Time Management 101, Rachel Olson

I posted this series in December of 07 ... for the most part I'm still practicing my own advice. What a novel concept! :)

I get TONS of requests on info on how I do everything, so ... I'm sharing a few Time Management tips for balancing family, hubby, life, job, friends, house, etc. Basically this is how I keep my sanity!

I'll be sharing advice from my friends and a few things I've done that have WORKED...like this:

Rachel Olsen from Proverbs 31 has agreed to answer a few questions on this subject!

1. Rachel, THANK YOU so much for joining me. Can you tell me a little about yourself?
My pleasure, Tricia. I am a wife of 15 years, a mother of two, a national women's speaker, a university teacher, and senior editor of an online daily devotional and a devotional book called God's Purpose for Every Woman. All that to say, basically, I'm a word-geek!

2. I know that as a mom, writer, speaker, editor, teacher -- we must be filled up before we can pour out? How do you do this "filling up" in your ordinary daily life?
The main way that I fill up spiritually is by regularly taking time to connect with God through His Word and prayer. Sounds like a "pat answer," but it is true. In fact, I wrote some about how I do that on my blog. Another thing that also does it for me is to immerse myself in the beauty of His creation - like walking at the nearby beach or through the woods - with my thoughts on Him and all I'm grateful for.

Creatively, I have to get away from my computer long enough to live my life and engage with the people around me. To go to the park with my kids, to strike up a conversation with a stranger at the bakery, to volunteer to help out in my church; or just to people-watch at a café or coffee shop. All this helps fuels my mind for writing. If I'm too busy writing to live my life, something is out of alignment.

Read the rest here!

We're STILL talking about these books!

Without a doubt there is a set of books that has sparked more conversations in our home than any other:

For Women Only
For Men Only
For Young Women Only
For Young Men Only

It started a few years ago when I heard the buzz on For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn . I picked up the book and was so impressed that I ordered For Men Only, followed recently by the other two books for young men/women. The amazing thing is that our family is STILL talking about these books. In fact, yesterday my 14-year-old son read For Young Men Only in one day! (If a book can replace video games it's worth checking out.)

Then, our exchange student came home from a field trip with For Women Only in her hands! She too was talking about all she'd learned in the first 50 pages.

All that to say, these are great books worth checking out. And if you're interested in a FREE set that includes For Women Only and For Men Only leave a comment on this blog post! I'll draw a winner Tuesday Feb. 3rd.

Time Management 101, Life

I posted this series in December of 07 ... for the most part I'm still practicing my own advice. What a novel concept! :)

I get TONS of requests on info on how I do everything, so ... I'm sharing a few Time Management tips for balancing family, hubby, life, job, friends, house, etc. Basically this is how I keep my sanity!

I'll be sharing advice from my friends and a few things I've done that have WORKED...like this:

Life

1. I shop BIG and make sure I have full cupboard to choose from when I cook. Some weeks I plan a menu … but most of the time I try to think a few days ahead. I schedule in to start making dinner at 5:00 p.m.

2. I daily sort mail and clean off my desk. I weekly try to catch up on emails. I bi-weekly pay bills.

3. I don’t usually answer the phone during the day. I’ll let people leave messages, and then I’ll return them later.

4. I don’t get sucked into email. I schedule that like everything else.

5. I often answer email when we’re hanging out and watch family movies. My family is amazed I’m able to follow the story and go through messages. (Of course, if it’s a movie I’m really interested in, the computer gets put away.)

6. I schedule in “learning time” which is reading a writing book or even doing an on-line class. This month I did one with Margie Lawson called Deep Editing that I’d highly recommend.

7. As if you couldn’t tell, I’m extremely time-conscious. Wasting time is a pet peeve of mine. I continually think of saving time throughout the day. For example, if I need to heat up my coffee and put water in the dog dish, I’ll think, “I can put the coffee in the microwave and then give the dog water while it heats.” I’m that anal about it!

8. I give my full attention to the thing I’m working on. We have guests over once a week or. When I’m entertaining, I’m there. When I’m writing, I’m there. When I’m talking with one of my kids, I’m there. No guilt. No worries. No regrets.

