Becky Wade's Blog, page 21

Inspired by Scripture

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December Highlights

Whew! December is always the busiest month of my year. Also, without doubt, the most fun.

I’m writing this post the day after Christmas while sipping coffee. The house is quiet. The dog and the teenage girl are both snoozing. I have very little on my calendar today and tomorrow–a huge blessing. I’m taking this opportunity to look back with gratitude on some highlights from this whirlwind of a month…

That’s my daughter on the right!

The first two weekends in December, my daughter performed in a musical. I spent many afternoons driving her from school in downtown Dallas through rush-hour traffic to the theater in the northern suburb of Plano. Round-trip, that took me 2.5 hours each time. It was worth it! As a parent, supporting my kids in something they’re passionate about is one of my favorite things. Also, it was a joy to watch her and the rest of the cast onstage. (I saw 4 of the 8 shows.)

In my Facebook Group, The Cheer Squad, we organize an annual Christmas book exchange. This year, more than 180 women took part! Delightful posts like the one above have populated the group’s feed all December long.

I thoroughly enjoy festive Christmas gatherings and was fortunate to attend several this month! Among those…

My friend Shelli Littleton and I went to lunch with numerous DFW bookstagrammers.I LOVE co-teaching a class for single moms at my church and was honored to host the class for Christmas Afternoon Tea.

From the 20th-23rd we snuck in a getaway to our lake house on Lake O The Pines in east Texas.

When we’re at the lake house, the quaint and historic town of Jefferson becomes our hometown away from home. It was decorated adorably for the season!

This fake snow was as close as we came to a white Christmas in north Texas this year.

On Christmas Eve, we celebrated by going to the candelight service at church followed by dinner at a nearby restaurant called Hillstone. We practically cleaned them out of their barbecued ribs.

On Christmas day, I made a big breakfast that we ate in between opening gifts. We spent the afternoon at the movies. Wicked sing-along for my daughter and me, the new Bob Dylan movie for my husband and son.

Those of us at home for Christmas this year.For the first time, our oldest daughter wasn’t with us for Christmas because she’s on a 10-day trip to Asia! She’s having a blast and we’re excited that she’s taking this opportunity to travel.

May these days between Christmas and the new year provide us all with opportunities to slow down, rest, and enjoy.

Merry Christmas from my family to yours! And “may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way” (2 Thess 3:16) in 2025.

Merry Christmas

Hi friends! 

I’m honored to wish you all a wonderful Christmas full of joy and praise for our Savior. 

I wanted to send a few of our favorite things your way so you might find something new to add to your traditions, or I’d love it if you’d share one of your favorite traditions with me. 

Christmas music starts on Thanksgiving Day in our family, thanks to our Christmas elf (younger daughter) and much to the chagrin of our Christmas music grinch (older daughter). Some of our favorites include these two. I hope you enjoy them! 

O Come All Ye Faithful sung by Third Day

O Holy Night sung by Dave Crowder 

In case you missed our family pretzel recipe in the last post, I wanted to re-share it. These are delicious and so easy to make—even for little hands. 

And no Pettrey Christmas is complete without a hot chocolate bar. We get a range of cocoa flavors—milk, dark chocolate (my favorite), and peppermint. Then, we add a variety of toppings, including marshmallows, whipped cream, mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, and crushed peppermint. It’s so much fun and pairs great with a Christmas movie like The Nativity Story. 

Praying for a blessed Christmas and a beautiful New Year for you and yours!

Blessings, 

Dani

Merry Christmas Eve!

Goodness, it’s a busy time of year, and a very busy week for me and I’m guessing for most of you as well. My Christmas will be a simple one, due to multiple deadlines. I haven’t yet baked a single cookie or wrapped a present, but will be busy today, trying to catch up! Still, I wanted to pause a moment and wish a Merry and Blessed Christmas to all the Inspired by Life and Fiction readers and authors.

Here is an image of what is believed to be the first commercial Christmas card (1843) to send you all the joys of the season. And here’s one more from 1870:

Thank you for being a part of the Inspired by Life and Fiction family!

Merry Christmas!

We are in Texas this week to meet our brand new grandson, #14 for us, and he may be the cutest one yet! (I say that every time. ) Our little guy is our oldest son’s baby and gave us quite a scare. He had to have surgery a few hours after he was born, but came through with flying colors and he’s doing just great now. We are so grateful.

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We’re enjoying time with our other Texas grandkids, too, our youngest son’s five kids. It was such a joy to get to see them meet their new cousin for the first time. The five-year-old sang in church this morning and it was so fun to be there in person. That’s him in the front row, middle, in the plaid shirt.

Our daughters’ families will all be here the week between New Year’s and Christmas—24 of us now, and what fun we have when we are all together!

For you e-book readers, I have a little Christmas gift—a free copy of my novel Nearly, which has a brand new cover designed by my husband, Ken. We grouped three of my books in a new series of my novels that have a higher level of mystery than most. The His Mysterious Ways series includes three stand-alone novels, Nearly, The Face of the Earth, and A Scarlet Cord. If you haven’t already read this one, I hope you’ll enjoy it! (Click on the cover to get your e-book.)

