Author: deborahanndykeman

Writing has always been a love of mine. Except for school reports! I didn't cherish those moments. I began with poems in grade school, and short little stories that I illustrated. I created something for each family celebration and probably wore my family out. But I graduated to a longer 'book' by the time I was 18. Following traditional romance novel writing, I pounded out a pretty cheesy story on a Royal typewriter I had found at a garage sale. You didn't worry about your nails when using one of those! When four of our five children were still young, I wrote my first full-length book back in 1998. I followed it with three more in that series. Those are my current WIP, needing many updates and editing. I'm happy to say as of this writing, the third in the Love Defined series is almost ready to be released! Currently, I have eleven published books. My husband and I have been married for forty-one years, and we have five children and nine grandchildren. I've been a homeschooling mom, Sunday school teacher, AWANA director and a pastor's wife. I've worked as a CNA and an Activity Director. A new love of mine is book cover designing! Stayed tuned for more on that. When I'm not busy writing...which I love, BTW, I'm working on home projects, marketing and attending events, where I love to meet you...my readers!
Writing

UGH!

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There are days when I look back on all the technology we have and I am really ‘wowed’. When I was still in school, microwaves were just coming into homes…and my close-knit group of family and friends weren’t there yet! A TV dinner seemed like a pretty big thing for me!

Phones, as I have mentioned before in other posts, were still attached to the wall in most homes. You were really going places if you had a long cord and could walk around with it! Again, I was fairly impressed if I could stir a pot on the stove and talk at the same time. In one of our houses in my teen years, we still had a party line! It was cleared up shortly after we moved in, but I think it’s safe to say that the people before us didn’t have a problem with it.

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Traveling across Arizona to California recalls signs posted in hotels and restaurants that they had air-conditioning. I know our car didn’t, so that was a FANTASTIC way to spend a meal or sleep. On the trip home with our lobster-red sunburns, the air-conditioning would have been even more appreciated. Many homes and even stores did not have air-conditioning.

Computers at school? Seriously! You took typing class and hit the return, most of the guys aiming for the trash can at the end of their desk. If you wrote a report, you wrote it over and over again in pen, hoping you wouldn’t make a mistake and have to start all over! I still marvel at the delete button!

typewriter

We have so many items today to make our lives more easy and convenient…and I really appreciate them, most of the time. But yesterday, my laptop wasn’t on the top ten or even five list. Going off the grid, living in a small cabin by a stream, no phone, electricity, etc. was beginning to feel pretty good. (And in reality, I really wouldn’t have a problem with that once or twice a year to just get away from everything.) But, our son was able to come over and work diligently to try and figure out the problem. And to be fair, I shouldn’t say it took all day…just from 10 a.m. to around 8 p.m. Just enough to pretty much ruin the bulk of getting anything done.

The plus side…my laptop is running much quicker than it has in a very long time. It will actually keep up with my typing, now. Yes, that was extremely frustrating before! Our son showed me ways to be more efficient in using my laptop…and the joy on that one is still being considered. I really do understand what he is saying, but this old dog gets pretty stuck in her ways. But I guess I’m stretching my brain and it probably could use a little exercise. So…maybe I’ll get some writing done today and my computer won’t have to try and catch up with me! Have a great Saturday!

 

Parenting 101

Precious Memories!

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Precious memories…how they linger, how they ever flood my soul. In the stillness…

These lines are from a beautiful song and I have singing on my mind today. For a very short time, four of our children and I had a singing group and we were very privileged to be asked to sing for a couple Valentine Banquets and a Christmas program for our local thrift store. We also did a concert for our local nursing home and went to many jam sessions in our small town and another not too far away. These were good times and I have many very special and precious memories from those days.

Children left for school and were married, so the ‘group’ was no more. Our son and daughter were both part of the hand bells and choir at the Bible college they attended. They learned far more there than I could have ever taught them and they have beautiful voices today from that training.

But there is something very special about the Carter Family tunes, Bluegrass and Johnny Cash. Back in my teens and early twenties, if someone would have told me I would love Bluegrass someday, I would have said they were crazy! But things change. And that’s good.

Here, I’m going to share us practicing in our kitchen. We are singing a Carter Family tune called, Anchored in Love. Please forgive the not-so-good recording and our very amateur performance. We already knew we probably wouldn’t take the act on the road! Phones can only do so much and of course lighting is not the best either.

Any of you Andy Griffith fans will remember this one. The Dillards did a fantastic job playing the Darling family on the show. The Dillards wrote and performed, There Is a Time.

