Laughing through Pain

This is me being happy on a day out with my hubby, despite a lot of intense pain from my herniated disc. I heard that physical therapy can make things worse at first. And…yikes.

Still, I’ve enjoyed this day. My hubby and I went grocery shopping. I made Belgian waffles topped with strawberries and whipped cream for lunch. And we went to see the new Ant-man movie (it was a hoot). I had to stand up and do some exercises for my back half way through—so glad there was a half a row of empty seats to the left of us at the back of the theater!

I admit that there were a few times when the pain made me want to cry or spew expletives (okay, one not so nice word escaped my lips at an especially painful moment), but mostly I was able to laugh through it. One of those kind of nutty laughs that, if you heard it, might make you wonder if I were sane (especially if you saw the pained expression on my face). Maybe I was able to laugh because my husband was by my side all day today. Maybe it’s because I’m much more likely to laugh than cry in moments of stress. Or maybe it’s because the good of the day overshadowed the bad. Maybe it’s all of the above. 

There’s more to it, though.

I was able to laugh through the pain and enjoy my day because I know that the same hands that created the world are sustaining me through this challenging time. There is joy and peace that comes from knowing and trusting in Jesus that goes deeper than any pain, physical or not. 

Don’t get me wrong. There have been days when the joy has seemed distant, and all I could feel (besides pain) was desperation for healing or even a good night’s sleep. I’ve broken down sobbing while standing in my office trying to focus, and in the middle of the night when crawling into bed after the short walk to and from the bathroom.

It’s in those moments that God has reminded me of his presence and, with his still, small voice, to trust that he is working. That voice has come in the form of a Bible verse suddenly remembered, a perfectly timed phone call, even notes and texts from friends. 

God is there. He is working in all of this. He will get me through this and I will make a full recovery. I believe it. I believe it because I trust in Jesus’s words from John 16:33: “ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

I suppose Jesus wasn’t talking about herniated discs when he said those words. But…he’s overcome the world. He can handle this too. 

Read this if You're Wondering Where I've Been

 

Lately I have felt like I could do almost anything...

...except write a post for this blog. 

So I thought I would jump back in with a few simple updates. 

Since the end of summer I have:

• finished the second draft of my latest verse novel
• revised a couple picture book manuscripts
• drafted a few new picture book manuscripts
• read a lot of picture books
• read one verse novel
• planned several school visits
• spent a lot of time with my kids and grandkids (I have three now!)
• gone apple picking 
• done apple cooking
• written and edited for Read, Discus, Do!
• and more

Throughout the fall I plan to do much of the same, but also:

• revise an old verse novel manuscript based on my agent's feedback
• polish a new picture book manuscript (rhyming, non-fiction) and show it to my agent
• put together a book dummy for a concept book
• make several handmade Christmas gifts
• finish my Christmas quilt
• LOT'S of baking
• blog more often

My Mother's Voice

My mother was known for her voice.

I often say that my mother is the voice of poetry in my mind. I have a special memory of her reading "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert Service. I think it stands out to me because it was clear that the poem was one her favorites. Something about the poem's rolling rhythm, vivid imagery, and dark theme appealed to her. It was lovely and strange, and she made sure that we learned to appreciate it too. To this day, I can't think of that poem without hearing her graceful voice reading it aloud in my mind.

She enjoyed reading lots of things aloud. Dr. Suess, Shel Silverstein, snippets from articles or magazines, eventually even social media posts. One time I gave her a copy of one of my verse novel manuscripts to read, and she sat at my dining room table and started reading it aloud to anyone who could hear. At one point she stopped and looked up at me to make a prediction about one of the characters. There was such a look of motherly pride in her eyes. 

I dedicated my first book to her, of course. She is the reason I'm a writer. A poet.

Mom had a lovely singing voice too. I don't think there was ever a day, when I was with my mother, that I didn't hear her singing at some point. She would often belt out some praise song in the middle of the living room or kitchen with a special gleam in her eye. A gleam that seemed to say, "Why don't you join me?" Music made her happy. And she used music to make other people happy too. She often sang at church, either leading the congregation in worship or performing a special solo. She performed at weddings. And at funerals. Even her own funeral, odd as that sounds. 

Several years ago, Mom decided to do something people had been telling her she should do for a long time: make a professional recording of her singing. She chose five of her favorite gospel songs, and gave a CD with those songs on it to each of her children. I remember listening to it once, and thinking about how lovely her singing voice was, even in her sixties. But I didn't need that CD to hear my mother's voice. I still had my mother. 

I didn't listen to that recording again until her funeral in December, but I've listened to it a few times since. At first, it brought all the pain of losing her to the surface. It was my mother's voice, and I would never hear her singing or reading to me again, not on this side of eternity. 

Now, when I play that CD and hear her singing her heart out, I can't help but feel the joy she put into it. I see that gleam in her eye saying, "Why don't you join me?" and I sing along.

