That awkward vegan moment…

When your at ChopShop and you order a vegan Asian salad and add…

 

DOUBLE STEAK!!!!

Ginty Family Prayer request!!!

Hey friends! I wanted to let you know that this past Thursday my brother John went into the hospital and was tested for Leukemia! Basically, leukemia is a cancer of the blood 🩸 so it is through out the whole body. 

He got the results yesterday and they came back positive after 16 years of being in remission. He is starting his first round of chemo tomorrow and only his wife will be able to visit him! He will be hospitalized for at least 30 days, then he will start round two of chemo in August.

Then after that he will be getting a bone marrow transplant…I"m his match! (As long as Im still a match... I have to be retested since its been so long!!!) I’m very excited to be able to this!!! The only thing that would be cooler 😎 than giving him my marrow would be him NEVERRRRR needing it… buuuuut since he does I’m happy to be a part of it!!! It’s really easy to do… sounds more dramatic than it actually is!!! 😆

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Please keep him in your prayers! He is only 32, has a wife, a two year old, 5 year old and 6 year old. He is a good dad, husband and brother! Always fixes my car troubles,in fact my car is sitting in his carport at this very moment… and an amazing cook!!! Please keep him and his family in your prayers!!!

Single Saturday!!!

I don't know WHYYY buuuuuut this meme just cracks me up like BIG TIME!!! Liiiiiiike I literally can NOT stop laughing every time I look at it!!! Really guys, you all no that I am sooooo NOT  a man hater but this is really funny...I love that bear too!!! 

Maybe it's cuz I walked back into the weight loss clinic I go to and the owner, and another client and the two secretaries are exchanging "Husband" stories...THE MAIN one being the lady whose husband woke her up to tell her she was snoring and he couldn't fall asleep...She's liiiiiiike, LIKE HE NEVERRR SNORES... and then they turn to me and are liiiiike, MARY FORGET EVERTHING WE EVER SAID ABOUT YOU NEEDING TO GET MARRIED...

JUST STAY SINGLE!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

Just being A MAN!!!

Sooooooooooooo we're leaving at 5am in the morning for AMA camp a few weeks ago and you have to bring all your own bedding, so we had put them in garbage bags. Weeeeeeeellll come that Monday morning and we're carrying everything outside and my sister tells Odin, take this bag outside!

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Soooooooo Odin takes it out and is like, Okaaaaaaay i'll carry it to the trash can...

LIIIIIIKE A MAN!!!

My sister and I in UNISON are liiiiiike, NOOOOOOOO! He's like what guys? I'm just being a man like Pastor says we should! I'm just MANNING UP!!! We're, like and we do want you to be a man, BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT that is NOT TRASH!!! It's all our bedding!!! Carry out to the church van, NOT THE TRASH!!!

Sooooooooo he carried it like a man to the van...which consisted of also pretending it was a huge, giant, basket ball!!! HAHAHAAA!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

This message MIGHT NOT be for you!!!

My pastor preached a message a month or so ago called "Wonderful, Beautiful, ME!!!" annnnnd basically the message was about not degrading ourselves and thinking we're ugly, ETC...Buuuuuuuut he started off by saying, you know, this message just might NOT be needed by everyone tonight...

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He's like FOR EXAMPLE...

If you've taken a selfie in the last 24 hours, 

THIS MESSAGE, probably isn't for you!!! 

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OF COURSE everyone looks at me!!! almost as much as when he talked about glitter...hee, hee I was liiiiiiiiiiike,

HEEEEEEEEEYYY I don't think I have taken a selfie since... 

                                                    

MONDAY!!!

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 My phone was broken...buuuuut still...;) I could've rushed to get a new phone, buuuut I hadnt...I didn't get paid til Friday buuuuut STILL...;) ;) My pastor was just like, WOW! We we're having revival!!! AHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

Book Meeting Update!!!

Looooooooooooooooook...

the illustrations are coming along great!!!

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AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!

Nooooooo ACTUALLY Celia showed me the cover of the book on her phone annnnnd i SCREAMED!!! okaaaaaaaay actually I just squealed...I screamed when there was a ROACH crawling across the food court!!! They were all calm...I straight away JUMPED UP and backed away...THEY'RE OF THE DEVIL...I promise you a minion sent to eavesdrop on the book!!!

