The Little Red Buckets a Story of Family and Giving by Lynda M. Nelson

One of my wonderful nieces loaned The Little Red Buckets by Lynda M. Nelson to her mother, my sister. My sister liked it so much that she loaned it to me. It is a short little book with a big message. The descriptions of time with Grandmother brought the smell of home made bread and lavender to my mind. I could picture the sweet face of the little granddaughter on the aging woman's lap.
It was a picture of the influence a grandmother or friend can make in a child's life because they take the time to talk of things other than the "tyranny of the urgent." (such as: "Make your bed. Are you ready for basketball practice? Don't do this or that. Get your homework done." Grandmothers have time to talk about life issues and times past. Their input is invaluable to the next generations. This was a lovely book.

God's Little Princess Devotional Bible by Sheila Walsh

When I opened the small package I was amazed at how pretty this small pink Bible is. My granddaughters (ages 2 & 4) were dazzled by the pretty cover with the crown and textured lettering. I was happy to see that it was more than a Bible Story Book, but also a handbook for parents to guide their small child into the truths of the Bible. Within the pages are plays for the little ones to perform, object lessons to drive home certain concepts of the stories, songs, and worship. Thomas Nelson Publishers really outdid themselves with this book. It is truly a tool for parents who wish to write on the "tablets of the heart" of their little girl. I would recommend this Devotional Bible for any child.

Elaine Littau
Author of "Nan's Journey" & "Elk's Resolve"

June is one of my Favorite Months

June is one of my favorite months of the year.
Terry and I really enjoyed the time we spent with our grandchildren. We look forward to the summer visit from our Colorado kids and grandkids.This time we were able to have our Texas granddaughter join in on the fun. I think they have gotten very close to each other and will miss one another very much.

I am trying to get events lined up for the summer. Book signings, speaking, and just keeping in touch with everybody. One of the things I have to keep reminding myself to do is write. Book #4 is started on my computer. I need to get back at it, but stuff happens. You know, important stuff like:
Hugging those grandkids while they are here.

Keeping up with my marketing plans.

and, let me make a confession here...farming. Yes, I am a face book farm town addict. I wonder what they call the 12 step program on a cruise ship for that- "memorial for friends of Old MacDolald"? For subscribers who don't have a clue what I am talking about, you will have to log in to my blog and watch the video I made called "Cruise Ship Blunder". It is the video where I am wearing a dopey hat. (nansjourney.blogspot.com)

Anyway, a friend or two convinced me that farm town was fun. It is. It is a stress reliever as well as a stress producer...kinda like husbands and kids huh! I wish my real garden would grow as well as the one on facebook, but I guess that would mean that I would have to actually plant one. (bummer)

I have Book III of the Nan's Heritage Series written. It is tentatively called "Luke's Legacy". I will level with you. It does cost a good bit of money to get the books published. Although Tate Publishing and Enterprises is not a vanity publisher, they are a partnership publisher. That means that each author contributes money to the publishing of their books. The more books that have sold, the less contribution has to be made for each title. After 5000 copies of the books have been sold, the money I put in to the publishing process will be refunded to me. I said that to say this: I am saving back $1 per book sold to go toward getting "Luke's Legacy" published. Some readers have given a $5 deposit toward their purchase of "Luke's Legacy" when it comes out to speed up the process a bit. When any of my books are sold it does help my credibility with the publisher so I want to thank you for your purchases. I wanted you to know why it takes so long before the next book comes out. I am striving to get the word out and sell as many copies as I can because Book III is my favorite to date. I am sure that if you liked "Nan's Journey" and "Elk's Resolve", you will love "Luke's Legacy". Don't give up on me. We will see it in print sooner than later...hopefully.
Until next time, your taking the time to talk about the books is the best advertisement I could ever get and I thank you for all that you do.
Elaine

Happy and Sad

This has been a week of distinct contrasts for Terry and I. It began as a joyous week as we began the wonderful adventure of caring for our four grandchildren for a couple of weeks.
Somewhere in the middle tragedy struck. Terry's sweet sister passed away suddenly. The week that Terry took for vacation and fun with the children became a week filled with the sad task of contacting family and friends, putting together funeral arrangements, and attending the funeral. I am afraid that I was not much help to him because I had the children with me. We got through it and still can hardly believe it all happened within a span of a few days.

I want to tell you a little about Terry's sister, Anna Mae. She was a dear person. We became very good friends in the 34 years that Terry and I have been married. If I were to write a book about her life, editors would say that it was far-fetched in the sorrow she faced and that I would have to tone it down.

She married John after she finished high school. After a year they had their first baby, Larry. He died at birth. Later they had a daughter and then a son. When the boy was in his 20s he was killed in a car accident when he hit black ice. He had just finished college and was ready to begin a career and family with his young wife. Several years later their daughter developed brain cancer and passed away. She left a teen-age daughter and young son. The granddaughter grew up and had 2 daughters. Their son's widow adopted 2 little boys.

A couple of years ago John had a severe heart attack and had to be in hospitals all around the nation to try to find treatment that could save his life. It was a miracle he was still alive with the amount of damage he suffered. He lost his fight for life last August. Anna Mae was pretty much alone except for her teen-age grandson who lived in the town and her grown granddaughter who lived some miles away. Her daughter-in-law also called on her too. Of course, they had school and children to care for. Anna Mae watched over her 92-year-old mother who moved into town from the farm and helped her adjust to town living.

Many times Anna Mae asked me why it was that her family all had to die. Those are questions that I never had an answer for. All I could say was, "I don't know." I really will miss her but I am blessed having known her. She left the world a better place.
Elaine

Fun With Grandkids

For the next couple of weeks Terry and I will be watching our four grandchildren. Right now we have three of the four with us. Devon is 12, Zach is 10, and Sierra will be 4 on the day "Elk's Resolve" is released on July 7, 2009 . They are the children of our oldest son and his wife. Our youngest son will be bringing his 2 year old daughter over to finish up the last ten days with her cousins.

We are having so much fun. The boys are enjoying biking and helping set up the big swimming pool and the baby pool. They will learn some things from their Grandpa about mending wire fence and sealing the bottom of a leaky pond. We plan to camp at our local lake for a day or two and keep the adventures going.

This morning we learned about "chicken cats" from our 4 yr old. They are very temperamental according to their care taker. While she was caring for the chicken cat she turned into a kitty herself. (Don't you just love imagination!) When Grandpa entered the room she began taking his temperature and declared him to be sick. He had to be ministered to with covers and a BIG pillow that bent his neck at an odd angle in the recliner.

The stick horse became a mop and she was kept very busy trying to clean up "this mess". It has a plush head so it turns out she did a pretty good job on the hardwood floor. After her "horse sweeper" worked so hard she put him on the couch with a pillow and blanket. I would say she is a nurturer.

The boys are enjoying watching television late and sleeping late also. After all it is their vacation too. They are very kind to their sister and grandparents. Their goal is to see if they can actually wear their grandpa out. (Lots of luck with that kids!)

Soon I will be blogging about more books, but this little post was just for fun...