Jennifer Shirk's Blog, page 31

Thanksgiving Day Thoughts

"Let us Give Thanks"
My friend, Frank, who serves as a missionary in Russia sent me these thoughts for Thanksgiving. His message really connected with me so I wanted to share it with you all on this Thanksgiving Day: Maybe you have a tradition at your Thanksgiving Celebration meal that goes something like this: The head of the table asks for each person to volunteer something they are thankful for. Now please don't get me wrong here, there is value and blessing in such an exercise.

But unless there is a person or persons to which the thankfulness is consciously addressed, then it is only a statement of a good thing. If I am really making a statement of thanksgiving then that statement must have as its target the giver. Otherwise, it is not really thankfulness but just a recognition that I am happy with the gift.

I guess what I am saying is this: This Thanksgiving let's direct our appreciation to the gift givers in our lives...to family, to friends, to work-mates...and of course to the most wonderful Gift Giver...our God.

Let's make our thankfulness truly an act of thanksgiving, being appreciative with words personally directed to our gift givers. To those and to Him that have been there for us. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Kicking Off the Holidays (Literally)

Happy Monday! Guess where I was yesterday? Ok, I'll tell you. New York City! I dragged--er, convinced my hubby to take me and the kiddo up to NYC to see the Rockettes Christmas Show! The first time for all of us. It was really great time--but perhaps a little hard to get into the Christmas spirit, considering it was a balmy 65 degrees out and not even Thanksgiving yet. But fun nonetheless!

Hubby was a little reluctant to go and kept asking me if the show was just going to be the Rockettes kicking in a line together the whole time.

I assured him that wasn't the case--but, uh, lo and behold it really did comprise most of the show. So every time they they started kicking, I'd look over at him and bust out laughing--TEARS, actually, flowing down my face. I probably got more entertainment out of that than the show. But I'd still recommend it! And this year they added a 3D segment to the show.

Afterwards, we hit the American Girl Doll store, grabbed some dinner, and managed to make it home at a reasonable hour. Piece of cake.

The tree was up but not decorated yet at Rockefeller center. I was really hoping to get a picture in front of it for our Christmas cards this year. Dang it. I'll have to come up with a plan B. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Anyhew...I'm off to the dentist this morning then aiming to finish edits this week. I hope to FINALLY submit my new book to my editor before Dec. 1st. Woo-hoo! Do anything fun this past weekend?
Ever see a Rockettes show?

On Book Reading ( and why I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day)

Happy Friday!
If you happened to catch it on Twitter then you already know I've been battling a sore throat. Since SUNDAY!! Bleh. I'm ready for it to be gone.

But this downtime has led me to catch up on some things—mostly reading—but it also gave me some great ideas. (I'm now hoping to start a Christian Fiction Book club in our church!)

Thank you to the oh so clever and talented Jessica Patch for her patience in answering all my book club questions!!

Anyway, why am I telling you this? Well, because after looking at my TBR pile in my bedroom (thanks to RWA Nationals and all the free books they sent me home with) and after looking at my TBR list on Goodreads, I realized I need a book club like I need a third eyebrow!

There are probably worse problems in life to have, but yes, I do have a serious case of "too many books to read and not enough time in the day" syndrome.
So I want to apologize to all my bloggy friends (who have traditionally published or self-published) and whose books I have not read yet. I might have BOOK A.D.D.

I see a blogger mention their book or a book in general and I say, "'Ooh, goodie! Must add to my Goodreads TBR pile!" I see a free download on Amazon and I click "download" thinking, "Can't wait to read this one!" I win a free book and say, "I am so on this one!" Then I look at my nightstand and think, "Hmm…did that pile grow a foot since July?"

Ooops. See? BOOK A.D.D.
So…
I'm sorry if I BOUGHT your book and haven't read it yet.
I'm sorry if I had INTENTIONS of buying your book but it's still sitting in my Goodreads TBR pile.
I'm sorry if I WON your book (or a book off your blog) and I haven't read it yet.

