Happy New Year's!! 2016!

    I love New Years! I love to start a new year! New goals. Start fresh with new beginnings! I don't know about you...but I need that. I need this time of renewal. I need that fresh start. Whether it be exercise, or a new schedule to  keep the house organized, or a new job even! I am so ready for a jump start to do new things!
    Don't you get tired of the same old thing? Boy, I do....I need a new pair of pants, I need to rearranged the furniture, I need a new attitude....and That seems to always come with the New Year for me. I am so ready to begin! SO put on your happy face and let's do it!
    I have a new book to write...but in a clean office. I have a new quilt block to sew for Quilt group...in a new design! I need to smile more, to look for the good more! Hey...Now is the time! No need to put it off any longer!
    Make the changes that you have been wanting to do! Refresh you life...refresh your attitude and...Have a Great New Year....2016!

Merry Christmas! Christmas can be a lot of things to people, but to me it is family and traditions. Decorating the tree together, eating certain foods, Christmas cookies, the CDs you listen to this month. There are certain Christmas songs that can take me back to a childhood memory instantly. So what is your favorite Christmas song? 
    The greatest tradition of Christmas is celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We start our Christmas season focusing on his birth by reading the Christmas story from The Bible in Luke 2. That is when Christmas has truly started for us! The rest is fun and family time! Merry Christmas to all of you!

Feeling Grateful for so many things!
I am grateful for my life! My family---the great parents that raised me, my wonderful friends and siblings. I am so thankful for my own family--my husband, Greg, my wonderful 6 children! I love my grand kids. I am so very grateful for my sweet little grand children and each of their entertaining personalities. 
    I am thankful for the talents God blessed my life with. I have been blessed with music in my life. My children have also been blessed with the special gift and it fills my home with soothing music. I love to write and I want to thank everyone who has ever bought one of my books. I appreciate your support! Thanks so much to you! Happy Thanksgiving!
     
                                                                          

 This time of year is my favorite....fall comes with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas....That spells FAMILY to me.
    I just published my very first Christmas story I was ever brave enough to share. "A Christmas Wish." I  copied it out with a Christmas tree cover and sold them for $2.00 a story at a craft boutique. I sold about 15 copies. That is when I actually begin to feel the courage to sell my writing. "Darla's Decision" was in the process, but this story was my first real sell.
   It is written in 1926 time period. It is about a young girl raised in an orphanage and her journey to find God's love in her life. This is a short story. But good things come in small packages!
    A perfect gift!

Available on Amazon Kindle today....print form available in 2 weeks. (today is Oct. 1st) Mark your calendars!  ***PRINT AVAILABLE NOW!!

September is here....and it is already cold. Winter may be early this year. While I was camping in August the leaves in the Aspens were already turning yellow. Changes are in the air.
      I love change. It represents new beginnings for me. I have always enjoyed moving, even though it meant leaving friends or family behind...it was always a new adventure to me. 
    We seemed to move a lot in our earlier married life...every three years we moved with work, and in that three years we might have even moved within that town. 
    I remember when we had lived in Dripping Springs, Arizona for about 4 years. (We actually lived there for 9 all total)....My brother showed up out of the blue. He sat down and grinned and said, "I thought I should come out to see if you had up and left without calling...or to see if I needed to help load boxes. It has been over three years, you know. Isn't it time you were moving?" My faithful, helpful brother had been there for every move up to that point...no matter where we lived or where we were going, he was always there to help.
    Well, this time we have been in one place for 12 years...in this house for 7 years. Even though I would love to move back home to family, we are still here in Parma, enjoying the friendships that we have made here. We have some great friends, I have children who have married here and are raising their families here.Change would be hard now.
    Change is coming though...it always does in the most least expectant ways.  Last month, my 3rd child got married! He announced "we are getting married in 2 weeks!" What a quick change that was! He is 24 year old and has met a beautiful young lady. I hope their life will be full of happiness and a lot of changing moments that leads them to wonderful years together. I envy their new beginnings! I love new adventures....I wonder what is coming next in my life?
    I know some people don't "do" changes well, but I say.....Embrace change! It brings personal growth, new experiences, and new friends!
    Maybe the only change you need is to move the furniture around! That is my solution when life gets a little stale...change the furniture, the wall decorations, and buy something new to display. It doesn't have to be an expensive change....go to a thrift shop find a vase, a picture, a new end table. Simple things can bring that touch of newness...and lift your spirits! 
    Have a happy fall...its coming! The seasons are changing...again. Change is constant. Enjoy the moment!

