It’s been about a month since my last post. It is about time for me to say, “Ok. NOW I’m going to start posting regularly. This is For Real this time.” And, maybe, just maybe, it isn’t time for you to roll your eyes and say, “Yeah, right.”

          Then again, maybe there is no one left to respond at all. I’m certainly not giving you anything interesting to read. I want to. I want to write things that are interesting and helpful, that make you want to visit my site often. Really. That is my plan. I’m just having trouble implementing it. (Duh. Pretty obvious, isn’t it?)

          Typical of me. I have an idea, a dream and I step out to accomplish it. Suddenly it is too big for me. Too much for me to accomplish. I’m not sure if it because I don’t consider all the variables or if I take on too much at once or expect greater perfection than I can deliver or . . .

          Whatever the reason, I’m here again, saying I think I’ve a plan.

          I have many interests in my life, many areas where I think I have something to share, many articles or snippets of articles I’ve written on so many subjects.
         

• I am knowledgeable in the Bible and in living a Scriptural life.
• I have 17 years of homeschooling experience, with some very definite opinions and insights.
• I have interest and expertise of various levels in scrapbooking, needlework, cooking, writing and more.

          All I need to do is wander through my multiple computer files of articles, devotions, letters and more. There is a wealth of opinions and thoughts to be mined. If I’ll just edit them a bit, they will make a multitude of short, interesting, helpful blog posts.

          As I said before, I’ll be experimenting with schedules, so at first my posts will probably seem a bit hodgepodge. Eventually, I’m sure I’ll fall into a routine (rut?) and a schedule will present itself. For now, enjoy the eclectic mix of my interests.

          Really. Believe me. This time will be For Real.

          I’m wife, mother, cook, nurse, confidant and more. All these aspects of my life have grown me, enriched in ways I only barely comprehend. I want to share that with others. That is my reason for this website. To share what I’ve learned, what I’ve experienced and maybe help others through similar times.

          Then I doubt myself. After all, what makes my words of wisdom so special? Why would others want to read me? I am not a pushy person. I don’t go up to people, even people I know well, and force my opinions on them. On the other hand, I’m thrilled when friends want to listen to me, when they are encouraged by my words. Maybe there are others out there who want to hear what I have to say. And those who don’t can click away. So I will heed this compulsion to share. I will grab this opportunity, throw my words out there and maybe someone, somewhere will read them and be enriched.

          I’m still not positive of the format and just what I will be sharing. This is essentially an experiment. At least for the first few months. It may appear to be a unrelated hodge podge of posts for a few months until I settled on theme and format and schedule. I think that will work well, though. I can stop trying to formulate a series of posts on a particular topic, as I’ve been trying to do and post much more often. I can write the snippets of thoughts I have on cooking, writing, mothering, Bible study, relationships, husbands, church, being a friend, and so much more. In doing so, I can “find my feet,” so to speak . . . and find my audience, too.

          Stay tuned and come back often!

          I’m not a planner. I’m a live life in the moment type of person. I much prefer to take each day as it comes. Over my many years, though, I have had to learn the value of planning ahead. Without a plan, many of life’s dreams cannot be realized. Without a plan, super-duper opportunities are missed. Or never even considered. Without a plan, life can become stagnant and unfulfilled. A definitive downer for life in the moment.

          So out of necessity, I have learned to plan. Or, more precisely, I continue the struggle.
         
This blog needs a plan, doesn’t it? I’m trying to come up with one. Really, I am! I keep getting ideas, but then I realize the idea is all about talking about me. You don’t want that. Why would you want to come read me pontificating about me and my life? Even if I were the wisest person on earth (which I’m not) or the most famous (which I’m not) or the funniest (definitely not), you would soon get tired of reading about me. I need to offer you something of value and I need to do it consistently.
         
This is a case where the spirit is willing and the flesh is weak. I know that reviewing books and movies with biblical perspectives and observations is valuable. I want to write those. It takes time, though. Time to read the book, time to think about it and time to compile a review that is truthful and uplifting. I am writing them. (Well, at present, I’m reading and mulling over the stories. There are five to ten books waiting in my brain to have thoughts put words ) I just cannot sustain a blog with reviews, though. Even once-a-week reviews. So there has to be more than reviews to make you want to come read my ramblings.

          Since my goal is to encourage other Christians in their attempts to live a life consistent with what the Bible teaches, I think one aspect of this blog should be focused on Scripture. To that end, I’ve devised a plan for reading the Bible through in a year. Instead of starting in Genesis and ending in Revelation, I’ve arranged the books in combination format. I alternate periodically between Old Testament and New Testament while arranging each day’s readings as chronologically as possible within that Testament. Check out “Bible Reading Table” to see the entire plan.

          Reviews, Scripture readings and possibly some commentary on a day’s reading. That’s a good starter plan. I hope you find encouragement and inspiration in each and every post.

