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When you think of romance in relation to rooms in the house, I can almost bet you won't think about the laundry room. But our guest today does. Read on to find out how Shannon Taylor Vannatter found romance in her laundry room.  Junk room exploded into family room So, in our house is a tiny bedroom. It should have been 10 foot by 10 foot. But since the furnace and washer and dryer were in the hallway, they moved the wall into the bedroom. Which made the bedroom 10 by 7. In the early years of our marriage, we had a twin bed in there for guests. But since guests usually came in twos—my husband’s dad and step-mom or my two cousins—it didn’t work very well. For 10 years, I was a hairdresser. For 7 of those years, I had a beauty shop at my house. Once I quit doing hair, we turned my old shop into a bedroom and it eventually became our son’s room. When guests come, he sleeps on the couch in my office or spends the night with a friend. The tiny bedroom became a junk room – a catch all for seasonal use items, craft supplies, and stuff we didn’t use anymore but was too good to throw away. Eventually, there was a path through it. When our furnace and air conditioner called it quits a few years ago, we got a heat pump, air conditioner unit. A few months ago, we turned the old furnace nook into a linen closet. And finally after planning to do it for four years, we recently cleaned out the junk and I now have a tiny laundry room. I love it. I REALLY love it. I painted it yellow because if I’m doing laundry, I want a bright, happy color surrounding me. We can shut the door when we’re watching TV and not have to turn the volume up so high. I can run the washer and dryer at night and we can sleep without hearing zippers clank. There’s a folding table, so I don’t have to haul the towels to the bed to fold them. I have a drying/wrinkle free rack. There’s room for extra canned goods and craft supplies. There’s room on the wall for a fold down ironing board—even though I never iron. And there’s storage. Storage is one of my love languages since clutter rubs my OCD the wrong way. My folding table used to be the countertop in an old general store in our tiny town. When they tore it down, my husband asked the owner if he could get a few items. We got the old store countertop and a wooden shelf with bins. A marking on one of the bins says: Velvet 5 cents. The shelf stores gift bags, paint, light bulbs, cleaning and pool supplies, an extra crockpot etc. My husband is planning to build doors for the shelf with chicken wire and fabric, per my design, to hide the clutter. I love chicken wire. And I love fabric. I bought cute signs to put on the wall. The curtains are some I made several years ago for my kitchen. But we remodeled and opened the kitchen into the family room and went with more neutral colors, so they didn’t work there anymore. I’ve always loved them and they fit my laundry room just fine. The blocks show wood rocking chairs, wicker furniture, tea pitchers and geramiums. It says, front porch sittin, screendoor views, sweat tea sippin, neighborhood news. And sewing is a whole other thing. My sewing desk is supposed to arrive in a few days. In front of the window will be my sewing nook. I don’t sew clothes, but I love making curtain toppers and comforters. I’ve always had to haul everything to the kitchen table to sew. Very soon, my sewing machine will be ready to use any time. I’m excited about that. Especially since I have a trunk full of fabric I’ve bought over the years for various projects or just because I liked it and couldn’t leave it on the bolt. And the nook in the hallway where the washer and dryer used to be is now a coat closet. It’s big enough to hold all our coats in a centralized location in the house. And there’s floor space for storing all those seasonal items. And more storage on a shelf above. It’s not all finished yet. There are still items strewn about the house, waiting to go to our shed, friends, or goodwill. For a while there, it looked like the junk room exploded into the rest of the house, which really pinged my OCD. There aren’t doors on the coat closet yet. My cute signs aren’t hung up yet. My ironing board isn’t on the wall yet—I do all my ironing in the dryer anyway. I haven’t stained the storage cabinets to match the folding table yet. But we’re getting there. Why am I sharing this on a blog about romance? Because my husband tore down walls and cabinets, moved stuff five times, redid plumbing and electrical, and put down flooring to make it happen. He hates home improvement projects. But he did it. Because I wanted it. And he loves me. To me that’s the height of romance. For a chance to win a copy of Shannon's new book, A Texas Bond, leave a comment below. Have you ever found romance in a room that might not be considered romantic (keep it clean, please)?  Award winning author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter writes contemporary Christian cowboy romance and has over a dozen published titles. A romance reader since her teens, she hopes to entertain Christian women and plant seeds in the non-believer’s heart as she demonstrates that love doesn’t conquer all—Jesus does. She gleans fodder for her fiction in rural Arkansas where she spent her teenage summers working the concession stand with her rodeo announcing dad and married a Texan who morphed into a pastor. In her spare time, she loves hanging out with her husband and son, flea marketing, and doing craft projects. Connect with her: Recently, Shannon joined Scrivenings Press as co-owner/acquisitions/content editor.  A Texas Bond
(Book 3: Texas Hill Country series) Finding his family is only the beginning… He came to find the children… Will he stay to win her heart? Learning he’s an uncle shocks Ross Lyles—but after years of handling his brother’s bombshells, at least this surprise is a blessing. A pair of five-year-old blessings Ross is determined to meet, if he can convince their aunt to give him a chance. Fiercely protective, Stacia Keyes is worried he’ll try to take the children…and lassoing her trust is harder than he ever imagined. Available at Walmart from mid-Feb to mid-March. Or online: A Texas Bond - ChristianBook A Texas Bond - Amazon A Texas Bond – BarnesandNoble
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For my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary, all the granddaughters got together and sang "Little Things Mean a Lot." It was true then, and it's true now. Check out this sweet story from fellow Scrivenings author, Cindy Bonds. I think you'll see what I mean. Also, she's offered to do a giveaway, so make sure you read all the way to the end!  Romance can be something different to each person and that is where the magic is. I’m reminded of Cogsworth on Beauty and the Beast: “There’s the usual: flowers, chocolates, promises you don’t intend to keep…” The half-hearted romantic guidelines that woman tend to roll their eyes at and walk away from.
