That ABC Book for Grammy's Darlings...It's Coming Along (The Letter D, Pages 7 and 8)

Quite a while back, I blogged about an ABC picture book that I was working on for my twin granddaughters.  It was one that I'd begun when my youngest son was a baby, but I'd abandoned it for almost twenty years, with just a handful of pages completed.  Inspired by the arrival of my little sweetie pies in June of 2011, I started working on it once again.  My goal was to complete it, with two pages of pictures for each letter of the alphabet, in time to give it to them as a birthday present when they turned one.  (Chuckle.  First deadline not met.)  Then I thought I'd give it as a present on their second Christmas in 2012.  (Laugh.  Another deadline came and went.)  A new baby sister arrived for the twins in February of 2013, giving me even more impetus to complete the book, and I was determined that it would be done in time for the twins' second birthday last June...Uhh, nope.  Christmas 2013?  Nope again.

Okay, folks, the new deadline is the twins' third birthday in June of 2014.  And this time I mean it!  If I don't hurry, they're going to outgrow their love for ABC picture books before I ever finish it!

The A's (pages 1 and 2) have been completed for a long time now, as well as the B's (pages 3 and 4).  And I just yesterday finally finished the D's.  (Yes, I do know that C comes before D--but I was just overly excited to get to the D's because of the DINOSAUR.  Obviously.)

So pages 5 and 6 are coming soon (let's hope, anyway).  But here is page 7:

And here is page 8:

Way back when I was newly married and my only child was a female half Black Lab-half Golden Retriever named Shamus, I submitted some children's books I'd worked on to a publisher for consideration.  Their rejections were swift but kind.  This time around, I have no illusions about seeing this work published.  It's enough of a miracle that Finding Grace is really in print, and not just stacks of 8 and1/2 by 11-inch pages that I've run off using my home printer and handed out to family members (which was my plan at the outset)--that alone is more that I could have ever hoped for. 

So no more rejection letters for Grammy.  Instead, I'm going to have my baby sister, who is a genius at putting together hardcover memory books using Shutterfly, walk me through the process so I can run off copies of this ABC book for all of my grandkids.  I've never used Shutterfly, but I think it's amazing how professional their products look!

And before I sign off, here's a quick shout-out for Finding Grace (because I've been encouraged by my publisher to keep plugging away at promoting it).  This article, calling it one of the "best books you haven't read" and announcing the newly lowered Kindle price, was posted on The Association of Catholic Women Bloggers website today.

Now off to tackle the C's!

What I Wore Sunday (Not THIS Sunday, But I Will Wear It Some Other Sunday)

I haven't joined the faith-filled fashionistas over at Fine Linen and Purple for quite some time...but I've got something to show you that is so perfect for wearing to church on Sunday, and it's even purple!  I thought that was a sign that it was time to link up again!

Here I am modeling one of my favorite Christmas gifts of 2013 (given to me by my very favorite person--who also happens to be my beloved husband, the excellent father of my five sons, and my happy partner in the grandest of all adventures, grandparenthood).

This would have been a perfect veil to wear during the Advent season, when the color would have been liturgically appropriate.  In fact, there were a number of bloggers who were participating in a veiling link-up in the weeks leading up to Christmas, but I never did end up joining in.  If I'd had this glorious purple number back then, I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to help myself.

Isn't this the most beautiful lace mantilla ever?  I absolutely love it (and will be sure to wear it during Lent, when it will again be liturgically apropos).  Here's a side view, showing the wonderfully intricate details of the Spanish lace.

I did give my husband some not-so-subtle hints about what I really wanted for Christmas.  I pointed out to him the different styles (some French, some Spanish) of lace mantillas I liked on the Veils by Lily website, and several colors I preferred.  Then I left it up to him to pick out a style and color, so that it wouldn't be the usual "Hey, look what you got me!" routine.  I wanted him to be the one to make the final choice.  (This one is called "Spanish Floral," Item #LE16, and it comes in black, black and silver metallic, black and gray, white, off-white, gray, navy, and wine purple.)