This week is an exciting week for our family. My third child, second son, is getting married on Friday. He is marrying a sweet young lady. Family is such a great thing to me! I love my family and I am excited to welcome another member to our Loya Family.
    It is a time for reflection for me...family. It holds a deep place of love in my heart. I had a great childhood. I knew I was loved. My parents were great! I admire them for their strength, their courage in facing difficult times, and for the patience they had for life. They taught me the importance of service--to give of yourself to others in time and talents. It was a great privilege to be a part of easing another's burden.
    They taught me about tradition, about being there for your family. To love them unconditionally. They always showed me great care and consideration, and I will be forever grateful for the loving parents my life was blessed with.
     I learned how family was the only true and ever lasting friendship a person would have. They will always be there--go through a lot for you. They are the ones who know the worst about you and still love you anyway. They are the ultimate best friends in my life. I am so blessed with the friendship of my family. Thank you and a big hug to my parents and my siblings.

This summer has been full of change and fun for me. When I was younger I felt like life would always be the same...how wrong I was. Change comes from all directions, at all ages. Some change is welcome...other times we have no choice. Sometimes our live's get tilted by the choices of others around us and because they are linked to us, our lives change with theirs. So remember...Your choices do matter and affect other people. How many times have I heard a young teen say, " But it is my choice! It's nobody's business what I do." 
      First of all, that is the most selfish way of thinking. Our life is surround by family and friends. Our choices do matter to others. Maybe it won't affect them immediately or directly, but your choice will always touch someone else...even if it is a small reaction.
     My personal change has come in the way of how I think. Other changes has come as a reaction from someone else's choice--can't say those were wanted changes, but now I have to adjust and make changes in my own life. Some  good and some not expected. But that is life!! Always surprising you with the unexpected.
     Change can be good...and sometimes we don't see the benefit of that change until we make it through the shift. So embrace life's changes and make it into something good!

Check out my newly released book on my author page. "Christopher's Trail."  Sequel to "The Cattle King"...follow the McClaws clan! Enjoy some fun summer reading!! Type my name in on Amazon and order a book today! Or contact me and I will send you an autographed copy.

Some days there should only be music. 
 (Click on the blue lines)

We are never alone...but it is nice to take a quiet moment to reflect on your own thoughts....alone. Just you.

Remember there is always going to be tomorrow. The dishes and the laundry will still be there. Take time for you...just a moment. Refill your own well so you may dip out of it to serve others. Rejuvenate yourself and then there will be enough of you to go around once again.
Close your eyes and enjoy!

Our hearts are big enough to share with everyone. Make sure you share a little with yourself.
Relax and take a walk with me.

And then take sometime with the one you love.

Music is a soothing balm to the soul.

Summer time!...Let the fun begin!
What plans do you have for your summer? Family vacations? Large organizing projects? Just more of the same daily routine? Well, I don't know about you, but I am ready to shake things up a bit. Do something new! I appreciate the schedule of a school year, but I am so ready for the summer. But this year, I am more then ready to go out of the normal humdrum cycle of daily routines and do things to make a great memory with our family!
    There are places in the area I have never seen and I intend to do just that. Hell's Canyon, The Fish Aquarium in Boise. Maybe even go to a couple of places I haven't been too in a long time. The kids have definitely voted on camping, so I am all for that...just as soon as I buy me a cot! My aging bones may not make it sleeping on the ground anymore! But  I can already smell the campfire, smell the pine trees and hear the birds singing high in the trees along with the chatter of the squirrels. I can feel the peace, the silence of no traffic, no

beeping and flashing. I am there!

Happy Mother's Day!
One thing I learned through my years of being a mother.... I am not perfect. I had never been a mother before, you see. I had a great mother, but I was not my mother. I was starting new and fresh. I had the dream of the mother I wanted to be and I tried my best. For the most part I think I did okay. But then I realized each of my six children were different. They needed different things, their thought process was different, but again. I tried my best.
    I love being a mother! From the time I was small, I knew that was what I wanted to be when I grew up. I played with my dolls and practices as often as I could. But the real thing was so much different.
    I was so excited for each new baby to arrive! I loved holding that precious newborn. With each one, I would pray that I would be the mother they needed. It was a hard job, but I would never trade it for the world!
    I just want my children to know and understand that children do not come with instructions. Your children won't be cut from the same cloth as you are and whatever you THINK is the WAY to do things, may not work for each child. The only thing that will be consistent is the love you feel for your children. 
    I love my children. I would never go back and change the choice to be their mother! I look at the pictures in the scrapbooks and wish for more time with them when they were younger. I see them growing up and wish for time to slow down. I see their struggles and wish I could stop the hard times that are coming for them.
    I have one thing to say to my children....remember, always...I love you. We are an eternal family. We all have our trials to learn and grow from; it is a part of life. Everyday remember that no matter what, no matter how good or bad life is for you now, no matter how good or bad you thought life was for you as child in our home....I love you, always!
     

  

Time to get back to writing!
I have been busy with books sales and The 2015 Treasure Valley Quilt Shop Hop! Fun time for sure! 
    I just spent three days with friends traveling into Oregon, up to McCall, Idaho and all throughout the Treasure Valley hopping from quilt shop to quilt shop! Each place had a sewing gift, bottled water and a treat. Discounts and special precut quilt blocks to create a beautiful Quilt. It was such great fun! Now to put to use all the wonderful material I found on my trips.
   Now its back to the grind stone! I have a book to revise. I have pulled Darla out of Westbow Press  (Thomas Nelson group). She needed revised and their price was just too high. I also have one to get  ready for publication by the end of May/first of June!  "Colton's Cabin!" I am determined! I am excited to share with you book 3 in An Orchard Grove Series! Look forward to seeing a few old friends from "Darla's Decision" and "Lovin' Lily".