What's your goal?

Erma Bombeck once said, "I've been on a constant diet for the last two decades. I've lost a total of 789 pounds. By all accounts, I should be hanging from a charm bracelet."

Does that sound like you? Yeah, me too!

Currently, I've been doing great with my exercise/eating thanks to a GREAT book: Never Say Diet, by Chantel Hobbs. Chantel lost 200 lbs by ... a simple exercise and a healthy eating plan! I've read LOTS of diet books before but Chantel's encouragement is just good sense. Also, her story is SO inspiring!

Find out more about the book here:
Never Say Diet: Make Five Decisions and Break the Fat Habit for Good

WOULD YOU LIKE TO WIN A COPY OF Never Say Diet AND the Never Say Diet Personal Trainer books? If so, please leave a comment on this blog about a fitness goal you want to reach.

Example, here's mine:

Last year when I was in the Czech Republic, Jiri (who was 72-years-old!) led hiking trips in the mountains around the camp where we were staying. They were 3-7 kms and from the top of the hill I heard one could looking into Poland from the top! I wanted to go, but I knew physically I wasn't in shape. My goal is by August to be in good enough shape to go hiking with Jiri!

What's your goal? Leave a comment and I'll draw TWO names on Monday to receive both books! Find out more about Chantel here.

And the winner is...

And the winner of the Ultimate Pepsi Super Bowl Pack is...

Pam who said...
1. The Steelers.

2. I love tortilla chips, homemade salsa, and cheese dip.

Salsa recipe:
1 large can whole tomatoes
1 tsp. garlic powder
Juice of one lime
1 small onion, roughly chopped
2 small jalapenos chopped or 1 tsp. hot sauce like Tabasco
2 Tbsp. cilantro
Dash of pepper
1 tsp. sugar
Dump all ingredients in blender and pulse 2-3 times or to desired chunkiness.
Chill at least 2 hours or serve at room temperature. Refrigerate remaining salsa, if there is any remaining.

Thanks for hosting the giveaway, Tricia.

NO! Thanks for the yummy recipe Pam! Enjoy.

Email your mailing address to my assistant Amy (amy@triciagoyer.com) and she'll get your info to Pepsi.

Time Management 101, Deadlines

I posted this series in December of 07 ... for the most part I'm still practicing my own advice. What a novel concept! :)

I get TONS of requests on info on how I do everything, so ... I'm sharing a few Time Management tips for balancing family, hubby, life, job, friends, house, etc. Basically this is how I keep my sanity!

I'll be sharing advice from my friends and a few things I've done that have WORKED...like this:

Deadlines

1. My family used to MOAN during deadline month. They basically never saw Mom. For the last few books I’ve been trying spread out the deadlines. I schedule in daily writing times for every project through the months, and I do my best to meet those goals. If I can accomplish this it’s not as stressful in the last month before deadline.

2. I also work in magazine deadlines. (Again looking at my schedule, I figure about eight hours per article on average, and make space.) If I’m asked to write an article, I realistically look at my schedule. If I can’t do it, I decline.

3. I occasionally will go away with a friend to write for a few days. Next week I’ll be going for four days. I get a TON of writing done if that’s all I have to focus on.

4. I work on a weekly schedule, but daily I ask myself, “What is the most important thing I need to accomplish today?” And I do that first. I then rearrange my daily schedule according to my “most important stuff,” because there are ALWAYS things that come up. I like my electronic calendar because I just click and drag to move stuff around.

5. I also “schedule in” ideas … book ideas, article ideas, marketing ideas. I create a “slot” on my calendar and plug those in. It gets them off my mind until I’m ready for them.

6. If I feel the Holy Spirit laying something heavy on my heart … I will ignore my schedule and follow that leading. In fact, most of my book proposals come from this. If I feel something strong on my heart I ask myself, “Will I be disobedient if I don’t follow this leading, at this time?” If I feel “yes,” then I’ll work on it … even if I had the day scheduled for something else. If I feel “no,” then I’ll jot a note to myself and keep going with what I had planned.

