Susan Lower's Blog, page 7

Moving Forward in July

It’s been two months now that we moved in our new house. Be prepared from some DIY and project photos and posts in the months to come.

We may not always end up in the places we plan to, but sometimes we end up in the places that are the best for us and our family in the time we end up there. With that said, the kiddos are loving our new neighborhood and have made so many new friends as have I. We’re blessed to have new brought new people in our lives and still be close enough to stay in contact with long time friends, too.

Last month, I had the privilege of directing the St. Davids Christian Conference held every year in June in Grove City, PA. It was the conference’s 60th year and I’m excited to have been serving the board for my 10th year. 2018 will be my 2nd year directing and I’m so glad for the encouragement and support I receive from so may folks at that conference not only as a director, or a writer, but in the friendships and the journey of finding God’s purpose in my life.

 

And while we are getting settled in our new home, I haven’t forgotten that I have books coming out this year. I have a new romance coming out later this year, and the Planet Mitch books are currently getting a make over. The fourth book in the series is on it’s second draft.

I’ve been brainstorming to finish the Annie’s Creek Novella series. So as I’m unpacking and getting our home organized, I’m getting my writing desk back in order, too.

I don’t know about your summer, but mine is going by way too fast!

Are you ready for the kids to go back to school yet?

Black-Eyed Galaxy

Mitch and his little sister, Haley, unleash Bernie, a teenage fashion diva, from a bottle of star dust.

Cover Reveal: The Black Eyed Galaxy, Planet Mitch Series for Middle Graders

I’m happy to say the second book in the Planet Mitch series will be coming out in April!

If you haven’t read the first book, The Lost Star, it’s available here. It’s a great read for kids ages 7-12 years old.

What this book is about: 

When Mitch and his little sister, Haley, spill a jar of star dust, it transforms into, Bernie, a teenage fashion diva. They’ve got three days to get Bernie back into her bottle before their father gets home to discover their secret.

A funny, entertaining, adventure for kids, middle schoolers, and the young at heart.

Available for Pre-order on Amazon.

Reserve your copy now.

Release date: April 4, 2017.

Your Heart’s Desire – On Inspire A Fire

Dear friends,

I have a post today on Discovering the Desires of Your Heart over on Inspire a Fire, You don’t want to miss it.

I appreciate you taking the time to stop over and reading it.

Please feel free to share it.

I look forward to reading your comments.

 

Merry Christmas 2016

 

Wishing you and your family a blessed Christmas this year.

 

Meet Me This Friday

In time for Christmas I’ll be heading over to The Writers’ Cup in Greencastle PA this Friday evening. I’ll be reading a selection from my book The Fruitcake Bride and selling and signing copies for just $4 each!

 

It’s Christmas Heritage days in Greencastle so if you’re in the area please stop in and see me. The Writers’ Cup also has a lot of handmade items throughout the shop including fantastic hot chocolate and other hot drinks and sweet treats.

The Write Cup & Studio U, 27 Center Square, Greencastle, Pennsylvania

5pm to 8pm

Can’t wait to see you all there!

 

 

Dreaming of a White Christmas

My all time favorite Christmas movie is White Christmas. Call me old fashion. Call me sentimental.

Here’s a clip.

What’s your favorite Christmas movie?

What You Think You Know: New Release YA BOOK

I’m so excited to share with you all the new release of a debut novel by a dear friend of mine.  I have known Sue for many years. She has been published in Chicken Soup Books and Devotionals over the years.

This is her first novel!!

I just downloaded this week on my kindle and I’m about halfway through reading it in whole. It’s just $2.99 on Kindle right now. Looking for a stocking stuffer for that teen or adult who loves to read? Be sure to add this one to your Christmas list this year.

Wondering what it is about?

Here’s the back cover blurb via Amazon:

Fifteen-year-old Emily Forester is sure of one thing: Beth Myers will be her friend forever. Friends almost since birth, they even share the same nervous habit—biting their cuticles. They’re like sisters and nothing can ever change that, or so Emily thought.

Now, Emily discovers Beth displaying disturbing new habits, and begins to doubt how well she knows her best friend after all. When Beth betrays their sister-like bond, Emily is crushed and considers what life would be like without Beth. She’s already lost her mom; will she lose Beth, too?

The one concrete thing in her life, her friendship with Beth, starts to crumble. Longing to talk with her mother, Emily confides in her dad instead and he reveals more shocking secrets. Will these new revelations bolster her relationship with Beth, or tear them apart forever?

Happy reading!

30 Days of Gratitude

It is so easy to forget the blessings around you when things don’t seem to go your way. When life seems bad it just gets worse. At least it always feels that way. November is a month that reminds us to be grateful, it helps pull us out of the life’s negativity pool and prepares us to become uplifted in the coming joy of the holidays. It helps us remember that no matter how bad life seems, there is someone else out there suffering more, whose ‘bad day’ has blown yours out of the water.