Romance isn’t just a phrase or word used to epitomize true love. At least, not in reality! Life is busy, chaotic and then there’s kids, jobs, school, sports, and everything else. Romance is an action, a break in the chaos to provide our spouse with a spark. Sometimes, seeing someone else's romance helps us look at our own with fresh eyes once more. Today, Regina Merrick is our guest blogger on the Real Life Romance spot. She's just had a daughter get married and is full of memories and advice. Read all the way to the bottom for a chance to win her latest release!  Romance is as old as time and as new as the most recent spark of interest. Family weddings make it more real, somehow, than the memories of my own romance over forty years ago. Our daughter married her sweetheart in October, and it was as different from my own romance as it possibly could be. Here are a few differences:
One thing I remember about my own wedding is that I have flashes, not clear memories. The vision of the candlelight through my veil giving it a “star” effect … Kneeling at the kneeling bench as a song was sung, our pastors praying over us … With Emily’s wedding, I was more present, but in a way, I feel that until I see the pictures, I won’t be able to put in place everything that happened. I remember both of us walking Emily down the aisle, her kissing and hugging us as we left her with her future husband, and holding my husband’s hand during the ceremony. I remember Ellen, our younger daughter reading scripture, and my husband praying. I remember Emily promising Ben “to choose you every day.” And that’s what romance is, isn’t it? To choose your special someone every day. During this holiday season, be sure to choose your someone every day. Don’t get lost in the hustle and bustle that is the “season” – much like “wedding season” was to me this year – and remember the reason for the season is Jesus. He loves us, and His greatest desire, and command, is that we love one another and share His hope with the world! If you’d like a chance to win a copy of Hope Is Born (ebook or paperback), answer this simple question – What is your favorite Christmas candy, homemade or store-bought? Mine is Hershey’s Kisses! I always have to have those little red, green, and silver foil candies around, especially at Christmastime! Happy Christmas to you all! Regina  Regina Rudd Merrick began reading romance and thinking of book ideas as early as her teenage years when she attempted a happily-ever-after sequel to “Gone With the Wind.” That love of fiction parlayed into a career as a librarian, and finally to writing full-time. She began attending local writing workshops and continued to hone her craft by writing several short and novel-length fan-fiction pieces published online, where she met other authors with a similar love for story, a Christian worldview, and happily-ever-after. Married for 30+ years and active in their church in Marion, KY, Regina and her husband have two grown daughters (and a son-in-law!) who share her love of music, writing, and the arts. She is the author of three books in the Southern Breeze Series: Carolina Dream (Apr. 2017), Carolina Mercy (July 2018), and Carolina Grace (February 2019), and a novella, Pawleys Aisle, (a Southern Breeze Story) in Coastal Promises (September 2019). Her novella, Reno-Vating Christmas is included in the Mosaic anthology Hope Is Born (December 2019). Her next novel, book 1 in the Reno-Vations series with Mosaic, will release in June 2020. Social Media: Faceboo: Website The Mosaic Collection Mantle Rock Publishing Amazon Author Page Amazon Mosaic Page  Nine stories. Nine pasts to overcome. Nine futures hang in the balance. Christmas is supposed to be the happiest time of the year, but what happens when the past threatens to destroy the peace and joy of the season? When the men and women in these stories face overwhelming challenges in their lives, can hope be restored this Christmas? Reno-Vating Christmas by Regina Rudd Merrick Steve Reno lost his wife two years ago and has two grown children, while Roxy Emerson has been alone for over ten years and is a grandmother. They’re not looking for romance, but when the contractor and restaurant-owner are thrown together at Christmastime, they realize that God does indeed have a hope and a future for them.   Did you know mistletoe is a parasite? It actually grows in trees and uses their water and nutrients to feed itself. I've seen it in so many trees in Oklahoma and Texas. And yet, it's one of the most cherished emblems of Christmas romances. Because tradition tells us it is an extra reason to kiss! Rewind (do people still use that word?) fifteen years ago. My husband and I were buying our first Christmas tree, and as I picked out the tree skirt and topper to go with our beautiful six-and-a-half foot artificial pine, I saw something else I knew I wanted. It's called a kissing ball. A cluster of fake mistletoe is hung on a ribbon with a bell at the bottom. And it's been in our house ever since. We don't always remember to take advantage of it, but my kids have noticed it more this year, and they sometimes stop underneath it and say, "I'm under the kissing ball so you need to come kiss me." Okay, then. We plop a big wet one on their cheeks and enjoy the giggles. In my book, An Unexpected Legacy, my characters joke about there not being any mistletoe hanging where they're standing, so no kiss. She says, "Who needs mistletoe?" I agree. Who needs it? It's fun to just kiss your special person whenever you want without having to wait for a silly tradition from the old days. But it's also fun to look for more excuses to stop and steal a kiss. So, how about you? Have you ever been kissed under the mistletoe?
