https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWXHLyICqn7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Because I wasn’t sure how the project would look, I decided to take a year and create several issues before taking on any advertisement or subscribers.

I learned something with each issue.

If you think this magazine would benefit you and or a friend, please consider signing up so I can keep supporting and encouraging those who feel called to write.

What would it look like to take everything I have learned over the last 20 years about writing, publishing, photography, and design and poured them into a project? 

Not just any project, but one that would benefit others, while creating a space filled with Southern hospitality. That is where “Southern Christian Writer” magazine begins.

Because I wasn’t sure how the project would look, I decided to take a year and create several issues before taking on any advertisement or subscribers.

I learned something with each issue. But, this is not “Field of Dreams” where if you build it they will come. This is an expensive endeavor and I need to make sure it can support itself  by those it was created for- you!

If you think this magazine would benefit you and or a friend, please consider signing up so I can keep supporting and encouraging those who feel called to write.

If you would be interested in receiving a print copy of this magazine.. please consider supporting my Kickstarter. Thanks so much!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/421046376/southern-christian-writer-magazine

Join me as I talk about key moments with Focus on the Family.

This year I had a plan. I would can the tomatoes as ready to use sauce or soup. AAHH-MAZING! Not only does our house smell like an Italian Bistro, the taste of roasted garden fresh tomatoes will be something we enjoy until next year’s garden.

Here is my recipe. It is super basic and can be adjusted to your taste.

Yep, I said it. They are a two-day process and need as much care as a toddler as they rise., I have made them for years. However, I stopped making them because of how labor-intensive it was.

So when I saw a recipe from one of my favorite food bloggers touting her “easy-to-follow cinnamon rolls,”  I was skeptical. But since Sally’s Baking Addiction has never let me down, I decided to try it; all I have to say is homemade cinnamon rolls are back on the menu!

With summer here and being on the go or having company, it is nice to bake up a batch of these to keep in the freezer. Served with your favorite fruit and a cup of coffee, it is perfect for the “sit a spell” moment when a friend drops in.

Summer is a great time to try something new or REnew a dream or goal. For me, that includes teaching swimming lessons again! I was very hesitant, but my daughter, Emma, kept insisting that I still had much to offer. On a whim, I asked the local swim coordinator if they ever needed a backup. She wanted to know when I could start.

And I love it. I feel a bit old to jump into the pool and teach kids how to swim, but I am so thankful I am doing it this summer, even if I fall into bed tired. It is a good tired.

Which reminds me…my theme for this summer is also REST. What does that even look like in today’s fast-paced world? Well, it loo

ks different for everyone. REST isn’t a luxury that only a few can enjoy. We need it physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.

One of the things I tell my frantic swimmers is that when you start to panic, just pause, or REST.

A Forbes article on the topic of rest helped to verify what I had been thinking about that topic of REST. Check out the link below to read it for yourself.

What great advice for myself as well. When I feel anxious, maybe a little rest will go a long way. Even the cinnamon rolls need to rest in order to rise.

What about you? Have you RESTED lately?

Make it a priority.

Take 5 minutes.

Be still.

Rest.

Click here for FORBES article on Rest.

with fresh flowers from assorted six packs and had watered them so they would take root, and now..this!

A downpour that rated beyond “Spring Shower” status.

One loud enough to wake me out of a deep sleep.  I guess you could say that it caught me off guard because I wasn’t expecting a change from the lovely warm days we had been experiencing.

May 1st is traditionally a day to celebrate flowers and spring; it also marks another day that deserves to be celebrated more than once during the calendar year…If you guessed National Chocolate Parfait Day, you are a winner!

While the ever-changing weather here in Middle Tennessee might be subject to change, being able to whip eggs, sugar, cream, and cocoa together and know that you are on the right track to something spoon-licking fantastic is something you can count on.

So don’t wait until next May 1 to break out this recipe. Apron up and grab your wisk! Every day should be chocolate parfait day!

A new silence goes with you, 

And if you listen, 

You will hear

What your heart would

Love to say.

                                                                                                                              John O’Donohue

The taste of shepherd’s pie takes me back to an adventure I will never forget, my time in Ireland with friend and author Susy Flory.

I went as the photographer and was charged with the task of helping to gather stories and recipes. The result was more than we had hoped for; what started as photos to be included in Sanctuary, written with Partick Barrett, became a fun collection of recipes and photos.

One of the things I learned to do was to fly a drone in preparation for our trip. When we were able to go inside the stone walls of the ancient castle, climb up the stone stairs to the banquet hall, and continue until we reached the very top, it was a moment I would never forget.

Liscarrol Castle was not just a fairytale of bravery..it was real. Enjoy this 2-minute video as I flew out of the castle and over the village. CLICK HERE TO EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF.

But with all the beauty, the most precious part of our Irish Adventure as creative storytellers were sitting around the Irish tables and hearing stories of faith, family, and their unique culture.

