Kathi Lipp's Blog, page 144

Disney Update and Mommy Guilt

First off, I have had so much fun reading your comments from Tuesday's blog post – I have had to restrain myself from hopping on to Ebay and ordering everything that you recommended… More on some of your obsessions next week.

Now for today. When my blog posts dwindle down to just a couple a week, you know that one of two things is happening:

I have a book due in days, not months
I'm traveling

And right now? It's both.

 I am in rewrites of THE "WHAT'S FOR DINNER?" SOLUTION and on the road. 

OK – don't feel too sorry for me. We are at Disneyland right now. At the Disneyland Hotel. In their renovated suites. Pictured below…

Yes – the headboard lights up.

And plays the song, "A dream is a wish your heart makes."

If it wasn't so cool, it would make me gag a little.

So Roger is happy to be in Disneyland, and our daughter Amanda is here too. We are meeting our girl Kimber for a wedding on Saturday. Everyone is happy.

Except me.

Because in order to take this little road trip, we had to board our puggle, Jake. And that just makes me all kind of sad.

It's like taking your kid to preschool. Will he get along with the other kids? Will he eat his food? Does he miss me?

So my wonderful husband, knowing the puppy anxiety I have around leaving Jake, did something that only a rock star of a husband would do. He paid the extra five dollars a night to have the webcam activated in his sleeping room.

Overnight puppy care? Expensive.

Nighttime webcam? $5

Mommy's peace of mind? Priceless

3 Things You Must Know About to Make Your Life Better

This is my shallow list – but when I find something I love, I have to share it with the world.

Roux 'Tween Time Touch Up Sticks

When people ask me "Is that your natural hair color?" I always tell them the truth – "Yes, but now I have to pay for it."

You see, I've always been a redhead – as a child I cursed it, (in THE ME PROJECT I have a whole chapter dedicated to my red-hot hate of my red-hot curls,) and now I pay big bucks for it.

There's only one problem – my gray hair demands that I get it colored every two weeks – my budget says once a month.

That's two weeks of frightening small children and woodland creatures…

But now, my hair guy, Franc, (yes, really) introduced me to this "Tween Times stick. All you have to do is find a willing husband to color inside the lines on your head and you're good to go.

Love.

And yes – they have different colors to blend with yours. I stockpiled the red stick just in case.

My dad has been a collector of all things junk my entire life. Now I finally see the mentality of this put to good use.

This show is like validation for everyone who should be on Hoarders – two guys – Mike and Frank – stop by random houses and go "picking" through people's stuff. The have an antique business and resell this stuff to dealers, collectors and decorators.

It is my most anticipated hour of TV.

Jamba Juice's Peach Blackberry Smash Frozen Bar

70 Calories

100% addictive

Must. Go. Get. Now.

Now it's your turn – anything you would like to share with the rest of the class?

Win Books and Laugh at My Expense

Before I became a writer, I thought that the whole Christian writing world was a whole lot of kumbaya, lollipops and unicorns.

And then I realized that even though I had a real live book contract, I still wanted more.

But hey, I'm not the only one...

If you are interested in writing, you absolutely should be reading my agent Rachelle's blog and specifically Thursday's post by my fellow author Marla. It is the funniest true confession I've read in a long time.

And definitely go enter the drawing over at Marla's blog to win The Husband Project and Is That All He Thinks About. Tell her I told you to stop by.

How Not to be a Jerk – the E-mail Edition

Ugh.

I hated to see that name come up in my inbox.

Do you ever have that reaction? You see the name on that email, and your heart just sinks. Ugh.

And of course, the email was jerky, pushed buttons, and made me ticked. I'm sure that was the desired response.  So of course, I had my equally jerky response all written in my head.

"The next time you want something from me, perhaps you should choose discussion instead of declaration." That was the nicest sentence in my reply.

I knew it would feel good to hit send. It would feel oh so good. But I also knew that sinking to their level would ultimately just let them win.

And I didn't want that to happen.

So here is what I've did to not sink. (This advice is hard won after sending too many emails impulsively…)

Wait. Yes – it feels great to send off that nasty response in the heat of the moment, but it will feel even better to send a thoughtful response – or perhaps no response at all.
Pray. the reaction I have is out of the flesh – I want it to be out of The Spirit. Prayer is the only way I'm ever going to do that.
Consult. I wanted to send the nastygram. Roger talked me out of it. Roger was the one who reminded me that I needed to act Christlike even if I didn't feel Christlike. I sent him the email and he congratulated me for taking the high road (this time.)

Any additional suggestions to not being a jerk.

Somebody Gets It

OK – I don't even know what to say. I am so overwhelmed.

Until someone reads your book it's like putting a message in a bottle and throwing it out on the waves – will anyone else understand? Do we speak the same language?

Adelle is the first person outside of my family and the people I'm working with in publishing, to read the book.

And she gets me – she really gets me.

This is the first review of The Me Project, and Adelle was able to say things that an author just can't say about her own book.

But really, she gets it.

So if you were wondering what this really self-centered sounding book is about, do me a favor and head over to Adelle's blog.

