For a couple of months, I could not read. I'm sure it had to do with my father's death. But in the last week, I've been reading a lot of books by myself and with my kids.

I read: Critical Care by Candace Calvert. It's her first in the Christian market and very good. I really enjoyed it.

I also read New Moon by Stephanie Meyer. It was a fast read but I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first. But I did like the werewolf Jacob.

I'm also in the middle of Eclipse, also by Stephanie Meyer. Not sure I grasp the big conflict within Bella, but then it's been a long time since I was a teen.

I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince. Good! Although I was reading this aloud and my voice almost gave out the last day as we read 200 pages that day. But now we're ready for the movie to come out.

I also just read Linda Castillo's first hardcover, Sworn to Silence. Interesting twist on the Amish. Enjoyed the book. But warning it is graphic.

So, what have you been reading lately?

I've been silent for a while. I suppose I've been busy taking children to many activities and trying to write. I've been having mostly good days a few tough ones. I just haven't had much to say, especially about anything in depth. Nothing longer than a sentence or two. Right now, it seems easier for me to write partial sentences on Facebook: need coffee, Hilo Monster Reports, Starbucks updates. But will try to be more consistent. Blessings to all of you.

I recently posted about making these biscuits with my kids on facebook. They are yummy and fun to make. And of course I was asked about the recipe. Just a quick story about them first -- My great aunt made these biscuits EVERY day. But she didn't use a recipe. I was visiting her once and asked for it. She looked at me oddly. To her it was just a little of this and that. So we carefully measured out what she poured into her hand or bowl and created this one together. Here's the recipe:

2cups sifted flour
1/4 tsp soda
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 to 1 tsp salt
4-6 tbsp shortening
2/3 to 1 cup buttermilk

Measure sifted flour; add baking powder, soda, and salt and sift again. Cut in shortening. Add milk and stir with fork until soft dough is formed (about 20 strokes). Turn out on a lightly floured board; knead 20 turns. Pat or roll lightly 1/2 inch thick. Cut with a floured 2 inch biscuit cutter. Bake on greased baking sheet in hot oven (450 degrees) for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes approx. 14 biscuits.

My mother put together a family cook book many years ago. And throughout the cookbook are pictures of all the wonderful women who contributed their recipes. So it's always fun for me to share a recipe with my children and be able to show them a picture of the relative. Thanks Mom! Thanks Aunt Lois!

Do they think all of our kids are going to become professional football players? Basketball players? Volleyball players? Come on! Let's look realistically at the reason for sports. Why were sports created? For recreation! To keep folks in shape. And why were they brought into our schools? To keep kids busy but to also learn about life lessons. That's it. Now, I do realize that sports can open doors for kids. They can get scholarships, go to good schools, go to school at all. Sports give some kids great opportunities. But let's keep things in perspective, especially when the kids are ... nine! Puh-lease!

Yesterday, my daughter made a really bad lay up. She admitted it. And she apparently broke a cardinal rule. She laughed at herself. She didn't laugh at someone else's poor attempt. She laughed at her own. She's 9. If you know any 9 year old girls, then you know they laugh. Period. They laugh at silly things. They laugh at the news, which is rarely funny. They laugh when they're embarrassed. They just laugh. It's healthy. And the coach got mad at her, made her sit out and said, "It's not funny." Puh-lease!

Let's keep things in perspective. Even I can have perspective on this. If it was Kobe Bryant shooting the last shot of the championship game, and it meant the Lakers winning or losing, which meant hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake, well, I get that. I can understand that he shouldn't laugh if he misses. But, my daughter is in summer camp! Not a National Championship game. Did I mention she's 9?

I'm just saying...

Now I will freely admit that there are some GREAT coaches out there. Coach Moh, you are awesome! But there are some really horrible coaches out there. I'm not saying my daughter's coach yesterday was lousy. He had a bad moment. We all have those. But I have witnessed some really horrific coaches in action. And it is appalling. And they are cheered for having winning teams. And it makes me sick. So they win a game, at what price? How much damage have they done to children, teens, adults? Trust me, I've seen kids damaged by coaches' careless words, heartless actions.

