Debbie Macomber's Blog, page 23

Delilah Loves Love and Love Loves Her Right Back!

Port Orchard (aka Cedar Cove) has many charms, some known only to residents, some known near and far.

My friend Delilah describes herself as "The Queen of Sappy Love Songs." According to Premiere Networks, Delilah is "the most-listened-to-woman on radio" with "more than eight million weekly listeners on approximately 160 radio stations in the U.S."

This week, the print version of Entertainment Weekly included a great article about Delilah; you can click hear for the online version:  "Hear Delilah's ultimate love-song playlist."

Delilah is a wonderful friend and anyone who loves love songs will love her. How great it is that she calls Port Orchard home!

Click here for Delilah's website and radio show info.

Click here for the Entertainment Weekly article.

 

Luck o' the Irish... Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Who doesn’t love to celebrate with a parade on St. Patrick’s Day in the middle of March when winter is still upon us? Or warm up with an Irish Coffee? I don’t need an excuse to eat corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread and great beer, but I sure do look forward to it.

The phrase “Luck of the Irish” always resonates with me. What a history: subjugated to the British for longer than anyone can remember—well, other than the Irish; thousands starved to death in the potato famine; and they were looked down upon when they immigrated to the United States. And yet have you ever met a more positive, talented group of people? The ol’ Irish sense of humor helps, too!

You know, thinking about it, we're the lucky ones for everything the Irish have given us.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Care for a Cup of Tea?

What a busy morning: I cooked breakfast, set the dishwasher, put two loads of wash in the machine, and took a long hot shower. Notice anything in common with all these tasks? They involved water. Clear, clean water. How easy it was for me to reach for the faucet or push a button.

It struck me because of an eye-opening experience last summer when Wayne and I were in Kenya. I was able to visit the home of a Kenyan woman who proudly served me tea. Little did I know that for her to get the water to brew my tea she had to walk a mile to a dry river bed and dig down until she found water. After she'd filled her small bucket, she had to carry it back another mile to her home.

There is much work to be done to bring clean water to the developing world. World Vision is making a difference in so many ways, including reaching one new person with clean water every 30 seconds.

If you'd like to read more about Veronica and our tea time in Kenya, I wrote about it in a blog for World Vision (click here).

Birthday Boys

It's a special day in the Macomber Family. Our son Dale's little boy Jaxon Paul turns five. He is a miracle baby and God's special gift to our family.

Our youngest and our oldest grandsons share this month for birthdays. Cameron turns 18 and will graduate from high school later this year. Both boys bring their grandfather and me great joy.

Here's a picture of our grandsons a couple of years ago. From left to right: Isaiah, Cameron, Carter, and James, and Jax, wearing yellow, on Carter’s lap. My little heroes.

Springing Forward Into Spring Cleaning

I'll never be the housekeeper my mother was. Every spring she literally tore the house apart. She scrubbed and cleaned and washed everything in sight. By the end of March the entire house smelled as fresh, clean, and crisp as spring itself.

She scrubbed the windows, sent all the drapes to the cleaners, waxed and polished every imaginable surface. Naturally, my brother and I got dragged, kicking and yelling, into this madness. My dad seemed to escape the terror, although I don't know how. My mother was on a mission and she was taking POWs. If anyone took the old adage "Cleanliness is next to godliness" seriously, it was my mother.

I suspect I was a sorry disappointment to her in that area and yet every spring I feel this sudden urge to clean and organize. I just may have more of my mother in me than I realize. But then, don't we all?

Hoedown for Humanity

Wayne and I are getting all gussied up for the big Habitat for Humanity Hoedown this weekend in Vero Beach.  That means coveralls, straw hats and bandanas for the two of us. 

Last year's event inspired the story idea for LAST ONE HOME.  I met some of the men and women serving at the dinner—they were there to work the hours they owed in order to get a home for themselves and their families.  Their stories encouraged and inspired me . . . and gave me an idea for a really good book! 

Here we are at the 2014 Habitat Hoedown. Wonderful organization. Terrific event.

If you are interested, I encourage you to get involved.  Click here to learn more about Habitat for Humanity's wonderful programs.  And for more hoedown fun, Habitat for Humanity is also in my book LAST ONE HOME!

 

Family Milestones

This is a red letter day in the Macomber household.  Our grandson James Jordan Buckley turns 16 and --drum roll, please-- we are adding a new member to our family. This latest addition is a young lady named Irina who is brilliant and beautiful.

This weekend our son Ted got down on his knee and proposed to Irina Nelson and she agreed to become a Macomber.  We are happy for both Ted and Irina and thrilled to add her to our family!

How Do You Say Smörgåsbord in Chinese?

I had lunch today at a Chinese buffet.  It was great with all the traditional Chinese food I've come to enjoy: fried rice, chow mein, sweet and sour chicken, pizza . . . yes pizza. 

They served pizza at the Chinese buffet and that's not all.  They had sushi.  I counted ten different kinds of sushi.  Plus a Mongolian grill.  And jello with bananas and pudding along with all-you-call-eat ice cream.  

What I didn't see was toppings for the ice cream.  Someone needs to let them know they should provide chocolate sauce and sprinkles if they're going to be considered authentic Chinese.

Caution: Man Working

I have barely seen my husband for the last week. Wayne is involved in a project in our garage. I still haven't figured out what it is but I know it has something to do with expanding space for our vehicles. I sort of took it all in stride until a forklift was delivered by a rental company!  What in the name of heaven could he be doing that requires a forklift? I asked and got a rather vague answer. 

All I know is that whatever it is has absolutely drained him of energy. Twice this week he was asleep before nine. Stay tuned. This is gonna be interesting!

My Dear Friend Linda

My dear friend Linda Lael Miller stopped by to spend the weekend with me before she headed out on a Caribbean cruise.

At one time Linda and I lived next door to each other in Port Orchard. We walked the high school track every afternoon and traded our chapters back and forth. It was great to have a built-in support system. When Linda moved--always witty--she claimed the neighborhood was going downhill! We've been friends for over twenty years, which is longer than some marriages.

We have laughed our way through years of Saturday shopping, eating out, discussing plots and generally having a great time together. Thank you, Linda!