I have been veiling for almost five years now, after spending about five years before that trying to decide if I had the nerve to do it.  I have to believe that the Holy Spirit was prodding me until I gave in, because I fought it and fought it, yet couldn't shake the feeling that I was supposed to start wearing a veil.  I worried about standing out, or being different, or calling attention to myself (something that goes very much against the grain of my shy and reserved personality).  For those five years, I would periodically look at ads I'd cut out of a Catholic newspaper called The Wanderer--admiring the veiled models and wondering if I should go on one of those websites and call in an order, but always chickening out in the end.   But quotes like this one, found on the Veils by Lily website, kept speaking to me in an ever louder and more insistent voice:

We veil as a sign of humility before God, and we do it anytime we find ourselves inside a Catholic church, where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in the tabernacle.

If you are thinking about beginning this beautiful devotion, remember that it is God before whom you wish to humble yourself. Like a religious habit, your veil is a public proclamation of your desire to submit to the will of God for your life, and of your commitment to answering the universal call to holiness and continual conversion. Your veil is also a sign of the great dignity inherent to a woman, who has the potential to receive life within herself... both human life and the supernatural life of God. This is an important message the world needs to hear, now more than ever!

I have gotten so used to wearing a veil now.  When I'm in my own parish, I am pretty much unaware of having that triangle of lace on my head.  I am one of only a small handful of women who cover their heads during Mass, but I know everyone is used to seeing me this way--and although it was difficult to start the practice, I am completely comfortable when on my home turf.  Sometimes when I'm away from home, however, veiling becomes an opportunity for me to practice humility and mortification.  For instance, about a year ago, when my husband and I were out at Notre Dame for a football weekend (and a visit with our youngest son, who is a student there), we ran into his old junior high girlfriend at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, right after Mass ended.  We were still in the church, visiting the room off the altar area that houses a large collection of saints' relics, so I was not able to remove my veil.  We had not seen this still-lovely former flame for about 40 years; she had gone to grade school with my husband but her family had moved away after our freshman year in high school--and not long after that school year ended, my husband and I had started dating.  All I could think when I saw her after all those years (shame on me!) was "Why couldn't we have run into her outside of the church, so I could look like a normal person?"  When I admitted my weak and prideful thoughts to my husband, he assured me that he was proud of me for having that veil on.  He loves to see me in a veil (and therefore, he thoroughly enjoyed picking out a new one for me as a gift).

I obviously married the right man.  And I think this Christmas, he chose the right veil for me.  I can hardly wait to have the opportunity to wear it.

Coincidentally, the dress I'm going to wear for my #4 son's wedding in February is dark purple, and I think this veil would look lovely with it...

No, I don't believe I'll do that.  I think at a wedding, the only woman wearing a beautiful lace veil should be the bride.  I'll probably end up wearing the same vintage black felt hat with a gross grain ribbon bow that I've worn to the weddings of sons #1 and #3.

I'll just go ahead and save this beauty for Lent!

Now head on over to FLAP for more fashion fun--in purple and other colors, too.

Reduced Price for Finding Grace!

Just a few minutes ago, I visited my book's page on Amazon, and to my surprise I found that the price for the paperback copy (which originally sold for $17.99) had recently been reduced from $16.19 to $14.99.  Not long ago, the Kindle price came down from $9.99 to $4.99.   Maybe at these new affordable prices, Finding Grace will find a broader readership.

Did you see what I did there?  I embedded a handy link, on which you can click--easy peasy--if you'd like to get yourself a copy.  At these new low prices, what have you got to lose?

Okay, I've got some questions for you.

Do you love to immerse yourself in a nice, long book that draws you in and makes you care about its characters?

Are you always up for a good "will they or won't they" love story, where the heroine must choose between two possible love interests?

Are you tired of books about vampires, werewolves, and zombies--not to mention ones filled with lurid sex scenes, rampant immorality, and the verbal trashing of every Catholic character and everything the Catholic Faith stands for?

Are you sick of the whole moral relativism mindset, and anxious to read about characters who--though they may fall at times--are striving to live good lives and wind up saints in Heaven?

Would you like to read a sweet story that is unapologetically pro-chastity and pro-life, but in a way that doesn't shove it down your throat and is compassionate toward those who make big mistakes in life, yet find their way to peace and forgiveness?

Do you have a teenaged daughter who might be edified and inspired by such a story?  (And this book is not just for her, Mom; I think you'd enjoy it, too!)

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then Finding Grace is for you!  (Did you see what I did there--again?)