Another favorite of ours, and probably mine more than anyone else was Whispering Pines. Johnny Horton sang this one.  He had many wonderful songs.

Our youngest did a great job when she was younger. She loved to get up in front of people and sing. Now she is a little more shy. Here she is going through a song before the concert.

So, sharing a few precious memories on a cold, Wednesday. I would like to thank our children for being part of them. I know practicing wasn’t always fun and sometimes just down right a pain. But I think we have a lot to be thankful for…a blessed few years that many never get to experience. Time spent together  sharing the talents God gave. I will always look back on those days with fondness.

 

 

 

A Day to Remember

Your Choice…

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As I look back over the past year…which is what we all tend to do on this day…so many emotions swamp my thoughts. Some years of your life have been generally good, some years not so good. This year for our family has been hard to pin down when it comes to the ‘good’ or ‘bad’ aspect. The fiery darts have seemed to come from all directions and the blessings have trickled down through the smoke. But there have been blessings.

Each of us can choose to concentrate and remember the bad, the fiery darts…or we can make a conscious decision to be absorbed in the good. This doesn’t mean we turn a blind eye to what has gone on or that we forget, but our effort and thoughts go into the edifying and building up, not the tearing down. I’ve done a lot of tearing down this year and if I were to make a New Year’s Resolution, it would be to spend more time building up and encouraging. And if you think about it…you just feel better when you build up and encourage and love the other person. It takes a lot of energy to hate, be bitter and stay angry.

This year, we lost my husband’s mother, but she gained heaven and the joy of being with all those that have gone before her. This year we ‘lost’ another daughter, but gained a new son-in-law. Our son has had a couple more surgeries with more to come, but he was also okayed for two new hearing devices. God has provided the insurance coverage for those surgeries. Our son being able to play guitar and sing, as he is so talented in doing, may be more of a reality again in 2016. My husband resigned as a pastor, but in that we also know of two young men that are very gifted in teaching God’s word and it’s exciting to see what God has planned in all of that. Again, the blessings trickling down through the rough and challenging times.

My writing has taken off in 2015 and I am so very excited to see where it flies! It is a gift to me that I pray I am able to share with many in 2016 and the years to come. I would never have thought all of this would have been possible last year at this time.

Life is difficult and filled with challenges. We still have some to work out in our own personal lives. But we will have the answers at some point and more obstacles will come. Choose to look at the good, concentrate on the blessings and your cup will be running over. Have a Blessed New Year 2016!

New Year

 

A Quick Thought

Let It Snow!

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let it snowAs a child, I loved snow. Growing up in Colorado, it would snow and generally it would melt within a couple days. We would have a lot at a time, but it wouldn’t stick around for long. Then we moved to Vermont. There is snowed, and snowed, and snowed. Every day it just grew deeper. The piles in the parking lots were there until June. I didn’t like snow so much anymore after that.

As an adult, I still love snow. As long as it snows in November and December and there is no ice with it. For me, that sets the holiday mood even more. I love a white Christmas! But as an adult, you also have to think of things like, driving to work in it, shoveling out your car BEFORE driving to work in it, etc. By the time January arrives, I would be fine with it being a pleasant 70 degrees, a touch of rain here and there to keep things green.

Living in Kansas, that is not how it works. If we have snow, it will generally be AFTER Christmas and after January. It has snowed as late as April 17th in  my memory of living here. Not so pleasant, especially since you have had a couple REALLY nice days of upper seventies by that date. Just enough to kind of tease you about spring.

We had a little bit of white just after Christmas this year. We were to have a big storm, with many inches piling up, but it kind of petered out. So it rained, more freezing rain, and then it kind of froze so we had white on the roads and sidewalks. And now it’s cold! For me it can still snow until New Years Day. I will give it one more chance, just a couple more days. Which brings me to the reason I wanted to write this.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! is a song usually sung at Christmas time. But it is really a winter song in my mind. So I wanted to share it with you here. For me, it brings to mind that cozy feeling when it is cold outside and really piling up in big, white mounds. You don’t want to leave, just be close to family and friends and sit beside the fire. Just about a perfect day! Enjoy this Walt Disney version! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sawh40RHFFE

 

 

A Day to Remember

Merry Christmas!

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Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. With that one line, most of us know the story. I wrote that from memory, so I do hope I have it correct! Tonight we will hang our stockings, or fill the ones that have been hanging for a month now, collecting dust. We will set out the presents and sneak off to bed by midnight if possible. Your tree will look something like this, as ours did back in 2008.