Harvest House is Giving Away My Book…

 

Harvest House Publishers is doing a giveaway of my book, The Me Project. To enter, go to the Harvest House Publishers facebook page and comment on one of their posts about the giveaway. They will randomly select 15 winners on Friday, January 14th!

Way to blow sales Harvest.

They will be unleashing it on the public soon, but I wanted my peeps to hear about it first.

400th Post and a Deal for my Bloggy Friends

OK so 400 posts may not seem like a big deal, but for me doing anything 400 times that doesn't involve Starbucks is an accomplishment.

The other big milestone around these parts is that my 3rd book, The Me Project, is being released in just a few weeks and I couldn't be more excited.

If you would like your very own copy, (and since this is my favorite book ever, I hope you will…) you can get it – at a discounted price! – and see more about the book, here. (the book will be discounted until the end of the month.)

And, if your group is interested in finding out more about doing The ME Project, we have a whole leaders kit for you to use.  (And of course, I would love to come speak to your group – I promise you we will laugh…)

We will be going through parts of the book on the blog. So if you've created a list of goals for the New Year, you've already taken the first step in the book. (Doesn't it feel good to be ahead of the game…)

Thanks for helping me celebrate – and for all your contributions to the book. You are a blessing to me.

My Resolution this year? Just Keep Swimming

I just did some toy shopping. I ordered a big plush version of Dory from Finding Nemo.

And I bought it for myself. (And maybe, just maybe, I will let my two toddler friends play with it if they promise to be really, really careful.) Let me tell you why I had the sudden need to have a giant stuffed fish on my desk.

Last year, I made a huge list of all the things I wanted to get accomplished in 2010. And you know what? There weren't a lot of checkmarks.

I started to get really depressed around June. Why wasn't I getting things done? Why was I working so hard and I wasn't getting the checkmarks I wanted – ney! – deserved?!?

Until I realized, even though I wasn't getting the list done, I was getting other things done. God was taking me in new and unexpected directions – it wasn't what I'd planned on, it was better.

I love how Dory just keeps telling herself, "Just keep swimming". Don't get distracted.

That's my resolution for the year – to just keep swimming. Even if I'm not heading in the direction I though, I need to keep swimming.

So Dory and I are going to be doing 2011 together. I have some things I want to get accomplished (we already made our first Goodwill and dump runs this year – talk about a cleansing ritual…) but I am also going to just keep moving – not get bogged down when things don't go the way I want them to. I'm going to keep learning, keep seeking God, and keep discovering His plan for me.

So tell me – what is your 2011 resolution this year?

Looking for a Hot Date for New Years? Try Pizza Fondue

I used to be hip and young – I would dance all night in a club called the Dokoro in Kyoto, Japan sipping ginger ale and taking the train back to my tiny apartment carrying my shoes in my hands.

But now I'm old.

If I make it until 11:30 PM on New Years, that's when I'll toast the coming year with Martinelli's in one hand and the Tivo remote in the other.

But don't feel sorry for me – I'll be having one of my favorite traditions – Pizza Fondue.

I've done this with my kids several times – so if you are home-bound becuase some of your favorite party animals have an eight o'clock curfew – this is still a great way to ring in the coming year:

Pizza Fondue

1/2 lb. ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

2 (10 1/2 oz.) cans pizza sauce

1 tbsp. cornstarch (or korunstarcha, if you prefer)

1 1/2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown the ground beef and onion; drain. Put meat, sauce, cornstarch, and spices in fondue pot. When cooked and bubbly, add cheese. Spear crusty French bread cubes then dip and swirl in fondue. This is also delicious with bread sticks.

This is so yummy and so fun – and it promotes getting a New Year's kiss – Tradition states that whomever looses their piece of bread in the pot has to give the cook a kiss.

Happy New Years to ME!

Featured Author Cheryl Ricker

In the Fall of 2005, I met a woman who changed my life. Introducing ourselves at a Mothers of Preschoolers group, Chantale shared that she was suffering from stage four lung cancer. The air became thick, and I knew this group would be different.

Chantale later asked if the two of us could meet together in her home. I was honored, but nervous about what I'd say. God reminded me of my gift to write poetry. When I was a child, I wrote songs and psalms to help me cope with my pain and fear. I decided to give it a try. I sought the Comforter for wisdom and direction, and put my pen to paper. Using soothing sounds and memorable imagery, I wrote Chantale a poem about God's presence. She told me it gave her and her husband peace.

Poems became my regular offerings. I wrote about heaven, salvation, God's perfect-timing, and other hope-filled topics. Months slipped by, and so did Chantale.

A month after she went to be with the Lord, I attended my first Christian writer's conference. Several people encouraged me to turn my poetry into a gift book with quotes and Scripture. I went to work, writing, researching, collecting ~ and crafting everything to flow uniquely together. Five years from the time I started writing Chantale poems, my childhood dream of becoming an author came true when, Zondervan published "A Friend in the Storm."

One of the themes of "A Friend in the Storm" is how God never wastes pain. I saw it in the life and death of Chantale. Christ redeems the past, and graciously turns it into something beautiful that will bless others!

__________________________

Cheryl Ricker

Breezing Heaven's Comfort

cheryl@charterinternet.com

www.AFriendInTheStorm.com