This Saturday, April 18th, is the end of my two week  of my"Spring Book Boutique"! It was such a great opportunity to meet more of my community and share with them my beliefs as I talked about "The Short List". That is my plan of sanity in a short book. Put God first and put yourself on your own 'to-do' list! Remember make time for yourself!
    I offered several types of books from fiction, to woman motivational, journals, and Children books! I sold "Darla's Decision" at a discount during the sale for $6.00! I will continue to offer it at that price for the rest of the month on my blog! I have taken it back from my first publisher, Westbow Press associated with Thomas Nelson and I will revise it and have it back in circulation by the end of May! Right along with Book #3!  Colton's Cabin!!



Today I am also announcing a Kindle Countdown!starting Monday, 8:00 a.m., April 20th to the 22nd you will find 
"LOVE AT LAST" for sale for 24 hours!  At .99 cents!! Then $1.99 the next day, April 22st brings it back to normal at the normal price.  For those of you who have not read it yet! 
Here is your chance!
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Journaling..... My first diary was given to me when I was ten. It was a Mickey Mouse Diary with a little lock. It was given to me by my mother when I had been put into the hospital for pneumonia for the first time.
    I loved that little book. It had a place to write on four lines for each date...enough for five years! I wrote in it faithfully. One sentence every day for the first three years...then as I got older I would squeeze in five or six sentences on those short four lines. It was the beginning of a collection of many full size journals and notebooks.
    Writing was calming after a stressful school day. It was a place to write my secrets, my hopes and dreams...and the very back cover I recorded the crushes I had... the love of my (ahem)...month was written in many different colors. That back page was full of names surrounded by hearts. It is a very fun memory now!
      So many important moments were recorded, many sad ones too. It was a wonderful friend who listened to me when I didn't think anyone else would listen. It was that comfort of knowing I could tell my secrets and no one would laugh. 
    Journaling became a great part of my life. From the age of ten to about 19, I wrote every single day! After I was married it shifted to two or three times a week, then when the kids came. It shifted again. I wrote once a week- every Sunday- for a long time...now I catch up every other month or so.
    One journaling idea that was very precious was when each of my children were born I began a journal about them. I wrote for them and about all the fun little cute things they did as babies. As they begin to crawl, walk or talk, I recorded it for them. Until they were about eight years old. Then I bought them their own and tried to help them to remember to write. Off and on, I would let them help me write in their baby journals. We have some pretty humorous little additions in their own handwriting. From squiggles to their first spelled words. Another Treasured memory!

"A Journal" is my creation of a blank, lined journal. I LOVE journals and I just had fun creating one for me...and I am sharing it with you. If you aren't a journal keeper....begin today! What you have to write is worth reading in the future by your own grandchildren and their children. It will help them realize someday that you understand anything they will also be going through someday. It is a great part of Family History! So start writing today!

Newest book out...
Get Ready...Get Set...Go to School!
This is an educational book I have created for my grandchildren. I taught preschool for my kids and had many others joined us through the years and even beyond when I had no more preschoolers at home....thirteen years of teaching preschool. I love the preschoolers. They are so energetic and ready to learn! I researched what I needed to teach my kids to get them ready and shared it with others. Now I have put it all in a book ready to share with you! "Get Ready...Get Set...Go to School!" Find it on Amazon...just click the link!

March is around the corner! Spring is a great time of year for new beginnings! New exercise programs, new paint on the living room wall, new flowers blooming....and a new book to read!
Take time to read! It is relaxing and the words are inspiring and motivational! Whether it is fiction or non-fiction, reading fills your mind with new possibilities!

 Happy Spring!!

January will soon turn to February. The month for Love. It is a time to show those that you care about your appreciation. Plan now! Write a simple note that tells that special someone why they mean so much to you. You know...pen, paper. They still make those!
      The world spends hours upon hours texting, facebooking, or tweeting, but how much time do you actually spend writing down your thoughts and feelings. There is special treat in receiving a hand written note. Even if all you do is write those three little words....I love you. Sign your name and set it on someones pillow, place it on top of that electronic that they seldom set down or walk away from these days, stick it in their shoe--just pick a spot that is unusual. They will feels so great when they receive it!
    Remember there are those who aren't connected to your electronic world that you maybe forgetting. Send them a card or a short note expressing your love to them. Make February a special month this year! 
Think Love!

How are the resolutions going? Well, it is still January. We have time to restart on them several times! I have begun with mine and already have to readjust them! It's a good thing I believe change is a good thing! You know, if it isn't right, it isn't right. Begin again. Keep trying. That is my motto for the month.... 
Keep trying!