Debbie Macomber's Blog, page 59

Happy Birthday Maddy!

My granddaughter, Maddy, and I are celebrating our shared birthday today.  Maddy is by far the best birthday gift of my entire life.  The day she was born my daughter phoned to let me know she was in labor.  I was so excited, and I told her I'd meet her at the hospital.  Only I had a nail appointment that day, so I raced down to the salon to tell Jane I had to cancel.  Naturally, I told practically everyone in the entire mall that my daughter was having her baby on MY birthday.  Then I stopped by the bank to tell my good friend, Betty Roper.  She would then pass the word along to the rest of my Breakfast Club friends.  To make a long story short, I stopped to tell so many people about this fabulous gift that . . . I missed the birth!  By the time I arrived at the hospital, so had Maddy.

Footbal Sunday

Our entire family loves football.  Wayne and I have had season tickets to the Seahawks since 1978.  All four of our kids are into football, too.  When the season tickets arrive, it's like a huge lottery to see who gets what game.  So, in celebration of Maddy's and my birthdays this week the entire family is attending the game against the Cardinals this Sunday.  The reason I mention this is because Seattle took a restaurant survey a few years back.  One of the questions included on the survey was where is the most expensive place to dine in the city ?  The answer came back:  Quest Field.  That's where the Seahawks play their games.  Gulp. I  guess I'd better bring my credit card!

Football Sunday

Our entire family loves football.  Wayne and I have had season tickets to the Seahawks since 1978.  All four of our kids are into football, too.  When the season tickets arrive, it's like a huge lottery to see who gets what game.  So, in celebration of Maddy's and my birthdays this week the entire family is attending the game against the Cardinals this Sunday.  The reason I mention this is because Seattle took a restaurant survey a few years back.  One of the questions included on the survey was where is the most expensive place to dine in the city ?  The answer came back:  Quest Field.  That's where the Seahawks play their games.  Gulp. I  guess I'd better bring my credit card!

Going green--or would be that orange?

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm up to my eyeballs in cooked pumpkin.   I sorted through recipes, and if I bake twelve more pumpkin pies, pumpkin bread and a huge batch of pumpkin soup, I will have used up one full pumpkin.  The problem is, there are still three more pumpkins to be cooked, and they are all larger than the one I've already cooked!



My friend, Alice, from the swimming pool, who is a whiz at this stuff, advised me to can the leftover cooked pumpkin. Great idea, but once I investigated how much it would cost for the jars, lids and other necessary equipment, I realized I could buy three cases of canned pumpkin off the grocery store shelf for about the same price--or less! Who knew going green would be so much trouble?

Weekend Contentment

I spent a good portion of my day in the kitchen on Sunday.  Wayne and our son, Ted, carted up pumpkins from the garden--I had six huge ones.  I dug up the rest of the carrots and potatoes, so it was the perfect time to make a large batch of stew using vegetables from the garden.  In addition I baked two real (not from a can) pumpkin pies.  With the fireplace going and football games playing in the background, I looked around me and felt . . . joy.  It's so good to be in Washington, at home, cooking, surrounded by kids and grandkids.  Autumn really is my favorite time of the year.

Young Writers

I'm packing my suitcase tonight to fly up to Rye, NY, and then I'll head back to our home in Washington state.  While in Rye, I'll speak to the group of young writers who are attending a week-long, intensive workshop as winners of Guideposts' annual writing contest.  It doesn't seem that long ago that I was one of those eager young writers so anxious to see my stories in print.  I hope to offer them encouragement and inspiration and show them that it really is possible for our dreams to come true.

Testing Your City Skills

I'm feeling rather intellectually superior this morning.  I took a test via the Internet that shows famous cities from the air.  Sixteen different cities.  I got 14 of the 16 correct, which gave me a 90% score .  Wayne, the great brain of the family (and I'm not kidding; he's a member of MENSA), took the same test and got 60%.  I've been glowing ever since.  If you're interested in testing your own skill, go to www.guessthecity.com and take it yourself.  Have fun.

Columbus Day

Today we celebrate Columbus Day in honor of Christopher Columbus, who sailed the ocean blue in 1492.  Some four hundred years later my grandfather crossed that same ocean, coming from a German-speaking settlement inside of Russia near the Black Sea.  As it happens, all four of my grandparents came from the same general area in Russia.  My guess is that many of our grandparents and ancestors crossed that same ocean. So thank you, dear Christopher Columbus, for leading the way.

Celebrity for a Day

I had quite a Monday.  Once the news was out that I had signed with Random House, the phone didn't stop ringing and I had three or four interviews.  In the meantime I was running up and down stairs doing laundry and making a list for Wayne to take to the grocery store.  Bogie wanted my attention, too (he likes me to toss him his toys so he can chase after them.)  So between laundry, making grocery lists, entertaining Bogie and attempting to write my chapter, I was a celebrity for a day.  Ah, the incredible life of the writer!

Big News

Got news? I do, and it's big!  Effective 2012, I'll be writing for Random House, specifically for Ballantine Bantam Dell. I will forever have friends with the fine people where I have been published for 28 years. However, in this broader world I have created for myself, Random House is the perfect fit.  Because it will be a new beginning, I'll be starting a new series set . . . 76 trumbones please! . . . in my hometown of Port Orchard.  I can already hear you asking, "But isn't that where the Cedar Cove series is set?"  The answer is YUP, but changes are coming. Details to follow in the upcoming months.  I'm excited!