Laurie L.C. Lewis's Blog: Bloggin' It Up Here, page 55

STAR SPANGLED FAMILY ADVENTURE!!!

My upcoming release, "OH SAY CAN YOU SEE?, volume four of my Free Men and Dreamers series, carries our characters through the impassioned stories of the Battles of Baltimore and North Point, climaxing with events surrounding the writing and publishing of the Star Spangled Banner.

How much do you know about this great period of history? The bicentennial is fast approaching. Here's a chance to raise your family's "Star Spangled IQ" and win some patriotic prizes as well.

Since "OH SAY CAN YOU SEE...

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Joan Sowards: "Chocolate Roses"

People often ask, "How did you become a writer?" The answers writers give are as diverse as the writers themselves, but a more important question might be, "How did you almost NOT become a writer?" Those answers are more telling, because they frequently illustrate the power of a negative comment to crush budding dreams, preventing an aspiring writer from nurturing their interest into what could prove to be a great talent. How many Emersons' work never left the notebook for want of a nudge fro...

http://www.spike.com/video/first-inva...

http://www.spike.com/video/first-invasion-war/2648905?cmpnid=716&pt=sr&refsite=7103Copyright 2009 Laurie LC Lewis, (To obtain permission to copy or reprint any portion of this post, please contact the author at lclewis2007@gmail.com)

MARRIAGE SURVEY RESULTS

The results are in from the Marriage Survey I hosted last week. The survey question was, "What Characteristics are Most Important When Choosing a Spouse." The results are based on a 10-point scale.

The first column shows the score that characteristic earned on a ten-point scale. Column two indicated the rank it received by it's score.

Sadly, "Integrity" fell off the characteristic list during edits, and from the number of people who manually added it on their entries, I think it would have fac...

AFTER THE STORM COMES THE RAINBOW

The birth of our fifth grandchild punctuated some other tender memories as her birth fell on the fifth anniversary of her mother's kidney transplant. We've hit some painful milestones in our family--each of them seemed too huge to bear, too overwhelming to survive at the moment. But as we all know, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, and after the storm comes the rainbow. Avery is a wondrous rainbow.

The stones that tripped us up in our earlier years were nothing compared to the asteroid-s...

Avery has Awakened!

We're so excited to announce the birth of our fifth little grandchild, and our second little princess--Miss Avery Kaye Long, born Thursday, July 29th, 2010 at 1:05 p.m. She weighed in at 6 pounds 7 1/2 ounces with a head of dark hair.

Forgive the play on words. Amanda and Nick chose the name Avery because they liked it after hearing the title "Awakening Avery."

We're thrilled. Today is also the fifth anniversary of Amanda's kidney transplant, so this is an especially wonderful miracle!

Photos w...

COMMON THREADS: The Mouse Trap Story

I'm still tweaking book four and preparing to speak at a youth conference. I could still use some more responses, (particularly from some men) for the survey on marriage characteristics. If you haven't taken It please do. And if you have, trade your hubby a kiss if he'll take it. Thanks!

Because this has been the most hectic summer of my 53 years I've been digging through my files for blog filler. This story is one of my favorites. If you've seen it before, it's still worth re-reading, and if ...

THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN'

I came across this article some time ago. It's absolutely authentic, from Good Housekeeping magazine. The date--13 May 1955. It's a little hard to read, but give it a try, and consider how things have changed. It seems laughable compared to our day, but think Donna Reed or June Cleaver. Now you have the picture.

My mother followed most of these counsels. When I was a small child she always looked date-ready when Dad arrived home--a dress, pearls, perfect hair, high heels, house picked up. We k...

WHAT MATTERS MOST WHEN CHOOSING A SPOUSE?

I've been asked to present a workshop on dating and marriage and I thought it would be fun to collect some real-time data to include. I've set a survey up on "SURVEY MONKEY." It's anonymous and quick but it will make you think! The deadline to be included is midnight, Thursday, July 29th. I'll post the numbers next week.

Here's the link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/56X32CP

Thanks!Copyright 2009 Laurie LC Lewis, (To obtain permission to copy or reprint any portion of this post, please contact ...

DECODE THESE PHRASES AND WIN SOME FAMILY FUN!

It's hotter than Hades here in Maryland, so I assume lots of families are hunkering down by the A/C and getting a little stir crazy. Here's a little word puzzle to help you pass the time. No, it's not about American history, but it's a fun play on words, and I do love words!

This would make a fun Family Night quiz or a teaser at a family reunion. Offer a prize. Put a free dinner on the line! Decode these and send your answer list to me by Friday, July 30 at lclewis2007@gmail.com. If I draw you...