tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75356586224202651362024-03-07T15:52:10.895-08:00Coming Home--A Christ Centered Blog by Christian Writer Miralee FerrellMiralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-13524420192008233902013-12-14T17:13:00.000-08:002013-12-14T17:13:00.327-08:00Christmas--Bah-Humbug or A Time to Celebrate? <span style="color: #990000;">What does Christmas mean to you? A time to celebrate, or a time to crawl into bed and pull the covers over your head, hoping the season disappears soon. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRoAAqT7OeUft715dPZqwTKC82P4aPXAp88_R_KTSFvxtjMbUixPr_LxuoqBdhyphenhyphenO-4FuOqicn52AanyZHeSfT7yPMVD49Icvn5XOPCnZs4bXmZH3ZUJJppqp1RbLifyw6vLVLgQ1A3aWk/s1600/Lacey+Christmas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRoAAqT7OeUft715dPZqwTKC82P4aPXAp88_R_KTSFvxtjMbUixPr_LxuoqBdhyphenhyphenO-4FuOqicn52AanyZHeSfT7yPMVD49Icvn5XOPCnZs4bXmZH3ZUJJppqp1RbLifyw6vLVLgQ1A3aWk/s320/Lacey+Christmas.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So many people have lost loved ones in the past, and too often it's happened near a major holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Or, a spouse is out of work (like at our house right now) and there's not a lot of extra income for decorations or gifts.<br />
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What do you do if you fit into one of these categories?<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><i><b>It's not easy and there's no simple answer, but I do have a suggestion that might help a little.</b></i></span><br />
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Find at least one person--maybe even two or three--that are in worse shape than you. That might be an elderly person in a nursing home who never gets a visitor and would love a plate of cookies, a hug and a smile.<br />
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It might be a child with both parents out of work (you can talk to the school, your church, or Social Services for suggestions) and see if there's an inexpensive item you can purchase that would bring them joy. If money isn't an issue for you, consider even purchasing something for the parents, as well.<br />
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Join a church or community function that reaches out in some way. It might be serving a hot meal to the homeless, singing carols in your neighborhood, or volunteering in some capacity.<br />
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Get involved. Giving of yourself and time will do MUCH to bolster your own spirits and take your focus off your own loss.<br />
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Jesus came to earth to give His life that we might have life more abundantly. Let's follow His example in some little way while here--the world will be a better place if we do.<br />
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Merry Christmas, From Allen and Miralee , and Lacey.<br />
The picture I posted is Lacey, celebrating in her own special way....on HER couch near the wood stove and the Christmas tree!<br />
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<br />Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-25732658714621930172013-09-06T19:11:00.001-07:002013-09-13T12:11:19.549-07:00Book Giveaway! Blowing on Dandelions<b><span style="color: #20124d;">2 NEW signed copies to be given away of historical romance <i>Blowing on Dandelions</i> by Miralee Ferrell</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhHWGoNUuOuNFqSObqCi8A8MRcDKFKAdIbCY-zWayvs_j-WscVcVRlnAOMEQnOq_s8QTviKHEWoKJ4_cpKfk7sU7EGQC5m3UzcGuTL1yUu-c3m4JNU4pGGcMXan792SJsw_Koeq2eiLM/s1600/Blowing+on+Dandelions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhHWGoNUuOuNFqSObqCi8A8MRcDKFKAdIbCY-zWayvs_j-WscVcVRlnAOMEQnOq_s8QTviKHEWoKJ4_cpKfk7sU7EGQC5m3UzcGuTL1yUu-c3m4JNU4pGGcMXan792SJsw_Koeq2eiLM/s1600/Blowing+on+Dandelions.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Want a copy of my brand new historical romance, Blowing on Dandelions?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">More than one chance to win!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSkRI3rhemrq8eek3pqEZVpqkvLAylzEFbrusBXzMbNJedvf-3TMimEfpx03P031r6FyjdAOxOoScQlyShnGw2NSnt2x2eaUXL7KstZo8xrQ0urzI5Dqs2gFMT5M_4EbUYIUUba4wU00/s1600/IMG_1584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSkRI3rhemrq8eek3pqEZVpqkvLAylzEFbrusBXzMbNJedvf-3TMimEfpx03P031r6FyjdAOxOoScQlyShnGw2NSnt2x2eaUXL7KstZo8xrQ0urzI5Dqs2gFMT5M_4EbUYIUUba4wU00/s320/IMG_1584.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><b>* Go to my website, www.miraleeferrell.com </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><b>The first Drawing will be held Thursday September 12---Britney Adams is the first winner of a signed book!!</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>Another Book will be drawn from entries submitted after the 12th and will be drawn one week later. Keep entering!!</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-45808114401550350382013-08-08T21:10:00.002-07:002013-08-08T21:11:32.078-07:00Ghost Towns, Cowboys & Research = Fun!!<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">It's so much fun to visit the locations where I set my books. So far I've visited towns for 5 of my seven books and have discovered so much rich history. Here are a few pictures from three of the towns. </span><br />
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<b>This set are from <i><span style="color: #351c75;">Blowing on Dandelions</span></i>, my newest historical romance set in Baker City, Oregon</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGV9hld0MxCHrhmFW29Vx96cv44biJ2tGXToEAiMjtbTn1VglSCC-go3A23hfkDKpExXMYziououeHwiRnY64DToUExWX6lDRMBg9llZXgJUw4SFuSnLIzJfuMaC1bJL1rgEe47tvcZ5w/s1600/IMG_1615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGV9hld0MxCHrhmFW29Vx96cv44biJ2tGXToEAiMjtbTn1VglSCC-go3A23hfkDKpExXMYziououeHwiRnY64DToUExWX6lDRMBg9llZXgJUw4SFuSnLIzJfuMaC1bJL1rgEe47tvcZ5w/s320/IMG_1615.JPG" width="320" /></a>The Geiser Grand Hotel, completed in 1889, a few years after my book, and restored 100 yrs later, is still in use today. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HhUmSzGaotHajNw9dX0vQzg5rTvN0CtT-eRWHJZIQf3tqI2NRJQxgidJ-iZiq7SwswaeLZB-hI-FpjFFru-bwpTS5TLxqe5Fcysh6KOmzvMZLSBK64Ad0f490Y9LKwKJbRqeImGYsVA/s1600/IMG_1693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HhUmSzGaotHajNw9dX0vQzg5rTvN0CtT-eRWHJZIQf3tqI2NRJQxgidJ-iZiq7SwswaeLZB-hI-FpjFFru-bwpTS5TLxqe5Fcysh6KOmzvMZLSBK64Ad0f490Y9LKwKJbRqeImGYsVA/s320/IMG_1693.JPG" width="320" /></a>A 'school bus' from the 1800s</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGuBlsGZFC-arVHSLIrHE2AjG17bla0SsPCsLJ_D9PKTguaJv-60hNU1PLUcDUlpgAkEUs1A02j9dZnEJkzvqjQvtyXlyvQFdGkn_8bUsgzCaAnSC9DqJdzgPQq4uHN2zdrkpf3mgkkE/s1600/IMG_1797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGuBlsGZFC-arVHSLIrHE2AjG17bla0SsPCsLJ_D9PKTguaJv-60hNU1PLUcDUlpgAkEUs1A02j9dZnEJkzvqjQvtyXlyvQFdGkn_8bUsgzCaAnSC9DqJdzgPQq4uHN2zdrkpf3mgkkE/s320/IMG_1797.JPG" width="320" /></a>Watercolor painting of Baker City at its inception</div>
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<b>From <i><span style="color: #351c75;">Love Finds You in Last Chance, CA</span></i>, a historical (Western) romance</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGH9Uh5OsXqTePWE6qwT3py4ViLNjdIIKDQ5tX-GSTXxOXvcNQddu9AH1ULh8NDQ6x3Z4o-OF3kzKdV9PIuNveN1-AkqRp07wbCk50n5Cdc0PqMA8E-D0TKpNKX3_xyGmnffUuAL2HmQ/s1600/LC+MainSt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGH9Uh5OsXqTePWE6qwT3py4ViLNjdIIKDQ5tX-GSTXxOXvcNQddu9AH1ULh8NDQ6x3Z4o-OF3kzKdV9PIuNveN1-AkqRp07wbCk50n5Cdc0PqMA8E-D0TKpNKX3_xyGmnffUuAL2HmQ/s320/LC+MainSt.JPG" width="320" /></a>The main street of Last Chance possibly taken in the 1880s or 1890s, close to the time my book was set. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsZ3GA3JrQ7pRhK5vLS1J4F8PjhiLixD2yfHMz1W2s8EAS-dNXprrmUeFIyaDf9lv1I9XpY8mjf9pSWCdQe10V7CprViBo30IrxPQ5iG_NZ9oiHSSEF5NCB7Hkgs__PyzkDgvx6hLtgc/s1600/LCHotel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsZ3GA3JrQ7pRhK5vLS1J4F8PjhiLixD2yfHMz1W2s8EAS-dNXprrmUeFIyaDf9lv1I9XpY8mjf9pSWCdQe10V7CprViBo30IrxPQ5iG_NZ9oiHSSEF5NCB7Hkgs__PyzkDgvx6hLtgc/s320/LCHotel.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #663300; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px;"> Last Chance hotel. The upstairs could only be accessed by a ladder on the outside of the building. Mostly unmarried miners used the large room. This building fronted Main Street.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLRiDCiaY0NWg8OR4YG9RBlTG18XsMApuszBRp1L4zXYx_oruatO0Ld8ELsRfjalTW5kBsjYOug5xzyxJ1k_HKHLtm0_YdL0_raB_pPGrlsCDKfgbHfAdKHWyuIUw_31Lvv20BdMrvw0/s1600/P1010014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLRiDCiaY0NWg8OR4YG9RBlTG18XsMApuszBRp1L4zXYx_oruatO0Ld8ELsRfjalTW5kBsjYOug5xzyxJ1k_HKHLtm0_YdL0_raB_pPGrlsCDKfgbHfAdKHWyuIUw_31Lvv20BdMrvw0/s320/P1010014.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #663300; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px;">Four old fence posts in the formation of a corral. Very possibly the location of the blacksmith shop. Square nail heads show these posts date to the time of my book, pre-1890s. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #20124d;"><i>Love Finds You in Tombstone, Arizona</i>, the book that follows Last Chance</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #20124d;">I had a ball researching this book as we traveled to the streets of Tombstone that are much the same as they were in the 1880s. Great fun!