*sigh* I really want to support as many friends as I can, but maybe I need a better system of organization since half have a tendency to get buried on my Ipad or lost on a reading shelf. Or maybe I need more time in the day. I'm not sure.
Maybe I shouldn't stress over it. (I think it's the anal part of me that really likes a nice orderly reading system)

Help. I can't see over the books. :-)

What about you? Do you find yourself stressing over so many books out there and so little time? How long do books sit in your TBR pile at home or on your ereader?

More Monday Musings

Happy Monday!
Hope all you Nano-ers are still plugging away! You're at the halfway mark!

And me? I'm still plugging away too--although at a much slower non-Nano rate. :)

In case you all are curious, I"ll share that I LOVE MY NEW HAIRCUT. Not really short in the back though. Just a tiny angle. It looks like Jennifer Anniston's hair when she bobbed it--here. Very happy!!

And here are just a few more of my thoughts for today:

1) Why do we still have Halloween candy in the house? We've been eating it everyday and it just won't disappear. (I'm afraid it will appear on my hips though)

2) Why does coffee out taste so much better than coffee at home?

3) I think I must have a very fragile body. I had just a smidgen of a sore throat yesterday and I had to take a nap after church and was pretty much down for the count all day. I had no other symptoms...

4) Leftovers stink. (Unless it's pizza or some kind of pasta)

5) Is it mashed potatoes or mash potatoes? Yes, I know, my thoughts run pretty deep... LOL

Any thoughts (or answers) you'd like to share?
Do you still have Halloween candy left?

Veterans Day

Hey, all!

The kiddo has off from school for Veterans Day, so we plan to take this time to organize the house--AKA throw out junk--and relax.

But before I start all that I thought I'd take this time to share some great quotes to celebrate our Veterans.
My dad served in the Army in the Korean War. My oldest brother served in the Coast Guard and my other brother served in the Air Force and is in the reserves and still gives up one weekend a month.


This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.
Elmer Davis

Freedom is never free.
Author Unknown

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.
Author Unknown

In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.
Mark Twain

How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!
Maya Angelou

Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.
G.K. Chesterton


Thank you to all who have served in our military and are serving now!

Enjoy your freedom today and see you Monday!

Do you have a family member who is a Veteran?

Some Monday Musings

Happy Monday, all!

I'm a little pressed for time today, so I'll keep my thoughts short. LUCKY YOU!

1) I have a chip in my granite already. I know. Only me. It's small and I think it can be fixed, but I think it's God way of reminding me that possessions are fleeting. LOL

2) Forget the IPhone. I want a dog now. Saw my brother last night and his new 3 month old puppy. Soooooooooo cute. He's a cross between a Labradoodle and a Cockapoo. He so sweet and hypoallergenic. Bonus.

3) Getting a haircut today. I'm thinking of bobbing it and having it shorter in the back. Hmmm...

4) Looking at backsplash is driving me more crazy than looking at granite. Nuff said.

5)I had a little writing challenge last week with fellow Avalon author bud, Julie Stone. There was a $5 Starbucks card on the line so we took it very seriously. But it was a draw. It really helped me write more because every time I figured I was done, I would think, "Hmm...what if she's still writing?" LOL

6) We're out of coffee. NOT a good way to start a Monday. I usually keep a back up can so I don't know how this happened. :(

7) Watched a good movie on Netflix that I highly enjoyed. The Groomsmen. It starred Ed Burns. Kind of an Indie movie. I rarely get a chance to sit and watch a movie so it was a nice treat.

8) Brother is hosting Thanksgiving this year. I usually bring the desserts so I was thrown for a loop when I was told to bring...the sweet potatoes.

9) Blogger and my laptop don't seem to get along anymore. More nuff said.

And that's all for me.

Anything you'd like to get off your chest?
Rent any good movies lately?

Two Happy Moments

Happy Friday, all!

Well, my new counters are in! In short: they're GORGEOUS.
Whew! What a relief!

I was so nervous about the color I picked. I kept thinking, Brown? Really?
What were you thinking? But it turns out that it's really pretty because it's neutral but also different because of the little flecks of blue in it.
I don't think the pictures do it justice, but I took them anyway. KEEP IN MIND THAT THE BACK SPLASH IS GOING AND COUNTER STOOLS ARE COMING NEXT WEEK.


I expanded the island a bit. And check out the fridge!

