Getting Ready for NaNoWrMo

My husband and daughter are both doing NaNoWrMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year. They are each going to attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in November. So I am preparing to be a NaNo widow. I checked out a stack of library books yesterday and am thinking about what I can do by myself on Saturdays. So far, I've decided to get the oil changed and the tires rotated the first Saturday. I'm hoping I can come up with better ideas for the rest of the month!

My daughter wanted me to do NaNoWrMo as well, but I know my limits. I've attempted fiction writing, and it's not something I really enjoy. So now she's trying to get me to do BlogOWrMo, and write an entry on my blog every day in November. I also have a friend who recently started posting an entry on her blog every day, and told me I should do the same. This friend has six kids, so she's not buying the "I'm too busy" line from me. And it is fun to read her blog every day.

So I am giving in to the pressure. Starting next Monday, Nov. 1, I will post something every day. So don't expect any deep thoughts...I can't come up with one of those every 24 hours! And I'm also going to have to figure out how to post photos here. My friend sometimes posts a photo of one of her kids doing something funny or interesting with a caption. That seems like an easy way to get in a daily post. Of course, my photos won't be so good, because the rest of my family will be sitting in front of computers all month...that doesn't make for an interesting picture! But I'll come up with something.

See you in November!

Counting the Cost

We moved into our home nine years ago. Nine years of family living can wear out the best of homes, and ours is starting to show "laugh lines". So I decided to paint the entire place. I foolishly thought it would be easy, something I could do in my spare time. My husband, who once had a job painting apartments, warned me that it was more work than it seemed. But I blithely went ahead. I figured I could paint the entryway and kitchen in one morning, then do the bathroom the next morning, and move on from there. Well, two long days later, and I'm still not completely done with the kitchen! What I have finished does look great, and that motivates me to carry on. But I'm a wiser, more humble painter now!

Jesus warned those who wished to follow Him to count the cost first, because He knew it was human nature to to get excited about something, jump in with both feet, and only then begin to realize what the costs are. He wants followers who will go with Him all the way and not fall away when the going gets tough. We need to be wise and humble followers, ones who know what the costs are and still choose to pay them, knowing He is worth everything.