Check out the recipes for yourself and enjoy spending time around your table with those you love.

http://

Didn’t I just make a resolution to cut back on my calorie intake?

But, here we are, a little under six weeks from when resolutions were dusted off, and now I stumble onto the fact that there is a whole month dedicated to SNACKs.

Thankfully I have been switching up our snacks for healthier options that include homemade hummus, roasted spicey chickpeas, and these yummy cocoa balls that are the perfect afternoon treat.

And the best part is that they are flour-free, dairy-free, and full of flavor!

Even my husband, John, who is a bit spoiled by my homemade cookies, enjoys these little flavor-packed morsels.

So thought I would share this easy-to-make -no-bake -treat.  Yep, you heard me right; I said NO BAKE!

Snack on, sister, snack on!

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:27]

If an egg is broken by an outside force, life ends. If broken from an inside force, life begins. Great things always begin on the inside.”  Jim Kwik

I was surprised to see a robin flitting in and out of the small tree outside my office window. I couldn’t resist knowing if there were eggs hidden in the twig woven nest. One day when the mother Robin flew off, I snapped a picture. To my surprise, there were two beautiful blue eggs inside.

I watched and waited until one day, I saw the momma bird come back to the nest carrying a bug.. wobbly heads stretched out with beaks wide open. The baby birds had hatched, and they looked…well..like a face only a mother could love! Their eyes were shut, and the transparent skin on their body was sparsely covered by little quills. As soon as they thought more food was coming, they would open their beaks in the hope of life-giving sustenance. The parents constantly made trips to the nest with food in their beaks.

A few days later, I was amazed at how little feathers began to cover their skin, and their eyes were open.

I enjoyed watching the birds grow and knew eventually they would take flight and be able to build their own nests.

That reminds me of my plans. I thought, watching them one morning.

We can build a nest with the resources we have available and then sit on a few potential “eggs” hoping and waiting and praying..that our work will not be in vain. Carefully being attentive and looking forward to the slightest movement- a sign that something is finally hatching.

Sometimes we have to trust that we have done all we could and just wait. So interesting that one of the themes in Lakeside Retreat is REST.

Waiting is not easy, but REST is something that I am learning to value.

To be honest, sometimes, when our plans hatch,  they look like wobble-headed bulgy-eyed birds. Instead of flipping it out of the nest, we need to feed and nurture our hatched idea and allow it to grow into its fullest potential, even to the point that it lifts out of the nest and soars.

For me – I am hatching out plans for a cross-country road trip/book tour!

That is right~ John and I will be driving from TN up to MN and over to CA. We have several author chats and book signings set up and are looking forward to seeing friends and family on the trip. More details to follow.

What plans are you sitting on or have recently hatched out?

I hope it takes flight!

“A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”

Proverbs 16:9

I love that we have examples of nature all around us!

Even hidden in the branches right out our window.

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
– Harriet Tubman

Launch day is a huge event for those who are part of the NASA team or SpaceX.

Countless hours and a hefty price tag of up to $450 million dollars are required for Nasa to launch a Space Shuttle mission, according to the Nasa.gov site.

It is a BIG deal and there is a lot of pressure building up to the countdown.

I know getting ready for a book launch isn’t nearly as monumental as being in mission control at Cape Canaveral, but for an author, it can feel like it.

Thankfully, just like there are several team members on a space shuttle launch, there are a lot of important people on a book launch. The one in the cockpit isn’t the one who has to do all of the work.

So what is involved?

Hard work.

For me, from the time I signed the contract to write “Lakeside Retreat” until the moment I actually held the hard copy in my hands was about three years. That seems like a long time, and yet, it felt like the ink on the paper was barely dry before we found ourselves on the launch pad with someone counting down for lift-off.

As much as I wished I had just a few more months to prepare..small give-aways, cute Canva graphics, more cast iron skillet recipes, it was finally time to GO – which basically means to be transported from one place to another.

For an astronaut, that means leaving the Earth to GO into space, where you can physically look back and see where you left.

For an author, especially the Christain author,  it means letting GO of the work you have poured yourself into and being willing for it to make the journey from your pen to another person’s heart.

It is on us as writers to GO with our words where we cannot always go with our feet. Sometimes it is the light-hearted story that provides much-needed respite, sometimes it is the balm that offers healing to a brokenness that seems beyond repair. We wait and pray for a successful journey and, knowing we have done all we could, we trust God with the results.

And the work is not easy.

It is an effort.

It takes a team.

But, oh the joy, when the book is launched and we can look back to where we started.

Hearing back from those who have found rest within the pages and the photos, let me know we had calibrated our coordinates correctly.

Sure, it isn’t rocket science, but for me, the launch was just as spectacular and was worth every effort.

Thank you so much for those who volunteered to be part of my mission control.

Do you have a big dream? Something that seems so crazy that it would never work?

Don’t give up. Dream big. The sky is NOT the limit.

A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading into the expanding universe.”   Madeleine L’Engle – author of A Wrinkle in Time