Skip to main content

Hulk Smash!

 "Hulk smash!"

--The Incredible Hulk


On Father's Day, my family gathered together at my parent's house for a cookout. The kitchen door opened repeatedly as people arrived. One person caught both my and my husband's attention. My three-year-old nephew was wearing an Incredible Hulk mask. We were torn between laughing and feeling slightly uncomfortable as he stared us down, mean mugging and unblinking. J is his own brand of awesome. I may be biased, but I think all my nieces and nephews are.

Lately, I've been feeling particularly thankful for my siblings and their littles. I'm amazed at how personalities can shine through such tiny people in big ways.💚I want them to embrace every beautiful part of themselves, to discover and grow and flourish.

Too often we get disconnected from those parts of ourselves. Take some time today and think about the things that made you happy when you were a child. Was it painting? Did you love to climb trees? Were you the person who stood up for the kid getting bullied? Get out your paint brushes again. Go outside and walk around in nature. Use your voice to speak up for those who can't. The beautiful parts of you are still there. They might be stored in a corner of your heart, dusty and temporarily forgotten. But I'm betting they work and that you'll find an unexpected joy in them you would have otherwise missed out on.



What I've been reading . . .

The Heart of Betrayal and The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson

The Remnant Chronicles

Books 2 & 3

YA Fantasy


"Some scars took longer to heal than others, and some scars, I knew, were necessary. Some things you should never forget."

--The Beauty of Darkness


If you're looking for an un-put-down-able series, this is it!

*Warning for sensitive readers: Contains some language and adult content.



What I've been listening to . . .

"Stay Strong" by the Newsboys

An oldie but goodie.


"Dark Side" by Bishop Briggs

Sometimes I come across a song that feels like it should go on a project playlist, but I don't have a project that it fits with. It often leaves me wanting to create a playlist of these songs, including this one. I'd call it, "Someone please use this!"😆



Currently enjoying . . .

Hot chocolate! I know, who drinks cocoa in the summer? But I've been looking for the right cocoa to sweetener ratio for some time. And I finally found it!


Hot Chocolate

1 2/3 C heated milk

2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder

1 TBS natural maple syrup

Top it off with almond milk and a dash of cinnamon (if you're into that . . . #oncersforever).



Blessings,

J 🤍






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spring is Here!🌷

 Happy spring, friends!🌞🌱 We've had a lot of rain here in the Hoosier state. It's getting warmer, and things are greening up. I can't wait for sunny days when I can go for walks and start working on my garden. This year, I'm planning to try my hand at container gardening. My garden plot is pretty small to start with. I like things that are straightforward and practical. So, this seems like it might be a good fit. And less weeding! Which is good, because I'm continuing to work through final tweaks for Champion's Sword . I should be done by the end of April. Then I'll move on to formatting, followed by one final read to check for commas and such. I'm looking forward to refilling my creative well and returning to drafting after so long in editing land.😉 Reading . . . This month, I re-read Spells for Forgetting  by Adrienne Young. And I finally got my hands on Ignite  by Kara Swanson. If you've read Champion's Key , you'll understand why this ...
Post a Comment
Read more

My Book, Vikings, and Fall

Obviously, the first thing I'm going to mention in this week's blog is the fact that A Desperate Love  has officially released! Yay!😁 For those of you who live here, I am doing a giveaway at the Flora Library. Why not swing by and enter (Rules prohibit family from entering. Sorry!)? Grab a free key chain while you're at it (I made them myself, so supplies are limited.) 🕮 One of my sister's posted this picture of her copy of my book. Isn't it great? Speaking of sisters, another sister (I have a lot of them💙💚💛💜) text me her opinion/personal review of my book. "AWESOME! I loved it! It was well written, intriguing, suspenseful, and had Christian principles without being cheesy!" --H. Maybe she's partial, but it made me feel so loved. 💙 🕮 Thing I am watching this week: The History Channel's Vikings . I am 2/3 of the way through Season 1. I wasn't sure at first, but...
Post a Comment
Read more

Visuals 2

I have been so busy this week, friends. How about you? I'm also super excited about "A Desperate Love" coming out! As we get closer to the release, I've been thinking about how crazy this journey has been. Did you know that I originally wrote the entire thing out with pencil and paper? The Entire Thing! Who does that? Me, apparently! Most recently I've been doing my editing amid construction noise.  This process has included, but has not been limited to, writing in my dining room within reach of a basketball hoop, saving money for a year to buy my Chrome Book, learning how to market myself online, typing for hours , going into work on my days off to type . . . etc., etc. Honestly, it is a story in itself! And now, I present to you, more pictures from my Desperate Love Pinterest board. These are a few of the pictures I used to inspire me and to keep me focused on what I had in mind. How I envision Lady Olivia. How I envi...
Post a Comment
Read more