I took a close-up picture of the granite. It's hard to tell but it looks like there are little crushed jewels sprinkled in.


My new sink. It's a Blanco Silgranit in the color "Truffle". It's way bigger and deeper than my old sink. Woo-hoo!
More pictures to come as more things change... I'm hoping to have everything completed my Christmas.A happy moment for sure. :-) ***************************************In another happy moment, I was editing a chapter this week to give to a critique partner and made a pleasant discovery. It had been a long time since I looked over what I'd written, so I had one of those "Did I really write that?" LOL! It was that good.I haven't had that in a long time--if ever.Let's hope my critique partner is as impressed... Have you ever been super surprised and impressed with what you've written before? Any happy moments this week you'd like to share?

And Now For Something Really Scary...

[image error] Happy Halloween! Guess what? I still need to buy Halloween candy for tonight. YES, that is scary but not that scary. Are you ready for something REALLY scary? How about spending lots of $$$ for a kitchen makeover. **Cue the scary music now** What? It is scary. I have new granite counters, a new sink, and stove top all coming in this Wednesday. I'm still looking at stainless steel refrigerators and counter stools. And my goodness, it all better look dramatically different--for the better.This the before picture: Those counters are BLUE. Look away, if it's too frightening. And you know what else is scary? The fact that all these changes will lead to needing a new back splash and curtains.... Yeah, it's a nightmare. Oh my gosh... Hold me. Oh well. Too late now. And just in case you haven't seen the Halloween House Light Show, here it is: Happy Halloween!!

Why I Need an IPhone

[image error] Happy Friday, all!! In case you haven't seen me much around the Internet, it's because...

Well, I haven't been around much on the Internet.

The crit partners and I are in the middle of a Write-a-Thon right now, and I'm trying desperately to log in some extra written pages on my new wip.

Anyhew, let me explain the title of my post.

I was in New York City last weekend as I mentioned on Monday's post with three other couples. (We usually do an annual trip together)

We go to dinner at Tao (excellent restaurant by the way) and everybody decides that we'll sit boy-girl but you can't sit next to your own spouse. Fine. So I'm wedged between my friend's hubby and my other friend's brother.

I'm not feeling too hungry at this point because we had a giant late lunch, so I'm looking for something on the lighter side. I immediately see Squab lettuce cups and think, "Mmm...that sounds nice and light."

So I turn to my friend's hubby (we'll call him FH) and ask him if he knows what squab is. I figure he's a foodie, so he should know.

He doesn't.

FH: You want me to Google it?

Me: (forgetting he has an Iphone) Oooh, yeah. Would you?

FH: No problem. (He then whips out his phone)

A few seconds go by then we both learn that squab is... PIGEON.

FH: Hmm...now that was a good one to Google.

Ya think?

Eww. That was close.

And now I am forever indebted to the growing technology available at our fingertips.

In short: I need an IPhone.

I thought I'd mention this now since Christmas is around the corner. :-)

Do you have Internet capability on your phone? Do you have IPhone envy too?

Back with a Birthday Recap

Good morning!

Had a GREAT birthday break last week! And I'm not just saying that. It was truly was great.

Just to prove it, here's a little recap of the week:

1) I--along with three of my friends--went away on an overnight shopping trip on Wednesday. We left at 8:30 AM and went straight to the King of Prussia Mall in PA and shopped all day. We went out to dinner and stayed overnight then shopped some more in the morning and came back at 2PM the next day. Needless to say, I bought myself some nice birthday presents. And I scored HUGE at Anthroplogie!

2) I ate sushi FIVE times last week. (That's a lot of raw fish)

3) Was showered with lots of presents from the hubby and family! My favorite gift? The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. http://www.cooksillustrated.com/bookstore/detail.asp?PID=336 I'm weird that way.

4) Went to New York City Saturday to Sunday with three other couples! We rented a a Ford Expedition limo to take us there too! We stayed in Times Square and Saturday night saw the show Rock of Ages (my first show in NY). Since I'm such an eighties girl, I totally LOVED it!! Rock on!

Unfortunately, now it's back to reality.
I hate when that happens. :-)

So did I miss anything while I was away? Have you seen a show in NY before? What was it?