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AnywayZ, the book cover is looking spectacular!!! I am soooooo beyond impressed, i'm just liiiiike OMW...it looks like a REAL BOOK COVER!!! 

Noooooo we did get a lot done...weeeeeeelllll THEY DID...

I kinda got lost talking about the next book...and still can't stop laughing about THE MODEL for the next story!!!! We stayed until we basically got kicked out cuz it was closing!!!

I also spent a lot of time contemplating ways to steal my editors glitter pen from THE ESTHER play....Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyy Keri...AREN'T YOU GOING TO THAT??? You have a friend in AZ that you'll be seeing at HERITAGE...that would loooooove to NOT have to steal her editors pen!!! ;)

♥Mary Frances :)

Happy Monday!!!

That moment when...

 prayers of the future flash before your eyes!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

P.S. Hope you guys have a great, fantastic week!!! I'm excited to see people at Jr Camp this week in Pinetop or wherever it is!!! LOL We're going up all day Thursday and staying the night!!! :)

PLEASE VOTE!!!

Soooooo the boys were doing these rubiks cube challenges and like getting them done in 30 seconds- on the way to camp, then it started on the way back!!! I was like, you guys I'm no longer impressed!!! Even though I couldn't do one in like a year, i'm still not impressed! If you wanna impress me make an M pattern on your rubiks cube! They're like, ooooh thats sooooo conceited!!! I'm like, your only saying that cuz you CAN'T!!!

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Well two of them took me up on the M Challenge!!!

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1.

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2.

Which one do you think is better??? 

Puleeeeeeeeeeze , please...

PLEASE VOTE!!!

Email me number 1 or 2...

                                                 maryfranceswriting@gmail.com or text me if ya got my digits!!! 

♥Mary Frances :)

Be thankful!!! LOL

♥Mary Frances :)

Why i'm...

So the other day, one of my friends and I were joking back and forth about how these days, IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG in our lives...its...

COVID!!!

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Change shortage...COVID!!

Weight gain...COVID!!!

Job loss...COVID!!!

High gas prices...COVID!!!

Bad food...COVID!!!

Its hot in AZ...COVID!!!

My AC don't work...COVID!!!

Alternator on my car went out...COVID!!!

No free samples...COVID!!!

Boba shortage...COVID!!! - YES the boba shortage is real folks---found that out when the cray-cray in front of me FREAKED because they would only give her ONE SCOOP of boba instead of FOUR...ewww

SINGLE....yeeeeeeepPPP....

THAT's WHY i'm SINGLE...

Love in quarrantine until further notification!!! ;)

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My LOVE LIFE HAS BEEN IN QUARRANTINE SINCE BEFORE COVID EVEN EXISTED!!! I guess it was just taking precautions!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

Apparently!!!

SOOOOOOO APPARENTLY...

Whoeverrrrr designs the signs for Starbucks, 

HAS NEVERRRRR spent a summer in

 ARIZONA!!! 🌞😡🔥

I have NOOOOOO DESIRE FOR THIS TO LAST FOREVERRRR!!!

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It's been almost 120 EVERY DAY THIS WEEK!!!
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I bought this fruit popsicle to try and cool off and had to throw it mostly out the window because it was literally melting like a sticky waterfall on my hand as I drove...with THE AC ON!!!

AZ WINTER HURRY UP!!!

I'm ready for baggy sweaters, hoodys and ugg boots!!!

Morning Reality Check!!!

Sooooooo in the last several years of my life i've come up with a morning routine of daily weighing myself in on the scale! People have all their methods and opinions on this, do it weekly or monthly, don't do it daily because it will mess with your emotions the whole day, buuuuuuuut for me personally, I NEED MY MORNING REALITY CHECK!!! 

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I remember hearing some newly weds saying that they both had come home from their honeymoon and were in such a bliss, then one of them went to put something on and it didn't fit, they stepped on the scale and both of them had gained 30-50 pounds within months. They laughed about it and said they just hadn't even realized the weight was coming on because they were just enjoying life. Or how about you think you look soooooooo great, then you see a picture of yourself and your like, WAIT, who is that??? In your mind you saw yourself looking better than you actually do---that's USUALLY ME!!! ;)

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That's WHY I weigh in daily!!! I'm an emotionally strong enough person to be able to look at those digits on the scale, then look myself in the eye in the mirror and either say, GOOD JOB or GET TO WORK GIRRRRRRRL!!!! Holding myself accountable every morning keeps me from gaining a ton of weight!!! Especially with someone like me, who has a good self-image, I NEED a morning reality check to keep my weight from getting out of control!!!