          I did it again, didn’t I? Posted a few regular entries and then disappeared. There’s a difference this time, though. I’m preparing and planning and will be posting soon. I’ve gotten my routines back into proper order and am defeating that procrastination monster as well as tackling the I’-m-so-overwhelmed-I’m-just-going-to-sit-down-and-cry feeling. There is still a lot on my plate, but not as much as before and not nearly as overwhelming. Re-establishing my routines has whittled away much of it. Readjusting priorities has eliminated some of it. And life transitions have taken care of the rest.

          I’m establishing a schedule of posts that should have me blogging here at least once a week. Come back next week to see what I have planned.

          I finally might be getting a clue! (You only have to knock me in the head once or twice. )

          I’ve been on Facebook for almost a year. I love it. I’ve reconnected with friends from college and from many of the places we’ve lived over the years. I love getting glimpses into their lives via the status entries. And, when it’s something that particularly intrigues me, I like the instant communication factor of commenting. Quick and non-intrusive, we can comment back and forth as each of us finds time in the day. No trying to juggle schedules to get face time. Face time is great, but it’s impossible to spend time with some friends. They are either too far geographically or too busy. At least this way I stay in contact and even get a glimpse into their daily lives. (And sometimes even a chuckle. Like the time a friend’s daughter got on her dad’s facebook and wrote on her siblings’ walls that she was their dad’s favorite child. The ensuing banter made me feel connected in a way I haven’t since multiple moves have separated us.)

          Anyway, I have noticed a trend in the types of posts, mine and my friends’, that generate a lot of activity. Snappy, to the point quotes, short posts that reveal something unique about the poster’s personality or life, or, at least in my circle of friends, verses of Scripture which are particularly insightful and appropriate to our daily lives. My posts about learning to can and pickle and make jellies inspired multiple comments from friends, as did the few Scripture verses I posted that spoke to me during my daily time with the Lord. The updates and comments were short and to the point, but we all enjoyed that brief connection.

          That got me to thinking. I don’t need to say a lot. I just need to say something that others want to hear . . . and maybe even discuss.

          I want this site to be a go to place for reviews, but I can’t write multiple reviews a week. I can’t even seem to get one review written a week. So what else can this site offer to readers? Why not some of the same Scripture verses I put on my Facebook status? After all, I’m assuming most readers coming to this site are Christians looking for reviews that honor that faith choice. It stands to reason they might also want to come for a short verse or inspirational quote.

          So that is what I’m going to do, starting today. At least twice a week, I’ll post a verse or quote or short post on something I find inspiring or thought-provoking. I probably won’t give a lot of commentary, but sometimes I might write a longer post. I’ll even try to plan my posts around some sort of theme. I’ll plan and post more about that in a day or two.

          I’ll continue to post reviews on Fridays, as often as I can. In fact, I think I’ll start posting reviews of some non-fiction books I’ve read recently, as well as the fiction. That will more realistically reflect my reading and make it possible to post more often. Expect to see a review next Friday!

          Hope to “see” you more often! Or rather, here’s to you seeing me more often!

          A couple of months ago I came across a website, 101 in 1001 days. The idea intrigued me. Set a certain number of talks to be completed in a certain length of time. And do it out in front of the world. Or at least the World Wide Web. I’ve adapted the idea.

         From June 1 to September 7, which is 99 days, I will document my progress towards 9 tasks. Those tasks, in no particular order are:

Read the Bible in 91 days
Write Cookbook
Write Time Tracker manual
Write “How to pray” booklet
Reorganize E&M
Prepare RFW workshop
FTHRW duties – PPMs, Membership roster, regular duties
Tutor a student
Scan negatives

          I plan on creating a page that will outline what each task means to me, why I chose it and what I hope to accomplish. Throughout the 99 days, I’ll occasionally post my progress and thoughts or insights. (If I really have it together, I’ll create a chart for tracking progress. I doubt that is going to happen. LOL) .

          Knowing me, I’ll probably even try to post changes to the plan. I can’t seem to get through a day without changing something, even if it’s only what I planned to wear. That flexibility is probably my greatest strength, but it is also a huge weakness if not held in check. I start lots of projects and only finish a small percentage. This 9 by 99 project is designed to combat that trait. (“That means no changes!” I tell myself.) I’ve committed to finishing these 9 things and I only have to do it in 99 days. When (notice I didn’t say if) I dream up new projects I want to start (I already have a few I couldn’t put on the list ), I’ll just tell myself I can start on September 8. Or after all these 9 projects are finished. (Wouldn’t that be great? To finish all of them BEFORE the deadline.) Until then, I stick to the plan.

          Obviously, these are not the only things I’ll be doing during the next three months. Just this past week, I’ve had to take time to plan a one-day VBS, harvest and process several things from the garden, cook meals and do routine household chores, attend special meetings and even prepare and deliver a speech, all things NOT on the 9 by 99 list. These nine tasks are the most pressing long(ish) projects in my life. Most of them have been “in the thinking stage” for months. This is my attempt to propel them out of thinking stage and into the doing stage. Knowing my own penchant for starting projects and not quite finishing them, I’m giving myself a reasonable deadline. At the end of 99 days, it will be obvious which projects are finished, which almost finished and which, if any, never got touched. Hopefully, in the process, I will also have focused a little more and changed “course” a little less than usual.

          Wish me luck!