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Another line that is very familiar to us is this: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11, KJV)

manger scene

Tomorrow is the day set aside to remember the birth of our Savior. No, it probably was not on December 25th. But that is the day we celebrate. As you cherish the day with family and friends, opening gifts, and eating way too much food…remember. God’s son was sent to us, born as a baby and grew to be a man. He walked on this earth, lived a life of a carpenter and was a testimony of what we should be in our own lives. Then he died for us, giving us the opportunity to accept or deny him.

I pray your day is filled with joy. Merry Christmas, from me to you!

A Day to Remember

Happy Birthday!

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On this date, back in 1987, at about 2:30 in the morning, I had just delivered our first baby…a girl. It had been a very long three days to get to that point, involving several trips to the local, small hospital and then eventually an ambulance ride to Albany Medical Center. But she did finally arrive and she was a big one…9 pounds and 6 ounces. I was a little bruised and worse for wear, but elated!

On Christmas morning, she was brought to me as all the babies were, in a red stocking. The woman in the cubicle next to mine had had twins, so she received two stockings. I have always thought that was pretty special. With a little finagling, I was able to go home that day. I ate Christmas dinner on a plastic donut and our oldest was passed around like the best-tasting mashed potatoes, but I had my present!

Today this daughter has three of our grand-children and they live near by. She is my proof-reader and editor for my books…the computer guru that gets things done. She is the oldest, the bossy one and a bit cranky like me at times, but we all love her anyway.

Happy Birthday, to our first child, the one that made us truly a ‘family’ and paved the way for four more siblings. We love you, Baby Britt!

A Day to Remember

Christmas Anticipation!

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Wow…less than a week until Christmas! How did that happen? We’ve all said it. When we were children, Christmas took FOREVER to arrive. We started counting down the days after Thanksgiving. (I’m sorry, I think Thanksgiving should have its own, special time and I don’t really remember Christmas decorations being put out in homes or stores until AFTER Thanksgiving.) At school you anticipated the long break coming up. It seemed like you would be gone for ages, rather than just a couple of weeks.

Your mother baked mounds of goodies, you decorated cookies and ate way too much raw dough, (yes another bad thing we did as children if you’re my age). You also sampled frosting until your tongue was green. The build-up for Christmas Eve was almost unbearable. Finally, the day would arrive!

When I think back on those years…I don’t really recall the actual presents and what I received as much as the emotions and feelings of that month. It was more the simple pleasure of the preparations for the Big Day. The emotions of family and friends, the close unity we all shared.   We all were gathered for a purpose, and enjoyed being there.

In previous posts, I have mentioned the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas. I wanted to share a few of those here. These pictures of our small town were taken Christmas Eve of 2008 by our second oldest. Boy was it cold outside! I loved it, because it had a ‘Christmas’ feel to it.

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These are some more pictures from that Christmas, seven years ago. I have a village that I used to arrange on my piano. I absolutely loved it! I have always adored miniatures and this was just perfect to display every Christmas. But now it has grown too large and I need a bigger area to display it. Not a bad problem to have! But I have really missed it the past couple of years!

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These two pictures are from that Christmas day. One showing that anticipation I was speaking of. The other of three of our daughters with the aprons I made that Christmas.

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I think for most of us, Christmas isn’t about the presents we are going to receive, (unless we are under the age of twelve). It’s about the preparations, time spent with family and friends. The cards you receive from miles away, the shopping for gifts to give and watching as those people open what you have chosen especially for them. It’s all those emotions that are tied in from being with special people in your life.

I think that is totally appropriate. God planned for and provided those people to encourage us, help in times of need, give us accountability and love us. Who else would you want to spend such a very special day with?

A Quick Thought

My Cozy Little Corner

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Christmas Fireplace

This is my cozy little corner. I sit here in the evenings, on my Cracker Barrel rocking chair. My husband sits in his on the opposite side of the room. This has become a routine for us almost every evening and it’s one that I enjoy. We usually watch Netflix in the evenings, but I do sit here and read at times as well. And sometimes I just…sit.

The chairs were purchased for a lovely front porch we had in an old house we lived in twelve years ago in Upstate New York. I was pregnant with our youngest at the time and I spent a lot of hours on that porch before and after she was born. I absolutely love front porches, side porches and back porches. If I could, I would have every room in my house lead to a porch.  They are kind of a nice, safe, haven that you can observe the rest of the world from. And I really wouldn’t mind if a porch looked out over meadows or mountains. A lake or an ocean would be terrific!

