I know you've all heard the exciting news that my PET scan was negative and I'm feeling so much better. Thank you for your prayers!!

Now in light of all that, my subject today is fish.  I heard those groans. Some of you are stepping away from your computer as we speak. I admit just talking about it makes me want to get a clothespin for my nose.

But here's the thing--they're telling me fish--get this--is good for you! Not chocolate, not coffee, not peanut butter.  Fish.

So I'm doing research. Which fish is better for you? One that everyone seems to agree on is salmon.  I'm not a seafood lover but I can tolerate salmon and tilapia. Does anyone know if tilapia is good for you?

I'm in search of recipes. Got any good ones for fish?  I saw one that used garlic, sea salt, black pepper, paprika, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil.  And it recommended asparagus (not French fries) as a side. Does that sound good to you?

Do you like fish? Can you please tell me how to fix it so that it doesn't smell "fishy"? Any ideas that will help me get fish in my diet will be greatly appreciated!

This week, we received a very kind letter on Smitten and how it reminded one reader to invest more in her friend relationships.  I think that's a lesson everyone needs here and again.  Friendships take work at first.  When Colleen and I met, our connection online was instant, but we edited back and forth for each other for years.  We invested in each other.  We made a commitment that YOUR publishing is as important as MY publishing.

As I got more kids, I became less reliable.   (We met when I had two -- now I have four and my youngest is 11.)  Colleen got busier publishing a bajillion books a year.  LOL  But the friendship stands because of its solid foundation in God.  I know her heart.  She knows mine.  Even though we are totally different animals. I used to say Colleen is a Golden Retriever and I am a Siamese Cat (and I don't even LIKE cats, so that tells you something!)

The investment and foundation of friendship is so important.  A relationship is a living, breathing thing. It takes time, commitment and love.

Friends always seem to have something in them that you don't possess and you honor this part of them.  For me, in Colleen it's her endurance and her ability to go on when I would have long since given up.  


 In Denise, it's her organization and the way her mind works.  It's so linear and beautiful and I wish for one day I could run my life like she runs hers.  She'd be a Beagle.

With Diann, it's her strength of character.  There are so many days I want to wimp out and give up on success.  Then, I look to Diann who is always happy even when she's complaining about chemo, she's funny.  If she were an animal, she'd be a Labradoodle.

In Cheryl, it's her compassion.  She has so much compassion on those who are in dire straights.  She has walked some tough roads and because of it, she can empathize and help people through really dark times.  She'd be a St. Bernard in a rescue.

So what do your friends possess in spades that you'd like more of in yourself?  What have you dont to invest in your relationships lately?

 
I can watch Forrest Gump over and over again and never get tired of it. Every time it's on, I have to watch it. Here are my favorite reasons for loving the movie.

1. The gorgeous music score. Music transports us to another place and time, and in the case of Forrest Gump, it takes me to my teens. Love it!

2. Forrest's love for Jenny is unchanging, no matter what she does. It's a little picture of God's love for us, and how we should love others.

3. I love the cameos where Forrest is inserted into historical events. All those little slices of my past life bring back so many memories and it's just plain fun.

4. Forrest is an overcomer. No matter what bad circumstances life threw his way, he didn't let them change his attitude. You just have to love that about him.

5. Forrest realized his own shortcomings. So many of us dismiss our own failures and shortcomings, but he clearly knew he wasn't as smart as other people. But he didn't let that alter his life's course.

6. I love how he falls in love with his son from the moment he meets him.

7. I love the way faith if portrayed in the film. God is a constant in Forrest's life, and he assumes everyone feels that way. He's shocked when Lieutenant Dan doesn't seem to believe. God just is to Forrest.

8. I love the growth we see in Lieutenant Dan. That moment when he shows up with new legs and a content expression is wonderful.

9. I love the way Forrest is faithful to his friends, even after they're dead. He takes care of Bubba's mother even though he wasn't required to give her a cent. He's faithful to Lieutenant Dan even when he rails against him. He doesn't let anything deter him.

10. "Life is a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." I just love that line. It's so true. And no matter what is in the middle of our chocolate, we can move forward with life.

