Becky Wade's Blog, page 153

When something old is made new again . . .

A month ago I shared pictures of some older pieces of furniture that I wanted to paint. Well, I managed to get one of those pieces finished and want to share the results. But why on earth I chose a massive king-size bed as my first chalk painting project, I’ll never know. LOL. Ah well, live and learn.

Here’s the king bed in the guest bedroom before I painted it. . .

I inherited this gorgeous—and h-e-a-v-y—bed from my parents and have long cherished it. The following is a picture of the bed as it appeared in my parent’s townhouse in Atlanta while Mom and Dad were still living—here on earth (they’re more alive than ever now with Christ!).

My sweet mom June loved pink, can you tell? I’ve kept many of her pink things and treasure them. Among them, that pink bench (that I’ve already painted, too, but shhhh, it still needs to be re-covered).

Now back to painting. . .

Joe and I recently moved into a home that I’m decorating in more of a modern farmhouse style, but the warm brown color of the bed didn’t compliment my black and white decor like I wanted it to. So…

Enter Jolie Paint in the color Graphite.

Here’s the bed all painted and waxed and happy. (I might be projecting my own feelings just a bit.)

I haven’t found a comforter or rug for that room yet. All in good time, my pretty. (Robin Lee Hatcher, I can sooo hear you saying that!)

Here are a few more pics showing the distressing I did after painting, which I was nervous to attempt. But after watching Christina Muscari’s Youtube videos (about a billion times), I almost felt downright confident.

If you’re interested in painting furniture, you must check out Christina Muscari’s step-by-step instructive videos on Pretty Distressed (great brand name, don’t you think?). She’s fabulous, and so easy to listen to. She lives in Nashville as well! Who knows, maybe we’ll bump into each other some day while antiquing, and I can tell her how grateful I am.

Also, be sure to check out Simply Jackie! This fabulous website displays the creative decorating genius of my dear sister-in-law, and when I learned that she’d painted her guest bed a while back, I thought, “I’m going to do that, too!” (Thanks, Jackie, for the inspiration!)

Check out Simply Jackie
Jackie can take the most ordinary things, put them together, and make them beautiful.

So tell me…

Have you been inspired to do something recently due to watching someone else who shared their knowledge and know-how?

If yes, please share!

And just in case you missed this video I posted on Instagram and Facebook yesterday, I chatted about “two quick things.” I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page about my upcoming release. ; )

Much love from my corner of Tennessee,

Tammy

Have you entered my July giveaway yet?

It’s for the entire first season of The Chosen on DVD.

ENTER TO WIN

Celebrating Independence Day

What I’ve missed the most during this virus quarantine, is being with family and friends—especially for holiday celebrations. We could invite some fearless souls for a get-together this Fourth of July and wear masks, use hand-sanitizer, and stand six feet apart. We could still have a picnic and play horseshoes on the lawn. Unfortunately, the fireworks that we usually watch from our beach on Lake Michigan have been cancelled this year. It would still be Independence Day, as my grandma used to call it, but somehow it won’t seem the same.

Lately, I’ve been remembering the Fourth of July celebrations that my grandparents used to have at their home in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. A spring-fed creek ran through their wooded property, and Grandma and Grandpa worked hard to create dams and bridges and waterfalls and a little pond, which they stocked with brook trout. The creek attracted deer, birds, frogs, turtles, and the occasional garter snake. In the middle of this paradise, my grandparents built a picnic area beneath the trees with a fireplace for roasting hotdogs and marshmallows, a hammock for lazy afternoons, and a tree swing for their grandkids. If it sounds idyllic, it was!

Grandma was one of six sisters, and every Fourth of July they’d come with their extended families, bringing food for the feast. They would smile and tug my pigtails and say how big I’d grown. My grandparents also invited all their friends and neighbors and their families. There were many, many fascinating characters in this crazy group, including my very German Uncle Otto who played cymbals in a marching band. I could write several novels about all of these characters.