</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVUOU9vzUhWfVfKPzP4EYQnZCNu06oR1zxttLi84O014VzLqy7emhJ_Uh6v80rKkHSSZB6qz92zcpTZPySkFuy7X96Bi8hxY112ThCgSylhM7ZF-4DfwcS_ZrotB5KFjUhj29p_TKwQ8/s1600/Edit19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVUOU9vzUhWfVfKPzP4EYQnZCNu06oR1zxttLi84O014VzLqy7emhJ_Uh6v80rKkHSSZB6qz92zcpTZPySkFuy7X96Bi8hxY112ThCgSylhM7ZF-4DfwcS_ZrotB5KFjUhj29p_TKwQ8/s320/Edit19.jpg" width="214" /></a>I got to dress up and pose for a few pictures while in Tombstone</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s4mklXOwr5Y/UgRpphHJ2CI/AAAAAAAABiQ/oKAGnc9vcD0/s1600/Stage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s4mklXOwr5Y/UgRpphHJ2CI/AAAAAAAABiQ/oKAGnc9vcD0/s320/Stage.JPG" width="320" /></a>One of several old stagecoaches that tour the three blocks of old town streets, also going down a back street (this is Allen St, the main one that is very close to what it was in the 1880s) the full three blocks, through some of the residential area, also much the same. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRqyXRp-tH95-sriox9AKf1OMkMVEf7FosBRFTbEQoh7g9ulrZQ0iEp3vVe08PAXUjLmq0famEon3ilF-PLjv56l9VRsw0IXymD-Abep8D8SlTCxYqalH42xj_c6Hv9Fn9BYws3_tZyQ/s1600/IMG_1421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRqyXRp-tH95-sriox9AKf1OMkMVEf7FosBRFTbEQoh7g9ulrZQ0iEp3vVe08PAXUjLmq0famEon3ilF-PLjv56l9VRsw0IXymD-Abep8D8SlTCxYqalH42xj_c6Hv9Fn9BYws3_tZyQ/s320/IMG_1421.JPG" width="320" /></a>Cowboy loafers on the main street of Tombstone give it a very authentic look. </div>
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Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-48105367984238517642013-06-11T21:35:00.003-07:002013-06-11T21:35:47.314-07:00Deadly Peril & A Daring Rescue!I saved over a dozen lives today. Seriously. A dozen babies, all trapped in a storm drain, with their mother pacing above them, crying and nearly wringing her hands....er...feathers, in despair.<br />
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All right, the truth? I did save lives today and am quite happy and content I was able to. Babies? Yes. A dozen tiny, newborn quail that were about 1 1/2" tall...three of them fit in one of my hands.<br />
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I pulled into our dentist office parking lot and as I did, I noticed a family of quail hovering over a storm drain grate. After parking, I went back to see what they were doing, and of course, try to get a picture of the family. As I drew closer I saw the mama quail pacing across the grate, peering down and calling over and over, in obvious distress. The daddy kept skirting the edges, not seeming to know what to do, and not doing much to keep the small brood of 8-10 remaining chicks away from the holes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhC94WTdC1wHunrG-81zMha9pSMHUueQc3tuuCLRiBg5tBVOS1RULw58QXqGDxJjH5IE4R2V2Y0xiUXLwXUxGhU79LUgn0E7xXCf98-AkS2zLNiLgp7e21UYRJuuH7yOjn3jz1IdZzow/s1600/QuailFamilyphoto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhC94WTdC1wHunrG-81zMha9pSMHUueQc3tuuCLRiBg5tBVOS1RULw58QXqGDxJjH5IE4R2V2Y0xiUXLwXUxGhU79LUgn0E7xXCf98-AkS2zLNiLgp7e21UYRJuuH7yOjn3jz1IdZzow/s320/QuailFamilyphoto.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I edged closer and the mother herded her chicks away. Looking down into the grate I was horrified to see at least a dozen tiny babies had fallen into the hole below. None appeared injured, and thankfully, the ground was dry.<br />
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I tried calling the city works department. No one at their desk. Then the local newspaper, as it was less than a block away. They promised to try to help. I kept watch, praying a car wouldn't run over the remaining family, when a woman on a bicycle came flying down the steep hill. I flagged her down, explained the situation, and she bailed off to help.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjab63pbAWJMRnVZguACC6_oNJeAd6BD6AwVJQHYk5s7aAh-vpe4HZ_yY2_25QlFPP6A1PhhouI-hNh9qYkMm0_mi9Zd-Nvcu2LEWbJKGsl4KyYpiaF-PIncJx06vsab3B7AV_cJrPd5FU/s1600/QuailChicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjab63pbAWJMRnVZguACC6_oNJeAd6BD6AwVJQHYk5s7aAh-vpe4HZ_yY2_25QlFPP6A1PhhouI-hNh9qYkMm0_mi9Zd-Nvcu2LEWbJKGsl4KyYpiaF-PIncJx06vsab3B7AV_cJrPd5FU/s320/QuailChicks.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
Together we removed the storm drain cover, I tossed my phone and purse on the pavement and flattened myself on the ground next to the hole, then reached carefully in and captured the first baby. The young woman took the chick and raced up the road a dozen yards to the waiting parents huddled in some bushes, then returned for another chick. At least a couple of cars stopped and the drivers asked if I was injured, as I must have presented quite a sight, lying full length on the pavement (thankfully it wasn't a busy road), reaching into a storm drain hole.<br />
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About the time I grasped the last one, a reporter from the newspaper arrived, taking pictures and asking questions. Several chicks raced away from where we'd put them, and made a dash into the road. Catherine and I gave chase, recapturing our prizes and bringing them once more to safety with their clucking, happy family.<br />
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A city works employee arrived (called by the kind woman at the newspaper office) after the excitement was over. A dozen lives saved and a good day, all in all!<br />
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<br />Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-17603762215617928262013-04-06T19:46:00.000-07:002013-04-06T19:46:03.721-07:00A Granddaughter is Coming!!<span style="color: #e06666;"><b>I'll admit to being just a little bit excited....ok, who am I kidding....a whole lot excited! Like, over the moon excited! </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;"><b>What's happening that would have me in such a state, you ask? Can you get a hint from the color of ink I chose?</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;"><b>Tomorrow night by this time our family should be welcoming a new granddaughter into the world. Kate Isabelle Ferrell is due to arrive tomorrow as they've decided to induce delivery. Our son and his lovely wife live about 2 1/2 hrs away, so it will depend on how late in the day the blessed event happens as to whether we make the trip tomorrow or Monday. We don't want to tire our daughter-in-law too much if she has a long day of it and is exhausted. </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;"><b>I'll post on Monday evening or Tuesday with the news, the stats and best of all, pictures! I hope you'll rejoice with me as I enter a new phase in my life--one I've been looking forward to for a long time--one of my kids presenting me with a child of their own. It doesn't get much better than that. </b></span>Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-90757488570579921402013-03-09T21:19:00.000-08:002013-03-09T21:19:02.022-08:00Moving Those Mountains<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Mt. Adams, Washington State</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Pretty, isn't it? I see this mountain every time I drive home, and I love it. But I'm not crazy about the mountains that keep rearing up in my path as I journey through life. We've had more than our share of those the past two years, and most of them have centered around financial challenges. Businesses spiraling, a job lost, people who took advantage, and debt that kept growing with not enough income to keep up. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I'm simply stating what we've been dealing with for sometime. Mountains that looked nearly insurmountable--craggy outcroppings that left hands bleeding and raw just trying to hang on and not fall into a crevice. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Have you experienced that in your life lately? Maybe it's financial or a health issue--or a relationship you treasured gone sour. Someone who hurt you when you didn't expect it--a child who strayed down the wrong path or a spouse who deserted you when you needed them the most. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Whatever your mountain, let me assure you that God is NOT ignoring you. In fact, He may be trying to get your attention--or He may be quietly fighting on your behalf as Satan attempts to tear you apart. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Lately I've been doing something I used to do, but had kind of forgotten. I've been praising God out loud for His provision even when it seemed there was none in sight. I've been speaking scriptures while I pray, proclaiming that what He said is true....He WILL provide for our needs. He does want us to prosper and be in health, even as our souls prosper. He cares for us and will never abandon us, or allow us to carry more than we can bear...He will bear it for us. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">And you know what? Hope is rising. God is moving. Things are changing in the spiritual realm, and I'm beginning to see changes in the natural, as well. Life isn't perfect by any means, but I know my God is in control and there is nothing that's happening that He can't change or turn for my good. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Hold on, friends. Press through to victory. Don't give up. </span></b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>God doesn't send the trial, he allows Satan to send them so
we can whip the enemy to bring glory to God. </b></span></div>
