Amy Makechnie's Blog, page 26

Sunday Meditations: we were moving mountains…

Originally sung by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, I’m partial to this version.

My favorite line:

We were moving mountains

Long before we knew we could

Bias might also be the fact that Cope is singing. You can find her around 2:45 and 2:54 and 3:01 and 3:04 (I may have watched this a few times) on the far right with the black and grey striped shirt.

You know, just singing about miracles on the Salt Lake flats.

How about those beatboxers? Sweeeet.

Enjoy

A Book is Born {hello, guinevere :}

My dear friends,

here it is.

I am so very very grateful. It’s been a long haul, which I will tell you all about, but for now, let’s just admire the jacket cover art (which I’ve grown to adore.)

That’s Guinevere St. Clair on top of the tractor. Jimmy and Micah are down below wondering what the heck Gwyn is doing. Also: it’s midnight.

I just love these kids (they are very real to me!) and I hope you will love them too.

The book is being released by Simon and Schuster on June 12, 2018, but you can pre-order now and make my day, and when I see you I will give you a big kiss! Or at least a hug. Not your thing? My undying gratitude.

Hardcover:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

BAM

Indies

Or, support your local bookstore! Our Morgan Hill Bookstore is happy to take preorders!

I’ve read that when you ask people to pre-order your book, you should offer them a *Bonus “thank you” gift. Well, here’s what I’ve got: my heart and soul, years of my life, tears, toiling, and my greatest wish – a story that I hope you will never forget

Monday Inspiration: Shalane For the Win!

It hasn’t happened in 40 years: an American woman winning the New York City marathon.

For the last ten years, she’s been a fixture at international competitions; always in contention, but never able to close the last gap.

A Massachusetts girl, Shalane was sidelined from running the 2017 Boston marathon, due to a pelvic fracture. She was vocal about her devastation. I have to admit, I was pretty letdown.

She rested. She wrote a cookbook (it’s GOOD.) She fostered two teenage girls. She got back to training.

Could she compete in New York?

When she pulled out a HUGE win over 3-time NYC champ Mary Keitany…I admit to feeling a bit teary. Watching runners does that to me.

It took Shalane seven YEARS to win. In her post race interview she spoke emotionally of the need for patience, but also believing in the “awesome.”

“I knew it was possible.” She’s 36-years-old. Running a 1:16 half-marathon split, and running between 5:07-5:25 minute mile splits.

Incredible.

I don’t think I can even sprint that fast!

This morning I went out for a run and felt totally slammed from the weekend. SO TIRED. At the last half mile stretch I considered walking. Instead I began to repeat to myself: Pre, Pre, Pre (a nod to legendary runner, Steve Prefontaine.)

But then, I swear it’s true, Shalane popped into my head. I started to say, Shalane, Shalane, Shalane. I finished.

My take-away moment: the women are rising. And they are inspiring. Don’t doubt it: big or small sphere, your influence matters.

“Nine months ago I was heartbroken…I’ve dreamed of a moment like this since I was a little girl…and hopefully it inspires the next generation of American women…”

Oh, it does, Shalane. It does.

 

 

#nycmarathon #shalaneyourock

The post Monday Inspiration: Shalane For the Win! appeared first on maisymak.

On a Monday. Want to be happier? Try this!

In college, my five roommates and I called ourselves, “The Snapper Squad.” (Yes, we were very cheesy…but don’t ya just love cheese?)

On our Snapper Squad wall we covered it with reams of paper. Across the top we wrote “The Snapper Squad’s Happy List” (or something like that. Gretchen Rubin, eat your heart out

Yes, I’m alive {and other good news}

Poor neglected blog. I keep having brilliant blog post epiphanies and then…something happens between thinking and doing. A little catch-up:

We left our peaceful world of summer with one last swim…When my friend moves and sells this adorable little cottage with lake access, I’m buying!

With both feet, we jumped right into fall.Fall is my favorite season of all. The humidity lessens, the air becomes crisp, apples start growing on trees, and the colors! Such a beautiful world God created.

I found this butterfly today. It was dead but looked ready to launch…there’s a lesson in there somewhere…

What else did fall bring us? These Sistema tupperware (I found at Old Navy). My kids LOVE them. Why is it so much more fun to pack food in cute little containers? “Mom, can I please please pack a salad?” Yep!