Popcorn, Pink, and Poetry

I used to say that I was terrible at picking favorites. And I suppose that's true for some things. Choose just one favorite book? Impossible. Favorite movie? Same. Favorite thing to have for dinner? I don't know!

But for some things, I think I just needed to experience life long enough to figure out which one made me the happiest. And I finally have to admit that there are some clear winners.

Take snacks, for example. There are lots of snacks I enjoy. Chips and salsa. Twizzlers. Peanut-butter filled pretzel bites. But there's only one snack that draws me in every time. One snack that would be an absolutely necessity in a doomsday bunker. Popcorn.

I love popcorn. I've never met a popcorn I didn't like. Give me a bowl of popcorn and you probably should also have one for yourself because I am unlikely to share. Not because I don't like you, but because when I have a bowl of popcorn in front of me I just keep on snacking! Popcorn makes me happy. It's simple and crunchy and addictive. Popcorn is my favorite. Preferably freshly popped at home on the stove, with olive oil and a little salt. Perfect!

Let's talk colors. I love colors. There isn't a color that I don't like, at least in its proper context (poopy diaper brown doesn't belong on a house, for example). But there's only one color that I consistently return to. One color that I'm almost certain to wear on a day when I feel like I need a little colorful pick-me-up. And that's pink! Especially hot pink. Pink is the happiest color, if you ask me. And it's not because it's "girly," though I guess that could be part of it. I like girly things, after all. But pink just makes me feel good. Not that I'd paint my house the color of Pepto or anything. Probably.

And if you know me at all, you know I love to read. But what is my favorite? If I listed all my favorite books, you might not ever get to the end of it. But there is one kind of thing I love to read more than anything else. Even more than epic fantasy by Brandon Sanderson. And that's poetry! My favorite kinds of novels? Verse novels. My favorite kinds of picture books? Rhyming or free verse! And poetry collections, of course. My bookshelves don't lie. 

Poetry, by the way, is also my favorite thing to write. It's even better than blog posts! Except for poetic blog posts, maybe.

A few other favorites:

Weather? Thunder snow! 

Room in the house? My office.

Flower? Purple coneflower.

Place to be out in nature? The woods, especially when it's snowy.

Favorite fictional world? Narnia.

Maybe choosing favorites isn't so hard after all. 

How about you? What are some of your favorites? 

A Poem for Mom

I lost my mom in the beginning of December, and my mind is still trying to come to terms with the fact that she's not going to be around any more. I miss her random texts, her hugs, her little nuggets of wisdom that she was always quick to share. One of those nuggets of wisdom was when I was fifteen and heartbroken over a breakup. "Write about it," Mom said. Thirty years later, heartbroken over losing my mama, I tried to write about it, and I began with the first few lines of the poem below. But there was just so much--too much--to condense into a poem. Then my brother asked me to speak at Mom's funeral. I thought, what better way to honor my mom than to finish the poem and read it aloud to those who knew and loved her? So I did, with a little help from my daughters when it got too hard. This is A Poem for Mom, written primarily to my six siblings.

A Poem for Mom

What can we say

about losing our mother?

We are not unique in our

grieving,

in our loss.

And yet

we are.

Countless before us have lost their mothers.

But no one has ever lost

OUR mother.

Our mother,

this big-hearted, song-filled woman

whose voice was the sound of poetry

and praise,

of soft-spoken words of encouragement.

Of scoldings,

of sobs.

And laughter too.

The kind that sometimes disguised itself 

as crying.

There was no denying

for her

how she felt

at any given moment.
It was always as clear

as her bright blue eyes,

as evident

as the laugh lines

on her cheeks.

Mother was not one

for subtlety. 

And yet,

she left quietly

with all of us wondering

how she felt

what she was thinking

 

our own hearts

sinking

as she left us behind

to enter her heavenly home,

arms raised,

blue eyes shining with happy tears

and on her lips

a joyful

boisterous

song.

My Sister, the Giver

Not long ago I received a package in the mail. It contained a pair of earrings that had been shipped all the way from the U.K. to my little house in Nebraska.

Fun, aren't they? I can't wait to wear them out in public!

What's the significance of the chili peppers? 

Recently my sister Elizabeth and I were shopping together. As I looked through a rack full of quirky earrings, I mentioned that I had been searching for a pair of chili pepper earrings ever since FEDERICO AND THE WOLF came out. I explained to my sister that a new pair of earrings was one way I liked to celebrate the publication of each of my books. I have moose earrings for WHAT ABOUT MOOSE?, fox earrings for HENSEL AND GRETEL: NINJA CHICKS, and cactus earrings for TWO TOUGH TRUCKS. But so far, I hadn't had any luck finding a good pair of chili pepper earrings to celebrate my latest book. 

Later that same day, Elizabeth texted me to say, "I ordered you chili pepper earrings."

