A BABY INVITATION ;)

Anyone who has ever read any of my stories or some of my poems know I love the night sky.  I love to look at the stars on a dark blue canvas and see the moon in full, half or crescent.

I imagine how much our Creator loves us to give us a nightlight so it will never be completely dark and stars to not only enjoy their loveliness, but to the learned also be a guide.

I guess that's why I love the Christmas story so much.  My husband and I just got through reading one of our favorite Chapters in the Bible: Luke 2, but

especially verses 4-20.

I am always so filled with love that God would send out a baby invitation, not only to the learned scholars who knew how to read the signs, but also to the lowly shepherds.

Believe me, I'm sure the shepherds were learned themselves from keeping watch over sheep during the night to know what the sky looks like and the changing of the seasons.

This was such a special event which would set at least three Kings on a journey in search of the one born beneath that one bright star.

But what amazes me and brings me to tears each time I read these passages is that God cared enough to send His special messengers to invite the least in Bethlehem to witness the birth of His son.

Wow, what a sight to see not only one Angel who told them where to find the baby, but the entire night sky filled with Angels singing, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, good will toward men!"

That is my wish this Christmas, that we would all know we've been invited to the party!  ;)

Finding Joy in the Journey: WISH by Leanna Sain

Finding Joy in the Journey: WISH by Leanna Sain: I've just finished reading WISH by Leanna Sain.  It was delightful with hints of Nancy Drew and Dickens all rolled up into one. I co...

The Smile of a Child

It's that time of year again and my family and I have just stuffed a shoe box and sent it to Operation Christmas Child. 

There is nothing quite like seeing the smile of a child when they open up a Christmas gift.

The shoe boxes are sent all over the world spreading the spirit of love and Christmas.

If you haven't already given a gift to someone who might not otherwise enjoy one for Christmas, then I hope you might consider it.

Hope you're all enjoying this joyous season of giving and hope!  ;)

The Harvest Moon ~ a poem

The Harvest Moon

The Harvest moon shines bright

Hung in a black canvas sky

Adorned with stars strewn about

A pleasing portrait to the eye

It beams over mountains and valleys

Shines upon orchards and fields

It beams upon rooftops of houses

And peeks through window seals

It casts it's light upon flowing streams

Wild rivers or a raging Ocean

 Upon seeming bottomless lakes

And shallow ponds with no motion

My favorite thing about the Harvest moon

It unveils the darkest night

When it paints everything neon-blue

For me it's a wondrous sight

-Sheri L. Swift

LEGEND OF THE MER III

Some of you are asking when my latest book in the series will be coming out; I had planned to publish this fall.

One of my favorite sayings is:  If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.

I had several obstacles thrown in my path to publication this past year and I wasn't able to keep up with my writing schedule.

I'm now hoping to publish this next summer 2015.  I'll be taking pre-orders prior to publication so you'll know when.

I've been enjoying spending time with the Prentis Family again as they travel together for one last trip to the South Pacific on the Bonnie Rose.

Micah and his extended family travel together with them on the Island Traveler.

This next books main focus is on Lizzy whose now 22 years old and recently graduated from college with a Masters in Elementary Education. 

The story also continues with Jedediah, Seturus and their son Jireh whose now four years old.

King Titus has enjoyed some five years of peace within his Mer Kingdom.  He and Queen Lana's son Prince Titan is now seven winters old.

The Mer family is alive and well with a few new characters added; some nice and some not so nice.

There's more adventure and fun to be had in this latest installment.

I guess I better get back to writing!  ;)

SAND, SUN, WATER & FUN

Although we weren't able to visit Ocracoke Island this vacation, Sweetheart represented!  Lol!

This was actually Claytor Lake where we took a day to enjoy sand, sun, water and fun.

I decided to stop fighting it and enjoyed the two weeks of vacation Sweetheart and I had together, which also included time to celebrate his birthday.

We even made an overnight trip to visit one of our daughters.

Summer was hot and muggy as usual.  It seems the rain came ending our outdoor fun just as the vacation was over.

Our local parks and lakes shut down after Labor Day, but the water becomes too cold to enjoy after that anyway.

Fall comes early here in the Blue Ridge Mountains and I am looking forward to it!  ;)

WISH by Leanna Sain

I've just finished reading WISH by Leanna Sain.  It was delightful with hints of Nancy Drew and Dickens all rolled up into one.

I could definitely see this on the Hallmark Channel one day as one of their Christmas movies.

I've always been a fan of Christmas in July; my children and I would turn our home into Christmas for at least one week during their summer break.  This book didn't disappoint in that regard.

