Debbie Macomber Blog

20 December 2007

Pearl Harbor

I’m in Hawaii, where it is 82 degrees and sunny. Please don’t hate me!

Wayne, our son, Dale, and his wife, Laurie, and I went to the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor today, where we watched oil escape after 66 years. There were 1,177 sailors who died on the Arizona that fateful morning. In their honor, I took the time to read each and every single name. It was awe-inspiring and humbling to be there.

Posted by debbie at 3:26 PM | Link | 3 comments

18 December 2007

Merry Christmas!

This is my last day in the office, as Wayne and I are flying to Hawaii for ten days. The last day I’ll be in Port Orchard in 2007. Unbelievable, isn’t it, that yet another year has passed? My heart is full, as I know how blessed I am to be able to write, which I so love doing. My cup spills over to have been gifted with such loyal, faithful readers. Merry Christmas, everyone, and may the good Lord bless you now and into the New Year.

Posted by debbie at 10:43 AM | Link | 10 comments

14 December 2007

Stress & Chocolate

Categories: Christmas

Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m stressed to the max. Wayne and I are leaving next Wednesday, December 19, for a family vacation in Hawaii. This means I have to have everything ready for Christmas, plus finish my current writing project, hold two parties at the house, pack and, . . . . well, you get the idea.

I didn’t realize how stressed I was until I noticed I ate chocolate for breakfast. To be completely fair, it was chocolate-covered cranberries. As we all know, chocolate does have medicinal qualities, especially dark chocolate, which is what I ate. And cranberries. . . well, nutritionally they rank right up there with cod liver oil, so all in all it wasn’t a bad choice. In fact, now that I think about it, I just might have chocolate for breakfast tomorrow, too.

Posted by debbie at 2:29 PM | Link | 8 comments

13 December 2007

Joyful in Hope

Categories: Stephanie Pearl-McPhee knitting Linda Nichols

I had dinner with three of my dearest friends last evening. We did a Christmas gift exchange, which is always fun. Linda Nichols, a fellow author and knitter, gave me one of Stephanie Pearl McPhee’s books, along with a bookmark.

The bookmark has a Scripture verse from Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope . . . faithful in prayer.

Yup, that pretty much describes me and the knitting process. I start out with joyful expectation. Usually, at some point during the project, I want to toss the entire thing on the carpet and stomp on it. That's where the faithful in prayer part comes in. Still, I love it. I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment.

Posted by debbie at 1:57 PM | Link | 3 comments

12 December 2007

Mrs. Christmas & Mr. Humbug

Categories: Christmas

At nine-thirty last night our phone rang. Both Wayne and I were in bed (remember, the alarm is set for 4 a.m.). On the other end of the line was my friend and radio personality, Delilah. “Turn your radio on,” she said excitedly. “I’m talking about you.” I fumbled for the dial and sure enough, Delilah was telling her listening audience about her friend, author Debbie Macomber, who is better known at this time of year as Mrs. Christmas. She went on to explain that I was married to Mr. Humbug and how Wayne and I are so cute together. Wayne was not overly amused. He doesn’t like being referred to as cute. I, on the other hand, thought it was adorable.

Posted by debbie at 8:37 AM | Link | 7 comments

11 December 2007

Christmas Teas

Categories: Tea

I’m having my Christmas Teas this week. It was the Knitter’s Tea on Monday. I invite the knitters from the Senior Center and my dearest knitting friends to the house every holiday season. We enjoy wonderful delicacies, conversation, and then a show and tell. Each and every time I come away inspired and encouraged after seeing the lovely knitted and crocheted projects. These are some of the best knitters in the state and I’m proud to know them.

This afternoon it’s the Swimmers Tea and I’m meeting with—naturally--my swimming friends. I’ve been doing laps at the local pool for twenty years now and I’m always amazed how much better we look in clothes!

Posted by debbie at 2:25 PM | Link | 6 comments

10 December 2007

Fruitcake!

Categories: Port Gamble

I had such a wonderful time judging fruitcake at the Port Gamble Country Christmas celebration this past Saturday. Of course, the fact that many of the entrants doused their fruitcakes with liquor might have had something to do with all the fun the judges had. To be honest, a couple of the fruitcakes required a chainsaw in order to be sliced, but overall, they were delicious . . . especially the one with Grand Marnier. We tasted in the neighborhood of 30 entries. I lost count after about the eighth or ninth taste test but, again, the liquor might have had something to do with that!

Posted by debbie at 3:51 PM | Link | 5 comments

06 December 2007

Country Christmas

Categories: signing Port Gamble Fruitcake celebrity judge

Over the last twenty-five years of my publishing history, I’ve been asked any number of times to be a “celebrity” judge. (I’m using that word loosely!) I have enjoyed each and every opportunity. I was a parade judge one time in Port Orchard. That was great fun, especially when it came to giving the politicians a score. For two years running, I judged decorated Christmas trees for the Henderson, Nevada library. You should have seen the one a local casino donated, complete with Barbie showgirls, poker chips and play money.

This weekend I’m going to be a judge again—this time for the Port Gamble Country Christmas Fruitcake Contest. http://portgamble.com. Does that sound like fun or what? Who knew when I wrote There’s Something About Christmas that it would lead to this. I’m so pleased I included those fruitcake recipes in the book. As it happens, I love fruitcake. I can hardly wait.

Oh, and if you're in the area, I'll also be signing at Dauntless Bookstore, also in Port Gamble, starting at 3:30 p.m.

Posted by debbie at 11:40 AM | Link | 10 comments

05 December 2007

Red Letter Day

This is a red letter day for me. Not only am I mailing off 8 SANDPIPER WAY (#8 in the Cedar Cove series) to my editor this morning—drum roll, please—for the first time since my rotator cuff surgery, I was able to swim a half mile. Okay, it took me half again as long as pre-surgery, but I did it, which has been a goal of mine since the first part of November. It’s a really good feeling to accomplish two goals in the same day. Oh, and you’re going to love this next installment in the Cedar Cove series. But, you’ll have to wait until September 2008 to read it.

Posted by debbie at 2:43 PM | Link | 12 comments

04 December 2007

When it rains, it pours!

Did you hear about the rain and wind storms that struck the Pacific Northwest? I’ve lived in Washington State my entire life and I’ve never seen it rain the way it hit yesterday. A huge sink hole developed just down the road from my office and the street was blocked on both ends. To say it was an adventure to get home would be an understatement. There are mud slides, flooding, freeway closings and just about everything else you can imagine. I’ve been hearing about the drought in other areas of the country. If anyone out there would like some of our precipitation, just say the word, we’ll be happy to send it your way.

Posted by debbie at 3:14 PM | Link | 15 comments

03 December 2007

Winter Storms

Wayne and I are intrepid souls. We braved a winter storm, hostile travelers and a blizzard in order to make our annual trek to Leavenworth, WA last weekend. After arriving home—taking eight hours for a trip that is normally three hours or less—we looked at one another and said, “We’re not doing this again.” Okay, not in December, at any rate. Our annual trek will now be taken in October. While we might be intrepid, we’re not nuts.

Posted by debbie at 12:00 AM | Link | 4 comments