What I've learned! Join Me.

Please join me TODAY (January 25th, 2009) as I am the featured Inspirational Luminary on InspireMeToday.com.

InspireMeToday.com is a website that provides the best inspiration daily, each day from a different Luminary from the fields of empowerment, health, business, family, loving relationships and more. You'll enjoy reading my 'Today's Brilliance', my personal 500-word text of the best things I've learned in life. The 30 minute interview with me and Gail Lynne Goodwin is amazing!

As my gift to you, just use the affliate code provided on this invitation to access the free inspiration! Please stop by, check out the site and help us inspire the world, starting with you! Thank you for your support. We greatly appreciate you!

When you register, please remember to use my referral code:

B5PLPUSAOV

Pepsi brings the goods!

Super Bowl parties are one of the top at-home party events of the year and have become much more than a gathering of football lovers. They are a time to dissect the ads, eat party snacks and hang with friends. (The real reason I "watch.")

The Super Bowl is yet another great excuse to get together with our friends, new and old, overeat and laugh. Of course, for the serious football fan it's ALL about the game. This year Pepsi contacted me about helping them give away a Ultimate Super Bowl Party Pack valued at $250. Wouldn't that be great for your at-home viewing party?

To enter the contest, leave a comment on the this post telling me:

1. Who you think will win the Super Bowl (the Cardinals or the Steelers)?

2. What is your favorite "Super Bowl Food"? (And the recipe if you want to share with us!)

Here is what you win:

The Ultimate Pepsi Super Bowl Party Pack:

• 1 football

• 1 beverage pail

• 1 snack helmet (my favorite!)

• 2 key chains

• 2 hats

• 2 t-shirts

• 5 Pepsi 24 pack coupons

• 5 Frito Lay coupons

Pepsi will send the pack to the winner's door before the big day (Feb. 1st). Contest ends Jan 26th at NOON! Winner announced on the eve of the 26th. U.S. residents only please.

P.S. Did you know that Pepsi is the sponsor of the NFL Rookie of the Year? Click here to cast your vote!

Time Management 101, Friends and Family

I posted this series in December of 07 ... for the most part I'm still practicing my own advice. What a novel concept! :)

I get TONS of requests on info on how I do everything, so ... I'm sharing a few Time Management tips for balancing family, hubby, life, job, friends, house, etc. Basically this is how I keep my sanity!

I'll be sharing advice from my friends and a few things I've done that have WORKED...like this:

I realize the "life" doesn't begin "after this deadline" or "this book release" or "when my books sell X number." Life is happening today. So I can either live in a mess ... setting myself up for failure, or live successfully. I chose the latter. I’m striving to live a sustainable life. I don’t want to burn myself out.

I’ve given myself permission to set a schedule that works for me. I use Microsoft Outlook, and I schedule in EVERYTHING. From waking up and having morning quiet time, to straightening the house, to making dinner, to working on a book proposal—it’s all on the calendar. This works for me because it helps me to be realistic with my daily goals. In I have a day packed with other things, I can’t write 2,000 words … and I don’t stress myself out thinking I should. I also like to check things off a list.

Now for actual stuff. I'll start with what I think is most important and work through the list from there.

1. Like many I balance writing and mothering. Actually, I homeschool, too. This is what I do:

2. I schedule quiet time, devotions with husband, church on Sundays and Wednesdays and small group at our house. The spiritual foundation comes first.

3. I hire someone to do deep cleaning four hours a week. Also, my kids have all their own chores. I’ve done this since they were small. Currently, my daughter (16) has kitchen duty. My 14-year-old son gathers/puts away laundry, sets/clears table, etc. My 19-year-old son sweeps/mops the floors and taxis his siblings around and does occasional chores for me. I spend about an hour a day “keeping everything up.”

4. I set a do-able homeschool schedule. Every Monday I co-op with my friends for about four hours, and we each teach from our strengths. I teach writing, my friends teach other subjects. I also spend only about 30 minutes a day going over my kids school work with them. They work in the same room as I write. I help in small spurts as needed.