It starts off with a seventeen year old girl Maddie McGuire who has been grieving the loss of her parents only to find out both of their deaths may not have been an accident.

Things happen when days before Christmas she makes a wish.  What follows is a week-long wild ride filled with dangerous twists and turns.

In the end will she face the same fate as her parents?

Leanna Sain lives in the mountains of North Carolina.  When she's not writing, she keeps busy as a free-lance portrait artist, co-owner of a retail store, and organic gardener.

Hope you add it to your reading list.  ;)

4th of July Memories ~ A poem

4th of July Memories

Rising before the sun

To watch the home-town parade

Soda pop for everyone

Looking for the shade

 Firing up the grill

Churning the ice cream

Squirt gun fights

Cheering on your team

Neighbors joining in

To taste the bounty laid

Sampling all the dishes

And scrumptious desserts made

Excitement building within

As we watch the setting sun

Blankets laid on the ground

There's room for everyone

The sound of cannons

Now fill the night sky

Sprays of light rocket

Exploding so high

Fireworks from small ones

To the largest ever seen

An array of colors

Red, blue, gold and green

The smiles on the little ones

Is such a beautiful sight

But even older ones

Enjoy this special night

We remember our history

And those who paid dearly

Who fought for freedom

Because freedom isn't free

The skies are silent now

The only light comes from the Moon

Children are put to bed

This night is gone too soon

- Sheri L. Swift

***

Wisteria Hill ~ a poem of Elven love

Source

In my latest book The Hart Of Telendaria An Elven Love Story, my main characters are Aidan of the Sidhean Forest an Elf and Alterra of Telendaria (formerly Glen Haven) part-Elf, Pixie and Mortal.  Through many hardships they meet and marry.

Their love is so powerful that when they kiss, their green gemstones within their crowns begin to glow and every plant cannot help but to celebrate the joy of their love with them; not to mention the insects and animals of An Domhan.

On one such occasion, Aidan purposefully brings seeds of the Wisteria and plants them with Alterra in hopes to make an arbor and haven for their love; the rest is history-

WISTERIA HILL 
Let all who pass and see this sight
Know the High Elven King and Queen here spent this night
For Aidan did love Alterra upon this hill
With an everlasting love which grows for her still
For her royal beauty is beyond compare
And her heart of mercy is a quality rare
Theirs is a love which cannot be restrained
For their joy overflows and cannot be contained
The Wisteria rejoiced in both blossom and limb
For it could not help but celebrate with them

An ageless love they have pledged to themselves

When Aidan loved Alterra in the land of Elves

 ***

Leaf & String Festival Authors On Grayson Street 2014

It's that time of year again!  The Leaf & String Festival and the Authors on Grayson Street is June 13th and 14th in Galax Virginia.

Chapters Book Shop provides this opportunity for us to showcase our books.  This picture was from last years Festival.

The hours are Friday 12:00-5:00 and Saturday 10:00-5:00.

I will not only be signing Legend of the Mer and Legend of the Mer II The New Guardian, but I will also be signing my newest book The Hart of Telendaria An Elven Love Story.

If you're in the area I hope you stop by!  ;)

Finding Joy in the Journey: Dedicated to my Father

Finding Joy in the Journey: Dedicated to my Father: This is a picture of my backyard prayer garden, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  I often go here to thank my Heavenly father and to p...

An encounter with a Hummingbird

Source

The other night about twilight, I went out my back door to let my dog Talei in the house.

When I opened the door a large bright blue butterfly slowly drifted in the air towards me.

I'm not sure if it was my perfume or the cool air coming through the door, but the butterfly kept flying towards me at eye level.

It got so close, I thought it was going to land on my face, so I put up my hand between me and the butterfly.

It just hovered right in front of me only inches from me and I realized it wasn't a butterfly at all.

It was a hummingbird with a bright red breast and a beautiful bright blue head and wings.

He just seemed to need to connect with me for whatever reason.

I began to feel like my Elven character Queen Alterra.

I smiled brightly and then the hummingbird gracefully flew away.

How awesome, I thought.

I realized Talei had also been mesmerized and never even barked at the hummingbird.

I feel privileged to have had such an encounter.  ;)

 

My Sweetheart ;)

This is my Sweetheart and best friend.  This May we are celebrating 26 years of marriage.

This picture was taken at last years Author's on Grayson Book Festival.

We've raised four daughters, adopted another into our family and now are blessed beyond belief with eleven precious grandchildren.

He's been my rock in the toughest of times and helped me to laugh through the worst of pain.

Thank you baby!  What a ride!  ;)

Praying for our Nation

Some of you may know that this is my *happy* place.  Now that spring has sprung its beginning to come alive again.