The food was abundant and delicious, especially Grandma’s potato salad. The soda pop stayed cold in the creek—Grandma’s homemade root beer was my favorite. We would chase frogs beside the brook and feed bread crumbs to the trout. We carved sticks with our pocket knives to roast hotdogs over the fire. We lit sparklers after dark, and when they were gone, we’d catch fireflies. Throughout the day, the adults laughed and ate and reminisced, and there was always a lap to sit on, someone to put iodine on a scraped knee.

Our family reunion in happier times

I’ve been trying to decide what it was that made those celebrations so memorable, and I think it was the feeling of joy I experienced at being part of something that was so much bigger than me—and yet I belonged! Everyone knew each other—and they knew me. They had shared joys and sorrows, good times and bad. They had experienced two world wars and the Great Depression together. And my sisters and I were part of the next chapter of their story.

My Great Aunts often told stories at these gatherings, and it thrilled me to know that their past was part of my story, my history. They’d talk about growing up on a farm without electricity or plumbing. They rode into town on horseback. Wild cats and panthers roamed the woods nearby. Grandma’s oldest sister, Aunt Martha, remembered coming to America from Germany in the 1890s as a small child and landing at Ellis Island. She had brought a little doll carriage with her, and one of the immigration agents took it away from her, saying she wasn’t allowed to have it in America. He set it aside, probably to give to his own daughter. But after her family had sorted through all the paperwork and were free to leave, little Martha marched over to her doll carriage and boldly wheeled it away. I’m proud to share her genes.

I wish I could recreate my grandparents’ celebrations for my own grandchildren, but our family members are scattered across the country, with one uncle in California, another in Indiana, more aunts and uncles and cousins and second-cousins in Texas and Florida and New York State. I would love for my granddaughters to meet their feisty great-grandmother who is 94 and still full of life. She could tell them some stories!

I would love for my home to overflow like Grandma’s did with people I have known through good times and bad, people who are glued to me with bonds of love. More than anything else, I long for my granddaughters to know they belong to a community that is much greater than just their immediate family, a community with a shared history, and with many more stories yet to be lived. It won’t happen this Fourth of July. Family reunions on Zoom just aren’t the same. I pray that next year will be different.

Until then, what are some creative ways that you’ll be celebrating the Fourth of July with your loved ones?

Inspired by Scripture

This Sunday feature is brought to you by ClashEntertainment.com. You may sign up to receive a beautiful photo with scripture in your inbox each morning or view the verse each day online.

Book Release and a Giveaway!

A BRIDE OF CONVENIENCE, the third book in my bride-ship series, is now available!

The title says it all! This is a bride of convenience story. In the romance genre, that means the lead couple gets married for a reason other than love, usually because of some mutually beneficial arrangement.

Writing a marriage of convenience story is fun but challenging. First, the writer has to figure out a unique circumstance that causes the hero and heroine to agree to get married. This usually means one or both are experiencing some level of dire circumstances that cause them to put aside convention and personal desires in order to make this “sacrifice.”

Often the sacrifice involves marrying for the sake of a child or children. It could also be for safety and security, to overcome difficulty, or to escape hardships. Sometimes, the couple gets married in a moment of panic or emotional distress. Other times, they make a calculated, business arrangement. Whatever the circumstances, the couple is thrust together into a relationship. 

After the couple is together, then the second thing the writer has to do is figure out a way to keep the two from falling happily in love right away. That means a writer has to put obstacles in the lead couple’s path to true love. Perhaps they’re each carrying baggage of previous relationships that prevents them from trusting one another. Or maybe current circumstances cause conflict in their relationship. The key is stirring up trouble for the newlyweds and keeping things from being too easy for them.

Finally, once the conflict is established, then it’s time to throw the couple together in all kinds of romantic situations where their attraction to each other begins to grow. They learn to genuinely like each other, develop a bond of friendship, and tune in to an undeniable attraction.

A marriage of convenience story allows for plenty of opportunities to develop the romance because the couple is stuck together. As I mentioned in a previous post (HERE), the challenge in a romance is balancing the push and pull of conflict versus attraction. The challenge is even greater in a marriage of convenience story.

All that to say, if you love marriage of convenience stories, then check out A BRIDE OF CONVENIENCE. Here’s a little bit more about the book:

Unemployed mill worker Zoe Hart jumps at the opportunity to emigrate to British Columbia in 1863 to find a better life and be reunited with her brother, who fled from home after being accused of a crime.

