Dog Days of Summer, by Myra Johnson

Apparently, the summer heat has been on the minds of several Love Inspired bloggers this month. It’s been brutally hot in Central Texas the past few weeks, with several days in a row topping the 100-degree mark. Texans aren’t the only ones sweltering, however. I recently read an article stating July 2019 may well go down in history as the hottest month on Earth ever recorded!

Chillin' underground with the fam on a hot summer day!

Crazy, but our dogs actually seem to enjoy finding a sunny spot in the grass to stretch out and soak up some rays. Watching them made me curious, though—where exactly did the phrase “dog days of summer” originate? 

Poppy soaking up some rays!

A little Googling and I came up with an answer. Come to find out, the phrase has nothing to do with panting dogs lolling in the summer heat. The term began way back with the Greeks and Romans, when the hottest days of the summer often coincided with Sirius, the Dog Star, rising and setting along with the sun. The Greeks and Romans believed Sirius combined its heat with the sun’s, making the days even hotter (a false assumption, of course). Depending on the tilt of the earth and where you happen to be living, the so-called dog days of summer typically occur between July 3 and August 11.

So now I’m pondering the origin of any number of idioms we hear so often in daily conversation:

• Raining cats and dogs. (Sure could use a good rain right about now!)
• Facing the music. (Are they playing your song?)
• Once in a blue moon. (Ever seen one of those?)
• Having a bee in your bonnet. (Scary thought!)
• Getting up on the wrong side of the bed. (I always get up on the same side, but some days definitely turn out more “wrong” than others.)

Oops! Yep, that's me, waking up on the wrong side of the bed!