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1 John 4:4</h3>
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<span class="text 1John-4-4" id="en-NIV-30608"><sup class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">4 </sup>You, dear children,<sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-30608A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></sup> are from God and have overcome them,<sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-30608B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></sup> because the one who is in you<sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-30608C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)"></sup> is greater than the one who is in the world.</span></div>
Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-48427322545692484492013-03-02T20:08:00.000-08:002013-03-02T20:08:58.853-08:00Do Dandelion Wishes Always Come True?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7ujePFbi9i7qGYf-POloP__n2lvaRlgTmGpaFC_OoZroj6vgP-8osF3kfFbCJRKLTz5MXV1yAN_y2w8mc4t-J1Zqt-RN2F6FJlIYYZpfHEWQYF8XfGDtO_oPbTpS_a01y9TnRr5p5hA/s1600/9780781408080_3D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7ujePFbi9i7qGYf-POloP__n2lvaRlgTmGpaFC_OoZroj6vgP-8osF3kfFbCJRKLTz5MXV1yAN_y2w8mc4t-J1Zqt-RN2F6FJlIYYZpfHEWQYF8XfGDtO_oPbTpS_a01y9TnRr5p5hA/s320/9780781408080_3D.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #783f04; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Blowing on Dandelions, by Miralee Ferrell</span><div style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><b>Katherine Galloway knew this moment of calm wouldn’t last, blown away like the dandelion seeds she scattered as a girl. In 1880, three years after her husband’s death, she struggles to run an Oregon boardinghouse and raise two girls alone. Things don't get easier when her critical, domineering mother moves in. Katherine must make the situation work, but standing up for herself and her family while honoring her mother isn't easy. And with a daughter entering the teenage years, the pressure on Katherine becomes close to overwhelming. Then she crosses paths with Micah Jacobs, a widower who could reignite her heart, but she fears a relationship with him might send things over the edge. She must find the strength, wisdom, hope, and faith to remake her life, for everything is about to change.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Releasing June 1 at a store near you, or purchase on any online book selling site,</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>This is the first book in a three-book series, but it does stand alone. The story will be completed in book one, and we'll follow two secondary characters from this book on into book two, with much of the plot taking place in a boardinghouse on the outskirts of Baker City, Oregon, in 1880. </b></span></div>
Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-48729886640223303412013-02-26T06:00:00.000-08:002013-02-26T06:00:08.820-08:00A Scam a Day Will Take Your Money Away<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfl47VfeHJSx1_IVoKW8Z2HRSDyiIUlbxS2payGqPYED2vmwLdMZRkmnYlTj6lU89ZUOtb-zsxgLH0hLT7tXba8soM6e7MVhxbNPLngTOAHBlWBOznDPNuf0JOZd7j2YAXlv0qRTjsFRI/s1600/main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfl47VfeHJSx1_IVoKW8Z2HRSDyiIUlbxS2payGqPYED2vmwLdMZRkmnYlTj6lU89ZUOtb-zsxgLH0hLT7tXba8soM6e7MVhxbNPLngTOAHBlWBOznDPNuf0JOZd7j2YAXlv0qRTjsFRI/s320/main.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Gorgeous, isn't she? This is our 51' sailboat that we've had listed on a few internet boat sites and apparently it was the perfect lure for a scammer.</b></span><br />
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We received an inquiry with a few specific questions, then the man, "David", said he was interested in buying our boat, but he wouldn't be able to come see it for a few weeks. He said he'd like to send us a check and have us hold it for him. Several emails later (that still didn't answer or clear up all of our questions) he sent a check via Fed Ex Overnight Global Express from Canada.<br />
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Now that should've made us feel confident it was real, as well as that it being a cashier's check, right?<br />
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Nope. I smelled a scam from the beginning, but figured there might be a 1% chance he was legit, so we decided to play it out. The check was for the exact asking price, and David was in no hurry to come get the boat. In fact, he stated he'd make transportation arrangements after it cleared. Hmm...so where's the scam?<br />
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I took the check to the bank and discovered it was counterfeit. Not drawn on a real account but a check designed to look real that was actually fake. Depositing it would have gotten us a bad check fee, and of course, if we'd tried to use any of it, our checks might have bounced.<br />
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We turned him in to the local Sheriff who could do nothing, since it was out of the country. He suggested the State Attorney General. They said they don't deal with fraud/scams/criminal cases and to take it to the FBI. They could have cared less since the check didn't come via the mail. Fill out a fraud form on the internet and don't bother us.<br />
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We let David think we'd deposited the check, and two days later discovered 'the rest of the story'. He wrote saying he'd caught his wife in bed with his best friend and since the boat was a gift for her, he needed his money back ASAP, although we could 'keep' 5% of the money for our trouble.<br />
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We ignored him, and he got more insistent for about 24 hrs, then quietly disappeared, apparently figuring out we'd uncovered the truth.<br />
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The lesson? Don't assume because it's a cashier's check OR arrives by overnight express that it's legit. Take it to your local bank and have them verify first, before you deposit it, and NEVER, NEVER send money back or let the person take the item you're selling until the check clears.<br />
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We're so thankful we didn't fall for this scam, but the sad fact is, a lot of people do, or these bottom-feeders wouldn't keep doing what they do.<br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Have you ever fallen for a scam? What happened and did the people ever get caught? Any other advice you'd like to offer my readers? Please share!</b></span>Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-29625671043447741572013-02-11T10:58:00.002-08:002013-02-11T10:58:31.063-08:00Who Can You Trust?I've been thinking about this lately--who can I really trust? Not because I've been betrayed recently, but I want to use wisdom in where I trust my heart. No, I'm not looking for romance, as I'm happily married, and I do trust my husband. I also trust my mother, my kids and a few close friends.<br />
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That's not what I'm talking about here. When trouble hits and you want to talk to someone, but it's sensitive and maybe even hurtful, where do you turn? When everything seems to be falling apart, what do you do?<br />
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My husband and I have endured a lot of stress the past two years, with our business failing, Allen getting laid off recently, and getting hit with some health problems. I realized that, while I have friends and family who care, none of them could make the stress go away--none could offer the fix I wanted. So why was my first impulse to pick up the phone and call my mom, my grown kids, or a friend? Wasn't that putting my stress on their shoulders? Yes, they did pray, and I value that above all else.<br />
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But only God can change my circumstances. He is my provider, my healer, my comforter, my friend. He goes to war on my behalf, champions me when I'm despondent, fights for me when I'm under attack. He brings peace when I'm confused and gives answers where there are none. I can trust him. Totally. Completely. Forever. With everything.Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-10767900329524526722013-02-05T03:00:00.000-08:002013-02-05T12:14:07.191-08:00Do Not Be Afraid--The Lord Will Fight For You!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By Kathi Macias</span></span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: teal; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Communicating the vision… (Hab.2:2)</span></div>
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<span style="color: teal;"><a href="http://www.kathimacias.com/"><span style="color: teal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">www.kathimacias.com</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">And Moses said to the
people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the</span><br />
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salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today.</span><br />
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For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.</span><br />
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The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." (Exodus 14:</span><br />
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13-14, NKJV).</span><br />