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Just like physically we may need a reality check, we NEED SPIRITUAL reality checks daily as well. That is part of WHY we need to have our own personal daily devotional. Prayer and the Bible reading is our daily reality check!!!

_How's my spirit?

_How's my attitude?

_ Am I being kind?

-_How's my tongue?

"A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." Proverbs 15:1-Its ok to say how you feel, buuuuuut can you say it nicely, with a soft tongue instead a sharp tongue?

_What things am I dwelling on?"

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (Phillipians 4:8)

_What am I thinking about?-Filtering our thoughts through (Philipians 4:8)

_ How am I treating people in and out of church? - "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:35) -not only are we being a witness by loving each other, we're also all going to heaven together sooooooo we may as well get along!!!

_Am I putting the things of God first in my life?

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If we have these daily reality checks in our lives, theres no way we're just going to wake up one day half backslidden and not sure how to get back! How are your reality checks doing??? Get on the scale and look in the mirror!!! WHAT DO YOU SEE???

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"For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." (James 1:23)

♥Mary Frances :)

Can I get a sprinkley 🍩 WITHOUT…

Soooooooo the other day I’m at Dunkin’ Donuts picking up a delivery order and I see that they have something new out for the month of June…. A certain donut bin says…sprinkley donuts WITH PRIDE🌈

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I was liiiiiiiike SERIOUSLY???😵‍💫🤯🤢🤮 You guys gotta try an invade the innocent donuts too???🙄🙄🙄 

Sooooooooo being me…

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HI! 👋 Can I please get a sprinkley donut…

WITHOUT THE PRIDE???😎😇

Heeeeeeeeeyyy you know what the Bible says, pride goeth before the fall DESTRUCTION…interesting that they picked PRIDE as that word as their representation!!!!! 

"Pride goeth before destruction, 

and an haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18)

♥Mary Frances :)

Book Sneak peak!!!

Heeeeeeyyyy I thought I would give you all a sneak peak of the logo Celia, my illustrator is doing with Series logo...CHECK THIS OUT!!!!!!!

Delicious Adventures With Nona

Annnnnnd THEN with color...duuuuude check out the crossaint in that D-Liiiiike it loos sooooooooo GOOOOOOOD i could just bite right into it!!! I'm sooooooo impressed with her skill!!!

 

Soooooo in one of our first meetings, Celia said I needed to decide on my lettering style and she was showing me different things, and while they were all very skillful...I just had something else in mind buuuuuuutwasn't sure it was actually a good idea...buuuut I figured I'd just throw it out there...Im like is it possible to do the lettering out of food???

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Thankfully she loved the idea and said she could do it....buuuuut she said it would be better NOT to do ALL the letters cuz then that would be TOO MUCH...thats why she's perfect for the JOB- takes my ideas but doesn't let them get OUT OF CONTROL!!!!

,

What do you guys think??? AmaaaaaaaaaaaZing with a capital Z????

email or text me!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

A Mountain Apart Camp 2021!!!

Accent Wall!!!

Heeeeeeeeeyyyy you guys sooooooo I told you all that My sister is having her whole house, in which I live, remodeled?!? There was a leak in the kitchen, there was mold, all the kitchen cabinets and tile through out the whole house is being replaced by the insurance sooooooo she just decided to do a whole house remodel...it’s like all in the 60’s!!!

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Anyways, since the whole house is being repainted, she said we could pick colored accent walls!!! Soooooooo guess which color I picked????

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Think about me and what I loooooove.... flowers 🌺🌸🌹🌻🥀🌼🌺... what background would go best with flowers?!?!?! now GUESS THE COLOR!!!! 

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I’m going to tell you the color...all you have to do is click below to find out... buuuuuut say the color you think 💭 in your head  first!!!!

Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Odin the other day was like...

BREAKFAST+Lunch+DINNER=LOVE!!!

That's a GINTY KID FOR YOU!!! Hee, hee!!!

May 2021!!!!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllll May just flew by!!! Literally!!! I've just been working and blogging and going to church...annnnnnnnnd MAYBE a little, teeny, bit of shopping...buuuuuut heeeeeeyyyy I"M WORKING FOR IT!!!