Back in November of 2011, my middle son (son #3) was spending the Thanksgiving weekend with my husband and me and his oldest brother (along with his oldest brother's wife and twin baby daughters).  He'd asked me to print out a copy of Finding Grace so he could read it.  I hadn't yet completed the final two chapters, and I had some "tweaking" to do here and there, but it was otherwise essentially a finished manuscript.  He'd been very interested in my project from the beginning, when I sat down to start writing in August of 2007--and he was the one who worried that when I began blogging in March of 2011, it would take too much time away from the book.  (He was one of my first loyal blog followers, but still--he didn't want me to spend so much time at it that I gave up on Finding Grace.)

Well, my then-25-year-old-son sped through those pages I gave him and practically finished the whole thing that weekend.  He kept telling me how good he thought it was--particularly after Grace's five older brothers make their appearance in the story.  Once I finally provided him with the ending chapters and he read them, he sent me a professional-looking multi-page document with a game plan for publishing the book, and he named himself my official CFO.  He believed in the book so much that he ended up investing half the publishing costs at the outset, splitting them with his dad.

When I opened up the attachment to that e-mail and saw that he had sent what was essentially a business power-point presentation, I cried.  Especially when I got to the last page: "You have written an amazing story, and I know that Regina*, myself, and most importantly Dad believe that this book could not only sell very well, but it could also change people's lives for the better.  Do not worry about my initial investment or whether or not I lose most or all of it.  I am happy to do it, and it would be completely worth it to see your dream of writing a book come true."

What difference do sales numbers make when you've been blessed with sons such as this one?  I am humbled by the blessings God has granted me.

One of the reasons I wanted to tell this story about my son is to show you that although this book has been given a "Young Adult" tag, it is not just for teenaged girls.  Adult women--and even men, like my son--have enjoyed it, too.

Okay, that's the end of my little sales pitch.  I'll just leave you with this recent image of my adorable middle son (the new husband, as of December 7, 2013!) promoting his mom's book.  With that face, I tell you, that boy could sell ice to the Eskimos.  I hope he can sell Finding Grace to you!  (That's the last embedded link--promise!)

 

*At that time, only my first daughter-in-law, blog name "Regina," had read all the chapters I'd written before son #3 joined her as an early reader/typo locator.

Happy New Year!

Hi, remember me?  I used to have this blog thang that I liked to do every day.  But I've been taking the idea of "being on vacation" very seriously this Christmas season, and my laptop and I hardly know one another anymore.  I have so much to catch up on with all of my blogging friends--because I have not only not been blogging myself, but I've hardly spent any time reading all of my favorite blogs, either.  It's just been too insanely (and wonderfully) busy and fun and full of family time lately, so I thought it best to put this old blog of mine on the back burner (mostly, anyway--with just a few check-ins so you know I'm still alive) for a bit.

We spent four days after Christmas in Upstate NY (in the town where my husband and I grew up, fell in love, and got married), visiting with various and sundry members of both of our families.  Then we drove to CT for a few days, because our baby, who is a junior out at Notre Dame, had plans to meet up at the home of one of his Army ROTC buddies for a big Notre Dame New Year's extravaganza, and this buddy happens to live less than an hour from one of my husband's younger brothers.  Although this brother is away on a trip (he is an airline pilot, like my guy), we've gotten in a nice visit with our sister-in-law and one of our nieces, and our boy got dropped off yesterday for the party with his college friends.  It's been a win-win situation all around.

Last night, my husband, my sister-in-law, and I rang in 2014 in grand style: by splitting a bottle of champagne and a plate full of homemade chocolate chip cookies*.  We also watched a Netflix movie that she'd been sent in the mail.  None of us knew much about "The Big Wedding," but it features Robert DeNiro, Diane Keaton, and Katherine Heigl, among other well-known stars, and we thought we'd give it a shot.  After all, one of our sons just got married in early December, another will be getting in less than two months, and one of our S-I-L's daughters just got engaged--so we are all currently afflicted with a severe case of wedding fever. 

I'm not really sure if "The Big Wedding" is rated PG-13 or R (something we should have checked on before we put it in the DVD player), but either way, it is exceedingly inappropriate and filled with pretty much irredeemable characters.  None of us liked it and I don't know why we even watched it to the end--I think we were waiting to see if there might be even one character who decided to clean up his act.  But no; even the male character who started out being a bit inspirational, because he'd made a vow of chastity at 15 and was still a virgin at 30 (waiting for "the one"), winds up succumbing to temptation and having meaningless, lust-driven sex with a woman he has just met.  Surprise, surprise.  And wait, here's another shocker: although there are Catholic characters in this movie and a confession scene with Robin Williams as the priest (playing the role just about the way you'd expect him to), all the beliefs and practices of the Faith are denigrated and skewered in true Hollywood fashion.

