Monday, March 28, 2011

amazing grace

Whew! What a weekend! I should think twice about posting devotionals as I find I'm being tested in the wake of them:) I hope you're experiencing amazing grace for any bumps you're encountering. HIS grace really is sufficient... I'm so glad it's Monday. My messy house is quiet, the boys are in school, the sun is shining, and it's a good writing day.

Speaking of Amazing Grace, I watched the movie again recently and it was just as moving as the first time. When I think of a perfect 18th-century character, Romola Garai comes to mind. She is so beautiful, and the hats and dresses she wears in the film are simply amazing! Not to mention that lush red wig with all those curls:) My current heroine in The Ballantyne Legacy has the same look...

I'm thinking Romola is in need of a modesty piece for that gown she's wearing. And I've just the one:) Here's a fichu trimmed in lace and an organdy cap below that I have, compliments of Mary over at her beautiful blog/website. The cap was usually worn beneath a hat in the 18th-century and is very pretty that way.

I've just learned that a book trailer might be in the works for The Colonel's Lady. And The Frontiersman's Daughter is going into another printing, always good news for an author:)

Is your day a busy one? Any bumps? Hoping His Amazing Grace is yours this week!


Fear not for the future, weep not for the past. ~ Shelley

Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses, and disappointments; but let us have patience, and we soon shall see them in their proper figures. ~Joseph Addison

35 comments:

  1. I love the film Amazing Grace...I need to rewatch that one soon! :)

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  2. Oh Laura, lololol.

    You were thinking the EXACT same thing I was about her gown... ;-)

    I am seriously getting excited to see you all decked out in period clothing!! Maybe you should wear it all to the ACFW awards banquet?? :)

    That is VERY exciting about TFD. I still my extra copy in a desk drawer just waiting for the right person to give it too. I LOVE to give books away. :)

    Love ya,
    Casey

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  3. Oh, I'd love to see a trailer for The Colonel's Lady--can't wait to read the book! :D

    And I haven't seen the movie Amazing Grace yet, but perhaps I should soon! I fell in love with the new PBS Masterpiece Sherlock series, and my sister did, too, over Christmas break. I remember her excitement when she watched Amazing Grace in school and had to tell me that the actor who played Sherlock was in it. ;)

    ~Amber

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  4. Happy Monday, dear friend! Yes, being tested in the wake of such things always seems to happen. But praise the Lord that when we’re in Christ it has to pass through Him before it can get to us. Remember, Satan couldn’t touch Job without the Lord’s permission. What a peace there is in the shadow of the Almighty :) Apparently the Lord has some choice fruit He wishes to produce in our lives lately – a deeper faith, a greater trust or maybe He just wishes to show His awesome power through a testimony that can only come by way of our specific vessel? Whatever the reason, our Daddy is in control :)

    I heard a song for the first time yesterday that touched my heart, blessed my spirit and brought tears (the good kind) to my eyes and I want to share it with you. The song is called “Blessings” by Laura Story (nice name :) ) and the link is below. The lyrics are below the video in the “show more” feature. The chorus is especially beautiful.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ

    Great news about TCL and TFD!! Praying His Amazing Grace will be a sweet sound flowing in and through you all week, my friend :)

    Blessings,
    Amanda

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  5. Hi Laura, So excited for you. TFD, and a trailer coming out : ) Hope you have a blessed week!

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  6. Ruth, I knew you were a fan. This only feeds our Horatio Hornblower addiction:)Love those Welshmen!

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  7. Casey, Oh, bless you for tucking that copy away till the right moment:) Would you believe I'm nearly out of books and had to order more. Never thought an author had to do that for her own!

    Yep, a modesty pieced is certainly in order here. My gown, thankfully, isn't as low cut but it's fun to wear a fichu just the same. I so hope to wear it to the awards banquet - with Rosslyn and Keli and whomever else comes in period dress. If I go, that is. Not quite sure yet...

    Hoping you'll be there, too! Praying...

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  8. Mary,
    It's always a JOY to feature your beautiful things here and to have you visit in person. I'm so sorry to hear about the internet hassle/harrassment. I can relate in an odd way as this weekend several sites appeared that said they had my upcoming book for free download. Needless to say I felt terrible. But like you said, you take the high road and hope such things are resolved. In my case, the links were taken down and it seems it was a scam.

