A Change of Plans

I really thought it was going to work -- to have one blog for writing and another for family and friends. But it makes me feel divided. The writing is too bound up in who I am.

So, at least for awhile, my blogging efforts are focused on these:

• Johnnie Alexander Donley, where I share my Novice Novelist Notes, family anecdotes, book reviews, and whatever else comes to mind;
• Kindred Heart Writers, where I share blogging responsibilities with four close friends whose writing journeys are entwined with mine;
• Hearts Above, for the Hearts Above Bible Study ladies and anyone else who wants to read along.

For now, Dazzlin' Days is on hiatus.

Please visit me at one of the other blogs.

My Menfolk Need Me!

I've not been able to run errands or do shopping for several weeks because of knee surgery. Fortunately Nate is home from college for the summer and both he and his dad have been great about taking care of things. Even so, in the past week, we ran out of:

• laundry detergent
• dishwasher detergent
• toilet paper
• napkins
• paper towels
• dog food
• kleenexes

I'm so glad to be getting back on my feet again.

From My Perpetual Calendar

"We can change the world inside our own houses.

Take the gift of this moment and make something beautiful of it.

Few worthwhile experiences just happen; memories are made on purpose."

Gloria Gaither

I Miss My Mind

I was supposed to have my teeth cleaned at 8:30 this morning.

So yesterday, I thought: The appointment is at 8:30; half-hour to get there means I need to leave at 8:00; better give myself an extra fifteen minutes so that means 8:15.

Not 7:45, mind you. 8:15.

We were leaving the house at about 8:15 this morning when I realized . . . uh oh!

If you see my mind wandering around on its own, please send it home. I miss it.

Kathy C. won the random drawing of commenters! She will win my copy of Cynthia Ruchti's novel, They Almost Always Come Home, and she will be entered in the Blog Tour Giveaway sponsored by Kathy Carlton Willis Communications.

Congratulations, Kathy!

[Note: The drawing included the names of those who commented on the Blog Tour Giveaway posts on both this site and at http://www.johnniedonley.com/.]

Shoes

My black ankle-high slouch boots and my much-used brown Rainbow flip-flops lie next to each other in front of a bookcase in my writing room (known around here as Pooh's Corner). Exactly where I left each pair when, on some past date, I kicked them off before sitting down at my desk.

Closer at hand are the crutches that help me get from one place to another these days. I'm looking forward to "kicking" them back into the garage.

BLOG TOUR GIVEAWAY: They Almost Always Come Home

Leave a comment and you may be the grand prize winner of the items in the photo. See details below.

Blog Tour Giveaway Includes:

North Pak 20 inch cinch sack (lime)
Day Runner journal
Canoe Brand wild rice
Canada's brand blueberry jam
Coleman 60-piece mini first aid kit
Wood canoe/paddle shelf ornament
Six original photography notecards from video trailer
"Hope" hanging ornament
Mini Coleman "lantern" prayer reminder


How to Enter:

Leave a comment on this post, the They Almost Always Come Home post (June 8th), or the Interview with the Author post (June 10th).

On Saturday, June 12th, I will select one name in a random drawing from all those who commented. That person will receive my copy of the book, They Almost Always Come Home, and also will be entered in the grand prize drawing for the items listed above. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments or send me an email: johnnie.donley [at] ymail.com.

Good luck!

Note: This blog tour giveaway is hosted by Kathy Carlton Willis Communications.

Journal Journeys: Steppin' Out!

Just a few minutes ago, I wrote on the last blank line of my latest journal. Back in January, on its first pristine page, I wrote an Oswald Chambers quote:

Leave the Irreparable Past in His hands,

and step out into the Irresistible Future with Him.

I've been filling up blank books, some years more faithfully than others, for over twenty-five years. These journals hold bits and pieces of my "Irreparable Past" -- good times, bad times; joys and sorrows. A few regrets. A heartful of treasured memories.

A couple of years ago, I typed up selected entries from my first journals, added fitting photographs, printed the pages out on pretty pastel paper, and bound them into two identical albums. My daughters, one a young mother and the other about to be married, received these albums for Christmas that year.

They cherish this gift and I'm so glad I could share a few moments of the young mom I once was with my girls.

Tomorrow I'll open a pristine blank book, write down the date, perhaps copy a quote onto the opening pages. Once again, I'll be steppin' "out into the Irresistible Future with Him."

I'd love to hear about your journal-keeping experiences. What keeps you writing? Will you ever let anyone read your old journals? Any advice?

Memorial Day Greeting

We cherish too, the Poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led,

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies

Moina Michael

Today we especially remember and honor

all those who gave their lives for our freedoms.

May you and your loved ones have a blessed Memorial Day.

Insider's View of a Publishing Adventure

I'm Outnumbered: One Mom's Lessons in the Lively Art of Raising Boys, by my dear friend Laura Groves, hits the bookstores in August.

Laura recently wrote about her experiences getting her debut book ready for publication on the Kindred Heart Writers website. To get her insider's view, click here.

Laura also writes about parenting issues on her website, Outnumbered Mom. She has great insights for all moms, whether or not you're outnumbered by their kids.