I wish you the merriest of Christmases and a happy, blessed 2025. I hope you and your loved ones have a blessed time together as you celebrate the wonderful Reason for the season, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Inspired by Scripture

Wishing a blessed Christmas to all our readers!

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

Who loves you?

This time of year can make lots of people feel left out, alone, unwanted. Have you ever wondered if anybody truly loves you? Well, Christmas is God’s resounding YES! May you know that truth deep in your heart in these final days leading up to Christmas.

Father God, we are in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Season. As believers, we love to celebrate the birth of our Savior. But some of us are susceptible to the blues this time of year, too. Help us.

Lord, for those of us who will miss loved ones this Christmas, would You give us extra love from other family and friends to ease us through those sad moments. Would You especially wrap us in Your arms and allow us to feel You carrying us.

Lord, for those of us who are struggling financially, would You open new doors of opportunity for us to walk through. Would You grant us fresh hope for the coming new year.

Jesus, Living Word, today and throughout this holy season, would You make this verse from the written word come alive in our hearts in a new and glorious way: For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Amen and Amen

~robin

Prayer adapted from Words Matter: Prayers from a Writer’s Heart by Robin Lee Hatcher (available in ebook and paperback)

Cloaked in Beauty is Available!

I’m so excited to share the third book in my Texas Ever After series with you! It was such fun reimagining two classic stories in one novel. Little Read Riding Hood meets Sleeping Beauty in this adventure-filled road trip romance.

Raised in isolation with only her grandmother and her pet wolf for company, Letty Hood must learn to trust the Pinkerton agent tasked with her protection as she embarks on a journey to face her destiny and the dragon who has sought her destruction for the last 15 years.

Interviews & Reviews gave Letty and Philip’s story a lovely review:

“. . . perfect for those who enjoy a strong sense of adventure and suspense. The perilous journey that Letty and Philip embark on is thrilling and the plot is full of twists and turns that keep you guessing. At the same time, the novel . . . will warm your heart, making it a must-read for anyone looking for an engaging and emotionally resonant historical romance.”

Here’s a short excerpt:

And her favorite memory of all—the time Daddy caught Mama under the mistletoe. He’d dipped her backward over his arm and kissed her full on the mouth. The staff had cheered, and Mama’s face had turned as red as her hair, but the way she and Daddy had looked into each other’s eyes afterward had stamped an impression on Letty’s heart that could not be forgotten.

Love. Pure and unbreakable. That’s what she craved.

Grandmother told her to be patient. She’d have her pick of gentlemen callers after she turned twenty-one and returned to Houston. But Letty wasn’t sure she wanted to resume Scarlett Radcliffe’s life. A life of weighty responsibilities and societal expectations. A life where her wealth would make her the target of fortune hunters and schemers eager to take advantage of her inexperience. Becoming the Radcliffe heiress held little appeal. Yet she couldn’t remain Letty Hood forever, roaming the woods with her pet wolf and hiding from the truth of her heritage. So she would go back. At least temporarily. She’d honor her father and mother as scripture taught, but she’d find a way to do that as the woman she’d become, not the one she might have been had her uncle not driven her into hiding.

A rhythmic thudding broke through Letty’s wishful thoughts. She jerked upright, grabbing her hood and pulling it over her head as she scrambled to her feet.

Horses. At least two. Heading her way.

She sprinted down the hill to where the trees grew thicker, desperate for the cover they’d provide. No one can see you. Her grandmother’s constant warning rang in her ears.

Had her uncle found her? Letty’s heart pounded as she raced deeper into the trees. The hooves sounded closer, but she struggled to determine their direction.

Don’t panic. Fear steals your sense, and good sense is a woman’s best weapon.

Letty skidded to a halt and pressed her back against the largest pine within reach. Instinct urged her to keep fleeing, but Grandmother’s training was stronger.

Look. Listen. Assess. Plan. Execute.

Forcing herself to inhale through her nose a couple times to get her breathing under control, she attuned her ears to her surroundings. No hoofbeats. Had the riders stopped?

Leather creaked somewhere to her left, as if a man were standing up in his stirrups. Letty turned her face that direction as she reached for the knife sheathed at her waist…

I know. It’s mean of me to leave you hanging like that. Sorry. Sort of.

Maybe I can make it up to you by offering a fun treat. Here’s a free word search I put together to introduce you to the key characters and themes of the story. Enjoy!

Cloaked in Beauty is a road trip romance, so I thought you might enjoy seeing the route Letty and her heroic Pinkerton escort take as they travel cross-country from Queen City, TX down to Houston. Isn’t Queen City, the perfect place to start a princess-inspired fairy tale retelling? I couldn’t resist. The green circles mark the places where different scenes in the book take place. They avoided towns, so you’ll notice many circles are in unpopulated areas of the map.

What was the last road trip you took?
Any interesting stops along the way?