    Hope the rest of your week is a blessed one in every way! I so enjoyed your post today (but then I always do)!

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  9. Oh Amanda, Beautiful! Thanks so much for linking us to that! It's a perfect reminder to rise above any bumps we're experiencing. You're right, He's in control, no matter what, and the enemy can't touch us w/o His permission. I've always found I learn so much when I struggle. I'm still adjusting to the fact that life is just that. Even our joys are often bittersweet! Heaven is all the sweeter for it, though. Thanks so much...

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  10. Amber, You'll love AG:) I sure do, especially since it's a true story. The scenery and costuming are so lush. And the romance isn't half-bad either!

    I'm excited to be celebrating with you on your blog tomorrow and giving away a book. Hope everyone here will join us. I'm going to post on FB in the morning and invite whoever can come. Happy day:)

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  11. Colleen, So glad you're here, dear friend:) A book trailer would be fun, huh? I tend to like the ones with text and picture and music, not voices. Will be interesting to see what Revell comes up with. It's been on my wish list for some time.

    So glad your writing is going well! We need to start a St. Loo countdown...

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  12. Laura,

    I should definitely see the movie then! :)

    I'm excited to host you on my blog tomorrow, too!! Thank you so much for your time and for spreading the word. :) Can't wait to celebrate!

    And oh, speaking of book trailers...have you seen Mary Connealy's new trailer for her book, "Out of Control"? Here's the link to it:

    http://www.maryconnealy.com/out-of-control.html#books

    I absolutely fell in love with it! The graphics, the music, and that adorable man... *sigh* Love it! ;D

    ~Amber

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  13. Amber, THANKS for this! Can't wait to watch. I think I may be a Mary fan soon as this would be my first books of hers. She's wildly popular so know this trailer is quite fun. You are always one step ahead of me - I forgot to ask you all if you'd seen any book trailers you like especially well, old or new. Thanks again for sharing!

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  14. I'd love to see a book trailer of TCL. I'm sure it will just beautiful.

    I am amazed by the graceful way you handle all that life throws at you.

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  15. Grace certainly IS amazing. So glad your difficult weekend is over and that you have a new week ahead filled with some good things. (I was praying for you over the weekend, God must have put you on my heart for a reason.) Such great news about a new printing of TFD! That's awesome and I'm looking forward to seeing TCL trailer. I do love the costumes in Amazing Grace, and yes, her hair is wonderful. It's nice to see your colonial fripperies.

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  16. Oh I'm hoping and saving too! I hope you can make it, I would hate to make it all the way there and not get to meet you. :)

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  17. Congrats on the second printing, Laura! Now I can say I have a copy of one of the first editions!

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  18. Carrie, Thanks so much! Keep it close as this is the 3rd printing so it might mean even more;) And the Lord gets all the credit.

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  19. Casey, I'd be so disappointed if you weren't there or I weren't! This year looks super as some authors/writers who haven't attended are coming. St. Loo sounds quite fun! Oh, and congrats on that beautiful tribute to you on Journal Jots! Love that particular pic of you!

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  20. Carla, That means so much to know you were praying for me without my even having asked. You are such a blessing! It was a hard weekend as lots of little things were aggravating, but today was sunny and though I didn't get a lot of writing done, tomorrow looks like a better work day. Hope you're doing well, too, and the writing is flowing!

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  21. Lorna, That's such a gracious thing to say. I so often miss the mark but maybe as I age I'll handle things His way more often. You are a dear friend. Couldn't do it without you! We need an official countdown of A Great Catch here:)

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  22. I love Amazing Grace, one of my favorite movies! I think I'm going to need to watch it again soon.

    I love the fichu. I think sometimes we could use something like that for modern clothes. At least there are times I could. ;)

    Thank you for the Shelley quote, I really needed it right now. :) Yesterday was hectic. My work phone died yesterday afternoon, so I had to drive over to the office for a new one. Then there's the apartment hunting, and the getting ready to move. Yeah, the hunting is kinda fun, but the moving not so much.

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  23. Michelle, Thoughts and prayers with you as you move. You need to recuperate from yesterday! Maybe once you're officially in, you can celebrate with some Bella Notte and a viewing of Amazing Grace:) Of all the times or seasons in which to move, I think spring is best. It's fun hearing about your progress. We get to mentally make the move with you:) Have a blessed day. Praying for you!

