In preparation for our Husband Project 21 Day Challenge in October, I am going to be giving away five copies of the book this week. (If you already have a copy of the book, this would be a great opportunity to win one for a friend to do the Project with!)

So today, please let us all know one thing you really LIKE about your husband – yes, I know that you LOVE your husband because he is kind and loves God, but let’s be a bit more superficial – what do you LIKE about your husband.

• The way he can BBQ the chicken without drying it out.
  
• The fact that he will watch a chick movie with you.
  
• His Jim Carrey impression.
  
• The way he looks in his jeans.
  

(Just so you know, Roger qualifies for three out of four of those listed. And he doesn’t do any impressions…)

Leave your comment here and let me know why you like your husband and you will be entered into the drawing to win the book. Check in tomorrow to see if you won and if you didn’t, you will have a chance to win tomorrow.

Totally worth the 2:45.

If you have not received your prize, it’s my fault.

I was trying to be nice and include a little extra gift for all the winners. Unfortunately, it made the package too “lumpy” (for some of them) and I’ve now had two returned. If you have not received your prize, please e-mail me and I’ll be quick to get another one right out. Sorry! I hope it’s worth waiting for.

Thanks for the grace!

Kathi

“Kathi – I have a quick question for you…”

Yep – I get that a lot.

So many people have a story to tell. Whether it’s their own, or one they made up in their head. And of course, the smart thing to do is get some advice from someone who has walked that path before.

So here is an excerpt from a letter I sent to someone – maybe like you – who asked the question – “How do I get started?”

Dear Friend -

You may know some of this stuff already, but in case you don’t, this is where I would tell any friend to get started.

First – here is my agent’s blog http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com

Rachelle represents about 1/2 Christian market and 1/2 ABA (American bookseller asst.). She has GREAT info on her site for anyone in publishing. I always say, don’t tell her I referred you without reading EVERYTHING on her site about her process of submitting your manuscript. (And even then, let me know you’re dropping my name!)

Also here is another agent’s site for an agent who represents only ABA books:

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/

 I love his posts. I would recommend that you look thought their old posting and look at Rachelle’s most asked questions. That would be a great place to get started.

Also, I would take a look at books that are similar to yours in genre. If you were writing a book about your cross-country trip with your cat you would need to decide is it more “Honeymoon with my Brother” but with a cat, or “Dewey- The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World”,  but on the road. (I know each book is unique, but it helps to know where it fits to be able to describe it.) You need a concise way to describe it to editors and agents. (And don’t say, “There has never been a book like it in the history of publishing. You’re wrong. You just haven’t looked hard enough…)

Finally, the best way to get picked up by an agent/editor is to attend a conference. Start googling writer’s conferences and looking at what might work for you.
A writer’s conference is a crash course in getting published. Classeminars.org has a great conference each year, as well as the Writer’s conference at Mt. Hermon CA. but I’m sure there are some that are much closer to you if you’re on the east coast. 

For non-fiction, you will only need an outline and usually the first two or three chapters. (Fiction you need the whole book to be finished. Those pesky editors want to make sure you have a good finish to the book!)

Those are just some things to get you started.

Q4U – If this is something you are interested in doing  – writing – what are your questions? I will answer them in the coming days.

Happy Tuesday! Well as promised here is the amazing soup recipe.

Serves 4 to 6. Cooking time – 45 minutes.

Mirepoix

• 1 c. chopped onion
• 1/2  c. chopped celery
• 1/2  c. chopped carrot

2 T. olive oil

1 t. chopped garlic

1 bay leaf

1 t. cumin

1 t. dried thyme

1/2 t. smoked paprika

1/4 to 1/2 t. chipotle pepper*

1 small to medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

1 pint of chicken stock

Black pepper to taste

1 can of white beans (I use Trader Joe’s Cannellini beans)

Sauté Mirepoix and garlic in olive oil until veggies are translucent. Add remaining spices, stir for about 2 minutes. Add stock and squash, cook till tender (approximately 30-45 minutes). Break up squash into bite-sized pieces, add white beans, serve when fully heated through.

We like our soup with a hearty whole-wheat bread on the side. We buy ours from the Costco bakery – it’s a wonderful, chunky bread, high
in fiber and flavor. We buy about 8 loaves at a time and freeze them.

*Yeah, this soup has a tiny kick to it – a tiny one. But my husband and I love spicy food and we’re raising our kids to like a little heat, too. Whole milk is great for cooling the tongue, and they’ve learned to take a slug of milk, or a bite of bread, if the heat becomes too much for them. We keep things on the mild side, but I like that my kids, at 8 and 4, are learning to eat from a variety of ethnicities, flavors, and textures. And if they don’t finish it – no big deal. It’s about exposing them to new things, not about them loving it every single time.

