After a year-and-one-half, I decided it was time to start blogging again.  Much has happened in that time, but I'll probably start with the most recent events and go backwards as I see fit.

When I was between 8-10, my mother (who was an excellent seamstress - but who didn't have the patience to teach) had my sister and I get sewing lessons.  Over the years, I've made clothes for myself and many craft projects.  I decided it was time to start my 8 y.o. on a sewing project.  Yesterday, we made a pair of "lounge pants." They were too big, but they are comfy for her... and it was a good beginning project.

Lots of hidden schooling was part of the lesson... reading (directions), math (measurements), listening (to instructions), patience, and satisfaction (in a job well done)!

This morning, before school started, we made a skirt...

Proverbs 31:13 "She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands."

Hiatus

Since my last post was in October of 2011, you can see that I've been on a bit of a hiatus blogging-wise.  And it looks like that will continue for the near future.

Writing:  I am trying to finish revisions on a magazine article.  The holidays and some family challenges had brought this to a temporary halt.  Hoping to finish revisions this week so I can send it to get an expert review.  After that, I am taking an online picture book course - and I have revisions for 3 or 4 book manuscripts to work on. I hope to go to a writing conference in April in Iowa, but that's up in the air right now.

Ranching / Farming: Calving will start in about one month.  Until then, our 6 y.o. gets up around 6:30 so she can help Daddy with the chores before school.  I bought a bunch of heirloom seeds for our garden.  They'll get started in a few weeks. I'm not much of a gardener, so I'll leave that to our youngest and my husband!

Family:  Other than the above-mentioned family challenges, we've had some praises, our 6 y.o. has accepted Jesus as her Savior and will be talking to our pastor about getting baptized!

Faith:  Since November I keep getting reminded of Psalm 139. So, I'll post part of that here:

Psalm 139: 23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Work in progress

As I was rereading a comment from a previous post, I realized I had promised to take a picture of the plaque in my writing cabin, but had never done it.  It is about 12 inches square and hangs over one window. The verse is from 1 Corinthians 10:31. Here it is...

While the sky is overcast, the pond is still pretty with  some fall leaves still clinging to the trees. With colder temperatures expected this week, they may all be gone by the end of the week.

In the past month, I've been able to submit a children's magazine article, submit a biography for critique at a November SCBWI conference in Pennsylvania, and now I've been revising an historical picture book. Here's what my workspace looks like. (Caveat: the pictures in this blog are copyrighted by me and may not be copied, saved, or used without my written permission.)

I cut the manuscript into what I think are the page turns. It is helping me to see where there's too much going on  for one page, not enough (for illustrations) on others, and where it just plain needs to be changed.

Overall, it's been a good writing month. Writing has been squeezed in between homeschooling, harvesting, and other obligations, but "where there's a will, there's a way."

1 Cor 10:31 "Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

A Time of Rest

This past summer was not a productive one for me writing-wise.  It culminated with my having surgery a month ago.  I thought I could work on several projects while recuperating, but didn't have the energy for it.

I really like the home-school program we purchased for our 6 y.o. daughter.  It is A Beka Academy's 1st grade program.  Our 6 y.o. watches a teacher and participates with her classroom online and then has lots of workbook pages to complete each day.  My daughter is writing in cursive and reading two-vowel words.  Quite an accomplishment this young.  (Perhaps "normal" for this day and age, but above normal compared to when I was in 1st grade many moons ago!)

In the last few days, I was able to revise a children's nonfiction magazine article that had gotten rejected back in June. My critique group tore it apart and I've incorporated the suggested changes.  Today I need to print off the manuscript and bibliography and then label the photographs that go with it.

After I've mailed off that submission, I can get started on revisions for an historic picture book I wrote at the beginning of the year. I have done a lot of research in order to make it historically accurate and plausible.

On the farm-front, harvest has started. We are praying for a better harvest than this year's weather conditions warrant.

Hopefully this period of enforced rest will result not only in a healthy body, but renewed writing projects.

Psalm 34:8 "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."

3rd Annual Oakdale Farms Writer's Retreat

Here's the group of generous, funny, kind, smart, talented ...children's authors who came for the 3rd Annual Oakdale Farms Writer's Retreat.  The picture was taken at a local cafe.

I think everyone had a good time and I think they were able to get some productive writing in.  I'm always concerned about: are they too hot, too cold, is there enough food that everyone will like, do I have too many "rules of the  house," are their beds too hard, too soft, etc. etc. etc.  Then after they leave, I think, "Oh, we should have played board games or talked more, or we should have done this or that."