5. I have one day a week for errands. This is also the same day I take my grandma to lunch/dinner. (She lives with us.) This is also the day for SLS … or as Mary says, “Stupid Little Stuff.” I plan that stuff on this day since I’m already out.

5. I multi-task. I read galleys or research books as I exercise on my recumbent bike. I read magazines while I blow dry my hair. I take my notebook computer into the kitchen and answer emails as I wait for the water to boil or wait for the chicken to bake.

6. I take my kids out to lunch once a month for one-on-one time. I don’t talk on the cell-phone or listen to the radio when I’m driving them around—instead I use that time to connect. We hang out nearly every night. We watch TV together, go over homework, or talk. I rarely schedule evening events beyond Wednesday church and Monday small group.

7. My husband and I go on a date once a week, and we read our Bible and pray together every morning.

8. I have lunch with friends about once a week. I just started this within the last few months, and I need it.

InspireMeToday.com

Hello from Tricia Goyer!

Please join me on January 25th, 2009 as I am the featured Inspirational Luminary on InspireMeToday.com.

InspireMeToday.com is a website that provides the best inspiration daily, each day from a different Luminary from the fields of empowerment, health, business, family, loving relationships and more. You'll enjoy reading my 'Today's Brilliance', my personal 500-word text of the best things I've learned in life. The 30 minute interview with me and Gail Lynne Goodwin is amazing!

As my gift to you, just use the affliate code provided on this invitation to access the free inspiration! Please stop by, check out the site and help us inspire the world, starting with you! Thank you for your support. We greatly appreciate you!


When you register, please remember to use my referral code:

B5PLPUSAOV

Time Management 101, Rene Gutteridge

I posted this series in December of 07 ... for the most part I'm still practicing my own advice. What a novel concept! :)

I get TONS of requests on info on how I do everything, so ... I'm sharing a few Time Management tips for balancing family, hubby, life, job, friends, house, etc. Basically this is how I keep my sanity!

I'll be sharing advice from my friends and a few things I've done that have WORKED...like this:

Today Rene Gutteridge here to share her thoughts on managing your time!

The Hard Work of Rest

I wouldn't call myself a work-aholic. Maybe I am and don't know it. Denial is the first sign of, well, everything bad. But I don't work 24/7 and I don't constantly think about work. So....why does it feel like I do?

I began examining these things recently. It seemed there were never enough hours in the day. Even while sacrificing sleep and Oprah, I couldn't find enough time to do everything. Even while multi-tasking myself to death, I never felt anything was ever completed. By the time I finished the week's laundry, a new week started and I was back to doing laundry again. It baffled me because I can be very plan-oriented when I want to be. For instance, when I know I'm about to enter into a long conversation with someone by phone, I think, "This'll be the perfect time to sort laundry."

But I realized not too long ago that I was getting to an almost frenzied state of multi-tasking.

Read the rest here!

Time Management 101, again...

I posted this series in December of 07 ... for the most part I'm still practicing my own advice. What a novel concept! :)

I get TONS of requests on info on how I do everything, so ... I'm sharing a few Time Management tips for balancing family, hubby, life, job, friends, house, etc. Basically this is how I keep my sanity!

I'll be sharing advice from my friends and a few things I've done that have WORKED...like this:

Last year, I connected with Judy Baer to be my life-coach. Beyond my salvation, it was the best thing I've done for my peace of mind. Judy helps me "think through" the schedules, priorities, etc. instead of just "doing life."

One thing I've discovered is I'M IN CHARGE OF MY SCHEDULE. Breaking news!

I actually use my calendar to schedule in exercise, paying bills, making dinner *gasp*, and having lunch with friends. I make the space/time work for me, instead of being a slave to the calendar. I will NEVER have everything done. So I can either enjoy life ... or work myself to an early grave.

Before, I was setting myself up for failure, exhaustion, and no time to enjoy my family and friends. Now, I schedule in lunch dates, small group, and group Bible Study FIRST.

The work gets done, my family is happy, my home is peaceful, and I feel content. I fill up in order to be poured out, and everyone benefits.