Pastor to miners in the mountains, Abe Merivale discovers an abandoned baby during a routine visit to Victoria and joins efforts with Zoe, one of the newly arrived bride-ship women, to care for the infant. While there, he’s devastated by the news from his fiancee in England that she’s marrying another man.

With mounting pressure to find the baby a home, Zoe accepts a proposal from a miner of questionable character after he promises to help her locate her brother. Intent on protecting Zoe and frustrated by his failed engagement, Abe offers his own hand as groom. After a hasty wedding, they soon realize their marriage of convenience is not so convenient after all.

For a chance to WIN a copy of A BRIDE OF CONVENIENCE, enter the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you like marriage of convenience stories? Why or why not?

Dressing for the 4th of July (Plus a Giveaway!)

Nothing puts me in a patriotic frame of mind more than seeing bunting proudly displayed on homes and businesses. In fact, last year when I traveled to Honey Grove, TX for the book launch of More Than Words Can Say, I saw this house.

Not only was this a gorgeous Victorian-era home restored to its former glory, but it was a patriotic home as well. It was only the middle of June, but they already had their bunting on display for all to appreciate and enjoy. It seemed particularly fitting since a key turning point in Zach and Abigail’s story centers around a 4th of July Parade right there in Honey Grove.

Abigail and her sister Rosalind have decorated their bakery with red-white-and-blue bunting and paper festooning in keeping with the holiday festivities, but in addition to decorating their portion of the town square, they decide to decorate themselves as well. Rosalind (a young beauty) has been chosen at the very last minute to be Honey Grove’s Queen Bee and is to be featured in the parade. Despite the late notice, Rosalind agrees to participate so that she can promote the bakery by handing out honey-glazed biscuits to parade goers. Thankfully, Rosalind is handy with a needle.

Here’s a scene from our hero’s point of view. Like most men, Zach has grown impatient waiting on his wife and her sister to appear . . .

The door opened. Zach spun around at the sound of the hinges.

“It’s about t—” The complaint died on his tongue as his wife stepped through the doorway. She’d abandoned her work apron and changed her dark blue shirtwaist for a white lacy confection with a pleated front that highlighted her abundant curves. She’d tied a red sash around her waist that set off her blue skirt with patriotic flair and had somehow folded a scrap of leftover paper festooning from the shop’s decorations into a circle thing that looked remarkably like a flower. It sat pinned it to her blouse like a brooch. Not only that, but she’d magically woven red ribbon through the braid on her head, a ribbon he was certain hadn’t been there when they’d been working side-by-side that morning.

I imagine Abigail and her sister dressed a bit like this. Abby with a red ribbon at her waist and a patriotic paper flower brooch. Rosalind in a fancier white dress with leftover red-white-and-blue bunting draped over her hips and bustled at the back.

“Isn’t she stunning?” Abigail asked as she turned her face away from him.

She? He only saw Abigail.

However, when Abigail gestured behind her, Zach finally noticed Rosalind stepping into the hall. She didn’t make his heart pound like Abby did, but he had to admit she was a right fine looking female. They must have taken curling tongs to her hair, for it hung in blonde ringlets down her nape in a way that reminded him of the fancy women in New York who used to bring donation baskets to the orphanage at Christmas.

Her clothes were much fancier than her sister’s, too. All white and frilly. She’d taken some of the bunting fabric and fashioned an overskirt that draped down her front and pulled up into a big bow at the back. She wore a straw hat decorated with more of those red, white, and blue paper flower things.

For someone who’d known for less than twenty-four hours that she was going to be the star attraction of the Fourth of July parade, she’d done an impressive job of improvising a patriotic ensemble that would no doubt put Sophia Longfellow to shame.

Abigail shot him a look that felt remarkably like a kick to the shin. Obviously, she expected him to say something. And not to her.

He smiled at Rosie. “I’ve never seen a prettier Lady Liberty.”

Abby beamed at him, making him stand a little taller since he’d somehow managed not to stick his foot in his mouth. Then she took her sister’s hand. “You’re beautiful, Rosalind. No one deserves the title of Honey Grove’s Queen Bee more than you.”

