Repost day! ~ Why My Wallet is Empty Today

Just for fun, a post from 2006:

Just got an email from my publisher. They want a photo of me for next year's catalog. Oh my. Well. The thought sent me flying into the bathroom to rifle through my paltry makeup drawer. Ugh--not good. Did I mention that I went to the mall after that? Got myself loaded up on under-eye concealer, blush, lipstick, and even some thermal skin polisher (whatever that is). Everything I need to look as fresh and line-free as possible. Check out the photo, above.

Sandy Shoes

I love this sign's sentiment. There's something so carefree about it, don't you think? Life is so often not carefree that I like to remind myself of its potential :->

I sell these in my beach shop and have yet to snag one for my own wall. Think I'm going to have to change that ...

Have a beachy day, friends (wherever you are :).

Upstream

Like these fish, I'm swimming in all kinds of directions these days. Any moms out there relate? It's summertime, which should mean vacation, but I'm busier than ever. I don't mind, but I'm just sayin'. Even my older kids seem to need me to fill out paperwork and help them manage their schedules, to answer questions and to hand them cash ;).

In the meantime, I'm trying to maintain this career o' mine. Strangely, it's when I'm pressed like this that the ideas often flow. Just today I was sitting outside in the warm sun brainstorming a project. Didn't last too long because college boy ~ who's home sick today from work ~ popped his head around the corner to ask for help.

Next thing I know ... I'm blogging. What? Seriously, I think I'm ADD or something. I came inside to help college boy, then got distracted, then somehow started blogging. My brainstorming materials (pen, books, brain, etc.) are still outside on the porch. Haha.

There's still some sunlight, so I'm heading outside. Really, I am (although you might want to make me accountable and ask if I ever made it :) In the meantime, have a beachy day, my friends ~ wherever you are ...

Special Online Event ~ Tonight!

Had a fairly foggy weekend here on the coast, but today it's beautiful and sunny. Sad because the kids are still in school and can't enjoy it. I'll have to get out there for them. Lol

If you're in a book club, or want to start one, I wanted you to know about a special online event tonight. At TBCN (The Book Club Network), 24 authors will be giving away great books for discussion, gift cards, a beach sign, and the grand prize: a Kindle! Stop by at 9 pm eastern time (that's 6 pm my time in CA). During this event, you will NOT need to sign in, so don't worry if you try the link earlier and can't get in.

I'll be sipping something and answering questions from my laptop. Hope to "see" some familiar faces there!

Happy Tuesday!

Started off the morning with a lovely interview with Stacey Stone of 99.1 FM in Zarapeth, New Jersey. Last December, during a sad time for us in Pennsylvania, we decided to get away for a day and drove to NJ. From there we grabbed a train into NYC to see the lights, sounds and excitement that winter in NY can bring: ice skating in Rockefeller Center, "dirty dogs" from a street vendor, searching for Eleanor at the Plaza, etc., etc. Needless to say, I've got a soft spot for that area of the country. (By the way, a week after our visit, NYC had a record snowfall that stopped the city *cold*! You may have read about it.)

Anyway, now I'm back to writing. This is a photo of a surf museum up north ~ isn't she pretty? Hey, don't judge me. Those are the kinds of museums we have here in California! ;-)

Updated at 1:04 pm: I'm guest blogging today at Peg Phifer's blog and I think you'll REALLY enjoy it. I talk about elephant seals, the Hearst Castle, and the bright blue California coast. Lots of photos too! Leave a comment and you could win Fade to Blue.

Have a beachy day, my friends ~ wherever you are ...

Sea view

Just looked through a stack of photos from my trip up north last year and came across this one. The hotel we stayed at for the Books & Such Literary Agency retreat sat right on the bay. Water rushed up under my room and I loved the sound of it filtering through the rocks. I love the way this photo seems to say, "Look at the sea of possibilities ..."

I've hinted for months that I've been in a strange place lately. I've been waiting for direction but it's been slow (excruciatingly slow) in coming. Ever felt like that? What do you do about it?

I don't know about you, but I tend to keep plugging along. Sometimes I take a detour and follow another path for awhile, but then I go back to plugging. The publishing industry is changing rapidly and some are reeling from it. I'm trying to decide how long to stay on this journey, or if perhaps God is calling me to a new one.

I have another book to write ~ and another one I long to write ~ so I'll probably stay plugging. At least for a while. But who knows? Maybe this indecision, this gnawing in my soul, will turn into another story altogether ~ one overflowing with new possibilities.

To the beach

Hardy-har-har ...

Pomp and circumstance

Update: Not sure how long this will last, but I noticed that the ebook of Fade to Blue is just 99cents on Amazon's Kindle.

It's graduation time! Tonight the group of 8th grade girls that my older daughter and I have been mentoring are meeting up for the last time. They'll be heading into our church's high school group come graduation from middle school, and I'm so excited for them. But I'll miss them too! So tonight we're going to do a little yogurt party thing. I'm old enough to have seen yogurt come in and out of vogue, so I'm glad it's back!

Only wish we had a Pinkberry nearby. Oh, yum! Have one near you? My favorite is mango with fresh mango, if you can believe it. For all non-Pinkberry yogurt places, I go with chocolate. Go figure :-)