         Recently a friend and I were discussing entertainment. She made the comment that there really isn’t any such thing as pure entertainment. All entertainment has an agenda. The author or producer has a worldview and has imprinted it into the book or movie. No book or movie can be entirely free of the author’s morals and mores. She has a point.

          That reminded me of something I read a few years ago. Apparently a major movie mogul had made a comment about creating and producing movies that influence young minds into the next century. An older gentleman commenting on this condemned it, implying it was wrong to produce entertainment with the purpose to influence. I remember wondering at the time how it could be possible to do anything else.

         I think what the man was lamenting was in fact that the principles and values that would be promoted were contrary to what he considered appropriate. I agree. The current culture promotes many views that I find offensive. Lifestyles and patterns of life are promoted that lead to destruction or exploitation. Values I hold dear are ridiculed. It is a shame that our entertainment promotes that.

         And that makes it even more imperative that those with the inclination and ability write stories that address these pathologies in our current culture. Someone should write stories of true love, real happily-ever-afters, selfless sacrifice and maybe even sappy sentimentalism. Who is composing scenes and tales of heroic deeds of valor or simple acts of kindness? Where can I find entertainment that inspires and encourages me to be a better person?

          Those stories are being written, they are being published and produced. Perhaps not in abundance, but they are there. And slowly, one story at a time, I am reading and commenting them.

         I have returned from my cross-country jaunt and am back to posting regularly. I posted a new review below and will have some musings for you on Tuesday.

         Glad to be back!

         Today’s review will be late, maybe by a couple of days. I’m in the midst of preparing for a cross country trip and it is taking more of my attention than expected. I thought I could at least get today’s post up on time, but I’m always overly optimistic. For the next three weeks my Internet access will be inconsistent. I hope to stay relatively on time with posts and reviews, but if I’m not, know that come May, everything will go back to normal.

         Twilight (ISBN 978-0-316-16017-9 (hardcover) 978-0-316-01584-4 (paperback) Copyright 2005 Published by Hachette Book Group USA) is the first book in a 4-book series. Each book has a prologue that is really a brief (1 page or less) snapshot of what appears to be A Black Moment, when all is lost. The half-page prologue in Twilight begins with “I’d never given much thought to how I would die-” and mentions, “if I’d not moved to Forks, I wouldn’t be facing death now.” On the next page, Bella Swan tells us of her arrival to Forks, Washington.

         Bella has left Phoenix, where she has lived most of her life. She’s come to live with her father, Sheriff Charlie Swan, in the small northern Washington community of Forks. Bella is an unusually mature and introspective 16-year-old. In Phoenix she has always been a bit of an outcast. She expects the same here and is surprised to find herself eagerly accepted into the Forks High School community. Her classmates seem to like her, going out of their way to make her feel welcome.

         Except for one. Edward Cullen, the boy she is paired with in chemistry. He reacts to her with what appears to be disgust and anger. Then he surprises her by saving her life when a runaway van skids on ice in her direction. His dislike alternates with politeness and coolness over the next few weeks, leaving Bella confused and irritated. Finally, he offers friendship, even while warning her it isn’t wise. She should stay away from him. He is dangerous.

         Unable to stop her fascination, she puzzles over him and his family. They are all different. Graceful, beautiful, aloof. As she asks questions and googles hunches, she discovers more mysteries that lead her to a shocking possibility. Edward, his foster parents and all his foster siblings are vampires. Finally, unable to resist his attraction to her, he confirms her suspicions and offers a tentative friendship. He explains that he is one of a small group of vampires who have chosen to resist their thirst for human blood. They feed on animals, but never humans.

         Danger arrives with some human-feeding vampires who decide they want Bella. Bella flees Forks with Edward’s foster sister and brother. The rest of the Cullens attempt to lead the hunting vampires in the opposite direction. The ensuing events lead to a confrontation that brings us to the moment in time seen in the prologue. Bella faces death.
Twilight is a compelling well-told story. It is written for young adults and might be not appeal to adults, but this adult enjoyed it. The places and people of Forks come alive as Bella tells her story, revealing layers of her personality with every word. The ending is satisfying even as it creates the desire to know more of Bella and Edward.

         Bella and Edward’s story continues in the subsequent books (New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn). Edward remains concerned that he is putting Bella in danger every time he is with her. In New Moon, the 2nd book in the series, he decides he must leave Forks, giving her a chance at a normal life. Bella is devastated. It takes months for her to show an interest in anything. Slowly she renews old friendships and forges new ones. The next two books continue the story, with the relationships and repercussions of previous events colliding with dangerous new developments.

         On first glance, Twilight seems like a book totally inappropriate for a Christian. After all, it is about falling love with a vampire. In the typical folklore vampires are cursed creatures. In recent years, though, vampires have become fascinating, seductive fantasies, many which can cause Christians to cringe and shudder. So why would I give Twilight a positive rating? Why do I rate the series as one of my favorites?

         To answer that question will take more time and space than I have today. I’ll give specific details in Tuesday’s blog. For now, I’ll just say that I do not see anything that challenges Scriptural principles and much that reflects them.