy!) It might still be usable if I have a liner inside. I'll be trying it next week when I cook a chicken. Cross your fingers.

If any of you feel like giving me a gift this year, just tell your friends and family about my books. That's the best thing for a struggling author. :)

I'm currently working on gifts for family. I finished the princess pictures for my niece. I'll show them to you after Christmas. I have some fun ideas for the nephews, if I can find the stuff I need. Being poor doesn't mean I can't give great gifts. I'm pretty lucky to have useful talents. I hope the recipients feel the same way.

Making Presents

It looks like this year will be another year for homemade presents. I'm totally fine with that, since I was planning to do art stuff for some people anyway. My niece will be getting Disney princess art to hang in her room. I'm going to try to get started on them this week, as well as a few other projects for friends/neighbors. Dollar store, here I come! Seriously, I saw a really cute idea on Pinterest that I'm going to make. I won't say more than that. I'm super glad I have some art and craft talent, otherwise I'd have nothing to give. Being poor is hard, especially around the holidays, when I would love nothing more than to buy something fantastic to give my husband and family members. I know the source of the gift doesn't matter as much as the meaning behind it. And I'm not so destitute that I'm starving or homeless. I don't mean to trivialize those who are seriously struggling. Everyone has financial problems at some point. I just hope our turn doesn't last forever.

My poll will be up for at least another week, perhaps till the end of the month. Please help a poor gal out! :)

Who Will it Be?

Just popping in to ask/remind you to participate in my poll. I just added a new option, so check it out!

I think I finally figured out why Foretold has been giving me grief. There were too many things going on. Some things can wait for later books, so that's what I'm doing. I would love to have it ready before the end of the year, but I'm not sure. I'll keep working on it!

Couldn't Wait!

Newest nephew (aka Juan Pierre) decided to make his grand entrance into the world last Thursday! His due date was later this month, (around the 24th I think), but like his big sister (who was born a month early) he couldn't wait to be with his family. The whole labor story/experience was a bit on the scary side. He was sideways during their last Dr.'s visit. A c-section was planned. But, little dude decided he'd handle it on his own. Early Thursday morning, things got started. Mom and Dad got to the hospital and literally minutes later, he was on the way--breech. No doctor was in sight. The nurses stepped in like champs. Luckily, everything turned out okay. He and my sister are both doing great. He was 5 lbs. 14 oz, 18 inches. For the first couple of days, they weren't sure on a name. I was still holding out for J.P...

Welcome Jace Jeffrey!

Isn't he scrumptious?!

 

Here he is with his favorite aunt.

 

I adore my niece and nephews! They are the closest thing I get to being a mom.  Until I have angels of my own, I'm content to do all I can to spoil them. That's what good aunts do, right? :)

Tis the Season

I'm a bit under the weather. I'm not sure if it's a cold or allergies, or a bit of both. Either way it's no fun. Hopefully this will be the only time I'm sick for the rest of the foreseeable future. I was sick during Christmas last year, something I hope never to repeat. This is a short post, but know that my upcoming Tuesday post will be awesome! Pictures will be included :) That's all I'll say about it. Stay healthy!

Also, don't forget to vote in my poll.

Pick a Character

So, when I'm done with Foretold, I thought it would be fun to write up a short side story about one of the characters from the series. It will most likely be set before the current adventures, before they all meet each other. I'm going to let you guys decide who the lucky character will be. Take a moment to cast your vote and I'll let you know the results later on. You can vote more than once and if you have any other suggestions, choose "other" in the poll and write in your answer. Happy voting!

Which Character from the Vessel Series should have their own short side story?

Logan

Ravis

Tobin

Shiva

Lienda

Mort'sen (from book 2)

Re'ner and Saris

Other

Please Specify:

make a poll