My kids know that Fridays are designated as “Friday Fun Night”. They are always welcome to invite their friends over for dinner, games and a movie.  I love the noisy chatter and laughter ringing through my home, the bonding of friendships and the happy memories being made.

We usually end up with a variety of ages of guests coming from our own neighborhood as well as from other towns –  young adults, teens, tweens, and adult friends. I love cooking for guests and planning out beautiful and tasty meals to eat together. But with the age range on Friday nights and a variety of different tastes and dietary needs, it can be difficult to feed everyone. I’ve come up with some easy ways to serve all the guests, while they also enjoy the comforts of home cooking.

I’ve usually got the food hot and ready when everyone arrives and it’s set up in the kitchen, buffet style. These are some of our favorite Friday night group dinners, where all the ingredients are set out and guests ‘build’ their own dish according to their preferences. Be sure to have plenty of napkins ready!

Tacos –  Soft and Hard Shells

This is our number one favorite!  I put out flour tortillas as well as hard shells so our guests can choose one or both and fill them up with the following:

• Seasoned Ground Beef (see my recipe here)
• Shredded Cheddar cheese
• Shredded Romaine lettuce
• Sliced olives
• Chopped Tomatoes
• Chopped Cilantro (fresh from the garden is best)
• Caramelized onions & garlic
• Salsa
• Sour Cream
• Avocado slices
• Fresh-cut lime
• Guacamole
• Hot sauce

Sometimes I’ll deep fry small corn tortillas to make my own homemade taco shells, but it’s a really big hit when I deep fry large flour tortillas to make GIANT taco shells!

Hawaiian Hay Stacks

These Hawaiian Hay Stacks are layered – first is hot rice, second is chow-mein noodles, third is chicken, then garnish with the other toppings. Teens and older will appreciate this dish.

Begin with:

• Hot cooked rice
• Crispy chow-mein noodles
• Cooked shredded chicken mixed with chicken gravy or condensed cream of chicken soup

Top with:

• Chopped tomatoes
• Chopped celery
• Chopped green onions
• Fresh pineapple chunks
• Shredded Cheddar cheese
• Slivered almonds
• Shredded coconut

You’ll want to go back for seconds!

Loaded Nachos

I instruct guests to put a layer of tortilla chips on their plate, cover the chips with their chosen toppings, then pop it into the microwave to melt all the cheese. The toppings for the nachos are:

• Seasoned Ground Beef (see my recipe here)
• Black beans
• Refried pinto beans
• Shredded Cheddar cheese
• Sliced olives
• Chopped tomatoes
• Caramelized onions
• Chopped jalapeno peppers
• Sour cream
• Guacamole
• Salsa (we like to have a variety such as corn salsa, mango salsa, black bean salsa, tomatillo salsa, etc)
• Hot sauce

Build Your Own Pizza

This is a lot of fun, especially for those who don’t get many opportunities to cook in the kitchen.  Make the pizza dough (I always double the recipe) and divide it into small balls.  Sprinkle flour onto your clean countertop and rolling pin, then invite each guest to roll out their own personal pizza.

When they are done rolling, have them place the flattened dough onto the pizza pan, then let them load it up with their favorite toppings. Since my oven will only bake a few personal pizzas at a time, this is a great option for when guests will be arriving at different times.

• Pizza sauce (we like the jarred Classico Traditional pizza sauce best)
• Shredded Mozzarella cheese (shred extra cheese for those who prefer cheese pizza)
• Shredded Parmesan cheese
• Pepperoni
• Sausage
• Canadian bacon
• Salami
• Crispy bacon
• Sliced olives
• Chopped pineapple
• Caramelized onion
• Caramelized garlic
• Mushrooms
• Bell peppers
• Chopped tomatoes
• Anything else you’d like to add!

Above all, enjoy this time, savor the good food and enjoy these beautiful moments together with family and friends!

I adore fairy tales, but I especially love a good princess story. When I was six years old, my daddy gave me this great big Cinderella picture book and I spent a lot of time staring at the beautiful illustrations. I pored over the pages of rich artwork so often that the spine of the book began to break and the pages started falling out. Much to my relief, my mom fixed it with masking tape.

The story of Cinderella resonated deeply within me as a child. It revealed a powerful message that has stayed with me for many years. Having a nurturing, kind, servant’s heart isn’t always appreciated by those around us. In fact, it will often be taken for granted and at times be taken advantage of.