This post could also be called: Soccer Makes a Life TakeoverBut I not-so-secretly love everything about that too! We can’t get enough!

The boy made varsity and plays as a left winger. It’s rough and tough and oh so awesome. I had more fun pictures of boy, but he sets a very high bar for clearing pictures and captions. Why you gotta be like that? Love him

Recent Book Reads, Shows, and Podcast Love!

Happy Weekend! Looking for some good reads? Here’s what I’ve been up to since March…

Reading:

An inspiring memoir and manifesto about letting go (women!)

I adore Alice Munro. Such an excellent short story writer.

I was so excited for this book…but I couldn’t get into it or understand it…

This is How We Say Good-Bye

So, it’s all very very good. We’ve had college in mind for 18 years. We’ve saved for it for 18 years. We didn’t really hope she’d live in the basement.

We paid for books, drove her to games and rehearsals, pushed her to work hard. We filled out the applications, did more than stress our minds out, cross our fingers and say our prayers. But geez, this is the deal? She actually LEAVES? I’m paying for this pit in my stomach?

College.

This picture sits on my desk. This was my baby Cope starting kindergarten just a little while ago.

I remember her so well at this age. She had a little brother and a baby sister who walked her to school in a yellow rain jacket and Elmo backpacket. On the first day of kindergarten she came home and threw a ginormous tantrum, collapsing on the couch in a deep sleep from sheer exhaustion. She lives with passion, this girl.

What a privilege it is to be her mother. No other success could compensate for this joy.

Suddenly she’s this girl: so confident and smart and compassionate and beautiful

We had a great August. Slow days of packing and purging and sorting. What to bring to college when you have to put it on an airplane (2 carry-ons per passenger, nothing over 50lbs!)

We also had bargaining sessions over who got what – she is always raiding my closet!A certain sister already had her room packed up before Cope left, chomping at the bit to move downstairs instead of across the hall from mom and dad.

Cope and I and flew across the country, hovering above the great Salt Lake. It was getting real.

I was that really strange mom taking photos of my grown daughter while she slept beside me. I found myself gazing at her skin and eyelashes, wondering how this thing called “TIME” works. I thought of Erma Bombeck’s poem, WHY DON’T YOU GROW UP?

Guess what? they do.

 Although Utah is a dessert, we went hiking and found TREES!

We stayed with my sister and family where Cope walked little Autumn to first grade. On the first day, Autumn cried and clung to Cope. Cope looked at me with big eyes and panic, mouthing, “WHAT DO I DO?”

I said: Give her a hug and kiss, I’ll see you later, and walk away.

Oh dear, I feared I would be Autumn in a few days.

 We made it! She has a key. I don’t have a key. We love her dorm and roommate!

After buying out the entire local Target (when people tell you that bringing your child is the most expensive trip you will make – THEY ARE RIGHT. Me, the tight-fisted money mom was suddenly spending her feelings on lamps and hangers and ‘Honey, look at this llama lamp, do you want it for your room???! No? How about mug with your initial or how about M for Mom? Make-up? Do you want make-up?’ What can I buy you???’) Who was this woman???

We spent HOURS debating about room decor. (Believe me, Pinterest IS NOT YOUR FRIEND!) However, after agonizing over the tapestry and bedding for literally DAYS, we had just what she wanted. Bless you, Amazon, and your free Prime 2-Day shipping.

Roommates?! “Dad, mom knows she’s not staying, right?”

We walked around campus, reliving the college years (Gregor and I met at BYU!) Cope patiently endured us.

 This is a much bigger pond than our little town!

Of course we had to get pictures with the BYU cougar. “Moooooom!” And yes, we are now completely dressed from head to toe in True Blue BYC fan gear. I’m sorry if you find me annoying for the next four years

Children’s Author, Jessica Lawson & a Book Giveaway!

Make sure to scroll to the bottom for a book giveaway!

One of my favorite children’s author’s, Jessica Lawson, is visiting Maisymak today with the September 5th release of her fourth book, UNDER THE BOTTLE BRIDGE,  by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. You can add it to your Goodreads account HERE, and see it up on Amazon here.

Isn’t this gorgeous cover art by illustrator, Sonia Kretschmar?

If you haven’t read Jessica’s other books, I highly recommend them! (I especially loved WAITING FOR AUGUSTA, so apropo for the times we live in.) Jessica has an incredible grasp of language and uses such clever turns of phrases – I’ve learned a lot from this girl (she’s also the gal I credit for helping me land my own literary agent, woo hoo!)