How about you? What did you most enjoy about Forrest Gump? And don't tell me you hated the movie because I'll have to wonder about your taste in movies. LOL I just love it!

Labels: Forrest Gump

It's all Kristin's fault that I'm obsessed with the perfect cup of coffee. She got me hooked on my entry drug, iced mochas. LOL But now I like the flavor of coffee so well that I don't even want chocolate in my coffee. So I thought I'd share with you all how to make a cup of coffee so good you won't believe it.

There are several things you need for the perfect cup. Coffee is everything. I have bought coffee from everywhere you can imagine, but I recently discovered some coffee that is so far above other coffees. It's infrared roasted coffee by Toomer's. The infrared roasting extracts the full flavor of the bean and it doesn't  make your body more acidic and it's easy on your stomach. The difference is very noticeable! The 2nd thing you need is a good grinder. I have a Capresso. You need a burr grinder to grind it properly. A few months ago, I would have said you also needed a Cuisinart coffeemaker but I've since discovered how wonderful coffee is that's been made in a French press like this one of mine.

So here's how you do it: heat water until it's nearly boiling. For this size of French press, I use 4 scoops of COARSE ground coffee. It's very important that you use coarse ground for proper results. Pour the water over the coffee in the glass carafe and stir with a wooden spoon. This is my favorite part because the aroma is just heavenly. Then put the top on and let it steep for at least 4 minutes. I let it go for 8. Then press the plunger to get the grounds out of the way and enjoy! I add heavy whipping cream, a tiny bit of KAL stevia and some cinnamon. Heaven!

How do you like your coffee? And if you try this, let me know what you think! My writer's brain runs on coffee!

I love my job. If I could hand-pick any career in the world, I'd choose the one I have now. Writing romance is my sweet spot, and the people I work with only make it sweeter.

That said, every job has its moments, right? For me, that moment is now. This month has been the most challenging of my 15 year writing career. To start with, due to some difficulty with my work-in-progress in February, I'm running a few weeks behind schedule on it. May was supposed to be my re-writing month since it's due June 1, but I only just finished the first draft. Enter working weekends and evenings, but manageable, right?

Except Secretly Smitten edits also came due in May. Then a contest I'd agreed to judge sent me the entries--20 of them! About 15 more than I expected (Why didn't I just ASK how many???). Of course, these are due in May too.

I'm just hanging by a thread when I get the galley for The Trouble with Cowboys (Oct release). This is my last chance to see it before it goes to print, so I need to read it with a red pen in hand. These are due--you guessed it--in May.

Add to this all the normal running of kids, chores, adrenal fatigue flareups, plus two weekends of house guests (looking forward to that part--really!), and you can see why I've affectionately named the month Manic May. No offense, Manic May, but I'll be so glad when you're gone.

What are your work challenges? How do cope when you have more than you can handle?

One of my dreams has always been to go to the island of Catalina, but I'm not talking about that kind of dream here. I'm talking about an honest to goodness REM sleep dream in which freaky things happen and leave you confused, weirded out or just plain frightened for days afterward. Have you had dreams like that?

I had one like that last night. It was actually set in a place like one of the houses pictured above. Mel and I were moving into a different house (in the dream), but the people who had lived there left their furniture, and it was old and dusty and ugly, and the people weren't even gone yet. One might gain some insight into what's going on in our lives just by knowing that much. So why am I confused? Yes, we're having some major life changes, and being one of those creative types, I tend to make whole ranges of mountains out of anthills. So I've thought about this dream all day. It seemed to me that there were some interesting possibilities for interpreting this dream, but I'm not getting much out of it. Care to take a stab at it? Moving new furniture into a house that already has furniture, making room for sleeping comfortably and in privacy, taking the bedroom out of the living room...that kind of thing.

And how about you? Do you have a particular dream that recurs and confuses you? Oh! Oh! I have a great dream every so often in which I realize that I'm dreaming, and that I have the ability to make myself fly. I love those dreams! Anything to share? And if you would like to try to give me a hint about why my dream was so weird, give it a try. I'd love to hear it!