If you’re curious about these or innumerable other turns of phrase, many of which I’ve never even heard of, I found an interesting website, Idioms Online. Share some of your favorites in the comments, and enlighten us about the origin if you can!

~~~~~~~

Native Texan Myra Johnson writes emotionally gripping stories about love, life, and faith. She’s wrapping up a Love Inspired mini-series with returning characters from Her Hill Country Cowboy, Hill Country Reunion, and The Rancher’s Redemption. The next book in the series, Their Christmas Prayer, is due out in October.

Also look for the updated editions of Myra’s earlier romances:

Autumn Rains

Romance by the Book

Where the Dogwoods Bloom 

The Horsemen of Cross Roads Farm (3-book collection)

Myra is a three-time Maggie Awards finalist, two-time finalist for the prestigious ACFW Carol Awards, winner of Christian Retailing’s Best for historical fiction, and winner in the Inspirational category of the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Awards. After living five years in Oklahoma, then eight years in the beautiful Carolinas, Myra and her husband are thrilled to be back in the Lone Star State enjoying wildflowers, Tex-Mex, and real Texas barbecue! The Johnsons share their home with two very pampered rescue dogs who don’t always understand the meaning of “Mom’s trying to write.” They’ve also inherited the cute little cat (complete with attitude) their daughter and family had to leave behind when they moved overseas.

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Confessions of a Foodie by Belle Calhoune

Okay! I'm about to come clean. My family loves to eat out at restaurants. In good times and in bad, we tend to seek comfort in a nice restaurant where we can eat and talk and bond. There's something about eating at a new venue that feels particularly exciting to us. Will the food be good? So-so? Do they serve Sangria? Are those Yelp reviews truthful? Will it become a family favorite?

Chicken and waffles seem to be all the rage at the moment and we've enjoyed some all around the world. The best had to be Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles in California.

For me, food is a joyful thing. And I've come to realize it's something to celebrate. When my brother was terminally ill he lost his appetite. For the first time in his life he didn't want to eat and the smell of food made him sick. I think it reinforced to me the idea that life is short and one never knows when things in your life will change. SAVOR the moments...as well as the food.

These are some pictures from our Paris trip. I smile when I look at the earthy looking dish with the potatoes. It was really exciting to enjoy different cuisine.

Earthy French food..it was delicious.

My daughter and I at a cafe on the Champs Elysees! We enjoyed the best mussels. 

Sometimes I decide not to post all my dining pics on my author page because I don't want to give the impression that we eat out all the time. It's usually for celebration purposes, and since life has been good lately, we've had a lot to celebrate. Praise the Lord! But in the future, I'm going to share more, because enjoying food is a wonderful thing. Recently we celebrated Fourth of July at my sister Karen's house and she brought out a dessert my mother used to serve us. It brought back all those wonderful childhood memories and it felt like my mother was sitting right there with us even though we lost her back in 2000.

When I was growing up in a family of seven we rarely ate out. I totally understand why. I wouldn't eat out if I had to pay the tab for five kids either! But when we did it was usually while on vacation or the occasional seafood outing in Cape Cod where we had a summer house. We recently took my dad out for father's day at a seafood place on the South Shore of Boston. There's nothing better than fried clams and scallops!

Fried Scallops. Sheer perfection. No one does seafood better than Massachusetts.

I still believe dining out as a family is a celebratory thing. Graduations! Honor roll! My daughter's first big job in New York City! A film deal! We celebrate it all! And I love it.


A different take on chicken and waffles at my niece's graduation celebration.

Spicy fish taco wrapped in lettuce.

Italian food. Lasagna, one of my all-time favorites.

Who among us doesn't love a churro? With chocolate sauce?

Calamari, one of our favorite dishes. 

French toast with flair!

Apple crumble with vanilla ice cream.

Bolognese...my all time favorite meal. I've eaten it in more restaurants than I can recall.

Edamame. It's so good...and good for you.

Dining out is enjoyable for my family. It allows us relaxing time during which we can catch up on the day to day stuff and talk about goals and dreams. Recently we went out for Mexican food and I spotted this sign. It still cracks me up!!! 

When We Were Young by Belle Calhoune

Recently I've been suffering from nostalgia. I find myself yearning to go back in time and relive

certain portions of my childhood. It always seems to me that those times were far less complicated,

and as a child, I was able to view everything through rose-colored glasses.




I grew up in a small suburban town about ten miles outside of Boston, Massachusetts. I had a really

great childhood. One of five kids, my parents were devoted to anything and everything that

enriched the lives of their children. The grand three-story home we lived in was located directly

across from a  public library. It's no small wonder I became an author since I was always across the

street with my nose in a book. Our house was always a bustling place--lots of laughter and chatter

and debates.

Since my mother was a doctor and my father was a biologist, there was also a lot of scientific

discussions.  Those were never my favorite but I learned a lot.

Summers were spent at our summer house in Cape Cod where we would swim, sit in the sun

(suntan lotion wasn't a big thing back in the 70s), catch crabs and boil the occasional lobster.

We had a favorite place to drive to for ice cream once the sun went down. Four Seas Ice Cream.

I remember my father always ordered the Pistachio while my mother loved the sherbert.

One of my funniest memories is when a lobster escaped the pot and my mother screamed

the kitchen down until my father rescued her. Sadly the lobster was eaten and his escape was short-

lived.

I think a lot of this is tied up in missing my mother who passed away in 2000. Sometimes

we think we're past the grief, but then unexpectedly it rises up again and plunges you into yet

another stage of mourning someone you love.

I miss the sound of my mother's voice and the tinkling of her laughter. I miss being mothered

by her.

I miss her tiny wrists and her wisdom. I miss her being only a phone call away.

I miss my father calling her  Anne. I imagine I'll never stop missing these things.

My dad is going to be selling the house I grew up in. It's really too large for him and he's

held onto it for far too long. Although I know this in my head, my heart is already mourning

the loss of my childhood home.  So many beautiful memories were made within those walls.

The winds of change. The permanence of grief.

It all makes sense to me as I ponder the way I've been feeling lately. Memories transport us back in

time to a place where the ones we've lost are still present. They are comforting and tie us to

our past.

Celebrating Family and the New Year with Sparklers and Music

Editing with my favorite view...Fred.

Hola! Jolene Navarro checking in form the Texas Hill Country. This is my writing view this weekend.