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At last, after years of enslavement and degradation, the </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Israelite's had escaped from Egypt! Not only had they escaped, but they had </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">done so with jewels and money, livestock and clothing, and everything they'd </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">been deprived of during their lengthy sojourn. Now they were free, and joy</span><br />
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bubbled up in their hearts and no doubt overflowed in their words and </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">actions.</span><br />
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Then, in a brief moment, everything changed. They found </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">themselves with the uncrossable Red Sea on one side and their infuriated </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">former captors closing in on the other. There was no way of escape. None. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The situation was as hopeless as it could get.</span><br />
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Ever been there? Who hasn't, right? You've been in the midst </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">of a seemingly unending trial and then suddenly it seems deliverance has </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">come at last. You've scarcely begun to celebrate when once again you find </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">yourself on the verge of destruction. All hope of escape is gone. There is</span><br />
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nowhere to turn except to God. Which, of course, is what He intended all </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">along.</span><br />
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Can you imagine the recently-delivered Israelite's level of </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">terror and despair at that point? Their joy had just been turned to horror, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">and the only choice they had was between drowning in the sea or slaughter at </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">the hands of the Egyptians.</span><br />
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Moses proved himself a wise leader at that crucial moment. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He knew there was nothing he could do to help his people. Only God could </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">deliver them now. And so Moses declared, "Do not be afraid. Stand still,
and </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."</span><br />
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Do not be afraid.</span><br />
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The Lord will fight for you.</span><br />
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Those are the words we all need to hear, not just when we're </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">between the proverbial rock and a hard place, but always-every day, at every </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">juncture of our lives. There is no reason to fear because the very God who </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">delivered us from bondage will fight for us! Can there be any better</span><br />
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assurance than that?</span><br />
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Romans 8:31 asks, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Who, indeed? Nothing or no one can harm or defeat us because God is the One </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">who fights for us. Wow, what a great truth-one that should set our feet to </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">dancing and our mouths to singing! For Romans 8 also declares that, no </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">matter what difficulties or hardships we face, "we are more than
conquerors </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">through Him who loved us" (verse 37).</span><br />
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If you're hemmed in by threats or enemies or circumstance </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">today and there seems to be no way out, don't despair. Remember, it is the </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Lord who fights for you, and you are more than a conqueror through Him.</span><br />
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<!--[endif]-->Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-14537099453999293602013-02-02T11:30:00.000-08:002013-02-02T11:30:00.233-08:00Mothers VS Daughters--A Deep Hurt<br />
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<b style="color: #20124d; line-height: 32px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Have you experienced pain in your relationship with your mother--or daughter? </span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>My upcoming novel, <i>Blowing on Dandelions</i> is a historical romance, but it's so much more. It's a deep look into the life of two women--a mother and her grown daughter--who love one another, but don't know how to show it, or how to relate to each other. There's a story behind why I wrote this book.</b></span><br />
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<i style="line-height: 32px;">Blowing on Dandelions </i><span style="line-height: 32px;">is a book driven by emotion, centering on the pain and joy of the characters. Their story consumed me and </span><span style="line-height: 32px;">wouldn't</span><span style="line-height: 32px;"> let go until it was written—in fact, it still </span><span style="line-height: 32px;">hasn't</span><span style="line-height: 32px;"> let go. </span></div>
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It all started several years ago, when I spent some time with a friend, and she let slip little comments about her relationship with her mother. Let’s just say they were filled with pain and grief. Mama was alive, well, and still contributing to that pain and grief.</div>
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<span style="line-height: 32px;">I could bear it no longer, and while giving her a hug, asked if I could pray with her that God would grant her peace and healing. Through barely contained tears she refused. Not that she </span><span style="line-height: 32px;">wasn't</span><span style="line-height: 32px;"> grateful, but she </span><span style="line-height: 32px;">couldn't</span><span style="line-height: 32px;"> tolerate the thought of attaining some kind of peace, only to return home to the same situation and have it shattered—or worse, new shards embedded into her healed heart. I went home heartsick and unable to shake the urgency to pray for my friend. I sensed her deep level of hopelessness that her life and relationship with her mother would never change. I prayed every time her name came to mind, which happened frequently. I </span><span style="line-height: 32px;">couldn't</span><span style="line-height: 32px;"> forget the despair in her voice the last time we spoke.</span></div>
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As I asked the Lord what my next writing project should be, He gently directed me back to those memories. I knew He was showing me, over and over, that thousands of women ache with the same need—for approval, love, and acceptance, just as they are—from their mothers. He directed me to tell this story.</div>
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I wove a romance into the novel and set it in 1880 in the Old West, as so many of my readers enjoy a strong historical romance. But it's so much more than that....and I hope reading it will bless you as much as writing it has done for me. </div>
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Releasing in four months, on June 1st via Amazon, Christianbook.com, or coming to a store near you. <span style="color: #444444;"><b><u>Available now</u></b></span> at a great pre-order price <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blowing-Dandelions-Blossoms-Oregon-Series/dp/0781408083/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1359687309&sr=8-8&keywords=miralee+ferrell">on Amazon</a>. </div>
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Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-68537024460481970892012-07-13T23:14:00.005-07:002012-07-13T23:14:58.493-07:00Writing a Historical Novel? Research is the Key!<br />
When I wrote my first historical romance, <i><span style="color: blue;"><b>Love Find You in Last Chance, CA</b></span></i>, I had a short panic attack. Not long, just a few seconds, as I'm not prone to panic, LOL! But I'd never written a historical before and wasn't sure I'd be able to find the information I needed to bring the story to life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgL3thgpoNFmqRCvw6fDrlqPccuAzbI8Bn0dRsZ14i9WJfaLLRveAI093vTuhrMyNAR1YBlu16h_G0djqKE_BJ7mFaTcl9WdsEVTyiwVSwPPQfU0BYx1-39c7cOxWYvtFW4qMJADpskY/s1600/Last+Chance+Cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgL3thgpoNFmqRCvw6fDrlqPccuAzbI8Bn0dRsZ14i9WJfaLLRveAI093vTuhrMyNAR1YBlu16h_G0djqKE_BJ7mFaTcl9WdsEVTyiwVSwPPQfU0BYx1-39c7cOxWYvtFW4qMJADpskY/s320/Last+Chance+Cover.JPG" width="209" /></a></div>
<br />
High school and one year of college taught me something about research, but that was years ago and so much has changed. The advent of the internet has opened a whole new world for fiction writers.<br />