Cinderella could have talked back to her step-mother. She could have been snippy to her terrible step-sisters. But instead, she chose to turn the other cheek, to be kind, generous and loving. Just as Jesus calls us to do and be.

As an adult, I’ve learned about the importance of healthy boundaries and what healthy relationships look and feel like. I now know that for Cinderella, if a higher power hadn’t stepped in to change the course of the story the night of the ball, she would have needed the courage to speak out and express that she will no longer tolerate such poor treatment. If they had ignored or ridiculed her, it would have been time for her to walk away from her home and her step-family.

If she had stayed and endured the abuse, it would have broken her beyond repair. She never would have become the woman that she was destined to be.

As we walk through difficulties in life, it’s hard to keep a right attitude, to stay positive and to hold on to hope. So it’s important to have relationships in our inner circle with people who are empathetic, reliable, emotionally stable and kind.

No relationship is perfect. Both sides have to be willing to do the work of keeping a relationship healthy. If you find yourself constantly being the one to flex and accommodate the other person while they are not making efforts to change then you may need to take drastic action. If you have exhausted all your efforts and attempts at resolution, then the next best thing to do is to let them go.

It is essential to establish healthy boundaries to protect ourselves and sometimes that means walking away from a situation or person. That’s okay. If someone is consistently keeping you from fulfilling the calling on your life and your God-given destiny, it’s time to release them. Step into the unknown and allow God to lead you into a new story.

Red flags to be aware of in an unhealthy relationship:

• They use their words like swords to cut you deeply, to make themselves feel better.
• There is a lack of trust.
• Their words, actions and behaviors cause you to feel insecure and/or confused.
• They are controlling.
• There is an inability to resolve past issues.
• There is a lack of healthy communication. (Can you share the depths of your heart safely?)
• They have a sense of entitlement, that their needs come first.
• They easily get offended or defensive.
• The relationship is based on the need to feel needed or wanted.
• They repeatedly bring up your past mistakes to shame or guilt you.
• You feel you have to stay in the relationship because you are ‘supposed to’ due to religious or moral obligation.
• They create a toxic environment.
• They display abusive behavior – whether mild or excessive, if it is verbal, emotional, psychological, or physical.
• You have to pretend to be someone else.

Walking away may not be the ‘happily ever after’ we had hoped for. Things may not turn out the way you thought they were supposed to, or the way you prayed for them to with child-like expectancy. In fact, you may be left wondering why God didn’t provide the miracle that you had mountains of faith for. It doesn’t always make sense. But I do know staying will often enable the other person to continue with their poor behavior and you will get sucked into their behavioral cycles, leaving you lost, confused, weary and broken.

But what if you’re worried about what will happen to them when you leave? Often, it’s a huge wake up call for them to face reality, and it will allow for growth that otherwise wouldn’t have happened. In essence, you are helping them by no longer enabling or tolerating their poor behavior and they can focus on getting professional help for themselves individually.

I also know that after leaving, God will use your story to strengthen others and encourage them to be brave enough to get out of an unhealthy relationship, so they can then walk in the fullness of all that He has called them to do and be.

Cinderella eventually marries the handsome prince, which brought resolution to her painful situation. While we don’t know what kind of marriage they had, the story ends with, “They lived happily ever after”, which tells me they had a healthy relationship with an intricate connection that brought about much joy, fulfillment, and deep gratitude for each other.

Marks of a healthy relationship:

• Mutual respect
• Honesty
• Kindness
• Trust
• Support
• Fairness/equality
• Separate identities
• Encouragement
• Good, healthy communication
• Feeling a deep sense of peace
• Affection
• Willingness to be vulnerable
• A sense of playfulness and fondness for each other
• Approachable and receptive to feedback without being overly sensitive to certain topics
• Understanding of and anticipating each others needs
• Laughter

Those are the kind of relationships that cause us to be the best versions of ourselves. You’ll desire to protect the relationship and nurture it. It causes both sides to want to grow together, care for each other, and spend time with each other. You truly value each other and want to express it daily.

If you are in the midst of pouring yourself into an unhealthy relationship, still trying to make it work, stumbling through the pain, and professional counseling hasn’t produced the needed changes, there is Someone who notices and who will respond with volumes of love. It may not be the prince in white shining armor. It may not be the hero swooping in to rescue you at the last moment. But it will always be your Heavenly Father.