My life inspires my writing...I can imagine not writing about family and the crazy life that surrounds bigs families.

January has been a great start to a new year. I celebrated my birthday on the 2nd and it seems to be a gathering of friends one weekend after another.

For New Year's Eve, my kids started a tradition a few years back. We buy tons of finger foods (mostly tasty junk food) and tons of fireworks then build a bonfire.

Before we set off the fireworks they use the sparklers to write out the new year. This year might be the best yet.

It starts with a spark.

Happy 2019!

Then we headed downtown the theSan Antonio River Walk to celebrate my niece's 19th birthday. Eating at Casa Rio Mexican food and dancing to the mariachis!

Fred and London dancing to Mariachis at Casa Rio


If you going to have an awesome kick-off to the year you have to have at least one writer's retreat. So, on to Rio Bella Resort, I went with seven other writers and man did we write.
There was quiet time to focus and time to talk and enjoy the company of other writers.






This last week of January we were back at the Frio River, but this time with Fred's family. One of his older brothers (9 boys and 2 girls) was celebrating 50 years of marriage and of course, there was lots of food, music and fun.



Fred signing along.




All the Navarro siblings and their first sister-in-law.

7 of the 9 brothers.

So far my 2019 has been full of family, friends music food and lots of words on the page. Tomorrow I will turn in my 11th book to Love Inspired. It will be out in November. 

I have a cover and title for my  June release (10th book) that is starting a new series: The Cowboys of Diamondback Ranch. I hope readers love the De La Rosa family as much as I do. 

I have a story story in the works and an Anthology coming out in February with a group of San Antonio authors all about Fiesta! (and I've lost weight.) 

My words for 2019 was RENEW and RECLAIM.  I'm feeling good about these. lol

Wow! 2019 has already been packed with love and creativity.

Do you already have 2019 highlights or some in the works?

Do you have focus words for the new years? 

Oh, do you want to see my new cover that is coming out in June?

 The Texan's Secret Daughter.

Can this rancher make up for his past?A Cowboys of Diamondback Ranch romance.

Turning his life around was the hardest thing Elijah De La Rosa ever had to do—until his ex-wife, Jazmine Daniels, returns with their young daughter he didn’t know existed. Now this successful rancher will do anything to be a good father. But can he forgive himself for the past…and turn their second chance into a family for always?

https://www.amazon.com/Texans-Secret-Daughter

'Tis the Season by Carol J. Post

Happy Thanksgiving/Merry Christmas!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, all the Christmas stuff is coming out, and the push is on to find that perfect gift for everyone on your list. Of course, Black Friday is the event that kicks it all off.

I confess, I’ve never done Black Friday. I hate shopping on a good day. The thought of getting out there with hundreds of other people and fighting over the last two WowWee Fingerlings on the shelf makes me break out in a cold sweat. I’m more relaxed having my teeth drilled.

Many years ago, my parents, my sister and brother-in-law, and my husband and I found a great deal on an old log cabin on twelve acres in North Carolina and went in together to purchase it. It needed a lot of work, and we spent a couple of vacations tackling projects like putting on a new metal roof. That Christmas, we decided to spend the holiday there and, instead of buying gifts for each other, each bought something for the cabin. (Hubby and I bought a large griddle and made pancakes Christmas morning.) 

When we arrived, we headed into the woods with our ax to search for a suitable Christmas tree. We quickly learned that though there were lots of evergreens, they weren’t the Christmas tree type. But that didn’t deter us. After tying our Charlie Brown tree to the rafters, because the branches were too droopy to stand up on their own, we strung popcorn and berries and made ornaments. We had no TV, but had great times sharing stories huddled around the wood-burning stove. (We hadn’t rebuilt the toppled chimney yet so couldn’t use the fireplace.)

That was the simplest Christmas I ever had but one of the most memorable. It was also the beginning of a change in my attitude toward the holiday season. At the risk of sounding like Scrooge’s long-lost sister, I spent a lot of years dreading the days leading up to Christmas, hoping I’d survive the insane schedule (and the shopping) and looking forward to when it would all be over. I often wondered where is the peace and joy that everyone sings about at Christmastime. Looking at the faces of the people around me, I knew I wasn’t alone in those thoughts.

I know, Jesus is the reason for the season. Without God’s amazing gift, there would be no Christmas. I’ve known the meaning of Christmas since I was old enough to talk. But finding my own “Silent Night” in the midst of all the hustle and bustle and taking time out to focus on what the holiday actually means hasn’t always been easy.

Over the years, I’ve gotten better. I’ve come to realize that I don’t have to say yes to every activity. Stretching myself too thin isn’t good, even when the activities are church-related. And since it’s always been a source of stress for me, I don’t shop anymore. (Gift cards and money work just fine.) I love to find simple ways to bring Christmas cheer to those around me, whether it’s offering a smile and word of encouragement to a harried young mother, or singing Christmas carols for older people who are unable to get out.

I’m still not where I want to be. I’m trying to be selective, but my schedule is filling up a little too quickly. But I’m determined to keep my focus where it should be—on the ultimate gift, given for us over 2,000 years ago.

What about you? Do you find yourself caught in a flurry of activity, unable to escape? Or have you found a way to experience peace and joy in the midst of the madness? What Christmas traditions have you found especially meaningful?

And speaking of Christmas, my book Bodyguard for Christmas releases this Saturday. I hope you'll check it out.

Someone’s after his little boy. 

She has one chance to save them both.

When his young son is nearly kidnapped, assistant district attorney Colton Gale needs a Christmas refuge—and a live-in bodyguard. Though former military police officer Jasmine McNeal fights to shield them 24/7, she refuses to get attached. But growing close to the little boy and his father might be her only shot at keeping them alive—and becoming a family beyond the holidays.

Amazon        Barnes and Noble        Harlequin

From medical secretary to court reporter to property manager to owner of a special events decorating company, Carol's résumé reads as if she doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up. But one thing that has remained constant through the years is her love for writing. She lives in Central Florida and writes fun and fast-paced inspirational romance and romantic suspense. Her books have received two Royal Palm Literary Awards and been nominated for an RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award and two RITA® awards. Besides writing, she enjoys sailing, hiking, camping—almost anything outdoors. Her two grown daughters and grandkids live too far away for her liking, so she now pours all that nurturing into taking care of two mischievous black cats.

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