<br />
Here's what I ended up doing and have continued to do on each historical since.<br />
<br />
* Did a Google search on the town, the time period, and key words contained in the book<br />
<br />
* Joined an online historical writers' group where I could toss out questions and get help if I need it<br />
<br />
* Read other books set in the same time period by authors I trusted who created a realistic depiction<br />
<br />
* Checked out books from our local library. Some suggestions would be old memoirs, copies of journals <span style="background-color: white;"> from your time period, nonfiction books written about the area where your book is set, and any books</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">containing information key to your story. i.e., ranching or mining in the Sierra Nevada Mts. of California, etc.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
* Visited the location and while there, talk to as many of the old timers as you can find. Visit the museums and historical society if available, and any local landmarks.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>Next Week I'll be doing a blog and book drawing for Davis Bunn's book, Hidden in Dreams, a fantastic novel!! Be sure to check in and enter to win. </b></span><br />
Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-20328147148250064602012-07-02T18:28:00.001-07:002012-07-02T18:49:12.829-07:00Forty Years Ago.....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZV2MR0eaCNVMfpBRj4AIpAV05Qlf1odBQ9F0h7hO2pxmhN0tLJ1bGP2hnChfWVUcilkJoKE-j8Ax6DsfumVp7dT8aUZ7tSvgygnfNCPU4uN9Pb7PZ_kB4zuUPZbsH9SOCFLwxCqHQ-jk/s1600/Wedding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZV2MR0eaCNVMfpBRj4AIpAV05Qlf1odBQ9F0h7hO2pxmhN0tLJ1bGP2hnChfWVUcilkJoKE-j8Ax6DsfumVp7dT8aUZ7tSvgygnfNCPU4uN9Pb7PZ_kB4zuUPZbsH9SOCFLwxCqHQ-jk/s200/Wedding.jpg" width="178" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I married the man of my dreams--I was 18 (three weeks shy of 19), and Allen was 19 (almost 20--mere babies).<br />
<br />
We honeymooned at Wallowa Lake, Oregon, and spent our first year renting the parsonage from our church (our pastor built a house). We took care of the lawns for the church and house, as well as the flower beds, and only paid $50 a month in rent.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggoKrMTf_CvYMWdpSr1uv0uj3QtniS_D-5HNuuqGVyg_iMg7iBvX0NPkQo0La0NPD_lq0DFPZb5sXKLjkvT_qEGFKgVP020DNf3nJIOUiDv0fW-BlBGAsvsWPTbrusdrNOuDhGMO9E1k0/s1600/One+Year+Later1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggoKrMTf_CvYMWdpSr1uv0uj3QtniS_D-5HNuuqGVyg_iMg7iBvX0NPkQo0La0NPD_lq0DFPZb5sXKLjkvT_qEGFKgVP020DNf3nJIOUiDv0fW-BlBGAsvsWPTbrusdrNOuDhGMO9E1k0/s200/One+Year+Later1.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">A couple of years later I was expecting my first child....a beautiful daughter we named Marnee. Later we added a son. This is a pic of Allen and I taken around our second anniversary.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">The years sped by, we owned and operated a couple of businesses, took our daughter to riding lessons and I enjoyed hitting the trails on our horses with her. Our son got involved in stunt bikes, then dirt bikes, then airplanes. It wasn't long before they were grown and we'd hit our 25th anniversary. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCpCIUqD2E8Op8p9PbpWzDWpbZHlnwivCWmqi-N_EegVQO0OVrKjmHTDrw6FwOd5UTqXTyRI_MqsesaanimRyMatG2vQmN_7NGLkaDdjUHO4xx7BSxubBiWGJhyphenhyphenByK3NuxFE89pkgyBc/s1600/About+1995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCpCIUqD2E8Op8p9PbpWzDWpbZHlnwivCWmqi-N_EegVQO0OVrKjmHTDrw6FwOd5UTqXTyRI_MqsesaanimRyMatG2vQmN_7NGLkaDdjUHO4xx7BSxubBiWGJhyphenhyphenByK3NuxFE89pkgyBc/s320/About+1995.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">God has been faithful all these years and we're still in love. Sure, we've had tough times when we didn't FEEL any love, but we still pressed forward together. I'm so glad we did!</span>Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-50969728411568620172012-06-21T18:15:00.000-07:002012-06-21T18:15:43.249-07:00When Life Gets Tough<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The old saying is, when life gets tough, the tough get going. But it doesn't always work that way. Sometimes when life deals you a hard blow, you crawl in a hole and pull the hole in after you. Or at least, that's what you might want to do, if you didn't have to keep living life daily. </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>So, what DO you do? Call a friend and cry on her shoulder? Yeah, that works, but you can burn out friends pretty fast that way.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Eat chocolate or go shopping. Yum. Now that sounds enticing. But the problem with that one is the next day you'll pay if you over indulge. Sick stomach, empty wallet, and more pounds packed on.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Turn on the tunes and tune out? Yeah, that'll work for a while for all you music lovers. But at some point you have to come out and 'face the music'. </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Break something, fling angry words, or hit somebody? Unfortunately, this is the reaction of too many, and others end up getting hurt along the way to your 'healing'. </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>How about--<span style="background-color: white;">Call a friend and ask for prayer? Much better--most people are willing to listen and pray if they know you're sincere.</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Or maybe--check in with God and place it in his hands. Yeah. I've been doing that this week as I've struggled with a 'hard thing' that hurt. But God knows, and my heart is pure and right before him. He knows my motives and my pain, and He's able to take it all and use it for His glory. </b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I'm so glad....Yes. I think I'll pick the last one, although I'm certainly not against talking to a friend and asking them to pray. Did that and it helped. God is indeed good, all the time. </b></span></span><br />Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-56948710850910281412012-05-19T19:44:00.001-07:002012-05-19T19:44:57.190-07:00Blossoms & Weeds--What's in Your Garden?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQh36-Myyly_g-NayUlETXtjxOvVMnVJpv4gVX7S_MWaOjS3WTHeddSOAnVu08psE-78bUX2a06jv0yqvFdhIwIA7zvRR9AOF-3GDa5zKLjDTO5H0z-ZcKorkUrln1kCwkg6gG-q7uLYM/s1600/IMG_1207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQh36-Myyly_g-NayUlETXtjxOvVMnVJpv4gVX7S_MWaOjS3WTHeddSOAnVu08psE-78bUX2a06jv0yqvFdhIwIA7zvRR9AOF-3GDa5zKLjDTO5H0z-ZcKorkUrln1kCwkg6gG-q7uLYM/s320/IMG_1207.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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Today I've been mowing for an hour or so, then pulling weeds in my garden, planting tomato and green pepper plants, watering newly sprouted beans, peas, turnips, and more. Lots to do this time of year, but my least favorite is pulling weeds.<br />
<br />
Why is it that no matter how much I hoe, till, and pull, the weed crop manages to outgrow the food crop? I'm even hitting them with Roundup, hoping to rid myself of them once and for all, but inevitably I miss a few.<br />
<br />
It's a little like life. There are things I'd love to get rid of forever. My over indulgence in eating sugar, my poor exercise habits, attitudes that I'm not proud of at times--but like weeds, they seem to keep coming back.<br />
<br />
I have two choices--keep pulling and poisoning and tilling the ground of my life, keeping them at bay, or ignore them hoping they'll not take root this time around. Doing that will lead to discovering they're full blown and taking over before I know it. Yes, it takes work to keep the weeds out of your garden or out of you life, but the crop you'll get when you do is worth it!Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-31669152336782781772012-05-15T17:11:00.000-07:002012-05-15T17:11:04.641-07:00Do You Remember When?<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Checking out at the
store, the young cashier suggested to the older<br />
woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't
good for the environment.<br />
<br />
The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back
in my earlier days."<br />
<br />
The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today.<br />
Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."<br />
<br />
She was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.<br />
<br />
Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to<br />
the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and<br />
sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and<br />
over. So they really were recycled.<br />
<br />
But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.<br />
<br />
Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags, that we<br />
reused for numerous things, most memorable besides household garbage bags,<br />
was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our schoolbooks.<br />
This was to ensure that public property, (the books<br />
provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our<br />
scribblings. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown<br />
paper bags.<br />
<br />
But too bad we didn't do the green thing back then.<br />
<br />
We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every<br />
store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't<br />
climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two<br />
blocks.<br />
<br />
But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.<br />
<br />
Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the<br />
throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling<br />
machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry<br />
our clothes back in our early days.<br />
Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters,<br />
not always brand-new clothing.<br />
<br />
But that young lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.<br />
<br />
Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every<br />
room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief<br />
(remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In<br />
the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have<br />
electric machines to do everything for us.<br />
When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail,<br />
we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it,<br />
not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then,<br />
we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn.<br />
We used a push mower that ran on human power.<br />
We exercised by working so we didn't need to<br />
go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.<br />
<br />
But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.<br />
<br />
We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup<br />
or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled<br />
writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the<br />
razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just<br />
because the blade got dull.<br />
<br />
But we didn't have the green thing back then.<br />
<br />
Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their<br />
bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour<br />
taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire<br />
bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a<br />
computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites<br />
23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.<br />
<br />
But isn't it sad that the current generation laments how wasteful we old<br />
folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?</span>Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-45216226306488346182012-03-25T06:00:00.000-07:002012-03-25T06:00:05.466-07:00Check Your Motives at the Door<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Whew. Really? I have to
figure out WHY I do the things I do? I was praying this morning and felt the
Lord asked me to dig deeper. Why do I make some of the choices I make, and most
of all, why do I react in certain ways? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Ouch. Do I have to,
Lord? Can’t I just pray and ask you to cover my actions and bless my choices?
No? Seriously, no? Sigh. OK. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">So here’s the first
motive that He asked me to look at. The need to be in control. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Are you wincing yet? I
am. Typing it gave me the heebie-jeebies. Especially since my husband has gently
pointed this out in the past—he thinks I NEED to be in control. No I don’t.
Really. He just thinks I do. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Well. Maybe not. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">OK, I’ll admit it. I
like my world to be well ordered, running smoothly, and YES—at times I think my
way is the best way. Who doesn’t! But if I’m not careful that attitude can hurt
those that I love. Gentleness and meekness go a long way. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Uh-oh…know what thought
popped into my head just now? Being real and honest here. If I’m gentle and
meek at the right time, in the right way, I’ll bet it would help convince ‘them’
that my way is the best. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Yikes! Did I really think
that? Yeah. I did.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">So…next time let’s talk
about hidden agendas and manipulation. Not sure I want to go there, but I hope
you’ll chime in and help me, so I won’t feel all alone. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-29987998081205898342012-03-23T17:53:00.000-07:002012-03-23T18:43:17.979-07:00Honest Reflections Scare Me Sometimes<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #351c75;">A friend sent me a journal entry to read today, as
she wanted honest feedback. I read it and choked back tears at the raw honesty poured out on the page. God has been prompting her to dig deep. To go beyond
the surface in her relationship with Him and interaction with people, and she
took it seriously. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #351c75;">I’m not sure I can be that vulnerable, but I'm willing to try. Looking at
ourselves is tough in the best of times, but digging deep, discovering WHY we
do certain things, checking our motives—well, let’s just say it’s oftentimes
easier to sidestep those areas. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #351c75;">In the next few posts I’m going to share a few thoughts on what makes me tick, and I invite
you to do the same. They won’t be long or even very sophisticated, but I promise to keep it real. If anything I write resonates with you, I’d love to hear your
thoughts. Maybe I’m the only one who struggles with being real, but I’m
guessing that’s not the case. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #351c75;">The book I’m writing has made me dig deeper. I’m
dealing with the issue of a difficult mother/daughter relationship. The
daughter is grown, the mother is aging, and Mama comes to live with her
daughter. Sometimes the closest family connections can bring out the best—or the
worst in us. At the very least they can cause us to look more deeply into who
we are and why we act the way that we do. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: #351c75;">So I invite you to come along on the ride if you
dare. More in a few days…..</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-55543715654300083192012-02-16T06:30:00.000-08:002012-02-16T06:30:04.177-08:00Hiccups Anyone?I did my good deed for the day and cured a man's hiccups.<br />
<br />
Seriously.<br />
<br />
He called me and apologized ahead of time (before he told me why he called) because he'd had the hiccups for two days straight and knew it might be difficult to talk. Poor man was tired out and worried. His wife was threatening to take him to the doctor.<br />
<br />
I told him I have a remedy if he was willing to try it. After two days non-stop he was willing to try just about anything, even if it was crazy.<br />
<br />
This has never failed to cure my hiccups and it works for my kids and husband....and thankfully, it worked for my friend on the phone as well.<br />
<br />
Curious yet? Try it the next time you're afflicted and you'll see that it works. Wish I could patent this!<br />
<br />
Get a full glass of water. Take a deep breath and hold it. Immediately start drinking. FAST and steady. Small gulps/sips, and keep drinking until you absolutely MUST come up for a breath of air.<br />
<br />
That's it. Simple and easy. He did it while I waited on the phone. Sixty seconds later he was dancing a jig. "Miralee cured my hiccups"....he shouted to his wife hovering in the background. "It's a miracle!".<br />
<br />
I laughed, tickled it had worked for him....there's a man who knows how to take directions and follow them. A miracle? Not quite, but an awfully nice solution when you're in distress! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-80736722326215434502011-11-08T17:14:00.000-08:002011-11-08T18:32:20.027-08:00Fantastic Gift Basket Drawing--Celebrating a New Release<link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CMiralee%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CMiralee%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CMiralee%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><style>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZjocLdHwSJQBIABjIewxSe4u3NC7g-7zYg0Pp_eC3zyMXfozI0KqndjvQ7o664tIp52j9Yzev8Q-s48aG_6Rkl9uqMkV2_SLGE8whIx09Ljkm2FnuoUUQYz7lbtax9DS__ILy6z3WrI/s200/ElaineMarie2+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="175" /></td></tr>
<tr style="color: purple;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZjocLdHwSJQBIABjIewxSe4u3NC7g-7zYg0Pp_eC3zyMXfozI0KqndjvQ7o664tIp52j9Yzev8Q-s48aG_6Rkl9uqMkV2_SLGE8whIx09Ljkm2FnuoUUQYz7lbtax9DS__ILy6z3WrI/s1600/ElaineMarie2+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Elaine Marie Cooper, Author of "The Promise of Deer
Run"</a></span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Elaine is giving away a fantastic gift basket to celebrate the release of her new book, The Promise of Deer Run (available in paperback, hardcover or ebook). </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: purple; text-align: left;">
Here are the rules: Leave a comment about the giveaway and let me know what your favorite item in the basket is to receive one entry. Subscribe to my blog or let me know you're already a subscriber, and you'll get TWO additional entries. <b><u>You must tell me you're a subscriber to get the extra entries. </u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'll draw my winner on Nov 18th, and give it to the blog hostess heading up the blog tour. A grand prize winner will then be drawn from the winners from each blog taking part and will be posted/notified on Nov 21. Be SURE you leave a way for us to contact you. Write your email out like this: miralee at yahoo dot com, etc. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uNGOHkrSrfw/TrnQ6tQfdPI/AAAAAAAAA_8/Z06HSyvjQz0/s1600/Promise+Cover+full+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uNGOHkrSrfw/TrnQ6tQfdPI/AAAAAAAAA_8/Z06HSyvjQz0/s200/Promise+Cover+full+%25282%2529.jpg" width="144" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: purple;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Grand Prize (Retail Value: $297.38)
