Skip to main content

One Thousand Gifts-37

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.03.2007

I’m participating in the “One Thousand Gifts” list from Christian Women Online. Click on the picture to find out more about it.

926. It was nice to sleep in yesterday
927. It was nice having my husband home for the day
928. I had salad for both lunch and dinner
929. I brainstormed more on my new book
930. I got a wonderfully encouraging e-mail from Sharon Hinck
931. I had a good time talking on the phone with Pamela James
932. I’m enjoying listening to The Phantom of the Opera.
933. Those pistachio nuts we got for Christmas are SO GOOD!
934. I love the smell of freshly washed blanket throws that we use in the TV room
935. I snacked on dried apricots. They were really yummy.
936. I once again made that really tender chicken breast, so it’s truly not a fluke of my culinary talents!
937. I’m almost done with my Thousand Gifts!
938. I am loving the book 45 Master Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. It’s really helping me in this brainstorm stage of my manuscript.
939. The scrapbooking book by my friend Tara officially releases this week! I’ve been reading it—she not only gives tips for scrapbooking, but also for how crazy-busy women can find balance in their own lives with various strategies. It’s a great book.
940. The smell of a new book is one of the best smells.
941. We got lots of nuts that Captain Caffeine can take to work as snacks.
942. Captain Caffeine’ s lattes are getting really good. A properly pulled espresso shot has very little bitterness at all.
943. I look on my pile of Regency romances to be read and feel happy. I love Regencies.
944. I got the new issue of the RWR yesterday
945. I’m really enjoying singing along to all my Broadway musicals
946. I’m grateful I got a chance to see Miss Saigon in New York City years ago (when I was in college) with Lea Salonga and Jonathan Pryce singing. It was amazing.
947. Snickers is so cute when she’s waiting to be fed and starts growling and pouting.
948. It was exciting to see a trailer for the movie THR3E on the TV
949. I finished assembling my latest stamps from Stampin’ Up
950. It’s uncomfortable being outside when it’s so cold, but I’m glad it’s cold winter rather than sweltering hot summer
951. I cleaned up my bulletin board and threw away a bunch of old stuff
952. I’m glad I remembered my Creative Memories tools that I can use for making cards
953. I’m glad we got lots of salad from Costco (for cheap!) so now I’ll hopefully be eating better
954. These little speakers Captain Caffeine got for the computer are really coming in handy because they’re smaller than the speakers that came with the tower and easy to move around as I changed my desk set up to stand instead of sit.
955. I think my singing with my musicals is helping me sing better at worship
956. I’m getting lots of good emotional character themes from listening to the lyrics of these Broadway musicals
957. I’m listening to Barbra Streisand sing “Memory.” She’s got SUCH a fabulous voice.
958. I resurrected my recording of The King and I with Julie Andrews and Ben Kingsley. I love this recording so much. The orchestration is lovely, making the musical interludes absolutely beautiful. The voices are great—Lea Salonga and Peabo Bryson do a wonderful job on “We Kiss in a Shadow,” and Julie Andrews is incomparable. Ben Kingsley sounds like how I’d imagine the king would sound.
959. I drank some really good Earl Grey tea today from a teabag. I’ve found that in general, I enjoy the Earl Gray teabags rather than loose tea, because the bags seem to have more tea flavor while the loose leaves have too much bergamot flavor for my taste.
960. I exercised yesterday!
961. I ate a small lunch and small snack yesterday.
962. I think the tea depressed my appetite. Yay!
963. I’m on day 33 in my Bible in 90 Days. It’s nice to see Job assert, in the midst of his suffering and bitterness, that “as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God!” Apparently Job was one of the first to talk about the resurrection of the body and the afterlife with God.
964. I think that after I finish the Bible in 90 Days, I will do it again—or maybe the Bible in a year?—with my new TNIV Bible.
965. I faxed in my application for scholarship for Mount Hermon Writer’s Conference. I hope they give me the amount I asked for.
966. I made more eucalyptus and lavender infusion today for my aromatherapy diffuser.
967. My friend Crystal Miller posted this yummy-looking recipe for Swedish Melting Moments cookies that I’m going to try.
968. A contest on Writing.com has got me excited to think about my writing goals for this coming year.
969. I think I’ve decided on my Word for the Year. I’ll post about it later.
970. I think my balance on my surgery knee is getting better. I’ve been doing balance exercises throughout the day, so I think that’s strengthening the small muscles around my knee.
971. We made dark chocolate truffles for gifts for Christmas, but remembered to save some for ourselves this year. They’re so yummy. I love how they’re not too sweet, and very chocolaty. They also have liquors in them, so they have a bit of a kick.
972. Did I mention we made four flavors of truffles? Yum!
973. I put a movie on my Netflix queue that has a character who might be similar to the heroine in my third book of my series. It will be an enjoyable movie (it’s a classic) and it will be a good jumping off point for my characterization.
974. I’ve been remembering to take psyllium seed (Metamucil) and flaxseed oil to help lower my cholesterol. I wonder if it’s working.
975. I had a good phone convo with my friend Charise Olson yesterday. She’s so funny, she always makes me laugh when I’m with her. I’m hoping we’ll be able to get together President’s Day for a British High Tea style lunch. What fun!
976. I’m thankful for my alarm clock in my office, which reminds me to take my medicine on time.
977. I finally figured out how to use the special extension cord for my laptop.
978. The Genesis stuff is slowly coming together
979. The Christian Women Online Sweet Scent blog awards are up! My friend Lynn Donovan won “The Better Half” award with her blog, Spiritually Unequal Marriage!
980. My friend Victoria Gaines was a nominee for the “Most Joyful Among Us” award with her blog Windows To My Soul!
981. My friends Susan and Janice won for the “Best Group Blog” award with their 5 Minutes for Mom website and blog!
982. My lovely friend and my photographer Jane won the “Best Scrapbooker” award with her blog!
983. My guest column spot on Christian Women Online appears the week of January 15th! I’m giving my testimony, in keeping with the month’s theme of “New Beginnings.”
984. I’m so glad my house slippers, which are slip-on sneaker/mules, have laces. I was able to tighten them when my sneakers stretched from use.
985. I stayed within my calorie limit yesterday, although I did eat more than I had hoped to.
986. One of my high school kids had an eye infection, but he just went to the doctor and it’s healed.
987. I just realized I ate a lot of fiber yesterday
988. I was able to nudge Captain Caffeine to get to bed a little earlier last night so he could get more rest.
989. So far this winter, our house has been nice and snug, no leaks or problems.
990. I’ve been able to keep warm the past week without needing to turn up the heat.
991. Captain Caffeine and I have finally seen most of the episodes of CSI Miami
992. I am getting rid of some old books and will hopefully have more room when I’m done.
993. My Genesis coordinators are doing a great job catching mistakes in the Genesis files and bringing up vague things that might cause problems later.
994. Fellow ACFW member Michael Snyder appeared in Publisher’s Weekly—his romantic comedy sold to Zondervan! I have a fellow newbie author!
995. I’m finally getting through my ACFW loop e-mails from over the holiday break.
996. It’s kind of mean, but it’s so fun tormenting the dog when she’s dying to be fed after we eat dinner. She gets all excited and antsy and starts bugging me as soon as I set down my fork.
997. I’m thankful we brush Snicker’s teeth every night so they’re pretty clean and we don’t have to put her under anesthesia to get them cleaned by the vet. Putting her under is pretty expensive.
998. I’m not taking a break between books at all—I’m starting on my next book right away this time, so I’m hopeful I can get it done early.
999. This character for the third book, Venus, is my favorite, so it’s going to be neat to write her story.
1000. I’M DONE WITH MY ONE THOUSAND GIFTS!!!!