Not really to tired of it cuz my mom's grandkids are my biggest income!!! LOL 

SUNDAY SCOOL!!!

Amaaaaaazing Avacodo toast from Chop Shop!!!

I was packing up cuz we're living in a hotel til sometime in July and this is the BLUE Bible my mom gave me, I was soooooo jealous cuz my sister's was PINK...buuuuut Mom said I had blue eyes and I said buuuuuut I LIIIIIKE PINK and she doesn't have PINK EYES!!! 

Jessica, my black baby doll I begged my mom for 6 months and got on my 5th birthday!!!

Mary Camp 🏕 News!!!

Sooooooooo you guys, for the FIRST TIME in my life I’m surprising someone!!! I’m on my way to New Mexico Camp buuuuuut Anali thinks I’m NOT GOING!!!

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I almost slipped twice on the phone with her yesterday... I realize that I’m being kinda stupid posting about this before we’ve ACTUALLY seen each other, buuuuuuuuuut she doesn’t read my blog soooooo hopefully she doesn’t randomly decide to be a really good bestie and actually get on it on her way to camp!! 

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sooooooo you guys SHHHHH...🤫🤫🤫🤫 don’t spoil the surprise!!!!!🤐🤐🤐🤐🤫

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Read our texts.... I’m playing it up!!! 

Yesterday she was like, I can’t believe you’re not going to camp! I was liiiiiike, when is it anywayZ?!?!?!?

Happpppyyyy

Today is Monday, a verrrrrrryyy happy Monday!!!

Today is your Monday, haaaaaaappppy MONDAY, 

HEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYY!!!!

Happy Monday!!!

You know your an Apostolic-Pentecostal Female 

WHEN YOUR LIVING IN A HOTEL ROOM...

AND THIS IS WHAT

 YOUR TV LOOKS LIKE!!!

Duuuuuuude they put a stupid TV where a big O mirror should be!!!

WHO WOULD RATHER HAVE A TV THAN A MIRROR???

♥Mary Frances :)

Mary News part 4! (The end and Random info!!!)

And sooooo this is how TEAM EXCELLENCE WAS BORN!!! Me, Tori and Celia-TEAM EXCELLENCE!!!! I explained to the girls that it is my utmost desire to not just make this book a GOOD KID's book, buuuuuuut to make it an excellent kid's book!!! Why settle for good when you can be excellent??? 

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What takes a book from good to excellent??? By going the extra mile to produce the best product you can possibly produce!!!! How do we do this??? Through prayer, studying, and HARD WORK!!! Honing and sculpting our project for God's kingdom!!!“Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him..." (Daniel 6;3)

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My utmost desire is to 

1. Educate Children- through fun entertainment, at an early age on the Holy Ghost and God's plan of salvation. 

2. That this book will be a witnessing tool. 

Think about the fact that you can get away with so much witnessing in a kid's book!!! You might not just give ANYONE in the world a witnessing pamplet on the plan of salvation, buuuuuuut you CAN give their kid a book for their birthday AND THEN they'll have to read it to them!!! And even if they don't like it and get rid of it, most people don't throw away a kid's book, they might put it in Goodwill or a yard sale and who knows who will pick it up next!!! I get excited just thinking about it!!!

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Soooooo I'm publishing through the #1 Self-publishing company, Outskirts Publishing!!! The top reason I chose them, aside from them having all of the top reviews, is because they PRINT ON DEMAND!!! Print on demand means that no book is actually printed until it is bought! Sooooooo instead of me buying a bunch of copies and trying to figure out how sell them, YOU ALL, can just order the book through Amazon or Barnes and Noble or a ton of other online stores!!!!

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 Annnnnnd that means I DO NOT have to worry to much about the business aspect of book sales BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW, if I had the books in my hands I would literally be passing them out like cookies!!! My business skills are probably even lower than my math skills and thats PRETTY LOW!!!  AHAHAHAAAA!!! 

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Does anyone have any advertising ideas besides my blog and Holy Ghost Radio??? Advertising expenses can be claimed on my taxes sooooooo let me know!!! MaryFrancesWriting@gmail.com 

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Where am I at right now in this endeavor????

I've signed a contract and down-payment with Outskirts Publishing, they said once everything is submitted to them, it will take about 8 weeks for publication. My tax guy said if I make one sale by the end of the year I can claim ALL my expenses for the project on my taxes next year so that is what I am shooting for! Celia is working on her illustrations and thinks she will be done by August. Tori is fine tuning and honing my writing and ME...weeeeeellll...I"M BLOGGING!!! BAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!! 