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  24. Yay for another printing! I hope new readers are finding you every day, because that means we'll keep getting YOUR new books too. :)

    My husband picked up Mine Is the Night over the weekend, but I haven't started it yet. I know once I start, I won't be able to quit, and I have so many other pots boiling over right now. So I guess I'm learning patience and working fast, right? :)

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  25. Thanks, Sally. Love those print runs:) And please DON'T start Mine is the Night if your cup or pots runneth over because you won't be able to stop, if you do! I'm 22 pages from the end and still trying to get back to it though I think I'm procrastinating a wee bit just so I won't have to say goodbye to those characters. This is my favorite Liz book so far. It's so interesting to look at this hero, Jack, in light of Jamie and Somerled and others. Let me know what you think;)

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  26. Oh dinner from Bella Notte and Amazing Grace sounds like a great way to celebrate the new place. If I get the apartment complex I submitted the application for today, I'll be closer to Bella Notte. :D

    Spring is a beautiful time to move. Oh, and the office part of the complex I'm looking at, it's an old farmhouse from the 1800's. It's beautiful both inside and out. I estimate it's from the 1820's.

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  27. Oh, a bit of history makes it all the better:) I believe this complex is in my old stomping grounds which makes my heart squeeze a bit tighter, Michelle. I hope you back here and share the JOY soon. As I've said, I love moving, but if Randy were near, he'd shut my mouth...

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  28. Hahaha whew! I couldn't imagine wearing a dress like that...eeek! I'd be worried there might be a wardrobe malfunction! Can you imagine that ladies dressed that way but they couldn't show a little ankle or leg or it would be scandalous? Strange huh? Anywho those pieces that you found are great! Have you seen these shoes? I <3 them!

    XOXO~ Renee

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  29. There has been bumps lately! Being a recovering people pleaser has its challenges! Once in awhile the pleaser in me rears its ugly head! Can you believe I ALMOST went against a decision that my husband and I made together for the better of our family?!?! To sacrifice (in a sense) my family for another just to please someone. I am thankful for God's grace and that He gave me the courage to go back and say no. Also, the person was very understanding. This does a heart good!

    I must put in a good word for a series of books that I just read by Jill Eileen Smith. They are on the Wives of King David (Michal, Abigail and Bathsheba). They were an excellent read! I got the first one as a FREE download on KINDLE! I recommend them! Here is her website if you would like to take a look http://www.jilleileensmith.com/.

    I hope you are having an excellent day!!

    Stacie

    PS..I got a card in the mail the other day that I loved! ;)

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  30. Renee, You always AMAZE me! Those shoes are just gorgeous!! Especially the ones with the pink ribbon! Honestly, I made it a favorite so it shows up in my toobar at top here. Wish they did clothes! I see they have t-shirts. Oh my, bless you for this link!

    I am amazed that they revealed so much up top as well. If I lived back then I'd have a hundred fichus!

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  31. StacieHope, I'm so glad your bump went away and everything worked out for good. I'm finding those type things always have a good lesson therein. I don't like to repeat lessons. My Sunday School teacher used to say if we don't learn a lesson, God will graciously repeat them! Sounds like you learned this one well!

    Aren't Jill's books great!? She's a friend of mine now as we met last year at the ACFW conference and even had some pics made of our Revell group. She's so gracious and a truly lovely person! I need to read her entire series but am doing things a bit backwards! Thanks for the thumbs up here as I know other readers will enjoy being introduced to her if they haven't been already. I love when you readers/blog buddies do that!!

    Glad you like that card;) It's a keeper, for sure!

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  32. Hi Laura! Congrats on your second printing of your novel! Such wonderful news. Also I just love Charles Spergeon (sp) What an amazing man of God! I love your historical touches. Blessings and Joy!

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  33. Susan, Welcome here! Blessings and joy to you - love that! Thanks for the thumbs up to the historical touches here. Can you tell I live in the 18th-century;) I'm off to visit your blog! Thx so much for your gracious words here.

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  34. Awesome news about Frontiersman's Daughter. Congratulations. And I definitely understand why it would get two printings.

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  35. Thanks, Naomi. I always chuckle about print runs as authors usually don't know what they were to begin with;) Another heartfelt congrats for you on your finaling in the Genesis! You must be walking on air! It's fun to look at the list and see so many names I know. All those authors-to-be! Bless you for stopping here!

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