The Wrap Up

1. Indomitable has been out to my beta readers this week and is looking likely to be released in about a week. I’ll let you know for sure when I know for sure. (Which obviously isn’t yet.) And on Monday I’ll let you know how you can sign up to get an ecopy of the novella for free in return for an early review. Details to come! Promise!

2. So I’ve spent this week working on the cover, and I have to tell you that I am just NOT a cover designer. I cannot tell you how many designs I put together and trashed because they looked like…well, not good, to put it nicely. BUT, I finally came across something that I liked, and I hope you will too. (And if you don’t like it, feel free to be kind.) :-)

3. Other than tossing out cover designs left and right, I’ve spent most of my time elving this week. I’ve suddenly got all these gift ideas—and a growing list of people to make things for—and I now need to figure out if I can actually get it all done in time. You know, and sleep too. (I can’t. But I’ll try because that’s just the way I am.)

4. Honestly, this time of year is so love-hate for me. I LOVE the human warmth of this season, and I love making and giving gifts to important people in my life. But it’s also become a stressful season for me with all the people we have to figure out gifts for and whether we can make something they’ll appreciate or whether we should buy something and if we do buy it, then we want to make sure it’s meaningful and not just *something* because we needed a gift, you know? I want our gifts to be thoughtful and an expression of our love for our friends and family. I want my kids to relish creating things and appreciate simple gifts made with love.

And they DO. Right now, with all the elving we’re doing, they are ALL about the gift *giving* and not the gift *getting.* That’ll come, of course, as we get closer to Christmas, and that’s as it should be. It IS exciting to know you’re getting gifts and to wonder what they will be. It’s a lot of fun and I love that they get so excited about it. But I’m just so thrilled that they’re also really excited about what they are giving. Like crazy excited. THAT, I love.

5. And so, for the first time each child is working on individual super-secret presents for his/her siblings. Last year they helped make quilts for each other—so each child knew s/he was getting a quilt and got to work collectively on siblings’ quilts, but didn’t know what theirs looked like until Christmas morn. (It was the first gift they opened because they were so excited about it. *happy sigh*)

Of course in this new individual-handmade-gift plan, I made the mistake of starting early with the 3 year old, who after finishing one beanbag frog for one brother, promptly came downstairs to announce that she had “two more frogs to make.” Right after we got done discussing the importance of keeping it a secret. She’d even been so agreeable, “I won’t tell them, Mama. It’s a secret.” I’m starting to think it’s *possible* that 3/almost-4 is a little too young for secret-keeping. I think she and I will finish the other two frogs on Christmas eve so there’s little time for her to spill any more beans (literally and figuratively).  ;-)

I hope you have had a lovely week and are looking ahead to a fabulous weekend. Maybe some elving in your home, gatherings with friends, or just enjoying this season however you celebrate it.  Have a great weekend, everyone!