Deadlines and Plugging Along

Today I am working on my final deadline for the month - writing a unit study article for Home School Enrichment magazine. It's been a busy month with lots of deadlines and things that needed to get accomplished. Most of the time I have felt that I am barely keeping my head above water, and I'm a horrible swimmer.

The house is quiet. All of my guys are gone to various jobs for the day. I find myself with time to think, regroup, reflect and plan. As much as I love my guys, I relish this time alone. It is rejuvenating to my soul. I always have enjoyed being a 'home body,' but find lately I particularly enjoy those times when I have hours by myself.

So this afternoon finds me working on my article. I have 166 words completed - only about 1100 more to write! :) I hope to be able to have it roughly on paper by late this afternoon, so I can polish it over the weekend. I'm thankful for the this down time to be able to write and relax.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

This month has been a whirlwind of activities and deadlines. I am down to my last deadline to complete - writing a homeschool article for Home School Enrichment. I at least know the topic that I plan to write about.

This morning my son has his homeschool evaluation. His portfolio is assembled and completed, awaiting inspection. I even managed to take care of writing objectives for next year, so I can turn those in to the school today as well.

Once my article gets completed sometime this weekend, I am looking forward to having a slight break. Then I will only have two deadlines a month, with time in between to get back to my writing. I can hardly wait. I also plan to pick up my writing books that I have started reading.

Then also begins the journey to clean out the cobwebs - in my house and in my brain. I feel like things have been flying by me, and I'm standing still observing, and wondering what happened. Perhaps I just have had too much on my plate lately. At any rate, I am thankful to see a light at the end of the tunnel!

More Than A Good Read

I have been busy trying to finish a book I'm reading before next week. It is entitled The Last Christian by David Gregory. Why the need to finish it by next week? I need to blog a book review and post it by then. I am finding the book to be an interesting read.

As I am getting older, I find that I am a bit more selective in the things that I pick up and read. When it comes to reading fiction, if I find the book easy to put down after reading a few chapters, there is a good chance that I won't finish it. I am looking for more than just a good read. I desire a book that sometimes challenges, encourages, inspires, and enlightens. All right, perhaps that is a bit much when reading fiction, but I think it is doable.

All this to say.... this is something that I hope to be able to write - books that are more than just a good read. There are a few fiction novels that I have read through the years that I have felt changed me. That is my desire - to write so that it touches the hearts of women, and inspires them to a deeper level of faith.

Two Lighthouses in Two Days - Part Two

I experienced the joy of visiting two lighthouses within two days a week ago. The first one was in Georgia - Tybee Island Light Station, near Savannah. I enjoyed being able to share this with my husband and youngest son this time around. They particularly liked the view from the top and managed to coerce me to walk around too. Let's just say I had a death grip on my husband's arm as I made sure he was between me and the railing. Have I mentioned that I'm not fond of heights?

Our next lighthouse was in Pensacola, Florida. We had seen this one only from the outside over two years ago. This time we were pleasantly surprised to learn that it was now open to the public as well as its mini museum. The Pensacola lighthouse was just one step shy of Tybee, although this one took more courage to climb. The steps were intricate wrought iron swirls which enabled you to see all the way down to the bottom. Did I also mention that they were steep? Gulp! I went hand over hand with my vice-like grip on the railing, allowing myself to only glimpse at the step and not the plunging fall beneath me.

It took a bit of self-talk, tamping down my fear to make it to the top and then step out on the walkway. I even managed to touch the railing this time. I didn't walk all the way around, but instead settled with talking to the two volunteers that were inside where the fresnel lens rotated. I needed to do some research, don't you know! :)

The next few days I felt the affects of walking up and down those 700+ steps, but it was well worth the pain and discomfort. I was able to step back in time and experience life at the lighthouse. The one museum even had a five pound can that you could hold to see what it would have been like for the lighthouse keepers to carry kerosene from the bottom to the top, several times a day. I realize what great shape they must have been in. It was a job not for the faint-hearted like me. I enjoyed being able to write and experience it.

Two Lighthouses in Two Days

I will keep this short since I still am recovering from our whirlwind trip to Florida and back to PA. While traveling I had the opportunity to visit two lighthouses within two days. One was in Georgia, and one was in Florida. I enjoyed being able to share this opportunity with my husband and youngest son. I think my feet are still recovering from the 700+ steps! :)

The next two weeks will be busy with working on final paperwork for homeschooling and preparing the portfolio, reading a book for review, as well as writing it, and writing an article for the magazine, as well as completing my second writing assignment. Never a dull moment it seems. Then throw in there extra doctor appointments for an aching foot and a mother/daughter event with my mother, that she just mentioned today, and is for later this week..... So much for relaxation! :)

I look forward to the first week of June when things will slow down considerably, and I'll be able to be more focused with my writing and working on my house.

I hope to post sometime later this week about our lighthouse experiences.

I'm On Vacation

Just wanted to let you know that I'll be away for about a week as we head to Florida to pick up our son from college.

I look forward to writing when we return late next week!

Blessings!

Happy early Mother's Day!!

Calling and Security

I haven't been able to do much writing as of late, due to other responsibilities that need to be fulfilled. I have learned to turn off that part of my brain that wants to be working on my writing and think about my storyline. I am able to do that at this point, only because my characters haven't been fully developed as of yet. Once they have life breathed into them, it will be difficult to keep them at bay in my mind.

My brain feels a bit weary after reading and completing four book reviews for publishers this past week. Whew! I think I am on brain overload! I look forward to getting back into some pleasure reading, that doesn't require a book review. I plan to do a bit of this next week while we have several days of travel when we go to pick up my son in Florida. I also would like to do some character development as well, while we are gone.

But what is uppermost on my mind lately has been the thought of calling and security. It has been almost two months now since I have felt the stirrings of God calling me to return to my writing. It is something that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He has spoken to me to pursue, and I am actively seeking after it.

A surprising thing has happened along the way as I am walking in this calling. I have noticed that I am much more secure. I can't help but feel the two are connected.... the more we know what God is calling us to do, and we walk in it, the more secure we are in His love. Being secure in His love, makes us more secure overall. What a blessing!