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WHAT'S NEXT???

I asked the girls, ummmmm...am I supposed to be doing anything at this point besides payments and my oppinion??? They're like, yaying and naying our work!!! I was liiiiiike, okaaaaayyy cuz you know, I'm pretty chill and NOT very take charge...sooooo if theres something I need to take charge with...PLEASE TELL ME!!! 

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Last time we all met up for a team meeting, Celia was like ok do you wanna just go through at least the first five pages of where you want the words and illustrations arranged on the pages? I was liiiiiiik, HUH?!?!?! She's like, well you can just show me where you want everything! I was like, Celia...I dooooon't CARE!!! I havn't a clue HOW anything should be arranged!!! 

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She's like, so your okay with me deciding how it should be arranged? I'm liiiiiike yeeeeesssss!!! She's like, It's YOUR BOOK, are you sure??? I'm liiiiiike, Celia, My talent is writing, I have absolutely NO ARTISTIC TALENT!!! I completely trust your artistic eye!!!! Yes, your technically, working for me, buuuuuuuuuut i am NOT gonna micro-manage everything you do!!! I'm not bossy or controlling ...If I see something that I absolutely abhor I'll let you know but other than that the only thing I have to say is: MAKE IT LOOK AMAAAAAAZING!!! Liiiiiiike, I want there to be drool stains on people's books when they see the feast...That's ALL I care about!!! Hee, hee!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

♥Mary Frances :)

Mary News (Part 3)

I let Celia read my story to see if this was even something she was interested in illustrating for and she LOVED IT!!! And was immediately on board whole-heartedly with the book!!!!

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BUUUUUUUUT...

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She was like, ummmmmm...do you have an...

EDITOR????

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I was liiiiike, I know, I know, I need one!!! She was like, cuz although I love all of it and can't think of one part I actually don't like, it IS A LITTLE LONG...for a kids story!!! She's like, it just needs condensing and I actually know the person for the job, she has an English degree and all the stuff and she ACTUALLY WANTS to be an editor...(Btw; I'm paraphrasing...I didn't record our actual conversation! We may have even been texting...LOL)

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I'm thinking...

WHO WOULD WANT TO BE AN EDITOR???

The One and only TORI PATTON!!! 

BTW; Tori is ALSO single brothers...late 20's as well
She's probably wishin right now she had access to editing MY BLOG...buuuuut she doesn't!!! Hee, hee!!!
She'll ALSO be at Heritage...JUS SAYIN!!! ;)`

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Once again I was unsure...sooooo I already was friends with Tori...which made me less sure if I should use her for editing...You know business can taint friendships...weeeeeelll we weren't that close... sooooo I figured whatevs... buuuuuuut after meeting up in person...

BAAAAMMM...

HIIIIIIIRED!!!!

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Tori helped take out about 2,500 words...AHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!! She's quite talented at CONDENSING...she's like...You know you can say the same thing like this...I'm liiiiiiiike...OOOOOOH...

I know, I know, and you ALL KNOW, I can be a bit wordy!!! ;)))) 

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Editing-in-action!!!

Editing Mary's writing is NOT a job for the weak!;)

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Annnnnd there were quite a few scenes ommited out! Tori was like, it's actually really hard because some of this stuff you said is really funny, I'm liiiiiike YEAH, buuuuuut... it's a kids book and their attention span is like 5 minutes max!!!! Hey when the book is published, maybe i'll post some OMMITTED scenes for the story...they'll really make you laugh!!! 

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Btw: Tori also has a really great testimony!!!! Hopefully we get a chance to share it more in depth sometime buuuuuut... Basically I've kinda known her for years...I was actually REALLY friends with her big brother GLEN PATTON...Whose Married to Valerie now...THE VALERIE who was the one who told me about Celia!!! Anyways, Glen was in church really good and he would say, pray for my sister, pray for my family, pray for my sister etc...AND WEEEEELLLLL long story short, God answered a big brother's prayers and now she's living for God and editing my book!!! 

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Then Tori was like, I don't want you to think I don't like your story if I change stuff around or take something out! I'm liiiiiike girrrrl it's fine!!! That's how it is in professional writing!!! I wrote for my college paper for several years sooooo I KNOW the routine! You write and the editor fine tunes everything!!! I will NOT be offended!!! 