Well, of course she did! My sister has always been a thoughtful giver. 

But here's the thing. When we were shopping that day, it was to fill some time between two of her many recent doctor appointments. Here Elizabeth was, worried and stressed about her recent diagnosis of stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, listening to me grumble that no one sold chili pepper earrings. But she didn't mind. In fact, I can imagine her making a mental note to look for chili pepper earrings online as soon as she got home. 

In case that doesn't impress you, there's more.

The VERY SAME DAY that Elizabeth had learned that her cancer had spread, she came by my house to visit with me and our parents, who were in town for my daughter's wedding. She had stopped by the store, and while she was there she bought me candy! White Chocolate Lindor Truffles. One of my favorites.

This is the kind of person my sister is. Even through the hardest times, she finds reasons to laugh. To give. To enjoy every little blessing life has to offer, and to be a blessing herself. She even got me to try sushi for the first time recently. And, wonder of wonders, I didn't hate it! 

I'm blessed to have Elizabeth in my life. And proud that I can call her sister.

Elizabeth and I out for sushi after one of her many
doctor appointments.

The Whirlwind that has been My Life

Wow! It's been over a month since I shared anything here. And that's not due to laziness or willful neglect, but because my life has been a whirlwind for the past several weeks.

What it is that has kept me so busy that I've neglected to update my faithful blog followers?

Well...

I've been busy with the new Read, Discuss, Do! website, which launched on June 2! If you haven't see it yet, be sure to check it out and subscribe to the mailing list if you're so inclined. We've got so much great stuff going on over there, including a super fun summer reading challenge for the whole family!

And then there's the #PBChat mentorship. I volunteered to be a mentor again this year, and it took a long time to read through all the potential mentees' applications and manuscripts. There were so many talented writers applying to be my mentee, and choosing just ONE from the 60 that applied was a challenge!

I'm also co-teaching a nine-month picture book masterclass through my local SCBWI chapter beginning July 10. 

As busy as all those things have made me, the real whirlwind was because...

My daughter Julia got married! The past three months have been dominated by wedding planning, which was great fun, but was also incredibly demanding. DIY weddings are no joke! But the day turned out to be every bit as beautiful as we hoped.

Add to that the handmade quilt that my sister and I made for the happy couple, and that left almost no time for writing or revising. Not even for my blog.

So yeah. That's what's been up with me. 

If you don't hear from me again for a while, it's probably because I'm working on revising my verse novel. Again!

12 Social Media Tips for the Overwhelmed Author

Are you an author or aspiring author trying to figure out how to make social media work for you? Well, I am not a social media expert. But I've been using social media as an author for a long time, and I've learned a few things. So, if you're just starting out and are a little overwhelmed--as I was in the beginning--here are some things I have learned that could be helpful to you. 

1. Social media should be fun. If it's fun for you, you'll be more consistent and will more easily grow your following. 
2. Keeping fun in mind, remember that you don't have to do it all. It's better to be engaged and have a good time on one or two social media platforms than to spread yourself too thin and/or get overwhelmed.
3. Social media is not all about you, especially if you're an author hoping to grow your audience. Always keep your followers (and potential followers) in mind when sharing content. What do they want to see? You can learn this with some trial and error, but also by thinking about the kind of audience you hope to attract, then post accordingly!
4. Regarding content, keep the 80/20 rule in mind. Basically this means that 80% of your content should be helpful or entertaining for your followers and 20% should be content that specifically promotes you as an author. What kind of content is helpful or entertaining? It really depends what you answer for number 3, but here are some ideas: Pictures or stories about pets, links to resources, tips, book recommendations, observations about life, etc.
5. Be original! It's not much fun to follow a person on twitter if all they do is retweet other people's content.
6. But DO retweet or share other people's content in addition to sharing your own if you think it's something your followers would be into.
7. Engage! Nobody likes feeling like they're shouting into a void, so when you see something online that you can relate to, say so! 
8. Being friendly is just as important on social media as it is in person.
9. Be (mostly) positive. It can be tempting to let your frustrations about the state of the world pour out through your fingertips and onto your social media, but keep in mind why you're there. Do you want people to read your humorous children's books? Do you want to support writers, teachers, librarians? Promote literacy? Make people smile or laugh? Then don't let negativity take over. You can be proactive about the issues you care about without letting your social media feeds become bogged down in despair. 
10. Choose the right social media platforms for the kind of content you want to share. I enjoy taking and sharing photos, so Instagram is fun for me. I also love the fast pace and versatility of Twitter. It's great for sharing short, spontaneous thoughts and the occasional "Hey, check out my blog!" or "Hey, have you read my books?" kind of posts. I also find that I get the most engagement on twitter, and that is probably because I have the most fun with it! Facebook can be great for sharing all sorts of content, but can be frustrating because of their ever-changing algorithms. 
11. Schedulers are your friend. They can be especially useful for spacing out the "20% content." I like using Buffer to schedule tweets and Facebook posts.
12. Be yourself. Talk about real things, real life. Don't be shy about sharing your favorite dorky puns or quotes from your favorite movies, or those random musings about life that pop into your head. When people get to know the real you a bit, and grow to like you for you, they'll be interested in what you write. 

