http://shellyburke.net/blog Brain Droppings of a Mom, Wife, and Author Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:11:29 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I received a very interesting, completely out of the blue business proposal last week. I'm very carefully considering it . . . I would be doing what I love, in writing, with a (GASP!) steady income! It's kind of scary to contemplate doing something I never thought I might have the ... http://shellyburke.net/blog/?p=120 My goal for summer is to take a critical look at everything to do with Shelmar Publications, update what needs to be updated, organizing, re-doing, and so on. In June I'm focusing on all things Internet-related, including my blogs (I started a new one--more on that later), website, and newsletter. I'm ... http://shellyburke.net/blog/?p=119 Yeah--I got a fun phone call tonight. The lady calling had heard about me from the owner of a Christian book store; she was calling to ask me to speak at a women's get-together next month! I haven't been doing a lot of speaking lately, so I was very excited about the ... http://shellyburke.net/blog/?p=118 Whether you're a beginning writer, not even to the "beginning" point, or experienced, you can practice writing no matter where you are or what you're doing. Several examples: In church, critique and edit the bulletin. Look for misspellings, awkward sentences, and so on. Come up with ways to spice up the announcements! ... http://shellyburke.net/blog/?p=117 Yep, it's been a while since I've posted. Waaaay too long! Thanks to those of you who wrote, wondering where I've been! I'm taking a hard look at my business-where it's headed, where I'm at, and my goals. I've decided to focus this blog exclusively on writing. I'll be giving tips ... http://shellyburke.net/blog/?p=116 WOW-the last week has been a busy one! Our daughter Morgan was Confirmed on Sunday, and what a great day it was! Time has flown since the day she was baptized. As our kids get into their teen years I pray that the way in which we've brought them up has ... http://shellyburke.net/blog/?p=114 In preparation for our family coming for Morgan's Confirmation, I gave the house a major cleaning (why is it the words "family coming to visit" almost automatically spark a huge fit of cleaning???). While I was cleaning, I finally took down . . .  . . . the CHRISTMAS WREATH!!!! Can ... http://shellyburke.net/blog/?p=113 And happy birthday to my sister, Deb. Happy Birthday, Deb! Next year is a big one . . . (of course, I hit my "big" b-day last year . . . ) In celebration of the new month, I'm going to post a picture here. The lady who manages my blog ... http://shellyburke.net/blog/?p=111 I was helping Morgan do some research for a paper she's writing. The topic of her paper is how rising fuel and corn costs are affecting the beef industry, so I was looking through some of the agricultural magazines we get. I ran across an article titled, Gut Feeling: Farmer Forecasts ... http://shellyburke.net/blog/?p=110 Several days ago I was invited to speak on August 23rd for a back-to-school brunch for parents, at a library about 50 miles from here! I will be talking about making goals and setting priorities. And I'll work chocolate in there somewhere! :-) Speaking is one of my favorite things about ... http://shellyburke.net/blog/?p=109