Have you reached your 2024 reading goal?

Do you do the reading challenge on Goodreads? I confess I love picking the number of books I want to read for the coming year and then trying to reach that goal. 

Of course, I’ve been keeping spreadsheets for years that include “books read” column which I tally up at the end of the year. 

I went back to see if the numbers for the past few years of Goodreads challenge compare to the years of tracking it on my own. 

In 2006, the first year I tracked my reading, I read 59 books. I had a middle schooler and two high schoolers, all involved in sports. I stayed in that range of 55-65 for a few years. 

In 2011, I jumped into the 80s, which is interesting because it’s the year my first book was published, and I was writing others! But also, two of my three children were at college. 

2020 was my first year of over 100 books read. In fact, the number was 103. Not surprising, really. Not only was COVID happening, but we had other stressful things going on in our life. 

Since then, I’ve stayed in the 90-105 range each year—until this year. This year, I’ve read a whopping 113 books—and we still have a couple of weeks to go! 

I enjoy tracking my reading independently, but I love doing it through the Goodreads reading challenge. Goodreads tells me at the end of the year not only how many books I’ve read but how many pages! I would never be able to track that on my own. Or rather, I could, but it would be tedious and time-consuming! It also will tell me the shortest and longest books I read and a few other interesting stats. 

If you are curious about what I’m reading, I share each month’s reads on Instagram and Facebook and do a mini-review blog post on my website about them at the end of the month. Or just be my friend on Goodreads are see my list as it grows! 

So here’s my question for you: do you set a reading goal for yourself each year? How many books are you reading if you keep track? 

I love to know what other readings are doing, so chime in! 

Merry Christmas and happy reading! 

Doing life with these amazing people

Happy Tuesday evening, friends. Sorry for my lateness in posting. The past few days have been an absolute blur of gatherings, birthday parties, neighborhood parties, Christmas parties, and a family wedding. Such rich time with family and friends!

Here are some quick glimpses…

Leo turned two! How did this happen? Wasn’t he just born?!Our sweet Ari who will turn one next month. Time is flying!

My attempt at the themed cake Kellie wanted. I made the wrong kind of fondant, though. Marshmallow fondant, which tasted fine, but turned out a bit too soft. Ah well, live and learn. Leo loved it and that’s what counts in my book!

Aunt “Kessie” definitely got the prize for best gift ever! Leo absolutely adores his excavator!

Dear friends from Colorado visited this weekend, and we got to visit over a three-hour breakfast on Saturday morning. Such a treat! Thank you Suzi and family for sharing your time with us. Love you guys (has it really been almost 20 years since we moved from Colorado?)!

Below is a quick pic from the wedding rehearsal dinner and wedding. Left is my nephew Alex Runk, our son Kurt, daughter-in-law Kellie, daughter Kelsey, and Alex’s lovely bride (and fiercely competitive game player!) Abbey Lambers Runk. Right is Joe and me at the wedding on Sunday.

Joe and I celebrated 40 YEARS together on Sunday. So grateful from him and our life together.

While at the wedding reception, the sweet mother of the bride requested that the Alexander side of the family sing an impromptu song (we all love to sing). So we sang a familiar church hymn, The Lord Bless You and Keep You, but on the fly, mind you. No practice, so as we said before we sang, please forgive any mishaps, LOL. Thanks to Britt Burcham, my brother-in-law, for leading us. CLICK THE ICLOUD LINK TO WATCH THE VIDEO.

Finally, Joe and I have been in an amazing community group for eight plus years now, and last night was our Christmas party potluck and “naughty Santa” gift exchange, which has morphed into both funny and also very nice gifts.

I love doing life with these people…

With Polly Hardwick (the maker of this wonderful cheese dish) and Kim Pressley (who is a fabulous cook and baker, too)

Here’s a quick picture summary of the gifts we all went home with…

Joe going into a diabetic coma after ending up with caramels as part of his his final giftThis little Harkmark goat was a big hit—and was stolen twice!

The past few days have been fun, but oy… While I loved the time with family and friends, I’m grateful that the rest of the year isn’t as fast-paced as the last few days have been. Crazy that all these events converged into one jam-packed weekend!

Now to finish getting ready for Christmas (very laid back this year, thankfully), then to dive headlong into rewrites on the book I turned in last month. I love the rewrite process, and it’s a good thing. I have much work to do! This book (title TBD) will be a Spring 2026 release.

So tell me…

Are you enjoying time with family and friends this season, too? I hope so. Are you ready for Christmas? Gifts all wrapped and under the tree? More and more, my heart turns to our forever Home during this season. And I’m keenly aware that while the holiday season is precious and wonderful in so many ways, it’s also full of aching hearts and loneliness. Especially when it’s the first year to experience an “empty chair” at the table.

So please, if you have a specific prayer request this season—someone you’re praying for, or maybe a specific situation—please share that and let’s lift those petitions together.

Much love to you, friends, and the very Merriest of Christmases!

In Christ alone, who is the greatest gift all of time!

Tammy