Here’s Jess:

SEASONS OF CHANGE

by Jessica Lawson

Thank you, Amy, for having me on your blog! UNDER THE BOTTLE BRIDGE will be released on September 5. For anyone wanting an early peek, I’m giving away one advanced reader copy. I’ll choose a winner from any comments on this post (winner will be chosen on August 28).

Autumn has always been my favorite season—it’s a time of such visible and internal changes as nature glides toward its annual sunset. Leaves burst into brilliant colors, then fade, then fall off. It’s metaphor-city for an author (and a welcome way to work cloves, cinnamon, and pumpkin-flavored anything into a story).

In UNDER THE BOTTLE BRIDGE, my main character Minna Treat is not ready to become a teenager. She’s been raised by her uncle, who has a huge collection of parenting books. Minna’s read all of them, and she’s learned enough about the teen years to be nervous for what’s ahead. Here’s an excerpt from the book as an example:

According to the award-winning book Natural Disasters: Emergency Parenting for the Teen Years, youth and innocence were basically over once age thirteen hit, and I needed to be as self-grounded as possible to anchor myself for the “deluge of tumultuous, volatile changes ahead.” If I didn’t have complete faith and confidence in myself as a person before the clock struck TEENAGER, I’d get swept away by some kind of giant invisible flood.

Between that kind of doomsday talk and the fact that my thirteenth birthday was three months away, I felt like I was on my own personal deadline for finding out exactly who “Minna” was before the very last autumn of my childhood was over.

While I wasn’t as apprehensive about the big 1-3 as Minna is, I definitely had reservations about growing up.

At the beginning of sixth grade, I had just moved to a new state. I knew nobody and was starting middle school. I adored elementary school and mourned its ending. Kindergarten to 5th grade was a 6-year-long season in my life that was golden. Everyone started changing a bit after 5th grade. They started growing up and having new concerns that I didn’t share, and it all sort of broke my heart. I was not ready.

I resisted mainly by being myself. I did not wear trendy clothes. I wore things like solid color sweatpants with different-solid-color sweatshirts. I did not wear makeup. There was no “going with” boys for me like there was for the other girls, nor did I want that. I did not get asked to any dances and was relieved, because dancing in public seemed like something I’d rather not do.

I was incredibly shy. But while I struggled a bit socially, other areas were smooth sailing. I was good at school and good at sports and I liked to read. Those things made all the difference.

I liked my teachers and classes. My report cards were thumbs-up. Though I went on to be a Varsity soccer team starter for all four years of high school, in seventh grade, there was no girls team at my middle school. So I tried out for the boys’ team. I made it. Boys did not like being slide-tackled by a girl. Grades and sports did not win me friends. But they gave me the confidence to continue resisting the pressure to “grow up” in ways that I wasn’t ready to. Plus I was a very Late Bloomer, which gave me a natural resistance. The P-word, Puberty, did not pay me a visit until my senior year of high school. I sometimes wonder if my body was simply waiting until my heart was ready for a change in seasons.

In a way, Minna finds refuge in the advice that parenting books give her—she figures that if she knows what’s ahead, there can’t be any hurt or pain. Not to spoil things, but the parenting books do not prepare Minna for what happens in this book. Like autumn leaves shifting colors from green to red and orange and yellow and brown, change sometimes happens whether we want it to or not. Writing this book was a catharsis for me in that way. You can’t always know what lies ahead, but you can choose who is in the boat with you while you weather any storms and celebrate any sunny skies.

And now that I’ve changed from autumn metaphors to sea travel metaphors, I believe that’s my cue to end this post. Readers, do you have a favorite season of the calendar year, or a favorite season in your life?

In the weeks leading up to Gilbreth, New York’s annual AutumnFest, twelve-year-old woodcraft legacy Minna Treat is struggling with looming deadlines, an uncle trying to hide Very Bad News, and a secret personal quest. When she discovers mysterious bottle messages under one of the village’s 300-year-old bridges, she can’t help but wonder who’s leaving them, what they mean, and, most importantly…could the messages be for her?



Along with best friend Crash and a mystery-loving newcomer full of suspicious theories, Minna is determined to discover whether the bottles are miraculously leading her toward long-lost answers she’s been looking for, or drawing her into a disaster of historic proportions.

