The Work Goes On

The epic of refinishing the hardwood floor continued...yesterday. Is there anyone else who has taken as long as we have? Terry only gets every Sunday off and every other Monday off. Boy oh boy...we live 120 miles from the large lumber yards. Our local lumber yard does not carry rental equipment. The rental shop here has old and damaged stuff as far as floor sanders go sooooo... We went to a town 60 miles away to rent from a mid-sized lumber yard. We got the sander and found that the horror stories we have heard were exaggerated.Terry decided that we would start with 60 grit paper instead of the roughest stuff. Our floor is in good condition so we didn't need the roughest. The floors look good. The next step is staining and then varnishing.One tip I think is worth knowing: Do rent the edge sander or get rough grit for an oscillating sander if you have one. It takes at least 40 grit to cut through the residue on the edges. Don't let the largeness of the job intimidate you. If we can do it, you can too. I will let you know how the staining and varnishing go...stay tuned...this may take some time. Hopefully all will be back to normal by Thanksgiving. That is my hope!!! and Terry's semi-promise.

The Rough Draft of the Third Book in the Heritage Series is finished!

Monday I decided to drink some coffee and do a little writing on my day off. We are limited to the finished basement until we get the hardwood floors finished on our main floor. It may take a little time....That's another story...
Anyway, being in the basement with no natural light, I began writing and got lost in the story. I emerged periodically to eat and drink and all that but I returned to the basement. Before I knew it I heard footsteps overhead. Terry was home and I asked him why he was at home so early. He said that it was 7 p.m.! Wow! I had written all day!
The great thing about it was that I finished the rough draft of "Luke's Legacy". I am very proud of the story and I think readers of "Nan's Journey" and "Elk's Resolve" will be moved by this story about the "little brother and sister". I am entering it into a contest and hoping to place. Pray for me!

Women's Conference with Lisa Bevere

This weekend I am going to Oklahoma City to a women's conference featuring Lisa Bevere. I am so excited! When I first signed up to go I asked Tate Publishing to help me get a book signing in the hours after the conference on Saturday. It happens that the big Texas vs OU game is on that very weekend. We decided that a book signing would be unprofitable. Now I am so glad that I don't have an event of my own to distract me from the things I know I will learn at the Bevere conference.

I am looking forward to recharging my mental and spiritual batteries. I have been running on empty for awhile. (I heard you say airhead!) Anyway, I think these times away with no other agenda are vital to strong mental health. If you haven't taken time like this for yourself, consider it a priority. Give yourself permission to get away to a conference like this one or a ballgame or concert. These times bring texture to your life when everything seems bland.