Are you on social media? What do you love or hate about it? 

Ten Wonderful Things about 2020

This past year has brought some interesting challenges, even before the pandemic. Like having my first surgery in January and losing our beloved 16-year-old poodle, Chloe, in February. But along with the trials have come blessings. And since I’m the kind of person to focus on the positive rather than the negative, I’d like to tell you about some of the wonderful things that happened in my life over the past year.

Gimli and Lucy

1. We brought Queen Lucy the Morkie into our home, where she instantly worked her way into our hearts. She is a delightful, playful, happy little puppy girl who loves everyone. Here she is sitting on the steps with our poodle, Gimli. He was pretty heartbroken and out of sorts for a while after Chloe passed, and bringing Lucy home cheered him up (once he got used to her).

2. Federico and the Wolf was published in May! This was especially exciting for me because it was my solo debut! All of my other books were cowritten with the lovely and fantastic Corey Rosen Schwartz.

3. Two Tough Trucks Get Lost was published in September! It's the sequel to Two Tough Trucks.

Having two books release during the pandemic was a challenge, but I made the most of it by having online events and virtual readings. Online events can be a lot of fun, and the best thing about them is that people can join you from anywhere in the world! Even once we are back to doing in-person events (I can't wait!) I plan on holding more online events in the future. 

4. I was a featured author in The Texas Book Festival. This was an incredible honor, and I don't know if I would have been able to attend if it had not been virtual. I was able to record a presentation about Federico and the Wolf and do a live Q and A session with the book's illustrator, Elisa Chavarri. That was a lot of fun! And there's still more to come in the next couple of months!

5. Federico and the Wolf was on Parents Latina Magazine's list of Best Latino Children's Books of 2020. I gotta say, all the Federico love this year has really been an encouraging boost!

6. I signed with an agent--Jem Chambers-Black of Andrea Brown Literary Agency! The past year and a half of my agent search has been discouraging at times, but I finally found the right person after getting a referral from my former agent. Andrea Brown Literary has been my dream agency since forever. I'm so excited to be working with Jem, who's as excited as I am about my verse novel manuscript as well as my picture books. Maybe 2021 will be the year I sell my first novel! 

7. My husband agreed to hang outdoor Christmas lights. This may seem like a minor thing, but to me it's a small Christmas miracle. The most we've ever had before is a light-up Christmas wreath on the front door.

8. My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversay. We got to celebrate with them in June, despite all of the pandemic lock-downs. It was such a relief that they were able to follow through with their plans, even though the event was smaller than it would have been otherwise. They'd been planning (meaning Mom had been planning, haha) for this for about two years!

Salem Isaac

9. The 2020 #PBChat Mentorship. This was my second year volunteering as a mentor for this program, and it was a wonderful experience. I mentored THREE promising picture book writers. Each of them was a delight to work with because of their talent, hard work, and positive attitude. 

10. And now, the best, most wonderful thing about 2020. My daughter gave birth to our first grandchild! His name is Salem Isaac, and he has brought so much joy to our lives already. I just want to stare at his little face all day! But then I wouldn't get anything done. 

How about you? Do you have any wonderful things to be thankful for from the past year? 

Just a Dog: A Tribute to Chloe the Poodle

Last week we had to say goodbye to our miniature poodle, Chloe, who was part of our family for 16 years. Her health had been declining steadily for the past several months. Then, last Wednesday, she had what we believe to have been a stroke. And last Friday, we made the decision to have her put down. It was a hard decision, and a lot of tears were shed because of it.

And yet, Chloe was just a dog.

Just a dog who greeted everyone with enthusiasm. If you came to our house, you were instantly her new best friend. From her perspective, everyone who came by was there to see her.

Just a dog who had discriminating taste in toys, but not in food.

Just a dog who would trot along beside you when on a walk, until you came to a manhole cover, at which point she would leap as if to avoid a pit of certain doom.

Just a dog who would politely ask for permission before jumping onto the couch, then lie down beside you with her back against your thigh.

Just a dog who would patiently wait to snatch that piece of chicken liver off the kitchen floor until you said, "Okay!"

Just a dog who trained the new puppy we got several years ago better than we did.

Just a dog who would walk up to you when you were busy and lean against your leg as if to remind you that she was there.

Just a dog who would bark protectively whenever Dad roughhoused with the kids.

Just a dog who loved running through an open field, splashing through a stream, and treated every walk like the adventure of a lifetime, even when she was too old to make it more than one block.