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Faults???

Does my editor have any faults??? I think ONLY ONE!!! Yeeeeeessss....I'm going to say it Tori...She does NOT listen to ADVENTURES IN ODYSSEY!!! She doesn't even know WHO JAY SMOUSE IS!!! Bahahahahaaaa!!!

This was Tori's text to me AFTER reading my blog post,

 "Today's Delivery Tip" 

Where I may have spoke a LITTLE out a turn an put all NON-AIO fans on blast, I get THIS TEXT FROM TORI!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

I gueeeeeessss I'll make an exception for my editor!!! ;)

BUUUUUUUUUUUUUT...

If anyone feels it in their heart to pray for God to heal her of this ONE INFIRMITY...I would greatly appreciate it for her!!! 😇😇😇😇😇😇😇

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AYWAYZ, I'll end by saying... TEAM EXCELLENCE was born!!!

What is team excellence??? Find out TOMORROW...in part 4 and THE END of Mary news!!! Really...this was going to all be ONE POST!!!! AHAHAHAHAAA!!! ;)))

Mary News (Part 2 Illustrations)

ILLUSTRATOR!!!

Soooooooo, I wrote this story the beginning of last fall and then I was just liiiiiiike, now what???? I mean, we all know that with kid's books, 70%, if not more, is all about THE PICTURES!!! aNNNNND although God has blessed me abundantly with a writing talent, my artistic skills are basically right up there with my math and foreign language skills, which is basically, -10000, liiiiiiiiike stick figures are really pushing it with me!!!

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Soooooooooo what do you do when you want to publish a kids book buuuuut can't draw????

YOU PRAY!!! You pray and you pray and you pray and you ask God to lead you!!! And that's exactly what I did!!! Then I wrote up a text message that I copy/pasted to a TON of out of state people in my phone, asking people if they knew of anyone that could illustrate a kid's book!?! 

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I specifically, really wanted a PENTECOSTAL illustrator because I felt like ONLY A PENTECOSTAL or a BACKSLIDDEN PENTECOSTAL could truly capture the Pentecostal culture in the illustrations. I don't want no charasmatic,  holy spirit, half-hand-raising stuff- I want THE REAL DEAL!!!

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Sooooooo I sent out the text message to a TON of people in other states, BECAUSE I assumed that I KNEW EVERYONE IN AZ and there were NO ILLUSTRATORS HERE!!!!

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 annnnnnnd then I sent it to a girl name Valerie Patton, annnnnd after i sent it, I paused and said to myself, wait, WHOSE VALERIE PATTON??? Then I was like, OH that's right, VALERIE, Glen's wife!!!! She goes to church in Glendale and I'm like thinking to myself, Oh I didn't mean to send it to Valerie, she's a mom and a nurse, and she lives in AZ, liiiiiike no way she's going to know of an illustrator!!! Buuuuuut I'm like OH WELL...No biggie!!!

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Weeeeeeeelllll MY ACCIDENT was ACTUALLY God's ON PURPOSE!!! 

                                                            Ain't that JUST LIKE THE LORD?!?!?! 

Valerie Patton was THE ONE PERSON TO IMMEDIATLEY respond back annnnnnd she was THE ONE to give me the name of my illustrator...

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THE ONE AND ONLY...

AMAAAAAAAZINGLY TALENTED...

CELIA AMAYA!!!

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January 21st, 2021

Valerie referred me to her annnnnd THEN LATER ON...liiiiiiike 20 other people from her church suggested her! They're very loyal to you Celia!!! Buuuuuut Valerie was THE ORIGINAL ONE!!! Then I started asking other people from Glendale about her...I mean, I even asked several people before I contacted Celia, are you sure she's actually REALLY GOOD??? Cuz liiiiiiike, I really want amaaaaaaazing illustrations, buuuuut I'd feel bad saying, actually your really NOT that good!!! 

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They're LIKE NO SHE IS!!! Our pastor even had her help design the carpet in our new church building!!! I was liiiiiike, OOOOOh ok, I mean, I suppose if Bro. Garrett trusts her to help design his church carpet...I can PROBABLY trust her to Illustrate my kid's book!! Hee, hee!!!