Thank you, Jess! I can’t wait to read this.

Dear readers, please leave a comment – do you have a favorite season of the calendar year, or a favorite season in your life?

Could you help an author out? Please help me share this upcoming release by hitting the share buttons on the bottom of this post – Facebook, Twitter, Email, or any other social media button you’d like.

We love supporting local and indie bookstores! (tells you your local independent bookstore based on zip code), Barnes & Noble, Amazon, 

Connect with Jessica on Facebook, Twitter, her website, and blog!

THANK YOU so much. And congratulations, Jessica!

The post Children’s Author, Jessica Lawson & a Book Giveaway! appeared first on maisymak.

Pasta Makes Me Tired {and other sad food truths}

Sad, but true.

Pasta makes me very very tired.

I discovered this sad food truth after an unintended break from pasta. One evening, short on ideas for dinner, I had a big plate of spaghetti. Within a half hour I was in a pasta coma on the couch. The revelation hit me hard: wow! pasta makes me very very tired. I began to wonder – what other foods are killing my game?

Why do I always feel like I need a nap at 1? Why am I sluggish all afternoon?

The culprit? Processed foods made with white flour. It’s foods that burn quickly, have close to zero nutritional value, and contain sugar – anything that comes in a package, tube, box, or shiny wrapper.

Darn.

In high school, pasta was the superfood. We ate it daily, carbo-loaded on it before cross-country meets, soccer games, and track meets. Turns out, maybe I could have run faster on vegetables.

Through much trial and error, I know what superfoods work for ME (and I think it varies much for every individual.) I still drink lots of milk, eat yogurt, cheese, beans and lentils, and I’m definitely a carnivore. My body has no problem processing gluten, although guess what else makes me tired? Lots of bread.

Out our the bagels, waffles, pancakes, most cereals, and doughnuts for breakfast. Why? Because I need at nap by 9am! I become so, so tired. Do you ever have that brain foggy feeling after eating these types of food? It’s the sugar and cheap white flour (yes! it’s in all of the above!)

So I have a few food guidelines I try to live by:

Avoid sugar. (It’s in everything packaged and processed.)
Avoid processed food. (Because sugar.)
Eat real food that comes from the ground.
Loads of vegetables at every meal.
That’s it.

Man, when I live by the above rules I feel like a superstar.

Really, I think it’s that simple.

It’s that simple and it’s that hard. I break this rule almost daily. Because…sugar! I love chocolate cake, and well, desserts in general. I love bread, pasta, pancakes, waffles, and doughnuts. But I know I don’t feel well when I eat them.

So, I try to limit treat consumption to one a day, sometime after dinner. Just a little. Not too much.

Moderation, I believe, is overrated. Many, many times, an all or nothing approach works much better for people.

Daughter Cope has proven this very well. She’s been a huge example to the rest of us: No Added Sugar. Period.

When she goes to Five Guys, she has a burger wrapped in lettuce because guess what that delicious bun has in it? SUGAR, of course. When eating at the school cafeteria I can hear her asking politely, “excuse me, does that Asian slaw have sugar in it?” I think she drove them quite mad

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler {delish!}

Only recently have I discovered the heavenly combination of strawberries and rhubarb. Oh my! Now I’m making up for lost time, using this family favorite peach cobbler recipe.Rhubarb’s tart and texture married with the sweet juicy strawberry…you’ve got to try this!
Last summer my friend, Tamar, gave me a tiny, and very special rhubarb plant. I stuck it in the ground and watched it grow into an enormous plant. And even better – I keep cutting stalks and they keep growing back! (Just for fun, have your kids take a bite out of the stalk…hehehe…but not the leaves!)Not to worry if you missed June’s strawberry season; this cobbluh’ was made with frozen picks from last month. It’s just as good as freshly picked! With only six simple ingredients, you can whip this up in a snap.  Bake for about an hour     Mmmm… Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream. Or eat it right out of the baking dish. YUM.
Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler
Ingredients:





1/2 Cup (1 stick) of Butter
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Self-Rising Flour
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Raw Rhubarb (chopped)
1 Cup Strawberries

Directions:
Melt butter in microwave. Mix
In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar, flour, and milk together. Whisk in cooled butter. Pour batter in greased pie dish. Drop cut rhubarb and strawberries into batter. Bake at 350 for 1 hour, or until golden brown.

Happy summer!

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