He hears you, He knows you deeply and He feels your pain. He knows the injustices and the heartaches. When you call out to Him, He will reach down and wrap you with His comforting presence and peace. He will gently wipe away the tears and say, “Good things are coming. Just wait ’til you see what I have in store for you, beloved.” And He will give you the courage to rise up in boldness and to take a leap of faith into the unknown, so that you can finally experience your much deserved and long-awaited “Happily Ever After”.

Changes are Coming!
I’m changing the theme of my blog to better reflect my writing pursuits and passions: to nourish heart and soul.

This will include a focus on cultivating family warmth and connection, creating a nurturing home atmosphere, intentionally doting on those we love, and living a life of gratitude. There will be ideas for dotes, dates, family time, recipes, activities, homeschooling, making memories and more!

Of course, you’ll continue to see updates on my writing progress, new releases and announcements, as well as writing tips and resources, book recommendations and a love of reading, learning and growing.

Get ready to have your heart and soul nourished, filled up and overflowing with grace…

With Love,

Carole Marie Shelton

When someone asks me about my ‘works in progress’ and I bring up the Nephilim, I get quizzical looks. And I often get asked these same questions:

What are the Nephilim?

The Nephilim were the offspring of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men” before the flood (deluge), according to Genesis 6:1–4. While the Bible touches on it lightly, there is more about the Nephilim in apocryphal texts, such as Enoch, Jasher and Jubilees.

And then the Nephilim show up again later, after the flood, in historical texts, legends and myths.

Why would you choose to write about the Nephilim? 

It’s so fascinating!  It’s like putting puzzle pieces together as I dig in to ancient history.  I’m constantly searching for connecting points, motivations behind actions, and discovering unusual facts, myths and/or legends that I’ve never heard.

Why are you writing a movie script about the Nephilim even though it’s hard to break into the movie industry?

I’m writing the movie script first as a foundation. The more research I do, the more I realize this could be a show series for streaming.  Either way, once I have the script(s) written, I will then fill it in to create a novel or a book series. Once completed, I have a few connections with those working in the film industry and I’m looking forward to getting their feedback on the script version. Eventually both types of manuscripts will get submitted accordingly (one in script format and one for a novel) and I’ll see which one gets the attention of an agent, producer or editor first.

As I’m researching and writing, I’m also jotting down notes for a YA spin-off series, as well as an MG stand-alone series. There’s a lot of great material sparking my imagination and I plan to utilize it to the fullest. 

When will you be finished?

It will be a long while before this huge project is complete. I’ve recently discovered excellent research materials on Gutenberg.org and I’m working my way through those treasure troves of information.

My priority is to finish my ‘princess’ middle grade trilogy which I hope to complete in the next few months.  I’m also working on a kid’s non-fiction book proposal – a fun project that is being co-authored with my oldest daughter. Stay tuned for more news coming on that one!

At the Cascade Awards Ceremony in Portland, Oregon, I was one of three finalists in the ‘Unpublished Children’s Chapter and Picture Book’ category. While I didn’t win the Cascade Award, it was such an honor to be considered one of the top three in my category out of 350 entries.

Congratulations to all the finalists and to all those who won the Cascade Award!  (To see a list of  the winners, click here.)

What is Trello?  It’s an online tool that helps you organize your information in a quick and visual way. It’s very flexible and easy to use!

You can use it collaboratively with a team or use it alone.  I’ve used it both ways and at this time, I use it exclusively to track my writing projects.

I’m using the generic, free version. At some point I may upgrade, but for now the free version suits my needs well.

As a writer, this is how I use Trello:

The Home page of Trello shows all of my ‘boards’. I have each one labeled with different categories of writing, e.g. Articles, Chapter Books, etc. 

Within each board, I’ve created ‘Lists’.  Each list displays the title of a completed manuscript, article, etc. 

Underneath each List, I’ve added a ‘Card’ to document which publishing house, editor, and/or agent I’ve sent the manuscript to, with the date and the expected date of reply.

When I receive a response from an editor or agent, I color code the card with red to indicate a rejection, green to indicate a contract has been offered or blue if interest has been expressed and they would like to discuss the project.

