Stop and Smell the Roses by Pam Hillman

Please help me welcome Pam Hillman to A Bed of Roses....

Pam Hillman was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn’t afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove the Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn’t mind raking. Raking hay doesn’t take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that’s the kind of life every girl should dream of! Claiming Mariah is her second novel. www.pamhillman.com

Stop and Smell the Roses

By Pam Hillman

When I first visited Ginger’s blog, I looked at that beautiful red rose that covered 90% of my computer screen, and I sighed with pleasure. Just the sight of it brought me joy and I literally felt my blood pressure drop a couple of notches.

Didn’t you?????

We’ve just come off the merry-go-round of the Christmas season that is the busiest time of year for most of us. Yes, I love Christmas, love spending time with family, love celebrating our dear Savior’s birth, but we can only take so much excitement, so much running from pillar to post, from here to there, home to church, family event to business dinners before….we really get the urge to <i>stop</i> and smell the roses.

And I couldn’t think of a better place than Ginger’s blog to do that!

Take a deep breath.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Relax.

Close your eyes, and…

….smell the roses….

Ahhhh….

Don’t you feel better now?

I’m immersed in the world of writers, authors, drama queens and artsy types, and seems like we are always on the go, burning the candle at both ends. Even when I decided on a topic for this blog, my fingers started flying, thoughts began to jockey for position in my brain, my eyes darted back and forth across the page, while I made notes about the graphics I wanted to display… Sheesh! I can’t even put together a blog post without feeling like I’m on a roller-coaster.

So, for today, for Ginger’s gorgeous rose-themed blog, I’m making a deliberate effort to s.l.o.w. d.o.w.n.

I will take time to smell the roses, enjoy life, enjoy my family, enjoy reading, and writing.

I’ll start by…

…organizing my time better.

…taking a walk.

…relaxing and reading a good book.

…spending time with my husband.

…talking to my kids more.

…going out to lunch with my mother.

And I’ll end by …

…making this post SHORT so you can go and do likewise!

Enjoy your day and stop and smell the roses.

~

Today, January 2^nd marks the official launch of Pam’s Blog Tour Blowout to celebrate the release of her new book from Tyndale House, Claiming Mariah. We’re officially blowing the doors off the Prize Vault today!

About Claiming Mariah:

In light of her father’s death, Mariah Malone sends a letter that will forever alter the lives of her family. When Slade Donovan, strong willed and eager for vengeance, shows up on her front porch, Mariah is not ready to hear his truths: her father’s farm, the only home she’s ever known, was bought with stolen gold. With Slade ready to collect his father’s rightful claim and force Mariah and her family out on the streets, Mariah must turn to God for guidance. Though Mr. Fredrick Cooper, a local landowner, promises to answer her financial woes if she agrees to be his bride, Mariah finds herself drawn instead to the angry young man demanding her home.

With the ranch now under Slade’s careful eye, he will unearth more than he ever imagined as a devious plot of thievery, betrayal and murder threatens more than the well-being of the ranch, endangering the lives of those who hold it dear. With days dwindling until the rest of the Donovan clan arrive to the Lazy M ranch, Mariah and Slade must rise above the resentment of their fathers and see their true feelings before greed alters their futures forever.

Complete List of Stops Along the Tour

The Prize Vault is Open!

NEXT STOP ON TOUR – A Two-For-One

January 2^nd - http://southernwritersmagazine.blogspot.com/

January 3^rd: http://hannahbelleslifeinprogress.blogspot.com/

Claiming Mariah is available at the following retailers:

Amazon link

            B&N link

            CBD link

And to read the 1st Chapter: http://tinyurl.com/ageh54r

Thank you, Pam, for the wonderful reminder to stop regularly and enjoy God's creation, which includes our families. :)

Blessings,

Ginger