SO--the movie was a mistake.  But our little party was a ton of fun.  My S-I-L took a selfie of the three of us party animals shortly before the ball dropped, and at midnight she shot it out to all the family in a text that read, "We be 'cray'!"  (I love this sister-in-law; when she's involved, life is always a party.)

We were cray--you should have seen us!  I mean, look at the proof littering her kitchen counter the following morning.  We partied--oh yes we did!  :)

I hope your New Year's Eve celebration was as wild and cray as ours, and as cozy and fun.  And I wish you health and happiness and many blessings in 2014.

*Before I go, I have to share this recipe for happiness I learned from my S-I-L.  She makes chocolate chip cookie dough ahead of time, and then she rolls it into logs and puts it in the freezer.  That way, she can take it out and cut it, just the way you do with that Pillsbury ready-to-bake cookie dough, using as little or as much of it as she needs.  It's pure genius!  And you're welcome!

Imitating Art, and Artistic Genius

As far back as I can remember, I've been interested in drawing and painting.  I have used many types of media--ink, pencils, charcoals, pastels, oils, and acrylics--over the years, with varying degrees of success.  I like to work with acrylic paints the best, because they mimic oils but dry so much faster--and I've always been impatient when it comes to seeing the finished product of anything I happen to be working on at the time.  (Also, I'd rather deal with the ease of a soap and water clean-up than be required to use smelly cans of turpentine or paint thinner.)

I'm not a great artist.  Most of what I create ends up looking pretty amateurish.  (Hey, that IS a word.  I half-expected the spell checker to put a squiggly line under that one.)  Perhaps if I'd taken a lot of art classes or attended art school, rather than majoring in English at a liberal arts college, I might have been able to become a proficient artist--but when it comes to my so-called "art," I'm mostly self-taught.

I did, however, take two entry-level art courses as electives at the College of the Holy Cross: one was Introduction to Drawing and the other was Introduction to Painting.  I didn't get as much out of the drawing class as I was supposed to, because I skipped a number of classes.  You see, when I signed up for the class, I didn't realize that it was going to involve sketching nudes.  And when I say nudes, I mean, you know...buck naked actual human models sitting up there in front of the classroom, posing in all kinds of embarrassing positions--all so that a roomful of decidedly not-Rembrandts could do awkward charcoal renderings of them.

I muscled through the classes where the model was a female.  I really wanted to throw a robe on her (or a fig leaf or something--anything!), but I managed to do a few not-very-detailed and not-very-good sketches of her in her birthday suit.  But when I found out that a male model was going to be sitting up there for three straight classes, I was appalled and told my professor that there was no way I could possibly be there for those sessions.  I would take a hit on my grade for the class, if that's what she thought I deserved, but I simply could not be there looking at some strange naked guy.  At that point, my husband and I were still just boyfriend and girlfriend, but although we weren't yet formally engaged, we knew that we would be getting married as soon as possible after graduation; and--how do I say this delicately, so that if my sons read it they won't be scarred for life?--I really didn't think it was right to see another man in a disrobed state before I saw my husband that way on our wedding night.  Ahem.  Sorry, perhaps that was TMI, but there you have it.  I must say, the professor was very understanding and she didn't end up giving me any zero's for the missing work.

So--you get the idea that when I draw or paint people, I prefer to have them wearing clothes.  I like how people look in clothes.  Clothes are my favorite.  And I think it's sort of hard to paint the folds and shadows in garments, so I contend that if an artist really wants to challenge himself, he should paint his models properly clothed.  (That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.)

For instance, I was inspired to try to copy this Winslow Homer image of a pair of lads (with clothes on every part of their bodies except their feet)

and I painted this in acrylics, as a gift for my husband's older sister.

It's most definitely the work of an amateur, but I absolutely love the subject matter.  And the clothes.

Whatever God-given talent I have was passed on to my five boys in much greater intensity, and as children they spent hours and hours sketching animals, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, sea creatures, and more than anything else, dinosaurs.  Sons #2 and #4 are really the only ones who are still interested in drawing, son #4 in particular.  He never copies from photos or other artists' works (like his very unoriginal mom); his drawings go straight from his fertile imagination onto the paper, without reliance on any crutches or points of reference.  Just to show you how talented he is, here is an image that sprang completely out of his head, and I think it's extraordinary.