PS, if you're looking for my mistletoe post for my youtube challenge this week, this is it! ;-)
Welcome to my Real Life Romance segment for this month. Today, we have a special guest, multi-published author, Shannon Vannatter. She's sharing her story of her own second chance romance AND giving away a copy of one of her books. Read on to see how you could win. When I was fifteen, my father, a school board member, received a call from a desperate mother. Her son had gotten into trouble and quit school. Now, he wanted to come back and finish. This dropout, two years my senior, would be in my class. Drifting off to sleep that night, I wondered what he would be like. The next day, I saw him and he was beautiful. Most guys are handsome, this guy was more than that. All of the boys at my school wore buzz or bowl cuts. Neither was popular back then. This boy had black, naturally wavy hair to his shoulders, and the greenest eyes I’d ever seen. I decided on the spot, though quite shallowly based on looks alone, to marry him. Several other girls made the same vow and he was soon the most popular guy in school. As the months passed, the new guy finally noticed me and we began going together. We didn’t go anywhere together, since I couldn’t date until I turned sixteen. As my birthday neared, rumors began to circulate that my boyfriend drank heavily and smoked pot. Raised in church, I never tasted alcohol or tried smoking cigarettes, much less marijuana. Of course, when asked about such things, my guy denied the rumors. I refused to believe the gossip and gave him the benefit of the doubt. He was a pastor’s son. But his parents had divorced when he was ten. Though he’d been in church most of his life, had gotten saved at a young age, he didn’t attend anymore. I asked him to come with me every week. He’d promise to try, but he never made it. Finally, after months of waiting, my birthday came and my parents allowed me to date. The rumors continued and a strange aroma surrounded me whenever my guy was near. When I mustered the courage to ask about it, he told me the kid sitting behind us in class smoked a joint that morning. I think I knew, but didn’t want to know. As the school year came to a close, the truth could no longer be denied. We hashed it out, no pun intended. Given an ultimatum, drugs and alcohol or me, he didn’t pick me. I spent the summer in tears and prayerfully placed the relationship in God’s hands. The week before school started again, my ex-boyfriend came to my house. Claiming to have quit drinking and drugs, he could no longer live without me. Though cautious, I could soon tell the difference in him. Once back together, he even started attending church with me. A few months later, we went to a revival and he rededicated to Christ. We dated throughout high school, graduated together, and married a year after graduation. Seventeen years into our marriage, two life-altering things happened. My husband answered the call to preach and I got pregnant. We’re thirty-five years in now and our son is seventeen years old. My former pot head is a full time pastor and we’re still going strong. Do you have any relationships with someone you met in high school? One commenter will win a copy of Sweetheart Reunion.  Award winning author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter writes contemporary Christian cowboy romance and has over a dozen published titles. A romance reader since her teens, she hopes to entertain Christian women and plant seeds in the non-believer’s heart as she demonstrates that love doesn’t conquer all—Jesus does. She gleans fodder for her fiction in rural Arkansas where she spent her teenage summers working the concession stand with her rodeo announcing dad and married a Texan who morphed into a pastor. In her spare time, she loves hanging out with her husband and son, flea marketing, and doing craft projects. Connect with her:  Sweetheart Reunion: Hearts Reunited in Cowboy Country
Reuniting with the Cowboy by Shannon Taylor Vannatter The Cowboy Next Door A charming cowboy moving in next door shouldn’t be bad news. But veterinarian Ally Curtis knows Cody Warren—she’d never forget the boy who left her when she needed him most. Cody is doing everything he can to show his beautiful neighbor he’s not the wild bull rider he once was, from helping her find homes for her beloved strays, to protecting her when her business is threatened. But Cody has a secret that keeps him from fully reaching out. Yet as they continue to work together to promote her shelter, he can’t keep himself from hoping that Ally might have a home for him…in her heart. Rocky Mountain Cowboy by Tina Radcliffe A Cowboy’s Second Chance The last person cowboy Joe Gallagher thought he’d see on his ranch was high school sweetheart Rebecca Anshaw Simpson. Twelve years after she married another man, she’s back as his physical therapist. But healing his body is nothing compared to guarding his heart from the woman he never forgot. There’s much the single mom would rather forget, but Becca won’t let regret and a surly rancher get in the way of her job and the chance to start over with her little girl. She has only a few weeks to make peace with her past. But Becca never expected she’d fall all over again for her first love. Purchase Link: https://www.christianbook.com/sweetheart-reunion/9781335007827/pd/007827 |
This is a place for me to share thoughts and ideas not just related to writing. Thoughts about what's going on in my life, about an idea I got that I thought shareworthy, or just a funny anecdote.
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