SimplyLife

We've been on vacation for the last two weeks, so hence the silent blog. Grandparenting has been the main focus. Grandpa kept two four-year-old boys entertained with treasure-hunting  (geocaching) using his treasure finder (handheld GPS). Grandma made cupcakes and homemade bread with them. Kneading the bread dough was the most popular activity in the kitchen, other than putting more peanut butter on the bread. We colored, painted, played the memory game (remember those little cards?) and a slew of other things--walks, swimming in the pool, reading books, and watching Tropical Storm Debby flood the street so you could canoe down it. It was a pretty exciting time. Once we were home, the master bedroom was repainted (we hate painting) and both of us are still alive to tell the tale. I think every muscle in my body is complaining at this point, so I'm glad a massage is just around the corner. Sunday night will be the reality check to get back in the swing of ...

In the early evening on Tuesday, David and I were able to observe the transit of Venus. With a pair of binoculars and a piece of paper, we saw a black dot on the face of the sun appear on the paper.  It was low tech, but it worked.  For those unfamiliar with the transit of Venus (which included myself until this past week), it is a rare event which happens every 100+ years. It also occurs in pairs, the last transit was in 2004 and was best viewable from the East Coast. This time Arizona was a prime spot for viewing. The next time the planet Venus crosses the sun is in 2117. You and I won't be around for that one. Astronomers were able to get incredible pictures of the transit in 2004 and this past week for the first time ever. They've had to rely on drawings and grainy photos from the 1800s for the last one. This astronomical event was on the heels of a recent solar eclipse, and a full moon. Previous to the Venus event, we were out armed with sunglasses and ou...

This has been an exciting and scary week. Lots of details, lots of emails, FaceBook posts, and now book sales. Yippee! Since I don't have any deep thoughts on the whole process right now, this will probably be the shortest post ever. (My brain is slightly overloaded.) I want to express deep gratitude to my husband, family, and friends who have encouraged me on the book writing journey. Thanks also go to my readers at SimplyLife who've been encouraging as well.  There's lots more to do and hopefully lots more books on the way.  Thanks to all the readers who are taking a chance on a new author. I hope you enjoy The Time Under Heaven .   Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.