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I mean, HONESTLY THOUGH, I wasn't completely sure about Celia until we met up in person and she showed me her sketches...I was liiiiiiiiiike...HIRED!!!! There was just something about her confidence in her ability to do this project, yet still humble ABOUT her talent!!! Confidence with humility is a rare jewel but I found it with Celia!!! Don't ever lose that girrrrl!!! 

Btw- SHE IS single if any of the brother's out there were wondering...late 20's!!! 

She'll be at Heritage...Jus sayin!!! ;)

I actually had no clue who Celia even was, which I feel bad about cuz she knew who I was, HONESTLY I really thought I knew EVERYONE IN AZ!!! Apparently NOT!!!

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Long story  short, CELIA could be making big time bucks if she used her talent in the world, but she committed her gift to God's use-perhaps we'll share her story more in depth sometime!!!! 

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The Coolest part about this WHOLE STORY, is that while I was praying for God to lead me to an illustrator for my book, CELIA had been praying that God would use her artistic talent more for Him!!! We were LITERALLY THE ANSWER TO EACH OTHER'S PRAYERS!!!! 

Once again...

AIN'T THAT JUST LIKE THE LORD???

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Sooooooooooooo she asked me sooooo many questions before we got started that I had NO CLUE what the answer was!!! Do you want traditional or digital? Line or watercolor? I was liiiiiiiike, HUH??? I just know that I want it to be superrrr cuuuuute and funnnn and AMAAAAZING looking...thats the depth of my artistical knowledge! So she was like, show me some books that you really like the illustrations in...soooooo I showed her like 10 different kids books that I adore the illustrations in and she was like, OH you like watercolor!!! Aparentley I was consistent with what I liked without even realizing it!!! 

IN ACTION!!!

 Here she is working on PETER!!!

As you can see from just that little bit...this girl is GOOOOOOD!!!

Thank you Jesus for leading me to the write RIGHT illustrator for this book!!!

GOD ALWAYS KNOWS BEST!!!

Part 3 tomorrow!!! See how looooong the one post was??? You sooooo wouldve stopped reading already if this was all one!!! I knooooow you!!!;) 

Mary News!!! (Part 1.)

NEWS FLASH 🗲

Soooooooooo I have been meaning to share with you all some VERY EXCITING NEWS!!! Are you guys ready for this??? Weeeeeeeeeellll here we go...

 By the end of 2021...

I will officially be...

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What do you think I'm going to say??? ;)

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.Married???

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.Engaged???

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NAH...

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Buuuuuuut...

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I will be...

Good times in The USA!!!!😎🙌🏽

Bible terminology tip!!!

Sooooooooo Denae and I have been doing this ladies Bible study on Monday nights since the beginning of this year, well Denae is basically the teacher and I just add comments, explainations, stories, definitons,  etc..

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well two weeks ago, one of the ladies in the group asked if it mattered if she referred the Holy Ghost as the Holy Spirit, if there was a difference? I mean aside from Holy Spirit being very charasmatic sounding and I personally prefer saying HOLY GHOST, Denae said she didn't think so, its just that in the KJV Bible it always says Holy Ghost but people have kinda preferred Holy Spirit because it sounds less scary or whatever but really a Ghost is a spirit and its God's spirit etc...

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BUUUUUUUUT...

The next week, Denae said she had mentioned it to her dad AND he actually had a REALLY GOOD explaination of WHY we should say Holy Ghost over Holy Spirit, OTHER than just the whole, it sounds more Pentecostal to say Holy Ghost than Holy Spirit! Denae and I were both super excited about this explaination and personally kinda surprised that we've both pretty much grown up with Bishop Abbott's teachings and NEVERRRR heard this before!!!

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Soooooooooo being the kind person that I am I thought I would share his explaination with you all so that you can use this gold nugget as well when you teach and when people ask!!!

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Denae said that her dad said THE DIFFERENCE between saying the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit, is that YES they both mean spirits, and there are A LOT of spirits BUUUUUUT a ghost is specifically the spirit of someone that has died and THE HOLY GHOST is the spirit of Jesus WHO DIED FOR US!!! 

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I was liiiiiiiike, WOOOOOOWWWW...that makes sooooo much sense!!! Isn't that soooooo cool???  That was such a AHA moment for me and I just HAD TO SHARE IT WITH YOU ALL!!! Now go share this piece of gold with someone else!!!

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

♥Mary Frances :)