Please share your own tips with the us!

I read while I'm wet...

I read while I ride my bike, uphill, and sweating like crazy. Okay, it's my recumbent bike ... but the book helps keep my mind off the pain!

I also love to read in my bathtub. In fact, unless I'm doing research those are the two main places I read. Between both, I read about 1 hr. a day. I read fiction, non-fiction, biography.

That doesn't include my devotional time in the morning. Then I read with my Bible and coffee. I invite people like Oswald Chambers, Catherine Marshall, and Watchman Nee to speak wisdom to my heart. I suppose I'm reading their words, but it seems more like heart-to-hearts with old friends.

Here is a list of my favorite books I've read (and loved!) lately. I'd love to hear your list!

Fiction:
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Non-fiction:
Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together

Biography:
The Prodigal Comes Home: My Story of Failure and God's Story of Redemption

Devotional
Holiness: The Heart God Purifies

photo credit

Kiss by Ted Dekker

My daughter Leslie is reading this and LOVING it!

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
KISS
Thomas Nelson (January 6, 2009)
by
Ted Dekker
and
Erin Healy

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ted is the son of missionaries John and Helen Dekker, whose incredible story of life among headhunters in Indonesia has been told in several books. Surrounded by the vivid colors of the jungle and a myriad of cultures, each steeped in their own interpretation of life and faith, Dekker received a first-class education on human nature and behavior. This, he believes, is the foundation of his writing.

After graduating from a multi-cultural high school, he took up permanent residence in the United States to study Religion and Philosophy. After earning his Bachelor's Degree, Dekker entered the corporate world in management for a large healthcare company in California. Dekker was quickly recognized as a talent in the field of marketing and was soon promoted to Director of Marketing. This experience gave him a background which enabled him to eventually form his own company and steadily climb the corporate ladder.

Since 1997, Dekker has written full-time. He states that each time he writes, he finds his understanding of life and love just a little clearer and his expression of that understanding a little more vivid. Dekker's body of work encompassing seven mysteries, three thrillers and ten fantasies includes Heaven's Wager, When Heaven Weeps, Thunder of Heaven, Blessed Child, A Man Called Blessed, Blink, Thr3e, The Circle Trilogy (Black, Red, White), Obsessed, Renegade, and Chaos.

*******************
Erin Healy is an award-winning fiction editor who has worked with talented novelists such as James Scott Bell, Melody Carlson, Colleen Coble, Brandilyn Collins, L. B. Graham, Rene Gutteridge, Michelle McKinney Hammond, Robin Lee Hatcher, Denise Hildreth, Denise Hunter, Randy Ingermanson, Jane Kirkpatrick, Gilbert Morris, Frank Peretti, Lisa Samson, Randy Singer, Robert Whitlow, and many others.

She began working with Ted Dekker in 2002 and edited twelve of his heart-pounding storiesbefore their collaboration on Kiss, the first novel to seat her on "the other side of the desk."

Erin is the owner of WordWright Editorial Services, a Colorado-based consulting firm specializing in fiction book development. She and her husband, Tim, are the proud parents of two children

ABOUT THE BOOK

Let me tell you all I know for sure. My name. Shauna.
I woke up in a hospital bed missing six months of my memory. In the room was my loving boyfriend-how could I have forgotten him?-my uncle and my abusive stepmother. Everyone blames me for the tragic car accident that left me near death and my dear brother brain damaged. But what they say can't be true-can it?

I believe the medicine is doing strange things to my memory. I'm unsure who I can trust and who I should run from. And I'm starting to remember things I've never known. Things not about me. I think I'm going crazy.

And even worse, I think they want to kill me.

But who? And for what? Is dying for the truth really better than living with a lie?

Sometimes dying with the truth is better than living with a lie.

After a car accident puts Shauna McAllister in a coma and wipes out six months of her memory, she returns to her childhood home to recover, but her arrival is fraught with confusion.

