I knew that C.S. Lewis and I had more in common than our Christianity when he said, "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." Welcome to a celebration of faith, tea, and the written word. I'm always engaged in a book, and whether it's one I'm reading or one of the inspirational romances I write, there's always a cup of tea close by. Join me in a cup as we chat about faith, our favorite books and the exciting places our reading and writing adventures take us.

Friday, March 20, 2020

Hidden in the Shadow of His Wings

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I'm sheltering with our kids at home now--as sheltered as we can be, anyway. Today I'm praying for the world, for those close to my heart, and for love to grow and diminish the spread of fear and the virus.

God bless and keep you, dear ones. He loves you and He hears you. Sending you virtual hugs (the only kind allowed in these days of social distancing!).

Monday, March 16, 2020

Ten Things to do While Stuck at Home

Ten Things


I haven't shared a list of Ten Things in a while, but as we face the upcoming days of working from home/isolation/quarantine due to the global spread of COVID-19, I thought I'd challenge myself to come up with ten things I would be doing, other than writing, while I'm at home.

Will you try any of these? What are your plans for non-working time spent at home?


  1. Clean up the home office office. After writing three novellas and a novel in somewhat-rapid succession, I have neglected a lot of housework. The office has become a family dumping ground for bills, crafts, and things we don't know what to do with, not to mention all of my writing-related stuff. And by stuff, I mean STUFF. This room needs help!
  2. Journal about my experiences during these unprecedented times. I've asked my kids to do this, too. Journaling helps us process our feelings as we record our experiences. These records may also be of benefit to future generations. My son is a budding historian, so he knows how valuable these types of documents can be. Someday he'll be telling his students about what life was like during this period of history!
  3. READ. Of course! I have a huge TBR pile. I can't wait to dive in!
  4. Make a craft. I never have as much time as I wish to do little creative projects. Right now I want to make ribbon angel ornaments for Christmas. Please be aware my angels are not very good. This is not an exaggeration. I am not being humble. But they're fun to make.
  5. Play a board game, do a puzzle--something fun and engaging with the people who are homebound with you!
  6. Check in with neighbors, especially elderly/vulnerable ones. Do they need food? Toilet paper? Is there anything I can give them or do for them?
  7. Write letters. I owe my real, snail mail letters to my aunt, my penpal, and a few others. I should probably write notes to others. I love getting real snail mail, and my mailbox gets lonely!
  8. Binge Watch a show I've been wanting to see, but haven't yet had time.
  9. Exercise--by walking around my neighborhood (or house, if weather is inclement, as it's looking to be today. I just took a 20 minute walk through the house while I talked to my mom on the phone.).
  10. Cook using what I find in my cupboards. Our last trip to the market didn't end up with us getting everything on my list. I still have food in the pantry, though, so it's time to get creative. I just found a half cup of quinoa. I cooked it, added parsley, chives, and basil from my yard, as well as tomatoes, oil and vinegar. I wish I had feta cheese to go into it, but oh well. It'll be a nice lunch!
  11. I know this list says Ten Things, but how can I leave off prayer? I am going to curl into a cozy chair, read Scripture, meditate on the Lord, and pray. The list of requests is huge, relating to coronavirus alone. There are so many ramifications, and like most everyone else, I am worried about my kids, my parents, our families, the people I know who are sick but haven't been tested for coronavirus, the economic hardships this is causing, etc etc etc. Thanks be to God that He is in control and He is with us!
What about you? What are you doing at home?