I'm often sitting on my little bench of stone and praying for my family, friends and my state of Virginia.

Tomorrow is our #NationalDayOfPrayer and I plan to be praying for our Nation.

I don't take it lightly and I pray for our President, leaders, those who serve and have served our great Nation in every capacity, and I pray for all of our citizens.

Prayer is a privilege I hold dear and I only wish God's will and His best.

If you live in this great Nation, won't you join me?  ;)

Happy Easter! ;)

   This is my kitchen table last Sunday as I was setting up for our lunch.  I was in charge of desserts, Vegetables with ranch dip and some of the chicken.
   I made strawberry shortcake trifle.  I also set up a triple layer of butterfly cakes and cookies.  We had sour and regular jelly beans, with dark and peanut m&m's.
   In addition to Christmas, this is the Holiday I like to go way out and spoil those I love with food pleasing to the eye as well as the palette.
   Several of us serve in some capacity on Easter Sunday with our Churches, so we started celebrating Easter on Palm Sunday.
   I also enjoy the *quality* time I have with my children and grandchildren on this day.
   We enjoyed a chicken dinner with all the fixins, as we say in Southwest Virginia.

   The children enjoyed an Easter Egg hunt in our backyard.  It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day.

   Some of our Sons-in-love got a little creative when it came to hiding, but it made it all the more fun for the children.

   We usually play board games in the afternoon, but this time we just enjoyed visiting with one another.  My husband and I enjoyed loving on all those grandchildren!

   I hope you and yours have a wonderful Easter celebration this weekend!  ;)

Happy Spring! ;)

We've had one of the coldest winters here in the Blue Ridge since my husband and I moved to Virginia in 1995.

It's so good to feel the warm sun again and my little African Violet plant is happy to see it too!

I'm enjoying wearing sandals again and my spring clothing.

We usually don't have Rhododendron blooming until the first part of May as well as Dogwoods.  I'm hoping for an earlier bloom this year.

I hope your enjoying spring or whatever new season in your part of the world!  ;)

Happy St. Patrick's! ;)

I wrote a blog a few years ago about how my family always celebrated St. Patrick's Day as a remembrance of an exceptional person and also a way to remember our heritage.

When all my girls were nearly grown, I discovered my family (McLain side) originated from Lochbuie, Scottland.  They changed the spelling from the original name (MacLaine) and eventually settled in Glasgow Ireland before my branch came to America.

So you might say we have a true Scotts-Irish heritage; none the less, we enjoy donning the green!  ;)

Winding Roads and Tall Trees

While driving to an appointment the other day, my husband and I drove down one of the lovely little winding roads in our area of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Along our drive, I saw running parallel to my road was new construction.  The construction was apparently a new byway which will straighten out the road.

They were tearing up the hills and had removed large sections of mature trees.  I always wonder at what cost we do these things.

It seems this generation is always in a hurry to get somewhere.  We lost the beauty along the way and the time we took to notice it.

Hey, I'm all for making roads safer, but wish there was still a way to save the trees and keep the ways of enjoying them with our families.

Happy Valentines! ;)

Valentines is always a special time for me, not only a time to celebrate the love of my Sweetheart, but also one of my daughters and I share birthdays in this month.

I cannot help but be overfilled with love and gratitude and I express it with decorations and treats for those I love.

I hope you have a wonderful Valentines Day also and are able to celebrate it with love and gratitude!  ;)

A Promise Kept

A Promise Kept

Robin Lee Hatcher's new novel is out and is a beautiful story of loss and redemption.  It is filled with love of a family and friends as close as family.

It has a story within a story of two lives so profoundly touched by God.  It tells of perseverance through heartache and God's perfect timing of restoration.

Robin shares that this story is very close to her heart as she also had struggles within her own marriage and how God's faithfulness helped to restore it.

Hope you'll check it out!  ;)

The Little Merwalker who could

As I sit here writing this today I am amazed how well my book Legend of the Mer is doing on #Amazon #Kindle.  As of today, my ebook is on Amazon's Best Seller's list in three categories, #12, #28 and #33.

Since I published in 2009, she's gone through several revisions and a facelift with a new cover design for the ebook and print cover.

The sequel, Legend of the Mer II ~ The New Guardian is also doing well and frequently on 1-3 of Amazon's Best Seller's lists.

Now I'm beginning to write the third in the series and it's so fun to sit at the table again with the Prentis family and swim with the Mer as they travel from Safe Harbor Island in the North Atlantic to Mer Island in the South Pacific.

Thank you to all the readers in the US, UK and all over the world who have helped to keep this Little Merwalker on top!  As I always say, #GoMerwalker!  #GoGuardian!  ;)