Her estranged father, a senator bidding on the White House, and her abusive stepmother blame Shauna for the tragedy, which has left her beloved brother severely brain damaged. Leaning on Wayne Spade, a forgotten but hopeful lover who stays by her side, Shauna tries to sort out what happened that night by jarring her memory to life. Instead, she acquires a mysterious mental ability that will either lead her to truth or get her killed by the people trying to hide it.

In this blind game of cat and mouse that stares even the darkest memories in the face, Shauna is sure of only one thing: if she remembers, she dies.

If you would like to read the first chapter of KISS, go HERE

Watch the Video Trailer




What people are saying about KISS:

“The human brain could actually be the real final frontier—we know so little about it and yet it drives the world as we know it. So when authors like Erin and Ted bravely explore these mysterious regions, going into complex places like memory and soul and relationships, I become hooked. The creativity of this suspenseful story is sure to hook other readers as well. Very memorable!”
~Melody Carlson, author of Finding Alice and The Other Side of Darkness

“Dekker and Healy prove a winning team in this intriguing, imaginative thriller.”
~James Scott Bell, bestselling author of Try Darkness

“Kiss by Erin Healy and Ted Dekker is a superb thriller that hooked me from the first sentence. The original plot kept me guessing, and I may never look at a kiss the same way again. I’ll be watching for the next book!”
~Colleen Coble, author of Cry in the Night

“The writing team of Erin Healy and Ted Dekker has taken me through a page-turner with Kiss. It’s one of those books that you think about when you’re not reading it. I highly recommend it, especially if you don’t mind staying up late because you can’t put the book down!”
~Rene Gutteridge, author of Skid and My Life As a Doormat

Be the Change

Lately, I've been thinking there's a lot of things I'd like to change. 1) I've actively started exercising and using a food journal to lose weight and get in shape. 2) I've been trying to curb my spending. 3) And I've been be trying to be more thankful. All of those things aren't easy!



#1 and #2 are things that I now realize need to stem from the inside out. I've tried for a long time to "make myself be good." Now I'm praying for a heart change. I'm praying that God will fill me up so much of Him that I naturally strive to do the right things in His strength and with His wisdom.
#3 started because I've been reading Something More by Catherine Marshall. It's an older book, but a good one. In it Catherine talks about "thanking God in all things." She goes on to encourage readers to thank Him even for the challenging/painful stuff. I've started doing that more, and it's amazing what a different outlook I've had. Usually, I'm a joyful person because I try to ignore the hard stuff and instead just focus on the good. But lately I've been thanking God for everything easy and hard, and somehow He's been showing me the good IN it.

For example, the other day I was upset because our exchange student didn't tell me about a schedule change at school so I had to reschedule my day to pick up her. I was grumpy as I drove to her school ... then I remembered what I'd recently read, and I started thanking God for this opportunity. By the time I got to school my attitude was much better, and in the end we had a GREAT conversation on the drive home. In fact, the conversation connected us in new ways. A God thing!

I know these are simple lessons. They are things God has tried to show me in the past. In fact, one of the lessons He's taught (and retaught me) is that I don't always need to look for change from external means ... sometimes I'm called to BE the change.

This lesson first fit home after our family moved to Montana and were looking for a church home. There was one that God was connecting us to AT EVERY TURN, but personally I didn't like it much. In fact, even when John and I felt God calling us there, I REALLY didn't want to go to that church. Even though the people were nice, the music wasn't that great and there was no children's program for the kids. Yet, instead of complaining about it, John and I felt God telling us to do something about it!

Once we became members, WE started doing children's church and new families started pouring in. Over the years the church grew and changed. It has become the type of place I longed for. We've been going there for thirteen years now, and it's home. Yet at the time, I didn't realize that I was part of the change!

Today, you might be thinking about changes in your life. Don't stop. Don't become complacent! Remember that God wants to fill you and help you. He wants you to offer Him thanksgiving in the easy stuff and the hard stuff, too. And mostly, if there is change that needs to take place remember that often YOU are called to be the change. What you want most is out there in the future ... have faith in that! Have faith in Him!

Gently Floating...