Contains:</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: purple;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Basket
</span><o:p></o:p></b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: purple;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">$25
Starbucks gift card </span><o:p></o:p></b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: purple;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Spode
Christmas teapot </span><o:p></o:p></b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: purple;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Spode
Christmas mugs </span><o:p></o:p></b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: purple;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Yankee
candle </span><o:p></o:p></b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: purple;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Hardbound
copy <i>The Road to Deer Run </i></span><o:p></o:p></b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: purple;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Hardbound
copy <i>The Promise of Deer Run</i> </span><o:p></o:p></b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Bath
and Body </span><i style="color: purple;">Paris Amour</i><span style="color: purple;"> scent </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CMiralee%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CMiralee%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CMiralee%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><style>
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</style><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">An Absolutely
Charming Tale!<br />
</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Once again, Elaine
Marie Cooper pens an absolutely charming tale of eighteenth century Americana.
War, no matter the era, takes its toll on both soldiers and families. <b><i>The
Promise of Deer Run</i></b> is a precious next story following Mary and
Daniel’s story in <b><i>The</i></b><i> <b>Road to Deer Run</b></i>, picking up
with Mary’s sister, Sarah a few years down the line. Be sure to read the first
book too! As a historian and author, I am grateful to Elaine for her dedication
to authenticity.<b> —Lisa Lickel, author of <i>A Summer in Oakville<br />
</i></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">About <i>The Promise
of Deer Run</i>:</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> <br />
America’s war for freedom from England has been over for seven years, but the
wounds of that conflict still haunt the minds and hearts of the residents of
Deer Run. Young American veteran Nathaniel Stearns has withdrawn to a life of
isolation as he awaits his father who never returned from the war. <br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">A near-tragedy in the
woods brings Nathaniel face-to-face with nineteen-year-old Sarah Thomsen,
someone he had long admired but he assumed had eyes for another. This chance
encounter opens a crack into the door of his heart as mutual affection quickly
blooms. <br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">But slander and lies
soon mar the budding romance, rendering both Sarah and Nathaniel wounded and
untrusting as their faith in both their God and each other is shattered. Set in
1790, this book continues the story of the Thomsen and Lowe families as they
struggle to survive in the aftermath of the war that birthed the United States.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CMiralee%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CMiralee%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CMiralee%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><style>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The Road
to Deer Run</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">
won the following honors:</span><br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Finalist:
2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards </span><o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Honorable
Mention: 2011 Los Angeles Book Festival </span><o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Best
Romantic Moment: ClashoftheTitles.com, February 2011</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b><o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I was given a complimentary copy of the book to read for a future review, but the publisher or author did not pay me to take part in this tour. </span>Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-41655791440064703642011-11-04T21:49:00.000-07:002011-11-04T21:49:40.715-07:00Are You Ready for Winter?<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<b>Can you believe Thanksgiving is approaching and daylight savings time ends tomorrow night? Where has the summer gone? And did we really even have a fall? Our summer hers in the Pacific NW didn't kick in until July 15th...two months later than normal, and it ended toward the latter part of Sept. I'm hearing rumblings of heavy snows and even hints that we could see some white stuff drifting down over the next few nights. </b></div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<b>I'll admit...I'm NOT a winter lover. Give me 12 months of spring, summer and fall...let's just avoid winter all together, shall we? </b></div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<b> At least I was able to find time this year to bed all my rose bushes with bark chips, something I didn't do last year, and I lost four plants as a result. We still need to dig up the rest of our potatoes, drain a pump in our pond, and a couple of other little things before icy cold hits.</b></div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<b>How about you? Are you looking forward to winter? Running away to warmer weather instead? Staying home, snuggling down in front of a fire and don't care if it snows? Or are you a snow bunny heading for the ski slopes? What do you to to get you through the long, dreary days of winter?</b></div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I'd love to hear from you, and if you have any great ideas to cheer up a person who does NOT enjoy winter, send them my way!</span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-47305162035915979382011-10-25T17:47:00.000-07:002011-10-25T17:47:58.256-07:00Fighting Fear: Winning the War at Home<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span><i>By</i> </span></b><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>Edie Melson and other contributing authors</b></span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b><br />
</b></span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fJ246rdNIns/TqdYd8tTCfI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/4x4zMC4hJU4/s1600/Fighting+Fear+cover-final-large+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fJ246rdNIns/TqdYd8tTCfI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/4x4zMC4hJU4/s200/Fighting+Fear+cover-final-large+%25281%2529.jpg" width="125" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b><br />
</b></span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b><br />
</b></span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>I wrote one short (true) story in this fantastic resource for military families who have a loved one deployed. Be sure you check this book out on Amazon--buy one for every person you know who has someone in the military. Our son served in Iraq, and I know first hand what it's like to send someone into harm's way. I get nothing for the sale of this book, so I'm not talking it up to make money--I truly believe it's a great book. </b></span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b><br />
</b></span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: large;">Fighting Fear: Winning the War at Home</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span><br />