Just a dog who curled up on the carpet in the middle of my office whenever I was working just so she could be near me.

Just a dog who, in recent weeks, would wait calmly near the stairs for me to carry her up or down.

Just a dog who merely tolerated being picked up for most of her life, but whose only peaceful moments at the end seemed to be when she was in my arms.

Just a dog who won everyone's hearts.

She will be missed.

Chloe (left) with our other poodle, Gimli.

2019: A Year of Firsts

When I look back on the year 2019 I realize it is full of many firsts for me, both personally and professionally. Most of these firsts are pleasant. All of them, even the ordinary ones, are significant to me. And that is why I would like to share them with you.

2019 was the year...

I had oral surgery (two wisdom teeth). 

This was also the first time I've gone under general anesthesia. Waking up after general anesthesia was a strange experience. Recovering from wisdom tooth extraction as a 40+ year-old was a nightmare, mostly because my anxiety was in overdrive regarding the gaping hole in my mouth. It healed without complications, thankfully.

An agent requested that I revise and resubmit one of my verse novels. 

It didn't work out with that agent, but receiving the revision request and the feedback that resulted from it was encouraging and helpful to me as a verse novelist.

I catered a wedding (sort of) and became a mother in law. 

My daughter's wedding was low budget, and one of the ways we saved money was to prepare most of the food ourselves. It was an evening wedding, so there was no meal, but there was a dessert bar. We ordered a cake and chocolate covered strawberries. And there were mints and nuts, as well as m&ms in the wedding colors. But I also made two kinds of biscotti, dipped pretzel rods, Mexican wedding cookies, arroz con leche, and horchata (regular and dairy free). It was lovely and sweet, in more ways than one.

I led a rhyme webinar through SCBWI.

Don't Tip the Scale: Balancing Story and Rhyme in Picture Book Texts was about how the purpose of rhyme in a picture book text is to support the story, and how to achieve that balance in your own writing. It's a topic I am passionate about as a writer and a reader, and though it was a little nerve-wracking at first, I had a lot of fun presenting and answering participants' questions!

I mourned the loss of someone not related to me.

You may have seen my post about my friend Cap, who passed away in August. I've never been so personally affected by the death of someone outside my family. She was a dear friend, and I miss her a lot.

I mentored an aspiring picture book author through the PBChat Mentorship Program.

This mentorship program was a lot of fun! I got to work with a smart and funny aspiring writer who wrote a darling rhyming picture book about a sneezing racehorse. She worked so hard to polish her manuscript and prepare herself for the rigorous query process, and I'm very proud of her. One of these days I hope to be able to tell you that she got a book deal.


A few other firsts from 2019:

• I tried Indian food.
• I made a T-shirt quilt (possibly never again as it was a major pain).
• Rented a cabin on a river rather than a hotel room when we vacationed in Colorado.
• Baked conchas (a Mexican sweet bread).
• Started a manuscript critique service.
• Moved into my own office.

It's been a good year, and I look forward to discovering what "firsts" 2020 has in store. 

Happy New Year! 

My daughter is getting married!

Samantha and Zac

My daughter is getting married next Sunday. Now, I'm not usually a very sappy or emotional person, but I can't help but think of all the things that will be different once this week is over. This week is the last week of wedding planning, but also the last week for a lot of other things.

The last week of having all three of my children living under my roof,
sharing a bathroom,
sharing laughs,
sharing looks across the table.

The last week of preparing nightly dinner for five,
of cooking together,
of adding each of their requests to the grocery list.

This is the last week I will be able to knock on my daughter's door to say
Goodnight
or
Good morning
or
What time do you work today?

The last week of sleeping at night
with her just on the other side of the wall,
only a few steps away.

This is the last week of having any say
in what time she comes home
or how late she sleeps in
or whether she should really wear that skirt.

The last week
before my family grows bigger,
welcoming a new member,
a second son.

Just for Fun: 10 Random Facts About Me

It's been a long time since I wrote a post like this, but Michelle I. Mason wrote a fun one and (sort of) challenged her readers to do the same, so here I am, following her example! I tried really hard to dig deep and list the most interesting things. Judge for yourself on whether I succeeded!

1. My hubby and I have been married for a quarter of a century.

2. My teenage son thinks I'm a little weird because I enjoy playing Minecraft. But he can't tease me too much because he plays along with me!

3. One time I dressed up as Bilbo Baggins for my church's Trunk-or-Treat event. I made the costume myself out of repurposed clothing I found at a thrift store.

4. One of my favorite hobbies is making handmade journals. Some are made with repurposed chipboard covers and pages made of card stock or drawing paper. Others are made out food boxes (such as cake mix or cereal) and other repurposed papers. It's a fun creative exercise, and I sometimes give the finished products away as gifts.