Abigail and Rosalind might not have been dressed quite like the lady on this vintage Victorian postcard, but they were creative in using what they had to create festive and patriotic ensembles.

I don’t have too many patriotic ensembles myself, but when the time is right I have been know to pair red, white, and blue items from my closet in new and interesting ways.

What is your favorite way to decorate either your home or yourself for the 4th of July?

Leave a comment to be entered for a chance to win an autographed copy of More Than Words Can Say and see what disaster befalls Abigail during that fateful parade.

Our Anniversary Experience

Two crazy kids in 1987!

We’ve been a little lax about celebrating our wedding anniversary over the past few years. It started with our 30th rolling around just weeks before our son married—our first child to do so. The next year passed on repeat, this time his brother meeting his bride at the altar. Last year, we were more engaged in traveling to see our new grand baby than celebrating our anniversary. And then this year, well, we all know how that’s going. So instead of finally being able to celebrate with a trip, we ended up with reservations for a dining experience, instead.

The restaurant, Hestia, opened in the building across the street from our building last year, but reservations were almost impossible to procure. The chef is a James Beard award finalist. The reviews are amazing.

Like all restaurants recently, they have struggled to survive. But as things have reopened here, Hestia instituted a prix fixe menu, complete with chef interactions. The cost was much higher than we would normally spend on dinner, but definitely much cheaper than a trip! And so, full of a sense of adventure in celebrating 33 years married, we put on nice clothes and our face masks and walked across the street to dine.

Hestia is the name of the Greek goddess of the hearth. The restaurant is named for her because all the food is cooked in some fashion with the heat from a wood (pecan and oak, I think they said!) fire in a specially build hearth. Everything from appetizers to desserts. All twelve courses. Yes, twelve! Of course they were all small bite portions. And many things we wouldn’t normally order. But we determined we would at least try everything. At the end, we left full but not overstuffed.

Here is an overview of our dinner in both pictures and words.

In order of appearance: peach, oyster, avocado.

A trio of appetizer bites, including a bite of soaked peach with a fruity mousse, an oyster topped with something I can’t remember, and a bit of avocado in a tiny sourdough bowl. This was my first time to try an oyster. And my last. Not a fan. Not a peach fan, either, but this one wasn’t bad. And of course I love both avocado and sourdough, so, yes, that was a winner!

Just to be clear, the large gray thing on the bottom is a rock, not the beef. I thought it was the beef when they set it in front of me!

Wagyu beef on a wild onion pizelle. Raw beef isn’t my favorite, but I have to admit I enjoyed this course more than I thought I would!

Crab and sun gold tomatoes in smoked butter. Um, really? Need I say a word? I don’t even really love crab, but when it is swimming in smoked butter, what is there not to like?

Two twig skewers, one pork belly and one mushroom. I did try the mushroom, but I just really can’t get past the chewy texture. And since pork belly is essentially bacon wound into a ball on a skewer? I could do that!

Scallops. Again, not normally a huge fan, but these were much better than I’ve had before.

Halibut with mustang grape butter sauce. Yes, please! This was soooo good! So good that I forgot to take a picture of it!

Nopales (Prickly pear with green tomatoes). I ate it, but it wasn’t my particular favorite.

Wood-fired bread with wildflower butter. Oh my. I could have made this my entire meal! Crispy and smoky on the outside, soft and light on the inside. This bread-loving girl was in heaven!

Long beans (Green beans). I do love green beans. And charred over the fire? Even better. I ate this course very slowly to prolong the goodness.

Wagyu sirloin. Five small, thin, perfectly medium rare pieces. It was beautiful–and smelled divine. Which is probably why I forgot to take a picture! The taste did not disappoint.

Bubble and Smoke. A visually stunning dessert that tasted great, too! After we popped the smoky bubble, we ate silky buttermilk panna cotta with blackberries. So yummy! But then again, dessert is my favorite course.

With one teeny tiny bite out before I remembered to get a picture!

S’mores. Or at least a grown up play on s’mores. A flat graham cracker crust topped with dark chocolate mousse and toasted meringue. All of those surrounded by a pine ash sauce that gave you a hint of the campfire smoke that makes a s’more memorable. I took the teeniest bites of this in order to savor it! And I did laugh when my husband declared he might try to recreate the dish at home!