This provides a quick, at-a-glance review of my work and helps me stay organized.

I also have boards for tracking and scheduling social media content, blog content, deadlines and info requests from my publisher, as well as marketing/promo schedules.

I used to track all of this info on an Excel spreadsheet but switched over to Trello because of the ease in moving the cards around. And it’s visually more appealing, as you can add an image to each board. I highly recommend this online tool to track your writing projects. To start using Trello, click here .

As a contributor to this devotional, I’m so pleased to announce the hard copy is now available for sale! The story I share (on page 121) is about a difficult situation I went through when I felt so anxious and hopeless. Then God stepped in with a miracle, reminding me He is always behind the scenes, one step ahead to provide – proving yet again that we can always trust Him.

Are you weary?

Do you long to find some rest?

Are situations overwhelming?

Many of us just want relief from the tired, exhaustion of life. There is always someone who needs us, laundry to fold, and bills to pay. What if we told you God is waiting to fill your weary heart with hope!? Discover how the Book of Psalms will provide for us songs of hope for a weary heart.

Twenty-five women from all walks of life have come together to provide HOPE in the PSALMS! 

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One of my writing goals for 2019 is to write two picture book manuscripts each month. Then, if I reach my goal, I’ll have 24 completed picture book manuscripts at the end of the year. And that would be amazing! A lofty goal, considering I’m working two jobs and have four children. Yet, better to aim high, right? I have plenty of ideas, but if for some reason I get stuck, I’ve given myself permission to write kid’s magazine articles each month instead (and I have a huge cache of ideas/reference materials waiting there as well).

We are now half way into the year and so far I’ve met my monthly goal (yeah, man!). However, it occurred to me that all these manuscripts are piling up and I need get them sent out to publishing houses.  Especially since it can take months to hear back about an inquiry. Sometimes, you don’t hear back at all. Ever.

So for the month of July, I decided I need to spend focused time writing cover letters and prepping my manuscripts to publishing house specs, as each publishing house has different requirements and expectations.

And I’ve been busy!  So far this month, I’ve sent out 47 submissions (Yes, you read that right. FORTY-SEVEN submissions). Woohoo! Some publishing houses accept email queries and some will only accept hard copies (the photo above shows a few of the hard copies I’ve recently mailed).

There are more publishing houses I’d like to submit to, so I’ll keep sending them throughout the month of July. Think I can get to 100?

And then in August, I’ll return to my original goal of writing two picture book manuscripts each month. Because really, I’d rather be using my imagination and creativity to simmer over new ideas while dreaming up new worlds and fun, quirky characters. Wouldn’t you? 

7/24/19 Edited to add: I’m so happy! I set a goal to send out 100 manuscript submissions to publishing houses in July and tonight I met that goal!! 
And now I wait. While I wait, I’ll write. And writing is the best part.

Every year, I enter the Cascade Awards contest, put on by Oregon Christian Writers. Most of the time, my work doesn’t make it to the finals, but I’m always grateful at the end for the detailed feedback about my submissions that the judges provide. It helps me grow as a writer, helping me identify my weak areas, as well as recognize what I’m doing well.

This year I’m very pleased and so very honored to announce that my picture book manuscript, “Can Pirates Celebrate Advent?” has been chosen as a finalist!

While waiting for the Cascade Awards ceremony to take place on the evening of August 14th, I’ve been submitting the manuscript to literary agents and publishing houses. There’s been good feedback so far, so stay tuned – hopefully, there will be more good news to come!

Summer of 2018 I pulled open my ‘writing ideas’ notebook and decided to tap into an idea for a potential young adult novel series that includes the Nephilim.

Yes, the Nephilim. The odd reference in Genesis that makes you go “huh?” and everyone seems to have a different interpretation about who and what the Nephilim were.

‘The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.’ Genesis 6:4

The book of Genesis reveals very little about the Nephilim, so in order to craft a believable story, taking creative liberties would be a must. And I’m all over creative story telling. Yes, please! Yet, if I could find any historical information, any myths or legends to build on or around, I wanted to consider it for potential use if it fits the story I’m crafting. Aware of references to the Nephilim in apocryphal texts, such as Enoch, I knew there must be more out there somewhere. I sent an email to a friend who has a degree in Comparative Mythology and she pointed me in the right direction for research materials.