5. My daughter Samantha sometimes calls me Mo, after the father in the book Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, because of the book-repairing skills I acquired during my years working in a school library. Many damaged books have gotten a new lease on life thanks to that handy skill! I've repaired Bibles and other books for family members and friends, and have even rescued a few from the church pews when I've noticed them in need of a good gluing. I brought them back as good as new, of course.

6. Another title I've earned from my children is that of The Finder of Things because of my knack for finding missing things when everyone else's efforts have failed.

7. When I was a little girl I went through a long list of things I wanted to be when I grew up. A doctor, a policewoman, a zoologist. At the top of the list was always "wife and mother," though. Artist and poet were there too, but they always seemed to be a part of me that I had to develop rather than something I wanted to become some day.

8. I have a weakness for science fiction movies, especially those involving alien invasions or space exploration. In fact, one of my favorite movies ever is Independence Day. But the sequel? Let's all just pretend it doesn't exist. Are you with me?

9. Besides English, I have studied three languages at some point in my life. German, Japanese, and Spanish. I studied German while I lived in Germany as a kid, and for six years in school after that. I took one year of Japanese in high school. And I've been slowly learning Spanish over the past 25 years of being married to a native speaker. It's a shame that I'm not fluent yet, but I can get by when I must, and I've made it my goal to be proficient (and comfortable) in conversational Spanish by the end of this year.

10. I have never broken a bone, but I have: gotten whiplash in a freak swimming pool accident, torn the ligaments in my left foot while dancing, chipped my right elbow on a skating rink floor, and bruised my coccyx (tailbone) when the swing I was on broke.

Do you have any of these things in common with me? I'd love to hear about it!

From Chaos to Calm: How I am Learning to Organize My Writing and My Life

My long-time writing partner Corey occasionally surprises me with a comment like, "You're so organized!" This is usually in reference to me having miraculously dug up a long-forgotten email from an editor or a very early draft of an old picture book manuscript.

But here's the thing: I'm not really organized. I'm just really good at finding things.

Just ask my kids. One of them once gave me a certificate officially naming me "Finder of Things." I can find a minuscule Lego piece in our mini van. I can find a random scrap of paper with my husband's vacation schedule on it. And I can (usually) find an email from 2006 that contains feedback on a manuscript that I haven't thought of in years.

But, organized? Ha. I can't even keep my desk organized for a week straight.

I have a stack of miscellaneous to-be-filed papers sitting on top of the printer (I move it whenever I need to make a copy of something). I have piles of random scrap paper filled with jottings that I'm afraid I'll forget. My desktop computer is decorated with sticky notes of varied colors with everything from passwords to notes about manuscripts.

For years, I've only been as organized as I've had to be. I've had a system--if you can call it that--that's worked. Sort of.

But life as a published author has made me realize that I need to be more efficient. And to be more efficient, I need to be more organized.

So, I've gradually been making changes. Last year I purchased a planner to help me organize social media posts. Using it has helped me be more consistent and less messy.

But I needed some way to organize my LIFE. It seemed that no matter how purposeful I tried to be with reminders and the calendar on my iPad (and the pile of notes on my desk), my life was still organized chaos.

Then I discovered the idea of bullet journaling.

I have always loved journaling. I've got junk journals, art journals, sketch books, poetry journals, and too many composition notebooks to remember. I love writing things down. I love sketching, doodling, and experimenting with paint and collage. So when I started seeing "bullet journal" ideas popping up on my favorite Pinterest and Instagram feeds, I was intrigued. I was impressed. And then, I was a little intimidated. But the journaler in me overrode my doubt, so I started clicking on posts titled "bullet journaling for the beginner," and those eventually led me to where it all started: bulletjournal.com. Seeing the efficiency of the bullet journal in its simplest form opened a new world to me!

I started my own bullet journal in early August, and it has changed my life. It's helped me plan ahead and organize my days, remember important dates and events, keep track of writing projects, plan family meals, and so much more. It's my daily to-do list, my reading log, my idea notebook. I even have a spread for Christmas gift ideas. It's all organized and relatively neat. And amazingly, it works. Even for me, the queen of (as my sister once said) Organized Clutter.

Why does this work so well for me where other attempts have failed? I think it's because of two things. One, it's tactile. I can hold it, write in it, flip through its pages. And two, it gives me room to be as creative as I want. I can doodle in it, try fancy lettering, use sharpies or colored pencils. I don't feel restricted or overwhelmed; I feel creatively empowered! And that is an amazing thing.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the "organized clutter" in your life? Maybe a bullet journal could work for you too!

The Case of the Missing Milk Jug

The grocery cart was bursting with bags of food. I followed my teenage son as he pushed the cart out the automatic doors and into the bright sunshine of a July afternoon.

Past dozens of cars we trekked, until we came to the place at the back of the lot, where the kid had carefully parked our minivan about an hour earlier.

I opened the back hatch.

The kid leaned over and reached for the milk jugs at the bottom of the cart.

