Back from St. Croix

 I see I have not posted here in WEEKS!

Kevin and I just returned from a week in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. This is our fourth year that we've gone to the very same Cottages by the Sea. We are not adventurous folks, obviously!

We had a fabulous time. We were originally going to go to St. Croix in May but, quarantine. It was cancelled.  So then St. Croix opened up and we arranged to go in August (obviously.)

We rose insanely early on August 15th, boarded a plane which took us to Atlanta, and were waiting for the St. Croix plane when another couple nearby told us that St. Croix had locked down again due to coronavirus.

WHAT!!

We looked at our tablets and sure enough, there had been a surge of cases and so the governor of the US Virgin Islands had ordered the population to go back to stay at home.  Visitors were allowed to check into hotels or cottages by the sea until August 19th, so we were Ok. Grocery stores were open but no tourist attractions.

It turned out to be a wonderful week, and a very quiet one. We went to our cottage and we swam and snorkeled and talked and slept and had a wonderful time. We used the rental car to buy groceries (twice), to drive a little way to snorkel (once), and to get to and from the airport.  When we filled up before leaving, we had used all of about a gallon and a half of gas the whole week!

I love being simple. I love sitting on a patio watching the waves. I love walking down the beach and looking at the little sea creatures and the tidal pools and the water pouring this way and that.

I love snorkeling, except when I am stupid and don't put on enough sunscreen and get badly burned legs.  Yep, that happened.

However, it was still a fabulous week and a very refreshing one.

Where were the kids, you ask?  At home.  Naomi and Lydia were working quite a bit (Lydia has a full time nannying job, hooray!) and so Isaac was pretty much running things, though we gratefully thank Kevin's mom for coming over a few hours a day to help out. Isaac and the other big kids did a fabulous job.  We got home and everyone was alive and the house was not burned down. In fact, the house was in decent shape!

This week we have to hit the ground running as it is a busy busy week, but we both feel refreshed.

Also, there will be pictures soon on this blog. Kevin took thousands, literally.

Finding Balance

So Kevin and I wrote another short book called I Have Been Jaeled.  It is the same story as I am Jael except that it is from Wickham's perspective. It is short and not romantic.  It is, in fact, rather grim because the main character is evil.

https://www.amazon.com/Have-Been-Jaeled-Prejudice-Variation-ebook/dp/B08DQS1P97/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=i+have+been+jaeled&qid=1596286778&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

I write very quickly because I have 9 children who swirl around me so I have learned to put down words rapidly.

I have a couple of great editors so while a few mistakes have made it through final edits, there aren't an egregious number of them.

Unless, of course, any mistake is egregious.  I respect that position.

So in 2 months I have  published 2 and a third books. I say that because the latest novella is very short and includes some text from my original book I am Jael, so it really is not very long.

I know how to write and make people happy.  I could presumably pump out a book every month or two and make quite a bit of money.

But I shouldn't. Because writing, while a lot of fun, is not my highest priority. My priorities are Jesus and my family. Jesus is pretty much good on His own so my worship of him is for my own benefit. The family needs me rather desperately.

I have read of many women whose primary desire in life when they were young was to marry and have children. They are BORN moms.

I am not that woman.  I am something of an intellectual and I adore projects that I can complete in a timely fashion.  Most projects involving children are life time ones.  Kids just keep growing and changing and while a few things have a finite end point (like potty training), mostly the relationships keep altering and evolving as the years go by.

It is frankly exhausting to me. I do love a good project with a good end point.

So my natural tendency is to focus on projects and neglect the children and Kevin.  I don't usually do so because God keeps giving me firm nudges in the right direction. I do have to be aware of my own tendencies, though. 

Kids are complex beings and often not very appreciative of ones efforts to raise them. In fact, sometimes they get downright crabby about things. 

Rose has been hilariously irritable the last few days.  She is probably a little sick but still, I either have to laugh or cry over it and I choose to laugh. Like, really child??

Anyway, I have to keep jerking myself away from the path of a money making project which will stroke my ego and towards the children, who need an attentive and devoted mother.

Next week we start up school again.  It will be a "soft start" -- I always spend August working up to full strength.  This year I only have six children to teach.

Ha!  That is funny. Only 6 children.  Isaac is still legally homeschooling but he will be full time at Clark State. He is also a self starter so while I will help him as needed, he'll probably be able to do most things on his own.