As I dove into those resources and more, I discovered very strange yet intriguing texts from ancient times. I was hooked. I kept reading book after book, marking up pages, taking down notes.

Meanwhile, my writing friend, Amy, told me about her first movie script she’d just completed. She told me I should write a movie script as well, convinced I would love it.  I brushed the suggestion aside. I have SO MANY ideas for children’s books and young adult novels, with way too many works in progress already. I wanted and needed to conquer those mountains first. “One day,” I told myself, “when I’m old, lounging on a warm, tropical island, sipping mimosas from a pineapple, with lots of time on my hands, I’ll be ready to dive into the world of movie script writing and all that it entails.”

And yet, I couldn’t shake the idea that perhaps I really should start looking into how to write a movie script. But when would I have time? THAT is the big question. Squeezing in another writing project just didn’t seem practical or feasible. I ordered a book called “Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need” and allowed myself to think ‘what if?’ as I washed dishes, drove to work, and went about my daily activities.

But then the question came up, “What if I don’t even like writing movie scripts?” It was time to test it out. I grabbed an in-progress middle grade novel manuscript that has already been outlined, with plots, subplots and characters developed and in place.  I followed “Save the Cat’s” formula on board-mapping and when/where to hit the right beats.

And Amy was right. I DO love screenwriting!! (Bring on the sunglasses and mimosas, people, I’m ready to retire to an island retreat now instead of when I’m an old lady.)  

Then it hit me —

What if I were to write about the Nephilim in movie script form, instead of a Young Adult series? Then if the story never sells as a movie script, I can use it as a kickin’ outline to write the young adult series later.

But still, this would take a lot of time. I decided it wasn’t a priority project and it took a backseat to everything else.

Ah, but here is where things get interesting…

I enjoy reading before going to sleep each night, and one evening, instead of grabbing fiction as usual (I was reading a fantastic novel by Charles Martin), I noticed a nonfiction book leaning against  my nightstand that had just a few chapters left. It was a book I had started a while back to research a topic of interest. It wouldn’t take much to finish it, so I might as well read through it then move it to the ‘read’ section of my bookcase, right?  My bookmark was left mid-chapter, so I finished those pages, and as I turned to the next chapter, I laughed out loud — it was about the Nephilim!

Not long after, something similar happened. I have a stack of teaching discs about Christian growth, spiritual warfare, etc, that I will listen to while folding laundry. I had a new one called Bent, by Katie Souza (by the way, I LOVE her teachings. If you haven’t heard her speak, I highly recommend everything on her list.). On this disc, she began talking about the book of Genesis and disclosed that she would be teaching about… the Nephilim. Ha!

This can’t be coincidence.

I decided to take this story idea more seriously and began plotting out more ideas, thoughts, and possibilities. It seemed there were two different avenues I could take, but which one? Then I had a dream. In this dream, I saw one storyline unfolding in a way that produced joy in my life. While the other storyline brought complications. I awoke, jotted down the dream and realized:  now I know which direction to take this story.

Since then, I’ve continued with my research, devouring books, filling Scrivener pages with notes and ideas.  I’ve even hung a story-board in my hallway, using art-poster paper with colored note cards indicating different topics, and the plots and subplots they are generating.  Some sections have more cards than others and my youngest son says the one with the most cards is ‘winning’. (Yes, it’s a little strange when my kids have guests over, eye-balling this odd creation hanging in the hallway and wondering what kind of weird home they’ve stepped into. But until I have my own home office, I gotta use the spaces that are open. So the weirdness will continue, kids. Sorry, not sorry).

What this story board has taught me is that I have too much to work with (that’s not a bad problem). Or at least, it’s too much for one movie. So perhaps, this needs to be a TV series? And while that’s still scriptwriting, it’s a different writing format than a movie.

I’m still pondering which one I want to go with, but I’m leaning toward a series.

Something I hadn’t anticipated in the process of all this research, is that it has sparked SO many ideas for other writing projects: picture books, nonfiction books, middle grade novels. Not on the topic of Nephilim but on other topics I came across. I need to press the “Pause” button on ‘time and space’ and spend a few years just writing – no working, no eating, no sleeping. Just writing. Think I can make that happen?

It may be a long while before you hear another update on this beast of a project. Just know that while you are sleeping, I’m likely researching, writing, and imagining.

And that makes me a very happy writer. Very happy indeed.