Keeping it simple today. It has been a super busy summer and I'm cracking down on an October deadline.
But I thought I'd share some before and after pictures with you of some of the projects I've worked on this year.
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| What my desk looked like while writing TASK FORCE BRIDE |
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| My TASK FORCE BRIDE books are here! |
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| Took out 2 birch trees that didn't survive last year's drought (although they survived an ice storm, a blizzard and a tornado) |
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| Planted a new oak tree |
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| The old door and windows were original to the house |
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| Aren't the new door and oak trim gorgeous? |
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| New, solid siding is up! (still needs to be painted) |
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| Hail and water damaged siding |
I invite you to share about something you've transformed in the past year, too--your workspace, your waistline, your garden, your hairstyle--whatever, big or small.
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| http://amzn.to/14LAkaA |
I'll give away a copy of my current release, TASK FORCE BRIDE, to one lucky commenter. Print or ebook, winner's choice. And if you have it already (thank you!), you can pick a title from my backlist.
(I'll have Maggie pick the winner tomorrow and I'll post it here. Thanks for stopping by!)
Happy Transformations!
Julie
I transformed my office into my scrapbooking room/office earlier this year. Got rid of a LOT of old stuff (which I'll probably find a need for later, of course!), "prettied it up a little bit", and it is now even better to work in!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter moved out at the end of August. I was going to wait till we had more time in early October to convert it into a guest room/mending room, but the fates are against me. I must have it painted, with my trundle beds from the rec room placed in it, in the next two weeks. Why? Because I won a really long couch from a local store on Friday, with delivery in two to three weeks, and I need the trundles out to make room for the couch in the basement! As you know, one thing leads to another, so I'll be painting in the rec room and re-organizing/re-locating my son's computer and model parts while there is extra space. First things first though: today I have to find wallpaper and coordinating paint for the guest room so we can start applying it tomorrow (on my husband's day off). BTW, I know wallpaper isn't exactly in style, but I just don't care. It will come into style while it is up there, I'm sure, as we still enjoy the master-bedroom wallpaper we put up on one wall 30 years ago. We like it; that's what matters.
Sounds like some wonderful personalization and redesigning going on for you, Laney4!
ReplyDeleteAnd I know exactly what you mean...one project leads to another. Paint/fix up one thing and it either shows me how badly something else needs to be repaired, or the old same-old, same-old looks drab, by comparison. If only I had an infinite budget...
My biggest project this summer has been making baby blankets, crochet and tied-fleece, to give to our local children's hospital. Our goal is 500 blankets by Nov 20th. The outpouring of help from people all over the US has been amazing. It's our hope that each blanket will give a hug to one of these small children and help their parents know they are not alone.
ReplyDeleteI've already read TASK FORCE BRIDE and loved it. Can't wait until your next book.
I've seen your progress on the baby blankets on Facebook, Brenda. What a wonderful project!! If I was crafts-oriented, I'd help. But I wish you the best of luck!
DeleteAnd you could win something from my back list if Maggie draws your name. I'm thrilled to hear how you loved TASK FORCE BRIDE. Thanks!
I've been working on personal changes. A trip to the cardiologist proved stress and plot diet were causing my major health problems. So I've been attempting to eat better, exercise more and rid my life of as much negativity as possible.
ReplyDeleteI think we all can benefit from those kinds of goals, Teresa. Hubby and I have really been working on eating better. We did pretty well with exercising during the summer, but I will confess that our walking program has dropped to almost nothing since the start of the school year (and deadline month!)
DeleteAnd getting rid of as much negativity as possible? Wise words, I think.
A big project for us this year was getting our arena lights up, finally! Now we can ride at night when the temps are cool! We'd had the poles for about 15 years, and hubby tracked down the actual lights this past Feb. He had to do some modification on the poles and paint. We put them up ourselves, 21 feet tall. Not an easy task, but we did it! One more thing checked off the "to-do" list. Awesome. And new siding & windows and paint has to feel great for you, Julie! It's always exciting to spruce things up!
ReplyDeleteYikes! So who got the job of carrying the lights up the 21 foot pole and installing them? That was an adventure, I'm sure.
DeleteBut how wonderful to have the opportunity to ride safely at night. I know you love your horses, and as hot as this summer has been in Nebraska, night would be the best time to ride. Enjoy it!
Well I helped my father put in new flooring all over my sister's house... boy do I have to say it looks really good... she wanted basically all the rooms upstairs done. That was 3 rooms, the master & its walk-in closet, the whole hallway and the upstairs family room. That was my big summer task, lol.
ReplyDeleteThat was a BIG task, Colleen! I'd love to put in wood floors throughout my house. Love how it changes the look of a house on HGTV shows, and I'd love how it'd help my allergies to get rid of all the carpeting. But that's a big project for another summer, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteLove the oak tree. My hairstyle has become a little shorter and I like that it takes me less time to style it.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had long hair since before I had kids, Jane. ;) It's much easier to style and go with my short hair. And short helps the natural curly stay under control a bit better.
Deletemy bookshelf
ReplyDeleteDid you build one? Organize it? I'm ready to do some massive cleaning/gleaning in my office. Really want to go through my big bookshelf and move on/pack away some stuff so it's not quite so cluttered.
Deletecleaned it
DeleteI transformed a few things this year. My hairstyle for one has changed twice so far...and I think I'm liking my latest style :) I've also helped transform my dads newly bought second hand truck into something presentable and clean. Boy that took some serious work. From finding dust bunnies to waxing the outside...and then there was our front garden. Of course that was a family effort but it was definitely the best gardening we've done since the 10 + years we've lived there! All the plants grew and bloomed so nicely.
ReplyDelete- Daya G
That's funny, Daya--I never think of dust bunnies in a truck. And I love a beautiful garden--would like to do more here, too. But a lot depends on weather and home repairs--no sense landscaping the front of the house if workmen are going to be tramping through there.
DeleteI haven't really had any changes this summer. Now I did help my brother and sister-in-law move into a new house about a month ago.
ReplyDeleteI loved Task Force Bride and can't wait till the last book in the series Julie!
Thanks, Laura! I'm so pleased you enjoyed Pike & Hope's story! And thank you, too, for the lovely review. I saw your comment on Dana Marton's FB page discussion about heat levels in books. How was the heat level for you in TASK FORCE BRIDE? Too much? Too little? Just right? ;)
DeleteI now want a red door.
ReplyDeleteI haven't really made any changes this last year. Life has just been humming along.
You will all love reading TASK FORCE BRIDE. It's fantastic.
Hey, Mary! Thanks for the good PR about TASK FORCE BRIDE! I'm so pleased you enjoyed the book.
DeleteI've often read that a red front door is a sign of welcome. I like that sentiment. But I love the look of it, too!
Off to eat some breakfast. Then I'll round up Maggie and have her choose a winner for me. See you all in a bit.
ReplyDeleteFrom MarcieR
ReplyDeleteI'll go with the waistline!
I love seeing pics of author workspaces!
And the winner is... Brenda Rumsey!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Maggie pounced on your name out of the pile of entries I spread on the floor and selected you as the winner of yesterday's blog post!
I you send me an email with 1) your choice of a backlist title (since you already have a copy of TASK FORCE BRIDE) 2) whether you want it in print or ebook format and 3) your snail mail address or email address I should use to gift you with a Kindle or NOOK copy. (A couple of my books aren't available in e-format, but most are)
Sorry for the delay in posting the winner. Ever have one of those days where the time just gets away from you? That's me today. Sigh.
Thanks for blogging with me!
Julie
Very Cool, Julie !!
ReplyDelete~Angi