Search Results for: blog reflections on a weekend

Reflections on a Weekend

From Left to Right: Beth Terrell, Chester Campbell, J.B. Thompson, me, Bente Gallagher How was your weekend? Did you and your spouse do anything interesting? Was it the same old routine? Or did you spend a nice, simple weekend together? Wayne and I had sort of had a combo weekend. One the one hand it was sort of just nice and simple. But there was some excitement too. Southern Festival of Books This past weekend was the Southern Festival of Books, which is put on by Humanities Tennessee. It draws over 200 authors from around the U.S. who participate in … Continue reading →

Reflections of Christ

This last weekend, I had the opportunity to fly down to Arizona on business and I stopped by the Mesa Temple with some friends. The grounds were lovely, covered in citrus trees and flowers. A heady scent filled the air, and it was so peaceful and serene. We stepped into the Visitors Center, not dressed to enter the temple itself. The same spirit that fills the temple was also in the Visitors Center and I took a deep breath, feeling the love of our Heavenly Father. The sister missionary who acted as tour guide motioned for us to enter a … Continue reading →

17th Annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

I’m breaking with my own tradition here: usually I wait to post about the Epcot Food & Wine Festival until closer to when it will actually start. We’ve got just over a month until it kicks off, so why am I writing about it now? I’m doing so in case anyone reading this is interested in going, and wants to sign up for one of the seminars or other special events. As of right now, some are sold out but others still have spaces available. Slots are going fast, so sign up ASAP if you’re interested. Here’s a quick summary … Continue reading →

Grocery Shopping The Wrong Way

I’m not a good grocery shopper. I tend to fly by the seat of my pants. I don’t have a regular shopping schedule; I just go when I see we are running low on something. Usually this means I stop on the way home from work. This is always a bad idea for two reasons, number one, I don’t have a list and number two I’m starving before I’m halfway through the store so that means I buy lots of stuff that I don’t need. I used to be much better at grocery shopping. I went every weekend. I made … Continue reading →

Underappreciated Disney Films: The Sword in the Stone

Over the weekend, the BBC’s current King Arthur reinvention television program, “Merlin,” held a Comic-Con panel. During the session one audience member asked two of the show’s stars, those playing the young lead Merlin and the stern King Uther, what was their favorite Arthurian screen adaptation. Both replied, “the Disney one.” While this says something about the distressingly poor quality of most Arthurian film adaptations, it also speaks to the enduring excellence of “The Sword in the Stone.” Yet for some reason, the 1963 animated movie rarely gets much attention, especially amongst its Disney peers. I can understand why some … Continue reading →

Celebrate the Fourth Disney Style

Sometimes it feels like almost all I’m ever doing around here is talking about things going on at Disney World. But the amusement park just keeps holding so many special events; I’d feel remiss if I didn’t share the news with my fellow Disney enthusiasts, especially those lucky enough to make summer trips to Orlando (or Anaheim). Because we’re heading into the Fourth of July weekend today, I thought I’d share with everyone the details of what Disney World’s doing for its Independence Day celebrations. Disneyland really needs to start posting announcements as frequently on its web site as Disney … Continue reading →

Confessions of a Completely Insane Mother – Kersten Campbell

I recently read “Confessions of a Completely Insane Mother by Kersten Campbell. Kersten is the mother of five and a convert to the church. This book is a collection of essays of her reflections on motherhood and the church. As Kersten says in her introduction she has “seasoned each story with a generous helping of hyperbole.” The result is a great bunch of essays that had me laughing out loud. I read this book over Easter weekend when I was spending time with family. It’s a great book to read in busy situations or when you need a quick pick … Continue reading →

Chatting about Music, Romantic Suspense, and Pets: An Interview with Author JB Thompson

When I was on a panel at the Southern Festival of Books last month, author Jennie Bentley wasn’t the only one to accept my request for an interview. So did this next author, who moderated the panel. JB Thompson is the immediate past president of the Middle Tennessee Sisters in Crime and has always done nothing but welcome me with open arms and extraordinary graciousness every time I’ve participated in any SinC event. The funny thing is, every time I’m around her, I learn we have something else in common. For instance, on previous occasions I learned we both write … Continue reading →

What Works on the Court and in Marriage

Playing tennis can teach us something about marriage. When Mick and I partner each other at tennis and the opposition drops a short ball I tend to say ‘up, up, up’. He always found it helpful when we played competition tennis. The number of ‘ups’ was indicative of how fast he needed to move on the court. Even though we’re playing social tennis now and enjoy it, we’re still out there to try and win. Throughout the game we encourage each one when one of us hits a good shot and encourage each other to keep going when either of … Continue reading →

The Law of Attraction, Cozies and Cats: An Interview with Author Jennie Bentley

Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about how I wish I knew any authors who featured cats in their work so I could interview them for the Pets Blog. Well, in yet another display of the Law of Attraction at work, wouldn’t you know my wish was granted this past Sunday when I was on a panel at the Southern Festival of books with Bente Gallagher who writes as Jennie Bentley? Her first mystery in her DIY Home Renovation Mystery series is called Fatal Fixer Upper and it’s due out November 4th. In the process of talking about her book … Continue reading →