I see tons of journals out there for being grateful. I’ve been designing and putting together my own. My printer is in storage right now, so until then I’ve been making a list. I haven’t been faithful as most in posting them on facebook or twitter, so today I thought I’d share mine here. Feel free to add something you are grateful for in the comments or on my page here.

I’m thankful for my three children and the incredible hugs they give me each day.
I’m thankful for the homestead where we are living until we find our new house.
I”m thankful for my mother and the way she cooks eggs.
I’m thankful that our jobs allow us the freedom to have the choice of where we live.
I’m thankful for my oldest daughter’s ability to draw and the amazing talent she’s been given in art.
I”m thankful for my writers’ group who has become very much like family over the years and continues to believe in me and support me in more ways then just my writing career.
I”m thankful for my children’s teachers who help educate them and influence their learning.
I’m thankful for my husband who allows me to make decisions and do crazy things and still stands by my side whether he agrees or not.
I’m thankful for patched knees in jeans and shoe goo to repair sneakers.
I’m thankful for my husband’s grandmother and the opportunity for my children to have a relationship with a living great grandparent.
I’m thankful my kids each have beds to sleep in and warm blankets at night.
I’m thankful for libraries and the resources they hold to share and inspire others.
I’m thankful for music.
I’m thankful for my besties and they amazing way of always being there when we need each other.
I’m thankful for online communications and the amazing way it allows us to stay connected to those we love when we are far away.
I’m thankful for pot pies, pizza, chicken patties, and paper plates.
I’m thankful for the time I get to spend on the farm and the animals my dad rescues at the auctions.
I’m thankful for the ability to drive and the vehicle that gets my family from one place to another.
I’m thankful for popcorn, scouts, and the male mentors in my son’s life.
I’m thankful for sweet peas, gourds, tomatoes, and the people who grow them.
I’m thankful for the real estate agent helping us find our new home.
I’m thankful for the many years of memories of the homes we’ve had in the past.
I’m thankful for JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts.
I’m thankful for modern medicines that heal and vaccinations that defend us against serious illness.
I’m thankful for the new people I will meet and the new places I will visit in the coming new year.
I’m thankful for the words and imagination I have been blessed with to write the stories I have shared and the books I have had and yet to be published.
I’m thankful for gloves that keep little hands and fingers from getting cold.
I’m thankful for family traditions.
I’m thankful for small towns and country living.
I’m thankful for all of you, for reading this blog, reading my books, and stay connected through this journey.

So tell me, what are you thankful for?

There is No Perfect Place

The house hunt continues.

As the holidays approach, my heart has grown heavy. The time of what if’s and “should have,” “could have’s” have also passed.  I made my kids a promise that I haven’t been able to fulfill. As a parent, not fulfilling a promise isn’t a good feeling.

I promised my kids we would be in a new house by Christmas.

The housing market isn’t what it was two years ago when we first started the journey of selling our house with the intentions of living closer to family. The community I grew up in has been transforming these two years into more of an Amish community leaving no place for those of us who live there or wish to return there to buy property or homes. I do not begrudge them this opportunity, timing is not on our side. The timing to sell our house was not meant for us to return to the place where I grew up.

I’m grateful for our current housing option, but every day I scour the house listings on realtor.com, zillow, and trulia willing a new house to pop up in the listings that will fit my family’s needs and return us to the place my kids call home.

I have come to realize these past few months how blessed we are to have the people of that community in our lives. So many have called, texted, and emailed encouragement and supported us of being on the house hunt along with us. It is nice to know that someone cares enough about you to miss you, want you back, and loves you as much as you have grown to love them.

The housing market has yet to be in our favor these past few months. While I had good intentions when we started this journey to sell our home and relocate, none of us could predict the future. There is much uncertainty right now with the new presidential elect Trump. It’s my prayer that he will follow through with bring jobs back to America and it will open our housing market and make homes more affordable to families.

I’m a firm believer in having one parent stay at home and raise their children when they are young. Being able to work from home and raise my kids has been an incredible blessing. I’ve dreamed for so long of returning to the farm, having a farm of my own, but I have slowly come to accept it isn’t my future. It is difficult at times to accept things don’t always work out the way we plan. Some of the best things that happen to us are the mistakes, the unplanned, the unanticipated factors.

That’s why there is no perfect place.

Close to perfect maybe.

I cracked open a fortune cookie recently that said, “Keep a cool head and bide your time: a chance is bound to come.”

Patience has never been one of my strengths.

In the meantime we’re shifting our focus on this holiday season. On Christmas and the real reason we celebrate. I know the perfect gift for us would to find that new house for our family. However, the real gift this Christmas is being together as a family.

We might not be able to find the “perfect” place for us, but nothing comes closer to perfect then being together this holiday season. Cherish this time together in this place.