"What the...? Where the fudge is the other gallon of milk?" he exclaimed.

I looked. There on the bottom of the cart lay a milk jug that had clearly tipped over on the trip across the parking lot. But the other jug had vanished!

"It must have fallen off," I told the kid. "Go see if it's on the ground somewhere."

I loaded the groceries into the back of the van, looking up every few seconds to check on the kid's progress. He walked with purpose, glancing between vehicles, until he reached the front of the store.

He went inside.

He came back out.

He raised his arms in a clear "WTH?" motion.

It was obvious to me that someone had discovered our carelessly abandoned jug of milk and either made off with it or returned it to the store. So I joined my son and we ventured inside to inquire of the employees.

First, I checked with our cashier on the chance that we had simply left the jug of milk behind. But no. So we made our way to customer service to inquire further.

"Can I help you with something?" said a voice from behind me.

I turned to the short, smiling clerk and asked, "Did someone bring in a gallon of milk that they found in the parking lot?"

She looked at me with a curious expression that I interpreted to mean: "I have no idea what the heck you are talking about." So I explained in detail.

"Oh," she said apologetically, "I just got here. Let me check with someone else." I waited patiently as she flagged down a tall, older man in a bright yellow vest. "Did you find a gallon of milk outside?"

"Yeah," he said matter-of-factly. "It was still cold, so I put it back."

The clerk smiled and told me to go ahead and grab a new milk. I was slightly stunned that a grocery store employee would discover a gallon of milk on the ground only to nonchalantly return it to the cooler at the back of the store. But, happy that the mystery was solved, the kid and I made our way to the dairy department, where we were reunited with our lost jug of milk.

When we arrived home and all the groceries were put away, and after I relayed this story to daughter no. 1, I realized that this is one of countless ordinary little stories that make up the chapter book of life. And they're worth telling, even if those who hear them may not hold them long in their memory.

Concerning Vomit and Decency (and Books)

"Don't go out that door. There's vomit!"

Those were the words directed at us as my family and I were leaving the mall recently.

We laughed and thanked the stranger for the warning, then took the other door. Looking to the left, I saw that, sure enough, there was a fairly fresh splattering of vomit on the sidewalk that one of us would have surely stepped in had it not been for the considerate warning of a complete stranger.

It made me smile to think that someone I didn't know would care about whether or not I stepped in a puddle of puke. And then I thought, What if people did that all the time? Not the puking, but the considering.

Imagine what a friendlier world it would be. Imagine the smiles shared, the doors held open, the traffic frustrations minimized, if only we would look beyond ourselves and really see our fellow human beings. If we stopped to think about how our actions or inactions affect those around us. If we cared enough to keep a complete stranger from ruining their shoes. Or forgetting their wallet. Or dropping a five dollar bill.

If we, though hopelessly flawed ourselves, could just be decent to each other. Consistently.

Can you imagine?

Books can help with that. I don't mean books that were written with the obvious agenda of pounding a moral lesson into our brains, but stories, true or imagined, about characters who work through their own flaws while struggling to overcome whatever problems come their way. It doesn't matter if that story is about a mouse who worries too much or a Hobbit carrying the one ring to Mordor. These stories explore what it means to be human, and they help us--and our children--to look at the world beyond our own little bubbles.

So read lots of stories to your children. But don't just stop there. Talk about the stories and the characters. Answer your children's questions, and ask your own. There are so many things for you to explore and discover in the books you share.

What books have helped you (and/or your children) see people a little differently?

SNOW DAY!

Snow Day

Today I was pulled out of dreams of writing
by the ringing of the phone on the nightstand,
a 5:37 a.m. wake-up call,
an apology,
an announcement,
no school today due to
"bad" weather.

Bad weather
that deposits millions of shimmering ice crystals
on every branch,
every twig,
every deck rail.

Bad weather
that lures the children outside
to play in the cold,
creating snow forts
and snowmen
and snowbombs
with glove-covered hands.

Bad weather
that keeps children at home,
free to sleep in
and bake cookies
and sip cocoa
and play games

and forget, for a little while
about essays and tests
and who will share their table
at lunch.

OMG, January's almost over!

I don't know how that happened.

Well, really, I do.

It happens every year. December is crazy busy with school programs and parties and holiday gatherings and Christmas vacation and Christmas Day and New Year's celebrations...and finally the kids go back to school and I spend the first month of the new year trying to get back into some kind of a normal pattern of life and work. And when I finally manage it, January is just about over.

Phew. I can breathe now.

To be honest, this January has been particularly hard for me. I've been more stressed out than usual thanks in part to a minor (yet annoying) health issue, and I've felt more than a little overwhelmed on more than one occasion in recent weeks. But I seem to be getting a handle on it, thanks to my ever faithful God, my knowledgable doctor, and my patient and supportive hubby.