This morning I read a verse that's been on my mind all day. It's a verse in the middle of the story of Noah's flood. "And the waters became mighty and increased greatly upon the land, and the ark went [gently floating] upon the surface of the waters." Genesis 7:18, Amplified Version.

It's that "gently floating" that struck me. All around the ark was turbulence and destruction yet the ark floating gently over it all.

I don't know about you, but my life has been a little turbulent lately. Not with destruction, more with the busyness of life. I've written some proposals for new projects, turned in a novel, hosted 43 people for Christmas, and went on a family vacation that included 50+ hours of driving with five teens in the car ... all within the last three weeks! The amazing thing is that I can relate to that "gently floating." Through it all, I felt peace, radiating from the inside out. Why? Because God was with me. He is with me. His hand is guiding me.

And that is my wish for your new year: that you will know God even in the turbulence of life, and with His peace you may gently float through all life's cares.

The 1500's

One of my WWII Veteran friends sent this to me...very eye opening! Although, some are a bit hard to believe. :)

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water..

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying . It's raining cats and dogs.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a thresh hold.

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old..

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.. (ha, ha!)

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a ..dead ringer.

Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! !

And that's the truth...well not really. But it sounds good.

A dream realized!

In every person's life there are "big dreams." They are the ones that seem unreachable, yet are fun to think about just the same.

This week (1/8 & 1/9) you'll have the chance to experience one of my dreams with me by listening to my broadcast on Focus on the Family Daily Radio!

Listen in to Focus on the Family on your local station! Or ... if you can tune in, request a copy of the broadcast here:

Part 1 (Jan. 8th)
http://listen.family.org/daily/A000001703.cfm

Part 2 (Jan. 9th)
http://listen.family.org/daily/A000001704.cfm

Also, as a BONUS I'll be chatting on the Focus on the Family Marriage Forum.

Come chat with me!

Finally, if you like the broadcast, please email FOF and let them know you'd like to hear more broadcasts for Gen Xers ... and those in our generation! Also, thank them for having me on!


Tricia

Today is January 1 for Me

Yes, I know the calendar says January 6, but today is January 1 for me. December was filled with ... well, you know December ... it was filled with everything! This included a vacation to Southern California to visit my four sisters and my dad. We drove back, arriving home the 4th. And then January 5th my novel Sunflower Serenade was due. Can you say EXHAUSTING?

So since it's January 1, today I wrote my "January List" of healthy habits, and I'm starting them. Today I'm going to resume my exercise routine (after I finish this blog). And today, I'm starting my Bible reading plan. I'm doubling up until I get caught up!

This is the reading plan I'm using.
http://www.ewordtoday.com/year/8/ojan01.htm

I already started reading in Genesis, and I just had to pause to write this blog. Why? Because I had to share with someone ... God our Creator is amazing! (And since the rest of my family is still sleeping, I thought I'd share it with YOU.)

The creation story is one of my favorites in the Bible. I love it because God is so subtle, yet there is so much behind His Words. For example Genesis 1:24:

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creeping things, and [wild] beasts of the earth according to their kinds. And it was so." Amplified Version

In those two sentences is packed within a million Discovery Channel/Animal Planet episodes. Just think about that.

Yet, I cannot rejoice about creation without also marveling at the Creator:

[But] in the last of these days [God] has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom he created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order]. Hebrews 1:2 Amplified

Do you know what I thought of when I read that? I am in the middle of that mess. I am part of His creation. I am in the world He made ... and even though sometimes I feel lost in the reaches of space (not literally) He knows me. I can even go as far as to say that when I allow the Son His rightful ownership Jesus WILL make, produce, build, operate, and arrange my days in order. My MOMENTS in order.

Today may be January 6th, but I'm pretending it's January 1, just to get on track. And this New Year my main goal is to learn moment-by-moment to hand over all over myself and to give Jesus His rightful place. It's only when He holds the keys to my year, my mind, and my heart that I will run--my life will run--as it ought to.

Happy New Year!

Prayer Cards

These are the prayer cards that I included with our family newsletter. If you'd like one, send my assistant, Amy, (amy@triciagoyer.com) your mailing address!