Front porches are old and nostalgic, while decks are modern and open. I do like a deck, but it is just not the same as a porch. I guess I’m just funny that way. (I’m sure some would say in many ways!)

Just For Fun!

BTW…

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I am currently working on my second book in a series of four or five books. The first book in the series is set in the 1980’s and the second one is set in the 1890’s. Yes, you read that correctly, the second book goes back almost 100 years! I love historical books! As I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago, Gone With the Wind is my favorite book. But I have so many others that I have enjoyed as well. Traveling back in time gives us a glimpse of that world. While I love to read it…it’s a bear to write about!!! Believe it or not, I didn’t live 100 years ago and it takes A LOT of research to get a feel for a different time and place.

All that leads me to my thoughts for today. Yes, our dress is very different, we have various modes of transportation that we didn’t use in the past, and we communicate in a whole unique way that we did not over 100 years ago. We still have phones, we may occasionally write a letter and we visit family and friends.

The communication part is what has been popping into my head the past few days. Can you imagine someone from the 1800’s or earlier see us put a small, rectangular-shaped object to our ear and actually ‘talk’ into it? We probably would have been burned at the stake for witchcraft! Think of all the new ‘words’ or phrases we have now that we didn’t have even when I was growing up. Transport yourself 100 years ago and the person you were talking to would say, “Excuse me?” (They wouldn’t have said, “what” or “huh” 100 years ago!) “BTW, I’ll TTYL, pick-up some moo-joo at the store. TYVM! SYL!” (Okay, maybe they would have said, “HUH?!)

I can understand texting the above phrases. (I don’t text unless I absolutely have to, so I may have those, phrases, words, whatever you call them…wrong.) But seriously, are we so busy that we can’t say, “Dairy Queen” or “International House of Pancakes”, instead of “DQ” or “IHOP”? When I was a young girl, we went to the International House of Pancakes many times on a Saturday morning and it didn’t cause us great distress to say all those words. It didn’t take a lot of time out of our morning to ask the question, “May we go to the International House of Pancakes for breakfast this morning?”

I must admit, many of the abbreviations are pretty cute. “IHOP” has a nice jingle to it. My mother would ask my father if we could go to the “DQ” long before it became that, trying to make it a surprise for us. We did figure it out pretty quickly. Mainly because children are fairly smart when it comes to ice-cream or treats in any form. “BOGO” still causes me to stop and think about what they are talking about. It comes in a snap when I’m at Payless looking at shoes, though!

So, the next time you board a plane, think of what someone from the 1800’s and earlier would have thought about that. This is a post for another day, but I’m fairly certain they would have thought we were…crazy!!! “All those people get into that silver bullet and it goes up into the sky, even where the clouds are and then it comes down in another state or country?! NTYVM!!! (For those of you that aren’t as techno-savvy as I am, that would be: No Thank You Very Much!!!

 

 

Bible Verses, Our Christian Walk

A Balm to the Soul

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I have always been amazed that whenever I go to the Bible, God leads me to be where I should be reading. It is not always what I want to hear or apply to my life. Some of it is written for a certain people in a different time period, but applications can be made. This is what I turned to this morning, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

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Psalm 111:1-10:

1)Praise ye the Lord, I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. 2)The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all of them that have pleasure therein. 3)His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.  4)He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion. 5)He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant. 6)He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen. 7)The works of his hands are verity and judgement: all his commandments are sure. 8)They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. 9)He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name. 10)The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. (Scripture copied from the authorized King James Version of the Bible.)

Wow! My Christian walk has been a little shaky over the past few weeks. When you have been through a battle, and injured, you have to heal. Not just physically, but mentally and spiritually. That takes time. You start out with small, shaky, baby steps, but you keep walking, and you stay on the path. God will lead and direct, he will provide light and shelter when you need it.

I encourage you to read the above passage again and again. I used the King James Version today because that is what I use in my writing. I think it is a beautiful translation, one that I had our children memorize in. It flows and sounds very pretty. For everyday reading, I usually use my New American Standard, a little easier to understand at times. But I think the above is pretty clear.

Christmas is drawing near. It is very easy to ‘get off the path’ and put our minds on other ‘things’. We get caught up in the hustle and bustle and all the ‘things’ we ‘should’ do. Please remember that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior. Keep him FIRST in all your activities and thoughts of the day. It will not return void!