I forgot to ask the waiter to take our picture, so you get a mediocre selfie instead!

Truly, our anniversary dinner this year was a night to remember. We enjoyed trying unusual dishes, even if we did like some more than others. But beyond the awesome food, we mostly enjoyed sitting at a restaurant for two solid hours, just the two of us, and being reminded that we still very much enjoy being with together.

What is the most amazing meal you’ve had at a restaurant? What restaurant? Where? What did you eat? Was it a connected to a special occasion?

Inspired by Scripture

This Sunday feature is brought to you by ClashEntertainment.com. You may sign up to receive a beautiful photo with scripture in your inbox each morning or view the verse each day online.

Guess what day this was for me?

Mammogram Day! And here’s how it went down . .

So tell me, have you had your annual mammogram this year (or whatever procedure you choose health wise to take care of your girls)?

What do you do to celebrate this annual milestone? I told the technician what I was going to do right after and she got so tickled, then said she was going to start celebrating her annual “squishing” too.

Hey, why not look for ways to celebrate life? Especially these days. Because every day is precious and is numbered by the Lord for each of us. We’re here in this specific space in time for a reason. For a purpose. I’m just grateful we get to share some of our days on this side of heaven . . . together!

Love you, friends,

Tammy (who is posting on one of Becky Wade’s customary days while she’s out of pocket, but shhhh…don’t tell her!)

Beautiful Days of Summer

Hi friends,

I pray you are healthy and enjoying the warmer weather. I’m a beach girl at heart and a summer girl through and through. In fact I’ve made an ‘office’ for myself out on the back deck where I spend the day (and evenings as deadline approaches) writing.

Besides the warmth and sunny days, there’s just something special about summer. Maybe it comes from being a kid. Having the summer off from school. We always went Labor Day to Memorial Day. And I remember how antsy we got the last few days. But once summer began, we were free.

I’m aging myself here, but when we were kids—way back in the day—life was different. The neighborhood I grew up in only had one entrance and exit. Everyone knew everyone, and we (all the elementary kids) played together. We would eat breakfast, head outside, and not be seen until someone’s mom called us all over for lunch, then we were back at it until dinner time. Often, we headed back out after dinner to play flashlight tag in the woods.

Every day we rode bikes, played on the basketball and tennis courts, went for long walks in the woods surrounding our neighborhood. We walked to the National Geographic society which sat on one edge of our neighborhood. We thought it was so cool to bring change and to get something out of the vending machine in the cafeteria.

Or we’d head the other way to the theatre our neighborhood, Wolf Trap Woods, was named after. Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. We’d climb up on the stage of the open-air theatre and put on plays of our own. On the trek back to the heart of the neighborhood, we’d skip through the winding creek leading us home.

Such special memories. When we grew up, we got to experience summer fun with our kids and now with our grandkids. We still take walks at night and as my youngest grandson said as he stared up at the sky. “God made everything so beautiful.”

Each season has its own beauty, but to me, nothing compares to summer.

Reader Question: What’s your favorite part of summer?

Blessings,

Dani

When Did Your Love of Reading Begin?

Bethany House Publishers recently ran a poll on Facebook, asking, “When did you first discover a love for reading?” An overwhelming 92% replied “From a young age” while only 8% chose, “Later in life.”

Those in the first category credited others with instilling their love of books at a young age, including: a pastor’s wife, local book mobile, libraries, siblings, grandparents, and, not surprisingly, parents.

My Dad reading to my sons when young.

The latter was true for me as well. My parents read books to my brothers and me and bought us books. Every Christmas afternoon would find us curled up somewhere around the house with the new books we’d been gifted. As a young girl, I LOVED the Trixie Belden series among others.

My husband reading to the boys.

My husband has always been a big reader as well. And he was so faithful about reading to our sons every night when they were young. Both sets of grandparents read to them as well. The boys were once big readers themselves but less and less as they grew into teenagers and beyond, perhaps due to smart phones and computer games. I hope the Proverb that says, Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it will apply to reading as well.