This is a picture taken of the work while it was on the computer screen; printed out on paper,
it is much crisper and sharper, and even more amazing!

Our #4 son created this piece recently as a wedding gift for his older brother.  He used to do all of his work using pencil and paper, but he drew these images--his own original takes on the Notre Dame leprechaun and the FSU Seminole--using a newfangled device whereby you do the drawing on a pad with a stylus and the image is magically transferred to the computer screen, and then color and other effects can be added.  I think this boy of ours is an artistic genius, I do; and I truly believe he could be a Disney animator (so if anyone out there who's reading this right now has an "in" over at Disney, feel free to put in a good word for him!).

Some of us try to imitate the artistic genius of others, and some of us are truly artistic geniuses.  But either way, if a work of art brings any small amount of enjoyment to the viewer, that's what it's all about.

Celebrating 33 years together...

...and preparing for the wedding of another son!

Yesterday marked 33 years of wedded bliss for my husband and me.  We are spending some post-Christmas/pre-New Year's time in the small town in Upstate NY where we grew up (and met, in high school, over 40 years ago).  We do this almost every December, after spending Christmas at our own home in NH, so that we can see family members from both my side and his.

Wedding day: December 27, 1980.

Last night, we decided to break away from the extended family gathering and have a nice romantic dinner--just the two of us--at a local restaurant known for its rustically lovely ambience, excellent service, and fine cuisine.  My husband had steak au poivre and I had beef Wellington, and oh my goodness, it was all indescribably delicious.  When they heard we were celebrating our anniversary, they gave us each a glass of champagne, on the house, which was very sweet.

33 years, five sons, and three granddaughters later!

We went to this particular restaurant with more than just our anniversary in mind, however; because in less than two months, we are going to host a rehearsal dinner in their event room, the night before the wedding of son #4, and we wanted to talk to the proprietor and get some questions answered.

That's right, dear readers; our #3 son just got married on Pearl Harbor Day and the ink is barely dry on his marriage certificate, and now son #4's wedding is just over the horizon.  All I can say is that life in a big family is always the most glorious roller coaster.  We had sons #1 through #4 in a span of just over four years, so I guess it should surprise no one that their weddings would take place in similar rapid-fire fashion!

I know that my first daughter-in-law Regina was thrilled when son #3's wife Preciosa joined the clan and helped to even out the ratio of men to women in the Pearl family.  Now those two gals will be able to welcome son #4's bride into the fold.  (I haven't come up with a blog name for this young lady yet, but I surely will.)

I'm sorry that I've been such an incredible slacker lately when it comes to keeping current here at "String of Pearls."  I'd love to get back to the habit of posting daily, and hopefully I will very soon.  I've got plenty of things to tell you about (I'm sure you're waiting with baited breath!  And by the way, what the heck does that phrase even mean?), once we finally get back home and the busy-ness of the holidays is past...and you know, all that's going on in my life is stuff like preparing for another wedding in our family!

I'm feeling overjoyed, overwhelmed, over-excited, and all sorts of other adjectives that start with "over."  Mostly, though, I'm just feeling over-blessed.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I was going to take a short hiatus from blogging.  But then earlier this evening when we were Face-timing with our middle son and his brand new bride (who are spending Christmas with her folks down in FL), he said he was having some FOMO (that stands for "fear of missing out," in case you've never heard that acronym before), because this is his first ever Christmas away from home.  He told me that he missed seeing a new blog post today, because if I'd blogged about what was going on here at ye old homestead, reading that would have helped to alleviate the FOMO he was having.

Oh, the guilt!

Here I thought everyone would be so busy having Christmas fun that the last thing anyone would miss would be a "String of Pearls" blog post.  I guess I was wrong.

Aside from the newlyweds, we were also missing our oldest son, his wife Regina, and our three darling granddaughters today.  They had just made a major trip east for the wedding in early December, so they're spending the holidays at their home in CO.  We did Skype with them earlier today, though, and got to watch them open the gifts we'd sent.  The girls loved their new stuffed animals.  That made our day!

We had sons #2, #4, and #5 here with us, and we feel incredibly blessed.  We laughed a lot, ate a lot, and spent a lot of quality relaxation time together.

Okay, I'm going to keep this very short and sweet, because it's practically bedtime...

So I'll just leave you with a few pictures.

 

 

Merry Christmas to all--and to all a good night!