Okay, you guys don’t have to list 1000 gifts, but what have you been thankful for last year?

Comments

Kate said…
Thats a cool contest. Wish you and your family a very Happy New Year. Peep into my blog for some unique birthday gift ideas.
Catherine West said…
I'm thankful that's your list and not mine!
HA just kidding. It's been fun reading.
I'm thankful for my family, and for my husband's 180 in regard to my writing this past year. He finally 'gets it', and, bonus, supports it!! I'm thankful for ACFW and for all the wonderful friends I've made there, like you!
God is good. For that I am eternally thankful!
Anonymous said…
I'm thankful that your back on blogging. :0)
Anonymous said…
Oh Camy,

How cool that your testimony will be posted at CWO. I Can't wait to read it. Thanks for the mention. If it were not for meeting you, I would not be blogging today. God bless you, Love and hugs, Lynn

Popular Posts

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

What Is a Brutus Cut? A Regency Hair Trend Inspired by Ancient Rome

Regency Haircuts and Disguises in Lady Wynwood’s Spies In this excerpt from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 8: Traitor , Phoebe prepares for a dangerous mission—one that requires her to disguise herself as a young man. The hairstyle she receives, called a Brutus cut, was actually quite fashionable during the Regency. Read on to find out more about this curious trend and why it suited her new identity so well. Excerpt from Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 8: Traitor : By far, the absolute worst part of Uncle Sol’s plan was that Phoebe had to cut her hair. Of the four agents, Phoebe and Mr. Coulton-Jones would be the least likely to be recognized when they entered the Ramparts building—Mr. Coulton-Jones, because of his skill in altering his facial features and his posture, and Phoebe, because she could play a convincing young man, which no one would expect. A disreputable hat would hide her long hair to an extent, but it would not fool anyone who looked closely. Also, because she would lo...

Free Christian Romantic Suspense Novels by Camy Tang / Camille Elliot

Curious about what my writing is like? Here’s a list of all my free books and the free short stories, novellas, and novels that you can read here on my blog. I’ll update this post as I add more free reads. Christian Romantic Suspense: Necessary Proof (Sonoma series #4.1, novella) Click here to buy the FREE ebook on all retailers Alex Villa became a Christian in prison, and because of his efforts to help stop a gang producing meth in Sonoma, he has been set up for the death of a cop. Can computer expert Jane Lawton find the evidence that will prove his innocence before the gang eliminates them both? Fantasy short stories: Pixies in a Garden in Kyoto There were pixies in the garden. Since she was in Kyoto, she was certain they were not called pixies, but she didn't know what they would be called in Japanese, and they certainly looked like what she imagined pixies would look like. The King’s Daughter The trees in the King's garden were full of colored pixie lights. The...

Meet the Dashing Spy on the Cover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 3

If you enjoy clean historical suspense with slow-burn romance and a touch of danger, you’ll love my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series! It’s a multi-volume Christian Regency serial following a group of unlikely aristocrats battling a dangerous conspiracy in 1811 London. Today, I wanted to give you a behind-the-scenes look at one of my favorite covers in the series— Volume 3: Aggressor. Who is that handsome gentleman? The model on the cover represents Mr. Michael Coulton-Jones, one of my main characters. This clever spy with a tortured past finally gets the cover spotlight in this volume, which is one of my favorite covers because the model is so handsome. 😄 I absolutely love this cover model! His name is Anatolii and here’s the original stock photo . It was really tough to try to decide which photo to use for the cover! It was a tossup between him and the main heroine, Miss Phoebe Sauber, for the cover for book 1, but I eventually went with Phoebe. Then in book 2, he was kind of...