There weren't any new calves born while they were here this year.  There were, however, tons of tadpoles and minnows in the pond for some side entertainment.

One highlight for me was the surprise launch party for author Wendy Henrichs' debut book: I am Tama, Lucky Cat.  Wendy is one of the kindest, warm, loving people I know - and she gives awesome critiques for my manuscripts!

We all crowded into Pilcrow Place (my writing cabin) and showered Wendy with gifts, a gorgeous cake, and our heartfelt support.  She would be the first to suggest a launch party for any of the rest of us, so it was nice to be able to do this for her!

I think everyone had a chance to write in the cabin if they wanted to.  It still smells a little like varnish from the last bookshelf my husband made, but hopefully, it didn't bother them too much.  It was nice having an air conditioner out there since we are in the middle of a heat wave!

Here's a little side entertainment after dinner on Saturday night.  It was going to be, "How many children's authors fit in a phone booth?" but since it was so hot, we opted for just trying to fit everyone in the picture!  (Last year a kind, local police officer who just happened to be walking by took the picture.)  There are 13 women in the picture if you can find them all!

It was especially nice that my purse was still on the park bench after I realized I'd forgotten it there!  (Thanks Judith for turning around and getting us back there quickly!)

It's a little sad that everyone is gone and I'm here writing alone.  Wondering how I can manage two retreats in one year!  It's also sad that I can't have more women here for the retreats... but I only have so many beds.

The sign on the mailbox even looked sad when I took it down.

Well, now I have the 4th Annual Oakdale Farms Writer's Retreat to look forward to!  Perhaps I will be more relaxed for that one.... you think?

P.S. Hopefully one of the other ladies will blog about the retreat.  They always give a better recap than I do!

Memorial Day

Service to our country is a prevalent theme in my family. I have pictures of seven family members who have served, but there are many more I don't have photos for.  For instance, I don't have a military picture of my sister Carolann who retired after 20 years in the Air Force. She died of a syndrome called C.R.E.S.T. in 2003.  My step-brother, Dan Jalbert, just retired from the Air Force last week after 26 years. My brother, Alan Dombrowski served in the Navy. My grandfather, John Montgomery, served in the Boer War for Great Britain. My Grandfather Woodward served during WWII. I have cousins and uncles and probably other family members who I'm forgetting, who also served.

We have to remember that being a member of this country is not free. There is a price. It comes at the cost of our loved ones. Pray for those who are serving. Thank one of them today.

Here is my dad, Neil I. Montgomery. He served in the Army in North Africa and Italy during WWII. He was wounded over there and received the Silver Star for his actions.

 

Here is my brother Richard Montgomery. He served in the Marines for two tours of duty during Vietnam. I don't know what decorations he received, but I do know he didn't wait to be drafted, but volunteered for duty.

Here is my sister, Paula. She spent twenty years in the Air Force and retired as a Technical Sergeant.

Here are my biological father Harding Coolidge Mason and his brother (my uncle) Leslie H. Mason. They both served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. They also both left high school early in order to enlist. My Uncle Leslie died in the war.

Here I am.  I spent five years in the Air Force. I was a E-4 Sergeant when I got out. I trained in Texas and Colorado and I was stationed in Guam, England, and Florida. I did several temporary (short) assignments to Germany.

Here is my little brother, Eric Beauregard. He is currently in the Navy Reserves. He has had a tour of duty in Bahrain in the recent past - among other duty assignments.

There is also a price for our spiritual home. But thankfully, One paid the ultimate price for our eternal freedom: Jesus Christ. He died so that we might live.
John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

Writer's Cabin update

My writer's cabin is finished!! Yesterday, I used it for the first time:

Here's the view out the window that's to the right of my desktop overlooking the pond: 

Wildlife I saw out my windows: two Canada Geese, a (huge) snapping turtle, bluegill and catfish, 7 Painted turtles (they vie for prime basking space on the tire in the pond), at least three hummingbirds, and many other birds.

"Did you get any writing done?" you ask?  YES!  I wrote the first draft of a magazine article that I want to send to Highlights for Children magazine.

I hope to (soon) make a video of the building process and the finished cabin.

I haven't taken a picture of it yet, but our oldest son and his fiancée made a plaque for me that hangs over the big window. Its from 1 Corinthians 10:31 and reads: "Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."