Debbie Macomber's Blog, page 37

Crazy, but loving it.

The Christmas craziness is upon me, but I love it.  You should see my office.  There are stacks of cards to be mailed and tons of packages.  I've been up late every night knitting until my eyes are crossed in an effort to finish off last minute gifts.  Gifts, I might add, that need to be mailed.  Wayne and Bogie are eating leftovers from my Christmas Teas for their dinner so I can go directly from the office to finish off the shopping.  Everything needs to be in the mail Monday and so this weekend is it.  Although it’s crazed , I enjoy every minute of it.  But I do have to say I'm grateful Christmas only comes once a year! 

A Seahawk!

I'm not much of a bird person, although Bogie enjoys chasing after them in the yard every now and again.  However, I came eye to eye with a real hawk this weekend.  I met the official mascot of the Seattle Seahawks during the game on Sunday.  I'm not talking about the man in the bird costume, although he's great.  This is the real thing with claws, a large wing span and a beak.  I saw him eye to eye and I was the first one to blink.  Our son, Ted, snapped a quick photo before I dived for cover.

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Songs on the Radio

Jazmine, my oldest granddaughter, who is 17, and I, have been Christmas shopping together.  While driving from one shopping complex to another we've been singing along to the Christmas songs playing on the radio.  I treasure those lovely carols of old:  Oh Come All Ye Faithful, Joy to the World, Silent Night.  This led to a discussion of which carol was our favorite.  I chose a more modern one titled Mary Did You Know.  I can hardly listen to the words without tearing up.  Jazmine gave the question deep thought and then, having made her decision, announced:  Santa Baby.

Dressed for the cold

It’s been cold in Port Orchard the last couple of days.  Arctic Circle cold and Wayne loves it.  He’s been working in his woodshop with a short-sleeved shirt and whistling like one of Santa’s elves.  I, on the other hand, am dressed like an Eskimo.  I’ve got a fire in the fireplace, my knitting wrapped around me and Bogie on my lap and I’m still chilled to the bone. 



But that’s nothing compared to the temperature in the bedroom.  If he could, Wayne would like nothing better than to sleep with the window open.   Me, I have two blankets, a comforter, a faux fur top and Bogie snuggled up against me.  It would help if Wayne would wrap me in his arms, but he says no way.  He can’t take all that heat!

Looking Good on Radio!

Did you hear me on the radio yesterday?  I did a radio tour.  That's where I’m interviewed on a number of radio stations around the country, one right after another.  I look so good on radio, thinner than ever.  I told my friend, Merrily Boone, that, and she came right back with, "Well, I can wear the same earrings I wore in high school!"  The radio tour went from 5 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. (by the close of the tour I had cauliflower ear!), and that was followed by a video shoot here in Washington.  What for you ask? Surprises are in store for you over the holiday season.  Keep tuned, my friends, here and on my Facebook page.  http://www.facebook.com/welcomeback/requests/#!/DebbieMacomberWorld

Happy Monday!

I'm taking a day to plot.  This is one of my favorite aspects of being an author.  Truth be known I'm much more of a storyteller than I am a writer.  I love it when an idea strikes me and won't let me go.  I start working the twists and the angles and brainstorm with my editor.  Now this is fun!  Oh, the writing is fun, too, but the plotting . . . well the plotting is even more so.  It's a happy Monday.  Enjoy your day, too!

A Beautiful Day

I’m working on revisions for the second Rose Harbor Inn book at my home office this week.  It’s nice and quiet here, which is a stark contrast to the activity level of the office.  Bogie is with me and is resting on the arm of the chair, guarding against invaders to his kingdom.  There’s a fire blazing away in the fireplace, warming the room.  From this vantage point I have a view of Puget Sound.  It’s an incredibly beautiful day with the sun shining . . . which is so rare for November in the Pacific Northwest.  I’m feeling so very blessed, but after all, this is the month to count our blessings.

Pumpkin Story

Remember those giant pumpkins from my garden that I mentioned a while ago?    They look like pumpkins, they grew just like pumpkins, and one in particular was huge, weighing about fifty pounds. 



Well, guess what? They aren't pumpkins. I cooked one on Saturday night and the insides seemed a little weird.  A mutant pumpkin?  Alas no--they are spaghetti squash or some relation to the spaghetti squash.  Who knew????

The Friends I Keep!

I got a great letter from Fan Ambassador Wendy Lee Paffenroth.   She received the ten excerpts for The Inn at Rose Harbor and handed them out to friends, who then purchased the book.  After they read the story the group decided to go to dinner and discuss the plot.  Apparently their discussion garnered a lot of interest, because the lady at the table next to them leaned over and said, "Wow, you have some very interesting friends."  Wendy wrote to say the lady got quite a kick when she realized the people they were discussing were fictional.  This reminded me of the time another writer and I were discussing her plot while on the ferry.  She was trying to decide how to kill off the antagonist.  Come to think of it, we got plenty of stares ourselves!

Corn Toss Update

This is an update on the project Wayne is building—the corn toss boards I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. Remember I wanted to purchase a set at a local Farmer's Market but Wayne felt it was ridiculous to spend a hundred dollars when he could build a set far cheaper? At the time we were $700 into the project. Correction, add several thousand dollars more.  Wayne felt he needed a Shop Smith. If any of you know of this amazing tool and see the price tag you will  grab your heart and stagger backward. Wayne, however, has convinced me he could build anything I would ever want with this. He's happy and content, and the corn toss is coming along beautifully. In the end I'm sure it will be worth every penny.