My guess is

OK – Monday was majorly enlightening. I had to go to the mall to pick up some See’s candy (the downside? It was a gift for someone else.) and help Roger pick out some new glasses. (I have a total Danny Gokey of American Idol fixation when it came to glasses, and Roger and I have an agreement about picking out frames. As we are the people who have to look at our husband/wife the most, we get to help with the buying decision.)

I had some time to kill, and money burning a hole in my pocket. This happens about as often as I wake up and say to myself, “Wow, this feels like a great morning for a hike.”

You see, my good friend and amazing speaker, Cheri Gregory gave me a sweet gift: $150 in Visa gift cards. Nice friend, huh? I spent $50 taking Roger out to dinner (before the 30 day challenge), but the other $100 was right there, in my wallet, waiting to be spent.

Now I could have spent it at Target on the light bulbs we needed, or a new shower curtain for the kid’s bathroom, but really? I wanted to spend it just on me.

So I wandered the mall, and tried to think of something that I really, really wanted.

Nothing.

I have to tell you, that is so not like me.

Usually at the end of a chaotic work day, I feel like I deserve to go out to dinner. And, if we happen to be at the mall, then I can always find a reason to hit Macys or Bare Essentials or something.

But Monday? I had spent the day working, yes, but also reading all of your great comments, and taking very good care of myself. I spent time in the morning praying, watering my garden, reading and such. I took lots of breaks from work to read your posts, and looking forward to seeing some friends that evening.

And that was enough. Retail therapy not required.

Part of this 30 Day challenge is to find out what enough is for me. Yes, some of that has been making sure that I work hard to be able to continue to do what I love. But part of it is the realization that I don’t need to reward myself with a dinner out 4x a week. What if my daily life was reward enough? What if, doing what I believe God has designed me to do, serving others, learning to love Him, working to love my family better, being a part of a community, was enough?

I want to be more purposeful in my living – physically, emotionally and spiritually – and part of that is slowing down and taking very good care of myself.

So here are 10 things I am doing this week to do just that:

1. Planning a week of healthy menus that also taste amazing (fingers crossed)
2. Reading an excerpt of Praying God’s Word by Beth Moore
3. Reading a book for 20 minutes that has nothing to do with my work. (This week’s book? Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell)
4. Walking to the lake and back
5. Praying at 1:00 (I have a timer on my cell phone that reminds me to stop and pray)
6. Slicing up a flat of strawberries
7. Sending the See’s candy to a friend of mine in Atlanta (yes, this does make me happy.)
8. Taking my computer out to our back patio to write
9. Researching herb gardens online
10. Talking with my friend Angela

I used to think that I didn’t have any time to take care of myself, but everything I have listed here (excluding writing on the back patio – which is part of my workday,) takes less time than an episode of couple episodes of Oprah.

I know most of you would (like me,) will have a hard time coming up with 10 things, soooo…

Here is my question for you: What is ONE thing you are going to do to take care of yourself today? Commit it here – commit it loud and allow us to hold you accountable.

I’m excited to officially unveil February’s project, 1000 Dates Across the States. We all know that Valentine’s Day is coming up, every store is decked out in pink, red and hearts and every other commercial it seems like on TV is a Valentine’s Day advertisement.

I know that money is tight for a lot of people, but that does not mean that you can not have an absolutely fun date with your spouse without breaking the bank.

As a blogger, if you are one of the first 50 bloggers to e-mail Monica (asst at kathilipp dot com) your name, address and blog address, you can receive one of these super fun kits. While it might not look like a lot, it could just be the beginning to one of the best dates you’ve ever had.

Here’s the challenge:

• Think of a creative and unique way to use the kit.
• Document your usage of the kit with either a picture or a 30 second video.
• Post a blog about your date (with the picture or video) and link to this blog post or www.kathilipp.com.
• Send an e-mail to Monica (asst at kathilipp dot com) with a link to your blog post by March 10th. If you send a link to your blog, it will be posted here – more publicity for your blog and more romance with your husband!

Prizes:

The most creative date wins a Flip Video Camera. Two runners up will get a $20 Starbucks gift card. Five third runners up with get a Dating your Mate library (three of their best titles) from Harvest House Publishers.

If you are not a blogger, you can still be entered to win!  Create a Facebook album (with the picture or video) and link to this blog post or kathilipp.com.  All you have to do is create your own kit with the materials listed below:

• Two of your favorite drinks
• Two yummies (cookies, pieces of candy,etc.)
• These instructions.
• You pick the location!

Here is a button you can put in your post or on your sidebar to let your readers know so that they can join in on the fun!

<a href=”http://blog.kathilipp.com/?p=1464″ mce_href=”http://blog.kathilipp.com/?p=1464″ target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af88/monicarosetrevino/1000datesbutton.jpg” mce_src=”http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af88/monicarosetrevino/1000datesbutton.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”kathilipp”></a>