I understand this is a very deep issue that can't be mined in one little blog. It's a symptom of our society. And I'm not going there today. I'm just saying ... can we please keep things in perspective? It's SUMMER CAMP! She's NINE!

Check out the new cover. What do you think? B&H does a terrific job with the covers! whoohoooo! Thanks B&H! I'm so blessed.

Here's what the book is about ...

Despite death defying feats, guilt has always pulled Bryn down time and again. But a perfect love shows her taking a leap of faith is the first step to soaring. But it only happens … once in a blue moon.

I've been posting regularly on facebook these days about our sweet labradoodle puppy, Hilo. She doesn't look like a puppy anymore. She's 45 lbs but looks as big as our 75 lb lab. She gets into more trouble. The latest this week was she chewed my son's eyeglasses. It's her second pair of glasses. So yesterday I spent part of the day buying son new glasses. This morning another pair of flip flops bit the dust. She's getting to be an expensive dog just for her choice in chew toys. Probably the most expensive thing ever chewed by one of our dogs was when our lab was a puppy and chewed through the air conditioner wires. Of course it was the day after our warranty ran out.

So what's the most expensive thing you've lost to canine teeth?

If you want regular Hilo Monster Reports, visit me on Facebook.

I was blissfully unaware of this reality when I started Wii Fit. Now it tells me everyday ... you're leaning too far back on your heels, too much weight on toes, too much to the left ... you get my drift. This morning, I had a thought. It's a rare occasion. I've become more aware of my posture, my stance, my leanings over the last few weeks because of Wii Fit. Isn't the same true when I spend time in the Word of God? Standing on His Word, like that Wii fit board, shows me where I'm leaning too far in one direction, judging too much, not loving enough. I'm leaning forward ... back! I'm slouching. A quiet time with the Lord, grounded in His Word, pulls me back to center. Where is your favorite place to get centered and have a quiet time with the Lord?

There are memorable days and then there are days and times that change your life forever. Such is the case with the birth of my first born. He was born June 1st. Eleven years ago. Doesn't seem possible that he's a preteen now. The memories of his birth are still so clear. How we went in for an inducement the day before, on a Sunday. It made my water break. And I had constant labor pains all night. By early afternoon, he'd arrived. I could have kissed the doctor when he said, "He's perfect."

You see, we'd had a very long pregnancy. Not longer than normal. Longer in the sense that it felt like forever. And not just because I'd gained 40 lbs and my feet sloshed when I walked. We'd had problems in our pregnancy. Early on, we'd discovered he had a 'two vessel' cord when there should have been three. It's an indication there could be a problem. Like a Down Syndrome baby. We decided not to do an amnio since a small percentage of those babies naturally abort afterward. And that frightened us more. So we waited. We had to have a sonogram every month, until the end when the frequency magnified. It was a scary time. But it was a time that drew me closer to my husband and to my Lord.

Three days after my son was born, we went to see the doctor who would be his regular pediatrician. Not the doctor who saw him in the hospital and declared him perfect. This new doctor said, "Did they tell you at the hospital he has a heart murmur?" My heart sank and fear once more entered my world. At two weeks, we were at Children's Hospital having xrays and an ekg. The doctor called us that Friday night. The radiologist was VERY concerned about the xray. The pediatric cardiologist chased down the xrays at 10:00pm on a Friday night. He let us know he thought we'd be okay until Monday morning.

You can imagine the scary thoughts and images that go through your head at a time like that. And let me tell you, there's not much scarier than taking your two week old to a pediatric cardiologist. It's not like his nose is crooked. We did learn that he had a heart murmur and that we would monitor it. If it didn't close on its own, a procedure could be done when he was five. Well, praise God, it closed by the time he was 6 months old. What a happy Christmas present that was for us to learn!

Now a first baby changes the lives of their parents. They don't sleep as much. But they have more joy. But my first baby put me back in the arms of my Savior and ultimately changed my career direction. Which lead me to writing inspirational women's fiction.

Happy birthday, baby! Mommy loves you!