No rain+ months of 100 degree weather= no fireworks.

We had to improvise.  In lieu of our annual fireworks extravaganza, we had more of a sparkler and glo-stick extravaganza.  But, that didn’t mean we didn’t have fun at our annual Fourth of July bash. We had a big blow-up waterslide (thanks to our friends Jonathan and Rachel), tons of grilled chicken and shrimp, delicious desserts (Michelle’s trifle and Anna’s ice cream cake were to.die-for) and best of all, good friends.  What’s better on a hot summer night?

AND, since I’m not pregnant anymore, I’m suddenly supermotivated to be supermartha-stewart-esque (yes, that’s a real word…).  So, we even decorated the house.  We planted red and white flowers in pots and tied them with red, white and blue ribbons.  Then we made pinwheels out of patriotic paper and stuck them into the pots.  It was supercute (and my kids helped with the decorating which made it a fun family project).

What did y’all do for the fourth?

Exciting news! I’m going to be on the radio this week! I’m superexcited and also SUPERNERVOUS. Anyway, if you’re around, please tune in! And, I’ll update this post as more radio interviews pop up.

Here’s the info:

Tuesday, March 29th from 8:15am-8:30 am (central standard time):

Good Guys in the Morning

WSC-FM in West Palm Beach, FL

Listen online here…but the broadcast may not be live… it will happen SOMETIME during that morning, though.

Tuesday, March 29th from 8:40-8:50 am (central standard time):

The Morning Show with Birga Alden

SON Broadcasting in Albuquerque, NM

Listen by clicking here and then pressing “LISTEN NOW” (click “listen now”)

Tuesday, March 29th from 10:00-10:20 am (central standard time):

George Carden on UNI News

(broadcast at over 250 stations nationwide)

Click here to listen… but it may not be live… or to get station information for your local area.

Tuesday, March 29th from 11:00-11:15 am (central standard time):

Point of View with John Clemens on IRN USA Radio

(broadcast at over 2,100 stations nationwide).

They don’t have an online listening feature, but to find a local station, click here, then select “Point of View” and they will email you a local station that carries the broadcast.

It’s RELEASE DAY!

I know, I know, my book has been trickling out for weeks now and it’s already been read and reviewed by a lot of you. But today it’s official: The Christian Mama’s Guide to Having a Baby is out.

And we’re going to celebrate!

I’d still love it if any (all!) of you could make it to our RELEASE PARTY tonight at Max’s Wine Dive. Drop by between 7:30 and 9:30 for food, wine, giveaways and more!

If you can’t make it, I still want you to be part of the fun. So, I’m giving away PRIZES to my virtual friends, too! Here’s what you can win:

1. ONE commenter will win a $20 gift card to ZULILY, my favorite online store for moms and kids. Warning: Zulily is TROUBLE. Once you’ve seen the supercute and cool kid stuff they have, it’s hard to resist.

AND

2. ONE commenter will win a signed copy of my book.

Just click below and leave me a comment answering these questions:

1) Have you seen my book anywhere (online or in stores)? Where?

or

2) What book are you reading right now?

or

3) What did you to do celebrate YOUR release day?

Contest closes Tuesday, March 7th!

Today, I’m going to have to take a break from blogging about serious topics (you know, like chocolate) to talk about something even more important: a little black dress.

Guys, go ahead and click that little red X now.

Girls, my book release party is next week. And, my sweet and sensitive husband told me last week that he thought a new outfit was in order. Which made me very, very excited until I realized that I’m 6 months pregnant and any dress I buy will be a maternity dress. And the fact that I will not only be huge and pregnant at the party, but that any dress I buy will be relocated to the Goodwill bin in a couple months pretty much sucked the fun out of my shopping trip. But, since I have to wear something, I went to the mall and tried on every single dress I saw and finally found one that I liked. Sort of.

Here’s the problem: I’m having self-confidence issues. And, with that in mind, I’m going to do the one thing that any girl in my situation would do: Tell everyone and anyone that I think it makes my boobs look too big and my butt look wide so that when they see me at the party, they’ll notice the flaws that they never would’ve even considered had I not mentioned them. Good plan, right?

So, anyway, now that I’ve divulged that little tidbit, I need your advice. The dress in the picture above is the real dress but the model in the picture above is NOT me. So, imagine that dress on someone who is about 3 sizes bigger in the chest. And perhaps slightly larger in the hips and waist. Got that image in your mind?

Okay, now, here’s where you come in. Should I:

1) Wear the dress as is and realize that no one else is going to say or think anything about it?
2) Buy a belt– maybe something flashy like silver or red– to highlight my rib cage which happens to be the only part of me that doesn’t have a two-inch thick layer of fat?
3) Buy a scarf– again, something flashy but not trashy– to cover up the bust?
4) Return the dress and go look for a new one?

Advice please?

I know, I know… I said no more writing-related posts for awhile…but I changed my mind. Because my book releases in just FIVE weeks (March 1st!) and I’m planning a party.

And, of course, all of my bloggy friends are invited.

It was my husband’s idea. He thought that it would be crazy to let book release day come and go without some sort of celebration– and from there, it evolved into a big soiree where pretty much everyone we know is invited.

Anyway, we’re having it at Max’s Wine Dive in downtown Austin. We chose Max’s not only because it has a really cool name and really good food, but also because they have a huge downstairs called Max’s underground that’s decorated with local artwork. And, they provide the food. So, basically, I can just show up in my maternity muu-muu and look cute and let them do all the work. Sounds like a great party, eh?

Anyway, I want to extend the official invitation to all of my bloggy friends: you’re invited. Please come! Head on over to the event invite to get more details and to RSVP. We’re ordering up lots of yummy food (caramel bread pudding bites anyone?), doing giveaways, hanging out–and get this– you might even get to meet my editor Rebecca who is flying in from New York for the occasion!

If for some reason you live in Oregon and can’t make the 2,345 drive to Austin on a Tuesday night, come by my blog on March 1st cause we’ll be throwing a virtual party– complete with giveaways and pictures of yummy food.

See you there!