</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span>Saying goodbye to a loved one leaving for war is a gut-wrenching proposition. But for those left behind, <i>their</i> deployment marks the beginning of <i>our</i> battle. And yet, it is </span></b><b><span>possible to </span></b><b><span>find God’s peace in the midst of fear and conquer the terror that lurks in the darkness of doubt. In <i>Fighting Fear: Winning the War at Home</i>, parents, spouses and siblings recount their personal journey as God goes before His people during times of spiritual, physical and military warfare. Learn the secret to living a peace-filled life when a loved one leaves for battle. Fight fear; win the war at home.</span></b></div>Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-35194802467932310292011-07-10T19:14:00.000-07:002011-07-11T21:39:38.210-07:00Living in the MomentA author friend of mine, Ethel Herr, said something a few days ago that was profound, and she agreed to let me share with you...<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><br />I've learned the importance of living in the moment. If we live in the past, which cannot be changed, we destroy the present and leave no possibilities for the future. Living in the future, where we have no control, only weird imaginations and wildness, also robs us of the present. God introduced Himself to Moses as the I AM. Not the I WAS, or the I WILL BE, but I AM. He did appeal to Moses to remember what He had done and promised that He would go with him in the future. But He is the great I AM. I amness builds a past for examples and assurance for the future. But we can never live any place but the present. </span><br /><br />Isn't that awesome?<br /><br />I don't know about you, but when she shared that I SO needed to hear it. My husband and I have been going through a lot of 'stuff' this past year--much of it financial stress that's worn us down. So many times I've been tempted to look back into 'better days' wishing we could go back, or find myself longing for the future when I hope life will be brighter. And in doing so, I've realized I'm robbing myself of where I am now.<br /><br />God isn't caught by surprise by anything that happens to us--so I have to ask myself--if I'm in this situation that's hard right now, what does He want me to learn? What is He trying to say? Is there are a reason I'm here now, and if so, I need to discover what it is and be obedient, if He's asking something of me.<br /><br />How about you? Are you living in today, yearning for the remembered tranquility of yesterday, or wishing away your life hoping for something better in tomorrow? Let's make a decision to live in the present, learn the lessons God wants us to learn NOW, and let yesterday and tomorrow take care of themselves. After all, we're only promised the time we have in this moment. I've decided I want to make it count!!Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-18662400674360086262011-06-08T16:50:00.000-07:002011-06-08T23:03:04.760-07:00Letting Go<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">LETTING GO</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">By Carla McDougal<br /><br /></div>Do you remember the last time you opened the door to your junk closet? You know, the place where you put things you don’t want left out in the open. Maybe an item is old and worn out, so you throw it in this closet. Or, possibly it’s broken, and you don’t know what to do with it.<br /><br />In my Bible Study, Reflecting Him, I invite readers to take a guided tour through various rooms in our homes, and compare these areas to our spiritual lives. The first day of the tour focuses on the closet—that hidden, dark place no one enters but you. “Out of sight, out of mind” might describe those items tucked away in that small space; but couldn’t the phrase also depict the things we hide in the backs of our minds and hearts? Broken, worn out, or sinful thoughts weigh heavily on our souls, and we need to let go, so they can be replaced by God’s light of love, grace and mercy.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">June 23rd is National “Let It Go” Day</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span> I encourage you to find something in your spiritual “junk closet” and let it go.<br /><br />Do you harbor bitterness for past hurts against you? Does sin linger in the crevices of your heart and mind? Are you in need of God’s forgiveness? We are all sinners, but we can be free from the closet of sin if we confess and ask for His forgiveness. Let go, and let God shine His light on you.<br />Just like cleaning out the junk closet, once you let go of those spiritual messes in your life, you’ll be left with room for the new.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">God’s all about making things new. A new heart. A new life. A new you. It all starts with letting go of those things that fall short of His plan.</span><br /><br />When you organize a junk closet, you might choose to use special organizers or aids to make it all work together better. Or perhaps you even hire a professional organizer. In your spiritual closet, don’t forget that you can find all the assistance you’ll ever need through the help of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word.<br /><br />Are you ready to let God take the tour through the various rooms of your spiritual “house”? When you open the closet, what mess falls out? Give it to Him and see what happens!<br /><br /><br />CARLA MCDOUGAL is founder of Reflective Life Ministries headquartered in the Houston,<br />Texas area. Her true passion for her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, shines brightly, whether<br />she is speaking or writing. She shares experiences from her own life to encourage women to<br />live every day for Him. God is sending Carla around the world to speak to women from all<br />walks of life—those living in the best of circumstances to those who have hit rock bottom.<br />Carla’s book, Reflecting Him: Living for Jesus and Loving It, pulls back the veil so you can<br />see yourself and your Lord more clearly and reflect Him with transparency when interacting<br />with others. This 10-week study exposes the dark corners of your life, opening your eyes and<br />heart to what Jesus wants you to see. Carla’s refreshing authenticity and humorous style will<br />lift you up from a heaviness you didn’t even know weighed you down.<br />For more information on a growing number of products from Reflective Life Ministries go to:<br />www.reflectivelifeministries.org<br /><br />This article content is provided free of charge by the author through Kathy Carlton Willis Communications. You are welcome to place this article on your site or in your publication as long as 1) it’s used in its entirety, 2) the full bio is also used, and 3) you previously request permission through KCWC at russ@kathycarltonwillis.com. All other standard copyrights apply.<br />PO Box 677, Brenham, TX 77834<br />kathy@kathycarltonwillis.com<br />www.kathycarltonwillis.comMiralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535658622420265136.post-46973102042090554462011-03-30T23:41:00.000-07:002011-04-01T23:05:13.821-07:00When a Simple Prayer Wasn't Answered--Or Was it?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2XU1vbu-UcTm0gCJJ_Mv8LGjhfHZwS_o6_RT5d3jIT3CwaH1tFjMZNVbpJXRN9lL8UL-4l4JXrnbsBg-kNWfzPN98-4yApGmNkth_M19PJtiiS6HhCBO9bD5tn9pWdEnFN2yQrvvBVk/s1600/Misc+198.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2XU1vbu-UcTm0gCJJ_Mv8LGjhfHZwS_o6_RT5d3jIT3CwaH1tFjMZNVbpJXRN9lL8UL-4l4JXrnbsBg-kNWfzPN98-4yApGmNkth_M19PJtiiS6HhCBO9bD5tn9pWdEnFN2yQrvvBVk/s200/Misc+198.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590862421029898578" border="0" /></a><br />Trusting God--Even in the Little Things!<br /><br />This week I had a super busy day. First, a doctor appointment which ran late and put me behind schedule. I'd hoped I wouldn't be pushed making the next leg of my journey--lunch on the go as I drove to Portland, OR. I had an appt. at the Apple Store as my phone had quit working. By the time I hit the freeway I only had an hour and ten minutes to make my appt., and it was a full hour drive to where I'd park and catch the Max rail system going into downtown.<br /><br />Once I finished at the Apple Store, I still had to make my way back to my car and rush to the airport to pick up my mother from an incoming flight. Have you ever prayed for a parking space in an area you KNOW can be difficult to find one? Well, I did. For the five minutes or so before arriving at the large parking lot near the Max stop I prayed. The trams run about every 6-8 minutes and catching one right after I arrived would make the difference in my making my appt or being late--and Apple doesn't hold your appointment more than 5 minutes. You're late, you miss your slot. Too bad.<br /><br />I pulled into the lot, continuing to pray God would open a spot close to the crosswalk and not far from where I needed to board. I didn't understand WHY I found one at the farthest edge of the lot. I ran, literally, as I saw the train pulled up and loading. I got there about 30 seconds too late.<br /><br />That meant at least a 6 minute wait. I'd be late. I waited, wondering if I should catch the red train coming next, instead of waiting for the green one 6 minutes later. Both were heading west, surely the red would be fine? A young man--college age--was waiting a few feet away, so I asked him if he knew if I should take the red line, explaining where I needed to go. Nope. I'd end up zipping right past my stop, as that car went non-stop to a destination farther west.<br /><br />I got on the correct car and we headed out, but I still wasn't certain about my stop. The store told me 5th and Morrison. Several stops later I saw the sign flash saying 5th was coming up. I checked with the young man again who sat nearby--did he think I should take that stop, even though it didn't say Morrison. Nope. I'd be walking at least a mile if I did. 5th ran east and west, and we were following it west. We chatted all the way to my stop--his name is Omar, I learned--and a student at a nearby college getting his teaching degree. He showed me where to get off, right across the street from the Apple Store.<br /><br />Yep, I missed my appt., but it didn't matter. They had an open slot 6 minutes after I arrived. If the Lord had answered my prayer and given me that parking place, I'd have either gotten on the wrong train and ended up miles past my destination, or gotten on the right train, and exited a mile or so early, and been walking. God knows what I need even when I don't think he's listening. I'm so glad He's God and I can trust Him with every detail of my life!!Miralee Ferrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09431092886100324593noreply@blogger.com0