So January is almost done.

I'm in one piece.

And...I have some good news to share! But not yet.

Stay tuned!

My Favorites of 2014

As I've mentioned before, I'm not good at picking favorites. But looking back at 2014, there are some things that stand out as THE BEST, at least to me.

My favorite movie of 2014 is The Guardians of the Galaxy. The way I see it, this is movie perfection. It is fun, smart, visually stunning, funny, exciting, and full of feels. I love the characters, love the story, love the action. It is an all around great movie. So great that I saw it TWICE in the theaters. I haven't done that since Jurassic Park came out back in 1993!

Speaking of Jurassic Park...I think my favorite movie trailer of 2014 would have to be the one for the new Jurassic Park movie, Jurassic World. Can't wait to see it. I mean, can you go wrong with Chris Pratt and dinosaurs? I don't think so.

I read some great books in 2014 too. My favorite young adult book is CRESS by Marissa Meyer. For middle grade, I would have to pick THE MAGIC THIEF by Sarah Prineas. And for picture books, I think my favorite is THE MOUSE MANSION by Karina Schaapman because of its astonishingly detailed photographs of the actual mouse mansion built by the author herself!

Miniatures have been a thing for me for the past year. I've spent hours and hours making furniture and accents for my daughters' doll houses. So making miniatures definitely held the place of honor as my favorite creative thing to do during 2014. I am very proud of some of my tiny creations!

I am also very proud of a particular picture book manuscript I wrote over the past year. It's a rhyming mash-up of several fairy tales and nursery rhymes, inspired primarily by the rhyme Old Mother Hubbard. It is now in the hands of my wonderful agent, so I hope to have good news regarding that story in the year to come!

Another thing I spent time creating in 2014 has been bread. I've been working my way through a book of bread recipes that my dad gave me years ago. My favorite recipe so far is Cuban Bread because it is simple, quick and delicious! That adventure will continue into 2015 and beyond.

2014 was also a big year for me as an author, with all that has been happening with my forthcoming book. My favorite part of the process has been receiving the F&Gs of WHAT ABOUT MOOSE? in the mail!

Of course, a big favorite from 2014 was celebrating 20 years of marriage to my darling hubby!

Here are a few other favorites from 2014:

-watching a baby robin hatch from its egg
-making a new art journal
-reading 45 books (5 short of my goal)
-watching my daughter perform in her first opera
-making a scrap quilt with my girls
-watching my son run with the track team
-my parents being here for Thanksgiving
-becoming a great-aunt
-making new friends
-experimenting with Easter egg dyeing methods

I'm hopeful that there will be just as much, if not more, to love about the 2015!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Why We Need Disability in Fiction

Wonder, by R.J. Palacio
Out of My Mind, by Sharon M. Draper
Petey, by Ben Mikaelsen
Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry
Dangerous, by Shannon Hale
The Schwa was Here, by Neal Shusterman

All of these books have one thing in common: characters with disabilities. In some cases it is the driving force of the story. In others, the disability plays a role, but it isn't the main point. But in all of these books a specific truth surfaces: a person's disability--no matter how severe--does not diminish his or her value as a person.

In Petey and Out of My Mind, we learn that a person can lead a life with meaning despite not having the ability to walk, speak, or even control their own muscles.

In Wonder, we learn that a person's facial deformity doesn't define them, and that the suffering caused by such a disability doesn't make life less worth living.

In Gathering Blue, the main character proves that her life is valuable despite having a twisted leg that hinders her ability to walk.

In Dangerous, the heroine doesn't let her missing arm prevent her from saving the world.

And in The Schwa was Here, the main character befriends a blind girl, who doesn't let her lack of vision define who she is.

This is an important issue in the world today because people--especially kids--need to understand the humanity of those with disabilities and be able to empathize with them. But also, there seems to be a growing number of people who see the severely disabled as a drain on society, or who see their lives as so tragic as to not be worth living. Consider the amount of abortions performed because of disability and the rising acceptance of euthenasia and assisted suicide. Do these statistics reflect the value we place on life? Do they show that a person is worth more than his or her disability?

Sadly, I believe the answer is no. We live in a world where a parent, judge, caretaker or doctor can legally decide when someone's life is no longer worth living. We live in a world where "compassion" is displayed in the form of ending someone's life, whether before birth or after. But do we really want to head down a road that will lead us to a place like the community in The Giver, where the weak, unwanted, and elderly are humanely "released" from society?

The books I've listed here, and others like them, have a powerful message for their readers. Every person has a place in this world. Every life, no matter how painful or difficult, can be a full life that has a profound impact on the world around it. The severely disabled baby that lives for only a few hours after birth. The brain-damaged boy who never learns to walk or speak. The young woman with Down's Syndrome who smiles at everyone she meets. They are why we need books about people with disabilities, to show our children that all life is valuable and beautiful and worthy of protection.